InterMat Staff

All times PT Day 2: Sunday Session III: 11 a.m. Iran vs. India, USA vs. Turkey Noon Russia vs. Georgia; Ukraine vs. Mongolia 1:30 p.m. Seventh-place match and Ninth-place match 2:30 p.m. Fifth-place match Session IV: 5 p.m. Third-place match 6 p.m. First-place match and Award Ceremonies Day 1: Saturday Session I: 11 a.m Armenia vs. USA Mat A 11 a.m India vs. Turkey Mat B Noon Iran vs. Armenia Mat A Noon USA vs. India Mat B 1 p.m. Georgia vs. Japan Mat A 1 p.m. Mongolia vs. Russia Mat B 2 p.m. Japan vs. Mongolia Mat A 2 p.m. Ukraine vs. Russia Mat B Session II: 5:30 p.m. Armenia vs. India Mat A 5:30 p.m. Turkey vs. Iran Mat B 6:30 p.m. Turkey vs. Armenia Mat A 6:30 p.m. Iran vs. USA Mat B 7:30 p.m. Mongolia vs. Georgia Mat A 7:30 p.m. Japan vs. Ukraine Mat B 8:30 p.m. Georgia vs. Ukraine Mat A 8:30 p.m. Russia vs. Japan Mat B

Links: Results | Schedule

A wealth of wrestling talent will arrive in Los Angeles this weekend (Saturday and Sunday) for the Freestyle World Cup. The ten teams competing in eight weight classes will feature close to 50 wrestlers ranked in the latest set of FILA World Rankings. It's worth mentioning that nations are not limited to one wrestler earning a world ranking per weight class and that the top wrestling countries often have multiple athletes ranked at the same weight. Many of the teams competing at the World Cup have multiple wrestlers entered at a weight and, in some cases, all of them are ranked. Which athlete is given the nod to compete in which meet is sometimes not determined until match time. Since wrestling was officially reinstated as an Olympic sport last September, a number of changes have been made by FILA. One of the more significant is that some of the weight classes have been slightly changed and, at non-Olympic events, a new weight class, 70 kilos, was added. Who the stars are at this new weight class is difficult to tell as the results to examine from it are still quite limited. The ten teams competing have been put into two pools. The top two teams at last year's World Championships, No. 1 Iran and No. 2 Russia, were placed in separate pools and the remaining eight countries were drawn at random. While some of the anticipated individual matchups may automatically happen in pool competition, other ones can only occur depending on how each teams finish within their pool. 57 kilos: No. 1 Hassan Rahimi (Iran) vs. No. 2 Amit Kumar (India) -- Session III A rematch of the World finals last year, won in a close bout by Rahimi. Rahimi won gold in a tight, chess match type bout filled with calculated explosions and amazing defense by both wrestlers. 61 kilos: No. 5 Nyam-Ochir Enkhsaiakhan (Mongolia) vs. No. 12 Vasily Fedorishin (Ukraine) -- Session III Vasily Fedorishin, a veteran, is still quite slick and has a number of solid wins recently. How much he is still on the top of his game will be determined in a bout with the talented Mongolian. For Team USA, two-time World Team member Reece Humphrey is expected to benefit from this weight class being changed from 60 kilos to 61 kilos and may be primed for big wins. Teammate Jimmy Kennedy is ranked No. 8 in the world after a recent tournament victory in Turkey, which included a win over Nyam-Ochir. 65 kilos: No. 3 Ganzorigiin Mandakhnaran (Mongolia) vs. No. 7 Alibeggadzhi Emeev (Russia) -- Session I Emeev has had some good wins as of late and a match with 2013 World bronze medalist Mandakhnaran will be a good barometer of where he stands. 70 kilos: No. 4 (at 74 kilos) Nick Marable (USA) vs. No. 2 Peyman Yaramadi (Iran) -- Session II There is much anticipation for the USA vs. Iran dual meet and this match is one of the crucial ones. Marable shocked the world with a victory over then-undefeated (in international competition) Jordan Burroughs in Turkey last month and has since dropped down to the new weight class of 70 kilos. Given his performances of late, he should be considered the favorite this weekend. Yaramadi will be a formidable test for him. Jordan Burroughs defeated Ezzatollah Akbari to win gold (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)74 kilos: No. 1 Jordan Burroughs (USA) vs. Ezzatollah Akbari (Iran) -- Session II A rematch from last year's World Championship finals, won 4-0 by Burroughs. The poster boy for USA wrestling is the 2011, 2013 World champ and the 2012 Olympic champ and will look to continue his new win streak after losing to Marable last month. 86 kilos: No. 1 Ibragim Aldatov (Ukraine) No. 3 Ehsan Lashgari (Iran) -- TBD Two-time world champ Aldatov did not face bronze medalist Lashgari in last year's Worlds. If Ukraine and Iran have the same finish in their respective pools they may meet on Sunday. Aldatov has a wide range of scoring techniques and may have the best leg lace in the world. 97 kilos: No. 1 Reza Yazdani (Iran) vs. No. 3 Pavlo Oleynik (Ukraine) -- TBD Yazdani is one of the most exciting wrestlers competing today. Oleynik is a talented, decorated wrestler and Yazdani dominated him en route to gold medal at last year's Worlds. Yazdani has an unusual combination of lightning fast offense and an uncanny ability to win lengthy scrambles. 125 kilos: Tervel Dlagnev vs. Komeil Ghasemi -- Session II Dlagnev and Ghasemi have a healthy rivalry with Dlagnev winning in the quarterfinals of last year's Worlds. If USA wishes to beat Iran, another win by Dlagnev appears to be essential. No. 2 Alen Zaseev (Ukraine) vs. No. 7 Geno Petriashvili (Georgia) -- Session II A lot of people expected Zazeev to win in the finals of last year's Worlds after how he looked through the semifinals. Instead, he got tossed by Gatsalov twice. Zaseev is a big heavyweight and moves quickly. He may be tested by standing world bronze medalist Petriashvili.

With all six sessions televised and every match carried on ESPN3 for the first time, ESPN will provide unprecedented coverage of the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships from Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Okla., on March 20-22. ESPN will televise the semifinals and finals, while ESPNU televises the first and second sessions, the quarterfinals and medal round. Digitally, ESPN3 will carry individual mat feeds throughout the entire tournament and debut a special -- Inside the Mat -- during the finals. All six sessions are available on WatchESPN. ESPN Commentators: ESPN's coverage will be anchored by accomplished wrestlers and prominent personalities in the sport: Kyle Dake: The four-time national champion at Cornell University (2010-2013) will join ESPN as a guest analyst for the first time. Dake is one of three wrestlers to win four NCAA National Championships, but is the only wrestler to accomplish the feat in four different weight classes. Anthony Robles: The Arizona State graduate is a three-time All-American and a 2011 NCAA National Champion. Robles returns for his third year as an ESPN analyst. Jim Gibbons: The former NCAA Wrestling Coach of the Year will join ESPN's television coverage for the first time after covering the Championship on ESPN3 previously. Gibbons is a three-time All-American, two-time Big Eight winner at Iowa State and later won a NCAA National Championship as the Cyclones head coach. He was inducted in the Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2003. Tim Johnson: "The voice of college wrestling" returns once again to ESPN's coverage. Johnson has been evaluating the college wrestling scene for more than 25 years and has called more than 250 matches as an analyst. Adam Amin and Shawn Kenney will call the action and Quint Kessenich will be the reporter. Digital Coverage on ESPN3: ESPN3 has expanded its individual mat feed which allows fans to watch every match throughout the tournament, including the wrestleback bracket, accompanied by live commentary. Additionally, for computer users, ESPN3 will once again offer multi-mat simultaneous viewing which allows fans to watch up to four different mats at one time. Screen Shots: In addition to all the individual mat coverage, ESPN3 debuts a scoreboard/navigation page which will keep viewers up-to-date on current action and which mats each wrestler is on. When applicable, updates on up to eight mats will be provided on this page: For viewers watching a particular mat feed, ESPN3's new scroll provides score updates on other ongoing matches, including the matchups coming up next: ESPN3 will have a reporter stationed at each mat providing commentary for each specific feed to further enhance the digital experience. Inside the Mat -- ESPN3 Special During Championship Finals: Also debuting this year, ESPN3 will offer a special -- titled Inside the Mat -- during the Championship finals on Saturday, March 22 at 8 p.m. ET. Four of college wrestling's most decorated athletes -- Dan Gable, Jim Gibbons, Lee Kemp and Pat Smith -- join Shawn Kenney from inside the arena to bring fans a unique perspective of the Championship final session. While also bringing viewers live action, the analysts -- unrestricted by television parameters -- will discuss each match from a tactical and mental standpoint, describing the wrestlers' thought process before, during, and after a finals match. Inside the Mat will go behind-the-scenes to show medal ceremonies and will be joined by an array of guests throughout the night, including newly crowned NCAA National Champions and their coaches. Inside the Mat Analysts: Dan Gable: Won an Olympic gold medal at the 1972 games in Munich, Germany, before leading Iowa to 16 NCAA National Championships as head coach. Lee Kemp: Won three NCAA National Championships as a wrestler at Wisconsin and three gold medals in the World Championships. He was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1990. Pat Smith: As an Oklahoma State Cowboy, Smith was the first wrestler to win four NCAA National Championships, a feat that has only been matched by Cael Sanderson and Kyle Dake. Smith was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2006. NCAA Winter Championship Coverage In addition to the NCAA Wrestling Championships, ESPN provides exclusive coverage of 10 additional NCAA Winter Championships which NCAA Women's Basketball Championship, Men's Ice Hockey, the Men�s and Women's Indoor Track and Field Championship Fencing Championship, Swimming and Diving Championship, Women's Gymnastics Championship and Women�s Bowling Championship.

After being stuck with Fight Pass events that didn't even measure up to mediocre Strikeforce cards of yesteryear, the UFC is back with a real show with the UFC 171 pay-per-view. Either Johny Hendricks will win the welterweight title a lot of people thought he earned last time out, or Robbie Lawler will complete one of the most amazing career turnarounds in the history of the sport. Also, newly crowned Bellator champion Daniel Straus will defend his title against Pat Curran in a fight between arguably the two best fighters outside of the UFC. Do you want to listen to a past episode? Access archives.

When the NCAA announced their seeds on Wednesday night, the response around the country was the same. "Why?" Though the NCAA refused to return my emails or engage in a public debate we have to assume that their logic was similar to that of a disinterested mother dealing with the begging of a hyperactive child. "Because I said so. That's why." From Kyven Gadson's insulting No. 5 seed at 197 pounds to the utterly inexplicable No. 8 seed handed to Nebraska's T.J. Dudley, and the rear-ending of Jason Tsirtsis at 149 pounds, it's obvious that in the NCAA's race for objectivity, they forgot to act rational. The NCAA does a good job monitoring the pasta consumption of athletes, but like all bureaucratic bodies it entrusts the wrong people with making decisions that impact those lives most directly. Should we be placing the future competitiveness to an amalgam of overworked head coaches and bleary-eyed administrators? Should someone who has a passing knowledge of the sport's rules and history be given the right to seed 330 wrestlers just because they work within the NCAA? I've watched some of the biggest movies of the year, but that doesn't mean I should have an Oscar vote. I have no doubt that each committee member is a good person with the best of intentions. Administering college athletics is a challenging profession that requires wit and hard work. But the gripe isn't with the personalities or professionalism of the members, but in the bureaucracy and innate arrogance of the institution that forces these members to make decisions for which they are unprepared or ill-equipped. The entire process has been turned into numbers and odd little rankings systems, none of which is made public. Then rules are made to ensure "fairness," ostensibly the primary objective is achieved. Wrestling is about more than numbers and no matter how many formulas they create there is subjectivity inherent in both making the formulas and ranking them in importance. The NCAA has therefore concluded that bad decisions made with a tenuous connection to plausible deniability (and the certainty of one's own objectivity), is more virtuous than making the correct decision through a system that admits subjectivity but is displayed in honest terms. It takes an immense amount of arrogance to think that your organization is the only one capable of objective decision-making. That mentality shows disdain and disrespect for the fans, coaches and media that support the sport. Get Andrew Hipps, Jason Bryant, Earl Smith and Christian Pyles in a room and have them hash out their own seeds. There will be blood, but I know for CERTAIN that they aren't going to drop Kyven Gadson four spots because their formula said so. That type of automated CYA decision-making comes from years of mechanized incompetency inside a bureaucratic infrastructure fundamentally flawed by the incessant reminder of amateurism's virtuosity. The simple truth is that the members of the committee themselves aren't to blame. They closed the door one afternoon, ran some numbers, had a quick chat and then emerged a few hours later with a document. That's the job they were assigned and they fulfilled their duty. The fallout from the worst seeded bracket in NCAA history? Nada. The principals don't carry the weight of the decision, but the student-athletes that helped propel them up on bureaucratic depth chart do. These wrestlers lose sleep. They're the ones who are wronged. This isn't basketball where a team might lose a seed and get put in a tough region. There are dozens of players and lots of stats. Wrestling is pure and when you seed the tournament, you aren't seeding a collection of jerseys and missed free throws. You're ranking a man's accomplishments and failures. You're measuring his worth. Though the NCAA flubbed, the real beauty of wrestling is that on March 20 none of the seeds will matter to the tough young men who are taking the mat. They'll have learned the lesson that life and institutions aren't fair, and they'll prove themselves wrestlers by taking advantage of the opportunity to be in the room and fight for their title, regardless of bureaucracy and incompetence. "Why?" "Because they're wrestlers, that's why." To your questions (you all asked the same three) ... Q: What are your thoughts on the recent style of defending champ Jesse Delgado? Watching the Big Ten tournament, Cory Clark and Nico Megaludis consistently got in on his legs only for Delgado to literally dive for the other foot and hang on for dear life. He showed no offense or seeming desire to attack. For a guy who has an exciting offense, this is a negative way to win matches. The crowd and his opponents were clearly frustrated by his newfound tactics. -- Dave A. Jesse Delgado defeated Nico Megaludis to claim his second straight Big Ten title (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine)Foley: Jesse Delgado can wrestle on his feet. He's quick as a hiccup and fights for offensive positions. However, over the past year he's turned off the spigot to his attacks. He's become a dawdler on his feet who is most interested in getting the chance to test out his Buck 'em Bronco techniques. I get it. Like all wrestlers, Delgado wants more than anything to win. To do so he has adapted to rules and created a style that gets him the most number of victories. He has the right to wrestle how ever he wants within the rules, and since the rules no longer reward aggression or penalize defense tactics, he's smart to find his keys to victory. The problem is nationwide. Wrestlers are no longer looking to dominate through toughness or aggression. They are looking to squeak by with tactics. That's not a sellable product, and if left unchanged it'll kill the sport. Q: I'd rather watch pigs fornicate than stare blankly at another 2-1 OT victory. Also, how does escaping sooner in the second tiebreaker period somehow mean that you have asserted your dominance and "beaten" your opponent? Seriously? See Delgado-Megaludis for a perfect example of this ridiculous criteria. So much is wrong with the current rules. Stalling is incentivized as a winning tactical method. What can they realistically do to force the action and make wrestling watchable again? I want to see overtime with no time on the clock and two guys in neutral battling it out until someone scores. Thoughts? -- Patrick S. Foley: Though I prefer to eat my swine rather than watching them reproduce little slivers of bacon, I can agree that there is no worse pain than watching two talented humans not use their given talents. The 30-second rideout is stupid. It's dumb. But in a system that can't solve issues on the feet, it's the only possible tiebreaker available. And just so we're clear, I do think that the international rules are far superior in this regard. I love top wrestling when it's tilts and pins, but when it's one guy seeing how long he can bite and ankle I lose all interest. The great tragedy of this season has been we have arguably the most talented field in NCAA history, but a set of rules that leaves us wondering what sport we are watching. If I see one more side headlock from top in the 30-second rideout, I'm going to punt a puppy into Lake Michigan. It's simple: The rideout has become so valuable that it makes the entire match valueless. What is so incredible about holding down an opponent when you START ON THEIR BACK? MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME 2014 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships Promo Q: With the World Cup going on this weekend in LA, give me one badass freestyle wrestler to keep an eye on who is not from the United States. -- Mike C. Foley: There are a lot of guys to watch. I'm in Los Angeles for the World Cup and walking through the lobby of the team hotel I've run into several World and Olympic champions. The talent is probably the best to ever attend a World Cup and that's without Russia's Otarsultanov and Gatslov who both couldn't make the trip. For my money it will be fun to watch Jordan Burroughs hit the mats, and to see what Nick Marable can do at 70 kilos. It will also be interesting to see how Tervel Dlagnev starts up another year on the mats. He's not young and with heavyweights when it goes, it's gone. Internationally I'd watch out for the Mongolian lightweights, especially Batbold Nomin at 57 kilos and Ganzorig Mandakhnaran at 65 kilos. With the upper weights you can see some incredible stuff from defending 84-kilo World champion and 85-kilo World No. 1 Ibragim Aldatov of Ukraine. COMMENT(S) OF THE WEEK By John B. I just watched the Big Ten tournament finals during which three wrestlers, Jesse Delgado, Nick Heflin, and Tony Nelson were allowed to win titles without ever initiating any offense. Surely there must be a way to put an end to this type of folkstyle wrestling before the boredom it produces kills the sport. What are your ideas for a solution? Clearly the referees do not want to have this happen but they seem unable to make the call. For example in the Heflin match all we heard from the official was "keep working" with Heflin going unwarned. Is it possible to better define stalling by rule to make it easier and quicker to be called? Maybe the second official could count "action initiation moves" with stalling being called on the passive wrestler after a certain number of these moves with no corresponding moves from the offender? Double stalling if neither wrestler initiates action within a certain time period? Something must change to prevent wrestlers from simply blocking off attacks and waiting for an opponent's mistake and usually ending the first period at 0-0. If a solution is found for wrestling on their feet, we might then look at solutions for mat wrestling where riding to build riding time rather than turn the opponent is prevalent along with curling up on the bottom to avoid the risk of being turned. By Tim J. Agree one-hundred with your tweet about the first two matches at the Big Tens having no takedowns. NCAA wrestling is soooo boring. I try to take my girlfriend and younger kids to matches and have them watch it on TV, but I can barely watch it so they hate it after a couple minutes. It's basically come down to be all defense in first period, ride guy in second by dropping down on leg, getting a riding point, and then an escape in the third. Mason Beckman at Lehigh, Chris Perry at Oklahoma State, and Jesse Delgado at Illinois are the worst. I wish people would start calling them out non-stop. Without Taylor and Ruth next year, how will the Big Ten finals be? Talk about watching a pile of crap. By Mr. Juice I feel like letting out a Chewbacca style rrroooaarrrrrr when I hear and read that the National Duals are key to our sport's growth. The National Duals, from a fan's (and former wrestler) perspective, feels "forced." Crowds that attended the Big Tens and other conference championships want to be there and show up to root their teams on. They know how our sport works. No matter how aggressively the National Duals events are promoted, attendance, interest, etc. will not be there. The results in these conference tournaments are key to seeding, as we all know. But for growth of audience, interest, etc., shouldn't we celebrate the uniqueness of each conference more? Celebrate and promote the unique coaching styles within each? And how these styles, victories, and defeats in each conference lead to the most spectacular tournament in the country? Isn't the obvious best path to simply promote our existing system better? Push for an entire afternoon of wrestling coverage on TV compiled from a variety of conference matches. This amplifies audience metrics and opens doors to sponsorship/advertising opportunities beyond "wrestling products." FYI: The Big Ten Wrestling Championships production/matches were fantastic this year.

The NCAA Division II and Division III Wrestling Championships are taking place Friday and Saturday. Click on the links below to follow the action. Links: NCAA Division II Results | NCAA Division III Results | Live Video

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The AGON Wrestling Championships will present AGON IV in Lemoore, Calif., on Saturday, March 15. Stephen Abas will square off against Shawn Bunch in the main event and in other action Chris Honeycutt will wrestle Ryan Halsey; Todd Schavrien battles Cody Bollinger, and Ben Kjar faces Gabe Flores. AGON IV will be held in conjunction with the California NUWAY Youth State Wrestling Championships at Lemoore High School. "AGON Wrestling Championships is thrilled to have the best of the best competing in AGON IV. It is an honor for us to bring back AGON I main event winner Stephen Abas and see him go toe to toe with such an acclaimed wrestling star and up and coming MMA superstar as Shawn," offered AGON president Bryan Lindsey. "Wrestling fans will be on the edge of their seat at AGON IV, I promise you this card will not disappoint." Tickets for AGON IV are available for $15.00 each and are available at the box office on Saturday. The event will also be webcast live at: AGONwc.com. Wrestling icon Stephen Abas is no stranger to California wrestling fans as a three-time NCAA champion for the Fresno State Bulldogs. A 2004 Olympic Silver medalist, the California native was a two-time US World Team member and has posted a 3-0 record in mixed martial arts. Abas defeated Nick Simmons 2-1 at AGON I. His opponent in the main event, Shawn Bunch, was a two-time NCAA All-American at Edinboro. Shawn Bunch (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)While Bunch has not medaled internationally, he was one of the best American wrestlers for over five years as a 2009 US World Team member, runner-up at the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Trials, and the runner-up at the 2010 and 2011 World Team Trials. Like Abas, he transitioned into MMA and Shawn is currently 2-1 fighting for Bellator. On the undercard, two-time NCAA All-American Chris Honeycutt will wrestle four-time NCAA qualifier Ryan Halsey. Honeycutt, currently 3-0 in MMA was a 2012 NCAA finalist for Edinboro while Halsey was a four-year starter at Cal Poly and a former college coach at UC-Bakersfield. Todd Schavrien, a 2011 NCAA All-American, will face mma veteran Cody Bollinger. Schavrien, a four-year starter at Missouri, chose to focus on wrestling in college and is currently on staff for the Tigers. A California native, Bollinger took another path as a high school wrestler at Sultana HS, making his mixed martial arts debut at 16 and wrestling at Cerritos College in 2010. Bollinger built a 12-2 record over the years and earned a spot on the Ultimate Fighter 18 in 2013. The final match on the AGON IV card pits California native Gabe Flores against Utah wrestling icon Ben Kjar. After a decorated career at Clovis High School that included an individual and a team title, Flores was a four-year starter at University of Illinois. A three-time Utah state champion, Kjar was a four-year starter at Utah Valley, winner of over 130 varsity matches, and the first-ever NCAA All-American for the Wolverines. "I could not be more proud of the professional athletes that have competed in the first four AGON events across the United States. While AGON IV is the last event of our first season, stay tuned for the second as we have already begun the planning and scheduling," asserted Lindsey. "Wrestling fans, both domestically and internationally, will be blown away at what we have coming next! " AGON IV marks the final AGON event in their inaugural season. AGON I was held in Las Vegas, Nevada in October; AGON II was in Flint, Michigan in December; and AGON III was in Whitewater, Wisconsin. Please visit AGONwc.com to see the schedule for season two during the summer of 2014.

The 45 at-large selections for the 2014 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships were announced on Wednesday before the brackets were released. Of the 45 at-large selections, four earned seeds at the NCAAs. At-large qualifier Josh Martinez of Air Force was given the No. 4 seed at 125 pounds. Here's a look at ten wrestlers who entered the week on the bubble to qualify for the NCAAs after the conference tournaments but failed to earn an at-large bid. Tyler Small (Kent State, 141) Small, a two-time NCAA qualifier, wrestled a brutal schedule this season and had seven wins over automatic qualifiers, including a win over 14th-seeded Edgar Bright of Pitt. But the Kent State junior struggled with consistency. He entered the MAC Championships seeded fifth in a weight class with five automatic qualifiers. Small dropped his opening match to fourth-seeded Lavion Mayes of Missouri in sudden victory, 4-2, and then was upset by Eastern Michigan's Michael Shaw, 6-3. Small finished the season with a 21-17 record, and was passed over for an at-large bid by the NCAA wrestling committee. Jesse Thielke (Photo/The Guillotine)Jesse Thielke (Wisconsin, 141) Thielke is certainly best known for his Greco-Roman accomplishments. He was on the 2013 U.S. World Team and a four-time Junior World Team member. He struggled with consistency at 141 pounds this season as a redshirt freshman, but ended up winning 20 matches. He had a 10-7 win at the Midlands over Harvard's Todd Preston, who won an EIWA title and was given the 10th seed at the NCAAs. Thielke had a respectable showing at the Big Tens, where he finished in seventh place. In his final match he won by major decision over Purdue's Danny Sabatello, 18-6. As it turned out, Sabatello was chosen over Thielke for an at-large spot. Adam Krop (Princeton, 149) Krop was an NCAA qualifier two seasons ago, but missed last season because of a knee injury. Earlier this season he appeared to be on track to qualify for the NCAAs at 141 pounds. Krop entered the Midlands seeded third, but failed to place. He then moved up a weight class to 149 pounds for the second half of the season. Krop took a surprising loss in his first competition at 149 pounds at the Franklin & Marshall Open. He then went on a run, losing only to Cornell's Chris Villalonga before the conference tournament. Krop needed to place in the top four at the EIWAs to earn an automatic berth, but finished fifth. He ended his season with a 32-8 record. Andy McCulley (Wyoming, 157) McCulley, an NCAA qualifier last season, needed to finish in the top two in his weight class at the West Regional to earn an automatic berth in the NCAAs. He entered the event seeded second and cruised to the finals after pinning Northern Colorado's Mitchell Polkowske in the semifinals. In the finals he dropped a one-point match to South Dakota's State's Cody Pack, who earned a 15th seed at the NCAAs. McCulley then dropped his true-second match to Air Force's Josh Kreimier, 8-4. McCulley compiled a record of 20-11. Tyler Lehmann (North Dakota State, 197) Lehmann made his debut in NDSU's lineup on Jan. 4, pinning Cal Poly's Nicolas Johnson in the first period. He then proceeded to win six of his next seven matches, with all six of those wins coming by pin. His only loss during that stretch came against Oregon State's Taylor Meeks. At the National Duals Lehmann went 1-2, dropping matches to Minnesota's Scott Schiller and Meeks again. He was then hammered in a dual meet against Wyoming's Shane Woods, 14-5. Lehmann needed to win his weight class at the West Regional to earn an automatic berth to the NCAAs, but fell in the finals to Woods, 6-3. He finished with a record of 14-6 and 12 pins. Jacob Aiken-Phillips (Cornell, 285) Aiken-Phillips entered the EIWA tournament seeded fifth needing to finish fourth for an automatic spot in the NCAAs. After opening the tournament with a win, Aiken-Phillips fell to American's Blake Herrin in the quarterfinals. The Cornell heavyweight rebounded with back-to-back wins in the consolation bracket to reach the consolation semifinals where he was upset by sixth-seeded Max Wessell of Lehigh, 3-2. Aiken-Phillips then notched a win over third-seeded Tyler Deuel of Binghamton, which put him on the bubble to earn an at-large bid. But he was passed over by four other heavyweights, including one who defeated him this season, Oklahoma's Ross Larson. Matt Bystol (Photo/Rob Preston)Matt Bystol (Columbia, 141) Bystol, an NCAA qualifier last season at 133 pounds, was ranked in the top 20 by InterMat earlier in the season after starting the season 8-2, with his only losses during that span coming to Central Michigan Zach Horan and Hofstra's Luke Vaith. Bystol struggled with consistency during the season, but did notch wins over 2014 NCAA qualifiers Nick Flannery of Buffalo and Laike Gardner of Lehigh. Bystol was upset by Army's Tyler Rauenzahn in his first match at the EIWAs, but bounced back to defeat American's Tom Page before defeating Gardner for the second time this season. He then lost to NCAA round of 12 finisher Richard Durso of Franklin & Marshall, which knocked him into the seventh-place match, where he avenged his loss to Rauenzahn. Bystol finished one spot away from an automatic bid. Interestingly, he was passed over for an at-large bid by Gardner, a wrestler he was 2-0 against. Cole Baxter (Kent State, 197) With only two automatic berths available at 197 pounds in the MAC Conference -- and Missouri's J'den Cox and Ohio's Phil Wellington residing in the weight class -- Baxter was a longshot to qualify for the NCAAs at his conference tournament. He ended up finishing fifth in the tournament. However, his regular season performance placed him on the bubble for an at-large berth. He won 24 matches this season, with five of those wins coming over wrestlers who earned automatic berths in the NCAAs. He had two wins over ACC champion Chris Penny of Virginia Tech, who was given the No. 14 seed at the NCAA, but ended up not being enough to send him to Oklahoma City. Vince Pickett (Edinboro, 197) Pickett needed to win an EWL title in a weight class with Bloomsburg's Richard Perry to earn an automatic berth in the NCAAs. As it turned out, Pickett didn't even get a crack at Perry. He lost in the semifinals of his conference tournament and wrestled back to third place. But he won 20 matches during the season and picked up a major decision win over automatic qualifier Timmy McCall of Wisconsin, which put him on the bubble. He was passed over by four 197-pounders, including two who defeated him during the regular season. Camden Eppert (Photo/The Guillotine)Camden Eppert (Purdue, 125) Eppert was a four-time placewinner at the Big Tens, which is an impressive feat considering the talent and depth in the conference. He was an NCAA qualifier as a freshman and sophomore, but failed to qualify for the NCAAs as a junior and senior. This year Eppert finished in eighth place at the Big Tens, one place away from earning an automatic berth. He split matches this season with NCAA qualifier Nick Roberts of Ohio State, but was passed over by four wrestlers, including one wrestler who defeated him twice, Conor Youtsey of Michigan.

Every year the NCAA Division I wrestling committee comes up with some head-scratching seeds for the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. This year is no exception. Let's look at some of this year's biggest seeding blunders. Iowa State's Kyven Gadson has only been defeated by one wrestler this season (Photo/ISU Athletics)Without a doubt the biggest seeding blunder this year is at 197 pounds, where Iowa State's Kyven Gadson was given the No. 5 seed. Gadson, a returning All-American, is currently ranked No. 1 by InterMat and recently won the Big 12 title. He has only been defeated by one wrestler this season, Minnesota's Scott Schiller, twice. However, Gadson came back to defeat Schiller in the most recent meeting. Not only is the four-loss Schiller seeded ahead of Gadson, but so is Missouri's J'den Cox, who has the same amount of losses as Gadson, but lost their only head-to-head meeting at the Southern Scuffle, and also took a loss to eighth-seeded Phil Wellington of Ohio. At the Southern Scuffle, Gadson placed ahead of Cox and Morgan McIntosh of Penn State, and both are seeded ahead of him. The top seed at 197 pounds was given to Ohio State's Nick Heflin, who has the best record in the weight class and won the toughest conference tournament, but also has the worst loss of the top seeds. Heflin lost to Wisconsin's Timmy McCall on Jan. 10. At 125 pounds, Cornell All-American Nahshon Garrett should have been handed the No. 1 seed based on his resume this season. Garrett has only one loss this season, which is less losses than any other wrestler in the weight class has, and he has been the most consistent and hottest wrestler in the weight class. His lone loss this season came to defending NCAA champion Jesse Delgado of Illinois, who earned the No. 1 seed. Delgado getting the top seed would certainly have been justifiable if he entered the NCAAs undefeated or even with one loss. But Delgado has two losses, and both occurred after Garrett's lone blemish. One of Delgado's losses came to Iowa's Thomas Gilman at the Midlands. His other loss came to Penn State's Nico Megaludis, a wrestler Garrett is 2-0 against this season. (Delgado did avenge the loss to Megaludis in the Big Ten finals.) Another seeding blunder at 125 pounds was Josh Martinez of Air Force earning the No. 4 seed. Martinez put together a strong regular season and entered the postseason ranked No. 5 by InterMat. However, Martinez failed to win his own conference tournament and needed an at-large spot to qualify for the NCAAs. Martinez lost in the finals of the West Regional to Wyoming's Tyler Cox by injury default. Cox, an All-American, led 10-2 at the time the match was stopped. Cox is seeded ninth despite winning his conference tournament over the wrestler who is seeded fourth. While Garrett was a Cornell wrestler who was seeded too low, his teammate, Brian Realbuto, was seeded too high at 157 pounds. Realbuto, a freshman, earned the No. 7 seed at 157 pounds after losing matches to two unranked wrestlers at the EIWA tournament. In addition to his struggles at the EIWAs, Realbuto was pinned by Minnesota's Dylan Ness at the National Duals less than a month ago. Ness, a two-time All-American, was seeded two spots below Realbuto at No. 9. Ness not only has the head-to-head win over Realbuto, but has less losses and more wins over seeded wrestlers. Ness has also beaten two wrestlers seeded in the top six, No. 2 Derek St. John of Iowa and No. 6 Nestor Taffur of Boston U. Realbuto took a loss to Taffur, but did beat Oregon State's R.J. Pena, who won by technical fall over Ness at the Southern Scuffle. Jason Tsirtsis defeated Nick Dardanes en route to winning the Big Ten championship at 149 pounds (Photo/The Guillotine)Another head-scratcher is at 149 pounds, where Minnesota's Nick Dardanes, seeded No. 2, sits three seeds higher than Jason Tsirtsis of Northwestern. Both wrestlers have three losses (one to the same wrestler, Michigan's Eric Grajales), and have split matches this season. Their resumes on paper are virtually identical. However, Tsirtsis is coming off a Big Ten title, which included a semifinal victory over Dardanes. The Big Ten champion Tsirtsis absolutely deserved to be seeded ahead of Dardanes, and now finds himself in a tough spot in the bracket with a potential quarterfinal match against NCAA champion Kendric Maple of Oklahoma. The NCAA Division I wrestling committee was inconsistent in dealing with conference tournament outcomes. In addition to Martinez (125), Realbuto (157), and Dardanes (149), several other wrestlers took losses in their conference tournaments and did not seem to get penalized when it came to NCAA tournament seeds. Nebraska's T.J. Dudley (184) and Virginia's Gus Sako (149) are in that group. Dudley received the No. 8 seed at 184 pounds despite failing to place at the Big Tens and needing an at-large spot just to qualify for the NCAA tournament. At the Big Tens, Dudley lost Michigan's Domenic Abounader, who is seeded one spot below him, and Michigan State's John Rizqallah, who is seeded 14th. Sako was given the No. 7 seed at 149 pounds after losing his first match at the ACC tournament to Pitt's Mikey Racciatto. Sako's No. 7 seed could be justifiable if his body of work during the regular was strong enough to absorb the conference tournament loss and remain a top-eight seed, but it simply wasn't. Sako enters the NCAAs with only 21 matches under his belt and has losses to Bucknell's Victor Lopez, who failed to qualify for the NCAAs, No. 11 Josh Kindig of Oklahoma State (who has a win over Maple), and Racciatto. Sako's best win this season came over 10th-seeded Zach Neibert of Virginia Tech in November. Those wrestlers should have fallen, just as Oklahoma's Andrew Howe did after losing to Oklahoma State's Chris Perry in the Big 12 championship match at 174 pounds, even though the two wrestlers split matches this season. Oklahoma State's Alex Dieringer has one loss, to Iowa's Derek St. John, but is seeded behind the Iowa wrestler who has four losses since that meeting (Photo/Bob Mayeri)At 157 pounds, Oklahoma State's Alex Dieringer deserved to be seeded No. 1 or No. 2, but instead was given the No. 3 seed. Three are no undefeated wrestlers at 157 pounds, and Dieringer and Nebraska's James Green are the only wrestlers with one loss. Dieringer's lone loss came to Iowa's Derek St. John, who is seeded second, while Green's lone loss came to Wisconsin's Isaac Jordan, who is seeded fifth. The returning NCAA champion St. John does have the head-to-head win over Dieringer, but the Oklahoma State sophomore has the much cleaner resume this season. St. John has four losses this season, with two of those losses coming to wrestlers seeded below him, No. 5 Jordan and No. 9 Ness.

The 45 at-large selections for the 2014 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships were announced on Wednesday. 125: Josh Martinez (Air Force) Earl Hall (Iowa State) Conor Youtsey (Michigan) Caleb Richardson (Penn) Nick Herrmann (Virginia) 133: Rossi Bruno (Michigan) Matt Manley (Missouri) Colton Rasche (Navy) Shelton Mack (Pittsburgh) Vincent Dellafave (Rutgers) 141: Laike Gardner (Lehigh) Shyhiem Brown (Maryland) Danny Sabatello (Purdue) Colin Johnston (West Virginia) 149: Justin Arthur (Clarion) Brody Grothus (Iowa) Tywan Claxton (Ohio) Ian Paddock (Ohio State) 157: Paul Hancock (Army) Austin Sommer (Drexel) Immanuel Kerr-Brown (Duke) Brandon Zeerip (Eastern Michigan) Joey Napoli (Lehigh) 165: Jake Kemerer (Lock Haven) Peyton Walsh (Navy) Joseph Brewster (South Dakota State) Chris Moon (Virginia Tech) 174: Brian Harvey (Army) Shane Hughes (Columbia) Caleb Marsh (Kent State) Austin Gabel (Virginia Tech) 184: Blake Stauffer (Arizona State) Lucas Sheridan (Indiana) T.J. Dudley (Nebraska) Kurtis Julson (North Dakota State) Nolan Boyd (Oklahoma State) Jackson Hein (Wisconsin) 197: James Fox (Harvard) John Bolich (Lehigh) Blake Rosholt (Oklahoma State) Nick Bonaccorsi (Pittsburgh) 285: Dawson Peck (Chattanooga) Collin Jensen (Nebraska) Ross Larson (Oklahoma) Adam Fager (Utah Valley)

Blair Academy won the Best of the East by over 100 points (Photo/Rob Preston) The season for scholastic wrestling is now done. All 43 state tournaments, plus the state-level tournaments of the National Prep Championships and the New England Regional Championships, have come to conclusion. With that in mind, we at InterMat can now crown a team as the national champions. 2014 Final Fab 50 Team Rankings 1. Blair Academy (N.J.) 2. Oak Park River. Forest (Ill.) 3. Clovis (Calif.) 4. Wyoming Seminary (Pa.) 5. Apple Valley (Minn.) 6. St. Paris Graham (Ohio) 7. Massillon Perry (Ohio) 8. Franklin Regional (Pa.) 9. Bergen Catholic (N.J.) 10. Archer (Ga.) 11. Stillwater (Okla.) 12. Broken Arrow (Okla.) 13. Bethlehem Catholic (Pa.) 14. Edmond North (Okla.) 15. Brandon (Fla.) 16. Lowell (Mich.) 17. Detroit Catholic Central (Mich.) 18. Montini Catholic (Ill.) 19. Marist (Ill.) 20. Bound Brook (N.J.) 21. Bettendorf (Iowa) 22. Southeast Polk (Iowa) 23. Don Bosco Prep (N.J.) 24. St. Peter's Prep (N.J.) 25. Nazareth (Pa.) 26. Brecksville (Ohio) 27. Marmion Academy (Ill.) 28. Claymont (Ohio) 29. St. Johns (Mich.) 30. Davison (Mich.) 31. Tuttle (Okla.) 32. Poway (Calif.) 33. Clovis West (Calif.) 34. Waverly-Shell Rock (Iowa) 35. Kaukauna (Wis.) 36. Greater Latrobe (Pa.) 37. Crook County (Ore.) 38. Kuna (Idaho) 39. Buchanan (Calif.) 40. Pleasant Grove (Utah) 41. Parkland (Pa.) 42. Centennial (Idaho) 43. Mesa Mountain View (Ariz.) 44. Vacaville (Calif.) 45. Robinson (Va.) 46. Delta (Ohio) 47. Collinsville (Okla.) 48. McDonogh (Md.) 49. Cumberland Valley (Pa.) 50. St. Edward (Ohio)For the third consecutive season, that team will be Blair Academy (N.J.), and it will be a "wire-to-wire" triumph for the Buccaneers. Though it was not a "clean" season, with the runner-up National Prep finish discussed in a commentary, it was one that reflected dominance and a superior talent level. Blair Academy dominated their way to a title in the nation's best tournament, the Walsh Jesuit Ironman, an event that featured six of the nation's top eight teams. They had a tournament-high eight wrestlers earn a placement finish (all within the top six), and won the title by 36.5 points, along with out-pointing the nation's number two team by 53 points. The very next week, the Buccaneers dominated the nation's second-beat tournament. They won the title at the Beast of the East by more than 100 points, over a field that featured five of the nation's top 13 teams. Twelve wrestlers placed for Blair Academy in the tournament. In five of the next six weeks, Blair Academy went 7-0 in dual meets against members of the top 25, including four dual meet victories over top ten teams. During that other week, they won by 80 points at the Escape the Rock Tournament, which featured three other nationally ranked squads. From an individual talent standpoint, Blair Academy had six nationally ranked wrestlers. Joey McKenna is ranked No. 1 nationally at 138 pounds, Dylan Milonas is second nationally at 160, Matthew Kolodzik (126) and Mason Manville (152) are ranked inside the top ten, while Chaz Tucker (120) and Brandon Dallavia (170) round out the nationally ranked wrestler contingent for the Buccaneers. Rounding out the top five teams nationally are the following teams, along with some brief highlights of each team's season: No. 2 Oak Park River Forest (Ill.): Finished third at the Walsh Jesuit Ironman placing seven wrestlers, went 8-1 in dual meets against teams ranked inside the top 30 nationally, and placed ten wrestlers (including four champions) in the Illinois Class AAA tournament. The Huskies also have five wrestlers within the weight class rankings: No. 9 Jason Renteria (106), No. 12 Isaiah White (138), No. 17 Kamal Bey (160), No. 11 Davonte Mahomes (170), and No. 19 Andre Lee (195). No. 3 Clovis (Calif.) Had a "clean" season, in which they won all tournaments and were undefeated in dual meets. The Cougars dominated their way to the title at the Doc Buchanan Invitational, outlasted fellow top ten member Massillon Perry (Ohio) at the Alliance Top Gun, and dominated a pair of nationally ranked teams in dual meets. Clovis won the state title by more than 80 points over a field that included four other nationally ranked teams, and placed eight wrestlers with two champions (though it was below the forecasted ten placers). Nationally ranked wrestlers include No. 1 Nick Nevills (285) and No. 4 Justin Mejia (106). No. 4 Wyoming Seminary (Pa.): Champions at National Preps, dominated top ten teams Franklin Regional (Pa.) and Bergen Catholic (N.J.) in dual meets, and split the fourteen weight classes in a dual meet loss to Blair Academy. However, they finished third at the Beast of the East (behind Bergen Catholic) and eighth at the Walsh Ironman. Two Blue Knights wrestlers are nationally ranked: No. 10 Nick Reenan (152) and No. 15 Chris Weiler (160). No. 5 Apple Valley (Minn.): Champions at the Minnesota Christmas Tournament and Rumble on the Red, beat three nationally ranked teams to win The Clash XII. However, the 30-27 victory over OPRF was aided by a last-match win from Dayton Racer, who was no longer on the squad by year-end. The Eagles were state champions as a team, and placed eleven wrestlers (including four champions) in the Minnesota Class AAA tournament. They have three top ten ranked wrestlers: No. 4 Mark Hall (170), No. 6 Seth Gross (138), and No. 8 Bobby Steveson (182)

Pennsylvania Class AAA finals electric and exciting The Saturday night championship matches at the GIANT Center in Hershey were drama-filled, high-level affairs. Eight of the fourteen bouts featured nationally ranked wrestlers facing one another, which included six in a row between 120 and 152 pounds. The first of those intriguing affairs was an overtime bout at 120 pounds, which No. 1 Luke Pletcher (Greater Latrobe) win 3-1 with a takedown over No. 5 Scott Parker (Pennridge) with a takedown at the edge of the mat. It came after Parker had upended two-time state champion Ethan Lizak (Parkland), ranked No. 6 nationally, in the semifinal. It continued with a 5-1 victory for No. 6 Dalton Macri (Canon-McMillan) over No. 16 Zach Valley (Northampton) in the 126-pound final. Macri upended No. 18 A.C. Headlee (Waynesburg) 5-3 in the semifinal; while Valley earned his place in the rankings with a 1-0 tiebreaker victory over defending state champion Sam Krivus (Hempfield), who is ranked No. 8 nationally, in the semifinal round. Freshman Cameron Coy (Penn-Trafford), now ranked No. 10 nationally, upended No. 12 Chase Zemenak (Nazareth) 2-1 in the state final at 132 pounds. The difference came in a locking hands infraction committed by Zemenak during the second period. No. 11 Tyler Smith (Franklin Regional) finished third, and was a key figure in the weight class. Coy upended Smith in the previous week's regional final, after losing to him in the sectional final the week before that; Zemenak beat Smith 3-0 due to a second period rideout, along with a third period escape and counter takedown, to avenge a 1-0 loss from the state duals. The next bout at 138 pounds was a "rubber" match between No. 3 Vincenzo Joseph (Pittsburgh Central Catholic) and No. 4 Michael Kemerer (Franklin Regional). Kemerer upended Joseph 3-2 in the POWERade final, while Joseph beat Kemerer 5-2 in the regional final last week. Regulation ended 1-1, as the wrestlers traded escapes, with each having at least one opportunity to score from neutral during the bout. Then in overtime, Joseph shot in, Kemerer countered to create a cradle at the edge of the mat. When Kemerer went to execute the cradle, Joseph pressed into him, which caused a roll through action leading to Joseph earning the pin and condemning Kemerer to a third state runner-up finish in as many high school seasons. Though the next bout was the evening's most anticipated, with it being state champ against state champ, much of the arena's energy was wiped out with the ending of the Joseph-Kemerer bout. This state final ended up being a one-sided affair, as No. 3 Solomon Chishko (Canon-McMillan) scored a takedown in each period on the way to a 7-2 victory over No. 6 Joseph Galasso (Father Judge). The last match in the stretch of nationally ranked battles was at 152 pounds, as No. 3 T.C. Warner (Cumberland Valley) jumped out to an early 4-0 lead against No. 11 Josh Shields (Franklin Regional), and coasted home to a 4-3 victory. Shields rallied back with a reversal at the start of the third period and an additional point when Warner was called for a second stalling from neutral. However, Shields was unable to score the tying (before the stall point) or go-ahead takedown from a couple of pretty good attacking opportunities. Rounding out the head-on matchups of nationally ranked wrestlers were a 3-1 victory for No. 3 Zack Zavatsky (Greater Latrobe) over No. 18 Kellan Stout (Mt. Lebanon), and a 5-2 victory for No. 5 Michael Boykin (Coatesville) over No. 6 Jordan Wood (Boyertown). Zavatsky won four matches against Stout during the season, including a pair in the last two weeks, which reflected all of Stout's losses on the season; while it was a second victory in as many weeks for Boykin over now two-time state runner-up Wood, as Boykin has jumped up ten spots in the rankings in that period of time. Other key narratives from the Class AAA tournament included fourth state titles won by No. 1 Chance Marsteller (Kennard Dale) at 170 pounds and No. 2 Thomas Haines (Solanco) at 220 pounds; as well as the absurd dominance of freshman sensation Spencer Lee (Franklin Regional) on the way to his first state title, as he continued to confirm why he is No. 1 in the nation at 113 pounds as well as in the Class of 2017. Clovis champions, Valencia brothers sizzle in Golden State Even though they did not come near the points record, nor place a record-tying ten wrestlers as forecasted, it was still an excellent state tournament performance for No. 3 Clovis as they won a fourth straight California state title. The Cougars were led by No. 1 Nick Nevills (285), who won his third state title; and No. 4 Justin Mejia (106), who won state as a freshman. Six additional wrestlers placed for Clovis, who scored 197.5 points; which was 79 more than No. 33 Clovis West, who finished as runners-up. Two of those Cougars wrestlers placed in third, Isaiah Hokit (132) and Brody Brand (170); Josh Hokit (160) was fifth; Matt Weiss (195) was sixth; while Tristan Gilliland (113) and A.J. Nevills (182) finished in seventh. State runners-up Clovis West placed four wrestlers, led by the state title won by No. 14 Michael Knoblauch at 126 pounds, who had to beat a pair of defending state champions to win the title. In the semifinal, it was an 8-5 victory over Johnny Parada (San Fernando), while he beat No. 15 Mason Pengilly (Porterville) 8-6 in the final. It was a second victory for Knoblauch over Pengilly in as many weeks, though he had lost to Pengilly two times earlier in the season. Other placers for the Golden Eagles were runner-up Chris Garcia (145), third place finisher Tyler Zimmer (152), Cortes Morales (220) in fifth, and Chris Marin (106) in eighth. The only other team to place more than three wrestlers was No. 32 Poway, who placed four on the way to a third place finish with 110 points. The Titans were led by state champion Colt Doyle (160), who was joined on the podium by a pair of fourth place finishes from Sergio Enloe (138) and No. 19 Ralphy Tovar (145), as well as Manny Lair (126) in eighth. Anthony Valencia (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)From an individual standpoint, the absolutely dominant performances of No. 1 Zahid Valencia (132) and No. 3 Anthony Valencia (170) for St. John Bosco led the narrative. Each wrestler won state as a freshman, but failed to win state last year, and bounced back this year with much aplomb. Zahid used pins in four of five matches, including in the finals against now two-time state runner-up Wyatt Wyckoff (Paradise), and a 10-1 major decision to win this state title. It was similar dominance for Anthony, with three pins, a 7-4 semifinal victory, and a 14-4 major decision over No. 20 Bryce Martin (Bakersfield) in the state final. Order prevails in New Jersey With the exception of a minor upset at 285 pounds, it was a pretty orderly state championship in the Garden State, as all of the national ranking positions held to form. However, that did not mean the tournament was without its share of drama and intrigue. In the 106-pound final, No. 3 Ty Agaisse (Delbarton) upended No. 15 Brandon Paetzell (Phillipsburg) 1-0 to cement an undefeated 41-0 season. Ten other finals would end up being decided by two points or less and/or after regulation. The next of those finals came at 126 pounds, as now two-time state champion Craig de la Cruz (Bound Brook) beat now two-time state runner-up Kyle Bierdumpfel (Don Bosco Prep) 3-2 in the tiebreaker. It was a battle of two ranked wrestlers at 132 pounds, as No. 6 Anthony Giraldo (North Bergen) cemented a 41-0 season with a 3-1 victory over No. 7 Mike Magaldo (Watchung Hills). It was also a match featuring a pair of four-time state placers and past state champions; Giraldo cemented a career path of 4-5-1-1, while Magaldo finished 2-1-3-2. The intrigue continued in the next weight class, as No. 17 Ronnie Gentile (Paulsboro) improved upon last year's runner-up finish with a 7-6 victory over the previously undefeated Gavin Murray (Cranford) at 138 pounds. The 145-pound final saw No. 13 David McFadden (DePaul Catholic) upend Ryan Burkert (St. Peter's Prep) 4-3. Two-time National Prep champion Jack Clark (St. Augustine Prep) earned his first New Jersey state title with a 3-1 win over Gary Dinmore (Hunterdon Central) in overtime; with the win, Clark cemented an undefeated season, while Dinmore was condemned to a third consecutive runner-up finish. Then, at 160 pounds, No. 4 Jonathan Schleifer (East Brunswick) cemented an undefeated season with his 6-5 victory over Joshua Ugalde (Bound Brook). It was an elusive state title for the four-time state placer, whose career track went 8-3-2-1. In the next weight class, No. 7 Dillon Artigliere (Roxbury) repeated as state champion with a 3-1 victory over Luke Farinaro (Don Bosco Prep). Both Schleifer and Artigliere also cemented undefeated seasons with their finals victories. At 182 pounds, No. 1 Johnny Sebastian (Bergen Catholic) earned a third consecutive state title and Outstanding Wrestler honors with a 6-4 overtime victory over No. 14 Joey Balboni (David Brearley) in the finals match. In the next weight class, Anthony Cassar (Montgomery) assured an undefeated season with a 4-1 tiebreaker victory over Ralph Nordmandia (Franklin) in the state final. Then, at 220 pounds, it was a rematch -- and replication -- of last year's state final, as No. 2 Bryan Dobzanski (Delsea Regional) upended No. 9 Zack Chakonis (Don Bosco Prep) 3-1 in the tiebreaker to finish off a 43-0 season. In the already alluded 285-pound weight class, now No. 20 Andrew Stevens (Camden) upended previously ranked Kevin Wilkins (St. Joseph Montvale) 3-1 in overtime during the state semifinal, before beating Tyler Gildner (Robbinsville) 3-0 in a state finals bout placing wrestlers from schools that had never won a state title against one another. Stevens finished undefeated at 37-0, which is something that No. 2 Nick Suriano (Bergen Catholic) was also able to accomplish (though he finished 41-0) after winning the 113-pound state final by a 7-0 decision over No. 18 Patrick D'Arcy (Holy Spirit).

The NCAA Division I qualifiers, including at-large selections, will be released on NCAA.com over the course of the day on Wednesday, beginning with heavyweights at 1 p.m. ET and continuing with a new weight class released every 30 minutes. The NCAA Wrestling Selection Show is set for 6 p.m. ET Wednesday on NCAA.com. The seeds and brackets will be unveiled for each weight class. Details on the championship match order for the NCAA finals will also be revealed. InterMat will publish the brackets and complete list of qualifiers after the NCAA Wrestling Selection Show.

How often does amateur wrestling appear on TV? Right now, those who are passionate about the sport are saying in one loud voice, "Not often enough!" The wrestling community -- wrestlers, coaches and fans -- rightfully complain that the sport just doesn't get the coverage it deserves ... not just in terms of live coverage of dual meets and tournaments, but also in terms of reporting during local and national sportscasts. One could also argue that real wrestling is an even rarer sight on TV entertainment shows, whether it's played for laughs on a sitcom, or as a story element on a dramatic series. Let's take a look at some specific examples where entertainment TV rolled out the wrestling mat, with an eye to how the sport is generally depicted on situation comedies and dramas, and why. (Note: This discussion is limited to amateur-style wrestling as shown on entertainment series, not made-for-TV movies or documentaries. It does not include analysis of depictions of professional wrestling or guest appearances by WWE stars -- nor anything related to mixed martial arts matches or MMA fighters -- on sitcoms, dramas or reality series.) Wrestling, Played for Laughs "Modern Family" The idea for this story came to mind after seeing recent commercials promoting an episode of the popular ABC-TV sitcom "Modern Family" which showed Luke, the only son of Claire and Phil Dunphy, one of the three branches of the "modern family" depicted on the series, in a wrestling singlet and headgear ... a seemingly out-of-blue development, as, over the five-year life of the series, there has been nothing pointing to the Luke character being a wrestler. A scene from "Modern Family"The episode in question, titled "The Feud" which aired Feb. 26, featured a trio of separate story lines (typical for the "Modern Family" series), including a story thread featuring Luke Dunphy (Nolan Gould) as a high school wrestler, slated to wrestle the son of his father Phil's rival in real estate sales, Gil Thorpe. Early in the episode, there was a scene in the gym where the dual meet was taking place, showing the two fathers' different attitudes about the match -- Phil vacillating between being nervous, and wanting to be supportive of his son; the opponent's dad being full of bluster and bravado (bragging about his son's record) -- in contrast to the pre-match attitudes of the two wrestlers (Luke being almost serene, while his opponent seeming wound up). After this set-up scene, the episode focused on the other two non-wrestling storylines ... only to return to the mat in the closing minutes of the show. Back in the gym, the two young wrestlers shook hands (with the Luke Dunphy character being coached by former Michigan State wrestler now actor Curran Jacobs), the opponent took Luke down and pinned him in not much more than a nanosecond. The payoff to the wrestling storyline came at the end of "Modern Family" when Thorpe and his son were celebrating their victory in a diner, while the Dunphy men were licking their wounds a few tables away. Then a waitress yelled, "Fight! Fight!" as it appeared that Luke was choking his opponent in the restaurant ... however, viewers were told that Luke was actually saving the life of his rival who was choking on some food. In another twist at the very end of the show, Luke told his dad that the rival wrestler had been making a "you choked" gesture to Luke, so Luke settled the score by putting the other guy in an actual chokehold. Nolan Gould played Luke DunphyThe episode clearly used the sport of wrestling as a comedic vehicle; it's highly unlikely it's a new facet of the Luke Dunphy character and the start of more mat-centric stories. In fact, it would not be impossible to imagine that this will be the first and last time we see Luke in a singlet and headgear. Even before the Feb. 26 episode of "Modern Family" was broadcast, I had started to think about the various fictional TV series that have shown the sport over the years. This article takes a look at some of the ways wrestling has been shown on entertainment TV. It is not meant to be an all-inclusive list of "TV episodes with wrestling" but a representative sample of the sport's portrayal in one entertainment medium. "Saved by the Bell" For an entire generation of TV viewers and wrestling fans, the first TV series that comes to mind for its portrayal of wrestling is "Saved by the Bell," a long-running NBC Saturday morning sitcom in the late 1980s and early 1990s. One of the principal characters in the series, A.C. Slater, was written as a high school wrestler ... played by actor Mario Lopez, an actual high school wrestler at Chula Vista High School who placed second at 160 pounds in the San Diego Sectional, and seventh at the California state championships in 1991. Actor Mario Lopez, a former wrestler in California, played Slater in "Saved by the Bell"Slater-as-wrestler became a major plot line in at least a couple episodes. In the episode "Pinned to the Mat" shown in the first season, Slater gave up wrestling for cooking class ... which caused problems for his bud Zack (Mark-Paul Gosselaar), who bet his dirt bike that Slater would easily handle the big bruiser from a rival high school. Ultra-nerdy classmate Screech (Dustin Diamond) stepped in for Slater, finding himself the victim of an airplane spin over the rival wrestler's head. Slater jumped in, made short work of the abysmal brute (who's shown lying dazed and confused on the mat, animated stars circling his head). Slater quickly comes to the conclusion his place is indeed on the mat, not in the kitchen ... assuring viewers they'll continue to see more of Lopez in a singlet, not a chef's apron. A couple years later, "Saved by the Bell" returned to the wrestling mat for an episode titled "Hold Me Tight" that found comedy in a subject that still remains touchy more than two decades later away from TV: girls wrestling boys. In this episode, Kristy, new to Bayside High, earned a spot on the wrestling team ... but finds herself in a predicament when wrestling a boy from a rival high school. Would-be boyfriend Zach yells, "Do that move you did at The Max!" (the characters' after-school hangout) which, of course, is illustrated in every how-to-wrestle book and DVD (not!). Kristy not only won the match, but the hearts and minds of her classmates, some who doubted a girl could find success wrestling a boy. Both of these episodes play on notions held by the general public (non-wrestling fans) about what wrestling looks like, and that allowing girls to wrestle boys leads to unintended consequences (like jealousy among girls who don't wrestle). The on-screen wrestling action is over in a blink of an eye, and does not resemble anything you'd see in a high school or college gym. In other words, it's very much over the top, and played strictly for laughs. Another aspect of how wrestling is portrayed on "Saved by the Bell" -- the high school wrestlers' uniforms. The singlets worn by Slater, his teammates and rivals were the kind that revealed more of the chest and back, like those worn in international competition more than a decade ago, or by some high schools and colleges (the Iowa Hawkeyes, for example) in the late 1950s and early 60s during the transition from shirtless wrestling to requiring shirts. To viewers whose only exposure to wrestling is once every four years during the Olympics, this style of singlet says "wrestling" more clearly and loudly than the kind most wrestlers actually wear in high school. "The Wonder Years" Running during the same era as "Saved by the Bell" -- but with a much different vibe, and, presumably, with a different audience in mind -- was "The Wonder Years" -- a prime-time ABC series broadcast in the late 1980s into the early '90s that was a nostalgic look back at growing up in suburbia in the 1960s. The main character of the series (which had comedic elements, but didn't look or sound like a traditional sitcom, i.e. no laugh track) was Kevin Arnold (played by Fred Savage). The series had started with Kevin being a cute grade-school boy ... but, towards the end of the series run, Kevin had grown into high school. In the sixth season of "The Wonder Years" an episode titled "Hulk Arnold" predated the notion presented in the recent "Modern Family" episode where a high school boy suddenly becomes a high school wrestler, seemingly out of the blue, with absolutely no advance notice or warning. Fred Savage (right) played Kevin Arnold in "The Wonder Years" -- a prime-time ABC series broadcast in the late 1980s into the early '90s that was a nostalgic look back at growing up in suburbia in the 1960sIn "Hulk Arnold," Kevin had demonstrated some talent for wrestling in gym class, and was recruited for the team. However, once in the wrestling room, Kevin quickly discovered how tough the sport is, deciding it wasn't for him, and, instead of working on getting better, bellyached to his tough-love coach. Sitting on the sidelines during a dual meet -- with his friends and family in the stands -- the coach made Kevin a last-second substitution to go up against the defending state champ. Kevin assumed he's being punished for his half-assed attitude ... but, as he's worked over by the champ, he rediscovered some of the talent -- and fight -- he showed back in P.E. No, he didn't pin the champ, but he managed to hold his own by not getting pinned, and, in the process, won the admiration of his teammates, coach, friends and family. Unlike the depictions of wrestling in the sitcoms previously mentioned in this article, "The Wonder Years" match was not over in less than five seconds. Nor did it employ some WWE-inspired acrobatics that provided laughs on "Saved by the Bell." Kevin's match with the champ looked more realistic than the portrayal of wrestling in most sitcoms. And, perhaps just as importantly, it's one of the very few examples that captured the notion that yes, wrestling is a tough sport, mentally and physically, but it has rich rewards for those who work hard and don't give up. (Sadly, "The Wonder Years" was yet another example of a series where a character suddenly becomes a wrestler, without any set-up, then, presumably, hangs up the headgear and is never seen in a singlet again.) Wrestling for dramatic effect From searching the Internet -- and my own memory -- it seems the vast majority of TV shows that have shown wrestling as a comedic element on a situation comedy. Despite the drama that is inherent in two athletes battling for supremacy on a mat, depictions of wrestling are rare in serious TV programs. One notable distinction was "I'll Fly Away," a one-hour drama on NBC in the early 1990s set in the small-town South in the early 1960s, during the civil rights movement. The series -- which draws its name from the title of a Negro spiritual from the early 1900s -- told the intersecting stories of a white, widowed prosecutor and his three at-home children, and the African-American woman who cared for them and their house, as well as her own home life with a young daughter and father. More than one TV critic compared "I'll Fly Away" to "To Kill a Mockingbird", the 1960 Harper Lee novel about a white attorney/father of two young children, defending a black man against rape charges, which was made into a movie starring Gregory Peck. A number of elements -- the setting, black-white tensions, the father-as-attorney, use of woman as narrator -- are consistent with both. In at least a couple episodes of "I'll Fly Away" (which lasted only two seasons), the eldest son Nathan (played by twins Jeremy and Jason London) was shown as a high school wrestler. The depictions were played straight, not for laughs. (Though there was a scene in which the rookies were presented with their wrestling gear while standing out on the football field naked, in front of their coach and teammates, which seemed more odd than either comic or dramatic.) Cast from "I'll Fly Away"In one scene, Nathan was sent out on to the mat to do battle with a (presumably) top wrestler from a rival school. The action was straightforward and familiar to any fan of the sport (no airplane spins here). The camera zoomed in close to the two combatants ... and, as tension grew, all sound other than the exertions of the wrestlers in action was eliminated. Even when the camera cut away to show fans and both teams cheering on their guy, there was absolute silence except for the grunts, groans and breathing of the two on the mat, presumably to emphasize the intense struggle of the evenly-matched athletes. After considerable on-the-mat struggle, Nathan cradled his rival, got the fall, and, as the gym erupted in cheering, "normal" sound returned. The only element that I remember to ring somewhat false (I have not been able to find the scene -- nor the series -- available for viewing online, or available for purchase on DVD) was the gear. "I'll Fly Away" had both wrestlers in singlets; back in the early 1960s, singlets were extremely rare in high school wrestling, and, in fact, were against the rules in most states as well as the NCAA. To be completely accurate, Nathan and his opponent would have been wearing trunks, perhaps tights, with sleeveless shirts optional. (In many parts of the country, wrestlers competed bare-chested.) Back then, headgear was optional in most places; the NBC series got that right by having the wrestlers compete without earguards. Another "I'll Fly Away" episode played on racial tensions of the time, as an African-American student new to the school (perhaps through integration) challenged Nathan's best friend for a starting position on the squad. Rather than wrestle a black -- and run the risk of being humiliated by losing his starring role on the team and as a top jock in the school -- Nathan's teammate simply gave up wrestling, which ultimately sent his life on a downward spiral. Again, this situation of a white high schooler refusing to wrestle a black may be difficult for young people today to understand, given greater inclusion of athletes of all colors in wrestling nowadays. However, 50 or more years ago, it was rather rare to see wrestlers of color in action on the high school or college level. A number of states that are now considered to be wrestling hotbeds -- including Illinois, Iowa, Oklahoma, and Pennsylvania -- did not have their first African-American state champ until the 1950s or early 1960s. During this time, it was also rare to see a black wrestler in college. Look at team photos from the era and typically might be one wrestler of color amid a sea of white athletes. To cite the two schools with the greatest number of NCAA team titles: University of Iowa's first black starter was Simon Roberts in the mid-1950s (who went on to become the first African-American NCAA champ, in 1957); Oklahoma State welcomed Joe James to the Stillwater campus in 1960. (James won the heavyweight title at the 1964 NCAAs.) From looking at their college team photos, Roberts and James were pretty much alone as wrestlers of color at their schools at the time ... as was the case at most major college wrestling programs of 50-60 years ago, where there might be one black among an otherwise all-white team. Why wrestling on TV Even though amateur wrestling may not be often depicted in TV sitcoms and dramas, the same can be said for most other high school or college sports. Think about it: How many TV series have shown football or basketball? (The TV version of the Texas high school football series "Friday Night Lights" aside.) So why would some TV writers and producers incorporate the oldest and greatest sport into their shows? For starters, because the very nature of wrestling can be manipulated for comedic -- or dramatic -- effect. The one-to-one competition can lend itself to potentially humorous or serious situations, such as the examples already cited in this article. There are other reasons that may have to do with the "mechanics" of the sport. Wrestling takes place in a relatively confined space, especially compared to football, basketball or baseball. Unlike outdoor sports such as football or baseball -- or even space-demanding sports like basketball -- wrestling easily fits into a typical film/TV studio. The "compact-ness" of wrestling makes it much easier to capture the action on a wrestling mat -- including close-ups of the wrestlers and their faces -- than other sports. The close-up, confined nature also lends itself to capturing sounds such grunts, groans, bodies hitting the mat, even conversation (wrestlers in TV shows tend to do a lot more talking while wrestling than their real-life counterparts) much more readily than in other sports. In fact, that ability of TV cameras and sound to provide a close-to-the-action perspective helped make professional wrestling and boxing popular programming in the early days of television 60-70 years ago. What's more, it's easier for scriptwriters, directors, fight coordinators and choreographers to plan out and stage an amateur wrestling match for TV cameras than other sports. The show's creators and crew are working with (usually) two wrestlers and maybe a referee, instead of five basketball players or eleven football players on each team. Finally, the one-to-one nature of wrestling is a natural for good storytelling. Ever notice how team sports football or baseball are promoted as one-to-one battles -- for example, quarterback vs. quarterback, or pitcher vs. pitcher -- as if the contest outcome were based solely on the performance of these two individuals. Wrestling is one school sport where this aspect is true, and not a matter of promotional license. Leaving out the essence of wrestling Most TV programs that incorporate wrestling into their series don't sweat the details when it comes to providing accurate depictions of the sport. They are seeking to entertain an audience, not striving to show a textbook double-leg takedown or good chain wrestling, let alone be 100% accurate in terms of the gear the wrestlers are wearing. More significantly, however, fictionalized depictions of wrestling on TV usually overlook many of the fundamentals that make the sport truly great. Elements such as long hours in the practice room, hard work, sacrifice, and dedication are often hard to portray in any entertainment medium, and, therefore, usually don't make their way to sitcoms or dramas for the small screen.

The brackets have been released for the 2014 NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships, which take place Friday and Saturday at the US Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Link: NCAA Division III Championships Brackets

Matchups for the 40th annual Dapper Dan Wrestling Classic have been released. The event will be held on Sunday evening, March 16, at the Fitzgerald Field house on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh. At 4 p.m., the undercard dual meet between a team of seniors from Oklahoma and seniors from the WPIAL (Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League). Then, at 6:00 p.m. it will be a match of top seniors from Pennsylvania against those from across the United States. The following are the current lineups for both events, rankings listed are those from InterMat as of Wednesday, March 12. Matches are listed in the order they will be wrestled at the event. Team USA vs. Pennsylvania 126: No. 1 Stevan Micic (Hanover Central, Ind.) vs. No. 3 Zeke Moisey (Bethlehem Catholic) 152: No. 1 Bryce Brill (Mt. Carmel, Ill.) vs. No. 3 T.C. Warner (Cumberland Valley) 113: No. 10 at 120 Brent Fleetwood (Smryna, Del.) vs. No. 6 at 120 Ethan Lizak (Parkland) 132: No. 3 Josh Alber (Dakota, Ill.) vs. Ian Brown (Hanover) 170: No. 2 Bo Nickal (Allen, Texas) vs. No. 12 at 182 Stephan Loiseau (Lancaster Catholic) 220: *Kyle Snyder (Good Counsel, Md./USOTC) vs. No. 5 Michael Boykin (Coatesville) 182: No. 9 Joel Dixon (Edmond North, Okla.) vs. No. 3 Zack Zavatsky (Greater Latrobe) 160: No. 1 Ryan Blees (Bismarck, N.D.) vs. No. 3 Garrett Peppelman (Central Dauphin) 195: No. 4 Chip Ness (Buford, Ga.) vs. No. 20 Tristan Sponseller (Bermudian Springs) 120: No. 2 Nathan Boston (Woodford County, Ky.) vs. No. 6 at 126 Dalton Macri (Canon-McMillan) 285: No. 1 Nick Nevills (Clovis, Calif.) vs. No. 2 Thomas Haines (Solanco) 138: No. 1 Joey McKenna (Blair Academy, N.J.) vs. No. 3 at 145 Solomon Chishko (Canon-McMillan) 145: No. 6 at 152 Tyler Berger (Crook County, Ore.) vs. No. 2 Jason Nolf (Kittanning) *Snyder did not compete scholastically during 2013-14, so he is not weight class ranked; however, Snyder is the No. 1 overall prospect in the Class of 2014 Oklahoma vs. WPIAL 113: Braden Bennett (Locust Grove) vs. Brendan Price (Canon-McMillan) 120: Jacob Findley (Collinsville) vs. Kevin Kinyua (Mt. Lebanon) 126: No. 20 at 132 Cub Yeager (Locust Grove) vs. No. 11 Dom Forys (North Allegheny) 132: Justin Fletcher (Bixby) vs. No. 6 Tyler Smith (Franklin Regional) 138: Will Steltzen (Collinsville) vs. Tyler Buckiso (Peters Township) 145: Jonce Blaylock (Berryhill) vs. Grant Fetchet (South Fayette) 152: No. 19 Dakota Head (Tuttle) vs. Steven Edwards (Burrell) 160: Jacobe Smith (Muskogee) vs. Jonathan Avon (North Hills) 170: No. 6 Chandler Rogers (Stillwater) vs. Kyle Coniker (Pittsburgh Central Catholic) 182: No. 11 at 220 Lance Dixon (Edmond North) vs. Terrell Fields (Valley) 195: No. 5 Derek White (Edmond North) vs. Cole Macek (Montour) 220: No. 12 at 285 Andrew Dixon (Edmond North) vs. Jake Temple (Avella) 285: Trey Loveall (Locust Grove) vs. Shane Kuhn (Kiski Area)

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. -- The Cornell wrestling team continued its unprecedented dominance of the EIWA, crowning four individual champions and running away with the team title, an eighth consecutive. Cornell scored 165.5 points, placed all 10 of its wrestlers and qualified eight of them for the upcoming NCAA championships as the two-day tournament commenced on Sunday afternoon at The Palestra. Cornell won titles at 125 pounds behind Nahshon Garrett, 149 pounds with Chris Villalonga, 184 pounds with Gabe Dean and 197 pounds from Jace Bennett. Additionally, Dylan Palacio dropped his finals match in sudden victory to place second. All five earned spots in the NCAA tourney. Also earning a spot with an automatic qualifier was Mark Grey at 133 after pinning two opponents in the wrestlebacks to finish third, Mike Nevinger at 141 and Brian Realbuto (157). Nevinger lost a tight 3-0 decision to 10th-ranked Luke Vaith of Hofsta in the semifinals, then injury defaulted out of his consolation final against top-seeded Richard Durso of Franklin & Marshall to wind up in the fifth-place match. Needing a win to earn one of the qualifying berths, he pinned Tyson Dippery of Rutgers in just 1:16. Realbuto lost in Saturday's quarterfinals, but won three straight to get back into the third place match against Anthony Perrotti of Rutgers, where he lost a close decision. Junior Jacob Aiken-Phillips placed fifth at 285, just one spot short of the automatic qualifier and will be a candidate for an at-large bid to the championships. Sophomore Duke Pickett finished seventh at 174 pounds and is likely a longshot to make 10 Big Red wrestlers at the NCAAs, something that has never happened in school history. This championship may have been the most impressive of the eight, as it posted the second-largest margin of victory in more than 100 years of meet history. Its 64.5 point adantage over Lehigh was bettered only by the 1997 Penn team that scored an EIWA record 183 points and crowned six champs to take the meet by 79.5 points. Cornell has now posted at least three EIWA champions in each of the last six seasons with its four, raising its all-time total to 142, second all-time to Lehigh. It was the program's 22nd EIWA title in program history. With Villalonga's win at 149 pounds, Cornell has won every weight class at least once int he last five seasons except at heavyweight. While the Big Red won four individual titles, no other school claimed more than one. Garrett added another impressive win on his resume, topping American's David Terao for the third time this season with a 2-1 decision that was as dominant as a one-point, low scoring match could be. Garrett used an escape and ride time to pull out the win against Terao, who tried to slow down the pace against the offensive-minded Garrett. The Big Red sophomore became just the fourth Cornellian to win EIWA titles as a freshman and sophomore, joining Travis Lee '05, Mack Lewnes '11 and Cam Simaz '12. He advanced to the finals without having to wrestle in the morning session, as Bucknell's Paul Petrov was forced to medically forfeit. Dean also had little trouble despite a low-scoring affair against a top 10 opponent, dispatching ninth-ranked Lorenzo Thomas of Penn, 3-1. Dean had another apparent takedown waived off and won despite having to sit through a review that was longer than the seven-minute match on its own. It was his first and only decision of the tournament, winning his other matches with a major, a tech and a semifinal pin of Harvard's Cameron Croy to set him up for his first EIWA title. None of the titles came easy, with Villalonga winning his first championship with a hard-fought 4-2 win over Lehigh's Mitch Minotti in the lone matchup between the top two finishers in the finals. Villalonga had the lone takedown in the match. He earned his spot in the finals with another good, solid postseason-type win, knocking off Ken Theobold of Rutgers 3-1. It was Villalonga's second win of the season against both opponents. The most exciting of the titles came with a last-second reversal by Bennett, who was taken down with less than 30 seconds remaining in the third. The reversal pushed him past Cody Reed of Binghamton by a 5-4 margin. He pinned Princeton's Abe Ayala in the semis in just 2:09 to send him to his first EIWA final. Palacio just missed out on his first EIWA crown after surrendering a takedown to Hofstra's Joe Booth with just nine seconds left in the first tiebreaker. He had decisioned Josh Houldsworth of Columbia earlier in the afternoon by a 5-3 margin. Mark Grey, who lost in the semifinals in sudden victory, bounced back in a big way with consecutive pins in the wrestlebacks to place third. He got Columbia's Angelo Amenta to his back 2:14 into the first round before pinning Vincent Dellefave of Rutgers, avenging one of his losses from earlier this season. Possibly the gutsiest effort was by Mike Nevinger in picking up the final NCAA slot at 141. After being hurt in a semifinal loss to Hofstra's Luke Vaith, he medically forfeited out of the consolation semi against Durso, only to catch Dippery of Rutgers just 1:16 into the fifth-place match. Realbuto earned his NCAA spot after finishing fourth at 157, winning three straight matches in the wrestlebacks before falling on a late four-point move by Perrotti from Rutgers. Realbuto was on the giving end of a tech fall against Princeton's Kevin Moylan before earning an 8-3 decision over Austin Sommer of Drexel. Both Pickett and Aiken-Phillips won their final matches at EIWAs, with Pickett finishing seventh after a win over Brown's Richard McDonald and Aiken-Phillips getting an impressive win over Binghamton's Tyler Deuel for his 23rd victory of the year. PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – The Cornell wrestling team advanced all 10 wrestlers to day two of the 2014 EIWA championships, taking control of the team race and placing seven in Sunday's semifinals with a dominant Saturday at the Palestra. The Big Red piled up 92 points to easily outdistance their closest competitors, Lehigh (62.5) and Rutgers (62). The Big Red qualified Nahshon Garrett (125), Mark Grey (133), Mike Nevinger (141), Chris Villalonga (149), Dylan Palacio (165), Gabe Dean (184) and Jace Bennett (197) to tomorrow's semifinals and an opportunity to add to the school's long list of EIWA champions. Despite falling into the consolation bracket, the Big Red's three other wrestlers all advanced in the wrestlebacks after falling in the quarterfinals and each are still alive to finish as high as third. Dylan Realbuto (157), Duke Pickett (174) and Jacob Aiken-Phillips (285) will continue their quests to qualify for the NCAA tournament. The Big Red sent all 10 wrestlers through to the quarterfinals with seven winning their way into the semis and the other three winning their consolation bouts to remain in contention for third. Cornell pinned its way through three matches. Garrett dominated both of his matches at 125, earning tech falls at the buzzer against Brown's Vincent Moita and an early second period match-ender against Brendan Campbell of Navy. Grey eased his way through the first two rounds against Ivy opponents, earning an early takedown and three nearfall points against McKendry Bade in his first round major over the hometown Penn Quaker. Nevinger reached the semifinals at 141 with a pair of usually dominant decisions, topping American's Tom Page, 8-4, then dropping Army's Tyler Rauenzahn, 8-1. Villalonga made it 4-for-4 in the semifinals by outscoring his two opponents a combined 17-0 in picking up a pair of major decisions. The first real upset came at 157 pounds after Realbuto's second period fall in the first round of Franklin & Marshall's Andrew Murano. He dropped a 4-3 decision to Columbia's Markus Scheidel after being taken down late, but bounced back strong with a major decision triumph over Penn's Raamiah Bethea, 9-1, in the wrestlebacks. Palacio won a pair of interesting matches, including a quarterfinal victory where the referee twice awarded points to the wrong wrestler and held off a late nearfall attempt by Boston University's Mitchell Wightman to hold on for a 7-6 win. After topping Keithen Cast of American by a 4-1 decision in the first round, Pickett lost to Brian Harvey of Army 3-0 in the quarters. His quest to get back to third place and earn a bid to NCAAs started in the wrestlebacks with a 10-7 win over Bucknell's Robert Schlitt. Dean was his usual dominant self in a pair of bonus wins, earning a major decision over Rutgers' Dan Seidenberg (14-4) before earning a tech fall over Binghamton's Caleb Wallace less than a minute into the second period to cruise into the semifinals. For the second time in less than a month, Bennett pinned Hofstra's Zeal McGrew in the first period and then held off Penn's Frank Mattiace in the quarters, part of a 3-0 day against the host Quakers. Aiken-Phillips also won his opener with a 10-5 triumph over Navy's Colynn Cook before losing his second match, an 8-5 decision to Blake Herrin of American. The junior squeaked out a 4-3 decision over Hofstra's Michael Hughes in the consolation fourth round to stay alive. Cornell will have a chance to clinch its eighth straight EIWA title when it hits the mats tomorrow for the semifinals and the back draw.

MADISON, Wis. -- University of Iowa senior Tony Ramos won the 133-pound Big Ten title during championship round action of the conference tournament Sunday at the Kohl Center. The Hawkeyes finished second in the team standings with 135 points, trailing only Penn State's 140.5 points. Nine Iowa wrestlers finished in the top-five of their respective brackets, the most of any school. All nine placewinners earned an automatic berth to the 2014 NCAA Championships. "I believe that we have a team to win it here and I believe we have a team to win it in a couple of weeks, that's how you go forward," said UI head coach Tom Brands. "That's what our next mission is. We have to get ready for the next tournament. Even if we come out on top (here), there are things to work on and there are things to work on now. It's the same either way. We have to go to work." The top-seeded Ramos earned his first career Big Ten Championship by downing second-seeded Tyler Graff of Wisconsin, 2-1. Ramos, who finished second at the 2012 and 2013 Big Ten Championships, used a second period escape and 1:37 of riding time to defeat Graff. "It didn't go exactly the way I wanted, but I got the win," said Ramos. "I wanted to win this one in regulation and I'm walking out of here with the title. It was a lot of fun and the fans were great. Wisconsin did a great job hosting this tournament." Iowa also recorded four runner-up finishes. Derek St. John (157), Nick Moore (165), Mike Evans (174) and Ethen Lofthouse (184) all placed second at their respective weights. Junior Bobby Telford posted a pair of wins Sunday, wrestling back from a first round defeat to finish third at 285. Telford began his day with a 3-1 victory over Northwestern's Michael McMullan in the consolation semifinal, and downed Mike McClure of Michigan State, 3-2, in the consolation finals. Telford rallied from a two-point deficit to defeat the sixth-seeded McClure, registering two escapes and 1:18 of riding time. Cory Clark dropped a 9-5 decision in the consolation finals to place fourth at 125. Josh Dziewa and Nathan Burak placed fifth at 141 and 197, respectively. Iowa returns to the mat March 20-22 at the NCAA Championships in Oklahoma City. The NCAA will announce the tournament field Wednesday, March 12. "We have to be strong and we have to go forward, and we have the team for that," said Brands. "We have the mental makeup for that with this team and the emotional make up. We have a lot of good guys and we need to win more matches." Notes: Attendance was 10,111... Total attendance was 28, 442... Ramos is the 110th Big Ten Champion in school history... Iowa's 110 Big Ten Champions has combined for 191 conference titles... Ramos is the 11th Big Ten Champion under head coach Tom Brands... FINAL TEAM STANDINGS Penn State - 140.5 Iowa - 135 Minnesota - 118.5 Ohio State - 86.5 Nebraska - 79 Illinois - 78.5 Wisconsin - 73 Michigan - 71.5 Northwestern - 58 Indiana - 37 Purdue - 34.5 Michigan State - 21.5

Related: Results KENT, Ohio -- For the third time in as many years, the Tigers are conference champions. Mizzou posted 118.5 team points en route to the 2014 Mid-American Conference title, their second title since joining the MAC as an affiliate member last year. The squad placed all 10 grapplers in the top six, and crowned two individual champions in Drake Houdashelt and J'den Cox. Seven Tigers booked their trips to the NCAA Championships in Oklahoma City throughout the tournament. "I'm really proud of the way this team kept fighting," said Head Coach Brian Smith following the Championships. "To have five freshman in the lineup and to keep competing at a high level really shows our maturity as a program. I'm shocked, but I shouldn't be. We believe in this team. They showed everyone why today." After a couple of tough losses early in the placement rounds for first, third and fifth, Houdashelt turned the tide with an overtime win against Alex Richardson (ODU) in the championship bout. The victory clinched his third individual title since entering the Tigers starting lineup in 2012. His takedown with 16 seconds left in sudden victory gave the Tigers some life. With Northern Iowa holding a comfortable lead in team points, Mizzou needed a lot of help. They decided to create their own, winning placement matches at 157, 174 and 184 with bonus points, closing the gap on their new MAC-rivals. True freshman Joey Lavallee followed up Houdashelt's title with a pin over Tristan Warner (ODU) at 4:13. Then, after a Zach Toal decision over Shaun'Qae McMurtry (NIU) in a rematch from Saturday, Mikey England pinned two-seed Caleb Marsh from Kent State, a guy he fell to just a couple of weeks ago 2-0. Suddenly, the Tigers were within striking distance. "I honestly thought we were out of the team race after the first few weight classes, said Smith. "We started to focus on getting guys to qualify for NCAAs, and we really thought it was over. But they never stopped battling." Down two team points to UNI, Cody Johnston took the mat against Ryan Garringer of Ohio in the 184-pound fifth place match. On the adjacent mat, UNI had All-American Ryan Loder wrestling in the 184-pound championship. A win by decision and a Loder loss would tie the scores up, however a win in bonus points would make things interesting. Johnston, who was notified Wednesday that he would replace the injured Johnny Eblen, would proceed to tech fall Garringer in 5:21, 18-2. And then, Loder lost to ODU's Jack Dechow in sudden victory. Mizzou had taken a 115.5 - 114.0 lead over UNI, their first lead of the tournament. J'den Cox's major decision in the title match over Phil Wellington (Ohio) closed the door on the rest of the nine-team field. Cox dominated Wellington in a 10-1 bout to avenge his lone MAC loss from back in December. His major gave Mizzou an extra team point to seal it, giving the Tigers their second-consecutive MAC title. Cox went a perfect 3-0 on the weekend winning by a technical fall and two major decisions. The conference named Mizzou's true freshman the tournament's `Most Outstanding Wrestler' following his performance. Junior Devin Mellon would finish second at heavyweight after falling to Ohio's Jeremy Johnson. Johnson ranks No. 11 in the nation at 285 pounds. All 10 Mizzou starters placed in the top-six in their respective brackets. Seven grapplers are headed to the NCAA Championships in Oklahoma City later this month following their MAC finishes. The other three still have a shot to get a wild card bid, which will be announced later this week by the NCAA. Last year at the Mid-American Conference tournament, the Missouri Wrestling program dominated the eight-team field on their way to being crowned MAC Champions in their first year as an affiliate member of the conference. The Tigers dethroned Central Michigan, who had been MAC Champions for 11-straight seasons. Mizzou shattered the previously held team score high at the Championships, posting 136.0 points while crowning four individual champions. Team Standings: 1. Missouri 118.5 2. Northern Iowa 116 3. Old Dominion 97? 4. Ohio 94.5 5. Central Michigan 85.5 6. Kent State 67 7. Eastern Michigan 57.5 8. Northern Illinois 50 9. Buffalo 12.5

Related: Results The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team rode a strong and balanced performance to its fourth straight Big Ten championship this weekend, sparked by two historic individual champions. Penn State out-distanced second place Iowa by 5.5 points. Head Coach Cael Sanderson's squad took the title with 140.5 points while the Hawkeyes were close behind at 135.0. In addition to its fourth straight team trophy, Penn State will return home with its first ever four-time individual champions as seniors David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio) and Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.) made school and conference history with final, historic, title runs. All 10 Nittany Lion wrestlers are headed to the NCAA Championships in Oklahoma City as Penn State now sets its sights on a fourth straight NCAA crown. Taylor was named the 2014 Big Ten Wrestler of the Year, the third time he has won the honor. The Lion senior also pulled in his first Big Ten Championship Outstanding Wrestler honor as well. Sanderson won his fourth-straight Big Ten Coach of the Year award. An epically tight team race heading into the Big Ten finals, Penn State led Iowa by just one half point (128.5 to 128.0) and each team had five finalists. While both squads picked up key points in the placing bouts, Penn State would use those consolation points and the title turns by Taylor and Ruth to roll to victory. Taylor, the No. 1 seed at 165, took on second-seed Nick Moore of Iowa in the finals. With Penn State trailing Iowa at the time of the bout by 3.5 points, Taylor went to work. The duo traded early shots with Taylor breaking through at the 1:45 mark for an early 2-0 lead. The Lion senior then turned Moore for three back points to open up a 5-0 lead with :45 left on the clock. Taylor then rode Moore out to lead 5-0 with 1:44 in riding time after one period. Taylor took down to start the second stanza and escaped to a 6-0 lead. He added another quick takedown, cut Moore loose and then countered a Moore shot to notch a takedown of his own for a 10-1 lead. The Iowa bench challenged the call, contending that Moore and a takedown earlier in the scramble, but the Taylor points stood. Taylor then cut Moore loose and picked up another takedown. Moore countered for his own score but Taylor carried a hefty 13-5 lead with nearly 2:00 in riding time into the third period. The third stanza was all Taylor on top, clinching the riding time point and riding Moore out. The 14-5 major decision, with 3:29 in riding time, made Taylor the 12th four-time Big Ten Champion in conference history (and Penn State's first-ever). Taylor will head to the NCAA Championship with a 29-0 record on the year after his 3-0 Big Ten title run that included a pin, a tech fall and a major. Ruth, the No. 1 seed at 184, took on Iowa's Ethan Lofthouse, the No. 2 seed, in the finals at 184. With a chance to clinch Penn State's fourth-straight team 10-2 title and become the school's second four-time Big Ten champ, the Lion senior was unstoppable. Ruth notched two first period takedowns to open up an early 4-1 lead. Taking down to start the second, Ruth quickly escaped and then turned in to the Hawkeye quickly, taking Lofthouse down again to open up a 7-1 lead. He cut Lofthouse loose and quickly took him down again to lead 9-2 with well over 1:00 in riding time after two. Lofthouse took down to start the third period but Ruth would not relent. The Lion senior simply rode the Hawkeye out for the full period and, with 3:35 in riding time, rolled to the 10-2 major. The win made Ruth the 13th four-time Big Ten Champion in conference history and, following teammate David Taylor by mere minutes, the second in Penn State history. Ruth will head to the NCAA Championship with 29-1 record thanks to his 4-0 conference title run (which included three majors). Junior Nico Megaludis (Murrysville, Pa.), the No. 1 at 125, took on Illinois' Jesse Delgado in the title bout at 125, a rematch of last year's NCAA Championship match. Neither man could break through for any takedowns during regulation, trading escapes (Megaludis in the second and Delgado in the third). The duo then wrestled evenly for a first sudden victory period, a first tie breaker and a second sudden victory period with neither wrestler escaping. In the second tie breaker, Delgado was down first and escaped in ten seconds. Megaludis escaped but :25 seconds into his second tie breaker period, giving Delgado a 3-2 (TB2) decision on a :15 riding time edge. Megaludis posted a 3-1 record to finish as Big Ten runner-up, including a first round pin. Megaludis heads to Oklahoma City with a 26-3 record. True freshman Zain Retherford (Benton, Pa.), the No. 1 seed at 141, met second seed Logan Stieber of Ohio State in a rematch of classic in Rec Hall from earlier this year. Stieber scored early, taking Retherford down at the 2:26 mark to open up a 2-0 lead early on. Retherford escaped to a 2-1 score but Stieber had a 1:07 riding time edge. Leading by one after one, Stieber chose neutral to start the second period. Stieber connected on a low single at the :45 mark and turned it into a takedown and a 4-1 lead. The Buckeye then rode Retherford out to carry that lead into the third. Retherford chose down to start the third and was turned for two near fall points. He managed a reversal to cut the lead to 6-3 but it was not enough as Stieber, with 1:41 in riding time, posted the 7-3 win. The loss was the first for Retherford, who heads to the NCAA Championships as the Big Ten Runner-Up with a 29-1 record. Retherford went 3-1 with a major in his first Big Ten Championship run. Sophomore Morgan McIntosh (Santa Ana, Calif.), the No. 1 seed at 197, took on second-seeded Nick Heflin of Ohio State in the finals. After a scoreless first period, McIntosh chose down to start the second stanza and worked his way to a reversal and a 2-0 lead. The Lion was able to control Heflin for a bit, but the Buckeye escaped before the period ended and McIntosh led 2-1 after two periods. Heflin chose down to start the third period and worked his way to a reversal and a 2-2 tie. The remainder of the final stanza had McIntosh pressuring Heflin and the Buckeye playing defense, stepping back and working the clock down to zeroes. The duo worked through a scoreless first sudden victory period and then each wrestler escaped in their firs tie breaker, sending the bout to a second sudden victory tied 3-3. In the second sudden victory period, Heflin countered a McIntosh shot with just :01 on the clock for the winning takedown, posting the thrilling 5-3 (sv2) win. McIntosh ended the tournament as the Big Ten runner-up with a 2-1 mark. He heads to Oklahoma City with a 27-3 record. Junior Matt Brown (West Valley City, Utah), the No. 2 seed at 174, dominated Illinois' Tony Dallago in his consolation semifinal bout, putting on a takedown clinic on his way to a 16-5 major decision (with 3:05 in riding time). Brown then took on No. 4 Logan Storley of Minnesota in the third place match. The bout was a tight one but Brown used a strong second period ride to build up 1:11 in riding time, which would be the difference in a 2-1 victory. Brown's third place run came off a 4-1 mark with two majors and an injury default. He heads to NCAAs with a 28-4 record. Senior James English (York, Pa.), the No. 7 seed at 149, took on Michigan's Eric Grajales in the consolation semifinals and dropped a tough 12-2 bout. The loss sent the Lion senior to the fifth place bout where he used a second period reversal and a riding time point to down Wisconsin's Ryan Lubeck, 3-2. English finished fifth in his first Big Ten tournament as the seventh-seed, posting a 3-2 record. English will roll on to his first NCAA Championships with an 11-5 record. Junior Jon Gingrich (Wingate, Pa.), the No. 8 seed at 285, was pinned by sixth-seed Mike McClure of Michigan State in his consolation semifinal match. The eighth-seeded Lion then took on Northwestern's Mike McMullan in the fifth place bout and dropped a tough 8-2 decision. Gingrich placed sixth at his first Big Ten Championship as the eighth-seed, going 2-3 with a win over the top-seed. He will head to Oklahoma City with a 22-8 record. Red-shirt freshman Jimmy Gulibon (Latrobe, Pa.), the No. 7 seed at 133, picked up critical bonus points in his seventh-place bout against Northwestern's Dominick Malone. Gulibon used a last second takedown and ride out to post a 9-1 major and placed seventh in his first Big Ten Championship. Gulibon went 3-2 with a tech fall and a major and heads to his first NCAA Championship with a 17-13 record. Junior Dylan Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.), the No. 5 seed at 157, suffered a tough 13-4 loss to Illinois' Zac Brunson in the seventh place bout and took eighth. Alton went 2-3 at the tournament with a major and heads to Oklahoma City with an 18-5 mark. Penn State went 29-14 overall, collecting two pins, two tech falls, ten majors and an injury default for 21 bonus points. Penn State becomes the fifth team in conference history to win four straight team titles, the first since Iowa from 1995-1998. Sanderson's squad will send 10 automatic qualifiers to the NCAA Championships two weeks from now in Oklahoma City. This marks the second straight year that Penn State has sent its full line-up to nationals. It is also the fifth time that Sanderson has qualified all 10 of his wrestlers as a head coach. The NCAA announces the full and final NCAA brackets and seeds on Wednesday night. Taylor and Ruth became Penn State's first four-time Big Ten Champions are 12th and 13th four-time champions in Big Ten history. The senior tandem is now owners of eight individual and four Big Ten team titles. They head to Oklahoma City still unbeaten against any Big Ten opponent during their careers. They are a combined 112-0 against conference foes (56-0 each). Taylor is now 29-0 on the year with 13 pins, eight tech falls and seven majors. He is 129-3 all-time with 50 pins, 42 techs and 29 majors and is 56-0 all-time against Big Ten competition. His 50 pins is three shy of Penn State's all-time record of 53. Ruth is now 29-1 on the year with ten pins, eight tech falls and nine majors. He will head to Oklahoma City with a 131-3 record, including 45 pins, 24 techs and 32 majors. He is 56-0 all-time against Big Ten competition as well. With Taylor's honors and Sanderson award, Penn State has collected quite a bit of conference hardware during its current run. The Lions have had the last four Big Ten Wrestlers of the Year (Taylor three times, Ruth once), Sanderson has won four straight Coach of the Year honors, Penn State has claimed four tournament OWs as well (Taylor, Ruth, Quentin Wright and Frank Molinaro) and one Freshman of the Year (Taylor). The Nittany Lions now head to Oklahoma City for the 2014 NCAA Wrestling Championships. Penn State will be seeking its fourth-straight National Championship during the three-day event, which runs March 20-22, in Oklahoma City's Chesapeake Energy Arena. The tournament begins on Thursday morning at 12 p.m. Eastern (11 a.m. Central). All six sessions will air live on ESPNU and/or ESPN, with ESPN3 offering full tournament multi-mat coverage online. Penn State Fans are encouraged to follow Penn State wrestling via twitter at www.twitter.com/pennstateWREST and on Penn State Wrestling's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pennstatewrestling. The 2013-14 Penn State Wrestling season is presented by The Family Clothesline. Team Standings: 1: PENN STATE, 140.5 2: Iowa, 135.0 3: Minnesota, 118.5 4: Ohio State, 86.5 5: Nebraska, 79.0 6: Illinois, 78.5 7: Wisconsin, 73.0 8: Michigan, 71.5 9: Northwestern, 58.0 10: Indiana, 37.0 11: Purdue, 34.5 12: Michigan State, 21.5 Finals Results: 125: Jesse Delgado ILL dec. Nico Megaludis PSU, 3-2 (TB2; 0:15 RT) 133: Tony Ramos IOWA dec. Tyler Graff WIS, 2-1 141: Logan Stieber OSU dec. Zain Retherford PSU, 7-3 149: Jason Tsirtsis NU dec. Jake Sueflohn NEB, 6-2 157: James Green NEB dec. Derek St. John IOWA, 7-4 165: David Taylor PSU maj. dec. Nick Moore IOWA, 14-5 174: Robert Kokesh NEB dec. Mike Evans IOWA, 6-4 184: Ed Ruth PSU maj. dec. Ethan Lofthouse IOWA, 10-2 197: Nick Heflin OSU dec. Morgan McIntosh PSU, 5-3 (SV2) 285: Tony Nelson MINN dec. Adam Chalfant IND, 2-1 (TB)

Related: Results NORMAN, Okla. -- The Oklahoma State wrestling team won its 12th Big 12 team championship and 48th conference title on Saturday at McCasland Field House in Norman, Okla. The day was highlighted by Chris Perry's 3-2 upset over top-ranked Andrew Howe of Oklahoma in the 174-pound finals. Six Cowboys took home individual titles, while three produced runner-up finishes and Blake Rosholt took home a third-place medal at 197 pounds. Perry was also named the tournament's Outstanding Wrestler. "Today was good from a standpoint of that first round kind of set the pace for us," Coach John Smith said. "Pushing nine of the 10 into the finals is always a good thing when you're in the Big 12 because you really position your team to win. The final round I thought was pretty good. I'm not mad, but there were a couple of things I would have liked to see differently, but overall it takes a team effort, and this team today definitely gave the effort." Eddie Klimara took to the mat for the Cowboys in the first championship bout of the night, facing All-American Jarrod Patterson of OU at 125 pounds. Klimara kept it a tight match but Patterson's 1:02 riding time advantage gave him the 4-3 victory over Klimara. Senior Jon Morrison finished his final conference tournament with his second-consecutive Big 12 crown. Morrison earned his sixth career win over OU's Cody Brewer with an 8-1 decision. Collica became the 19th freshman in school history to win a conference title. He defeated Iowa State's Gabe Moreno, 4-2, to earn his first Big 12 title at 141 pounds. "It was real cool winning my first Big 12 title," Collica said. "The matches today--I had some tough ones. I had to toughen up, rode hard in the third to win both, and just had to out-tough the other guy. That's what it's about." At 149 pounds, Josh Kindig, the No. 2 seed, took on top-seeded Kendric Maple from OU. The last time the two met in Norman, Kindig upset the 2013 national champion, 4-3; however, this time Kindig could not pull off another upset and dropped the match, 6-3. Sophomore Alex Dieringer took home his second conference title in just as many attempts at 157 pounds. Dieringer faced OU's Justin DeAngelis, whom he defeated with ease, 8-3. Senior and former Sooner Tyler Caldwell earned his second Big 12 title of his career--both during his time as a Cowboy--defeating ISU's Michael Moreno with a 12-1 major decision. The championship round skipped ahead to the 184-pound bout as the 174-pound championship was scheduled to be the night's finale. Redshirt freshman Nolan Boyd faced Lelund Weatherspoon of ISU. Boyd led the whole match, but a takedown by Weatherspoon with just seconds left in the match gave him the advantage and the 4-3 win over Boyd. Austin Marsden was the next finalist for the Pokes at heavyweight. The Crystal Lake, Ill., native took on WVU's A.J. Vizcarrondo, the tournament's No. 2 seed. Marsden won his first conference title with a 5-2 decision. The day's most awaited match was saved for last as Perry and Howe went head-to-head in the final bout of the night. Several controversial and reviewed calls created an intense atmosphere as the two battled it out to be the Big 12's best. Perry snagged two escapes, while Howe picked up the bout's only takedown, but it was Perry's riding time advantage that secured the Cowboy's fourth Big 12 title. "It's nice to win four. I really didn't pay much attention to it coming in," Perry said. "As a whole, I just felt relaxed. I just felt good all week, so to come in here and beat him was big for me. If I can beat him here, I know I can beat him anywhere. He'll be ready in Oklahoma City, and I'm not even thinking forward to if I wrestle him, unless it happens. I've been in tight matches with a lot of guys this year, and I've just got to focus and worry about myself and not worry about the other competitors. I've just got to come out and execute. I believe in myself. I love winning, and I believe March is my time every year." The Cowboys will be back in action in Oklahoma City on March 20-22 to compete in the NCAA wrestling championships. "We're behind from a standpoint of the top teams. We're going to have to close the gap," Smith said. "You've got several guys that have low rankings, and that doesn't put you in a very good position. But we closed the gap last year, and that's something we're going to have to do. We're going to have to wrestle above our seeds if we're going to do well." Team Standings: 1. Oklahoma State 98.5 points 2. Oklahoma 63.5 points 3. Iowa State 45.5 points 4. West Virginia 26 points Final Results: 125: No. 1 Jarrod Patterson (OU) dec. No. 2 Eddie Klimara (OSU), 4-3 133: No. 1 Jon Morrison (OSU) dec. No. 2 Cody Brewer (OU), 8-1 141: No. 2 Anthony Collica (OSU) dec. No. 4 Gabe Moreno (ISU), 4-2 149: No. 1 Kendric Maple (OU) dec. No. 2 Josh Kindig (OSU), 6-3 157: No. 1 Alex Dieringer (OSU) dec. No. 2 Justin DeAngelis (OU), 8-3 165: No. 1 Tyler Caldwell (OSU) MD No. 2 Michael Moreno (ISU), 12-1 174: No. 2 Chris Perry (OSU) dec. No. 1 Andrew Howe (OU), 3-2 184: No. 3 Lelund Weatherspoon (ISU) dec. No. 1 Nolan Boyd (OSU), 4-3 197: No. 1 Kyven Gadson (ISU) dec. No. 2 Travis Rutt (OU), 3-3 TB2 (on criteria) 285: No. 1 Austin Marsden (OSU) dec. No. 2 A.J. Vizcarrondo (WVU), 5-2

Related: Results The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga wrestling team won its 28th Southern Conference Tournament in Buies Creek, N.C., tonight. The Mocs had three individual champions led by junior Corey Mock’s victory at 165 pounds. Mock not only grabbed an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships, but he also took home the award for Most Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament. Chattanooga tallied 88.0 points on the day, the fewest for a championship team since UNCG won with 81.5 points in 2010. It was the Mocs fourth straight tournament title and eighth in the last nine years. The Citadel took the runner-up spot with 78.5 points. Campbell, which hosted the tournament, placed third with 54.0 points. Appalachian State finished fourth with 36.0 points, in front of Gardner-Webb (32.5), SIUE (30.5), Davidson (29.0) and VMI (13.5). Junior Nick Soto took home his third-straight conference championship and will make his third appearance at the NCAAs. The No. 1 seed at 133 pinned VMI’s Michael Flora in 2:54 to advance to the semifinals, where Davidson’s Anthony Elias medically forfeited. In the final, Soto handily defeated Campbell’s Drew Walker, 12-2, to up his overall record to 33-9. The match of the night came at 165 between Mock and The Citadel’s Turtogtokh Luvsandorj. Luvsandorj carried a No. 7 Coaches Panel ranking into the match, while Mock was right behind him at No. 8. Luvsandorj took the regular season meeting 4-3, but Mock dominated tonight’s rematch. He won the title bout 7-1 and did not give up a takedown in the tournament, improving to 30-3 overall. Junior Levi Clemons followed that with a win of his own at 174, registering two major decisions along the way. He took down VMI’s Derek Thurman, 13-5, before defeating Campbell’s Cody Ryba, 11-2 in the semifinals. Clemons met the second seed, Jake Residori from SIUE, in the championship bout, but Residori had to medically forfeit with Clemons up 2-0 in the first period. Clemons improves to 26-13 overall and earns his second trip to the NCAA Championships. He also was an at-large participant as a sophomore in 2012. Senior Alex Hudson also grabbed an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships, despite falling in the finals to The Citadel’s Aaron Walker. The Southern Conference was allocated 16 spots for the NCAA Championships, with three each at 149 pounds and 165 pounds, two each at 157 pounds and heavyweight and one each at the six other weights. UTC had a pair of true freshman finish second in their brackets. Michael Pongracz was runner-up at 141 while top-seeded Scottie Boykin lost in the finals at 197. Fellow freshman Dawson Peck placed fourth at heavyweight, along with sophomores John Lampe at 184 and Austin Sams at 149. UTC now turns its attention to the NCAA Championships on March 20-22. The Mocs could grab an at large bid at one or two more weights before competition begins in Oklahoma City, Okla.

Brackets | Team Scores TOPEKA, Kan. -- Grand View (Iowa) cruised to its third straight team championship after tying an NAIA record with 193 total team points -- an NAIA record 108.5 points more than the next team -- in the 2014 NAIA Wrestling National Champions at the Kansas Expocentre. Great Falls (Mont.) finished in second place with 84.5 points, edging third-place Montana State-Northern by one point. Grand View, which is the eight team in NAIA history to win at least three national titles, is the fourth program to win three-straight since Lindenwood (Mo.) claimed three-consecutive banners in 2007, 2008 and 2009. Additionally, the Vikings team total tied former member Dana’s (Neb.) 2006 point total, which previously stood as the national record. Grand View ended the event with four individual national champions, highlighted by three-time All-American Eric Thompson. The senior 285 pounder controlled the entire match against first-time All-American Courtney Freeman of Cumberlands (Ky.), eventually grinding out a 17-2 technical fall win. With the victory, Thompson becomes the first three-time national champion at the heavyweight division since Jeff Thue of Simon Fraser (B.C.) accomplished the feat in 1991, 1992 and 1993. Thompson ends his career with a 14-0 all-time record at the national championships. In addition to Thompson, Ryak Finch (125), Brandon Wright (141) and Chad Lowman (165) claimed national crowns, while Gustavo Martinez (141) and Dallas Houchins (157) finished runner-up after dropping a 2-1 and 5-3 decisions. Overall, Grand View had 11 of its 12 qualifiers earn All-America honors. Lowman, who was the fifth Viking to take the mat, won his second-straight national champion with a 7-5 victory over three-time All-American Ethan Hinebauch of Montana State-Northern. The 165-pound senior won his first national title last season at 157 pounds. Southern Oregon’s Brock Gutches, who won his third-straight title at 174 pounds with a 3-2 win over Jared Miller of Montana-State Northern, was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler for the 57th annual event. Similarly to Thompson, Gutches has never lost in three appearances at the national championships en route to becoming the first three-time national champion in NAIA history at 174 pounds. Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) was the only other program with multiple national champions, including Jameel Bryant at 184 pounds. Bryant, who is the fourth national champion in team history, won his second-straight banner with a 6-5 win over Cody Linton of Cumberland (Tenn.), while teammate Joe Cozart avenged his championship final loss last season with a 5-3 win against Dallas Houchins of Grand View. Bryant is the first 184 pounder to win two-straight national championships since Jeremy Engelhardt of Mary (N.D.) in 1999, 2000 and 2001. Six individuals earned their first national title – Finch, Bryce Shoemaker (133) of Baker (Kan.), Wright, Jake Williams (149) of Cumberland (Tenn.), Cozart and Jesse Hellinger of Dickinson State (N.D.). Shoemaker is the first-ever national champion for Baker. The freshman grappler won a 3-0 decision against Justin Brooks of Indiana Tech, who was also wrestling in his first title match.

Related: Results Regional team championship in school history on Saturday, March 8, inside the UCCU Center at Utah Valley University. The Bison claimed three individual titles on the way to the team title, defeating defending champion Wyoming by a score of 74-66. Wyoming had won the last four NCAA West Regional/Western Wrestling Conference Tournament team titles, including a close three-point margin over the Bison last season. Senior Steven Monk (165 pounds), sophomore Hayden Zillmer (174) and junior Evan Knutson (285) each won their respective weight classes to clinch spots in the NCAA Championships to be held March 20-22 in Oklahoma City, Okla. Monk won both of his matches by fall on Saturday, pinning Jesse Stafford of Air Force in the first period of the semifinal and pinning Wyoming’s Dakota Friesth at the 4:28 mark of the championship match. The West Regional title is the third of Monk’s career. Zillmer will make his first appearance at the NCAA Championships after registering a pair of decisions to take first on Saturday. The sophomore from Crosby, Minn., won 5-1 over Monte Schmalhaus of Utah Valley in the semifinals and 8-3 over John Nething II of South Dakota State in the finals. Knutson returns to the NCAA Championships for the second time after a 2-0 day at the West Regional. He pinned SDSU’s J.J. Everard in 2:20 in the semifinals and won by a 4-1 decision over Utah Valley’s Adam Fager in the finals. Monk was named the West Regional’s Most Outstanding Wrestler, and NDSU head coach Roger Kish earned the Coach of the Year award for the second straight season. Senior Justin LaValle (133), junior Kurtis Julson (184) and redshirt freshman Tyler Lehmann (197) all dropped decisions in the finals to finish with runner-up honors. Julson later wrestled a true second place match for a spot in the NCAA Championships and lost a 3-1 decision to Devin Hightower of Air Force. Redshirt freshman Clay Cathey and senior Tyler Diamond placed third at 141 and 149 pounds, respectively. After all the qualifying events have concluded, the NCAA DI Wrestling Committee will meet in-person to select the remaining 40 at-large qualifiers, which will be announced on March 12. All weight classes will consist of 33 wrestlers. Last year the WWC had three of its wrestlers receive at-large selections. Team Standings: 1. North Dakota State 74.0 2. Wyoming 66.0 3. Air Force 50.0 4. Utah Valley 49.5 5. South Dakota State 34.5 6. Northern Colorado 12.5 West Regional/WWC Automatic Qualifiers for the 2014 NCAA Championships (champions listed first) 125: Tyler Cox (Wyoming) 125: Jade Rauser (Utah Valley) 133: Greg Rinker (Air Force) 141: Avery Garner (Utah Valley) 149: Alex Kocer (South Dakota State) 157: Cody Pack (South Dakota State) 157: Josh Kreimier (Air Force) 165: Steven Monk (North Dakota State) 165: Dakota Friesth (Wyoming) 165: Curtis Abner Cook (Utah Valley) 174: Hayden Zillmer (North Dakota State) 184: Benjamin Stroh (Wyoming) 184: Devin Hightower (Air Force) 197: Shane Woods (Wyoming) 285: Evan Knutson (North Dakota State)