InterMat Staff

SPOKANE, Wash. -- Right off the bat during the first preliminary round at the 2014 NJCAA Wrestling Championships we have a match up at 141 pounds with implications for the top teams battling for the title. No. 2 Terrance McKinney (North Idaho) versus No. 5 Michael Williams (NEO) and third-ranked Zac Loveless (NW Wyoming) against 11th-ranked Mike Stewart (Ellsworth). The fourth and fifth-ranked wrestlers at 149 pounds will also clash first round with Josh Romero of Highline taking on Tyler Stenberg of Muskegon. Second-ranked Ben Goodwin Minnesota West will face Jarred Johnson of Colby at 174. Also during the first round at 174, fifth-ranked Thomas Daniels of NIACC draws local favorite Derrick Booth of NIC. Another local wrestler at 285, eighth-ranked Brandon Johnson of Clackamas will grapple with No. 9 Lavontae Cobb of Harper. During the second preliminary round there is also a series of key matchups with both individual and team title implications. Granted, upsets happen and NJCAA wrestling is one of the most difficult division to rank and seed, but if the ranking are true to form, some of the top second-round preliminary matchups include: 125: No. 3 Cody Vichi NW of Wyoming vs. Leslie Williams of Lincoln, and a No. 1 vs No. 4 in the prelims with definite title implications when No. 1 Josh Walker of NEO vs. No. 4 Stevan Knoblauch of Clackamas, and No. 7 Mathew Nguyen of SW Oregon goes against No. 9 Jake Bells of Harper. A pair of matchups at 133 during the second round pit No. 2 Lemuel Johnson of Neosho vs. No. 7 Ian Clevenger of Southern Methodist and No. 3 Zachary Cooper of Muskegon vs NIC's Bryce Weatherspoon. No. 3 Zac Loveless of NW Wyoming will tango Muskegon's No. 6 Cody Stenberg, and No. 8 Robbie Rizzolino of Clackamas vs. Blake Tisza of Harper, all at 141. Jeff McCormick of NW Wyoming was ranked second at 157, but has since dropped to 149 and in not ranked in the most recent NJCAA poll. However, you may see Jeff McCormick of NW Wyoming and No. 1 Jeremy Golding of North Idaho battle in the finals for the title at 149 as they are on opposite sides of the bracket. Until that time, McCormick of NW will wrestle No. 9 Nosomy Pozo of NIACC second round. A 157-pound prelim matchup is possible with No. 3 Yoanse Mejias of NIACC vs. another NIC Cardinal, Nico Moreno, ranked sixth. 165 pounds has the possibility of four matchups of ranked wrestlers during the second prelim round. The possible 165 battles include No. 2 Ritchie Guillaume of Ellsworth vs. NW's Diorian Coleman, ranked fifth, No. 4 O'Shea Smith-Traylor of Neosho vs. No. 10 Adam Dejesus of Nassau, No. 7 Sha-Keno Jenkins of NIACC vs. No. 11 Kyle Bateman for the Cougars, and No. 8 Jordan Engen of Northland against another NIC wrestler Tyler McLean of North Idaho, ranked 11th. 184 has the last second round matchup with ranked wrestlers to include top-ranked Adrian Salas of Clackamas and Mike Romaneli of Harper. A quarterfinal update of matchups will follow.

As fans, you were really into sending questions this week. That's awesome, and to compensate for the number of topics and questions in this week's bag (a new record) I will be truncating my opening to keep this monster under 3,500 words. If you haven't already, now is a good time to pick up a copy of Full Circle. I'll also have copies at the ACC tournament, World Cup, and the NCAA tournament. To your (many) questions ... Q: Check out the finals of a German club league Bundesliga Ringen. Would be sweet to see some of our clubs have duals like this. -- @DanieloElliot Foley: Agreed that it would be nice to see this level of involvement at the club level. We have a growing interest in Olympic style of wrestling so what's keeping us from this environment? First, there is no substantial folkstyle wrestling form in Germany that draws from the Greco-Roman competitions. Unlike America's wildly popular NCAA tournament, the Bundesliga isn't built into the schools. Across the world athletics is separated from academics, allowing the focus of athletes to mature at their own pace. Guys like Aaron Pico aren't asked about school, because frankly there is no tie between the two. The lack of a competitive folkstyle and the separation of priorities means that the clubs can bring students up from the grassroots level and promote their Bundesliga and international competitions for decades. The transience of the American collegiate system (and with some high school stars) means that there is a dispersion of interest. To get mega-passion the athletes need to be raised in the same club colors they compete in later in life. Take Chance Marstellar as an example. He grows up competing for a local club in Western PA and sticks with that SAME club throughout his entire career. Locals love him and locals buy tickets to events. Instead, he's now headed to Oklahoma State and being boo'ed at events. Bundesliga matures wrestlers through the ranks, but they also have a league that promotes dual matches and the idea that one region is better than the other. If you watch the video you can see all the trappings of an international soccer match with scarves, T-shirts and event sponsors. That's huge in creating income for the clubs. Overall, the American system is too transient, leaving the club system to only mature after-college, which for many of our top athletes is not the college where they trained, leaving only fledgling local loyalties. The American system is great for many reasons, but creating an atmosphere for dual meets and club leagues is not one of them. From reader Tom S., who provides some clarification: In Germany sports are different and all those wrestling clubs in the Bundesliga probably also have soccer teams. That's how things work there. All the big football teams are non-profit sports clubs and sponsor other sports. Bayern Munich also sponsors chess, handball, basketball, gymnastics, bowling, and table tennis in addition to soccer. There are 1,100 active athletes in which soccer is a minority. It just happens to be what they are most well known for and are reigning champions of Europe. In that sense Bayern Munich and German clubs are closer to university athletic department than a US wrestling club. It would be like if the Chicago Bears weren't a for-profit corporation with and owner and had a wrestling team, chess team, football team, squash team, baseball team, basketball team. It's like that in some other countries too. For instance Boca Juniors, the biggest soccer club in Argentina, also has a wrestling program. So there are scarfs like at soccer matches because the club probably plays soccer too and sell scarfs for that not necessarily related to regionalism related to club wrestling. Q: Over the past, say, 25 years, which wrestlers had the greatest potential to make the U.S National Team (and even perhaps medal internationally), but chose to not compete for a spot? -- Ron M. Foley: The first name that popped into my head was Cole Konrad. He was large enough and successful enough at Minnesota to make a serious impact at the international level. He chose MMA, but had he been a lifer on the mats I think he could have challenged Tervel for a spot on the squad. The other name that kept popping up was Bryan Snyder. I'm sure that like most guys he did is time giving it a go, but I don't know that he ever made a full commitment. Looking at Snyder wrestling with Burroughs and what he was able to do in college leaves me thinking he could have been the guy. But all the same, he now helps coach the guy (Burroughs), which for a thoughtful and intelligent guy like Snyder might be even more fulfilling. Q: Many are interested in the developing story at 141 pounds that will likely culminate in at least one more match (probably two) between Zain Retherford and Logan Stieber. Currently, it seems as though those two are ranked No. 2 and No. 3 in the different rankings, with Mitchell Port ranked No. 1. I recently realized that I never truly understood how the seeds at NCAAs are chosen in situations such as this where there are so many moving parts. Port is undefeated and finished second in the weight year prior, but hasn't proven himself against two-time champ Stieber, who is up a weight class, or undefeated Retherford who is a freshman. I am sure that many think that Port should have to face one of them to reach an NCAA final this year. Is there any chance that something can happen at Big Ten's that will allow for this? It doesn't seem right that Stieber and Retherford should potentially need to wrestle each other three times to reach an NCAA final, when Port could reach the finals without facing the best competitors in the weight class all season. -- Gabe W. Foley: The best way to get Stieber and Port to face Port at the NCAA tournament is to have one of them lose a match, or two, at the Big Ten tournament. Losses drive seeding at the NCAA tournament, since previous year's finishes mean nothing to the ranking committee. Though Port is undefeated without having wrestled either Stieber or Retherford, it's not as though he's ducked them throughout the season. Wrestling outside of the Big Ten and Big 12 can have advantages in helping wrestlers earn higher seeds without having to face other top guys, but don't expect everyone to run to fringe conferences to pad their records. The Big Ten and Big 12 are rewarded with more bids and often times wrestle the toughest schedules, both of which protect wrestlers should they fail at their conference tournament. That level of security isn't always available to top-level talent outside these conferences (I'm excluding undefeated wrestlers who would be pulled in by their RPI during the at-large selection process.) Just take a look at this year's allocations. Penn State true freshman Zain Retherford enters the postseason undefeated (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine)Your question also seems to imply that Port somehow doesn't rate as dominant as the No. 2 and No. 3 wrestlers. Maybe he is better? Retherford is one of the most focused freshman I've ever seen wrestle, but there is criticism that his riding style will be scrutinized and penalized at the NCAA tournament. Stieber, like Maple, is changing weights, which means he's changing his entire field of competition. His previous accomplishments are impressive, but he has to earn his standing at 141 pounds, just like he did at 133 pounds. Maybe Port won't win the NCAA tournament, but he has earned the right to be the top-ranked guy in the country. However ... If Retherford finishes the Big Ten tournament with another win over Stieber, the ranking committee will likely use strength of schedule to determine the top-ranked undefeated wrestler. In that case it seems that it would favor Retherford since it's safe to assume his Big Ten schedule was more difficult than Port's. This happened Ed Ruth's sophomore season. He'd been defeated by Nick Amuchastegui in the 2011 NCAA semifinals, but both were undefeated heading into 2012 NCAA tournament. Even though Amuchastegui had the only common win and was undefeated, the nod went to Ruth who had wrestled a stronger schedule. Q: How much does a resident athlete at the OTC in Colorado Springs make a year? Assuming there is a salary, is it different by sport? -- Brian Foley: The No. 1 at each weight makes $1,000 per a-month, guaranteed for eight months, and if they compete enough during the year they earn the entire 12 months. The No. 2 makes $600 per month and the No. 3 makes $250 per month. A question to fans: should USA Wrestling pay the same amount of stipend to wrestlers at non-Olympic weights 61 kilos and 70 kilos? Q: Why doesn't a program like Iowa attend the National Collegiate Open? It seems like all of the Division programs are in the East and Iowa surely has the money to send guys. You would think the guys in practice every day that aren't wrestling in Carver Hawkeye would want to be there. -- John M. Foley: You make a good point, and I'm not sure of the rationalization. Some wrestlers are burnt out by the end of the season, or are limping through the last few weeks in support of NCAA-bound teammates. Five months is a long, long time to be in the room and though you'd think an extra week shouldn't hurt, most wrestlers opt to get off the ride. Some coaches may want their guys to attend the conference tournament in support of their team. However, the tournament is increasing in competitiveness, as are the numbers. This year's event is sold out and I'd expect continued expansion of the brackets. It's a great idea that should make money for the hosts and support the development of our collegiate wrestlers. Here is the list of top contenders. Q: Is this National Duals proposal splitting the sport in two? Are the coaches at odds as much as the fans? Or are the fans going overboard while coaches are having a civil discussion? It seems like most coaches are open to the change but a few coaches are opposed or undecided and the fans default to whatever may help their program. Are people being selfish in this process? Or are people really giving it thought and trying to do what is best for the sport as a whole? -- J. Martin Foley: The National Duals argument has quickly turned from "great discussion!" into "Mom and Dad are fighting." For many in the wrestling community it's getting a little awkward. I do agree that the debate is dividing our sport into two camps, but that has more to do with our hardwiring as it does the merits of the argument. A simple mention of "dual meet," seems to breathe oxygen into the emotional fire pit of this ongoing discussion. By nature wrestlers are emotional, stubborn and conservative -- making a fundamental change to the season makes the National Duals discussion ripe for emotional pushback. As for motivation, I don't think many in the argument are being selfish, in fact I think most coaches and fans involved in the debate want what is best for the sport. Change is a painful process. Members of the wrestling community have sense the rapid growth and popularity of the sport as an opportunity to expand the sport's reach. Some don't think the sport is ready for that expansion, and others think it would dilute the tradition. All arguments, feelings and rationales are correct, because there is no way to know how it plays out until it's underway. Save a few die-hard fans, I think most wrestling fans just want enjoy best version of the sport. MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME Rob Koll Talks Program Building (11:05) Q: I've been hearing a lot lately about getting rid of the singlet because it hurts the sport. What I don't get is that if it's hurting the sport so bad, why haven't any teams switched to a spandex uniform. It's legal, below is the verbiage straight from the NCAA rulebook. Nobody is stopping teams from doing making the switch. "1.12.1.2 Spandex/lycra. The shirt shall be a T-shirt style form-fitted, sleeveless or short-sleeved and shall not cover or extend beyond the elbow. In addition, the length of the shirt must be longer than the torso to prevent the shirt from becoming untucked. The shirt shall remain tucked into the shorts at all times during competition. The shorts shall be form- fitting with a minimum 4-inch inseam and shall not extend beyond the top of the knees. (See Illustration No. 4.)" -- Jason R. Foley: The issue isn't just with covering a wrestler's arms, but in creating less bulge in the shorts. Any changes made would be to both the top and the bottom. Those improvements are meant to facilitate a growth of the sport at the youth level and increase sales of merchandise. For only the second time in twenty-three years I am going to miss the NCAAs this year. What method(s) are the best to watch it at home? I am going to take a day and a half off of work to watch them. Suggestions? Picking up ESPN 3 for the weekend? -- Steven H. Foley: If you can't get to the computer and are checking on your mobile phone for updates, then nothing is better than the InterMat live blog. Also be sure to check out our session previews and recaps. For live coverage ESPN has expanded their offerings in 2014 which now includes every match of the tournament. Here is the release from ESPN. Q: With all of the new ideas being thrown around in order to make wrestling more mainstream and spectator relevant (National Duals, new singlets/uniforms, scoring changes), why not make the NCAAs more like the basketball tournament and rank/seed every wrestler. I suppose I don't understand why the committee has ranked 12 wrestlers (16 now), then essentially picks out of a hat the remaining qualifiers to make the brackets. The NCAA now has their RPI rankings, which in addition to the coaches panel and other criteria to determine the seeds and at-large bids. Why not use all of this information to its full potential? -- Chris C. Foley: Winner, winner. That they don't seed the remaining wrestlers is confounding. They have the stats in front of them, and past the last seeded guy there isn't much need for intense committee oversight. Though there isn't a lot to separate No. 14 from No. 18, it would be a nice exercise to see how it would turn out. Maybe someone could use the final RPI to make brackets after conference in which everyone was seeded by RPI? My only argument against seeding of each the 330 wrestler is that in updating the event I'd be forced to use everyone's seed in the agate. That would be taxing. Q: Could not disagree more with the National Duals being part of the championship. You constantly say "have to grow" and "status quo" is killing the sport but you never show proof of how they will make the sport grow. Where if your proof? Here are a few questions for you. How will the sport grow by having the Duals part of the championship? Will ESPN want to air them? Will the Big Ten Network stop showing big duals during the regular season since they won't matter? What will happen to the Edinboro's of the world? Will fans not care about regular season duals? And if so, why should AD's? -- Tim J. Foley: You qualify for the postseason by doing well in your conference dual meets. Win and you are in. Every dual meet now matters MORE, not less. As for proof, the same amount exists for saying that an NCAA-run dual meet championships will be a failure. None. Missing from this conversation is the recognition that if the NCAA dual meet championships fail, then the old system could be returned. This isn't a decision that will be written in the great books. It's just a new idea that deserves a proper discussion and vetting. Why not take the chance at creating a more mainstream product to help our viability within athletic programs? If the new system works then we can all say "Awesome!" and go on to complain about something else. If the new system fails, then "At least we tried." Q: Who in your opinion has the best signature takedown/move/pinning combination in college wrestling this season? I ask this because we have seen a lot of great action and exciting individual wrestlers this season. Who has the best big move and who has the most dominant move this season? I'll throw out some of my favorites and obvious ones. Logan Stieber -- bar arm/half Nelson, Ed "The Truth" Ruth -- cross face cradle, Dylan Ness -- elevator (by far the biggest!), Johnni DiJulius (JDJ) -- dump, Jon Morrison -- blast double. -- Curtis H. Foley: Dylan Ness! Little room for debate. He's on a new planet with his fall-back-cement-job thingy. It's hell for other wrestlers to prepare for because its execution is so unique. Plenty of people say that certain special wrestlers can hit a move from "anywhere" but I've never seen that in action with more consistency and against higher-level competitors than with Dylan Ness. I'm genuinely wowed. Q: Blair had its 33-year streak of National Prep titles broken by Wyoming Seminary. I competed in the era when no one would ever imagine Blair would lose National Preps. But I noticed there was no story on InterMat or TheMat.com. Why so little coverage? -- David B. Foley: You sent this question before the release of Josh Lowe's weekly column, which covered the tournament and the upset. We also put out a few press clippings about the streak being broken. Still, I can see why you would say it merits a feature piece. I agree that Blair's streak being snapped was impressive, and that Wyoming Seminary deserves recognition for their accomplishment and a great season. Congrats to their program! COMMENTS OF THE WEEK By John L. I was at Ohio State and the crowd wasn't great. The paid gate was 2,500. There was some excellent wrestling for sure. I like your statement where you cannot compare these duals to what the NCAA event would look like. Also, if you look at the stands at the NFL Pro Bowl, you wouldn't expect the NFL playoffs or Super Bowl would be as successful. Or how about the stands at the East-West Shrine game compared to the BCS game? The Scuffle with many more teams participating and the Virginia Duals don't draw as well as the Ohio event. I have to believe the NCAA and ESPN know about bit more about marketing than a well-intended coach. By Greg D. I have solutions to both the freestyle and folkstyle problem with one overlapping change. For freestyle, reduce the size of the wrestling area in overtime. Since pushouts are already allowed as a scoring option, reducing the mat size with an additional painted circle should allow for more aggressive hand fighting and attacks. (Similar to college football starting at the 25-yard line.) Also, make the two-minute overtime period be sudden death. For folkstyle, add the pushout as a one-point scoring option in overtime only. Freestyle has already implemented it, so it should not be an issue to include into folkstyle. smaller inner circle as mentioned above. I do not like the suggestion for changing riding time to include a one-count or near fall points. This only adds back subjectivity by allowing the refs to decide if something is exposure. The more we can have the wrestlers decide the outcome vs. refs or criteria, the better. By R. Griffin Bet you never hear this: We need a better National Duals. With UNI finishing undefeated, it shows just how awesome duals can be. Consider their final matchup vs. Old Dominion, where they only won four matches, but three of their wins were pins and they still won the meet. We all know Penn State will win any tournament-style determination of best team, but are they impenetrable to a team dual? Clearly not. So how about this. Keep everything the same. Except, two weeks after the NCAA tournament, host a 15-team National Duals tournament. With 15 teams, no true contender is left out (no offense to your No. 16 Virginia). A key benefit is that wrestlers won't sacrifice their rankings by wrestling aggressively. They will truly wrestle to win as opposed to "not to lose" to preserve their NCAA tournament ranking. The team that won at NCAAs gets the first-round bye. Throw in a 5-10 pound allowance. Wrestlers can only bump up in weight and not down. Call it the NCAA Team Championships. We'd get some fantastic matches. Andrew Howe vs. Chris Perry normally = Defense. Pretend now that Andrew Howe must major Chris Perry, how fun would that be? Even watching hapless freshmen try their best not to get pinned against the likes of Tony Ramos and Dylan Ness would be a blast. Some of the best matches I have ever seen came out of the state-level team duals tournaments (like Illinois), many of which use this format. What do you say?

St. Cloud State wrestler Austin Goergen is one of the nation's top heavyweights in Division II as a redshirt freshman. A native of Caledonia, Minn., Goergen won two state championships and reached the state finals three times as a high school wrestler. Last season Goergen redshirted. He enters this postseason with a 27-4 record and ranked No. 2 in the nation at heavyweight. InterMat recently caught up with Goergen. Austin Goergen earned a pin against Minnesota State (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine)You have won 27 of 31 matches this season and have not lost to a Division II wrestler. Did you envision that you would have this kind of success as a freshman? Goergen: To tell you the truth, no, not really. At the beginning of the season we have goal sheets. Every time I do them I set my goals really high. I just want to keep going and going and going until I achieve those goals. You lead your team in pins with 14. How important is pinning to you? Goergen: It's awesome. I just want to go out there and dominate my opponent and get six points for the team. I love just getting out there, getting it done, and getting off the mat. Getting pins is really important to me. You are ranked No. 2 at heavyweight in the latest NCAA Division II college wrestling rankings. Do you pay much attention to rankings? Goergen: No, I don't. My dad has a quote that I use all the time. He says, "Anybody can be beaten on any given day." I just go by that quote every time I step out on the mat. The No. 1-ranked heavyweight in Division II is Ziad Haddad of Kutztown, who finished fourth in the nation last season. He split matches at the NCAAs last season with your former teammate Jake Kahnke. Have you watched much film on Haddad? Goergen: No. I was actually going to have a chance to wrestle him at the National Duals, but I guess either he didn't want to wrestle or it was a coaching decision. They sent out their backup and I won by tech. fall. I'm really looking forward to getting a chance to wrestle him. What did your redshirt season do for you in terms of development? Goergen: I think it really developed me as a college athlete because hopping right from high school to college, it's a whole different thing. My goal last year was to get 30-some matches as a redshirt. I think that's a great thing to do … and it helped me out a lot. As a team you're currently ranked third behind Notre Dame College and the University of Nebraska-Kearney. What does the team need to do to get to where you want to be? Goergen: I'm not worried one bit about our team. I have faith in all of our guys. I think just one thing that is going to get us to the top is going out there and setting the pace. No one trains as hard as we do. No one can match our tempo on the mat. It just comes down to how bad every kid wants it. If you're losing, how bad do you want to dig down deep and come back and win a match? Or how bad do you want to expand your lead if you're winning? Heart is a big thing in wrestling. Steve CostanzoYour coach Steve Costanzo has been a proven winner in the college wrestling ranks. He won a national championship as a coach at the NAIA level, and has helped make St. Cloud State one of the top Division II wrestling programs. What's his coaching style like? Goergen: Steve is a great guy. I just want to give a big thanks out to him. He does everything right. He pushes us when we need to be pushed. Our motto here is, "Be a life champion." Steve is just great. He supports every kid on the team. I have full faith in whatever he says. You won two state championships before losing in the state finals as a senior. What did that loss in the state finals as a senior do to you? Goergen: That loss just made me want to wrestle in college more. I was never content. After I got beat I always wanted more. I never want to end a season on a loss. I knew if I got a chance to wrestle in college that I was going to set my goals high to see what I could accomplish. You said in high school even after you committed to St. Cloud State that you were still hoping to wrestle at the University of Minnesota. Has that changed in the two years since you arrived at St. Cloud State? Goergen: Yes, it has. I'm very happy where I'm at here at St. Cloud State. I just want to say thanks to my assistant coach Brady Wilson. I don't think there's anyone in the country that has a better practice partner than I do here. He pushes me day in and day out. With the University of Minnesota, they have Nelson and Kroells there. So if I was there I would have to compete for a spot. Right now I'm having a strong season and hoping to do more. I just have my goals set here and hopefully I can achieve them. Austin Goergen heads into the postseason ranked No. 2 (Photo/SCSU Sports Information)So you don't anticipate looking at any other Division I schools? Goergen: Probably not. I guess it all depends on how I do. What's it going to take for you to finish on top of the podium in March? Goergen: For me to finish on top I just have to keep doing what I'm doing. I have to keep working out with Brady Wilson every day. I have to get myself to a whole new level. I know I'm not there, so I have to keep training harder and harder each day I walk into that room, and hopefully in the end everything will work out and I'll come out on top. What are your long-term goals for wrestling? Where do you want to go with this sport? Goergen: I want to be a coach, and maybe even coach at the college level. I told my dad when I was 13 that I wanted to make it to the Olympics, so that's going to be one of my goals that I'm going to try to achieve. This story also appears in the Feb. 21 issue of The Guillotine. The Guillotine has been covering wrestling in Minnesota since 1971. Its mission is to report and promote wrestling at all levels -- from youth and high school wrestling to college and international level wrestling. Subscribe to The Guillotine.

The setting is Spokane, Washington, the place is the Spokane Convention Center, and the cast includes coach Josh Rhoden and the Clackamas Community College Cougars seeking to regain the NJCAA national title, the year, 2011! Now, jump into your vintage 1983 stainless steel DeLorean, and set the date to Feb. 28, 2014, and head "back to the future! To the NJCAA National Wrestling Championships." As you land you discover that Coach Rhoden has positioned his Clackamas team to regain the title the Cougars last held when the JUCO nationals were held in Spokane, with his team again ranked as the top team in the nation with 10-of-10 national qualifiers and the favorite to win the NJCAA title. Coming off a third-place finish at nationals last season, and an NWCA National Dual title in January, Coach Rhoden and the Cougar wrestlers have not finished lower than eighth place at the NJCAA National Championships including the 2011 NJCAA national championship. Under the guidance of seventh-year head coach Josh Rhoden, the program has produced four national champions, 35 All-Americans and 50 Academic All-Americans. Chasing the Cougars are two coaches who have made a lot of NJCAA history and who both can claim to be defending the 2013 title. At last year's NJCAA championship, one Cardinal team of Labette, directed by coach Joe Renfroe, had a goal to repeat as JUCO champions, while the Cardinals of North Idaho, under the tutelage of coach Pat Whitcomb looked to regain the title that had eluded them for the past ten years. As a result of a 120-120 tie, both coaches and teams walked away with their goal of an NJCAA championship. In NJCAA Wrestling Championship history, only four times, dating back to 1960, has the tournament crowned co-champions. Northeastern J.C. of Sterling, Co., and Joliet J.C., of Illinois were the first teams to end in a tie back in 1964. In 1995, the second tie happened thirty-one years later when Garden City (Kan.) and Lassen College (Calif.) shared the titled. Prior to the 2013 championships, the third and most recent tie happened in 1998, between Lassen College (CA) and North Idaho College. It is interesting to note that that Pat Whitcomb was also part of the team tie in 1998. Whitcomb joins coach Rex Branum (Lassen) as the only two coaches in NJCAA history to have tied twice for the NJCAA title. The history that Whitcomb would like is to up NIC's record to 15 national titles with a repeat, while Renfro would like to have a title that would set several records and history. If the NEO Golden Norse are able to win the title, this would give the reinstated program a national title, Refro would have three-peated as a coach with two different teams, Labette and NEO, which has not been done in the history of NJCAA wrestling. The Golden Norsemen are ranked second, wrestling the first year as a reinstated program, had nine first-place finishers and one runner-up at the West Central Regional. As a result, NEO rolled up 160 team points and finished 35.5 points ahead of second-place Colby (Kan.) Community College ranked 11th. Ninth-ranked Neosho County (Kan.) Community College was third with 103 points, and the Golden Norsemen send all ten wrestlers to nationals. Earning a second straight trip to the national tournament are Josh Walker, Payne Hatter and Shelby Krout. All three qualified for Golden Norse coach Joe Renfro while at Labette. Walker finished third at 125, Hatter was fourth at 174, and Krout was a qualifier at the 2013 meet. With the No. 1, No. 3, and No. 4 nationally ranked teams, the Western Region was billed as the toughest regional in the NJCAA. Top-ranked Clackamas had six tournament finalists and all 10 Cougars finishing in the top three at their respective weight classes to qualify for nationals. The team was led by 133-pounder Cary Palmer and 157-pounder Eleazar DeLuca each of whom won their respective weight classes. No. 3 North Idaho and No. 4 Northwest College would each qualify all ten wrestlers to Spokane. Five Trappers emerged as champions and all 10 qualified for nationals for coach Jim Zeigler and Northwest (Wyo.). "This is one of the most intense tournaments and events I've had in 20 years," the coach said. Northwest finished second in the team standings with 134 points, just behind No. 1 Clackamas's 137.5, despite placing the most champions of any team, beating Clackamas 4-0 in final bouts and finishing ahead of the Cougars in seven of 10 weight classes. Jeff McCormick highlighted the action-packed day by taking down the No. 1 and No. 2-ranked wrestlers in the nation to win the 149-pound title. A wrestler at 157 pounds all season, McCormick dropped to 149 after losing weight during his recovery from an appendectomy. McCormick was seeded fourth in the bracket and faced top-ranked Jeremy Golding of North Idaho in the semifinals after receiving a bye in the first round. McCormick, a redshirt freshman, controlled the pace of the match on his way to a 3-2 decision victory. Sophomore Cody Vichi, who was out three weeks with an injured hand, also made his return for the Trappers. The third-ranked Vichi pinned Southwest Oregon's Mathew Nguyen at 5:39 of the finals to claim the 125-pound title. "I thought Cody looked like a World champion," Zeigler said. Sophomore Zac Loveless took the 141-pound title, but only after battling No. 8 Robbie Rizzolino of Clackamas in an epic seven-period final bout. Loveless, ranked third at 141, was down 4-1 after the first period but fought back to close the gap 4-3 after two. Another takedown gave Loveless a brief 5-4 lead but Rizzolino scored an escape in time to send the match into overtime. After three scoreless overtime periods Loveless finally tripped up Rizzolino by the ankle and scored the match winning takedown. Cole McArthur went 3-0 on his way to the 174-pound title. The ninth-ranked McArthur shut out his opponents in the first two rounds (5-0 then 3-0) before downing Clackamas' Tyler White 8-6 in the finals. Miles Nixon topped the 184-pound bracket with a 3-0 record. His final bout versus No. 1 Adrian Salas of Clackamas was stopped due to a Salas injury at 2:28. Sophomore Diorian Coleman (ranked fifth) narrowly lost the 165-pound title when he dropped the final bout 3-2 to No. 11 Tyler McLean of North Idaho. Jon Wixom took down the No. 2-ranked Ihoughama Odighizuwa of Clackamas in the 197-pound semifinals but lost a 16-4 major decision to No. 3 V.J. Giulio of North Idaho in the finals. McCormick received the Outstanding Wrestler award and Zeigler was named the West District Coach of the Year. Standing in the path of NIC, NEO, CCC and Northwest are legitimate title contenders Muskegon (Mich.) and Lincoln (Ill.) colleges. Another team with ten qualifiers and a team who have won seven national title, including five straight, and is also a title threat, is Iowa Central of Ft. Dodge, Iowa. The-fifth ranked Muskegon wrestling team finished second in the Central District/National Qualifier tournament at Triton College in River Grove, Ill. The Jayhawks qualified nine of the 10 weight classes for the national tournament. Lincoln College edged MCC by four points for the title, with six champions and ten qualifiers. "While we fell short of our goal to come in here and win the district, we are still in a good position to perform well at the national tournament," said Coach Brunger. "We have qualified nine wrestlers and all of them will be major point scorers for us at nationals." The team had an outstanding semifinal round sending nine wrestlers into the championship match and one into the consolation round, building a 22-point team lead. Unfortunately, only freshman Zack Cooper (Whitehall, Mich./Whitehall) at 133 won a match in the last round, and the lead evaporated. The Central Region final team scores were: Lincoln, 99.5, MCC 95.5, Harper College 83.5, Triton College 29.5, and Waubonsee College 14. Ellsworth Community College was the higher ranked team and favored to win the North Central District, but the Tritons captured the regional championship and advanced nine of 10 wrestlers to the national tournament. The Panthers would have to settle for second place and nine national qualifiers. On winning the title, Iowa Central head coach Luke Moffitt stated, "We always seem to peak at the right time. They didn't announce the team scores for a while, and we knew we would be in the running. When they did announce it we were four points ahead and our guys feed off of that." This is just the icing on the cake. Iowa Central (150) out distanced themselves from runner-up Ellsworth (138) and third-place finisher Rochester (133), grabbing three individual regional championships. Moffitt was also named Regional Coach of the Year. Darrell Pampkin (133), Bryce Fisher (197) and Malcolm Allen (285) were all regional champions. "Our champions wrestled really well,'' Moffitt said. "Bryce had a tough weight with a returning All-American in the finals. Pampkin was wrestling a kid that they split matches on the season and he pulled it out in crunch time. "Malcolm continued his dominance. He hasn't lost to a junior college kid all year.'' Ellsworth, Neosho, Rochester, and Colby will also battle for team hardware in Spokane. In one of the most surprising regionals, Darton State College shocked NJCAA wrestling as the Cavaliers took their first-ever Eastern District II Championship title, at Darton, and head wrestling coach James Hicks became Darton's first to win Eastern District II Coach of Year. The Cavaliers went into the tournament ranked No. 30 in the nation, and hit the mats against higher ranked schools from the Northeast Coast, where wrestling has historically been stronger than the programs south of the Mason-Dixon line. Apparently, no one told that to the Cavaliers. "I knew that if we wrestled well, we could win it," Hicks said. His team performed exceptionally well. The Cavaliers' 197-pounder was injured prior to the tournament, so Darton was unable to compete in that weight class. The Cavaliers had to get the win by scoring extra points in the nine other weight divisions by way of pins, tech falls and major decisions. "When you're dominating matches, you get bonus points," Hicks said. "That was the key to us winning with nine guys." Darton scored 94.5 team points. Nassau scored 87 to finish second, and Glouchester Community College scored 78.5 to finish third. Darton's Davion Caston (125), Quitni Noel (133), and 141-pounder Zach Wright all finished as region champs winning the first three individual title on the day. Their performances paved the way for the middle and upper weights. 133-pounder Quitni Noel stated, "A lot of the schools underestimate us (Darton). I went into this with the mindset of this is my last year, you know, I got to win." Noel and teammates Caston, Wright, Orlando Nwade, Anthony Smith, Matt Carroll, Anthony Saulle and Jesse Rowland all qualified for the National Championship tournament. In the East Region II, Niagara wrestling receives their 19th regional title. 149-pound Kevin Strong received Region Most Outstanding Wrestler and head coach Keith Maute received Region Coach of the Year. Niagara had six regional champions and 10 total qualifiers for the national tournament. The Thunderwolves qualifiers were regional champions 125 Eric Velez, 141 Marcus Popp, 149 Kevin Strong, 157 Tyler Bruce, 197 Max Antone, and 285 El-Shaddal Gilmore-VanHosen. Their national qualifiers included 133 Cody Carbery,165 Chris Nevinger, 174 Shane Currey, and 164 Cedrick Stephens. With ten qualifiers, Niagara could also challenge for one of the top-four team trophies. The Mercyhurst North East wrestling team crowned three champions and had four runner-up finishes in the Easter District II Championships hosted by Niagara County Community College. The Saints finished second overall in the team race to a tough NCCC team. John Dillon (Boardman, Ohio), Tim Vargo (Union City, Pa.) and Alexander Svetz (North East, Pa.) each claimed individual championships. Dillon brought home the Saints' first title of the night in the 133-pound weight class with a 7-5 decision over Jake Nicholson of Jamestown Community College. At 165 pounds, Vargo had a dominant 11-4 win over top-seeded and former three-time New York ctate champ Chris Nevinger of NCCC. Svetz followed up in the same fashion at the 174-pound weight class with a 10-0 major decision of Niagara's Shane Curry. Finishing second for the Saints were 149-pounder Jordan Palanca (Blairstown, N.J.), 157-pound Cole Shirey (Mayport, Pa.), 184-pounder Jamar Henry (Greenville, Pa.) and 197-pounder Kojo Boadu (Meade, Pa.). Lorenzo Maddox (Baltimore, Md.) received a wild card bid for his third-place finish at 285. "It's great having it in the Spokane area because the Greater Spokane League is such a hotbed of talent," Whitcomb said. "It brings that national attention back to the Northwest and gets those little kids in the stands, hopefully not just to wrestle but to go to college." That's the long-term goal. The action begins at 9:15 a.m. Friday with the Parade of All Teams. The first matches will begin at 9:30 a.m. Saturday's matches will begin at 10:30 a.m. with the championship finals beginning at 6:45 p.m. The tournament includes 257 wrestlers from 39 teams.

INDIANAPOLIS -- The NCAA has announced the qualifier allocations for the 2014 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships as listed in the chart below. Each qualifying tournament was awarded spots per weight class based on current year data. Each wrestler was measured on the following: Division I winning percentage at the weight class; rating percentage index (RPI); and coaches ranking. For each wrestler that reached the threshold in at least two of the three categories, his qualifying tournament was awarded a qualifying spot in that weight class. Each qualifying tournament, with automatic qualifying status, was awarded a minimum of one wrestler per weight class, which will go to the tournament champion, even if they did not have any wrestlers reach at least two of the three thresholds. NCAA tournament spots for each qualifying event will be awarded at the tournament based solely on place-finish. After all of the qualifying events have concluded, the NCAA Division I 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. The at-large selections will be made based on the following criteria: head-to-head competition; qualifying event placement; quality wins; results against common opponents; winning percentage; RPI; coaches ranking and the number of matches contested at that weight class. The complete listing of the 33 wrestlers in each weight class for the final coaches’ panel rankings, as well as the second RPI for the 2013-14 season can be found by logging on to NCAA.com. The 2014 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships return to Oklahoma City March 20-22 at the Chesapeake Energy Arena. New ticket and hospitality options are still available, visit NCAA.com/Wrestling to purchase. A full description of the entire selection process in the 2014 Division I Wrestling Championships Pre-Championships Manual which is available at NCAA.org.

Great news! The TUF China Finale is upon us! What's that? You didn't know there was a TUF China? Well actually don't worry. You didn't miss much. Thankfully most of the card has solid, established veterans, since China's MMA scene is has yet to develop beyond the point where a fighter can come from a yoga background (not making that up). Even though the event is on FightPass (because who doesn't love paying for stuff that used to come with their cable subscription), Richard and John make their picks. The good news is the fight card is probably better than last weekend's pay-per-view. Rounding out the show, the boys welcome back Bellator. Do you want to listen to a past episode? Access archives.

The 2014 Ohio (OHSAA) State Wrestling Individual Tournament gets underway today and concludes on Saturday night in Columbus, Ohio. This 77th edition of the championships has its set of narratives that will keep fans intrigued. Below are eight things to watch this week. 1. Can Massillon Perry get that elusive state championship at The Schott? While the Panthers did win the state dual meet tournament three weeks prior, there is something extra special about winning that first place trophy in the traditional/individual tournament. They have finished second to St. Edward each of the last three years, and nine of the last eleven years. With four projected state champions and eleven state qualifiers, both of which are most in Division I, they are the clear favorites. Thomas Genetin (106), Isaac Bast (170), and Stefano Millin (220) join three of the projected state champions -- Jose Rodriguez (113), David Bavery (126), and Casey Sparkman (152) -- as the six Massillon Perry wrestlers to win district titles in the Panthers’ runaway championship at the Mentor district. Projected state champion Tony Dailey (160) along with Jake Newhouse (120) finished in second at the district tournament, while Jason Spencer (132), Nick Steed (138), and Seth Maylor (285) all qualified with third place finishes. Only four other teams in Division I have as many participants as Massillon Perry had district tournament champions. Leading that group is Cincinnati Moeller, champion at the Kettering Fairmont district, which qualified nine wrestlers. That number includes three district champions -- Jacoby Ward (132), along with defending state champions Dakota Sizemore (182) and Chalmer Frueauf (220). Three others are returning state place-winners: Conner Ziegler (120) and Quinton Rosser (170), who finished second at district, and district third place-finisher Jerry Thornberry (195). Returning state qualifier Connor Borton (126) finished third, as did state tournament debutants Stuart Morton (145) and Austin Bohenek (160). Brecksville, district champions from Cleveland State and runners-up at the state duals earlier this month, is one of two teams to qualify eight wrestlers to the state tournament. The Bees are led by four district champions, three of whom placed at state last year: projected state champion Austin Assad (120), Austin Strnad (160), and Josh Murphy (195). Justin Demicco (126) also won district, and is a returning state qualifier, as are district runners-up Austin Hiles (132) and Troy Lang (170). State tournament debutants Jarod Bronstrup (106) and Grayson Davis (145) each finished third at state. They will feel the loss of returning state placer Sonny Lucas (138), who finished as a state alternate, in their quest to improve on a third place finish at the individual state tournament last year. Also qualifying eight wrestlers were Perrysburg, which finished third at the Cleveland State district. The Yellow Jackets are led by returning state placer J.P. Newton (152), who is their only district champion. Projected state champions Rocco Caywood (182), now a three-time state qualifier, and returning state placer Cale Bonner (285) finished third and second respectively at district. Kadin Llewelyn (195) joined Bonner as a district runner-up, while returning state placer Mario Guillen (113) joined Caywood as third at district. The other three qualifiers finished fourth at district: Moises Guillen (120), Dan Waltermeyer (160), and Mark Delas (220). Three-time defending state champion St. Edward qualified only six to state, and finished as runner-up at the Cleveland State district. It will be a battle for them to finish even third or fourth this weekend. They will be led by district champion L.J. Bentley (113), district runners-up Gabe Dzuro (182) and Parker Knapp (220). Additonal state qualifiers include district third place finisher Ralph Nichols (285) along with fourth place finishers Alan Hart (106) and Kevin Khoma (170). Hilliard Darby district champions Marysville are among the group of squads to qualify five wrestlers to the state tournament in the big-school division. The Monarchs feature four returning state placers, three of whom are district champions: Hayden Lee (113), David Sparks (138), and Austin Pfarr (220); while two-time placer Taleb Rahmani (145) was runner-up at district. 2. Whither St. Edward? As mentioned earlier, St. Edward qualified only six wrestlers to the state tournament this year. For many programs that would be a record-high; however, for the perennial mega-power Eagles, it’s a cause for alarm. Putting this into perspective is the following: (1) Going back to 1990, when they last did not have a state champion, they have PLACED six or more wrestlers at state 19 of 23 years -- the other four years (1991, 1993, 1999, 2009) they placed five. (2) In 2010-2012, they had six-plus wrestlers in the state FINALS. They also did that in four consecutive years during the middle of last decade, 2004-2007. Furthering the context of their dynasty, in the last 40 years (1974-2013), they have had a state finalist in every year but one. That was 1975, when Tom Cousineau placed third at 285 pounds. They have had a state champion in every year since 1978, but for 1990. Going forward, they return three of their six state qualifiers -- Hart is a freshman, while Bentley and Knapp are juniors. Furthermore, they had four underclassmen earn state alternate designations: freshman Jared Campbell (195), sophomores Isaac Collier (126) and Hunter Ladnier (132), along with junior D.J. Williamson (152). So bury the Eagles at your own peril, they will be back. Micah Jordan (Photo/Rob Preston)3. Four times the fun! A pair of senior wrestlers is seeking their fourth state titles this year, Micah Jordan (145) of St. Paris Graham and Jacob Danishek (152) of Dayton Christian. Should they see their hands raised on the raised mats of The Schott on Saturday night, they would become the 26th and 27th such wrestlers to earn four state titles in Ohio high school wrestling. Each wrestler is undefeated this season, and has not lost an in-season match since the 2012 Walsh Jesuit Ironman final, and is prohibitive favorites in their respective weight classes this weekend. 4. Fourteen-peat, gets boring after a while, doesn’t it? St. Paris Graham is a very strong favorite to win their 14th consecutive title in the Division II individual state tournament. The Falcons qualified twelve wrestlers to state, which are joint-most in any division and the highest in Division II. They ran through the Wilmington district, as all their state qualifiers made the finals on Saturday night, with eight winning titles: Justin Stickley (106), Eli Stickley (113), Mario Kastl (120), Brent Moore (132), Kyle Lawson (138), Micah Jordan (145), Alex Marinelli (160), and Josh Couchman (195). Returning state champion Eli Seipel (126), state placer Lane Thomas (170), along with state tournament debutants Garrett Jordan (152) and Hayden Bronne (182) were the runners-up. They are the strong favorites with projected state champions in Eli Stickley, Moore, Lawson, Micah Jordan, and Marinelli. In addition, Justin Stickley, Kastl, Seipel, and Thomas are all projected to be mid-to-high placers. That should be able to overwhelm the rest of the field. Two-time state dual meet runner-up Claymont was dominant champions of their own district tournament, as the Mustangs qualified eleven to the state tournament. That includes five district champions: projected state champions Tyler Warner (106) and Dustin Warner (120), Kollin Clark (126), Cody Burcher (138), and Colt Crall (182). Past state qualifier Cade Herron (145) finished second, as did Lane Peters (113) and Kyle Henry (285); Garrett Harding (220) finished third, while Chandler Golec (132) and Nate Gray (195) finished fourth. The other three Claymont wrestlers were state alternates, including past state qualifier Matt Dennis (170). They are the most likely team to finish second to St. Paris Graham, though the term challenger would not be accurate. Bowling Green DII district champions Toledo Central Catholic have the next most qualifiers with nine, which are led by four district champions: defending state champion Alex Mossing (152), Josh Mossing (138), Chris Norwood (220), and J’Quan Fisher (285). District runners-up included Josh Venia (106), 2012 state placer Nate Hagan (132) and Richard Jackson (145); while Rosendo Beltran (120) and Lucas Beauch (160) qualified from third and fourth place positions respectively. The other two teams in the hunt for second and third place exited the Alliance district in first and second place. Champion Akron SVSM qualified seven, while second place Perry -- last year the Pirates were second at state -- advanced six to state. The Irish are led by a pair of district champions in Drek’ Brumley (220), who upset the projected state champion in the district final, and defending state champion Aaron Adkins (182). Finishing as runners-up were returning state placer Garrett Carter (132) and Ryan Skonieczny (138); Sal Ferrise (120) and Ben Knauss (152) finished third, while Walter Gibson (145) made it from a fourth place position. The Pirates also are led by a pair of district champions in defending state champion Billy Miller (285) and two-time state placer Aaran Gessic (132). Returning state placers Collin Dees (120) and Alec Schenk (182) exited as runners-up, while Kyle Kremiller (195) and Brady Toth (106) were third and fourth respectively. 5. Looking for a team race, check out small-school Division III Even though we discussed team title races with Division I and Division II, if you want a real team race, turn your attention to Division III. Even though Delta is going to overwhelm everyone on volume with 12 state qualifiers; the top-heavy power of Dayton Christian, which qualified eight to state, can give a significant push to the Panthers this weekend. Delta was champions of the Bowling Green DIII district, while the Warriors won the title at Troy. Two-time state dual meet champion Delta was second in the individual state tournament last year, and is led by five district champions: freshmen Drew Mattin (106) and Jesse Beverly (152), defending state champion Jake Spiess (113), three-time state placer Tyler Fahrer (160), and Ryan Patchin (182). Four wrestlers finished as district runners-up: two-time state placer Kyle Keller (120), Noah Mattin (126), returning state placer Dustin Marteney (132), and Chance Vellor (285). The other three qualifiers -- Todd Miller (170), Mark Francis (195), and Devon Richards (220) -- each finished fourth at district. Dayton Christian was runners-up at the state duals earlier this month and finished third at the individual tournament last year. They have five district champions as well, led by three-time state champion Jacob Danishek (152); past state placers in Hunter Bray (106), Christian Clary (113), and Michael May (120); as well as returning state qualifier Nate Jackson (285). Joining that quintet at state are state placer Alex Becker (138), a district runner-up; Florida state runner-up Nick Vestal (145), who placed third at district; and district fourth Josh Clary (126). While Delta and Dayton Christian each had five district champions, no other team qualified more than five to the Division III tournament. Those teams with five include Garfield Hts. district champions Waynedale; Covington and Mechanicsburg, who finished second and third at Troy; as well as Norwalk St. Paul and Genoa, who finished second and third at Bowling Green DIII. Many teams qualified four to state, including Heath district champions Bishop Hartley. 6. Triple the pleasure Rare is it to see multiple state champions come together in one weight class, even rarer to see three of them in one weight. That’s the case this year in Division II at 126 pounds, with defending state champions Anthony Tutolo (Lake Catholic) and Eli Seipel (St. Paris Graham) joined by 2012 state champion Cameron Kelly (Bellbrook). The last such occasion came in 2004, when in the Division II 119 pound weight class, Ricky Deubel of Kenston bookended his career with state titles, in a weight class that included sophomores Kevin Lipp of Beachwood and Pat McLemore of Padua. Lipp and McLemore had won state titles the year before, and on this occasion came in third and one match short of placing (back when only six placed at state). In terms of this weight class, separation principles dictate that district champions who have finished top three at the state tournament will be in opposite half-brackets. Tutolo was champion of the Alliance district, while Kelly beat Seipel by 3-1 decision for the title at Wilmington. That district final outcome was a reversal of the district and state finals last year at 113 pounds, when Seipel beat Kelly on both occasions. As a result, Tutolo and Kelly are in opposite halves the draw. Seipel is the district second in the opposite quarter of the half-bracket with Tutolo, which means they are most likely going to meet in the state semifinal round on Friday night. Tutolo will also have to face a state placer in the quarterfinal round, the winner of a first round match between Chandler Minnard of Bloom Carroll and Cole Tawney of Gallia Academy. 7. More madness in Division II The 138 pound weight class in Division II is arguably the most stacked weight bracket of the 42 being contested in Columbus this weekend with six past state tournament placers lined up in pairs within three of the quarter brackets. The first quarter of the draw features Alliance district champion Kyle Kaminski of Padua and three-time state placer Preston Bowshier, last year a state runner-up and this year runner-up at Wilmington. The most likely winner in terms of gambling may be one of those two, even though they might be the fourth and fifth rated wrestlers, just because of how barren the other quarter is in the top half. Josh Mossing of Toledo Central Catholic was champion at Bowling Green DII, and is the likely semifinalist. In the third quarter of the draw, it is a pair of three-time state placers: Cody Burcher of Claymont, a runner-up in 2011 and 2012, and returning state runner-up Ryan Skonieczny of Akron SVSM; Burcher was champion at Claymont, while Skonieczny has lost to Kamsinki in both the sectional and district finals. Lastly, the fourth quarter of the draw features freshman Kyle Lawson of St. Paris Graham, a runner-up in Kentucky last year, and 2012 state placer Jake Zemaitis of Crestwood; Lawson has beaten Bowshier four times this year, including three of the last four weekends (league, sectional, district). 8. 120 pounds of pain The 120 pound weight class in Division I features nine wrestlers who have either earned Fargo All-American honors in freestyle or placed at the state tournament already in their careers. The nine wrestlers in question have accrued eight state medals and seven Fargo AA honors between them. Going through the draw by quarter, it is the following. Alex Mackall of Walsh Jesuit, seventh at state last year and a Cadet freestyle fifth place finisher last summer, was champion at the Mentor district. Runner-up at Top Gun, and a placer at Ironman and Powerade, he will likely face the winner of a first round bout between state placers Santino DiSabato of Westerville North (state 7th) and Josh Heil of Brunswick (state 3rd). Freshman Corey Shie of LaSalle was seventh in Cadet freestyle last summer and champion of the Kettering Fairmont district. He finished runner-up to Assad at Brecksville, with a win over a Michigan state champion in the semis, and beat Mackall to win the title at Top Gun. He is looking at a quarterfinal date with Armando Torres of Elyria, a returning state runner-up and a two-time Fargo All-American (seventh in Junior freestyle last summer). Jonathan Furnas was champion of the Hilliard Darby and placed seventh at state last year. This season, he split matches with Torres on the way to a third place finish at Brecksville (lost quarterfinal, won consolation final). Most likely he will be facing Conner Ziegler of Cincinnati Moeller, runner-up to Shie at Kettering Fairmont, who placed sixth at state last year. Projected state champion Austin Assad of Brecksville finished as runner-up at state each of the last two years, and was a Cadet freestyle All-American in both 2011 and 2012. He placed third at both the Ironman and Beast of the East, beat Torres and Shie to win the title at Brecksville, and beat Heil to win the Bill Dies (along with wins by default in both the sectional and Cleveland State district finals). His likely quarterfinal is against Jake Newhouse of Massillon Perry, who placed eighth in Cadet freestyle last summer, and lost a one-point match to Mackall for the second time this year in the district final. Newhouse also beat Heil to win the title at Medina, and lost to Assad 3-1 in the state dual final.

High school seasons are coming to an end in earnest across the country. Over 15 states had their individual state championship this past weekend, along with four others having dual meet state finals. The following state tournaments are on the docket for this coming weekend: Individual Bracket: Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming Dual Meet: Illinois, Minnesota, and Nebraska Given all that activity, it's hard to cover all of it, so let's just highlight four major stories from the past weekend. 1. No. 1 Blair Academy fails to win National Preps for first time since 1980, so what's the story? This past weekend was the National Prep Championships held at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa. For the first time since Mt. St. Joseph won the title in 1980, Blair Academy did not score the most points in the tournament. Instead it was Wyoming Seminary (Pa.), which will move up two positions to No. 4 nationally after their performance. The Blue Knights won the title 299.5 to 256.5. Leading the way for Wyoming Seminary were weight class champions Nicky Hall (182) and Jake Scanlan (285). Five Blue Knights wrestlers earned runner-up honors: Trent Olson (113), Will Verallis (126), No. 10 Nick Reenan (152), No. 17 Chris Weiler (160), and Matt Doggett (220). Six other wrestlers came through with a placement finish as well: Tyrel White (170) and Mike Rogers (195) took third, Jake Savoca (145) earned fourth, John Busiello (106) was fifth, while Jimmy Overheiser (120) and Will Crisco (132) were sixth. The lone wrestler not to place was Tyler Ponte (138), who was one match away. Blair Academy countered with three weight class champions: No. 6 Matthew Kolodzik (126), No. 7 Mason Manville (152), and No. 2 Dylan Milonas (160). Two other wrestlers were runners-up, Zach Sherman (106) and No. 17 Chaz Tucker (120). Six other wrestlers earned a placement finish: Requir van der Merwe (113) was third, Alex Rinaldi (132) and No. 19 Brandon Dallavia (170) were fourth, Jordan Kutler (138) and Neil Putnam (220) earned fifth, while Nick DiNapoli (182) took sixth. Finishing one match short of placement were Walker Dempsey (145) and Will Cooley (285), while Christian Suk (195) went 2-2 for the tournament. Rounding out the weight class champions were Joey Prata (106) of St. Christopher's, Va.; No. 6 Jack Mueller (113) of Trinity Christian Academy, Tex.; Eric Hong (120) and Michael Sprague (138) of Georgetown Prep, Md.; Jack Mutchnik (132) of St. Paul's, Md.; No. 7 Alfred Bannister (145) of Bishop McNamara, Md.; tournament Outstanding Wrestler No. 5 Myles Martin (170) of McDonogh, Md.; No. 20 Daniel Hawkins (195) of Mt. St. Joseph's, Md.; and Jake Anderson (220) of Malvern Prep, Pa. In terms of completing national team rankings, a couple of factors come into play. First and foremost is that the Fab 50 rankings reflect team composition based on NFHS eligibility, namely re-classified “fifth-year seniors” and/or post-graduates are not eligible to compete. Again, keep in mind that the rules of the National Prep Championships do allow these wrestlers to compete, but they cannot compete in events such as the Ironman, the Beast of the East, et al. Wyoming Seminary had three such re-classified seniors in Savoca, White, and Hall. Savoca placed fourth and scored 18 points, White was third and scored 21, while Hall was a champion and scored 33. Based on lineups during other points of the season, the Blue Knights had other wrestlers in those weight classes. While it is inexact and speculative to determine likely performance for replacements, my analysis concludes they would have scored 30-35 less points. The second factor is that the Fab 50 tries to reflect how each team would perform with a reasonable representation of “base personnel”, i.e. they were at full strength. Blair Academy was without two key starters, No. 1 Joey McKenna (138) and returning National Preps placer David Showunmi (195). McKenna would have been prohibitively favored at 138, while his replacement finished fifth; and Showunmi was a likely mid-placer, while his replacement went 2-2. That is likely to add 25 points to the Blair ledger. Each team also had one wrestler with an injury default during the tournament that adversely impacted team scoring, so those kind of wash out. Given the above premises, Blair Academy wins the tournament by about 15 points in an NFHS setting, which to me justifies them remaining at No. 1 in the Fab 50. Furthermore, the Fab 50 attempts to reflect performance over the course of the whole season. During said season, Blair Academy won titles at three major tournaments -- Walsh Jesuit Ironman, Beast of the East, and Escape the Rock (Wyoming Seminary placing eighth and third in the first two of those events). The Buccaneers also earned eight dual meet victories over Fab 50 teams, including No. 4 Wyoming Seminary, No. 6 St. Paris Graham (Ohio), No. 7 Massillon Perry (Ohio), and No. 9 Bergen Catholic (N.J.) 2. The Class 3A title races in Iowa were intriguing, so what happened? Three Iowa teams are in the Fab 50 -- Bettendorf, Waverly-Shell Rock, and Southeast Polk. Each squad is in the big-school division, Class 3A. First, the state dual meet tournament on Wednesday placed these squads as the top three seeds in that order. In the semifinal round, No. 23 Southeast Polk defeated No. 35 Waverly-Shell Rock 38-31, as the Rams won eight of the fourteen weight class bouts. A 24-0 assault for Southeast Polk in the first five weight classes, the dual meet started at 113, was too much for the Go-Hawks to counter. Those results were first period pins for Cody Batterson (113) and Nolan Hellickson (120), a 5-2 decision for Jonah Williams (126), a 6-3 decision for Keegan Shaw (132), and a first period pin for Aaron Meyer (138). No. 20 Bryce Steiert (145) stopped the bleeding for Waverly-Shell Rock with a first minute pin, before Southeast Polk bumped up Briar Dittmer (152) to get a technical, which pushed the lead out to 29-6. Four consecutive Go-Hawk wins would cut the deficit to 29-25, those coming in the form of pins from Spencer Derifield (160) and Izaak Miller (182), a 9-0 major decision from Corey Abernathy (170), and a 5-3 decision for Thomas Foy (195). Eventual state champion Ethan Anderson (220) would stretch the Rams lead to 35-25 with two bouts remaining, before Jake Marnin (285) clinched the dual meet with a 3-2 win over Kaleb Staack in a match that would be re-wrestled on Saturday night. Austin Yant (106) came through with a last match pin for the Go-Hawks to reflect the final score. In the final, No. 22 Bettendorf would come up with a second 8-6 match count win over Southeast Polk for the season, as the Bulldogs had also won 37-27 in their dual meet at Iowa State University in mid-January. The proceedings started with a 1-0 decision for Southeast Polk's Hellickson at 120 against Paul Glynn. However, Bettendorf then countered with three consecutive victories to make the lead 10-3. Jackson Gallagher (126) had a 6-3 decision, No. 3 Fredy Stroker (132) scored a 13-3 major decision, and No. 9 Logan Ryan (138) scored a 5-4 decision over Aaron Meyer in a match that would be re-wrestled Saturday night. Dittmer would stop the bleeding for Southeast Polk with a 10-4 decision at 145 pounds, before the Bulldogs extended the lead to 20-6 with consecutive victories: a 19-8 major decision for Jacob Woodard (152) and a pin for Michael Belanger (160). Mason Kerr (170) scored a first minute pin to cut the deficit to 20-12, before a crucial match at 182 pounds, in which Elijah Preisser upended Kameron Padavich 3-1 in overtime to push the Bettendorf lead to 23-12. Southeast Polk did counter with three consecutive victories to take their second lead of the dual meet at 27-23, a 4-1 decision for Deion Mikesell (195) followed by pins from Ethan Andersen (220) and Jake Marnin (285). Bettendorf ended the match with consecutive first-minute pins from Jack Wagner (106) and Jacob Schwarm (113) to take the state title. They would then go on to sweep the state titles during the next three days in one of the more intriguing team races in Iowa state tournament history. All three top teams earned over 150 points. In fact, the team title came down to the last match of the finals, as Bettendorf held a 162-158 lead over Southeast Polk, and Waverly-Shell Rock was on 147.5 points. The Rams had put themselves in that position after Ethan Anderson (220) scored a major decision in his state finals match, the only one that they would end up winning on Saturday night. That set up a match between Jake Marnin and Kaleb Staack, which if Marnin replicated the outcome from Wednesday afternoon, there would be a tie. However, Staack flipped the outcome with a 3-1 victory to give Bettendorf the sweep of the titles. The Bulldogs were led by eight state placers, including four state champions: Jake Wagner (106), who won his state final in overtime; Jacob Schwarm (113), No. 3 Fredy Stroker (132), and No. 9 Logan Ryan (138) who rallied from an early deficit to beat Meyer 6-4. Paul Glynn (120) finished as runner-up, Jacob Woodard (152) took fifth, Max Erpelding (220) was sixth, and Michael Belanger (160) earned eighth. The previously mentioned Anderson was the lone champion for the Rams, who placed nine wrestlers in the tournament. Three others were runners-up: Aaron Meyer (138), Briar Dittmer (145), and Jake Marnin (285). Nolan Hellickson (120) and Keegan Shaw (132) placed third, Adam Brown (106) and Deion Mikesell (195) placed fifth, and Mason Kerr (170) earned seventh. For the Go-Hawks, who scored 151.5 points on the strength of eight placers, they were led by three state champions: No. 20 Bryce Steiert (145), Corey Abernathy (170), and Kaleb Staack (285). Izaak Miller (182) placed second, Spencer Derifield (160) was third, Thomas Foy (195) was fourth, while Austin Yant (106) and Justin Reiher (132) finished in seventh. 3. Fab 50 dual meets in Michigan Both the Division 1 and Division 2 championship bouts came down to matches between a pair of Fab 50 teams. No. 17 Detroit Catholic Central and No. 30 Davison met for the Division 1 title, while Lowell and St. Johns met for the title in Division 2. Both matches were repeat finals from last year, ones that Detroit Catholic Central and St. Johns won. Davison was the first seed in Division 1, and reached the final by a 68-0 victory over Livonia Frankin and a 47-16 defeat of Oxford; while third seeded Detroit Catholic Central reached the final with a 59-9 victory over Plymouth and a 49-15 shellacking of second-seeded (not sure why) Hartland. The championship match started at 285 pounds, and the defending state champion Shamrocks jumped out to a 9-0 lead with a 6-1 decision from Jimmy Russell (285) and a pin from Aaron Rehfeldt (103). The teams would trade wins in the next two bouts -- Maxwell Johnson (112) getting Davison on the board with a 4-0 decision and Trevor Zdebski (119) scoring a 9-1 major decision -- for DCC to push ahead 13-3. Four consecutive wins from Davidson would give the Cardinals a 19-13 lead, and also yield the last wins of the night for them. Those results came in the form of a 13-5 major decision for two-time state champion Lincoln Olson (125), a 9-4 decision for Derek Humphrey (130), a 3-0 decision for Matt Miller (135), and a pin at 1:09 for No. 11 Justin Oliver (140). A pair of two-point margin victories from Myles (145) and Malik (152) Amine, each up one weight class from where they will compete at individual state, equalized the dual meet at 19-19. A pin in the first period from No. 12 Nick Bennett, who was up one weight class at 160, gave DCC the lead for good at 25-19. At 171 pounds, both teams bumped wrestlers, and it was Tyler Morland coming through with a 9-5 decision. Again, both teams bumped at 189 for a battle of nationally ranked wrestlers. No. 14 Andrew Garcia came through with the match clinching victory over No. 17 Jordan Cooks, 3-1 in overtime. Nick Giese (215) closed the dual meet with a 4-1 decision victory for good measure. The top seed in Division 2, Lowell, reached the final with a pair of dominating victories, 58-16 over Warren Lincoln and 43-16 over Niles; while St. Johns was pushed in their semifinal, winning only six weight classes in a 35-33 victory over Tecumseh, after winning only eight bouts in a 40-23 victory over Bay City Western. The championship final would open with both teams bumping wrestlers up one weight class, as Tyler Wildmo scored an 8-4 upset victory over No. 18 Josh Colegrove at 285 pounds to give St. Johns a 3-0 lead. Lowell weighed in Lucas Hall at 103 pounds for the state dual meet finals, he's going 112 during the individual tournament, and he got a first period pin in this bout. The Redwings then countered with Ian Parker scoring a second period pin at 112 pounds to give them a 9-6 lead. Lowell would then respond with four consecutive victories to jump ahead 22-9 at the halfway point of the dual meet. Zeth Dean (119) scored a 9-0 major decision, Derek Krajewski (125) won his match 10-7, Bailey Jack (130) won 5-3, and Jordan Hall (135) scored a pin in the first minute. Then it was the Redwings' turn to win four consecutive bouts. It was consecutive technical falls from No. 3 Zac Hall (140) and Mark Bozzo (145) followed by consecutive pins from Drew Wixsom (152) and No. 5 Logan Massa (160), who was wrestling up one weight class. With three bouts to go, it was 31-22 in favor of St. Johns. Kanon Dean (171) came through with a second period pin to cut the deficit to 31-28. However, No. 10 Angus Arthur (189) responded with an 8-6 decision against Max Dean, who had pulled off an upset pin to spark the Red Arrows' mid-January win over DCC. That made the score 34-28, and then Garrett Stehley (215) earned a win by disqualification to tie the bout at 34-34 when Nic Sturgis was stalled out of the match. At 34-34, it came down to criteria, and Lowell won based on a greater number of six-point dual meet bouts, 4-to-3. As a result, Lowell dropped two spots in the Fab 50 to No. 16, while St. Johns bumped up two spots to No. 27. 4. Heavyweight in Illinois has some heavy stuff Between Class 3A and Class 2A, there were five nationally ranked wrestlers at 285 pounds that did battle at state this past weekend. In Class 2A, it was simply a two person race between undefeated defending state champion Tanner Farmer (Highland) and two-time National Prep runner-up Michael Johnson, Jr. (Montini Catholic); Johnson had one loss on the season to Class 3A notable Adarios Jones, and earned titles at the Walsh Jesuit Ironman and Cheesehead tournaments. In addition, to reach the final, Johnson would beat previously undefeated Deuce Rachal (Lindblom) by 7-4 decision in the semifinal. Farmer would win his second straight title on Saturday night with a pin over Johnson at the 2:25 mark; Farmer now goes on to play offensive line at the University of Nebraska, while Johnson is now a three-time state-level tournament runner-up. The narrative in Class 3A was more complex. The top seed was Brian Allen (Hinsdale Central), the returning state champion who will be joining his brother as an offensive lineman for Michigan State. He entered the state tournament with a 42-1 record, which included a split of matches against Nicky Allegretti, three wins over Michael Hobbs, and a tiebreaker win over Adarios Jones. Despite being nationally ranked, Nicky Allegretti (Lincoln-Way East) was stuck in the top half-bracket with Allen. Allegretti had split matches with Allen during the season, and beat nationally ranked wrestler Jones in the sectional final. The third nationally ranked wrestler was Adarios Jones (Moline); who had upended Michael Johnson in December, but had losses to Hobbs, Allen, and Allegretti during the course of the year. Setting the stage for Saturday night's final, Allen beat Allegretti 4-2 in the state semifinal, to make the season series 2-1 in his favor. While in the bottom half of the draw, Jones would beat sectional champions D'Andre Johnson (Glenbard East) by 9-1 major decision in the quarterfinal and Chris McDermand (Libertyville) 3-1 in the semifinal; McDermand upended Michael Hobbs (Downers Grove South) 5-3 in the tiebreaker during the quarterfinal. In said Saturday night final, it was Jones coming through with the 3-2 ultimate tiebreaker victory over Allen, which came after Allegretti earned a third place finish on Saturday afternoon. In terms of the rankings at present, it comes the following: No. 7 Farmer, No. 8 Allen, No. 9 Allegretti, No. 10 Jones, and No. 12 Johnson.

Mark Ironside and Mack Reiter will go "On the Mat" this Wednesday, Feb. 26. "On the Mat" is a presentation of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum. The show can be heard live on the Internet at 1650thefan.com or locally in Northeast Iowa each Wednesday from 5 to 6 p.m. CT on AM 1650, The Fan. A podcast of the show is available on theopenmat.com. E-mail dgmstaff@nwhof.org with any questions or comments. Ironside was an NCAA wrestling champion for the University of Iowa in 1997 and 1998. He currently provides match commentary for Iowa wrestling meets on KXIC radio and on television for the Iowa high school state wrestling tournament. Reiter will enter the Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame of Iowa on June 7. He wrestled for Gilbertville-Don Bosco and was the 13th person to win four Iowa high school state wrestling championships (2000-03). Reiter was also a three-time All-American for the University of Minnesota.

To finish out the 2013-14 dual meet season, the No. 1 University of Minnesota Golden Gopher wrestling team defeated the No. 15 Iowa State Cyclones, 27-12. The Gophers finish the regular season with an overall record of 14-1 while boasting a 7-1 conference record. With today's win over Iowa State, the Gophers remained undefeated in non-conference competition. Minnesota would win seven bouts on the afternoon including three major decisions and a pin to round out the final team score of 27. The dual started at 125, with a battle between Sam Brancale and Earl Hall of Iowa State. Hall was able to collect four points right away in the first period to lead Brancale. Brancale escaped and would then ride out the end of the first period and the entire second period to collect 2:46 in riding time. Brancale would lead by as much as 8-4 before Hall attacked and sent Brancale to the mat, earning the fall and six team points for Iowa State. No. 7 David Thorn would be next on the mat for the Gophers, as they trailed 6-0 going into 133. Thorn lead his Iowa State opponent, Shayden Terukina, 6-2 after the first period. He would then go on to collect a takedown and a two-point near fall to bring the score 8-2 in his favor before pinning Terukina with 1:02 left in the second period. The fall for Thorn would bring the Gophers to a six all tie with the Cyclones. The Golden Gophers would go on to claim the next three to bring the Gophers to a dominating lead as Conrad Rangell and No. 2 Nick Dardanes would both pick up major decisions while Brandon Kingsley, stepping in for No. 5 Dylan Ness, would pick up a decision. At 165, Danny Zilverberg would fall to No. 9 Mike Moreno in a rematch of the Harold Nichols Open title match. He fell by decision, 7-3, as Moreno was able to collect 3:03 of riding time. Minnesota won the next two as No. 6 Logan Storley defeated No. 11 Tanner Weatherman of Iowa State by decision, 10-6 and No. 8 Kevin Steinhaus won by major decision over Boaz Beard, 13-5. The Gophers would lead by fifteen points going into 197. No. 5 Scott Schiller would fall to No. 1 Kyven Gadson of Iowa State in a close 6-4 battle while Michael Kroells, coming off an impressive weekend at the National Duals would win by decision over Ben Perna of Iowa State, 2-0. After the decisive 27-12 victory for the Gophers, they will begin preparations for the Big Ten Championships to be held in Madison, Wisc. at the Kohl Center March 8-9. The Gophers share a part of the Big Ten Dual Meet Championship with both Penn State and Iowa but defeated both teams during the regular season. Results: 125: Earl Hall (ISU) pinned Sam Brancale (MINN), (6:40) 133: No. 7 David Thorn (MINN) pinned Shayden Terukina (ISU), (3:58) 141: Conrad Rangell (MINN) mdec. Gabe Moreno (ISU), 10-2 (1:41 RT) 149: No. 2 Nick Dardanes (MINN) mdec. Luke Goetll (ISU), 13-5 (2:29 RT) 157: Brandon Kingsley (MINN) dec. John Nicholson (ISU), 2-0 165: No. 9 Michael Moreno (ISU) dec. Danny Zilverberg (MINN), 7-3 (3:03 RT) 174: No. 6 Logan Storley (MINN) dec. No. 11 Tanner Weatherman (ISU), 10-6 184: No. 8 Kevin Steinhaus (MINN) mdec. Boaz Beard (ISU), 13-5 197: No. 1 Kyven Gadson (ISU) dec. No. 5 Scott Schiller (MINN), 6-4 HWT: Michael Kroells (MINN) dec. Ben Perna (ISU), 2-0

MADISON, Wis. -- The University of Iowa wrestling team won seven of 10 matches to defeat No. 15 Wisconsin, 28-10, and earn a share of the Big Ten dual title Sunday afternoon at the UW Field House. Cory Clark and Tony Ramos opened the dual with pins, and Nick Moore recorded his team-high fifth major decision to help Iowa improve to 7-1 in conference duals. The Hawkeyes share the Big Ten dual title with Minnesota and Penn State, and in two weeks Iowa returns to Madison to challenge for the Big Ten tournament title. "We'd like to duplicate Nick Moore and Tony Ramos (when we come back)," said UI head coach Tom Brands. "We have to put more points on the board. Our guys know they have fire power. It has to be realized, and it is realized when it becomes lopsided and things start to open up. We have to give ourselves more opportunities and that is the bottom line." Clark led 7-2 before decking No. 9 Ryan Taylor in 2:03 at 125. He scored a takedown in the opening 20 seconds, exchanged a pair of reversals to make the score 4-2, and was working on three nearfall points before finishing the match with his ninth fall of the year. Ramos had to chase Tyler Graff stand-in Matt Cavallaris around the mat for two and one-half periods before finally securing the fall in 6:23 at 133. Graff, ranked No. 5 at 133, missed his second straight match with an injury. Ramos recorded seven takedowns and 4:28 of riding time before securing his team-best 11th fall. "I just had to find a different way to get him over," said Ramos. "I was trying to let him stand up, didn't get him, but caught a leg in that allowed me to get a deep arm bar. From there I ran it over and got the fall." Consecutive pins gave Iowa a 12-0 lead before Jesse Thielke defeated Iowa's Ethan Owens, 12-1, at 141. Seventh-ranked Brody Grothus put Iowa in front 15-4 with a 2-1 decision at 149, but Wisconsin cut into the lead before intermission when No. 7 Isaac Jordan finished around the ankles in the closing seconds to defeat No. 2 Derek St. John, 3-1, at 157. After the intermission, Moore extended Iowa's lead to 19-7 with an 18-4 win at 165. He scored a pair of takedowns in each period, piled up 2:37 of riding time, and was awarded three nearfall points as time expired to win his 10th straight match. The Hawkeyes put the dual away with consecutive wins at 174, 184, and 197. Fifth-ranked Mike Evans scored all four of his points in the third period to shutout No. 20 Scott Liegel, 4-0, at 174. Fourth-ranked Ethen Lofthouse used four takedowns to top Dylan Iczkowski, 11-5, at 184, and No. 13 Nathan Burak used 1:30 of riding time to defeat Timmy McCall, 2-1, at 197. The Badgers got on the board a final time when No. 10 Connor Medbery scored a deciding takedown in the final seconds to defeat No. 3 Bobby Telford, 3-1. Iowa (15-2, 7-1) returns to the mat March 8-9 at the 2014 Big Ten Championships. The conference tournament begins Saturday, March 8, at 10 a.m. (CT) at the Kohl Center. Visit uwbadgers.com for ticket information. Notes: Attendance was 1,445... Iowa won the Big Ten dual title for the sixth time in the last seven years... the Hawkeyes share the regular season dual title with Minnesota (7-1) and Penn State (7-1)... Iowa improved to 9-2 against ranked opponents, including 7-0 record on the road... Tony Ramos and Nick Moore both finished the conference season 8-0. Results: 125 - #6 Cory Clark (IA) pinned #9 Ryan Taylor (UW), 2:03; 6-0 133 - #3 Tony Ramos (IA) pinned Matt Cavallaris (UW), 6:23; 12-0 141 - Jesse Thielke (UW) dec. Ethan Owens (IA), 12-1; 12-4 149 - #7 Brody Grothus (IA) dec. Rylan Lubeck (UW), 2-1; 15-4 157 - #7 Isaac Jordan (UW) dec. #2 Derek St. John (IA), 3-1; 15-7 165 - #4 Nick Moore (IA) major dec. Nick Cousins (UW), 18-4; 19-7 174 - #5 Mike Evans (IA) dec. #20 Scott Liegel (UW), 4-0; 22-7 184 - #4 Ethen Lofthouse (IA) dec. Dylan Iczkowski (UW), 11-5; 25-7 197 - #13 Nathan Burak (IA) dec. Timmy McCall (UW), 2-1; 28-7 285 - #10 Connor Medbery (UW) dec. #3 Bobby Telford (IA), 3-1; 28-10

FARGO, N.D. -- The North Dakota State University wrestling team registered two pins and two technical falls to cruise to a 32-12 victory over South Dakota State in Western Wrestling Conference action on Sunday, Feb. 23 at the Bison Sports Arena. NDSU (11-7, 4-1 WWC) tied Wyoming atop the final league standings with the victory, but the Cowboys will claim the regular season title via head-to-head tiebreaker after their 17-16 win at NDSU on Friday. NDSU senior Tyler Diamond opened the dual with an 11-5 decision over No. 33 Alex Kocer at 149 pounds, and after a pin by the Jackrabbits at 157, Steven Monk and Hayden Zillmer registered consecutive technical falls to give the Bison a 13-6 lead. Junior Kurtis Julson notched a 13-3 major decision at 184 pounds for NDSU. Bison redshirt freshman 197-pounder Tyler Lehmann and junior heavyweight Evan Knutson recorded back-to-back pins to turn a 17-6 NDSU lead into a 29-6 advantage, sealing the dual victory. Senior Justin LaValle won by 3-1 decision over SDSU’s Brance Simms at 133 pounds, making it a perfect 3-0 mark for the NDSU seniors on Senior Day. SDSU (6-8, 3-2 WWC) won three matches, including a pin by No. 16-ranked Cody Pack at 157 pounds. The Jackrabbits also earned decisions at 125 and 141 pounds. A dual victory on Sunday would have given SDSU its first Western Wrestling Conference regular season title. The dual was the final wrestling competition held in the Bison Sports Arena, which will be renovated starting this spring. NDSU will have one weekend off from competition before traveling to the NCAA West Regional in Orem, Utah, on Mar. 8. Results: 149: Tyler Diamond (NDSU) dec. Alex Kocer (SDSU), 11-5. 157: Cody Pack (SDSU) pinned Tanner Carlisle (NDSU), 2:07. 165: Steven Monk (NDSU) tech. fall Joseph Brewster (SDSU), 7:00, 17-2. 174: Hayden Zillmer (NDSU) tech. fall John Nething II (SDSU), 5:46, 16-0. 184: Kurtis Julson (NDSU) maj. dec. Brady Ayers (SDSU), 13-3. 197: Tyler Lehmann (NDSU) pinned Trey Hable (SDSU), 3:30. 285: Evan Knutson (NDSU) pinned J.J. Everard (SDSU), 4:06. 125: Ben Gillette (SDSU) dec. Hunter Weber (NDSU), 6-4. 133: Justin LaValle (NDSU) dec. Brance Simms (SDSU), 3-1. 141: Eric Orozco (SDSU) dec. Clay Cathey (NDSU), 3-1. (SV1)

LARAMIE, Wyo. -- For the fourth time in six seasons, the University of Wyoming wrestling team has won the regular-season dual title in the Western Wrestling Conference. Wyoming (6-6 overall) finished with a 4-1 mark in the league, along with North Dakota State, but owns a head-to-head win over the Bison. The Cowboys toppled No. 19 NDSU by a 17-16 margin on Friday. UW also won the league dual title in 2009, 2010 and 2012. North Dakota State defeated South Dakota State on Sunday to ensure UW's place atop the conference. "I am extremely proud of these guys. We set a goal to turn this thing around after losing our first conference dual and that is exactly what they did," UW head coach Mark Branch said. "We do things for a reason and I demanded a lot out of a young squad at the beginning of the year, but those demands and challenges are paying off and it's nice to see us accomplish one of our goals. "Our next goal is to win the conference championship and we are going to fine tune things over the next two weeks so that we can perform at our best. After going on the road and beating a top-20 team to win the regular-season title, we have a great amount of momentum to lead us to our next goal. These guys have continued to mature throughout a season filled with adversity but I feel very good about the next step." UW has won at least four conference duals in each of Branch's six seasons and he has compiled a league mark of 30-3. His Cowboy squads have won the regular-season title, the conference tournament championship or both in each of his seasons. The Pokes, who finished the season on a five-dual win streak, will hit the mats for the NCAA West Regional/WWC Championships on March 8 in Orem, Utah. Wyoming is seeking its fifth-straight conference tournament title. At U.S. Western National Open Six Cowboys finished fifth or higher in the U.S. Western National Open tournament in Colorado Springs, Colo., on Sunday. Two Pokes - freshmen Archie Colgan and Zach Beard - won their weight class. Colgan was 3-0 en route to the 157-pound title with two technical falls and a major decision, while Beard had a pin and a major decision to win at 165. Freshman Chaz Polson was second at 165 pounds with one major decision. Freshman Luke Paine was third at 174 pounds, while redshirt freshman Brandon Tribble (197) was fourth and freshman Morgan Rieder was fifth at 197.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Trailing No. 16 Virginia Tech, 16-14, with two matches remaining, the 11th-ranked Ohio State wrestling team received a momentum-changing win from senior 197-pounder Nick Heflin Sunday afternoon in St. John Arena. Heflin, a native of Massillon, Ohio, pinned the Hokies’ Brooks Morrison in 1:17 to lift the Buckeyes to a 20-16 lead. The Scarlet and Gray eventually won the match, 23-16, after redshirt-sophomore Nick Tavanello downed Ty Walz, 5-3, in the heavyweight bout. The match vs. Virginia Tech was Senior Day. Buckeye seniors Alex Gordon, Joe Grandominico, Heflin, Ian Paddock, Josh Whitt and team manager Cassandra Prezzia were recognized prior to the match. Up next, Ohio State will compete in the 2014 Big Ten Championships at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wis., March 8-9. In addition to the wins by the fourth-ranked Heflin and Tavanello, Ohio State received victories from redshirt-freshman and No. 8 Johnni DiJulius (125 pounds), redshirt-junior and No. 3 Logan Stieber (141 pounds) and sophomore and No. 13 Mark Martin (174 pounds) in the final regular-season match of the 2013-14 campaign. With Ohio State trailing Virginia Tech, 3-0, following redshirt-freshman and 125-pounder Nick Roberts’ 10-3 loss to Joe Dance, the Buckeyes quickly recovered and took a 6-3 advantage after DiJulius pinned Dennis Gustafson in 4:18. DiJulius owned a 3-0 lead before he put Gustafson on his back in the second period. Stieber followed DiJulius’ pin with a bonus-point victory of his own, a 17-1 technical fall over Erik Spjut. After dropping three consecutive matches from 149-165 pounds, the Buckeyes trailed the Hokies, 13-11. Kyle Visconti received the starting nod at 149 pounds in place of senior Ian Paddock and Visconti lost a 10-2 major decision to No. 16 Zach Neibert. In the 157-pound match-up, redshirt-junior Randy Languis suffered a 4-3 setback to Sal Mastriani. Languis recorded an early takedown in the first period against Mastriani, but the Hokie answered with an escape and takedown in the opening stanza for a 3-2 lead. Choosing bottom in the second period, Mastriani scored an escape for a 4-2 lead. Languis answered with an escape in the third period, but could not secure a takedown for a victory. After senior and 165-pounder Joe Grandominico lost an 8-2 decision to Chris Moon, Martin propelled Ohio State into the lead with his 2-1 win vs. Austin Gabel in the 174-pound bout. After a scoreless first period, Gabel scored an escape for a 1-0 lead. In the low-scoring affair, Martin notched a takedown in the final period. Starting at 184 pounds in place of redshirt-sophomore Kenny Courts, sophomore Josh Fox held strong against No. 17 Nick Vetterlein. Trailing, 3-2, in the third period, Fox gave up a takedown, but scored an escape to cut Vetterlein’s lead to 5-3. However, Fox was unable to record the match-winning takedown as time ticked off the clock. It was with the Buckeyes trailing, 16-14, Heflin and Tavanello won back-to-back matches to help lift Ohio State to its 13th dual win of the season. Results: 125: Joey Dance (VT) dec. Nick Roberts, 10-3 133: Johnni DiJulius (OSU) fall Dennis Gustafson, 4:18 141: Logan Stieber (OSU) tech fall. Erik Spjut, 17-1 149: Zach Neibert (VT) maj. dec. Jacob Bresciani, 10-2 157: Sal Mastriani (VT) dec. Randy Languis, 4-3 165: Chris Moon (VT) dec. Joe Grandominico, 8-2 174: Mark Martin (OSU) dec. Austin Gabel, 2-1 184: Nick Vetterlein (VT) dec. Josh Fox, 5-3 197: Nick Heflin (OSU) fall Brooks Morrison, 1:17 285: Nick Tavanello (OSU) dec. Ty Walz, 5-3

NORFOLK, Va. -- UNI became the only wrestling team to finish the season undefeated (13-0) in Division I with a 21-19 win over Old Dominion. Four Panthers won their matches, with three earning falls. It all came down to the final match at heavyweight. It was up to Blaize Cabell to overcome the 19-18 edge ODU earned with wins at 141, 149, 157, 184 and 197 pounds. An escape and two takedowns gave Cabell the 5-1 lead. Cabell went on to get the 7-4 decision to seal UNI’s perfect season. Brandon Jeske of ODU struck first in the 125-pound match with a takedown, but Dylan Peters countered with a reversal and earned a point for locked hands to go up 3-2 in the first. Peters gave up the escape to end the first period in a 3-3 tie. Another escape early in the second put Jeske up 4-3, but Peters got his fall in 4 minutes, 47 seconds. Joe Colon (133 pounds) is the nation’s leader in tech falls. He dominated his match against Michael Hayes, going up 14-1 before getting the fall in 6:12. Joey Lazor (141 pounds) pulled within one point of No. 4 Chris Mecate, but Lazor was not awarded back points after an official review and lost 9-8. The Panthers would go on to lose the next two, pulling UNI within two team points (12-10). It was Cooper Moore who got UNI back on the board, pinning Devin Geoghegan, an Iowa Central Community College transfer who won the junior college regionals in 2012-13. Moore (165 pounds) got an early takedown in the first period to go up 2-0. From there, he continued to dominate, going up 12-4 before he earned a fall in 6:38. Just like UNI, this is Old Dominion’s first full MAC season. The Monarchs are now 4-4 in the MAC, while UNI improves to 7-0. Results: 125: No. 6 Dylan Peters (UNI) fall Brandon Jeske (ODU), 4:47 133: No. 1 Joe Colon (UNI) fall Michael Hayes (ODU), 6:12 141: No. 4 Chris Mecate (ODU) dec. No. 20 Joey Lazor (UNI), 10-8 149: Alexander Richardson (ODU) dec. Tyler Patten (UNI), 7-4 157: Tristan Warner (ODU) maj. dec. Jarrett Jensen (UNI), 9-0 165: No. 11 Cooper Moore (UNI) fall Devin Geoghegan (ODU), 6:38 174: No. 19 Billy Curling (ODU) dec. Cody Caldwell (UNI), 9-6 184: Jack DeChow (ODU) dec. No 5 Ryan Loder (UNI), 5-4 197: Kevin Beazley (ODU) dec. Basil Minto (UNI), 5-3 285: Blaize Cabell (UNI) dec. Matt Tourdot (ODU), 7-4

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The No. 1-ranked Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team, under the direction of head coach Cael Sanderson, saw a Rec Hall era come to a close on Sunday during its convincing win over visiting Clarion. Nearly 6,500 fans, the 19th-straight home sell-out at PSU, watched Penn State roll to a 43-3 win in the final home dual meet for a very special senior class. A duo of national champions, Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.) and David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio), as well as senior James English (York, Pa.) wrestled in the final home dual meets of their careers. All three came away victorious with Taylor and Ruth thrilling the capacity crowd with blazingly fast first period falls. The dual began at 125, where junior Nico Megaludis (Murrysville, Pa.), ranked No. 2 nationally, posted a dominating 21-6 technical fall over Clarion's Hunter Jones, getting the tech at the 5:00 mark. Red-shirt freshman Jimmy Gulibon (Latrobe, Pa.), ranked No. 15 at 133, matched Megaludis with a takedown of his own, rolling to a 16-0 first period takedown (3:00) over Clarion's Victor Lepari. True freshman Zain Retherford (Benton, Pa.), ranked No. 2 nationally at 141, posted a strong 8-4 win over Clarion senior Tyler Bedelyon to put the Loins up 13-0. Senior James English (York, Pa.) made his Rec Hall farewell in fine fashion, posting a 7-2 decision over talented Clarion freshman Justin Arthur. At 157, junior Dylan Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.), ranked No. 6 in the nation, closed out a perfect Penn State opening half with a 12-6 win over another talented Clarion rookie. The victory gave Penn State a 19-0 lead heading into intermission. After the break, the sold out Rec Hall crowd rose to its feet as Taylor took center stage in Rec Hall for the final time. Taylor, ranked No. 1 at 165, gave the fans exactly what they wanted, posting the second fastest pin in Penn State history. Taylor caught Clarion's Michael Pavasko in just seconds, took him to the mat and flattened his shoulders for a pin in just 0:11. Junior Matt Brown (West Valley City, Utah), ranked No. 4 at 174, was equally impressive, notching a first period pin of his own, getting the fall over Clarion's Ryan Darch at the 2:50 mark. Following Brown's pin at 174, it was time for Ruth to receive a standing ovation from nearly 6,500 fans in sold out Rec Hall as he hit the mat in Rec Hall for the last time. Ruth, ranked No. 2 at 184, also went out in a blaze of glory with a first period pin. The Lion senior used his textbook cradle to lock up Clarion's Dustin Conti, adjust once and then flatten the Eagle for the fall at the 1:05 mark. Sophomore Morgan McIntosh (Santa Ana, Calif.), ranked No. 3 at 197, made it four straight pins for Penn State, notching a second period pin at the 3:11 mark to put Penn State up 43-0. Clarion avoided the shut-out at 285, however. Junior Jimmy Lawson (Tom's River, N.J.), ranked No. 12 at 285, got the nod at heavyweight for the first time since an injury sidelined the Lion on Jan. 19. Lawson mounted a late comeback but riding time would be the difference as Evan Daley posted the 7-6 upset victory with 1:57 in time, making the final 43-3 in Penn State's favor. Taylor moves to 26-0 on the year with 12 pins, seven tech falls and six majors. His 49 career pins is second all-time at Penn State, four shy of the all-time record of 63. The 0:11 fall was the second fastest in Penn State history (Dylan Alton had an 0:08 pin last year). Taylor is 126-3, sixth in wins at Penn State, with 49 pins, 41 techs and 28 majors. He ends his career with 63 dual meet victories, a perfect 63-0 record, third all-time at Penn State win dual wins. Ruth is now 25-1 with ten pins, eight tech falls and six majors. His 45 career pins is third all-time at Penn State. Ruth is now 127-3 all-time, fifth on Penn State's all-time wins list. He has 45 pins, 24 tech falls and 29 majors during his Lion career. He leaves Penn State with a perfect 55-0 dual meet record, eighth all-time in school history. Megaludis improves to 23-2 with a pin, five techs and nine majors; Retherford is still perfect on the year with a 26-0 mark, including four pins, two techs and seven majors; Alton is 16-2 with three pins and a major; Brown is 24-3 with seven pins, four techs and eight majors; and McIntosh is 25-2 with five pins and 11 majors. Penn State won the takedown battle by a 24-3 margin. This was the second time this year Penn State had four pins in a dual (Michigan State). Sanderson's Lions close out the dual meet season with a 15-1 overall record and won their second Big Ten dual meet title (co-) with a 7-1 conference ledger. Clarion is now 9-15 overall. Penn State's 15 dual meet wins is the second most since 1998 when Penn State won 18 (The Lions went 17-1 in 2010-11). The sell-out crowd of 6,483 is the 19th-straight home sellout for Penn State The Nittany Lions will now prep for the 2014 Big Ten Wrestling Championships, hosted by the University of Wisconsin on March 8-9. Penn State will be aiming for its fourth-straight Big Ten crown at the Kohl Center, with action beginning on Saturday, March 8, at 11 a.m. Eastern (10 a.m. Central). 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. #1 Penn State 43, Clarion 3 February 23, 2014 - Rec Hall - University Park, Pa. 125: #2 Nico Megaludis PSU tech fall Hunter Jones CUP, 21-5 (TF; 5:00) -- 5-0 133: #15 Jimmy Gulibon PSU tech fall Victor Lepari CUP, 16-0 (TF; 3:00) -- 10-0 141: #2 Zain Retherford PSU dec. Tyler Bedelyon CUP, 8-4 -- 13-0 149: James English PSU dec. Justin Arthur CUP, 7-2 -- 16-0 157: #6 Dylan Alton PSU dec. Austin Matthews CUP, 12-6 -- 19-0 165: #1 David Taylor PSU pinned Michael Pavasko CUP, WBF (0:11) -- 25-0 174: #4 Matt Brown PSU pinned Ryan Darch CUP, WBF (2:50) -- 31-0 184: #2 Ed Ruth PSU pinned Dustin Conti CUP, WBF (1:05) -- 37-0 197: #3 Morgan McIntosh PSU pinned Danny Sutherland CUP, WBF (3:11) -- 43-0 285: Evan Daley CUP dec. #12 Jimmy Lawson PSU, 7-6 -- 43-3 Attendance: 6,483 (19th straight home sell out) Records: Penn State 15-1, 7-1 B1G; Clarion 9-15 Up Next for Penn State: 2014 Big Ten Wrestling Championships, Madison, Wis., Saturday and Sunday, March 8-9, the Kohl Center BOUT-BY-BOUT: 125: Junior Nico Megaludis (Murrysville, Pa.), ranked No. 2 at 125, took on Clarion freshman Hunter Jones. Megaludis quickly took control of Jones' shoulders but the Eagle was able to fight off the move and keep the bout scoreless in the early going. The Nittany Lion used a swift duck under to work his way to a takedown at the 1:40 mark. He quickly tacked on three more takedowns and led 8-3 with :50 on the clock. Megaludis controlled the action from the top for the rest of the period, tacking on three near fall points in the process, to lead 11-3 after one. Megaludis chose down to start the second period, quickly escaped and then took Jones down for a 14-4 lead after cutting the Eagle loose. He tacked on another takedown and cut to lead 16-5 and added one more takedown with :38 left, upping his lead to 18-5. Megaludis then turned Jones one more time for three back points and rode him out for the 21-5 tech fall at the 5:00 mark. 133: Red-shirt freshman Jimmy Gulibon (Latrobe, Pa.), ranked No. 15 at 133, met Golden Eagle Victor Lepari. Gulibon scored right out of the gates to take a 2-0 lead. He then dominated action from the top position, working for a turning combination. He turned Lepari for two back points and led by four at the opening period's midway point. Gulibon reset, turned Lepari for three back points, reset again, and tacked on three more near fall points to lead 10-0 at the :40 mark. The Lion freshman added two more three point tilts, rode Lepari out and posted the 16-0 tech fall at the 3:00 mark, putting Penn State up 10-0 early. 141: True freshman Zain Retherford (Benton, Pa.), ranked No. 2 at 141, took on Clarion senior Tyler Bedelyon. The veteran Eagle shot quickly, gaining control of Retherford's ankle, working for an opening takedown. Bedelyon worked his way to the takedown only to quickly be reversed by Retherford, tying the score at 2-2 with 2:30 on the clock. Retherford then began to work on top, building up over 2:00 of riding time as he flattened the Eagle out. Retherford nearly turned Bedelyon for back points but the Clarion grappler fought off the move to keep the bout tied after one period. Bedelyon chose down to start the second period and worked his way into a low single leg. But Retherford was able to muscle through the shot and force a stalemate with :54 on the clock. The duo battled evenly for the rest of the period and the bout moved to the third tied at 2-2, with Retherford owning 2:22 in riding time. Retherford chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 3-2 lead. He then exploded into a low single, working through a scramble into a takedown and a 5-2 lead with 1:16 on the clock. Retherford cut Bedelyon loose, quickly worked a high double into a takedown and led 7-3 with :50 on the clock. Retherford cut the Eagle loose again but could not notch a final takedown. The strong third period, with 2:36 in time, gave Retherford the 8-4 win. 149: James English (York, Pa.) got the nod at 149 in his final dual meet as a Nittany Lion and took on Clarion freshman Justin Arthur. English scored first, using a fast low single to gain control of Arthur's ankle, working his way to a takedown and a 2-0 lead with 1:46 on the clock. The Lion senior then controlled the action from the top, building up a 1:46 time advantage with a strong ride out. English chose down to start the second stanza and quickly escaped to a 3-0 lead. He then fought off an Arthur low single leg, forcing a stalemate with 1:20 on the clock. Arthur got in on a high single, forcing another scramble, but English was tough on defense once again, killing the clock before any takedown was called. Arthur chose down to start the third period and quickly reversed the Lion to cut English's lead to 3-2. English forced a stalemate at the :56 mark, still on the bottom. He scrambled for a near reversal, but the Eagle was able to maintain control. Arthur then cut English loose on a reset, only to watch the Lion quickly take him down to open up a 6-2 lead. A ride out and 1:28 in riding time gave the Nittany Lion senior a strong 7-2 win. 157: Junior Dylan Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.), ranked No. 6 at 157, faced Clarion's Austin Matthews. Alton nearly locked Matthews up for a throw early. But the Eagle fought off the attempt to keep things scoreless early. Alton turned in on a quick single, taking the Eagle down for a takedown and an early 2-1 lead. He added a second takedown to lead 4-1 with 1:45 on the clock. Matthews escaped to a 4-2 score with 1:20 left in the opening period, but Alton's offensive pressure was too much as the Lion junior caught the Eagle for a four-point move, getting the takedown and two near fall points to lead 8-2 after one period. Matthews chose down to start the second period and worked his way to an escape and an 8-3 score, but not before Alton built up 1:39 in riding time. Leading 8-3, Alton chose down to start the third period. He deftly worked his way around Matthews for a reversal and a 10-3 lead with 1:40 on the clock. Matthews escaped to a 10-4 scored with 1:20 left. Alton forced a scramble that ended in a stalemate with :51 left and action resumed in the center circle. Matthews countered a slight Alton shot and notched takedown to cut the lead to 11-6. But Alton escaped and quickly got in on a shot that killed the clock. 1:49 in riding time gave Alton a 12-6 win and put Penn State up 19-0 at the break. 165: Senior David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio), ranked No. 1 at 165, bid adieu to Rec Hall by battling Clarion's Michael Pavasko. Walking off the stage in stunning and quick fashion, Taylor gained control of Pavasko's shoulder, quickly took the Eagle to the mat and turned his shoulders flat for a blistering pin in jut 0:11. The fall is the second fastest in Penn State history and sent the Rec Hall faithful to their feet. 174: Junior Matt Brown (West Valley City, Utah), ranked No. 4 at 174, faced off against Clarion freshman Ryan Darch. Brown took a quick 2-1 lead with a fast takedown and cut. He then took Darch down again, this time nearly picking up the pin in the last :30. But Darch was able to roll out of trouble. Undaunted, Brown got in on another low single, forced a scramble and, with his back to Darch, used his strength to flatten the Eagle's shoulders out and get the first period pin at the 2:50 mark, putting Penn State up 31-0. 184: Senior Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.), ranked No. 2 at 184, took on Clarion's Dustin Conti in the final Rec Hall dual meet of his career. Ruth, like Taylor, would walk off the Rec Hall mat for the last time in glory. Catching Conti in a quick cradle, the Nittany Lion senior steadily worked the Eagle's shoulders to the mat. After a brief adjustment, the talented Nittany Lion picked up the pin at the 1:05 mark, eliciting a deafening roar from the sold out Rec Hall crowd. 197: Sophomore Morgan McIntosh (Santa Ana, Calif.), ranked No. 3 at 197, met Danny Sutherland. McIntosh scored early, using a low single to take Sutherland down and lead 2-1 in the opening :30. The Lion was relentless, tacking on two more quick takedowns to lead 6-3 with 1:26 on the clock. After a reset, the third-ranked Nittany Lion picked up a fourth takedown with :30 on the clock and then turned Conti for three back points to lead 11-3 after one period. Conti chose down to start the second period and McIntosh made him pay for the decision. He lifted the Eagle off the mat, turned him mid-air and brought him down flat in just eleven seconds, picking up the fall, Penn State's fourth straight, at the 3:11 mark. 285: Junior Jimmy Lawson (Tom's River, N.J.), ranked No. 12 at 285, took to the mat for the first time since a Jan. 19 injury and faced Clarion's Evan Daley. Daley looked to score early, shooting low on Lawson and working his way to a 2-0 lead with 2:07 on the clock. Lawson quickly reversed the Eagle and, after a Daley escaped, trailed 3-2 with 1:20 left. The duo battled evenly for the remainder of the period and Lawson trailed by one after one. Daley chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 4-2 lead. Lawson and Daley traded shoulder control for the next minute with neither man gaining control of the action. Daley turned his efforts into a low single and a takedown to lead 6-2 with :30 on the clock. The Lion junior rolled his way to an escaped and a 6-3 score after two period. Lawson chose down to start the third period but could not work his way free of a strong Daley ride. The Clarion big man controlled the action from the top, building up over 1:00 in riding time and then clinching the point before Lawson escaped to a 6-4 score with just :25 on the clock. Showing spark in the waning seconds, Lawson quickly blew through a low double to tie the bout at 6-6 with :05 left, but Daley's 1:57 in riding time was the difference. The Eagle notched a 7-6 win and prevented the shut-out with Penn State winning 43-3.

BOSTON -- Five Mountain Hawks posted bonus point victories as No. 20 Lehigh closed out the dual meet season with a 29-12 win over Harvard Sunday inside Lavietes Pavilion. The Mountain Hawks won seven of the nine contested bouts to finish the dual meet season at 10-6 overall and 6-2 against EIWA opponents. The Mountain Hawks have now won at least ten duals in 15 consecutive seasons. "Our guys went out after bonus points and wrestled the whole time," said Lehigh head coach Pat Santoro. "That's what we were looking for today." Lehigh started the dual with back-to-back bonus wins at 125 and 133 as freshman Darian Cruz picked up a 23-6 technical fall over Max Mejia at 125 and sophomore Mason Beckman won by major decision 16-4 over Jeffrey Ott at 133. Both Mountain Hawk wrestlers scored two point near falls in the final seconds to clinch the bonus victories. Harvard (4-8, 3-8 EIWA) picked up its first win at 141 as Todd Preston scored a late takedown and three point near fall on the edge of the mat to defeat sophomore Laike Gardner 9-4/ Freshman Mitch Minotti returned to the lineup at 149 after missing Saturday's dual at Brown and squashed any momentum with a first period pin over Nicholas Stager. Minotti used a cement mixer to work Stager to his back and earned the fall at 1:04 to give Lehigh a 15-3 advantage. "Mitch picked up where the other guys left off," Santoro said. "We lost a tough match at 141 but Mitch got us right back on track. We needed that from him." Junior Mike Stepien followed Minotti's pin with his first career dual meet win, 10-7 over Tyler Grimaldi at 157. Stepien scored a quick takedown and two point near fall in the first and then thwarted Grimaldi's comeback attempt with a strong finish including a late takedown to go up by two plus 2:48 of riding time advantage. In the first bout after intermission, sophomore Ben Haas provided another bonus point with a dominant 14-0 major decision over Brennan Smith at 165. Haas scored an early takedown and then tilted Smith three times to lead 10-0 after one. He added a three point near fall in the third to close out the win as he narrowly missed a technical fall. Freshman Elliot Riddick delivered Lehigh's fifth and final bonus win as he totaled five takedowns in a 12-4 major decision over Ian Roy at 174. With freshman Zach Diekel nursing an injury, Lehigh elected to forfeit 184. The Crimson posted their second win at 197 as James Fox gave up a late reversal to John Bolich but escaped and held riding time advantage to win 3-2. "We talked about the importance of winning the early bouts because we didn't want to use Zach if we didn't have to," Santoro said. "The guys stepped up and wrestled hard." Lehigh claimed the final bout of the dual as Doug Vollaro scored a second period escape and then rode out David Ng to win 2-0. The Mountain Hawks will now shift focus to the 110th EIWA Championships, March 8-9 at the Palestra in Philadelphia. Results: 125 – Darian Cruz (Lehigh) tech fall Max Mejia (Harvard) 23-6, 7:00 133 – Mason Beckman (Lehigh) major dec. Jeffrey Ott (Harvard) 16-4 141 – Todd Preston (Harvard) dec. Laike Gardner (Lehigh) 9-4 149 – Mitch Minotti (Lehigh) Fall Nicholas Stager (Harvard) 1:04 157 – Mike Stepien (Lehigh) dec. Tyler Grimaldi (Harvard) 10-7 165 – Ben Haas (Lehigh) major dec. Brennan Smith (Harvard) 14-0 174 – Elliot Riddick (Lehigh) major dec. Ian Roy (Harvard) 12-2 184 – Samuel Ekanem (Harvard) won by forfeit 197 – James Fox (Harvard) dec. John Bolich (Lehigh) 3-2 285 – Doug Vollaro (Lehigh) dec. David Ng (Harvard) 2-0

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. -- The Michigan State wrestling team closed the regular season on a three-match winning streak after defeating No. 25 Central Michigan, 18-14, Saturday afternoon at McGuirk Arena. Seventh-ranked heavyweight Mike McClure led the way for the Spartans by pinning Adam Robinson in 2:49; MSU also claimed victories at 133, 165, 184 and 197 pounds. "It's nice when you tell your kids that you have to stay on track because we're getting better as a team, and they stay the course," said MSU head coach Tom Minkel. "These kids never lost their focus and determination, and it's really showed here in the last three duals. To their credit, these guys have been very resilient. We've taken some tough losses and yet they come into practice always ready to work. It's enormously rewarding to see that hard work start to pay off. We're headed in the right direction, and today was a big step." CMU (10-10) claimed the first two matches of the dual, which started at 149 pounds. Scott Mattingly topped Nick Trimble, 6-3, while No. 20 Luke Smith edged Roger Wildmo in the 157-pound bout, 5-3. Bobby Nash got the Spartans (8-10) on the board with a 5-1 decision at 165 over Nick Becker, but the Chippewas extended their lead to 9-3 after eighth-ranked 174-pounder Mike Ottinger came away with a 4-3 overtime victory against Nick Kaczanowski in the first tiebreaker. The Spartans then rattled off three consecutive wins to take control of the dual. John Rizqallah got things going in the 184-pound match with a 4-0 shutout over Craig Kelliher, followed by a 4-2 decision by Nick McDiarmid over Jackson Lewis at 197 pounds as MSU tied it at 9. The difference in the dual was at heavyweight, as McClure recorded his team-leading eighth fall of the season to give the Spartans six points and a 15-9 lead with three matches remaining. For McClure, it marked his 22nd career fall, which moved him into a tie with Merle Jennings and David Morgan for 10th most in MSU history. It also was the 95th victory of McClure's career, placing him into a tie for 19th on the all-time Spartan wins chart. CMU trimmed its deficit to 15-12 with Corey Keeners' 7-3 decision over Brenan Lyon at 125 pounds. The Spartans, however, bounced back and clinched the dual in the 133-pound match as Garth Yenter upset No. 11 Joe Roth, 8-4. Although Yenter gave up a first-period takedown, he responded in the second period with an escape, takedown and three near-fall points. He added another takedown in the third to record the 8-4 win. The Chippewas were then deducted a team point for unsportsmanlike conduct after the bout, giving MSU an 18-11 lead to seal the victory. No. 8 Zach Moran won the final match of the dual with a 6-2 decision over Brian Gibbs at 141 pounds. With the dual season now complete, the Spartans will prepare for the Big Ten Championships March 8-9 in Madison, Wis. Results: 149: Scott Mattingly (CMU) dec. Nick Trimble (MSU), 6-3. (CMU, 3-0) 157: No. 20 Luke Smith dec. Roger Wildmo (MSU), 5-3. (CMU, 6-0) 165: Bobby Nash (MSU) dec. Nick Becker (CMU), 5-1. (CMU, 6-3) 174: No. 8 Mike Ottinger (CMU) dec. Nick Kaczanowski, 4-3 (TB1). (CMU, 9-3) 184: John Rizqallah (MSU) dec. Craig Kelliher (CMU), 4-0. (CMU, 9-6) 197: Nick McDiarmid (MSU) dec. Jackson Lewis (CMU), 4-2. (CMU, 9-9) HWT: No. 7 Mike McClure (MSU) pinned Adam Robinson (CMU), 2:49. (MSU, 15-9) 125: Corey Keeners (CMU) dec. Brenan Lyon (MSU), 7-3. (MSU, 15-12) 133: Garth Yenter (MSU) dec. No. 11 Joe Roth (CMU), 8-4. Central Michigan deducted a point for unsportsmanlike conduct. (MSU, 18-11) 141: No. 8 Zach Horan dec. Brian Gibbs (MSU), 6-2. (MSU, 18-14)

BINGHAMTON, NY -- The Bloomsburg University wrestling won the 600th match in program history by beating Binghamton University, 28-12, on Saturday afternoon. It was the final regular season dual match of the season for the Huskies who will now prepare for the Eastern Wrestling League (EWL) Championships on Mar. 8 at Cleveland State. Bloomsburg won seven of the nine bouts contested on the day (the Huskies forfeited one weight class) earning bonus points in three of the matches. Trailing 6-0 due to the forfeit, the Huskies got a major decision from Nick Wilcox (Greene, NY/Greene Central) at 133 pounds who won 13-2. Matt Rappo (Holland/Council Rock South) then won by fall in 3:14 to put the Huskies up 10-6. Binghamton came back with a win at 149 pounds when Joe Bonaldi scored an upset over the Huskies 19th-ranked Bryce Busler (Mechanicsburg/Cumberland Valley), 2-1, OT. The Huskies won the next three matches from Brandon Arnsberger (Parkersburg/Octorara) at 157, Josh Veltre (Rochester, NY/Greece Olympia) at 165 and Mike Dessino (Middlesex, NJ/Middlesex) at 174. The win by Dessino was by fall and was the 45th of his career. He is now tied for second all-time at Bloomsburg with former All-American Mike Spaid. After the Bearcats won at 184 pounds, Richard Perry (Meriden, CT/Middletown), ranked sixth at 197, posted a 3-2 win over 25th-ranked Cody Reed. The win was the 27th straight for Perry and snapped Reed's 11-match winning streak. The day ended with Bloomsburg's Justin Grant (Easton/Easton), ranked 17th at 285, scoring a 9-3 win over 24th-ranked Tyler Deuel. Bloomsburg ends the season at 9-8 for first-year coach Jason Mester. NOTES: The Huskies 600th win comes in the 62nd year of wrestling. The program began in 1936-37 and competed for three years. The team then did not compete again till the 1954-55 season and had its first winning season in 1955-56. (There was no competition in the 1971-72 season). Bloomsburg is in a 10-year run of winning seasons with the last non-winning year coming in 2003-04 when the team was 8-8. Results: 125: No. 32 David White (BING) wins by forfeit 133: No. 22 Nick Wilcox (Greene, NY/Greene Central) (BLOOM) major dec. Mike Sardo (BING) 13-2 141 Matt Rappo (Holland/Council Rock South) (BLOOM) WBF Vlad Mordach (BING), 3:14 149 Joe Bonaldi (BING) dec. No. 19 Bryce Busler (Mechanicsburg/Cumberland Valley) (BLOOM), 2-1 157 Brandon Arnsberger (Parkersburg/Octorara) (BLOOM) dec. Dylan Caruana (BING) 3-1 165: No. 17 Josh Veltre (Rochester, NY/Greece Olympia) (BLOOM) dec. Vincent Grella (BING) 6-1 174: No. 27 Mike Dessino (Middlesex, NJ/Middlesex) (BLOOM) WBF Ben Price (BING), 4:13 184: Caleb Wallace (BING) dec. Sam Shirley (BLOOM) 6-4 197: No. 6 Richard Perry (Meriden, CT/Middletown) (BLOOM) dec. No. 25 Cody Reed (BING) 3-2 285: No. 17 Justin Grant (Easton/Easton) (BLOOM) dec. No. 24 Tyler Deuel (BING) 9-3

ITHACA, N.Y. -- With a majority of backups in the lineup as the Big Red wrestling team gets healthy for EIWA's, Cornell was able to celebrate Senior Day with a 28-19 win over Hofstra on Saturday afternoon at the Friedman Wrestling Center. The Big Red closed its dual meet season with a 13-1 record, including a perfect 6-0 at home. Knowing they would receive a pair of forfeits, Cornell chose to put out five backups into the lineup to rest some of the starters prior to the EIWA championships in two weekends at the Palestra in Philadelphia. Of the three Big Red starters who did wrestle, two earned bonus point wins and top-ranked Nahshon Garrett won an easy decision over a two-time NCAA qualifier at 125 pounds. No. 3 Gabe Dean at 184 pounds and No. 14 Mark Grey at 133 each had their hands raised by forfeit to give the Big Red a 9-8 lead after four matches and a 28-8 advantage after eight matches. The dual started at 157 pounds, the first time all season Cornell started wrestling at a weight class other than 125. Junior Jace Bennett won with a dominant first period, all but bull-rushing Hofstra's Zeal McGrew for a pair of takedowns before exploding him onto his back for a fall just 1:16 in at 197 pounds. Coming after Dean's forfeit, the pin gave the Big Red a 15-8 lead at halftime. The second half began with Jacob Aiken-Phillips earning a first period takedown and three near-fall points while riding out Mike Hughes for the final 1:42, essentially sending him into the second with a 6-0 lead. He reversed out of his bottom position in the second to take a 7-0 and his 2:07 in riding time gave the heavyweight the major decision shutout of Hughes. At 125, national championship contended Nahshon Garrett dominated two-time NCAA qualifier at 133 Jamie Franco, but a late throw backfired on Garrett, allowing Franco to earn a last-second takedown on a scramble to erase a major decision, but he still took home the comfortable 8-2 win to make it 22-8. Grey's forfeit win clinched the match, making it 28-8 with two weights to wrestle. Hofstra claimed wins at 141, 149, 165 and 174, including a pair of tech falls and a pin. Results: 157 - Taylor Simaz won by decision over Jahlani Callender, 4-0 165 - #15 Joe Booth (H) won by technical fall over Jake George (C), 23-8 (5:10) 174 - Frank Affronti (H) won by decision over Jesse Shanaman (C), 5-4 184 - #3 Gabe Dean (C) won by forfeit 197 - #19 Jace Bennett (C) won by fall over Zeal McGrew (H), 1:16 285 - Jacob Aiken-Phillips (C) won by major decision over Mike Hughes (H), 8-0 125 - #1 Nahshon Garrett (C) won by decision over Jamie Franco (H), 8-2 133 - #14 Mark Grey (C) won by forfeit 141 - #10 Luke Vaith (H) won by technical fall over Joe Rendina (C), 21-5 (6:48) 149 - Cody Ruggirello (H) won by fall over Conner David (C), 0:59

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- No. 20 Lehigh rallied from an early 11-3 deficit to defeat Brown 26-17 Saturday at the Pizzitola Sports Center. Freshman heavyweight Doug Vollaro’s first period pin over Ryder Cavey was the second in a string of five straight Lehigh wins, the last four of which produced bonus points. Sophomore Mason Beckman added a pin for the Mountain Hawks, who improved to 9-6 on the dual season. Brown (3-10) opened the dual with a pair of close decisions at 157 and 165. Cort Choate hit an early five-point move against junior Mike Stepien at 157 battled back with an escape and two penalty points for stalling against Choate. Stepien also had riding time advantage but could not muster the takedown needed to force overtime. At 165, one minute of riding time advantage was the deciding factor as Phil Marano edged sophomore Ben Haas 5-4. Freshman Elliot Riddick put Lehigh on the board with a 5-2 decision over Ricky McDonald at 174. Riddick posted takedowns in the first and third periods and added an escape. “Overall I thought everyone wrestled pretty well,” said Lehigh head coach Pat Santoro. “Mike Stepien started us off and did a great job. He gave up a five point move but came back and gave himself a chance to win in the third period. Tough one at 165 but then at 174 Elliot started getting his feet moving and got stronger as the match went on.” Ophir Bernstein gave the Bears their biggest lead at 11-3 with an 18-2 technical fall over freshman Zach Diekel at 184 before sophomore John Bolich earned three points back for Lehigh with a 6-3 decision over Gus Marker at 197. Vollaro picked up his first fall of the season after he caught Cavey in a shot attempt and brought him down to his back. After several seconds of struggle, the referee slapped the mat for a Vollaro fall in 2:32 and Lehigh took a 12-11 lead after six bouts. “Doug’s pin really turned the match around,” Santoro said. “He did a really good job sticking with that position and not rushing through anything.” Freshman Darian Cruz kept things going for Lehigh with a 12-2 major decision over Vinny Moita at 125. Needing a takedown to secure the bonus point for the major, Cruz scored a late takedown and added a two point tilt in the final seconds for extra measure. Beckman followed with his first fall of the season as he built an 18-6 lead over Anthony Finocchiaro late in the third period at 133. Needing a takedown for a likely technical fall , Beckman got in on a shot and picked up the fall from the neutral position as Finocchiaro’s shoulders were on the mat with just seven seconds remaining. Sophomore Laike Gardner closed the Lehigh run with a 13-3 major decision over Zach Tanenbaum at 141. In the final bout of the dual, Santoro opted to rest freshman Mitch Minotti and sent out freshman Will Switzer, who was involved in a competitive battle with Steven Galiardo at 149. Switzer appeared to injure an ankle late in the second period and following a second injury timeout, trailing 8-5 in the third period, Switzer defaulted at 5:44, adding six points to Brown’s final team score. “All the way through the lineup I thought we did a good job,” Santoro said. “Will did a great job up a weight class. It’s a shame about his ankle. Overall, it’s something for us to build off going into a big match tomorrow.” The Mountain Hawks will now head to Cambridge, Massachusetts for their final dual of the regular season Sunday against Harvard. Match time is set for noon from Lavietes Pavilion. The match will be streamed live on ESPN3 while audio coverage will be available on WLVR-FM (91.3) and WLVR.org. Results: 157: Cort Choate (Brown) dec. Mike Stepien (Lehigh) 6-4 165: Phil Marano (Brown) dec. Ben Haas (Lehigh) 5-4 174: Elliot Riddick (Lehigh) dec. Ricky McDonald (Brown) 5-2 184: Ophir Bernstein (Brown) tech fall Zach Diekel (Lehigh) 18-2, 6:51 197: John Bolich (Lehigh) dec. Gus Marker (Brown) 6-3 285: Doug Vollaro (Lehigh) Fall Ryder Cavey (Brown) 2:32 125: Darian Cruz (Lehigh) major dec. Vinny Moita (Brown) 12-2 133: Mason Beckman (Lehigh) Fall Anthony Finocchiaro (Brown) 6:53 141: Laike Gardner (Lehigh) major dec. Zach Tanenbaum (Brown) 13-3 149: Steven Galiardo (Brown) injury default Will Switzer (Lehigh) 5:44

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- The No. 10 University of Pittsburgh wrestling team (13-3, 6-0 ACC) clinched the outright ACC Dual Meet Championship with a 22-12 victory at North Carolina (6-11, 1-5 ACC) on Saturday afternoon. After winning three of the last four Eastern Wrestling League Dual Meet Championships, the Panthers earned their first Atlantic Coast Conference title by winning all six of their duals against ACC foes this season. The back-and-forth contest began with North Carolina grabbing an early lead after Nathan Kraisser beat Anthony Zanetta at 125 pounds, but Shelton Mack tied the dual for Pitt with a 12-6 victory over Troy Heilmann. In the afternoon's only matchup of ranked wrestlers, No. 15 Edgar Bright upset No. 6 Evan Henderson, 3-1. Henderson and Bright traded escapes before freshman Panther Bright secured a third-period takedown to win the match, which gave the Panthers a 6-3 team lead. However, the Tar Heels responded with three consecutive victories that put North Carolina up 12-6 before junior Tyler Wilps helped Pitt regain the momentum with a 16-5 major decision over Scott Marmoll at 174 pounds. After Max Thomusseit put Pitt ahead 13-12 with a 4-0 victory over Alex Utley, Nick Bonaccorsi clinched the dual victory for the Panthers by pinning Frank Abbodanza at 4:27, earning the Panthers six valuable team points and giving the Panthers an insurmountable 19-12 lead. It was the fifth pin of the season for the sophomore 197-pounder. At heavyweight, senior P.J. Tasser notched an 8-1 win over Bob Coe to bring the final score to 22-12. With Pitt having now clinched the outright ACC Dual Meet Championship - the fourth dual meet conference championship in school history -- the Panthers will now hope to add an ACC Tournament Championship on March 8 when Pitt travels to Blacksburg, Va. Results: 125: Nathan Kraisser (N) dec. No. 16 Anthony Zanetta (P), 6-4; North Carolina leads 3-0 133: No. 20 Shelton Mack (P) dec. Troy Heilmann (N), 12-6; Tied 3-3 141: No. 15 Edgar Bright (P) dec. No. 6 Evan Henderson (N), 3-1; Pitt leads 6-3 149: Christian Barber (N) dec. Mikey Racciato (P), 4-2; Tied 6-6 157: Jake Crawford (N) dec. Ronnie Garbinsky (P), 9-5; North Carolina leads 9-6 165: John Michael Staudenmayer (N) dec. Geno Morelli (P), 4-1; North Carolina leads 12-6 174: No. 7 Tyler Wilps (P) m. dec. Scott Marmoll (N), 16-5; North Carolina leads 12-10 184: No. 6 Max Thomusseit (P) dec. Alex Utley (N), 4-0; Pitt leads 13-12 197: No. 17 Nick Bonaccorsi (P) pins Frank Abbodanza (N), 4:27; Pitt leads 19-12 285: No. 19 P.J. Tasser (P) dec. Bob Coe (N), 8-1; Pitt wins 22-12

DURHAM, N.C. -- The NC State wrestling team split a pair of duals in Durham today. The Wolfpack (14-7) defeated Duke in the final ACC dual of the year, 25-13, then fell to No. 21 Northwestern 24-15. The highlight of the day was NC State’s Nick Gwiazdowski scoring a 5-3 overtime win over the nation’s top-ranked heavyweight, Michael McMullan of Northwestern. With the win over Duke, Pack head coach Pat Popolizo notched his 100th career dual victory. The Pack’s Sam Speno (141 pounds), Tommy Gantt (157) and Gwiazdowski (285) all won both of their bouts on the day. After dropping the opening bout at 197 pounds to start the ACC dual against Duke, NC State reeled off six straight wins, including three bonus point victories. Gwiazdowski started with his 15th pin of the year just 2:25 into the first period. At 125, Duke was forced to forfeit and give up six points. The Pack’s Chris Wilkes (133 pounds), Speno(141) and Brian Hamann (141) all recorded decisions before Gantt scored a major decision over No. 22 Immanuel Kerr-Brown, who was a perfect 5-0 in ACC action, to put the Pack well ahead at 25-4 after the first seven bouts. Duke won the final three matches, but the Pack came out on top 25-13 for the ACC win. Against No. 21 Northwestern, the Pack won four bouts but fell 24-15. Gwiazdowski recorded the 5-3 overtime upset of No. 1 ranked McMullan in the second bout to tie it up 3-3. Going into the third period down 3-0, he picked up an escape point early then a takedown to force OT before scoring the winning takedown in extra time. Gwiazdowski finishes with a perfect 20-0 record in duals this year, and has racked up 13 straight wins dating back to Jan. 2. He finished a perfect 6-0 against ACC foes, and six of his last eight wins have come against ranked foes. Speno got the Pack six points at 141 pounds, as his bout also went to overtime, but he recorded a pin over No. 30 Pasquale Greco to tie the dual at 9-9 at the midway point. After the Wildcats scored a tech fall at 149 pounds, Gantt earned a 13-7 decision at 157 pounds to pull the Pack within 14-12 with three matches left. Northwestern scored a pin and a major decision to push the score to 24-12, and the Pack’s Michael Macchiavello recorded an 8-6 decision to close the meet at 24-15. The Pack will next be in action on March 8, traveling to Virginia Tech for the 2014 ACC Championship. NC State 25, Duke 13: 197: #22 Conner Hartmann (DU) major dec. KaRonne Jones; 9-1 (0-4) 285: #6 Nick Gwiazdowski (NCSU) fall Brendan Walsh; 2:25 (6-4) 125: Micah Perez (NCSU) by forfeit; (12-4) 133: Chris Wilkes (NCSU) dec. Evan Botwin; 11-7 (15-4) 141: #26 Sam Speno (NCSU) dec. Xaviel Ramos; 8-5 (18-4) 149: #31 Brian Hamann (NCSU) dec. Connor Bass; 3-1 (21-4) 157: #19 Tommy Gantt (NCSU) major dec. #22 Immanuel Kerr-Brown; 11-2 (25-4) 165: Marcus Cain (DU) dec. Max Rohskopf; 6-4 (25-7) 174: Trey Adamson (DU) dec. #19 Pete Renda; 7-5 (25-10) 184: Jacob Kasper (DU) dec. Michael Macchiavello; 9-6 (25-13) No. 21 Northwestern 24, NC State 15 197: #14 Alex Polizzi (NW) dec. KaRonne Jones; 8-6 (3-0) 285: #6 Nick Gwiazdowski (NCSU) dec. #1 Michael McMullan; 5-3-SV1 (3-3) 125: Garrison White (NW) dec. Micah Perez; 6-2 (6-3) 133: #33 Dominick Malone (NW) dec. Chris Wilkes; 7-3 (9-3) 141: #26 Sam Speno (NCSU) fall #30 Pasquale Greco; 7:44-SV1 (9-9) 149: #5 Jason Tsirtsis (NW) tech fall Cohl Fulk; 20-4 (14-9) 157: #19 Tommy Gantt (NCSU) dec. Benjamin Sullivan; 13-7 (14-12) 165: #7 Pierce Harger (NW) fall Max Rohskopf; 3:17 (20-12) 174: Kevin Bialka (NW) major dec. Nijel Jones; 16-5 (24-12) 184: Michael Macchiavello (NCSU) dec. Jacob Berkowitz; 8-6 (24-15)

KENT, Ohio -- The No. 9 Missouri Wrestling program closed out the 2013-14 regular season with a 24-9 conference victory over the Golden Flashes from Kent State on Friday evening. The Tigers won seven of 10 matches on the night, including bonus point victories from Drake Houdashelt, Johnny Eblen and Devin Mellon. Freshman Barlow McGhee started things for the Tigers, topping Del Vinas of Kent State 3-1. McGhee took Del Vinas down late in the second for a 2-1 lead, and added an escape in the third to give Mizzou an early 3-0 lead. At 141 pounds, Lavion Mayes's 7-2 overtime win gave Mizzou the lead for good. Mayes had a 2-0 lead after the first, but Small responded by riding Mayes tough on top in the second. Small would escape in the third period and added a point for riding time to tie the match up at 2. In the second sudden victory period, Mayes took Small to his back for two points and a three-point nearfall to win over his Kent State counterpart. Both grapplers shared the No. 4 spot in the most recent MAC rankings at 141 pounds. Juniors Drake Houdashelt, Johnny Eblen and Devin Mellon all added major decisions to put the dual out of reach. Houdashelt nearly recorded a technical fall over Michael DePalma after a nine-point third period, winning 15-2. Eblen held Cory Campbell scoreless in an 8-0 win, his 20th win of the season. And Mellon closed the door on the Golden Flashes with a 12-1 win over Mimmo Lytle. The Tigers end the regular season with a 10-2 record and a 7-1 mark in MAC Conference action. It's the 13th consecutive winning season for Brian Smith and Tiger Style wrestling, and the win was Smith's 199th as Mizzou's head coach. Smith picked up his 200th career win last weekend against Old Dominion. Stay tuned with everything Tiger Style wrestling by following the program on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Fans can also join the conversation by using hashtag #TigerStyle. Results: 125 - Barlow McGhee (MIZZ) decision over Del Vinas (KSU), 3-1.(3-0 MIZZ)? 133 - Mack McGuire (KSU) decision over Matt Manley (MIZZ), 4-2.(3-3)? 141 - No. 18 Lavion Mayes (MIZZ) decision over Tyler Small (KSU) in SV2, 7-2.(6-3 MIZZ)? 149 - No. 1 Drake Houdashelt (MIZZ) major dec. over Michael DePalma (KSU), 15-2.(10-3 MIZZ) 157 - No. 4 Ian Miller (KSU) decision over No. 18 Joey Lavallee (MIZZ), 3-2.(10-6 MIZZ)? 165 - No. 12 Zach Toal (MIZZ) decision over T.J. Keklak (KSU), 6-2.?(13-6 MIZZ) 174 - Caleb Marsh (KSU) decision over Mikey England (MIZZ), 2-0.?(13-9 MIZZ) 184 - No. 14 Johnny Eblen (MIZZ) major dec. over Cory Campbell (KSU), 8-0.?(17-9 MIZZ) 197 - No. 2 J'den Cox (MIZZ) decision over Cole Baxter (KSU), 5-0.?(20-9 MIZZ) HWT - Devin Mellon (MIZZ) major dec. over Mimmo Lytle (KSU), 12-1.(24-9 MIZZ) WHAT'S NEXT: Following Mizzou's 24-9 win in the season finale, the squad will have a few weeks off to prepare before returning to Kent State for the 2014 MAC Championships on March 8-9. The Tigers will then close out the 2013-14 campaign at the NCAA Wrestling Championships in Oklahoma City, Okla., on March 20-22.

VESTAL, N.Y. -- The Bucknell wrestling team won the first five bouts and jumped out to a 16-0 lead en route to a 23-10 win at Binghamton Friday night. The victory closed the regular season for the Bison, who improved to 10-11 overall, 5-4 against EIWA competition. The first-year EIWA member Bearcats fell to 5-12, 2-7 EIWA. Bob Hauser, who moved up to 141 pounds after wrestling at 133 last week, and 285-pounder Joe Stolfi posted major decisions for Bucknell, while Paul Petrov, Grim Gonzalez, Victor Lopez, Ray Schlitt and Robert Schlitt won by decision to help the Bison end the regular season on a two-match winning streak. It was a relatively close match as five of the 10 bouts were decided by three or fewer points and there were just three bonus-point bouts. Petrov opened the match with a 10-8 overtime decision at 125 pounds. It was his seventh consecutive win as he improved to 3-0 in overtime this year. Gonzalez was not in the lineup last week and he returned Friday with a 5-2 decision at 133. He is now 4-2 in his last six bouts. Hauser won his second straight bout, posting a 13-3 major decision. Three of his five victories this year have been for bonus points. Ray Schlitt extended the lead to 16-0 with a 7-3 decision at 157. Binghamton claimed three of the final five bouts, but Robert Schlitt was able to win for the 15th time this year at 174, while the 17th-ranked Stolfi concluded the match with a 12-2 major decision over No. 19 Tyler Deuel. He is now 29-6 this season and has won 14 straight bouts. Bucknell will now turn its attention to the EIWA Championships, which will be held March 8-9 at Penn. Results: 125: Paul Petrov (BUCK) dec. David White (BING), 10-8 (sv3). 133: Grim Gonzalez (BUCK) dec. Mike Sardo (BING), 5-2. 141: Bob Hauser (BUCK) maj. dec. Vlad Mordach (BING), 13-3. 149: Victor Lopez (BUCK) dec. Joe Bonaldi (BING), 7-6. 157: Ray Schlitt (BUCK) dec. Dylan Caruana (BING), 7-3. 165: Vincent Grella (BING) dec. Rustin Barrick (BUCK), 6-4. 174: Robert Schlitt (BUCK) dec. Ben Price (BING), 5-1. 184: Caleb Wallace (BING) dec. Rory Bonner (BUCK),10-6. 197: No. 19 Cody Reed (BING) maj. dec. Tyler Lyster (BUCK), 12-2. 285: No. 17 Stolfi (BUCK) maj. dec. No. 19 Tyler Deuel (BING) 12-2.