InterMat Staff

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Trailing 16-9 with two bouts remaining, sophomore Augustus Marker (Castle Rock, Colo.) unleashed a crucial fall at 197 to power the Brown wrestling team to an 18-16 win over Penn in its home opener at the Pizzitola Sports Center on Saturday. "This was an exciting and emotional match tonight," said Head Coach Todd Beckerman. "Especially with our alumni back for the weekend, the team really fed off the excitement of our home crowd." The Bears got off to a hot start with senior Vincent Moita (Clayton, Calif.) taking a narrow 3-1 win at 125 and sophomore Anthony Finocchiaro (Canastota, N.Y.) prevailing 11-4 at 133. Facing a 6-0 deficit, the Quakers rattled off four straight decisions to jump ahead 13-6. Senior Ricky McDonald (Carson City, Nev.) snapped Brown's dry spell and grinded out a 3-1 win in the 174-pound class, only to see No. 9 junior Ophir Bernstein (Allen, Texas.) suffer a rare loss by way of an 8-5 decision to No. 13 Lorenzo Thomas at 184. Trailing 16-9, Brown needed strong performances in the final two bouts and Marker provided just that with a defensive fall with just 50 seconds left in the 197-pound match. The clutch maneuver flipped the Bears into the lead, 16-15, allowing freshman heavyweight Ryder Cavey (Eldersburg, Md.) to seal the team win with a 7-2 score in the day's final bout. "One of the greatest things about our sport is if there is still time on the clock then there is still time to win," Beckerman added. "Gus Marker came up big tonight at 197 lbs. He keep battling throughout the match and found a way to win. Ryder Cavey sealed the deal at heavyweight by revenging an earlier season loss with tonight's win. This was a total team effort and I am very happy with the result." Brown continues its five-meet home stand when the Bears host Princeton and Johnson & Wales tomorrow beginning at 12 p.m. Prior to the opening bout, Brown will honor former head coach Dave Amato for his 30 years of service to the program. Results: 125: Vincent Moita (Brown) dec. Jeremy Schwartz (Penn), 3-1 133: Anthony Finocchiaro (Brown) dec. Ken Bade (Penn), 11-4 141: Jeff Canfora (Penn) MD Jack Twomey-Kozak (Brown), 12-2 149: Andrew Lenzi (Penn) dec. Steven Galiardo (Brown), 6-2 157: Steve Robertson (Penn) dec. Justin Staudenmayer (Brown), 4-2 SV 165: No. 19 Casey Kent (Penn) dec. Phil Marano (Brown), 7-1 174: Ricky McDonald (Brown) dec. Zach Agostino (Penn), 3-1 184: No. 10 Lorenzo Thomas (Penn) dec. No. 12 Ophir Bernstein (Brown), 8-5 197: Gus Marker (Brown) FALL Frank Mattiace (Penn), 6:10 285: Ryan Cavey (Brown) dec. Steven Graziano (Penn), 7-2

ITHACA, N.Y. -- Heading into the final two matches of its Ivy League dual with Columbia tied at 15-15, it fell on unheralded Jace Bennett and Jacob Aiken-Phillips to bring home Cornell wrestling's 12th consecutive Ivy league title. The upperclassmen delivered. The pair of juniors each earned dominant wins without surrendering a point to give the Big Red a 22-15 victory over the Lions in a hard-fought dual on Saturday afternoon at Friedman Wrestling Center. Cornell improved to 10-0 on the season (5-0 Ivy) to earn its 63rd straight Ivy dual win and continue an unprecedented run of success. No Ivy team in any sport has won more consecutive Ancient Eight titles in conference history than the Big Red's 12. In fact, no one else has won 11 consecutive. After No. 20 Shane Hughes pinned Craig Eifert at 174 pounds and Zack Hernandez was able to carve out a 6-3 decision over Billy George at 184 pounds to knot the team score at 184, there might have been some trepidation in Friedman. Not on Jace Bennett's face. The junior earned a takedown in the first 20 seconds and was able to tilt Matt Idelson for three near-fall points by the end of the first to take a 5-0 lead as part of what would eventually be an 11-0 major decision to give Cornell some breathing room. Aiken-Phillips had the same type of dominant effort at heavyweight. After a scoreless first period that Aiken-Phillips controlled, the junior earned a quick escape in the second and a takedown to make it 3-0 heading into the third. He added another takedown in the third and added in riding time for the victory, improving to 16-7 on the season. Without four starters in the lineup, Cornell was never able to run away despite dominance at the top. Two of Cornell's wins came by decision with seven-point victories, one point shy of a major. One match that was never in doubt started Cornell off on the right foot, as top-ranked Nahshon Garrett secured seven takedowns and a couple near falls en route to a 21-5 tech fall triumph for the sophomore at 125 pounds. The victory extended his win streak to 16 straight matches. After Angelo Amenta got the Lions on the board with a tight 3-1 decision over Bricker Dixon at 133, Mike Nevinger ran out to a 7-0 lead, survived a late second period reversal and nearfall and closed out an 11-4 triumph over Matt Bystol at 141 to moved Cornell to an 8-3 lead. That would grow to 12-3 after 149, as No. 6 Chris Villalonga was too much for Connor Sutton in a 15-1 major decision. The senior had three separate nearfalls and only a free escape for Sutton in the first kept Villalonga from a shutout. Columbia's rally began at 157, as Markus Schiedel held off Taylor Simaz for a 7-5 overtime decision. The Cornell freshman had a late escape and takedown in the third to send it to overtime, but Schiedel was able to earn the match-winning takedown in the one-minute sudden victory period to make it 12-6 Big Red at intermission. Dylan Palacio topped Josh Houldsworth of Columbia 12-5 at 165, but it was the Lion whose late escape and takedown erased Palacio's bonus point win in the third. Palacio otherwise dominated ahigh-scoring third with two takedowns and a three-point nearfall. The highlight of the night for Columbia was Shane Hughes picking up the first period pin over Craig Eifert, followed by Zack Hernandez's 6-3 decision over Billy George to knot the score heading into the final two bouts. The Big Red will compete at National Duals in Columbus, Ohio beginning on Sunday, Feb. 16. Results: 125 - #1 Nahshon Garrett (C) won by tech fall over Penn Gottfried (Col), 21-5 (6:55) 133 - Angelo Amenta (Col) won by decision over Bricker Dixon (Cor), 3-1 141 - #7 Mike Nevinger (Cor) won by decision over Matt Bystol (Col), 11-4 149 - #6 Chris Villalonga (Cor) won by major decision over Connor Sutton (Col), 15-1 157 - Markus Schiedel (Col) won by decision over Taylor Simaz (Cor), 7-5 (ot) 165 - #17 Dylan Palacio (Cor) won by decision over Josh Houldsworth (Col), 12-5 174 - #20 Shane Hughes (Col) won by fall over Craig Eifert (Cor), 1:51 184 - Zack Hernandez (Col) won by decision over Billy George (Cor), 6-3 197 - Jace Bennett (Cor) won by major decision over Matt Idelson (Col), 11-0 285 - Jacob Aiken-Phillips (Cor) won by decision over Connor Sweeney (Col), 6-0

Athens, Ohio -- The Ohio University Wrestling team (10-3, 4-3) earned its fifth-consecutive home win following a 21-16 victory over Clarion Saturday afternoon at the Convocation Center. The win also marked Ohio's eighth-consecutive win at home dating back to last season. Clarion stole an early lead, with Dustin Conti defeating senior Ryan Garringer (Downers Grove, Ill.) at 184 in a 9-5 decision. Ohio sophomore Phil Wellington (Euclid, Ohio) responded with a major decision victory (11-3) over Daniel Sutherland at 197 which gave the Bobcats a 4-3 lead. Wellington's win marked his sixth-consecutive victory. He is also undefeated in home competition. Senior Jeremy Johnson (Broadview Heights, Ohio) mimicked Wellington, scoring another major decision triumph at heavyweight as he downed Evan Daley, 11-3. Johnson has won eight-consecutive matches, contributing to his team-best 29-4 record. The Golden Eagles picked up another six points with an Ohio forfeit at the 125 class and took a 9-8 lead over the Bobcats. CU's Sam Sherlock extended Clarion's lead as he defeated sophomore Kagan Squire (Wadsworth, Ohio) in a 10-1 major decision. Ohio freshman Noah Forrider (Marysville, Ohio) tightened the Clarion lead to 13-11 with a 5-3 decision over Tyler Bedelyon. Junior No. 15 Tywan Claxton (South Euclid, Ohio) reclaimed the lead for Ohio with an 8-4 decision over Justin Arthur. This is Claxton's eighth-consecutive victory, improving his record to 22-4. Clarion took the lead once again, with Austin Matthews defeating redshirt sophomore Spartak Chino (Wheaton, Ill.) in a 14-8 decision. Junior Harrison Hightower (Strongsville, Ohio) earned Ohio's third major decision on the afternoon, with an 8-0 win over Michael Pavasko. Redshirt sophomore No. 10 Cody Walters (Macedonia, Ohio) solidified the Ohio victory with a 5-2 decision victory. With the win, Walters earned his fifth-consecutive triumph, improving his record to 8-1. Ohio will return to the Convocation Center tomorrow to take on Old Dominion at 5:30 p.m. Results: 184 - Dustin Conti (7-15) 9, Ryan Garringer (9-16) 5, dec. - Ohio 0, CU 3 197 - No. 11 Phil Wellington (26-3) 11, Daniel Sutherland (4-12) 3, major dec. - Ohio 4, CU 3 HWT - No. 11 Jeremy Johnson (29-4) 11, Evan Daley (16-11) 3, major dec. - Ohio 8, CU 3 125 - Ohio forfeit, Ohio 8, CU 9 133 - Sam Sherlock (17-11) 10, Kagan Squire (8-10) 1, major dec. - Ohio 8, CU 13 141 - Noah Forrider (21-13) 5, Tyler Bedelyon (10-15) 3, dec. - Ohio 11, CU 13 149 - No. 15 Tywan Claxton (22-4) 8, Justin Arthur (23-8) 4, dec. - Ohio 14, CU 13 157 - Austin Matthews (18-5) 14, Spartak Chino (14-9) 8, dec. - Ohio 14, CU 16 165 - Harrison Hightower (26-9) 8, Michael Pavasko (12-16) 0, major dec. Ohio 18, CU 16 174 - No. 10 Cody Walters (8-1) 5, Ryan Darch (14-16) 2, dec.- Ohio 21, CU 16

Philadelphia, Pa. -- The Drexel Wrestling team held on to defeat Rider, 20-19, on Friday night at the Daskalakis Athletic Center. With the win, the Dragons improve to 6-13 overall while the Broncs move to 12-7 on the season. Freshman Tanner Shoap started off the night for the Dragons at 125 but lost a 10-2 major decision to give the Broncs an early 4-0 lead. Kevin Devoy Jr came out at 133 and earned a 7-6 decision after five overtimes to get the Dragons on the board with three team points. David Pearce gave the Dragons a 9-4 lead with a come-from-behind pin over Rider's Paul Kirchner at the 3:17 mark. At 149, Noel Blanco lost a tough 9-7 decision that narrowed the Dragons' lead to 9-7. Austin Sommer fired back with a 4-2 decision that increased Drexel's lead to 12-7 before the dual went into a ten minute intermission. Jason Fugiel came out strong after halftime with a 6-2 decision at 165 over Rider's Ramon Santiago to make Drexel's lead, 15-7. The Broncs retaliated with a 15-4 major decision and a 16-1 technical fall at 174 and 184 respectively to take their only lead of the night, making the score 16-15. Brandon Palik came out fighting at 197 and earned a crucial 18-3 tech fall to take back the Dragons lead at 20-16. Joseph Giorgio finished out the night by holding off Rider's Greg Velasco from earning four or more team points, which lead the Dragons to a 20-19 victory on Spirit Night at the DAC. The Dragons return to action tomorrow as they host Franklin & Marshall at the DAC with matches beginning at 7:00 p.m. Results: 125: Robert Deutsch (RIDER) MAJ Tanner Shoap (DU) 10-2 133: Kevin Devoy Jr (DU) DEC Chuck Zeisloft (RIDER) 7-6 141: David Pearce (DU) WBF Paul Kirchner (RIDER) @ 3:17 149: Curt Delia (RIDER) DEC Noel Blanco (DU) 8-3 157: Austin Sommer (DU) DEC Wayne Stinson (RIDER) 4-2 165: Jason Fugiel (DU) DEC Ramon Santiago (RIDER) 6-2 174: Conor Brennan (RIDER) MAJ Kevin Matyas (DU) 15-4 184: Clint Morrison (RIDER) TF Bryan Sternleib (DU) 16-1 197: Brandon Palik (DU) TF Jeff McElwee (RIDER) 18-3 285: Greg Velasco (RIDER) DEC Joseph Giorgio (DU) 4-0

UW head coach Mark Branch reached a milestone in his coaching career Friday night as the University of Wyoming wrestling team rolled over Northern Colorado, 41-6. Branch won his 60th dual as UW's head man, thanks to four falls and two major decisions from the Cowboys. He is just the fifth coach in UW history to reach the 60-win plateau. With the win, UW improved to 3-6 overall and 1-1 in the Western Wrestling Conference. "I was pleased with the bonus points we got. From top to bottom, seeing the guys respond with bonus points was the most pleasing thing," Branch said. "I saw guys going out and taking chances, going for falls and back points. We've been emphasizing to them to take chances and good things will happen. It was nice to see them come out of their shell a little bit and have a dominating win." Branch's cause was aided by junior Andy McCulley, who earned the best win of his season over 19th-ranked Mitchell Polkowske. McCulley's pin of Polkowske at 5:34 in the 157-pound bout tied the dual at 6-all after two matches and jumpstarted a 41-0 run for the Pokes over the remaining eight matches. "Andy's was a crazy match. He got caught in some bad situations, but didn't lose his focus," Branch said. "He stayed composed and came back strong and had a great reaction on that pin." Three other Pokes - redshirt freshmen Benjamin Stroh (184), Gunnar Woodburn (133) and Cole Mendenhall (141) - secured pins, while redshirt freshman Brent Havlik (174) and junior Shane Woods (197) came away with major decisions. Junior heavyweight Leland Pfeifer had a nice win over UNC's Henry Chirino, rated 29th in the latest NCAA Coaches Poll, in a gritty 2-1 decision. Wyoming also notched decision victories from juniors Dakota Friesth (165) and Tyler Cox at 125. The Pokes have a short break before hitting the road to face Air Force on the road Tuesday. Matches begin at 7 p.m. from the Academy. Results: 149 pounds: Beau Roberts (UNC) fall (4:56) Jake Elliott / Northern Colorado 6, Wyoming 0 157: Andy McCulley fall (5:34) #NR/20/19 Mitchell Polkowske (UNC) / Wyoming 6, Northern Colorado 6 165: #NR/NR/18 Dakota Friesth dec. Charlie McMartin (UNC), 3-2 / Wyoming 9, Northern Colorado 6 174: Brent Havlik maj. dec. Josh Van Tine (UNC), 11-2 / Wyoming 13, Northern Colorado 6 184: #18/16/17 Benjamin Stroh fall (4:52) Nick Bayer (UNC) / Wyoming 19, Northern Colorado 6 197: #NR/NR/24 Shane Woods maj. dec. Cole Briegel (UNC), 10-2 / Wyoming 23, Northern Colorado 6 285: Leland Pfeifer dec. Henry Chirino (UNC), 2-1 / Wyoming 26, Northern Colorado 6 125: #8/8/10 Tyler Cox dec. Trey Andrews (UNC), 4-2 / Wyoming 29, Northern Colorado 6 133: Gunnar Woodburn fall (4:51) Sonny Espinoza (UNC) / Wyoming 35, Northern Colorado 6 141: Cole Mendenhall fall (2:09) Nick Adams (UNC) / Wyoming 41, Northern Colorado 6

Hempstead, NY -- Graduate-student Joe Booth recorded a major decision at 165 to lead eight Pride winners as Hofstra defeated Binghamton, 28-8 in an EIWA match at the Mack Sports Complex Friday night. The Pride bounced back from an 8-0 deficit after two matches to record their second consecutive eight-match victory and even their overall record to 6-6 and 4-2 in the EIWA. Binghamton fell to 4-11 overall and 3-7 in conference action. On the Hofstra Senior Night, three of the four graduating grapplers posted victories. Starting the match at 197-pounds, Binghamton senior Cody Reed (22-8) opened with a 16-5 major decision over red-shirt junior Zeal McGrew (6-13), who will be graduating in May. Junior Tyler Deuel (24-5) boosted the Bearcats lead to 8-0 with a 19-6 major decision over Pride freshman Michael Hughes (11-14) at 285. It would be Binghamton’s last win of the night. Hofstra senior Jamie Franco (19-6), ranked 16th by Intermat, got the Pride rolling at 125 with a 2-1 decision over junior David White in the second tie-breaker. Freshman Jamel Hudson (16-4), ranked 18th, added a 5-1 decision over sophomore Mike Sardo at 133. The Bearcats forfeited the 141-pound match to 11h-ranked senior Luke Vaith (22-4) to give Hofstra a 12-8 lead at the intermission. Pride junior Cody Ruggirello (19-7) continued his winning ways with a 3-0 decision over junior Joe Bonaldi at 149. Like Franco, Hudson and Vaith, it was Ruggirello’s fourth consecutive victory. Red-shirt freshman Jahlani Callender (13-7) recorded his first dual match victory with a 10-4 decision over sophomore Colton Perry at 157. Booth (26-5) then recorded his career-best 26th victory of the season with a 16-5 major decision over sophomore Vincent Grella to give the Pride a 22-8 lead and seal the victory. Hofstra red-shirt freshman Frank Affronti (9-12) at 174 and sophomore Victor Pozsonyi (5-12) posted decisions at 174 and 184, respectively to close out the contest. The Pride will return to action on Sunday, February 9 when they travel to Lawrenceville, New Jersey to face the Broncs of Rider University in a non-conference match at 5 p.m. Results: 197 Cody Reed (BU) maj. dec. Zeal McGrew (HU) 16-5. 285 Tyler Deuel (BU) maj. dec. Michael Hughes (HU) 19-6. 125 Jamie Franco (HU) dec. David White (BU) 2-1 in TB2 133 Jamel Hudson (HU) dec. Mike Sardo (BU) 5-1. 141 Luke Vaith (HU) won by forfeit. 149 Cody Ruggirello (HU) dec. Joe Bonaldi (BU) 3-0. 157 Jahlani Callender (HU) dec. Colton Perry (BU) 10-4. 165 Joe Booth (HU) maj. dec. Vincent Grella (BU) 16-5. 174 Frank Affronti (HU) dec. Ben Price (BU) 3-0. 184 Victor Pozsonyi (HU) dec. Caleb Wallace (BU) 4-3.

OREM, Utah -- The No. 20 North Dakota State wrestling team remain unbeaten in Western Wrestling Conference action, picking up a 33-11 victory over the Utah Valley Wolverines on Friday, Feb. 7. Pins by redshirt freshman Hunter Weber and senior Steven Monk carried the Bison in a back-and-forth match, before NDSU rattled off five straight victories to end the dual. The Bison have now won eight of their last 10 matches to improve to 8-4 in duals, including a 7-1 mark on the road and a 2-0 record in WWC matchups. Weber gave NDSU a boost to start the dual, earning a second-period fall over Utah Valley's No. 17-ranked Jade Rauser. The Wolverines took a 7-6 lead before NDSU regained control with a 7-2 decision at 149 pounds by NDSU senior Tyler Diamond. Utah Valley went up 11-9 before the Bison took command of the match. Third-ranked Steven Monk had the second pin of the match for the Bison in the second period at 165 pounds over Utah Valley's Logan Addis, giving him his 16th consecutive victory. The Bison's No.13-ranked Hayden Zillmer and No. 19-ranked Kurtis Julson both held on for decisions, putting NDSU up 21-11 heading into the final two bouts. Tyler Lehmann earned his sixth pin in the seventh dual he's wrestled for NDSU this season, picking up a fall at the 4:10 mark over Derek Thomas. Junior Evan Knutson put the match away with the team's fourth pin of the night, getting a fall with five seconds left in the first period over Utah Valley's Richard Larsen. NDSU continues its WWC road trip Sunday when it faces off with Northern Colorado at 3 p.m. (CT)/2 p.m. (MT) in Greeley, Colo. Results: 125: Hunter Weber (NDSU) won by pin over No. 17 Jade Rauser (Utah Valley), 3: 52 133: Chasen Tolbert (Utah Valley) won by decision over Justin LaValle (NDSU) 10-4 141: Avery Garner (Utah Valley) won by major decision over Clay Cathey (NDSU), 10-1 149: Tyler Diamond (NDSU) won by decision over Tyler Wilson (Utah Valley), 7-2 157: Chase Cuthbertson (Utah Valley) won by major decision over Nick Olejnik (NDSU), 16-7 165: No. 3 Steven Monk (NDSU) won by pin over Logan Addis (Utah Valley), 4:27 174: No. 13 Hayden Zillmer (NDSU) won by decision over Monte Schmalhaus (Utah Valley), 9-4 184: No. 19 Kurtis Julson (NDSU) won by decision over Ethan Smith (Utah Valley), 2-0 197: Tyler Lehmann (NDSU) won by pin over Derek Thomas, 4:10 285: Evan Knutson (NDSU) won by pin over Richard Larsen, 2:55

PITTSBURGH - The No. 6 University of Pittsburgh wrestling team (12-1, 5-0 ACC) defeated No. 16 Virginia Tech (15-3, 4-2 ACC), 19-14, this evening at Fitzgerald Field House. With the victory, the Panthers clinch a share of the ACC Regular Season Championship, the first ACC title, in any sport, for the University. Anthony Zanetta opened the contest with a 3-1 decision over No. 19 Joey Dance of Virginia Tech at 125 pounds. After a scoreless first, Zanetta scored a takedown in the second period off a go-behind on a scramble to give him the two point margin of victory. Dance was able to escape midway through the third but Zanetta held him at bay the remainder of the bout to secure the win. The victory was the 100th of Zanetta's career making him only the 18th wrestler in school history to reach the century mark in wins. Shelton Mack and Edgar Bright followed him with back to back decisions at 133 and 141 pounds respectively to extend the Pitt lead to 9-0. Mack executed a nice double leg takedown of the Hokie's Dennis Gustafson in the second period giving him a narrow 3-2 win. Bright used a second period escape and a bonus point for riding time to clinch a 2-1 decision over Erik Spjut to increase Pitt's lead to 9-0. The Hokies erased the lead with a run of their own, winning matches at 149, 157, and 165 pounds to take an 11-9 lead before Tyler Wilps earned a 13-3 major decision over John Dickson. Wilps scored five takedowns, an escape, a stall point, and a bonus point for over two minutes of ride time to help the Panthers regain the lead at 13-11. Pitt would not relinquish the lead as Max Thomusseit and Nick Bonaccorsi sealed the victory for the Panthers with decisions at 184 and 197 pounds. Thomusseit was dominant in a 7-2 victory over No. 17 Nick Vetterlein at 184 pounds. Thomusseit got on Vetterlein early scoring a quick double and riding out the Hokie 184 pounder for the remainder of the first. In the second, Thomusseit earned a quick escape and takedown to extend his advantage to 5-0. A point for stalling extended the lead to 6-0 as Thomusseit looked for a major but Vetterlein earned the last takedown to make the final, 7-2. At 197 pounds, Bonaccorsi also cruised to victory with an 8-3 decision over No. 20 Chris Penny. Following a scoreless first, Bonaccorsi started down in the second and earned a quick escape. The redshirt sophomore then went on the offensive with a pair of takedowns to push his lead to 5-1 going to the third. In the final frame, Bonaccorsi added another takedown and a bonus point for riding time to clinch the decision and put the match out of reach for Virginia Tech at 19-11 with one bout to go. The Hokies' Ty Walz took a hard-fought, back-and-forth, 12-10 decision over Mike Gregory in their bout at heavyweight to make the final match score 19-14 in favor of the Panthers. Pitt will return to the mats on Friday, Feb. 14, when it plays host to in-state rival Edinboro (8-3) in a 7 p.m. dual at Fitzgerald Field House. Results: 125: Anthony Zanetta (P) dec. No. 19 Joey Dance (V), 3-1; Pitt leads, 3-0 133: No. 20 Shelton Mack (P) dec. Dennis Gustafson (V), 3-2; Pitt leads, 6-0 141: No. 17 Edgar Bright (P) dec. Erik Spjut (V), 2-1; Pitt leads, 9-0 149: No. 17 Zach Neibert (V) dec. Mikey Racciato (P), 7-3; Pitt leads, 9-3 157: Sal Mastriani (V) tech. fall Ronnie Garbinsky (P), 28-15; Pitt leads, 9-8 165: Chris Moon (V) dec. Geno Morelli (P), 2-1; Virginia Tech leads, 11-9 174: No. 7 Tyler Wilps (P) m. dec. John Dickson (V), 13-3; Pitt leads, 13-11 184: No. 6 Max Thomusseit (P) dec. No. 17 Nick Vetterlein (V), 7-2; Pitt leads, 16-11 197: No. 18 Nick Bonaccorsi (P) dec. No. 20 Chris Penny (V), 8-3; Pitt leads, 19-11 285: Ty Walz (VT) dec. Mike Gregory (P), 12-10; Pitt wins 19-14

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Wrestling in their final home dual, Purdue seniors Cashé Quiroga and Alex White went out in grand fashion with victories at 133 and 285 pounds, respectively, but it was a pair of bonus point wins that lifted No. 18 Illinois past the 24th-ranked Boilermakers, 18-16, Friday in Holloway Gymnasium. The difference makers for the Fighting Illini were a technical fall by third-ranked Jesse Delgado at 125 and a major decision by No. 13 Jackson Morse at 165. Purdue closes out its Big Ten dual schedule at 1-7 and moves to 6-7 overall with one dual remaining. The win pushes Illinois’ record to 8-6, 2-5 Big Ten. “The positives tonight are that both of our seniors went out with a win,” head wrestling coach Scott Hinkel said. “I told the guys that tonight is dedicated to them, the seniors. Cashé [Quiroga] wrestled a really tough guy [Zane Richards]. That’s a great win for him. Our first five guys are finding ways to win, they’re wrestling aggressive. We need to have that momentum carry over to the other five guys. We’ve got one last dual against a tough Northern Iowa team. We’re peaking at the right time; these guys just have to believe.” Quiroga, ranked No. 15/13, held a 5-4 lead on No. 13/11 Zane Richards heading into the final period. That’s when he turned the burners on. The Indianapolis, Ind., native blitzed Richards with a trio of takedowns and earned back-to-back three-point nearfalls en route to a 19-6 major decision. Quiroga’s five takedowns lifted him into fourth on the career takedowns list with 365. The major decision is his fourth of the season as he improves to 13-4 while upsetting his fourth top-25 opponent of his final campaign. White (8-15) took Illinois’ Chris Lopez down while keeping one foot in bounds with four seconds left in sudden victory for a 3-1 decision to close out the dual. The Boilermaker and Lopez exchanged escapes in the start of the second and third periods to send the match into the 60-second winner-take-all session. The sudden victory win is the third extended match that the Mount Vernon, Ind., native has won in his final season. At 141 pounds, Purdue’s Danny Sabatello shocked eighth-ranked Steven Rodrigues with a 10-6 decision. The Fighting Illini, who had been out of the lineup since Midlands, was blasted by a pair of Sabatello first period takedowns to trail 4-2. Sabatello kept the pressure on in the second stanza, adding an early escape, followed by a four-point move, to jump out to a 9-2 lead. Rodrigues responded with a reversal and received a locked hands call on Sabatello in the third. An escape by Rodrigues made it 9-6 with 36 seconds left, however the Long Grove, Ill., Boilermaker denied his opponent’s late attempt to score. Sabatello added 1:34 worth of riding time to pick up the 19th win of his redshirt sophomore season. Purdue also got decisions from Brandon Nelsen at 149 and No. 12/14 Branden Atwood at 197. Nelsen’s escape and takedown in the second period earned him a 3-1 win over John Fahy to improve his redshirt junior record to 14-11. Atwood (22-7) picked up his 22nd win courtesy of an unnecessary roughness call in the second, an escape in the third and 1:58 worth of riding time to defeat Jeff Koepke, 3-1. The final dual of the season sends the Boilermakers to Cedar Falls, Iowa, to take on fifth-ranked Northern Iowa at 2 p.m. CT on Feb. 16. Results: 125: No. 3 Jesse Delgado (Illinois) tech fall Luke Schroeder (Purdue), 19-4 (4:19) 133: No. 15/13 Cashé Quiroga (Purdue) maj. dec. No. 13/11 Zane Richards (Illinois), 19-6 141: Danny Sabatello (Purdue) dec. No. 8 Steven Rodrigues (Illinois), 10-6 149: Brandon Nelsen (Purdue) dec. John Fahy (Illinois), 3-1 157: No. 13 Zac Brunson (Illinois) dec. Alex Griffin (Purdue), 6-2 165: No. 13 Jackson Morse (Illinois) maj. dec. Chad Welch (Purdue), 18-5 174: Tony Dallago (Illinois) dec. Patrick Kissel (Purdue), 13-7 184: Nikko Reyes (Illinois) dec. Tanner Lynde (Purdue), 9-5 197: No. 12/14 Braden Atwood (Purdue) dec. Jeff Koepke (Illinois), 3-1 285: Alex White (Purdue) dec. Chris Lopez (Illinois), 3-1 (SV1)

LINCOLN, Neb. -- The No. 11-ranked University of Michigan wrestling team used the third tiebreaker criteria -- most match points -- knock off No. 7 Nebraska, 17-16, on Friday evening (Feb. 7) in front of 2,667 fans at the Cornhuskers' Devaney Center. With the Wolverines needing a major decision in the final match, freshman heavyweight Adam Coon (Fowlerville, Mich./Fowlerville HS) came through to seal the dual victory. Coon, ranked second in the latest InterMat poll, scored five takedowns en route to a 12-3 major decision over Collin Jensen, tallying three in the first period to jump out to an early lead before adding one more apiece in the second and third. With the major in hand midway through the third, Coon rode out the remainder of the match to accumulate 1:56 in time advantage. He improved to 26-1 on the season. The Wolverines also benefited from a sizable early advantage, winning each of the first three matches at the lowerweights and four of the first six. Sophomore/freshman Conor Youtsey (Parma, Mich./Mason HS) edged ninth-ranked Tim Lambert, 2-0, at 125 pounds -- his second win over a ranked opponent in three matches. Youtsey, ranked 20th, rode out the second period and secured a quick escape in the third to control the opening bout from start to finish. Sophomore/freshman Rossi Bruno (Brandon, Fla./Brandon HS), ranked 19th at 133 pounds, took advantage of a quick start to claim a 7-6 decision over Shawn Nagel on riding time. Bruno finished on an early first-period single leg and subsequently rode for more than a minute. He escaped quickly in the second and countered on a Nagel half shot late in the period. The Husker wrestled scored on two takedowns of his own in the third, including a late counter, but Bruno held 1:44 in time advantage to provide the deciding point. Senior/junior Steve Dutton (Miller Place, N.Y./Rocky Point HS), ranked 13th at 141 pounds, had the Cornhuskers' Colton McCrystal wrapped up in a cradle for most of the third period but settled instead for a 10-3 decision. Dutton scored on a pair of first-period takedowns to build an early lead before adding three more points on the third-period cradle. The Huskers put their first points on the board with back-to-back decision wins 149 and 157 pounds. Jake Sueflohn, ranked fifth nationally, rallied to defeat fifth-year senior Eric Grajales (Brandon, Fla./Brandon HS), 9-3, in the former bout, stealing the lead with a takedown late in the first period and adding three more in the second and third. It was Grajales' first loss of the semester. Senior/junior Jake Salazar (Midway, Utah/Wasatch HS) forced overtime against top-ranked James Green at 157 pounds before losing, 7-6, on a rideout in the first round of tiebreakers. After giving up two takedowns in the first period, Salazar chipped away with a single-leg takedown late in the second and evened the score with a hard double leg in the final 10 seconds of regulation. He had Green's leg wrapped up tight late in the sudden-victory frame but couldn't finish on the edge as time expired. Green escaped 12 seconds into the first tiebreaker and rode out Salazar in the second to stave off the upset. Fifth-year senior Dan Yates (Hesperia, Mich./Hesperia HS) picked up a 4-0 decision over Austin Wilson at 165 pounds, scoring on a head in the hole in the first period and riding out the remainder of the frame. He escaped in the second and finished the bout with 1:18 in time advantage. Yates' win pushed U-M's lead to 12-6 with four bouts remaining. Nebraska won each of the next three matches to temporarily take the lead. The Wolverines were in good position to put the dual away before the heavyweight match but lost heartbreakers on late takedowns in consecutive matches at 184 and 197 pounds. Freshman Domenic Abounader (Gates Mills, Ohio/St. Edward HS) scored on two second-period takedowns to lead ninth-ranked T.J. Dudley by two points late in the third period in the former before giving up a last-second takedown out of a wild flurry in regulation and a single leg on the edge late in sudden victory to fall 8-6. Senior/junior Chris Heald (West Bloomfield, Mich./West Bloomfield HS) scored in the first period and escaped immediately in the third to lead Caleb Kolb by three at 197 pounds but gave up two takedowns late, including a single leg in the final 20 seconds to fall 5-4. Michigan (10-3, 6-1 Big Ten) will close out the road trip -- and its Big Ten Conference dual-meet slate -- on Sunday (Feb. 9), heading to Iowa City, Iowa, to face No. 3 Iowa at 2 p.m. CST at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Results: 125 -- #20 Conor Youtsey (U-M) dec. #9 Tim Lambert, 9-2-04 U-M, 3-0 133 -- #19 Rossi Bruno (U-M) dec. Shawn Nagel, 7-6 U-M, 7-6 141 -- #13 Steve Dutton (U-M) dec. Colton McCrystal, 10-3 U-M, 9-0 149 -- #5 Jake Sueflohn (Neb) dec. #7 Eric Grajales, 9-3 U-M, 9-3 157 -- #1 James Green (Neb) dec. Jake Salazar, 7-6 TB1 U-M, 9-6 165 -- #6 Dan Yates (U-M) dec. Austin Wilson, 4-0 U-M, 12-6 174 -- #4 Robert Kokesh (Neb) major dec. Collin Zeerip, 11-2 U-M, 12-10 184 -- #9 T.J. Dudley (PSU) dec. #16 Domenic Abounader, 8-6 SV Neb, 13-12 197 -- Caleb Kolb (Neb) dec. Chris Heald, 5-4 Neb, 16-14 Hwt -- #2 Adam Coon(U-M) major dec. Collin Jensen, 12-3 * Michigan awarded a team point on the third match tiebreaker

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- Highlighted by Joe Spisak’s upset win over fourth-ranked Evan Henderson at 141 pounds, the 12th-ranked Virginia wrestling team captured a 21-9 victory over North Carolina Friday evening in front of near-capacity crowd at Memorial Gymnasium. In recording their 20th straight home dual triumph, Virginia (16-3, 4-1 ACC) won seven of the 10 individual bouts on Senior Night. Virginia has not lost a home dual since Nov. 27, 2011, an 18-13 loss to Virginia Tech. Prior to the dual, Virginia honored seniors Stephen Doty (St. Louis, Mo.), Jon Fausey (Dalmatia, Pa.) and Tanner Hirstine (Greenwood Village, Colo.) in Senior Night ceremonies. All 10 matches were determined by decision, including a pair in tiebreakers. Points were tough to come by all night, as both teams grinded away while neither allowed any back points. Ranked 19th nationally, Spisak (R-Jr., Boiling Springs, Pa.) scored the big win of the evening, a 4-0 decision against the reigning All-American Henderson, who suffered just his fourth defeat of the season. “We had some guys banged up going into tonight, and there was a vibe going in that we needed to find a way to win,” Virginia head coach Steve Garland said. “I was really proud of the way the guys stepped up. I thought the effort and tenacity, and the way our guys made the wins happen tonight, was really cool to see.” Virginia also picked up wins from Joseph Martinez (R-So., Platteville, Colo.), Blaise Butler (R-So., Belvidere, Ill.), Nick Sulzer (R-Jr., Cleveland, Ohio), Doty, Zach Nye (R-So., Enola, Pa.) and Ethan Hayes (R-So., New Lebanon, Ohio) to energize the big home crowd. “We had a great crowd again tonight,” Garland said. “The last two ACC matches have been standing room only. There haven’t been enough seats for everyone, and that’s a good problem to have. I hope we continue to have that problem.” The dual started with the feature match of the evening at 141 pounds. After a scoreless first period, Spisak started in the down position in the second but reversed Henderson and rode out the period. Henderson chose down to start the third, but Spisak maintained the advantage for the full period. Henderson also was penalized for his second stall warning, giving Spisak a penalty point. Spisak piled up 3:19 in riding time for the 4-0 win, his third of the season over a returning All-American. UNC (5-10, 0-4) knotted the dual at 149 when Christian Barber scored a 4-3 win over Justin Van Hoose (So., Kirksville, Mo.) in the second tiebreaker period. Wrestling up a weight to fill in for an injured Gus Sako, Van Hoose was reversed in the second tiebreaker to snap a 2-2 tie. He scored on a late escape point for the final tally. UVa won the next three weight classes to move out to a 12-3 edge. Ranked 15th nationally at 157, Butler jumped to a 6-2 lead with three takedowns in the first two periods in winning 6-3 over Jacob Crawford. Sulzer, No. 2 nationally at 165, was tested in his match with John Michael Staudenmayer. Despite pouncing for a takedown just 15 seconds into the match, Sulzer could not pull away from the pesky Staudenmayer. With 1:36 in riding time, Sulzer clinched his 11th straight victory and upped his record to 28-1 on the season. Ranked 11th nationally, Doty accumulated 2:54 in riding time as he rolled to an 8-1 win over Scott Marmoll at 174. Doty improved to 23-7 on the year. The Tar Heels cut into the lead at 184 when Alex Utley won 8-3 over James Suvak (R-Fr., Parma Heights, Ohio), who was filling in for Fausey. Nye went to a tiebreaker with Frank Abbondanza at 197 pounds before claiming a 3-2 win. Nye reversed Abbondanza early in the first portion of the tiebreaker, then held Abbondanza down for much of the second portion before allowing him to escape late. Nye improved to 16-8 on the season. Hayes scored a 10-3 win over Bob Coe in the heavyweight bout. He scored a pair of first-period takedowns as he dominated throughout while building 2:48 in riding time. UNC scored its final win when Nathan Kraisser outlasted Nick Herrmann (So., Amarillo, Texas), 4-3, at 125. Herrmann scored a late first-period takedown to gain the initial points, but Kraisser forged ahead in the second with an escape point followed by a takedown. Herrmann tied the match later in the period when Kraisser was penalized a point for interlocking hands. Herrmann chose the down position in the third, but Kraisser rode out the period to gain the riding-time point and the 4-3 win. Martinez finished the dual strong for UVa , scoring a third-period takedown to break a 1-1 tie and defeat Troy Heilmann, 3-1, at 133. UVa wraps up its ACC schedule at 2 p.m. Sunday when it travels to NC State. The Cavaliers conclude the regular season on Sunday, Feb. 16, with a 2 p.m. dual at George Mason. Results: 141: No. 19 Joe Spisak (UVa) dec. No. 4 Evan Henderson (UNC) 4-0; UVa 3-0 149: Christian Barber (UNC) dec. Justin Van Hoose (UVa) 4-3 (TB2); 3-3 157: No. 15 Blaise Butler (UVa) dec. Jacob Crawford (UNC) 6-2; UVa 6-3 165: No. 2 Nick Sulzer (UVa) dec. John Staudenmayer (UNC) 4-3; UVa 9-3 174: No. 11 Stephen Doty (UVa) dec. Scott Marmoll (UNC) 8-1; UVa 12-3 184: Alex Utley (UNC) dec. James Suvak (UVa) 8-3; UVa 12-6 197: Zach Nye (UVa) dec. Frank Abbondanza (UNC) 3-2 (TB1); UVa 15-6 285: Ethan Hayes (UVa) dec. Bob Coe (UNC) 10-2; UVa 18-6 125: Nathan Kraisser (UNC) dec. Nick Herrmann (UVa) 4-2; UVa 18-9 133: Joseph Martinez (UVa) dec. Troy Heilmann (UNC) 3-1; UVa 21-9

MASSILLON, Ohio -- Behind a pair of falls and a technical fall by 125-pounder Nick Roberts, 133-pounder Johnni DiJulius and 141-pounder Logan Stieber, the 13th-ranked Ohio State wrestling team jumped out to a 17-0 lead and eventually cruised to a 39-6 win over Michigan State Friday night. In front of 2,250 fans at Massillon Perry High School in Massillon, Ohio, the Buckeyes improved to 9-4 overall and 4-4 in the Big Ten Conference. Up next, Ohio State will host the 2014 EAS Sports Nutrition/NWCA National Duals at St. John Arena Feb. 16-17. In addition to Roberts, DiJulius and Stieber scoring bonus points for the Buckeyes, No. 11 Kenny Courts (174 pounds) and Massillon, Ohio, native Nick Heflin (197 pounds) also recorded extra points for the Buckeyes in the victory. Courts notched Ohio State’s third fall of the evening with his 3:09 pin of John Rizqallah. In the following match, No. 8 Heflin recorded a 10-2 major decision against Nick McDiarmid. After a scoreless first period, Heflin chose bottom and scored a reversal followed by a 3-point nearfall in front of the home crowd to take a 5-0 lead. Heflin soon extended his advantage in the third period with two more takedowns and a riding time of 2:41. Roberts and No. 9 DiJulius helped Ohio State get off to a fast start with back-to-back falls. Roberts pinned Brenan Lyon in 1:54, while DiJulius dropped Garth Yenter in 2:53. No. 3 Stieber then amassed 20 points in his 20-3 technical fall over Brian Gibbs. Up 3-0 entering the third period, 149-pounder and No. 20 Ian Paddock collected a takedown, back points and a riding time of 2:08 in his 8-4 victory over Nicholas Trimble. Between 157-174 pounds, each Buckeye – Randy Languis, Joe Grandominico and No. 14 Mark Martin – won by a 5-2 score. Languis used a pair of takedowns and a riding time of 1:26 to secure victory over Roger Wildmo, while Grandominico recorded two takedowns and an escape in his win vs. Bobby Nash. Martin also scored a pair of takedowns and collected his fifth point of the match on consecutive stalling calls against Spartan Nick Kaczanowski. The lone loss for the Buckeyes came in the heavyweight match up. Nick Tavanello was pinned by No. 7 Mike McClure in 2:50. Results: 125: Nick Roberts (OSU) pins Brenan Lyon (MSU). (OSU, 6-0) 133: No. 9 Johnni DiJulius (OSU) pins Garth Yenter (MSU). (OSU, 12-0) 141: No. 3 Logan Stieber (OSU) tech. fall Brian Gibbs (MSU), 20-3. (OSU, 17-0) 149: No. 20 Ian Paddock (OSU) dec. Nick Trimble (MSU), 8-4. (OSU, 20-0) 157: Randy Languis (OSU) dec. Roger Wildmo (MSU), 5-2. (OSU, 23-0) 165: Joe Grandominico (OSU) dec. Bobby Nash (MSU), 5-2. (OSU, 26-0) 174: No. 14 Mark Martin (OSU) dec. Nick Kaczanowski (MSU), 5-2 (OSU, 29-0) 184: No. 11 Kenny Courts (OSU) pins John Rizqallah (MSU). (OSU, 35-0) 197: No. 8 Nick Heflin (OSU) major dec. Nick McDiarmid (MSU), 10-2. (OSU, 39-0) HWT: No. 7 Mike McClure (MSU) pins Nick Tavanello (OSU). (OSU, 39-6)

Boiling Springs, N.C. – The Citadel won eight of 10 bouts, including pins by Aaron Walker and Marshall Haas, en route to a 33-9 victory over Gardner-Webb on Friday evening at the Paul Porter Arena in Boiling Springs, N.C. The win improved The Citadel to 6-3 overall and 3-1 in Southern Conference action while Gardner-Webb drops to 6-14 overall with a 2-4 league mark. Fifteenth-ranked Ugi Khishignyam opened the match with a 6-3 decision over Ryan Mosley at 141 pounds to improve his record to 14-3 on the season and extend his Southern Conference winning streak to 10 bouts. Nick Kiter, wrestling in the place of Matt Frisch who took the night off to rest, lost a 6-3 decision in the second bout to even the score at 3-3. Walker, who was coming off a Southern Conference Wrestler of the Week honor, pinned Cole Graves at the 4:06 mark to collect his 23rd win of the season and improve his perfect dual mark to 8-0 in 2013. At 165, No. 8 Turtogtokh Luvsandorj won his sixth ranked bout of the season and 14th of his career when he topped No. 17 Austin Trott 6-3 to extend the Bulldogs' lead to 12-3. Luvsandorj improved his season record to 28-5 and now has 123 career wins, leaving him three shy of becoming The Citadel's all-time winningest wrestler. Freshman Terrell Forbes earned a dominant 5-0 win at 174 followed by Jack Duane's 9-5 decision at 184 to give the Bulldogs an 18-3 lead with four bouts left. Duane took the mat for the first time since injuring his hamstring at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational on Dec. 6. The redshirt junior is 11-7 on the season and 2-0 in duals. A first-period pin by Haas put the match out of reach and secured The Citadel its sixth dual win of the season. Joaquin Marquez won by decision at 125 before Aaron Hansen collected a win by forfeit at 133 to close out the match. The Bulldogs conclude their SoCon home slate on Sunday against military rival VMI at McAlister Field House at 2 p.m. The Citadel has won its last seven matches against the Keydets dating back to 2007. Results: 141 – #15 Ugi Khishignyam (CIT) dec. Ryan Mosley (GWU), 6-3 – 0-3 149 – Tyler Ziegler (GWU) dec. Nicholas Kiter (CIT), 6-3 - 3-3 157 – Aaron Walker (CIT) pinned Cole Graves (GWU), 4:06 - 3-9 165 – #8 Turtogtokh Luvsandorj (CIT) dec. #17 Austin Trott (GWU), 6-3 – 3-12 174 – Terrell Forbes (CIT) dec. Aaron Rabin (GWU), 5-0 – 3-15 184 – Jack Duane (CIT) dec. Zach Bennett (GWU), 9-5 – 3-18 197 – Marshall Haas (CIT) pinned Terry Henderson (GWU), 4:18 - 3-24 HVY – Justin Kozera (GWU) pinned Joe Bexley (CIT), 1:21 - 9-24 125 – Joaquin Marquez (CIT) dec. William Anderson (GWU), 5-0 – 9-27 133 – Aaron Hansen (CIT) won by forfeit – 9-33

No. 1 Penn State battles No. 3 Minnesota at the Sports Pavilion in Minneapolis on Sunday at 1 p.m. CT. The Gophers have not lost to the Nittany Lions in a dual meet since 1998. The two programs did not meet last season. The last meeting occurred on Nov. 20, 2011, with Minnesota winning 23-14 at Rec Hall. Sunday's dual meet will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network. InterMat will be providing a live blog from Minneapolis for fans to follow the action and interact. Below is a weight-by-weight preview with predictions. 125: No. 2 Nico Megaludis (Penn State) vs. Sam Brancale (Minnesota) Megaludis, a two-time NCAA runner-up, did not compete last weekend due to illness, but is expected to compete on Sunday against Minnesota. He has only been defeated by one wrestler this season, top-ranked Nahshon Garrett of Cornell, twice. Garrett defeated Megaludis in the Binghamton Open finals, 6-5, and again in the Southern Scuffle finals, 6-4. The Penn State junior is coming off a 5-4 victory over returning NCAA champion Jesse Delgado of Illinois. Brancale was a Top 100 recruit coming out of high school, but is one of two Minnesota wrestlers not ranked. He has shown glimpses of potential this season, but has battled inconsistency. Brancale's signature win to this point was his pin over Iowa's Thomas Gilman at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, which ignited the Gophers in a dual meet victory over the Hawkeyes in Iowa City. In his last outing Brancale hammered Indiana's Alonzo Shepherd, 15-3. Bottom Line: Megaludis enters this match as a prohibitive favorite against a young Minnesota wrestler who seems to be gaining confidence, but is still trying to find his way in Division I wrestling. Prediction: Megaludis maj. dec. Brancale 133: No. 16 Jimmy Gulibon (Penn State) vs. No. 8 David Thorn (Minnesota) The 16th-ranked Gulibon has had an up-and-down freshman campaign. The highlight of his season was his run to the finals of the Southern Scuffle, which included wins over two wrestlers ranked in the top ten. Expectations remain high for the four-time state champion from Latrobe, Pa. He is coming off a dominating 9-0 win over Michigan's Rossi Bruno, who defeated Ohio State's Johnni DiJulius two days prior. Thorn has been a steady performer for the Gophers this season and has been ranked in the top ten all season. All four of Thorn's losses have come to ranked wrestlers, but his only ranked wins are over No. 12 Nick Soto of Chattanooga twice and the aforementioned Bruno, who is currently ranked 19th. Bottom Line: These two wrestlers met at the Southern Scuffle, with Gulibon earning a 4-3 victory. Both wrestlers scored one takedown in that match, but an escape from Gulibon in the final minute proved to be the difference. Thorn has shown more consistency and is ranked higher, but Gulibon has the head-to-head win. Thorn is more dynamic on his feet, but Gulibon has a slight advantage on the mat. Call it a tossup. Prediction: Thorn dec. Gulibon 141: No. 2 Zain Retherford (Penn State) vs. No. 6 Chris Dardanes (Minnesota) What Retherford has accomplished this season as a true freshman is mind-blowing. Not only is he undefeated, but he earned a victory over two-time NCAA champion Logan Stieber of Ohio State, who was considered by many to be the best pound-for-pound wrestler in the NCAA. Two weeks after beating Stieber, Retherford won the Southern Scuffle. He had some tight matches during the first half of the season (two wins in sudden victory), but has been dominant since the Scuffle. Retherford is coming off a 7-1 win over No. 13 Steve Dutton of Michigan. Prior to that he had a pin and after four straight major decisions. Dardanes has been an All-American in each of his first two seasons at Minnesota. He was unbeaten through December before suffering losses to Joe Spisak of Virginia and Chris Mecate of Old Dominion at the Southern Scuffle. Since the Southern Scuffle, Dardanes has battled an injury and only seen action in three of Minnesota's six dual meets. He picked up decisions over Pat Greco of Northwestern and Jesse Thielke of Wisconsin, but suffered a 1-0 loss in his last match against Iowa's Josh Dziewa. Bottom Line: Retherford seems to be improving and gaining confidence with each match. Dardanes has the tools to stay competitive with Retherford, but an injury seems to be hindering his performance lately. Prediction: Retherford dec. Dardanes 149: No. 8 Andrew Alton (Penn State) or Zack Beitz vs. No. 3 Nick Dardanes (Minnesota) It remains to be seen whether Penn State goes with Alton or Beitz against Minnesota. Both are listed in their projected lineup. Alton has the better pedigree, but missed most of the first half of the season with an injury. Beitz has been solid when called upon this season. Alton started in both of Penn State's dual meets last weekend, earning a 9-5 win against Michigan State before being pinned two days later by Michigan's Eric Grajales in a wild match. Alton led Grajales 8-2 after the opening period, but seemed to run out of gas in the third period. Grajales stormed back to tie the match at 12-12 before throwing Alton to his back and pinning him with four seconds remaining in the match. Dardanes, a returning All-American, has been impressive this season, compiling an 18-2 record, with his only losses coming to No. 1 Drake Houdashelt of Missouri and Grajales. His most notable wins have come over No. 4 Jason Tsirtsis of Northwestern, No. 9 Josh Kindig of Oklahoma State, No. 11 Scott Sakaguchi of Oregon State, and No. 12 Brody Grothus of Iowa. Bottom Line: On paper, Minnesota has to be considered the favorite in this weight class based on the way Dardanes has competed this season. Alton's talent is undeniable. He's capable of competing with anyone in the country at 149 pounds. If Alton can wrestle an entire match like he did the first period against Grajales, he will put himself in a position to defeat Dardanes. But that's a big if. Beitz could certainly be competitive with Dardanes, but a win would be a tall order. Prediction: Dardanes dec. Alton 157: No. 4 Dylan Alton (Penn State) vs. No. 8 Dylan Ness (Minnesota) Dylan Alton, like his twin brother Andrew, was held out of competition the first two months of the season because of an injury. He went undefeated in three open tournaments and has added four Big Ten victories, with two of those coming over ranked wrestlers: No. 13 Zac Brunson of Illinois and No. 14 Brian Murphy of Michigan. Ness, a two-time All-American, comes in ranked No. 8. He has moved up and down the rankings this season because of inconsistent results. Without question his biggest win this season came against defending NCAA champion Derek St. John of Iowa two weeks ago at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Bottom Line: This is a difficult match to predict ... and one that could really go either way. Alton is undefeated and has a win over Brian Murphy, who defeated Ness. But Ness throughout his career has been a big-match wrestler who thrives in the spotlight. Prediction: Ness dec. Alton 165: No. 1 David Taylor (Penn State) vs. Danny Zilverberg (Minnesota) Taylor, a three-time NCAA finalist and 2012 NCAA champion, has crushed every opponent he has faced this season. He has earned bonus points in all 23 of his victories this season. He has 11 pins, seven technical falls, and five major decisions. Taylor is coming off a 17-2 technical fall victory over No. 6 Dan Yates of Michigan. Zilverberg finished last season strong at 157 pounds, picking up some impressive wins late in the season. He moved up to 165 pounds this season, and although he has a winning record (14-8), Zilverberg has struggled against ranked wrestlers this season, going 0-6 in those matches. Bottom Line: Taylor is on a different stratosphere than anyone else in the weight class. He was a runner-up at the U.S. Open last spring and has sights set on being the best in the world. It's hard to envision Taylor getting anything less than a technical fall or pin in this match. Zilverberg is a quality Big Ten wrestler who will compete hard, but will be overmatched. Prediction: Taylor tech. fall Zilverberg 174: No. 3 Matt Brown (Penn State) vs. No. 6 Logan Storley (Minnesota) Brown was a Big Ten champion and NCAA runner-up last season, but finds himself ranked third this season behind a couple NCAA champions, Andrew Howe of Oklahoma and Chris Perry of Oklahoma State, the only two wrestlers who have beaten him this season. (Howe defeated Brown in an unofficial match at the NWCA All-Star Classic.) Since losing to Perry in the finals of the Southern Scuffle, Brown has reeled off six consecutive bonus-point victories against Big Ten competition. Storley, a two-time All-American, comes in with a 22-3 record and ranked sixth. His losses have come to Perry, Brown, and most recently Mike Evans of Iowa. Bottom Line: These two wrestlers have met four times over the past three seasons, with Brown winning three of those meetings. Storley's lone win over Brown came by pin last season at the Southern Scuffle. All three of Brown's wins over Storley have been by two points or less. Brown comes in as the favorite, but expect another tight match between these two rivals. Prediction: Brown dec. Storley 184: No. 2 Ed Ruth (Penn State) vs. No. 8 Kevin Steinhaus (Minnesota) A year ago nobody would have predicted that Ed Ruth would not be ranked No. 1 with just over a month remaining in his collegiate wrestling career. He will go down as one of college wrestling's all-time greats. Ruth has a career record is 124-3, which is virtually identical to his teammate David Taylor's career record. (Taylor is 123-3.) His loss to Cornell's Gabe Dean in the finals of the Southern Scuffle in early January sent shockwaves through the college wrestling world. Aside from that hiccup in Chattanooga, Ruth has earned bonus points against every wrestler he has faced this season. Steinhaus missed the first month of the season while recovering from a torn ACL he suffered in the summer. Last season he failed to reach the All-American podium for the first time in his college wrestling career, losing in the round of 12 to Maryland's Jimmy Sheptock. Steinhaus comes in with a 10-2 record, with both losses coming at the Southern Scuffle. He fell to Dean, 3-2, in the semifinals, and then dropped a match in the consolation semifinals to Kent State's Sam Wheeler, 6-4. Steinhaus' most notable win this season has come against No. 10 Lorenzo Thomas of Penn at the Southern Scuffle. Bottom Line: It's rare for a wrestler to avoid giving up bonus points against Ruth, but last season Steinhaus managed to do so at the Big Ten Championships, losing 5-3. Will Steinhaus slow down Ruth again and keep himself in the match? Or will Ruth earn bonus points like he has done in each of his 22 wins this season? I'll predict the latter. Prediction: Ruth maj. dec. Steinhaus 197: No. 5 Morgan McIntosh (Penn State) vs. No. 1 Scott Schiller (Minnesota) McIntosh, ranked fifth, has compiled a 22-2 record this season, with both losses coming to No. 3 J'den Cox of Missouri at the Southern Scuffle. Since finishing fourth at the Southern Scuffle, McIntosh has reeled off six consecutive wins against Big Ten competition. Schiller, ranked No. 1, has been Minnesota's top performer this season. Since losing to Oregon State's Taylor Meeks at the NWCA All-Star Classic in an unofficial match, Schiller has won 24 consecutive matches. He has notched two wins over No. 2 Kyven Gadson of Iowa State and also avenged his loss to Meeks. Bottom Line: It's ancient history now, but these two wrestlers met two seasons ago, with Schiller winning 11-6 at the Southern Scuffle. Both wrestlers are competing at a very high level right now, which should make for a close, competitive match. Prediction: McIntosh dec. Schiller 285: Jon Gingrich (Penn State) vs. No. 5 Tony Nelson (Minnesota) Gingrich may not be No. 1 on Penn State's depth chart, but don't let that fool you. He's very tough and talented. He's 19-4 and has shown that he can compete with the nation's top big men. He will get the call on Sunday with No. 12 Jimmy Lawson out of action. Gingrich is coming off a 2-1 loss to No. 2 Adam Coon of Michigan. A lot has been made of Nelson's recent struggles. The two-time NCAA champion has already taken four losses in 2014. While surprising, it's not as bad as it sounds on the surface. The four wrestlers who have defeated Nelson this season are the top four heavyweights in the nation, and three of Nelson's four losses came in sudden victory, while the other came by one point. Nelson has not suffered this many losses in a season since his redshirt freshman season, but he has also never been the top seed at the NCAAs. Bottom Line: Nelson, one of Minnesota's all-time greats, will compete in front of his home crowd for the final time in his collegiate wrestling career on Sunday. It seems very unlikely that he would drop his fourth straight match (and fifth this season), but Gingrich has the skill set to make it a competitive match and put himself in a position to win. Expect a tight battle. Prediction: Nelson dec. Gingrich Dual Meet Predicted Score: Penn State 22, Minnesota 12

Tony Nelson is having a bad go of things right now. Adam Chalfant of Indiana defeated Tony Nelson this past Sunday (Photo/The Guillotine)Though the wrestling community has been more shocked than mean or spiteful about the big man's recent stumbles, the Minnesota heavyweight is unquestionably in the biggest slump of his legendary career. Already a two-time NCAA champion, Nelson's recent three-match losing streak (four losses in six matches) is difficult to comprehend. Could he be injured? Is this the parity we've always wanted, finally coming to bear on the heavyweight division? Is this simply a late-career meltdown? All, and none, are possibilities, and when you're dealing with the efforts of a college-aged student (no matter the size) it's important to stay conscious of their position in the world of athletics. Nelson isn't being paid for the acclaim, or the doubt. His endorsement deals are non-existent, and the big pile of money that baseball players can slide into when things go crappy doesn't exist for Nelson. The Minnesota big man is just another wrestler having a very bad few weeks in the nation's premier wrestling conference. Give him space, give him time, and give him the benefit of the doubt. Be a fan of his continued efforts and thank him for his courage to wrestle through the bad as readily as he has the good. To your questions ... Q: I know there has been great high school talent over the past thirty years, and people will always being pulling names out, but who is on your short list for best high school wrestlers over the past thirty years (not looking at College accomplishments, that in itself is a whole different thing to look at)? I'm going to pull out a name from the past, but Dan Knight from Iowa should be somewhere on the list. Four-time undefeated Iowa state champ, plenty of high school national titles, and I believe he didn't have a win that didn't end in bonus points. Your thoughts would be great. -- T-bone Foley: When you stick to just high school the list can become pretty lengthy, especially now with many states turning from a single state tournament to three, or four, or in the case of Virginia EIGHT total champs. Do you factor in their Fargo accomplishments? Weight class? Closest competitor? You could make an argument for Aaron Pico, who a few months ago earned a technical fall over Russian Alibeggadzhi Emeev, the same guy who two weeks ago was runner-up at the Ivan Yariguin in Krasnoyarsk. That's a quality win for a kid in high school. As you mentioned there are also your common names, all of whom have a great argument for best high school wrestlers of all-time. Cary Kolat probably leads that list along with more recent guys like Jason Welch (California), who wrestled at Midlands in high school, and Troy Nickerson (New York), who won five state championships. Where does Dan Knight rank? It's impossible to know for certain, but if he left a large enough impression for you to send a question then I assume others in Iowa recognize his greatness, and that acknowledgement is about all any wrestler can want. Q: I know you've talked about parity this year and there have been so many upsets. But what is going on with Tony Nelson? He lost four matches since Jan. 10. Can he rebound and win the Big Tens? -- DMZ Foley: I answered much of this in the intro, but kept this question so I can make a few predictions. If Nelson can make the Big Ten finals, he'll also be in the finals of the NCAA tournament. It's important to remember that from a handicapping perspective, he's only losing close one and two-point matches to talented humans, not getting smoked by backups. Q: I've been to several dual meets this season, and I can't say that I'm a crazy fan of the new quick takedown rules. To me I feel like the problem is twofold: it works against the style of scrappy scrambler wrestlers AND it puts more power in the hands of a referee in deciding the winner of a match. Think about guys in the past like Kyle Dake and Ben Askren, who lived off insane and exciting scrambles; with the quick takedown call these guys would surrender far more points in today's world. What were the driving points behind the decision to change the rule to the quick takedown? Was it an effort to assimilate American folkstyle into something more closely resembling freestyle? -- Bryan O. Foley: From what I understand the rule was implemented to eliminate the protracted scrambles and misunderstanding of control that had been seen in matches like Jordan Oliver vs. Logan Stieber. In fact, I think I've heard it called the "Oliver Rule" by some coaches and fans. The rule is abysmal. Though Mark Perry got reprimanded by the Big Ten last week for his comments on a bad takedown call that was influenced by the rule change, he was in fact exactly right. These flash takedowns are often not control at all. In freestyle, wrestlers have to at least get an opponent's elbow or knee to the mat, while in folkstyle the parameters are only hands. So I don't know that freestyle had much of an influence. More to the point, you are right about the influence the rule is having on scrambles. The height of wrestling's popularity has come during the "Scramble Era" so it makes no sense to eliminate the most exciting aspect of the match. My hope is that enough coaches complain and that there is another rule modification this summer. MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME Link: Wrestling 101 WHO CARES WHAT HE'S SAYING! Q: Football knows this about uniforms. Wrestling needs to adapt. Read this from the book "The System." This chapter talks about growing the program's revenue and reach through something as simple as apparel. The Athletic Director: Part I, "We have no money. Nobody is giving money. We are not on TV." "A lot of people -- young and old -- want to wear the gear that their Saturday idols wear." In their first meeting, Van Horne stressed the importance of uniforms and apparel that comport with modern fashion trends. "Today's fashion is dictated by youth," Van Horne told Moos. "You want something that is going to appeal to kids ... " -- Jim H. Foley: I'm amazed by how little response we've seen from national organizations. The centerpiece of combat sports is a respect and admiration for the men and women in combat. Fans don't want to just watch their favorite athletes. They want to BE their favorite athletes. Shoes are an excellent example. I am going to buy the new Jordan Burroughs wrestling shoe. He's the man right now, and since I need a new pair, might as well make it the pair that will make me shoot faster and defend better. It's an idiot theory, but I don't care. Jordan Burroughs is the man. That respect for JB can only be shown in wrestling shoes! I can't even wear those to the gym. There are the Flips, which my girlfriend has stolen from me, and which I love, but JB doesn't wear them in competition. Should JB, or for that matter the entire Iowa team, be wearing a new uniform that looks more like a shirt and has names (or numbers for each weight 1-125, 2-133, etc.) it would then be possible to walk around and be your favorite wrestler. The NBA is even recognizing that their tank-top uniforms aren't going to be big sellers when only ironic hipsters want to wear the unflattering cut. What do they do? They make the entire league start playing in T-shirt cut jerseys, and they make millions in new revenue. Players aren't thrilled, but management doesn't care, because the league is turning a massive profit. Who will be the first to adapt? Will it be the NCAA? The high school level? Youth? Olympic? Unclear, but whoever pushes the change will be responsible for helping wrestling capitalize off the popularity it has been so busily acquiring. Popularity that right now is being squandered. Q: How concerned should PSU wrestling fans be with Andrew Alton at 149? I think he's always a possible six points, but too often over the past two years fans have seen him completely vanish down the stretch of matches. Last week's match with Eric Grajales was a prime example. Grajales is having a great year and is undoubtedly tough, but Alton had that one in the bag with more conditioning. Is it possible he is cutting too much weight? He's only wrestling four pounds heavier than when he graduated from high school. I hate to assume he's in that bad of shape this close to Big Tens and NCAAs. -- Ryan P. Foley: At some point you realize that a leopard isn't going to change his stripes. I think Andrew Alton trains hard and wants to win, but with some athletes there is a limit to their VO2 max, and with others anxiety and pressure can creep in to impact their performances. Andrew Alton will have probably have another setback at Big Tens or NCAAs, but I don't know that Penn State fans should be concerned about it affecting their overall performance. Alton is the best option and will score the points that are expected of him. He is just unlikely to overachieve. Q: Three of the top five teams plus many other good teams are not going to the National Duals. Is the reason for that political or just that they want to rest or go to a different competition? -- Zach H. Foley: The National Duals are not in favor, and part of that is the politics surrounding the option of an expanded NCAA format coming in 2016. There are some teams that would rather see the NWCA model fail and protect the current system, than lend their support to the National Duals and see the NCAA implement the new model. Though politics are always afoot, there is also little desire by some coaches to see their athletes go through a brutal event at the end of the year. Right now the individual tournament in Oklahoma City is all that matters, so there is little incentive to put your top guys in harm's way only a few weeks before the conference tournament. COMMENT OF THE WEEK By Bryan O. I propose a rule change that would make wrestling from the top position and tiebreaker ride-out far more interesting, exciting, and satisfying. Too often you see a wrestler pick up a ride-time point after dropping to a low ankle for 45 seconds while the bottom man struggles to kick free. Too many times I've seen referees let guys hold onto an ankle for 25 seconds in double overtime before calling a STALEMATE! How infuriating is that to both fans and wrestlers? My proposition: any time a wrestler drops to a low ankle and holds on from the top position, that wrestler is immediately hit for stalling. This rule would exclude exchanges stemming from a leg takedown, and come into play primarily from exchanges starting in referee's position. This rule would encourage much more action on the mat, heighten the drama of tight matches (by forcing top men to perform an actual ride), and satisfy fans who inevitably go nuts anytime a wrestler drops to an ankle.

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- By grabbing major decisions in four of its five match wins, the No. 10 Oklahoma wrestling team (9-2 overall, 3-0 Big 12) downed Big 12 foe West Virginia (9-5 overall, 0-3 Big 12) 19-15 Thursday night inside WVU Coliseum. Redshirt sophomore Cody Brewer and redshirt seniors Kendric Maple, Andrew Howe and Travis Rutt all secured major decisions for the Sooners. Redshirt freshman Clark Glass also added a victory at 165 pounds. "The outcome of this match was no surprise on paper, and we figured worst-case scenario, this is how it would come out," OU head coach Mark Cody said. "We need to approach every match with the same mindset. We need to go out and start the match attacking and stay on the attack. That's how you get major decisions and pins, and many times that's what duals will come down to, and that is definitely what happened tonight. Major decisions were the difference." OU's lineup saw a variety of changes from its usual order, but Cody said some of the wrestlers stepped up and competed well. "I am especially proud of Josh Durham," Cody shared. "We needed him to step into the lineup for us. We gave him 24 hours to get his weight down, and he came out here and fought hard and helped us win the dual. Also, Derek Geiges, our backup 157 pounder, stepped up and wrestled 174 for us tonight, which allowed us to move Andrew Howe up to 184 to get a major decision for us." OU's first win of the night came at 133 pounds as No. 7 Brewer recorded an 18-6 major decision against WVU's Nathan Pennesi. Maple, ranked No. 2 at 149 pounds, bumped up to 157 pounds to face WVU's Tim Wheeling and earned a 12-0 major decision, while redshirt freshman Glass held off Ross Renzi by decision, 3-2, in the 165-pound bout. Howe, who competed at 184 pounds instead of his usual 174 where he is ranked No. 1, defeated Mac Mancuso by a 23-9 major decision. On the season, Howe is now a perfect 18-0, including a 10-0 mark in dual competition. At 197 pounds, fourth-ranked Rutt topped Leo Trindade by a 12-3 major decision, increasing OU's lead to 19-12 and securing the team victory. The Sooners dropped the matches at 125 pounds, 141 pounds, 149 pounds, 174 pounds and heavyweight. In the night's first bout at 125 pounds, WVU's Cory Stainbrook defeated OU freshman Sean Williams by a 6-0 decision. No. 16 Colin Johnston defeated OU's Nick Lester by decision, 6-2, while Mike Morales topped Durham 6-1 in Durham's first dual appearance for the Sooners this season. Also winning for West Virginia were Bubba Scheffel by a 5-0 decision over Geiges at 174 pounds and A.J. Vizcarrondo by decision, 9-7, against No. 18 Ross Larson in heavyweight. OU is now 4-1 all-time versus the Mountaineers, including 3-0 in conference duals. The Sooners return to the mat at 2 p.m. CT on Sunday, Feb. 9, as they face in-state rival Oklahoma State in the second Bedlam battle of the season in Stillwater, Okla. OU the Cowboys 16-15 in comeback fashion on Sunday, Dec. 1, inside McCasland Field House in Norman. Results: 125: Cory Stainbrook (WVU) dec. Sean Williams (OU), 6-0 133: No. 7 Cody Brewer (OU) maj. dec. Nathan Pennesi (WVU), 18-6 141: No. 16 Colin Johnston (WVU) dec. Nick Lester (OU), 6-2 149: Mike Morales (WVU) dec. Josh Durham (OU), 6-1 157: No. 2 Kendric Maple (OU) maj. dec. Tim Wheeling (WVU), 12-0 165: Clark Glass (OU) dec. Ross Renzi (WVU), 3-2 174: Bubba Scheffel (WVU) dec. Derek Geiges (OU), 5-0 184: No. 1 Andrew Howe (OU) maj. dec. Mac Mancuso (WVU), 23-9 197: No. 4 Travis Rutt (OU) maj. dec. Leo Trindade (WVU), 12-3 285: A.J. Vizcarrondo (WVU) dec. No. 18 Ross Larson, 9-7 *Individual rankings from InterMat as of Feb. 4, 2014

OREM, Utah -- Utah Valley University pulled out an 18-15 victory in its Western Wrestling Conference opener over South Dakota State on Thursday afternoon in the PE Building as senior Monte Schmalhaus managed to pull out the decisive final match. With the score tied at 15-15 after the first nine bouts, Schmalhaus and John Nething II squared off in a winner-take-all, 174-pound bout. Schmalhaus took an early lead with a takedown midway through the first period. An escape in the second period kept Schmalhaus in front despite a Nething takedown in the same frame. With the score 3-2 entering the third period, Schmalhaus clinched the win for UVU with an escape and a late takedown to earn a 6-2 decision. The decisive three points settled things in favor of the Wolverines, 18-15, and made Utah Valley 1-0 in the young Western Wrestling Conference season and gave the Jacks their first WWC defeat. "It was a great win and we're glad that Monte was able to seal the deal for us. He wrestled well tonight did a nice job of getting the job done when it mattered the most," UVU assistant coach Justin Ruiz said. "We had a few opportunities earlier in the contest where we could've pulled out a couple of major decisions that would've given us a little larger cushion. But overall I was pleased that the majority of our guys fought hard and really got after it." Opening the match at 184-pounds, UVU's (5-6) Ethan Smith and SDSU's (3-6, 2-1 WWC) Ben Schwery needed double overtime to decide the bout. Tied at 1-1 after each registered an escape within regulation, the stalemate stood through an overtime period and the first tiebreaker when Smith rode Schwery out, not allowing an escape. In the second tiebreaker, Smith was able to clinch the victory when he tallied an escape in the waning seconds to grab a 2-1 win. The Jackrabbits' Trey Hable opened the 197-pound bout with a takedown of Utah Valley's Derek Thomas, but Thomas manufactured an escape late in the first period and again in the second to make the score 2-2 entering the third and final round. Hable regained the lead with an escape to start the frame, but Thomas grabbed a 4-3 advantage with a two-point takedown. Another Hable escape in the final minute left things all square at 4-4 with under 30 seconds to go. With the clock ticking under 10 seconds, Thomas exploded for another takedown to seal the bout 6-4 and double the Wolverine team lead at 6-0. An SDSU pin in the heavyweight bout promptly tied the dual at 6-apiece, but 17th-ranked Jade Rauser (125 pounds) put UVU back in front with a 9-4 decision over Ben Gillette of SDSU. Rauser did the bulk of his work in the first period, using a takedown and a three-point nearfall to take a 5-1 lead. Things got interesting in the third round when Gillette battled back to within one at 5-4, but Rauser took the win with an escape, a takedown, and an additional point after two minutes of riding time. Chasen Tolbert (133) then extended the Wolverine advantage to 12-6 after earning a 9-4 decision over Brance Simms. Tolbert held a 7-1 third period lead over Simms, ultimately earning the decision by five points after a late escape and over 3:30 worth of riding time. The reigning WWC Wrestler of the Week Avery Garner started the 141-pound bout with a bang, claiming two points after a swift takedown of SDSU's Eric Orozco. An escape and another takedown put Garner ahead 5-0 entering the third period where one more takedown put the bout out of reach. Garner went on to claim an 8-4 decision behind almost three minutes of riding time. That decision put UVU ahead 15-6 -- a lead that quickly vanished as SDSU took the next three bouts by decision. Alex Kocer topped Trevor Willson in the 149-pound bout, 17th-ranked Cody Pack prevailed over Chase Cuthbertson at 157 pounds, and Joe Brewster used a two-point reversal in the first tiebreaker period to defeat Curtis Abner Cook at 165 pounds momentarily tie the dual. In all, UVU managed to win six of the 10 bouts to take the contest by three points over South Dakota State. The win by the Wolverines marked Utah Valley's seventh straight dual victory over the Jacks. UVU will have a quick turnaround as it will continue conference action against No. 20 North Dakota State Friday at 7 p.m. in the PE Building. The contest will not only mark Senior Night for Utah Valley but also the Wolverines' final home regular season dual of the season. "The North Dakota State dual will be tough. Every match will be a battle for seeding for the upcoming conference tournament and also to see if our guys can knock off a couple of ranked opponents," Ruiz added. "They (NDSU) are a very talented team and we've definitely got to bring our `A' game to finish on top." Results: 184: Ethan Smith (UVU) Dec. Ben Schwery (SDSU), 2-1 {TB} 197: Derek Thomas (UVU) Dec. Trey Hable (SDSU), 6-4 285: J.J. Everard (SDSU) Fall Richard Larsen (UVU), 2:59 125: No. 17 Jade Rauser (UVU) Dec. Ben Gillette (SDSU), 9-4 133: Chasen Tolbert (UVU) Dec. Brance Simms (SDSU), 9-4 141: Avery Garner (UVU) Dec. Eric Orozco (SDSU), 8-4 149: Alex Kocer (SDSU) Dec. Trevor Willson (UVU), 6-2 157: No. 17 Cody Pack (SDSU) Dec. Chase Cuthbertson (UVU), 8-5 165: Joseph Brewster (SDSU) Dec. Curtis Abner Cook (UVU), 4-2 {TB} 174: Monte Schmalhaus (UVU) Dec. John Nething II (SDSU), 6-2

RIVERSIDE, Calif. -- Bryce Hammond's (R-So., Bakersfield, Calif., Bakersfield HS) technical in the final match of the night gave Bakersfield a 20-15 dual victory over Cal Baptist Thursday. The dual began at 184 pounds where Sean Pollock (R-Jr., Oceanside, Calif., Rancho Buena Vista HS) defeated Kenneth Tribble 5-3. The Lancers won the next three matches including a pin at heavyweight to earned a 12-3 advantage. Jose Mendoza (R-Sr., Selma, Calif., Selma HS) broke the streak for the Roadrunners as he earned a 11-4 decision over Taylor Hall at 133. Ian Nickell (R-So., Bakersfield, Calif., Bakersfield HS) earned a 8-6 victory at 141 against Bradford Gerl with Dalton Kelley (R-Sr., Alamosa, Colo., Alamosa HS) tying the match when he posted a 6-3 decision over Alex Annuciation in the 149-pound bout. Cal Baptist took a 15-12 lead when Brady Bersano defeated Spencer Hill 6-2 at 157. David Meza (R-So., Fullerton, Calif., Buena Park HS) tied the dual for Bakersfield when earned a 3-1 overtime victory against Micah Cruz at 165. Hammond posted 15 points against Anthony Ballinger in only 2:59 to earn the dual victory for Bakersfield. The Roadrunners head to No. 5 Oklahoma State Saturday. Bell time is 4 p.m. (CST). Results: 184 Sean Pollock, (B), dec. Kenneth Tribble, 5-3 197 Caleb Gerl, (CB), dec. Reuben Franklin, 3-2 285 Jacob Mitchell, (CB), pinned Alex Encarcion, 1:19 125 Bryden Lazaro (CB) dec. Sergio Mendez, 11-8 133 Jose Mendoza, (B), dec. Taylor Hall, 11-4 141 Ian Nickell, (B), dec. Bradford Gerl, 8-6 149 Dalton Kelley, (B), dec. Alex Annunciation, 6-3 157 Brady Bersano, (CB), dec. Spencer Hill, 6-2 165 david Meza (B) sv-1 Micah Cruz, 3-1 174 Bryce Hammond (B), tech fall Anthony Ballinger, 3:00

No. 6 Fort Hays State scored five major decisions and one decision en route to a 23-15 victory over Central Missouri on Thursday (Feb. 6). FHSU improves to 8-4-1 (2-2 MIAA) while UCM drops to 6-5 (1-3 MIAA). Rory Wilkinson, C.J. Napier, Mitchell Means, Jon Inman and Trey Page and Bradley Little each had wins for the Tigers, pushing FHSU to the .500 mark in conference duals. FHSU fell behind 3-0 early in the team scoring, as seventh ranked Adam Ludwin (125) dropped a double overtime decision to Malacai Collins, 7-3. At 133 pounds, Wilkinson picked up nine near fall points to defeat Andrew Robinson, 14-1, just missing the technical fall. No. 5 Napier scored the Tigers' second major decision of the evening, racking up four takedowns in a 10-2 win over Eric Mateo at 141 pounds. After Noah Killip dropped an 11-5 decision at 149 pounds to No. 3 Frank Cagnina, Means (157) picked up over 2:30 of riding time and grabbed a 9-0 major decision over Brennan Johnson. At 165 pounds, Little's 6-1 decision over Josh Thomsen gave FHSU a 15-6 lead in the team score. Josh Rodriguez's 4-2 setback at 174 pounds put UCM within striking distance, but Inman's major (10-2) over Josh Ploof at 184 pounds set the Tigers up for the win. Inman ran up 3:24 of riding time to push the decision to a major. Chad Rous lost by fall (3:58) to Todd Brier at 197 pounds, but Trey Page closed out the dual with an 8-0 major over Jacob Clark. Page had three minutes of riding time and scored a takedown in each period. FHSU hits the road this weekend to take on Lindenwood and Truman on Feb. 9 and 11, respectively, to close out the regular season. Results: 125- Malacai Collins (UCM) SV Lawson Ludwin (FHSU) 7-3, UCM leads 3-0 133- Rory Wilkinson (FHSU) major Andrew Robinson (UCM) 14-1, FHSU leads 4-3 141- Charles Napier (FHSU) major Eric Mateo (UCM) 10-2, FHSU leads 8-3 149- No. 3 Frank Cagnina (UCM) dec. Noah Killip (FHSU) 11-5, FHSU leads 8-6 157- Mitchell Means (FHSU) major Brennan Johnson (UCM) 9-0, FHSU leads 12-6 165- Bradley Little (FHSU) dec. Josh Thomson (UCM) 6-1, FHSU leads 15-6 174- Ty Loethen (UCM) dec. Josh Rodriguez (FHSU) 4-2, FHSU leads 15-9 184- Jon Inman (FHSU) major Josh Ploof (UCM) 10-2, FHSU leads 19-9 197- Todd Brier (UCM) wbf Chad Roud (FHSU) 3:58, FHSU leads 19-15 285- Jack Page (FHSU) major Jacob Clark (UCM) 8-0, FHSU wins 23-15

MOORHEAD, Minn. -- Four pins helped the Minnesota State University Moorhead wrestling team earn a 30-12 win over Minot State in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference action Thursday night in Moorhead, Minn. MSUM improved to 6-8 overall and 3-3 in the NSIC with the win, while Minot State fell to 1-12 overall and 0-6 in the league. Freshman Blake Bosch, junior Shawn Porter, junior Conner Monk and junior Gerad Fugleberg all earned wins by fall for the Dragons. MSUM lost four matches on the night, but all were by decision and by two points or less. Bosch got the Dragons started quickly, pinning Minot's A.J. Patterson in just 1:09 to give MSUM a 6-0 lead in the dual. A late takedown helped freshman Shane Novak earn a 3-1 win over Minot State's Joshua Douglas at 133 pounds to give the Dragons a 9-0 lead in the dual. Senior Connor MacGregor picked up his second win of the week with a 6-0 win over Minot State's Zachary Cummings at 141 as the Dragons took a 12-0 lead. Minot State got on the board with a win at 149. Junior Jon Wilson battled Dragon freshman Garret Hoffner tough for three periods. The score was deadlocked at 8-8, but because Wilson had a riding time he prevailed 9-8 to put Minot State on the board. The Beavers cut the lead to 12-6 as Ricard Avakovs edged Dragon redshirt freshman Dan Murakami, 6-5 at 157. MSUM regained the momentum at 165 as junior Shawn Porter recorded a win by fall. Porter led the whole way and got Don Williams to his back in the third period, finishing the fall in 6:17 to push MSUM's lead to 18-6. The Dragons' third fall of the night came at 174 pounds when senior Conner Monk took control in the second period against Tiger Paasch. Monk built an 11-6 lead and then finished the fall in 6:00 to give MSUM a comfortable 24-6 advantage. Minot State came back within decision wins at 184 and 197 to cut the Dragon lead to 24-12, but Fugleberg put an emphatic finish on the match with a win by fall in 4:51 to clinch a 30-12 Dragon win. MSUM is back in action on Wednesday, Feb. 12 at home against Augustana. The dual begins at 7 p.m. at Nemzek Fieldhouse. Results: 125-Blake Bosch (MSUM) pinned AJ Patterson, 1:09 133-Shane Novak (MSUM) dec. Joshua Douglas, 3-1 141-Connor MacGregor (MSUM) dec. Zachary Cummings, 6-0 149-Jon Wilson (Minot) dec. Garret Hoffner, 9-8 157-Ricard Avakovs (Minot) dec. Dan Murakami, 6-5 165-Shawn Porter (MSUM) pinned Don Williams, 6:17 174-Conner Monk (MSUM) pinned Tiger Paasch, 6:00 184-Matt Fetterley (Minot) dec. Matt Lewellen, 5-3 197-Mitch Eull (Minot) dec. Tyler Schlosser, 3-1 285-Gerad Fugleberg (MSUM) pinned Bobby Bartz, 4:51

EDMOND -- Senior Night was a smashing success for Central Oklahoma Thursday at Hamilton Field House as the No. 5-ranked Bronchos walloped Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association rival Newman 38-4. UCO used all eight seniors and won nine straight matches after losing the opener at 125 pounds in rolling to its 21st consecutive home victory. The Bronchos improved to 13-4 on the season and 5-1 in the league. It was the eighth win in a row for UCO, which goes to Arkadelphia, Ark. Saturday afternoon to take on No. 20 Ouachita Baptist in the final dual of the season. “We found a way to use all eight seniors and I was happy to see that for what those guys have meant to our program,” head coach David James said. “I thought we did a good job for the most part and I like the way our guys are working.” Seven of UCO's eight seniors earned wins, with 133 Casy Rowell and 149 Jordan Basks recording technical falls. Cory Dauphin (157), Zach Aylor (174), Znick Ferrell (184) and heavyweight Cody Dauphin earned decisions and 184 Kasey Wilcox picked up a forfeit. Rowell had five takedowns and four near-falls in a 19-3 rout, while Basks needed just 3:38 to rack up seven takedowns and three near-falls for a 22-5 romp. Cory Dauphin won his 43rd consecutive match with an easy 10-3 triumph behind a three-takedown attack, Aylor prevailed 3-0 on a first-period takedown and riding time point and Ferrell used two takedowns in a 5-1 win after bumping up from 184 to 197. Cody Dauphin ended the night with a tough 4-3 win, edging NU's Lorenzo Serna on a three-second riding-time advantage after the overtime tiebreakers. UCO's other win came at 141 where Dustin Reed scored a second-period pin, piling up a 15-3 lead before getting his first fall of the season at the 4:48 mark. Results: 125: Dustin Reed, NU, major dec. Andrew Schmauch, 18-6. 133: Casy Rowell, UCO, tech. fall Kris Workman, 19-3 (6:37). 141: Dustin Reed, UCO, pinned Wyatt Wade, 4:48. 149: Jordan Basks, UCO, tech. fall Zach Duwe, 22-5 (3:38). 157: Cory Dauphin, UCO, dec. Colton Duhr, 10-3. 165: Chris Watson, UCO, major dec. Noel Torres, 13-2. 174: Zach Aylor, UCO, dec. Michael Kubik, 3-0. 184: Kasey Wilcox, UCO, won by forfeit. 197: Znick Ferrell, UCO, dec. Steven Cooksley, 5-1. Hvy: Cody Dauphin, UCO, dec. Lorenzo Serna, 4-3 (TB2).

ST. CLOUD, Minn. -- The No. 4 St. Cloud State University wrestling team (16-1, 5-0 NSIC) notched its ninth consecutive victory with a 26-10 win over visiting Southwest Minnesota State University (10-5, 4-2 NSIC) on Thursday, Feb. 6 on the mats in Halenbeck Hall in St. Cloud, Minn. The Huskies dominated the dual meet at the lower weight classes to claim the victory against the Mustangs. SCSU opened the night at 125-pounds with an 18-6 major decision by Tanney Johnshoy, which was followed by a 10-6 victory by SCSU's No. 2 ranked Andy Pokorny over the Mustang's No. 8 ranked Justin Reinsma. At 141-pounds, the Huskies extended their lead to 10-0 with a 2-1 win by Matt Nelson over SMSU's Ethan Hildebrandt. At 149-pounds, the Huskies' Josh Howk scored a 10-2 major decison win over Beau Buysse of SMSU to make it 14-0. To cap the first half of the dual, SCSU sophomore Clint Poster claimed a pin at 3:00 against SMSU's Codie Lane, to give the Huskies a commanding 20-0 lead. SMSU rallied with a major decision win at 165-pounds and a victory at 174-pounds to make it 20-7. The Mustangs finished their scoring with a victory at 184-pounds to make it 20-10 heading into the final two matches of the evening. At 197-pounds, SCSU senior Chris Brassell got the offense back on track with a 4-1 win over SMSU's Micah Larson. To end the evening, No. 3 ranked Austin Goergen rallied to win a 6-4 victory over SMSU's Cole Wilson. The Huskies will continue their 2013-14 campaign on Friday, Feb. 7 with a home match at Halenbeck Hall against No. 17 ranked Augustana College. The match has been designated as Youth/Prep Night and all youth in grades K-12 will be admitted to the match for just $1. Tickets for this match can be purchased at the gate at Halenbeck Hall. Results: 125 - Tanner Johnshoy (St. Cloud State) won by major decision over Antonio Meikel (Southwest Minnesota State) 18-6 133 - No. 2Andrew Pokorny (St. Cloud State) won by decision over No. 8 Justin Reinsma (Southwest Minnesota State) 10-6 141 - No. 4 Matt Nelson (St. Cloud State) won by decision over Ethan Hildebrandt (Southwest Minnesota State) 2-1 149 - Josh Howk (St. Cloud State) won by major decision over Beau Buysse (Southwest Minnesota State) 10-2 157 - No. 5 Clint Poster (St. Cloud State) won by pin over Codie Lane (Southwest Minnesota State) 3:00 165 - Kyle Begin (Southwest Minnesota State) won by major decision over No. 7 Gabe Fogarty (St. Cloud State) 12-0 174 - Jacob Begin (Southwest Minnesota State) won by decision over Clayton Jennissen (St. Cloud State) 9-2 184 - Andrew Rodas (Southwest Minnesota State) won by decision over Cody Tibbetts (St. Cloud State) 8-2 197 - Chris Brassell (St. Cloud State) won by decision over Micah Larson (Southwest Minnesota State) 4-1 285 - No. 3 Austin Goergen (St. Cloud State) won by decision over Cole Wilson (Southwest Minnesota State) 6-4

WAVERLY, Iowa -- The Augsburg College wrestling team kept the annual "Battle of the Burgs" close early, but top-ranked Wartburg College pulled away for a 23-9 victory in the dual meet on Thursday evening at Wartburg's Levick Arena. Augsburg (5-5 overall), ranked No. 7 in the latest National Wrestling Coaches Association Division III national poll, held a 6-3 lead over No. 1-ranked Wartburg (16-0) through the first three bouts of the dual meet, but the Knights won six straight bouts to claim the victory. Augsburg's top-ranked heavyweight Chad Johnson (SR, Ferryville, Wis./De Soto HS), the two-time defending NCAA Division III national champion, claimed a 5-4 win over Wartburg's Ryan Fank in the final bout of the evening. With the victory, Johnson improves to 20-1 on the season and is now 125-14 in his Augsburg career. A three-time All-American, Johnson has not suffered a loss to a Division III opponent since his first season at Augsburg, and is now 93-3 since the beginning of his sophomore season. Marcus Hamer (FY, Kimball, Minn.) picked up one of the biggest wins of his young collegiate career, scoring a 9-5 triumph over Wartburg's No. 7-ranked Connor Camp at 141 pounds. Hamer is now 18-8 on the season. Chad Bartschenfeld (JR, Amery, Wis.) also scored a big early win for the Auggies, with a 5-3 victory over Braxton Chiccelly at 125. Bartschenfeld is now 14-12 on the year. Wartburg claimed wins in two of the three meetings of ranked wrestlers on the evening. At 125, No. 2-ranked Gilberto Camacho scored a 5-2 win over Augsburg's No. 4-ranked Mike Fuenffinger (JR, Hibbing, Minn.), and at 197, No. 6-ranked Puna Soriano claimed a 10-4 triumph over Augsburg's No. 1-ranked Matt Hechsel (JR, Apple Valley, Minn.). Augsburg competes at a pair of events on Saturday (2/8). The varsity will compete at the Wisconsin-Eau Claire Open at 9 a.m., while the White Team (junior varsity) will compete at the Winona State Team Invitational. Results: 125 -- No. 2 Gilberto Camacho (WAR, 10-1) dec. No. 4 Mike Fuenffinger (AUG, 20-3) 5-2 (Wartburg 3-0) 133 -- Chad Bartschenfeld (AUG, 14-12) dec. Braxton Chiccelly (WAR, 11-10) 5-3 (TIED 3-3) 141 -- Marcus Hamer (AUG, 18-8) dec. No. 7 Connor Campo (WAR, 23-7) 9-5 (Augsburg 6-3) 149 -- Mark Pinero (WAR, 23-8) dec. Will Keeter (AUG, 17-13) 5-1 (TIED 6-6) 157 -- No. 9 Brett Yonkovic (WAR, 27-8) dec. Rashad Kennedy (AUG, 16-14) 8-2 (Wartburg 9-6) 165 -- No. 3 Cole Welter (WAR, 24-1) dec. Justin Bowland (AUG, 16-12) 7-2 (Wartburg 12-6) 174 -- No. 1 Landon Williams (WAR, 31-3) tech. fall Tyrell Martin (AUG, 9-9) 16-0 (Wartburg 17-6) 184 -- No. 8 Sam Upah (WAR, 15-4) dec. Miles Hammerlund (AUG, 7-12) 6-3 (Wartburg 20-6) 197 -- No. 6 Puna Soriano (WAR, 28-5) dec. No. 1 Matt Hechsel (AUG, 23-4) 10-4 (Wartburg 23-6) HWT -- No. 1 Chad Johnson (AUG, 20-1) dec. No. 2 Ryan Fank (WAR, 29-2) 5-4 (Wartburg 23-9)

POMPTON LAKES, N.J. -- FlipsWrestling started with the best, Jordan Burroughs, and now adds a stick of "dynamite" to its hammer squad, announcing today that Kyle Dake has signed an exclusive agreement to endorse and promote FlipsWrestling's headphones. The four-time NCAA wrestling champion, known as "Kid Dynamite," joins fellow superstars Burroughs, Jordan Oliver, Jake Herbert, Frank Molinaro, Coleman Scott, Reece Humphrey and Nick Simmons in the "Flips Family." "What can I say? Flips are everywhere in the wrestling community, on ESPN, and all over social media, and, candidly, I want to be a part of this great group," said Dake, presently an assistant coach at his alma mater, Cornell University, and one of the top 74 kg freestyle wrestlers in the world. "The product is unique and sounds awesome, the 'Train Out Loud' concept is cool, and the company's 'I Am A Wrestler' mantra matches my own, so the fit is a natural," continued Dake. "Plus, FlipsWrestling's ability to customize the headphones makes them a 'no brainer' for any wrestler. My custom KD4 wrap is sick -- kind of a standard definition of the stuff that FlipsWrestling does!" "The opportunity came together by happenstance, actually," said FlipsWrestling's Don Beshada. "We were involved with the 'Grapple at the Garden' in early December and, in talking with Kyle's agent, Nick Garone, about that event, we learned that Kyle was interested in our product, so we got to talking. I spoke with my partners about the opportunity, and here we are. You don't pass up an opportunity to sign Kyle Dake." "Kyle is one of the most recognizable people in wrestling, here and abroad," said Garone. "And, FlipsWrestling has certainly burst onto the wrestling scene with a 'bang' this year. They really promote the athletes that affiliate with them which will be great for Kyle. We look forward to 'blowing up' this partnership." Beshada concluded, "We continue to move forward toward our goal of showing other companies that supporting wrestling can result in an appreciable return on investment. We're fired up that Kyle is on board, and we look forward to helping him grow his brand, as we know he will do for us." The KD4 custom-wrapped FlipsWrestling headphones will be available shortly at Kyle's official site, www.kyledake.com and at www.xcelonlinestore.com. About FlipsWrestling FlipsWrestling is a company run by wrestlers, for wrestlers. It encourages wrestlers to #BeHeard! It markets and sells the innovative Flips headphones that transform into amplified speakers with a "flip." The company customizes headphones for teams and clubs with proprietary wraps by Compound Clothing (www.cmpclothing.com) and Cradle Gear (www.cradlegear.com) through its "Your Team, Your Style" program. For more information about FlipsWrestling, its products, wraps and signature athletes, check them out at www.flipswrestling.com Facebook.com/FlipsWrestling, or on Twittter at @FlipsWrestling.

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. -- Sometimes it's worth waiting for a second chance. Matt Lester is having his second chance to work with SIUE wrestling head coach Jeremy Spates. Lester, who spent four seasons (one as a redshirt) for the University of Oklahoma, is finishing his collegiate career with the Cougars. Matt LesterSpates originally helped recruit Matt and his twin brother Nick to Oklahoma. Spates went on to become an assistant at Cornell and now is completing his first season as the leader of the Cougars. "He asked me if I wanted to wrestle my last year and go to graduate school here, and I said I would think about it. He gave me the offer and I ended up here." said Lester. Spates said he had heard Lester had been looking for opportunities after graduating with his bachelor's degree from Oklahoma with one season of eligibility remaining. The Eureka, Mo., native was a three-time NCAA qualifier and two-time Big 12 Conference Tournament runner-up at Oklahoma. His goals now at SIUE are past simply becoming a four-time NCAA qualifier. "The ultimate goal is to become an All-American," said Lester. Spates said having Lester in the practice room has improved not only Lester's weight class but also the whole team. "He's definitely upped our level," said Spates. "He came in right away and started wrestling two or three classes above him and was beating them or really pushing them." Lester moved up to the 165-pound weight class this season. He previously has been at the 149- and 157-pound weight classes. Competing at a higher weight class has forced Lester to work even harder. "Weight issues can be a burden because you focus so much on getting your weight down, you don't focus as much on wrestling, and now I can focus more on the wrestling," said Lester. The transition from Oklahoma to SIUE has been an easy one for Lester. "There are not too many differences -- practice-wise, routine-wise, the teammates," said Lester. "It's been very similar, and that's why it's been such an easy transition. Coach Spates has us on the same routine, and that's probably why in the next few years SIUE is going to be a big-time program because he has us on that path." Even the team has been receptive to a newcomer in the practice room. "Everywhere you go, every wrestling team is like a family - very accepting," said Lester. "We're brothers. It's like a special fraternity because we all know what we go through. It's a very competitive and physically-demanding sport so you really bond with your teammates." That bond extends to the coaching staff. When Spates recruited Lester and his brother to come to Oklahoma, Lester said he saw an individual who feeds off of optimism and supportiveness. "We mesh really well with Coach. He's great," said Lester. "We never really did well with coaches who are military style that yell at you a lot. That just kind of shuts us down. Coach Spates is a very encouraging guy, and we respond much better to that." Nick has remained at Oklahoma to pursue a master's degree in human relations. Matt, meanwhile, will be working on a master's in business administration. "I talk to my brother all the time. This is actually the longest we've been apart our whole lives," said Lester. "He's really jealous of me for getting to have Coach Spates as a coach." There has been a six-month break between training at Oklahoma and at SIUE. The layoff could hurt some athletes but hasn't been much of a problem for Lester. "When I first came in I felt a little rusty, and I wasn't too sure. But I've actually gotten caught up a lot and feel really confident about going to Nationals and going far in that tournament," Lester said. "I've got my abilities back in a way. I thought it would take longer since I had such a long break." In some ways Lester said there is an advantage for wrestlers at SIUE. The new weight room in the Lukas Annex, which is connected to the Vadalabene Center, allows wrestlers to benefit from having a lifting facility close to the wrestling room to get a drill in. "It's a very nice weight room so everyone loves it," said Lester. His record is 4-1 having won the Grand View Open. Lester will have to battle through the SoCon Tournament in late March for another opportunity at the national championships. "That would be huge," said Spates. "He's qualified before. The goal is to have him qualify as an All-American. Having our first national qualifier is going to be pretty special. I don't think that it is going to be solely Matt who qualifies for the NCAA tournament. I think we're going to have a number of guys who can go, but we're looking at him to be our first All-American."