InterMat Staff

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."

Oscar Marin of York won the 125lb bout by forfeit. In the 133lb match Sergio Sanchez (YC) defeated Aaron Tarin (HC) in a back and forth battle 13-10. Sanchez started off slow but took control midway through the second period. A couple near falls and he was able to hold the lead through to the end. In the 141lb bout Alec Chanthapatheth (HC) beat Brandon Brown (YC) 11-5. Brown tried to create some opportunities but was unable to get over the top of Alec to get him on his back. Blake Fruchtl (HC) controlled the 149lb match with a commanding 11-1 major decision over Bryan Magno (YC). Magno wrestled hard but could not get any positioning against Fruchtl. Chrystian Banuelos (YC) fought a tough battle against Garth Ginder (HC) in the 157lb match. Ginder held a 4-2 lead going into the second period. Chrystian was able to tie the match with a quick takedown to start the period but Ginder created a quick reversal to retake the lead. Going into the third period the score was tied 6-6. A late third period escape gave Ginder a 7-6 lead and Banuelos did everything he could to get a two point takedown but was unsuccessful. However Ginder was called for stalling which tied the match at 7. In a sudden death, one minute period, Banuelos was able to take the match with a takedown just 23 seconds into the period. Aaron Lopez (YC) started out the scoring in the 165lb match. In the first period he managed a takedown midway through and held on for the two point lead going into the second period. An escape by Connor Blanco (HC) was the only point of the second period. Lopez held on through the final period to stay in control getting a takedown in the last ten seconds to seal the 5-1 win. Hastings got the six points for the forfeit at 174lbs. Tim Rice was credited with the win. Joel Hernandez (HC) controlled the 184lb match over Joey Massay (YC) who wrestled in his first and final match of the year as a senior. Joel built a 10-1 lead and held on for a major decision giving Hastings College the overall lead 17-15 with two matches to go. Grant Harrill (HC) struck first against Logan Paul Eickhoff (YC) in the 197lb weight class. A quick takedown at the edge of the mat gave Harrill a two point advantage. Eickhoff didn't take long however to get the escape to cut his deficit in half. LP got the quick escape to start off the second period to tie the match at two apiece. Harrill chose down to begin the final period and just like Eickhoff he got the quick escape to take a one point lead. Eickhoff pushed the match and got a stall warning on Harrill at the one minute mark. He continued to push the pace and took a last second shot to get the takedown but a controversial no call on the takedown left Eickhoff one point short for the 3-2 loss. Going into the final match the Panthers needed Saia Lotulelei to win by fall to claim the victory. After a quick takedown on the edge of the mat both wrestlers went out of bounds. Saia takes the 2-0 lead before the restart in the center of the mat. Just 10 seconds later Saia Lotulelei got the win by fall, to a standing ovation, over Pedro Garcia in just 1:19. York takes the dual by a final of 21-20. Results: 125 Oscar Marin (York (Neb.) won by forfeit over Unknown (Unattached) . 6.00 0 133 Sergio Sanchez (York (Neb.) won by decision over Aaron Tarin (Hastings (Neb.) 13-10. 3.00 0 141 Alec Chanthapatheth (Hastings (Neb.) won by decision over Brandon Brown (York (Neb.) 11-5. 0 3.00 149 Blake Fruchtl (Hastings (Neb.) won by major decision over Brian Magno (York (Neb.) 11-1. 0 4.00 157 Chrystian Banuelos (York (Neb.) won in sudden victory 1 over Garth Ginder (Hastings (Neb.) 9-7. 3.00 0 165 Aaron Lopez (York (Neb.) won by decision over Connor Blanco (Hastings (Neb.) 6-1. 3.00 0 174 Tim Rice (Hastings (Neb.) won by forfeit over Unknown (Unattached) . 0 6.00 184 Joel Hernandez (Hastings (Neb.) won by major decision over Mark Massay (York (Neb.) 10-1. 0 4.00 197 Grant Harrill (Hastings (Neb.) won by decision over Logan Paul Eickhoff (York (Neb.) 3-2. 0 3.00 285 Saia Lotulelei (York (Neb.) won by pin over Pedro Garcia (Hastings (Neb.) 1:19. 6.00 0

The New York University wrestling team defeated Yeshiva University by a score of 51-6 on Wednesday, February 5, at the Coles Sports Center in Manhattan. NYU dominated, winning all five contested bouts, four of which came by fall. With the victory, NYU improves to 7-8 overall on the season. HIGHLIGHTS: - Junior co-captain Patrick Sheehan won his match at 184 pounds, pinning Yeshiva's Alex Straus after just 27 seconds. - Reigning UAA Athlete of the Week DJ Albonico earned another win at 149 pounds, pinning his opponent, Shmuel Lamm, at the 3:36 mark. - 165-pounder Dylan Lojac and heavyweight Anthony Chu earned wins by fall, as well. Lojac's pin came at the 3:57 mark, while Chu's came at 2:32. - Sean Billings picked up a victory at 133 pounds, earning a 7-0 decision. "Our guys all looked tough out there today," said assistant coach Gene Kobilansky. "We continue to work hard and look forward to the challenges ahead in our upcoming matches." NYU will return to the mat when they travel to McDaniel College in Westminster, MD, to face McDaniel as well as Ursinis College on Saturday, February 8, in a pair of Centennial Conference matches. Action is set to get underway at 11:00 am. Results: 125 Wayne Yuan (New York University) won by forfeit over Unknown (Unattached) . 6.00 0 133 Sean Billings (New York University) won by decision over Joshua Eisenberg (Yeshiva) 7-0. 3.00 0 141 Nicholas Matthews (New York University) won by forfeit over Unknown (Unattached) . 6.00 0 149 Darryl Albonico (New York University) won by pin over Shmuel Lamm (Yeshiva) 3:36. 6.00 0 157 Matt Eulau (New York University) won by forfeit over Unknown (Unattached) . 6.00 0 165 Dylan Lojac (New York University) won by pin over Ezra Kapetansky (Yeshiva) 3:57. 6.00 0 174 Chaim Metzger (Yeshiva) won by forfeit over Unknown (Unattached) . 0 6.00 184 Patrick Sheehan (New York University) won by pin over Alex Straus (Yeshiva) 0:27. 6.00 0 197 Daniel Brereton (New York University) won by forfeit over Unknown (Unattached) . 6.00 0 285 Anthony Chu (New York University) won by pin over David Greenfield (Yeshiva) 2:32. 6.00 0

GETTYSBURG, Pa. -- Deadlocked at 18-all, Taylor Avino (Fair Haven, N.J./Rumson-Fair Haven) recorded a first-period fall to lift McDaniel to a 24-18 Centennial Conference (CC) wrestling victory over Gettysburg on Wednesday. The Green Terror (8-8, 3-2 CC) won the final two bouts to take six wins overall in the victory. Pat Thomas led the Bullets (4-14, 1-5 CC) with a 2-minute, 4-second pin at 174. After Thomas knotted the match at 15-all with three matches to go, Jared Leon recorded a 10-5 victory at 184 to put the hosts in front by three. Dakota Wilhelm (La Plata, Md./La Plata) notched a 6-2 win at 197 to make the heavyweight bout a winner-take-all match. Avino tallied his eighth pin of the season in 1:21 to give McDaniel the victory. Holt Johnson and Ryan O'Boyle (North Reading, Mass./Central Catholic) exchanged forfeits to start the night before Alvontae Dummond (Lincoln, Del./Milford) gave the Green Terror a three-point edge with a 9-5 victory at 141. Mason Goretsas (Hampstead, Md./North Carroll) earned an escape in the third period and then won his bout on riding time 5-4 to stretch the lead to 12-6. A Matt Capobianco third-period escape proved to be the difference in a 5-4 bout at 157, pulling Gettysburg back within three. The Green Terror stretched the lead back to six on a Luke Yox (Westminster, Md./Liberty) rally at 165. An escape and takedown in the third period knotted the bout at 5-all before Yox earned the point for time advantage and a 6-5 victory. McDaniel returns to action at home against Ursinus and NYU on Saturday. Action begins at 11 a.m. Results: 125: Holt Johnson (G) won by forfeit; 133: Ryan O'Boyle (M) won by forfeit; 141: Alvontae Drummond (M) dec. Matt Spano 9-5; 149: Mason Goretsas (M) dec. Brandon Carcuffe 5-4; 157: Matt Capobianco (G) dec. Erik Meyer 5-4; 165: Luke Yox (M) dec. Tyler Cunningham 6-5; 174: Pat Thomas (G) pinned Ricky Tisinger 2:04; 184: Jared Leon (G) dec. Nick Cross (M) 10-5; 197: Dakota Wilhelm (M) dec. Lukas Iorio 6-2; HWT: Taylor Avino (M) pinned Nick Diunizio 1:21.

PEMBROKE -- Visiting St. Andrews used an 11-5 decision from Chauncey Foster to grab an early lead, but the 25th-ranked UNC Pembroke wrestling team came out on top in eight of the night's final nine matches, to post a 39-6 win over the Knights on Wednesday in the English E. Jones Center. The triumph extended the win streak in dual meets for the Braves (9-4) out to eight – just one victory shy of the longest victory skein in school history (2002-03). The setback marked the third-straight loss for St. Andrews (6-7) who also fell to 0-8 all-time in the series with their U.S. 74 rivals. "We gave up six points. At the end of the day that's something that we can try and build upon," said UNCP head coach Othello "O.T." Johnson. "We just need to do a better job of not going on our backs so early. We won some matches tonight, but I don't think we did things that we are capable of doing. I think there are a lot of things that we can improve on." Foster gave the Knights a 3-0 lead on the team scoreboard with an 11-5 decision over Dontae Brown in the 125-pound bout, but the Braves moved ahead for good in the following bout when Cole Murray grabbed a win by injury default following a brutal head-to-head collision with Dashon Eure. All-American Daniel Ownbey's 19-6 major decision moments later would mark the second of six bonus-point victories on the night for the Black & Gold. Kody Getkin held off a late comeback rally by Eric Milks in the 149-pound match to help the Knights cut into their deficit, but UNCP answered with a technical fall win by Justin Pencook (157 pounds) and an overtime decision from Reggie Allen (165) before rattling off three-straight pins from Blaze Shade (174), Brach Walker (184) and Stuart Nadeau (197) to put the final nails in the coffin. Chris Giddens finished off the night for the hosts with a tight 3-2 victory over Denzel Vaughan in the heavyweight matchup. The Braves will return to action again on Thursday when they head to upstate South Carolina to take on Anderson (2-19) in the annual "Battle for the Belt" rivalry. Wrestling action is set to get underway at 7 p.m. Results: 125: Chauncey Foster (SAU) dec. Dontae Brown (UNCP) D 11-5 133: Cole Murray (UNCP) inj. def. Dashon Eure (SAU) Def 2:46 141: No. 6 Daniel Ownbey (UNCP) maj. dec. Tyran Taylor (SAU) M 19-6 149: Kody Getkin (SAU) dec. Eric Milks (UNCP) D 6-5 157: Justin Pencook (UNCP) tech. fall James Green (SAU) TF5 22-6; 6:27 165: Reggie Allen (UNCP) dec. Jemson Villard (SAU) SV 7-5 174: Blaze Shade (UNCP) pinned Alex Knight (SAU) F 4:05 184: Brach Walker (UNCP) pinned Russell Lindsay (SAU) F 5:23 197: Stuart Nadeau (UNCP) pinned Dejuante Pabellon (SAU) F 4:43 285: Chris Giddens (UNCP) dec. Denzel Vaughan (SAU) D 3-2

CHADRON -- The Chadron State College wrestling team earned its 10th win of the season with a 25-15 non-conference dual victory at Dickinson State Wednesday. The Eagles, now 10-5 overall, had six wrestlers earn victories Wednesday and the first three each claimed bonus points. Taylor Summers got things started off right for CSC with a pin in the second period over DeShun Hayes at 125 pounds, and Dustin Stodola, who is ranked fourth at 133, followed with a 12-0 major decision over Mac Chambers. The Eagles dropped a match at 141 pounds but Jacob Anderson responded with a pin over Garrett Traylor in 2:31 at 149. C.J. Clark followed Anderson's win with a hard-fought 8-6 decision over Sean Elkins in overtime. Caleb Copeland and Jordan DeBus also earned wins for the Eagles. Copeland cruised to an 11-4 decision at 174 and DeBus added an 11-7 decision at 184 over Lane Overseen. DeBus is currently the eighth-ranked wrestler at 184 in Division II, while Overseen is ranked eighth in NAIA. Chadron State will host its final three duals of the season at home, beginning with Saturday's Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference match against Colorado School of Mines. Action gets underway at 2 p.m. Results: 125 - Taylor Summers, CSC, pinned DeShun Hayes, 5:18 133 - Dustin Stodola, CSC, major dec. Mac Chambers, 12-0 141 - Seth Ehlang, DSU, dec. Jay Stine, 5-2 149 - Jacob Anderson, CSC, pinned Garrett Traylor, 2:31 157 - C.J. Clark, CSC, dec. Sean Elkins, 8-6 in overtime 165 - Jon Solana, DSU, pinned Tyler Smart, 5:28 174 - Caleb Copeland, CSC, dec. Jon Morales, 11-4 184 - Jordan DeBus, CSC, dec. Lane Oversen, 11-7 197 - Jesse Hellinger, DSU, dec. Devan Fors, 3-0 285 - Brian Klevins, DSU, dec. Mike Hill, 6-5

ERIE, Pa. -- The ninth-ranked Mercyhurst University wrestling team improved to 15-1 overall and a perfect 6-0 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference with a 33-6 victory over crosstown-rival Gannon University at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center on Wednesday night. The Golden Knights dropped to 6-3 on the season. The win was the ninth consecutive victory for the Lakers, who have not lost since January 3 at San Francisco State - the team's only loss of the season. Mercyhurst won eight of ten matches during the evening, pulling away late with a fall by redshirt sophomore August Mizia, a technical fall by redshirt sophomore Brian Beattie, and a fall by freshman Andrew Welton to give the Lakers the 27-point team victory. Gannon started early with a victory by Matt Turek at 125 pounds, setting up the drama that ensued in the following bout. The best match of the night was at 133 pounds where redshirt sophomore Kody Young was matched up against Gannon's Adam Weinell. Each wrestler earned an escape during the first three periods, sending the match to overtime tied at 1-1. Neither wrestler scored during sudden victory 1 and both Young and Weinell rode each other out during their 30-second segments. But, in sudden victory 2, Young scored on a takedown to end the match with a 3-1 victory. Sophomore Dylan D'Urso put Mercyhurst ahead for good at 141 pounds with a major decision, 15-3 victory over Gannon's John Marotto. Redshirt sophomore Jeremy Landowski, redshirt freshman Francis Mizia, and redshirt senior Clint Schaefer followed with decisions to give the Lakers a 16-3 advantage. August Mizia earned a pin with nine seconds left in the 174-pound match to put the night out of reach as the Lakers held a 22-3 advantage at that point. Redshirt sophomore Angelo Bortoluzzi gave fifth-ranked Zach Zelcs everything he could handle at 184, but dropped a 6-4 decision. Beattie and Welton followed with 11 team points at 197 and 285 to close out the night. Mercyhurst will step out of PSAC action on Saturday, February 8 when it travels to former GLIAC-rival Findlay. The match is scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m. Results: 125 Matthew Turek (Gannon) won by decision over Ryan Bohince (Mercyhurst) 7-4 133 Kody Young (Mercyhurst) won in sudden victory 2 over Adam Weinell (Gannon) 3-1 141 Dylan D'Urso (Mercyhurst) won by major decision over John Marotto (Gannon) 15-3 149 Jeremy Landowski (Mercyhurst) won by decision over Eric Lewandowski (Gannon) 6-0 157 Francis Mizia (Mercyhurst) won by decision over Nathaniel Ross (Gannon) 5-2 165 Clint Schaefer (Mercyhurst) won by decision over Casey Pace (Gannon) 8-4 174 August Mizia (Mercyhurst) won by pin over Christopher Matthews (Gannon) 6:51 184 Zachary Zelcs (Gannon) won by decision over Angelo Bortoluzzi (Mercyhurst) 6-4 197 Brian Beattie (Mercyhurst) won by tech fall over Trevor Beiter (Gannon) 6:53 18-1 285 Andrew Welton (Mercyhurst) won by pin over Nick Budd (Gannon) 4:05

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Head Coach Derek DelPorto became the winningest coach in EMU wrestling history, Wednesday, Feb. 5 as the Eastern Michigan University grapplers took down Cleveland State, 29-12, at Woodling Arena. Derek DelPortoDelPorto now holds an 81-73-2 all-time record in his eight seasons at Eastern Michigan, which broke John Eisley's record of 80-74-4 over a 12 year span at EMU. Competing in their first-of-six matches in 11 days, the Eagles decisively took down the Vikings as they notched a victory in 7-of-10 bouts. Redshirt-senior Jared Germaine (Saginaw, Mich.-Saginaw Valley) gave Eastern the early 6-0 advantage as he pinned CSU's John Martin in just 45 seconds, which is the second fastest pin of the year for EMU as Shayne Wireman (Lansing, Mich.-Holt) took down Manchester's David Melendez in just 35 seconds at the MSU Open, Nov. 9, 2013. Redshirt-sophomore Vincent Pizzuto (North Jackson, Ohio-Jackson Milton) picked up his fifth-straight victory as Daniel King forfeit at 133 lbs, allowing the Green and White to take the 12-0 lead before Nicholas Barber (Cleveland, Ohio-St. Edward)extended the Eagle lead to 15 with a 4-2 decision at 141 lbs. Cleveland State earned its first victory of the night at 149 lbs. to come within 12 of Eastern, but Brandon Zeerip (Fremont, Mich.-Hesperia) clinched his third major decision of the season with a 15-7 victory at 157 lbs. to bring the Eagle lead to 19-3. The Vikings continued to chip away at the Green and White as Matt Donohoe earned his first pin of the year at 165 lbs., before the Eagles went on to win three-straight bouts and secure its ninth win of the 2013-14 season. Sophomore Jacob Davis (North Ridgeville, Ohio-St. Edward) grabbed his first win since moving up to 174 lbs. as he shutout Nick Corba, 3-0, before Phillip Joseph (Lapeer, Mich.-Lapeer East) notched a 12-4 major decision at 184 lbs. to extend the Eastern lead to 26-9. Anthony Abro (Canton, Mich.-Canton) picked up one final victory for Eastern at 197 lbs. as the redshirt-sophomore grabbed a 13-6 decision to put the Eagles up by 20. CSU was able to pick up one final victory in the heavyweight division as Riley Shaw earned a 3-0 decision for the Vikings. "Six duals in 11 days, this was a great way to start a very tough final stretch of our schedule," stated DelPorto, "No matter what, we must keep our eyes on the prize at the conference tournament and continue to work toward peaking." The Eagles hit the road for yet another tough conference match as they take on new MAC member, Missouri, Saturday, Feb. 8 before heading to Edwardsville, Ill. for two non-conference duals, Sunday, Feb. 9. Results: 125: Jared Germaine (EMU) wins by pin (:45) over John Martin (CSU) TS: 6-0 133: Vincent Pizzuto (EMU) wins by forfeit over Daniel King (CSU) TS: 12-0 141: Nicholas Barber (EMU) wins by decision (4-2) over Jared Mckinley (CSU) TS: 15-0 149: Nick Montgomery (CSU) wins by decision (7-6) over Mike LeHolm (EMU) TS: 15-3 157: Brandon Zeerip (EMU) wins by major decision (15-7) over R.J. LaBeef (CSU) TS: 19-3 165: Matt Donohoe (CSU) wins by pin (4:25) over Dean Vettese (EMU) TS: 19-9 174: Jacob Davis (EMU) wins by decision (3-0) over Nick Corba (CSU) TS: 22-9 184: Phillip Joseph (EMU) wins by major decision (12-4) over Bobby Blankenship (CSU) TS: 26-9 197: Anthony Abro (EMU) wins by decision (13-6) over Corbin Boone (CSU) TS: 29-9 285: Riley Shaw (CSU) wins by decision (3-0) over Cole Dillman (EMU) TS: 29-12

DURHAM, N.C. -- Duke redshirt sophomore Conner Hartmann continued his win streak tonight to lead the Blue Devils wrestling team to a 28-19 victory over Gardner-Webb in Card Gymnasium. Duke captured wins in five of the seven matches wrestled on the evening and earned bonus points in four of those. Duke (6-10) gave up 12 points to Gardner-Webb (6-13) with forfeits at 125 and 141, but dominated the action on the mat otherwise to pick up the dual victory. The win is the 25th all-time and the third straight over the Bulldogs, which forfeited at 133 pounds. “It wasn’t pretty, but a win’s a win,” said head coach Glen Lanham. “I thought [Immanuel Kerr-Brown] had another great match and I felt like [Jake] Faust just has to pull the trigger a little bit more. Overall,I saw some of the guys using the things tonight that we worked on so I was happy with that.” The match started with Hartmann cruising to his 16th victory of the year with his third pin of the year. The Port Orchard, Wash., went up big in the first period and needed just 1:13 into the second to give the Blue Devils a 6-0 lead right of the bat. In his first dual of the 2013-14 campaign, redshirt sophomore Brendan Walsh pulled out a 4-3 decision over Justin Kozera to stretch Duke’s lead to 9-0 before the string of forfeits. Walsh, leading 3-1 late in the third period, held off a furious charge by Kozera at the end to earn the 4-3 victory with the riding time point. With Duke leading 15-12 heading into the 149-pound bout, Gardner-Webb picked up a narrow 3-2 decision over Blue Devil rookie Jake Faust to tie the match. The match was even at 2-2 through two periods before Ziegler escaped in the third for the 3-2 lead. Faust, in search of his 10th win, took a final shot for the win in the closing seconds, but ran out of time in the one-point setback. At 157 pounds, Immanuel Kerr-Brown resumed his winning ways with a 12-1 major decision over Alexander Bennett. The major decision was the redshirt junior’s fourth of the year and third in the past five duals as Duke regained the 19-15 lead of the match. The four-point edge did not last long for the Blue Devils as 17th-ranked Austin Trott pulled out a last-second major decision at 165 to even the dual , 19-19, with two matches remaining. Those four points from the Bulldogs, however, were the final points they would score all evening as Duke dominated the 174 and 184 bouts. Redshirt sophomore Trey Adamson garnered a 20-4 technical fall over Aaron Rabin for his 14th win of the year, while rookie Jacob Kasper battled his way to his second major decision with a 13-4 triumph to ice the 28-19 victory for the Blue Devils. Duke resumes its ACC schedule Saturday, Feb. 8 at Maryland. The match is set for 7 p.m. and will be streamed live on TerpsTV. Results: 197 – No. 19 Conner Hartmann (Duke) pin Terry Henderson (GW), 4:13; Team Score: Duke 6, GW 0 285 – Brendan Walsh (Duke) dec. Justin Kozera (GW), 4-3; TS: 9-0 125 – William Anderson (GW) won by forfeit; TS: 9-6 133 – Evan Botwin (Duke) won by forfeit; TS: 15-6 141 – Ryan Mosley (GW) won by forfeit; TS: 15-12 149 – Tyler Ziegler (GW) dec. Jake Faust (Duke), 3-2; TS: 15-15 157 – Immanuel Kerr-Brown (Duke) major dec. Alexander Bennett (GW); 12-1; TS: 19-15 165 – No. 17 Austin Trott (GW) major dec. Marcus Cain (Duke); 10-1; TS: 19-19 174 – Trey Adamson (Duke) tech fall Aaron Rabin (GW) 20-4; TS: 24-19 184 – Jacob Kasper (Duke) major dec. Zachary Bennett (GW), 13-4; TS: 28-19

My favorite living sportswriter S.L. Price from Sports Illustrated recently wrote a nice piece about deceased writer Richard Ben Cramer. I didn't know much about Cramer, only that he spent years trying to write the definitive book on Joe DiMaggio. Joltin' Joe did his best to keep Cramer at bay, but somehow Cramer was able to break through and portray him in what many consider to be the greatest sports book of our time. Nathan Rose and Lance Benick (Photos/The Guillotine)Cramer also wrote the enormous and finely detailed "What it Takes," describing in granular detail the lives of the leading candidates fighting for the presidency of the United States in 1988. It's well over 1,000 pages and somehow manages the reader to become deeply interested in the outcome of a race, well after it took place. He also pulled off the impossible. He somehow was able to get characters like Joe Biden, Bob Dole, Richard Gephardt, Michael Dukakis, and George Bush to come across as not only admirable, but truly extraordinary human beings. With this story I had no such trouble. Nathan Rose and Lance Benick are two of the nicest young men I've stumbled across. They are both quick with a smile and easy to please. Unlike some of Minnesota's recent wrestling superstars, these guys are Minnesota born and bred and have been on a collision course all their lives. They are also good friends. It makes this story a little harder than usual to write. There are no bad guys here. Here are two respectful students and the kind of young men their parents are proud of. I'm not just guessing here. It's for real. Nathan Rose (Sibley East, Minn.) recently picked up his 200th win. In Minnesota, that's not completely out of reach. Minnesota is one of the few states that allow seventh and eighth-graders to wrestle in the varsity lineup. What caught my eye is the 119-match winning streak Nathan Rose has going. It's been alive since his freshman year. He has rolled through every opponent and is on track for his third state title. He's a two-time time NHSCA champion and recently cruised through the Iowa preseason event. Since Rose hasn't wrestled in Fargo or many of the other offseason events, not many people outside of Minnesota have seen him. The University of Minnesota coaches certainly have and locked him up for the next five years. Nathan is the youngest of three wrestlers in the family, but easily the most talented. His oldest brother Justin is in his sixth year serving in the military and is likely headed to Afghanistan. His dad Tony follows his every match and couldn't be prouder. When asked who pushes him to work when he doesn't want to, Rose doesn't hesitate, "My dad. He makes sure I pay attention to my workouts and pushes me to go further." He raves about his mom's cooking and how great she is. Nathan Rose edged Lance Benick, 9-8, at the 2012 InterMat JJ Classic (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine)Nathan Rose is sort of the all-American kind of son any parent would love to raise ... except he's different. He's an extremely talented wrestler that has spent most of this season ranked No. 2 in the nation. His most famous win took place 15 months ago. He defeated Lance Benick, 9-8, at the InterMat JJ Classic. But, even Nate knows it didn't really count. It was in the preseason and Lance had played football the day before in a playoff game. Both were out of wrestling shape. But, he won. No one can deny it. He's the last of the big names to defeat Lance Benick, unavenged. The Benick story is now well known and told, except for the personal side. That is, until about a month ago. Lance's mom Joanne has cancer and no one really knows how long she will be alive. Up until a month ago, Joanne was not interested in making her story public. But after some pressure from her two sons and husband Tom, she finally relented and let it all out. The first time was with Ben Pherson from Rochester Post Bulletin during The Clash. Later Pherson told me it was the most emotional and difficult story he ever told. He laughed with Joanne and cried with Joanne. The story was so well written, it was moved from the usual sports section to the FRONT PAGE. A week later, Ben Pherson mentioned it was one of the favorite moments of his career. The second big exposure was last week. In a compelling and intimate inside look, Jim Paulsen from the Minneapolis Star Tribune brought another deep run at the Benick. Again, it was well told and now most of Minnesota know Lance is living with something bigger than any opponent on a football field or wrestling mat. Lance uses his mom's challenge to push him. He forces himself through extra sprints and adding one more long run to his workouts. This extra push is usually easier to swallow knowing how much work his mom is going through to stay alive. If his mom is his wrestling inspiration, his dad Tom is his role model. "He has taught me how to be the kind of father and husband I want to be. I am so proud of my dad and watching him has made me a better person. But he worries too much about me when I wrestle. He doesn't want me to lose." Lance Benick (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)Lance Benick is the most confident wrestler I have ever met. There is no chance he can imagine losing. He's right most of the time, although it wasn't always this way. He has over 50 high school losses. Outside of Aaron Pico, I'm not sure there is a high school wrestler that has been on the kind of roll Lance has been on. He's a two-time state champion. He denied Broc Berge, now a wrestler at the University of Iowa, his third state title in an epic championship match last season. Benick not only won the last two Cadet National freestyle championships in Fargo, he didn't give up a point. Early last summer he qualified to represent the United states in the FILA World Championship by defeating the current top-ranked 220-pound wrestler in the nation, Roy Nash. Remember, Lance wrestles 195. He is considered the top high school wrestler in the United States in the junior class. No one who knows this sport would argue this. Ever since seventh grade, Lance Benick and Nathan Rose have been friends. They've been on the same summer teams and truly admire one another. There is no animosity between these two. As much as I tried to dig up, there is nothing here but sincere respect for each other. Here's the deal. Rose is a senior and wrestles in the smallest class (A). Benick is a junior and wrestles in the middle class (AA). In order for them to face off, someone had to make it happen. About a month ago, Sibley East head wrestling coach found a way to get his team and his star wrestler (Rose) to attend an individual event in tiny Waterville with 10 other teams. Totino-Grace was already entered in the event. The big match was on for Feb. 1, 2014. With Totino-Grace's tough schedule, most of the state was able to watch Benick in the Minnesota Christmas Tournament and The Clash. It was at The Clash where Benick ran into Jeramy Sweany of Vacaville, Calif., who is ranked fourth nationally at 220 pounds, and won a hard-fought 7-4 decision. Meanwhile Nathan Rose spent the first half of the season wrestling at 220 pounds looking for anyone near his level. He won most with ease except for a tough 6-4 win over state runner-up Christian DuLaney from Benilde-St. Margaret's. In spite of the differences in competition, most who have watched Rose wrestle knew he was a blue chip athlete, and this match with Benick was worthy of the hype. The Match Benick and Rose easily rolled to the finals. The gym was packed and MN/USA Wrestling was generous enough to supply the tools and personnel to video stream the event. The tournament directors were smart enough to start the championship round at 220 pounds and roll it through to 195 pounds. Several of the finals matches were tightly contested and the crowd could feel the momentum building to the main event. Lance Benick and Nathan Rose feel each other out in the opening period (Photo/David Peterson)While warming up, both guys could be seen wearing a T-shirt designed by Lance. The front said "Takedown Cancer." The back said "Wrestling for Joanne Benick." Anyone looking for a bad guy in this match was going to come up empty. Like many big matches, the first period was scoreless. Both spent the 2 minutes feeling the other out careful not to make a mistake. Neither wrestler made any type of move that had any real shot at scoring. Benick won the toss for the second period and chose down. He escaped within 20 seconds to put the first point on the board, 1-0. After a few pushes, Lance Benick reached for Rose's left leg and brought it up to his hip. After a quick foot sweep, Rose fell and Benick landed on him to jump to a 3-0 lead. They went out of bounds and started again in the center. Rose escaped to make the score 3-1, but Benick picked up another single leg takedown and ended the period with a surprising 5-1 lead. To start the third period, Rose chose down and was able to quickly get to his feet for an escape, 5-2. This was the moment Nathan knew he needed a takedown. He tried a shot but was blocked. Benick wasted no time and shot for another successful single leg takedown, 7-2. After a nice scramble landing out of bounds, they were brought back to the center. Rose managed another escape and tried a desperate attempt to bring Benick down. It was too little, too late. Benick took advantage and picked up his fourth takedown. The final was 9-3 in favor of Lance Benick. Later, almost everyone agreed Nathan Rose did not put on the typical performance we are used to seeing. But then again, he was wrestling Lance Benick. Placewinners at 195 (Photo/David Peterson)Although the match was somewhat anti-climactic, no one felt cheated here. Both guys went after it hard and the only thing surprising was the final score. Later, both guys took the time to be interviewed by the media and were sporting the same Joanne Benick warm-up shirts. Most understand these guys could very well be teammates for the Gophers soon. They shook hands and smiled. The guy who should be smiling is head coach J Robinson. Steve Elwood can be reached at steveel@rstransportinc.com.

Jim Miller and Rob Koll will go "On the Mat" this Wednesday, Feb. 5. "On the Mat" is a presentation of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum. The show can be heard live on the Internet at 1650thefan.com or locally in Northeast Iowa each Wednesday from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. CT on AM 1650, The Fan. A podcast of the show is available on theopenmat.com. E-mail dgmstaff@nwhof.org with any questions or comments. A native of Waterloo, Iowa, Miller was a two-time NCAA Division II champion and a two-time Division I All-American for the University of Northern Iowa. He coached Wartburg to 10 NCAA Division III wrestling championships. Rob Koll is the head wrestling coach at Cornell University. His team is currently undefeated and ranked fourth in the nation

UFC 169 went almost exactly as expected ... for Richard. John, on the other hand, couldn't pick a fight to save his life. But on to more important things. What's next for UFC champions Renan Barao and Jose Aldo? Did Alistair Overeem get his career back on track? And speaking of heavyweights, Anthony Johnson is back in the UFC and ready to make weigh-ins entertaining again. Do you want to listen to a past episode? Access archives.

PLAINVIEW, Texas -- After falling in a 15-3 hole, the Cowboys won the next five matches as New Mexico Highlands University (5-4) knocked off Wayland Baptist (2-9) for the second time this season, this time by a 24-21 score Tuesday night (Feb. 4). After the Pioneers won three matches in a row -- two by pin -- and led 15-3, Highlands took the next five matches to clinch the dual going into the heavyweight match. Sophomore Jesse Martinez started the Cowboy charge in exciting fashion at 157, knocking off Bernie Gonzalez 7-6. Redshirt sophomore Juan Alvarado brought the visitors within a pin with a 10-3 decision at 165. Junior Easton Hargrave continued the Highlands' string of decisions with a high-scoring, 13-8 win at 174 over Mitch Napier. While three decisions inched Highlands closer to the Pioneers, a pair of first period pins left the home team in the dust and clinched a victory. Senior Igor Gomzin pinned Manuel Rocha at 184 in 2:32. Junior Justin Rockhill clinched the match with a fall in 2:33 at 197. Sophomore Erick Rangel got the Cowboys off to a fast start with a 7-3 decision at 125 as Highlands took a 3-0 lead. For the Pioneers, Andrew Porras tied the match at 133 with a 9-3 decision. Wayland Baptist raced out to a 15-3 advantage with pins at 141 and 149 by Chris Hart and Victor Thomas, respectively. The New Mexico Highlands wrestling team takes more than a week off before celebrating senior day on Feb. 12 against CSU-Pueblo. Dual time at the John A. Wilson Complex is set for 7 p.m. Results: 125: Erick Rangel, NMHU, def. Justin Williamson, WBU, by dec., 7-3; NMHU 3-0. 133: Andrew Porras, WBU, def. Tre Humphreys, NMHU, by dec., 9-3; Tied 3-3. 141: Chris Hart, WBU, def. Dan Gaylor, NMHU, by pin, 1:32, WBU 9-3. 149: Victor Thomas, WBU, def. Pierce Stowman, NMHU, by pin, 6:51, WBU 15-3. 157: Jesse Martinez, NMHU, def. Bernie Gonzales, WBU, by dec., 7-6; WBU 15-6. 165: Juan Alvarado, NMHU, def. John Mark Avila, WBU, by dec., 10-3; WBU 15-9. 174: Easton Hargrave, NMHU, def. Mich Napier, WBU, by dec., 13-8, WBU 15-12. 184: Igor Gomzin, NMHU, def. Manuel Rocha, WBU, by pin, 2:32; NMHU 18-15. 197: Justin Rockhill, NMHU, def. Nik Gates, WBU, by pin, 2:33, NMHU 24-15. 285: Markese Christian, WBU, def. Cody Marquez, NMHU, by pin, 1:32, NMHU won 24-21.