InterMat Staff

ASHEVILLE, N.C. -- Chattanooga won its fifth straight Arby’s Southern Conference Wrestling Championship and 29th overall Saturday at Kimmel Arena, outdistancing runner-up Appalachian State by a score of 89-70.5. The Mocs won three individual titles on the day. SIUE’s Connor McMahon was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Wrestler, while Appalachian State’s JohnMark Bentley and Gardner-Webb’s Daniel Elliott shared SoCon Coach of the Year honors. The Mocs cruised to the team title, putting four wrestlers in the finals and picking up five third-place finishes. Appalachian State put five wrestlers in the finals, winning two titles. The Citadel finished third in the team standings with 56 points, followed by Gardner-Webb in fourth with 54. SIUE was fifth with 38.5, Davidson was sixth with 27.5 and VMI finished seventh with 24.5. The Southern Conference was allocated 14 spots for the NCAA Championships, with three at 149 pounds, two each at 125 pounds and heavyweight, and one each at the seven other weights. The feel-good story of the tournament was SIUE’s McMahon, as the No. 5 seed at 165 pounds upset No. 1 seed and SoCon Freshman of the Year Nick Kee of Appalachian State via major decision in the semis before topping No. 3 seed Shabaka Johns of VMI 4-3 in the final. In the title bout, McMahon got a reversal with just under a minute left to break a 2-all deadlock and hung on for the win. SoCon Wrestler of the Year Sean Boyle of Chattanooga posted a pair of major decisions to claim the title at 125 pounds, as the top seed posted a 10-2 win over Gardner-Webb’s Cortez Starkes in the semifinals and a 10-1 victory over The Citadel’s Joaquin Marquez in the final. Chattanooga’s Nick Soto made some history at 133 pounds, becoming just the 16th wrestler in the 78-year history of the tournament to win four titles. Soto, the No. 1 seed, pinned 2013 champion Anthony Elias of Davidson and No. 2 seed Vito Pasone of Appalachian State for his third title at 133 and fourth overall. Michael Longo of Appalachian State won his first career title at 141, as the No. 3 seed upset top seed Mike Pongracz of Chattanooga in the championship bout, 7-4. The 149-pound title match featured another upset, as The Citadel’s Matt Frisch, the No. 3 seed, topped No. 1 seed Ryan Mosley of Gardner-Webb 3-1 to pick up his first SoCon crown. Both Frisch and Mosley were assured of NCAA berths heading into the bout. The 157-pound match was a thriller, with The Citadel’s Aaron Walker successfully defending his title with a 6-1 win over Appalachian State’s Zack Strickland. With the score deadlocked at 1 late in the third period, Walker used a takedown and earned three back points in the final 20 seconds to claim the win. Sean Mappes of Chattanooga and Forrest Przybysz of Appalachian State turned in another thriller at 174, with Mappes, the 4 seed, emerging as the champion on riding time, 6-5. Mappes took down No. 1 seed Jake Residori of SIUE in the semifinals, 5-3. Top-seeded Scott Patrick of Davidson defended his 184-pound title with a 6-1 win over Gardner-Webb’s Hunter Gamble, accruing more than two minutes of riding time en route to punching his ticket to the NCAA Championships. The 197 match was another barn-burner, with SIUE’s Jake Tindle, the No. 4 seed, using a takedown with 25 seconds left to rally from a two-point deficit and claim the title 4-3 over defending champion and No. 2 seed Marshall Haas of The Citadel. Boykin knocked off No. 1 seed Scottie Boykin of Chattanooga in the semifinals, 5-4. Appalachian State’s Denzel Dejournette, ranked 19th nationally at heavyweight, won that title from the No. 3 seed, downing No. 4 seed Joe Bexley in the championship bout, 1-0. The Citadel’s Marquez and Chattanooga’s Jared Johnson won true-place matches for the SoCon’s second NCAA allocations at 125 and heavyweight, respectively. Chattanooga’s Shawn Greevy took third at 149 to claim the third SoCon allocation at that weight. The lightest five weights all saw the 1 seeds advance to the title bouts, but the top seeds in the heavier five didn’t fare as well. Davidson’s Patrick at 184 was the only one to escape unscathed, as the other four fell in the semis. Appalachian State’s Kee (165), SIUE’s Residori (174) and Chattanooga’s Boykin (197) all rebounded to take third place in their respective brackets. The 14 individuals that punched their NCAA tickets Saturday will learn their fates on Wednesday, March 11, as the NCAA Division I wrestling selection show will air on NCAA.com that day at 6 p.m. Team standings Chattanooga – 89.0 Appalachian State – 70.5 The Citadel – 62.0 Gardner-Webb – 54.0 SIUE – 38.5 Davidson – 27.5 VMI – 24.5 Individual champions/NCAA qualifiers 125 – Sean Boyle, Chattanooga 133 – Nick Soto, Chattanooga 141 – Michael Longo, Appalachian State 149 – Matt Frisch, The Citadel 157 – Aaron Walker, The Citadel 165 – Connor McMahon, SIUE 174 – Sean Mappes, Chattanooga 184 – Scott Patrick, Davidson 197 – Jake Tindle, SIUE HWT – Denzel Dejournette, Appalachian State Additional NCAA allocations 125 – Joaquin Marquez, The Citadel 149 – Ryan Mosley, Gardner-Webb; Shawn Greevy, Chattanooga HWT – Jared Johnson, Chattanooga Southern Conference Co-Coaches of the Year JohnMark Bentley, Appalachian State Daniel Elliott, Gardner-Webb Tournament Most Outstanding Wrestler Connor McMahon, SIUE

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The University of Iowa wrestling team advanced four Hawkeyes to the finals at the Big Ten Championships on Saturday night. Thomas Gilman, Josh Dziewa, Brandon Sorensen and Bobby Telford will wrestle for conference titles Sunday at 3 p.m. (ET). BTN will televise the event. The Hawkeyes were 4-3 in the semifinal round and 2-2 in the consolation bracket. Sammy Brooks picked up a pair of wins to stay alive on the backside of 184. Michael Kelly and Nick Moore were both eliminated with losses. "We did some work that was good to keep us in there when we had some things fall apart a little bit," said UI head coach Tom Brands. Big Ten Wrestling Championships Brooks Gilman collected two takedowns and an escape to edge out the No. 5 seed Jordan Conaway of Penn State, 5-4, at 125. He trailed 4-3 in the third before finishing on the edge for the go-ahead takedown with 45 seconds left in the third. He faces the No. 3 seed Nathan Tomasello of Ohio State in Sunday's finals. "It's not how I wanted to do it, but it's the postseason and as long as you're winning matches that's all that matters," said Gilman. Josh Dziewa upset second-ranked Nick Dardanes (Minnesota), 5-1, at 141. Dziewa scored takedowns in the first and third periods and added a second period escape to advance to the finals against top-seeded Logan Stieber (Ohio State). "I went after my attacks and I scored," said Dziewa. "I shot maybe three times in the match and scored on the two of them. That tells me I can shoot five, six, seven, eight times, and score five, six, seven, eight times." There is still the finals and still room to improve. Top-seeded Brandon Sorensen advanced to the finals at 149 after a 2-0 decision over Michigan's fifth-seeded, Alex Pantaleo. Sorensen rode Panteleo for 1:52 in the second period and added an escape in the third to advance to the finals, where he will face defending Big Ten and NCAA champion Jason Tsirtsis. "It feels good to get the win and help the team," Sorensen said before adding there is room to improve. "You're always looking to score and that's what I'm looking to do. It doesn't matter if you're up 14 or down two, you stay focused and keep going after your points." Bobby Telford became Iowa's fourth finalist when up upended top-seeded Connor Medbery (Wisconsin), 3-1, in sudden victory. Telford and Medbery exchanged escapes in the second and third period before Telford finished a quick single leg with 15 seconds left in the first overtime. Telford faces Northwestern's Mike McMullan in the finals. "When I went to the leg I wasn't worried about getting it up," said Telford. "I wanted to lock it out, get my head tight, control the match. The cutback was there, so I hit the cutback." Action at St. John Arena resumes on Sunday, March 8 at 1 p.m. ET and Championship matches are scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. "We have four finalists and we need to do some work," said Brands. "A lot of it is in our hands if you're talking about the team race, but really it's about being strong individually and continuing that path." After Day 1 of competition, Iowa is in second place with 101 points. Ohio State leads the pack with 102.5 and Minnesota hangs at third with 86.5. Michigan (80.5), Illinois (79), and Penn State (78.5) fall into fourth, fifth, and sixth, respectively. The Hawkeyes and Ohio State are the only two teams to advance four wrestlers to the finals, followed by Minnesota (3), and Wisconsin, Penn State, and Northwestern (2).

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Four Ohio State wrestlers advanced to tomorrow's final round of the Big Ten Championships, taking place this weekend at St. John Arena. The Buckeyes' finalists are redshirt senior Logan Stieber (141 lbs.), redshirt freshman Nathan Tomasello (125 lbs.), redshirt freshman Bo Jordan (165 lbs.) and true freshman Kyle Snyder (197 lbs.). In the team standings, Ohio State currently stands in first place 102.5 points, 1.5 points ahead of second-place Iowa. The Buckeyes are seeking their first conference title since 1951. Stieber's road to tomorrow's final included a 9-0 major decision over Nick Lawrence in the quarterfinals and a 5-1 triumph over Rutgers' Anthony Ashnault. He will face Josh Dziewa of Iowa in tomorrow's final. Earlier in the year, Stieber (24-0) defeated Dziewa by technical fall, 15-0. Logan's brother, Hunter, had the crowd on its feet during his quarterfinal match, as he defeated Penn State's Zack Beitz, 5-4, on a last second reversal in the third period. With the win, Stieber assured himself of a trip to the NCAA Championships in St Louis March 19-21. In the semifinals, Stieber medically defaulted to Northwestern's Jason Tsirtsis. The Buckeye crowed also had plenty to cheer about in the 125 pound semifinals, as Tomasello scored a takedown and escape in the third period and then held on for a 3-2 decision over No. 2 seed and two-time NCAA champion Jesse Delgado of Illinois. Tomasello now has a team-high 28 wins on the year and will face off against Thomas Gilman of Iowa, the top seed, in the finals. At 165 pounds, the much-anticipated Jordan-Jordan final will take place tomorrow, as Bo Jordan remained undefeated on the year and advanced to face his cousin Issac of Wisconsin thanks to an 8-1 decision over Pierce Harger of Northwestern. Jordan, who received a first round bye, edged Austin Wilson of Nebraska in the quarterfinals, 4-1. Snyder was able to avenge one of his losses this season by edging Nathan Burak 3-2, setting up a finals date with Morgan McIntosh of Penn State. Snyder defeated McIntosh earlier this year, 6-2, clinching a dual meet victory over the Nittany Lions. Ohio State was particularly successful in the consolation round of Saturday night, going 7-1 in matches that included a victory by Johnni DiJulius over Rossi Bruno of Michigan, Josh Demas over Anthony Perotti of Rutgers and a pair of wins from Mark Martin at 174 lbs. (over Josh Snook of Maryland Frank Cousins of Wisconsin). Action gets underway tomorrow with the third and fifth place matches at 1 p.m. and the finals at approximately 3 p.m.

AMES, Iowa -- The Oklahoma State wrestling team won its 13th Big 12 team championship and 49th conference title Saturday at Hilton Coliseum, scoring 92 team points and going a perfect 7-0 in title matches. The Cowboys' point total was 24 points better than second-place Iowa State, and no other school had more than two champions. "Each championship - they're important," coach John Smith said. "We like winning them, and this one is as satisfying as a lot of them - coming into tonight with seven in the finals and winning all seven. I saw some things out of my team that I haven't seen all year. You like to see that in post-season." Individual title winners for the Cowboys included Eddie Klimara (125), Dean Heil (141), Anthony Collica (157), Alex Dieringer (165), who was also named Outstanding Wrestler at the event, Kyle Crutchmer (174), Nolan Boyd (184) and Austin Marsden (285). Klimara started the night with a 5-3 decision over second-seeded Zeke Moisey of West Virginia at 125 pounds. Klimara traded a takedown for a reversal in the first period, then added a late takedown in the second that made the difference in the final score. It marks Klimara's second Big 12 title, as he won the 125-pound championship in 2013 and finished runner-up in 2014. "He's a great opponent," Klimara said. "I just had to stay solid and keep wrestling." Heil kept the momentum going with a fall in the 141-pound bout over Iowa State's Dante Rodriguez. He scored a takedown in the first period and a quick reversal in the second. Rodriguez escaped, but Heil took him down again straight to his back and picked up the fall with 11 seconds remaining in the period. It was Heil's fourth fall of the season and his first Big 12 title in his first conference title match. "Although it's an individual sport and you wrestle individual matches, anyone that goes out there and creates a positive chemistry for your team (has an impact)," Smith said. "A pin will do that. People get excited when you see pins." Collica's conference championship came against second-seeded Justin DeAngelis of Oklahoma. DeAngelis scored the only point in the first two periods with an escape in the second, but Collica scored an escape of his own and a followed that with a takedown in the final 30 seconds. Collica rode out the majority of the period, with a last second escape by DeAngelis making the final score 3-2 in favor of Collica. It was his second Big 12 title, as he won the 141-pound crown a year ago. Crutchmer's win at 174 pounds could be considered the most exciting of the event, as he and Iowa State's third-seeded Tanner Weatherman took their match as far as it could go through both overtime periods. Although the only scoring came via escapes to start each period, there were several close calls both ways, and each wrestler fought hard before Crutchmer's eight-second riding time advantage in overtime gave him the 4-3 win. It was Crutchmer's first Big 12 title in his first conference championship match. The 184-pound match was another closely fought bout, with Boyd coming out on top with a 2-1 decision. He and Iowa State's top-seeded Lelund Weatherspoon traded escapes in the final two periods, but Boyd's 1:28 riding time advantage was enough to give him the win, and also mathematically sealed OSU's team title. It marked Boyd's first Big 12 championship after finishing runner-up in 2014. In the 165-pound match, which was moved for broadcast purposes to the slot between 184 and 197 pounds, Dieringer added another line to his impressive resume with a dominant 14-4 major decision over second-seeded Michael Moreno of Iowa State. "I got a major decision so I can't be too mad about it, but I could have got a few more," Dieringer said. "That's the biggest thing I've got to worry about is moving my feet and hands." It was Dieringer's third-straight Big 12 individual title, as he won at 157 pounds each of the last two years, and improved his perfect record this season to 28-0. Marsden wrapped up the night with another solid win, defeating West Virginia's third-seeded Anthony Vizcarrondo by a 7-0 margin. It was Marsden's second-consecutive heavyweight conference title. The Cowboys' seven champs give them 83 all-time Big 12 individual champions and 262 all-time individual conference champions. Oklahoma State wrestling return to action March 19-21 for the NCAA Wrestling Championships in St. Louis, Mo. Standings: 1. Oklahoma State - 92 pts. 2. Iowa State - 68 pts. 3. Oklahoma - 43 pts. 4. West Virginia - 35 pts. Big 12 finals results: 125: No. 1 Eddie Klimara (OSU) dec. No. 2 Zeke Moisey (WVU), 5-3 133: No. 2 Cody Brewer (OU) dec. No. 1 Earl Hall (ISU), 10-5 141: No. 1 Dean Heil (OSU) fall No. 2 Dante Rodriguez (ISU), 4:49 149: No. 3 Shayne Tucker (OU) dec. No. 4 Roman Perryman (WVU), 8-6 157: No. 1 Anthony Collica (OSU) dec. No. 2 Justin DeAngelis (OU), 3-2 174: No. 1 Kyle Crutchmer (OSU) dec. No. 3 Tanner Weatherman (ISU), 4-3, TB2 184: No. 2 Nolan Boyd (OSU) dec. No. 1 Lelund Weatherspoon (ISU), 2-1 165: No. 1 Alex Dieringer (OSU) MD No. 2 Michael Moreno (ISU), 14-4 197: No. 1 Kyven Gadson (ISU) MD No. 2 Jake A. Smith (WVU), 10-2 285: No. 1 Austin Marsden (OSU) dec. No. 3 Anthony Vizcarrondo (WVU), 7-0

LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. -- The Edinboro wrestling team won its second straight Eastern Wrestling League championship and 14th in 18 years under head coach Tim Flynn on Saturday at Rider's Alumni Gym. The Fighting Scots crowned four champions at the 40th annual EWL Championships and five wrestlers qualified for the NCAA Division I National Championships, which are March 19-21 in St. Louis. Edinboro finished with 138.5 points to outdistance the seven-team field. Rider was second with 122.5 points, while Lock Haven was third with 101.5 points. 7542Mitchell Port won his third EWL crown. The tournament featured plenty of upsets and Edinboro was unable to avoid them. Only three number one seeds went on to win titles – Edinboro's Mitchell Port and Vic Avery at 141 and 184 lbs., and Cleveland State's Riley Shaw at heavyweight. Kory Mines and Vince Pickett joined Port and Avery as champions. After two second place finishes at 125 lbs. Mines won a 3-1 decision over top-seeded Ben Willeford of Cleveland State thanks to a takedown just before the buzzer. The redshirt senior earned his second trip to Nationals and improved to 31-7. Pickett (17-16) was one of the surprises of the tournament. The junior, the third seed, had a string of tough losses entering the EWL Championships, but he upset second-seeded Doanld McNeil over in the semifinals 4-3 in sudden victory, then claimed a 5-2 decision over Clarion's Ryan Darch to win the automatic bid and his first trip to Nationals. Port won his third straight EWL crown thanks to a 13-2 major decision over Bobby Rehm of Lock Haven at 141 lbs. Ranked second at 141 lbs., he boosted his record to 32-1. He also received the EWL award for Most Dual Points. Avery continued his impressive wrestling as he all three of his matches at 184 lbs. The junior claimed a 9-1 major decision over Lock Haven's Fred Garcia, the second seed. Avery is now 29-6. Unfortunately, top-ranked Dave Habat (149 lbs.) and second-ranked A.J. Schopp (133 lbs.) were unable to avoid the rash of upsets. In search of his third straight EWL crown, Habat dropped a 6-5 decision to second-seeded B.J. Clagon of Rider, just falling short after trailing 5-1 entering the third period. Habat is now 30-2. Clagon, a redshirt freshman, would go on to be named the Outstanding Wrestler. Schopp won his first match by fall, but the rust from a knee injury that cost him two months showed in his semifinal match against Ronnie Perry of Lock Haven. Perry, the fourth seed, posted a 5-4 decision. Denied of becoming just the seventh wrestler in EWL history to win four titles. Schopp would go on to take third place with two more pins. That boosted his career record to 63 as he is now 19-2 on the season. Seeded fourth at 165 lbs., Casey Fuller (16-17) fell one win shy of earning his first trip to Nationals. The redshirt junior won twice to reach the finals before dropping a 6-4 decision in sudden victory to second-seeded Conor Brennan of Rider. In the semifinals he had upset top-seeded Aaron McKinney of Lock Haven 4-1 in a tiebreaker. Patrick Jennings entered the tournament as the number one seed at 174 lbs., but he and Schopp will now have to wait until Wednesday, March 11 when the NCAA announces the 70 at-large recipients. The redshirt junior lost in first match to Tyler Wood of Lock Haven 8-6 in sudden victory before coming back to take third place. Jennings is now 29-10. Chase Delande took over as the starter at 157 lbs. recently, and the redshirt sophomore almost earned his first trip to Nationals. Delande finished third at 157 lbs., with all three of his wins coming by fall. With four weight classes wrestling "true second" matches, Delande (15-13) faced George Mason's Greg Flournoy, the top seed, with a trip to St. Louis on the line. He would drop a 5-3 decision. Heavyweight Warren Bosch (16-20) split his four matches to finish fifth.

FARGO, N.D. -- North Dakota State University won its second NCAA West Regional/Western Wrestling Conference championship with 67.5 team points to edge out the University of Wyoming which finished second with 63 points and third place South Dakota State (56.5) on Saturday, March 7, at the Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse. Five NDSU wrestlers claimed individual championships to automatically qualify for the NCAA Championships scheduled for March 19-21 at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis. Bison head coach Roger Kish was named Coach of the Year. North Dakota State 125-pounder Josh Rodriguez was named the NCAA West Regional/WWC Most Outstanding Wrestler coming through the tournament's toughest bracket with a 3-1 decision over Wyoming's Tyler Cox in the championship match. The 125-pound weight class advanced five of the six competitors to the NCAA Championships. Rodriguez, a sophomore from Guadalupe, Calif., opened with an 8-1 decision over Utah Valley's Chasen Tolbert in his first match. Rodriguez, who had lost to Tolbert during the dual season, improved to 17-7 overall. NDSU redshirt freshman 141-pound Mitch Bengtson (St. Cloud, Minn.) earned a 7-6 tie breaker-2 overtime win over South Dakota State's Lucas Zilverberg. Bengtson trailed 3-0 entering the third period, but rallied to take a 4-3 lead with time running out. After a video review, Zilverberg was awarded an escape to the score at 4-4. The first-minute overtime was scoreless, the wrestlers traded escapes in a pair of 30-second periods, and went scoreless again in the second one-minute overtime. Bengtson recorded a takedown in the first 30-second period and held off Zilverberg in the second 30 to post the win. It was the second overtime win of the afternoon for Bengtson, who registered a 5-4 tie breaker-1 overtime win against Northern Colorado's Benjamin Polkowske. Bengtson improved to 23-10 overall. NDSU redshirt freshman 149-pound Clay Ream (Wentzville, Mo.) grinded out a 12-2 major decision over South Dakota State's Alex Kocer in the championship match. Ream opened with a 4-0 decision over Gerald McGinty of Air Force in the semifinals. Ream raised his overall record to 23-11. North Dakota State senior Kurtis Julson (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.) received an injury forfeit to claim the 174-pound championship. Julson was the runner-up at 184 last season and third at 174 pounds as a sophomore. Julson defeated South Dakota State's David Kocer 4-2 to advance. Julson improved to 18-9 overall and will make his second NCAA Championships appearance. Hayden Zillmer, a junior from Crosby, Minn., claimed his second straight NCAA West Region/WWC championship -- this one at 184 pounds. He won the 174-pound title last season. Zillmer defeated Wyoming's Ben Stroh 6-2 in the championship match. He opened with his eighth pin of the season by dispatching Zen Ikehara of Air Force at 5:30. Zillmer, who has won 10 straight matches, raised his overall record to 31-4. NDSU 285-pound senior Evan Knutson (Wausau, Wis.) was denied his second straight NCAA West Region/WWC title. Knutson lost a 5-3 decision to South Dakota State's J.J. Everard in the championship match. Knutson, who is 24-8 overall, earned a 4-2 decision over Northern Colorado's Brian Macchione to advance. North Dakota State 157 redshirt freshman Grant Nehring (Kimball, Minn.) turned in one of the fastest pins of the NCAA West Region/WWC tournament and went 2-2 to place fourth. He recorded a fall over Air Force's Samuel Kreimier at 1:53 to make the semifinals. Eventual champion SDSU's Cody Pack posted a 17-5 major decision over Nehring, who rebounded with a 5-1 decision over Utah Valley's Logan Addis. Northern Colorado's Beau Roberts defeated Nehring 8-4 in the third place match. NDSU 197 redshirt freshman Tommy Petersen (Lakeville, Minn.) went 1-2 at the NCAA West Region/WWC tournament. Petersen opened with a 5-3 win over South Dakota State's Nathan Rotert, but lost to Northern Colorado's Trent Noon 9-2 and Jack Carda of Air Force by the score of 3-2. Petersen finished with a 10-18 record. Bison 133 redshirt freshman Kyle Gliva (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.) and 165 redshirt sophomore Steven Keogh (Thief River Falls, Minn.) each went 0-2.

BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- Cornell won its ninth consecutive EIWA title, matching a school record with five individual champions and comfortably holding off host Lehigh while qualifying eight of its 10 wrestlers for the upcoming NCAA championships in two weeks. The Big Red won the team title by 30 points over the Mountain Hawks, scoring 176 points - just .5 off its school record. It went 8-1 in the final session, with its only loss an injury forfeit. Cornell won all five finals and three more third place matches. The lone match of the evening that affected the NCAA tournament picture came with Mark Grey punching his ticket at 133 with a third place finish. Needing to top Columbia's Angelo Amenta to automatically qualify, the sophomore did just that with a controlling 7-4 decision. The night started out with Nahshon Garrett's third EIWA title at 125, scoring the program's seventh straight title at that weight after topping 17th-ranked David Terao of American for the second straight year in the championship match. Garrett dictated the match and won going away, 9-5, earning the Fletcher Award for most career points by a wrestler in the bracket. While Garrett was honored for his career - still well in motion - sophomore Gabe Dean took home the Coach's Award for Most Outstanding Wrestler after cruising through a brutally tough 184-pound bracket. The top-ranked wrestler in the country narrowly avoided a pair of first period shots against second-seeded and third-ranked Nathaniel Brown of Lehigh in the finals before crusing to an 8-2 victory, his second of the day against a conference wrestler ranked in the top seven nationally. Chris Villalonga (149) and Jace Bennett (197) completed repeat finishes atop the podium at Eastern's, becoming multiple-time champions along with Garrett and Dean. Villalonga used an escape and riding time to top Princeton's sixth-seeded Chris Perez by a 2-0 score and Bennett knocked off Penn's Canaan Bethea in a competitive match. Sophomore Brian Realbuto, an NCAA All-American a season ago, won his first Eastern title with a convincing 6-1 triumph over American's John Boyle in the finals. The most exciting match of the day came in the 174 pound consolation final between Duke Pickett and 17th-ranked Brian Harvey of Army). Each wrestler earned an escape to go into overtime knotted at 1-1. Two sudden victory sessions and four rounds of rideouts ended with the junior making his case for an at-large bid with an early escape that gave him a short riding time advantage. That seven second difference was enough to give Pickett third. Senior heavyweight Jacob Aiken-Phillips finished third after Lehigh's Doug Vollaro was forced to injury default midway through the second period with the score tied at 0-0. Sophomore Dylan Palacio finished second at 165 after medically forfeiting out of the championship. The ninth straight win at the meet builds on Cornell's own record and its five champions matched its total from 1993 and 2010.BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- Cornell qualified six for the EIWA finals, but it was one wrestler that earned a spot in the third-place match that may have most excited the Big Red faithful on day two of the 2015 EIWA Championships at Lehigh's Stabler Arena. Senior heavyweight Jacob Aiken-Phillips topped a pair of higher-seeded wrestlers in the consolation bracket to launch himself into the third place match and earn himself a spot at the NCAA championships for the first time in his career. He scored a comeback 7-6 victory over Hofstra's Michael Hughes in the second tiebreaker, using an escape after riding out the Pride grappler for the win. He then used a third period takedown of Columbia's Garrett Ryan, the Ivy League Rookie of the Year, to solidify his NCAA bid and send him into the third place match. With seven NCAA qualifiers (sophomore Mike Grey could become an eighth at 133 this evening), the Big Red took command of the team lead in the morning session as well. With 151 points, Cornell enters the finals rounds with a 19-point advantage over second place Lehigh and is 65 points clear of third place Bucknell. Nahshon Garrett had a big third period to pull away from Lehigh's Scott Parker, the first of three semifinal matchups between the two teams. Garrett, the top seed, with face 17th-ranked and second-seeded David Terao of American in the finals. Chris Villalonga starts a run of five of six finals featuring Big Red wrestlers starting at 149. The senior topped Drexel's Matt Cimato in the semifinals by a 3-1 decision in the second tiebreaker. He will face sixth-seeded Chris Perez of Princeton in the finals. Realbuto had a dominant semifinal win over 17th ranked Russell Parsons of Army, knocking off the No. 4 seed by a 12-3 major decision. He will wrestle for his first Eastern title tonight against American's John Boyle. Dylan Palacio will have a chance to claim his first EIWA title as well when he meets No. 1 seed Peyton Walsh of Navy after avening one of his two losses this season with a 5-3 semifinal victory over Army's Coleman Gracey. Both Gabe Dean (184) and Jace Bennett (197) won tight matches against top 10 foes in the semifinals, with Bennett using a late takedown and rideout of No. 10 Elliot Riddick of Lehigh for a 4-2 triumph. He will face fourth-seeded Canaan Bethea of Penn in the finals. Dean, meanwhile, knocked off Penn's Lorenzon Thomas, ranked seventh nationally, by a 10-7 decision in a high scoring bout. He will face Lehigh's third-ranked and second-seeded Nathaniel Brown in the finals in a match that will help determine the meet champion. It is the only finals matchup between the top two teams in the field. Sophomore Mark Grey and junior Duke Pickett will also wrestle for third place after losses in the semifinals. Grey dropped a narrow 2-1 decision to Lehigh's Mason Beckman after surrendering a riding time point, but bounced back with a win over seventh-seeded Grimaldi Gonzalez of Bucknell in the wrestlebacks. He will face Columbia's sixth seed Angelo Amenta for third place and a guaranteed spot at the NCAA championships this evening. Pickett will also wrestle for third after a 3-2 loss to Jadean Bernstein of Navy in the sems and a 7-1 decision over Columbia's Shane Hughes in the wrestlebacks. Pickett will meet Army's Brian Harvey for third, though just the two two placewinners will earn bids to the NCAAs. Pickett will be a strong candidate for an at-large bid. The Big Red's 10th placewinner was freshman Dylan Realbuto at 141, who nearly majored sixth-seeded Logan Everett of Army in the seventh place match, picking up a 12-5 win.

125: No. 4 Thomas Gilman (Iowa) dec. No. 10 Jordan Conaway (Penn State), 5-4 No. 7 Nathan Tomasello (Ohio State) dec. No. 2 Jesse Delgado (Illinois), 3-2 133: No. 1 Chris Dardanes (Minnesota) dec. No. 7 Cory Clark (Iowa), 6-2 TB1 No. 3 Ryan Taylor (Wisconsin) dec. No. 6 Jimmy Gulibon (Penn State), 7-5 SV 141: No. 1 Logan Stieber (Ohio State) dec. No. 9 Anthony Ashnault (Rutgers), 5-1 No. 7 Josh Dziewa (Iowa) dec. No. 4 Nick Dardanes (Minnesota), 5-1 149: No. 4 Brandon Sorensen (Iowa) dec. No. 15 Alec Pantaleo (Michigan), 2-0 No. 2 Jason Tsirtsis (Northwestern) by injury default over No. 7 Hunter Stieber (Ohio State) 157: No. 1 Isaiah Martinez (Illinois) dec. No. 9 Doug Welch (Purdue), 11-6 No. 2 Dylan Ness (Minnesota) dec. No. 3 James Green (Nebraska), 6-5 165: No. 5 Bo Jordan (Ohio State) dec. No. 7 Pierce Harger (Northwestern), 8-1 No. 3 Isaac Jordan (Wisconsin) dec. No. 6 Taylor Walsh (Indiana), 6-5 174: No. 1 Robert Kokesh (Nebraska) dec. No. 4 Logan Storley (Minnesota), 2-1 No. 2 Matt Brown (Penn State) dec. No. 3 Mike Evans (Iowa), 2-0 184: No. 13 Brett Pfarr (Minnesota) dec. Matt McCutcheon (Penn State), 4-2 No. 11 Domenic Abounader (Michigan) dec. No. 17 Ricky Robertson (Wisconsin), 6-1 197: No. 3 Kyle Snyder (Ohio State) dec. No. 6 Nathan Burak (Iowa), 3-2 No. 4 Morgan McIntosh (Penn State) dec. No. 5 Scott Schiller (Minnesota), 5-4 285: No. 4 Bobby Telford (Iowa) dec. No. 2 Connor Medbery (Wisconsin), 3-1 SV No. 3 Mike McMullan (Northwestern) dec. No. 6 Adam Coon (Michigan), 7-6

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The semifinals are set at the 2015 Big Ten Wrestling Championships in Columbus, Ohio. Nine of the 10 No. 1 seeds advanced. The lone No. 1 to fall was Iowa's Sam Brooks, who lost 6-4 to Penn State's Matt McCutcheon in the quarterfinals at 184 pounds. Iowa has the most semifinalists with seven, followed by Minnesota with six. Ohio State and Penn State both have five. Semifinal Matchups 125: No. 4 Thomas Gilman (Iowa) vs. No. 10 Jordan Conaway (Penn State) No. 2 Jesse Delgado (Illinois) vs. No. 7 Nathan Tomasello (Ohio State) 133: No. 1 Chris Dardanes (Minnesota) vs. No. 7 Cory Clark (Iowa) No. 3 Ryan Taylor (Wisconsin) vs. No. 6 Jimmy Gulibon (Penn State) 141: No. 1 Logan Stieber (Ohio State) vs. No. 9 Anthony Ashnault (Rutgers) No. 4 Nick Dardanes (Minnesota) vs. No. 7 Josh Dziewa (Iowa) 149: No. 4 Brandon Sorensen (Iowa) vs. No. 15 Alec Pantaleo (Michigan) No. 2 Jason Tsirtsis (Northwestern) vs. No. 7 Hunter Stieber (Ohio State) 157: No. 1 Isaiah Martinez (Illinois) vs. No. 9 Doug Welch (Purdue) No. 2 Dylan Ness (Minnesota) vs. No. 3 James Green (Nebraska) 165: No. 5 Bo Jordan (Ohio State) vs. No. 7 Pierce Harger (Northwestern) No. 3 Isaac Jordan (Wisconsin) vs. No. 6 Taylor Walsh (Indiana) 174: No. 1 Robert Kokesh (Nebraska) vs. No. 4 Logan Storley (Minnesota) No. 2 Matt Brown (Penn State) vs. No. 3 Mike Evans (Iowa) 184: No. 13 Brett Pfarr (Minnesota) vs. Matt McCutcheon (Penn State) No. 11 Domenic Abounader (Michigan) vs. No. 17 Ricky Robertson (Wisconsin) 197: No. 3 Kyle Snyder (Ohio State) vs. No. 6 Nathan Burak (Iowa) No. 4 Morgan McIntosh (Penn State) vs. No. 5 Scott Schiller (Minnesota) 285: No. 2 Connor Medbery (Wisconsin) vs. No. 4 Bobby Telford (Iowa) No. 3 Mike McMullan (Northwestern) vs. No. 6 Adam Coon (Michigan)

125: No. 4 Thomas Gilman (Iowa) dec. Luke Welch (Purdue), 8-4 No. 10 Jordan Conaway (Penn State) dec. No. 11 Tim Lambert (Nebraska), 7-4 No. 7 Nathan Tomasello (Ohio State) dec. No. 20 Conor Youtsey (Michigan), 5-2 No. 2 Jesse Delgado (Illinois) dec. Ethan Lizak (Minnesota), 6-3 133: No. 1 Chris Dardanes (Minnesota) dec. No. 9 Rossi Bruno (Michigan), 8-3 No. 7 Cory Clark (Iowa) dec. No. 11 Johnni DiJulius (Ohio State), 2-0 No. 6 Jimmy Gulibon (Penn State) dec. No. 8 Zane Richards (Illinois), 3-1 No. 3 Ryan Taylor (Wisconsin) vs. No. 12 Danny Sabatello (Purdue) 141: No. 1 Logan Stieber (Ohio State) maj. dec. Nick Lawrence (Purdue), 9-0 No. 9 Anthony Ashnault (Rutgers) pinned Jesse Thielke (Wisconsin), 5:50 No. 7 Josh Dziewa (Iowa) dec. No. 8 Anthony Abidin (Nebraska), 3-1 No. 4 Nick Dardanes (Minnesota) pinned Jameson Oster (Northwestern), 3:58 149: No. 4 Brandon Sorensen (Iowa) dec. Rylan Lubeck (Wisconsin), 6-1 No. 15 Alec Pantaleo (Michigan) by injury default over No. 18 Ken Theobold (Rutgers) No. 7 Hunter Stieber (Ohio State) dec. No. 14 Zack Beitz (Penn State), 5-4 No. 2 Jason Tsirtsis (Northwestern) dec. Justin Arthur (Nebraska), 6-0 157: No. 1 Isaiah Martinez (Illinois) tech. fall Luke Frey (Penn State), 24-9 No. 9 Doug Welch (Purdue) dec. No. 8 Brian Murphy (Michigan), 3-2 No. 3 James Green (Nebraska) dec. No. 13 Josh Demas (Ohio State), 8-2 No. 2 Dylan Ness (Minnesota) maj. dec. No. 15 Mike Kelly (Iowa), 15-6 165: No. 5 Bo Jordan (Ohio State) dec. Austin Wilson (Nebraska), 4-1 No. 7 Pierce Harger (Northwestern) dec. No. 8 Jackson Morse (Illinois), 10-5 No. 6 Taylor Walsh (Indiana) pinned No. 17 Garrett Hammond (Penn State), 0:39 No. 3 Isaac Jordan (Wisconsin) maj. dec. Pat Robinson (Purdue), 16-4 174: No. 1 Robert Kokesh (Nebraska) pinned No. 13 Taylor Massa (Michigan), 0:16 No. 4 Logan Storley (Minnesota) dec. No. 10 Zac Brunson (Illinois), 5-2 No. 3 Mike Evans (Iowa) dec. No. 15 Mark Martin (Ohio State), 2-0 No. 2 Matt Brown (Penn State) maj. dec. No. 19 Nate Jackson (Indiana), 15-7 184: Matt McCutcheon (Penn State) dec. No. 8 Sammy Brooks (Iowa), 6-4 No. 13 Brett Pfarr (Minnesota) dec. No. 12 Kenny Courts (Ohio State), 7-2 No. 17 Ricky Robertson (Wisconsin) dec. No. 14 T.J. Dudley (Nebraska), 10-9 TB No. 11 Domenic Abounader (Michigan) dec. No. 19 Nikko Reyes (Illinois), 6-4 197: No. 3 Kyle Snyder (Ohio State) dec. No. 14 Timmy McCall (Wisconsin), 6-2 No. 6 Nathan Burak (Iowa) dec. Hayden Hrymack (Rutgers), 9-5 No. 5 Scott Schiller (Minnesota) dec. No. 8 Max Huntley (Michigan), 9-6 No. 4 Morgan McIntosh (Penn State) maj. dec. Nick McDiarmid (Michigan State), 13-3 285: No. 2 Connor Medbery (Wisconsin) dec. No. 15 Billy Smith (Rutgers), 6-3 No. 4 Bobby Telford (Iowa) vs. No. 7 Jimmy Lawson (Penn State), 2-1 No. 3 Mike McMullan (Northwestern) dec. No. 14 Michael Kroells (Minnesota), 10-8 SV No. 6 Adam Coon (Michigan) dec. Brooks Black (Illinois), 5-1

TOPEKA, Kan. -- Grand View (Iowa) strengthened its lead on a potential fourth-straight team championship Saturday night in Session II of the 2015 NAIA Wrestling National Championships, presented by Blue Chip Wrestling. The three-time defending champions boast 83 points -- 19 more than second-place Great Falls (Mont.). The 58th annual event is taking place for the second-consecutive season inside the Kansas Expocentre. The Vikings, who with a team title this season will join former-member Central State (Okla.) (1984-87) as the only programs to win four in-a-row, had nine of their 12 qualifiers lock up All-America status, including six that reached the semifinals. Defending national champions Ryak Finch at 125 pounds and Brand Wright at 141 pounds headline the group of Grand View grapplers that will be in action tomorrow. Finch, who is in his second season with the Vikings, owns a 53-0 overall record (two seasons) after a 16-0 technical fall against Michael Andreano in the quarterfinals. Wright won 5-0 against 2014 All-American A.J. Valles. Great Falls (Mont.) had an equally impressive record in the quarterfinals, as five Argonauts will wrestle for a chance at a national title tomorrow. Top-ranked 133 pounder Michael Ruiz posted his second pin of the championships to reach the semifinals for the first time in his career, sticking Keaton Thomas of Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) in 1:51. Rounding out the remainder of the top five are Lindsey Wilson and Southern Oregon in third-place with 62 points, while Oklahoma City rests at No. 5 with 41 points. All three programs have at least three wrestlers competing in the semifinals tomorrow. Arguably the most decorated match of the night came in the quarterfinals of the 165-pound weight class, as three-time All-American Jimmie Schuessler of Grand View took on two-time All-American Eric Lopez of Menlo (Calif.) in a rematch of the 2013 finals. Lopez avenged his 2013 loss with a 5-3 decision to advance to the semifinals for the second time in the last three seasons. Four institutions – Williams Baptist (Ark.), Ottawa (Kan.), Doane (Neb.) and St. Andrews (N.C.) – had their first-ever individual guarantee All-American status during the session. Williams Baptist’s Isaiah Johnson, in addition to being the program’s first-ever All-American, is one of the Cinderella stories at this year’s championships. The freshman from Waynesville, Mo., knocked off second-ranked Luke Schlosser of Great Falls in his opening bout, before downing James Flint of Lindsey Wilson to reach the semifinals. However, the road moving forward doesn’t get any easier, as he faces off against Finch. Overall, 19 different programs will have an individual wrestling in the semifinals tomorrow. Session III action is slated to begin Saturday morning at 10 a.m. CST. Stretch Internet, the NAIA’s official video streaming company, will be broadcasting the 10 title bouts (Session IV) of the 2015 NAIA Wrestling National Championships on March 7 on www.NAIANetwork.com. Packages can be purchased for $10.

Big Ten 125 (6): No. 2 Jesse Delgado (Illinois) No. 4 Thomas Gilman (Iowa) No. 7 Nathan Tomasello (Ohio State) No. 10 Jordan Conaway (Penn State) No. 11 Tim Lambert (Nebraska) No. 20 Conor Youtsey (Michigan) 133 (11): No. 1 Chris Dardanes (Minnesota) No. 3 Ryan Taylor (Wisconsin) No. 6 Jimmy Gulibon (Penn State) No. 7 Cory Clark (Iowa) No. 8 Zane Richards (Illinois) No. 9 Rossi Bruno (Michigan) No. 11 Johnni DiJulius (Ohio State) No. 12 Danny Sabatello (Purdue) No. 15 Eric Montoya (Nebraska) No. 17 Scott DelVecchio (Rutgers) No. 19 Dominick Malone (Northwestern) 141 (6): No. 1 Logan Stieber (Ohio State) No. 4 Nick Dardanes (Minnesota) No. 7 Josh Dziewa (Iowa) No. 8 Anthony Abidin (Nebraska) No. 9 Anthony Ashnault (Rutgers) No. 12 Steven Rodrigues (Illinois) 149 (6): No. 2 Jason Tsirtsis (Northwestern) No. 4 Brandon Sorensen (Iowa) No. 7 Hunter Stieber (Ohio State) No. 14 Zack Beitz (Penn State) No. 15 Alec Pantaleo (Michigan) No. 18 Ken Theobold (Rutgers) 157 (8): No. 1 Isaiah Martinez (Illinois) No. 2 Dylan Ness (Minnesota) No. 3 James Green (Nebraska) No. 8 Brian Murphy (Michigan) No. 9 Doug Welch (Purdue) No. 10 Anthony Perrotti (Rutgers) No. 13 Josh Demas (Ohio State) No. 15 Mike Kelly (Iowa) 165 (8): No. 3 Isaac Jordan (Wisconsin) No. 5 Bo Jordan (Ohio State) No. 6 Taylor Walsh (Indiana) No. 7 Pierce Harger (Northwestern) No. 8 Jackson Morse (Illinois) No. 10 Nick Moore (Iowa) No. 16 Nick Wanzek (Minnesota) No. 17 Garrett Hammond (Penn State) 174 (9): No. 1 Robert Kokesh (Nebraska) No. 2 Matt Brown (Penn State) No. 3 Mike Evans (Iowa) No. 4 Logan Storley (Minnesota) No. 10 Zac Brunson (Illinois) No. 13 Taylor Massa (Michigan) No. 15 Mark Martin (Ohio State) No. 18 Chad Welch (Purdue) No. 19 Nate Jackson (Indiana) 184 (7): No. 8 Sammy Brooks (Iowa) No. 11 Domenic Abounader (Michigan) No. 12 Kenny Courts (Ohio State) No. 13 Brett Pfarr (Minnesota) No. 14 T.J. Dudley (Nebraska) No. 17 Ricky Robertson (Wisconsin) No. 19 Nikko Reyes (Illinois) 197 (9): No. 3 Kyle Snyder (Ohio State) No. 4 Morgan McIntosh (Penn State) No. 5 Scott Schiller (Minnesota) No. 6 Nathan Burak (Iowa) No. 8 Max Huntley (Michigan) No. 13 Aaron Studebaker (Nebraska) No. 14 Timmy McCall (Wisconsin) No. 15 Braden Atwood (Purdue) No. 18 Alex Polizzi (Northwestern) 285 (10): No. 2 Connor Medbery (Wisconsin) No. 3 Mike McMullan (Northwestern) No. 4 Bobby Telford (Iowa) No. 6 Adam Coon (Michigan) No. 7 Jimmy Lawson (Penn State) No. 10 Spencer Myers (Maryland) No. 12 Nick Tavanello (Ohio State) No. 14 Michael Kroells (Minnesota) No. 15 Billy Smith (Rutgers) No. 17 Collin Jensen (Nebraska) Big 12 125 (1): No. 9 Eddie Klimara (Oklahoma State) 133 (2): No. 4 Earl Hall (Iowa State) No. 5 Cody Brewer (Oklahoma) 141 (2): No. 17 Dean Heil (Oklahoma State) No. 18 Mike Morales (West Virginia) 149 (2): No. 6 Josh Kindig (Oklahoma State) No. 12 Gabe Moreno (Iowa State) 157 (2): No. 16 Anthony Collica (Oklahoma State) No. 18 Justin DeAngelis (Oklahoma) 165 (2): No. 1 Alex Dieringer (Oklahoma State) No. 2 Michael Moreno (Iowa State) 174 (3): No. 11 Kyle Crutchmer (Oklahoma State) No. 12 Tanner Weatherman (Iowa State) No. 16 Matt Reed (Oklahoma) 184: No. 18 Lelund Weatherspoon (Iowa State) No. 20 Nolan Boyd (Oklahoma State) 197 (1): No. 2 Kyven Gadson (Iowa State) 285 (2): No. 5 Austin Marsden (Oklahoma State) No. 13 Ross Larson (Oklahoma) SoCon 125 (1): No. 8 Sean Boyle (Chattanooga) 133 (1): No. 13 Nick Soto (Chattanooga) 157 (1): No. 11 Aaron Walker (The Citadel) 285 (1): No. 19 Denzel Dejournette (Appalachian State) ACC 125 (1): No. 3 Joey Dance (Virginia Tech) 133 (1): No. 14 George DiCamillo (Virginia) 141 (4): No. 3 Devin Carter (Virginia Tech) No. 15 Kevin Jack (North Carolina State) No. 16 Joe Spisak (Virginia) No. 19 Joey Ward (North Carolina) 149 (3): No. 11 Sal Mastriani (Virginia Tech) No. 19 Mike Racciato (Pitt) No. 20 Beau Donahue (North Carolina State) 157 (1): No. 6 Nick Brascetta (Virginia Tech) 165 (2): No. 4 Nick Sulzer (Virginia) No. 12 Ethan Ramos (North Carolina) 174 (3): No. 6 Blaise Butler (Virginia) No. 7 Zach Epperly (Virginia Tech) No. 8 Tyler Wilps (Pitt) 184 (1): No. 2 Max Thomusseit (Pitt) 197 (2): No. 7 Conner Hartmann (Duke) No. 19 Zach Nye (Virginia) 285 (2): No. 1 Nick Gwiazdowski (North Carolina State) No. 8 Ty Walz (Virginia Tech) EIWA 125 (2): No. 5 Nahshon Garrett (Cornell) No. 17 David Terao (American) 133 (4): No. 10 Mason Beckman (Lehigh) No. 16 Kevin Devoy (Drexel) No. 18 Mark Grey (Cornell) No. 20 Caleb Richardson (Penn) 141 (3): No. 13 Todd Preston (Harvard) No. 14 Jamel Hudson (Hofstra) No. 20 Randy Cruz (Lehigh) 149 (3): No. 5 Chris Villalonga (Cornell) No. 8 C.J. Cobb (Penn) No. 17 Cody Ruggirello (Hofstra) 157 (4): No. 4 Brian Realbuto (Cornell) No. 12 Mitch Minotti (Lehigh) No. 17 Russell Parsons (Army) No. 19 John Boyle (American) 165 (2): No. 9 Dylan Palacio (Cornell) No. 15 Peyton Walsh (Navy) 174 (1): No. 17 Brian Harvey (Army) 184 (3): No. 1 Gabe Dean (Cornell) No. 3 Nathaniel Brown (Lehigh) No. 7 Lorenzo Brown (Penn) 197 (4): No. 9 Jace Bennett (Cornell) No. 10 Elliot Riddick (Lehigh) No. 12 Abraham Ayala (Princeton) 285 (1): No. 20 Tyler Deuel (Binghamton) MAC 125 (2): No. 1 Alan Waters (Missouri) No. 6 Dylan Peters (Northern Iowa) 141 (3): No. 5 Lavion Mayes (Missouri) No. 10 Zach Horan (Central Michigan) No. 11 Chris Mecate (Old Dominion) 149 (4): No. 3 Drake Houdashelt (Missouri) No. 9 Alexander Richardson (Old Dominion) No. 10 Tywan Claxton (Ohio) No. 16 Colin Heffernan (Central Michigan) 157 (2): No. 5 Ian Miller (Kent State) No. 14 Joey Lavallee (Missouri) 165 (2): No. 11 Tristan Warner (Old Dominion) No. 13 Cooper Moore (Northern Iowa) 174 (2): No. 5 John Eblen (Missouri) No. 9 Cody Walters (Ohio) 184 (2): No. 5 Jack Dechow (Old Dominion) No. 16 Willie Miklus (Missouri) 197 (2): No. 1 J'den Cox (Missouri) No. 16 Phil Wellington (Ohio) 285 (2): No. 9 Blaize Cabell (Northern Iowa) No. 16 Devin Mellon (Missouri) EWL 125 (2): No. 18 Kory Mines (Edinboro) No. 19 Ben Willeford (Cleveland State) 133 (1): No. 2 A.J. Schopp (Edinboro) 141 (1): No. 2 Mitchell Port (Edinboro) 149 (1): No. 1 Dave Habat (Edinboro) 174 (1): No. 20 Patrick Jennings (Edinboro) 184 (1): No. 10 Vic Avery (Edinboro) 285 (1): No. 18 Riley Shaw (Cleveland State) West Regional/WWC 125 (4): No. 12 Tyler Cox (Wyoming) No. 14 Josh Martinez (Air Force) No. 15 Chasen Tolbert (Utah Valley) No. 16 Josh Rodriguez (North Dakota State) 157 (1): No. 7 Cody Pack 165 (3): No. 18 Dakota Friesth (Wyoming) No. 19 Jesse Stafford (Air Force) No. 20 Mitchell Polkowske (Northern Colorado) 174 (1): No. 14 Andy McCulley (Wyoming) 184 (2): No. 9 Hayden Zillmer (North Dakota State) No. 15 Ben Stroh (Wyoming) 197 (1): No. 17 Shane Woods (Wyoming) 285 (1): No. 11 Evan Knutson (North Dakota State) Pac-12 125 (1): No. 13 Ronnie Bresser (Oregon State) 141 (1): No. 6 Geordan Martinez (Boise State) 149 (1): No. 13 Christian Pagdilao (Arizona State) 157 (1): No. 20 Alex Elder (Oregon State) 165 (1): No. 14 Jim Wilson (Stanford) 184 (2): No. 5 Blake Stauffer (Arizona State) No. 6 Taylor Meeks (Oregon State) 197: No. 20 Cody Crawford (Oregon State)

The NCAA Division I conference tournaments came to a close on Sunday. View the results from the eight conference that took place this past weekend. Big Ten Wrestling Championships Date: Saturday, March 7 - Sunday, March, 8 Venue: St. John Arena (Columbus, Ohio) Event Website | Results | Twitter Updates | Pick 'Em Contest Big 12 Wrestling Championships Date: Saturday, March 7 Venue: Hilton Coliseum (Ames, Iowa) Event Website | Results | Twitter Updates SoCon Wrestling Championships Date: Saturday, March 7 Venue: Kimmel Arena (Asheville, N.C.) Event Website | Results | Twitter Updates ACC Wrestling Championships Date: Sunday, March 8 Venue: Petersen Events Center (Pittsburgh, Pa.) Event Website | Results | Twitter Updates EIWA Wrestling Championships Date: Friday, March 6 - Saturday, March 7 Venue: Stabler Arena (Bethlehem, Pa.) Event Website | Results | Twitter Updates MAC Wrestling Championships Date: Saturday, March 7 - Sunday, March 8 Venue: Hearnes Center (Columbia, Mo.) Event Website | Results | Twitter Updates EWL Wrestling Championships Date: Saturday, March 8 Venue: Alumni Gymnasium (Lawrenceville, N.J.) Event Website | Results | Twitter Updates West Regional/WWC Wrestling Championships Date: Saturday, March 7 Venue: Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse (Fargo, N.D.) Event Website | Results | Twitter Updates Pac-12 Wrestling Championships Date: Sunday, March 1 Venue: Gill Coliseum (Corvallis, Ore.) Event Website | Results

TOPEKA, Kan. -- Nine-of-10 top-ranked grapplers advanced to the quarterfinals, while three-time defending champion Grand View (Iowa) ended the first session of the 2015 NAIA Wrestling National Championships, presented by Blue Chip Wrestling, leading the team competition with 29 points. Session II is slated to begin tonight at 6 p.m. CST inside the Kansas Expocentre. The Vikings had nine of their 12 qualifiers advance to the quarterfinals. Great Falls (Mont.) is second in the team standings with 25 points, while Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) and Southern Oregon are third with 22.5 each, respectively. The Blue Raiders have eight wrestlers in the quarterfinals, while Southern Oregon has seven and Great Falls six. Lindsey Wilson and Southern Oregon both had seven individuals reach the quarterfinals, while Great Falls had six advance. Missouri Valley’s 285 pounder Dan Mueller, who finished fourth at the Central Qualifier, claimed one of the largest upsets of the tournament so far, downing top-ranked Toby Cheff of Montana State-Northern, 6-3. The loss is Cheff’s first of the season, as the junior was 14-0 coming into the championships. Cheff was the only top-ranked grappler not to advance. With an 18-2 technical fall against Joseph Murillo of Jamestown (N.D.) and a pin of Sage Ornelas of Embry-Riddle (Ariz.), Ryak Finch of Grand View continued his dominance. The defending national title winner improved to 52-0 in two seasons with the Vikings. In addition to Finch, four of the remaining five defending national champions kept their hopes for another title alive. Most notable out of the quartet is three-time national champion Brock Gutches. Gutches, who with a banner this year will be the first individual to win four in-a-row since Turk Lords of Montana State-Northern (1998-2001), pinned his only opening session opponent in 4:27. The senior from Central Point, Ore., now owns eight career pins at the championships. Baker’s (Kan.) Bryce Shoemaker was the lone defending champion to lose, as he was upended by fellow All-American Mitch Pawlak of Indiana Tech, 5-3. The two split two regular season meetings with Pawlak winning 1-0 on Dec. 13, before Shoemaker avenged the loss at the Missouri Valley College Invite on Jan. 17, 2-0. Five unranked wrestlers kept their national title hopes alive by advancing to the quarterfinals. Two schools in their inaugural season – Ottawa (Kan.) and Williams Baptist (Ark.) – earned its first-ever championship win today. The Eagles – Jonathan Drendel (157) and Isaiah Johnson (125) – have two grapplers one win away from All-America status, while the Braves have one – Kasey Crump (197).

BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- The Cornell wrestling team had a fantastic first day at the 2015 EIWA Championships at Lehigh on Friday afternoon, advancing all 10 wrestlers to day two, including eight in the championship semifinals. Despite six falls and 12 bonus wins, the Big Red still finds itself in a dogfight with the host school entering the final day while looking for an unprecedented ninth consecutive crown. Cornell enters day two with a slim five-point lead in Lehigh (93-88), with third-place Columbia more than 30 points in the rearview mirror. The Big Red advanced top-seeded wrestlers Nahshon Garrett (125), Chris Villalonga (149), Brian Realbuto (157), Duke Pickett (174) and Gabe Dean (184) in the championship bracket, as well as second-seeded Dylan Palacio (165) and Jace Bennett (197) and fourth-seeded Mark Grey (133). Freshman Dylan Realbuto (141) and senior Jacob Aiken-Phillips (285) remain alive in the wrestlebacks and could still place as high as third. Sophomore Dylan Palacio had an exciting first day, winning his first round match over Franklin & Marshall's Andy Francos in less than a minute before overcoming a 10-4 first period deficit in the quarterfinals to Harvard's Devon Gobbo, scoring 12 straight points before getting him in a cradle for the fall with just 18 seconds left in the match. He will look to avenge one of his two losses this season when he meets third-seeded Coleman Gracey of Army in the semifinals on Saturday morning. Junior Nahshon Garreett, looking for his third straight EIWA title, earned a first period fall over Princeton's Ryan Cash in the opening round and a tech fall over eighth-seeded Zach Fuentes of Drexel. Garrett and Palacio weren't alone in the perfect first days. Mark Grey earned a first period fall over Sacred Heart's Timothy Johnson before scratching out a 4-3 triumph over No. 5 seed Josh Terao in the quarters. His reward? A matchup with top-seeded Mason Beckman of Lehigh in tomorrow's semifinals. Villalonga grinded out a pair of victories in typical fashion, besting Lehigh's Drew Longo 8-2 in the opener and moving onto the semifinals with a 3-1 triumph over Drexel's Matthew Cimato. Brian Realbuto also won a pair to advance in the championship bracket, topping Bucknell's Rustin Barrick 6-3 in the first round and eighth-seeded Brooks Martin of Penn by major decision in his second match of the day. Pickett won a major decision over Jason Grimes of American after an exciting first period, then grinded out a 5-4 victory over Brown's Richard McDonald in the quarters. Dean was his usual dominant self, earning a first period fall over Hofstra's Jermaine John for the second time this year before taking a 20-7 major over Navy's eighth-seeded Mike Woulfe to reach the semis. Rounding out the eight wrestlers guaranteed a spot on the podium was Bennett, who pinned Hofstra's Mike Oxley in the second period and then dominated seventh-seeded Matt Idelson of Columbia 8-0 in the quarters. Dylan Realbuto, a late add to the championship lineup, lost in the first round to second-seeded Jamel Hudson of Hofstra, but won an 8-2 decision over Franklin & Marshall's Robert Ruiz before advancing to Saturday with a medical forfeit in the consolation second round. Aiken-Phillips won his first match of the day before falling to second-seeded Joe Stolfi of Bucknell. He stayed alive with a 10-0 major decision over Navy's Colynn Cook in the consolation bracket. Regardless of tomorrow's results, Brian Realbuto at 157 and Jace Bennett at 197 have already qualified for the 2015 NCAA championship as they can finish no lower than sixth. The 157-pound allocation from the NCAA is seven places deep and the 197-pound allocation is six athletes deep. A win tomorrow by Dylan Realbuto and Jacob Aiken-Phillips in the wrestlebacks would give Cornell 10 placewinners for the second consecutive season. Advancing to the finals in every weight class guarantees an NCAA bid, so each of the eight semifinalists can punch their ticket to the big dance by winning their first matchup. All but 174 can advance to the NCAAs through the wrestlebacks. All 10 wrestlers have the opportunity to qualify for NCAAs on Saturday.

BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- The Lehigh wrestling team placed seven men in the semifinals and advanced all ten entrants to the second day of competition as the 111th EIWA Championships kicked off Friday at Stabler Arena. The Mountain Hawks posted 12 bonus point victories on the day including seven pins and five major decisions. Nine of Lehigh’s ten entrants recorded at least one bonus point victory on Friday. Juniors Mason Beckman and Nathaniel Brown led the way with two pins apiece for the Mountain Hawks, who sit in second place after day one with 88 points, seven behind front-running Cornell. “We’ve seen the NCAA Tournament won on bonus points the last three or four years,” Lehigh head coach Pat Santoro said. “Bonus points are big in tournaments. If we can continue to do that tomorrow that would be great. “They’ve been doing it all year,” Santoro added about Beckman and Brown. “They’ve been consistent all year. They’re starting to wrestle their best this time of year and that’s what we’re looking for. That’s what we always look for.” Beckman opened the day with a quick 14 second fall over Joe Nelson of Binghamton, the fourth fastest fall in school history. In the quarterfinals, Beckman built a 13-0 lead before locking up a cradle and pinning Travis Passaro of Hofstra in 6:22. The top seed at 133, Beckman will face No. 4 seed Mark Grey of Cornell in one of three Lehigh-Cornell battles in the semifinals. Brown was equally impressive, pinning Alex DeCiantis of Drexel in 2:32 and then scoring an early third period pin against Columbia’s Zack Hernandez at 184. In the semifinals, the second seeded Brown will face No. 6 seed Thomas Sleigh of Bucknell. The Mountain Hawks started the day with a bang as freshman Scott Parker and Beckman opened with first period pins before sophomore Randy Cruz posted a 13-0 major decision over Anthony Finocchiaro of Brown. Parker advanced to the semifinals with a fall in 1:09 against Penn’s Jeremy Schwartz at 125. The No. 4 seed then beat No. 5 Billy Watterson of Brown to set up a semifinal match with top seed Nahshon Garrett of Cornell. After his major decision win over Finocchiaro, Cruz reached the semis at 141 scoring a late takedown to knock off the No. 6 seed Logan Everett of Army 3-1. Cruz, the No. 3 seed, will face No. 2 seed Jamel Hudson of Hofstra. Lehigh’s four other semifinalists came at the final four weight classes. At 174, senior Santiago Martinez survived a battle against Drexel’s Stephen Loiseau with a late takedown to win 5-3 before dominating sixth-seeded Shane Hughes of Columbia, using two big throws to score seven second period points in a 13-3 major decision. Next up for Martinez is the No. 2 seed Brian Harvey of Army. Third-seeded sophomores Elliot Riddick and Doug Vollaro reached the semifinals at 197 and heavyweight, respectively. At 197, Riddick’s day began with an 8-3 win over Gus Marker of Brown before posting a 12-2 major decision over Tyler Lyster of Bucknell. Riddick will next face Cornell’s Jace Bennett in the semifinals, hoping the third meeting this season will be the charm. Vollaro started fast, pinning Chris McDermand of American in just 50 seconds in the opening round. Hofstra’s Mike Hughes pushed Vollaro into overtime in the quarterfinals, but Vollaro rode out the first half of the first tiebreaker period then escaped and added a late takedown to win 4-1. Vollaro will face No. 2 seed and defending EIWA Champion Joe Stolfi of Bucknell in the semifinals. Lehigh went 9-1 in the first round with freshman Drew Longo suffering the only defeat, an 8-2 loss to top seed Chris Villalonga of Cornell at 149. Longo battled back through the consolations, beating the No. 8 and No. 7 seeds by major decision to stay alive. Sophomore Mitch Minotti suffered the biggest upset loss for the Mountain Hawks, as the No. 2 seed at 157 was edged 3-2 by seventh-seeded Noel Blanco of Drexel in the quarterfinals at 157. Blanco scored the decisive takedown late in the third period. Minotti won his first consolation bout 4-1 over Binghamton’s Vincent Deprez. At 165, senior Marshall Peppelman won a wild 13-10 match over Rob Schlitt of Bucknell but dropped a 12-2 major decision to Coleman Gracey of Army in the quarterfinals. The sixth-seeded Peppelman remained alive after pinning Sacred Heart’s Matt Fischer in just 17 seconds. “Placing ten is big but we have a long way to go,” Santoro said. “Tomorrow is a big round. There will be a lot of points scored in the semis, a lot of points scored in the wrestlebacks. Tomorrow we’re going to find out if we can win this thing. We need to wrestle well in the semifinals. We need to get a good night’s sleep tonight and come back ready to go tomorrow.” The 111th EIWA Championships continue Saturday at 10 a.m. from Stabler Arena with the championship semifinals, third round of consolations, consolation semifinals and seventh place matches. The final session, featuring matches for first, third and fifth, will begin at 5:30 p.m. and will be preceded by the EIWA Hall of Fame induction at 5 p.m. Audio coverage of the finals session will be available on ESPN Radio 1230 and 1320 while video coverage for all of Saturday’s bouts will be available via Flowrestling.

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With the conference tournaments coming this weekend there isn't much to do but embrace the spectacle and enjoy the storylines as they unfold. Wrestling fans who align with schools will feel jubilation and disappointment throughout the weekend as the underdogs find upsets and the favorites tumble. The media attention given to the sport has increased significantly over the past few years. Where I was watching bootlegged Iowa Public Television dual meets on VHS in 2000, the wrestling fan today can watch on their computer, iPad and even phone. So sign up for some premium services, join the online discussions and have a tremendous weekend filled with watching the world's best athletes compete in the oldest and greatest sport. Q: Cousins Bo Jordan and Isaac Jordan could meet in the Big Ten finals on Sunday. If they do meet, who are you picking? -- Mike C. Wisconsin's Isaac Jordan has a 19-2 record this season Foley: I choose the Jordans. I choose the Jordan family gene pool. Goodness can that little slice of Ohio scrap, or what. How much of their talent is learned and how much just exists in their DNA? The Gracie family may claim jiu-jitsu dominance, but anyone familiar with the sport knows that theirs is now mostly just a marketing scheme (and plenty of willingness to assume maternal naming structure when beneficial). Increasingly, it seems like the Jordans are becoming a defensible first family of wrestling. Not only did the last generation get it done on the mat, but they have raised children who love to compete and do a damn fine job of winning. But in the end I think I'll choose Isaac. Not sure why, don't know that there is a defensible reason to choosing either. I just dig on the name! Q: What's your take on Nike investing more in wrestling with the sponsorship of the Hawkeye Wrestling Club? -- Mike C. Foley: Massive move. This mimics what we see in other international sports, where the club is the driving force behind athletics around the world. Those clubs are supported by sponsors (many of them local), which is how they travel and host events. Nike coming back to the wrestling scene should push more competitiveness among the brands to provide services and cash to clubs. What does Nike see in the sport? I'd imagine they see a chance to tap their loyal fan base within wrestling -- the same business model that has helped Flips Wrestling and other wrestling-centric brands (no pun intended) turn a profit. With a major brand on board with the sport, arguably the most influential, the funding of all clubs may soon experience an upturn. Overall, I'm happy for the Hawkeye Wrestling Club and hopeful for the sport at large. Q: What do u think about the Tennessee state tourney being wrestled at a venue with a dirt floor, uneven mats, no showers and no warm-up area? -- @codylcleveland Foley: The American South is struggling to get their wrestling act together in 2015. First the VHSL shortens an already ridiculous Virginia state wrestling tournament, and next Tennessee apparently held their state tournament in a poorly lit, exceptionally dirty barn. I looked for the photos that I'd glanced past on Twitter this week, but was unable to find them. Needless to say the tournament was hosted in conditions not on par with how athletes in 2015 should be treated. Maybe the worst offense is that the tournament was dirty AND there was nowhere for athletes to shower. In the age of pernicious skin diseases and 1-800-LAWYERS, not maintaining a health-conscience facility is a large financial liability to the state high school association. Another issue is that there was no place for the athletes to warm up before their matches. How this is allowed to happen defies description. The Tennessee athletic association should be held accountable. Unfortunately if they are anything like that in Virginia that will act, and almost certainly be, above the law. MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME New deal for the Hawkeyes Trailer for the Women's Wrestling World Cup Big Move of the Week Q: With Logan Stieber graduating, who do you think will be the biggest star in college wrestling next season? -- Mike C. Foley: That will depend on who wins the NCAA championship this season. Right now J'den Cox of Missouri and Jason Tsirtsis of Northwestern would be heading into their junior seasons as two-time NCAA champions. Should that happen it would be tough to argue with other wrestlers gaining more attention. However, no matter how he does in 2015 the nation is ready to embrace Kyle Snyder, much like they did David Taylor. Snyder has received more than six years of hype and in a media age his friendliness off the mat and success on the mat have made him a highly marketable star. If Isaiah Martinez completes his freshman season undefeated and hoisting the NCAA trophy ... then he very well could become the toast of 2016 in Madison Square Garden. Q: When will we see the new freestyle and Greco-Roman uniforms? -- Luca M. from Italy Foley: I suspect we could see them as early as the end of 2015. There will be plenty of testing both in tournaments and with audiences. There is no particular rush and given the importance of the change nobody wishes to speed up the process for false deadlines. Q: Any chance the NCAA adds a light heavyweight weight class that would reflect what high school wrestling did by adding a 220-pound weight class? It seems there is no easy transition weight class for top 220-pounders in high school to go to in college. They're either a very small heavyweight or they have to cut 23 pounds to get to 197. Something like a 210 or 225-pound weight class in college would be interesting. -- Ryan P. Foley: Absolutely zero chance. College wrestling would benefit from fewer weight classes, not more. More concentration of talent would help shorten dual meets, bolster competitiveness and provide teams ample opportunity to fill out their lineups. No more forfeits and a better chance (not worse) for Johnny High School to earn a college scholarship. Think of Olympic wrestling, which has argued for more men's weight classes. Until a country sends a wrestler in all 18 weight classes to the Olympics there is no over-concentration of talent. Yes, we all know about 74 kilos in men's freestyle with Burroughs, Howe, Dake and Taylor, but one weight class in one country doesn't support the argument for adding two more Olympic weight classes worldwide. College wrestling is in a battle for resources. Better to prune the fat than to lose all the meat. Q: In your opinion, what are some of the greatest mismatches that we have seen in the NCAA finals in the last 15 years? Criteria would be the skill level differential, not necessarily the score or a pin. For example, I wouldn't consider Bubba Jenkins vs. David Taylor or Dustin Kilgore vs. Clayton Foster mismatches even though both of those matches ended in pins. An example of the type of mismatch I'm thinking of is David Taylor vs. Brandon Hatchett. -- Gil S. Foley: Mitch Clark vs. Vertus Jones didn't read on paper like a mismatch, but within a minute it was obvious that Jones had no answer for Clark's top game. That was the first time, though not the last, where I felt a cringe of embarrassment for the opponent. Readers: What are some of your favorites? Comment below. Q: Would you have disqualified Thomas Gilman for the slam on Alan Waters? The match was chippy (Waters got his shots in too), but that slam was blatant with intent to injure, even though waters was OK. Maybe at the least they should have lost a team point. There is no need for that behavior. -- Nick D. Foley: Gone. In jiu-jitsu you are tossed without a moment's hesitation. If you pulled that bullshit in the room you'd have your arms ripped off and be kicked out, possibly for good. Wrestling does a TERRIBLE job of self-policing. Yes, we complain with the best, but when kids act out they need to be put in their place. That it's an institute for learning and coaches aren't able to discipline like they could in a private club is noted, but there should have been a much more significant punishment for that type of action. I like Gilman and don't mind some chippyness, but all the energy poured into displaying that type of bravado would be better spent learning how to get out of legs. Q: Did you see Mark Schultz is selling a bunch of stuff on eBay? What are your thoughts? -- Mike C. Foley: I don't know why he would want to sell his belongings, but I can imagine that he either wants psychological separation from the events of Foxcatcher (post-movie and post-book). He may also be hard up for cash and wants to cash out on the popularity of the film and his book. If so, I think that can be a sad reminder of how much wrestling can take from some individuals. Regardless of your personal thoughts on Mark, it would be troubling to see someone with so much talent be left without a safety net deserving of the inspiration he provided millions of wrestlers. RANT OF THE WEEK By Nick D. For those people that don't like freestyle, you need to embrace it. I never wrestled past high school, my brother wrestled in the Big Ten. We went to London for the Olympics in 2012. It was one of the all-time experiences I have ever had, and that was under the old "3 separate matches" rules (Jake Herbert got screwed -- just saying). If you think that Iowa and Minnesota fans are intense, go to an international wrestling match and listen to the Iranians, Azerbaijanis, Russians, etc. They are crazy. It's not even political. Iranians actually cheered for Americans when we wrestled the Russians because it affected the mythical team title and overall medal count. Seriously, everyone should do themselves a favor and either go to the World Championships or the World Cup in 2015. They are both in the States.