InterMat Staff

RALEIGH, N.C. -- The Duke University wrestling squad turned in a strong all-around performance to post a 22-9 victory at over Atlantic Coast Conference foe NC State this evening at Reynolds Coliseum. The Blue Devils captured seven individual bouts en route to their first ACC victory of the 2012-13 campaign. The win, just the third for Duke over the Wolfpack since NC State established varsity wrestling in 1975, pushes Duke’s overall record to 8-9 for the year and to 1-4 to finish the ACC regular season. NC State falls to 5-6 overall and 0-5 against ACC opponents. The nine points scored by NC State are the fewest since Duke held the Pack to just six points in a pair of bouts in 1931 and 1949. “This was a good win for us,” head coach Glen Lanham said. “We wrestled tough from start to finish. It was great for [Immanuel Kerr-Brown] to get back on the saddle and winning. Brandon Gambucci and Randy Roden both had great wins and overall I’m proud of how the guys wrestled hard tonight.” Duke got off to a fast start with victories in each of the first four matches, including an overtime thriller at 184 pounds, for a 14-0 lead. The Blue Devils picked up major decisions by Trey Adamson and Diego Bencomo at 174 and 197, respectively to earn key bonus points. The Wolfpack pulled within seven, 16-9, before redshirt freshman Marcus Cain put the match out of NC State’s reach with an 8-4 decision at 149 pounds. The win was Cain’s 21st of the season and the first of his career in the ACC. Sophomore Randy Roden put Duke on the right track with an outstanding win over No. 27 Nijel Jones at 165 pounds. The Rome, Ga., native scored the first jumped all over Jones from the opening whistle and took a 4-2 lead after the first period. Neither wrestler scored in the second period, leaving Jones needing to make up ground in the final stanza. Jones escaped to start the third, but Roden answered right back with a takedown and stayed strong on top for the 6-3 win, his seventh of the year and his first career ACC win. Riding the emotion of the upset win at 165, Adamson added four points to the scoreboard for the Blue Devils with a 15-5 major decision over Patrick Davis. In a rematch between the two from earlier in the season, Adamson dominated the match with four points in each of the first two periods and six in the final session to put Duke in front 7-0. In perhaps the most thrilling match of the evening, Duke redshirt freshman Dylan Ryan registered a takedown with just 16 seconds left in the sudden victory overtime session for the 9-7 triumph over Keegan Cerwinski at 184. After an escape by Cerwinski in the final seconds of regulation, Ryan regrouped and scored the winning takedown for his first ACC victory. At 197, Bencomo followed suit with a 16-5 major decision over Bill Cook. The win was Bencomo’s third straight at 197 and 14th win of the campaign. The Wolfpack got on the board with a narrow 5-3 decision from Mike Kosoy over Duke junior Brian Self at heavyweight. Both wrestlers were issued one-point unsportsmanlike penalties, putting the Blue Devils’ lead to 13-2 through the first half of the match. NC State added victories at 125 and 141 pounds, but the Blue Devils’ wins in the other three divisions iced the win for Duke. Redshirt sophomore Brandon Gambucci picked up a big win over No. 24 Sam Speno at 133 pounds. Gambucci, ranked 27th in the most recent NCAA coaches’ panel rankings, scored an early takedown and never let Speno a chance to score in the 5-0 decision. Kerr-Brown, with the match in hand, wrestled freely and hard to regain his winning ways in an 11-10 decision. The Rome, Ga., native led 10-6 after five minutes of wrestling and built his riding time to over two minutes heading into the final period. NC State’s Matthew Nereim scored an escape early in the third and added a takedown in the closing seconds, but the riding time bonus point gave Kerr-Brown the 11-10 decision. Duke returns to action Saturday, Feb. 23 at Franklin & Marshall. The Blue Devils will take on the host Diplomats at 9:30 a.m. and Lock Haven at 11:30 a.m. Results: 165: Randy Roden (DU) dec. No. 27 Nijel Jones (NCSU), 7-2 (DU 3-0) 174: Trey Adamson (DU) major dec. Patrick Davis (NCSU), 15-5 (DU7-0) 184: Dylan Ryan (DU) dec. Keegan Cerwinski (NCSU), 9-7: SV1 (DU 10-0) 197: Diego Bencomo (DU) major dec. Bill Cook (NCSU), 16-5 (DU14-0) 285: Mike Kosoy (NCSU) dec. Brian Self (DU), 5-3 (DU 13-2) 125: Joe DeAngelo (NCSU) major dec. Peter Terrezza (DU), 12-3 (DU 13-6) 133: No. 27 Brandon Gambucci (DU) dec. No. 24 Sam Speno (DU), 5-0 (DU 16-6) 141: Tyler Hunt (NCSU) dec. Tanner Hough (DU), 5-0 (DU 16-9) 149: Marcus Cain (DU) dec. Thomas Gantt (NCSU), 8-4 (DU 19-9) 157: Immanuel Kerr-Brown (DU) dec. Matthew Nereim (NCSU), 11-10 (DU 22-9)

LEXINGTON, Va. -- After a slow start, Appalachian State University rattled off four-straight victories en route to a 22-12 Southern Conference victory over VMI Wednesday night at Cocke Hall. The conference win moves the Mountaineers to 7-6 overall and 4-2 in league play, breaking a four-match losing streak and ensuring a winning conference record for the second consecutive season. Historically, Appalachian (7-6, 4-2 SoCon) claims its sixth-straight and 27th all-time victory in the long-standing rivalry against the Keydets. VMI (1-14, 1-4 SoCon) began the dual with two-straight decisions over freshman Zach Kechter and junior Collins Creech at 149 and 157 pounds, respectively, taking a quick 6-0 lead. Facing the deficit, redshirt freshman Zack Strickland gave the Mountaineers some life at 165 pounds. Strickland recorded his first technical fall since November, clinching a 17-0 win over Mike Logan at the 4:17 mark. The technical fall marks Strickland's 11th win in duals and 21st of the season. Following Strickland, classmate Colin Hedash broke his two-bout losing streak with a 14-6 major decision over John Dommert, a rematch from the Hokie Open. For Hedash, it was his third major decision of the season and first since the Keystone Open in November. Continuing his winning ways, sophomore Jake Johnson posted a 3-2 decision over Jonathan Jones at 184 pounds. Johnson has now won four of his last five bouts and remains perfect in SoCon bouts with a 4-0 record. Holding a 12-6 advantage, redshirt sophomore Paul Weiss also broke a two-bout losing streak with a 6-2 decision over Urayoan Garcia at 197 pounds. The decision was Weiss' 35th win for his career, the third most on the active roster. After a loss at the heavyweight division, redshirt sophomore Dominic Parisi earned his fifth major decision of the season, blanking Armondo Herrer-Dos Reis, 10-0, at 125 pounds. Parisi snaps a two-bout losing streak and notches his ninth dual-victory of the year. Senior Brett Boston closed the Mountaineer scoring with a 6-0 shutout against Andriy Onufriyenko, who dropped just his second loss in a conference dual this season. For Boston, the win was his eight of the season and the 51st of his career. Appalachian looks to head into the SoCon Championships with a winning overall record and close its 2012-13 dual season on Sunday, Feb. 24 at Davidson. Action from Belk Arena is set for 1 p.m. Results: 149: Zeb Stewart (VMI) dec. Zach Kechter (APP), 7-2 (VMI 3-0) 157: Edward Gottwald (VMI) dec. Collins Creech (APP), 6-0 (VMI 6-0) 165: Zack Strickland (APP) tech. fall Mike Logan (VMI), 17-0 (4:17) (VMI 6-5) 174: Colin Hedash (APP) maj. dec. John Dommert (VMI), 14-6 (APP 9-6) 184: Jake Johnson (APP) dec. Jonathan Jones (VMI), 3-2 (APP 12-6) 197: Paul Weiss (APP) dec. Urayoan Garcia (VMI), 6-2 (APP 15-6) 285: Michael LaPrade (VMI) dec. Joe Cummings (APP), 3-1 (APP 15-9) 125: Dominic Parisi (APP) maj. dec. Armondo Herrera-Dos Reis (VMI), 10-0 (APP 19-9) 133: Brett Boston (APP) dec. Andriy Onufriyenko (VMI), 6-0 (APP 22-9) 141: Ryan Goodsell (VMI) dec. Chris Johnson (APP), 4-2 (APP 22-12)

Come Friday and Saturday at Lehigh University, the National Prep Championships will yet again commence. While No. 1 Blair Academy, N.J., is extreme favorites to win their 33rd consecutive title in this tournament, and No. 3 Wyoming Seminary, Pa., should take second, there are many interesting individual battles to be waged. The following represents a weight-by-weight breakdown. 106: Entering the tournament as the favorite is No. 12 Jack Mueller (Trinity Christian, Texas). The freshman Mueller placed second at the Preseason Nationals, fifth at the Walsh Ironman (including a win over No. 3 Austin Assad in the quarterfinals), and won the Prep Slam. Nominal challenges will be mounted by Matt Deehan (Blair Academy, N.J.); Logan Havrich (Cape Henry Collegiate, Va.), who placed eighth at the Beast of the East; Adam Whitesell (Good Counsel, Md.); T.K. Megonigal (McDonogh, Md.); and Joey Prata (St. Christopher’s, Va.), a Cadet National double All-American. 113: Charles Tucker (Blair Academy, N.J.), last year’s runner-up in this weight class and a Cadet National freestyle runner-up this summer, enters the tournament as the favorite. Leading contenders include fellow National Prep runner-up Danny Boychuck (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), National Prep third place finisher Ryan Friedman (St. Paul’s, Md.), and Beast of the East placer Steve Simpson (St. Mary’s Ryken, Md.). 120: No. 2 Matthew Kolodzik (Blair Academy, N.J.) enters the weekend prohibitively favored to add a National Prep title to the state title that he won in Ohio last year as a freshman. On the season, Kolodzik was runner-up at the Walsh Ironman and Beast of the East, and champion at the POWERade; while last off-season, he was a Cadet National freestyle champion. Leading the battle for second are impressive freshman Kevin Budock (Good Counsel, Md.), who placed seventh at the POWERade, and Will Crisco, a New England regional champion last year. 126: Two-time National Prep placer Judson Preskitt (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), who was also runner-up at this year’s Walsh Ironman, enters this event ranked No. 20 nationally and the favorite to win a maiden National Prep title. Leading the pack of challengers is two-time National Prep placer Jack Mutchnik (St. Paul’s, Md.); Zeke Salvo (Mt. St. Joseph, Md.), a state champion last year in Maryland’s public school tournament; returning placer Christian Doyle (McKinney Christian Academy, Texas); and Alex Rinaldi (Blair Academy, N.J.) 132: Joey McKenna (Blair Academy, N.J.), ranked No. 6 nationally, is a rather strong favorite to win his third National Prep title in as many seasons of competition even with the presence of No. 14 Andrew Atkinson (Liberty Christian Academy, Va.), a three-time National Prep placer. Two other returning National Prep placers are present, Geoff Verallis (Northfield Mt. Hermon, Mass.) and Scott Strappelli (John Carroll, Md.) 138: No. 5 Alfred Bannister (Bishop McNamara, Md.), Oustanding Wrestler at the Beast of the East, enters the tournament as the strong favorite to ascend one step higher on the podium after last year’s runner-up finish. Among those in the challenge pack are two-time National Prep placer Xavi Ramos (McDonogh, Md.), returning placer David Mohler (Loyola, Md.), 2012 New England regional placer Jake Savoca (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), and Walker Dempsey (Blair Academy, N.J.) 145: This is an extremely deep weight, as it is anchored by Cadet National double finalist Mason Manville (Blair Academy, N.J.), who is ranked No. 6 in the weight class below after a season that included runner-up finishes at the Ironman, Beast of the East, and POWERade. However, right on the same level as Manville is defending champion Jack Clark (McDonogh, Md.), who is ranked No. 14 in this weight class and was runner-up at the Beast of the East. Of slight relevance is that Clark earned a freestyle win over Manville at the FILA Cadet Nationals almost nine months ago. Four other National Prep placers are featured in this weight class as well: three-time placer George Weber (John Carroll, Md.), Junior Greco All-American Tyrel White (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), Michael Sprague (Georgetown Prep, Md.), and Cole Graves (Archbishop Spalding, Md.) 152: Just as deep a weight, in fact deeper, is this one led by defending champion Russ Parsons (Blair Academy, N.J.), who is No. 5 nationally after winning titles at the Walsh Ironman, Beast of the East, and POWERade during the month of December. Challengers include returning runner-up Toby Hague (McDonogh, Md.); two-time placer Bryce Pappas (St. Mary’s, Md.); along with returning placers Logan Breitenbach (Archbishop Spalding, Md.), Zack Kelly (The Kiski School, Pa.), Robert Janis (St. Christopher’s, Va.), Max Smith (MDAC, Md.), and William Crozier (Germantown Academy, Pa.) 160: One of the great showdown matches of the National Prep championships should come in this weight with No. 8 Myles Martin (McDonogh, Md.) and No. 10 Josh Llopez (St. Mary’s Ryken, Md.) anchoring the weight class. These two wrestlers split their two matches in December that reached completion – Llopez won in overtime at the Ray Oliver Invitational, while Martin scored a 1-0 victory in the semifinals at the Beast of the East. Martin was runner-up at National Preps last year as a freshman, and a Cadet freestyle runner-up over the summer; while Llopez is a two-time Maryland public-school champion, was a Junior National freestyle champion this summer, and Super 32 Challenge runner-up. Others in this weight class include returning placer Greg Bacci (Malvern Prep, Pa.), freshman sensation Chris Weiler (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), and Jack Wedholm (Blair Academy, N.J.) 170: Defending champion Patrick Coover (Blair Academy, N.J.) enters the tournament as a slight favorite, with five other returning wrestlers looking to provide a challenge. Those being Troy Murtha (Georgetown Prep, Md.), who finished third in this weight last year and fifth in the Super 32 Challenge up at 182 pounds; Nicky Hall (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), a two-time state placer in New York; Conan Schuster (Loyola, Md.), fifth last year at National Preps; Trevor Bradford (St. Thomas, Texas), sixth last year in this event; and Terrell Forbes (St. Benedict’s, N.J.), who finished seventh last year in this event. 182: Already three-times a National Prep finalist, No. 1 Eric Morris (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) seeks a second consecutive National Prep title to go with the pair of runner-up finishes that he accrued as a freshman and sophomore. He is the strong favorite to add this title to a season resume that includes titles at the Walsh Ironman and Beast of the East. Primary challengers include Addison Knepshield (Blair Academy, N.J.), fourth at National Preps in 2011, and Tyler Patrick (McDonogh, Md.) 195: Defending champion Frank Mattiace (Blair Academy, N.J.), ranked No. 3 nationally, seems to make it a pair of National Prep titles to go with his pair of Walsh Ironman titles. He is the clear favorite to do so despite a solid group of alternatives that includes returning placer Spencer Neff (Good Counsel, Md.), who was third at the Super 32; Beast of the East placer Daniel Hawkins (Mt. St. Joseph, Md.); and additional returning placers in L.J. Barlow (Haverford School, Pa.) and Matt Doggett (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) 220: Kyle Snyder (Good Counsel, Md.) has yet to lose a high school match and is after a third National Prep title in as many seasons. Ranked No. 1 in the country, he has had one match go the distance all year, a major decision victory over No. 3 Thomas Haines, and has arguably had the best season of any wrestler in the country. If one was to take Snyder out of this field, it would still be excellent. Those headline wrestlers include post-graduate McZiggy Richards (St. Benedict’s Prep, N.J.), David Showunmi (Blair Academy, N.J.), 2011 National Prep placer Shane Cockerlie (Gilman, Md.), Walsh Ironman placer Marshall Hollerith (St. Christopher’s, Va.), and No. 11 Garrett Ryan (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), a Junior National double All-American. 285: Seeking a third National Prep title and fourth finals appearance is No. 2 Brooks Black (Blair Academy, N.J.). It is extremely likely he will wrestle No. 8 Michael Johnson, Jr. (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) in a rematch of last year’s championship bout. Others to watch include Jemal Averette (Good Counsel, Md.)

Below are analyses for each of the thirty weight classes to be contested on Friday and Saturday in Albany, N.Y. in the two divisions of the New York State Wrestling Championships. This is the tenth year of the two division format, in a tournament that has been held now for fifty years. Division I 99: The opening weight of wrestling in the Empire State is not one that is part of the normal fourteen weight classes under NFHS rules. As is always the case, this weight class is dominated by younger wrestlers. Leading the crop this year is eighth grader Yianni Diakomihalis (Hilton), who is ranked No. 6 overall nationally among junior high wrestlers. He has a tough road to the final with junior Chris Cuccolo (Pine Bush) in his quarter and sophomore Jesse Dellavacchia (East Islip) as a likely semifinal opponent. The other half of the draw is led by eighth grader Vito Arujau and freshman John Arceri (Huntington), who both exit the top quarter of the bracket. 106: Entering state as the top ranked wrestler is a senior, Alex Tanzman (Westhampton Beach). His primary challengers, juniors Kyle Quinn (Wantagh) and Nicholas Barbaria (New Rochelle) reside in opposite quarters of the other half of the draw. 113: The likely finals showdown between state champions Kyle Kelly (Chenango Forks) and No. 19 Nick Piccinnini (Ward Mellville) is the dominant storyline of this weight class, and arguably the whole state tournament weekend. The senior Kelly, who has committed to Binghamton, has won state the last two years at the opening weight. The sophomore Piccinnini won his state title last year at 106 pounds, and took third to Kelly in the eighth grade. In national competitions, Kelly has twice placed seventh in Junior Greco, while Piccinnini was one match away from placing at the FloNationals and Super 32 Challenge in the last twelve months. 120: The top two ranked wrestlers in this weight, junior Alex Delacruz (Ossing) and sophomore Mike Dangelo (Commack), are drawn into the same quarter bracket. In the other quarter of the same bottom half is the third-ranked wrestler, junior John Muldoon (Pearl River). The likely finals opponent will come from the second quarter of the draw, which features sophomores Blaise Benderoth (North Rockland) and Anthony Orefice (Lockport) along with junior Travis Passaro (Eastport). 126: Four key wrestlers lead the way here, and they are split into separate quarters of the draw. The top half features seniors T.J. Fabian (Shoreham-Wading River) and Mark West (Hauppauge), while the bottom half is led by senior Chris Araoz (Wantagh) and Dylan Realbuto (Somers). Fabian placed fourth at state last year, and was sixth at the NHSCA Junior Nationals; West has not appeared in the state tournament since his title in 2010; Araoz is in his state tournament debut, despite winning the NHSCA Junior Nationals last spring; while Realbuto is a defending state champion and two-time finalist. One name to watch going forward, if not this weekend, is seventh grader Frankie Gissendanner (Penfield), who is in the same quarter as Fabian. 132: The highest returning placer in this weight is senior Matt Leshinger (Sayville), who placed third at state last year. He will be challenged along the way with a likely quarterfinal against Connor O'Hara (Sachem East) and semifinal against Vinny Turano (Wantagh). The other half of the draw features Sam Melikian (Fordham Prep) and Brandon Lapi (Amsterdam) in opposite quarter brackets. 138: Two-time state placer and Junior freestyle All-American Nick Kelley (Shenendehowa) is the favorite in this weight class. He is well-positioned to make his first finals appearance after finishes of third and fourth the last two years. The two primary challengers to Kelley --Thomas Dutton (Rocky Point) and Vincent Deprez (Hilton) -- exit the opposite half of the draw in differing quarter brackets. The sophomore Dutton was a Cadet freestyle All-American last summer, while the junior Deprez finished as state runner-up last season. 145: The most accomplished wrestler in this weight class is two-time state placer David Almavia (Shenendehowa), who was also a Junior freestyle All-American this past summer. His path to a first state finals appearance will not be easy with senior Brandon Dent (Connequot) looming in the quarterfinal and 2010 state runner-up Eric Lewandowski (Lancaster) the likely semifinal opponent. The other half of the draw features junior Louis Hernandez (Mepham), who is the top-ranked wrestler, and Tom Grippi (Fox Lane). 152: Returning state finalis Corey Rasheed (Longwood), who also was runner-up at the NHSCA Sophomore Nationals last spring, is the clear favorite in this weight class. His primary challengers are in the opposite half of the draw and happen to appear in the same quarter bracket. They are senior Chris Koo (Great Neck South), who was a NHSCA Junior All-American last spring, and junior Angelo Kress (Columbia). 160: Arguably the best wrestler in the Division I tournament is senior Tyler Grimaldi (Half Hollow Hills West), who is ranked No. 13 nationally at this weight class. Last year, he finished as a state runner-up, and during the offseason placed fourth at the NHSCA Junior Nationals and sixth in Junior freestyle. In terms of this weight class, his primary challenges will come in the quarterfinal round from junior Jake Weber (Clarence) and then in the final from either senior Andrew Psomas (Monsignor Farrell) or junior Steve Schneider (Macarthur). 170: Returning state placer Dan McDevitt (Wantagh), who finished fifth at both state and the NHSCA Junior Nationals in the 138 pound weight class, is the strong favorite here. Key matches for McDevitt will come in the quarterfinal against John Vrasidas (St. Anthony's), the semifinal against Joe Piccolo (Half Hollow Hills West), and a likely final against Carlos Toribio (Brentwood). 182: The clear favorite in this weight class is senior Shayne Brady (Carthage), who also placed eighth in the Super 32 Challenge. Five wrestlers merit mention as contenders. Senior James Benjamin (Vestal) is in Brady's quarter bracket, senior Gio Santiago (Sachem North) is Brady's likely semifinal opponent, senior James Corbett (Wantagh) is in the opposite half from Brady, while senior Anthony Liberatore (Williamsville South) and junior Trent Egenlauf (Spencerport) are in the remaining quarter of the draw. 195: As a returning state finalist, and already placing twice at state before his junior year, Reggie Williams (Johnson City) is the clear favorite in this weight class. The two ranked wrestlers in Williams' half of the draw -- seniors Chris Chambers (East Islip) and Steven Sabella (Yorktown) -- meet in the first round, but are in the other quarter of the half. The bottom half of the draw has four ranked wrestlers, two in each quarter: juniors Ben Honis (Jamesville Dewitt) and Levi Ashley (Shenendehowa) are slated to meet first round, while junior Nick Weber (Kings Park) and senior Colton Kells (Fairport) project to meet in the quarterfinals. 220: Returning state placer Nick Lupi (Huntington), fifth at state and fourth at the NHSCA Junior Nationals, is the clear favorite in this weight class. Two other notables in this weight are junior Richard Sisti (Monsignor Farrell) and senior Matt Mott (Lynbrook); Sisti is a possible semifinal opponent for Lupi, while Mott is in the opposite half of the draw. 285: Returning state finalist El-Shaddai Van Hoesen (Columbia), a two-time state placer, is the clear favorite in this weight class. The senior is also a two-time NHSCA All-American at the grade-level nationals. The second ranked wrestler statewide, senior Mike Hughes (Smithtown West) looms as a possible semifinal opponent, with a solid wrestler in junior James O'Hagan (Seaford) possibly the round before that. The opposite half of the draw is the weaker of the two, featuring only seniors David Varian (Yorktown) and Terrance Cheeks (Newburgh) as notables. Division II 99: Senior Andrew Flanagan (Holley) -- returning fourth place finisher -- appears to be the favorite in this weight class, as he is the only Division II wrestler inside the top eight of the statewide rankings done by New York Wrestling News. 106: Junior Louis Weierbach (Hoosick Falls) is the lone ranked wrestler in the statewide rankings present in this weight bracket. 113: Four highly credentialed wrestlers lead the way in this weight class, and each occupies a separate quarter of the draw. Senior Cheek Ndiaye (Brooklyn International) is a returning state runner-up, and is in the top quarter of the draw. The second quarter of the draw features another returning state runner-up in sophomore Nick Casella (Locust Valley), with notable sophomore Andrew Shomers (Lewiston Porter) also in this section of the draw. In the lower half of the draw, the third quarter has senior three-time state placer Austin Keough (Warsaw), who was runner-up as a freshman in 2010. Finally, the bottom quarter is anchored by senior Dillon Stowell (Gouveneur), a two-time state placer. 120: A rematch of last year's 113 pound final between junior Sean Peacock (Midlakes) and senior John Aslanian (Edgemont) is the likely outcome of this weight class. Peacock won state last year after placing third as a freshman, while Aslanian has finished as runner-up each of the last two years. 126: William Koll (Lansing) seems well positioned to regain the state title that he won as a freshman after finishing third at state last year. He is the highest ranked wrestler in this bracket, and the only other ranked wrestler is freshman Dakota Gardner (Fredonia), who Koll is likely going to see in the championship match. 132: Returning state runner-up Renaldo Rodriguez-Spencer (Cheektowaga) is an extremely talented junior, ranked No. 20 nationally in this weight class, and after that missing state title. It looks like a potential classic matchup with sophomore Tristan Rifenburg (Norwich), already a three-time state placer with a state title coming in seventh grade, is the likely finals bout. However, Rifenburg will be tested in a likely semifinal against fellow sophomore Sam Ward (Locust Valley), a Cadet Greco-Roman All-American. 138: Like the Kelly/Piccinnini match at 113 pounds in Division I, the final in this weight class is likely to feature defending state champions battling for another state title. Senior Nick Tighe (Phoenix) is after a third state title, while senior Connor Lapresi (Lansing) seeks back-to-back state titles. 145: Returning state finalist, and two-time state placer, senior Drew Hull (Royalton-Hartland) is the strong favorite to get that elusive state title. However, Hull will likely have to clear past freshman Jordan Torbitt (Whitney Point) in the semifinal round and junior Nick Koelmel (Immaculate Conception) in the championship match. 152: It seems that the three best wrestlers in this weight class all reside in the top half of the draw. Weight class favorite Tyler Spann (Adirondack) is in the same quarter as junior Alex Smythe (Eden), who placed fifth at state as a freshman in 2011, while senior Rowdy Prior (Phoenix) is in the other quarter. 160: Arguably the best overall wrestler in New York this year resides in this weight class, No. 11 Burke Paddock (Warsaw), who is already a three-time state placer entering his junior year. Paddock is also a two-time finalist at the NHSCA grade-level nationals, and a multi-time Fargo All-American. In terms of this weight class, he should be tested in the semifinal against one of two seniors, Mike Beckwith (Greene) or Austin Weigel (Onteora), as well as in the finals match. The opposite half finalist will likely come from the winner of a quarterfinal bout between junior Tyler Silverthorn (General Brown), a returning state placer, and sophomore Nick Gallo (Schalmont). 170: Returning state placer Troy Seymour (Peru), fourth at state last year and a NHSCA Junior Nationals runner-up, is the favorite in this weight class. However, freshman Christian Dietrich (Greene) will give him an extreme battle in a probable finals match. That presumes each gets past one key match before that -- for Dietrich it's a likely semifinal against senior Mike Green (Cobleskill-Richmondville), while Seymour could face senior Zack Buckley (Fredonia) in the quarterfinal round. 182: It looks like a pair of seniors whom have placed twice at state should meet for the state title on Saturday in this weight class. Defending state champion Zach Zupan (Canastota) is ranked No. 8 nationally and was a FloNationals placer last spring, while Tim Schaefer (Warsaw) placed third last year after placing fourth as a freshman in 2010. 195: Returning state runner-up Bryce Mazurowski (Avon), a senior, is the strong favorite to get that missing state title. 220: Returning state runner-up Zack Bacon (Hornell), a senior who is ranked No. 18 nationally, is the favorite in this weight class. However, three other wrestlers have had excellent seasons and will see to knock off this favorite. In the same half-bracket of the draw as Bacon is senior Michael Silvis (Holley), while junior Ryan Wolcott (Waverly) and senior Dan Breit (Nanuet) occupy opposite quarters of the other half of the draw. 285: Returning state placers Alex Soutiere (Ravena-Coeymans) and Matt Montesanti (Medina), both seniors, occupy the top line in each half of the draw and are likely to meet in the state final. Soutiere placed second at state last year, while Montesanti placed sixth.

Andy Hrovat talks about the politics of the IOC's decision to cut wrestling from the 2020 Olympic Games. Shane Cross in BP's Ask a Lawyer segment, and Muir sets lines for the National Duals finals. Check out our Tumblr page at backpoints.tumblr.com. Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes by searching "back points" and pushing SUBSCRIBE. Do you want to listen to a past episode? Access archives.

The MMA Outsider podcast had a long debate over whether to do a segment this week recapping UFC on FUEL 7. However, since the event included an impressive bantamweight title performance by Renan Barao and a big win by featherweight contender Cub Swanson -- and Richard's fight picks stunk -- John decided the discussion should be part of the show. After that, the boys preview UFC 157. The event is headlined by the first ever women's bout in the promotion's history. Feel good moment aside, the UFC is putting the success of an entire pay per view on an unestablished with few big remaining match ups that haven't already happened and a champion that is far from perfect but not facing any legitimate challenge in the near future. What could possibly go wrong? Finally, if you're looking for an impromptu discussion of Rumble on the Rock and all things old school Hawaiian MMA, you've come to the right place. Do you want to listen to a past episode? Access archives.

In a big state championships weekend with titles being decided in some of the more elite states, there were many matches that were of high interest. Ten of the matches that had the combination of high-level competitiveness, high-profile opposition, and a certain degree of unexpected outcome are featured here. No. 1: Illinois 3A 152 final: No. 15 (at 145) Kyle Langendorfer (Lincoln-Way East) dec. No. 2 Brian Murphy (Glenbard North), 6-5 Both wrestlers in this match were competing in their third state final, having also earned their fourth state medal. Entering the tournament as a defending state champion, also with an undefeated record, Langendorfer pinned all three opponents prior to the final. Murphy, twice a runner-up in the state tournament prior to this year, made it to the final with two major decision victories after a first round pin. In a hotly contested match, it was Langendorfer earning his second state title, and relegating Murphy to a career track of 3-2-2-2 and arguably the best to never win state in the Land of Lincoln. No. 2: Illinois 3A 195 final: No. 5 Ricky Robertson (Carl Sandburg) dec. No. 8 Jordan Ellingwood (Plainfield Central), 2-1 ultimate tiebreaker It was a tight, intense match of seniors with undefeated records and seeking their first state title. Robertson, undefeated for two seasons running except for last year's state final loss, advanced to the final with three major decisions -- including a 9-1 result over No. 15 Blake Blair (Edwardsville), runner-up last year in this weight class. Ellingwood, third at state last year and with three victories over Blair on the season, advanced to the final with a pin and two decisive decision victories (6-0 and 5-2). The wrestlers traded escapes in regulation, Robertson in the second and Ellingwood in the third, before riding each other out in the tiebreaker periods. In the ultimate tiebreaker, Robertson chose top, and rode Ellingwood out to earn the victory. No. 3: Virginia AAA 132 semifinal: No. 9 Dennis Gustafson (Forest Park) over No. 4 Brandon Jeske (Cox) by injury default in overtime On the way to bookending his career with state titles, also finishing third as a sophomore and freshman, Gustafson had to wrestle two-time state champion Jeske (titles in 2010 and 2011, ineligible during last year's post-season) in the semifinal round. The match was an intense affair that went to overtime, during which Jeske had to default due to injury. The championship match ended in an anti-climactic 9-3 victory for Gustafson against Eric Merriam (Great Bridge), while earlier Gustafson victories came by pin and 16-6 major decision. No. 4: Illinois 3A 126 final: No. 2 Jered Cortez (Glenbard North) maj. dec. Jordan Northrup (Machesney Park Harlem), 9-1 Cortez earned his third state title in as many seasons with this major decision victory over defending state champion Northrup, who was in his third consecutive state championship bout. This was his second major decision victory over Northrup on the season, and cemented a weekend of dominance in which Cortez had two pins sandwiched around a 17-0 technical fall leading up to the final. Prior to the final, Northrup had two technical fall victories before a 3-0 victory over No. 18 Isaiah White (Oak Park River Forest) in the semifinal. No. 5: Missouri Class 4 152 final: Colston DiBlasi (Park Hill) dec. No. 11 Cain Salas (Blue Springs), 5-1 This was an upset of massive proportion, as Salas was undefeated on the season, seeking a second state title, and had two decisive victories over DiBlasi earlier in the season; a 7-3 decision in last weekend's district final, and a 12-0 major decision in the semifinals of the Kansas City Stampede. Additionally, Salas had reached the final with two first period pins and a 17-2 technical fall in the semifinal; while DiBlasi had an opening round pin but had to battle through 2-0 and 3-2 decisions in the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds. No. 6: Missouri Class 4 138 final: No. 9 Daniel Lewis (Blue Springs) dec. Sam Crane (Rock Bridge), 5-4 Both juniors were in their third straight state final, one in which Lewis would earn his third straight state title, while Crane earned a second runner-up finish to sandwich around his state championship earned last year. Each had very similar tracks to the final, a pin, a technical fall, and a two-point victory in the semifinal round. This finals match was much more competitive than the 7-0 victory that Lewis had over Crane during a December 19th dual meet, which his only other loss of the season. No. 7: Iowa Class 3A 132 final: Logan Ryan (Bettendorf) dec. Bryce Steiert (Waverly-Shell Rock), 7-6 tiebreaker Already securing his third state placement in as many high school seasons, Ryan trailed 5-2 midway through the third period in this state finals match against the sophomore Steiert. He was then able to tie the match up at 6-all before the end of regulation to force overtime. A scoreless sudden victory period took the proceedings to the tiebreakers, in which Ryan scored an escape first and was able to ride Steiert out during the second 30-second segment to win the title. The other key match for Ryan came in a 3-0 decision over now four-time state placer Colby Knight (Urbandale), a 2011 state champion, in the quarterfinal round. No. 8: Indiana 152 final: Josh Farrell (Greenfield Central) dec. Vinny Corsaro (Indianapolis Cathedral), 3-2 The match between returning state runners-up was a third such meeting on the season, Farrell also winning the previous two by one point. The state title for Farrell capped off a career in which he placed at state all four years. It was a second consecutive runner-up finish for Corsaro, and came after a 4-3 upset over defending state champion Isaiah Bradley (Muncie Southside), who is ranked No. 18 nationally, in the semifinal round. No. 9: Illinois 3A 106 final: No. 10 Rudy Yates (Brother Rice) dec. No. 7 Miguel Silva, Jr. (Plainfield South), 5-1 Two wrestlers who were undefeated throughout their seasons prior to the championship bout on Saturday night met, and it was Yates dominating the proceedings with a pair of takedowns enabling the victory. In earlier state tournament matches, Yates had two technical falls and a 12-4 major decision; while Silva had two decisions sandwiched around an 8-0 major decision victory in the quarterfinals. No. 10: Virginia AAA 152 final: Taylor Misuna (Grassfield) dec. No. 20 Jack Bass (Robinson), 3-1 Misuna, runner-up at state last year, ascended the state podium one step higher after this victory, which relegated Bass to a third consecutive state runner-up finish. Bass had demonstrated total dominance in earlier matches with a technical fall in the opening round then pins in the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds; while Misuna showed similar excellence with a technical fall, pin, and 9-2 decision victory to his credit. This weekend's state tournaments Individual bracket events this weekend include those in Colorado, Texas, West Virginia, and Wisconsin that start on Thursday; while those in Arkansas, Delaware, Idaho, Kansas, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, and Wyoming, along with the National Prep Championships start on Friday; and starting on Saturday is the tournament in South Dakota. Dual meet state tournaments this weekend are in Michigan, Illinois, and Nebraska. The tournament in Battle Creek, Mich. starts on Friday, and is a two-day event, while those in Bloomington, Ill. and Kearney, Neb. are one-day events on Saturday only. Individual Bracket State Tournament Results -- Last Weekend Alabama State titles were won by Thompson in Class 6A (big school), Arab in Class 5A, and Saint James in Class 1A-4A. Florida No. 7 Brandon dominated the proceedings in Class 3A with 251 points on the strength of six finalists, including four state champions -- Kyle Norstrem (113), Dylan Lucas (126), No. 10 Kevin Norstrem (138), and Travis Berridge (170). Osceola, with three state champions in No. 14 Ariel Dominguez (106), No. 8 (at 145) Fox Baldwin up at 152, and Chris Pagan (195), was approximately 90 points back in second place. In Class 2A, three teams finished within five points of one another, but it was Springstead coming home with the title on 98 points led by state champion Jordan Rivera (138) and four other placers; while Lake Highland Prep won the small school Class 1A title with 149-1/2 points led by state championships from Jake Brindley (106), Anthony Petrone (132), Jake Spengler (152), and Carter Shipley (220). Georgia No. 46 Archer (Class 6A) and No. 43 Pope (Class 5A) were among the state championship teams this past weekend. Other titles were won by Gilmer (4A), Woodward Academy (3A), Jefferson (2A), and Gordon Lee (1A). Archer dominated in the big school division with nine top three placers, more than doubling second place Camden County, and were led by a quartet of titles coming from Daniel Bullard (138), Thomas Bullard (145), Ernest Alexander (195), and M.J. Couzan (285). Similarly Pope blitzed the Class 5A tournament, doubling the second place squad, and the Greyhounds were led by five state titles coming from Jake Henson (152), Billy Meek (160), No. 3 Brooks Climmons (182), Trevor Stevens (195), and Joey Tabachino (220). Illinois This is an un-scored tournament from the team standpoint of things. However, the "power programs" did dominate the happenings, as each of the five Fab 50 teams in Class 3A (big school) had four or more state placers and at least one champion. No. 13 Carl Sandburg had the best tournament with three champions -- C.J. Brucki (160), No. 11 Colin Holler (170), and No. 5 Ricky Robertson (195) -- and another three in the top four; No. 9 Oak Park River Forest had a state champion in No. 17 Joe Ariola (182) and three other state placers; joining the Eagles with six state placers was No. 22 Marist, which were led by the state title won by Tom Howell (220); No. 25 Marmion Academy had four state placers, including the pair of titles won by No. 8 Johnny Jimenez (120) and No. 15 George Fisher (132); while No. 49 Glenbard North had four placers, including the dominant state title won by No. 2 Jered Cortez (126). Despite four state titles and six others placing in the top four, there was a slight degree of disappointment in the blitzkrieg No. 11 Montini Catholic ran over the Class 2A competition. Winning titles were Chris Garcia (138), Xavier Montalvo (160), Jake Turk (182), and Anthony Ferraro (195); while Tommy Pawleski (113), Vince Turk (120), Jordan Laster (126), and Michael Sepke (145) ended up with runner-up finishes. In the small school (Class 1A) tournament, Dakota had six placers, including three titles coming from No. 7 Josh Alber (120), Carver James (138), and Daniel Zimmerman (220). Indiana After multiple years of using a dual meet tournament to decide the state champion, the Hoosier State returned to the individual bracket event deciding team champion. However, it was more of the same, as Perry Meridian won their third consecutive state championship -- after the Falcons won it in the dual meet format the last two years. They were led by a trio of state champions: No. 19 Cody LeCount (132), Riley McClurg (160), and No. 10 Donte Winfield (285). A second place finish from Jake Masengale (182) was highest from their four other medalists. Undefeated state champions included No. 6 Chad Red (New Palestine) at 106, No. 2 Stevan Micic (Hanover Central) at 113, Deondre Wilson (Warren Central) at 120, Nick Crume (Jimtown) at 126, LeCount at 132, No. 18 Tommy Forte (Mishawaka) at 138, No. 7 Neal Molloy (Danville) at 145, Josh Farrell (Greenfield Central) at 152, No. 19 Robert Steveson (Merrillville) at 170, Matt Hurford (Culver Community) at 182, No. 4 Mitch Sliga (Fishers) at 195, and Gelen Robinson (Lake Central) at 220. Iowa Even with four state champions -- No. 14 Fredy Stroker (126), Logan Ryan (132), Jacob Woodard (138), and Alex Hernandez -- plus a runner-up finish from Jacob Schwarm (106), No. 48 Bettendorf still finished second in the Class 3A (big school) tournament. It was No. 17 Southeast Polk finishing in first by 46 points with 180-12 points on the strength of eleven total placers, including the trio of titles won by Tim Miklus (160), Dylan Blackford (170), and Bryce Fisher (220). In something of a rarity, there were no undefeated wrestlers to win a state title in the big school division this year. Class 2A was dominated by the individual journies of No. 13 Jake Marlin (Creston) and No. 6 Brandon Sorensen (Denver-Tripoli) to their fourth state titles at 138 and 145 pounds respectively. Marlin capped off a 53-1 season with three pins and a 23-9 major decision in the semifinal round, while Sorensen finished his 57-0 season with a 12-3 major decision, pin, and a pair of 7-3 decisions in which the outcome was never in doubt. No. 35 West Delaware Manchester won the tournament with 151 points to bounce back from their 30-29 loss in the dual meet final to Davenport Assumption on Wednesday night. The Hawks were led by titles from Patrick Woods (106), No. 7 Adam Reth (220), and Dean Broghammer (285), while four others finished in the top four. After winning dual state, the Knights were in second place approximately 40 points back, led by three third place finishers among seven overall placers. Undefeated champions included Max Thomsen (Union) at 126 pounds, Colton McCrystal (Sgt. Bluff-Luton) at 132, Brandon Sorensen at 145, Adam Reth at 220, and Dean Broghammer at 285. Alburnett was the absolute dominant force in small school Class 1A with 138 points, which was more than 60 points ahead of second place. Hunter Washburn (113) and Dylan Windfield (160) were the lone champions; however, six more wrestlers earned podium appearances on the weekend. Undefeated state champions included Andrew Foutch (Underwood) at 126, Kyle Blocker (West Marshall) at 138, Brendan Schott (North Linn) at 170, and Daniel Gaffney (Iowa City Regina) at 220. Kentucky Louisville St. Xavier won a relatively close team race with 203-1/2 points over Campbell County (193) and Union County (176). The St. Xavier squad was led by state titles from Justin Lampe (145) and Gabriel French (160), French pulling off a 4-3 upset victory over two-time state champion Stephen Myers (Campbell County). Four other second place finishes and three other placements were catalysts to their title. Campbell County did answer back with titles from Sean Fausz (132), Paul Hamilton (138), and Austin Myers (220); while Union County had a pair of champions in Trae Blackwell (120) and Brock Ervin (126). Louisiana State titles were won by Brother Martin in Division I, Holy Cross in Division II, and Brusly in Division III. Missouri No. 32 Park Hill won the Class 4 (big school) title over No. 37 Blue Springs by 32 points (156-1/2 to 124-1/2), and it was yet another thirty points back to third place Timberland. The Trojans were led by a trio of champions -- Sean Hosford (106), No. 4 Ke-Shawn Hayes (113), and Colston DiBlasi (152) -- as well as five other state place-winners. The runner-up Wildcats had a pair of champions, No. 9 Daniel Lewis (138) and No. 9 Michael Pixley (182) -- both of whom finished their seasons undefeated -- while three other wrestlers finished inside the top four. Even with Junior National freestyle All-American Seth Brayfield (120) unable to compete in the state series due to injury, No. 43 Kearney was still able to muster a share of the Class 3 state title with Neosho on 152 points, even though Neosho had 13 state qualifiers to the Bulldogs' eight. State champions for the Bulldogs included No. 7 Jaret Singh (113), Kevin Kinney (138), and No. 18 Grant Leeth (145); while four other wrestlers finished in the top four. Joint champions Neosho were led by titles from Nate Rodriguez (132) and Christian Lopez (220), with six other wrestlers placing between third and sixth. In Class 2, Oak Grove (173 points) dominated the tournament, with almost 60 points separating them from second place Fulton. Winning the Class 1 tournament was Whitfield with 126 points, while Brookfield was second with 109-1/2. Nebraska No. 50 Grand Island won their fifth consecutive Class A (big school) title with 180 points, which was ten better than second place Omaha Burke. The Islanders were led by their three state champions -- Dante Rodriguez (120), Trey Trujillo (132), and Chase Reis (195) -- along with five others earning a podium finish. Runners-up Omaha Burke countered with nine placers, which was one more than Grand Island, but were without a state champion, with three runners-up and five taking third place. Skutt Catholic earned the Class B state title, which is seemingly their birthright, with 146-1/2 points; while Scottsbluff finished second with 119. Central City (135 points) won the Class C title by almost 20 points over O'Neill; while Amherst (185-1/2 points) won the Class D title by 13-1/2 over Pender, who was more than 80 points up on the third place squad. North Dakota West Fargo won the Class A title by almost 20 points over Bismarck, in a battle that is seemingly waged on a year-to-year basis. Leading the way for the state champions were Jordan Shearer (126), Weston Dobler (145), and No. 6 Preston Lehmann (182), who all won individual titles -- while the Packers had a state medalist in all fourteen weight classes. In Class B, it was South Border (195 points) winning the title by almost fifty points over Lisbon (148.5) and Carrington (143-1/2). Tennessee Cleveland won the Division I (public-school) title with 232 points, which was over 80 points more than runner-up Soddy Daisy. Leading the way for Cleveland was a trio of champions: Chris Debien (113), Austin Oliver (126), and Haden Hamilton (132). No. 45 Christian Brothers won the Division II (private-school) title with 272 points, which was just over 40 points more than runners-up Father Ryan could muster. Leading the way for CBHS were a trio of champions: Elijah Oliver (113), Nick Gray (126), and No. 15 Kaleb Baker (152); while another three wrestlers finished in second place. Utah No. 24 Maple Mountain dominated the happenings in the Class 4A tournament in winning the title with 360 points, with Box Elder almost sixty points back in second place, and Mountain Crest took third another 125 points back. Leading the way for Maple Mountain were state champions Taylor LaMont (113), Britain Carter (120), Landon Knutzen (138), Grant LaMont (152), Kimball Bastian (160), Josh Searle (182), and Jon Wixom (195). In the Class 5A (big school) tournament, Pleasant Grove (288-1/2 points) won the title by almost 100 points over runner-up Syracuse. Delta earned a relatively narrow state championship in Class 3A, out-pointing Payson 217-1/2 to 210-1/2. In Class 2A, it was Millard (286 points) winning by almost 70 points over nearest challengers Beaver and North Sevier; while the Class 1A title went to Altamont by 19 points over Monticello, 181 to 162. Virginia Despite only one champion, Robinson won its second Class AAA (big school) title in three seasons, as the Rams scored 142-1/2 points on the strength of nine state medalists. The title came from Jake Pinkston (285), while the Rams did get runner-up finishes from No. 20 Jack Bass (152) and Cole DePasquale (170). Second in the standings was Westfield with 101 points and seven placers, but only Beau Donahue (145) was a state champion. Joint third were Forest Park and Colonial Forge with 96-1/2 points; Forest Park had a tournament-high three champions in Tommy Aloi (106), No. 9 Dennis Gustafson (132), and Brett Stein (170), while the Colonial Forge had the second most placers in the tournament with eight. In Class AA, Christiansburg won their 12th straight title with 158 points, and dominated in such fashion that they clinched before the medal matches. Four Blue Demon wrestlers earned state titles -- it was fourth consecutive titles for J.R. Wert (132), No. 1 (at 126) Joey Dance winning up at 138, and No. 3 (at 170) Zach Epperly won at 182, while No. 10 Coy Ozias (120) made it a third consecutive title. In Class A, Grundy repeated as state champions, led by and individual title from Justin Street (138) as well as runner-up finishes from Trey Smith (132) and Elliott Pedigo (145). Washington The 25th anniversary edition of the Mat Classic in Tacoma saw champions awarded in a girls division and five boys divisions. Lake Stevens won the big school boys division (Class 4A) with 160 points, which was almost 40 points more than runner-up Tahoma, and were anchored by state titles from Michael Soler (106), Eric Soler (145), and Brandon Johnson (285). In Class 3A, three teams finished within 12 points of one another, though it was University (142.5) outlasting Decatur (138.5) and Sunnyside (130.5) for the title. Rounding out the champions were Othello in Class 2A, Granger in Class 1A, and Liberty Bell in Class 1B/2B. Dual Meet State Tournament Results -- Last Weekend Delaware Smyrna won the Division I title, with victories over perennial powers St. Mark's (33-25) and Caesar Rodney (36-24) giving the Eagles their first title since 2005. In the semifinal, they only won six of the weight classes, and needed consecutive victories from Matt Sarkissian (106) and Alebbo Monsatto (113) to rally back from a 25-24 deficit and earn the win. Likewise, in the final, they had to rally back from a 24-21 deficit to earn the victory, with wins in the last four matches coming from Dakota Dalton (285), Alebbo Monsatto (106), No. 3 Brent Fleetwood (113), and Othniel Edmond (120). St. George's Tech won the Division II title with a 32-22 victory over Polytech in the final. Iowa No. 17 Southeast Polk dominated their way to the Class 3A (big school title), including a 46-20 finals victory over No. 48 Bettendorf on Wednesday evening. The Rams won nine of fourteen matches against Bettendorf, with both teams wrestling at full strength. That came after Southeast Polk wrestled a mix of starters and reserves in dominating their other two dual meets: 46-19 over Waverly-Shell Rock in the semifinal and 42-29 over Pleasant Valley in the first round. Davenport Assumption scored a 30-29 upset over No. 35 West Delaware Manchester in the Class 2A final. The Knights trailed 23-0 after five matches (182 through 106), but countered with seven consecutive victories, including a pair of one point wins from Jacob Fenske (120) and Tionte Parks (145) before the Hawks won the last two matches by decision. Each squad earned decisive victories in earlier dual meets -- Davenport Assumption with wins over Mediapolis (41-21) and Boyden-Hull (60-18), while West Delaware Manchester defeated Charles City (40-21) and Ballard (52-17). Alburnett pummeled all three of their opponents in the Class 1A tournament: 52-27 over West Marshall in the opening round, 56-24 over Clarion-Goldfield in the semifinal, and 60-21 over Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont in the final. New Jersey No. 27 South Plainfield cemented their case as the best team in the Garden State (of course that exludes No. 1 in the nation Blair Academy, which competes in National Preps) with a pair of victories on Sunday in the Group 3 final four. The Tigers won their semifinal 53-9 over Northern Highlands, and then earned a 40-22 victory over Toms River South in the championship (though it was 8-6 in terms of matches). The "fab four" for South Plainfield -- No. 13 Corey Stasenko (126), No. 8 Scott Delvecchio (132), No. 2 Anthony Ashnault (138), and No. 10 Troy Heilmann (145) -- earned 46 out of a possible 48 dual meet points on the day. No. 34 Bergen Catholic won the Non-Public Group A title on Sunday with a 64-9 victory over Christian Brothers Academy. However, it was their 32-24 victory on Friday night over No. 41 Don Bosco Prep in the North section final, which acted as the de facto championship match. The teams split matches; however, it was bonus points making the difference, as the Crusaders got forfeit victories from No. 1 Nick Suriano (106) and No. 7 Johnny Sebastian (182) as well as a pin from Carmine Goldsack (285) compared to no Ironman victories by either technical fall or pin. Rounding out the group champions were Brick Memorial in Group 4 (big school), 34-27 over Southern Regional in the final; High Point, 33-30 over Long Branch in the Group 2 final; No. 38 Bound Brook in Group 1; and Camden Catholic in Non-Public Group B. North Dakota West Fargo made it a sweep of titles in Class A, with their 31-26 victory over Bismarck in the championship dual meet. Each squad won seven matches, but pins from Jordan Shearer (120), No. 6 (182) Preston Lehmann up a weight at 195, and Zach Elder (220) made the difference for the Packers. Likewise, South Border swept titles in Class B with a dominant 50-15 victory over Linton in the final. North Carolina Parkland won the Class 4A state title to win team state for the seventh consecutive time with a 28-20 victory over Jack Britt. However, this one was not easy, as they needed wins in the last four matches of the dual meet to rally from a 20-12 deficit. Other champions were Fred T. Foard in Class 3A, Newton Conover in Class 2A, and West Wilkes in Class 1A.

The Executive Board of FILA, the international wrestling federation, has selected USA Wrestling to serve as host for the 2015 World Wrestling Championships. The city which will host the event is Las Vegas, Nev., considered one of the most popular destinations in the world. It has been scheduled to be hosted in September of 2015 at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. This is a tremendously important event in international wrestling, as it serves as the first qualifying event for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, as well as the event in which the largest number of athletes earn a spot at the Olympics. Competition in all three Olympic styles of international wrestling will be held: men’s freestyle, women’s freestyle and Greco-Roman. The 2015 World Wrestling Championships will be presented by FILA, USA Wrestling, the United States Olympic Committee and Las Vegas Events. A number of other nations bid on the opportunity to host the 2015 World Championships, with the strongest of these bids coming from the Olympic city of Sochi, Russia. Other bid cities included Panama City, Panama; New Delhi, India and Tehran, Iran. "The new FILA will embrace the strengths of our sport, both our long history and our desire to continue to improve ourselves. USA Wrestling has proven itself as one of the top national federations in the world. We trust them with one of our most sacred and important properties, the 2015 World Championships, which is the qualifying event for the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Hosting the World Championships in Las Vegas is certainly a positive step forward in our quest to show the world the relevance of wrestling and help entrench our sport on the Olympic program," said Acting FILA President Nenad Lalovic. “USA Wrestling is excited to receive the bid to host the 2015 World Championships in Las Vegas, Nev. We believe it will be a historic event for international wrestling. We have assembled a strong team that will ensure that the World Championships in Las Vegas will be an amazing success and will display the excitement and popularity of international wrestling worldwide,” said USA Wrestling Executive Director Rich Bender. "Las Vegas has a long and storied history with amateur wrestling date back to the 1970's," said Pat Christenson, president of Las Vegas Events. "The 2015 World Wrestling Championships are a culmination of decades of support for wrestling, which includes the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, 2007 World Team Trials, Cliff Keen Invitational and the U.S. National Championships. We look forward to hosting the top international wrestlers and playing host to fans from around the world." "Las Vegas will provide a great backdrop to showcase the sport of wrestling to a worldwide audience," said USOC CEO Scott Blackmun. “We’re excited to team with USA Wrestling and FILA in bringing this important event to the United States and we look forward to hosting wrestlers from all over the globe as they look to qualify for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.” The United States has hosted five previous Senior World Wrestling Championships. The most recent World Championships were held in world famous Madison Square Garden in New York City in 2003, and featured men’s and women’s freestyle wrestling. This was also the first qualifying event for the 2004 Athens Olympic Games for wrestling. Record crowds attended the World Championships in New York City, and it was regarded internationally as one of the most successful World Wrestling Championships ever held. Prior to that, the United States hosted the World Freestyle Wrestling Championships in 1995 at the Omni Arena in Atlanta, Ga., another major success in terms of attendance and international interest. It was a qualifying event for the 1996 Olympic Games, also hosted in Atlanta. The 1979 World Championships in freestyle and Greco-Roman were held in San Diego, Calif. Previous World Wrestling Championships were also held in Toledo, Ohio in 1962 and 1966. In addition, the United States organized the 2001 World Championships at Madison Square Garden in New York City in all three styles. When terrorists attacked New York City and Washington, D.C. on September 11, 2011, just days prior to the World Championships, the event was postponed then relocated to other cities. In an act of international solidarity, USA Wrestling was awarded the World Championships in 2003.

Manheim, Pa. -- The brackets and seeds for the 2013 NWCA/Cliff Keen National Dual Meet Championship Finals presented by Hibiclens and the Marines have been released, naming the nationally ranked No. 1 Oklahoma State Cowboys the top seed in the tournament. The National Dual Meet Championship Finals, scheduled for February 22-23 in Williams Arena, located on the campus of University of Minnesota, will see first and second rounds of competition featuring the following match-ups: No. 1 Oklahoma State v. No. 8 Illinois No. 4 Ohio State v. No. 5 Missouri No. 3 Minnesota v. No. 6 Virginia Tech No. 2 Iowa v. No. 7 Cornell View brackets The Oklahoma State Cowboys reached the event after a dominating performance in last weekend's Kent State Regional and will look to defend a 13-0 season record. They are currently the No. 1 ranked team nationally, and will enter the National Dual Meet Championship Finals as the top seed. The Cowboys, who held the top seed in their region, had an impressive outing that included a first round 34-10 victory against nationally unranked Kent State, followed by a 39-7 victory against the No. 24 ranked University of Northern Iowa Panthers. In addition to two victories, Oklahoma State wrestlers recorded six pins on the day. Oklahoma State will face off against the eighth seeded Illinois. The Fighting Illini, currently ranked as the No. 8 team in the nation, hold a season record of 7-5 and received an automatic bid to the finals and did not compete in a regional event. Iowa, currently the No. 2 ranked team in the nation, also received an automatic bid to the National Dual Meet Championship Finals. The Hawkeyes, 18-1 on the season, come in as the second seed and will look to take down seventh seeded Cornell in the opening round of competition. Cornell advanced to the National Dual Meet Championship Finals after defeating nationally unranked Hofstra and No. 13 Nebraska in the Cornell Regional. The tournament third seed belongs to the nationally ranked No. 4 Minnesota Gophers. The Gophers, who received an automatic bid to the National Dual Meet Championship Finals, hold a season record of 12-2 and will look to defeat sixth seeded Virginia Tech in front of a home crowd. Virginia Tech, ranked as the No. 7 team in the nation with a 14-2 season record, advanced to the National Dual Meet Championship Finals after winning the Oregon State Regional defeating the No. 25 ranked Oklahoma Sooners 33-6 and No. 9 ranked Oregon State Beavers 19-15. Ohio State, ranked No. 5 nationally, hold the tournament's fourth seed and face off against the tournament's fifth seed and nationally ranked No. 6 Missouri Tigers in the first round of competition. The Buckeyes reached the finals via an automatic bid and did not compete in a regional qualifying event. Ohio State currently holds an 11-3 season record. Missouri however will enter the National Dual Meet Championship Finals fresh off a tournament win at the Missouri Regional. The Tigers earned their spot by defeating nationally unranked Maryland 27-13 and No. 16 Purdue 27-15. Missouri, like Ohio State, has wrestled to 11 season victories, however has suffered one less loss accounting for an 11-2 overall record. Tickets to the event are on sale and can be purchased via Minnesota Athletics. For additional pricing, seating and purchasing information, visit the Minnesota Athletics Site. For more event information, go to the National Duals page at nwcaonline.com. About the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) The National Wrestling Coaches Association, established in 1928, is a non-profit organization for the advancement of all levels of the sport of wrestling with primary emphasis on developing coaches who work in academic environments. The membership embraces all people interested in amateur wrestling. The three core competencies of the NWCA are: coaching development, student-athlete welfare, and promotion of wrestling. About Cliff Keen Cliff Keen Athletic is a wrestling and officials wear company, dedicated to the advancement of athletics through innovative products and communications. Cliff Keen Athletic exemplifies the rich traditions of sport and the superior quality of athletic wear required for holding up to the rigors of competition. About Hibiclens Hibiclens is an antiseptic antimicrobial skin cleanser possessing bactericidal properties that can be part of an effective defense for preventing the spread of skin infections. Its active ingredient works in a unique way — it kills germs on contact and bonds to the skin to keep killing microorganisms up to 6 hours after washing. Hibiclens® has been proven to kill MRSA (in vitro) and other staph infections. About the United States Marine Corps On November 10, 1775, the Marine Corps was established by the Second Continental Congress meeting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Since then, the Marine Corps, through service on land, in air, and at sea, have acquitted themselves with the greatest distinction, winning new honors on each occasion until the term “Marine” has come to signify all that is highest in military efficiency and soldierly virtue. Whether facing our nation's foes or conducting humanitarian relief and disaster recovery operations at home or abroad, today's Marine Corps stands ready to continue in the same proud tradition of faithful service to the United States. For more information, visit http://www.Marines.com.

Bobby Douglas

There are powerful connections between wrestling and writing. Just ask Mark Pearson. "In wrestling, you have to deal with losing. In writing, you deal with rejection," according to Pearson, a former University of Michigan wrestler who is now mat coach at The Hill School in Pennsylvania ... and has written in various arenas, including as a sports reporter, and as an honored short story author. Now Pearson brings together the disciplines of wrestling and writing in his first collection of short stories, "Famous Last Lines," published by Main Street Rag Publishing Company. Meet the Pearsons Mark Pearson is part of a wrestling family with two generations that are known and respected within the amateur wrestling community. Max PearsonMark's late father Max Pearson was a three-time Big Ten champ and two-time NCAA finalist for the University of Michigan in the late 1950s. Mark's youngest brother Michael wrestled at Michigan State; another brother, Eric, competed at Princeton University, then returned to his alma mater to save the program from elimination which then led to his involvement in the American Sports Council, an organization dedicated to fostering opportunities for male and female collegiate athletes. Mark's mat roots run deep. "I started wrestling about age nine," said the wrestler-turned-writer. "I wrestled all through high school at The Hill School, a boarding school about 45 minutes outside Philadelphia, in the same league as Blair Academy." Mark Pearson"I won the national prep title in 1978, twenty-five years after my dad had, wrestling for the same school, in the same weight class." Following in his father's footsteps, Mark Pearson headed west to Ann Arbor, to study and wrestle at the University of Michigan. Just like his dad Max, Mark wrestled opponents in the Big Ten in dual-meet competition and at the conference championships. Mark placed as high as sixth at the Big Ten championships, and was team captain his fourth year of school. A coach in the classroom and wrestling room After graduating from Michigan in 1982, Mark Pearson returned to Pennsylvania, where he launched his wrestling coaching career, first on the collegiate level at Millersville University, then at Franklin and Marshall, both in Lancaster, Pa. While there, Pearson also embarked on his professional writing career, serving as a sportswriter for newspapers in Lancaster and in nearby York, Pa. In 1991, Pearson moved to Washington, D.C., where he taught ancient history and coached wrestling at St. Albans School, and worked part-time as a writer for the Washington Post. Four years later, Pearson returned to The Hill School, where he became an English instructor and served as head wrestling coach. In 2000, he headed west to University of California-Davis, where he not only earned a Master's in English (with a concentration in creative writing), but also served as a volunteer wrestling coach, working for head coach -- and college mat rival -- Lenny Zalesky. After spending time in the South (earning his Ph.D. in English at University of Georgia, and as an instructor/coach in Houston), Pearson came back to Hill in 2011, again as a teacher and wrestling coach. A wrestler becomes a writer Mark Pearson had wanted to be a writer since he was eleven years old, but truly focused his energies on that career path starting as a junior at Michigan. "My assistant coach at the time, Joe Wells, told me about John Irving's books," Pearson told InterMat, referring to another wrestler-turned-writer whose novels include "The World According to Garp" and "The Cider-House Rules," along with "The Imaginary Girlfriend," a wrestling memoir. "Reading Irving's books, I really got interested in exploring fiction writing myself." After college, Pearson put his writing passion to work as a journalist from Washington, D.C. to California ... but it was a number of years into his career before he pursued fiction writing, with a focus on short stories. In an article at The Hill School website, Pearson said, "I had been working on some nonfiction about my life and wrestling when Chuck Carlise, a friend of mine who was the nonfiction editor of Gulf Coast magazine, asked me if I had written any nonfiction. I bounced a few drafts off him and then submitted it to Sport Literate; it became a finalist in the magazine's essay contest, and then was printed." In the past two decades, Pearson has had a number of short stories published. In 2011, an essay titled "The Short History of an Ear," was chosen to appear in The Best American Spots Writing 2011 anthology. His first book -- "Famous Last Lines," a collection of his short stories spanning 20 years of writing -- will be published in April 2013. "This collection of fully developed stories explores a variety of struggles -- from wrestling to natural disasters, crime, gun abuse, difficult love, and psychological disorders -- with surprising twists leading to deep psychological insights and epiphanies," according to Josip Novakovich, author of April Fool's Day and Salvation and Other Disasters. "The stories pinned me down as though in a wrestling match, and only with the last ring was I able to get up (from my armchair) with a buzz in my ears." From journalist to fiction writer "In my final years at Michigan, I became interested in fiction writing," Pearson disclosed. "When I got into journalism, I quickly realized the difference in writing styles. Journalism is objective reporting. As (Ernest) Hemingway once said, ‘Journalism will ruin your fiction writing.'" When asked if he was able to work on his fiction writing while working as a journalist, Pearson responded, "As a full-time journalist, you're exhausted, and it's hard to write fiction." "As I became a teacher and coach, I decided to try to focus on fiction." "I try to work on my fiction writing after wrestling season, during breaks at school," Pearson continued. Wrestling to writing: A matter of discipline During the interview for this feature, a recurring theme was the discipline required to be successful in wrestling also has impact on a writer's ability to practice his craft. Mark Pearson"Perseverance is important to success in both writing and wrestling," said Pearson. "It took me a long time to develop as a short story writer. It took about ten years to get my first short story published." "Writing takes a lot of mental energy," Pearson continued. "But you just do it." "When we're on breaks from school, I get up and write each morning. Once I'm working on a story, I try to stick with it, but sometimes, you have to set things aside." How does an author know when a story is finished? "At some point you feel comfortable with it, it does what it needs to do," Pearson responded. "I sometimes share it with someone else, or send it off to an editor." "You reach a certain point where you need feedback." Famous Last Lines Mark Pearson described "Famous Last Lines" as "fifteen stories, stories of men and their travails." "There are threads that weave the stories together. Male characters struggling to make it through, seeking lives that are rewarding, no matter what they are struggling through." "I've written for a broad audience," Pearson continued. "Even if you don't know about wrestling, you can understand and enjoy the stories." "I had to write stories that I feel are entertaining to read. I was trying to write stories that appeal to me." Mark Pearson's "Famous Last Lines," published by Main Street Rag Publishing, will be available April 30, 2013. The publisher is offering a pre-publication discount price on copies purchased online before April 16. To learn more about the book -- and read a sample story -- visit the book's website .

After the completion of six NJCAA district wrestling championships, the field of competitors has been determined for the national tournament to be held in Des Moines, Iowa, on Feb. 22-23. A total of six schools will be bringing the maximum number of wrestlers, which is 10, one per weight class, in quest to claim the NJCAA title. It is interesting to note that the six teams that are bringing all ten wrestlers are also the same six teams who were crowned district champions. Those schools with full teams are North Idaho College (Idaho) ranked first, Labette Community College (Kansas) ranked second, Nassau Community College (New York) ranked fifth, Ellsworth Community College (Iowa) ranked sixth, Niagara County C.C. (New York) ranked eight, and Lincoln College (Illinois) who are currently unranked, but were ranked 19th in the previous NJCAA coaches poll. Other teams that could make a run for the title include third-ranked Northwest College with seven qualifiers, 2011 champions Clackamas, ranked fourth, seventh-ranked Colby, and 10th-ranked Ridgewater, all with eight qualifiers. There are numerous other teams with nine qualifiers who will have a say in the national title, including four Iowa teams. Iowa Central, Iowa Lakes, Iowa Western, and North Iowa Area Community Colleges have nine qualifiers and their home state to help them battle to the top at the NJCAAs. Any of these teams with seven, eight, nine, or ten qualifiers could be considered contenders for the title if they have a good run at nationals, but the pure balance and strength of North Idaho and Labette make them the strong contenders to fly away with the tile in Des Moines. Links Region/District Results NJCAA National Tournament Official Website NJCAA National Tournament Schedule NJCAA National Tournament Brackets NJCAA Wrestling Coaches Team and Individual Rankings West District North Idaho had six individual champions and won the team title by a 136 1/2-113 1/2 margin over the two-time defending regional champion Cougars, who qualified eight wrestlers for the Feb. 21-23 NJCAA National Championships in Des Moines, Iowa. Clackamas won the national title in 2011. Oregon City, Ore. On the way to returning the Region 18 wrestling team title to Coeur d'Alene, North Idaho College qualified all 10 of its wrestlers for the NJCAA national tournament. Brock Banta (125), Michael Carreon (133), Jeremy Golding(149), Ryan Zumwalt (165), and V.J. Guilio (197) all won their weight class. The Cardinals also had three second-place finishes and two third-place finishes to help them win the team title by 23 points. Clackamas finished in second place. Clackamas Community College's Trent Noon and Jacob Mitchell won individual titles to pace the host Cougars of Oregon City to a second-place finish at Saturday's NJCAA Region XVIII wrestling championships. Noon scored a takedown in overtime for a 3-1 victory over North Idaho's Kyle Sweedman to win the 174-pound class, while Mitchell captured the heavyweight title with a 10-2 decision over Western Wyoming's Mike Williams. West Central District Labette Community College won their fourth straight regional championship with 125.5 points to easily outdistance runner-up Colby Community College with 73 points. Labette was ranked second in the latest team rankings, while Colby was ranked seventh. Both of these teams met in the NWCA National Dual meet championship finals with Labette winning handily. Other top twenty teams in this region were Neosho 15 and Pratt 20. Three wrestlers won their second consecutive regional titles; Le'Roy Barnes (133) Neosho, Devin Aguirre (165) Labette, and Trey Page (285) Labette. There were nine returning All-Americans from 2012 advancing to the national tournament including 2012 national champion Devin Aguirre, runner-up Trey Page, Eric Hughes (fifth) and Jeromy Davenport (fifth) from Labette; Josh Martinez (eighth), Bryce Lewis (fourth), and Dylan Braun (sixth) from Colby; Landon Keiswette (fifth) from Pratt; and Le'Roy Barnes (third) from Neosho. Region 6 Coach of the Year was Paul Gomez from Northwest Tech, Goodland, Kansas. His team scored 37 points to finish fifth in the region. With nine returning All-Americans the West Central Region six total matches the number of returning All-Americans from the West Region 18. Both of these regions include many of the top teams that will contend for the national title. North Central District The Ellsworth Community College wrestling team earned the title of North Central District Champions following Sunday's regional tournament in Willmar, Minnesota. ECC wrestlers tallied 110 points to win the title over Iowa Western (105.5), Rochester (99.5), Iowa Lakes (86), Iowa Central (84.5), MIACC (84), Ridgewater (83), MN West (32), and Itasca Community College (26.5). As a result, 10 ECC wrestlers will compete at the national tournament Feb. 22-23 in Des Moines. "We wrestled!" exclaimed head coach Cole Spree. "We did what we've been working on all year long. I told them if we take care of ourselves and take care of what each one of us can control, things will happen the way they are supposed to happen. I am proud of the wrestlers; any time you can get every weight class through, you know you wrestled well. They deserve to go to the national tournament because yesterday they did what they had to secure their spot. With this performance we were able to win the District title, which I do not believe has happened in a long time for Ellsworth. The guys knew this and wanted to bring the title back. Each one of them is proud of Ellsworth Community College � this is something they will remember for a long time." Coach Spree also commented on several individual performances. "We had four finalists and three champs. Anytime you can almost get half of your weights in the finals in one of the toughest regions in the nation, you have to be happy. Da'Wayne Robertson was on a mission all day. He is a winner; he knew what it was going to take for him to get the job done, and he did it. All year we have known he is one of the top kids in the nation and yesterday he showed why. Eric Franklin is a neat story overall. He's a kid who really wasn't a top recruit coming out of high school because he had only wrestled a of couple years. He came in at the beginning of the year and struggled, but just kept working and now has become one of the most dominant wrestlers in his weight class. He flat out dominated yesterday and I think the scores show that. Josh DaSilveira is one of our leaders and probably was the most dominant kid in the region. Josh means business when he steps onto the mat. He brings his lunchbox and hard hat and isn't afraid of any work you put in front of him." With all 10 wrestlers qualifying for the national tournament, Coach Spree says he likes Ellsworth's chances. "We have an advantage on almost all of the teams that will be at the tournament because we have 10 guys � there are maybe only two or three other colleges bringing this many wrestlers. I also feel like we have 10 guys who are capable of being All-Americans if they show up and do what they are supposed to do. We are a dangerous team, and if we take care of business the next couple of weeks like we have been, good things will happen. Spree was also named Coach of the Year at the regional tournament. Of the recognition, he says, "It is an honor and without a doubt I'm proud of it, but I am more proud of our guys and our coaching staff. The amount of time and dedication they put in is unreal. They are the ones who made it possible for me to receive the award. They are all great people who work hard and are not afraid to get down and dirty when it's called for. Without them the award would have never happened." Central District The Lincoln College wrestling team traveled to Triton College to compete in the Region 24 tournament on Sunday, Feb. 10. The region tournament is the team's national qualifying event. The team competed very well and finished as region champions with all 10 wrestlers qualifying for the national tournament. Head coach Steven Bradley said, "This was a great day for the team and the Lincoln College wrestling program. Each individual came prepared and wrestled well. I could not be more proud of my athletes. They fought hard and believed that they could win. It was a very fun day watching these young men compete. It has been a long season and seeing them achieve their goals was exciting. We finished the day with four champions, two runner-ups, three third-place finishers and one fifth-place finisher." Takil Agnew (Springfield, Ill.) was the Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament and head coach Steven Bradley was the Region Coach of the Year. North Eastern District For the first time in school history Nassau Community College had ten wrestlers in the finals of the NJCAA District 11 Championships. Despite a major snowstorm on the day of the event and a hurricane known as Sandy to start the season, Nassau was able to overcome all the adversity thrown at them. With six out of state teams arriving a day earlier before the snow storm, it was possible to hold the event. During the year you don't hear much about the team but they are competing every weekend against some of the best competition on the east coast. A typical weekend a Nassau wrestlers is wrestling some of the best Division I and Division III wrestlers in the country. This weekend, the team really showed their character and their ability, by winning the National Qualifying tournament in a landslide.. With the return of a couple of wrestlers from the injury list and two wrestlers dropping down in weight, the lineup fell into place. Eastern District I NCCC Wrestling wins their 18th regional title! The Thunderwolves finished with 116 points and 10 national qualifiers. Head coach Keith Maute was named NJCAA Region III Coach of the Year and NCCC's Irvin Buck was voted Outstanding Wrestler. Niagara's placers/qualifiers included (149) Kevin Strong -- regional champ?(157), Irvin Buck -- regional champ?(165), Kris Schimek -- regional champ?(174), John Brabon -- regional champ?(197), Gunnar Thomas -- regional champ?(285), Max Antone -- regional champ?(125), Barney Prince -- runner-up?(133), Lance Compton -- runner-up?(141), Brian Galuski -- third place?(184), and Dustin Moss -- third place.

A committee of highly-respected leaders within the American wrestling community has been formed, whose mission is to insure that wrestling remains as a core sport of the Olympic Games. The group is called the Committee for the Preservation of Olympic Wrestling (CPOW), and is chaired by Bill Scherr of Glenview, Ill., a World champion and Olympic medalist in freestyle wrestling, who help spearhead the Chicago 2016 Olympic bid effort and is a top businessman in the financial services industry. Named as the spokesman for CPOW is Mike Novogratz of New York, N.Y., a highly respected business leader who was the Team Leader for the 2012 U.S. Olympic freestyle wrestling team, the chairman of Beat the Streets in New York and a top college wrestler for Princeton. John Bardis of Alpharetta, Ga. was selected by the committee to serve as Director of Development and Finance. Bardis served as the Team Leader for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Greco-Roman Team and is also a major business leader. Bardis was a successful high school and college wrestler. The committee was created by USA Wrestling to develop and execute a successful strategy, which will result in wrestling being named as a core sport for the 2020 Olympic Games and beyond. This week, the International OIympic Committee’s Executive Board recommended that wrestling not be included as a core sport for the 2020 Olympic Games. Joining Novogratz and Bardis on the committee as wrestling leaders who are successful businessmen include Andy Barth of San Marino, Calif., Jeff Levitetz of Boca Raton, Fla., Art Martori of Phoenix, Ariz. and USA Wrestling president James Ravannack of Metairie, La. Also on the committee is sports executive Jim Scherr of Colorado Springs, Colo. Currently Commissioner of a college hockey conference, Scherr was the CEO of the U.S. Olympic Committee and a past USA Wrestling Executive Director. Lee Roy Smith, the Executive Director of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and a World silver medalist in freestyle serves on the committee. Roger Frizzell, an NCAA All-American and leader in the public relations community is involved, as is Michael DerGarabedian, a successful attorney and past college wrestler. Wrestling legends who are also members include World and Olympic champions Bruce Baumgartner, Dan Gable and Rulon Gardner, and two-time Olympians Kerry McCoy and Clarissa Chun. They have been successful as leaders off the mat as well. “We have engaged many of the most connected and brightest minds in our sport, an all-star leadership group. We have a great opportunity to show the world why wrestling belongs on the Olympic program,” said USA Wrestling Executive Director Rich Bender, who is also a CPOW member. COMMITTEE FOR THE PRESERVATION OF OLYMPIC WRESTLING (CPOW) Committee members Chairperson -- Bill Scherr, Glenville, Ill. Spokesperson -- Mike Novogratz, New York, N.Y. Director of Development and Finance -- John Bardis, Alpharetta, Ga. Andy Barth, San Marino, Calif. Bruce Baumgartner, Edinboro, Pa. Rich Bender, Colorado Springs, Colo. Clarissa Chun, Columbia, Mo. Mike DerGarabedian, Rockville Center, N.Y. Roger Frizzell, Kingston, Okla. Dan Gable, Iowa City, Iowa Rulon Gardner, Logan, Utah Jeff Levitetz, Boca Raton, Fla. Art Martori, Phoenix, Ariz. Kerry McCoy, College Park, Md. James Ravannack, Metairie, La. Jim Scherr, Colorado Springs, Colo. John Smith, Stillwater, Okla. Lee Roy Smith, Stillwater, Okla. MISSION AND OBJECTIVES The mission of the Committee for the Preservation of Olympic Wrestling is to insure that wrestling remains as a core sport of the Olympic Games. We intend to accomplish this mission by: • Working with FILA and the international wrestling community to insure that wrestling will remain a core Olympic sport. • Mobilizing and energizing the wrestling community and the American public to support our mission. • Leading the effort for solicitation and allocation of volunteer and financial resources for the preservation of Olympic Wrestling • Raising awareness of the positive values and contributions of wrestling to the Olympic movement • Working with FILA and the international wrestling community for the continued development and modernization of wrestling • Joining with like-minded groups globally to unite our efforts to preserve Olympic Wrestling.

When I reflect on this past weekend's Cliff Keen National Duals regionals, I cannot help but wonder what would have been the case had I instead been watching an actual dual meet national championship. I do not have a stance on the issue, which is probably dead now, of whether of whether or not a NCAA Division I national championship should be determined by a national dual meet tournament. Frankly, I'm torn on the matter. The current NCAA tournament format is perfection; it is the single greatest annual sporting event held annually on American soil. Integral to the drama and intrigue of the NCAA individual tournament is the fact that it determines the official NCAA team champion. If March's tournament were to lose its role as the determiner or a team champion, the perfection would be lost and the exquisitely cut and polished gym that is the NCAA Division I wrestling tournament would lose quite a bit of luster. This being said, imagine if the National Duals became an NCAA dual meet championship. Every top team would be in attendance with every weapon at their disposal brought to bear. We would have dual meets with everything riding on the line. The first wrestling competition I ever experienced was a dual meet, and it hooked me for life. With the right teams, the right atmosphere, and the right kind of crowd, a dual meet can be American folkstyle wrestling's most exciting incarnation. Pairing this excitement with the significance of a NCAA championship would potentially create the greatest viewing experience hardcore wrestling fans could ever hopeful, as well as something compelling enough to entice a casual, channel flipping audience. Would it have been worth having a dual meet national championship at the expense of some of the prestige of the NCAA individual tournament? I don't have a good answer for that question. I can just enjoy the wrestling as it appears before me, and that which appeared before me this weekend were the National Duals four regional competitions. As an aside, I'd like to add that a current problem with National Duals, or a potential NCAA dual meet championship, is its proximity to high school state championships, and by problem, I mean a problem for high school coaches. For some, their season may still be going as these championships take place. For others, their wives believe they just got them back, and now as they return home, they have to break the news that there is quite a bit more wrestling to watch. This is potentially hazardous. As it stands right now, the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals is the toughest dual meet tournament in the nation. Congratulations to Cornell, Oklahoma State, Virginia Tech, and Missouri for winning their regions. Missouri wins the National Duals Missouri region Mizzou is a tough tournament team bookended by two potential national champions and a slew of top 20 caliber wrestlers in between. It should surprise no one that they won their region. One result that sticks out is in Missouri's regional final dual with Maryland, Maryland's Christian Boley pinned Mizzou's Brent Haynes at 197 pounds. Boley, a third seed at last year's NCAAs, has struggled this year. Maybe this win is a signal that he has returned to form. Cornell (Photo/Cornell Sports Information)Cornell wins the National Duals Cornell region In the close 19-17 finals dual with Nebraska, the Big Red win their region with the help of a huge pin by the one and only Kyle Dake. Dake has been nothing short of amazing this year and if he manages to beat David Taylor again to win NCAAs this year, it would take an IOC executive board level of injustice to take the Hodge away from him. Virginia Tech wins the National Duals Oregon State region Two old Hawkeyes tilting at each other from opposite ends of the country, Kevin Dresser and Jim Zalesky lead their teams, Virginia Tech and Oregon State respectively, against each other in this regional final. Virginia Tech is the winner of the dual, but wrestling wins from the vision of both of these coaches who have done incredible things for their wrestling programs. At 157 pounds, Jesse Dong edges R.J. Pena. Keep an eye on Dong, my early dark horse pick to make a crazy run at NCAAs. Also, don't look now, but Michigan's 149-pounder, Eric Grajales, once the bluest of blue chippers, is starting to really roll at this point in the season. Against Oregon State he notches a 6-4 victory over Scott Sakaguchi. Oklahoma State wins the National Duals Kent State region No surprise here that OSU takes this region with a finals win over Kent State. However, at 133, the Cowboys' sixth-ranked Jon Morrison suffers a shocking upset to Kent State's Mackenzie McGuire. Utah Valley beats Air Force 23-9 I've been nothing but impressed with the Air Force wrestling team this year so this result comes as a bit of a surprise to me. UVU's win was spurred by a big upset at 125 with Jade Rauser upending eighth-ranked Falcon Josh Martinez. These are two programs that not enough people are talking about, but they have bright futures with both enjoying some impressive recruit commitments for next year. North Carolina Dominates Carolina Duals In the featured match of the Carolina Duals, UNC's sixth-ranked 141-pounder Evan Henderson earns a 3-1 win over The Citadel's seventh-ranked K. Undrakhbayar, known as Ugi. This was Henderson's second win over Ugi this year and UNC has a couple of lightweights who might really make noise in March.

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. -- Hoosier Wrestling evened its season record at 9-9 following a three-match sweep of the SIUE Duals by a combined score of 111-24. Indiana defeated host SIUE and Lindenwood-Belleville both by final tallies of 33-12 while blanking Knox College, 45-0. Thirteen different Hoosiers hit the mat on Sunday with the complete baker's dozen notch at least one victory. Joe Duca, Alexander Gregory and Luke Sheridan paced them by taking all three bouts. As a team, IU totaled nine falls and three major decisions on the day. Indiana 33, Lindenwood-Belleville 12 125 lbs - Joe Duca (IU) dec. Colton Howell (LB), 5-2; Team Score: 3-0 133 lbs - Alonzo Shepherd (IU) dec. Derrick Grieshaber (LB), 9-7; TS: 6-0 141 lbs - Alexander Gregory (IU) pinned Brad Wisdom (LB), 4:47; TS: 12-0 149 lbs - Preston Keiffer (IU) pinned Jesse Friese (LB), 2:32; TS: 18-0 157 lbs - Bathuluum Zuhlkuu (LB) dec. Joe Randazzo (IU), 10-5; TS: 18-3 165 lbs - Ryan Konz (IU) pinned Ted Parker (LB), 1:42; TS: 24-3 174 lbs - Cheney Dale (IU) pinned Larry Lamier (LB), 1:56; TS: 30-3 184 lbs - Luke Sheridan (IU) dec. David Cox (LB), 6-2; TS: 33-3 197 lbs - Kameron Harris (LB) won by forfeit; TS: 33-9 285 lbs - Dustin Fullerton (LB) dec. Jowan Gill (IU), 7-3; TS: 33-12 Indiana 45, Knox College 0 125 lbs - Joe Duca (IU) pinned Matt Sugai (Knox), 0:39; Team Score: 6-0 133 lbs - Alonzo Shepherd (IU) won by forfeit; TS: 12-0 141 lbs - Alexander Gregory (IU) maj. dec. Mario Frye (Knox), 13-4; TS: 16-0 149 lbs - Geno Capezio (IU) maj. dec. Eric Vogel (Knox), 12-1; TS: 20-0 157 lbs - Joe Randazzo (IU) maj. dec. Aaron Hoover (Knox), 14-3; TS: 24-0 165 lbs - #15 Ryan LeBlanc (IU) pinned Ryan Lambert (Knox), 0:32; TS: 30-0 174 lbs - Cheney Dale (IU) dec. Greg Ventris (Knox), 4-1; TS: 33-0 184 lbs - Luke Sheridan (IU) pinned Ruben Villalobos (Knox), 4:02; TS: 39-0 197 lbs - Double forfeit 285 lbs - Jowan Gill (IU) won by forfeit; TS: 45-0 Indiana 33, SIUE 12 125 lbs - Joe Duca (IU) won by forfeit; Team Score: 6-0 133 lbs - Patrick Myers (SIUE) dec. Alonzo Shepherd (IU), 7-3; TS: 6-3 141 lbs - Alexander Gregory (IU) dec. Dillon Pousson (SIUE), 8-1; TS: 9-3 149 lbs - Preston Keiffer (IU) pinned Brandon Brindley (SIUE), 6:06; TS: 15-3 157 lbs - Geno Capezio (IU) dec. Kyle Lowman (SIUE), 5-2; TS: 18-3 165 lbs - #15 Ryan LeBlanc (IU) pinned Adam Osmoe (SIUE), 6:10; TS: 24-3 174 lbs - Jake Residori (SIUE) dec. Cheney Dale (IU), 6-2; TS: 24-6 184 lbs - Luke Sheridan (IU) pinned Derek Nagel (SIUE), 4:01; TS: 30-6 197 lbs - Josh Wood (SIUE) won by forfeit; TS: 30-12 295 lbs - #12 Adam Chalfant (IU) dec. David Devine (SIUE), 6-2; TS: 33-12 Indiana concludes the regular season on Saturday (Feb. 23) by hosting Northwestern on Senior Day, starting at 2 pm. The dual will be streamed live by BTDN on IUHoosiers.com.

SAN LOUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- Central Michigan continued to steam roll its opponents Sunday afternoon, claiming a pair of victories over Cal Poly, 41-6, and CSU Bakersfields, 26-12. The Chippewas (16-3) extended their dual meet winning streak to nine straight and claimed 16 of the 20 bouts on the day. CMU wrestled just six bouts in the opening dual of the day, as three matches were forfeited by the Mustangs and one by the Maroon and Gold. The Chippewas were awarded six points each at 133, 141 and 285 pounds on forfeits by Cal Poly, while the Mustangs were awarded six points at 197 pounds. No. 11 Christian Cullinan opened the day with a 5-0 decision over Britain Longmire, earning three back points in the final period to secure the win. Senior Donnie Corby continued his recent run of success with a first-period pin over Dillen Rocha at 149 pounds and redshirt freshman Lucas Smith, sophomore Mike Ottinger and sophomore Anthony Bill each earned decisions to push the Chippewas' lead to 30-0. Senior Ben Bennett recorded his second technical fall in as many days, defeating Sean Dougherty by a score of 18-2. Bennett had five takedowns in the match and twice earned back points to improve to 21-0 on the year. The Chippewas continued the momentum versus the Roadrunners of CSU Bakersfield, kicked off by Cullinan's 7-2 decision at 125 pounds. Senior Scotti Sentes earned career win number 100 with a 5-0 decision himself to extend the lead and Mattingly picked up a pin over Timmy Box in the third period to give CMU a 12-0 lead. After dropping their first match at 149 pounds, the Chippewas responded with decisions by Smith and Ottinger at 157 and 165 and Bennett earned yet another technical fall over Sean Pollock, 18-0. The Chippewas again forfeited at 197 pounds, but Trice closed the day with a 2-0 decision over Sammy Cervantes to give the Chippewas a 26-12 victory. No. 12 Central Michigan 41, Cal Poly 6 125: No. 11 Christian Cullinan (CMU) dec. Britain Longmire, 5-0; CMU 3-0 133: No. 7 Scotti Sentes (CMU) wins by forfeit; CMU 9-0 141: Scott Mattingly (CMU) wins by forfeit; CMU 15-0 149: Donnie Corby (CMU) fall Dillen Rocha, 2:16; CMU 21-0 157: Lucas Smith (CMU) dec. Kyle Chene, 4-3; CMU 24-0 165: Mike Ottinger (CMU) dec. Connor King, 9-2; CMU 27-0 174: Anthony Bill (CMU) dec. Mitchell Woods, 8-3; CMU 30-0 184: No. 2 Ben Bennett (CMU) tech. fall Sean Dougherty, 18-2; CMU 35-0 197: JT Goodwin (Cal Poly) wins by forfeit; CMU 35-6 Hwt: No. 5 Jarod Trice (CMU) wins by forfeit; CMU 41-6 No. 12 Central Michigan 26, CSU Bakersfield 12 125: No. 11 Christian Cullinan (CMU) dec. Tyler Iwamura, 7-2; CMU 3-0 133: No. 7 Scotti Sentes (CMU) dec. Miguel Comparan, 5-0; CMU 6-0 141: Scott Mattingly (CMU) fall Timmy Box, 6:21; CMU 12-0 149: Dalton Kelly (CSU) dec. Donnie Corby, 7-6; CMU 12-3 157: Lucas Smith (CMU) dec. Jake Briggs, 2-0; CMU 15-3 165: Mike Ottinger (CMU) dec. David Meza, 3-2; CMU 18-3 174: No. 19 Bryce Hammond (CSU) dec. Anthony Bill, 8-3; CMU 18-6 184: No. 2 Ben Bennett (CMU) tech. fall Sean Pollock, 18-0; CMU 23-6 197: Frankie Hurtado (CSU) wins by forfeit; CMU 23-12 Hwt: No. 5 Jarod Trice (CMU) dec. Sammy Cervantes, 2-0; CMU 26-12

Cornell, Oklahoma State, Missouri, and Virginia Tech won their regionals on Sunday to advance to the finals of the 2013 NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals, which take place Friday and Saturday at Williams Arena in Minneapolis. The eight-team finals field is comprised of the four regional winners, plus Iowa, Minnesota, Ohio State, and Illinois. Cornell advances with wins over Nebraska, Hofstra Cornell University Sports Information The Big Red wrestling team advances to the National Duals' Finals next weekend in Minnesota after defeating Nebraska and Hofstra on Sunday afternoon in Newman Arena. Cornell opened the day by blanking Hofstra, 42-0, before moving past the Cornhuskers by a score of 19-17. Nebraska advanced to the finals by defeating Virginia 28-8. The Cavaliers placed third after winning a 21-15 dual over the Pride. The Big Red notched five pins on the day, including two by NCAA champion Kyle Dake. Dake now has 16 falls this season and is one shy of tying the school record of 17 that is held by Cam Simaz '12 and Steve Anceravage '09. Dake has 42 for his career. Cornell's day opened with No. 6 Nahshon Garrett taking on Steve Bonanno at 125 pounds. Garrett held a 7-1 lead after the first with two takedowns and three back points. The Big Red freshman added another takedown in the second and escaped from his opening down position in the third. With 21 seconds left in the bout, Bonanno took down Garrett. With 2:04 in riding time, Garrett won an 11-5 decision. At 133 pounds, Bricker Dixon was scoreless against Jamie Franco in the first period. Dixon reversed Franco to begin the second, and Franco escaped with 37 seconds left in the period. Franco quickly escaped to open the third, but Dixon would take him down once again to win a 4-3 decision. Mike Nevinger was scoreless after the first period against Luke Vaith at 141 pounds. Nevinger escaped to open the second for the only point of the period. Vaith chose neutral to start the third. With eight seconds left in the bout, Nevinger countered a shot by Vaith to grab two more points with a takedown to win a 3-0 decision. At 149 pounds, Chris Villalonga faced Cody Ruggirello. Midway through the first, Villalonga took a 2-0 lead with a takedown but with one second left on the clock, Ruggirello reversed him. The Pride wrestler chose to start the second down, and Villalonga grabbed three back points to lengthen his lead to 5-2. Villalonga chose neutral in the third and with 3:07 in riding time, won a 6-2 decision. At 157 pounds, Jesse Shanaman faced Tyler Banks. After a scoreless first period, Banks escaped to open the second period. Banks' one point advantage was the only time during the entire dual that a Hofstra wrestler held an advantage over Cornell. Shanaman took back the lead in the third with a reversal to win a 2-1 decision. At 165 pounds, No. 1 ranked Dake squared off against Nick Terdick. Dake held a 4-1 lead before pinning Terdick in 1:57 Marshall Peppelman took on Jermain John at 174 pounds. With less than one minute left in the first period, Peppelman took down John to hold a 2-1 lead after one period. Peppelman quickly escaped to open the second. John escaped from his choice down position in the third for the only point of the period, and Peppelman won a 3-2 decision. At 184 pounds, Steve Bosak wrestled David Heitman. With a little over 15 seconds off the clock, the Big Red senior took down the Pride wrestler and turned him to win by fall in 1:47. Jace Bennett and Stryker Lane followed suit in their respective weight classes. Bennett pinned Tim Murphy in 1:51, while Lane won by fall over Zeal McGrew in 1:11. After a short break, Cornell returned to the mat against Nebraska. Garrett once again opened the dual, this time facing Eric Coufall. Garrett held a 7-1 lead after the first period with two takedowns and three back points. Garrett quickly escaped to open the second and added another takedown. With one second left on the clock in the third, Coufal escaped from his opening down position. With 4:13 in riding time, Garrett won an 11-3 major decision. At 133 pounds, Dixon got on the board a minute into the first with a takedown against Shawn Nagel. Dixon escaped from his opening down position in the second to hold a 3-1 advantage. Nagel escaped to open the third period, but Dixon held on to win a 3-2 decision. Nevinger wrestled his second match at 141 pounds against Ridge Kiley. Nevinger took down Kiley midway through the first. With 16 seconds left in the first, Kiley reversed him to tie the bout at 2-2. Kiley was unable to escape from his opening down position in the second period. Kiley chose an optional start in the third period to give Nevinger a one point escape. With 33 seconds left in the bout, Nevinger took him down again and added a riding time point to win a 6-2 decision. At 149 pounds, Villalonga faced No. 10 Jake Sueflohn. The Cornhusker wrestler took a 2-0 advantage with a takedown in the first. Villalonga escaped to open the second, but with one second left on the clock Sueflohn took him down once again. Sueflohn reversed Villalonga from his opening down position in the third and added takedowns on his way to a 12-3 major decision. Shanaman took on No. 6 James Green at 157 pounds. After a scoreless first period, Green reversed Shanaman to open the second. Shanaman escaped from his down choice in the third. With 15 seconds left in the bout, Green took him down once again to win a 5-2 decision. Dake wrestled Tyler Koehn at 165 pounds. The Big Red senior held a 2-0 lead after the first period. Dake added three back points in second before winning by fall in 3:57. At 174 pounds, Peppelman faced No. 4 Robert Kokesh. Kokesh held a 2-0 advantage after the first with a takedown. Peppelman escaped to open the second period, but the Cornhusker wrestler took him down once again. Kokesh racked up takedowns in the third to win a 14-3 major decision. Bosak took on No. 8 Josh Ihnen at 184. After a scoreless first period, Ihnen was unable to escape from his choice down position in the second. Bosak held a 1-0 advantage after Ihnen was hit with his second stalling warning. Bosak quickly escaped to open the third and with 2:00 in riding time won a 3-0 decision. At 197 pounds, Bennett wrestled against Caleb Kolb. Bennett held a 4-2 lead after the first with two takedowns. Kolb escaped 30 seconds into the second period, and with one second left on the clock took the lead with a takedown. Bennett escaped to open the third, but Kolb would take him down once again to win a 7-5 decision. At heavyweight, Lane faced Spencer Johnson. After a scoreless first period, Johnson chose to start the second period down. Johnson quickly escaped after Lane had to call an injury time out. Johnson escaped from his choice down position after the timeout. The crowd rallied behind the injured Lane as he continued through match to keep Nebraska from winning the dual on bonus points. Lane escaped to open the third, but Johnson would take him down. With 1:30 in riding time, Johnson won a 5-2 decision. Cornell will travel to Minnesota next weekend for the National Dual finals on Friday and Saturday. Attendance: 2,132 Cornell 42, Hofstra 0 125: Nahshon Garrett (Cornell) over Steve Bonanno (Hofstra) Dec 11-5 133: Bricker Dixon (Cornell) over Jamie Franco (Hofstra) Dec 4-3 141: Michael Nevinger (Cornell) over Luke Vaith (Hofstra) Dec 3-0 149: Christopher Villalonga (Cornell) over Cody Ruggirello (Hofstra) Dec 6-2 157: Jesse Shanaman (Cornell) over Tyler Banks (Hofstra) Dec 2-1 165: Kyle Dake (Cornell) over Nick Terdick (Hofstra) Pin 1:57 174: Marshall Peppelman (Cornell) over Jermaine John (Hofstra) Dec 3-2 184: Steve Bosak (Cornell) over David Heitman (Hofstra) Pin 1:47 197: Jace Bennett (Cornell) over Tim Murphy (Hofstra) Pin 1:51 285: Stryker Lane (Cornell) over Zeal McGrew (Hofstra) Pin 1:11 Nebraska 28, Virginia 8 125: Matthew Snyder (Virginia) over Eric Coufal (Nebraska) TF 16-0 133: George DiCamillo (Virginia) over Shawn Nagel (Nebraska) Dec 8-2 141: Ridge Kiley (Nebraska) over Joseph Spisak (Virginia) Dec 5-0 149: Jake Sueflohn (Nebraska) over Derek Valenti (Virginia) Dec 2-0 157: Brandon Wilbourn (Nebraska) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf 165: James Green (Nebraska) over Nicholas Sulzer (Virginia) Dec 5-2 174: Robert Kokesh (Nebraska) over Jonathan Fausey (Virginia) Dec 7-4 184: Josh Ihnen (Nebraska) over Stephen Doty (Virginia) Maj 11-3 197: Caleb Kolb (Nebraska) over Michael Salopek (Virginia) Dec 8-2 285: Spencer Johnson (Nebraska) over Derek Papagianopoulos (Virginia) Dec 8-2 Cornell 19, Nebraska 17 125: Nahshon Garrett (Cornell) over Eric Coufal (Nebraska) Maj 11-3 133: Bricker Dixon (Cornell) over Shawn Nagel (Nebraska) Dec 3-2 141: Michael Nevinger (Cornell) over Ridge Kiley (Nebraska) Dec 6-2 149: Jake Sueflohn (Nebraska) over Christopher Villalonga (Cornell) Maj 12-3 157: James Green (Nebraska) over Jesse Shanaman (Cornell) Dec 5-2 165: Kyle Dake (Cornell) over Tyler Koehn (Nebraska) Pin 3:57 174: Robert Kokesh (Nebraska) over Marshall Peppelman (Cornell) Maj 13-3 184: Steve Bosak (Cornell) over Josh Ihnen (Nebraska) Dec 3-0 197: Caleb Kolb (Nebraska) over Jace Bennett (Cornell) Dec 7-5 HWT: Spencer Johnson (Nebraska) over Stryker Lane (Cornell) Dec 5-2 Virginia 21, Hofstra 15 125: Matthew Snyder (Virginia) over Steve Bonanno (Hofstra) Dec 5-2 133: Jamie Franco (Hofstra) over George DiCamillo (Virginia) Dec 6-2 141: Luke Vaith (Hofstra) over Jimmy Nehls (Virginia) Dec 5-2 149: Derek Valenti (Virginia) over Cody Ruggirello (Hofstra) Dec 5-3 157: Tyler Banks (Hofstra) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf 165: Nicholas Sulzer (Virginia) over Nick Terdick (Hofstra) Dec 13-6 174: Jonathan Fausey (Virginia) over Jermaine John (Hofstra) Dec 3-2 184: Stephen Doty (Virginia) over David Heitman (Hofstra) Pin 197: Zach Nye (Virginia) over Tim Murphy (Hofstra) Dec 4-0 285: Zeal McGrew (Hofstra) over Patrick Gillen (Virginia) Dec 3-1 Oklahoma State powers through Kent State, Northern Iowa Oklahoma State University Information Oklahoma State's top-ranked wrestling squad powered through Kent State and No. 24 Northern Iowa at its NWCA National Duals regional on Sunday to advance to next week's finals in Minnesota. "I thought we wrestled pretty well," head coach John Smith said. "The one thing that stood out more than anything was the six pins. It was just exciting. I look forward to next week and a tough, tough tournament." In their first dual, the Cowboys (15-0) earned four of the day's six pins to defeat the Golden Flashes, 34-10, taking them to the regional finals. After quickly falling behind, 6-0, after losses at 125 and 133-pounds, Cowboys Julian Feikert, Jordan Oliver and Alex Dieringer answered with consecutive falls at 141, 149 and 157 pounds, respectively. Third-ranked Tyler Caldwell and No. 2 Chris Perry snagged the first of their two wins for the day with a 4-1 decision from Caldwell and an 11-2 major decision from Perry. They were followed by Chris Chionuma's 9-5 decision over No. 15 Casey Newburg. Blake Rosholt fell at the hands of top-ranked 197-pounder Dustin Kilgore by a 12-3 major decision. Gelogaev finished the dual with another pin in just 39 seconds. In the regional finals, the Cowboys took down the No. 24 Panthers of Northern Iowa, 39-7. Eddie Klimara bounced back from an earlier loss, earning a 10-2 major decision over Ryan Jauch. Oliver also snatched a major decision over UNI's Bart Reiter, 13-4. Dieringer pinned No. 19 David Bonin late in the third period, earning his second of the day. "It took me a while to get going, but once I did, it was good," Dieringer said. "I've been really working on my bars and being on top, and that's how I got my pins." Caldwell's second win of the day came in the form of a 15-2 major decision over Jarrett Jensen. Perry put the match away with his pin over Kyle Lux in 6:10. The last two Cowboys, Rosholt and Gelogaev, ended the match with two more bonus-point wins with a 19-2 technical fall and 16-6 major decision, respectively. The Cowboys will travel to Minneapolis, Minn., to compete for the National Duals title on Feb. 22-23. They will be joining the winners of the other regionals as well as Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois and Ohio State, who received automatic bids to the finals. Oklahoma State 34, Kent State 10 125: No. 16 Steve Mitcheff (KSU) dec. Eddie Klimara (OSU), 3-2 133: Mackenzie McGuire (KSU) dec. No. 5 Jon Morrison (OSU), 3-2 141: Julian Feikert (OSU) fall Lukas Kern (KSU), 6:38 149: No. 1 Jordan Oliver (OSU) fall Andy Candiello (KSU), 4:02 157: No. 9 Alex Dieringer (OSU) fall Tommy Sasfy (KSU), 1:23 165: No. 3 Tyler Caldwell (OSU) dec. Caleb Marsh (KSU), 4-1 174: No. 2 Chris Perry (OSU) MD Mike Vollant (KSU), 11-2 184: No. 12 Chris Chionuma (OSU) dec. No. 15 Casey Newburg (KSU), 9-5 197: No. 1 Dustin Kilgore (KSU) MD No. 11 Blake Rosholt (OSU), 12-3 285: No. 3 Alan Gelogaev (OSU) fall Keith Witt (KSU), 0:39 Oklahoma State 39, Northern Iowa 7 125: Eddie Klimara (OSU) MD Ryan Jauch (UNI), 10-2 133: No. 5 Jon Morrison (OSU) won by forfeit 141: No. 13 Joey Lazor (UNI) MD Julian Feikert (OSU), 10-1 149: No. 1 Jordan Oliver (OSU) MD Bart Reiter (UNI), 13-4 157: No. 9 Alex Dieringer (OSU) fall No. 19 David Bonin (UNI), 6:34 165: No. 3 Tyler Caldwell (OSU) MD Jarrett Jensen (UNI), 15-2 174: No. 2 Chris Perry (OSU) fall Kyle Lux (UNI), 6:10 184: No. 8 Ryan Loder (UNI) dec. No. 12 Chris Chionuma (OSU), 6-1 197: No. 11 Blake Rosholt (OSU) TF5 Taylor Kettman (UNI), 19-2 285: No. 3 Alan Gelogaev (OSU) MD Blayne Beale (UNI), 16-6 Missouri books trip to finals with two wins on Sunday University of Missouri Sports Information The sixth-ranked Mizzou Tiger wrestlers took home two duals on Sunday and booked a trip to the University of Minnesota next weekend to face off against many of the top programs in the nation. The Tigers knocked off No. 16 Purdue 27-15 in the second dual of the day after taking care of Maryland 27-13 in round one. Alan Waters, Drake Houdashelt, and top-ranked Dom Bradley all had big days for the Black and Gold in what happened to be the last time wrestling would be in the Hearnes Center this year. The Tigers won the first six matches of the day and were well on their way to a 27-13 victory over the Maryland Terrapins. Waters, Houdashelt, and Kyle Bradley all added major decisions for the Tigers against the Terps, and No. 5 Nathan McCormick got his third consecutive win against a ranked opponent in No. 12 Geoffry Alexander. The Terps took three straight bouts from 174 pounds to 197. No. 5 Josh Asper avoided an upset against Mizzou senior Todd Porter with a successful takedown late in the third period. Jimmy Sheptock won by major decision over Johnny Eblen and Christian Boley was able to pin Brent Haynes at 2:59. Haynes had Boley nearly on his back but left his back exposed and the 14th-ranked grappler from Maryland was able to cash in on a defensive fall as time expired in the first period. On the adjacent mat, the Purdue Boilermakers and the Wyoming Cowboys came down to the heavyweights, where Alex White of Purdue tallied a takedown with two seconds remaining to win 4-1 after a point for riding timewith an added point for riding time to secure the victory for the Boilermakers 20-16. A sudden victory win by Wyoming's No. 4 Alfonso Hernandez over No. 18 Braden Atwood kept the Cowboys alive, but Purdue was able to seal their fifteenth win of the year. Purdue and Mizzou met up for the final round of the regional with the winner set to advance to Minneapolis, Minn., later this week. Waters set the tone once again with a major decision over No. 16 Camden Eppert, 15-3. Waters had already defeated Eppert this season back on November 10, also by major decision. A forfeit at 133 gave the Tigers a 10-0 lead, and then a technical fall by the sophomore Houdashelt at 5:26 put Mizzou in the driver's seat for the remainder of the dual. Houdashelt was able to tally six takedowns, two 3-point near falls, and one 2-point near fall in the match against Purdue's Frankie Porras. The top-ranked Bradley finished off a victorious day for the Tigers with a couple of big takedowns against Purdue's Alex White in a 21-7 drubbing at heavyweight. Bradley, a perfect 30-0 on the season, finished off his home career as a Missouri Tiger with an undefeated record at home in his four years of attached wrestling. In fact, the last time Mizzou's big man lost in Columbia was in 2004 as a freshman in high school at Blue Springs. Bradley is now just four wins shy of the 100-win club as a Tiger grappler. Maryland and No. 21 Wyoming met up across the Hearnes Center for their second dual of the day, with Maryland pulling off the upset 20-12. Maryland took the final four bouts of the dual after trailing 12-6 through the 165-pound weight class. The Tigers are now slated to continue their quest as the 2013 NWCA National Duals Champions this coming weekend at the University of Minnesota. Mizzou will be back in action on Friday, Feb. 22 and will need to battle past top-ranked Oklahoma State, No. 4 Minnesota, and No. 5 Ohio State if they want to be crowned as champions in this year's event. Stay abreast with the Tigers and all of the NWCA Cliff Keen National Duals action by following on Twitter and using the hashtag #MatMayhem. Missouri 27, Maryland 13 125: No. 4 Alan Waters (MU) maj. dec. Shane Gentry (MD), 11-2 133: No. 5 Nathan McCormick (MU) dec. No. 12 Geoff Alexander (MD), 4-1 141: Nicholas Hucke (MU) dec. Shane Archeiga (MD), 6-2 149: No. 15 Drake Houdashelt (MU) major dec. Lou Mascola (MD), 13-4 157: No. 16 Kyle Bradley (MU) major dec. Danny Orem (MD), 12-1 165: No. 16 Zach Toal (MU) dec. Dominic DeRobertis (MD) 8-1 174: No. 5 Josh Asper (MD) dec. No. 13 No. 13 Todd Porter (MU) 3-1 184: No. 7 Jimmy Sheptock major dec. Johnny Eblen (MU) 10-2 197: No. 14 Christian Boley (MD) pinned No. 11 Brent Haynes (MU), 2:59 (13-21) 285: No. 1 Dom Bradley (MU) forfeit win Missouri 27, Purdue 15 125: Alan Waters (MU) dec. Camden Eppert (PU), 15-3 133: Nathan McCormick (MU) wins by forfeit 141: Brandon Nelsen (PU) dec. Nicholas Hucke (MU), 8-4 149: Drake Houdashelt (MU) tech. fall. Frankie Porras (PU), 20-5 (5:27) 157: Tommy Churchard (PU) dec. Kyle Bradley (MU), 8-4 165: Pat Robinson (PU) dec. Trevor Wiest (MU), 6-1 174: Todd Porter (MU) maj. dec. Chad Welch (PU), 17-4 184: Johnny Eblen (MU) maj. dec. Andy Wiseman (PU), 15-2 197: Braden Atwood (PU) pinned Brent Haynes (MU), 3:13 285: Dom Bradley (MU) maj. dec. Alex White (PU), 21-7 Virginia Tech rolls in Corvallis to set up date in National Duals finals Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Sports Information Despite being 2,700 miles from home and three time zones away, the seventh-ranked Virginia Tech wrestling team posted a pair of impressive wins Sunday at the Regionals of the NWCA National Duals, crushing No. 25 Oklahoma before downing No. 9 Oregon State. With the wins, Tech advances to next weekend’s National Duals finals in Minneapolis, Minn. In the first match, Tech won all eight matches wrestled in cruising past 25th-ranked Oklahoma 33-6. Jarrod Garnett got Tech off to a quick start with a major decision at 125 pounds. After a pair of forfeits (one by each team), No. 5 Nick Brascetta beat 16th-ranked Nick Lester for the third time this year, this time 8-2. Jesse Dong, ranked seventh in the country, picked up a major decision over Nick DeAngelis, setting up the big bout of the match. Fifth-ranked Pete Yates overcame an early takedown by fourth-ranked Bubby Graham to get a takedown of his own, plus three nearfall points later in the match to pick up a huge 7-2 win to avenge his lone loss of the season. Austin Gabel picked up a major decision before Nick Vetterlein and Derrick Borlie both earned wins. David Marone beat Keldrick Hall - a guy who pinned him earlier this season - with a 3-1 sudden victory to end the match. After a short break, the Hokies re-took the mat, this time against ninth-ranked Oregon State with a trip to Minneapolis on the line. Garnett opened with an 8-3 win before Erik Spjut held on for a 3-2 win at 133 pounds to give Tech a 6-0 lead. The Beavers tied it up with a pair of victories, but then Dong rallied from a 4-1 deficit against No. 10 R.J. Pena to pull out a 5-4 win to swing the momentum. Yates picked up five more team points with a technical fall at 165 pounds before Gabel earned a big 6-2 win at 174 pounds. Vetterlein iced the match with a 15-8 win over Cody Wieshoff, but Borlie tweaked a hamstring and had to take an injury default at 197 pounds. The day ended on a controversial note as Marone lead fourth-ranked Chad Hanke by one with time running out, but Hanke got in and was award the takedown at the buzzer to win 7-6 despite the protests from the Tech coaching staff who thought it came after the clock hit 0:00. “I thought we really wrestled well and redeemed ourselves today against Oklahoma, even though we beat them three weeks ago. We left too much on the table in that match and took it to them pretty good today,” head coach Kevin Dresser said. “In the OSU match, Jesse Dong got the gold star with his comeback win against a top-10 guy. He made the difference in the dual meet. Now, we have a quick turnaround with an arrival back to Blacksburg late Monday night and a flight to Minneapolis Thursday. He have some guys dinged up, so we have to lick our wounds and try to get ready.” The pairings for Friday night will be announced early next week. Tech is likely to be the No. 6 seed and take on No. 3 seed Minnesota. The event takes place Friday, Feb. 22 and Saturday, Feb. 23. Friday night’s action starts at 7 p.m. Eastern (6 p.m. local). Cornell, Missouri, Tech and Oklahoma State all won Regionals Sunday and will meet the four teams with automatic bids into the finals: Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota and Ohio State. Virginia Tech (15-2) 33, Oklahoma (4-7) 6 125: #5 Jarrod Garnett (VT) maj. dec. Kyle Garcia, 17-4 133: #18 Erik Spjut (VT) wins by forfeit 141: #1 Kendrick Maple (OU) wins by forfeit 149: #5 Nick Brascetta (VT) dec. #16 Nick Lester, 8-2 157: #7 Jesse Dong (VT) maj. dec. Justin DeAngelis, 8-0 165: #5 Pete Yates (VT) dec. #4 Bubby Graham, 7-2 174: Austin Gabel (VT) maj. dec. Matt Reid, 11-2 184: Nick Vetterlein (VT) dec. Nolan McBryde, 10-6 197: Derrick Borlie (VT) dec. Brad Johnson, 8-2 285: David Marone (VT) dec. Keldrick Hall, 3-1 (SV) Virginia Tech (16-2) 20, Oregon State (10-4) 15 125: #5 Jarrod Garnett (VT) dec. Joey Palmer, 8-3 133: #18 Erik Spjut (VT) dec. Drew Van Anrooy, 3-2 141: #4 Mike Mangrum (OS) dec. #12 Zach Neibert, 7-3 149: #7 Scott Sakagucki (OS) dec. #5 Nick Brascetta, 3-1 157: #7 Jesse Dong (VT) dec. #10 R.J. Pena, 5-4 165: #5 Pete Yates (VT) tech fall Seth Thomas, 15-0 (4:33) 174: Austin Gabel (VT) dec. Cody Weishoff, 6-2 184: Nick Vetterlein (VT) dec. Austin Moorehead, 15-8 197: #6 Taylor Meeks (OS) inj. def. Derrick Borlie (4:38) 285: #4 Chad Hanke (OS) dec. David Marone, 7-6

CHAPEL HILL, N.C.- No. 24 North Carolina picked up a pair of duals wins Sunday, defeating the Campbell Camels and The Citadel Bulldogs, 26-19 and 27-9,respectively. In the first dual of the day against Campbell, No. 7 Nathan Kraisser (125) pinned No. 27 Eric Montoya in 3:53. After scoring only a takedown in the first period, Kraisser reversed Montoy in the second period after selecting bottom. His pin helped Carolina to jump out to a 6-0 start over Campbell. Campbell took the second match with Tanner Bidelspach quickly pinning No. 19 Joey Ward in 0:37. The Campbell victory tied up the dual at 6-6. At 141 pounds, No. 6 Evan Henderson defeated Michael Dahlstrom by major decision, returning the lead to the Tar Heels, 10-6. Henderson racked up three takedowns, a reversal and a 2-point near fall during the match. He defeated Dahlstrom 13-4. UNC extended its lead with a win by decision for Christian Barber (149). Barber bested Campbell's Brent Jorge, 5-0. Barber picked up takedowns in the first and third periods and an escape in the second period. Christ Mears fell in overtime at 157 pounds to Nick Rex after establishing a 4-1 lead halfway through the second period. After a clock stoppage during the second period with Carolina in control, Mears selected bottom. Rex quashed his attempt to reverse and picked up a 3-point near fall to tie the match. After a scoreless third period, the match went to overtime. Rex took down Mears in overtime to win the match and cut the Carolina lead to 13-9. John Staudenmayer (165) defeated Paul Duggan in an 8-4 decision. Staudenmayer earned an early lead with two takedowns, an escape and a point for stalling. Duggan fought back in the third period, taking down Staudenmayer twice, but he could not make up the deficit. The win pushed the Tar Heels to a 16-9 lead. At 174 pounds, Tanner Eitel handled Cody Ryba, earning a technical fall in four minutes. Eitel racked up a takedown and points for a 2-point near fall and a 3-point near fall in the first period. He recorded the final eight points in the second period after selecting bottom. His victory extended the lead to 21-9. The Tar Heels' final match win in the dual came from Alex Utley at 184 pounds. Utley also won by technical fall after the full match. He had three takedowns and eight points total for near falls. A point for Campbell stalling and riding time helped to seal his technical fall and increase the dual lead to 26-9. Carolina fell to Campbell in their last two matches of the dual as John Merickel pinned UNC's Frank Abbondanza in the second period, and Joe Nolan defeated David Woody in a 9-1 major decision. These Tar Heel losses cut the dual lead to a 26-19 final score. Carolina then faced the Bulldogs of The Citadel. Kraisser once again helped the Tar Heels take an early lead with a 10-1 major decision over Joaquin Marquez. Three takedowns, a 2-point near fall, an escape, along with riding time pushed Kraisser past Marquez and pushed the Tar Heels to a 4-0 start. Ward increased the lead to 10-0 with a pin over The Citadel's Aaron Hansen. Ward earned the pin 2:14 into the first period after a takedown and two 3-point near falls. At 141 pounds, Henderson defeated No. 7 Ugi Khishgnyam in a 3-1 overtime decision. Henderson and Khishgnyam each earned an escape in regular time to push the match to overtime. Henderson came out on top with a takedown in the first overtime period. In another close match, Christian Barber won a 3-0 decision over Jordan Dix, with all of his points coming in the third period. Barber reversed Dix for two points and earned another point for riding time. His victory extended the Tar Heel lead to 16-0. Matt Frisch of The Citadel handed the Tar Heels their first loss of the dual in an 8-6 decision over Chris Mears. Despite three takedowns for Mears, Frisch won the match after additional points for UNC stalling and riding time. He cut the Carolina lead to 16-3. Staudenmayer's 5:22 technical fall over Vincent Bellaran returned the momentum in UNC's favor. Staudenmayer had 14 points going into the third period. A quick takedown from neutral position sealed his victory and increased the Tar Heel lead to 21-3. Carolina's Eitel earned a win by decision over Jack Duane at 174 pounds. He led after one period 4-1 and continued his lead through the final two periods of the match to win 7-4. Utley won the last Carolina victory of the day over Josh Tuck in a 6-2 decision. After a scoreless first period, Utley selected bottom. He escaped, took down Tuck, and earned a 2-point near fall to gain a five point lead going into the final period. He escaped after a reversal by Tuck in the third to win the match and push the dual score to 27-3. At 197 pounds, Abbondanza fell to Marshall Haas in a 4-1 decision. Haas took down Abbondanza in the first period and reversed him in the third to earn four points and the victory. Jake Barnhart (HWT) fell in the last match of the day to No. 13 Odie Delaney. Delaney earned four takedowns. Barnhart escaped on all but one occasion, but could not overcome the deficit and fell in an 11-4 decision. This win for The Citadel further cut into Carolina's lead, but the Tar Heels still were able to defeat the Bulldogs 27-9. Carolina will next be in action Saturday March 9, in College Park, Md., for the ACC Championships. North Carolina 26, Campbell 19 125 - #7 Nathan Kraisser (UNC) by fall over #27 Eric Montoy (Campbell), 3:53 UNC 6, CAMPBELL 0 133 - Tanner Bidelspach(Campbell) by fall over #19 Joey Ward (UNC), 0:37 UNC 6, CAMPBELL 6 141 - #6 Evan Henderson (UNC) by major decision over Michael Dahlstrom (Campbell), 13-4 UNC 10, CAMPBELL 6 149 - Christian Barber (UNC) by decision over Brent Jorge (Campbell), 5-0 UNC 13, CAMPBELL 6 157 - Nick Rex (Campbell) by decision over Chris Mears (UNC), 6-4 UNC 13, CAMPBELL 9 165 - John Staudenmayer (UNC) by decision over Paul Duggan (Campbell), 8-4 UNC 16, CAMPBELL 9 174 - Tanner Eitel (UNC) by technical fall Cody Ryba (Campbell), 4:00 UNC 21, CAMPBELL 9 184 - Alex Utley (UNC) by technical fall over Taylor McGiffen (Campbell), 7:00 UNC 26, CAMPBELL 9 197 - John Merickel (Campbell) by fall over Frank Abbondanza (UNC), 4:48 UNC 26, CAMPBELL 15 HWT - Joe Nolan (Campbell) by major decision over David Woody (UNC), 9-1 UNC 26, CAMPBELL 19 North Carolina 27, The Citadel 9 125 - #7 Nathan Kraisser (UNC) by major decision over Joaquin Marquez (The Citadel), 10-1 UNC 4, THE CITADEL 0 133 - #19 Joey Ward by fall over Aaron Hansen (The Citadel), 2:14 UNC 10, THE CITADEL 0 141 - #6 Evan Henderson (UNC) by decision over #7 Ugi Khishignyam (The Citadel), 3-1 UNC 13, THE CITADEL 0 149 - Christian Barber (UNC) by decision over Jordan Dix (The Citadel), 3-0 UNC 16, THE CITADEL 0 157 - Matt Frisch (The Citadel) by decision over Chris Mears (UNC), 8-6 UNC 16, THE CITADEL 3 165 - John Staudenmayer (UNC) by technical fall over Vincent Bellaran (The Citadel), 5:22 UNC 21, THE CITADEL 3 174 - Tanner Eitel (UNC) by decision over Jack Duane (The Citadel), 7-4 UNC 24, THE CITADEL 3 184 - Alex Utley (UNC) by decision over Josh Tuck (The Citadel), 6-2 UNC 27, THE CITADEL 3 197 - Marshall Haas (The Citadel) by decision over Frank Abbondanza (UNC), 4-1 UNC 27, THE CITADEL 6 HWT - #13 Odie Delaney (The Citadel) by major decision over Jake Barnhart (UNC), 11-4 UNC 27, THE CITADEL 9

BROOKINGS, S.D. -- Northwestern cruised to a 39-4 road win over South Dakota State in its final nonconference dual match of the season Sunday, collecting seven victories with bonus points and claiming nine of 10 bouts on the day. True freshman 125-pounder picked up his 16th individual win of the season to open the competition, recording a 10-1 major decision victory against SDSU's Aaron Pickrel. The Wildcats then gained a 10-0 advantage in the team score after the Jackrabbits opted to forfeit the 133-pound match and hand six points to the visitors. Sophomore Pat Greco kept momentum in NU's favor by dismissing Ben Gillette by major decision, 17-4, improving to 11-8 on the season. South Dakota State came up with its lone win of the afternoon when Dustin Walraven -- ranked No. 31 in the recently released NCAA Coaches Rankings -- managed to win with bonus points (8-0) in the 149-pound contest. But Northwestern turned to its two-time All-American at 157 pounds, Jason Welch, to set things right with a 20-3 technical fall of Tyler Johnson midway through the second period. Seventeenth-ranked Pierce Harger improved to a stellar 21-5 on the year by pulling out a 4-1 decision against Joe Brewster at 165 pounds, lifting Northwestern's lead in the team score to a dominating 22-4. His classmate Lee Munster needed less than one period to dismiss his opponent, John Nething II, with a quick 17-0 technical fall. At 184, freshman Jacob Berkowitz earned a 10-6 decision against South Dakota State's Shea Nolan, while Alex Polizzi recorded an efficient 9-0 major decision over the Jackrabbits' Joe Skow. Northwestern's final win of the afternoon came courtesy of seventh-ranked heavyweight Mike McMullan, who ended the match with a 19-4 tech fall win late in the third period of his match with J.J. Everard. Play-by-play and complete scoring from each individual bout is available in PDF format at the top of the page. Northwestern (8-8) concludes the dual portion of its schedule Saturday, Feb. 23 at Indiana, where start time is set for 1 p.m. CT in Bloomington, Ind. Results: 125: No. 20 Dominick Malone (NU) maj. dec. Aaron Pickrel (SDSU), 10-1 (NU 4-0) 133: Garrison White (NU) won by forfeit, (NU 10-0) 141: Pat Greco (NU) maj. dec. Ben Gillette (SDSU), 17-4 (NU 14-0) 149: Dustin Walraven (SDSU) maj. dec. Dylan Marriott (NU), 8-0 (NU 14-4) 157: No. 2 Jason Welch (NU) Tech Fall Tyler Johnson (SDSU), 20-3 (4:21) (NU 19-4) 165: No. 17 Pierce Harger (NU) dec. Joe Brewster (SDSU), 4-1 (NU 22-4) 174: No. 9 Lee Munster (NU) Tech Fall John Nething II (SDSU), 17-0 (2:50) (NU 27-4) ? 184: Jacob Berkowitz (NU) dec. Shea Nolan (SDSU), 10-6 (NU 30-4) 197: Alex Polizzi (NU) maj. dec. Joe Skow (SDSU), 9-0 (NU 34-4) 285: No. 7 Mike McMullan (NU) Tech Fall J.J. Everard (SDSU), 19-4 (6:19) (NU 39-4)

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team, ranked No. 1 nationally in Intermat's Tournament Power Index, closed out the home portion of its schedule with a 48-0 shut-out win over visiting Rider. Seniors Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.) and Bryan Pearsall (Lititz, Pa.) thrilled a sold out SRO crowd of over 6,500 with big wins in their final home appearances. All-American Nico Megaludis (Murrysville, Pa.), ranked No. 2 at 125, opened up the dual by pinning Bronc Patrick Skinner, getting the fall at the 3:48 mark. Red-shirt freshman Jordan Conaway (Abbottstown, Pa.), ranked No. 14 nationally at 133, then rolled to a 19-5 major with 3:19 in riding time over Mike Shupin. Senior Bryan Pearsall (Lititz, Pa.), wrestling for the final time in Rec Hall, then thrilled over 6,000 fans in a sold out Rec Hall by getting a pin in his final appearance in front of the home crowd. Pearsall completed a cradle and pinned Rob Cigna at the 2:01 mark. Sophomore Andrew Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.), ranked No. 12 at 149, rolled to a 12-4 major over Curt Delia. Brother Dylan Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.), ranked No. 5 at 157, posted a 5-2 win over Rider's Zac Cibula to give the Nittany Lions a 23-0 lead at intermission. Junior All-American David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio), ranked No. 2 at 165, then pinned No. 20 Ramon Santiago in the only bout pitting ranked wrestlers against each other. Taylor got the fall early in the second period, getting a pin at the 3:48 mark. Sophomore Matt Brown (West Valley City, Utah), ranked No. 7 at 174, then matched Taylor, getting a fall of his own. Brown pinned Rider junior James Brundage at the 4:06 mark. Junior All-American Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 184, kept the pin parade going, picking up yet another first period pin. This one, over Rider freshman Ryan Wolfe at the 2:38 mark to put Penn State up 41-0. Three-time All-American Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.), ranked No. 2 at 197, then made his final appearance in Rec Hall count, rolling to a 12-4 major (with 4:44 in riding time) over Donald McNeil. Sophomore heavyweight Jimmy Lawson (Tom's River, N.J.), ranked No. 12 nationally, then secured the shut-out with a dominating 3-0 decision (including 3:46) in riding time over Greg Velasco. The Nittany Lions compiled a lop-sided 30-1 margin in takedowns and rolled up 18 bonus points thanks to five pins and three majors. Ruth and Wright remain undefeated on the year, checking in at 24-0 and 23-0 respectively while Taylor improves to 22-1. The shut-out was Penn State's fourth of the year, marking the first time in Nittany Lion history the team has logged four shut-outs in one season. The blanking was the eighth under Sanderson in this, his fourth year at the helm of the program. Penn State moves to 12-1 on the year (having finished its Big Ten slate with a 7-1 mark). Rider falls to 10-7. Penn State ends its dual meet season next Sunday with a road trip to Rutgers. The Lions and Scarlet Knights tangle at 2 p.m. on Feb. 24. Fans are encouraged to follow Penn State wrestling via twitter at www.twitter.com/pennstateWREST and on Penn State Wrestling's facebook page at www.facebook.com/pennstatewrestling. The 2012-13 Penn State Wrestling season is presented by The Family Clothesline. Results: 125: #2 Nico Megaludis PSU pinned Patrick Skinner RID, WBF (3:48) 6-0 133: #14 Jordan Conaway PSU maj. dec. Mike Shupin RID, 19-5 10-0 141: Bryan Pearsall PSU pinned Rob Cigna RID, WBF (2:01) 16-0 149: #12 Andrew Alton PSU maj. dec. Curt Delia RID, 12-4 20-0 157: #5 Dylan Alton PSU dec. Zac Cibula RID, 5-2 23-0 165: #2 David Taylor PSU pinned #20 Ramon Santiago RID, WBF (3:48) 29-0 174: #7 Matt Brown PSU pinned James Brundage RID, WBF (4:06) 35-0 184: #1 Ed Ruth PSU pinned Ryan Wolfe RID, WBF (2:38) 41-0 197: #2 Quentin Wright PSU maj. dec. Donald McNeil RID, 12-4 45-0 285: #12 Jimmy Lawson PSU dec. Greg Velasco RID, 3-0 48-0 Attendance: 6,532 Records: Penn State 12-1, 7-1 Big Ten; Rider 10-7 Up Next for Penn State: at Rutgers, Sunday, Feb. 24, 2 p.m. BOUT-BY-BOUT: 125: All-American Nico Megaludis (Murrysville, Pa.), ranked No. 2 at 125, met Ride freshman Patrick Skinner. Skinner came out looking for an initial takedown but Megaludis countered his early shots and notched a takedown at the 1:57 mark. After cutting Skinner loose, Megaludis took him down again with 1:15 left to up his lead to 4-1. The Lion sophomore went on to tack on two more takedowns to lead 8-3 with over 1:00 in riding time after one period. Skinner chose down to start the second period and Megaludis let him up. The Lion then added a final takedown before turning the Bronc wrestler to his back for a pin at the 3:48 mark. 133: Red-shirt freshman Jordan Conaway (Abbottstown, Pa.), ranked No. 14 nationally at 133, took on Bronc Mike Shupin. Conaway got in on an early single leg but Morris was able to counter and force a stalemate at the 1:45 mark. Conaway notched his takedown using a quick duck-under at the 1:00 mark. Shupin escaped at period's end and Conaway led 2-1 after one period. Shupin chose down to start the second, quickly escaped, but was immediately taken down by Conaway. Conaway let the Bronc loose and then rolled through a third takedown to up his lead to 6-3. Another takedown and two near fall points gave Conaway a 10-4 lead after two periods. Conaway chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to an 11-4 lead. Shupin got in on a single and Conaway forced a stalemate. The Lion then used a low single after the reset to notch another takedown and led 13-4 with 1:10 on the clock. Conaway added another takedown and then turned Shupin for three near fall points and an 18-5 lead with :20 left. Conaway picked up the bonus point with 3:19 in riding time and rolled to the 19-5 major. 141: Senior Bryan Pearsall (Lititz, Pa.), wrestling in his final home dual as a Nittany Lion, met Robert Cigna at 141. Pearsall notched a quick takedown and then spent the next minute working his way to finishing off a cradle. Pearsall then thrilled the SRO Rec Hall sell-out one final time, notching the pin at the 2:01 mark and ending his Rec Hall career in style. 149: Sophomore Andrew Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.), ranked No. 12 at 149, met Rider's Curt Delia. Alton nearly booked a quick pin of his own, catching Delia in a shoulder throw and turning him to his back for a near fall. Delia was able to fight off his back but the four-point move put Alton up 4-0 less than a minute into the bout. Delia managed an escape but Alton was able to turn a single leg into another takedown and led 6-2 with :50 on the clock. The duo battled evenly for the rest of the period and Alton led 6-2 after one period. The Lion sophomore chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 7-2 lead. The escape was the lone scoring of the period and the Lion led by five heading into third period. Delia chose down to start the third period but Alton was able to maintain control long enough to build up 1:44 in riding time. Alton then added another takedown and led 9-4 with 1:10 after a Delia escape. Alton tacked on one more takedown and with a ride out posted the 12-4 major (with 2:41 in riding time). 157: All-American Dylan Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.), ranked No. 5 at 157, took on Bronc senior Zac Cibula. The duo battled evenly for the first minute-plus until Alton worked in on a high double. But Cibula was able to force a reset and action resumed in the center circle at the 1:40 mark. The Lion sophomore then turned a swift single leg into a takedown and the first score of the bout, taking a 2-1 lead after a Cibula escape. The Lion blew through a high double at the :05 mark, tacking on late takedown to lead 4-1 after one period. Alton chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 5-1 lead. Alton continued to press the Bronc, forcing the action in the middle of the mat. But Cibula was able to fight off Alton's efforts and the Lion carried a 5-1 lead into the third period. Cibula chose down to start the third and escaped to a 5-2 lead. Alton was unable to break through the Bronc's defense but still walked away with the 5-2 win, putting Penn State up 23-0 at intermission. 165: In the lone match-up between ranked wrestlers, All-American David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio), ranked No. 2 at 165, met No. 20 Ramon Santiago. Santiago got the bout's first takedown, using a fast low double to take a quick lead. But Taylor deftly worked his way to a reversal and tied the bout at 2-2 with 2:14 on the clock. The Lion junior then put together a strong ride, forcing the ranked Bronc into a stall warning. Taylor nearly locked a cradle and forced Santiago into another stall and led 3-2 after one period. Santiago chose down to start the second period and Taylor nearly turned him to his back for a pin. The Bronc was able to roll out of trouble once, but Taylor turned his shoulders to the mat and got the fall at the 3:48 mark, putting Penn State up 29-0. 174: Sophomore Matt Brown (West Valley City, Utah), ranked No. 7 at 174, took on James Brundage. Brown wasted no time gaining control, picking up a quick takedown on the edge of the mat just :15 into the bout. Brundage escaped and worked his way in on a single, but Brown fought off the move and then gained control himself, working around for another takedown and a 4-1 lead. Brown locked his hands while trying to turn Brundage and led 4-3 after the Bronc escaped with :25 on the clock. Brown would not be denied a final takedown, using a fast low double and a ride out to lead 6-3 after one period. Brown chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped. The Utah-native then notched another takedown to lead 9-3 with 1:25 on the clock. Brown then turned his control into a pin, turning Brundage to his back and getting the pin (4:06) to put the Lions up 35-0. 184: All-American Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 184, battled Bronc freshman Ryan Wolfe. Ruth gained quick control of the bout, taking Wolfe down and leading 2-1 after cutting the Bronc loose less than :15 into action. Ruth tacked on another takedown and cut before rolling through a low double for a third takedown and a 6-2 lead with 1:01 on the clock. He then worked himself into control of Wolfe's shoulders, turning the Bronc to his back for another first period pin, this one at the 2:38 mark. 197: Wrestling in his final home dual meet, All-American Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.), ranked No. 2 at 197, faced off against Rider's Donald McNeil. Wright wasted no time taking the lead in his Rec Hall swan song, rolling through a takedown to lead 2-0 less than :10 in. Wright added a second takedown and then went to work on offense. The Lion senior then put together a strong ride, maintaining control for nearly 2:00 while working to turn McNeil to his back. McNeil was hit for stalling twice and led 5-2 after McNeil escaped at the :10 mark. Wright chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 6-2 lead. Wright then blew through another takedown and upped his lead to 8-2 with 1:00 left in the middle stanza. Wright picked up another stall point and carried a 9-2 lead with a clinched bonus point into the third period. McNeil chose down to start the third period and escaped to a 9-3 score. Wright countered a McNeil double and picked up his fourth takedown to lead 11-3 with 1:03 left in the match. McNeil escaped as the bout ended but 4:44 in riding time gave Wright a 12-4 major in his final home bout. 285: Sophomore Jimmy Lawson (Tom's River, N.J.), ranked No. 12 nationally at 285, took on Rider freshman Greg Velasco. The duo battled through a scoreless two-minutes plus with neither man finding an opening to score. Lawson looked to score late in the period, but Velasco was able to step back from his shots and the bout moved to the second period tied 0-0. Velasco chose down to start the second period but Lawson was able to break the Bronc down and maintain his offensive position. Lawson then gained control of Velasco's arm and looked to turn him for back points, but Velasco bellied out with :40 left in the period. The strong ride-out kept things scoreless and Lawson chose down to start the third. The ranked Lion sophomore then reversed Velasco to lead 2-0 with over 2:00 in riding time. Lawson spent the rest of the period trying to turn Velasco to no avail. Still, the dominating performance on top gave the Lion sophomore a 3-0 win with 3:46 in riding time.

YPSILANTI, Mich. -- The No. 22 Iowa State wrestling team (9-4 overall, 1-2 Big 12) picked-up its first shutout of the 2012-13 season Sunday afternoon, defeating Eastern Michigan (7-13 overall, 1-4 MAC) 39-0. The Cyclones scored bonus points in seven of their 10 matches, earning six major decisions and one fall. No. 15 Boaz Beard started the dual with an 11-1 major decision over EMU's Khodar Hoballah. From there it was all Cyclones. No. 7 Kyven Gadson provided the highlight of the dual yet again for the Cyclones, pinning EMU's Nick Whitenburg at the 1:23 mark in the first period. With the win, Gadson picked-up his 9th-straight victory dating back to the Midlands Championships on Dec. 30 in Evanston, Ill. The redshirt sophomore has recorded three-straight falls dating back to a 23-12 dual win over UNI on Feb. 8 in Ames. Six Cyclones posted major decisions in both dual wins this weekend: Redshirt sophomore Ryak Finch, true freshman John Meeks, redshirt sophomore Luke Goettl, No. 19 redshirt sophomore Michael Moreno, No. 20 redshirt freshman Tanner Weatherman, and No. 15 redshirt junior Boaz Beard. Iowa State was awarded a point for riding time in all 12 of those major decisions. Iowa State will be back in action on March 8 in Stillwater, Okla. for the Big 12 Duals. The Cyclones will wrestle a dual against all three Big 12 opponents. The Big 12 Championships will follow the duals the next day on March 9. Results: 125: Ryak Finch (ISU) maj. dec. Alexander Calandrino (EMU), 12-1 133: John Meeks (ISU) maj. dec. Jake Byers (EMU), 10-2 141: Luke Goettl (ISU) maj. dec. Seth Schaner (EMU), 12-2 149: Max Mayfield (ISU) dec. Michael Shaw (EMU), 7-2 157: Logan Molina (ISU) dec. Aaron Sulzer (EMU), 5-2 165: No. 18 Michael Moreno (ISU) maj. dec. Jacob Davis (EMU), 13-4 174: No. 16 Tanner Weatherman (ISU) maj. dec. Phil Joseph (EMU),12-4 184: No. 17 Boaz Beard (ISU) maj. dec. Khodor Hoballah (EMU), 11-1 197: No. 7 Kyven Gadson (ISU) fall Nick Whitenburg (EMU), 1:37 285: Matt Gibson (ISU) dec. Chris Eggert (EMU), 3-0

Click on the links below to view the results from the regionals of the 2013 NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals. Regional Results: Missouri | Kent State | Oregon State | Cornell

OREM, Utah - The Utah Valley University wrestling team didn't disappoint in its final dual of the season Saturday as it defeated the Air Force Academy, who is ranked 22nd in the latest InterMat poll, 23-9 on Senior Night in Orem. The Wolverines, who finished their regular season with a 6-4 overall record and a 3-2 mark in Western Wrestling Conference action, won seven of the 10 bouts on the night including a big upset win by 125-pounder Jade Rauser over No. 8 Josh Martinez. "Our guys went out and wrestled tonight. Air Force is a really good team and I'm proud of the way that all of our guys competed against them," said UVU head coach Greg Williams. "The match of the night was at 125, what a performance by Jade (Rauser). Josh Martinez is a tough kid but Jade did exactly what he needed to do to win. Overall this was a great momentum builder for us as we'll now prepare for conference." The dual began at 125-pounds and Rauser found himself trailing AFA's (10-3, 1-2 WWC) Martinez, 5-4, with the clock winding down in the final period. With Martinez on top of Rauser with mere seconds remaining, the UVU redshirt freshman managed to pick up a reversal just before time expired to give him the 6-5 upset over Martinez. Rauser managed to reverse Martinez's hold not only before time expired but also before the Air Force grappler secured one-minute of riding time as Martinez finished the match with 59 seconds of riding time. After a Falcon victory at 133-pounds tied the team score at 3-all, UVU junior Avery Garner (141) and senior Josh Wilson (149) picked up back-to-back wins to extend the Wolverines lead to 10-3. Garner found himself all tied up in the third period over Carter McElhany but riding time was the difference as Garner picked up a 6-5 win with 2:38 seconds of riding time. Wilson, the lone senior in UVU's starting lineup, didn't disappoint the home crowd in the next match on Senior Night as he defeated Logan Burch by major decision (14-6). Air Force countered back at 157-pounds as No. 15 Josh Kreimier gutted out a 2-1 victory over Ethan Smith to cut the score to 10-6. The team score didn't remain close for long, however, as Abner Cook and Monte Schmalhaus won the next two bouts for the Wolverines to give Utah Valley a 16-6 advantage. Devin Hightower then helped the Falcons cut the score to 16-9 with a 4-1 victory over Derek Thomas (184) but that was the final match AFA would win, as David Prieto (197) and Adam Fager (heavyweight) won the final two bouts of the evening to seal the Wolverines' win over the ranked conference foe. The win concludes Utah Valley's regular season as the Wolverines will now prepare for the WWC Championships/NCAA West Regional that will take place March 9 in Laramie, Wyo. There, UVU will try to qualify as many wrestlers as it can for the 2013 NCAA Championships that will be March 21-23 in Des Moines, Iowa. The Wolverines will end the regular season with a 3-2 WWC dual record, which currently places them in third place in the conference standings. Prior to the match UVU honored seniors Glenn Terrano and Josh Wilson. Results: 125 - Jade Rauser (UVU) Dec. No. 8 Josh Martinez (AF), 6-5 133 - Dylan Hyder (AF) Dec. Chasen Tolbert (UVU), 7-3 141 - Avery Garner (UVU) Dec. Carter McElhany (AF), 6-5 149 - Josh Wilson (UVU) Major Dec. Logan Burch (AF), 14-6 157 - Josh Kreimier (AF) Dec. Ethan Smith (UVU), 2-1 165 - Abner Cook (UVU) Dec. Jesse Stafford (AF), 3-0 174 - Monte Schmalhaus (UVU) Dec. Dan Barringer (AF), 3-2 184 - Devin Hightower (AF) Dec. Derek Thomas (UVU), 4-1 197 - David Prieto (UVU) Dec. Josh Mohr (AF), 5-3 285 - Adam Fager (UVU) Major Dec. Bentley Alsup (AF), 17-6 Exhibition (141) - Zach Stephan (AF) Major Dec. Sam Mecham (UVU), 16-7

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- In his final collegiate appearance at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, senior Matt McDonough scored a major decision to spark Iowa to a 31-6 victory over No. 15 Edinboro tonight. Iowa went on to win eight of 10 matches, scoring bonus points in six bouts and earning a pair of victories over ranked individuals. "We've been wrestling with bonus points in mind," said head coach Tom Brands, "and I thought (Tony) Ramos' win was the most impressive because of its build-up." After McDonough scored his 36th career win in front of the home crowd -- a 14-3 major decision -- Ramos struck his familiar pose on the mat across from the No. 3 wrestler in the country, A.J. Schopp. Ramos, ranked No. 2 nationally, took the suspense out of the match early, scoring a takedown and two nearfall points to grab a 4-0 first-period lead. He stretched his lead to 6-0 with a reversal in the second period, and added a takedown and 1:26 of riding time to earn a 9-0 victory, his eighth major decision of the season. Top-ranked Derek St. John (157), No. 19 Nathan Burak (197) and No. 6 Bobby Telford (2285) also earned major decisions. St. John totaled four takedowns and 4:09 of riding time to win 13-2. Burak raced to a 10-1 lead after two periods and finished the third with three takedowns en route to a 17-5 win, and Telford erased a 2-0 deficit by putting together 13 unanswered points to earn his first major decision of the season, 13-2. Mike Evans put five points on the board when he totaled six nearfall points and four takedowns en route to an 18-3 technical fall. Evans nearly lost his 15-point lead when he was dinged for an illegal hold with four seconds left, but he finished a double-leg on the restart to grab a 17-3 edge, and his 4:01 riding time advantage led to his second tech. fall of the season. Ethen Lofthouse and Nick Moore also earned a pair of decisions. Moore raced to a 4-1 lead in the first period and held on for a 5-3 win, and Lofthouse made an early 6-1 lead hold up in his 11-7 decision. Iowa dropped a pair of matches at 141 and 149 pounds. Mark Ballweg dropped a 5-0 decision to No. 5 Mitchell Port, and Brody Grothus lost 7-2 to No. 16 Dave Habat. "We have a lot of wrestling to do in the next five weeks and we've got to be ready," said Brands. "We'll pay attention to the results this weekend and look forward to our pairing next week." The Hawkeyes (19-1, 8-0) return to action Feb. 22-23 at the NWCA National Duals in Minneapolis. Iowa is one of four teams to receive a bye to the final site. The final eight-team field will be determined this weekend at four NWCA Regional sites. Notes: Attendance was 7,080... McDonough finished his career with a 36-1 record at Carver-Hawkeye Arena... Iowa improves to 6-0 all-time vs. Edinboro... the Hawkeyes finished the regular season with 19 dual wins, more than any other team in the country. Results: 125 - #1 Matt McDonough (IA) major dec. Kory Mines (E), 14-3; 4-0 133 - #2 Tony Ramos (IA) major dec. #3 A.J. Schopp (E), 9-0; 8-0 141 - #5 Mitchell Port (E) dec. #8 Mark Ballweg (IA), 5-0; 8-3 149 - #16 Dave Habat (E) dec. Brody Grothus (IA), 5-2; 8-6 157 - #1 Derek St. John (IA) major dec. Casey Fuller (E), 13-2; 12-6 165 - #13 Nick Moore (IA) dec. Johnny Greisheimer (E), 5-3; 15-6 174 - #3 Mike Evans (IA) tech. fall Patrick Jennings (E), 18-3; 20-6 184 - #14 Ethen Lofthouse (IA) dec. Vince Pickett (E); 11-7; 23-6 197 - #19 Nathan Burak (IA) major dec. Warren Bosch (E), 17-5; 27-6 285 - #6 Bobby Telford (IA) major dec. #20 Ernest James (E), 13-2; 31-6