InterMat Staff

The Colorado Mesa University wrestling team competed on the road on Wednesday night against the CSU-Pueblo ThunderWolves. The Mavericks came away with a 24-14 and ran their dual match win streak to 11. CMU is now 16-1 on the season in duals and are now 3-0 in RMAC matches. Jonathon Stelling lost to top ranked 125 pound T-Wolf Jesse Hillhouse in the openeing match 12-3 which might have woken up the Colorado Mesa. The Mavericks followed with two straight pins. Tyler Nelson picked up a pin at 133 pounds over Jacob Haney in 2:21 and Drew Schumann picked up a pin over Adam Ortivez in 5:38 to give CMU a 12-4 lead. James Martinez and Jon Gappmaier followed them with decision victories at 149 and 157 pounds respectively and gave the Mavericks an 18-4 lead. The Thunderwolves picked up a major decision win at 165 pounds to cut the Maverick lead to 18-8. At 174 pounds, Maverick Zak Slotten dropped a 4-3 decision in two overtimes to T-Wolf Ray Hall. The loss was Slotten's second of the season and only his first against a non-Maverick (His only other loss was to Nick Petersen). The Mavericks led 18-11 after the match. Back-to-Back wins by Nick Petersen and Jordan Passehl put the dual out of reach heading to the night's final match. Paco Retana and Niko Bogojevic squared off in the final bout of the night and didnt disappoint. Retana and Bogojevic were knotted at 1-1 and headed to overtime. Bogojevic scored a takedown in the extra period to pick up the 3-1 win. Colorado Mesa will be back in action Thursday night when they take on Division I Northern Colorado in Brownson Arena at 7:00pm. Thursday night's match will be 'Throwback Night' and everyone is invited out to cheer on the Mavericks as they look to extend their school record win streak. Results: 125 Jesse Hillhouse (CSU-Pueblo) dec. Jonathon Stelling (Colorado Mesa) 12-3 133 Tyler Nelson (Colorado Mesa) pinned Jacob Haney (CSU-Pueblo) 2:21 141 Drew Schumann (Colorado Mesa) pinned Adam Ortivez (CSU-Pueblo) 5:38 149 James Martinez (Colorado Mesa) dec. Jimmy Chase (CSU-Pueblo) 8-2 157 Jon Gappmaier (Colorado Mesa) dec. Nick Stahler (CSU-Pueblo) 2-0 165 Trevor Grant (CSU-Pueblo) dec. Tyler Miles (Colorado Mesa) 12-0 174 Ray Hall (CSU-Pueblo) dec. Zak Slotten (Colorado Mesa) 4-3 184 Nick Peterson (Colorado Mesa) dec. Adam Carey (CSU-Pueblo) 6-1 197 Jordan Passehl (Colorado Mesa) dec. Chris Frisbie (CSU-Pueblo) 4-0 285 Niko Bogojevic (CSU-Pueblo) dec. Francisco Retana (Colorado Mesa) 3-1

ONEONTA, N.Y. -- Nationally fourth-ranked Cortland overcame an early 7-0 deficit and the Red Dragons defeated host Oneonta, 27-13, in a dual match. Cortland improved to 12-2 with the win and Oneonta is now 4-8. Oneonta won the first two matches – an 8-6 win by Zachary Aal at 125 pounds and a 12-4 major decision by Ben Mikac at 133 pounds. Cortland answered with three straight victories to take a 14-7 lead. Junior Brian Bistis (Whitehouse Station, NJ/Hunterdon Central), ranked eighth nationally at 141 pounds, pinned his opponent with 31 seconds left in the match. Freshman Bobby Dierna (Webster/Wayne), ranked third nationally at 149 pounds, posted a 12-2 major decision and senior Troy Sterling (Uniondale), ranked eighth in the nation at 157 pounds, outlasted his opponent, 7-5. Shaun Gillen's 8-4 decision at 165 pounds kept Oneonta within four at 14-10, but sophomore Lou Puca (Huntington) pinned his opponent at 174 pounds in 3:43 to increase the Cortland lead to 20-10. Puca is ranked seventh nationally. Oneonta stayed alive with a 4-3 win by Greg Du Vall at 184 pounds, but Cortland clinched the victory when senior and nationally top-ranked Jared Myhrberg (Queensbury) recorded a 10-2 major decision at 197 pounds. Senior Corey James (Kingston) concluded the evening with a 2-1 decision at 285 pounds. With their victories, Bistis improved to 16-5 on the season, Dierna is now 23-1 and Sterling is 12-6. Puca upped his season mark to 20-3, Myhrberg improved to 24-1 and James is 16-3. Cortland will compete at the Messiah College Wrestling Open on Saturday, Jan. 26, at 10 a.m. More than 200 wrestlers have registered for the tournament. Results: 125: Zachary Aal (ONE) dec. Tanavung Tim, 8-6 133: Ben Mikac (ONE) major dec. David Occhipinti, 12-4 141: Brian Bistis (CORT) pinned Sean Hanson, 6:29 149: Bobby Dierna (CORT) major dec. Noah Valastro, 12-2 157: Troy Sterling (CORT) dec. Dan Graff, 7-5 165: Shaun Gillen (ONE) dec. James Ondris, 8-4 174: Lou Puca (CORT) pinned Donnie VanBuren, 3:43 184: Greg Du Vall (ONE) dec. Will Parks, 4-3 197: Jared Myhrberg (CORT) major dec. Chad Obzud, 10-2 285: Corey James (CORT) dec. Jake Smith, 2-1 Exhibition: 285: Andy Scopino (CORT) major dec. Jacob Freudenberg, 13-4

BISMARCK, N.D. -- Wins in six weight classes helped the Minnesota State University Moorhead wrestling team team earn a 23-13 win over Mary in a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference dual Wednesday night in Bismarck, N.D. Casey Williams MSUM improved to 7-3 overall and 2-1 in the NSIC, while Mary fell to 1-5 overall and 1-4 in league duals. Sophomore Gerad Fugleberg got a pin for MSUM, while sophomore Philippe Walker and junior Casey Williams both won by major decision. The Dragons won by decision at three other classes to earn the dual win. "I thought we were a little flat," MSUM head coach Kris Nelson said. "We're going to get back and pick up the intensity a little bit. We weren't getting after it the way I wanted. Some people looked good, but overall it wasn't our best night." MSUM got off to a good start at 125 pounds thanks to freshman Mitch Dunlap, who earned a 7-3 win over Mary's Jordan Eckholm. "Mitch Dunlap did a good job getting us a win there," Nelson said. Sophomore Philippe Walker improved his record to 15-7 with a 12-0 major decision win over Mary's Hunter Menendez to push the Dragon lead to 7-0. "Walker went out and wrestled well," Nelson said. "He got us bonus points in a match we were hoping to get bonus points." Mary's Trevor Johnson, ranked No. 2 in the nation at 141 pounds, beat MSUM's Angel Vega by major decision (13-3) to bring the Marauders within 7-4 in the dual. The Dragons pushed the lead back to seven points, however, as junior Casey Williams beat Mary's Landon Della Silva 13-3 to earn the major decision victory. "He did a great job," Nelson said. "He gave up the first takedown; after that he got an escape and continued to wrestle hard." Mary won the next two matches at 157 and 165 by 3-2 scores to cut the Dragon lead to 11-10. However, redshirt freshman Jesse Puncochar got the Dragons back on track at 174 pounds with a hard-fought 7-6 win over Mary's Riley Nagel. "It was a scrambling match with a lot of reversals," Nelson said. "Jesse ended up getting the win for us." Mary won again at 184 to close the gap to 14-13 in the dual. However, the Dragons regained the momentum for good at 197, thanks to junior Matt Lewellen, who claimed a 7-3 win over Mary's Kriss McCleary. "Matt Lewellen wrestled tough," Nelson said. "He was physical and wrestled the full seven minutes. He's getting back to wrestling the way he was at the beginning of the year." Fugleberg then clinched the match in style for MSUM with a pin over Mary's Levi Roemmich. "Gerad Fugleberg got the first takedown and put the guy in a near-side cradle and got the pin," Nelson said. "That was a good win for Gerad." MSUM is back in action Thursday at Minot State. "It'll be a good opportunity to go out and do the things they know how to do and get after it," Nelson said. Results: 125-Mitch Dunlap (MSUM) dec. Jordan Eckholm (Mary), 7-3 133-Philippe Walker (MSUM) maj. dec. Hunter Menendez (Mary), 12-0 141-Trevor Johnson (Mary) maj. dec. Angel Vega (MSUM), 15-2 149-Casey Williams (MSUM) maj. dec. Landon Della Silva (Mary), 13-3 157-Jordan Engelhardt (Mary) dec. Marianno Portillo (MSUM), 3-2 165-Brock Krumm (Mary) dec. Kerron Williams (MSUM), 3-2 174-Jesse Puncochar (MSUM) dec. Riley Nagel (Mary), 7-6 184-Brady Anderson (Mary) dec. Lucas Moderow (MSUM), 9-3 197-Matt Lewellen (MSUM) dec. Kriss McCleary (Mary), 7-3 285-Gerad Fugleberg (MSUM) pinned Levi Roemmich (Mary), 1:21

PAINESVILLE, Ohio -- Behind an upset win at 133 pounds by sophomore Austin Gillihan (Corry, Pa./Corry Area) and another flurry at the end, the Lake Erie College wrestling team won its third straight dual match, defeating traditional nonconference rival Gannon University, 25-16, Wednesday night (Jan. 23) at the Jerome T. Osborne Family Athletic and Wellness Center. Gillihan decisioned Jose Matos, the country's seventh-ranked wrestler at 133 pounds, and did so rather convincingly. Gillihan never trailed in the match and finished strong with a four-point third period plus he earned a point for over three minutes of riding time. Then, just like they did a week ago in their upset of then 18th-ranked Ashland University, the Storm (9-3) put together a three-match winning streak over the final three matches of the evening. A victory that was both the first for the Storm in three tries over Gannon (1-3) and the team's school-record ninth dual match win of the year. The night got off to a fast and exciting start. Junior Tyler Tesny (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio/Cuyahoga Falls) scored an escape and picked up a point for stalling in the final 15 seconds to come back and defeat Jermaine Easter, 6-5, at 174 pounds. Classmate Zev Green (Marysville, Ohio/Marysville) followed with a thrilling sudden victory overtime win at 184 pounds, knocking off Zack Zelcs 4-2. Following a pin at 197 pounds by Gannon's Chris Boyd, freshman heavyweight Almonte Patrick (Maple Heights, Ohio/Maple Heights) jumped out to an early 7-0 first-period lead and went on to an 11-1 major decision over Chaz Lear. The 10-6 Lake Erie lead was quickly erased by a major decision win at 125 pounds by the Golden Knights' Matt Turek. After Gillihan's win at 133, Adam Weinell pulled off a surprise pin of junior Tom McVicker (South Fork, Pa./Forest Hills/Penn Highlands) at 141 pounds. Weinell was trailing 7-5 with five seconds to go in the second period when he got the fall. Now trailing 16-13, the Lake Erie went on what has been a recently customary late run. Sophomore Nate Ball (Wadsworth, Ohio/Wadsworth) earned a convincing 12-7 decision over Mike Krysiak at 149 pounds and junior Zak Vargo (Stow, Ohio/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy) made quick work of Sean Floor with a pin in 2:01 at 157 pounds. Sophomore All-American Matt Vandermeer (Clarkston, Mich./Clarkston) closed out the night with a 6-3 decision over Adam Greenman, his 13th consecutive victory. The Storm now turns its attention to its showdown Sunday afternoon, Jan. 27, at second-ranked Notre Dame College. Results: 125: Matt Vandermeer Turek (GU) maj. dec. Ian Ross (LEC), 11-3 133: Austin Gillihan (LEC) dec. Jose Matos (GU), 10-5 141: Adam Weinell (GU) pinned Tom McVicker (LEC), 4:55 149: Nate Ball (LEC) dec. Mike Krysiak (GU), 12-7 157: Zak Vargo (LEC) pinned Sean Floor (GU), 2:01 165: Matt (LEC) dec. Adam Greenman (GU), 6-3 174: Tyler Tensy (LEC) dec. Jermaine Easter (GU), 6-5 184: Zev Green (LEC) dec. Zack Zelcs (GU), 4-2 (SV1) 197: Chris Boyd (GU) pinned Mikey Samijlenko (LEC), 3:39 Hwt: Almonte Patrick (LEC) maj. dec . Chaz Lear (GU), 11-1

LAWRENCEVILLE -- There is Army Strong. Then there is 'Rider Strong-Bronc Tough.' 'Rider Strong-Bronc Tough' is the battle cry for the Rider wrestling team. "That's our team slogan, our motto,' said junior Ramon Santiago (Sayreville, N.J./Sayreville). "That's what we preach in the wrestling room." On Wednesday night the Broncs battled the United States Military Academy to another close match, winning six of the 10 bouts for the victory. "This is three years in a row that it has gone down to the final bout with Army," said Rider head coach Gary Taylor. "From a fan's perspective you get to see it all. Two tough teams fighting." "We knew Army was going to be tough," Santiago said, "so we had to be tougher. Wrestle the whole seven minutes. We want these close matches, tough opponents, although when you are in them you don't like it when it is so close." "'Rider Strong-Bronc Tough' is something where we are trying to get the kids to compete hard for seven minutes," Taylor said. "That is something we've been known for for years and I think we might have gotten away from it for a while. We're getting the kids to buy into it again, to fight harder." Rider senior Zac Cibula (Luxemburg, Wis./Luxemburg Casco) won for the final score. With the win Cibula improved to 7-1 in duals, 19-6 overall, with nine wins in his last 11 matches. For Rider (8-5) Ramon Santiago, junior James Brundage (Ossining, N.Y./Ossining), freshman Ryan Wolfe (New Castle, Del./Caravel), freshman Greg Velasco (Union Beach, NJ/Keyport) and sophomore Vinny Fava (Elmwood Park, N.J./Elmwood Park) also won. Santiago, ranked 16th in the nation, used a reversal, takedown and back points with two seconds left for a come-from-behind win over Paul Hancock (21-7 record) in the first bout of the evening. "I looked at the score and I was still losing with just a few seconds left," Santiago remembered. "I knew this is a big match and it was probably going to be close. I'm one of the leaders on the team so I'm thinking if I put him through a scramble I can win. I just started rolling and came out on top." "If Ramon doesn't come back for that win we don't win tonight," Taylor said. "That was huge. You don't want to fall behind early." The win was the 23rd of the season for Santiago, who has won 11 of his last 12 bouts. "I'm doing pretty well right now," Santiago said. "I don't think I've reached my full potential yet." Santiago placed at the prestigious Midlands Tournament this year, the first Bronc to do so since 2008. "That gave me a lot of confidence and I've been doing well since then," Santiago said. Fava was trailing 1-0 in the third period before a come-from-behind win at 141, giving Rider a 15-9 lead. Wolfe improved to 18-9 as a collegiate wrestler. "He beat the top seed in the CAA last week so yes, I'd say he's doing pretty well," Taylor said of his star rookie. "He beat another good wrestler tonight. It's nice to have someone step in like that. He's very talented." Wolfe was the 2012 Delaware State Champion and was a two-time State Finalist at Caravel Academy, where he was the Beast of the East Champion and ranked 12th in the nation last year. The Delaware Wrestler of the Year last year, Wolfe compiled 173 wins, the second most all-time in Delaware Scholastic wrestling. "Last year was my best year," said Wolfe, talking about his 48-1 senior year, "winning the Beast and the States. I tried to bring those winning ways with me this year." Wolfe was wrestling unattached at tournaments, planning on red-shirting this season, until the starting 184, sophomore Clint Morrison (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cedar Cliff), was lost for the season. "The original plan was to red-shirt," Wolfe said, "and go to as many tournaments on my own that I could and get ready for next year. When Clint got hurt the coaches told me to step in and that's what I've tried to do." For Army (4-5), Jordan Thome won for the 83rd time in his career to cut the Rider lead to 12-9. The Broncs won 16-15 at West Point last year. The last time Army came to Lawrenceville the Black Knights won 19-16. Rider and Army have now met 26 times since the series began in 1976-77, with Rider winning 13 and there was one tie. Rider travels to Old Dominion for a CAA dual meet, where the Broncs will try to be all that they can be Sunday afternoon. "They are a tough team," Taylor said of the Monarchs. "There is no margin for error in that one." Results: 165: Ramon Santiago-R dec. Paul Hancock-A 7-4 3-0 174: James Brundage-R dec. Coleman Gracey-A 9-7 6-0 184: Ryan Wolfe-R dec. Travis Mallo-A 11-5 9-0 197: Bryce Barnes-A dec. Don McNeil-R 12-8 9-3 285: Greg Velasco-R dec. Stephen Snyder-A 4-1 12-3 125: Hunter Wood-A dec. Patrick Skinner-R 12-6 12-6 133: Jordan Thome-A dec. Jimmy Morris-R 5-1 12-9 141: Vinny Fava-R dec. Tyler Rauenzahn-A 6-1 15-9 149: John Belanger-A dec. Curt Delia-R 6-5 15-12 157: Zac Cibula-R dec. Patrick Marchetti-A 4-1 18-12

DURHAM, N.C. -- After spending the past three months on the road the Duke University wrestling team debuted in its new home in Card Gymnasium with a thrilling 24-15 victory over Appalachian State. The Blue Devils avenged the loss to the Mountaineers last season in capturing the first of their four home duals this season. Duke (3-5) captured victories at 133, 141, 149, 157, 174, 184 and 285 pounds and garnered bonus points from Marcus Cain at 149, Immanuel Kerr-Brown at 157 and Trey Adamson at 174 to help secure the triumph over the Appalachian State (6-4). The Blue Devils, trailing 9-3 after three bouts, rebounded and never looked back en route to the nine-point win. "It's definitely a good win for us," said head coach Glen Lanham. "Last year those guys really took it to us. I felt like we pressure them and took the winds out of their sail. We have some improvement, but that's with anything. I thought our guys wrestled hard and that's all that we can ask. I'm fired up and excited about that we wrestled hard." The match started at 197 pounds with Appalachian State's Paul Weiss getting a final second takedown to edge Duke redshirt freshman Michael Chapman 3-1 for the 3-0 lead. In a reversal of fortunes for the Blue Devils, junior Brian Self turned the tables on the Mountaineers as he scored a takedown with two ticks left in regulation for the 3-1 decision. After a scoreless first period, Self and Joe Cummings traded escapes in the next two periods leaving them at neutral for the final 1:48. Self, wrestling up from his usual 197-pound slot, stayed strong and with one final shot captured his third dual win at 285 and evened the match score 3-3. "[Brian] Self is a warrior," Lanham said. "He's a utility wrestler. He'll wrestle anywhere from 184 to 197 to heavyweight. He's just got fight and he's going to fight to the very end. He goes out there and wrestles hard and doesn't give them anything. He's like a bulldog out there and that's what we need." The Mountaineers garnered six points with a pin from Dominic Parisi at 125, but it was all Duke in the next four matches. Redshirt sophomore Brandon Gambucci got things going for the Blue Devils with a convincing 8-2 decision at 133 pounds. Gambucci registered the early takedown and eventually built his lead to 7-2 after five minutes of action. The Mansfield, Ohio native continued to build his riding time in the third period, earning the bonus point to capture his 10th win of the year. At 141 pounds, it was Duke sophomore Tanner Hough posting a thrilling 8-7 decision over William Johnson. Hough jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the first period and built a 6-2 advantage midway through the second before Johnson mounted a comeback. Trailing by four, Johnson completed the comeback late in the third period with a takedown to tie the match 7-7 with 45 seconds left. Carrying the momentum, the Appalachian State junior let Hough escape in hopes of securing a takedown, but Hough was able to defend Johnson's closing shots for the 8-7 crucial win. Duke added big major decisions from Cain and Kerr-Brown to stretch its lead to 17-9. Cain, making his dual match debut, cruised from the opening whistle to secure the 16-6 victory over Zachary Kechter. The win was his 13th of the campaign and the first dual win of his career, while the major decision was his second of the season. Kerr-Brown's ensuing performance left the Duke bench on its feet as he used a takedown in the final second of the match to make it 11-2 and give the Blue Devils a big four points on the scoreboard. Leading 3-1 after two periods of wrestling, Kerr-Brown dominated Aaron Scott in the final session as he scored two takedowns and a pair of penalty points before tacking on the riding time bonus for the 11-2 major decision. "Coach [Will] Rowe has been working with [Immanuel Kerr-Brown] a lot just in getting his mindset right. He's got everything. He just needs to believe in himself and I think he's really starting to believe he can do some special things in this sport. He does everything we ask him to do. You couldn't have a better kid." The Mountaineers rallied to within two, 17-15 with a fall at 165 before Adamson and Diego Bencomo clinched the win for the Blue Devils in the final two bouts. Adamson controlled the bout right away with a takedown and two-point nearfall right off the bat. He continued to build a lead and then as time expired scored a takedown and two more nearfall points to clinch the four-point major decision for the Blue Devils, 14-6. At 184 pounds, Bencomo avenged a loss earlier in the season to Jake Johnson. Bencomo used a pair of takedowns in both the first and second periods to build a solid 8-4 lead before tacking on one more takedown in the final session. Duke returns home Saturday, Jan. 26 against Boston University at 4:30 p.m., in Card Gymnasium. Results: 197: Paul Weiss (ASU) dec. Michael Chapman (DU), 3-1, (ASU 3-0) 285: Brian Self (DU) dec. Joe Cummings (ASU), 3-1 (3-3) 125: Dominic Parisi (ASU) fall Peter Terrezza (DU), 6:14 (ASU9-3) 133: Brandon Gambucci (DU) dec. Brett Boston (ASU), 8-2 (ASU 9-6) 141: Tanner Hough (DU) dec. William Johnson (ASU), 8-7 (9-9) 149: Marcus Cain (DU) major dec. Zachary Kechter (ASU), 16-6 (DU 13-9) 157: Immanuel Kerr-Brown (DU) major dec. Aaron Scott (ASU), 11-2, (DU 17-9) 165: Zachary Strickland (ASU) fall Randy Roden (DU), 6:10, (DU17-15) 174: Trey Adamson (DU) major dec. Collin Hedash (ASU), 14-6, (DU21-15) 184: Diego Bencomo (DU) dec. Jake Johnson (ASU), 10-4, (DU24-15)

CHARLESTON, S.C. -- Campbell moved to 2-1 in Southern Conference action Wednesday, as it defeated The Citadel 25-13 in Charleston, S.C. The Camels are now 3-6 overall, as they snap a nine-match skid against the Bulldogs dating back to the 2002-03 season. Wrestling in his first dual meet of the season, redshirt sophomore James Cook recorded Campbell's first win of the night at 184 pounds. He pinned Josh Tuck in 3:31, his second on the season. He moves to 4-6 on the year overall. At 197 pounds, senior John Merickel notched CU's second-straight win by fall over Marshall Haas in 3:45. The pin was his third of the season as he improved his SoCon record to 2-1 and is 10-14 overall. The Citadel's first win came at the heavyweight slot, as Andrew Delaney posted an 11-8 decision over Joe Nolan. Freshman Eric Montoya earned his 26th win of the year, as he defeated Joaquin Marquez 3-0. Ranked No. 27 at 125 pounds by WrestlingReport.com, Montoya remains unbeaten in SoCon action, standing at 3-0. The Citadel earned two wins in a row at the 133 and 141 spots, bringing the score to 15-9 in favor of CU. Tanner Bidelspach, a redshirt junior, fell in his third-straight match to Aaron Hansen 5-0 before freshman Michael Dahlstrom lost in an 11-6 decision from Undrakhbayar Khishignyam. CU widened its lead to 18-9 after redshirt junior 149-pounder Brent Jorge extended his SoCon winning record to 3-0. He notched a 4-1 decision over the Bulldogs' Jordan Dix. The Citadel won its final match of the night at 157 pounds, as Matthew Frisch blanked freshman Grant Blumenthal in a 13-0 major decision. CU finished the match with two wins in a row. Redshirt junior Nick Rex earned a 4-2 decision over Vincent Bellaran, as he wrestled at 165 for the first time this season. In the final match of the night, sophomore Paul Duggan also moved to a new weight class at 174, tabbing a 19-9 major decision over John Duane. After being on the road for the past two matches, the Camels return home Mon., Jan. 28. They will take on SoCon foe Gardner-Webb at 7:00 p.m. in Gore Arena. Results: 184: James Cook pin Josh Tuck, 3:31 197: John Merickel pin Marshall Haas, 3:45 285: Andrew Delaney dec. Joe Nolan, 11-8 125: Eric Montoya dec. Joaquin Marquez, 4-0 133: Aaron Hanson dec. Tanner Bidelspach, 5-0 141: Undrakhbayar Khishignyam dec. Michael Dahlstrom, 11-6 149: Brent Jorge dec. Jordan Dix, 4-1 157: Matthew Frisch MD Grant Blumenthal, 13-0 165: Nick Rex dec. Vincent Bellaran, 4-2 174: Paul Duggan MD John Duane, 19-9

The annual Border Brawl between Iowa and Minnesota takes place on Saturday at 3 p.m. CT at Williams Arena in Minneapolis. The dual meet will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network. Iowa leads the all-time series 69-25-1. Below are three keys to victory for each team. Iowa 1. Win the first three matches Minnesota and Iowa dual meets have always started at 125 pounds, so there's no reason to believe this dual meet will be an exception. The Hawkeyes are favored in the first two matches, and the third match is a tossup on paper. If the Hawkeyes want to be in a position to win this dual meet, winning the first three matches and jumping out to a 9-0 or 10-0 lead is extremely important. Matt McDonough has never dropped a match to Gopher wrestler, and it's hard to envision him losing on Saturday to No. 13 David Thorn (8-5), who still seems to be trying to find his way as a 125-pounder. The last time McDonough came to Minneapolis two seasons ago he hammered Zach Sanders 10-3, and jump-started the Hawkeyes in a 19-12 victory over the Gophers. Tony Ramos defeated Chris Dardanes three times last season, including once by pin in the third-place match at the NCAAs (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)At 133, Iowa is a solid favorite with No. 2 Tony Ramos (15-0) taking on No. 9 Chris Dardanes (12-2) in a battle of returning All-Americans and Illinois natives. Ramos won all three meetings last season by scores of 5-2, 6-1, and pin. Ramos has a career dual meet record of 44-1, with that lone loss coming to NCAA champion Logan Stieber of Ohio State. At 141, No. 9 Mark Ballweg of Iowa (16-1) and No. 10 Nick Dardanes of Minnesota (14-5) is the most up-for-grabs match in the dual meet, and it's a match Iowa needs more than Minnesota. The two are ranked side-by-side, but Ballweg has wins over two wrestlers who have defeated Dardanes this season, Luke Vaith of Hofstra and Julian Feikert of Oklahoma State. 2. Pull an upset Upsets are not uncommon in big dual meets, so don't be surprised to see one on Saturday in Minneapolis. Based on rankings, Iowa will be an underdog in six matches: 149, 165, 174, 184, 197, and heavyweight. The Hawkeyes will need at least one -- and possibly two -- of those matches to go their way. Of those six matches, Iowa appears to have the best chance for an upset at 165, 174, or 197. At 165, No. 18 Nick Moore of Iowa (10-3) will take on No. 10 Cody Yohn of Minnesota (16-6). Yohn, a three-time NCAA qualifier, has a stronger college wrestling pedigree than Moore, but has been prone to occasional letdowns throughout his career. He has taken unexpected losses this season to true freshman teammate Dylan Reel and Appalachian State's Zach Strickland. His other four losses have come to wrestlers ranked inside the top eight. Moore is a capable wrestler who has the tools to defeat Yohn. He was a four-time state champion in Iowa who now seems to be figuring things out at the Division I level as a redshirt sophomore. Mike Evans came up big against Minnesota last season in the dual meet in Iowa City (Photo/Johnnie Johnson)The matchup at 174 pounds is arguably the premier bout of the dual meet, pitting No. 2 Logan Storley of Minnesota (16-1) against No. 6 Mike Evans of Iowa (11-1). Both wrestlers have a single blemish on their records -- and for both that single blemish is a one-point loss to top-ranked Chris Perry of Oklahoma State. Both Storley and Evans are wrestling with a lot of confidence right not now. While the higher-ranked Storley has to be considered the favorite wrestling at home, a victory by Evans would surprise few. The matchup at 197 features No. 12 Scott Schiller of Minnesota (16-3) taking on Nathan Burak of Iowa (12-7). Burak, though unranked, has shown steady improvement with each match after spending last season focusing on freestyle at the Olympic Training in Colorado Springs. He has recent wins over NCAA qualifiers Andrew Campolottano of Ohio State and Max Huntley of Michigan. All three of Schiller's losses this season have come to higher ranked opponents: No. 3 Quentin Wright of Penn State, No. 8 Taylor Meeks of Oregon State, and No. 11 Brent Haynes of Missouri. 3. Find bonus points somewhere With eighteen of 20 wrestlers ranked in the dual meet, virtually all the matches are expected to be competitive, so bonus points will be at a premium, but will be the difference if both teams win five matches. DSJ has picked up bonus points in nine of his 15 wins (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Iowa's best opportunity to pick up bonus points might be at 157 where top-ranked Derek St. John (15-0) will wrestle unranked Danny Zilverberg (11-5). Last season Zilverbeg kept it to a decision against St. John, losing 6-3. But that was at a time when St. John was struggling with an injury. DSJ has picked up bonus points in nine of his 15 wins this season, but has only one bonus-point victory in his last five matches. Iowa's team leader and most credentialed wrestler McDonough (125) is a threat to get bonus points every time he steps on the mat, but that will be a tall order against a solid wrestler in Thorn. While it does not appear on paper that there will be many opportunities for bonus points for either team, unexpected things can and do happen in Iowa-Minnesota dual meets. Last season, for example, Evans pinned Yohn at 165 in a match many viewed as a tossup. (Three weeks later Yohn avenged the loss by defeating Evans 5-3 at the National Duals.) Minnesota 1. Win two of the first five matches Dylan Ness will be looking to bounce back from a bad loss to Caleb Ervin of Illinois (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine)With Minnesota being favored in four of the final five matches, the Gophers need to find a way to win two matches before intermission so they are in a position to win six matches in the dual meet. The Gophers are favored at 149 with NCAA runner-up Dylan Ness (5-3) taking on Mike Kelly (10-5). Ness earned bonus points both times he wrestled Kelly last season. However, Ness missed all of November and December, and is still trying to regain his form. He is coming off a bad loss to Caleb Ervin of Illinois on Monday night. Still, one would have to favor Ness based on previous meetings. As previously mentioned, the match at 141 between Nick Dardanes and Mark Ballweg is a tossup on paper. If Minnesota can win that critical match -- and Ness can get a win at 149 -- the Gophers will be in the driver's seat. 2. Wrestle inspired Minnesota is coming off an uninspired performance against Illinois on Monday night despite winning the dual meet 18-14. Returning All-Americans Chris Dardanes (133) and Dylan Ness (149) both lost by major decision in matches in which they were favored to win. Three other Gophers, Nick Dardanes (141), Kevin Steinhaus (184), and Tony Nelson (285), came up a point short of earning a major decision and giving the team an extra bonus point. If the Gophers wrestle like they did on Monday night, the Hawkeyes will win Saturday's dual meet going away. Minnesota can't leave points on the board and expect to come out on top against a team like Iowa. Last season Minnesota wrestled uninspired in an early season road loss to Cornell, but bounced back less than 48 hours later to defeat Penn State in State College. It's hard to imagine the Gophers not wrestling inspired in a big home dual meet against rival Iowa, but it's a necessity if they want to beat the Hawkeyes on Saturday. 3. Capitalize on the home-mat advantage Minnesota needs to keep the crowd in Saturday's dual meetIn a dual meet like Iowa-Minnesota with so many tightly contested matches, both teams will want to use every advantage they have. Minnesota needs to capitalize on its home-mat advantage. But Iowa fans travel well and will be out in full force on Saturday in Minneapolis. With the Hawkeyes favored in the first two matches -- and the third match being a tossup -- the Gophers could find themselves in a hole early, which in turn could take the Gopher crowd out of it. The last two times the Hawkeyes and Gophers wrestled in Minneapolis, Iowa swept the first three matches and took the crowd out of it early. Minnesota needs to have the crowd alive when the dual meet gets to 165 where the Gophers are favored the rest of the way. Giving up a pin early or suffering an upset at 149 could take the wind out of the Minnesota crowd. The Gophers need to give their fans a reason to get excited in the first half of the dual meet, whether it's Thorn or Zilverberg going toe-to-toe with their heavily favored Hawkeye opponents, Chris Dardanes upsetting Ramos, Nick Dardanes lighting up the scoreboard, or Ness getting a pin.

The UFC returns to network television this Saturday, with a stacked main card headlined by a flyweight title clash between Demetrius Johnson and John Dodson. After previewing the card, John and Richard are joined by undefeated pro prospect Bryan Lane. Do you want to listen to a past episode? Access archives.

Steve Marianetti and Doug Schwab will go "On the Mat" this Wednesday, Jan. 23. "On the Mat" is a presentation of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum. The show can be heard live on the Internet at www.kcnzam.com or locally in Northeast Iowa each Wednesday from 5:00 to 6:00 PM Central on AM 1650, The Fan. E-mail dgmstaff@nwhof.org with any questions or comments about the show. A podcast of the show is available on theopenmat.com. Marianetti is the head wrestling coach at Elmhurst College. He was an NCAA champion for the University of Illinois in 1995. Schwab is the head wrestling coach at the University of Northern Iowa. He was an Olympian in 2008 and an NCAA champion for the University of Iowa in 1999.

The Vikings won 8 of 10 bouts to defeat William Penn 40-10 tonight in Oskaloosa. William Penn received votes in last week's NAIA Top 20 Poll. The Vikings received a forfeit at 125 pounds to open the night. William Penn took the 133 match, but Grand View won the next six matches with three major decisions, two falls, and one technical fall. The Statesmen won its final bout of the night at 197. GV scored a technical fall at 285 pounds to end the night. Next up, the Vikings host the Grand View Open this Saturday, Jan. 26. Action starts at 9 a.m.at the Charles S. Johnson Wellness Center. Results: 125--Andrew Clark (G) won by forfeit (6-0) 133--Joao Vicente (W) won by major decision over Tyler Emert, 11-0 141--Tre' Rutz (G) won by technical fall over Brad Watson, 17-1 149--David Kellogg (G) won by fall over Charlton Benjamin, 4:21 157--Quinten Haynes (G) won by major decision over Ishmael Rempson, 14-5 165--Dallas Houchins (G) won by major decision over Christian Padilla, 13-4 174--Thomas Moman (G) won by major decision over Joe Sumner, 12-3 184--Christian Mays (G) won by fall over Elson Civilma, 6:23 197--Kyle Soderblom (W) won by fall over Dalton Schutjer, 6:20 285--Eric Thompson (G) won by technical fall over Nathan Veverka, 17-1

EDMOND -- A dominating six-match stretch after an opening-weight loss carried Central Oklahoma to a 36-6 battering of Oklahoma City Tuesday night at Hamilton Field House. The Bronchos won eight of the 10 matches and earned bonus points at six weights in rolling to their 12th straight home win. UCO, ranked third in NCAA Division II, improved to 7-1 while dropping the NAIA No. 7-rated Stars to 6-7. The Bronchos overwhelmed OCU after losing the first match of the night at 125 pounds, giving up just two points in the next six bouts while racking up a fall, two technical falls, two major decisions and a 6-0 shutout. UCO ended up getting falls from 165 Chris Watson and heavyweight Cody Dauphin, with 133 Casy Rowell and 149 Jordan Basks adding technical falls and 141 Trison Graham and 174 Kelly Henderson major decisions. “I thought for the most part we did a good job staying aggressive and taking the attack to them,” UCO coach David James said. “We were really good on the mat and you've got to be happy anytime you get six bonus wins in one dual.” Kidd Gomez's 6-2 win at 125 gave the Stars a 3-0 lead, but it was all UCO after that. Casy Rowell started the run of dominance with a 16-1 technical fall at 133, collecting four takedowns and three near-falls in his 16th straight win. Trison Graham had three takedowns, a near-fall and nearly five minutes riding time in a 10-0 major decision at 141 and Jordan Basks scored four near-falls in cruising to a 17-0 technical fall at 149 for his 12th win in a row. Cory Dauphin had a pair of slick takedowns in a 6-0 shutout of third-ranked Mark Meyer at 157 and Chris Watson turned a tight match into a fall at 165 when he drove fourth-rated Zach Skates to his back for the pin at the 5:34 mark. Kelly Henderson capped UCO's run with a four-takedown, 10-1 major decision at 174, giving the Bronchos a 59-2 advantage in points scored during the six-match streak. Tanner Keck picked up UCO's seventh consecutive win with a tough 5-3 triumph at 184, picking up takedowns in the first and second periods. OCU's Michael Brown used three penalty points to edge Znick Ferrell at 197 before Cody Dauphin ended the night with his third straight first-period fall. The Bronchos return to Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association action Friday at Lindenwood. Results: 125 – Kidd Gomez, OCU, dec. Ryan Brooks, 6-2. 133 – Casy Rowell, UCO, tech. fall Tyler Espitia, 16-1 (5:24). 141 – Trison Graham, UCO, major dec. Trevor Sterling, 10-0. 149 – Jordan Basks, UCO, tech. fall Josh Stewart, 17-0 (7:00). 157– Cory Dauphin, UCO, dec. Mark Meyer, 6-0. 165 – Chris Watson, UCO, pinned Zach Skates, 5:34. 174 – Kelly Henderson, UCO, major dec. Teagan Franco, 10-1. 184 – Tanner Keck, UCO, dec. Mitchell Eichenauer, 5-3. 197 – Michael Brown, OCU, dec. Znick Ferrell, 7-4. 285 – Cody Dauphin, UCO, pinned Stanley Lattimore, 1:37.

GAFFNEY, S.C. -- In a dramatic back-and-forth regional dual meet against the Limestone Saints, heavyweight Garrett Fosdyck broke an 18-all tie with a decision win in the final bout to clinch a 21-18 victory. The Tornado are now 3-1 in dual competition this season. Fosdyck, a redshirt-sophomore from Mathews, Va., served as the winner of the deciding bout with a six-point victory over Limestone's Aaron Rowe in the heavyweight division. His 8-2 win by decision gave the Tornado the final three points of the meet, good for a 21-18 win. Limestone had jumped out to a 14-6 lead in the meet before King turned the tide with three straight wins at 165, 174, and 184. Freshman John Jones (Alabaster, Ala.) began the run of wins with a narrow 7-6 decision over Max Redfoot. Senior Devon Passmore (Miami, Fla.) earned a momentum-shifting pin at the end of the second period over Demetre Liguori to take the lead, 15-14. Brandon Tressler (Orlando, Fla.) took a second one-point affair in a 3-2 win over Blake Steiert to create a four-point lead with two matches to go. The Saints' Justin Tribble leveled the scoreboard with a major decision over Cody Davis to tie the meet before Fosdyck's win broke the tie for good. King (3-1) will return to the Student Center Complex on Wednesday, Jan. 30, for their next dual meet against Newberry College. The Tornado and Wolves will take to the mat at 7 p.m. They will host Belmont Abbey the next day at 6 p.m. King's previously scheduled dual versus Findlay (Jan. 27) has been canceled but will be made up next year on a return trip. Results: 125: Jerrelle McCabe (KC) dec. Eric Rholetter (LC), 7-6. 133: Ross Benzel (LC) tech. fall Tanner Bates (KC), 22-7 (7:00). 141: Devon Jackson (LC) dec. Marcelle McCabe (KC), 6-2. 149: Nic Stella (KC) dec. Theran Goodale (LC), 4-2 OT. 157: Jeremy Bommarito (LC) pinned Jeremy Miller (KC), 6:40. 165: John Jones (KC) dec. Max Redfoot (LC), 7-6. 174: Dyvon Passmore (KC) pinned Demetre Liguori (LC), 6:00. 184: Brandon Tressler (KC) dec. Blake Steiert (LC), 3-2. 197: Justin Tribble (LC) major dec. Cody Davis (KC), 14-4. HWT: Garrett Fosdyck (KC) dec. Aaron Rowe (LC), 8-2.

N. MANCHESTER, Ind. -- The Olivet College wrestling team won eight bouts, including scoring bonus points in three, en route to a 32-9 win over Manchester (Ind.) University tonight at the Stauffer-Wolfe Arena in North Manchester, Ind. At 125 pounds, junior Henry McKeown (Bellevue/Olivet) fell behind 4-3 early in the third period before getting a reversal and two-point near fall to post a 9-4 come-from-behind win. At 133 pounds, senior Kam Olsen (Kentwood/East Kentwood) scored a takedown 20 seconds into the bout and never looked back, winning a 19-6 major decision. At 141 pounds, junior Jeremy Ward (Washington Twp./Romeo) won 4-1. At 149 pounds, junior Justin Holm (Battle Creek/Harper Creek) had a reversal late in the second period and another one early in the final period to win his match, 7-5. At 157 pounds, sophomore Kyle Witgen (Romeo) needed the riding time at the end of the bout to win it, 4-3. At 165 pounds, sophomore Dan Fleet (Ada/Lowell) recorded a first period pin in one minute, 32 seconds. At 174 pounds, junior Connor Sharp (Schoolcraft) suffered a 5-3 loss. At 184 pounds, sophomore Jeff Holm (Battle Creek/Harper Creek) shutout his opponent, 8-0. At 197 pounds, junior Andrew Simpson (Tecumseh) won by forfeit. The Spartans closed the match by pinning the Olivet wrestler at 285 pounds. The Comets, ranked No. 16 in the most recent National Wrestling Coaches Association poll, are back in action Saturday at the University of Wis.-Whitewater Border Brawl Duals. Results: 125 Henry McKeown (O) def. Taylor Hart, 9-4 133 Kam Olsen (O) def. Kalib Jackson, 19-6 141 Jeremy Ward (O) def. Josh Juarez, 4-1 149 Justin Holm (O) def. Johnny Tullos, 7-5 157 Kyle Witgen (O) def. Chuck Holmquest, 4-3 165 Dan Fleet (O) pinned Ryan Gossett, 1:32 174 Kurt Monix (M) def. Connor Sharp, 5-3 184 Jeff Holm (O) def. Jacob Hargraves, 8-0 197 Andrew Simpson (O) won by forfeit 285 Jason Pedigo (M) pinned Anthony Giordano, 6:12

BEREA, Ohio -- No. 30 ranked Mount Union's wrestling team scored a 38-4 win at Baldwin Wallace, in an Ohio Athletic Conference dual, Tuesday January 22nd. With its win, the Purple Raiders improves to 6-2 overall and 2-0 in the OAC. The Raiders won eight out of nine contested matches highlighted by two pins that came from sophomore Jon Garrison (Fairlawn/Copley) who pinned Garrett Chase 4:54 and junior Nick Rajcsak (Stow/Stow) who pinned Wesley King 6:35. Mount Union gathered two major decision victories from junior Tyler Johnston (Lyndhurst/brush) who won over Joey Schmidt, 8-0 and senior Jeremy Hathaway (Cuyahoga Falls/Woodridge) who won over Brian Fox, 12-3. The Raiders got four decisions from sophomore Bryant Roby (Westchester, Ill./St. Joseph) at 141, senior Jeremy Regula (Dundee/Claymont) at 165, sophomore Brent Kirk (Adena/Buckeye Local) at 174 and senior Nick Terifaj (Brook Park/Strongsville) at 285. Baldwin Wallace (2-2, 0-2 OAC) got the first four points in the match before dropping the last eight contested matches when freshman Jesse Gunter won by a major decision over junior Brad Kress (Louisville/Louisville) at 125. Mount Union travels to take on Ohio Northern in an OAC dual Tuesday January 29th at 7:30 pm in Ada, Ohio. Results: 125 – Jesse Gunter (BW) won by major decision over Brad Kress (Mount Union) 10-1 133 – Jeremy Border (Mount Union) won by forfeit 141 – #9 Bryant Roby (Mount Union) won by decision over Andrew Taylor (BW) 4-1 149 – Tyler Johnston (Mount Union) won by major decision over Joey Schmidt (BW) 8-0 157 – Jon Garrison (Mount Union) won by pin over Garrett Chase (BW) 4:54 165 – Jeremy Regula (Mount Union) won by decision over David Shapiro (BW) 8-4 174 – Brent Kirk (Mount Union) won by decision over Ben Lebrun (BW) 7-3 184 – Jeremy Hathaway (Mount Union) won by major decision over Brian Fox (BW) 12-3 197 – Nick Rajcsak (Mount Union) won by pin over Wesley King (BW) 6:35 285 – Nick Terifaj (Mount Union) won by decision over Joe Belford (BW) 6-0

The Buena Vista wrestling team jumped out to a 16-0 over Simpson College on Tuesday night, and after the Storm battled back to even things up at 22-22, freshman Gable Bonner (Estherville, Iowa/ELC) stepped up and notched a pin at 285 pounds to help give the Beavers a thrilling, 28-22 Iowa Conference dual victory. Bonner wasted little time securing the win for BVU, picking up his fourth pin of the year and needing just 1:36. He now evens his overall record at 9-9. A forfeit by Branden Schultz (Lake Crysal, Minn./Lake Crystal) (125 pounds) put the Beavers on the board first before freshman Cameron Mennanoh (Audubon, Iowa/Audubon) pinned Sam Reichenbacker with just 53 seconds left in the opening period for a 12-0 lead. He also evened his record this year at 8-8. Sophomore Steve Gutschenritter (Pacific Junction,Iowa/Glenwood) followed with a convincing 13-4 major decision for his 13th win of the year. Following a pin by Simpson at 149 pounds, the match of the night might have been sophomore Dustin Shinkle’s (Van Horne, Iowa/Benton Community) thrilling 12-10 decision at 157 pounds that pushed the margin to 19-6. Fellow sophomore Seth Shatto (Estherville, Iowa/ELC) moved up to 165 pounds for the first time this season and gave the Beavers a 6-2 win and a 22-6 lead. The win also extends his team-best record to 16-6. Simpson then got forfeits at both 174 and 184 pounds to make it a 22-18 match before a major decision victory at 197 pounds evened things up heading into the final match of the night. The win for BVU marks its first IIAC dual victory since it topped the Storm, 28-23, in Storm Lake two years ago. The team improves to 1-3 overall this season (1-2 IIAC). It returns to action again on Saturday when it takes part in the IIAC Duals, hosted by the University of Dubuque. The Beavers will open with the host Spartans, who are currently ranked 26th at 10:00am, followed by a dual with #1 Wartburg College at 12:00pm. It will then end with a match against #29 Central College at 2:00pm. Results: 125 – Branden Schultz (BVU) won by forfeit 133 – Cameron Mennenoh (BVU) pins Sam Reichenbacker, 2:07 141 – Steven Gutchenritter (BVU) maj. dec. Spencer Courier, 13-4 149 – Jason Clark (SIM) pins Tim Vore, 1:57 157 – Dustin Shinkle (BVU) dec. Derek Entz, 12-10 165 – Seth Shatto (BVU) dec. Cory Stratton, 6-2 174 – Greg Harlow (SIM) wins by forfeit 184 – Taylor Witzel (SIM) wins by forfeit 197 – Jared Bevins (SIM) maj. dec. Jared Bronaugh, 14-4 285 – Gable Bonner (BVU) pins Tony Saucedo, 1:36

Here we stand on Wednesday, Jan. 23 with the bulk of the regular season done. A few dual meets and league tournaments remain for most squads, with the state series -- individual and/or team -- to come. Normally by this point, one has a true sense of where the best teams in the nation stand. However, beyond the fact of Blair Academy, N.J., being the No. 1 squad, virtually everything else is up for interpretation. Both in terms of lineup analysis and the results of their performance on the mat, Blair has lapped the field. The Buccaneers have eight wrestlers appearing in the weight class rankings, with a couple others being in the proverbial "outside looking in" group. They also were dominant in winning titles at the Ironman, Beast of the East, and POWERade -- tournaments that are ranked among the top four in the nation with respect to their field composition. When it comes to everyone else, Wyoming Seminary, Pa., started the season ranked second and spent all of the first month in that position. The Blue Knights have three nationally ranked wrestlers, with a couple others being in that proverbial "outside looking in" group. In addition, their squad covers most of the lineup with a credible, accomplished wrestler. During the month of December they were second at the Ironman; slightly underachieved in their second place finish at the Beast, both in terms of being extremely far back from first and being relatively close to third/fourth; and earned a title at the Bethlehem Liberty Holiday Tournament. However, a second place finish at the Doc Buchanan Invitational placed doubt on that second in the nation position. In that tournament, they finished two points behind Clovis, Calif. Though that margin can be mitigated by an injury default in the final at 182 pounds, a match that No. 1 Eric Morris otherwise wins by decision against No. 20 Adrian Salas. It still would have been just an eight-point victory, with the squads having eight placers each. Furthering doubt was the upset loss, 33-32 against Robinson, Va., the next week at the NHSCA Final Four Festival, even though Wyoming Seminary had two nationally ranked wrestlers out of the lineup and lost two upset results by fall. That same Robinson team won just two matches in the final against Blair. After the Doc Buchanan, it was St. Edward, Ohio that ascended to the second position, from their season starting position of third. The Eagles presently have five nationally ranked individuals, with only one other really close to a ranking. It is a somewhat top-heavy squad with a couple extreme holes. For the season to date, they placed fourth at the Ironman, though having No. 2 Domenic Abounader in the lineup at 182-pound puts them right even with Wyoming Seminary for second; won a championship at the Dvorak by 35 points over Montini Catholic, a performance that included seven finalists in this top ten in the nation event; and then won the Medina Invitational by 50 points over a pair of top 20 in the nation teams with five champions, and that was without No. 3 Dean Heil in the lineup at 132 pounds (the backup placed sixth). Skepticism about St. Edward holding the second position comes in the form of a pair of dual meet results from January. First, at the DCC Super Duals, the Eagles won a 23-22 dual meet on criteria against Montini Catholic, Ill., as the squads split the match count 7-7. However, it should be noted that if not for a team point deduction, it is Montini Catholic which comes out with a 23-22 victory. Then, just this past Saturday, the Eagles were upset by St. Paris Graham, Ohio in a 30-29 result on criteria as the teams against split matches. However, it should be noted that a critical swing in the dual meet came during the 220-pound match when Graham got an injury default out a match which was tied in the third period, one in which the St. Edward wrestler was favored to win. Additionally, the Falcons were able to shift their lineup at 120/126 to manufacture an extra win. Having discussed the merits and history of Wyoming Seminary, Pa. and St. Edward, Ohio, six other teams come to mind as having a case for a very high nationally ranking -- and some even the No. 2 position. First, let's discuss two extreme tournament teams in St. Paris Graham, Ohio and St. Johns, Mich. Despite an "on-paper" profile that suggests they fit more as a top ten team, it can be argued that the on mat performance of St. Paris Graham suggest a top five ranking. The Falcons swing extremely to the "tournament team" profile with four nationally ranked wrestlers, plus another that is near the national rankings. Those five wrestlers were the team's placers at the Ironman; the nationally ranked ones were finalists, while Eli Seipel (113) placed sixth. That drove home a third place finish for St. Paris Graham, which would have been fourth if Abounader is in the lineup, but approximately 50 points better than the rest of the field. When one analyzes the rest of the lineup, it is a mix of young wrestlers with potential, some "non-national" kids that are growing, and a couple straight out holes. However, the group levied a rather positive performance in the St. Edward dual meet. It would have been interesting to see how this squad matched up against some of the other top ten-to-twenty teams in the nation in dual meets and/or a high-level tournament not as "top heavy" as the Ironman, but the schedule did not provide such opportunity. Similar to St. Paris Graham, St. Johns, Mich., profiles as a team with multiple elite individuals, but with certain spots of the lineup having significant holes. The Redwings have five nationally ranked wrestlers, with another wrestler that is near the national ranking conversation. They also reside in the state of Michigan, which has not conformed to the NFHS weight classes, adding a wrench to the lineup analysis. In the NFHS lineup configuration, they would have to "close out" a possible state placer; have one of their projected state champions bump up one or two weights in the middle-weight area; and possess three extreme holes, compared to only two when using the weights of their home state. Handcuffed by the schedule/travel rules of the Michigan High School Athletic Association, they have arguably faced the least robust schedule of a top ten in the nation team. In mid-December, they split matches in a 33-31 dual meet loss against Detroit Catholic Central, Mich. However, the Redwings had yet to drop their lineup to its present configuration, which created a third major hole in the lower-weights (compared to their present two). When the teams competed in dual meet competition this past weekend, St. Johns won eight matches in a 31-22 victory. In addition, the lower-profile wrestlers on the squad have shown improvement throughout the year; two specific examples would be the 215 and 285-pound wrestlers, who were pinned by their DCC opposition in December but only lost by decision this past weekend. The weekend before this one, St. Johns was at the DCC Super Duals, where they took on Montini Catholic, St. Edward, and Davison (Mich.) without the presence of Ben Whitford; who is ranked No. 1 in the nation at 145, but competes at 145-160 for dual meets. Against Montini, the Redwings won nine weight classes in a 32-24 victory, yet against St. Edward, the Eagles took nine of the matches in a 38-26 (maybe Whitford's presence gives St. Johns a sixth victory, though it's hard to say). Finally, buoyed by a pair of tossup match victories, Davison was able to split matches in a 35-28 defeat against the Redwings (for reference purposes, St. Edward beat this Davison squad 43-15, winning nine of fourteen matches). On the other side of the tournament team vs. dual meet squad spectrum is Montini Catholic. The Broncos have zero nationally ranked wrestlers, though one could see about five wrestlers in that next tier. In addition, this is a team that has been battle-hardened through the nation's toughest schedule year-to-date, and they have a lineup in which no weight class is a dead-set guaranteed loss in dual meet competition against national caliber squads. In the December dual meet portion of the schedule, the Broncos earned victories over top 25 squads Marist, Ill. and Marmion Academy, Ill.; notable is that they were short multiple starters due to football in the victory against Marist. Two weeks after winning a state football title, they came to the Ironman without two wrestlers (though neither was projected to place) and had two others compete still feeling the effects of football. Montini was still able to muster three placements (fifth, sixth, and sixth), with four other wrestlers finishing a match short of placement. That put them 15-30 points outside where other top 15-25 teams finished. At the already mentioned Dvorak, the Broncos finished second, thirty points behind St. Edward; but 40-plus points ahead of fellow top 25 squads Marist and Marmion Academy. Despite zero champions, they placed 12 wrestlers in all -- one runner-up, five in third, three in fourth, and a single wrestler taking fifth through seventh each. At the Clash, the Broncos cleared their first-day bracket with dual meet victories over top 40 squad Kearney, Mo. (9-5 in matches) and top 30 squad Apple Valley, Minn. (10-4 in matches). On the second day, they won nine matches in a 30-22 victory over top 15 squad Carl Sandburg, Ill.; nine matches in a 33-18 victory over fellow top ten squad Brandon, Fla.; but lost eight matches in a 34-21 loss to top ten squad St. Michael-Albertville, Minn. At the Cheesehead, Montini Catholic finished second (593.5-575) to Southeast Polk, Iowa, a top 20 in the nation team. However, the Broncos were without state placer Michael Maduko (170), which would have given them approximately a 20-point victory in the end game based on the scoring system of that tournament. Then, at the DCC Super Duals, the matches against St. Edward and St. Johns were already mentioned. However, the Broncos also took nine weight classes each in a victory over Detroit Catholic Central, Mich. -- which is a top 15 caliber squad -- and Davison, Mich. -- a team with a case for being ranked in the Fab 50. Now to discuss the two squads that along with Montini Catholic finished with 2-1 records in the championship pool at The Clash: St. Michael-Albertville, Minn. and Brandon, Fla. St. Michael-Albertville has a single nationally ranked wrestler with a few others in that next tier. Most weight classes are manned by a credible, credentialed wrestler. In addition to The Clash, the Knights were champions at the Minnesota Christmas Tournament when they were without a projected state finalist in Mitichell Eull (220/285), and still had a tournament-high ten placers. They won that tournament over Apple Valley, who was without state champion Seth Gross (132), by nine points; also keep in mind this was before the Apple Valley "roof caved in" at The Clash and Cheesehead. It was also an 11-1/2 point distance between St. Michael-Albertville and top 20 squad Kasson-Mantorville. Even though the Knights did win The Clash, it did not come without tight matches. After starting out with a pair of 12-2 match count victories against Kimball Area, Minn. and Collins Hill, Ga. in Bracket "A", St. Michael-Albertville split the weight classes 7-7 in a 28-26 victory over top 15 squad Oak Park River Forest, Ill. to win that bracket. On day two, there are the already mentioned 33-21 (9 matches to 5) loss to Brandon and 34-21 (8 matches to 6) victory over Montini Catholic, and needed a last match pin to come back from a 23-0 deficit to tie Carl Sandburg in a dual meet won 27-26 on criteria. Due to geography (i.e. not having many high profile squads and/or events in their proximity), and somewhat due to state association rules, Brandon, Fla. -- along with St. Johns -- has the least robust schedule of a top ten team. From a profile standpoint, the Eagles feature one nationally ranked wrestler with four or five others in that next tier. However, once past the 170-pound weight class, that is where they are somewhat susceptible. Their big litmus test this season came at The Clash. In their first two Bracket "B" duals, the Eagles went 27-1 in the individual matches against overmatched squads from Burnsville, Minn. and Jefferson, Ga. Then, the championship match was a 44-12 (11 matches to 3) blowout of top 25 squad Marist, Ill. When it came to the championship pool, they lost nine matches in a 33-18 loss to Montini Catholic, won eight matches in a 25-23 victory over Carl Sandburg, and won nine matches in a 33-21 victory over St. Michael-Albertville. In addition to The Clash, Brandon did travel to the Kyle Maynard Duals hosted by Collins Hill, Ga., where they accrued a 46-22 victory over a top 35 opponent in Pope, Ga. Last to be mentioned among the teams in the top nine during this column is Clovis, Calif. In December, they were champions of the Zinkin Classic by 75 points over a top 15 squad in Allen, Tex. However, that margin would be reduced to about 20-25 if one considers the net difference between what No. 4 Oliver Pierce (152), No. 20 Nick Cobb (195), and Stone Drulman (220) would have scored, what any replacements did score, and accounting for a void in the Clovis lineup that would normally be filled. Already mentioned was their championship at the Doc Buchanan, a tournament structured like the Ironman in terms of being an elite individual-driven event, beating Wyoming Seminary for the title due primarily to Eric Morris's injury default in the championship match. Then, this past weekend, they won the Battle for the Belt at Temecula Valley, Calif. in a tight race. The Cougars beat top 25 squad Bethlehem Catholic, Pa. by 2-1/2 points, while out-pointing top 20 squad Poway, Calif. by eight, despite missing a wrestler at 120 pound that probably wins matches or even possibly ekes out a low place. In the weekend sandwiching those two tournaments, Clovis beat a nationally ranked Vacaville, Calif. squad 43-24, but only won eight of the weight classes. Ranked No. 5 this month, and No. 6 last month, Canon-McMillan, Pa., has been moved just to the outside of this conversation to the tenth position. This is somewhat temporary in nature, as their position in the rankings had been based on lineup projections involving the presence of Solomon Chishko; Chishko being a top five in the nation junior, having already placed third twice at the state tournament and four times at the Super 32 Challenge. However, he has yet to compete this season, as he recovers from an injury that occurred during the Super 32 finals match. All this said, the Big Macs are still a squad with four nationally ranked wrestlers, but while solid behind that, they have no one else even in the next tier nationally. Therefore, my decision is to remove them from the top tier conversation until Chishko returns. In sum, here is the Fab 50 top ten this week: 1. Blair Academy, N.J. 2. St. Edward, Ohio 3. Wyoming Seminary, Pa. 4. St. Johns, Mich. 5. St. Paris Graham, Ohio 6. St. Michael-Albertville, Minn. 7. Montini Catholic, Ill. 8. Brandon, Fla. 9. Clovis, Calif. 10. Canon-McMillan, Pa.

Collinsville makes statement at Jay Hancock Memorial Three nationally ranked teams were present among the 23 that competed in Yukon, Okla. this past weekend. When the two days were done, Collinsville, Okla. -- now ranked No. 12 nationally -- won the title with 292 points. That was enough to outlast now No. 13 Allen, Texas (270-1/2) and No. 30 Edmond North, Okla. (225-1/2). Four individual titles for the Cardinals led them to the team title. Those gold medals came from No. 4 Christian Moody (106), No. 6 Davion Jeffries (113), Gary Wayne Harding (138), and Zach Abkemeier (170). Seven additional Collinsville wrestlers finished in the top five -- runner-up finishes from Ryan Heiden (126) and Will Steltzen (132), third place finishes from Dylan Helm (145) and Keenan Priddy (195), fourth place finishes from Jacob Findley (120) and Jake Barton (160), along with a fifth place finish from Ryan Haymaker (152). The second place Eagles were led by a trio of champions in A.J. Hinkle (145), No. 4 Oliver Pierce (152), and No. 3 Bo Nickal (160). They did have the same eleven placers as Collinsville, but their distribution of other placers was two runners-up, one in third, three in fourth, and two in fifth. Runner-up finishes came from Mark Meyer, who lost 3-2 to No. 15 Lance Dixon (Edmond North, Okla.) at 182, and No. 20 Nick Cobb, who lost 5-3 to now No. 17 Joel Dixon (Edmond North, Okla.) at 195. Championships from the Dixon triplets – No. 15 Lance (182), No. 17 Joel (195), and No. 6 Andrew (220) -- propelled the Edmond North squad to a third place finish. They had seven placers inside the top three, one more than second place Allen; however, those seven were the only team members to place. Runner-up finishers for the Huskies were Jordan Price (106) and Cy Trindle (113), while Jordan Armstrong (120) and Derek White (170) finished third. Rounding out the weight class champions were No. 18 Boo Lewallen (Yukon, Okla.) at 120 pounds, Cub Yeager (Locust Grove, Okla.) at 126, Keegan Moore (Putnam City, Okla.) at 132, and Tyler Follis (Deer Creek, Okla.) at 285. Bound Brook to host Bergen Catholic in showdown of elite Garden State squads This coming Saturday, two of the best squads in New Jersey will compete against one another in a dual meet when No. 42 Bergen Catholic travels to No. 31 Bound Brook. Both teams have only a single loss in dual meet competition, for Bergen Catholic it came against No. 27 South Plainfield, N.J., while Bound Brook fell to defeat against No. 29 Apple Valley, Minn. The following are projected matchups: 106: No. 1 Nick Suriano (Bergen Catholic) vs. Gonzalo Limenza (Bound Brook): Suriano, a freshman sensation, is the nation's top-ranked wrestler in this weight class; though the junior Limenza is a credible opponent with a good record, who was closed out of the lineup last year by state placer De La Cruz. 113: Tyler Casamenti vs. Ronald Murray: The junior Casamenti is a two-time state qualifier and projected for a state placement finish based on rankings from The Star-Ledger, while the senior Murray made the regional tournament last year. 120: Matt Rose vs. Craig De La Cruz: De La Cruz placed fourth at 106 as a freshman, and is the lone returning state placer on a very balanced Bound Brook squad. He also was a Cadet Greco-Roman All-American this past summer. 126: Troy Schaafsma vs. Zachary Vatalare: Both wrestlers in this matchup were state alternates last year; Schaafsma is a junior, while Vatalare a senior. 132: J.P. Ascolese vs. Nick Accetta: The junior Ascolese was a regional qualifier last year. 138: Laurien Anghelina vs. Jeison Arias: Anghelina is the much talked about new wrestler to the United States, who moved in from Romania, while the junior Arias was a regional qualifier last season. 145: Joe Grello/David Brennan vs. Emmanuel Soto: The senior Soto was a match away from placing at the state tournament last year, and is ranked fourth at present by The Star-Ledger. Bergen Catholic will counter with either a freshman Grello, who has excellent pre-high-school credentials, or a sophomore Brennan. 152: Grello/Brennan vs. Josh Ugalde: Similarly here Bergen Catholic is out-matched with either Grello or Brennan, as Bound Brook sends out Ugalde, who was one match away from placing at state last year. Over the summer, he was a Cadet freestyle All-American, and is presently ranked fourth in the state. 160: Kevin Mulligan/Gianni Hallak vs. Andrew Gombas: It would probably behoove Bergen Catholic to place the better of their two options, probably the freshman Mulligan -- who comes into high school winning a junior high state title last year, in this matchup. 170: Mulligan/Hallak vs. Isaiah Soto: Soto qualified for state last year, while Hallak is a senior. 182: No. 7 Johnny Sebastian vs. Abraham Saavedra: The junior Sebastian is already a two-time state placer, winning a state title last season, and is a two-time placer at the Beast of the East. Saavedra is an excellent freshman with a bright future. 195: Christian Jenco vs. Ronaldo Picado/Aaron Saavedra: Jenco is ranked for a state placement finish this season, and was third place in both styles at the Cadet Nationals last summer, while Bound Brook will likely send out one of two regional qualifiers. 220: Tyler McGilligan vs. Picaso/Aa. Saavedra: Between Picado and Saavedra, both regional qualifiers, the one that doesn't go 195 will be at this weight class, and probably a favorite against the junior McGilligan from Bergen Catholic. 285: Carmine Goldsack vs. Michael Johnson: This would be a battle between state qualifiers, who are ranked for state placement at the moment per The Star-Ledger. Goldsack is a senior, while Johnson a junior. Johnson will face a size disadvantage, as he is ranked at 220, but in terms of maximizing a lineup it's best for him to be here. Based on matchup projections, each team is favored -- to varying degrees -- in six weight classes, with tossups present at 126 and 285. Trojans earn "A-plus" in midterm examination This past Thursday, Friday, and Saturday was to serve as a stern test for the No. 35 Park Hill, Mo., squad. However, it was one that they passed with flying colors. On Thursday night, the Trojans avenged an early season 31-27 defeat by No. 39 Kearney, Mo., with a 32-20 victory. It did not start out so well, as No. 7 Jaret Singh (Kearney) upset No. 4 Ke-Shawn Hayes 5-4, which reversed Hayes' 4-3 win from December. However, the next weight class was also a reversed outcome, this time it was John Erneste (Park Hill) with a 1-0 win over Seth Brayfield, turning around Brayfield's 5-3 overtime victory from December. A key match came at 132 pounds, where freshman Canten Marriott (Park Hill) upset state runner-up Blake Clevenger 3-2 in the tiebreaker; Clevenger did not wrestle in December, and Marriott earned a technical fall against one of his reserves. Finally, to seal the dual meet, Park Hill won matches at 170 and 195 that they did not in December: this time around Malik Colding beat state runner-up Blain Drescher 8-5, whereas Drescher earned a 7-5 overtime victory in December; and Emerson Garner won 9-7 at 195, but he lost 8-5 in December. Come Friday and Saturday, Park Hill earned the title at the Winnetonka Wrestling Invitational with 431 points on the strength of three champions, four runner-up finishes, and having 13 of 14 wrestlers competing in the upper-bracket on Saturday after finishing top two in the pools on Friday. Trojans to win weight class titles were Sean Hosford (106), No. 4 Hayes (113), and Erneste (120); while Hunter Roberts (126), Marriott (132), Russell Coleman (145), and Colding (170) finished in second place. No. 39 Blue Springs, Mo., finished third with 364 points despite having their four nationally ranked wrestlers -- No. 9 Daniel Lewis (138), No. 16 Darick Lapaglia (145), No. 10 Cain Salas (152), and No. 12 Michael Pixley (182) -- winning weight class titles. Looming as a problem for the Wildcats was their lack of depth, as only five other wrestlers (9 in total) made the upper-bracket on Saturday, of which Austin Reyes (220) was their lone finalist. Second place for the tournament was Seckman, Mo. with 392 points, led by six finalists and 12 upper-bracket competitors. Winning titles were Brock Wingbermuehle (132) and Zach Oberkom (220), while runner-up finishes came from Zach Durbin (106), Weston Basler (113), Luke Weiland (120), and Otto Pfneisel (285). The week ahead -- quick hitter style No. 3 Wyoming Seminary, Pa., and No. 33 McDonogh, Md., will be among those teams competing at the Gilman Duals on Saturday in Baltimore, Md. No. 11 Oak Park River Forest, Ill., has stern tests in dual meet competition today and tomorrow. Tonight the Huskies host No. 6 Montini Catholic, Ill., and while tomorrow evening they travel to No. 23 Marmion Academy, Ill., A preview for those two dual meets has already been posted on InterMat. No. 15 Detroit Catholic Central, Mich., travels to No. 20 Cincinnati Moeller, Ohio for a dual meet on Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. The squads have traded dual meet victories each of the last two years, both teams winning at home. A preview for this match will appear on InterMat towards the end of the week. No. 19 Kasson-Mantorville, Minn., and No. 38 Simley, Minn., are among the squads competing at the Swalla Duals hosted by Kasson-Mantorville on Saturday. No. 34 Pope, Ga., hosts a quad meet on Saturday, which also includes No. 49 Archer, Ga. When those two teams dual, it will mark a match between the Class 5A and Class 6A dual meet champions in the Peach State, and a showdown between two of the best squads in the Southeastern United States. Quick hitters from the past weekend No. 17 Southeast Polk, Iowa won the Ed Winger Classic hosted by Urbandale, Iowa with 252 points. That was 69-1/2 points more than No. 44 Bettendorf, Iowa, who finished second place despite a tournament-high five champions. Four Rams grapplers -- No. 17 Nolan Hellickson (106), Tim Miklus (160), Dylan Blackford (170), and Bryce Fisher (220) -- did win championships; but it was the fact that another five finished third, with three others earning placement, that made the difference. For the runner-up Bulldogs, their championships came from No. 14 Fredy Stroker (126), Logan Ryan (132), Jacob Woodard (138), Alex Hernandez (145), and Malique Hudson (1522); while they only had three other wrestlers place, two in fifth and one in sixth. The three showdowns in the finals involving battles of ranked opposition certainly lived up to their hype during the Escape the Rock finals on Sunday at Council Rock South just outside of Philadelphia. At 113 pounds, No. 3 Brent Fleetwood (Smyrna, Del.) used a late takedown to score a 3-1 victory over No. 8 Ethan Lizak (Parkland, Pa.), and that followed up a semifinal round where Fleetwood outlasted No. 14 Zach Fuentes (Norristown, Pa.) 2-1 in the tiebreaker. At 182 pounds, in what could be a state finals preview, No. 4 Jacob Taylor (Bald Eagle Area, Pa.) upended No. 5 Brett Harner (Norristown, Pa.) 3-2 in the ultimate tiebreaker. Finally, at 220 pounds, No. 3 Thomas Haines (Solanco, Pa.) earned a statement victory over No. 5 Raymond O'Donnell (Saucon Valley, Pa.) by 10-2 major decision. Despite not having a single champion, Parkland, Pa. won the tournament with 189-1/2 points on the strength of seven placers. No. 22 Maple Mountain, Utah won The Rumble at Utah Valley University with 244-1/2 points on the strength of three champions and nine overall placers, and that was with Cadet National double finalist Kimball Bastian (160) not in the lineup. Champions included Johnny O'Hearon (132), Grant Lamont (152), and Jon Wixom (195). Second place went to Pleasant Grove, Utah with 215 points led by champion Zach Dawe (285), three others in third, and three other placers. Third in the standings, and dropped out of the Fab 50, was Centennial, Idaho with 199-1/2 points. On a positive note, they did have five finalists; however, only one No. 3 Hayden Tuma (138) was a champion, and only one other wrestler finished inside the top eight. The most notable match of the finals was Tuma's 3-2 tiebreaker victory over Jed Mellen (Payson, Utah), who is ranked No. 12 down a weight class at 138 pounds. Over the weekend, InterMat provided recaps of No. 4 St. Johns, Mich., beating No. 15 Detroit Catholic Central, Mich.; the upset victory for No. 5 St. Paris Graham, Ohio over No. 2 St. Edward, Ohio; and the Battle for the Belt tournament in Temecula Valley, Calif., that No. 9 Clovis, Calif., won by 2-1/2 points over No. 24 Bethlehem Catholic, Pa., and by eight over No. 18 Poway, Calif. Rankings reminders Updated weight class rankings as well as Fab 50 team rankings were posted to the site today as well. Also, check out my commentary on the top ten teams nationally, which is a web of confusion based on the results of the season to date.

Boiling Springs, N.C. -- Gardner-Webb redshirt-senior Alex Medved recorded his 90th career win on Tuesday night, as the Runnin’ Bulldog grapplers defeated Davidson, 29-6, for its first Southern Conference dual match win of the season. Gardner-Webb posted eight wins in the bout, which included one pin and three major decision victories, as the Runnin’ Bulldogs earned a 29-6 dual match win. “This was a good night for our guys. Everyone wrestled with the intensity that we were looking for and want to portray each time out,” stated Head Coach Daniel Elliott. “Tonight’s performance was a good building block to where we want to be.” After a tough bout at 125 pounds opened the dual match up, as Philip Elias defeated GWU’s Cortez Starkes 5-4 to put the Wildcats on top 3-0 to start the match, redshirt-sophomore Robbie Golde used a late two-point takedown in the first period to take the lead en route to an 8-3 victory over Anthony Elias to tie the match up at 3-3. Sophomore Davante Andujar continued GWU’s winning ways by posting a 7-5 win over Matt Zarth at 141 pounds to push the Runnin’ Bulldogs in front 6-3 for the match with the middle weights on deck. At 149 pounds, Ryan Medved controlled the match from start to finish, posting a two-point takedown and a two-point near fall in the second period in a 5-0 shutout over Kevin Birmingham to put the home team up 9-3 after four matches. After Alex Medved earned a 12-3 major decision victory over Nathaniel Powers at 157 pounds to record his 90th career win and put the Runnin’ Bulldogs in front by 10 at 13-3, fellow redshirt-senior Justin Guthrie pounced on Chris Cirenza early at the 165 pound contest and registered a 17-3 majordecision win to push GWU in front big at 17-3. The Runnin’ Bulldog wrestlers made it six straight wins at 174 pounds, as freshman Hunter Gamble scored a pin over Ian Solcz at the 6:00 mark in the third period to put GWU in front by 20 at 23-3 in the match score. Fellow GWU freshman Gray Jones used a strong second period, which included a one-point escape and a two-point takedown, en route to a 9-4 decision at 184 pounds over Donald Patrick, as the Runnin’ Bulldogs continued to pile up the wins. With the match victory already in hand for Gardner-Webb, Davidson earned a 5-4 win at 197 pounds by way of Carson Stack to stop the Runnin’ Bulldogs’ winning streak at seven --straight matches, only to see GWU’s Travis Porter dominate in a 12-0 major decision win over Eddie Isola at the heavyweight position to give the Runnin’ Bulldogs a 29-6 dual match win. Gardner-Webb (3-6, 1-2 SoCon) will turn around and host VMI in another Southern Conference dual match on Friday night, January 25th, at 7 p.m. in Paul Porter Arena. Results: 125: Philip Elias (DAV) dec. Cortez Starkes (GWU) -- 5-4 (DAV 3-0) 133: Robbie Golde (GWU) dec. Anthony Elias (DAV) -- 8-3 (TIED 3-3) 141: Davante Andujar (GWU) dec. Matt Zarth (DAV) -- 7-5 (GWU 6-3) 149: Ryan Medved (GWU) dec. Kevin Birmingham (DAV) -- 5-0 (GWU 9-3) 157: Alex Medved (GWU) maj. dec. Nathaniel Powers (DAV) -- 12-3 (GWU 13-3) 165: Justin Guthrie (GWU) maj. dec. Chris Cirenza (DAV) -- 14-3 (GWU 17-3) 174: Hunter Gamble (GWU) FALL Ian Solcz (DAV) -- 6:00 (GWU 23-3) 184: Gray Jones (GWU) dec. Donald Patrick (DAV) -- 9-4 (GWU 26-3) 197: Carson Stack (DAV) dec. Blake Salyer (DAV) -- 5-4 (GWU 25-6) * 285: Travis Porter (GWU) maj. dec. Eddie Isola (DAV) -- 12-0 (GWU 29-6) * one-point deduction for Gardner-Webb for unsportsmanlike conduct

MANHEIM, PA -- Twenty teams, including 16 top 25 teams and 9 top 10 teams, are set to face off at the 2013 NWCA/Cliff Keen National Dual Meet Championship (Mat Mayhem) presented by Hibiclens and The Marines, which will operate via a new format. The National Duals once again underwent restructuring, modifying the event which had been created by the visionary initiative of John Graham in 1989. Instead of four teams advancing to the finals following regional competition, as in 2012, eight teams will advance; four teams earned automatic bids (Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, and Ohio State) and four teams earn bids by winning their respective regions. To assist in growing the event, a new National Duals committee was created to help make decisions to position the event. Among them was creating a point system to reward four of the top returning dual meet teams with automatic bids to the championship final. NWCA Executive Director Mike Moyer stated that the change in event format resulted from the desire to strengthen the quality of the competition while ensuring a strong spectator base for the championship event. Moyer stated that the teams with automatic bids work as a guarantee that the finals, placed in the hometown of one of the team's with an automatic bid, would be better attended because of the home team's strong local fan base. "Historically, we have found that to optimize the fan support of the championship finals, you must have one or more local/regional teams, with a strong fan base, in contention for the championship," said Moyer. "In the past, we've had the National Duals in strong fan base regions, but if there isn't a local/regional team in contention, it just hasn't worked very well." This year the finals event will be held at the University of Minnesota, and National Duals committee chair and Ohio State Head Coach Tom Ryan echoed the sentiments expressed by Moyer regarding fan support. "We look forward to the duals being held in Minnesota," said Ryan. "They have great fans and we always enjoy competing there. I am sure the event will be first class as well as it should be." Moyer feels that the change in format will also allow for the spectator base at the event to grow because of increased planning time, for travel arrangements and the like, provided to the fans. Ryan, expressed appreciation for the change in the event structure as it placed more emphasis on dual meets. "I believe the dual meet is the backbone of our sport," said Ryan. "I believe that 10 men wrestling shoulder to shoulder, one after the other is a priceless event in this sport." Despite the change in format, the goal of the event remains consistent and focused; to transform wrestling to better align with mainstream spectator sports by increasing excitement associated with regular season dual meets, especially those that are inner conference. Moyer is excited for this year's event due to the success of the event in 2012 and the new and continuing sponsorship and broadcast agreements for this year. "Last year, the championship finals sold approximately 4,500 tickets which was encouraging given the fact that we didn't announce the championship site until the regionals were complete. We also nationally televised 10 of the dual meets on Fox College Sports." Moyer stated that this year's event attracted new, well-known sponsors, Balance Bar and ProKure, which he felt was influential in continuing to grow the event and sport of wrestling. These additions build on a strong National Duals sponsorship base that includes Cliff Keen, Hibiclens, The Marines, and Beat the Streets LA. Fox College Sports will also continue to broadcast portions of the event. The event broadcast, like the new sponsorships, is a key element in reaching event wide goals said Moyer. Fox College Sports will be broadcasting 10 dual meets from the event which will then be rebroadcast a minimum of 10 times each allowing for flexibility in viewership and the potential to reach 54 million households through each airing. Moyer hopes to secure agreements from the top 32 teams in the nation to support the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Dual Meet Championship as of 2014 for three years. Moyer feels that this will allow the National Duals to reach its potential as a signature event in collegiate wrestling. "As long as we can continue to build on the success of each previous year, there is no reason to believe that the National Duals should not be able to accomplish all of our objectives," said Moyer. For ticket sales and 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.

Two-time Olympian and undefeated UFC heavyweight Daniel Cormier joins the podcast to talk about NCAA wrestling and his future in the UFC. Brian Muir sets lines for Penn State-Nebraska and Iowa-Minnesota. Do you want to listen to a past episode? Access archives.

The last week of regular season wrestling in the Land of Lincoln is going to be a big one for No. 11 Oak Park River Forest, Ill. It has been an exemplary season for the Huskies who have the following notable accomplishments this season: An early season dual meet victory over No. 21 Marist, Ill. Out-pointing No. 13 Carl Sandburg, Ill. for the Rex Whitlach Invitational championship A fifth place finish at The Clash, losing only 28-26 to No. 4 St. Michael-Albertville, Minn.; with wins against No. 37 Blue Springs, Mo., No. 18 Kasson-Mantorville, Minn., No. 21 Marist, and No. 28 Apple Valley, Minn.; Dual meet victory over No. 13 Carl Sandburg However, an extreme examination is ahead during this mid-week, with a home dual meet against No. 6 Montini Catholic, Ill., on Wednesday night before traveling to No. 23 Marmion Academy, Ill., on Thursday evening. Below is a breakdown of the two dual meets. No. 6 Montini Catholic, Ill. at No. 11 Oak Park River Forest, Ill. 106: Jimmy Pawleski (Montini) vs. Robert Campos (OPRF). This is a battle of freshmen, Pawleski ranked No. 8 in Class AA per Illinois Matmen, while Campos is No. 10 in Class AAA. If you look at their IKWF histories, Campos was third last year at 95 pounds, while Pawleski did not participate. 113: Tommy Pawleski vs. Gabe Townsell. The senior Pawleski is a defending state champion and ranked No. 1 in Class AA, while freshman Townsell comes in ranked No. 8 in Class AAA. 120: Darius Henry/Matt Rundell vs. Vince Turk. This should be an excellent match. Montini sophomore Turk ranked No. 3 in Class AA after being closed out of the lineup last year by Kevon Powell (now an Ohio University Bobcat) and Jordan Laster , and was a Cadet Greco-Roman champion last summer. Henry made his season debut last week with a title at the OPRF Invite, while state runner-up Rundell is ranked No. 4 in Class AAA. 126: Isaiah White vs. Jordan Laster. The freshman White is ranked No. 3 in Class AAA, while the senior Laster, already a two-time state placer, is No. 2 in Class AA. Larry Early (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine)132: Larry Early vs. Jose Champagne. The sophomore Early placed third as a freshman last year, and is currently No. 2 in Class AAA, while the freshman Champagne was eighth in Cadet freestyle last summer and is ranked No. 1 in Class AA. 138: Jake O'Mara vs. Chris Garcia. The senior O'Mara is ranked No. 11 in Class AAA, while two-time state placer Garcia is the top-ranked wrestler in Class AA. 145: Johnny Gahagan vs. Michael Sepke. The junior Gahagan was a state qualifier last year and is ranked No. 11 in Class AAA, while Sepke placed fourth at state last year and is ranked No. 1 in Class AA. 152: Kamaal Bey vs. Luke Fortuna. The freshman Bey was an IKWF runner-up last year, while the sophomore Fortuna was a state qualifier last season and is ranked No. 5 in Class AA. 160: No. 18 Davonte Mahomes vs. Xavier Montalvo. This matchup places the top-ranked wrestler in Class AAA against the top-ranked wrestler in Class AA. Mahomes placed third at state last year as a sophomore, while Montalvo failed to place at state last year in his freshman campaign. 170: Allen Stallings vs. Michael Maduko. The freshman Stallings was an IKWF champion last year, while the junior Maduko placed sixth at state last year and is ranked No. 3 in Class AA. 182: Joe Ariola vs. Jake Turk. This matchup places the Class AAA favorite Ariola against the No. 2 ranked wrestler in Class AA in Turk. Turk was fourth at state last year, while Ariola was a state qualifier. 195: Andre Lee vs. Anthony Ferraro. Lee is ranked No. 5 in Class AAA, while state qualifier Ferraro is a junior who is ranked No. 2 in Class AA. 220: Malik Broumant vs. Edgar Ruano. Ruano is ranked No. 2 in Class AA and placed fourth at state last year. 285: Adam Lemke vs. David Sarkan. This weight class represents a weak link for both teams, Lemke is a junior, while Sarkan is a senior. Either squad may try to shift around this matchup, though more likely Montini sliding someone else into 195 with Ferraro and Ruano bumping up to assure a 2-1 stretch here. This dual meet is very interesting, with both teams having a legitimate shot of winning. Montini Catholic would enter it as the slightest of favorites though. No. 11 Oak Park River Forest, Ill. at No. 23 Marmion Academy, Ill. 106: Robert Campos (OPRF) vs. Anthony Bosco (Marmion). Campos is ranked No. 10 in Class AAA by Illinois Matmen, while returning state placer Bosco is ranked third. 113: Gabe Townsell vs. A.J. Jaffe. This is a battle of freshmen, with Townsell ranked No. 8 in Class AAA, while Jaffe is unranked. Both were IKWF finalists last year, Jaffe winning at 101, while Townsell was second at 108. 120: Darius Henry/Matt Rundell vs. No. 8 Johnny Jimenez. Rundell -- ranked No. 4 in Class AAA -- was a state runner-up last year as a freshman at 106, while Henry did not compete in the state series but has an excellent background in USA Wrestling events. For Marmion, Jimenez is already a two-time state champion, and favored to win a third in this his junior season. 126: Isaiah White vs. Jake Field. The freshman White is ranked No. 3 in Class AAA, while the senior Field is a returning state qualifier. 132: Larry Early vs. No. 15 George Fisher. This match places the top two wrestlers in Class AAA for the weight class. The sophomore Early placed third at state last year, while the Michigan-bound Fisher is a two-time state finalist, standing atop the podium in Champaign as a sophomore. 138: Jake O'Mara vs. Matt Ferraro. The senior O'Mara, also a Junior Greco-Roman All-American this past summer, is ranked No. 11 in Class AAA, while the freshman Ferraro was an IKWF champion last year at 122 pounds. 145: Johnny Gahagan vs. Trace Carello. The junior Gahagan was a state qualifier last year, and sits at No. 11 in Class AAA, while Carello is a freshman who finished third in IKWF last year at 138 pounds. 152: Kamaal Bey vs. Riley DeMoss. This is a battle pf freshmen, who both were IKWF runners-up last season. DeMoss, ranked No. 9 in Class AAA per Illinois Matmen, earned second at 156; while DeMoss was second at 147. 160: No. 18 Davonte Mahomes vs. Nick Ferraro. Mahomes, who placed third at state last year as a sophomore, is the top-ranked wrestler in Class AAA at this weight class. 170: Allen Stallings vs. Josh Meyers. Neither wrestler in this match is even an Honorable Mention wrestler per Illinois Matmen. However, the freshman Stallings entered high school with strong pedigree, an IKWF champion last year at 177 pounds. 182: Joe Ariola vs. Nathan Traxler. The senior Ariola, state qualifier last year and NUWAY Vegas champion in the preseason, is now favored for a state title with Ricky Robertson moving up to 195 pounds for Carl Sandburg. Traxler is a freshman, who is out of his element here. 195: Andre Lee vs. Cody Snodgrass. Both wrestlers are in the top five of this weight class in Class AAA. Lee is ranked No. 5, while state qualifier Snodgrass is ranked No. 4. 220: Malik Broumant vs. Lucas Warren. The freshman Warren is the top ranked wrestler in Class AAA per Illinois Matmen, and No. 15 overall in the Class of 2016 regardless of weight class. 285: Adam Lemke vs. Alex Fritz. Two-time state qualifier Fritz is ranked No. 6 in Class AAA. Looking at the dual meet, each squad is favored in seven weight classes, which makes it an interesting matchup to say the least.

Related Content: Postmatch Interviews | Photos No. 2 Logan Storley came back to defeat No. 8 Jordan Blanton at 174 (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine) MINNEAPOLIS -- With the help of its heavyweight wrestlers, the Minnesota wrestling team bounced back from a deficit to defeat Illinois, 18-14, tonight at the Sports Pavilion. The Gophers remain undefeated in conference competition (5-0) and improve to 11-1 overall on the season. The loss drops the Illini to 1-2 in league play and 5-2 overall. Illinois jumped to a 7-0 lead after winning the first two bouts on the night. At 125 pounds, Jesse Delgado defeated David Thorn, 5-2, while Daryl Thomas upset Chris Dardanes with a 17-8 major at 133 pounds. Nick Dardanes was the first Gopher to get on the board with a 10-3 victory over Illinois' Logan Arlis. Fans saw the second major decision upset of the night in the 149-pound bout. Dylan Ness was caught off guard and fell to Caleb Ervin. At 157 pounds, Danny Zilverberg notched his first dual win of the season with a 7-2 decision over Matt Nora. Conrad Polz was the last wrestler to tally points for the opposing Illini with a 7-4 decision over Cody Yohn. Minnesota’s final four wrestlers won out the remainder of the match. Logan Storley got his revenge on Jordan Blanton in the 174-pound matchup with a 6-5 decision. Blanton previously defeated Storley in last year’s NCAA tournament to knock him out of championship contention. Kevin Steinhaus brought the crowd to its feet in his match-up against Tony Dallago. Attempting to go for bonus points with a major decision, Steinhaus served up takedown after takedown, but ultimately settled for a still commanding 10-3 victory. No. 13 Scott Schiller scored a mild upset over No. 11 Mario Gonzalez at 197 (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine)Scott Schiller was the real energizer of the match. Facing a higher-ranked opponent, the Gophers needed a win to stay alive in the dual. Schiller delivered with an exciting 4-2 victory that put his team ahead 15-14 with one match to go. Nelson closed out the night at heavyweight where he easily handled Illinois' Chris Lopez for a 10-3 decision, collecting over three full minutes of riding time. The Gophers will have a short week before jumping back onto the mat on this Saturday, Jan. 26. The squad will host Big Ten rival Iowa at Williams Arena for a 3 p.m. dual. The match will also be featured on Big Ten Network. Results: 125: No. 5 Jesse Delgado (Illinois) dec. No. 12 David Thorn (Minnesota), 6-3 (3-0) 133: No. 11 Daryl Thomas (Illinois) maj. dec. No. 6 Chris Dardanes (Minnesota), 17-8 (7-0) 141: No. 11 Nick Dardanes (Minnesota) dec. Logan Arlis (Illinois), 10-3 (7-3) 149: Caleb Ervin (Illinois) maj. dec. No. 5 Dylan Ness (Minnesota), 11-3 (11-3) 157: Danny Zilverberg (Minnesota) dec. Matt Nora (Illinois), 7-2 (11-6) 165: No. 8 Conrad Polz (Illinois) dec. No. 11 Cody Yohn (Illinois), 7-4 (14-6) 174: No. 2 Logan Storley (Minnesota) dec. No. 8 Jordan Blanton (Illinois), 6-5 (14-9) 184: No. 5 Kevin Steinhaus (Minnesota) dec. No. 18 Tony Dallago (Illinois), 10-3 (14-12) 197: No. 13 Scott Schiller (Minnesota) dec. No. 11 Mario Gonzalez (Illinois), 4-2 (14-15) 285: No. 2 Tony Nelson (Minnesota) dec. Chris Lopez (Illinois), 10-3 (14-18)

Brandon Eggum Brandon Eggum On Scott Schiller's performance at 197 pounds ... On whether he was confident going into the heavyweight match ... On whether they were looking ahead to Iowa on Saturday ... On Dylan Ness' performance at 149 pounds ... On whether he was concerned when Logan Storley was trailing after two periods ... On facing Iowa on Saturday ... Logan Storley Logan Storley On coming from behind ... On the biggest difference in his wrestling from last season to this season ... On the team's slow start ... On the coaching staff's message to the team after the dual meet ... On his Southern Scuffle performance ... On facing Iowa's Mike Evans on Saturday ... Jim Heffernan Jim Heffernan On the team's performance ... On Daryl Thomas' performance at 133 pounds ... On Caleb Ervin's performance at 149 pounds ... On what Jordan Blanton needs to do to close out the victory at 174 pounds ... On Jesse Delgado's performance at 125 pounds ... On the status of B.J. Futrell at 141 pounds ... On the status of Pat Walker at heavyweight ... On whether Illinois is good enough to win a team trophy at the NCAAs in March ...

I've alluded to this before: college wrestlers are a special breed. Few have the talent and athleticism to do what a college wrestler does on a mat. Even fewer, however, have the patience and love for the sport required to dedicate themselves on the collegiate level. The time commitment required to be a Division I wrestler is immense, and now is the point in the season where the depths of the athletes' dedication is truly measured. There are roughly two months left in the college wrestling season. Now is when things start to get really hard. Dual Meets Sunday, Jan. 20: Penn State 35, Purdue 3 Second-ranked PSU 125-pounder Nico Megaludis downs 17th-ranked Camden Eppert, 5-1. At 197 pounds, third-ranked 197-pounder Quentin Wright beats Purdue's 17th-ranked Braden Atwood, 7-1. Ohio State 29, Wisconsin 10 Cole Schmitt earns the upset over Ohio State's 14th-ranked 149-pounder Cam Tessari, 8-7. Andrew Campolattano, ranked ninth for the Buckeyes at 197 pounds, wins a close 3-2 match over the Badgers' 20th-ranked Jackson Hein. At 285 pounds, 11th-ranked Badger Connor Medbery beats 12th-ranked Pete Capone, 5-2. Iowa 27, Michigan State 12 There were a couple of disappointing upsets for the Hawkeyes in this dual. First, at 149, 17th-ranked Hawkeye Mike Kelly falls to Dan Osterman, 10-4. After that, Iowa's 11th-ranked Ethen Lofthouse drops his match against MSU's 184-pounder John Rizqallah, 6-3. Central Michigan 17, Missouri 16 Ah yes, classic conference rivals Central Michigan and Missouri. I'll have to admit, it surprises me significantly that CMU was able to win this. At 133, Mizzou's eighth-ranked Nate McCormick laid a convincing victory on CMU's seventh-ranked Scotti Sentes, 7-1. Mizzou's 20th-ranked 157-pounder Kyle Bradley fell to Luke Smith, 6-5. CMU's 165-pounder Mike Ottinger seems to constantly surprise me. Here he beats 10th-ranked Zach Toal, 6-4. Mizzou earns a mild upset at 174 as Todd Porter tops 20th-ranked Craig Kelliher, 2-0. CMU's second-ranked 184-pounder Ben Bennett shuts out ninth-ranked Mike Larson, 8-0. Finally, top-ranked heavyweight Dom Bradley earns revenge for an Olympic Trials loss to sixth-ranked Jarrod Trice, 3-1, in tiebreakers. Air Force 39, Cal Poly 3 Air Force, competing without fourth-ranked Cole VonOhlen, dominates Cal Poly. Twentieth-ranked Cal Poly 133-pounder Devon Lotito falls to Air Force's Dylan Hyder, 4-3. Bloomsburg 24, Ohio 9 Bloomsburg rolls to a victory over the tough Bobcats. In the process, Bloomsburg's 18th-ranked heavyweight Justin Grant falls to Ohio's 15th-ranked Jeremy Johnson, 7-2. Rutgers 26, Harvard 9 Walter Peppelman earns win No. 100 as the eighth-ranked 157-pounder beats Rutgers' 17th-ranked Scott Winston, 4-2. At 141, Rutgers' Trevor Melde pins Harvard's 10th-ranked All-American Steven Keith. Oklahoma 25, West Virginia 14 In predictable fashion, OU's top-ranked 141-pounder Kendric Maple majors 14th-ranked Nathan Pennesi, 10-2. Northern Iowa 21, Northwestern 13 UNI's 125-pounder Ryan Jauch notches the upset over Northwestern's 16th-ranked Dom Malone, 2-0. Oklahoma State 26, Pitt 14 OSU's third-ranked 165-pounder Tyler Caldwell surges past 15th-ranked Matt Wilps, 7-2. At 184, OSU's 10th-ranked Chris Chionuma takes his match over 14th-ranked Max Thomusseit 7-2. Pitt's beast of a 197-pounder, second-ranked Matt Wilps gets an impressive pin over fifth-ranked Blake Rosholt. Finally, OSU's third-ranked heavyweight Alan Gelogaev earns a convincing win over Pitt's eighth-ranked Zac Thomusseit, 8-3. Boise State 33, Arizona State 7 At 184, BSU's 12th-ranked Jake Swartz tops 20th-ranked Kevin Radford, 11-2. ASU's seventh-ranked Jake Meredith surrenders a medical default at 197 pounds. I hope he is all right. ASU heavyweight, 17th-ranked Levi Cooper earns a nice win over 10th-ranked J.T. Felix, 6-0. Cleveland State 21, Chattanooga 17 UTC's 15th-ranked Nick Soto suffers a surprising stumble against Cleveland State's Ben Willeford, 5-4. Saturday, Jan. 19: Army 28, Bucknell 9 Binghamton 29, Drexel 14 Binghamton 29, George Mason 13 Boston U. 22, George Mason 11 Cornell 35, Brown 6 Cornell 24, Harvard 15 Duke 22, VMI 15 Edinboro 35, Lock Haven 6 Hofstra 20, Boston U. 19 Hofstra 32, George Mason 9 Old Dominion 23, Boston U. 6 Old Dominion 27, Drexel 9 Rider 19, Binghamton 15 Rider 29, George Mason 8 Old Dominion 19, Hofstra 12 At 141 pounds, ODU's 17th-ranked Chris Mecate upends the always tough Luke Vaith, 8-2. Virginia Tech 32, North Carolina 9 I had Jarrod Garnett pegged as a national finalist for Virginia Tech, so it came as a big surprise that the fourth-ranked Hokie was beaten by UNC's 13th-ranked Nathan Kraisser, 9-2. At 133, Erik Spjut of VT upsets UNC's 18th-ranked Joey Ward. Navy 22, Maryland 18 Fifth-ranked Terp 174-pounder Josh Asper notches a close 3-1 victory over Navy's 13th-ranked Matt Miller. Missouri 37, North Dakota State 7 NDSU's Steven Monk continues to impress. Here Monk, ranked sixth at 165 pounds, blanks 10th-ranked Zach Toal of Mizzou, 3-0. Friday, Jan. 18: Air Force 24, Stanford 12 American 24, N.C. State 16 Bucknell 24, Columbia 14 Buffalo 19, Eastern Michigan 14 Kent State 26, Ohio 11 Lock Haven 19, Cleveland State 17 Oklahoma State 36, West Virginia 3 The Citadel 25, Appalachian State 13 Ohio State 36, Indiana 3 Peter Capone was a 152-pounder in high school, so his success at heavyweight amazes me. Here Ohio State's 12th-ranked Capone beats 13th-ranked Adam Chalfant, 2-1. Iowa 33, Michigan 10 Here at 125, top-ranked Matt McDonough wins 8-2 over Michigan's 19th-ranked Sean Boyle. At 174, Iowa's sixth-ranked Mike Evans majors 11th-ranked Dan Yates, 9-1. Iowa's freshman 197-pounder Nathan Burak strengthens his case for a ranking with a 5-2 over 19th-ranked Max Huntley. Virginia 24, North Carolina 9 UNC's 13th-ranked Nathan Kraisser registers a big win over UVa's seventh-ranked 125-pounder Matt Snyder, 8-5. Ranked 13th for UVa at 133, George DiCamillo tops UNC's 18th-ranked Joey Ward, 9-3. Lastly, in a surprising upset, UNC's 174-pounder Tanner Eitel beats 14th-ranked Jon Fausey, 9-3. Penn State 36, Wisconsin 6 Wisconsin's freshman heavyweight Connor Medbery looks increasingly like a future national champ. Here he beats a hot Jon Gingrich, 6-3. In one of the biggest upsets of the week, Jordan Conaway rallies to upend the third-ranked 133-pounder in the nation, UW's Tyler Graff, 10-8. Quentin Wright, the third-ranked 197-pounder in the country, earns a pin for PSU over Wisconsin's 20th-ranked Jackson Hein. Rutgers 17, Lehigh 16 This isn't the best Lehigh team, but Rutgers should proudly celebrate a win over the Mountain Hawks. This marks a significant milestone for the Rutgers program. At 157, fourth-ranked Joey Napoli takes out 17th-ranked Scott Winston by major decision, 9-1. Rutgers 174-pounder Greg Zannetti, ranked 16th, earns a huge upset over 10th-ranked Nate Brown, 5-3. Third-ranked 184-pound wrestler Robert Hamlin bests 13th-ranked Dan Rinaldi, 4-2. Nebraska 18, Illinois 15 Nebraska's fourth-ranked 174-pound Robert Kokesh is having an incredible season. Here he gets the better of eighth-ranked Jordan Blanton, 8-3. At 184, eighth-ranked Cornhusker Josh Ihnen edges 18th-ranked Tony Dallago, 5-4. Northern Iowa 18, Oklahoma 15 I'll admit, I was not expecting UNI to take this dual. OU's dynamite 10th-ranked 133-pound freshman Cody Brewer beats 12th-ranked Levi Wolfensperger, 13-9. 141 top dog Kendric Maple tops UNI's 15th-ranked Joey Lazor, 6-3. It takes a couple of overtimes for UNI's David Bonin at 157 to upset OU's 14th-ranked Matt Lester, 5-3. Tuesday, Jan. 15: Appalachian State 16, Campbell 15 Tournaments Sunday, Jan. 20: "Shorty" Hitchcock Memorial Tournament Special mention of the "Shorty" Hitchcock tournament where Cornell Ivy shirt Mark Grey beat future teammate Nick Arujau twice: 7-3 and 8-0.