InterMat Staff

LA CROSSE, Wis. -- With a second-place team finish on Saturday night at the La Crosse Center and an individual national champion, the Augsburg College wrestling team claimed its 24th straight top-four finish at the NCAA Division III Wrestling National Championships. Augsburg finished second with 86.5 points, behind national champion Wartburg (Iowa) with 141.5 points. Coe (Iowa) was third with 74.0 points, Wisconsin-La Crosse was fourth with 65.0 points and Ithaca (N.Y.) was fifth with 61.5 points. The top four teams at the NCAA championships receive team trophies, and Augsburg has finished among the top four every season since 1989 – a 24-year streak of finishing in the top four in NCAA national team competition. The 24-year streak is the longest active streak in NCAA wrestling among all divisions, and is the second-longest streak in NCAA wrestling history, behind the 29 of Oklahoma State from 1928-59. With five All-Americans, the Auggie wrestling team also extended its streak of claiming at least five All-Americans to 24 straight years – also every year since 1989. Heavyweight Chad Johnson (SO, Ferryville, Wis./De Soto HS) won the national title in his second appearance at the national tournament, claiming a 6-1 victory over Corey Anderson of Wisconsin-Whitewater in the title match. Johnson claimed two takedowns and was dominant in the top position throughout the match, building 2:34 of riding time, including 1:50 in the first period. Leading 3-0 in the third period, Johnson fought off a leg attack by Anderson and spun around for a takedown, giving Johnson a 5-0 lead. Johnson is Augsburg's 46th individual national champion, Augsburg's record 42nd in NCAA Division III competition. He is the third national champion under Augsburg head coach Mark Matzek. In the semifinals, Johnson scored a 4-1 victory over William Mayer of Wisconsin-La Crosse. Johnson claimed an escape and takedown in the second period, then rode Mayer out through the entire third period, building 2:15 of riding time. He finished his season at 36-1 and is 68-12 in his two seasons at Augsburg, including a seventh-place finish last year. Augsburg's Orlando Ponce (SR, Hialeah, Fla./Hialeah-Miami Lakes HS) reached the national championship match for the third straight year, but fell one point short of claiming the national title with a 10-9 loss to Wisconsin-Oshkosh's Nazar Kulchytskky in the 157-pound final. Kulchytskky took a 5-0 lead with a minute to go in the first period, converting a drive into a takedown and three-point near-fall. He extended the lead to 8-3 early in the third period, but Ponce began a strong comeback, claiming two takedowns and receiving two stalling penalty points in the final 1:22 of the third period to cut the lead to the final margin of 10-9. Ponce, who placed second nationally at 157 last season and second nationally at 165 in 2010, finished his senior season at 23-1 and his career at 115-32. A four-time NCAA Division III national tournament qualifier in his Auggie career, Ponce became the fourth Division III wrestler to ever be a national runner-up three times, according to wrestling writer Jon Gremmels of the Clinton (Iowa) Herald. In the semifinals on Saturday, Ponce claimed a dramatic 6-4 victory in overtime over Chris Burdge of Centenary (N.J.) in the semifinals. Trailing 3-1 after two periods, Ponce scored an escape and takedown to take a 4-3 lead, but Burdge tied the match at 4-4 with an escape, forcing overtime. In the first overtime session, Ponce scored the decisive takedown with 31 seconds left to reach the finals. Two Auggies earned third-place honors in Saturday's early session – 149-pounder Tony Valek (SR, Belle Plaine, Minn./Scott West) and 141-pounder Will Keeter (SO, Twin Falls, Idaho). Brad Baus (SR, Mukwonago, Wis.) finished fourth at 197 pounds. Valek finished his senior season 34-1, with 29 bonus-point wins (15 pins, two technical falls, 12 major decisions). He finished his career at 136-25. Keeter finished his sophomore campaign 33-7 on the season and 59-26 in his career. Baus finished his senior season with a 30-11 record and ended his career at 99-56.

PUEBLO, Colo. -- For the second straight season, the St. Cloud State University wrestling team finished as the runner up in the NCAA Division II Championship tournament and an individual wrestler won a National Championship as senior Derek Skala (St. Cloud) took home the 184-pound title Saturday night on the University of Colorado-Pueblo campus. The University of Nebraska-Kearney took home the National Title with 107 team points, while St. Cloud scored 95 points. The Huskies and Nebraska-Kearney were tied at 91 points heading into the championship round with three wrestlers competing in the championship round for both teams. UNK then won all three National Titles at 141, 149 and 157 pounds to edge St. Cloud, who took home one National Title in three tries. Skala (St. Cloud) (31-3) finished his career with a National Championship exclamation point, after a stellar 9-3 win in his 184-pound match against Adam Walters of Findlay. It is the second SCSU individual national title in two years and fourth in school history for the Husky wrestling program after John Sundgren won the 157-pound division a year ago for the Huskies. Heavyweight junior Jake Kahnke (Shakopee) (38-2) lost a 3-1 heartbreaker in overtime to Northern State University’s Matt Meuleners. It was the second straight season Kahnke has lost to Meuleners in the National Championship. Junior Andy Pokorny (Bennington, Neb.) lost to No. 1 ranked Trevor Franklin out of Upper Iowa University in a tough 3-2 match for the National title to end the season 24-7 overall. Pokorny scored 19 points for the Huskies in the tournament to earn All-American Honors for the first time in his career. Franklin ended his season with a perfect 31-0 record after the win. Earlier in the day, senior Tad Merritt (Canby) won the third place match in the 165-pound match 3-0 against UNK’s Joey Wilson to set the school record for most wins in a career with 144. He also beat his own school record for pins in a season with 18 to go with All-American honors and a 38-3 overall record in 2011-12. Junior Shamus O’Grady (Coon Rapids) was named All-American at 174 pounds after a fourth place finish Saturday. He lost the third place match to Western State College’s Elliot Copeland. O’Grady scored 14.50 team points for the tournament and finished the season with a 14-3 record. Senior Lucas Munkelwitz (Forest Lake) ended his career as an All-American after finishing in fourth place at 197-pounds and a 29-7 overall record. He lost his third place match 7-5 to East Stroudsburg’s Eddie Ebewo and scored 11.50 team points for SCSU.

Related Content: Brackets LACROSSE, Wis. -- The No.1 ranked Wartburg College wrestling team finished atop the team leaderboard at the NCAA National Championships for the ninth time in program history with its 141.5 points Saturday. This also marked the second consecutive team trophy as the Knights won it last season as well. "We wrestled lights-out in the semifinals this morning," said co-head coach Jim Miller. "We were really excited to have five in the finals and eight All-Americans." "(Today's team win) was a compilation of every round," said co-head coach Eric Keller. "We've always said the match in front of us is most important and our guys really took ahold of that and took care of business without looking ahead." Augsburg finished in second with 86.5 points as the streak continued of Wartburg/Augburg finishing in the top two every year at the Championships since 1995. Senior Byron Tate (Clinton) became the program’s second three-time National Champion and first at 197 with his 7-2 decision over Dustin Barter of St. John’s. "Byron has gotten berter every year," commented Miller. "When he went out there and wrestled, he thought he could win every match and is a good leader on and off the mat." Sophomore Kenny Anderson (Billerca, Ma.), junior Kodie Silvestri (Franklin, N.J.) and sophomore Landon Williams (Davenport) all won the first National Titles of their careers at 125, 141 and 165, respectively. Silvestri was also named the NWCA’s Most Outstanding Wrestler. Other place winners included senior Bradley Banks (Stockbridge, Ga.) took second at 174, classmate Dylan Azinger (DeWitt) placed fourth at 184 and sophomore Ryan Fank (Independence) took fourth at 285 and freshman Drew Wagenhoffer (Sussex, N.J.) took sixth place at 149. Wagenhoffer was a New Jersey State High School Champion last season as a high school senior and the fact that he became an All-American in his freshman season is pretty remarkable. "Not many freshman even make our team, let alone become an All-American," said Miller. "His knee has been bothering him since the Augsburg dual so the fact that he (finished in the top eight) when he wasn't 100% is pretty incredible." "To many other people, the injury he sustained could have been season-ending," stated Keller. "He made the most of his national wild card and had a great day as he turned around and defeated the guy from Manchester that he lost to earlier at the Desert Duals." The Knights finished the weekend with eight competitors receiving All-American honors. This feat is also remarkable as 60% of the Orange and Black's lineup this season was new to the program or varsity competition.

Related Content: Team Standings & Brackets PUEBLO, Colo. -- For the second time in program history, the Nebraska-Kearney wrestling team has won the NCAA Division II national championship. On Saturday night in Pueblo, Colo., the Lopers tallied 107.0 team points to hold off a huge charge by top-ranked St. Cloud State, Minn. (95.0). This marks the Lopers 11th straight top 10 finish; UNK's other national title came in 2008. Ross Brunkhardt and the other Loper seniors go out in style By winning, UNK also keeps the national title in Nebraska. Since 2004, Nebraska-Omaha has six first place finishes, the Lopers two and Central Oklahoma one (2007). The SCSU Huskies won their first 10 matches on Saturday to not only catch UNK but also hold a brief lead. The two teams entered the finals with 91.0 points apiece but the Huskies lost the 133 lbs. match when defending national champ Trevor Franklin of Upper Iowa edged Andrew Pokorny, 3-2. UNK then won three straight national titles to secure the team title. “It was an absolute roller coaster today,” UNK coach Marc Bauer told USA Wrestling. “St. Cloud had a heck of a run this morning, but our guys responded and stepped it up. It was a storybook ending for these seniors. It was an amazing weekend for us. I'll never forget this. It's unbelievable.” At 141 lbs., top-ranked Dalton Jensen (Missouri Valley, Iowa) was leading Newberry's B.J.Young 2-1 midway through the second period. Building up a point of riding time, Jensen managed to turn Young and record a fall at 4:18. Jensen beat third-ranked Chism Fink of Augustana, 7-4, to reach the finals for a second straight year. Winning 20 of his last 21 matches, Jensen finishes his senior season 30-4. Up next, junior Raufeon Stots (Houston, Texas) faced unranked and true freshman John Hagerty of Maryville (Mo.) in the 149 lbs. finals. Stots used two takedowns to grab the early lead before Hagerty went to one knee to keep Stots away from his legs. Hagerty took a couple of shots but Stots fought them off to win by a 5-4 score. The former Labette C.C. All-American reached the finals thanks to a 6-1 decision over Ky Corley of Central Oklahoma. After medically redshirting last winter, and competing unattached first semester, the Lopers “secret weapon” closes out the 2011-12 season with a 30-6 combined record. Raufeon Stots Finally, senior T.J. Hepburn (East Hampton, Conn.) finished off one of the best careers in school history by pinning Jarrod Shaw of West Liberty State (W.V.) at 2:17 to win the 157 lbs. national title. A three-time All-American, Hepburn goes 36-3 as a senior, ending on a 26-match win streak. He also finishes 118-16 as a Loper. “I told these guys, 'I'm going for a pin in the finals,'” Hepburn said. “It feels great to go out this way. It's awesome. We worked so hard and it finally paid off.” To reach the finals, he needed overtime to beat top-ranked and undefeated Dillon Bera of Wisconsin-Parkside, 4-2. UNK had four other All-Americans in senior Ross Brunkhardt (3rd/184 lbs.), senior Joey Wilson (4th/165 lbs.), sophomore Mark Fiala (8th/174 lbs.) and redshirt freshman Kevin Barrett (4th/285 lbs.). Now a two-time All-American, Brunkhardt (Merino, Colo.) lost 3-1 to SCSU's Derek Skala, the eventual national champ, in the semifinals. He came back to beat Mitch Schultz of Upper Iowa, 4-2, for the second time in the tournament to place third. Wilson (Half Moon Bay, Calif.), also an All-American again, fell to the eventual national champ, Mike Williams of UNC-Pembroke, 2-1, in the semifinals. He beat Matt Vandermeer of D2 newcomer Lake Erie (OH), 5-2, before falling to SCSU's Tad Merrit, 3-0, in the third place bout. On Friday, Wilson scored a key 5-3 win over the top-ranked Merritt. In his semifinal match, Barrett (Boys Town H.S.) lost a heartbreaking 4-3 decision to now two-time national champ Matt Meuleners of Northern State. With UNK trailing in the team race, Barrett pinned Zach Rosol of Upper Iowa at 2:22 to tie things up at 91.0. After upsetting fourth-ranked Jacob Southwick of Ashland (OH) on Friday, Barrett lost to him by a 1-0 score for third place. Not able to crack the national rankings all season, the UNO transfer ends 2012 with a 27-9 mark (14 falls). Finally, Fiala (Seward) lost to Western State's Elliott Copeland, 9-5, and to Travis McKillop of Pitt-Johnstown, 7-0, on Saturday. He did win twice to earn All-American status and score some key team points.

Pat Curran stopped Joe Warren at Bellator 60 (Photo/Bellator Fighting Championships) CHICAGO -- Pat Curran and Joe Warren promised fireworks in their main event featherweight title fight, but it was Curran who stopped the former champion Warren in one of the most entertaining Bellator bouts seen in recent memory. The quarterfinals of the Bellator Season Six Featherweight Tournament are in the books as well as four tournament participants punched their tickets to the semifinal round. "Popo" Bezerra, Marlon Sandro, Mike Corey, and Daniel Straus all picked up victories at The Venue at the Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, Indiana LIVE on MTV2 and in HD on EPIX. "What a night here at The Venue here in Hammond," said Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney. "With a sellout crowd in Bellator's backyard, Pat Curran cemented his name as one of the best featherweights on the planet and is our new Bellator Featherweight Champion." The last time the Bellator featherweight championship changed hands, it was Joe Warren stopping Joe Soto at Bellator 27. Pat Curran, the Bellator Summer Series Featherweight Tournament champion, was looking to capitalize on his second tournament championship with a victory in the main event at Bellator 60. The first round opened up at a feverish pace, with both featherweights exchanging blows. After hurting Warren with an onslaught of punches and knees, Curran pursued "The Baddest Man on the Planet" looking for the finish. Warren, however, showed why he is the defending Bellator featherweight champion, as he found a way to avoid being finished. In the second round, it was Warren who controlled the fight with his Greco-Roman wrestling for a majority of the round and seemed to be building some momentum in his favor. When the third round started, Pat Curran came out energized. After landing a knee to the chin of Warren, Curran followed up with a barrage of strikes that forced the referee to stop the fight. With the victory, Pat Curran becomes the new Bellator featherweight champion as he stops Joe Warren with strikes and improves his record to 17-4 while the former Bellator Champion Warren drops to 7-3 and 5-2 under the Bellator banner. In the opening round of the featherweight quarterfinals, Bellator veteran Daniel Straus was hoping his second run at a featherweight tournament championship would end with his hand raised in victory. Undefeated Bellator tournament newcomer Jeremy Spoon was looking to keep his perfect record intact while spoiling the return of Straus. It was a closely contested fight through the first two rounds, with Straus controlling the striking and Spoon controlling the clinch. In the third round, Spoon appeared to be the more aggressive fighter, but Straus again landed the more significant strikes. When the judges rendered their decision, it was Daniel Straus that walked away with the unanimous decision victory. With the win, Daniel Straus improves his record to 18-4 and advances to the second round of the Bellator Season Six Featherweight Tournament. Jeremy Spoon loses for the very first time in his professional MMA career as his record falls to 12-1 with an outstanding effort. When Bellator Featherweight Tournament fighter Wagnney Fabiano injured himself in training, Ronnie Mann was left without an opponent. Illinois native Mike Corey saw an opportunity to face one of the best featherweights on the planet, and decided to step in on short notice. The first round saw plenty of action as both Mann and Corey landed shots that dropped their opponent. Corey was able to finish the round on top with some ground and pound. In the second round, Corey was able to secure a takedown and spent the majority of the time in a dominant position despite submission attempts from Mann. The third round looked similar to the second. Corey was able to get Mann to the canvas and deliver relentless ground and pound until the final bell sounded. When the scorecards were read, Mike Corey walked away with a well-deserved unanimous decision victory and will move on to the semifinals of the Bellator Season Six Featherweight Tournament. He improves his record to 12-2 while Ronnie Mann drops to 21-4 as a professional. Bellator Featherweight Tournament favorite Marlon Sandro was looking to make a statement in his second stint in a Bellator Tournament. Tournament newcomer Roberto Vargas was looking to score the biggest win of his career. The fight started off as an exciting back-and-forth affair that saw both fighters land clean shots. However, Sandro was able to overwhelm the less experienced Vargas with strikes that dropped him. After some ground and pound, Sandro was able to get the hooks in and submit Vargas with a rear naked choke at 3:35 of the first round. Marlon Sandro improves his record to 21-3 and 4-1 under the Bellator banner. Roberto Vargas loses for just the second time in his professional MMA career. In the first quarterfinal fight of the Bellator Season Six Featherweight Tournament, Alexandre "Popo" Bezerra came in as a favorite over late replacement, Kenny Foster. From the opening bell, "Popo" showed exactly why. Utilizing an array of head kicks and leg kicks was able to dominate Foster in the first round. In the second round, Foster came out with better footwork and appeared have learned from his striking mistakes in the first round, however Foster attempted a takedown that was stuffed from "Popo." Bezerra was then able to get Foster's back and slip in a rear naked choke that forced Foster to tap. "Popo" improves his record to 13-1 and moves on to the semifinal round of the Bellator Season Six Featherweight Tournament. Foster, who drops his fourth straight fight, falls to 9-6 in his professional career. For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Bellator About Bellator Fighting Championships Bellator Fighting Championships is a Mixed Martial Arts promotional company headquartered in Chicago. Bellator's founder/CEO, Bjorn Rebney, is an experienced fighting sports and entertainment professional with a deep commitment to the purity and integrity of the sport of MMA and its athletes. Bellator Fighting Championships' executive team is comprised of top industry professionals in the areas of live event production, television production, fighter relations, venue procurement, sponsorship creation/development, international licensing, marketing, advertising, publicity and commission relations. About MTV2 MTV2 is a man's best friend, available in nearly 80 million homes and with the highest concentration of males 12-24 and 12-34 on TV today. A vibrant mix of music, lifestyle and action sports programming, MTV2 has reflected the habits and behavior of young people since its launch in 1996. MTV2 is part of MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom, one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. About EPIX EPIX, a joint venture between Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA and VIA.B), its Paramount Pictures unit, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (MGM) and Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF), is a next-generation premium entertainment channel, video-on-demand and online service launched on October 30, 2009. With access to more than 15,000 motion pictures spanning the vast libraries of its partners and other studios, EPIX provides a powerful entertainment experience with more feature films on demand and online and more HD movies than any other service. It is the only premium service providing its entire monthly line-up of new Hollywood titles, classic feature films, original series, music and comedy specials through the linear channel, video-on-demand and online at EpixHD.com, the leading online destination for movies. EPIX has made the commitment to deliver the industry's most expansive online collection of movies, making more than 3,000 titles available on EpixHD.com. The service is available to over 30 million homes nationwide through distribution partners including Charter Communications, Cox Communications, DISH Network, Mediacom Communications, NCTC, Suddenlink Communications and Verizon FiOS.

Fight Now USA Presents Takedown Wrestling from the Brute studios in Des Moines, Iowa at 1460 KXNO. Takedown Wrestling is brought to you by Kemin Agrifoods! The brackets have been released for the NCAA Championships. Congratulations to one and all. This Saturday it's Takedown Wrestling Radio. Join Bob Selby, Jeff Murphy and Brad Johnson with the Takedown Wrestling Headline News this Saturday from 9 to 11 a.m CT/10 a.m to noon ET. Their guests include: 9:03: Brian Smith, Missouri head wrestling coach 9:20: Rob Koll, Cornell head wrestling coach 9:40: Pat Santoro, Lehigh head wrestling coach 9:50 Ty Barkley, Max Muscle Sports Nutrition Update 10:03: Mark Branch, Wyoming head wrestling coach 10:20: Brandon Slay, U.S. Assistant National Freestyle Coach 10:40: Logan Stieber, Ohio State wrestler 10:50: Maureen Roshar, Wildrose Casino and Resort Fans, athletes, and coaches: Join in the conversation live by calling 866-333-5966 or 515-204-5966. Takedown Wrestling is available on radio on AM 1460 KXNO in Iowa, online at Livesportsvideo.com, or on your Blackberry or iPhone with the iHeart Radio app.

InterMat's Steve Elwood recently spent three days at Minnesota's state high school wrestling tournament to document a developing a story about three of the nation's top heavyweights competing in the same state tournament bracket, all in search of the same prize. This is a story about numbers. They are the first numbers all of us learn. 1-2-3. That's what this is about. Oh, there's more. Plenty more. But in the end, this is about those simple numbers 1-2-3. Michael Kroells (Photo/The Guillotine)Let's start with one of them. How about the No. 2? In this case, No. 2 is assigned to Michael Kroells. This young man is in search of his second high school state wrestling championship in Minnesota. He has not lost a high school wrestling match since he was in the state finals as a sophomore against Spencer Johnson, who currently wrestles at Nebraska. Kroells won title No. 1 rather easily last season, and he has cruised through his senior campaign without a loss. Let's jump to the No. 3. This number belongs to Austin Goergen. This talented big man from Caledonia is attempting to win an unprecedented third heavyweight title. It's never been done in Minnesota before. Prior to two weeks ago, his last high school loss was the sectional final to Casey Johnson as a sophomore. He has run the table the last two regular seasons. Finally, we stop on No. 1. This belongs to the young sophomore Sam Stoll, who is in search of his very first gold medal. Sam went undefeated this season and was never really challenged. He is the future at this weight in Minnesota. Here's where this story starts gathering momentum. All three of these warriors are ranked in the top 10 in the United States. All of them wrestle in Minnesota and all are in Class AA. After this is over, only one of these guys will be able to say they got their number. Only one of these guys will be able to say they survived the most harrowing heavyweight Minnesota state tournament, and came out on top. I have the pleasure of following these three fighters as they narrow their paths and wait for that inevitable collision that is coming this weekend. I'm bringing the rest of you along for the ride. Thursday, March 1, 2012 This is the team portion of the tournament and it's an entire day of duals. Of our three heavyweights, only Sam Stoll and Michael Kroells will be wrestling. Austin Goergen will be watching and waiting. Sam Stoll entered the state tournament with a 41-1 record and ranked third behind Michael Kroells and Austin Goergen (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine)Here are the Class AA heavyweight rankings in Minnesota coming into the tournament: 1. Michael Kroells 41-0 2. Austin Goergen 33-1 3. Sam Stoll 41-1 4. Jesse Hein 41-0 5. Matt Kadrlik 37-4 That's a combined record of 193-6 for the season. Today, Stoll is scheduled to face Hein in the first round of team (dual meet) quarterfinals, and likely Kadrlik in the team semifinals. If the favored teams win, Kroells will get Kadrlik in the finals. It goes according to plan. Stoll gives Hein his first loss of the season, 5-3, and then has a brutal 3-2 win over Kadrlik in the next round. Kroells pins Kadrlik Friday, March 2, 2012 Stoll definitely has one of the more unfortunate draw in the individual competition. His first round is against Kadrlik, the wrestler he beat the previous night, and then likely a rematch with Hein. Stoll makes a big mistake in the first period and loses to Kadrlik. He now has to count on Kadrlik to beat Hein in the quarterfinals to stay alive. Fortunately for Sam, this is exactly what happens. But this is a big disappointment for the fans from Minnesota. If Sam wins those first two matches, he would likely get Michael Kroells in the semifinals. Meanwhile, Kroells easily dispatches his first two opponents with pins. Kroells looks completely at ease at 285 pounds. He has been ranked No. 4 nationally at 220 all year and some questioned why he would move up to this weight class. His response, "Frankly, there's no one at 220 that challenges me. This is the weight with all the talent. I want to know if I'm the best. Plus, I want to prove I am the top heavyweight in Minnesota. I want to stop this train. I want to send a message!" Austin Goergen (Photo/Mary Christen)In the upper part of the bracket, Austin Goergen wins easily with a first period pin and then a 17-0 technical fall. Goergen weighs 227 pounds and stand 6' 1." But he looks much bigger in a singlet. I think many people consider him a larger heavyweight. But he has cat-like quickness and is very strong. He is also a gentle and kind young man. He wants to make friends with his opponents and loves competition. Austin has a speech disorder and sometimes struggles to complete a sentence. But on the mat, there are no obvious weaknesses. Goergen has a routine that never varies. First he goes through a series of stretches. Then he always thanks God for the opportunity to be in this position in life. Finally he puts on the head phones and cranks AC/DC. The two songs he plays over and over are "TNT" and "Shook me all night long." If he makes it into the championship match, he plans on wearing his gold singlet and his bright yellow shoes. Austin is a man that stays with this plan and it never varies. Never has. Ben Morgan and Dakota Trom battle in the state quarterfinals (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine)Most fans of this sport in Minnesota agree there are three premier matches to look out for in the individual competition. Since Minnesota's tournament is not seeded, many times these matches can occur in the quarters and semis. That is exactly what happened at the 132-pound weight class where Apple Valley's Dakota Trom (looking for his four state championship) and Forest Lake's Ben Morgan (looking for his second) hook up. In a tense battle, Morgan comes out on top 7-2. This was a rematch from the Minnesota Christmas Tournament earlier this season -- a match also won by Morgan. Fortunately, the second premier match happened in the finals. Future Minnesota Gopher Sam Brancale, an InterMat JJ Classic champion, was in a rematch with three-time state champion Mitch Bengtson. This one was as tight as can be with Brancale getting a reversal in the last 10 seconds for a 2-1 victory. With Sam Stoll taking the surprising early loss, this left Goergen-Kroells as the third premier match. They have never met personally or on the mat. This buzz has been building ever since Michael Kroells started wrestling at 285 pounds on mid-January. Everyone wondered if this was really going to happen. Saturday, March 3, 2012 We are now two matches away from the showdown. If it happens, it will be the last match in Minnesota high school wrestling this season. In any ordinary year, it's not unusual for fans to start filing out before the heavyweights hit the mat. Unfortunately, many of the kids that wrestle at 285 pounds aren't technically-skilled wrestlers. Many fans think the heavyweights are boring and don't have the skills the lighter weight kids have. This is not the case with Goergen and Kroells. Both are extremely skilled on their feet with leg attacks, fireman's, and various throws and slide-byes. They are a treat to watch. Both can pin from any position. Michael Kroells cruises to a major decision victory in the state semifinals over Simley's Matt Kadrlik (Photo/Mary Christen)In the semifinal round, both Goergen and Kroells do something that hasn't been done this tournament. They both wrestle a full six-minute match. Kroells defeats Kadrlik for the second time this weekend, but instead of getting the fall, he wins an 8-0 decision. Goergen seems to struggle with the size of his opponent and settles for a 7-0 win. So far, neither Michael Kroells nor Austin Goergen has given up a point in this tournament. Michael tells me that he ran the table here without giving up a point during his first title run as a junior. I begin to wonder if a wrestler has ever gone two straight years at the state tournament without surrendering an offensive point. And will it happen this year? There is a long delay before the championship round. The normal routine of consolation matches needs to be completed. Sam Stoll has taken the longest road possible to make it to the third-place match. Along the way he needed to take out Jesse Hein again, who he defeated two days ago. In the end, Stoll, a Cadet National double champion last summer, wins his third-place match. Sam Stoll battles back to finish third after he was upset in the opening round on Friday (Photo/Mary Christen)Sam is about as kind as he is large. The fans from Kasson-Mantorville scream "Sam, Sam, Sam" each time he emerges from the tunnel and onto his mat placement. Stoll gets his inspiration from his head coach, Jamie Heidt, a former Iowa Hawkeye wrestler. Heidt weighs about 100 pounds less than Stoll, but remains his practice partner in the room. Sam says he fears no one after getting Heidt day after day after day. Sam has a twin brother about half his size and wants to win for him as well as his favorite coach. But in the end this gentle giant is one giant step away from the match he longed for all year. During this break and throughout the tournament, I get the pleasure of talking to Kroells and Goergen down in the tunnel. This is my 30th state tournament, but first time up close with the kids as they both enter and exit. There's a common theme going on here. There's hope and confidence everywhere on the way in. There's exultation and despair on the way out. I see many kids running into the tunnel after a loss with tears flowing, hoping no one is watching. I see kids whip their headgear at the wall, kick garbage cans and scream in agony. The winners don't seem nearly as happy as I expect. Most are completely out of breath and are only looking for more oxygen. Both Michael and Austin feel compelled to comment on the way some kids behave after a loss. They both have been trained to handle a win or loss the same way ... with class. One of these two guys is going to suffer this fate in a few hours. Both are convinced it will be their opponent. Michael Kroell's puts Simley's Matt Kadrlik in danger (Photo/The Guillotine)Michael Kroells was recruited by half the Ivy League schools and Stanford. He carries a 4.0 GPA. After taking a look at these big-time, outstate schools, Michael chose to stay home and wrestle for the Minnesota Gophers. He is a pretty straight-forward kid. He has a smile that lights up a room and is very cordial. Like Stoll, Michael also has a twin. I ask him if he ever wins for anyone. He quickly mentions Al Flynn (longtime coach) and his dad Larry. He loves his dad, who is his biggest fan and makes sure everyone on The Guillotine forum knows it. But it's done respectfully like all the other things this family does. Michael's routine is pretty simple. He puts on the headgear three matches before his bout. The sweat pants come off two matches away and the warmups, one match away. He does not listen to music. But there is something deep going on in him. Kroells finds a way to channel hatred and anger towards his opponent. He does not want to be friendly or any of that chummy stuff he sees all around him. He has a job here, and that is to win. He feels he has to psychologically work himself into this part-evil frame of mind to conquer. But then after the match it turns right off. He no longer has any of that rage. Mission accomplished. It's getting closer and each of these two warriors reflect on the moment. Austin is a soft-hearted, sentimental man and knows this is the last match he will ever wrestle in Minnesota. Tomorrow it all ends. Michael talks about how much he will miss his friends on the team. Both seem to know their lives are about to change. Neither believes their opponent can beat them. I choose to watch this in the stands. I have no interest in watching either of these two men come back into the tunnel after losing. Over the last three days, I've crossed over the line with these guys and I don't want to see either dream crushed. I know it's going to happen. This sport is almost dehumanizing. There is always a loser and no one to blame but the mirror. No wrestler is coached to lose and most of the elite wrestlers don't do it enough to know the ugly taste of watching your opponent get his arm raised. In a championship match, this is often followed by a victory celebration of some sort. Many kids run into the stands to hug family members, while the loser can't wait to get out of the arena. The pain is excruciating. I'm not interested in seeing it. Michael Kroells controls Austin Goergen in the their state championship match at heavyweight (Photo/The Guillotine)I know Austin has already thanked God and is cranking AC/DC and is sporting his yellow wrestling shoes. I know Michael has started the channel of anger. I know Austin wants to see his dad cry (happy tears) for only the second time in his life. I know Michael wants to be known as the very best wrestler in the state of Minnesota. It's time. They shake hands and within 30 seconds, Kroells is in on a low single for a takedown. Michael has plenty of pinning moves from the top position and he throws several Austin's way. Goergen fights off every one and struggles to get out. All of those moves are countered beautifully by Michael and the period comes to an end with the score 2-0. Kroells wins the coin toss and chooses down. He gets an early escape, 3-0. This next takedown could decide the match. All of Goergen's shots are blocked. Kroells tries moves that work on just about everyone else in the state. Kroells shoots for a double leg and finds success. It's now 5-0 with only the third period to go. Goergen chooses down. He scores a beautiful reverse to bring the score to 5-2. It occurs to me both wrestlers have given up points for the first time this entire weekend. Austin tries valiantly to turn Kroells. Michael isn't budging, but the referee warns Kroells for stalling. Not long after he yells stalling again and it's 5-3 with 30 seconds to go. Goergen desperately tries for a pinning combination and Kroells counters with a slick reversal. It comes to an end with the final score 7-3. Michael Kroells win his second straight state title. Austin Goergen finishes as state runner-up for the first time in three seasons. Michael Kroells gets his hand raised after winning his second state championship (Photo/The Guillotine)This story started out all about numbers. Stoll was looking for his first championship, while these other two men were looking for Nos. 2 and 3. In the end, this was not about the numbers. It was about three gentle giants desperately battling for pride. The numbers don't matter nearly as much as the sweat. The numbers don't matter nearly as much as the heart these three display. The numbers don't matter. In the end, it's about fighting harder than humanly possible. Michael Kroells, Austin Goergen, and Sam Stoll have each, at one time, been a champion. Each of them has experienced gut-wrenching losses. None of them will forget this weekend. Neither will we.

Purchase a ticket for the live premiere for only $2 On March 9 2011, Head Coach Mike Denney and the University of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks won their seventh NCAA Division II national championship. Two hours later, UNO Athletic Director Trev Alberts moved the university to Division I and cut one of the most storied wrestling programs in NCAA history. "The Last Maverick" is the story of the final days of the Maverick Wrestling program. As the community of Omaha mourns the program's loss, Coach Denney struggles to find the next step for his program and his family. As the wrestling community rallies to defend the once great program, the Mavericks begin to wonder if under Alberts' thumb, are they even worth saving? Directed by J.D. Oliva (Independence: Wrestling With A Community, Return To Glory), "The Last Maverick" will be the first ever sports documentary to premiere online, as Illinoismatmen.com will host a live stream of the movie Wednesday night March 14 at 8:00 p.m. CDT for the low price of $2. After the initial stream, the film will be archived on both TheLastMaverickMovie.com and Illinoismatmen.com throughout the duration of the NCAA Wrestling Tournament and will be available on-demand at a special discounted price of $3. Online viewing is only available through the end of the tournament. A DVD release is expected sometime in summer 2012. Last Maverick Trailer from James Oliva on Vimeo.

Related Link: The MMA Outsider Podcast Archives Bellator Fighting Championships will holds its first show of 2012 on March 9 in Hammond, Ind., featuring the first round of the featherweight tournament and a 145-pound title bout between Joe Warren and challenger Pat Curran. Richard and John break down this show but also look at all of the Bellator tournaments for this season and offer up their predictions. As a bonus, UFC and PRIDE veteran John Alessio (33-14) joined the show to discuss his March 16 fight against Ryan Healy (19-9), a lightweight bout that will serve as the main event of The Score Fighting Series in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Alessio has fought in the biggest promotions all over the world for pretty much his whole career, dating back to a UFC 26 bout against the legendary Pat Miletich. But at 32 years of age, Alessio feels like he has plenty of gas left in the tank and hopes to get another crack at the UFC. We talk about all of those topics, and then some, for your listening pleasure. Bonus: John Alessio Interview

PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- The Rutgers wrestling team finalized its qualifying group at five Scarlet Knights for the 2012 NCAA Championships, held inside the Scottrade Center in St. Louis from Thursday, March 15 – Saturday, March 17. Mario Mason (Moorestown, N.J.) was the final Scarlet Knight to gain NCAA qualification, earning an at-large bid at 149 pounds Wednesday to join automatic qualifiers Billy Ashnault (South Plainfield, N.J.), Scott Winston (Jackson, N.J.), Greg Zannetti (Edison, N.J.) and Dan Rinaldi (Lodi, N.J.). The five RU wrestlers, lead by fifth-year head coach Scott Goodale, ties for the fourth-highest number of NCAA representatives in program history. The NCAA Division I Wrestling Selection Committee announced brackets and seeds on Wednesday, placing the five Scarlet Knights as unseeded competitors in the tournament. At 141 pounds, senior Ashnault has compiled a 24-14 record this season. The winningest active wrestler on the RU squad with 83 career victories, Ashnault is set to finish his wrestling career with his third overall trip to the NCAA Championships and his second as a Scarlet Knight. Ashnault qualified for the 2008 tournament while at Lock Haven. In opening round action, Ashnault is matched against Northern Iowa’s Levi Wolfensperger. Mason has wrestled to a 19-3 record in 2012, spending the majority of the year ranked within the top 10 by Amateur Wrestling News, Intermat and W.I.N. Magazine. The junior’s 2012 trip to St. Louis marks the third NCAA qualification of his career and second at Rutgers. Mason was a 2010 qualifier while wrestling for Minnesota. Mason will face the winner of Josh Wilson (Utah Valley) vs. Kyle Bradley (Missouri) to open the tournament. Winston, RU’s 165-pounder, punched his ticket to his third national tournament after wrestling to a 19-6 record in 2011-12. The junior holds the most NCAA experience in a Scarlet Knight singlet on the current RU squad with a 3-4 record at the national tournament. Winston has the opportunity to avenge a Jan. 27 defeat to 12th-seeded P.J. Gillespie of Hofstra in the first round. At 174 pounds, Zannetti earned the distinction of being Rutgers’ lone first-time qualifier of the five-person group. He has compiled the team-leading win total with his 30-4 record in 2011-12. Zannetti will look to go 2-0 in 2012 against West Virginia’s Lance Bryson in the initial NCAA round. Zannetti won in overtime, 5-3 (TB1), on Jan. 29. Rinaldi rounded out the Rutgers qualifier group with his third NCAA trip, all at different weights. The 197-pounder qualified at 174 pounds in 2010 and 184 pounds in 2011. Rinaldi has a favorable rematch with Kent State’s Keith Witt to start the tournament, with Rinaldi winning against Witt by a score of 5-3 at the NWCA National Duals event held in the RAC on Feb. 11. The opening session of the 2012 NCAA Championships begins Thursday, March 15 at 11 a.m. CT. Follow Rutgers Athletics on Facebook (www.facebook.com/RutgersAthletics) and Twitter (@RUAthletics) for all of the latest news and updates. For specific updates regarding Rutgers wrestling, follow the program on Twitter (@RUWrestling). Fans can receive timely information, including special offers and giveaways throughout the year on our social media outlets along with www.ScarletKnights.com.

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- University of Michigan sophomore/freshman Max Huntley (Emerald Isle, N.C./Blair Academy) earned one of his weight's five at-large bids to the NCAA Wrestling Championships when the 43 at-large selections and brackets were announced Wednesday (March 7). The Wolverines will have seven representatives at the NCAA tournament. Huntley carries a 15-13 record in his rookie campaign and owns wins over three members of the NCAA field at 197 pounds. He has placed in all four tournament appearances this season, including an eighth-place showing at last weekend's Big Ten Conference Championships (March 3-4). He will face Missouri's No. 6-seeded Brent Haynes in the first round. Joining Huntley at the NCAA Championships will be U-M's six automatic qualifiers who all placed among their weight classes' allocated number at the Big Ten Championships. For the second straight season and third time in his career, fifth-year senior Kellen Russell (High Bridge, N.J./Blair Academy) will enter the NCAA Championships with the No. 1 seed at 141 pounds after capturing his fourth Big Ten title and improving to 28-1 on the season. Russell is the defending NCAA champion, posting a perfect 38-0 record last season, and a two-time All-American. He will face Missouri's Nicholas Hucke in the first round. Senior Zac Stevens (Monroe, Mich./Monroe HS) and junior/sophomore Eric Grajales (Brandon, Fla./Brandon HS) earned No. 8 seeds at 133 and 149 pounds, respectively, after posting top-four finishes at the Big Ten Championships, while fifth-year senior Justin Zeerip (Fremont, Mich./Hesperia HS) enters the tournament with the No. 12 seed at 174 pounds. Junior/sophomore Dan Yates (Hesperia, Mich./Hesperia HS) and senior/junior Ben Apland (Woodridge, Ill./Downers Grove South HS) round out Michigan's NCAA contingent at 165 pounds and heavyweight, respectively. It will be the second straight NCAA appearance for both Wolverine wrestlers. The NCAA Championships are scheduled for Thursday through Saturday, March 15-17, at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Mo.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The Penn State Nittany Lions now know their first round opponents at the 2012 NCAA Wrestling Championships as the brackets for the three-day event have been released. Penn State heads in with nine national qualifiers. Head coach Cael Sanderson's Nittany Lions have seven seeded wrestlers, including three top seeds. Going weight-by-weight, Nittany Lion true freshman Nico Megaludis (Murrysville, Pa.) has earned a No. 10 seed at 125. The fifth place finisher at last weekend's Big Ten Championship will carry a 24-7 record into his first NCAA Championship and will take on Michael Martinez of Wyoming in the first round. Sophomore Frank Martellotti (Pittsburgh, Pa.), who qualified for nationals with a seventh place finish at Big Ten's, is unseeded and will take an 8-9 mark into nationals. Martellotti will take on No. 1 seed Jordan Oliver of Oklahoma State in the first round. Three-time All-American Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.), two-time Big Ten Champion, is the No. 1 seed at 149. The undefeated Molinaro was national runner-up last year and carries a 28-0 record into nationals. Molinaro will face Cornell's Chris Villalonga in the opening round. Red-shirt freshman Dylan Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.) is the No. 7 seed at 157. A third place finisher at Big Ten's last weekend, Alton takes a 24-5 mark to his first NCAA Championship and will meet Jake O'Hara of Columbia on Thursday. All-American David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio), two-time Big Ten Wrestler of the Year, is the No. 1 seed at 165. Taylor, like Molinaro, was national runner-up last year and carries an undefeated record to nationals. Taylor is 27-0 and will meet Corey Lear of Bucknell in the opening round. All-American Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.), two-time Big Ten Champion, heads into the NCAA Championships as the No. 1 seed at 174. Ruth, who was an All-American last year with a third place finish and is undefeated at 26-0. Ruth takes on Bloomsburg's Mike Dessino in the first round. Defending National Champion Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.) will head to NCAAs as the No. 6 seed. Wright, a two-time All-American, took third at Big Ten's and heads to St. Louis with a 26-3 record. He will battle Thomas Ferguson of North Carolina on Thursday. True freshman Morgan McIntosh (Santa Ana, Calif.) will be unseeded seed at 197 when he heads to St. Louis for his first NCAA Championship. McIntosh, 17-8 overall, took fifth at the Big Ten Championships and will face off against Taylor Meeks of Oregon State in his first NCAA tourney bout. Senior Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio) will be the No. 6 seed at 285. Wade is making his third trip to NCAAs after finishing in the round of 12 last year when an injury derailed him in the quarters. Wade took third at Big Ten's and is 26-4 overall. He will meet Clarion's Quintas McCorkle in the opening round. The Nittany Lions will be looking to win a second straight national title at the event and will have four returning All-Americans in their line-up to go along with three freshmen. The 2012 NCAA Wrestling Championships take place in St. Louis, Mo., on March 15-17. The three-day event takes place in the Scottrade Center and beings on Thursday, March 15, at 11 a.m. Central/12 p.m. Eastern. The full season slate of live dual meet and tournament action will air locally on WRSC AM (1390 AM) with Friday evening duals being simulcast on WRSC FM (103.1 FM). Lock Haven's WBPZ (1230 AM) will also carry the entire season live, WIEZ (670 AM) in Huntingdon/Lewistown carries all Sunday events. The regular season schedule of radio broadcasts will be streamed live at www.GoPSUsports.com as part of Penn State's All-Access package. Fans are encouraged to follow Penn State wrestling via twitter at www.twitter.com/pennstatepat and on Penn State Wrestling's facebook page at www.facebook.com/pennstatewrestling. The 2011-12 Penn State Wrestling season is presented by The Family Clothesline.

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- The University of Iowa wrestling team will send eight qualifiers to St. Louis next week for the 2012 NCAA Championships. The event will be held March 15-17 at the Scottrade Center. The official tournament brackets were released today by the NCAA. Matt McDonough (125), Tony Ramos (133), Montell Marion (141), Derek St. John (157), Mike Evans (165), Ethen Lofthouse (174), Grant Gambrall (184) and Bobby Telford (285) earned automatic berths to the NCAA Championships following their performances at the conference tournament March 3-4. Seven of Iowa's eight qualifiers earned seeds at the national tournament, and all seven are seeded in the top five -- more than any other school. McDonough is Iowa's highest seeded wrestler. He earned the top spot at 125 following his Big Ten title run. McDonough won the 125-pound national title in 2010 and finished runner-up in 2011. He enters the tournament with a 23-match winning streak and a 31-1 overall record. Returning All-Americans Marion (141) and St. John (157) enter the tournament as the #3 and #2 seeds at their respective weights. Marion finished runner-up at the national tournament in 2010 and placed fourth in 2011. St. John also placed fourth in 2011. He enters this year's tournament as the 157-pound Big Ten champion. He opened the season ranked No. 2 in the country, but fell out of the rankings after he missed extended time due to injury. He won the Big Ten title as the #6 seed. Ramos earned the #3 seed at 133. He'll be making his second appearance at the national tournament. He did not place in 2011, but finished runner-up at last week's Big Ten tournament and owns a 28-3 record heading into the national tournament. Lofthouse (174) battled back through the consolation bracket of the conference tournament to finish third and earn #5 seed at NCAAs. He'll be competing in his second national tournament, and he's one of three Hawkeyes to earn a #5 seed. Evans (165) and Telford (5) each enter their first NCAA tournament seeded fifth at their respective weights. Evans owns an overall record of 25-6, while Telford owns a 24-7 mark. Both redshirt freshmen placed second at the Big Ten tournament. Gambrall, an All-American at 184 in 2011, has competed in just six matches at 184 pounds this season. He advanced to the national championships following a fifth place finish at the conference tournament. He is the only unseeded Hawkeye in the tournament. McDonough and Telford both open the tournament against opponents they've already faced this season. McDonough scored a 13-4 major decision against Eastern Michigan's Jared Germaine at the 2011 Midlands. Telford recorded a 12-0 major decision against Northern Iowa's Blayne Beale in a Dec. 8 dual. Iowa has sent at least eight athletes to the NCAA Championships in each of head coach Tom Brands' six seasons. The NCAA Championships begin at 10 a.m. March 15 inside the Scottrade Center. Hawkeye fans can follow the action online at Hawkeye All-Access, hawkeyesports.com and ESPN3. The finals will air live on ESPN. IOWA'S FIRST ROUND NCAA MATCHUPS (# indicates tournament seed) 125 - #1 Matt McDonough (Iowa) vs. Jared Germaine (EMICH) 133 - #3 Tony Ramos (Iowa) vs. Brian Owen (Boise) 141 - #3 Montell Marion (Iowa) vs. Mike Morales (WVU) 157 - #2 Derek St. John (Iowa) vs. Drake Houdashelt (Mizz) 165 - #5 Mike Evans (Iowa) vs. Kyle Blevins (App. St.) 174 - #5 Ethen Lofthouse (Iowa) vs. Kyle Czarnecki (BU) 184 - Grant Gambrall (Iowa) vs. #8 Ryan Loder (UNI) 285 - #5 Bobby Telford (Iowa) vs. Blayne Beale (UNI)

COLUMBIA, Mo. - Coming off the program's first Big 12 Championship this past weekend, the Missouri wrestling squad accomplished another first on Wednesday afternoon, as the NCAA announced that all 10 of Missouri's starting grapplers have qualified for the NCAA Championship. Last season, the Tigers set a program record when they earned nine bids to the national tournament. Mizzou is the only program in the country to qualify all 10 of their starters to this year's NCAA's. Nine of the wrestlers earned automatic qualifier bids after their performance at Saturday's Big 12 Championship. The lone remaining non-qualifier, heavyweight Devin Mellon, landed one of the four remaining wild card spots at the weight. Mellon went 19-12 as a redshirt freshman, which included two wins over top-15 wrestlers. He'll face the winner of No. 1 Ryan Flores (American) and Ernest James (Edinboro), who wrestle in the pigtail round. Two Tigers earned national seeds, with Alan Waters coming in at No. 3 at 125 pounds and Brent Haynes getting the No. 6 seed at 197. Waters will open up against Pat Rollins of Oregon State, while Haynes is paired up with Maxwell Huntley of Michigan in the first round. Other first round matchups include: 133: Nathan McCormick vs. No. 6 Devin Carter (Virginia Tech) 141: Nicholas Hucke vs. No. 1 Kellen Russell (Michigan) 149: Kyle Bradley vs. Josh Wilson (Utah Valley) in the pigtail round. Winner gets Mario Mason of Rutgers in the first round. 157: Drake Houdashelt vs. No. 2 Derek St. John (Iowa) 165: Zach Toal vs. No. 8 Robert Kokesh (Nebraska) 174: Dorian Henderson vs. No. 4 Logan Storley (Minnesota) 184: Mike Larson vs. No. 1 Joe LeBlanc (Wyoming) The NCAA Championship starts next Thursday, March 15 and runs through Saturday, March 17. It will be hosted at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis and there are limited tickets remaining, which can be purchased at ticketmaster.com.

INDIANAPOLIS -- The NCAA announced the 43 at-large selections for the 2012 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. The wrestlers listed in alphabetical order by weight class join the 287 student-athletes that qualified automatically through the conference and regional qualifying tournaments over the past two weekends. The at-large selections were made by the NCAA Division I Wrestling Committee using the following selection criteria without priority order: head-to-head competition, qualifying event placement, quality wins, results against common opponents, winning percentage, rating percentage index, coaches ranking and number of matches contested at that weight class. 125: Johnni DiJulius (Ohio State) Tyler Iwamura (CSU Bakersfield) Jerome Robinson (Old Dominion) Vince Rodriguez (George Mason) Erik Spjut (Virginia Tech) 133: Garrett Drucker (Oregon State) Ridge Kiley (Nebraska) Shane McGough (Arizona State) Jordan Thome (Army) 141: Luke Goettl (Iowa State) Evan Henderson (North Carolina) Nathan Hoffer (Arizona State) Richard Krop (Princeton) 149: Bryce Busler (Bloomsburg) Mario Mason (Rutgers) Gus Sako (Virginia) Owen Wilkinson (Lock Haven) 157: Bobby Barnhisel (Navy) Tommy Churchard (Purdue) Mallie Shuster (Kent State) Aaron Sulzer (Eastern Michigan) 165: Kyle Blevins (Appalachian State) Ben Jordan (Wisconsin) Corey Lear (Bucknell) Mark Lewandowski (Buffalo) 174: Lance Bryson (West Virginia) Quinton Godley (North Carolina State) Tyler Koehn (Nebraska) Jim Resnick (Rider) Chris Spangler (Iowa State) 184: Casey Newburg (Kent State) Kevin Radford (Arizona State) Luke Rebertus (Navy) MacKain Stoll (North Dakota State) 197: James Fox (Harvard) Keldrick Hall (Oklahoma) Maxwell Huntley (Michigan) Daniel Mitchell (American) Cody Reed (Binghamton) 285: Maciej Jochym (Cornell) Quintas McCorkle (Clarion) Devon Mellon (Missouri) Wes Schroeder (Eastern Michigan)

The seeds and brackets for the 2012 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships were released on Wednesday, and as is the case every year, there were some seeding blunders. Stanford's Nick Amuchastegui is the highest returning NCAA finisher and has been dominating opponents all season (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)The biggest seeding blunder came at 174 pounds, where Stanford's Nick Amuchastegui was given the No. 3 seed. Amuchastegui should have been the No. 1 seed. Giving him the No. 2 seed would have been unfortunate. But giving him the No. 3 seed is just a slap in the face. Instead the top seed was given to a wrestler Amuchastegui defeated at the NCAAs last season, Penn State's Ed Ruth, and the No. 2 seed was given to Oklahoma State's Chris Perry, a wrestler who failed to earn All-American honors last season. There's no denying that Ruth and Perry have been dominant this season. But so has Amuchastegui. He began the season as the No. 1 wrestler in the weight class based on his performance last season, and Stanford's Superman has done nothing to surrender that No. 1 spot. He enters the NCAAs with a perfect 20-0 record. He has faced two wrestlers who have earned seeds at this year's NCAAs, and has major decision victories over both of them. Amuchastegui has picked up bonus points in 15 of his 20 wins this season. Amuchastegui is not the only Stanford wrestler who received a raw deal with his seed. So did returning All-American Ryan Mango, who was given the No. 8 seed at 125 pounds, and put in the same quarter bracket as No. 1 Matt McDonough of Iowa. Mango spent the majority of the season competing at 133 pounds to help his team, and had a strong season, picking up quality wins, and losing only to ranked 133-pounders. Mango notched a win over Harvard's Steven Keith, who earned the No. 11 seed at 133 pounds. Late in the season Mango made the move back down to 125 pounds, where he is the third-highest returning NCAA finisher, behind only McDonough and Minnesota's Zach Sanders. Mango has not lost a match at 125 pounds this season, and last season had wins over three wrestlers who are seeded ahead of him at this year's NCAAs. Seeding Mango anywhere from third to fifth would have been reasonable, but giving him the eighth seed is discrediting what he has accomplished in the weight class. Maryland All-American Josh Asper is 24-1 and seeded No. 7 (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Maryland's Josh Asper, a returning All-American, entered the ACC Championships undefeated and ranked No. 2 at 165 pounds, behind only Penn State's David Taylor. Asper suffered his first and only loss of the season in the finals of the ACC Championships, in overtime, to Virginia's Tech's Peter Yates. With that single overtime blemish, Asper fell out of the top five and received a head-scratching No. 7 seed, while four of the six wrestlers seeded in front of him enter the NCAAs with four or more losses. It just doesn't add up. Another major seeding blunder came at heavyweight, where defending NCAA champion Zack Rey of Lehigh was given the No. 4 seed, and placed on the same side of the bracket as his rival Ryan Flores of American. Rey would have likely earned the No. 1 seed if he would have defeated Flores in the EIWA finals. But he didn't. He lost in overtime. Rey should have been given the No. 2 seed, or at worst the No. 3 seed. His only other loss this season came in the first month of the season to Arizona State's Levi Cooper. The No. 2 seed was given to Minnesota's Tony Nelson, who, like Rey, has two losses, but one of Nelson's losses is to a wrestler who is not seeded, Central Michigan's Peter Sturgeon. The No. 3 seed was given to Oregon State's Clayton Jack, who has a loss this season to Nelson and has not faced Flores or Rey. Perhaps the most baffling seed is at 174 pounds, where Iowa State's Chris Spangler earned a No. 8 seed despite being out for the season because of repeated concussions.

The NCAA held tight to its power on Wednesday, but after five hours of actively waiting, wrestling fans were greeted with the 2012 NCAA brackets. Many fans were upset to see their favorite stars left out of the tournament. Others were perplexed by what seems to be illogical seeding, or at least a seeding process that lacked consistency. The NCAA again proved to be an inept body of bureaucrats exceptional at manipulating their participants for organizational gains, by sucker-dragging their fan base in wielding information as power. Their social media experiment failed, making fans wait five hours for brackets they'd already made. Instead of creating buzz they created heartache, instead of endearing themselves to the fan base, they once again alienated them. But hey, they'll probably put on a great show in St. Louis, and we'll forget about their insolence once we start waving for the cameras! The NCAA tournament is nothing without the courageous studs who walk in front of 17k fans and square off in a battle of control. Their failures and triumphs are all their own, and we‘ll be watching with zeal. We know the seeded guys, but who are the ten wrestlers in the bracket that can extinguish your dreams of winning your bracket contest? Who are the guys who shed their regular season clothes to show fans the "S" on their chest? It's impossible to know, but here are 10 wrestlers -- one per weight class -- to keep an eye on in the first rounds, when the bureaucrats retreat back into their brick castle in Indianapolis and the doers start to scrap. 125: Joe Roth (Central Michigan) I never liking betting against a Tom Borrelli-coached talent, and Roth seems to be coming on at the right time of the season. Should he get past Camden Eppert of Purdue again -- the first match was 4-2 in sudden victory -- he will likely face No. 4 Jesse Delgado of Illinois. Delgado, who beat top-seeded Matt McDonough of Iowa earlier in the season, is one of the best, but Roth is a dangerous talent and if he can slow down Delgado, he will get a quarterfinal match against No. 5 Nic Bedelyon of Kent State, a wrestler he bested 9-6 at the MAC tournament. 133: Nick Soto (Chattanooga) Fourth-seeded B.J. Futrell of Illinois could not have been pleased to see the brackets. One of Futrell's losses this season came at the hands of Soto, a lopsided 8-2 decision in December. Should Soto repeat that performance, he will face a second round match of either Scott Festejo of Old Dominion or Zach Zehner of Wyoming -- both wrestlers pinned him this season. That's not a good sign for a longer run, but with that first round upset, Soto could carry momentum and better those decisions. His quarterfinals match would be against top-proficient Joe Colon, the Northern Iowa wrestler who dismantled then-No. 1 Devin Carter of Virginia Tech. Soto has the talent to turn the top side of the bracket upside down. 141: Joshua Kindig (Oklahoma State) Kindig has been inconsistent this year, but as one of the most talented athletes in the weight with a legendary coach, allows more cushion for his chances at nationals. Though he was briefly suspended from the team for violating unspecified team rules, it's likely that head coach John Smith will have him ready to compete in his true sophomore campaign. First up is Mike Mangrum, the fourth-seeded Oregon State wrestler. He's a stud, but if Kindig comes to wrestle nothing that happened or didn't happen in the regular season will matter. He's that talented It's just a matter of cobbling it together into one tournament. Eric Terrazs defeated Iowa's Mike Kelly at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals (Photo/Austin Bernard, Tech-Fall.com)149: Eric Terrazas (Illinois) Illinois' junior middleweight has been on the cusp for several seasons. He's beaten All-Americans and been in contention for All-American honors the past two seasons, falling short each time. His draw seems to be as good as it gets. Up first is a very dangerous Ian Miller of Kent State, who earned the fifth seed, but who beat Terrazas by one point earlier this season. Should E.T. get the upset, he will likely face Ivan Lopouchanski of Purdue, who he beat by six points in January. From there it could be a matchup with Dake-killer Donnie Vinson of Binghamton in the quarters. 157: Matt Lester (Oklahoma) Lester's chances all come down to his ability to knock off the funky-free Jason Welch of Northwestern, who comes in as the No. 3 seed. Welch, who lost on a last second takedown to arch nemesis Derek St. John of Iowa in the Big Ten finals, is talented, but only beat Lester 7-3 in their early season matchup. Should Lester upset the California native, he will likely face Tommy Churchard of Purdue, who he has beaten twice this season, including a major decision victory at Midlands. The quarterfinals would be James Green of Nebraska or James Fleming of Clarion, wrestlers he has not yet faced this season. 165: Scott Winston (Rutgers) Maybe it's because my roommate is from Toms River, N.J., or because I like the Rutgers coaching staff, but I'm pulling for Scott Winston. The All-World recruit had been the centerpiece of head coach Scott Goodale's Rutgers team, but three years later Rutgers is without an All-American. Winston hopes to change his team's fortunes, and is looking primed to do so after a strong runner-up finish at the EIWA tournament. Winston lost 2-0 earlier this season to returning All-American P.J. Gillespie and defaulted to Mike Evans of Iowa, but should he beat those two, he will be facing Bekzod Abdurakhmonov of Clarion in the quarterfinals. Dorian Henderson is potential bracket buster at 174 pounds (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)174: Dorian Henderson (Missouri) Henderson opens his tournament against Minnesota's Logan Storley, a wrestler who defeated him 2-0 in February. Henderson does have wins over several other wrestlers in the weight class, including No. 6 Ryan DesRoches of Cal Poly. Should Henderson slip past Storley, he will likely face Kyle Detmer of Oklahoma, who he defeated by major decision earlier in the season. His quarterfinal match would then be again Ethan Lofthouse of Iowa, a wrestler he has not faced this season. Please note: The bracket at 174 pounds has since been redrawn. Henderson will now open his tournament with Kyle Czarnecki of Boston University. If he wins that match, he will face top-seeded Ed Ruth of Penn State. 184: Grant Gambrall (Iowa) Gambrall placed third at the NCAAs last season. He wrestled at 197 pounds for a portion of the season. If you bet money in an NCAA wrestling pool, I'd recommend not betting against Gambrall placing. If you're looking for offline action, please feel free to email me. 197: Bagna Tovuujav (George Mason) One of three Mongolians in this year's NCAA tournament, Bagna has an exceptional 20-3 record on the season, with his last loss coming in January. Should he wrestle past third-seeded Matt Wilps of Pitt (who is coming off an upset win over Chris Honeycutt of Edinboro in the EWL finals), he will likely face A.J. Kissel, who is a deceptive 6-5 on the season. Complete those upsets and Bagna will be in the quarterfinals with Brent Haynes of Missouri. 285: Odie Delaney (The Citadel) I'd take Odie Delaney on first name alone. However, he's proven to be a more than just serviceable heavyweight. The Citadel junior is 27-2 with a remarkable 14 falls on the season. Those might not materialize at the NCAA tournament, but he's aggressive, strong and very used to winning. His only two losses came back-to-back earlier in the season -- and both to wrestlers from Ohio. He will face returning All-American Spencer Myers of Maryland in the first round. He won't be the favorite, but could match up well and pulling an upset in the first round would put him in position to wrestle Levi Cooper of Arizona State in the second round, followed by a likely matchup with fellow pinner, top-seeded Ryan Flores of American.

The complete list of NCAA qualifiers has been released. 125: Nic Bedelyon - Kent State Steve Bonanno - Hofstra Jesse Delgado - Illinois Johnni DiJulius - Ohio State Camden Eppert - Purdue Ryak Finch - Iowa State Coltin Fought - North Carolina State Garrett Frey - Princeton Shane Gentry - Maryland Jared Germaine - Eastern Michigan Antonio Gravely - Appalachian State Tyler Iwamura - CSU Bakersfield Ryan Mango - Stanford Michael Martinez - Wyoming Nicholas Megaludis - Penn State Levi Mele - Northwestern Matt McDonough - Iowa Austin Miller - Bucknell Jon Morrison - Oklahoma State Jarrod Patterson - Oklahoma Frank Perrelli - Cornell Jerome Robinson - Old Dominion Vince Rodriguez - George Mason Pat Rollins - Oregon State Joe Roth - Central Michigan Zach Sanders - Minnesota Matt Snyder - Virginia Max Soria - Buffalo Erik Spjut - Virginia Tech Trent Sprenkle - North Dakota State Alan Waters - Missouri Shane Young - West Virginia Anthony Zanetta - Pittsburgh 133: Geoffrey Alexander - Maryland Nick Arujau - Cornell Mason Beckman - Lehigh Devin Carter - Virginia Tech Joe Colon - Northern Iowa Chris Dardanes - Minnesota Garrett Drucker - Oregon State Scott Festejo - Old Dominion Jamie Franco - Hofstra B.J. Futrell - Illinois Zach Horan - Central Michigan Aaron Kalil - Navy Steven Keith - Harvard Jordan Keller - Oklahoma Ridge Kiley - Nebraska Frank Lomas - CSU Bakersfield Shelton Mack - Pittsburgh Frank Martellotti - Penn State Nathan McCormick - Missouri Shane McGough - Arizona State Matt Nelson - Virginia Jordan Oliver - Oklahoma State Bryan Ortenzio - Pennsylvania Brian Owen - Boise State Nathan Pennesi - West Virginia Cashe Quiroga - Purdue Tony Ramos - Iowa A.J. Schopp - Edinboro Nick Soto - Chattanooga Logan Stieber - Ohio State Zach Stevens - Michigan Jordan Thome - Army Zach Zehner – Wyoming 141: Billy Ashnault - Rutgers Nick Dardanes - Minnesota Richard Durso - Franklin & Marshall Steve Dutton - Lehigh Kevin Fanta - Northern Illinois Luke Goettl - Iowa State Evan Henderson - North Carolina Nathan Hoffer - Arizona State Tanner Hough - Duke Nick Hucke - Missouri Zack Kemmerer - Pennsylvania Mike Kessler - Appalachian State Josh Kindig - Oklahoma State Adam Krop - Princeton Justin LaValle - Old Dominion Darius Little - North Carolina State Mike Mangrum - Oregon State Kendric Maple - Oklahoma Matthew Mariacher - American Montell Marion - Iowa Scott Mattingly - Central Michigan Mike Morales - West Virginia Zach Neibert - Virginia Tech Nick Nelson - Virginia Mike Nevinger - Cornell Boris Novachkov - Cal Poly Mitchell Port - Edinboro Kellen Russell - Michigan Tyler Small - Kent State Hunter Stieber - Ohio State Jake Sueflohn - Nebraska Luke Vaith - Hofstra Levi Wolfensperger - Northern Iowa 149: Justin Accordino - Hofstra Kyle Bradley - Missouri Nick Brascetta - Virginia Tech Bryce Busler - Bloomsburg Kaleb Friedley - Northwestern Eric Grajales - Michigan David Habat - Edinboro Corey Jantzen - Harvard Nick Lester - Oklahoma Ivan Lopouchanski - Purdue Mario Mason - Rutgers Ian Miller - Kent State Frank Molinaro - Penn State Tyler Nauman - Pittsburgh Matthew Nereim - North Carolina State Dylan Ness - Minnesota Dan Osterman - Michigan State Jamal Parks - Oklahoma State Dean Pavlou - Chattanooga Stephen Robertson - Pennsylvania Scott Sakaguchi - Oregon State Gus Sako - Virginia Steve Santos - Columbia Kevin Tao - American Eric Terrazas - Illinois Cam Tessari - Ohio State Chris Villalonga - Cornell Donnie Vinson - Binghamton Cole VonOhlen - Air Force Taylor Walsh - Indiana Shane Welsh - Lehigh Josh Wilson - Utah Valley Owen Wilkinson - Lock Haven 157: Dylan Alton - Penn State Bobby Barnhisel - Navy David Bonin - Northern Iowa Tommy Churchard - Purdue Donnie Corby - Central Michigan Kyle Dake - Cornell Josh Demas - Ohio State James Fleming - Clarion James Green - Nebraska Frank Hickman - Bloomsburg Drake Houdashelt - Missouri Georgi Ivanov - Boise State Kyle John - Maryland Anthony Jones - Michigan State Daniel Kolodzik - Princeton Joshua Kreimier - Air Force Matt Lester - Oklahoma Justin Lister - Binghamton Corey Mock - North Carolina Steven Monk - North Dakota State John Nicholson - Old Dominion Jake O'Hara - Columbia Colton Palmer - North Carolina State Roger Pena - Oregon State Walter Peppelman - Harvard Ganbayar Sanjaa - American Mallie Shuster - Kent State Derek St. John - Iowa Aaron Sulzer - Eastern Michigan Brian Tanen - Lehigh Daniel Waddell - Chattanooga Jason Welch - Northwestern Albert White - Oklahoma State 165: Bekzod Abdurakhmonov - Clarion Josh Asper - Maryland Dallas Bailey - Oklahoma State Kyle Blevins - Appalachian State Joe Booth - Drexel James Brundage - Rider Gabe Burak - Northern Colorado David Cheza - Michigan State Mike Evans - Iowa Paul Gillespie - Hofstra Coleman Gracey - Army Bubby Graham - Oklahoma Pierce Harger - Northwestern Brandon Hatchett - Lehigh Ben Jordan - Wisconsin Dominic Kastl - Cal Poly Robert Kokesh - Nebraska Corey Lear - Bucknell Mark Lewandowski - Buffalo Shane Onufer - Wyoming Mike Ottinger - Central Michigan Marshall Peppelman - Cornell Conrad Polz - Illinois Andrew Sorenson - Iowa State Nick Sulzer - Virginia David Taylor - Penn State Zach Toal - Missouri Tristan Warner - Old Dominion Scott Winston - Rutgers Brandon Wright - Chattanooga Peter Yates - Virginia Tech Daniel Yates - Michigan Cody Yohn - Minnesota 174: Nick Amuchastegui - Stanford Jordan Blanton - Illinois Lance Bryson - West Virginia Seth Creasy - Lock Haven Kyle Czarnecki - Boston U. Ryan DesRoches - Cal Poly Mike Dessino - Bloomsburg Kyle Detmer - Oklahoma Te Edwards - Old Dominion Dave Foxen - Brown Quinton Godley - NC State Ethan Headlee - Pittsburgh Nick Heflin - Ohio State Dorian Henderson - Missouri Peter Huntley - Navy Curran Jacobs - Michigan State Phillip Joseph - Eastern Michigan Tyler Koehn - Nebraska Ryan Leblanc - Indiana Ethen Lofthouse - Iowa Turtogtokh Luvsandorj - The Citadel Patrick Martinez - Wyoming Chris Moon - Virginia Tech Lee Munster - Northwestern Chris Perry - Oklahoma State Nick Purdue - Ohio Jim Resnick - Rider Ed Ruth - Penn State Jimmy Sheptock - Maryland Chris Spangler - Iowa State Logan Storley - Minnesota Greg Zannetti - Rutgers Justin Zeerip - Michigan 184: Braden Atwood - Purdue Victor Avery - Edinboro Boaz Beard - Iowa State Ben Bennett - Central Michigan Ophir Bernstein - Brown Steve Bosak - Cornell Ben Clymer - Hofstra Steven Cressley - Clarion Tony Dallago - Illinois Brad Dieckhaus - Northern Illinois Jonathan Fausey - Virginia Thomas Ferguson - North Carolina Grant Gambrall - Iowa Ryan Garringer - Ohio Robert Hamlin - Lehigh Ian Hinton - Michigan State Josh Ihnen - Nebraska Mike Larson - Missouri Joe LeBlanc - Wyoming Ryan Loder - Northern Iowa Casey Newburg - Kent State Kevin Radford - Arizona State Luke Rebertus - Navy Matt Ryan - West Virginia Nathan Schiedel - Binghamton Erich Schmditke - Oklahoma Erich Smith - Pennsylvania Kevin Steinhaus - Minnesota MacKain Stoll - North Dakota State Jake Swartz - Boise State Austin Trotman - Appalachian State Ty Vinson - Oregon State Quentin Wright - Penn State 197: Christian Boley - Maryland Joe Budi - Old Dominion Micah Burak - Pennsylvania Cayle Byers - Oklahoma State Andrew Campolattano - Ohio State Brent Chriswell - Boise State James Fox - Harvard Mario Gonzalez - Illinois Keldrick Hall - Oklahoma Brent Haynes - Missouri Alfonso Hernandez - Wyoming Chris Honeycutt - Edinboro Max Huntley - Michigan Joseph Kennedy - Lehigh A.J. Kissel - Purdue Morgan McIntosh - Penn State Daniel Mitchell - American Taylor Meeks - Oregon State James Nakashima - Nebraska Brandon Palik - Drexel Richard Perry - Bloomsburg Matt Powless - Indiana Cody Reed - Binghamton Dan Rinaldi - Rutgers Cam Simaz - Cornell Ryan Smith - Cal Poly Kelby Smith - The Citadel Derek Stanley - Army Bagna Tovuujav - George Mason John Weakley - Campbell Matt Wilps - Pittsburgh Keith Witt - Kent State Sonny Yohn - Minnesota 285: Steve Andrus - Michigan State Ben Apland - Michigan Brendan Barlow - Kent State Blayne Beale - Northern Iowa Peter Capone - Ohio State Adam Chalfant - Indiana Levi Cooper - Arizona State Odie Delaney - The Citadel Ryan Flores - American Kyle Frey - Drexel Matt Gibson - Iowa State Nick Gwiazdowski - Binghamton Kevin Innis - Boston U. Clayton Jack - Oregon State Ernest James - Edinboro Maciej Jochym - Cornell Jeremy Johnson - Ohio Tucker Lane - Nebraska Kevin Lester - Columbia Austin Marsden - Oklahoma State Spencer Myers - Maryland Quintas McCorkle - Clarion Mike McMullan - Northwestern Devon Mellon - Missouri Tony Nelson - Minnesota Zack Rey - Lehigh Wes Schroeder - Eastern Michigan Peter Sturgeon - Central Michigan P.J. Tasser - Pittsburgh Bobby Telford - Iowa Cole Tobin - Wisconsin Cameron Wade - Penn State Brandon Williamson - West Virginia

Mike Finn and Doug Schwab will go "On the Mat" this Wednesday, March 7. “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. An archive of the show can be found on www.themat.tv. E-mail radio@wrestlingmuseum.org with any questions or comments about the show. Finn, named journalist of the year by the National Wrestling Media Association in 2006, is the editor of Wrestling Insider Newsmagazine. He will provide a preview of the upcoming NCAA wrestling tournament. Schwab is the current 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.

Jimmy Gulibon seeks a fourth Pennsylvania state title (Photo/Rob Preston) Dominant, but not perfect: Ohio's team state champions All three divisions of this past weekend's state wrestling tournament in Columbus saw the favorites emerge with a decisive team championship. However, all three teams saw moments that were dissatisfying along the way. In Division I (big school), No. 2 St. Edward was aiming to break multiple records for team points, champions, and finalists. They barely tied one of those marks, tying the Division I record for most state finalists with eight. They fell short of the divisional point record (229 by St. Edward in 2007), titlists record (6 by Cleveland West in 1951), and the all classification finalist record (9 by St. Paris Graham in 2009). Additionally, from those eight finalists, only four emerged as champions -- No. 2 Dean Heil (126), No. 4 Mark Martin (170), No. 8 Domenic Abounader (182), and No. 14 Ty Walz (220). However, with 12 total placers, the Eagles did dominate the tournament with 223.5 points. Martin upended a fellow nationally ranked wrestler, Vince Pickett from Grove City Central Crossing, 3-2 in the final; while Abounader beat fellow defending state champ Michael Baker of Twinsburg 3-0 in the final. State runners-up included Alex Moore at 113 pounds, who lost 3-1 to now two-time state champion Brandon Thompson from Solon; No. 7 Edgar Bright, who lost 2-1 in the tiebreakers to No. 10 Joey Ward at 132 pounds, who is now a two-time state champion from Moeller; Markus Scheidel, losing 3-1 at 145 pounds to yet another repeat state champion in No. 10 Anthony Collica from Solon; and No. 20 James Suvak, who was upended 6-4 by Joe Tayse from Massillon Perry at 195 pounds. Another projected state champion, No. 20 Jacob Davis was upset, 8-6, in overtime during the state semifinals, and lost again in overtime to take fourth place at 160 pounds. Additional placers were Nick Barber, third at 138 pounds; Colin Heffernan, fourth at 120 pounds; and Matt Van Curen, seventh at 152 pounds. Second in the team standings was No. 26 Massillon Perry with 105.5 points, anchored by its four state champions -- Joe Tayse at 195, David Bavery at 106, Mitch Newhouse at 138, and a repeat state title for No. X Zack Dailey at 152. Additional wrestlers to place for the Panthers were seventh place finishers Isaac Bast at 132 pounds and Josh Arrendale at 160. Working with eight state qualifiers, No. 16 Cincinnati Moeller had a disappointing tournament with 65.5 points, though it was enough to take home third place in the standings. The Crusaders were anchored by a state title from No. 10 Joey Ward at 132 pounds, and also saw placement finishes from Dakota Sizemore, third at 152; Chalmer Freauf, fourth at 220; and Tyler Ziegler, sixth at 126. Rounding out the big school state champions were Brandon Thompson (113) and No. 10 Anthony Collica (145) from Solon, each winning a second consecutive state title; No. 1 George DiCamillo (120) from St. Ignatius, who was also a repeat state champion; Roy Daniels (160) from Olentangy Liberty; and a third consecutive state title for Wadsworth's No. 5 Nick Tavanello (285). St. Paris Graham, ranked eighth nationally, came home with a twelfth consecutive state title scoring 183.5 points anchored by four state champions. Winning their third consecutive state titles respectively were senior No. 5 Ryan Taylor (120) and No. 4 Isaac Jordan (160), along with junior No. 1 Bo Jordan (152); while it was a repeat state title for sophomore No. 17 Micah Jordan (126). However, the Falcons came up short in two championship matches placing ranked wrestlers against one another. For a second consecutive year, No. 7 Huston Evans lost to No. 9 Chaz Gresham from Goshen in the state final, this time is was 3-2 in overtime at 182 pounds; while No. 11 Blake Kastl was unable to make it three consecutive victories over No. 14 Jake Faust from Lexington, as Faust earned a 7-4 victory, which was the first state title in program history for the Minutemen. In addition, freshmen Eli Stickley and Eli Seipel placed fifth and fourth at 106 and 113 pounds respectively for St. Paris Graham. Second in the Division II standings were Lexington with a trio of state finalists, a pair of state champs in Faust and junior Josh Lehner (195) -- who had four technical falls in the tournament -- along with two other state placers in amassing 97.5 points. Other Minutemen placers were state runner-up Brad Metz (160), fourth place finisher Jacob Kasper (170), and fifth place finisher Calvin Campbell (120). Third place in the standings went to No. 49 CVCA with 84.5 points on the strength of a pair of state titles won by No. 2 Nathan Tomasello (113) and No. 10 Matt Meadows (220), along with all five of their other state qualifiers earning podium finishes. Those other placers were freshman Ryan Bennett (106) taking fourth, Ricky Simonelli (126) and David Gray (170) finishing seventh, along with Josh Decatur (132) and Jeff Hojnacki (145) earning eighth place medals. Additional state champions in Division II were freshman Cameron Kelly (106), who was the first champion in Bellbrook program history; No. 16 Brent Fickel (132) from Padua; No. 2 Nate Skonieczny (138) from Walsh Jesuit earning his second; Chris Moore (170) from Clyde; No. 9 Chaz Gresham (182) from Goshen; and Riley Shaw (285) from Washington C.H. earning a repeat title. Finally, in Division III, Waynedale earned its first state title in program history scoring 104 points, as all six of its qualifiers placed on the podium. The Bears were led by state champion Zeb Beam (160), runner-up finishes from Zane Nelson (138) and Brenden Stanley (162), and a fourth place finish from Zack Nelson (120); while Brad Wardell (132) finished in seventh and Dakota Stanley (145) took home seventh place standing. Second in the team point race was Troy Christian with 81.5 points coming from four wrestlers -- championships won by Jordan Marshall (145) and B.J. Toal (182), a runner-up finish for Jared Ganger (106), and a fifth place medal for Garrett Hancock (113). In addition, the following ranked wrestlers won titles in Division III -- No. 2 Matthew Kolodzik (106) from Miami Valley School, and No. 8 Mimmo Lytle (285) from Swanton was a repeat champion. The other repeat champion in the division was Jacob Danishek (132) from Dayton Christian. View results. America's most rigorous championship: PIAA Class 3A 106: Freshman sensation Michael Kemerer (Franklin Regional) is the clear favorite in the top half of the bracket. He won the Super 32 at this weight class, but spent the vast majority of the season at 113 pounds (where he is ranked twelfth), and has an undefeated record. He has convincing wins over No. 10 Vincenzo Joseph (Pittsburgh Central Catholic) the last two weeks. Joseph is in the opposite half of the draw, and in the same quarter-bracket as state runner-up No. 13 Ethan Lizak (Parkland). Last year's fourth place finisher at 103 pounds -- and a Beast and POWERade placer at 113 -- Zach Fuentes (Norristown) is the likely other semifinalist in the bottom half. 113: Nationally ranked wrestlers No. 10 Billy Rappo (Council Rock South), defending state champion, and freshman No. 19 Sam Krivus (Hempfield) are in opposite halves of the draw. Krivus won the regional title over Dalton Macri (Canon-McMillan), who is the likely semifinal opponent for Rappo. 120: 2010 state champion Conner Schram (Canon McMillan), ranked ninth nationally, is undefeated on the season and favored to clear the top half of the draw. His toughest challenge is likely to be returning state placer Thomas Traxler (Bellefonte) in the quarterfinal. The bottom half of the draw is anchored by POWERade champion, and Ironman placer, No. 14 Godwin Nyama (Brashear). 126: Three-time state placer and defending state champion Corey Keener (Blue Mountain) is ranked 18th and the favorite in this weight class. It is very likely that he clear to the state final, with a collision against returning third in the state Tyson Dippery (Central Dauphin) pending. 132: Shyheim Brown (Central Dauphin), ranked No. 19 nationally, is in the top half of the draw and a two-time state placer. Brown is looking at a semifinal collision against two-time state placer Devon Lotito (Bethlehem Liberty), who was third at state last year. The bottom half of the draw is anchored by state runner-up Mackenzie McGuire (Upper St. Clair). 138: The five regional feeding to state model leads to every weight having three champs on one side of the draw. Unfortunately, that can lead to some disasters in the brackets. It's happened here. The three nationally ranked wrestlers are all in the top half of the draw. The top quarter of the draw has both No. 7 Solomon Chishko (Canon McMillan) and No. 9 (at 145) Matt Cimato (LaSalle), the two wrestlers competed at 145 pounds in the Super 32 and POWERade. Both wrestlers placed in the top five at the Super 32, and Chishko upended Cimato 3-2 in the semifinal at the POWERade. Waiting in the semifinal is No. 17 Steve Spearman (Erie McDowell), a 2010 state champion who beat Chishko in the dual meet state tournament. The bottom half of the draw features only one wrestler with a state podium appearance, Chris Vassar (Cedar Cliff), whose appearance came in 2010 at 103 pounds. 145: The weight's two nationally ranked wrestlers, defending state champion Mitch Minotti (Easton) -- ranked fifth -- and No. 19 Ty Lydic (Greater Latrobe) -- never a state placer -- meet in the first round. This happened due to the fact Lydic was upset in the semifinal of the regional meet by eventual champion Heath Coles (Norwin). Coles is in the same bottom half as Minotti and Lydic, but in the other quarter along with a pair of formidable sophomores in T.C. Warner (Cumberland Valley) and Justin Staudenmayer (Plymouth-Whitemarsh). The top half of the draw is anchored by returning state finalist Garrett Hammond (Chambersburg). 152: Three names stand out as contenders in this weight class -- state placer Garrett Peppelman (Central Dauphin), 2010 state third place finisher Casey Kent (LaSalle), and state qualifier Rustin Barrick (Mechanicsburg). Peppelman and Kent project to the top semifinal, while Barrick floats in the bottom half of the draw. 160: Defending state champions, No. 1 Chance Marsteller (Kennard-Dale) and No. 7 Brian Brill (Central Mountain) look to be on a collision course in the final. Both wrestlers are undefeated and have been unchallenged this year. Not that Marsteller needs the help, but he's clear in the bottom half of the draw. In Brill's half of the draw, the opposite quarter features two regional champions in No. 15 Brett Harner (Norristown) and Zach Zavatasky (Greater Latrobe). 170: Two-time state finalist No. 2 Cody Wiercioch (Canon McMillan) has not dropped a beat in his Class 3A debut, having competed at Class AA Charleroi the previous two seasons. He is the favorite in this weight class, though the top half of the draw is tough with a quarterfinal match against fellow Super 32 placer Jacob Taylor (Bald Eagle Area) looming. Then, it's a semifinal against the winner of a first round match between state placers Connor Moran (Solanco) and Geno Morelli (DuBois). The bottom half of the draw is comparatively barren, with two-time state placer Shane Springer (Norristown) -- a 2010 state finalist -- the likely candidate to clear to the final. 182: No. 18 Matt McCutcheon (Kiski Area), third in the state last year, enters this year's tournament as the favorite. Returning state placer Ryan Burnheimer (Westmont Hilltop) is likely to be the semifinal opponent. The top half of the draw features the undefeated Chris Jastrzebski (Central Bucks West) in one quarter with Khalique Harris (Erie McDowell) and Jared Lux (North Allegheny) in the other. 195: No. 10 Perry Hills (Pittsburgh Central Catholic) is undefeated with a title at the Beast of the East, and the Maryland-bound quarterback enters this tournament as the favorite. 220: State champion as a freshman, Super 32 and POWERade champion this year, No. 9 Thomas Haines (Solanco) is undefeated and favored to win the state title. He is a good bet to clear the bottom half of the draw, while fellow undefeated Tyson Searer (Mifflin County) is the favorite in the top half of the draw. 285: State champion Avree Robinson (Susquehanna Township), ranked 18th nationally, is in the bottom half of the draw and is looking at a quarterfinal against the undefeated Brad Emerick (Coughlin). Also in the bottom half of the draw is returning third in the state Cody Klempay (Canon-McMillan), who is ranked 12th nationally. The top half of the draw is anchored by state runner-up Dawson Peck (Chambersburg), ranked 20th nationally after making his debut very late in the year and beating Robinson in the regional final. Also in that top half is two-time fifth in the state Josh Duplin (Westmont Hilltop). The Golden Upset Less than thirty seconds away from a fourth state title, and membership in a very select club (in fact, it just has one member -- Darrell Vasquez) in the Golden State, No. 1 Alex Cisneros from Selma saw his dream slip away. It came with a toss from Gilroy's Niko Villarreal, who is ranked 13th up at 138 pounds. The sophomore emerged with a 5-3 victory, and a true "giant killing" at the Rabobank Arena in Bakersfield, Calif. this past Saturday night. The other main story was the absolute dominance of No. 5 Clovis, which has ten of its wrestlers place inside the top eight of the single class state championships. Two Cougar wrestlers finished atop the podium, each placing for the fourth time in their career. No. 6 Zach Nevills (170) won his first title after finishes of fifth, second, and third in prior years; while No. 20 Daniel Gayton (120) was a repeat champion. It was three pins and then three narrow match victories on the title journey for Nevills. The championship match against No. 12 Silas Nacita from Bakserfield was a 7-5 victory that split their four-match series for the season at two matches apiece. Gayton opened his tournament run with four pins, a 5-1 victory over returning state third placer Emilio Saavedra from Modesto, and then a 3-2 victory in the finals over Hermilio Esquivel from Orland that avenged a loss from mid-December. Two other wrestlers finished in second place, Jonas Gayton (113) and Dakota Gordan (195). Jonas lost 5-4 to No. 3 Isaiah Locsin from Live Oak in the final, after a string of five falls including one in the semifinals against No. 6 Micah Perez from Central Union. Gordan had three falls, a 12-4 major decision, and a 6-1 decision in the semifinals before falling to defeat against No. 11 Robert Marchese from Oak Hills in the final. Defending state champion Nick Nevills (285), only a sophomore and ranked fourth nationally, finished third after being upset 5-4 in the semifinal round by Michael Lowman from Foothill. Other Clovis placers were Adrian Salas (160) and Ryan Davies (182) finishing fourth, Jason Ladd (182) in fifth, Julian Gayton (106) in sixth, and Vincent Hernandez (126) in seventh. Second place in the team standings went to No. 22 Bakersfield with six placers and 129.5 points anchored by state runner-up finishes from Nacita (170), who is ranked 12th nationally, and Kyle Pope (182). Other placement finishes included No. 5 Coleman Hammond (152) in third, No. 11 Natrelle Demison (138) in fourth, Micah Cruz (132) in sixth, and Maxx Ramirez (145) in seventh. Demison fell short of expectations yet again in the state tournament, losing 7-4 to eventual state champion Brian Sergi from College Park in the semifinal round and 11-3 to Jacob Leon from Alta Loma in the consolation final. A solid third place standing was in the cards for No. 18 Poway with their five medalists, led by fourth place finishes from Victor Lopez (132) and Connor King (170). Also placing for the Titans was Josh Miranda (120) in fifth, Richard Durr (220) in sixth, and Steve Cervantes (170) in seventh. Another main storyline was that of the freshman sensations from St. John Bosco -- Zahid and Anthony Valencia. Ranked first in the nation at 106 pounds, Zahid dominated his way to the championship match with a pin, 8-0 major decision, technical fall, and 16-2 major decision. Then, he emerged as state champion with a 5-4 victory over Johnson Mai from North Torrence, the defending state champion who is ranked fifth nationally. In the 126 pound weight class, Anthony earned pins in the semifinal and championship match to become another freshman state champion. Three wrestlers earned repeat California state championships -- No. 2 Isaiah Martinez (152) from Bakersfield, No. 2 Joey Davis (160) from Santa Fe, and No. 6 Nikko Reyes (182) from Clovis West. Martinez won all five of his state tournament matches by fall, including a victory in the state final over defending state champion Jake Elliott (Oakmont). That finals victory came after Elliott upended No. 5 Hammond 5-2 in the semifinal round. Davis navigated his half of the draw with three falls, an 18-3 technical fall, and a 7-3 victory over No. 11 James Wilson from McNair in the semifinal. No. 13 Victor Pereira from Newark Memorial had a pin and three technical falls before the 10-8 victory over Salas in the semifinal round. In the final, Davis upended Pereira 12-5. In the case of Reyes, he had three first period pins and two technical falls before the 5-0 victory over Pope from Bakersfield in the final. Rounding out the weight class champions were No. 3 Locsin (113), Brian Sergi (138) from College Park with a 4-3 victory over No. 18 Shayne Tucker from Bella Vista, No. 18 Willie Fox (145) from Gilroy, No. 11 Marchese (195), No. 20 J.T. Goodwin (220) from Bear Creek, and No. 11 Johnny Schupp (285) from Vacaville. View results The drive for four in PIAA small-school wrestling Despite some disappointment this year, a loss in the Ironman final and missing time in the month of January due to injury, Jimmy Gulibon (Derry Area) is ranked first nationally at 126 pounds and in position to win a fourth state title. That journey starts with an opening round match against returning state placer Zane Heller (Bethlehem Catholic), and continues with a likely quarterfinal against state placer Ian Brown (Hanover). Two-time state placer Corey Bush (Ridgway) looms in the semifinal, while two-time state placer Arty Walsh (Schuylkill Valley) -- also a 2009 state champion -- is the probable finals opponent. Two state champions anchor the 113 pound weight class. Undefeated wrestlers Ryan Diehl (Trinity) and Jason Nolf (Kittaning) look to be meeting in the semifinal round. The junior Diehl, fourth nationally, won titles in West Virginia each of the last two years; while Nolf made the late drop into this weight class after being ranked No. 3 at 120 pounds. Nolf won state last year as a freshman at 103 pounds, keyed by a semifinal victory over Darian Cruz, and has a win over No. 4 Nick Roberts (North Star) -- the favorite at 120 pounds in Class AA -- this season. Power programs show their power in Gopher State After winning state dual meet titles on Thursday, both No. 3 Apple Valley and No. 11 Simley had dominant performances from their individual squads on Friday and Saturday. Even though Apple Valley had some disappointments, the Eagles still came through with four state champions -- Malou Woiwor (106), Seth Gross (120), No. 3 Mark Hall (145), and No. 10 Brandon Kingsley (160). Dayton Racer (138) finished in second place; No. 12 Dakota Trom (132), Mason Manville (152), and Ben Sullivan (170) took home bronze medals; Shamar Williams (126) finished fourth; while Daniel Woiwor (182) defaulted down to sixth place after a state semifinal loss in overtime. The two showdown matches of Class AAA occurred at 126 and 132 pounds. In the 126 pound final, No. 12 Sam Brancale from Eden Prairie upset No. 8 Mitch Bengtson from St. Cloud Apollo with a 2-1 decision. That result avenged a 1-0 quarterfinal loss from last year's state tournament, and ended the long-standing win streak for Bengtson going back to December 2008 (his eighth grade year). No. 9 Ben Morgan from Forest Lake dominated No. 12 Dakota Trom in a 7-2 quarterfinal victory on the way to his second state title. Morgan ends his career with titles in eighth grade and his senior year, after third place finishes in the middle three years; while Trom's quest for four state titles was derailed. Other big school (Class AAA) state champions were No. 5 Tommy Thorn (113) from St. Michael-Albertville, Grant Nehring (138) from St. Cloud Apollo, T.J. O'Hara (152) from Tartan, No. 11 Kyle Begin (170) from Anoka with his second straight state title, Chase Morelock (182) from Morehead, Tommy Peterson (195) from Lakeville South, Michael Burckhart (220) from Coon Rapids, and Bryce DeBoer (285) from Albert Lea. On the other hand, the Spartans were the clearly dominant force in Class AA with five state champions and seven finalists. Winning titles were Juan Torres (126); No. 3 Micah Barnes (170) after two previous runner-up finishes; and a trio of wrestlers winning repeat gold medals in No. 14 Kyle Gliva (113), No. 4 Jake Short (145) and No. 14 Nick Wanzek (152). Short had to upend fellow defending state champion Gabe Fogarty 4-2 in the state semifinals prior to accruing his third fall of the tournament in the state final. Finishing as runner-up were Stephan Mincey (132) and Cody Hazlett (195). Additional state placers were McKinnon Short (138) in fourth and Matt Kadrlik (285) in fifth. The featured weight of that tournament was at 285 pounds, where the final featured a pair of returning state champions. Seeking a third title at 285 pounds, No. 3 Austin Goergen from Caledonia reached the final with a pin, 17-0 technical fall, and 7-0 decision. However, in the final, Michael Kroells from Scott West -- who was ranked fourth at 220 before moving up to this weight class -- emerged as the dominant champion with an 8-3 victory. In the semifinal round, Kroells upended Kadrlik by 8-0 major decision after Kadrlik beat the previously undefeated Jesse Hein from Perham 5-3 in the quarterfinal and knocked off No. 7 Sam Stoll from Kasson-Mantorville 4-3 in the opening round. Other state champions included a trio of wrestlers from Kasson-Mantorville in seventh grader Brady Berge (106), Colton Laganiere (138), and No. 17 Broc Berge (195). Another pair of champions came from Rockford and Totino-Grace respectively. For Rockford, the titles were earned by Ty Griffin (120) and John Redepenning (160); while freshman Lance Benick (182) and junior Joe Schiller (220) won titles for Totino-Grace. The remaining champion was No. 14 Joe Munos from South St. Paul, who won the 132 pound weight class for his third state title. View results. Other state tournament results from this past weekend ... Hawaii Results Maryland 4A/3A Results 2A/1A Results Michigan Results Minnesota Class AAA Results Class AA Results Class A Results New England Results New Jersey Results Wisconsin Results

INDIANAPOLIS -- In conjunction with NCAA.com and the NCAA's social media platforms, the 330 athletes participating in 2012 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships will be announced on Wednesday, March 7. Beginning at 1 p.m. ET the list of 33 competitors in each weight class will be systematically rolled out as they are finalized by the NCAA Division I Wrestling Selection Committee. The unveiling will begin with the participants in the 125-pound weight class and will continue with each of the subsequent weight classes throughout the afternoon until the 33 Heavyweight participants have been released. Wrestling fans can log on to NCAA.com to find an up to the minute list of competitors in the championships field. In addition, fans with a Facebook account can track on the latest qualifiers by following the NCAA Wrestling Facebook page (Facebook.com/NCAAWrestling). Status updates linking to the list of qualifiers will be posted the minute the latest weight class has been finalized. Once all 330 participants have been released fans can log on to NCAA.com at 6 p.m. ET where the NCAA Division I Wrestling Selection will reveal the 12 seeded wrestlers in each weight class as well as all 170 first-round matchups. Following the selection show, complete brackets for the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships will be available on NCAA.com.

Related Content: Team Standings & Brackets CLARION, Pa. -- The No. 9 Pitt wrestling team successfully defended its EWL Tournament title Sunday at Clarion University, posting numerous highlights and storyline along the way. The Panthers topped second-place Edinboro, 135.5-116.5. Tyler Nauman made history by becoming Pitt’s first ever four-time EWL champion, Matt Wilps knocked off top-ranked and unbeaten Chris Honeycutt (Edinboro), and P.J. Tasser, a 174-pounder, bumped up three weight classes to qualify for nationals with a third-place finish at heavyweight. Anthony Zanetta added his third EWL title for the Panthers, while Headlee won for the second time and clinched his fourth trip to the national tournament. Pitt will send six automatic qualifiers to the national tournament – Zanetta (125), Shelton Mack (133), Nauman (149), Headlee (174), Wilps (197) and Tasser (HWT). They will wait word on at-large berths for a few other wrestlers, including Travis Shaffer (141), Donnie Tasser (157), Tyler Wilps (165), and Andy Vaughan (197). Matt Wilps was named the EWL Tournament Most Outstanding Wrestler following his 6-2 decision over Honeycutt. The Edinboro senior had beaten Wilps twice this season, both times fairly convincingly, but Pitt’s redshirt junior controlled the pace in this one on his way to his second conference title. Nauman is just the sixth from any school to win four EWL titles. He wrapped up the latest championships with a 3-2 win over Edinboro’s David Habat, a top-ten ranked wrestler. It was the fifth time the two squared off this season, with Nauman winning three times. With his three wins Sunday, Nauman completed an impressive feat of going undefeated in EWL events in his career, never losing a conference dual meet or a match in the conference tournament. Headlee won for the second straight year after bumping up one weight from 165 to 174. He recorded falls in his first two matches and blanked Bloomsburg defending champion Mike Dessino 2-0 in the finals. Zanetta’s championship came over West Virginia’s Shane Young for the third straight year. With two wins, he completed a perfect 8-0 season in EWL competitions. Tasser was the story going around the tournament crowd most of the day. After weighing in at 188, he was significantly smaller than the rest of the competition. He came up just short in a 1-0 loss to top-seeded Ernest James (Edinboro) to open the tournament, but came back with three straight wins in the consolation bracket. His run included two wins in sudden victory, including a 3-1 decision over Clarion’s Quintas McCorkle in his final match. Check back soon for even more details of today’s EWL Tournament Championships.

Miesha Tate and Ronda Rousey face off (Photo/Forza LLC via Getty Images ) The sports media has used the Showtime main event as a compass for the future of MMA and women's sports et. al. The provocative, in-the-know commentators have largely been professional female journalists who long ago dedicated their lives to sports analysis and opinion. For the most part they've given some great insight, but women's MMA, if it's to track the popularity of men's MMA will need to recruit women who aren't invested in sports. Women like my girlfriend. Ronda Rousey jumping up and down in a black hooded sweatshirt, scowl on her face. She's backstage, about to be introduced to the crowd. "She's pretty ... She's had work done." Miesha Tate in the tunnel, holding her belt over her shoulder and giving the camera an uncomfortable smirk. "Ha, oh yeah, she's been punched in the face a bunch ..." The "Tale of the Tape" is shown with both Tate and Rousey in their pre-fight makeup, hair done and with glowing smiles. "Wait, wait ... What?! That's the same girl (Tate)?! ... Yeah, I guess she's cute." Rousey does her walk out and is wearing a black boot and does some type of foot stomp as she enters the arena. "What the f*ck is she doing? That was stupid." Rousey takes off her shirt and reveals her black Gaspari Nutrition top. "Oh, she's got nice abs." At this point our commentator is starting to appreciate all things Ronda Rousey, but then Miesha Tate begins her walkout causing doubt. (begins to dance) "Oh, I don't know, she's walking out to Nikki Minaj!" The "Tale of the Tape" pops back on the screen. "Look how tiny they are -- 5'6" and only 135 pounds? I think that's tiny." ... more "(Tate) is only 25? She looks 38 ... (feeling something like magnanimity) ... I guess she does get punched in the face a lot." Miesha Tate is bouncing in her corner and has revealed she's wearing a pink skirt. "Taxslayers? I don't like her outfit." The fight starts and Rousey immediately get's punched in the face and turns her back to the camera before charging into an eventual takedown. "She's got great legs." Rousey and Tate get in a scramble on the fence and Rousey gets a throw on Tate, mounts and transfers to her armbar which she looks to bend, and break. "Oh, oh, oh (covers mouth)! What's happening? Oh my god, her arm!" Tate gets out of the armbar and takes Rousey's back and works for a rear-naked choke. "Wow, I guess we were wrong, her arm looks fine." Rousey turns in, but Tate holds on. A scramble ensues. "They're so much squirmier than the guys ... They're a lot more exciting than the guy's MMA. I like the squirming." Tate postures up and Rousey hits a beautiful head-and-arm throw landing in side mount. "OH!" Tate clears Rousey but lands on her back. Rousey grabs an ankle and punches her in the face, lands it and moves into half guard. (Grimacing) "I don't like seeing girls punch each other in the face." Rousey gets into mount and begins pummeling Tate in the face. Tate rolls to her face and then puts her elbows on the mat. Rousey goes overtop for the armbar, grabs a leg and rolls through to secure a tight armbar. "Ahh ... ahhh. Why is this happening? Ahh ... What was that? Why did that happen?! Tapping is explained to our commentator ... "Then she's the idiot for not tapping." Tate is lying on the canvas and the cameraman is focused on her eyes, which are glossed over with tears. Her arm, as we'd late see in replays, is dislocated and torqued into an awful position. "Oh my god, I hated that, Tim." Two hours later ... "I don't think I'm going to sleep tonight. I keep seeing that chick's arm."

Related Content: Team Standings & Brackets PRINCETON, N.J.--The Big Red wrestling team won its sixth-straight EIWA team title on Sunday night after crowning three individual champions. It was the first time that a team has won six-straight titles since before World War II. Senior Cam Simaz became just the 11th EIWA wrestler to win his fourth individual title. Simaz was also named the tournament's most outstanding wrestler. Senior Frank Perrelli (125) and junior Kyle Dake also won titles at their respective weight classes. The Big Red placed a total of nine wrestlers in the top six and qualified eight wrestlers for the NCAA tournament. Simaz is the 10th Cornell wrestler to earn the Coaches' Trophy for the tournament's outstanding wrestler. The last was Mack Lewnes in 2010. He was also the eighth Cornellian to win the John Fletcher Memorial Trophy that is given to the wrestler that has earned the most team points in his EIWA career. Simaz is the fourth-straight Big Red wrestler to earn the honor. Simaz is the first EIWA wrestler to win four individual titles at 197 pounds. Cornell's NCAA qualifiers include Frank Perrelli (125), Nick Arujau (133), Mike Nevinger (141), Chris Villalonga (149), Kyle Dake (157), Marshall Peppelman (165), Steve Bosak (184) and Cam Simaz (197). The Big Red finished in first place as a team with 151.5 points. The team race came down to the heavyweight bout with No. 1 ranked Ryan Flores of American taking on returning NCAA champion Zach Rey of Lehigh. Flores came out the winner by decision in sudden victory to help Cornell secure the team championship. A win by Rey would have given the title to Lehigh. Lehigh finished in second place with 149 points followed by American (103), Penn (94.5) and Navy (85). Cornell had nine wrestlers finish in the top five of their respective weight classes including Perrelli (1st, 125), Arujau (5th, 133), Nevinger (2nd, 141), Villalonga (3rd, 149), Dake (1st, 157), Peppelman (4th, 165), Bosak (2nd, 184), Simaz (1st, 197) and Maciej Jochym (5th, HWT). Big Red freshman Billy George advanced to the consolation semifinals at 174 pounds. He was disqualified from the tournament for unsportsmanlike conduct at the end of his match. Due to the disqualification from the tournament, Cornell lost all of his points as well as was penalized a team point. At 125 pounds, Perrelli faced Princeton's Garrett Frey. Perrelli attacked early in the period for a takedown. The Big Red senior racked up 1:44 in riding time before Frey would escape. Perrelli immediately spun out of his starting down position to start the second and reversed Frey to take a 4-1 lead. Frey allowed Perrelli to rack up an extra minute of riding time before working back to neutral. Frey chose to start the third period down on the mat, and after almost a minute off the clock he escaped. With 20 seconds left in the bout, Perrelli notched another takedown to seal his win. Frey would escape, but with 3:53 in riding time, Perrelli won a 7-4 decision. Perrelli is now a two-time EIWA champion and has qualified for his second NCAA tournament. Nevinger faced American's Matt Mariacher at 141 pounds in the finals. Mariacher was very quick on his feet and notched a takedown one minute into the first period. Nevinger was down by two points after the first period after the American wrestler grabbed another takedown from which Nevinger escaped. Mariacher chose to start the second at neutral and grabbed another takedown before the period was over. Nevinger chose to start the third period on top looking to score back points. The Big Red sophomore rode tough for the entire two minutes, but was unable to tilt Mariacher. Mariacher won the EIWA championship by a 6-4 decision. At 157 pounds, No. 1 Dake took on Walter Peppelman of Harvard. After a scoreless first period, Peppelman chose neutral to start the second. Dake took a 2-0 lead with a takedown as time ran out. Dake chose down to start the third and escaped for another point. Dake won his second EIWA championship with a 3-0 decision over Peppelman. The Big Red junior has qualified for his third NCAA tournament. Bosak faced Robert Hamlin at 184 pounds in a rematch from last year's final. After a scoreless first period, Hamlin escaped for the only point of the second period. Bosak chose down to start the third and immediately escaped to tie the bout at 1-1. With 30 seconds left on the clock, Hamlin took Bosak down. Bosak quickly escaped once again looking to score. Bosak shot in on Hamlin and almost had a takedown but time had run out. Hamlin won a 3-2 decision. The returning All-American qualified for his third NCAA tournament. At 197 pounds, Simaz faced Penn's Micah Burak for the eighth time in their career. The two wrestlers had met in the finals each of the last three seasons. After a scoreless first period, Simaz chose down to start the second. He reversed Burak and added two back points before the Quaker wrestler escaped. Burak chose down to start the third. Simaz was moved into an awkward position which allowed Burak to come within a point with a reversal. The Big Red senior captain escaped to hold a 5-3 lead late in the bout. Simaz never let up and notched two more takedowns to win a 9-4 decision. Simaz, a three-time All-American, qualifies for his fourth NCAA tournament. Cornell has qualified eight wrestlers for the NCAA tournament which will be held in St. Louis, Mo., March 15-17. The NCAA will announce the remaining 40 at-large qualifiers on March 7. From the NCAA.com: After all of the qualifying events have concluded, the NCAA Division I Wrestling Committee will meet in-person to select the remaining 40 at-large qualifiers, which will be announced on March 7. All weight classes will consist of 33 wrestlers. The at-large selections will be made based on the following criteria: head-to-head competition; qualifying event placement; quality wins; results against common opponents; winning percentage; RPI; coaches ranking and the number of matches contested at that weight class.

Related Content: Brackets ATHENS, Ohio -- This was supposed to be the year the streak ended. Central Michigan's wrestling program entered Sunday's Mid-American Conference Championships riding a 10-year winning streak at the conference tournament, but with a lineup that included three true freshmen and six individuals appearing at their first MAC tournament, an 11th straight title seemed unlikely. A dominant final session at Ohio's Convocation Center, however, broke open a tight team race and CMU continued its stranglehold on the conference tournament. Five Chippewas were crowned individual champions and CMU posted 89 team points to claim the team title over runner-up Kent State (79 points) and third-place Eastern Michigan (49). The Chippewas were at their best when it mattered most, winning all nine of their matches during the final session of competition -- five championship matches and four consolation finals -- to extend what had been a two-point lead entering the session. Winning individual titles for CMU were sophomore Joe Roth (125 pounds), true freshman Zach Horan (133), junior Donnie Corby (157), true freshman Mike Ottinger (165) and junior Ben Bennett (184). Roth was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Wrestler. He is the seventh different Chippewa to win the award and first since Mark DiSalvo in 2006. In addition to the five champions, two other Chippewas earned automatic bids to the NCAA Championships: sophomore Scott Mattingly (141) and senior Peter Sturgeon (heavyweight). "I'm really, really proud of our team," said CMU head coach Tom Borrelli. "They battled all year. They were young, and they got knocked around a lot earlier in the year, but they never gave up and kept fighting. Tonight we had nine guys wrestling either for the championship or in the medal round, and all nine of them won. That was a pretty special round for us. "This championship is really special," Borrelli added. "We fought through a lot this year." After falling behind 3-0 to Kent State's Nic Bedelyon in the 125-pound final, Roth rallied for his first MAC title by scoring five points in a wild second period and hitting a four-point move in the third. Roth scored a pair of takedowns during the second period and still trailed 5-4 entering the final period. He quickly escaped to tie the score, then hit an explosive double-leg that took Bedelyon directly to his back with less than a minute left. Two nearfall points gave Roth a 9-5 lead and the title. Horan was dominant from start to finish in a 5-0 decision in the finals at 133 pounds. He took down Northern Illinois' Robert Jillard early in the first period, rode Jillard out in the second and scored a second takedown after a neutral start in the third period. Horan rode Jillard for 4:23 in the bout to earn the additional riding time point. Corby made it 3-for-3 for CMU in the finals with a 4-1 decision over Eastern Michigan's Aaron Sulzer at 157 pounds. The bout was scoreless through the first period, but Corby scored three points after starting the second period in the bottom position. He escaped, held a leg and picked Sulzer's ankle for the bout's only takedown. A 2:40 riding time advantage provided the final margin. Ottinger kept the Chippewas unbeaten in the finals by grinding out an overtime decision over Buffalo's Mark Lewandowski in the 165-pound final. Both Ottinger and Lewandowski scored an escape in regulation, the first tiebreaker and the second tiebreaker. The match was nearly over in the first sudden victory period, but neither wrestler could gain advantage during a scramble in the final 10 seconds. Ottinger eventually earned the decision by virtue of a 7-second riding time advantage in the tiebreakers. Bennett was seconds from a shutout and major decision in his third consecutive MAC championship match. He scored a takedown in each period and built a riding time edge of 4:40 but surrendered an escape in the final seconds and finished with an 8-1 victory over Northern Illinois' Brad Dieckhaus. With the win, Bennett became just the 10th three-time MAC champion in CMU history. Four other Chippewas finished in third place: Mattingly, Joey Kielbasa (149), Craig Kelliher (197) and Sturgeon. CMU's seven national qualifiers now prepare for the NCAA Championships, set for March 15-17 in St. Louis.