InterMat Staff

Related Content: Brackets Wyoming won its third straight West Regional title CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- The University of Wyoming won its third all-time NCAA West Regional team title Sunday at the McLeod Center in Cedar Falls, Iowa, as the Cowboys beat out host Northern Iowa by 17.5 points to capture their third straight crown. All seven members of the Western Wrestling Conference competed at the qualifying tournament and 17 individuals received automatic berths to the 2012 NCAA Division I Wresting Championships. Overall the Cowboys finished with 93.5 points and the Panthers came in second with 76. North Dakota State (51.5) beat out Air Force (50.5) by a point for third place, while Utah Valley placed fifth (43.5), Northern Colorado sixth (36.5) and South Dakota State seventh (5). Out of the 10 individual titles, four wrestlers from Wyoming managed to win individual crowns, while Northern Iowa was next with three. Wyoming's four individual champions were: Shane Onufer at 165 pounds, Pat Martinez at 174, Joe LeBlanc at 184 and Alfonso Hernandez at 197. The title for Onufer was his fourth consecutive regional crown as the Wyoming senior became just the second-ever Cowboy grappler to accomplish that feat. The crown was also LeBlanc's third and Martinez' second. Other West Regional champions included North Dakota State's Trent Sprenkle at 125 and Steven Monk at 157, UNI's Joe Colon at 133, Levi Wolfensperger at 141 and Blayne Beale at heavyweight as well as Air Force's Cole VonOhlen at 149. The titles were everyone's first besides VonOhlen, as it was his second. Seven other automatic berths to nationals were handed out at the regional and they were won by 125-pounder Michael Martinez (UW), 133-pounder Zach Zehner (UW), 149-pounder Josh Wilson (UVU), 157-pounders David Bonin (UNI) and Josh Kreimier (AFA), 165-pounder Gabe Burak (UNC) and 184-pounder Ryan Loder (UNI). M. Martinez and Wilson both won their automatic bids on true second-place matches. M. Martinez and LeBlanc will also make their fourth consecutive trip to the NCAA Championships. Each weight class at the West Regional/WWC Championships had earned a specific number of automatic bids for nationals. The automatic bids for each weight class were: 125 pounds (2), 133 (2), 141 (1), 149 (2), 157 (3) 165 (2), 174 (1), 184 (2), 197 (1) and Hwt. (1). The WWC also handed out a couple postseason awards at the regional. UNI's Joe Colon was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler, while his teammate Levi Wolfensperger won the Most Falls Award with two. Wyoming head coach Mark Branch was also named the Coach of the Year for the second straight time. The 2012 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships will be held in St. Louis, Mo., March 15-17 at the Scottrade Center. After all of the qualifying events have concluded this weekend, the NCAA Division I Wrestling Committee will meet in-person next week to select the remaining 40 at-large qualifiers, which will be announced on March 7. Last season the WWC received two additional at-large selections. Final Team Scores: 1. Wyoming (93.5) 2. Northern Iowa (76) 3. North Dakota State (51.5) 4 Air Force (50.5) 5. Utah Valley (43.5) 6. Northern Colorado (36.5) 7. South Dakota State (5) West Regional/WWC Automatic Qualifiers for the NCAA Championships (champions listed first): 125 - Trent Sprenkle (NDSU) 125 - Michael Martinez (WYO) 133 - Joe Colon (UNI) 133 - Zach Zehner (WYO) 141 - Levi Wolfensperger (UNI) 149 - Cole VonOhlen (AFA) 149 - Josh Wilson (UVU) 157 - Steven Monk (NDSU) 157 - David Bonin (UNI) 157 - Josh Kreimier (AFA) 165 - Shane Onufer (WYO) 165 - Gabe Burak (UNC) 174 - Pat Martinez (WYO) 184 - Joe LeBlanc (WYO) 184 - Ryan Loder (UNI) 197 - Alfonso Hernandez (WYO) 285 - Blayne Beale (UNI) Tournament Awards: Outstanding Wrestler - Joe Colon, UNI Most Pins - Levi Wolfensperger, UNI (2) Coach of the Year - Mark Branch, Wyoming Regular Season Team Champion - Wyoming Tournament Champion - Wyoming

Related Content: Team Standings & Brackets|Contest Standings Penn State won its second straight Big Ten title (Photo/Mark Selders, Penn State Athletics) WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- It took an entire team effort, but Penn State came through to win its second straight Big Ten championship on Sunday at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Ind. Frank Molinaro (149), David Taylor (165), and Ed Ruth (174) all won individual titles for the Nittany Lions, and all three were repeat champions. Penn State was the only program to have all 10 of its wrestlers place. Penn State trailed Minnesota and Iowa in the team standings after Saturday, but won 13 of 15 matches on Sunday, which included nine bonus point victories. "It was just a team effort," said Penn State coach Cael Sanderson, who was named Big Ten Coach of the Year for the second straight season. "We had a very rough round last night. These guys responded well. I was kind of excited ... losing really stinks, but just to see how they would respond, and they did a nice job." Molinaro, Taylor, and Ruth all picked up bonus points in their championship matches. The three have combined for 68 bonus point victories in 81 matches this season. Molinaro, an NCAA runner-up and three-time All-American, scored early and often in the finals at 149 pounds against Minnesota's Dylan Ness, and cruised to a 15-0 technical fall. Molinaro registered a pin and two technical falls in his three matches to improve to 28-0 heading into the postseason. "I really wanted to get bonus points there and do the most I could, and that was the most I can do," said Molinaro. "On a side note, that was one of my goals again, was not to give up any points in this tournament. I feel good that I accomplished that, and I feel good going forward to nationals now." Taylor, who owns a career record of 65-1, defeated Iowa's Mike Evans by major decision, 11-2, in the finals at 165 pounds. Taylor scored late nearfall points to get the bonus point victory. "Every little point is huge, so getting that last tilt at the end was pretty big," said Taylor, who was named Big Ten Wrestler of the Year. Taylor, like his coach, was pleased with his team's ability to battle back from adversity. "I think it was good to have a little bit of adversity, where we didn't have such a good round, a little bit of a wakeup call," said Taylor, who has now picked up bonus points in 24 of his 26 wins this season. "We responded so well this round, this morning and now. We just have to keep the ball rolling." Ruth dominated Minnesota's Logan Storley from start to finish in the finals at 174 pounds and picked up a 13-2 major decision. "The guys that we have in the finals are going out there and doing really well," said Ruth. "It's really helping our team score because it's not fun to win alone." Ruth was a third-place finisher at the NCAAs last season, losing in the quarterfinals by injury default to Stanford's Nick Amuchastegui. He says it's a rematch he's looking forward to. "I'm definitely looking forward to the rematch," said Ruth. "I'm not a guy who really looks forward to things like that, but some of those matches I just really want to get to. I'm excited for it." Minnesota, on the strength of two champions and nine placewinners, finished runner-up with 134 points, 15 points behind Penn State. Sophomores Kevin Steinhaus (184) and Tony Nelson (285) won titles for the Gophers. Steinhaus, an All-American and Big Ten runner-up last season, needed overtime to defeat Nebraska's Josh Ihnen, 3-1. Steinhaus nearly gave up a takedown in overtime, but quickly turned the tables and came out with the victory. Steinhaus has now won 19 straight matches. His last defeat came on Jan. 1 at the Southern Scuffle. "I've been wrestling really well in practice," said Steinhaus. "I'm just really on board with what the coaches are doing. They're doing a great job getting us feeling great, working on specific things with us and getting us wrestling better. I'm feeling really good. Hopefully we keep on peaking here for nationals. That's when we should be at our best." Nelson needed just an escape and riding time point to defeat Iowa's Bobby Telford, 2-0, in the finals at heavyweight. Nelson rode Telford the entire third period. "I've working all week on forward pressure and keep knocking him off his balance," said Nelson, who has now won 20 consecutive matches. "I finally broke him after a minute and got him flat." Iowa had the most finalists with six, but went 2-4 in the finals and finished third, eight points behind runner-up Minnesota. Matt McDonough (125) and Derek St. John (157) won titles for the Hawkeyes. "You go back home and you analyze it, and then you get ready for the next tournament," said Iowa coach Tom Brands. "That's the one you talk about all year, and the one where you really stamp your name up there." McDonough claimed his second straight Big Ten title with a 6-1 victory in the finals over Minnesota's Zach Sanders. McDonough and Sanders battled to a scoreless first period, but the Hawkeye junior opened it up with a takedown in each of the final two periods. "It's what you work for throughout the season," said McDonough. "It's the next thing on the lineup. It's still just a stepping stone, though. It's a stepping stone to nationals. It's a barometer. But it's important as well. It was big to come in here and wrestle the matches I wanted to wrestle, score some points, but I think extending some leads is definitely due up for the next one in the lineup. " St. John, who has battled a knee injury all season, came through as the No. 6 seed to win the championship at 157 pounds, beating Northwestern's Jason Welch, 4-3, in the finals. He was the lowest-seeded wrestler to win a title. "I came here to prove a point," said St. John, who placed fourth at the NCAAs last season as a freshman. "I had to prove a point to get seeded at nationals or whatever. I felt like I didn't do the best job possible of doing it, but I did it." Michigan's Kellen Russell claimed his fourth Big Ten title with a 7-2 victory in the finals at 141 pounds over Iowa's Montell Marion. Russell and Molinaro shared Outstanding Wrestler honors. "To win four Big Ten titles is a great honor, and to be the first person from Michigan, it's awesome," said Russell, an NCAA champion last season. Ohio State's Logan Stieber defeated Iowa's Tony Ramos, 5-2, to claim the title at 133 pounds. Stieber gave up an early takedown to go down 2-0, but responded with an escape and takedown of his own, which proved to the difference in the match. He becomes Ohio State's first Big Ten champion since Lance Palmer in 2010. The Buckeyes finished fifth in the team standings. "It was a tough match," said Stieber. "I knew what was going to happen. He was just going to push the pace the whole time. He got the early takedown, but my main goal was to get a takedown in the first period because last time we wrestled I didn't score a takedown until the very end when he tried to throw." Mario Gonzalez of Illinois came through as the No. 5 seed to win the title at 197 pounds, upending Indiana's Matt Powless, a returning All-American, 10-4, in the finals. Powless defeated Gonzalez by major decision, 11-3, in late January. "I just made some adjustments and things went my way," said Gonzalez. Sunday's attendance was 4,099. Final Team Standings: 1. Penn State 149 2. Minnesota 134 3. Iowa 126 4. Illinois 105.5 5. Ohio State 91 6. Northwestern 75 7. Michigan 66 8. Nebraska 65 9. Purdue 51.5 10. Indiana 41 11. Michigan State 41 12. Wisconsin 9 Finals Results: 125: No. 1 Matt McDonough (Iowa) dec. No. 2 Zach Sanders (Minnesota), 6-1 133: No. 2 Logan Stieber (Ohio State) dec. No. 3 Tony Ramos (Iowa), 5-2 141: No. 1 Kellen Russell (Michigan) dec. No. 4 Montell Marion (Iowa), 7-2 149: No. 1 Frank Molinaro (Penn State) tech. fall No. 9 Dylan Ness (Minnesota), 15-0 157: No. 20 Derek St. John (Iowa) dec. No. 2 Jason Welch (Northwestern), 4-3 165: No. 1 David Taylor (Penn State) dec. No. 6 Mike Evans (Iowa), 11-2 174: No. 2 Ed Ruth (Penn State) dec. No. 6 Logan Storley (Minnesota), 13-2 184: No. 6 Kevin Steinhaus (Minnesota) dec. No. 7 Josh Ihnen (Nebraska), 3-1 SV 197: No. 17 Mario Gonzalez (Illinois) dec. No. 3 Matt Powless (Indiana), 10-4 285: No. 3 Tony Nelson (Minnesota) dec. No. 13 Bobby Telford (Iowa), 2-0

Saint Paris Graham's Bo Jordan works for the pin This year at the 75th OHSAA state wrestling tournament it belonged to the traditional powers of Ohio wrestling. Both Lakewood St. Edward and Saint Paris Graham wrapped up the state team titles with dominating fashion on Friday and then Saturday they each crowned four individual state champions. The top wrestlers were on display too as many nationally ranked wrestlers squared off against each other for the ultimate prize of the state title. In Division I St. Eds put 8 in the finals and came away with 4 champions. Dean Heil, ranked No. 2 nationally by InterMat, put up an impressive win by the score of 11-2, Heil scored the only bonus points in the Division I finals. Heil already an early commit to Oklahoma state will go for his fourth state title next year. Edgar Bright gets in on a shotThe most anticipated match in Division I was between 2 nationally ranked wrestlers No. 7 Edgar Bright of St. Eds vs. No. 10 Joey Ward of Moeller. Bright had bested Ward earlier in the year at the state duals by the score of 3-1. Bright was in on Ward multiple times but it was Ward and his ability to fend off the shot with some incredible flexibility to force overtime. Ward then forced it to the tiebreaker where he was able to get out for the point; Ward was able to then ride out Bright for the next 30 seconds and claim his second straight title. Rounding out the titles for St. Eds were Mark Martin, Dominic Abounader and Ty Walz. With those additional titles St. Eds has now crowned 100 individual champions in wrestling and more impressive is that all the titles have come since 1977. Matching St. Eds with 4 state titles was Massillon Perry who won titles 106,138,152 and 220. With those four titles it was easily enough to be state runner-up to Ed's this year. George DiCamillo of Cleveland St. Ignatius the No. 1 ranked 120 by InterMat rolled to his second state title, blanking state runner-up Max Byrd 4-0. DiCamillo who hasn't lost since his sophomore year will be attending Virginia next year. In Division II Graham put six in the finals and came away with four champions. The highlights of their champions were shared by the brothers Micah and Bo Jordan, both dominated en route to another state title. Micah at 126 tech falled his opponent in dominating fashion to win his second state title in as many years. Brother Bo showed why he's the nation's best at 152 with a dominating pin of state champion Kyle Burns of Edison. Jordan, who has narrowed his college choices to Ohio State and Wisconsin, will be back next year for his fourth state title. In what was the highlight match of the whole tournament Huston Evans of Graham, who is ranked No. 7, took on Chaz Gresham of Goshen No. 9 at 182 in a rematch of last year's 189 finals. The matches were not without controversy as Gresham was called with a questionable slam call that negated what could have been three back points. Gresham then went on the offensive, cutting him and setting the pace. With the score 2-1 late in the third, Evans was then warned for his second stall call which now tied the match. In overtime Gresham continued to press the pace and was awarded another point for stalling which ended the match in sudden victory and gave Gresham his second state title. In Division III the team race was won by Apple Creek Waynedale who had 3 finalists and one champion outdistancing from DIII power Troy Christian to claim their first team title. The highest ranked wrestler in DIII took the mat first Daniel Kolodzik of Miami Valley Christian got revenge for his district loss to claim his first state title. With the Ohio high school wrestling season finished for 2012 3 wrestlers will now go for their fourth state title in 2013. Nathan Tomasello, Dean Heil and Bo Jordan will all look to join that exclusive club in Ohio wrestling history; if Jordan would win he would join his dad as a four-time state champion, becoming the first father-son combo to each win four titles. Graham also looks to make history as they try for their 13th straight team title a task that has not been done before in the 75 years of Ohio wrestling.

VESTAL, N.Y. -- The No. 24 Old Dominion University Wrestling team tied the school record by qualifying six wrestlers for the NCAA Tournament on Saturday at the 2012 CAA Championships at the Events Center hosted by Binghamton University. Capturing titles for the Monarchs were sophomore Scott Festejo at 133 pounds and senior Te Edwards at 174 pounds while sophomore Justin LaValle at 141 pounds, redshirt sophomore John Nicholson at 157 pounds, sophomore Tristan Warner at 165 pounds and senior Joe Budi at 197 pounds also punched their tickets to the NCAA Championships in St. Louis, Mo., on March 15-17. “I thought our guys wrestled extremely tough throughout the tournament,” said head coach Steve Martin. “Qualifying six wrestlers for the NCAA Tournament was a goal of ours coming into the season and we also have an opportunity this week for a possible seventh bid. With such a young team, it was quite an accomplishment to tie the school record set in 2008 and 2009 with six NCAA qualifiers. We wrestled very well and had several thrilling comebacks on Saturday. We realize we will be underdogs heading to St. Louis but the guys are looking forward to the opportunity to pull some upsets and have some fun.” Festejo pulled a big upset in semifinal action when he pinned top-seeded Jimmy Morris for Rider and then went on to win a thrilling 4-3 match over Hofstra’s Jamie Franco in the final to claim to CAA title and automatic bid at 133 pounds. Top-seeded Edwards took care of Drexel’s Alex Rinaldi in semifinal action, 10-7, before disposing of Boston’s Czarnecki in the 174-pound title match, 6-2, to punch his ticket to the NCAA Championships. After advancing to the finals, both LaValle (141) and Nicholson (157) were unable to come away with titles and instead found themselves batting for the remaining spots in their weight classes to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. LaValle, who upset second-seeded Frank Cimato of Drexel in a 6-5 thriller to make it to the final, eventually fell in a close 3-1 battle to top-seed Luke Vaith, 3-1. He earned his NCAA spot when he downed Mason’s Dennis Herndon, 5-3. Nicholson took care of Boston’s Nick Tourville in his opener, 13-8, before dominating third-seeded Austin Sommer of Drexel, 14-5, to make it the finals where he was pinned by top-seeded Justin Lister of Binghamton. In the true second match with the NCAA bid on the line, he took care of Rider’s Ramon Santiago, 5-3. In one of the most thrilling matches of the entire day, fourth-seeded Warner stunned top-seeded Joe Booth of Drexel in the second overtime tiebreaker, 3-1, after disposing of Mason’s Ty Knepp in the opener at 165 pounds. In the final, Warner was downed by second-seeded Paul Gillespie of Hofstra, 4-1, but qualified for the NCAA Championships in the process in a stacked weight class. In another loaded weight class, Budi was involved in several thrillers at 197. He fell in a heartbreaker to top-seed Bagna Tovuujav of Mason in the first overtime tiebreaker, 3-1, but battled back against Rider’s Donald McNeil to win 5-3 and then put together a comeback win over Binghamton’s Cody Reed in the first overtime tiebreaker, 7-5, in the third place match to lift the Monarch to an NCAA bid. Jerome Robinson upset fourth-seeded Derek Steeley of Binghamton at 125 pounds, 5-2, before falling to top-seeded Steve Bonanno of Hofstra, 8-0. The redshirt freshman then downed the third-seeded Chuck Zifloft of Rider and Chris McGinley of Boston to take third place and now awaits a possible at-large birth to the NCAA Tournament when the brackets are unveiled next week. Redshirt junior Brennan Brumley (149) and redshirt sophomore Billy Curling (184) each placed fourth in their respective weight classes while redshirt freshman Matt Tourdot (285) also competed for ODU. The Monarchs, who had the fewest amount of opportunities to score team points in the tournament due to six Monarchs being issued byes in the quarterfinal round, finished in third place with 68.5 points in the event after advancing nine wrestlers into the semifinal round. No. 23 Hofstra won the event with 80.5 points and narrowly edge host No. 19 Binghamton who came in second with 78.5 points. The Bearcasts’ Donnie Vinson (149) was named the CAA Tournament Most Outstanding Wrestler.

VESTAL, N.Y. -- Hofstra crowned four individual champions and added two runnersup to edge host Binghamton by two points (80.5-78.5) and capture the program’s second straight CAA Wrestling Championship and 10th in the last 11 years. The seven-team event was held at Binghamton’s Events Center with seven teams and 70 wrestlers competing for the team crown and 23 NCAA individual berths. After Hofstra and Binghamton in the team standings were Old Dominion (68.5 pts.), Boston University (34), Drexel (33.5), George Mason (30.5) and Rider. Three Bearcats won titles: junior 149-pound Donnie Vinson, senior 157-pound Justin Lister and freshman heavyweight Nick Gwiazdowski. Vinson, ranked No. 4 in the country, racked up a pin, technical fall and major decision and earned Most Outstanding Wrestler honors. In the finals against second-seeded Justin Accordino, Vinson rolled to a 12-3 major decision. Lister posted two pins en route to his title at 157. he put a stamp on his third straight CAA crown with a pin in 1:32 over second-seeded John Nicholson of ODU. Gwiazdowski won twice to capture the heavyweight title. In the final, he earned a 3-1 decision over top-seeded Kyle Frey of Drexel. Junior 184-pound Nate Schiedel won twice to place second, junior 133-pound Patrick Hunter went 3-1 to place third and freshman 174-pound Caleb Wallace won twice to take third. Hunter’s only loss was a tiebreaking 6-4 decision at the hands of NCAA qualifier Fred Santaite of Boston. Wallace won twice, including a dramatic pin of Hofstra’s Jermaine John in the third-place bout, before losing to Boston’s Kyle Czarnecki 7-3 for “true” second with an NCAA spot on the line. Also suffering a heartbreaking defeat was sophomore 197-pound Cody Reed, who was ahead 5-3 with 11 seconds left in his third-place match with Joe Budi of ODU. Budi, however, took advantage of a false whistle and grabbed an uncontested takedown to force overtime. In the one-minute tiebreaker, Budi shot in and ended the match, leaving Reed to await a possible NCAA at-large bid next week. “Our top-level guys wrestled extremely well,” head coach Pat Popolizio said. “They are wrestling their best at the right time. I thought Patrick (Hunter) had a great tournament. I don’t know what happened in Cody’s match. Now he’s on the bubble for NCAAs.” Four Bearcats secured NCAA Championship berths: Vinson, Lister, Schiedel and Gwiazdowski. Reed and senior 165-pound Matt Kaylor will hope for NCAA at-large selections next week. Kaylor went 2-2, suffering a 6-4 tiebreaker loss to eventual champion Paul Gillespie of Hofstra in the semifinals.

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- The No. 3-ranked Oklahoma State wrestling team completed a runner-up finish at the 2012 Big 12 Championships Saturday night, scoring 74 points behind individual championship performances from Jordan Oliver, Jamal Parks, Chris Perry and Cayle Byers. In a tight race, OSU finished just four points - or one finals win - behind first-place Missouri's 77 points, while Oklahoma (60.5 points) and Iowa State (24 points) rounded out the field in third and fourth, respectively. Oliver got things going for the Cowboys in the finals with a 10-2 major decision over No. 10 Nathan McCormick of Missouri. Oliver, a junior from Easton, Pa., has now won the 133-pound Big 12 title three times in three attempts. The reigning national champion scored a pair of takedowns and a three-point nearfall in the opening period and later added an escape and stalling point to earn his 23rd bonus-point win of the year. Oliver was also recognized as the Outstanding Wrestler of the Big 12 Championships for his performance, his second time to receive the recognition as he also won it in 2010. Parks, a senior from Tulsa, Okla., became OSU's second champ on the day and earned his third career Big 12 title when he knocked off Missouri's No. 13 Kyle Bradley, 8-3. The second-ranked Cowboy improved his perfect record to 30-0 with the win and now ranks 14th all-time at OSU in career wins with 119. OSU's third title came at 174 pounds, where Perry defeated No. 15 Dorian Henderson of Missouri, 8-2, to pick up his second career Big 12 title in as many tries. The sophomore from Stillwater improved his perfect record to 26-0 with win. Byers added another individual title to the Cowboys' score when he defeated Missouri's No. 5 Brent Haynes, 5-0, at 197 pounds. Byers, a senior-transfer from Chugiak, Alaska, moved to 23-3 with the win. He also won a conference title while he wrestled at George Mason. Josh Kindig and Austin Marsden also made it to the finals for the Cowboys, but neither managed a victory as Kindig fell to No. 2 Kendric Maple of OU, 11-5, and Marsden dropped his bout to No. 9 Matt Gibson of Iowa State at heavyweight, 8-3. Coach John Smith has now coached 74 individual conference champions in his 21-year career and the Cowboys have finished either first or second in the conference meet 16 times in 19 eligible years. Oklahoma State now has 238 individual conference titles, including 63 in the Big 12 era. After Saturday's competition, the Cowboys are assured nine spots in the NCAA Championships later this month, as Morrison, Oliver, Kindig, Parks, White, Bailey, Perry, Byers and Marsden have earned a right to compete due to the conference's assured spots in the tournament. The NCAA Championships are set for March 15-17 in St. Louis, Mo.

Related Content: Brackets & Team Standings|Celebration Video Grand View won the NAIA team title by 31 points (Photo/Johnnie Johnson) DES MOINES, Iowa -- Grand View (Iowa) crowned a pair of individual titlists and captured its first-ever NAIA Wrestling National Championship Saturday in the Jacobson Exhibition Center. Omi Acosta won his first 133-pound championship and heavyweight Eric Thompson pinned his way to victory in just 1:57 as the Vikings racked up 172 total points. “This is crazy,” Grand View head wrestling coach Nick Mitchell said. “It hasn’t set in yet. There’s so much build up heading into this and there’s so much focus on getting ready. I never celebrate the wins and with this, I am going to try to celebrate, really let it soak in.” Two other Vikings took runner-up honors in addition to five All-Americans en route to the team title in only its fourth year of competition. Mitchell was bestowed with NAIA Coach of the Year honors. “It’s gratifying,” Mitchell said. “To get this far takes a lot of commitment and time away from family. It feels like it has paid off and all was worth it, but it’s important that this is also beyond me; it’s the whole coaching staff and the administration. Once they hired [assistant coach] Paul Reedy full time, he changed the whole program. This would not have happened without him.” Southern Oregon finished in second place with 141 points, with three Raiders emerging as national titlists, including Mitchell Lofstedt with his second at 133 pounds. He needed just 1:06 to stick Kory Kistner of Morningside (Iowa) for his 10th fall of an 11-match win streak to cap off his junior campaign. Lofstedt was a two-time finalist, winning it all in 2010, before taking last season off and won it all again in his return. “It feels good to win two championships,” Loftstedt said. “I wanted to go out and dominate. Since I took last year off, I’ve come back really passionate and had the initiative to work two times harder. Back then I was wrestling for something else. Now I am wrestling all for myself and that’s what I am passionate about and what inspires me.” Lofstedt’s accomplishment, along with his four wins by fall in 7:37 while in Des Moines, earned him NAIA Most Outstanding Wrestler honors with the Gorriaran Award and the Most Falls in the Least Time award. Joining Lofstedt as a two-time champion was Great Falls’ (Mont.) 141-pounder Anthony Varnell. The Argonaut senior went out in dramatic fashion with a sudden victory takedown to defeat Chris Teague of Campbellsville (Ky.), 10-8. Varnell held a 5-1 lead after the first period thanks to a takedown and a three-point nearfall, only to have Teague battle back in the second stanza. A takedown and a pair of escapes sent the bout into sudden victory. A quick strike takedown in sudden victory by Varnell secured the win. “It feels great to win again,” Varnell said. “It is definitely harder to repeat. You have to work harder and make sure you compete each week because there’s so much pressure. This one has a different meaning to me. I was confident that I could repeat, but it was a struggle to wrestle my own teammate [Myles Mazurkiewicz in the quarterfinals]. I feel great and I am proud that I could make my family happy.” Charlie Pingleton defeated Nik Turner of Oklahoma City, 3-2, with a takedown in the third period to become Lindsey Wilson’s (Ky.) first national champion. “It feels so great to be Lindsey Wilson’s first national champion,” Pingleton said. “It took a lot of time and a lot of hard work. There were so many emotions; I was so happy and ecstatic. Coach [Corey Ruff] told me that he was so proud of me for living the right way. I wanted to win a national championship and I knew that Lindsey Wilson was the place for me to do that.” Pingleton was one of three finalists for the Blue Raiders en route to a fourth-place finish in the team standings with 96.5 points. The trio of championship contenders were the first for head coach Corey Ruff in the program’s three-year history. “I am so proud because we have come such a long way,” Ruff said. “I am so happy with what we have done because we are following through with the vision and are seeing ourselves that way. Having a national champion is the greatest thing ever. I have had a lot of success as an assistant coach, but as a head coach, I am so proud and know that we can do so much more. We’ve shown that you can come to Kentucky and be a great wrestler. We’ve set the bar high and created a lot of motivation for the future.” Midland (Neb.) also crowned its first its champ in Jahsua Marsh at 197 pounds. William Penn (Iowa) also sent Eric Burgey to the top of the 149 pound podium. Rounding out the top-five teams were Campbellsville (Ky.) in third place with 121.5 points and Oklahoma City with 94 points. The Stars also crowned a national champion at 165 pounds in Kevin Hardy.

Related Content: Brackets CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Keyed by four gold medal winners and a consistent effort in the earlier rounds, the Maryland Terrapins successfully defended their Atlantic Coast Conference Wrestling Championship on Saturday at Carmichael Arena. The Terps, who shared the regular-season championship with Virginia and Virginia Tech, led the team scoring with 83 points. The Cavaliers followed with 73.5, while the Hokies placed third at 70.5. NC State was fourth with 47.5 points, followed by host North Carolina with 38 and Duke with 17.5. The team title was the ACC-leading 24th for the Terps, their fourth in five seasons, and their third in four years under current head coach Kerry McCoy. Virginia Tech's Pete Yates was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament after taking the gold medal in dramatic fashion at 165 pounds. Yates scored a6-4 sudden victory over Maryland's Josh Asper, handing the reigning ACC Wrestler of the Year his first loss in 24 dual matches this season. The Terps entered the championship round with 67 points to narrowly lead Virginia (64.5) and Virginia Tech (60.5). Maryland also held the edge in wrestlers participating in the finals with seven. Virginia Tech placed five in the championship round, while Virginia had three. Virginia's 11th-ranked Matt Snyder prevailed in the first final, edging Maryland's Shane Genrty, 3-1, at 125. Virginia Tech's Devin Carter followed by successfully defending his ACC title at 133 pounds, downing Maryland's Geoffrey Alexander by a 17-9 major decision. The 133-pound match was the first of four championship bouts that paired wrestlers from Maryland and Virginia Tech. The 141-pound title bout showcased a pair of top-10 ranked wrestlers and lived up to its billing, with Virginia's No. 7 Nick Nelson outlasting NC State's No. 10 Darrius Little by a 3-2 count on a tie-breaker. Virginia Tech then picked up its second victory of the finals as Nick Brascetta outlasted NC State's Matt Nereim, 8-4. Kyle John grabbed Maryland's first gold medal and only pin of the championship round, taking down North Carolina's Corey Mock in 4:11 in the 157-pound weight class. The eighth-ranked Yates then delivered his huge win for the Hokies, turning back the Terps' second-ranked Asper for the sudden-death victory. At that point in the match, Maryland clung to just a 1½ point lead over both Virginia and Virginia Tech. But a 10-2 major decision by Maryland's 11th-ranked Jimmy Sheptock over Virginia Tech's Chris Moon at 174 clinched the championship for the Terps, who still had two more top-10 ranked wrestlers waiting in the wings. Jon Fausey earned Virginia's third gold medal with a 4-1 decision over North Carolina's Thomas Ferguson at 184. The Terps then closed out in grand style, with fifth-ranked Christian Boley winning by major decision (13-3) over UNC's Zac Bennett at 197 and Spencer Myers defending his heavyweight title with a hard-fought 3-1 win over Virginia Tech's Chris Penny. Each of the 10 ACC weight class champions were among the 24 conference wrestlers that automatically qualify for the NCAA Wrestling Championship, scheduled March 15-17 at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis. The NCAA will announce additional at-large qualifiers next Wednesday (March 7). Team Standings: Maryland: 83 Virginia: 73.5 Virginia Tech: 70.5 NC State: 47.5 North Carolina: 38 Duke: 17.5

Related Content: Brackets & Team Standings Binghamton, NY -- Hofstra crowned four individual champions and captured its 10th CAA team title in its 11 years in the league at the 2012 Colonial Athletic Association Wrestling Championships at the Binghamton University Events Center Saturday night. Seven-teams and 70 wrestlers competed for the CAA team crown and 23 individual berths to the 2012 NCAA Championships at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri on March 15-17. Pride seniors P.J. Gillespie at 165 and Ben Clymer at 184, junior Steve Bonanno at 125 and sophomore Luke Vaith at 141 captured CAA individual titles. It was Gillespie's second conference title after winning at 149 pounds in 2009. It was Clymer's second CAA title after winning at 184 in 2011. Bonanno and Vaith recorded their first conference titles. Those four individuals plus Hofstra's two second-place finishers, sophomore Jamie Franco at 133 and junior Justin Accordino at 149, have all qualified for the NCAA Championships. In the final team standings, the Pride edged the host Bearcats of Binghamton by two points, 80.5-78.5. It was Hofstra's second consecutive CAA championship since Binghamton broke the Pride's streak of eight straight CAA conference titles from 2002 through 2009. Hofstra also won the final conference title in the East Coast Wrestling Association (ECWA) in 2001. The CAA Championship is Hofstra mentor Rob Anspach's first as head coach of the Pride after taking over for Tom Shifflet last spring. Following Hofstra and Binghamton in the team standings were Old Dominion (68.5 pts.), Boston University (34), Drexel (33.5), George Mason (30.5) and Rider.

Related Content: Brackets & Team Standings|Twitter Updates|Contest Standings WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Minnesota's Kevin Steinhaus understood the importance of his semifinal match on Saturday night at the 2012 Big Ten Wrestling Championships. Penn State raced out to a 9.5-point lead in the team race after Saturday's opening session, but the race tightened when Iowa and Minnesota caught fire in the semifinals. When Steinhaus stepped on the mat for his semifinal match, Iowa had won five of its first six semifinal matches, and Minnesota had won three of its first four semifinal matches. The Gopher 184-pound sophomore found himself locked in a 1-1 tie with Iowa's Grant Gambrall in the third period after the two returning All-Americans traded escapes. With just over a minute remaining in the match, Steinhaus picked up the go-ahead takedown and held on for the 3-2 victory. "Getting a win was huge for me individually and for us as a team because it not only gives us more points, but keeps Iowa from scoring as well, which is huge," Steinhaus said following his semifinal victory. Steinhaus' win, combined with semifinal victories from teammates Zach Sanders (125), Dylan Ness (149), Logan Storley (174), and Tony Nelson (285), helped Minnesota pass both Penn State and Iowa, and lead the team race heading into Sunday's final session. Minnesota finished Saturday night's session with 117 points, 4.5 points ahead of second-place Iowa (112.5), and 6 points ahead of third-place Penn State (111). Iowa has six finalists, one more than Minnesota. The six Hawkeye finalists are Matt McDonough (125), Tony Ramos (133), Montell Marion (141), Derek St. John (157), Mike Evans (165), and Bobby Telford (285). "We've got to build on it and keep going," said Iowa coach Tom Brands, "We have six in the finals and we've got to win championships." Defending Big Ten and NCAA champion Penn State has three finalists, all returning All-Americans: Frank Molinaro (149), David Taylor (165), and Ed Ruth (174). Minnesota and Iowa wrestlers will meet in the finals at 125 pounds and heavyweight. Minnesota and Penn State wrestlers will meet at 149 pounds and 174 pounds. The only meeting between Iowa and Penn State wrestlers in the finals is at 165 pounds. Minnesota coach J Robinson believes the team title might be won or lost on the backside of the brackets. "The guys that are coming back in the consolations can score a lot of points and make a lot of difference," said Robinson. "So that might be really where it's won." Michigan's Kellen Russell (141) will be going for his fourth Big Ten title. Team Standings: 1. Minnesota 117 2. Iowa 112.5 3. Penn State 111 4. Illinois 81.5 5. Ohio State 76 6. Northwestern 61.5 7. Nebraska 56.5 8. Michigan 50 9. Purdue 47.5 10. Indiana 35.5 10. Michigan State 35.5 12. Wisconsin 9 Finals Matchups: 125: No. 1 Matt McDonough (Iowa) vs. No. 2 Zach Sanders (Minnesota) 133: No. 2 Logan Stieber (Ohio State) vs. No. 3 Tony Ramos (Iowa) 141: No. 1 Kellen Russell (Michigan) vs. No. 4 Montell Marion (Iowa) 149: No. 1 Frank Molinaro (Penn State) vs. No. 9 Dylan Ness (Minnesota) 157: No. 2 Jason Welch (Northwestern) vs. No. 20 Derek St. John (Iowa) 165: No. 1 David Taylor (Penn State) vs. No. 6 Mike Evans (Iowa) 174: No. 2 Ed Ruth (Penn State) vs. No. 6 Logan Storley (Minnesota) 184: No. 6 Kevin Steinhaus (Minnesota) vs. No. 7 Josh Ihnen (Nebraska) 197: No. 3 Matt Powless (Indiana) vs. No. 17 Mario Gonzalez (Illinois) 285: No. 3 Tony Nelson (Minnesota) vs. No. 13 Bobby Telford (Iowa)

PRINCETON, N.J. -- The Big Red wrestling team is in first place after day one of the EIWA tournament. Cornell advanced five wrestlers to the finals including Frank Perrelli (125), Mike Nevinger (141), Kyle Dake (157), Steve Bosak (184) and Cam Simaz (197). Bosak recorded his 100th career victory in his first bout of the day with an 8-0 major decision over Columbia's Shane Hughes. Cornell has all 10 wrestlers alive heading into day two, and everyone will place sixth or better in their respective weight classes. The Big Red has already qualified six wrestlers for the NCAA tournament after day one. EIWA's automatic NCAA qualifiers by weight class include: 125 (3), 133 (5), 141 (6), 149 (6), 157 (6), 165 (4), 174 (4), 184 (4), 197 (5), HWT (3). Cornell has already qualified Perrelli (125), Mike Nevinger (141), Chris Villalonga (149), Kyle Dake (157), Steve Bosak (184) and Cam Simaz (197). The Big Red sits in first place with 136.5 points with five wrestlers in the championship bracket and five in the consolation round. Lehigh is in second with 119 points. Top Five Teams After Day One (Championship, Consolation) 1. Cornell 136.5 (5,5) 2. Lehigh 119 (4,6) 3. American 88.5 (3,3) 4. Penn 81 (2, 7) 5. Navy 79.5 (2,4) At 125 pounds, Perrelli opened his day with two wins by technical falls. In the semifinals, Perrelli faced the fifth seed Austin Miller of Bucknell. Perrelli notched his first takedown 40 seconds into the bout to take a 2-0 lead. After racking up 1:02 in riding time, Perrelli let him up looking to score. The Big Red senior finished a double leg for a takedown before letting Miller up once again. Perrelli held a 6-2 lead after the first with a takedown at the edge of the mat at the buzzer. Miller chose to start the second period down and earned the only point of the period with an escape as time was running out. Perrelli reversed Miller from his starting down position in the third. He let his opponent up once again and racked up two more takedowns on his way to a 14-5 major decision. With the win, Perrelli qualified for his second NCAA tournament. He will face Princeton's Garrett Frey in the finals on Sunday. Nevinger is the second seed at 141 pounds. After having a bye in the first round, he defeated Harvard's Shay Warren by fall in 1:46. In the semifinals, Nevinger faced Lehigh's Stephen Dutton. Dutton got on the board first with a takedown off a scramble midway through the first period. Nevinger would reverse him to tie the score, but Dutton escaped. Dutton chose to start the second at neutral, but neither wrestler scored. Nevinger quickly escaped to open the third period. Dutton took a 5-3 lead with a takedown, but Nevinger immediately broke free. With time running out, Nevinger muscled his way to a takedown to win, 6-5. Nevinger will face the No. 5 seed, Matt Mariacher of American in the finals. At 157 pounds, Dake opened his day by pinning Penn's Troy Hernandez in 1:11. In the quarterfinals, he won by an 8-0 major decision over Bucknell's John Regan. In the semifinals, Dake took on Daniel Kolodzik of Princeton. Dake held a 2-1 lead after the first period. Kolodzik escaped from his opening down position to start the second, but Dake would take him down once again. Dake immediately escaped to start the third period. He racked up four more takedowns to win a 12-4 major decision. Dake will face third seeded Walter Peppelman of Harvard in the finals. Peppelman is the older brother of Cornell wrestler Marshall Peppelman. Bosak opened his day with his 100th win with a 9-0 major decision over Columbia's Shane Hughes after having a bye in the first round. The Big Red junior took on Brown's Ophir Bernstein in the semifinals. Bosak notched a takedown with 30 seconds off the clock and added two three-point nearfalls before the first period was over to take an 8-0 advantage. Bosak chose top to start the third and racked up his lead to 13-1. Bernstein chose to start the third on top, but Bosak quickly reversed him. With 5:55 in riding time, Bosak won by a 16-1 technical fall in 7:00. Bosak will take on Lehigh's Robert Hamlin in the finals. At 197 pounds, Simaz won by fall in 3:52 over Sam Morison of Sacred Heart to open the day. The Big Red senior followed with a win by fall in 0:30 over Princeton's Kurt Brendel. In the semifinals, Simaz held a 2-0 lead over Rutger's Daniel Rinaldi. Simaz chose to start the second down and quickly spun out for an escape. Simaz grabbed a takedown and added three back points to take an 8-0 lead after two periods. Rinaldi chose to start the third down, and Simaz let him up looking to score. Simaz racked up takedowns on his way to a 17-4 major decision. Simaz will take on the second seed, Micah Burak of Penn in the finals. At heavyweight, senior Maciej Jochym opened his day by pinning Sacred Heart's Renaldo Cuko in 2:14. In the quarters, Jochym defeated Columbia's Kevin Lester by an 8-1 decision. In the semifinals, Jochym faced No. 1 nationally ranked Ryan Flores of American. Flores won by fall in 0:40. Jochym will take on the No. 6 seed, Daniel Miller of Navy in the consolation semifinals on Sunday. Wrestling begins at 10 a.m. on Sunday morning.

Related Content: Brackets|Notes|Quotes COLUMBIA, Mo. -- For the first time in program history, the Missouri wrestling team has captured the Big 12 Championship, doing so in front of their home crowd on Saturday night. Missouri sent eight of their 10 starters to the championship round, with four of them capturing individual titles. The four champions are the most in program history, besting the previous high of three set in 2004 and again in 2007, and all four placed first for the first time in their careers "It is an accomplishment of so many people though that put some put effort in," said head coach Brian Smith. "I thank all the wrestlers that wrestled for me and all the people that donate to the program and make it get to where it is, all the trainers and doctors, there are so many people. I am just really, really proud of everybody. This team did an amazing job today." Alan Waters, the top-seeded wrestler at 125 pounds, got the Tigers off on the right foot with a dominating 7-0 victory over No. 2 Jarrod Patterson of Oklahoma. The two were scoreless into the third when Waters reversed Patterson and scored five points in near falls in the final seconds of the match to get his second win over the Sooner this year. Oklahoma State tightened up the team race with wins over Missouri at 133 and 149, but redshirt freshman Drake Houdashelt topped No. 1 seed Nick Lester of OU with a 3-1 win. Lester had a 1-0 lead in the third but Houdashelt reversed Lester and rode him out to secure the extra point. Lester had beaten Houdashelt in both their previous matchups this season. Arguably the biggest win of the tournament came from Mizzou's Zach Toal, who upset top-seeded and fourth-ranked Andrew Sorenson in the championship. Toal, who was majored by Sorenson early in the season, hit the first takedown and took a 2-1 lead into the second period. After Sorenson evened the score, Toal got the escape in the third and scored the victory. The Cowboys were victorious at 174 and 197, but junior Mike Larston captured his first individual crown at 184 in a 5-4 win over No. 2 seed Boaz Beard. Beard hit the first takedown of the match and led 2-1 after one, but Larson tied things up with an escape and hit a takedown with short time left in the second. Up 4-2 in the final period, Beard evened things up with a reversal, but Larson escaped less than 10 seconds later and held on for the win. Heading into the final match of the night, Missouri held a four point lead over the Cowboys, who had one of the two competitors in the heavyweight bout. A win by decision would have brought the Tigers and OSU to a tie, while a win with bonus points would've given the Cowboys their third straight conference title. However, Iowa State's Matt Gibson hit three back points in the second and rode that to an 8-3 win over OSU's Austin Marsden, clinching the trophy for Mizzou. Overall, the Tigers qualify nine of their 10 starters for the NCAA Championship, which kicks off on March 15 and runs through March 17. The nine NCAA wrestlers will match last year's record-setting total. Stay tuned to mutigers.com for more information. Team Standings 1. Missouri - 77.0 pts. 2. Oklahoma - 73.0 pts. 3. Oklahoma State - 56.0 pts. 4. Iowa State - 21.0 pts.

Related Content: Brackets & Team Standings CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- The Chattanooga Mocs jumped out to a big lead and cruised to the team title at the 2012 Southern Conference Wrestling Championships today. The Mocs put eight wrestlers in the finals and had four take home titles on their way to the 26th tournament championship in school history. UTC all but had the team title wrapped up after the semifinals, with eight individuals advancing and one more in the consolation finals. The Mocs finished with 102 points, almost 30 clear of the field. 2012 SoCon Freshman of the Year Nick Soto got UTC going at 133. Ranked No. 16 in the nation, he was the favorite as the No. 1 seed, but had to work for the crown tonight. He led Campbell’s Joey Rizzolino by only one point at 5-4 with less than a minute remaining, but scored a takedown late to seal the 8-4 decision. Dean Pavlou was UTC’s second title winner at 149. He defeated The Citadel’s Seth Vernon 4-2. After a scoreless first, Pavlou started the second on the bottom and wet up 2-0 with a reversal. Vernon escaped but Pavlou scored a takedown with 10 seconds left in the period for a 4-1 lead. Vernon escaped quickly in the third, but Pavlou fought him off for his second career SoCon Championship. Dan Waddell had a buzzer-beater win at 157 for the Mocs. He slammed Campbell’s Nick Rex with two seconds left on the clock for a 4-3 decision and his second career league title. Brandon Wright was UTC’s fourth winner with a huge upset at 165. He scored an overtime win over Appalachian State’s 15th-ranked Kyle Blevins. With the score tied at one, neither individual was able to get a point in the first extra frame. In the first tiebreaker, Wright posted a reversal to go up 3-1. Blevins escaped in his turn on bottom and tried to get the go-ahead takedown. Wright fought off a strong attack to score his second-straight league trophy. ASU and The Citadel tied for second with 72.5 points. Both teams had four in the finals and both won at three weights. Appalachian State started the evening with a big win at 125. That match featured the last two conference winners in the Mountaineers’ Antonio Gravely and UTC’s Manny Ramirez. Gravely won in 2010 while Ramirez was last year’s champ while at UNCG. Gravely scored two near-falls in the second period to take control of the match and win 12-9. ASU’s second title came at 141 when Mike Kessler scored a 9-4 decision over Chattanooga’s Shawn Greevy. Kessler scored a pair of first period take downs to go up 4-1. Greevy tied it in the second with an escape and a takedown of his own. Kessler went up 5-4 in the third when he quickly escaped. He closed out the match with a takedown and backpoints. The Mountaineer’s Austin Trotman became a three-time SoCon Champion with a dominating performance at 184. He scored a technical fall (21-6) against UTC’s Robert Prigmore, earning the tournament’s Most Outstanding Wrestler award. The Citadel’s wins came late in the evening, taking three of the last four weight classes. Turtogtokh Luvsandorj posted a 2-1 win over Campbell’s James Cook. He scored a second period takedown for his second SoCon title. Kelby Smith also had a one point win for the Bulldogs at 197. He defeated Campbell’s John Weakley 3-2 to punch his ticket to the NCAA Championships. Trailing 1-0 in the third, Smith escaped and immediately attacked Weakley’s legs. The move surprised Weakely and gave Smith a one-point lead. Weakley escaped but could not get the go-ahead score. Weakley would go on to defeat Gardner-Webb’s Travis Porter with a fall in the second place match to earn the SoCon’s other automatic bid at 197. The Citadel’s Odie Delany defeated UTC’s Kevin Malone in a 9-0 major decision at heavyweight. It was Delaney’s third win of the season over Malone and his second SoCon championship. Campbell finished fourth with 65 teams points, followed by VMI with 25.5. Gardner-Webb was sixth with 21 points and Davidson rounded out the team scoring with 6.5 points. The 2012 NCAA Championships are set for March 15-17 at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Mo. TEAM RESULTS 1. Chattanooga 102 2t. Appalachian State 72.5 2t. The Citadel 72.5 4. Campbell 65 5. VMI 25.5 6. Gardner-Webb 21 7. Davidson 6.5 INDIVIDUAL CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS 125: No. 2 Antonio Gravely (ASU) – Dec. 12-9 - No. 1 Manny Ramirez (UTC) 133: No. 1 Nick Soto (UTC) – Dec. 8-5 - No. 2 Joey Rizzolino (Campbell) 141: No. 1 Mike Kessler (ASU) – Dec. 9-4 - No. 2 Shawn Greevy (UTC) 149: No. 3 Dean Pavlou (UTC) – Dec. 4-2 - No. 4 Seth Vernon (Citadel) 157: No. 1 Dan Waddell (UTC) - Dec. 4-3 - No. 2 Nick Rex (Campbell) 165: No. 2 Brandon Wright (UTC) – Dec. 3-2 (TB1) - No. 1 Kyle Blevins (ASU) 174: No. 1 Turtogtokh Luvsandorj (Citadel) – Dec. 2-1 - No. 3 James Cook (Campbell) 184: No. 1 Austin Trotman (ASU) – Tech Fall 21-6 (0:00) - No. 2 Robert Prigmore (UTC) 197: No. 1 Kelby Smith (Citadel) – Dec. 3-2 - No. 3 John Weakley (Campbell) 285: No. 1 Odie Delaney (Citadel) – MD 9-0 - No. 2 Kevin Malone (UTC) SECOND-PLACE MATCH FOR AUTOMATIC NCAA BID 197: John Weakley (Campbell) – Fall 1:20 - Travis Porter (GWU) MOST OUTSTANDING WRESTLER Austin Trotman – Appalachian State

125: No. 1 Matt McDonough (Iowa) dec. No. 6 Jesse Delgado (Illinois), 4-3 No. 2 Zach Sanders (Minnesota) dec. No. 8 Nico Megaludis (Penn State), 6-2 133: No. 2 Logan Stieber (Ohio State) dec. No. 8 Cashe Quiroga (Purdue), 9-6 No. 3 Tony Ramos (Iowa) dec. No. 4 B.J. Futrell (Illinois), 6-1 141: No. 1 Kellen Russell (Michigan) dec. No. 8 Nick Dardanes (Minnesota), 3-1 SV No. 4 Montell Marion (Iowa) dec. No. 3 Hunter Stieber (Ohio State), 3-1 SV 149: No. 1 Frank Molinaro (Penn State) tech. fall No. 12 Ivan Lopouchanski (Purdue), 15-0 No. 9 Dylan Ness (Minnesota) dec. No. 7 Eric Grajales (Michigan), 9-7 157: No. 2 Jason Welch (Northwestern) dec. No. 9 Anthony Jones (Michigan State), 4-2 No. 20 Derek St. John (Iowa) dec. No. 5 Dylan Alton (Penn State), 3-1 SV 165: No. 1 David Taylor (Penn State) maj. dec. No. 12 Conrad Polz (Illinois), 12-0 No. 6 Mike Evans (Iowa) tech. fall No. 7 Robert Kokesh (Nebraska), 17-2 174: No. 2 Ed Ruth (Penn State) maj. dec. No. 10 Nick Heflin (Ohio State), 15-7 No. 6 Logan Storley (Minnesota) dec. No. 5 Ethen Lofthouse (Iowa), 6-2 184: No. 6 Kevin Steinhaus (Minnesota) dec. No. 11 Grant Gambrall (Iowa), 3-2 No. 7 Josh Ihnen (Nebraska) dec. No. 2 Quentin Wright (Penn State), 3-1 197: No. 17 Mario Gonzalez (Illinois) pinned A.J. Kissel (Purdue), 2:44 No. 3 Matt Powless (Indiana) dec. No. 12 Morgan McIntosh (Penn State), 7-6 285: No. 3 Tony Nelson (Minnesota) dec. 12 Mike McMullan (Northwestern), 4-3 No. 13 Bobby Telford (Iowa) dec. No. 5 Cameron Wade (Penn State), 4-0

Cashè Quiroga (Purdue, 133) on first round win over Brandon Fifield of Michigan State University ... "It went pretty well. It was a good first match. It ended up being a major, which was good overall for the team." Ryan Leblanc (Indiana, 174) discussing close, overtime victory against Nebraska’s Tyler Koehn in the first round ... "I just won a close win in overtime and it feels great. It was pretty exhausting, but it was definitely worth every second of it." -- Cashè Quiroga (Purdue, 133) with the conclusion of his second round victory over Chris Dardanes ... "It was a grind like I thought it was going to be; it’s a dog fight out here. But I ended up coming away with a win in the end." Ivan Lopouchanski (Purdue, 149) over victory against wrestler Cam Tessari of Ohio State ... "The match was against a tough kid, who is a four-time state champ from Ohio. That’s no joke. And I’m just a one-timer from Florida. (The match) went great." Nick Heflin (Ohio State, 174) defeating fourth seeded Justin Zeerip in the second round advancing him onto the second session ... "It feels great you know? Hard work really does pay off in the end. Going on to the next round is good." Brandon Nelsen (Purdue, 141) on first round victory over Matt Ortega (Indiana) ... "Wrestling against (Ortega), he beat me the last two matches. First match he caught me in the last ten seconds of the third period. Last one he caught me with a move in the very first period. It was just about keeping position and not rushing anything." Steve Andrus (Michigan State, 285) on first round win over Adam Chalfant (Indiana) ... "Kid is a little bit bigger and a little bit stronger, so I tried to win the position battle. I got to my positions, gave a stupid shot, but luckily I got that good throw. Good position, that’s how you beat those bigger, stronger guys." Nick Dardanes (Minnesota, 141) on second round win over Jake Sueflohn (Nebraska) "I got up on him pretty high; he battled back and put me into overtime. I need to quit thinking about score." AJ Kissel (Purdue, 197) on second round upset over 1 seed, Sonny Yohn (Minnesota) ... "I came in did what I had to, wrestled the way I know how to wrestle." Morgan McIntosh (Penn State, 197) on second round overtime defeat against Andrew Compolattano (Ohio State) ... "It was a hard fought match. You just have to be able to wrestle all the way through overtime."

125: No. 1 Matt McDonough (Iowa) vs. No. 6 Jesse Delgado (Illinois) No. 2 Zach Sanders (Minnesota) vs. No. 8 Nico Megaludis (Penn State) 133: No. 2 Logan Stieber (Ohio State) vs. No. 8 Cashe Quiroga (Purdue) No. 3 Tony Ramos (Iowa) vs. No. 4 B.J. Futrell (Illinois) 141: No. 1 Kellen Russell (Michigan) vs. No. 8 Nick Dardanes (Minnesota) No. 3 Hunter Stieber (Ohio State) vs. No. 4 Montell Marion (Iowa) 149: No. 1 Frank Molinaro (Penn State) vs. No. 12 Ivan Lopouchanski (Purdue) No. 7 Eric Grajales (Michigan) vs. No. 9 Dylan Ness (Minnesota) 157: No. 2 Jason Welch (Northwestern) vs. No. 9 Anthony Jones (Michigan State) No. 5 Dylan Alton (Penn State) vs. No. 20 Derek St. John (Iowa) 165: No. 1 David Taylor (Penn State) vs. No. 12 Conrad Polz (Illinois) No. 6 Mike Evans (Iowa) vs. No. 7 Robert Kokesh (Nebraska) 174: No. 2 Ed Ruth (Penn State) vs. No. 10 Nick Heflin (Ohio State) No. 5 Ethen Lofthouse (Iowa) vs. No. 6 Logan Storley (Minnesota) 184: No. 6 Kevin Steinhaus (Minnesota) vs. No. 11 Grant Gambrall (Iowa) No. 2 Quentin Wright (Penn State) vs. No. 7 Josh Ihnen (Nebraska) 197: No. 17 Mario Gonzalez (Illinois) vs. A.J. Kissel (Purdue) No. 3 Matt Powless (Indiana) vs. No. 12 Morgan McIntosh (Penn State) 285: No. 3 Tony Nelson (Minnesota) vs. No. 12 Mike McMullan (Northwestern) No. 5 Cameron Wade (Penn State) vs. No. 13 Bobby Telford (Iowa)

InterMat is providing a running notebook from the 2012 Big Ten Wrestling Championships in West Lafayette, Ind., with periodic updates. The most recent updates are at the top. Refresh the page to see the latest updates. 1:04 p.m. ET: Penn State's Cameron Wade, ranked fifth, gets a 10-0 major decision over Michigan State's Steve Andrus at heavyweight. He will face Iowa's Bobby Telford, who beat Michigan's Ben Apland, 6-4. 12:59 p.m. ET: Matt Powless of Indiana picked up a major decision, 10-2, over James Nakashima of Nebraska at 197 pounds. 12:56 p.m. ET: Penn State's Morgan McIntosh gets a takedown in sudden victory to edge Ohio State's Andrew Campolattano, 3-1, in a battle of true freshmen. 12:53 p.m. ET: Minnesota's Tony Nelson registered a first period pin against Ohio State's Peter Capone at heavyweight. 12:50 p.m. ET: Purdue's A.J. Kissel pulls the biggest upset of the round, beating Minnesota's Sonny Yohn, 9-5, at 197 pounds. Yohn was the No. 1 seed and came in with a No. 7 ranking. Kissel will face Mario Gonzalez of Illinois in the semifinals. 12:45 p.m. ET: Quentin Wright needed overtime to beat Tony Dallago of Illinois, 7-2, at 184 pounds. 12:35 p.m. ET: Minnesota gets another semifinalist ... with Kevin Steinhaus winning 10-2 over Michigan State's Ian Hinton at 184 pounds. 12:32 p.m. ET: Minnesota's Logan Storley picked up a major decision, 10-2, over Indiana's Ryan LeBlanc at 174 pounds. 12:27 p.m. ET: Ohio State's Nick Heflin gets a last-second takedown to edge Michigan's Justin Zeerip, 3-1, at 174 pounds. 12:24 p.m. ET: Penn State's Ed Ruth was dominant in a 14-2 major decision victory over Jordan Blanton of Illinois at 174 pounds. Ruth had over five minutes of riding time in the match. 12:22 p.m. ET: Iowa's Mike Evans edges Minnesota's Cody Yohn, 5-4, at 165 pounds. It was the third meeting this season between the two. Evans has now won two of the three meetings. 12:19 p.m. ET: No. 12 Conrad Polz of Illinois advances to the semifinals with an 8-6 victory over Wisconsin's Ben Jordan at 165 pounds. 12:15 p.m. ET: Iowa's Derek St. John, ranked 20th, comes back from a 4-0 deficit to beat Nebraska's James Green, ranked eighth, in sudden victory, 6-4. 12:12 p.m. ET: Eric Grajales of Michigan gets the 5-2 victory over Eric Terrazas of Illinois at 149 pounds. 12:09 p.m. ET: Penn State gets wins from Dylan Alton (157) and David Taylor (165). Alton won by major decision, while Taylor won by pin. 12:04 p.m. ET: Purdue's Ivan Lopouchanski, ranked 12th, defeated Ohio State's Cam Tessari, 7-4, at 149 pounds. Lopouchanski will face Penn State's Frank Molinaro in the semifinals. 11:59 a.m. ET: Minnesota's Dylan Ness was too much for Indiana's Taylor Walsh at 149 pounds. Ness went 5-0 before pinning the Hoosier wrestler. 11:56 a.m. ET: Iowa's Montell Marion won by major decision, 12-2, over Daryl Thomas of Illinois to advance to the semifinals. 11:54 a.m. ET: Minnesota's Nick Dardanes edged Nebraska's Jake Sueflohn, 8-6, in sudden victory at 141 pounds. Dardanes built a 5-1 lead after two periods, but Sueflohn battled back to tie the match and send it to sudden victory. Dardanes then picked up the winning takedown in sudden victory. 11:49 a.m. ET: Penn State's Frank Molinaro gets a first period pin against Northwestern's Kaleb Friedley to advance to the semifinals. 11:49 a.m. ET: No. 4 B.J. Futrell of Illinois gets the 10-5 victory over Michigan's Zac Stevens at 133 pounds. Futrell will now face Iowa's Tony Ramos, who won by major decision over Nebraska's Ridge Kiley. 11:40 a.m. ET: No. 8 Cashe Quiroga of Purdue pulls the mild upset over No. 7 Chris Dardanes of Minnesota, 6-3, at 133 pounds. Quiroga avenged a previous loss to Dardanes. 11:37 a.m. ET: No. 8 Nico Megaludis of Penn State with a 6-2 victory over Ohio State's Johnni DiJulius at 125 pounds in a battle of true freshmen. 11:35 a.m. ET: No. 2 Zach Sanders of Minnesota needed just one point to edge Purdue Camden Eppert, 1-0, at 125 pounds. 11:30 a.m. ET: Iowa's Matt McDonough won by major decision, 11-3, over Michigan State's Brenan Lyons at 125 pounds. He will face the winner of No. 6 Jesse Delgado of Illinois vs. No. 10 Levi Mele of Northwestern. 11:28 a.m. ET: The quarterfinals are underway. 11:15 a.m. ET: No. 17 Mario Gonzalez of Illinois built an 8-3 lead on Northwestern's John Schoen before pinning him at 197 pounds. He will now face Michigan's Max Huntley in the quarterfinals. Illinois has not lost a match. 11:12 a.m. ET: Penn State's Quentin Wright gets the pin in the first period against Indiana's Luke Sheridan to advance to the quarterfinals. 11:09 a.m. ET: Minnesota's Sonny Yohn had to come from behind to defeat Iowa's Vinnie Wagner, 4-2, 197 pounds. Wagner picked up a third period takedown to go up 2-1, but Yohn responded with a takedown of his own late in the match to pick up the victory. 11:01 a.m. ET: Minnesota's Kevin Steinhaus, a returning All-American and Big Ten runner-up, gets a 16-1 technical fall victory over Wisconsin's Timmy McCall at 184 pounds. Steinhaus will face Michigan State's Ian Hinton in the quarterfinals. 10:52 a.m. ET: No. 9 Jordan Blanton of Illinois won by major decision, 10-2, over Midlands champion Lee Munster of Northwestern at 174 pounds in the premier matchup of the opening round. 10:49 a.m. ET: Minnesota's Cody Yohn, who is ranked 14th, rolled to a technical fall victory, 16-0, over Indiana's Preston Keiffer. 10:44 a.m. ET: No. 1 David Taylor of Penn State was dominant from start to finish in a 20-5 technical fall victory of Ohio State's Derek Garcia at 165 pounds. 10:40 a.m. ET: No. 5 Dylan Alton of Penn State controlled Minnesota's Danny Zilverberg and won 4-2 at 157 pounds. 10:34 a.m. ET: No. 19 Eric Terrazas of Illinois used a third period escape and riding time point to edge Iowa's Michael Kelly, 4-2, at 149 pounds. 10:30 a.m. ET: Purdue's Brandon Nelsen picks up a 3-1 victory over Indiana's Matt Ortega at 141 pounds to advance to the quarterfinals. He will face Ohio State's Hunter Stieber, who is currently ranked No. 3. 10:24 a.m. ET: No. 9 Jake Sueflohn of Nebraska had to battle back to defeat Northwestern's Colin Shober, 9-6, at 141 pounds. He will now face Minnesota's Nick Dardanes in the quarterfinals. Dardanes won their only meeting this season. 10:20 a.m. ET: Northwestern's Kaleb Friedley dominated Michigan State's Dan Osterman at 149 pounds. Friedley built an 11-2 lead before pinning Osterman in the second period. 10:18 a.m. ET: Daryl Thomas of Illinois gets a dominant 21-4 technical fall victory over Michigan State's Brian Gibbs. He will face No. 4 Montell Marion of Iowa in the quarterfinals. 10:13 a.m. ET: A couple back-to-back wins for No. 1 Penn State ... No. 8 Nico Megaludis wins 12-3 over Michigan's Grant Pizzo at 125 pounds, and seconds later Bryan Pearsall pins Wisconsin's Thomas Glenn. 10:08 a.m. ET: No. 2 Logan Stieber of Ohio State built a 10-0 lead before pinning Wisconsin's Shane McQuade at 133 pounds. 10:06 a.m. ET: No. 10 Levi Mele of Northwestern picked up a pin in the second period against Indiana's Zach Zimmer at 125 pounds. He will now face No. 6 Jesse Delgado of Illinois in the quarterfinals. The two have split this season, with Mele winning the last meeting. 10:04 a.m. ET: No. 1 Matt McDonough of Iowa was dominant, getting a pin in the first period against Shawn Nagel of Nebraska. He will face Michigan State's Brenan Lyon next. 10:01 a.m. ET: We're underway at the Big Ten Wrestling Championships. Thanks for joining us.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- The 2012 NCAA West Regional title will be on the line Sunday in Cedar Falls, Iowa., when all seven teams from the Western Wrestling Conference hit the mat at Northern Iowa's McLeod Center for the one-day qualifying tournament where competitors will compete to earn automatic bids for the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. The event will begin at 11 a.m. CT and the finals are slated to start at 4 p.m. on the campus of the University of Northern Iowa. Tournament information and live video will be available by visiting UNIPanters.com while live results can be found at TrackWrestling.com. Seeding information will be announced following a coaches meeting on Saturday night. Tickets for the day-long event at the McLeod Center are $15 for adults and $10 for youth. Tickets can be purchased at the UNI Athletics Ticket Office, by phone at 319-273-4849 or online at unitix.uni.edu. In its sixth year, the WWC is comprised of seven schools including Air Force, North Dakota State, Northern Colorado, Northern Iowa, South Dakota State, Utah Valley and Wyoming. Since all league schools compete at the West Regional, the WWC tournament championship will also be determined at the event. The UNI Panthers had won the team NCAA West Regional title 24 consecutive times, but the past two seasons No. 11 Wyoming has managed to dethrone the Panthers to capture its first two titles. In 2011, the Cowboys finished with 93 points, while the Panthers came in second with 87. Behind them the Falcons finished third (59), while the Bison placed fourth (45.5), the Wolverines fifth (41.5), the Bears sixth (24) and the Jackrabbits seventh (14). Out of the 17 competitors that qualified at last year’s nationals 10 of them are back, including six conference champs. The six returning individual champions from the 2010-11 season are UW’s Michael Martinez (125), AFA's Cole VonOhlen (149), UW’s Shane Onufer (165), UW's Pat Martinez (174), UNI's Ryan Loder (184) and UW's LJ Helbig (285). The other four returning NCAA Qualifiers are NDSU’s Trent Sprenkle (125), UNC's Casey Cruz (141), UNI's David Bonin (157) and UW’s Joe LeBlanc (184). Wyoming seniors M. Martinez and Onufer will be looking for their fourth consecutive conference titles this year as they have previously won their respective weight brackets in 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11. Fellow UW senior and three-time All-American LeBlanc will also be looking for his third conference title on Sunday. This year’s WWC regular season dual champion was the Wyoming Cowboys, who finished undefeated in league match-ups at 6-0. UNI was the runner-up with a 5-1 conference record. The West Regional will receive 17 automatic qualifiers to the NCAA Championships this year, based on the final Coaches' Panel Ranking, Rating Percentage Index (RPI) and Division I winning percentage. The breakdown of the 17 automatic bids per weight class is as follows: 125 (2), 133 (2), 141 (1), 149 (2), 157 (3), 165 (2), 174 (1), 184 (2), 197 (1) and 285 (1). 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, who will be announced on March 7. All weight classes will consist of 33 wrestlers for the NCAA Tournament. Last year the WWC saw two of its wrestlers receive at-large selections. Qualifiers from this weekend's NCAA?West Regional will compete at the NCAA?Championships, that will be held at the Scottrade Center March 15-17 in St. Louis, Mo.

DES MOINES, Iowa -- (Team Scores, Brackets) Grand View (Iowa) and Southern Oregon each advanced four individuals to title bouts of the 2012 NAIA Wrestling National Championships Friday in the Jacobson Exhibition Center. The Vikings continued to hold the top spot in the team standings with 141.5 points and will contend at 133, 165, 197 and heavyweight. In second place with 118.5 points, the Raiders will send wrestlers at 125, 149, 174 and 184 to the finals. Campbellsville (Ky.) also retained its position at third with 110.5 points. Surging from ninth to fourth with 84 points was Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) and Oklahoma City’s 75 points land the Stars at fifth. Ten different programs will be represented in championship bouts, including five with multiple finalists: Grand View (4), Southern Oregon (4), Lindsey Wilson (3), Campbellsville (2) and Oklahoma City (2). Lindsey Wilson’s trio of national title hopefuls are the first in the program’s three-year history. Keith Klink was the first Blue Raider to advance into the finals at 133 pounds for head coach Corey Ruff. “I’ve been coaching [Keith] Klink since he was in seventh grade and I’ve coached him at four different levels,” Ruff said. “I have never been prouder than anything in my life. To have three in the finals at this stage and two in the consolations, I’m very happy. It has been a lot of hard work and we’ve faced a lot of adversity this season. I’m so thankful of everybody, the wrestlers, the coaching staff, the administration, the parents; it has been a collective effort.” Charlie Pingleton (157) and Joseph Stephens (174) will also wrestle for a national title for Lindsey Wilson. Oklahoma City’s finalists include Nik Turner at 157 pounds and Kevin Hardy at 165. Of the four returning national champions that started the tournament, a pair will be vying for a second title: Mitchell Lofstedt of Southern Oregon at 125 pounds and Great Falls’ (Mont.) 141-pounder Anthony Varnell. Lofstedt continued his pinning ways with a 2:39 fall of Deteoreious Prayther from Missouri Baptist to punch a ticket to his third finals appearance in as many trips to the event. It was also the junior’s ninth pin in his current 10-match winning streak. He is set to collide with first-time finalist Kory Kistner of Morningside (Iowa), who posted a 5-2 semifinal win over Great Falls’ Danny Luttrell. Varnell had to get past teammate Myles Mazurkiewicz in order to defend his title and did so with a 7-3 decision. The 28-3 senior’s final opponent of his career will be sophomore Chris Teague of Campbellsville. Teague defeated Montana State-Northern’s Anthony Weerheim by a single point, 9-8, for his first shot at a national crown. Campbellsville will have a second finalist in Allen Scruggs at 184. After beating the defending national champion with three seconds of riding time in the second tiebreaker in the quarterfinals, Scruggs once again emerged victorious in an extended match. Deadlocked at 1-1 with Derrick Rottenberg of Southern Oregon, the Tiger was able to take a 5-3 lead with a reversal, followed by an escape by the 2010 semifinalst, in the second tiebreaker en route to a 5-4 decision. “I decided I can’t just hang my head on the quarterfinals win because anything can happen in the semifinal,” Scruggs said. “I went back to the hotel room, sat down and just cleared my head. I’m just taking it one match at a time. That’s all I can do, take it one match at a time and keep on driving to my goal, and my goal is become a national champ. I’m a first-time All-American and I’m in the national finals. It feels great.” He will face off against another Southern Oregon grappler, Austin Vanderford, in the title bout. Vanderford edged Weston Keleher of Missouri Baptist, 5-4. Action from the 55th annual event continues Saturday at 10 a.m. CST with consolation semifinals, followed by medal round matches. The championship finals will be streamed live by NeuLion for $9.95 starting at 6:45 p.m. Click here for more information and to get registered.

Clarion University will host the 37th Annual EWL (Eastern Wrestling League) Championship on Sunday, March 4th, with a total of 8 teams participating. The Tournament is also the NCAA Division I National Qualifier. The pre-seeding for the tournament has been completed with the top four seeds at each weight class announced on Friday morning. Clarion has two, number 1 seeds in the tournament with #4 ranked James Fleming (Jr. West Mifflin) at 157 and #5 ranked Bekzod Aburakhmonov (Sr. Tashkent, Uzbekistan) at 165-pounds leading the way. The completed brackets for each weight class will be announced Saturday evening around 9pm. The EWL is comprised of seven league members including Bloomsburg, Clarion, Cleveland State, Edinboro, Lock Haven, Pittsburgh and West Virginia. An eighth team, Millersville, was assigned by the NCAA, in agreement with the EWL, to compete at the EWL Championships. EWL CHAMPIONSHIP HAS 2 SESSIONS The 2012 EWL's will be hosted at Clarion’s Waldo S. Tippin Gymnasium with Session 1 starting at 10a.m. That round will feature quarterfinal action, followed by semi-finals and Round 1 consolations. Session 2 starts at 5pm and will have the consolation semi=s, followed at 7pm by the championship finals and matches for third and fifth places. The EWL Hall of Fame Class and Parade of Champions begins at 6:45 p.m. Tickets will be available at the door. All Session Adult passes are $30, while All-Session Senior and Student passes are $15. Individual session tickets will also be available. Clarion’s #4 ranked Fleming enters the EWL’s with a season record of 24-2. He is the defending EWL champion at 157 and was Co-OW of the 2011 tournament. In 2012 he won the Nittany Lion Ope, placed second at PSAC’s and placed third at the Midlands. He finished 2011 with a 31-4 record, qualified for D-I Nationals, was 1-2 at nationals, and won at PSAC’s and EWL’s. In 2010 at 149-pounds he was 28-8 overall, 2nd at EWL’s and 4th at PSAC’s. He has a career record at clarion of 83-16 with 26 falls. Abdurakhmonov is currently ranked #5 in the nation at 165 and has a season record of 28-4. He has already won the PSAC title and placed 4th at Midlands. In 2011 Bekzod placed third at EWL’s and won the PSAC title at 165. An NCAA National qualifier, he was 3-2 at nationals and missed A-A status by one match. He posted a 38-12 overall record. In two seasons he has a combined record of 66-16 with 15 falls. Other Clarion wrestlers gaining seeds were Alex Thomas (Jr. Seaford, De.) at 197 and Quintas McCorkle (Sr. Alexandria, Va.) – heavyweight – who were seeded fourth. Thomas currently has a record of 22-14 this season while McCorkle is 22-10. EWL TOURNAMENT FACTS: Pitt leads the pre-seeds with four #1 seeds… West Virginia is next with three, Clarion has two and Edinboro one … Edinboro has four - #2 seeds; with Pittsburgh and Bloomsburg three each… Pitt is the defending EWL Team champion and also won the 2012 regular season dual meet title. Edinboro has won or tied for first place in 12 of the last 14 EWL Tournaments including titles in 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, the tie in 2004, a win in 2003, and a string of four straight from 1998-2001. West Virginia tied for first in 2004 and won the title in 2002, while Lock Haven won in 1997, West Virginia in 1996 and Clarion won back-to-back titles in 1994 and 95. The top 4 seeds in the EWL’s are as follows: 125: 1. Anthony Zanetta Pittsburgh 2. Sean Boylan Bloomsburg 3. Shane Young West Virginia 4. Kory Mines Edinboro 133: 1. Shelton Mack Pittsburgh 2. A.J. Schopp Edinboro 3. Nathan Pennesi West Virginia 4. Nick Wilcox Bloomsburg 141: 1. Mike Morales West Virginia 2. Mitchell Port Edinboro 3. Matthew Bonson Lock Haven 4. Travis Shaffer Pittsburgh 149: 1. Tyler Nauman Pittsburgh 2. David Habat Edinboro 3. Owen Wilkinson Lock Haven 4. Bryce Busler Bloomsburg 157: 1. James Fleming Clarion 2. Frank Hickman Bloomsburg 3. Donnie Tasser Pittsburgh 4. Aaron Fry Lock Haven 165: 1. Bekzod Abdurakhmonov Clarion 2. Tyler Wilps Pittsburgh 3. Chris Smith Bloomsburg 4. Kyle Eason West Virginia 174: 1. Ethan Headlee Pittsburgh 2. Mike Dessino Bloomsburg 3. Lance Bryson West Virginia 4. Chris Hrunka Edinboro 184: 1. Matt Ryan West Virginia 2. Andy Vaughan Pittsburgh 3. Vic Avery Edinboro 4. Fred Garcia Lock Haven 197: 1. Chris Honeycutt Edinboro 2. Matthew Wilps Pittsburgh 3. Richard Perry Bloomsburg 4. Alex Thomas Clarion 285: 1. Brandon Williamson West Virginia 2. Ernest James Edinboro 3. Henry Turner Lock Haven 4. Quintas McCorkle Clarion

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- The University of North Carolina and Carmichael Arena will serve as the host of the 2012 ACC Wrestling Championships Saturday as 25 wrestlers will punch their tickets to the NCAA Championships. Action gets under way at 11 a.m. Saturday with first round action before the brackets get dwindled down to the finals which begin at 7 p.m. The entire championship can be seen live on ESPN3. The doors to Carmichael Arena will open at 10 a.m., with first- round action set to begin at 11 a.m. The semifinals are set for 1 p.m., followed by the semifinal consolation matches at 3:30. The consolation finals are set for 5 p.m., followed by the championship matches at 7 p.m. All seating for the ACC Championship is general admission. Tickets are $5 in advance and $10 at the door. Three Tar Heels earned first round byes as the brackets were announced Wednesday night with sophomore Corey Mock claiming the top seed at 157 pounds, senior Thomas Ferguson claiming the No. 2 seed at 184 pounds and the reigning 197 pound ACC champion Zac Bennett getting the No. 2 seed. Carolina will enter the championships with three wrestlers earning No. 4 seeds, three No. 5 seeds and one No. 6 seed. Sophomore Brian Bokoski will get the call at 125 pounds for the Tar Heels and will take on the No. 4 seed NC State's Coltin Fought in the first round with a potential meeting with top seed Matt Snyder of Virginia in the second round. The 125 pound division will have three NCAA automatic bids on the line with Snyder as the lone ranked wrestler as he is tabbed No. 11 by Intermat this week. Senior Brock LiVorio has come out victorious in four of his last five bouts coming into the ACC Championships and will be the No. 4 seed in the 133 pound bracket for the Tar Heels. LiVorio will open against Duke's Brandon Gambucci with a potential matchup against top seed Devin Carter (Virginia Tech) in the second round. Carter is ranked No. 6 in the nation by Intermat. There will be three NCAA automatic qualifier spots on the line at 133 pounds. Freshman Evan Henderson is just three wins shy of 30 for the season as the 141 pounder has produced a stellar first campaign as a Tar Heel. Henderson ranked as high as No. 15 in the country at one point this season and will be battling for one of the four NCAA automatic qualifier spots available on Saturday. Henderson will open against Tanner Hough of Duke in the first round and would meet Virginia'a Nick Nelson in the second round. Nelson is one of three ACC wrestlers ranked among the top 20 in the country at 141 pounds as he leads the way at No. 7 with NC State's Darius Little (No. 10) and Virginia Tech's Zach Neibert (No. 20) just behind. Freshman Nick Heilmann has turned it on the last few weeks of the dual season and will get the call at 149 pounds for the Tar Heels. Heilmann has won four straight dual bouts in the month of February and will be the No. 6 seed this weekend. Heilmann will take on Virginia Tech's Nick Brascetta in the first round with a potential meeting with Maryland's Ben Dorsay in the second round. Virginia's Gus Sako is the lone wrestler ranked by Intermat as he checks in at No. 20 this week and will be the top overall seed. Two NCAA automatic qualifier spots are available at 149 pounds. Sophomore Corey Mock is in good position to earn one of the three NCAA automatic qualifier spots at 157 pounds as he has been tabbed the No. 1 seed. Mock closed the year winning nine of his last 10 bouts and posted a perfect 4-0 mark in ACC duals on the year. Mock will take on the winner of Colton Palmer of NC State and Cameron Hurd of Virginia Tech in the second round with No. 2 seed Jedd Moore of Virignia, No. 3 Kyle John of Maryland and No. 6 Immanuel Kerr-Brown of Duke on the other side of the bracket. Mock is one of two Tar Heels who competed in the NCAA Championships a year ago. Senior Kyle Kiss earned the No. 4 seed at 165 pounds for the Tar Heels and will face NC State's Nigel Jones in the first round. Kiss downed Jones in early February and helped spur Kiss on to closing with four wins in five bouts to close the season. The ACC will have three NCAA automatic qualifier spots available at 165 pounds with three wrestlers among the top 16 in the country according to Intermat. Kiss will have the chance to meet top overall seed Josh Asper of Maryland in the second round who is ranked No. 2 in the country. Virginia Tech's Peter Yates is tabbed No. 8 in the country and Virginia's Nick Sulzer is ranked No. 16. Freshman Alex Utley will face No. 4 seed Vinny Waldhauser of Virginia in the first round who Utley downed by a 5-0 margin earlier in the year. A win by Utley will earn him a bout against top seed Maryland's Jimmy Sheptock in the second round. Sheptock is ranked No. 11 in the country by Intermat. The ACC will have two NCAA automatic qualifier spots from the 174 pound bracket. Senior Thomas Ferguson will be making his third straight appearance in the ACC Championships after earning All-ACC honors as a sophomore. Ferguson will have a first round by thanks to the No. 2 seed and will face either No. 3 Diego Bencomo of Duke or No. 6 Matthew Snook of Maryland in the second round. There will be two NCAA automatic qualifier spots available at 184 pounds with Virginia's Jon Fausey the top ranked wrestler at No. 15 in the country by Intermat. Sophomore Zac Bennett will be looking to become the first Tar Heel since Matt Kenny in 2001 and 2002 to win back-to-back ACC Championships when he looks for his second ACC Championship at 197 pounds. Bennett will be the No. 2 seed in the bracket behind Maryland's Christian Boley who is ranked No. 5 in the country by Intermat. Bennett will open with a first round bye before taking on No. 3 Nick Vetterlein of Virginia Tech or No. 6 seed Brian Self of Duke. The ACC will have one automatic qualifier spot come from the 197 pound bracket. Senior Nick Tenpenny will get the call at heavyweight for the Tar Heels as the No. 5 seed. Tenpenny will open against Duke's Robby Mello with a potential meeting with Maryland's Spencer Myers, the top seed, in the second round. Myers is ranked No. 7 in the country by Intermat this week. The ACC will have one NCAA automatic qualifier spot available at heavyweight. Every bout during the ACC Championships will be shown live on ESPN3 with a two-mat set up through the semifinals before breaking down to one mat for the finals.

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga wrestling team is set to host the 2012 Southern Conference Championships on Saturday, March 3, at the McKenzie Arena in Chattanooga, Tenn. The Mocs finished the regular season second in the SoCon with a 5-1 league tally and a 12-6 overall record. Action begins on Saturday at 10:00 a.m. (E.S.T.) with the finals set for 6:30 p.m. Tickets for the event start at $8 for groups of 10 or more, $10 for youth and $15 for adults. Tickets are available online at GoMocs.com or by calling the UTC Ticket Office at (423) 266-MOCS (6627). The UTC Ticket Office will open at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday with Arena doors opening at 9:00 a.m. for the general public. Students from any SoCon member school will get a free ticket with a valid student ID. Chattanooga has won the SoCon Tournament 25 times since joining the league in 1977. This is the sixth time UTC has hosted the event and the Mocs won all five previous league championships held in Chattanooga. The last time UTC hosted the SoCon Tournament was in 2008. Fans not able to attend can follow the action live on MocsVision on GoMocs.com. Cameras will be rolling all day on the two-mat setup.

Ryan DesRoches shouldn't have been that worried. Last season, as the nation's 15th-ranked wrestler at 165 pounds and a returning NCAA qualifier, his selection by the NCAA at-large committee seemed a guarantee. He'd qualified a weight class for the Pac-10, but because he was upset in the semifinals of the conference tournament, he was forced to wait along with scores of other wrestlers to find out if he qualified for another NCAA tournament. "I remember training after Pac-10s and feeling good about my chances, but every once in a while I'd kinda wonder," says DesRoches, a senior at Cal Poly who is currently ranked seventh at 174 pounds. This season DesRoches earned an automatic berth in the NCAAs despite losing a narrow 5-4 decision to top-ranked Nick Amuchastegui of Stanford in the finals of the Pac-12 tournament. He was happy to not be playing the waiting game he had to last season. Ryan DesRoches received an at-large selection last season (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)The Pac-10/12 holds its conference tournament a week prior to other conferences, which gives the member schools an extra week of training for NCAAs, but also forces the wrestlers in contention for an at-large bid to wait a full extra week, something that left DesRoches biting his nails to the very end. "I really did feel confident I was going to be selected, but I was listening to them announce names and mine just wasn't being called," says DesRoches. "I'd waited for almost two full weeks and after 30 names had been called I'm still sitting there wondering. I ended up having to wrestle Andrew Howe, who was the No. 2 seed last season." DesRoches was the last name called. The old system wasn't much better. Ask any bow-legged cauliflower wrestler in his thirties and they'll retell horror stories of waiting after the conference tournament to find out which wrestlers the conference chose. The system used to work off historical data and gave the conferences and their coaches discretion on who to place in the NCAA tournament. An ACC tournament in 2005 might have 16 qualifiers, with 10 automatic and six at-large. Coaches then huddled and attempted to appeal for their wrestlers, and possibly who they thought might benefit the conference's chance at earning more bids in the future. As the coaches discussed, wrestlers were sitting in locker rooms and abandoned auditoriums awaiting their decisions and coming to justifications all on their own for who should and shouldn't go. It was a random process with little justification. The new process does seem to extract more of the top wrestlers from conference tournaments and into the NCAA Championships, though the wrestlers have now become more aware of the process in advance of their conference tournament. Should they falter, how did someone near their RPI do at their conference tournament? Was there an upset? Who would go if ... ? And what if ... ? Matt Nelson is one wrestler who might end up sitting on the bubble (Photo/Virginia Sports Information)Matt Nelson of Virginia is one wrestler who might end up sitting on the bubble. Ranked in the top 20 for part of the season, Nelson has quality wins over other ranked opponents and a solid 15-4 record, but heading into the conference tournament he has alternating visions of his own dominance and the reality that anyone can have a bad day and end up in the mercy of the national at-large selection committee. "There are three spots and I'm the second-seeded guy at the weight," says Nelson. "I'm looking to beat both my opponents, and I'm focused on doing that as best I can with the stuff that I already do well." He does admit that should something happen, he hopes that his work to this point has gotten him far enough. "The last three years I was the guy carrying the water bucket," says Nelson who has spent the majority of his time in Charlottesville suffering from severe concussions. The 2011-2012 season has been his first season on the mat. "I'm thinking about what I can do at NCAAs and I'm sure that if I have to wait to hear from the committee that the time between the end of ACCs and when they announce is gonna stink, but I'm going to train through even if that is the case." The pressure for many of these wrestlers couldn't be greater. Unlike the team sports where blame can be deferred, college wrestlers are forced to take on the reality of their shortcomings in front of their friends, families and teammates. An extended wait period only prolongs the amount of time that support system will pump them up with confidence or analyze the RPI of opposing wrestlers and who they think might also make the cut. It's an exhausting proposition. In the meantime, if they don't automatically qualify, they'll be asked to train as if they were, a tough psychological hedge for any wrestler with goals of being an All-American or NCAA champion, but facing the reality that they might not even be allowed to participate. "I think it's all about getting that chance," says Nelson. "Whether I earn the automatic qualifier spot, or get in at-large, my goal is to be standing on the podium in two weeks. "I'll deal with just about anything to get there."

The EIWA announced the preseeds for the 2012 EIWA Championships, being held Saturday-Sunday in Princeton's Jadwin Gym. The following are not the official seeds; those will be announced after a seeding meeting late Friday afternoon. The official seeds and the tournament brackets will be available Friday evening. 2012 EIWA Consensus Preseeds 125: 1. Frank Perrelli, Cornell 2. Garrett Frey, Princeton 3. Billy Watterson, Brown 4. Thomas Williams, American 5. Austin Miller, Bucknell 6. Vinny Dellafave, Rutgers 7. Tyler Sackett, Navy 8. Scott Filbert, Army 133: 1. Steven Keith, Harvard 2. Bryan Ortenzio, Penn 3. Mason Beckman, Lehigh 4. Aaron Kalil, Navy 5. Mike Demarco, Rutgers 6. Jordan Thome, Army 7. Nick Arujau, Cornell 8. Chris Perez, Princeton 141: 1. Zack Kemmerer, Penn 2. Steve Dutton, Lehigh 3. Mike Nevinger, Cornell 4. Adam Krop, Princeton 5. Matt Mariacher, American 6. Billy Ashnault, Rutgers 7. Richard Durso, F&M 8. Derrick Russell, Bucknell 149: 1. Mario Mason, Rutgers 2. Corey Jantzen, Harvard 3. Chris Villalonga, Cornell 4. Steve Santos, Columbia 5. Steve Robertson, Penn 6. Shane Welch, Lehigh 7. Alex Pelliccotti, Bucknell 8. Kevin Tao, American 157: 1. Kyle Dake, Cornell 2. Ganbayar Sanjaa, American 3. Walter Peppelman, Harvard 4. Daniel Kolodzik, Princeton 5. Bobby Barnhisel, Navy 6. Jake O’Hara, Columbia 7. Jimmy Rafferty, Army 8. John Regan, Bucknell 165: 1. Brandon Hatchett, Lehigh 2. Scott Winston, Rutgers 3. Lorenzo Thomas, Penn 4. Marshall Peppelman, Cornell 5. Corey Lear, Bucknell 6. Cole Gracey, Army 7. Eren Civan, Columbia 8. Mason Bailey, Navy 174: 1. Greg Zannetti, Rutgers 2. Nate Brown, Lehigh 3. Stephen West, Columbia 4. Oscar Huntley, Navy 5. Billy George, Cornell 6. Stephen McPeek, Bucknell 7. Andy Lowy, Princeton 8. Ian Korb, Penn 184: 1. Steve Bosak, Cornell 2. Robert Hamlin, Lehigh 3. Luke Rebertus, Navy 4. Ophir Bernstein, Brown 5. Dan Seidenberg, Rutgers 6. Cameron Croy, Harvard 7. Michael Gorman, Army 8. Shane Hughes, Columbia 197: 1. Cam Simaz, Cornell 2. Micah Burak, Penn 3. Joe Kennedy, Lehigh 4. Danny Mitchell, American 5. Dan Rinaldi, Rutgers 6. James Fox, Harvard 7. Derek Stanley, Army 8. Kurt Brendel, Princeton 285: 1. Ryan Flores, American 2. Zack Rey, Lehigh 3. Steve Graziano, Penn 4. Maciej Jochym, Cornell 5. Kevin Lester, Columbia 6. Dan Miller, Navy 7. Dan Hopkins, Rutgers T8. Daniel Mills, Army T8. David Ng, Harvard