InterMat Staff

Top UFC heavyweight contender Alistair Overeem won't be commenting on a recent misdemeanor-battery charge that followed a recent UFC 141 win over Brock Lesnar. An attorney for the fighter today issued a statement on his behalf. In it, David Chesnoff of the Chesnoff & Schonfeld law firm said they'll vigorously defend his side of the story and that he maintains his innocence. Read Story

Johny Hendricks wants his own title shot and calls for a matchup with the winner of the Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit bout. Read Story

This past weekend's UFC on FOX 2 event scored its biggest ratings during the night's main event of Rashad Evans vs. Phil Davis, which averaged 6.1 million viewers. FOX officials today provided additional ratings information. As MMAjunkie.com reported earlier today, the Jan. 28 two-hour broadcast scored an overall 2.6 household rating and averaged 4.7 million viewers. Read Story

After four consecutive wins in the octagon, UFC lightweight Nik Lentz has hit the skids. But he also believes he's turned a corner in delivering the kind of performances fans want to see, and despite dropping back-to-back fights, he'll live to fight another day in the UFC. (UFC matchmaker) Joe Silva said I wouldn't get cut, he today told MMAjunkie.com following a weekend loss to Evan Dunham at UFC on FOX 2. Read Story

UFC lightweight Jacob Volkmann said he followed the rules - to the letter - when he said President Barack Obama needed a glassectomy, even after being placed on paid administrative leave a second time by the high school that employs him as a part-time wrestling coach. Now, the rules are a little bit stricter. Volkmann was taken off administrative leave from White Bear Lake High School today after a meeting with school administrators. HERE

The Federal Trade Commission's probe into Zuffa's purchase of Strikeforce has come to a close with no further action being warranted. Read Story

Phil Davis (Photo/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images) Super Bowl Sunday is fast approaching and in preparation for the game, fans of football will stock up on various forms of processed carbohydrates, sugar water and beer. The game is compelling -- a rematch of the 2007 game, one that many would argue was the most competitive in decades -- and people have already taken to making bets with their office mates and bookies. Not just about football anymore, the Super Bowl is equally known for is the commercials, a brand of once-a-year 30-second theater that Americans have come to covet as much if not more so, than the game itself. While everyone (the broadcast is expected to crest 168 million viewers in America alone) watching the game won't be cheering for their favorite team, they will all be supporting their favorite past times -- advertising and capitalism. The ratings for football have never been better, and with two large market teams playing, New York and Boston, the ratings will be analyzed, chopped, rehashed and reorganized for several days following the final whistle. What should be the nation's biggest game in its biggest sport, has ultimately devolved into slivers of athletic distraction spread along four hours of advertising. Frederick Exley would have trouble recognizing his beloved Giants, smash cut between bikini-clad Doritos girls and car commercials. The discussion of ratings in the NFL and the commercial success of the sport seems to coincide well with the recent UFC on FOX 2 card aired live on Fox last Saturday from Chicago. Since the ratings began trickling in Sunday, journalists (the bastards normally responsible for unsavory societal misdirection) have been dissecting the meaning behind the numbers. "What exactly does 4.1 overnight in Tulsa tell us about who the UFC should be choosing to headline?" "Does fewer viewers later mean ..." Media intelligenstia enjoy dissecting hard data, and in a post-Moneyball world sports fans welcome the objectiveness of numbers. But should fans of the UFC and MMA care about FOX's ratings? Does analyzing the data and subsequent tinkering of the product bring us any closer to the core elements of the sport that originally attracted fans to MMA? Or are we just trying to be among the sporting elite because Dana White said it was possible? There has been a lot of hand-wringing about the FOX card, specifically that the wrestler-centricity made it a boring positional battle, rather than a stand-and-trade that more fans would like to see. More blood, they say. More action, they heckle. The sport of mixed martial arts is propped up on a different emotional latitude than football, baseball and basketball. Those team sports have breaks and have been mastered by producers to create drama. An NFL fan can enjoy a Rams-Packers game as much as they can the Super Bowl, based on nothing more than the surrounding storytelling. It's nothing but boilerplate schtick, yet has earned those organizations millions of viewers and billions in profits. There are a majority of MMA fans who watch the sport because they simply distrust, or dislike the four-hours of pomp that surround the 15-minutes of padded, representative conflict. The fight fan supports individual courage, the slow build of the comeback, the instinct of the underdog, and all because it can't be scripted, or spread among 22 players over the course of an afternoon. For fans of fighting the sport is about anticipation and confrontation, the ability to argue the matchmaking as much as the outcome, and where CompuStrike and other forms of objective fight night data can bolster arguments, ratings do nothing but distract from the emotional composition of a fight. It's understandable that every 18-49 year old man would like to sit next to John Hamm and coax down another glass of whiskey and debate the finer points of marketing to MMA fans. The capitalist mindset is embedded in our sense of Americana, but the fans of MMA should care less because their sport can't distract, or offer simple viewer-friendly scripts for every bout. What fight fans do have is authenticity, which is special in the sports world, something to be coveted, not brought into question because some writers and fans wanted more blood to be spilled and more followers on Twitter. MMA fans should have a passing interest in the mainstream viability of their product, but not if that interest morphs into a product that is fundamentally altered to meet the perceived desires of America-at-Large. Fighting is an individual sport stripped of ritualistic traditions seen across football fields in America. Kowtowing to the lowest common denominator fan might mean more short-term profits, but it would mean the crippling of the sport's cultural appeal. This weekend's Super Bowl will be an orgy of capitalism, with advertisers breathing down your neck to buy financial trading services from babies, Honda's from Ferris Bueller and beer from a furry, anthropomorphic doll. Those sales jobs keep the interest of at least some portion of the 168 million people watching the game, the ones who like to be sold and the ones who want to buy. During the game announcers will be feeding viewers story lines about blood and tears, the triumph of some individual player who made it all the way to "This, the world's biggest stage." That player might catch two passes, pound his chest and scream violently into the sideline camera. But as a fight fan you'll know that it's insignificant, it's acting, it's salesmanship. Fighting shouldn't have to exist with the snarky sales pitch of a Madison Avenue executive, or be diluted into four-hour spectacles like we'll see on Sunday. Those approaches don't legitimize anything; only sour what fans of MMA have learned to appreciate. Mixed martial arts is about two guys entering a cage to figure out their problems, it's fair, it's natural and it's something football could never hope to be; it's authentic.

Edgar Bright (Photo/Rob Preston) All recap items use rankings from the previous week (team from Jan. 25, individual from Jan. 11, while preview items use the team rankings updated today. Eagles soar against Michigan's best Second-ranked St. Edward, Ohio, continued its meat-grinder 2011-12 schedule with home dual meets against No. 3 St. Johns, Mich., and No. 15 Detroit Catholic Central, Mich., this past Saturday. In more or less expected fashion, the second raked Eagles were too much for the Shamrocks in the first of the dual meets, as they emerged with a 41-12 victory. 220: No. 14 Ty Walz (SE) maj. dec. Jay Peterson, 17-8 285: Bob Coe (DCC) dec. Joe Belford, 4-3 106: L.J. Bentley (SE) dec. Trevor Zdebski, 7-3 113: Alex Moore (SE) dec. Myles Amine, 6-1 120: Colin Heffernan (SE) dec. Evan Toth, 4-1 126: No. 2 Dean Heil (SE) dec. Ken Bade, 8-1 132: No. 8 Edgar Bright (SE) maj. dec. Myles Amine, 20-7 138: Nick Barber (SE) dec. Logan Marcicki, 9-6 145: Markus Scheidel (SE) dec. No. 19 Alec Mooradian 3-1, UTB 152: Nick Mason (DCC) over Matt Van Curen by injury default 160: Jacob Davis (SE) dec. Andrew Garcia, 4-0 170: Mark Martin (SE) pinned Nick Giese, 3:21 182: Domenic Abounader (SE) pinned J.T. Ayotte, 0:34 195: Kevin Beazley (DCC) dec. No. 20 James Suvak, 6-5 Then, in a much anticipated event it was No. 2 against No. 3 in the nation. With the starting weight at 285 pounds, the first four matches looked to be tossups. Based on the dynamics of the dual, St. Johns needed to split these matches to have hopes of an upset, and win three of them for it to be realistic. However, instead, St. Edward won three of four. The other big turn in the dual meet came in the 145 and 152 weight classes, with the Eagles forfeiting to No. 2 Ben Whitford at 152 to bump up Scheidel to 152 due to the injury sustained by Van Curen in the first match. Scheidel got the first period pin against Travis Curley from a neutral position scramble, and the rout was in full motion, with the final score ending up 39-15 for St. Edward. 285: Joe Belford (SE) dec. Blake Cooper 2-1, TB 106: L.J. Bentley (SE) maj. dec. Drew Wixsom, 10-2 113: No. 14 Zac Hall (SJ) dec. Alex Moore, 12-5 120: Colin Heffernan (SE) dec. Logan Massa, 3-0 126: No. 2 Dean Heil (SE) dec. Jacob Schmitt, 8-5 132: No. 8 Edgar Bright (SE) dec. Brant Schafer, 13-7 138: Josh Pennell (SJ) dec. Nick Barber, 4-0 145: No. 2 Ben Whitford (SJ) wins by forfeit 152: Markus Scheidel (SE) pinned Travis Curley, 1:28 160: Jacob Davis (SE) dec. No. 20 Jordan Wohlfert, 7-6 170: No. 1 Taylor Massa (SJ) dec. No. 5 Mark Martin, 3-1 182: No. 11 Domenic Abounader (SE) pinned Mike Schafer, 1:56 195: No. 20 James Suvak (SE) dec. Payne Hayden, 3-2 220: No. 14 Ty Walz (SE) wins by forfeit Top-ranked Blair Academy makes trip to St. Paris Graham Saturday night, it will be No. 7 St. Paris Graham, Ohio, playing host to No. 1 Blair Academy, N.J. The following are projected individual matchups expected for the dual meet. 106: Jordan Kutler (B) vs. Eli Stickley (SPG) 113: Chaz Tucker vs. Eli Seipel 120: No. 3 (at 113) Joey McKenna vs. No. 5 Ryan Taylor 126: No. 15 Max Hvolbek vs. Micah Jordan 132: No. 2 Mark Grey vs. Nate Henkle 138: No. 4 Todd Preston vs. Chase Crabtree 145: No. 9 Dylan Milonas vs. No. 13 Blake Kastl 152: Russ Parsons vs. No. 1 Bo Jordan 160: Patrick Coover vs. No. 4 Isaac Jordan 170: Jack Wedholm vs. Lane Thomas 182: Michael Mocco vs. No. 4 Huston Evans 195: No. 15 Frank Mattiace vs. Josh Couchman 220: David Farr vs. Austin Welty 285: No. 1 Brooks Black vs. Darin Bovey While the dual meet outcome is probably not in doubt, there will be a number of entertaining matches. In fact, the number of matches that Graham is able to win may offer some further insight into the national rankings debate. Even if things break right for Graham, it is unrealistic expect that they overcome the close to 32 points that they probably will give up in mismatches at 132, 138, 170, 195, 220, and 285. The match at 120 features a pair of Ironman runners-up doing battle, with McKenna having made the move up from 113 at mid-year that unfortunately closes No. 19 P.J. Klee from the lineup at 120. At 126, it is a rematch of a very close second round match from the Ironman won by Hvolbek 4-3, keyed by a controversial awarding of two near fall points for Hvolbek. Finally, at 145 pounds, it's a rematch of the Ironman championship match won by Milonas, 5-3, in overtime, though some would question if the match tying takedown by Milonas late in the third period was properly awarded. Sooner State Showdown The top two teams in Oklahoma compete in dual meet action on Thursday night as No. 18 Tulsa Union travels to No. 17 Broken Arrow. The lone common event for the teams this season to date was the Geary Invitational Tournament, an event Broken Arrow won by 5.5 points (143.5 to 138). The following are projected lineups for the squads. 106: No. 10 Markus Simmons (BA) vs. Graham Godfrey (TU) 113: Zack Edwards vs. Justin Lombardo 120: Caleb Clark vs. Josh Walker 126: Nathan Clark vs. Luke Wolfensberger 132: Clay Archer vs. Brian Crutchmer 138: No. 8 Chase Ferman vs. Michael Billups 145: Tanner Bailey vs. Tyrus Ash 152: Paden Bailey vs. No. 13 Kyle Ash 160: Josh Foshee vs. Ky Young 170: Brock Warren vs. Cale Wilson 182: Mitch Owens vs. No. 3 Kyle Crutchmer 195: No. 19 Seth Calvert vs. Blasé Walser 220: Darrean Fisher vs. Abdullah Aliya 285: Hunter Porter vs. Biggs An Iowa upset driven by come from behind pins In what could be a prelude to the state dual meet championship two weeks from today, No. 10 Bettendorf wrestled No. 14 Southeast Polk in the finals of the Mendenhall Duals at Ames High School. The prior week Southeast Polk emerged with the team championship at the Ed Winger Invitational, hosted by Urbandale High School; however, the Bulldogs finished second by just 5.5 points despite missing a pair of fifth ranked wrestlers in Class 3A per The Predicament -- Jacob Woodard (126) and Keaton Jurevitz (195). This time around, both teams had -- more or less -- full lineups, though Bettendorf was without No. 19 Nate Shaw at 220 pounds. That would impact the strategy of the dual meet, though based on the actual matchup, the expected outcome occurred -- a Bulldog wrestler losing to No. 3 Willie Miklus. However, the post-match discussion would center around two matches in which Southeast Polk trailed in the third period prior to getting the fall. In the fourth match, Bettendorf had bumped up normal 152 pound wrestler Drake Chase (ranked eighth in Iowa's Class 3A) to 160 pounds, where he was facing Tim Miklus (ranked seventh in Class 3A). During the third period, Chase held a 3-0 lead before Miklus cranked him over and secured the fall. As a result, the dual meet was tied at 12-12. The other turning point was at 106 pounds, where it was Bettendorf's Jacob Schwarm (fifth ranked in Class 3A) holding a 10-2 lead late in the match before Aaron Meyer (ranked sixth in Class 3A0 countered a cradle, got the reversal and the fall. That extended the Rams lead to 30-15 with four matches remaining, which was the death knell on Bettendorf. 138: Connor Ryan (B) pinned Briar Dittmer, 1:34 145: Bubba Hernandez (B) pinned Spencer Chismore, 1:38 152: Dylan Blackford (SEP) pinned Matt Miller, 1:04 160: Tim Miklus (SEP) pinned Drake Chase, 4:44 170: No. 6 Alex Meyer (SEP) dec. Colby Vance, 3-1 182: Bryan Levsen (B) dec. Casey Marnin 13-11, OT 195: Bud Smith (SEP) dec. Keaton Jurevitz, 10-5 220: Bryce Fisher (SEP) dec. Anthony Kavanagh, 5-2 285: No. 3 (at 220) Willie Miklus (SEP) Rakewon Jefferson, 4-0 106: Aaron Meyer (SEP) pinned Jacob Schwarm, 5:53 113: Fredy Stroker (B) tech. fall Keegan Shaw, 17-0 120: Drake Swarm (B) pinned Cory Parsons, 3:05 126: No. 3 Cory Clark (SEP) maj. dec. Jacob Woodard, 14-2 132: Logan Ryan (B) dec. Dylan Buccheit, 9-7 Other highlights from the week that was … No. 12 Bethlehem Catholic, Pa., beat Lehigh Valley Conference rival No. 30 Easton, Pa., 29-26 in a tightly-contested dual meet that was split 7-7 in matches. Easton had a pin from No. 5 Mitch Minotti (152) in the evening's opening match and a technical fall from Tyler Greene (195); however, Bethlehem Catholic countered with a pair of pins from No. 2 (at 106) Darian Cruz (113) and Josh Alpha (220), along with maj. dec.s from No. 11 Elliott Riddick (170) and Jose Ortiz (182). No. 41 Colonial Forge, Va., upset No. 13 Christiansburg, Va., 40-25 this past Saturday in dual meet action. However, the absence of No. 14 Coy Ozias (106) and Kyle Dulaney (113/120) from the lineup for Christiansburg resulted in a pair of forfeits from matches that would have otherwise been wins for the Blue Demons. No. 19 Poway, Calif., paralyzed yet another field with its volume of quality of wrestlers in winning the Raul Huerta Invitational this past weekend with 327 points. Finishing in second place was No. 22 Bakersfield with 266 points. The Titans had twelve placers in all, including ten inside the top three, with championships coming from Richard Durr (220) and Kelly Simmons (285). The Drillers countered with eight placers of their own, including seven finalists, with championships coming from Micah Cruz (132), No. 11 Natrelle Deminson (138), and No. 6 Coleman Hammond (152). No. 7 Nikko Reyes (Clovis West, Ca.) was named Champion of Champions after dominating the 182 pound weight class with six first period falls on the way to a weight class title. For full results, visit http://www.ccsrank.com/01-28-12RaulHuerta.pdf. No. 27 Montini Catholic upended No. 29 Oak Park River Forest, 37-24, in a dual meet a week ago today that featured the top team in Illinois' two biggest classifications (Montini Catholic in 2A and Oak Park River Forest in 3A). The Broncos came through with the win in spite of their best wrestler, No. 20 Kevon Powell (120) being upset 4-3 Larry Early in the evening's last match. Detrimental to the Titans' cause was the absence of their best wrestler, No. 2 Sam Brooks (182), which resulted in them having to forfeit the 195 pound weight class. Also in the week to come ... No. 3 Apple Valley, Minn., will travel to No. 43 Kasson Mantorville, Minn., for a dual meet on Friday night. The district dual meet championships will be held throughout Pennsylvania in preparation for their dual meet state championship next week. Look for No. 9 Canon McMillan to win the AAA championship in the WPIAL (district 7), No. 12 Bethlehem Catholic to win the Class AA title in District 11, No. 25 Central Dauphin to win the District 3 AAA crown, and No. 30 Easton to take home the AAA title in District 11. The individual bracket state tournament will be conducted for Class 4A (big school) in Alaska this Friday and Saturday, while Tennessee conducts its dual meet state tournament this weekend as well.

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- University of Iowa 125-pound wrestler Matt McDonough has been named Big Ten Wrestler of the Week. The weekly honor is the second of McDonough's career. McDonough, a junior from Marion, Iowa, upset top-ranked Zach Sanders, 7-1, to propel Iowa to a 19-17 win over No. 3 Minnesota on Sunday. He scored a pair of takedowns, one reversal and added 2:56 of riding time to hand Sanders his first loss of the season. McDonough, currently ranked No. 1, owns a 22-1 record with a team-high nine pins. He has won 14 straight matches and owns a career record of 86-4. He is the second Hawkeye to earn the conference's weekly award this season. Tony Ramos has shared the honor on two occasions, most recently Jan. 10. McDonough and the Hawkeyes return to the mat for their home finale Sunday at 1 p.m. The Hawkeyes host Wisconsin on Mediacom Mat inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The dual will be televised live on Mediacom.

MORGANTOWN, W. Va. -- Redshirt sophomore Nathan Pennesi (133) has been named the Eastern Wrestling League's Wrestler of the Week. The native of Latrobe, Pa., collected two victories over the weekend for the Mountaineers. On Friday night, Pennesi tech falled his opponent from Lock Haven, 15-0, and majored his opponent from Rutgers on Sunday afternoon, 13-2. Pennesi's two wins helped WVU gain two crucial team victories and moved its record to 6-3 overall, 2-1 EWL this season. Pennesi now has a team-high 23 wins and has outscored his opponents in dual meets by a 78 to 30 margin. He also has three tech falls along with 10 major decisions this season.

EDINBORO, Pa. -- Edinboro University redshirt freshman A.J. Schopp (Tyrone, PA/Tyrone) has been named the PSAC Wrestling Athlete of the Week for the week ending January 29. Schopp led the Fighting Scots to a wins over Bloomsburg and Cleveland State to improve to 8-2 overall and 4-0 in the EWL. Competing at 133 lbs., Schopp won both of his matches by fall to improve to 31-3 overall with 15 falls. The 15 falls is tied for sixth-highest total in a season, and he is currently ranked sixth by both InterMat and Amateur Wrestling News. Schopp helped Edinboro to a 23-16 win over Bloomsburg, pinning Craig Barker in 3:46. The next day he pinned Cleveland State's Nick Flannery at 1:53 to pace the Fighting Scots to a 40-0 win over the Vikings. Edinboro is back in action on Friday, February 10, hosting Michigan State.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Luke Fickell, the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach for the Ohio State football team, will serve as the honorary coach for the Ohio State wrestling team when the Buckeyes face Michigan at 6 p.m. Friday in St. John Arena. “We are honored to have Luke Fickell joining us matside,” Tom Ryan, Ohio State wrestling head coach, said. “Although I wish he still had eligibility, the wrestling staff, student-athletes and fans are all inspired by the leadership he has shown throughout his life.” Fickell is a Columbus native and attended DeSales High School, where he was an undefeated, three-time state wrestling champion from 1990-92. A 1997 graduate of Ohio State, he played for the Buckeyes from 1992-96, redshirting the first year and then starting the next four seasons at nose guard. He started a school-record 50 consecutive games between 1993 and 1996. Fickell will coach his 11th season at his alma mater in 2012 for the football Buckeyes, while his first full-time coaching position came in 2000 under Lee Owens at Akron, spending two years as defensive line coach. Jim Tressel brought him to Ohio State as special teams coordinator in 2002 and he also worked with the defensive front. He was named linebackers coach in 2004 and added co-defensive coordinator duties to his resume in 2005. Fickell was the Buckeyes' head coach in 2011, a position he accepted May 30, 2011 without any prior head coaching experience.

NORMAN, Okla. -- Kendric Maple of the 10th-ranked University of Oklahoma wrestling team has been chosen as the Big 12 Conference Wrestler of the Week for matches from Jan. 23-29, announced Monday by the league office. Throughout that span, he helped the Sooners upend No. 23 Virginia Tech on Friday, Jan. 27, and rally to defeat 14th-ranked Lehigh on Sunday, Jan. 29, by downing two ranked opponents. It marks the third career conference honor for the redshirt-sophomore from Wichita, Kan., who also won the award on Jan. 2 and was named the Wrestler of the Month for November. He is the first wrestler to take home three honors in one season since Jordan Oliver (Oklahoma State) accomplished the feat in 2010-11. “We are very proud of Kendric Maple,” Mark Cody said. “He has made a major contribution in every dual meet win that we've accumulated this year. We look forward to his continued success throughout the rest of the season.” Maple has accrued a 22-1 overall record and is 13-1 in dual action on the year. The nation's third-ranked 141-pounder opened action over the weekend with the first of his two major decision victories against Virginia Tech's 19th-ranked Zach Neibert. En route to earning OU's only bonus against the Hokies, he acquired three takedowns, five nearfall points, an escape and 3:25 of riding time to earn the 13-1 win and helped secure a 19-12 team victory over Virginia Tech. Against Lehigh, the Sooners fell behind 16-0 after dropping the first five bouts of the day. Maple earned OU its third-straight bonus-point victory after he fought for a 14-5 major over the Mountain Hawks' No. 15-ranked Steve Dutton. Maple's five takedowns, two escapes and 4:29 of riding time put the Sooners within two of Lehigh at 16-14. OU eventually completed the comeback for a 22-16 win. Over the course of the season, Maple has amassed a team-best 61 dual points, 11 major decisions, four technical falls and four falls. Additionally, his 54 takedowns and 21 nearfalls in dual action are tops among the squad. Maple and the Sooners will be in action on Sunday, Jan. 5, when they travel to Columbia, Mo., to battle No. 15 Missouri.

Leigh Jaynes and Andrew Hipps will go "On the Mat" this Wednesday, Feb. 1. "On the Mat" is a presentation of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum. The show can be heard live on the Internet at www.kcnzam.com or locally in Northeast Iowa each Wednesday from 5 to 6 p.m. Central on AM 1650, The Fan. An archive of the show can be found on www.themat.tv. E-mail radio@wrestlingmuseum.org with any questions or comments. Each week "On the Mat" will interview an Olympic wrestling hopeful leading up to the Olympic Trials in Iowa City on April 21-22. This week's interview is with Leigh Jaynes. Jaynes will compete in the women's freestyle division at 121 pounds at the Olympic Trials. Jaynes, a member of the 2007 World Championship team, placed second at the U.S. Nationals in December. Hipps is the owner and editor of Intermatwrestle.com, a wrestling website that covers all aspects of the sport of wrestling. Hipps was named journalist of the year by W.I.N. in 2010.

Chael Sonnen (Photo/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images) First, we learned that the UFC Monster is on a hot streak, picking correctly and being "in the black" his last three UFC fight cards. Fight recap time ... Here is what we learned from the UFC on FOX 2 main card and what is (or could be) next for the fighters: Rashad Evans vs. Phil Davis Division: Light Heavyweight Result: Evans defeated Davis by unanimous decision What we learned about Evans: Well, we didn't learn a ton about Evans other than the obvious ... He is still much more experienced and more well-rounded fighter than Phil Davis. Evans was very fluid and despite not be able to stop the fight against Davis. Evans is still the most dangerous opponent to current UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones. What is next for Evans: Evans is next in line for a super-hyped, drama-filled fight with Jon Jones for the UFC light heavyweight championship belt. The fight was announced for April 21 in Atlanta at UFC 145. What we learned about Davis: The silver lining is that Davis was introduced to the upper echelon of the UFC light heavyweight division. The step up in competition proves that Evans is not ready. He tensed up after feeling the power of Evans. Davis must clean up his striking and ground game, as Evans took side mount and put Davis in the crucifix multiple times. While Davis is a "game" competitor, we mainly learned that he was ready, and will need to polish his overall skill set. What is next for Davis: Davis should look to fight again with a longer than normal layoff so as to work on aspects of his game, I would look see him in six months versus someone like Forrest Griffin, Rich Franklin or Stanislav Nedkov. Chael Sonnen vs. Michael Bisping Division: Middleweight Result: Sonnen defeated Bisping by unanimous decision What we learned about Sonnen: Sonnen is still the best trash talker in the game. We learned that Sonnen had a tough weight cut and did not look like his smothering self. He worked takedowns, and controlled Bisping in the third round. The first two rounds were very up in the air. Most pundits had Sonnen losing the first round, and winning the second and third. We learned that regardless of how you feel about Sonnen, he seems to find ways to get the job done and is a great interview. What is next for Sonnen: The win will put Sonnen in a rematch with current UFC champion Anderson Silva. Sonnen dominated for four rounds against the current champ before getting caught in a triangle choke. So Sonnen gets a chance to avenge his loss and complete his ultimate goal. The fight is rumored to take place in San Paulo, Brazil, thus making the rematch even more intriguing. What we learned about Bisping: He was the cleaner of the two in striking and we learned that Bisping is not far away from his title shot. He was able to neutralize the takedowns in the first two rounds, but may have lost the fight due to a lopsided third round that went to Sonnen. Two of the three judges had it even going into the third round. What is next for Bisping: Bisping should be able to rebound quickly. I think a fight between him and Chris Weidman makes sense, and a fight between Bisping and Rousimar Palhares also would clear up a muddled middleweight picture. Damien Maia vs. Chris Weidman Division: Middleweight Result: Weidman defeated Maia by unanimous decision What we learned about Weidman: We learned that he was gassed due to cutting 31 pounds in 11 days and that the "All-American," gutted out a tough win against a creditable opponent on a big stage on short notice. We learned that Weidman is in the top 10 and is a couple wins away from being in the upper echelon and/or title contention. What is next for Weidman: He should be in the top 10 of the InterMatFight rankings, and should fight someone who is in the top tier of the middleweight division. I think that Yushin Okami, Michael Bisping, or Rousimar Palhares would be the correct path. What we learned about Maia: We didn't learn much about Maia other than he was severely gassed and looked poor on a big stage. He didn't remember his roots in his world class submission skills and looked to land a straight left hand the entire three rounds. Weidman countered the straight left and took him down at will. Wediman also had the better striking. What is next for Maia: Maia is going to answer a lot of questions about his preparation and cardio. Losing two out his last three bouts puts him in a perilous situation. I look to see Maia bounce back against Aaron Simpson, Brian Stann or even his originally scheduled opponent Bisping to get him back in the top 10 in the middleweight picture.

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga wrestling team posted a 27-13 win at The Citadel today. The Mocs improve to 11-3 overall with their eighth straight win and take over first place in the Southern Conference standings with a 4-0 league record. The short-handed Mocs welcomed two new faces to the lineup today. Senior transfer Manny Ramirez (Fayetteville, N.C.) competed in his first match at UTC while freshman Cory Canada (Ringgold, Ga.) stepped in at 197 for the injured Niko Brown (Kissimmee, Fla.). Ramirez joined the Mocs at the semester break after transferring from UNC Greensboro. He was cleared to compete by the NCAA this week and was quickly thrown into the mix. With UTC leading 18-13 and three matches left, he went up against The Citadel's Richard Alarcon. Last year, Ramirez defeated Alarcon 6-4 in overtime in the dual between the Spartans and the Bulldogs. Despite not competing for nearly 11 months, Ramirez was able to put himself in a position to repeat that same performance today. Alarcon got to Ramirez's legs with 15 second left in regulation, but Ramirez fought off the takedown and won the match in overtime. That put UTC in front 21-13 with two bouts left, all but sealing the team win. "Manny's win was huge," stated head coach Heath Eslinger. "For him to come in a give us a lift like that was big. We are going to need him the rest of the way so it was for him to get off with a solid start." The match started at 149 and the Mocs' seniors set the tone early. Kelly Felix (Franklin, Tenn.) posted a technical fall against Seth Vernon in the first match. Dan Waddell (Chattanooga, Tenn.) followed that with a 3-1 decision over Pierre Frazile at 157 while Brandon Wright capped off the opening run with a 12-3 major decision over Michael Harper at 165. "Our seniors got us going quickly today," stated Eslinger. "They gave us a lead and a cushion we needed before getting to the best part of The Citadel's lineup." Leading 12-0, the Mocs went up against the first of two ranked Bulldogs. No. 19 Turtogtokh Luvsandorj pinned UTC's Levi Clemons (Kissimmee, Fla.) at 174 to cut the advantage in half. Chattanooga junior Robert Prigmore (Southlake, Texas) came right back with a pin at 184 for his eight-straight win." "Prigmore's pin was big because it negated their fall at '74," explained Eslinger. "After that, we felt like it was going to be tough for them to catch us the rest of the way." The Citadel did manage to grab the next two matches. Kelby Smith defeated Canada 12-3 while No. 19 Andrew Delaney beat Kevin Malone (Carrollton, Ohio) 6-3 at heavyweight. After Ramirez won at 125, the Mocs' 14th-ranked freshman Nick Soto (Spring Hill, Fla.) battled to a 3-1 decision over Kyle Casaletto at 133. "Nick had a tough match and they had a good game plan for us at 133," continued Eslinger. "He is winning a lot of the close matches and that is what you are going to have to do if you want to be an All-American." Soto improves to 20-4 overall with his seventh win in a row. He is 6-0 in matches decided by two points or less this season. Sophomore Shawn Greevy (Mechanicsburg, Pa.) closed out the win with a 7-1 decision over Jordan Dix. The Mocs will now turn their attention to Appalachian State (9-3, 3-0 SoCon) who visits Maclellan Gym on Sunday, Feb. 5, at 2:00 p.m. Chattanooga can wrap up a share of the SoCon regular season championship with a win over the Mountaineers. Tickets for the match are available now on GoMocs.com. Results: 149: Kelly Felix (UTC) - Tech Fall 20-4 (6:39) - Seth Vernon (The Citadel) - UTC 5-0 157: Daniel Waddell (UTC) - Dec. 3-1 - Pierre Frazile (The Citadel) - UTC 8-0 165: Brandon Wright (UTC) - MD 12-3 - Michael Harper (The Citadel) - 12-0 174: No. 19 Turtogtokh Luvsandorj (The Citadel) - Fall 5:35 - Levi Clemons (UTC) - 12-6 184: Robert Prigmore (UTC) - Fall 6:22 - Josh Tuck (The Citadel) - UTC 18-6 197: Kelby Smith (The Citadel) - MD 12-3 - Cory Canada (UTC) - UTC 18-10 285: No. 18 Andrew Delaney (The Citadel) - Dec. 6-3 - Kevin Malone (UTC) - UTC 18-13 125: Manuel Ramirez (UTC) - Dec. 7-5 (OT) - Richard Alarcon Jr. (The Citadel) - 21-13 133: No. 19 Nick Soto (UTC) - Dec. 3-1 - Kyle Casaletto (The Citadel) - UTC 24-13 141: Shawn Greevy (UTC) - Dec. 7-1 - Jordan Dix (The Citadel) - UTC 27-13

NORMAN, Okla. -- Trailing 16-0 after five bouts versus No. 14 Lehigh, the 10th-ranked University of Oklahoma wrestling team (12-2) mounted a furious comeback by winning the final five bouts to steal the victory, 22-16. “It was a big comeback for us against one of the better teams that we have competed against this year,” Mark Cody said. “Pat Santoro (Lehigh head coach) is a personal friend of mine and he is one of the best out there, so anytime we can come out with a win against one of his teams I feel really good about it. Particularly, considering how far down we were.” Despite dropping the upper weight-classes to start the dual, the Sooners earned seven bonus-points in the final five bouts to come away with the come from behind victory over the Mountain Hawks. “Going into 125 I thought, ‘having to bring the match back is something that the lightweight guys usually aren't used too',” Cody expounded. “Usually that goes down to heavyweight, but they handled it well mentally. We knew we needed technical falls, majors and pins.” The dual began at 165 pounds where Lehigh's Sean Bilodeau defeated the Sooners' Bubby Graham, 11-5. Bilodeau ran out to a 7-1 lead after he earned two takedowns and a 3-point nearfall. After a scoreless second, Graham had a quick reversal and followed that with a takedown to close the lead to 8-5. However, Bilodeau earned an escape and takedown with 0:33 remaining to give Lehigh a 3-0 advantage. “I was a little disappointed about the upset at 165, but then again I would rather have that happen now then at the end of the year at NCAAs,” Cody explained. “Anytime a guy like Bubby Graham works his tail off and gets in a situation like that it will make him better. He will come back and be better because of it.” Lehigh's Nate Brown extended the Mountain Hawk's lead, 7-0, following an 11-2 major decision victory over OU's Marcus Armato in the 174 pound bout. Brown acquired three takedowns, a 3-point nearfall, escape and added 2:58 of riding time, while Armato's only points came off an escape and Brown penalty. The Sooners fell behind 10-0 after OU's Erich Schmidtke dropped the 184 pound bout to the Mountain Hawk's Robert Hamlin, 7-3. Schmidtke trailed, 2-1, going into the second period where he evened the score after he earned an escape, but Hamlin added two takedowns to finish out the match. The 197-pound bout came down to the final seconds, but OU's Keldrick Hall was unable to secure a final takedown and eventually fell to Lehigh's Kadeem Samuels, 7-6. Hall trailed, 5-2, heading into the third period where Hall had an escape and was awarded a point for stalling against Samuels. Samuels countered with a takedown, which Hall escaped from. Samuels was again penalized for stalling, which left Hall trailing by only one. However, Hall was unable to score and dropped the match. Lehigh added its fifth-straight win of the day when the Mountain Hawk's third-ranked Zach Rey downed OU's Kyle Colling in the heavyweight bout, 5-3. Ray began the bout with a takedown and added an escape in the second to lead, 3-1. In the final period, Colling earned two escapes but was taken down by Rey to give Lehigh a 16-0 lead in the dual. The Sooners' Jarrod Patterson, ranked No. 7, put Oklahoma on the board after he earned a 4-point technical fall victory over Lehigh's Alex Abreu, 23-8. In the 125 pound bout, Patterson acquired ten takedowns, a reversal and an escape to tally four team points for OU. At 133 pounds, OU's 11th-ranked Jordan Keller earned a fall in 2:59 over Lehigh's Mason Beckman to put OU in position to take the dual despite trailing, 16-10. Kendric Maple, ranked No. 3, earned OU its third-straight bonus-point victory at the conclusion of the 141 pound bout. Maple ran away with a 14-5 major decision win over Lehigh's 15th-ranked Steve Dutton. Maple tallied five takedowns, two escapes and 4:29 of riding time to earn his 11th major of the season. With the Sooners in striking distance, OU's No. 9-ranked Nick Lester earned a 6-1 win over Lehigh's Kyle Rosser in the 149 pound bout. Lester trailed, 1-0, after being penalized for an illegal hold in the first, but ended up with two takedowns, an escape and 2:31 of riding time to give the Sooners a 17-16 lead going into the final bout of the day. The winner-take-all 157 pound bout, pitted OU's Matt Lester, ranked No. 15, against the Mountain Hawk's Brian Tanen. Lester was able to secure the technical fall victory in 5:16 after he collected three takedowns, 9-points off nearfalls and an escape. Following this weekend's action, Cody's squad travels to Columbia, Mo., to battle No. 15 Missouri on Sunday, Feb. 5 at 1 p.m. Results: 165 - Sean Bilbodeau (Lehigh) dec. Bubby Graham (OU), 11-5 174 - Nate Brown (Lehigh) MD Marcus Armato (OU), 11-2 184 - Robert Hamlin (Lehigh) dec. Erich Schmidtke (OU), 7-3 197 – Kadeem Samuels (Lehigh) dec. Keldrick Hall (OU), 7-6 285 – Zach Rey (Lehigh) dec. Kyle Colling (OU), 5-3 125 - No. 7 Jarrod Patterson (OU) Tech. Fall4 Alex Abreu (Lehigh), 23-8; 5:55 133 - No. 11 Jordan Keller (OU) Fall Mason Beckman (Lehigh), 2:59 141 - No. 3 Kendric Maple (OU) MD. Steve Dutton (Lehigh), 14-5 149 - No. 9 Nick Lester (OU) dec. Anthony Salupo (Lehigh), 6-1 157 - No. 15 Matt Lester (OU) Tech. Fall Brian Tanen (Lehigh), 5:16; 16-0

Madison, Wis. -- The No. 7 Nebraska wrestling team put together a dominant performance on Sunday afternoon by shutting out the Wisconsin Badgers, 36-0, for its fifth Big Ten dual win of the season. The Huskers recorded their second shutout of the year by winning all ten bouts, including five in bonus-point fashion at UW Field House. Nebraska improved to 14-1 on the season and 5-1 in the Big Ten Conference, while Wisconsin dropped to 5-8 and 0-6 in conference matches. The Huskers' 36-point margin of victory is the largest over a Big Ten opponent in school history, and the win also marks the first time a Husker squad has recorded two shutouts in a season since 2004 when NU shutout Findlay and Wyoming in back-to-back duals. Senior James Nakashima (197) won a thrilling match to open the dual by taking down Jackson Hein (UW) in the second tiebreaker, 7-5. After an escape by Hein in the second tiebreaker to take a 5-4 lead, Nakashima was able to record a takedown to reclaim the lead at 6-5. The Dwight, Ill., native then earned an escape point to extend his lead to two points and secure the victory. Nakashima has now won four straight Big Ten duals and has wrestled in overtime four times in his last five matches, going 3-1 in those duals. No. 9 Tucker Lane (Hwt) won his 20th match of the season by taking down Cole Tobin (UW) by decision, 5-0. Lane is now only two victories away from recording his 100th career win as a Husker. Lane was followed by sophomore Shawn Nagel (125), who won his first Big Ten match of the season when he defeated Austin Hietpas (UW) by major decision, 11-0. The Kimball, Neb., native racked up five nearfall points throughout the match and a takedown in the first period to cruise to the victory. The Huskers received two more bonus-point victories in a row from junior Ridge Kiley (133) and freshman Jake Sueflohn (141). No. 19 Kiley won his third major decision of the year, as he took down Shane McQuade (UW), 12-0, while No. 5 Sueflohn recorded a 3-point nearfall as time expired against Thomas Glenn (UW) to capture his second technical fall of the season, 17-2. Sueflohn, who was wrestling in his native state of Wisconsin, improved to 18-5 on the year and 4-1 in the Big Ten. Redshirt freshman Brandon Wilbourn (149) broke a four-match losing streak with his 10-4 decision victory over Frank Baer (UW), and was followed by No. 8 James Green (157), who used three first period takedowns to take control against Shawn Perry en route an 8-5 decision. In the only match that featured two nationally ranked wrestlers, No. 6 Robert Kokesh defeated No. 13 Ben Jordan by major decision, 13-4. After a scoreless first period, Jordan earned an escape at the beginning of the second and a takedown to give the Badgers their only lead in any match during the dual. The takedown by Jordan was also the only offensive points recorded by Wisconsin. After a reversal, Kokesh entered the third period trailing 3-2, but fought back in a big way by recording a takedown, a stalling point and five points in nearfalls in the last minute to secure the 13-4 victory. Tyler Koehn (174) won his fourth straight decision over a conference foe with his 8-3 win over Scott Liegel (UW), while No. 7 Josh Ihnen (184) concluded the dual with his third major decision in a row, defeating Timmy McCall, 11-1. The Huskers return to action next Friday, Feb. 3, when they take on the defending national champion Penn State Nittany Lions at 7 p.m. inside the NU Coliseum. Next Friday's dual is Senior Night for both Nakashima and Lane, who will be honored before the dual. Also, the dual against Penn State will be Pepsi Pack the House Night at the Coliseum, where fans will receive $1 admission and $1 Pepsi products. Continue to check back to Huskers.com for continued coverage of the Nebraska wrestling team. Results: 197 - James Nakashima (NU) by dec. over Jackson Hein (UW), 7-5 (TB2) (NU 3, UW 0) Hwt - #9 Tucker Lane (NU) by dec. over Cole Tobin (UW), 5-0 (NU 6, UW 0) 125 - Shawn Nagel (NU) by major dec. over Austin Hietpas (UW), 11-0 (NU 10, UW 0) 133 - #19 Ridge Kiley (NU) by major dec. over Shane McQuade (UW), 12-0 (NU 14, UW 0) 141 - #5 Jake Sueflohn (NU) by tech. fall over Thomas Glenn (UW), 17-2 (NU 19, UW 0) 149 - Brandon Wilbourn (NU) by dec. over Frank Baer (UW), 10-4 (NU 22, UW 0) 157 - #8 James Green (NU) by dec. over Shawn Perry (UW), 8-5 (NU 25, UW 0) 165 - #6 Robert Kokesh (NU) by major dec. over #13 Ben Jordan (UW), 13-4 (NU 29, UW 0) 174 - Tyler Koehn (NU) by dec. over Scott Liegel (UW), 8-3 (NU 32, UW 0) 184 - #7 Josh Ihnen (NU) by major dec. over Timmy McCall (UW), 11-1 (NU 36, UW 0)

Hempstead, NY -- Red-shirt junior Justin Accordino recorded a pin and junior Steve Bonanno added a tech fall to lead #24 Hofstra to a 23-13 victory over the University of Pennsylvania at the Mack Sports Complex Sunday afternoon. The Pride remained undefeated this season and are now 10-0 as they recorded their 15th consecutive dual match victory. Penn fell to 4-5 on the season. Hofstra captured six of the 10 matches as Accordino posted his fourth pin of the season while Bonanno tallied his sixth tech fall of the year. Red-shirt sophomore Luke Vaith posted the biggest victory of the day as he upset 10th-ranked Zach Kemmerer in overtime, 2-1 at 141 pounds. Opening the match at 125 pounds, the Pride jumped out to a 5-0 lead behind Bonanno, who collected 11-first period points. Bonanno, who won his eighth consecutive match, is 21-5 on the season. Penn senior Bryan Ortenzio, ranked 15th at 133, closed the gap with a 4-2 victory over red-shirt sophomore Jamie Franco on a second period escape and the riding time point. Franco, who is now 15-9, lost for just the second time in the last seven matches. At 141, Kemmerer and Vaith, who has won five straight matches, each recorded an escape to send the match into overtime. After a scoreless sudden victory period, Vaith (15-7) posted an escape in the OT for the victory. It was the start of four consecutive Pride victories that blew the match open. Accordino then followed with his fourth pin of the season, on Penn's Steve Robertson, in 4:49 at 149 pounds. Accordino, who is now 18-8 on the year after his eighth consecutive win, gave the Pride a 14-3 lead. Junior Tyler Banks won his fourth consecutive match at 157 pounds with a 4-0 victory over Penn junior Troy Hernandez. Banks tallied an escape and a takedown in the second period to improve to 10-8 on the year. Senior P.J. Gillespie picked up his 21st win of the season at 165 pounds with a 2-1 decision over Quaker freshman Lorenzo Thomas on a third period reversal. The 19th-ranked senior improved to 21-5 on the year and gave the Pride a 20-3 lead in the contest. Penn freshman Ian Korb stopped the Hofstra run at 174 pounds with a 4-0 decision over Pride freshman Jermaine John. John slipped to 7-12 this season. But Hofstra senior Ben Clymer, ranked 11th at 184, gave the Pride a 23-6 advantage with a 4-1 victory over senior Erich Smith. Clymer, who tallied three second period points, leads the Pride with a 22-5 mark. The Quakers closed out the match with with two victories as senior Micah Burak, ranked ninth at 197 pounds, posted an 11-2 major decision over Hofstra sophomore Tim Murphy (10-15) while Penn sophomore Steven Graziano defeated Pride junior Paul Snyder (15-8), 7-2 at 285. Hofstra returns to action next Saturday, February 4 when the Pride travels to Ithaca, New York to face the fourth-ranked Big Red of Cornell at 3 p.m. Results: 125 - #13 Steve Bonanno (HU) tech fall Karim Shafi (UP), 18-0 (3:57) 133 - #15 Bryan Ortenzio (UP) dec. Jamie Franco (HU), 4-2 141 - Luke Vaith (HU) dec. #10 Zack Kemmerer (UP) 2-1 in OT 149 - Justin Accordino (HU) WBF Stephen Robertson (UP), 4:49 157 - Tyler Banks (HU) dec. Troy Hernandez (UP), 4-0 165 - #19 P.J. Gillespie (HU) dec. Lorenzo Thomas (UP), 2-1 174 - Ian Korb (UP) dec. Jermaine John (HU), 4-0 184 - #11 Ben Clymer (HU) dec. Erich Smith (UP), 4-1 197 - #9 Micah Burak (UP) maj dec. Tim Murphy (HU),11-2 285 - Steven Graziano (UP) dec. Paul Snyder (HU), 7-2

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- For the second time this weekend, the No. 8 Illinois wrestling team won seven of 10 bouts as the Illini defeated Indiana 29-10 at University Gym on Sunday. With the victory, the Illini improved to 13-2 on the season, and 5-2 in the Big Ten. The 13 wins on the season marks the first time since the 2008-09 season. "Pretty solid performance today," head coach Jim Heffernan said. "We competed hard and were aggressive throughout. Daryl Thomas looked especially good and is our most improved guy this year. Conrad Polz also looked good. We need to continue to focus on getting better individually as the tournament season approaches. I really like the way we are competing but we know there is still time to make improvements." Jackson Morse started the dual at 157 taking on Sawyer Morris of Indiana. Morse was on offense early as he scored a takedown and immediately gained riding time. Morse turns Morris for three near fall points to go up 5-0 before scoring two more near fall points as time expired in the first to lead 7-0. The two started neutral and Morris scored a takedown to cut the score to 7-2 however the Illini got the reversal and rode the Hoosier out to lead 9-2 going into the third. After starting on bottom, Morse scored a reversal and a three-point nearfall while Morris escaped. With the riding time point, Morse won 14-3 and the Illini begin with a 4-0 lead. At 165, No. 10 Conrad Polz scored three takedowns against Preston Keiffer in the first period to go up 6-2 and elected to start down in second. The redshirt-junior got the escape and a takedown to lead 9-2 into the final period. Keiffer started down in the third and recorded the escape only to be taken down by Polz four times. Polz grabbed the riding time point and gave the Illini their second major decision in a row, winning 18-6 and increasing the match score to 8-0. No. 12 Jordan Blanton faced Ryan LeBlanc who came out of the match earning a four-point move to go up on Blanton 4-0. Blanton got the escape and trailed LeBlanc 4-1 heading into the second. The Hoosier started down and Blanton let him up easily for the escape before scoring a takedown to trail 5-3. LeBlanc posted an escape and lead 6-3 into the final period. Blanton chose bottom for the third and scored the escape to bring the score closer, 6-4. With less than a minute left in the match, the Illini scored a takedown to tie the dual 6-6 and go into sudden victory. In overtime, a crazy scramble ended with a Blanton takedown and win 8-6. The Illini lead is pushed to 11-0. At 184, Tony Dallago started the match quickly against Luke Sheridan, recording a takedown then a two-point nearfall to lead 4-0. The two ended the first with a score of 4-1 after a stalling warning was given to Dallago. Dallago started down to begin the second and immediately scored the pin at the 3:26 mark, his seventh of the season. The victory pushes Illinois' lead to 17-0. No. 16 Mario Gonzalez took on one of Indiana's best wrestler in No. 3 Matt Powless. Gonzalez struck first with a takedown while Powless escaped, 2-1. Powless surged ahead 3-2 with another takedown before Gonzalez got out of the headlock attempt for an escape, 3-3. The Hoosier posted a five-point move to go up 8-3 on Gonzalez. At the start of the second, Powless started down and got the reversal to lead 10-3 and rode Gonzalez out the remainder of the second. The Hoosier collected the riding time point and took the match 11-3. The Hoosiers were on the scoreboard, 17-4. Pat Walker took on Indiana's Adam Chalfant and was taken down before escaping to trail 2-1 after the first. Walker chose down for the start of the second and immediately escaped to tie 2-2. After not much action in the second, Chalfant started bottom for the third and escaped quickly to lead 3-2. Chalfant got the bout-clinching takedown winning 5-2 and bringing the match score to 17-7. At 125, Jesse Delgado got back on track with a victory over Zach Zimmer. Zimmer came out very aggressively however Delgado scored the first takedown 2-0. Zimmer escaped and scored another takedown to lead 3-2. Delgado then escaped and posted a takedown to go ahead 5-3 before Zimmer escaped to make the score 5-4. With over a minute of riding time collected, Delgado scored a takedown and pushed the lead to 7-4 after the second. The Illini started bottom on the third and scored an escape and takedown to lead 10-4. Delgado dove in for the front-side cradle and got it for a three-point nearfall along with the riding time point to win 14-4 and put the Illini back on the board, leading 21-7. After recording his ninth victory in a row on Friday, B.J. Futrell started right where he left off against Joe Duca of Indiana. Futrell scored three takedowns while Duca escaped twice to make the score 6-2 after the first. Futrell started on bottom for second and escaped, notched two more points, a two point near fall and a four-point move at the buzzer to go up 15-3. Duca started on bottom for the final period and escaped to make the score 15-4 before Futrell finished the match with another takedown and a four-point move to win 21-5 and push the Illini lead to 26-7. At 141, Daryl Thomas defeated Matt Ortega for his second consecutive win this weekend. Thomas bear hugged Ortega and drove him into the mat, scoring a takedown while the Hoosier escaped, 2-1. Thomas then grabs a leg and downed Ortega, while Ortega escaped to make the score 4-2. In the second, Thomas scored three takedowns while Ortega escaped tree times to make the score 10-5 going into the final period. Thomas kept wrestling well in the third to take the 16-9 decision and increase the team score to 30-7 with one bout remaining. No. 16 Eric Terrazas took on Taylor Walsh in the final bout of the match. Walsh lead 2-0 after the first period while Terrazas started up for period two. Walsh wiggled out of a tilt attempt by Terrazas and turned the Illini over for a reversal to go up 4-0 and lead into the final period. Terrazas chose neutral for the third period while Walsh notched another takedown to go up 6-0. The Hoosier grabbed the riding time and won 7-0 over Terrazas. However the Illini took the match 29-10. The Illini will be back in action next weekend as they host their final home dual on Friday, Feb. 3 against Wisconsin. Senior Night will begin at 7 p.m. at Huff Hall. Results: 157 - Jackson Morse (ILL) maj. dec. Sawyer Morris (IND), 14-3 165 - No. 10 Conrad Polz (ILL) maj. dec. Preston Keiffer (IND), 18-6 174 - No. 10 Jordan Blanton (ILL) dec. Ryan LeBlanc (IND), 8-6 SV1 184 - Tony Dallago (ILL) pinned Luke Sheridan (IND), 3:26 197 - No. 3 Matt Powless (IND) maj. dec. No. 16 Mario Gonzalez (ILL), 11-3 HWT - Adam Chalfant (IND) dec. Pat Walker (ILL), 5-2 125 - No. 5 Jesse Delgado (ILL) maj. dec. Zach Zimmer (IND), 14-4 133 - No. 5 B.J. Futrell (ILL) tech fall Joe Duca (IND), 21-5 141 - Daryl Thomas (ILL) dec. Matt Ortega (IND), 16-9 149 - Taylor Walsh (IND) dec. No. 16 Eric Terrazas (ILL), 7-0

STILLWATER, Okla. -- The top-ranked Oklahoma State wrestling team added a pair of wins to its dual record Sunday afternoon after dominating No. 19 Binghamton, 35-3, and Bucknell, 35-6, at Gallagher-Iba Arena. "I thought we did a pretty good job in that first match with Binghamton, but had a little bit of a letdown in a couple matches in the later match with Bucknell,” coach John Smith said. “I like what I saw in the key matches against Binghamton.” The Cowboys (11-0) had a total of 77 takedowns on the day and gave up just two, including a 38-1 advantage over Binghamton and a 39-1 advantage over Bucknell. Senior Jamal Parks and Albert White had the biggest wins of the day in back-to-back bouts, each defeating a top-10 wrestler from Binghamton. Parks knocked off No. 4 Donnie Vinson at 149 pounds with a pair of takedowns and a 1:03 riding time advantage in a 5-3 decision. White also won 5-3, picking up a two-point nearfall as the final buzzer sounded to break a 3-3 tie against ninth-ranked Justin Lister. “Just staying tough, just staying in the match (was my mindset),” White said. “The match isn't over until the last whistle is blown, so keep wrestling through it.” OSU added a third win over a ranked opponent when heavyweight Alan Gelogaev earned a technical fall over No. 19 Nick Gwiazdowski, 22-7, in seven minutes. The Pokes had a total of 11 bonus-point wins on the day, notching five against Binghamton and six against Bucknell. In addition to Gelogaev's technical fall, 133-pounder Jordan Oliver added two falls, 197-pounder Cayle Byers added a technical fall, 141-pounder Josh Kindig added two major decisions, 174-pounder Chris Perry added two major decisions, 165-pounder Dallas Bailey had a major decision, 184-pounder Zach White had a major decision and heavyweight Tyson Yoder had a major decision. Oliver's falls marked his 12th and 13th of the year and improved his overall record to 15-1. OSU has tallied at least five bonus-point wins in five consecutive duals. Binghamton and Bucknell also wrestled Sunday at Gallagher-Iba, with Binghamton (12-3) knocking off Bucknell (3-13), 36-6. The Cowboys are back in action Feb. 4 when they take on the Missouri Tigers in Columbia at noon. Oklahoma State 35, Binghamton 3 125: No. 10 Jon Morrison (OSU) dec. Derek Steeley (BU); 8-3 133: No. 1 Jordan Oliver (OSU) fall Patrick Hunter (BU); 5:36 141: No. 14 Josh Kindig (OSU) MD Joe Bonaldi (BU); 14-4 149: No. 2 Jamal Parks (OSU) dec. No. 4 Donnie Vinson (BU); 5-3 157: No. 12 Albert White (OSU) dec. No. 9 Justin Lister (BU); 5-3 165: Dallas Bailey (OSU) MD Matt Kaylor (BU); 10-2 174: No. 4 Chris Perry (OSU) MD Caleb Wallace (BU); 21-8 184: No. 19 Nate Schiedel (BU) dec. Chris McNeil (OSU); 2-0 197: No. 10 Blake Rosholt (OSU) dec. Cody Reed (BU); 8-3 285: No. 3 Alan Gelogaev (OSU) TF5 No. 19 Nick Gwiazdowski (BU); 20-3;6:07 Oklahoma State 35, Bucknell 6 125: No. 10 Jon Morrison (OSU) dec. Austin Miller (BU); 4-1 133: No. 1 Jordan Oliver (OSU) fall Shawn Armato (BU); 4:40 141: No. 14 Josh Kindig (OSU) MD Derrik Russell (BU); 16-5 149: No. 2 Jamal Parks (OSU) dec. Alex Pellicciotti (BU); 10-4 157: John Regan (BU) fall Alex Munoz (OSU); 5:51 165: Dallas Bailey (OSU) dec. Corey Lear (BU); 9-7 174: No. 4 Chris Perry (OSU) MD Stephen McPeek (BU); 14-4 184: Zach White (OSU) MD Jamie Westwood (BU); 11-2 197: Cayle Byers (OSU) TF4 Joe McMullan (BU); 22-7;7:00 285: Tyson Yoder (OSU) MD Tyler Lyster (BU); 12-2

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- The University of Iowa wrestling team defeated No. 3 Minnesota, 19-17, Sunday afternoon inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes won five of the first six matches and used bonus points from redshirt freshmen Nick Moore and Mike Evans to hand Minnesota its first conference loss. Moore scored an 11-2 major decision over Alec Ortiz at 157 to give the Hawkeyes a 13-4 lead and Evans followed with a third period pin at 165 to extend the Hawkeye lead to 19-4. The bonus-point wins proved to be the difference in the final score. Minnesota (9-3, 6-1) rallied and finished the dual with four straight wins but was unable to close the gap. "The first thing is, this is a team win," said head coach Tom Brands. "Regardless of how pretty it is, it's 5-5, it's a team win. Sometimes you have to give credit for a team win, and I don't do a good job of giving team credit. There's a big team here and sometimes when you're in a fire fight, you have to give credit where credit is due." Junior Matt McDonough set the stage for the dual when he scored a 7-1 decision over top-ranked Zach Sanders at 125. McDonough scored a takedown in the final minute of the first period and added a reversal to open the second frame, building a 4-0 lead. After a Sanders escape, McDonough added another takedown to build a 6-1 edge before riding out the Gopher for the entire third frame, adding a final point for riding time (2:56). Tony Ramos and Montell Marion backed up McDonough with consecutive decisions at 133 and 141. Ramos started the scoring with a second-period escape and added a takedown with three seconds on the clock to build a 3-0 lead entering the third. Minnesota's Chris Dardanes then cut the lead to 3-2 with a reversal before Ramos escaped to extend his lead to 4-2. He finished the match with 1:03 of riding time to earn the 5-2 decision. Marion extended the Hawkeye lead to 9-0 with a 3-2 decision over Minnesota's Nick Dardanes. Marion scored a third-period escape to tie the frame, 1-1, before scoring a takedown with 49 seconds on the clock to build a 3-1 advantage. Dardanes added an escape to make the score 3-2, but Marion held on for the victory, the 80th of his career (80-19). Minnesota's Dylan Ness cut the team lead to 9-4 with a 15-7 major decision over Michael Kelly at 149 before the Hawkeyes answered with consecutive bonus-point wins. Moore scored a pair of takedowns at 157 and added three nearfall points to build a 7-1 first period lead against Alec Ortiz. He then rode the Gopher the length of the second period to take a six-point advantage into the third period, where he added one escape, a point for stalling and another takedown to build a 10-1 advantage. He surrendered a late escape but piled up 3:26 of riding time to earn the final 11-2 decision. Evans kept the Hawkeyes rolling and scored what would eventually become the difference in the match when he flattened Cody Yohn in 6:02. Evans built a 7-0 lead entering the third period before he turned a half-nelson into three nearfall points and secured his sixth pin of the season. "When Nick went out there and got bonus points, that pushes me," said Evans. "It makes me think I've got to get bonus points too. I think we rolled well off each other." Trailing 19-4, Minnesota mounted its rally with four straight wins starting at 174. Sophomore Ethen Lofthouse had built a 3-0 advantage before giving up a late second period takedown and surrendering a reversal 40 seconds into the third frame. Minnesota's Logan Storley then rode out the period and earned a point for stalling to finish with a 5-3 win. Minnesota then cut the team lead to 19-11 when Kevin Steinhaus recorded a 12-4 major decision over Vinnie Wagner at 184. Iowa's Grant Gambrall had a chance to clinch the dual when he took a 3-2 lead into the third period at 197, but Minnesota's Sonny Yohn tied the match with an early escape and secured the win with a takedown in the final 10 seconds to earn a 5-3 win and trim the Iowa lead to 19-14. The dual ended in Iowa's favor when Tony Nelson was unable to score bonus points against Iowa's Blake Rasing at 285. Rasing had never lost to Minnesota's fourth-ranked heavyweight, but Nelson was able to score a pair of takedowns and accumulate 1:22 of riding time en route to a 7-2 victory. The Hawkeyes (10-3, 5-2) return to the mat Sunday, Feb. 5, at 1 p.m. (CT) when Wisconsin visits Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The contest will be broadcast by AM-800 KXIC and streamed online at btn.com and hawkeyesports.com via Hawkeye All-Access. NOTES: Attendance was 9,511... Iowa has won its last seven duals against Minnesota... Iowa has won 19 straight Big Ten duals inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena... Tony Ramos is undefeated in 14 matches inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Results: 125: No. 2 Matt McDonough (Iowa) dec. No. 1 Zach Sanders (Minnesota), 7-1 133: No. 4 Tony Ramos (Iowa) dec. No. 7 Chris Dardanes (Minnesota), 5-2 141: No. 7 Montell Marion (Iowa) dec. No. 12 Nick Dardanes (Minnesota), 3-2 149: No. 11 Dylan Ness (Minnesota) maj. dec. Mike Kelly (Iowa), 15-7 157: Nick Moore (Iowa) maj. dec. Alec Ortiz (Minnesota), 11-2 165: No. 8 Mike Evans (Iowa) pinned No. 14 Cody Yohn (Minnesota), 6:02 174: No. 7 Logan Storley (Minnesota) dec. No. 9 Ethen Lofthouse (Iowa), 5-3 184: No. 8 Kevin Steinhaus (Minnesota) maj. dec. Vinnie Wagner (Iowa), 12-4 197: No. 6 Sonny Yohn (Minnesota) dec. Grant Gambrall (Iowa), 5-3 285: No. 4 Tony Nelson (Minnesota) dec. Blake Rasing (Iowa), 7-2

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- The No. 15 Missouri wrestling team improved to 11-2 on the season, as they swept the quad meet hosted by Southern Illinois-Edwardsville. The Tigers scored victory against Eastern Michigan, SIUE and Truman State, shutting out the latter two opponents and winning 28 of the 30 matches on the day. Missouri opened up the afternoon with a 25-6 victory over Eastern Michigan. No. 3 Alan Waters got the Tigers off on the right foot with a 15-4 major decision over Jared Germaine, which was followed by a 6-2 win by No. 10 Nathan McCormick against Andrew Novak. It was McCormick's first action since Dec. 18, as he put the Tigers up 7-0 after two. Eastern Michigan got on the board with a 7-4 win by Corey Phillips against Mizzou's Nicholas Hucke, but the Tigers would go on to win the next three contests by decision, extending their lead to 16-3. Kyle Bradley and Drake Houdashelt picked up shutout victories, winning 5-0 and 2-0, respectively, while Zach Toal knocked off Lester France, 6-2. The Eagles scored a win at 174 pounds to make it 16-6, but Mizzou would win the last three matches to close out the dual. Junior Mike Larson returned to action with a 5-4 victory over Mike Curby. Larson trailed 4-1 early in the first but hit a reversal late in the period to cut the lead to 4-3. Larson escaped in the second and rode out Curby in the third to gain the riding time point and give him the win. No. 11 Brent Haynes defeated Nick Whitenburg by a 10-3 final, while heavyweight Devin Mellon defeated Wes Schroeder by a 6-4 final. Mellon reversed Schroeder in the second period to take a 2-0 lead and hit a pair of third period takedowns to clinch the match. Against SIU-Edwardsville, Mizzou scored bonus points in seven of the 10 matches, shutting out the Cougars by a 42-0 final. After a forfeit at 125, McCormick defeated Brendan Murphy, 9-4. Hucke then earned his first dual win of the season, shutting out Dillon Pousson by a 2-0 score. Bradley scored a major decision, while Houdashelt won by a technical fall in the second period, putting Mizzou up 21-0 halfway through the match. Toal made it 25-0 after a major decision victory, and senior Dorian Henderson defeated Deshoun White, 8-6, at 174 pounds. Larson then picked up a major decision of his own, defeating Cole Brandt by a 16-5 margin. Junior Clarence Neely stepped in at 197 and defeated Cole Rogers, 16-7, for his first dual win of the year, making it 36-0. The Cougars forfeited at heavyweight to close out the match. Missouri kept it going against Truman State, scoring bonus point wins in all 10 contests on their way to a 52-0 victory. The win is the fourth-highest margin of victory in program history and is the eighth time ever that a Tiger squad has scored more than 50 points in a single dual. The Tigers got wins by fall by McCormick at 133 and Neely at 197. Waters, Toal, Henderson and Mellon all scored technical falls, while Bradley and Houadshelt each defeated their opponents by major decision. Hucke and Larson won their matches by forfeit. Mizzou returns home next weekend for a pair of Big 12 duals, starting with No. 1 Oklahoma State on Saturday, Feb. 4 at Noon CT. Admission to the matchup between the Tigers and Cowboys is free to the public and the first 200 fans will receive gold rally towels. On Sunday, Missouri will go up against No. 11 Oklahoma. Action gets underway at 1 p.m. Stay tuned to mutigers.com for more information. No. 15 Mizzou 25, Eastern Michigan 6 125 No. 3 Alan Waters (MU) major dec. Jared Germaine (EMU), 15-4 133 No. 10 Nathan McCormick (MU) dec. Andrew Novak (EMU), 6-2 141 Corey Phillips (EMU) dec. Nicholas Hucke (MU), 7-4 149 No. 20 Kyle Bradley (MU) dec. Jaylyn Bohl (EMU), 5-0 157 No. 16 Drake Houdashelt dec. (MU) Aaron Sulzer (EMU), 2-0 165 No. 20 Zach Toal (MU) dec. Lester France (EMU), 6-2 174 Phillip Joseph (EMU) dec. Dorian Henderson (MU), 6-2 184 No. 15 Mike Larson (MU) dec. Mike Curby (EMU), 5-4 197 No. 11 Brent Haynes (MU) dec. Nick Whitenburg (EMU), 10-3 HWT Devin Mellon (MU) dec. Wes Schroeder (EMU), 6-4 No. 15 Mizzou 42, SIU-Edwardsville 0 125 No. 3 Alan Waters (MU) wins by forfeit 133 No. 10 Nathan McCormick (MU) dec. Brendan Murphy (SIUE), 9-4 141 Nicholas Hucke (MU) dec. Dillon Pousson (SIUE), 2-0 149 No. 20 Kyle Bradley (MU) major dec. Derrick Pousson (SIUE), 12-2 157 No. 16 Drake Houdashelt (MU) tech. fall Kyle Lowman (SIUE), 21-6 (4:35) 165 No. 20 Zach Toal (MU) major dec. Gabe Hocum (SIUE), 16-4 174 Dorian Henderson (MU) dec. Deshoun White (SIUE), 8-6 184 No. 15 Mike Larson (MU) major dec. Cole Brandt (SIUE), 16-5 197 Clarence Neely (MU) major dec. Cole Rogers (SIUE), 16-7 HWT Devin Mellon (MU) wins by forfeit No. 15 Mizzou 52, Truman State 0 125 No. 3 Alan Waters (MU) tech. fall Tyler Schilson (TSU), 27-12 133 No. 10 Nathan McCormick (MU) fall Kay'ce Petko (TSU), 0:17 141 Nicholas Hucke (MU) wins by injury default over Alex Maus (TSU), 0:47 149 No. 20 Kyle Bradley (MU) major dec. Ryan Maus (TSU), 11-3 157 No. 16 Drake Houdashelt (MU) major dec. Devon Fenstermaker (TSU), 17-6 165 No. 20 Zach Toal (MU) tech. fall Josh Wells (TSU), 22-6 174 Dorian Henderson (MU) tech. fall Sean Brown (TSU), 19-1 184 No. 15 Mike Larson (MU) wins by forfeit 197 Clarence Neely (MU) fall Zach Hayes, 1:40 HWT Devin Mellon (MU) tech. fall Joel Geders (TSU), 18-1

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team followed up a win over Iowa with yet another statement victory by hammering visiting Ohio State 34-9 in a key Big Ten dual. Penn State won eight of ten bouts in front of yet another sold out Rec Hall crowd of nearly 7,000 fans, not giving up a single takedown in its eight victories over the fifth-ranked Buckeyes. True freshman Nico Megaludis (Murrysville, Pa.), ranked No. 8 at 125, opened up the dual with a dominating 6-2 win over No. 15 Johnni Dejulius with 2:41 in riding time. Buckeye Logan Stieber, ranked No. 3 at 133, then pinned Nittany Lion sophomore Frank Martellotti (Pittsburgh, Pa.) at the 1:38 mark. At 141, Lion junior Bryan Pearsall (Lititz, Pa.) battled No. 6 Hunter Stieber tough before dropping a 9-5 decision, giving the Buckeyes a 9-3 lead. Three-time All-American Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.), ranked No. 1 at 149, began a Penn State onslaught with a thorough dismantling of Ohio State's Alex Gordon. Molinaro posted a 12-0 major with an impressive 5:20 in riding time. Red-shirt freshman Dylan Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.) then hammered No. 20 John Demas, shutting out the ranked Buckeye 4-0 with 1:28 in riding time to give Penn State a 10-9 lead heading into the halftime break. Coming out of the locker room, All-American David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio), ranked No. 1 at 165, posted a devastating 18-3 tech fall over Ohio State's Derek Garcia (6:20). Keeping the Lion train rolling, All-American Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.) ranked No. 2 at 174, pinned No. 8 Nick Heflin in the first period, getting the fall at the 2:05 mark.. Defending national champion Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.), ranked No. 2 at 184, then pinned Buckeye Craig Thomas at the 3:18 mark for Penn State's third straight bonus point win. In a much-anticipated bout at 197, Lion true freshman Morgan McIntosh, ranked No. 12 at 197, took care of No. 20 Andrew Campolattano with a 5-4 win. Senior heavyweight Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio), ranked No. 6 at heavyweight, then took care of No. 16 Peter Capone, posting a 9-0 major with 3:00 in riding time to cap off the 34-9 win. The Nittany Lions are now 9-1 overall, 5-1 in the Big Ten, while Ohio State falls to 9-3, 3-3. The Nittany Lions dominated the match from start to finish, winning eight of ten bouts, notching 10 bonus points off two pins, a tech fall and two majors, and winning the takedown war by a gaudy 16-4 margin. Penn State did not give up a single takedown in its eight victories and had five wrestlers get riding time points. The Nittany Lions will trek to Lincoln, Neb., on Friday, Feb. 3, for a Big Ten dual with the Cornhuskers beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern/7 p.m. Central (local to site). Penn State's next home dual is against No. 10 Michigan on Sunday, Feb. 5, at 2 p.m. While seats for the dual are now sold out, a limited number of Standing Room Only tickets remain. Fans can purchase these SRO ducats by calling 1-800-NITTANY or in person at the Bryce Jordan Center box office. The full season slate of live dual meet and tournament action will air locally on WRSC AM (1390 AM) with Friday evening duals being simulcast on WRSC FM (103.1 FM). Lock Haven's WBPZ (1230 AM) will also carry the entire season live, WIEZ (670 AM) in Huntingdon/Lewistown carries all Sunday events and further affiliates may be added soon. The regular season schedule of radio broadcasts will be streamed live at www.GoPSUsports.com as part of Penn State's All-Access package, which will also feature live video streams of many home events. Ticket information is accessed easily online at www.GoPSUsports.com/tickets/m-wrestl-tickets.html . Fans are encouraged to follow Penn State wrestling via twitter at www.twitter.com/pennstatepat and on Penn State Wrestling's facebook page at www.facebook.com/pennstatewrestling. The 2011-12 Penn State Wrestling season is presented by The Family Clothesline. Results: 125: #8 Nico Megaludis PSU dec. #15 Johnni Dejulius OSU, 6-2 3-0 133: #3 Logan Stieber OSU pinned Frank Martellotti PSU, WBF (1:38) 3-6 141: #6 Hunter Stieber OSU dec. Bryan Pearsall PSU, 9-5 3-9 149: #1 Frank Molinaro PSU maj. dec. Alex Gordon, 12-0 (5:20 RT) 7-9 157: #7 Dylan Alton PSU dec. #20 Josh Demas OSU, 4-0 10-9 165: #1 David Taylor PSU tech fall Derek Garcia OSU, 18-3 (6:20) 15-9 174: #2 Ed Ruth PSU pinned #8 Nick Heflin OSU, WBF (2:05) 21-9 184: #2 Quentin Wright PSU pinned Craig Thomas OSU, WBF (3:18) 27-9 197: #12 Morgan McIntosh PSU dec. #20 Andrew Campolattano OSU, 5-4 30-9 285: #6 Cameron Wade PSU maj. dec. #16 Peter Capone, 9-0 34-9 Attendance: 6,728 Records: #2 Penn State 9-1, 5-1 B1G; #5 Ohio State 9-3, 3-3 B1G Up Next for Penn State: at Nebraska, Friday, Feb. 3, 8 p.m. Eastern/7 p.m. Central (local to site) BOUT-BY-BOUT: 125: True freshman Nico Megaludis (Murrysville, Pa.) met fellow true freshman Johnni Dejulius in a battle of ranked 125-pounders. Megaludis entered the bout ranked No. 8 while Dejulius was ranked No. 15. Megaludis gained control of Dejulius' right leg with a high single and steadily worked his way into a scoring position, getting the takedown for a 2-0 lead at the 1:20 mark. The true freshman then maintained control for :51 before the Buckeye escaped to a 2-1 Lion lead. Dejulius chose down to start the second period and Megaludis gained control of the Buckeyes arm, working to turn the Buckeye over for back points with an arm bar. A dangerous hold call stopped action with Megaludis still in control with over 2:00 riding time. Dejulius escaped to a 2-2 tie, but Megaludis continued to pressure the Buckeye, forcing him into defense for the rest of the period. Tied 2-2 but with 2:11 in time to his advantage, Megaludis chose down to start the third and quickly escaped to 3-2 lead. A quick low single led to another Megaludis takedown with :40 left, giving the Lion a 5-2 lead with a clinched riding time point. Megaludis then maintained control for the remainder of the match and rolled to a 6-2 win with 2:41 in riding time. 133: Nittany Lion sophomore Frank Martellotti (Pittsburgh, Pa.) took on Ohio State's Logan Stieber, who was ranked No. 3 at 133. Stieber got in on a quickly single leg and drove through for an early takedown and a 2-0 lead. He then worked his way into a pin, getting the fall over Martellotti at the 1:38 mark. 141: Penn State junior Bryan Pearsall (Lititz, Pa.) battled Buckeye Hunter Stieber, who was ranked No. 6 at 141. Stieber scored first, using a high single to take Pearsall down for an early 2-0 lead. Stieber put together a strong ride, trying to turn Pearsall for back points before cutting him loose at the 1:38 mark with 1:04 in riding time. Another quick high single led to a second Stieber takedown and a 4-1 lead for the sixth-ranked Buckeye. Stieber then rode Pearsall out and led 4-1 with 2:11 in riding time after one period. Stieber chose down to start the second period but could not break free of a strong Pearsall ride as the Lion junior maintained control for over a minute. But the sixth-ranked sophomore worked his way into a reversal at the :50 mark to take a 6-1 lead. But Pearsall answered the reversal to cut the lead to 6-3 as the period ended. The Lion junior took down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 6-4 deficit, but Stieber had 1:59 in riding time. Stieber took a low single and worked his way into a takedown and an 8-4 lead with a clinched riding time point at the :45 mark. Pearsall escaped to an 8-5 deficit and continued to pressure the Buckeye, looking for his takedown. Stieber held off a late Pearsall shot and posted the 9-5 decision. 149: Top-ranked Nittany Lion Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.) faced off against Alex Gordon at 149. The Lion senior pressured Gordon from the offset, forcing the Buckeye back on his heels. Molinaro connected on a head inside single to take a 2-0 lead with 1:558 left. He then turned Gordon to his back for three near fall points and a 5-0 lead. Molinaro reset himself after action moved out of bounds and maintained control of the Buckeye for the rest of the period to lead 5-0 with 2:03 in time after one. Molinaro chose down to start the second stanza and quickly escaped to a 6-0 lead. Another takedown with 1:20 left gave the Lion an 8-0 lead and another turn for two near fall points put him up 10-0. Down by ten, Gordon chose down to start the third period (Molinaro had a riding time point clinched). Molinaro spent the entire period trying to turn Gordon for more back points, picking up a stall point in the process. Molinaro posted a 12-0 win with 5:20 in riding time. 157: Red-shirt freshman Dylan Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.), ranked No. 7 at 157, met Ohio State's Josh Demas, who was ranked No. 20. Alton dove through a high double at the 1:37 mark to take a 2-0 lead, getting the takedown in front of the Buckeye bench. He then maintained control of Demas for over a minute, looking for a chance to turn his foe and forcing him into a first stall warning with :25 on the clock. Alton rode Demas out to lead by two with 1:41 in riding time after one period. Alton chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 3-0 lead. The Lion continued to pressure Demas, forcing the Buckeye backwards for the rest of the period. Demas, down 3-0 and giving up 1:38 in time, chose neutral to start and Alton quickly got in on a single. Demas once again worked his way towards the outside circle and forced a reset with 1:30 on the clock. Demas took a shot at the 1:00 mark of the third period but Alton nearly turned it into a throw. With the riding time point clinched, Alton rolled on to a 4-0 win to give Penn State a 10-9 lead at the break. 165: Top-ranked Penn Stater David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio) met OSU freshman Derek Garcia at 165. Taylor used a blazing fast low single to notch the first takedown at the 2:00 mark. Garcia got hit with a first stall warning quickly as the Buckeyes continued to belly out underneath. Taylor cut Garcia loose at the :30 mark and then worked his way for a second takedown even as Garcia worked to move out of bounds. Up 4-1 with :18 left, Taylor maintained control of the Buckeye for the ride out. Garcia chose down to start the second period and Taylor cut him loose. Garcia got in on a high single, but Taylor easily countered for his own takedown and a 6-2 lead with 1:25 on the clock. Taylor picked up a stall point before turning Garcia to his back. But the Buckeye was able to roll out of trouble without any near falls. Taylor cut Garcia loose, took him down against with :30 on the clock. A third stall gave Taylor a 10-3 lead and two near fall points put him up 12-3 after two periods. Taylor chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 13-3 lead. The Lion sophomore countered another Garcia shot, took him down for a 15-3 lead, and then turned him for three near fall points and the 18-3 technical fall at the 6:20 mark. 174: Second-ranked Nittany Lion Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.) took on Ohio State's Nick Heflin, who was ranked No. 8 at 174. Ruth shot quick out of the gates, turning a high double into a scramble on the edge of the mat. But Heflin was able to keep from giving up the takedown and the match remained scoreless. Ruth countered a Heflin shot and then nearly completed a cradle on the takedown. Heflin fought to his belly and the Lion led 2-0. Ruth reset himself, worked his way into a position for a cradle and locked it up. The Lion All-American finished off the eighth-ranked Buckeye at the 2:05 mark with the pin. 184: Second-ranked Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.) battled Buckeye Craig Thomas at 184. Wright quickly took the Buckeye down, taking a 2-0 lead just :30 into the bout. The All-American then began working for a chance to turn Thomas, steadily breaking the Buckeye down while building up a solid riding time edge. Wright got two near fall points before Thomas rolled over and out of trouble, giving the Nittany Lion a 4-1 lead at the 1:10 mark. Another high Wright double leg led to a 6-1 lead less than :20 after that and the Nittany Lion once again set to breaking Thomas down. He picked up a riding tim point and then added on two more near fall points to lead 9-1 with :11 on the clock. Wright chose down to start the second, quickly escaped and then caught Thomas in a shoulder throw, tossing the Buckeye to the mat and getting the pin at the 3:18 mark, just :18 into the second period. 197: True freshman Morgan McIntosh (Santa Ana, Calif.), ranked No. 12 at 197, met Ohio State's Andrew Campolattano, who was ranked No. 20. McIntosh gained control of Campolattano's left ankle and steadily worked his way to a 2-0 lead with a takedown at the 1:47 mark. The Buckeye quickly escaped and action moved to the center circle with McIntosh up by a point. Another low ankle pick by McIntosh led to a second takedown and a 4-2 lead after a quick Campolattano escaped. Campolattano chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 4-3 McIntosh lead. McIntosh continued to shoot low, working for a takedown, but an injury forced McIntosh to call for time out, allowing the Buckeye to choose down and escape to a 4-4 tie. With the score deadlocked heading into the third, McIntosh chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 5-4 lead. The ranked duo battled evenly for the bulk of the period, with the Nittany Lion freshman fighting off a late shot to hold on for a thrilling 5-4 win. 285: Nittany Lion senior Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio), ranked No. 6 at heavyweight, met Buckeye Peter Capone, who was ranked No. 16. Each wrestler took an early shot, with neither man breaking through to score early. The ranked duo battled through an even first period and action moved to the second scoreless. Capone chose down to start the second period and Wade quickly gained control of the Buckeye, working for back points. The Lion senior dominated action from the top, controlling Capone for the full two minutes. Tied 0-0 but with 2:00 riding time to his favor, Wade chose down to start the final period. Wade deftly reversed the 16th-ranked Buckeye for a 2-0 lead and then he once again went to work, turning the Buckeye for three near fall points and a 5-0 lead. After a reset, Wade picked up three more back points and posted a dominating 9-0 major with 3:00 in riding time.

KENT, Ohio -- Kent State (10-4, 3-0 MAC) put itself in the driver's seat for a Mid-American Conference regular season title Sunday with a 22-13 victory over Central Michigan (12-5, 4-1) inside the M.A.C. Center. The Golden Flashes took 7-of-10 matches against a Chippewa program that had won 70 of their last 73 conference duals. It was just the second win for Jim Andrassy against CMU in his nine seasons as head coach and the Flashes' first home victory over the Chippewas since 1996. Although the Flashes won the first four weight classes, drama had built heading into the 197-pound match. With his team leading 16-13, junior Keith Witt (Oak Harbor, Ohio) barely beat the final buzzer and finished off a takedown to claim a 3-1 win over Chad Friend. "I never want to take it down to last second," Witt said. "But that's kind of the way it's happened for me since I bumped up to 197. That's my best shot so I was pretty confident in it." Senior Brendan Barlow (Westerville, Ohio) then needed two sudden victory periods and two tiebreaker go-arounds to earn a five-second riding time advantage over Peter Sturgeon and a 4-3 victory in the day's final match. "I thought Brendan was the more aggressive wrestler today and he deserved to win." Andrassy said. The first pivotal match came at 133, when junior Stevie Mitcheff (Lorain, Ohio) overcame a third period deficit and topped Tyler Keselring 10-9. "Stevie's really come a long way and he's starting to build confidence," Andrassy said. "We're going to continue to tell him how much better he's getting and he's going to continue to work hard and work out with Nic Bedelyon, which has been helping." Freshman Ian Miller (Oak Harbor, Ohio) scored the only bonus points of the day for Kent State with a 13-5 major decision over Joey Kielbasa at 149. A more aggressive Miller collected five takedowns, an escape, riding time and a stalling point." "Central did a great job of slowing all of our guys down," Andrassy said. "They have a simple style of wrestling that's hard to beat. I thought we were the more aggressive team." After back-to-back CMU wins at 157 and 165, sophomore Brandonn Johnson (Middletown, Md.) claimed a 7-1 victory to give the Flashes a 16-7 lead. No. 5 Ben Bennett then made things interesting with a third period pin of Casey Newburg (Union, Ohio) to narrow his team's deficit to just three points. Winners of eight straight dual meets, the Golden Flashes return to the mat Friday, Feb. 3 hosting conference foe Buffalo. Results: 125 - Nic Bedelyon (Kent State) over Joe Roth (CMU) Dec 4-2 133 - Stevie Mitcheff (Kent State) over Tyler Keselring (CMU) Dec 10-9 141 - Tyler Small (Kent State) over Scott Mattingly (CMU) Dec 6-0 149 - Ian Miller (Kent State) over Joey Kielbasa (CMU) Maj. Dec. 13-5 157 – Donnie Corby (CMU) over Mallie Shuster (Kent State) Dec 5-2 165 –Mike Ottinger (CMU) over Ross Tice (Kent State) Maj. Dec 18-8 174 – Brandonn Johnson (Kent State) over Anthony Bill (CMU) Dec 3-1 184 - Ben Bennett (CMU) over Casey Newburg (Kent State) Fall 6:00 197 – Keith Witt (Kent State) over Chad Friend (CMU) Dec 3-1 HWT - Brendan Barlow (Kent State) over Peter Sturgeon (CMU) Dec (TB2) 4-3