InterMat Staff

ON THE MAT The sixth-ranked University of Iowa wrestling team hosts No. 3 Minnesota on Mediacom Mat inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Sunday at 3 p.m. (CT). CAMO DAY Sunday's dual is "Camo Day" at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Fans can register to win an IOWA camouflage hat, and the first 1,000 fans at the dual will receive a FREE camouflage bandana. Hawkeye wrestlers will also be available to sign autographs for a limited time following to the dual. AUDIO COVERAGE Sunday's dual will be broadcast on AM-800 KXIC and streamed online at hawkeyesports.com via Hawkeye All-Access. Steven Grace and Mark Ironside will have the call live from Carver-Hawkeye Arena. TELEVISION COVERAGE Sunday's dual will be televised live on BTN. Tim Johnson, Jim Gibbons and Shane Sparks will have the call. TOP 10 FOES The No. 6 Hawkeyes will face their sixth top 10 opponent when they host No. 3 Minnesota. The Hawkeyes are 2-3 against top 10 teams. They defeated No. 7 Illinois, 20-13 (12/2), and won at No. 7 Nebraska, 24-9 (1/13). Iowa's losses include No. 2 Oklahoma State, 17-16 (1/7), No. 7 Ohio State, 21-9 (1/20) and No. 3 Penn State (1/22). 1-2-3 SHOOT Iowa's three lightest weights have a combined 59-5 (.922) record this season with 39 bonus-point victories. Junior Matt McDonough (125) leads Iowa with nine pins. Sophomore Tony Ramos (133) owns a team-best five technical falls and senior Montell Marion (141) leads the Hawkeyes with seven major decisions. RAMOS IS DUAL DOMINANT Sophomore Tony Ramos has recorded five falls and four major decisions in 12 duals this season, racking up a team-high 52 points and an 11-1 record. He owns a 23-1 career dual record and has never lost in 13 matches inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. BIG MEETING Senior Blake Rasing is 3-0 in his career vs. Minnesota's Tony Nelson, the nation's No. 4 ranked heavyweight. Rasing won a 7-5 decision at the Duhawk Open in 2010, and swept a pair of bouts in 2011, including a 4-2 decision in the dual and a 5-2 victory in the finals of the Big Ten Championships. MCDONOUGH AMONG THE BEST Junior Matt McDonough owns a career record of 85-4 (.955). Iowa's top wrestlers in program history based on winning percentage include: 1. T.J. Williams (98-1-0) .990 2. Brent Metcalf (108-3-0) .972 3. Lincoln McIlravy (96-3-0) .970 4. Tom Brands (158-7-2) .952 5. Terry Brands (137-7) .951 1 vs. 2 Hawkeye junior Matt McDonough and Minnesota senior Zach Sanders will meet in a battle of the nation's top ranked 125-pounders. McDonough is ranked No. 1 in one national poll (WIN), while Sanders holds the top spot in two national polls (Amateur Wrestling News and Intermat). McDonough is 4-0 in his career vs. Sanders with a pair of major decisions. He was undefeated in three meetings in 2009-10 and won the most recent bout, 10-3, last year in Minneapolis. 1ST AT 197 Iowa junior Grant Gambrall split a pair of decisions against Minnesota's Sonny Yohn when the two previously competed at 184 pounds. Gambrall defeated Yohn, 11-4, at the Northern Iowa Open in 2008 before dropping a 4-0 decision to Yohn at the Kaufman-Brand Open in 2009. Yohn competed at 197 pounds last season when the teams met. Gambrall moved up to 197 this season. #900 The Hawkeyes topped Nebraska, 24-9, Jan. 13 to earn the 900th dual win in program history. Iowa owns a 901-217-31 (.797) dual record in 101 seasons. Iowa State, Oklahoma State and Oregon State are the only other schools to record at least 900 dual wins. THE SERIES Iowa has won the last six meetings and owns a 68-24-1 dual record in the all-time series vs. Minnesota. Five Hawkeyes could potentially make their series debut against the Gophers. Redshirt freshmen Michael Kelly, Nick Moore, Mike Evans and Bobby Telford, and senior Vinnie Wagner have never wrestled a Minnesota opponent. On the flip side, Matt McDonough (4-0), Tony Ramos (3-0), Montell Marion (4-4), Derek St. John (1-0), Ethen Lofthouse (1-1), Grant Gambrall (1-3) and Blake Rasing (3-1) have a combined 17-9 career record vs. Minnesota opponents. LAST MEETING No. 2 Iowa 19, No. 5 Minnesota 12 -- Feb. 20, 2011 125 - Matt McDonough (I) dec. Zach Sanders (M), 10-3 133 - Tony Ramos (I) dec. David Thorn (M), 7-3 141 - Montell Marion (I) dec. Mike Thorn (M), 4-3 149 - Danny Zilverberg (M) dec. Mark Ballweg (I), 5-3 SV 157 - Derek St. John (I) maj. dec. Matt Mincey (M), 20-8 165 - Cody Yohn (M) dec. Aaron Janssen (I), 6-4 174 - Scott Glasser (M) dec. Ethen Lofthouse (I), 7-5 184 - Kevin Steinhaus (M) dec. Grant Gambrall (I), 5-4 197 - Luke Lofthouse (I) dec. Sonny Yohn (M), 7-4 Hwt. - Blake Rasing (I) dec. Tony Nelson (M), 4-2 ST. JOHN MAKES AN APPEARANCE Sophomore Derek St. John won his first 11 bouts of the season before suffering a knee injury Dec. 8 against Northern Iowa. He missed five Hawkeye events before returning Jan. 20 at Ohio State, where he suffered a 7-3 loss to Josh Demas. St. John suffered a minor setback in the dual and missed the next event at Penn State. RAMOS NABS 2ND BIG TEN HONOR Tony Ramos earned his second career conference honor when he was named Big Ten Co-Wrestler of the Week on Jan. 10 Ramos, a sophomore from Carol Stream, Ill., pinned Indiana's Joe Duca in the second period at Indiana (1/6) before earning a 4-3 overtime decision against Oklahoma State's top-ranked Jordan Oliver (1/7). He had previously won the award after a pair of bonus point victories against No. 7 Illinois (12/2) and Iowa State (12/4). He posted a 13-5 major decision over the Illini's B.J. Futrell, then-ranked No. 2 in the country, and recorded a second period pin against Iowa State's Shayden Terukina. Ramos, currently ranked No. 4, owns an 20-2 record with four major decisions, five technical falls and six pins. HAWKEYES BUILD ON RECORD Iowa grabbed its record 22nd Midlands team title Dec. 30, scoring 152 points and putting 11 wrestlers on the medal stand at the 49th annual event. Matt McDonough (125) earned his second career Midlands title. Tony Ramos (2nd, 133) Tyler Clark (4th, 133), Montell Marion (2nd, 141), Mike Kelly (5th, 149), Nick Moore (7th, 157), Mike Evans (7th, 165), Ethen Lofthouse (2nd, 174), Vinnie Wagner (7th, 184), Grant Gambrall (7th, 197) and Bobby Telford (2nd, Hwt.) placed for the Hawkeyes. GAMBRALL AT 197 Junior Grant Gambrall has started at 197 pounds in seven of Iowa's 12 duals (3-4). Gambrall, a junior from Iowa City, Iowa, made his first career appearance at 197 pounds on Nov. 25, recording a 4-3 decision over Cornell College's Alex Coolidge. He is 7-6 this season and earned a seventh-place finish at the Midlands Championships competing at 197. Gambrall was an All-American while competing at 184 pounds in 2010-11. CARVER-HAWKEYE ARENA Iowa is 6-1 in dual competition inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena (15,400) this season, outscoring their opponents 200-43. The 2010-11 Hawkeyes posted a perfect 8-0 dual record in their home venue, marking Iowa's 19th undefeated season in the facility since moving from the UI Fieldhouse in 1983. Iowa has a 194-19 (.910) record in the arena. The 2009-10 Hawkeyes went 11-0 at Carver-Hawkeye, which is the school record for most home wins in a single season. The dual wrestling attendance record for Carver-Hawkeye Arena is 15,955, set when Iowa defeated Iowa State (20-15) on Dec. 6, 2008. BRANDS HITS 100 Iowa head coach Tom Brands earned his 100th career dual win as Iowa's head coach Nov. 25 vs. Iowa Central (37-6). It took Brands 107 duals to reach 100 career victories. Only Dan Gable, Iowa's all-time winningest coach, reached win No. 100 faster. Gable hit the century mark in his 105th dual. Brands owns a 106-9-1 career record since taking over the Iowa program in 2006. MCDONOUGH'S MIDLANDS SUCCESS Junior Matt McDonough won his second Midlands title in three years Dec. 30 at the 49th annual event in Evanston, Ill. McDonough recorded two pins, including a second period fall in the finals, and one major decision en route to the title. Since 2009, McDonough owns a 15-1 record at the Midlands, including two championships (2009, 2011) and a runner-up finish (2010). McDonough is 20-1 this season with five major decisions and a team-high nine pins. NCAA EXPERIENCE The Hawkeyes have seven wrestlers with previous NCAA championships experience. Junior Matt McDonough has advanced to the NCAA finals each of the past two seasons, winning the championship in 2010 and finishing runner-up in 2011. Montell Marion is a two-time All-American at 141 pounds. The senior from Des Moines, Iowa, placed second in 2010 and earned a fourth place finish in 2011. Sophomore Derek St. John and junior Grant Gambrall also earned All-America honors in 2011. St. John placed fourth at 157 pounds, and Gambrall earned third place at 184 pounds. Sophomores Tony Ramos (133) and Ethen Lofthouse (174), and senior Blake Rasing (Hwt.) also earned NCAA berths last season. HAWKEYE WRESTLING HISTORY Iowa's overall dual meet record is 901-217-31 (.797) in 101 seasons. The Hawkeyes have won 23 national titles and 34 Big Ten titles. Iowa's 51 NCAA Champions have won a total of 78 NCAA Individual titles, crowning six three-time and 15 two-time champions. The Hawkeyes' 104 Big Ten champions have won a total of 188 conference titles. There have been seven four-time, 18 three-time and 27 two-time Iowa winners. Iowa's 144 All-Americans have earned All-America status 291 times, including 17 four-time, 29 three-time and 38 two-time honorees. HOME MAT ADVANTAGE The Hawkeyes have won their last 18 Big Ten duals inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The school record for consecutive Big Ten home wins is 63, when Iowa went nearly 23 years without a loss at home from January 17, 1975 to January 3, 1998. Iowa has topped Minnesota once during the 18-dual home winning streak, a 25-9 victory Feb. 15, 2009. The Gophers are the last Big Ten team to beat Iowa inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. They earned a 29-13 decision Feb. 18, 2007. TIEBREAK CRITERIA The Hawkeyes saw their 84-match dual unbeaten streak end Jan. 7, 2012, when Oklahoma State topped Iowa, 17-16. The two teams were tied at 16 after splitting 10 bouts, so officials used the NCAA tiebreak criteria inserted during the offseason to determine a winner. The first tiebreak is match victories (5-5) and the second is falls/tech. falls (0-0). Oklahoma State eventually won on the third tiebreak criteria, match points (54-51). ATTENDANCE LEADERS AT IT AGAIN The third largest dual crowd in NCAA history (15,400) watched Iowa host Oklahoma State on Jan. 7, 2012. Through five home dates, the Hawkeyes have averaged 9,257 fans. That includes duals vs. Oklahoma State, the Iowa City Duals* (8,527), Illinois (7,330), Northern Iowa (7,078) and Northwestern (7,954). Iowa has led the nation in attendance for five straight seasons. The Hawkeyes averaged a national record 8,209 fans in six home duals last season. It marked the third straight year Iowa averaged over 8,000 fans per dual. Iowa's dual vs. Iowa State (Dec. 3, 2010) was the largest dual crowd in the country last year (11,895). *The IC Duals do not count towards attendance figures. TICKET INFORMATION Single-meet tickets are now available for purchase on hawkeyesports.com. Single-meet tickets to the Minnesota dual are $13 for adults, $7 for children and $2 for kids five and under. Tickets to the Wisconsin dual (2/5) are $10 for adults, $5 for children and free for kids five and under. UP NEXT The Hawkeyes return to Carver-Hawkeye Arena to host Wisconsin on Sunday, Feb. 5, at 1 p.m. (CT). The contest will be broadcast by AM-800 KXIC and streamed online at btn.com and hawkeyesports.com via Hawkeye All-Access.

No. 2 Penn State (8-1, 4-1 B1G) will host yet another marquee Big Ten dual on Sunday, Jan. 29, when No. 5 Ohio State (9-2, 3-2 B1G) visits Rec Hall. The dual begins at 2 p.m. In a dual that could feature nearly 20 ranked wrestlers, both Penn State and Ohio State are coming off wins over Iowa and are ranked among the nation's top five. The Nittany Lions and Buckeyes will wrestle in front of nearly 7,000 fans in Rec Hall, which is already sold out for the event. Penn State is coming off a key 22-12 dual meet win over Iowa last Sunday. The Nittany Lions reeled off seven straight wins against the Hawkeyes to roll to victory. The win improved Penn State to 8-1 overall, 4-1 in Big Ten action, and was highlighted by sophomore Ed Ruth's major decision at 174 and true freshman Morgan McIntosh's sudden victory over Iowa All-American Grant Gambrall at 197. The Nittany Lions won the statistical battle as well, winning seven of ten bouts, four with riding time and owning a lopsided 18-10 takedown advantage. The Nittany Lions are being led by eight ranked grapplers, all of whom are in the top 12. Three-time All-American Frank Molinaro is 20-0 and ranked No. 1 at 149, All-American David Taylor is 18-0 and rnaked No. 1 at 165, All-American Ruth is 20-0 and ranked No. 2 at 174 and All-American Quentin Wright is 17-2 and ranked No. 2 at 184. Senior Cameron Wade is 17-4 at heavyweight and ranked No. 6 while true freshman Dylan Alton is ranked No. 7 at 157 with a 15-4 mark and true freshman Nico Megaludis is ranked No. 8 at 125 with a 16-5 record. True freshman McIntosh is 13-5 at 197 and ranked No. 12. Ohio State enters the dual after its own win over Iowa on Friday, Jan. 20. The Buckeyes have nine wrestlers ranked in the top 20, including four in the top ten. Red-shirt freshman Logan Stieber is 19-1 at 133 and ranked No. 3 while his brother Hunter, a true freshman, is 18-3 at 141 and ranked No. 6. Nick Heflin is 19-2 at 174 and ranked No. 8 while C.J. Magrum is ranked No. 10 at 184 with a 14-3 record. Penn State leads the all-time series by a slim 14-11 margin, including a 42-3 win in Rec Hall last season. Ohio State won the last meeting in Columbus the year before. Penn State returns to action on Feb. 3 at Nebraska in an 8 p.m. (Eastern)/7 p.m. (Central) dual. The Nittany Lions next home dual is on Sunday, Feb. 5, when Michigan comes to town for a 2 p.m. battle. All seats for the Michigan dual are sold out but some standing room only tickets remain. Fans can purchase a very limited number of SRO tickets by calling 1-800-NITTANY. Tickets are priced at $8 for adults and $5 for youth (18 and under) and can be purchased from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day 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 and further affiliates may be added soon. WIEZ 670 AM (Huntingdon/Lewistown) will carry all Sunday duals during the regular season plus the Big Ten and NCAA Championships in March. 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. POSSIBLE STARTERS #2 PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS (8-1, 4-1 B1G) 125 #8 Nico Megaludis Fr. Murrysville, Pa./Franklin Regional 16-5 133 Frank Martellotti So. Pittsburgh, Pa./Shady Side 6-2 Derek Reber Jr. Lewisburg, Pa./Lewisburg 4-5 141 Bryan Pearsall Jr. Lititz, Pa./Warwick 10-7 149 #1 Frank Molinaro Sr. Barnegat, N.J./Southern Regional 20-0 157 #7 Dylan Alton R-Fr. Mill Hall, Pa./Central Mountain 15-4 165 #1 David Taylor So. St. Paris, Ohio/St. Paris Graham 18-0 174 #2 Ed Ruth So. Harrisburg, Pa./Susquehanna Twp. 20-0 184 #2 Quentin Wright Jr. Wingate, Pa./Bald Eagle Area 17-2 197 #12 Morgan McIntosh Fr. Santa Ana, Calif./Calvary Chapel 13-5 285 #6 Cameron Wade Sr. Twinsburg, Ohio/St. Peter Chanel 17-4 #5 OHIO STATE (9-2, 3-2 B1G) 125 #15 Johnni Dejulius Fr. Aurora, Ohio/Walsh Jesuit 13-9 133 #3 Logan Stieber R-Fr. Monroeville, Ohio/Monroeville 19-1 141 #6 Hunter Stieber Fr. Monroeville, Ohio/Monroeville 18-3 149 #14 Cam Tessari Fr. Monroeville, Ohio/Monroeville 15-5 157 #20 Josh Demas R-Fr. Columbus, Ohio/Westerville North 16-6 165 Derek Garcia Fr. Desro Woolley, Wash./Sedro Woolley 11-7 174 #8 Nick Heflin So. Massillon, Ohio/Massillon Perry 19-2 184 #10 C.J. Magrum Jr. Oak Harbor, Ohio/Oak Harbor 14-3 197 #20 Andrew Campolattano Fr. Bound Brook, N.J./Bound Brook 13-7 285 #16 Peter Capone So. Johnson City, N.Y./Johnson City 12-8

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Kidd Gomez's technical fall brought Oklahoma City University a 19-18 victory over Central Oklahoma on Wednesday at Abe Lemons Arena. Gomez, a junior from Noble, Okla., defeated Ryan Brooks 18-3 at 125 pounds in the final match of the dual. Gomez's tech fall was the only one of the dual to provide the tiebreaker. OCU, ranked fifth in NAIA wrestling, improved to 8-5 in duals, while Central Oklahoma, sixth-ranked in NCAA Division II, went to 6-5. Gomez piled up six takedowns, including one more in the final 10 seconds to go up 17-3. Gomez led 10-0 through two periods and picked up two near falls along the way. Gomez accumulated riding time to make the score 18-3 and excite the OCU side of the packed-house crowd. “He's a goer,” OCU coach Archie Randall said. “He's one of the best 125-pounders in the nation. His first goal was to pin him. He got the technical fall, but he was still trying to pin him. He did a great job of tying the dual and giving us the win on criteria. “All 10 have to do their job. I'm really proud of the team. This is a big win for our program.” Michael Brown preceded Gomez with a 3-1 sudden-victory win, working for a takedown of Cody Dauphin in the extra period. Dauphin had defeated Brown, a freshman from Noble, Okla., twice this season. “We got a big match out of Mike Brown,” Randall said. “We worked on the overtime stuff. We worked on everything they did. We had time to prepare. That was huge.” OCU's top-ranked individuals notched the Stars' first points of the dual. Nik Turner, a senior from Norman, Okla., picked up three takedowns in the first period. In the second, Kaleb Cradduck rode Turner most of the period and surrendered only a penalty point to Turner. Turner, ranked No. 1 among NAIA 157-pounders, closed out the bout with two takedowns in the third for a 12-6 win. Kevin Hardy, a senior from Solon, Ohio, rode a 7-3 first-period advantage en route to a 12-3 win. Hardy, top-ranked in the NAIA at 165, accumulated two takedowns, a three-point near fall, a two-point near fall and an escape in the first. Derek Peperas posted an 8-3 victory at 174 for OCU. Peperas, a senior from Albuquerque, N.M., registered three takedowns to cut the Stars' deficit to 11-10. Central Oklahoma got off to an 11-0 advantage through the first three matches. Ky Corley won 9-2 over Will Shelton-Delk at 149 to provide Central its lead. “Hopefully this propels us into regionals,” Randall said. “We gave up too many bonus points, but it all evened out. No falls, so it was a great dual.” The Stars meet Baker (Kan.) at 7 p.m. Feb. 1 in Baldwin City, Kan. Results: 133: Dustin Reed, UCO, maj. dec. Alvie Killingsworth, 17-6 141: Casy Rowell, UCO, maj. dec. Eric Waggoner, 13-4 149: Ky Corley, UCO, dec. Will Shelton-Delk, 9-2 157: Nik Turner, OCU, dec. Kaleb Cradduck, 12-6 165: Kevin Hardy, OCU, maj. dec. Chris Watson, 12-3 174: Derek Peperas, OCU, dec. Zach Aylor, 8-3 184: Tanner Keck, UCO, maj. dec. Andrew Pontikes, 14-5 197: Jarrett Edison, UCO, dec. Mitchell Eichenauer, 4-1 285: Michael Brown, OCU, dec. Cody Dauphin, 3-1 (SV) 125: Kidd Gomez, OCU, tech. fall Ryan Brooks, 18-3

Phil Davis (Photo/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images) In 1971 mayor Richard Daley told Newsweek that Chicago was "The City that Works." The powerful political patriarch meant to imbue a sense of pride in his constituents. Compared to other major metropolises, thought Daley, Chicagoans got up in the morning, strapped on boots and worked a job. In Daley's mind his city was supporting an economy. True or not, the moniker stuck. The UFC is visiting Daley's Chicago for the first time in three years, but Saturday's UFC of FOX 2 is arguably the most important commercial card in promotional history. The prime time card is the first network television event of the promotion's seven-year, $700 million deal with FOX. The first UFC event on FOX, which aired in November and featured the UFC heavyweight title fight between Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos, was added by network executives in the hopes of bolstering rating for the 2012 fight season. The event set some viewing records, but is best remembered as being filled with lots of fluff and little fighting. To capture the mainstream audiences they failed to nab with their first iteration, the UFC has composed one of their most competitive cards in promotional history (notably on a weekend free of gridiron deities). Much like the blue collar utopia Daley imagined in the 70s, the UFC is promoting its product on the their hardest working and most reliable resource they have at their disposal: wrestlers. The UFC on FOX 2 features four NCAA All-Americans, premier among them is light heavyweight headliner Phil Davis an NCAA champion at Penn State. Chael Sonnen (Oregon), Chris Weidman (Hofstra) and Shane Roller (Oklahoma State) round out the card. Davis' opponent Michigan State alumni Rashad Evans was an NCAA qualifier at Michigan State but never placed (something Phil Davis has been pleased to point out). Were it not for an elbow injury to Mark Munoz, a two-time All-American and NCAA champion from Oklahoma State, the card would have featured two wrestler-only fights. Why the UFC decided to feature so many Division I wrestlers, and why they were they pitted against each other like roosters is not a simple answer, and is certainly not without debate. However, the growth of the sport and the UFC's role in putting on 40-plus shows a year has meant an increased reliability on the heart, heartiness and work ethic of the wrestler class. Mat men of Davis' and Munoz's pedigree are no longer rare in the UFC. Just six years ago the financial incentives weren't strong enough to pull more than a few grapplers from the NCAA tournament, now the sport's best can't ignore the enormous income potential, leading to cards like that in Chicago, where there are competitors on the card (Weidman and Davis) who have actually wrestled against each other. The UFC isn't putting these fighters on the free FOX card because they think fans want to see a wrestling match. What UFC matchmaker Joe Silva and president Dana White are betting is that the wrestling skills of Davis and Evans negate each other and leave the men to figure out their issues by throwing their very sizable mitts into each other's faces. The motivation or this type of wrestler-based clash comes from the Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard trilogy. Both are former NCAA wrestlers (Edgar never earned All-American honors. Maynard is a three-time All-American from Michigan State, and coincidentally lost in the 2002 NCAA wrestlebacks to Shane Roller) were left to bludgeon each other once they realized their takedowns were essentially ineffective. The UFC is betting that Davis and Evans resort to the same type of crowd-pleasing fisticuffs that led the Edgar vs. Maynard fights to be considered among the promotion's greatest of all time. With luck, Dana White hopes that viewers are in place for the main event potentially earning the UFC thousands more fans and millions more dollars. While White and other UFC executives seem to be placing the future of the promotion on the broad backs of these cauliflower-eared brethren, the promotion no longer operates a monopoly on incoming wrestling talent. Wrestlers have proven to be a vital part of the MMA formula, and in a business where the effort of fighters is as essential as talent, wrestlers have proven to be work horses. Bellator provides substantial anecdotal evidence that wrestlers have become necessary to bolstering the perceived competitiveness and success of a burgeoning promotion. CEO Bjorn Rebney's has legitimized his roster by recruiting some of college wrestling's top available talent, often before they have acquired significant cage experience. Current champs include bantamweight Joe Warren (Michigan), lightweight Michael Chandler (Missouri), welterweight Ben Askren (Missouri) and heavyweight Cole Konrad (Minnesota). That selection of wrestling talent competed with the UFC's best on the mat, and could do the same inside the cage. Whether in Bellator or the UFC, the designation as an NCAA All-American or NCAA champion has additional cache with fans that recognize the achievement more than they do obscure kickboxing titles, or jiu-jitsu rank. Fans know the hierarchy and respond to the titular significance. Even those who don't understand, at least went to high school and grasp that wrestling is filled with semi-maniacal, quixotic weight-cutters. Those personal experiences give new viewers a solid connection to their own world experiences -- a launching point for companies like the UFC looking to recruit new fans. While the link can seem too psychological, consider the UFC's second most common linkage, the Brazilians, who are unable to communicate with, or capture the attention of the American crowds nearly as well as the NCAA wrestling community (however, they do a great job in their native Brazil). Wrestlers tend to be outspoken, with guys like Sonnen, Evans, and Askren creating large followings on Twitter. Big-time wrestlers like Davis also tend to recruit a significant fan base from their alma mater. Penn State wrestling fans will tune-in on Saturday night to watch their former NCAA champion compete, as will fans of the Oklahoma State Cowboys and Michigan State Spartans. Those numbers might seem small for now, but an additional 25k-50k fans watching fights free on FOX should convert into future pay-per-view buys. The wrestler-turns-fighter trend is only beginning. Like athletes from American Samoa who for a combination of cultural reasons and physical intangibles are the most likely on earth to play in the NFL; wrestlers will become noticed as the most likely to succeed in the octagon and continue to refine their collegiate experiences to prepare for their post-graduate opportunity in the fight game. Like any sought-after population, the wrestling community is becoming self-aware of their marketability. The three most recent graduating classes have already produced top-ranked cage talent. Newbie fighters like Bubba Jenkins (Penn State/Arizona State) and Lance Palmer (Ohio State) are only a few victories away from being introduced on national television, and have already gathered significant fan followings. Chris Honeycutt (Edinboro), a Division I wrestler who is ranked No. 2 nationally at 197 pounds in the InterMatWrestle rankings, still has two months left in his wrestling career, but is already contemplating where to start his MMA training. The UFC on FOX 2 is only the strongest example of White and UFC executives picking men they thought worthy of wowing the average sport fan into buying a few more PPV fights per year. Because, after all the predictions are written about style matchups and techniques, the success and failure of a fight card comes down to whether or not the UFC is going to make more or less money off the fighters. Just like former Chicago's Daley, UFC president White wants to excite his constituency. Where the former mayor turned to a pithy slogan and interview in a national magazine, White turned to his stable of big-bodied, loud-mouthed wrestlers and set them loose in prime time. Hey, whatever works.

There are several intriguing matchups in Division I that are expected to happen this weekend. Below are 10 matchups to keep an eye on this weekend. No. 11. Darius Little (North Carolina State) vs. No. 13 Josh Kindig (Oklahoma State) Weight Class: 141 When: Friday Where: Gallagher-Iba Arena (Stillwater, Okla.) Oklahoma State's Josh Kindig is ranked No. 13 at 141 pounds (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Why it's intriguing: Little has been on a tear lately, and Kindig is a potential All-American who will need to perform well for Oklahoma State to be in the NCAA title hunt. These two wrestlers met last season during a regular season dual meet, with Kindig winning that match 4-0. Little had an impressive Southern Scuffle, where he finished second and had a win in the quarterfinals over Minnesota's Nick Dardanes, a wrestler who defeated Kindig earlier this season. Kindig has been a hot and cold wrestler this season. Last Friday Kindig suffered a loss to unranked Nathan Hoffer of Arizona State, but came back two days later to win by major decision over Iowa State's Luke Goettl, a nationally ranked wrestler who was coming off a win over then-No. 1 Kendric Maple of Oklahoma. No. 4 Robert Hamlin (Lehigh) vs. No. 5 Ben Bennett (Central Michigan) Weight Class: 184 When: Friday Where: McGuirk Arena (Mount Pleasant, Mich.) Why it's intriguing: It's a rematch of the Midlands championship match at 184 pounds, a match won by Hamlin, 5-2. Both are returning All-Americans (Bennett placed eighth at 174 pounds, Hamlin was an NCAA runner-up at 184 pounds.) Hamlin and Bennett have a combined record of 39-3 this season. This match could prove to be critical for seeding at the NCAAs in seven weeks. No. 7 Eric Grajales (Michigan) vs. No. 11 Dylan Ness (Minnesota) Weight Class: 149 When: Friday Where: Sports Pavilion (Minneapolis, Minn.) Michigan's Eric Grjales has a 12-3 record this season (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Why it's intriguing: It's a matchup that features two go-for-broke wrestlers who have entertained crowds for years with their wide-open styles. Both have been national age group stars since they were young, winning national titles in freestyle and Greco-Roman. Both can score with upper body attacks and leg attacks. This matchup has all the makings of a high-scoring affair with a lot of fireworks. I won't predict a winner, but I will predict that it will be a highly-entertaining match. No. 5 Justin Zeerip (Michigan) vs. No. 7 Logan Storley (Minnesota) Weight Class: 174 When: Friday Where: Sports Pavilion (Minneapolis, Minn.) Why it's intriguing: Both are undefeated in the conference, and the winner of this match will be in a strong position to earn the No. 2 seed at the Big Ten Championships, behind Penn State's Ed Ruth. Zeerip, a fifth-year senior, has been one of the most improved wrestlers in the country this season. Last season he posted a 16-15 record. This season he has gone 17-1, with his only loss coming to No. 4 Ryan DesRoches of Cal Poly, 6-5. Storley, a true freshman, has been improving with every match. He battled an injury early in the season, which forced him to miss a month of the season, but he has since reeled off wins over four nationally ranked wrestlers, including Big Ten runner-up Nick Heflin of Ohio State. No. 2 Ed Ruth (Penn State) vs. No. 8 Nick Heflin (Ohio State) Weight Class: 174 When: Sunday Where: Rec Hall (University Park, Pa.) Why it's intriguing: It's a rematch of last year's Big Ten finals match at 174 pounds won by Ruth, 8-5. Both are redshirt sophomores, so these two could see each other several more times over the next two and a half seasons if they remain in the same weight class. Ruth is 20-0 and Heflin is 19-2. Ruth has six pins, six technical falls, and four major decisions in 20 matches. On paper, Ruth is a prohibitive favorite, but Heflin showed last year that he can wrestle with Ruth. Will Heflin be able to slow Ruth down, avoid getting turned, and keep the match competitive? Or will Ruth get bonus points on Heflin, like he has done to virtually every other opponent he has faced this season? Stay tuned. No. 12 Morgan McIntosh (Penn State) vs. No. 20 Andrew Campolattano (Ohio State) Weight Class: 197 When: Sunday Where: Rec Hall (University Park, Pa.) Penn State's Morgan McIntosh is coming off a victory over Iowa's Grant Gambrall, an All-American (Photo/Bill Ennis)Why it's intriguing: McIntosh and Campolattano were two of the nation's top upperweights from the Class of 2011, and both are starting as true freshmen for Big Ten power programs. McIntosh and Campolattano were both No. 1 overall in the Class of 2011 at one point during their careers ... Campolattano as a sophomore, McIntosh as a senior. The two met twice in Fargo in the summer of 2008, in the Greco-Roman and freestyle finals, with Campolattano winning both meetings. Both wrestlers have gone through ups and downs this season. McIntosh is ranked higher and has the home mat advantage, but a Campolattano victory would surprise few. No. 2. Jamal Parks (Oklahoma State) vs. 4 Donnie Vinson (Binghamton) Weight Class: 149 When: Sunday Where: Gallagher-Iba Arena (Stillwater, Okla.) Why it's intriguing: It's a matchup of two wrestlers ranked in the top five at 149 pounds. Both are having tremendous seasons. Parks is 18-0 and Vinson is 25-3. Parks has wins this season over two wrestlers ranked in the top 10: No. 3 Cole VonOhlen of Air Force and No. 9 Nick Lester of Oklahoma. Vinson also has a win over Lester, but was pinned by VonOhlen. Parks has sound defense, and Vinson likes to put points on the scoreboard, which should make for a very intriguing match. No. 1 Joe LeBlanc (Wyoming) vs. No. 6 Ryan Loder (Northern Iowa) Weight Class: 184 When: Sunday Where: UniWyo Sports Complex (Laramie, Wyo.) Why it's intriguing: It's the continuation of a conference rivalry between two of the nation's top 184-pounders. LeBlanc and Loder split two one-point matches last season. Loder won the last meeting, which took place at last year's conference tournament, but it was LeBlanc who performed better at the NCAA tournament two weeks later. Both have just a single blemish on their records this season, but you can throw out the records in this one. Expect a barn-burner. No. 4 Tony Ramos (Iowa) vs. No. 7 Chris Dardanes (Minnesota) Weight Class: 133 When: Sunday Where: Carver-Hawkeye Arena (Iowa City, Iowa) Minnesota's Chris Dardanes defeated Ohio State's Logan Stieber this season (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine)Why it's intriguing: Ramos and Dardanes are two of the nation's top 133-pounders, and this will be a key match in the Iowa-Minnesota dual meet. Ramos had the biggest win of his college career earlier this month when he handed defending NCAA champion Jordan Oliver of Oklahoma State his first loss in two seasons. But Ramos suffered a setback last Friday when he lost 7-0 to Ohio State's Logan Stieber, a wrestler Dardanes owns a win over this season. Both Ramos and Dardanes like to push the action and are always looking to score points, so fans watching can expect to see an action-filled match. No. 1 Zach Sanders (Minnesota) vs. No. 2 Matt McDonough (Iowa) Weight Class: 125 When: Sunday Where: Carver-Hawkeye Arena (Iowa City, Iowa) Why it's intriguing: It's No. 1 vs. No. 2 in a highly-anticipated dual meet where every point will be crucial. Interestingly, No. 2 has owned No. 1. McDonough has gone 4-0 against Sanders over the past two and a half seasons, with the last three victories coming by seven or more points. This will be the first meeting between the two this season. Sanders, a three-time All-American, has earned his No. 1 ranking by going undefeated this season. McDonough, a two-time NCAA finalist and 2010 NCAA champion, fell from No. 1 after losing to Illinois freshman Jesse Delgado in Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Dec. 2.

Pittsburgh -- The Wrestling Classic committee selected the USA All-Star Team for the Dapper Dan Wrestling Classic, the most prestigious high school all-star wrestling meet in the United States. The Wrestling Classic will be on Sunday, March 25, 2012, at the University of Pittsburgh's Fitzgerald Field House. This year, Maryland will challenge the Western Pennsylvania All-Stars in the preliminary dual meet beginning at 4:00 p.m. The feature match, between the Pennsylvania and USA All-Stars is at 6:00 p.m. Team USA: 113 No. 1 Jarred Brooks, Warsaw, Indiana, 98-6, Indiana Tech 120 No. 1 George DiCamillo, St. Ignatius, Ohio, 119-7, state champion, Virginia 126 No. 3 Cory Clark, Southeast Polk, Iowa, 139-0, three-time state champion, Iowa 132 No. 5 Zane Richards Carbondale, Illinois, 126-9, state champion, Illinois 138 No. 1 John Meeks, Roosevelt, Iowa 123-0, three-time state champion, Iowa State 145 No. 1 Jason Tsirtsis, Crown Point, Indiana, 131-2, three-time state champion, Northwestern 152 No. 2 Brian Realbuto, Sommers, New York, 150-3, two-time state champion, Cornell 160 No. 3 Zac Brunson Churchill, Oregon, 140-2, three-time state champion, Illinois 170 No. 3 (at 182) Kyle Crutchmer, Tulsa Union, Oklahoma, 105-21, state champion, Oklahoma State 182 No. 1 Jordan Rogers Mead, Washington, 117-6, two-time state champion, Oklahoma State 195 No. 1 Devin Peterson, Lincoln, Wisconsin, 146-8, Wisconsin 220 No. 1 Josh Marchok, Schaumburg, Illinois, 113-14, state champion, Stanford 285 Doug Vollaro, Pine Castle Christian, Florida, 112-6, Lehigh Note: Records do not include 2011-12 school year. USA Honorary Coach: Max Askren

So Dennis Siver will fight in Sweden, after all. After a rumored rematch with Ross Pearson turned out to be much ado about nothing, UFC officials have instead booked Siver to face Brazilian featherweight Diego Nunes at April's UFC on FUEL TV 2 event. MMAjunkie.com today confirmed the booking, which was first reported by Swedish site mmanytt.se, with sources close to the event. Read Story

As expected, the UFC will hold its third FOX-televised event on May 5, and the first fight announced for the card looks like a guaranteed barnburner. UFC president Dana White announced that Nate Diaz vs. Jim Miller will take place on that date at UFC on FOX 3. The event takes place at IZOD Center in East Rutherford, N.J. Read Story

Gina Carano (Photo/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images) If you thought Hollywood's leading men were the only ones capable of realistic fight scenes, you may want to reconsider. Steven Soderbergh's newest film "Haywire" stars Strikeforce lightweight Gina Carano as Mallory Kane, a former Marine under contract with a private company that performs the undesirable and covert work of the United States government. That work turns messy, which means that audience is treated to more than 90 minutes of Caran's kicks and punches landing squarely on the jaws of her antagonists. The movie is filled with big-name Hollywood actors, none on-screen more than Mallory's boss Kenneth, played by Ewan McGregor, a former lover who sends the soon-to-retire Kane on one last job. He's being led in the task by the government, represented by the sometimes avuncular, but often-distant Michael Douglas. Michael Fassbender ("Inglorious Basterds" and "Shame"), Channing Tatum ("Fighter") and Antonio Banderas ("Zoro") round out the Soderbergh-like ensemble cast. The movie opens with Mallory disposing of former associate Aaron, played by Channing Tatum, at a roadside diner in upstate New York. After proving capable of whipping the movie's first threat, Mallory nabs a hostage and his car and drives away quickly lavishing upon her hostage the events of the past eight days, which the audience is treated to in a series of location-based flashbacks in the cities of Dublin, San Diego, and most importantly, Barcelona. We are quickly weaved through the details of Mallory's relationship with Kenneth, a man named Paul, and several other single-named characters, each inching the plot along to the inevitable "... and now I'm here" line by Mallory. The plot is weak and the story isn't airtight, but what Soderbergh saw in Carano as a lead actress in an action movie is something that cannot be ignored. She's authentically tough, in much the same way Soderbergh's male muse George Clooney (Oceans 11, 12, 13) is effortlessly charismatic and charming. What Clooney can do with a smirk and swig of whiskey, Carano can do with her leather boots and spinning back kick Carano's athletic gifts and years of MMA training lend her and the movie a physical credibility missing among almost all of today's female action stars. Where others grit their teeth for high-kicks pulled from Bruce Lee films, Carano's techniques mirror that of the legitimate MMA world. Forget the kicking and erase from your memory the broken necks and subdued agents of evil; Gina Carano's Mallory Kane is more than moxie and MMA fight skills -- she's also a runner. The movie "Salt" was ruined when audiences were forced to believe that Angelina Jolie ran away successfully avoiding capture, although her gait made her look incompetent. Female-led action movies are filled with these moments where audiences are confronted with the realization they are suspending reality to enjoy a movie where Jolie trots down the freeway away from men with machine guns and onward to freedom. It doesn't scan. Prior to Carano's starring role in "Haywire" women had been underrepresented as realistic ass-kickers in action movies. Jolie, Kate Beckinsale, and Halle Berry have each had stints as flesh-bearing fighters, but none of the thin-armed debutants ever convinced the audience they could whip your uncle in a fistfight. Carano, the kicks, the punches, even falls felt realistic -- there is little doubt that given proper motivation Carano could do subdue lithe Michael Fassbender's character Paul, or your burly and macho family members. "Haywire" takes time to develop its plot, but the patience Soderbergh expects from his audience in following its twists and turns is transferred to fight scenes that are equally paced. That patience is an achievement during a movie-making age dependent on misleading Flash!-Bang!-Switch-Bang!-Flash! fight scenes of the Bourne trilogies. Carano's physical authenticity in portraying Mallory is in contrast to her inability to provide equally exciting or believable dialogue. Carano is a young actress and as of yet has not mastered the art of make-believe quite as well as her co-stars, often delivering her lines with much less force than her up-kicks and right crosses. Carano's not void of talent and showcases sufficient dialogue with McGregor's Kenneth -- her former lover in the film. The duo's on-screen rapport gives the audience a brief reprieve and holds promise for the actress' future. Though "Haywire" fails in delivering believable dialogue, it recovers by setting free ahh-worthy fight scenes that command attention. For moviegoers who have not yet made the commitment to obsess over MMA, Carano's fight scenes might be vaguely reminiscent of those from the "Sherlock Holmes" franchise, where director and jiu-jitsu practitioner Guy Ritchie often adds submission techniques to his fights. What sets "Haywire" and Carano apart from those male-driven movies isn't just femininity, but the technical reliability of Carano's craft and the consistency by which Soderbergh showcases it across each of the dozen plus fight scenes. All street fights end up on the ground, something Soderbergh must have realized as he avoided forcing his characters into a stand-and-trade moments that make most fight fans scoff. He and Carano further maintain their legitimacy by not being over-exuberant in showcasing Carano's grappling talents (I'm sure she knows a heel hook, but how realistic is that when there are guns around?) Instead we see rear-naked chokes, arm bars and triangles -- each capped by MMA-worthy ground-and-pound. Carano's striking also comes across realistic, if at times briefly exaggerated. The pistol-whipping and Superman punches that seem gratuitous at least come in situations where they seem plausible. Better still, Carano's Mallory rarely resorts to the type of instant fight-MacGyver that became popular in the post-Bourne world of action sequences. It's refreshing to watch a fight where the protagonist doesn't have to employ logic-defying reaction times, or beat his enemy to a pulp with a dish towel and a number two pencil. Though there are moments of overkill, Mallory hits clean, and she hits hard -- subduing opponents through aggression, usually without having to fire a shot ... usually. "Haywire" is a movie built around the capable fighting skills of Carano and the sometimes slow, but always thoughtful pacing of Soderbergh. Fans of MMA and action movies shouldn't expect a mystery as much as they should a series of incredible fight scenes, starring a less-than-kitsch type fighting by an actress who knows to stand-and-trade just as well as she can turn-and-run.

Harry Lester and Ken Snyder will go "On the Mat" this Wednesday, Jan. 25. “On the Mat" is a presentation of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum. The show can be heard live on the Internet at www.kcnzam.com or locally in Northeast Iowa each Wednesday from 5:00 to 6:00 PM Central on AM 1650, The Fan. An archive of the show can be found on www.themat.tv. Email radio@wrestlingmuseum.org with any questions or comments about the show. 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 Harry Lester. Lester will compete in the Greco-Roman division at 145.5 pounds. He was a World bronze medalist in 2006 and 2007. Lester was also part of the 2007 Greco-Roman team that won the team World Championships -- the first in American history. Snyder will enter the Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame of Iowa on April 14, 2012. He was a Division II NCAA champion for Northern Iowa in 1974 and 1975. Snyder placed third at the Division I tournament in 1974 and fifth in 1975.

INDIANOLA, Iowa -- It had been a long time coming for head coach Clint Manny and the Simpson wrestling team. Simpson carried the weight of 19 consecutive Iowa Conference loses into Tuesday's dual, but emphatically snapped the streak with a convincing 27-12 win over Buena Vista in the home finale at Cowles Fieldhouse. The Storm (6-10, 1-3 Iowa Conference) won 7 of 9 contested matches and earned bonus points in three wins against the Beavers (3-6, 0-4), en-route to their first win against a conference foe since February of 2009. "It's been a long time coming," Manny said. "It doesn't mean a whole lot to the young guys, but to the lone senior and juniors, those guys have been through a battle the last few years. It's a huge starting point to future success." The match turned in Simpson's favor early on. After surrendering six points due to a forfeit at 125 pounds, Devin Rausch pinned Mike Beradesco in the second period at 133, tying the dual. "That's a huge game-changer as far as a dual meet is concerned," Manny said. "He was down in that match when he got the reversal for the pin. It got everyone fired up and got the crowd involved." Rausch's pin sparked a string of six-straight wins for the Storm. Spencer Courier and Cory Stratton provided the team with bonus points as Courier won by a 16-0 technical fall over Steve Gutchenritter at 141 and Stratton earned a 13-4 major decision over Seth Shatto at 165. With the outcome still in doubt, Justin Bruce all-but put it out of reach when he turned a 4-4 tie at the end of the second period into a 7-4 win with an escape and a takedown in the third period agaisnt Casey Paprocki at 174. "[That win] didn't quite seal the deal but put us in the driver's seat for the remainder of the dual," Manny said. "We knew coming in it was going to be a fight. Justin did a good job, stuck to the game plan, worked his offensive shots and put himself in a position to win. I feel confident in his ability when its tight ... the third period is his best period." Simpson's final win of the night came courtesy of Ethan Calvert. Calvert, who also plays football for the Storm, beat Joe Klinkel at 197 pounds in his first match of the season after joining the squad early in the second semester. Ryan Haworth, the team's only senior, got an opportunity to wrestle at heavyweight. Despite a 5-0 loss to Matt Sefcik, Manny was happy to give his senior a chance to perform in his last home match. "He's been through it all for us the last three years," Manny said. "To be able to reward him with an opportunity to wrestle in front of his home crowd in the last home dual, I take a lot of pride in us being able to do that." Simpson travels to Cedar Rapids for the Iowa Conference duals this weekend, where it will face No. 1 Wartburg, No. 4 Coe and No. 20 Dubuque. Results: 125 Austin Mogg (BVU) wins by forfeit Forfeit 6-0 BVU 133 Devin Rausch (SIM) def. Mike Berardesco FALL (4:51) 6-6 141 Spencer Courier (SIM) def. Steve Gutchenritter TF, 16-0 (4:27) 11-6 SIM 149 Stephen Blayer (SIM) def. Kaine Leighty DEC, 11-5 14-6 SIM 157 Brian Haynes (SIM) def. Hunter St. John DEC, 6-2 17-6 SIM 165 Cory Stratton (SIM) def. Seth Shatto MD, 13-4 21-6 SIM 174 Justin Bruce (SIM) def. Casey Paprocki DEC, 7-4 24-6 SIM 184 Brian Broll (BVU) def. Taylor Witzel DEC, 4-0 24-9 SIM 197 Ethan Calvert (SIM) def. Joe Klinkel DEC, 9-5 27-9 SIM 285 Matt Sefcik (BVU) def. Ryan Haworth DEC, 5-0 27-12 SIM

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS -- A key pin by freshman Cody Lovejoy led the No. 12 Ohio Northern wrestling team to a 21-13 victory at Ohio Athletic Conference foe John Carroll Tuesday evening. Ohio Northern improves to 10-4 overall and 3-0 in the OAC, while John Carroll falls to 5-4 overall and 2-1 in OAC action. Clinging to a slim 15-13 lead entering the final bout of the night, Lovejoy sealed the win for the Polar Bears with a pin in 5:27 in the heavyweight division. The Polar Bears started hot, winning three straight decisions to open up a 9-0 lead over the Blue Streaks. Sophomore Cole Cochran won 8-7 at 125, junior Jeremy Jones won 3-0 at 133 and sophomore Nick Pataro John Carroll had a run of its own, winning matches at 149, 157, and 165 pounds to take a 10-9 lead. Junior two-time All-American and No. 3-ranked Kyle Kwiat won by decision at 174 to help Ohio Northern regain a 12-10 lead. But the upset-minded Blue Streaks won by decision at 184 to take a 13-12 advantage through eight of the 10 weight classes. Sophomore Michael Pawlitz picked up an overtime decision at 197 to put the Bears up 15-13 going into the deciding match. The Polar Bears will return to action Friday and Saturday at the Wheaton (Ill.) Invitational. Results: 125 - Cole Cochran (ONU) dec. John Cobos, 8-7 133 - Jeremy Jones (ONU) dec. Kevin Nycz, 3-0 141 - Nick Pataro (ONU) dec. Jake Rininger, 4-2 149 - Greg Ryan (JCU) dec. Brandon Howes, 7-4 157 - Terner Gott (JCU) maj. dec. Michael Letcher, 11-1 165 - Sean Gill (JCU) dec. #3 Billy Painter Painter, 5-3 174 - #3 Kyle Kwiat (ONU) dec. Todd Gaydosh, 6-2 184 - Bryan Steinmetz (JCU) dec. Dennis Recknagel, 4-2 197 - Michael Pawlitz (ONU) overtime dec. Jim Nemunaitis, 6-4 285 - Cody Lovejoy (ONU) pinned Alec Barker, 5:27

ALLIANCE, Ohio -- No. 16 ranked Mount Union got its first Ohio Athletic Conference dual meet win of the season with a 43-0 shutout win over Muskingum Tuesday at the McPherson Academic and Athletic Complex. Mount Union moved to 7-4 overall and evened its OAC record at 1-1 while Muskingum fell to 1-6 overall and 0-1 in the OAC. After two forfeit wins at 125 and 133 by freshman Dan Hoberney (Wickliffe/Eastlake North) and junior T.J. Arnone (Willoughby/Willoughby South) the Purple Raiders scored major decision wins by seniors Josh Malave (Rocky River/Lutheran West) at 141 and Kevin Shadrach (Parma/Parma) at 149 to take a commanding 20-0 lead. Freshman Jon Garrison (Fairlawn/Copley) kept the streak going by getting a 5-2 decision at 157. Senior John Piechuta (Alliance/Marlington) got the Raiders only pin of the night at 165 as he got the fall at 5:56. Junior Lambert McElrath (Cuyahoga Falls/Woodridge) scored a solid 15-8 win at 174 then senior Andy Jenkins (Stow/Woodridge) scored another major decision for Mount Union with a 14-3 win at 184. Junior Chad Teague (Cambridge/Cambridge), who spent the fall on the Mount Union football team, made his first wrestling appearance of the season and got an 11-6 win at 197 before All-American Derick Hesson (Dexter City/Caldwell) finished off the match and stayed undefeated on the season with an 11-1 win at 285. Mount Union next competes this weekend at the Pete Willson Invitational at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Ill. Results: 125 Dan Hoberney (Mount Union) won by forfeit 133 TJ Arnone (Mount Union) won by forfeit 141 Josh Malave (Mount Union) won by major decision over Brock Yackey (Muskingum) 14-5 149 Kevin Shadrach (Mount Union) won by major decision over Kenneth Poland (Muskingum) 9-1 157 Jon Garrison (Mount Union) won by decision over Michael Frasure (Muskingum) 5-2 165 John Piechuta (Mount Union) won by pin over Ronald Hepner (Muskingum) 5:56 174 Lambert McElrath (Mount Union) won by decision over Mitchell King (Muskingum) 15-8 184 Andy Jenkins (Mount Union) won by major decision over Tre Martin (Muskingum) 14-3 197 Chad Teague (Mount Union) won by decision over Lucas Weber (Muskingum) 11-6 285 Derick Hesson (Mount Union) won by major decision over David Rice (Muskingum) 11-1

University of Central Missouri Mules' Wrestling (2-9) took a 26-15 win tonight over Hannibal-LaGrange in the only home dual match of the season at the UCM Multipurpose Building Tuesday evening. Prior to the match, the Mules honored their four seniors, Russell Naylor, Scott Neumann, David Nicolaescu and Willie Ressel. Ty Balty (Rogersville, Mo.) got the Mules on the board, winning by forfeit at 125 pounds to put the Mules in front 6-0. David Nicolaescu (Jefferson City, Mo.) increased the Mules lead to 12-0 after winning by forfeit at 141 pounds to set-up the first contested match of the evening, featuring Scott Neumann (Raymore, Mo.) and the Trojan's Tommy Pickens at 149 pounds. Neumann won the match on a convincing 17-2 technical fall over Pickens to put the Mule lead at 17-0. Russell Naylor (Spring Hill, Kan.) increased the Central Missouri advantage to 23-0, winning at 157 pounds by forfeit. Todd Brier (Nevada, Mo.) battled Hannibal-LaGrange's Bryce Alexander in the 165 pound match and came up just short, falling on a 7-4 decision, making the overall score 23-3 in favor of the Mules. The 174 pound match featured the Mules Willie Ressel (Springfield, Mo.) and the Trojan's Nathan Downs. In the closest match of the evening, Ressel pulled off a thrilling 4-2 decision over Downs and put Central Missouri up 26-3 heading into its final three matches. Marcus Sundee (Harrisonville, Mo.) took on Ian Taylor in the 184 pound match and struggled, falling to Taylor on a 7-1 decision, making the overall score 26-6. Derick Sanders (Blue Springs, Mo.) faced Dan Capp of Hannibal-LaGrange in the final contested match of the meet at 197 pounds. Sanders battled hard but came up short, falling on a 5-2 decision to put the dual meet score at 26-9, in favor of UCM. The Trojan's Jake Hare won the heavyweight match on a Central Missouri forfeit, making the final dual meet score 26-15, Mules. Complete results are listed below as are results from the four exhibition matches that took place following the dual meet. The Mules are right back in action Friday night, traveling to Little Rock, Arkansas to take on the Ouachita Baptist Tigers in a dual meet at 7 p.m. Results: 125 – Ty Balty (UCM) wins by forfeit, UCM 6-0 133 – Double forfeit 141 – David Nicolaescu (UCM) wins by forfeit, UCM 12-0 149 – Scott Neumann (UCM) tech fall Tommy Pickens (HLC), 17-2, UCM 17-0 157 – Russell Naylor (UCM) wins by forfeit, UCM 23-0 165 – Bryce Alexander (HLC) dec. Todd Brier (UCM), 7-4, UCM 23-3 174 – Willie Ressel (UCM) dec. Nathan Downs (HLC), 4-2, UCM 26-3 184 – Ian Taylor (HLC) dec. Marcus Sundee (UCM), 7-1, UCM 26-6 197 – Dan Capp (HLC) dec. Derick Sanders (UCM), 5-2, UCM 26-9 285 – Jake Hare (HLC) wins by forfeit, UCM 26-15 Exhibition Matches: 125 – Ty Balty (UCM) fall Dustin Forrester (HLC) 3:47 141 – Luke McClure (UCM) fall Aaron Angel (HLC) 3:52 149 – Chuka Willis (HLC) fall Will Starks (UCM) 1:33 165 – Jacob Reiman (UCM) tech fall Mason Hymer (HLC), 15-0

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. -- Junior Jordan Thome and freshman Scott Filbert pinned their opponents, and senior Michael Gorman and freshman Cole Gracey added major decisions as the Army wrestling team defeated Drexel, 26-12, in a non-conference dual match on Tuesday evening. Army (5-5) clung to a tenuous 14-9 advantage before Filbert (125 pounds) Thome (133) reeled off consecutive pins. The Black Knights, who were coming off a first-place finish at last weekend's New York State Championships, won six of the 10 bouts en route to the victory. Drexel (4-8) jumped out to an early 3-0 lead as the Dragons' Shane Fenningham took a 5-3 decision from Army sophomore Ryan Bilyeu in the 149-pound bout. The Black Knights quickly responded, however, winning the next four bouts to surge in front by a 14-3 margin. Senior co-captain Jimmy Rafferty began the Black Knights' string of consecutive victories by posting an 11-4 triumph against Austin Sommer in the 157-pound bout. Gracey, who won his first career tournament title at last weekend's New York State Championships, followed with a 13-3 major decision versus Anson Worrell at 165 pounds. Junior Eric Gobin then recorded a 7-2 victory over Kevin Matays in the 174-pound bout to push Army's advantage to 10-3. Gorman, who also won his first career tournament crown at the New York States, posted a 12-4 major decision opposite Drexel's Bryan Sternlieb to make it 14-3. Drexel halted Army's run of successive wins in the 197-pound matchup as 20th-ranked Brandon Palik slipped past Black Knight senior Derek Stanley, 5-3. The three-point decision pulled the Dragons to within 14-6 with four bouts remaining. Drexel trimmed Army's advantage to 14-9 as Kyle Frey secured a 10-4 decision versus Black Knight senior Daniel Mills in the heavyweight bout. The Dragons would get no closer, though, as Filbert and Thome posted back-to-back pins to snuff out any chance for a Drexel comeback. Filbert wasted little time in taking Mike Gomez to the mat in the 125-pound matchup, recording the pin in 2 minutes, 5 seconds. Thome needed less than two minutes to earn his pin at 133 pounds, dropping Drexel's Paul Wampler in 1:52. Drexel's Frank Cimato closed out the match by earning a 13-7 decision versus Army junior Casey Smith in the 141-pound bout. Army resumes its road swing on Saturday, Jan. 28, when the Black Knights travel to Cambridge, Mass., to face EIWA rivals Harvard and Brown. Match Notes: Army improves to 7-5 all-time versus Drexel ... the Black Knights have defeated the Dragons in each of the last two seasons ... Scott Filbert ranks second on the team with six pins this season ... Jordan Thome tops Army with eight pins and nine bonus-point victories this season ... Jimmy Rafferty leads Army with 19 overall wins and eight dual match victories ... Cole Gracey and Michael Gorman share the team lead with three major decisions apiece ... Eric Gobin's victory marked his first career dual match win (1-4). Results: 125: Scott Filbert (A) pinned Mike Gomez, 2:05 133: Jordan Thome (A) pinned Paul Wampler, 1:52 141: Frank Cimato (D) dec. Casey Smith, 13-7 149: Shane Fenningham (D) dec. Ryan Bilyeu, 5-3 157: Jimmy Rafferty (A) dec. Austin Sommer, 11-4 165: Cole Gracey (A) maj. dec. Anson Worrell, 13-3 174: Eric Gobin (A) dec. Kevin Matays, 7-2 184: Michael Gorman (A) maj. dec. Bryan Sternlieb, 12-4 197: No. 20 Brandon Palik (D) dec. Derek Stanley, 5-3 285: Kyle Frey (D) dec. Daniel Mills, 10-4 * - Match began at 149 pounds

Taylor Massa (Photo/Rob Preston) Note: Recap items use the previous rankings (team rankings updated Jan. 18 and individual rankings updated Jan. 11). Preview items use the new team rankings and individual rankings as of Jan. 11. Michigan's best come into the Eagles' nest No. 2 St. Edward, Ohio will host No. 3 St. Johns, Mich., and No. 15 Detroit Catholic Central, Mich., as part of a double dual on Saturday starting at 4:00 p.m. ET. As part of the event, the two Michigan schools will also compete in dual meet competition against Akron SVSM, Ohio. The following are expected lineups for St. Edward, St. Johns, and Detroit Catholic Central. 106: L.J. Bentley (SE), Drew Wixsom (SJ), Trevor Zdebski (DCC) 113: Alex Moore, No. 14 Zac Hall, Myles Amine 120: Colin Heffernan, Logan Massa, T.J. Fagan 126: No. 2 Dean Heil, Jacob Schmitt, Ken Bade 132: No. 8 Edgar Bright, Brant Schafer, Malik Amine 138: Nick Barber, Josh Pennell, Logan Marcicki 145: Markus Scheidel, No. 2 Ben Whitford, No. 19 Alec Mooradian 152: Matt Van Curen, Travis Curley, Nick Mason 160: Jacob Davis, No. 20 Jordan Wohlfert, Andrew Garcia 170: No. 5 Mark Martin, No. 1 Taylor Massa, Nick Giese 182: No. 11 Domenic Abounader, Mike Schafer, Kevin Beazley 195: No. 20 James Suvak, Payne Hayden, J.T. Ayotte 220: No. 14 Ty Walz, Conrado Dominguez/Blake Cooper, Jay Peterson 285: Joe Belford, Blake Cooper/Nick Proctor, Bob Coe In the matchup of No. 2 against No. 3, St. Edward would be rated as favorites in five matches (106, 126, 132, 182, and 220), St. Johns the favorite in four (113, 145, 152, and 170), with five key swing matchups (120, 138, 160, 195, and 285). In the matchup against Detroit Catholic Central, St. Edward would be rated as favorites in eight matches (113, 126, 132, 160, 170, 182, 195, and 220), Detroit Catholic Central has the edge in three (106, 145, 285), with four somewhat tossup matches (120, 138, and 152). Clark falls, but Southeast Polk still wins loaded Ed Winger Invitational Two days after Topher Carton (see note below) fell of the list of career undefeated, there were two such seniors featured in this loaded tournament hosted by Urbandale (Iowa) High School -- Cory Clark (Southeast Polk, Iowa) ranked No. 3 at 126 pounds, and John Meeks (Des Moines Roosevelt, Iowa) raked No. 1 at 138 pounds. Each wrestler would have a high profile opponent in their championship final match. Meeks extended his career undefeated mark to 149 wins without a loss, when he upended No. 9 Brandon Sorenson (Denver-Tripoli, Iowa) who bumped up a weight class seeking out this match; Sorenson beat a formidable three-time state runner-up Connor Ryan (Bettendorf, Iowa), 4-1, to make that match happen. On the other hand, with a late third period takedown, No. 18 Jack Hathaway (Iowa City West) pulled off his second big-time win in as many weeks with a 2-1 victory over Clark that ended the streak of 163 straight wins to start his career. Each of the big three teams -- No. 10 Bettendorf, No. 14 Southeast Polk, and No. 21 Iowa City West, placed eleven wrestlers. Despite having Clark fall to defeat it was Southeast Polk that emerged as champions with three titlists; three runners-up; one each in third, fifth, and sixth; as well as a pair finishing seventh in amassing 207 points. Champions for the Rams were No. 6 Alex Meyer (170), Bud Smith (195), and No. 3 Willie Miklus (220); while Clark was joined by Dylan Blackford (152) and Bryce Fisher (285) as second place finishers; with Tim Miklus (160) taking third place. Despite ten top-three finishers, Bettendorf finished in second place with 201.5 points due in part to a 1-5 record in championship matches, as well as the absence of two wrestlers ranked No. 5 in Class 3A according to The Predicament (Jacob Woodard at 126 and Keaton Jurevitz at 195). The lone Bulldog championship came from InterMat JJ Classic champion Fredy Stroker at 113 pounds, who won by medical forfeit over No. 20 Phillip Laux (Iowa City West). Second-place finishers were Jacob Schwarm (106), Logan Ryan (132), Bubba Hernandez (145), Colby Vance (170), and No. 19 Nate Shaw (220). Finishing in third place for Bettendorf were Drake Swarm (120), Connor Ryan (138), Drake Chase (152), and Bryan Levsen (170). Iowa City West scored 193.5 points anchored by titles from Hathaway as well as No. 15 Dakota Bauer (132) and No. 16 Justin Koethe (160). The Trojans also had a pair of wrestlers take second, fourth, and sixth place with additional individuals taking seventh and eighth. Runner-up finishes came from Laux ad Mickey Pelfrey (195). Rounding out the list of weight class champions were Taner Rohweder (Dowling Catholic, Iowa) at 106 pounds; No. 7 Dylan Peters (Denver-Tripoli, Iowa) at 120, a two-time state champion who extended his consecutive win streak to 139 matches; No. 1 Meeks at 138; No. 6 Gabriel Moreno (Urbandale, Iowa) at 145, Keegan Mumma (ADM-Adel, Iowa) at 152; Garrett Smith (Denver-Tripoli) at 182; and Dan Dawson (Indianola, Iowa) at 285. Results: http://static.psbin.com/m/4/nfq7gay6g9ap2w/Ed_Winger_Invite_-_Final_Results.pdf Detroit Catholic Central splits duals against nationally ranked opposition No. 15 Detroit Catholic Central, Mich., invited No. 16 Cincinnati Moeller, Ohio, and No. 29 Lowell, Mich., into town as part of a double dual this past Saturday (Richmond, Mich. was the other team in on the festivities. The first of the matches featured DCC facing Lowell, with Lowell getting the 27-24 upset victory in a dual meet which was 7-7 in terms of matches. The Red Arrows won the majority of the critical tossup matches, including the biggest match swing in all at 171 pounds as Garrett Stehley was able to erase a 6-3 deficit against Andrew Garcia by catching him to his back and earning the fall at the 5:08 mark. Prior to that, momentum was headed in Lowell's direction anyway, as Angus Arthur had pulled off an opening match upset over Logan Marcicki with a 4-2 overtime victory at 145, with No. 16 Andrew Morse scoring a 4-0 victory sealed by a third period near-fall from a spladle to upend No. 19 (at 145) Alec Mooradian. Morse and Mooradian are the top two rated 152 pound wrestlers in Michigan, though Mooradian competes at 145 in out-of-state events using the NFHS weights. Nick Mason had weathered the storm (somewhat) for the Shamrocks with a 7-3 victory over Jake Stehley at 160. Detroit Catholic Central was able to momentarily weather the Lowell storm in the upper weights, with a mild upset victory from Kevin Beazley at 189 pounds, when he scored a 2-1 overtime tiebreak victory over No. 6 (at 195) Gabe Dean to reduce the deficit to 12-6. With an 18-12 lead heading into the 112 match, Lowell put the final key piece of the victory in place with a 7-6 ultimate tiebreak victory for Bailey Jack over Myles Amine. The Shamrocks were able to pull back into a 24-24 tie with one match remaining, but state champion Gabe Morse closed out the dual meet at 140 pounds with a 7-2 victory over Riley Hanson. In the afternoon's second dual meet, it was a slightly different story, as the Shamrocks bounced back to upend Cincinnati Moeller 34-19. As somewhat expected based on the matchups using Michigan weight classes, Detroit Catholic Central was able to win nine matches. Keys to the dual meet victory included a pair of wins over Ironman placers within the first three matches of the dual meet -- No. 19 (at 145) Alec Mooradian defeated Dakota Sizemore 1-0 at 152 pounds, while Andrew Garcia beat Michael Blum 4-2 at 171. Moeller did have a 12-11 lead after six matches, which were 152 through 285, but key lower weight wins from Trevor Zdebski (103), Myles Amine (112), Ken Bade (125), Malik Amine (130), Riley Hanson (140), and a pin from Logan Marcicki (145) sealed the deal. Mendenhall Duals championship likely to feature Iowa's top two teams No. 10 Bettendorf and No. 14 Southeast Polk are the anchor teams at the Mendenhall Duals to be hosted by Ames High School this Saturday. It is highly likely that these two teams will meet in dual meet competition for the first time this year. In early January, Bettendorf out-pointed Southeast Polk at the Cheesehead Invitational in Wisconsin; while this past weekend, Southeast Polk did the same to Bettendorf, though the Bulldogs were without two key starters. Here are the projected lineups for this dual meet -- listed in parentheses is the most recent Class 3A ranking for each wrestler per The Predicament. Based on those rankings, each team would be favored in seven matches (Bettendorf in six of the first seven weights, Southeast Polk in six of the last seven weights). 106: (No. 5) Jacob Schwarm (Bett) vs. (No. 6) Aaron Meyer (SEP) 113: (No. 2) Fredy Stroker vs. Keegan Shaw 120: (No. 7) Drake Swarm vs. Cory Parsons 126: (No. 5) Jacob Woodard vs. No. 3 (No. 1) Cory Clark 132: (No. 5) Logan Ryan vs. (No. 6) Dylan Buchheit 138: (No. 3) Connor Ryan vs. Briar Dittmer 145: (No. 2) Bubba Hernandez vs. Spencer Chismore 152: (No. 8) Drake Chase vs. (No. 5) Dylan Blackford 160: Eli Pressier/AJ Dougherty vs. (No. 7) Tim Miklus 170: (No. 4) Colby Vance vs. No. 6 (No. 1) Alex Meyer 182: (No. 2) Bryan Levsen vs. (No. 4) Casey Marnin 195: (No. 5) Keaton Jurevitz vs. (No. 2) Bud Smith 220: No. 19 (No. 2) Nate Shaw vs. No. 3 (No. 1) Willie Miklus 285: Anthony Cavanagh vs. (No. 2) Bryce Fisher Unfortunate injury news ... No. 4 ranked 285 pound wrestler Greg Kuhar (St. Edward, Ohio) will see his wrestling career come to an end as he undergoes major knee surgery this coming week. Ranked No. 64 overall in the Class of 2012, Kuhar will play football at Northwestern as a defensive lineman. The rest of the week that was ... No. 1 Blair Academy, N.J., dominated five opponents at the NHSCA Final Four of Wrestling on Saturday in Easton, Pa. The Buccaneers substituted somewhat liberally through their lineup over the course of the dual meets, with only six of their eleven individual match losses coming from members of the starting lineup. Blair Academy defeated Delaware Valley, Pa., 53-9, Franklin, Mass., 64-6, Council Rock South, Pa., 60-13, Robinson, Va., 60-7, and Easton, Pa., 53-6. Easton came up with a big win during preliminary competition when they upset No. 30 Collins Hill by a 43-19 score. 113 pound wrestler Ryan Millhof (Collins Hill, Ga.) won outstanding wrestler honors for the event, most notably due to his 3-0 victory over No. 11 Billy Rappo (Council Rock South). The most intriguing match of the day saw No. 5 (at 152) Mitch Minotti (Easton) defeat No. 9 Dylan Milonas, 4-2, at 145 pounds. No. 2 St. Edward, Ohio, beat No. 7 St. Paris Graham, Ohio, 39-17, in a battle of the Buckeye State's best two teams on Saturday evening. The Eagles won ten of the weight classes, partly due to a 3-0 record in overtime matches, which included a 3-2 victory in the tiebreakers for No. 11 Domenic Abounader over No. 4 Huston Evans to avenge a loss in the Ironman final earlier this season. Other matches of interest include No. 2 Dean Heil (St. Edward), a junior, earning a 7-5 victory over sophomore Micah Jordan in a battle of wrestlers that could win four state titles; No. 13 Blake Kastl (St. Paris Graham) sneaking out of Lakewood with a 4-3 victory over Markus Scheidel; and No. 4 Isaac Jordan (St. Paris Graham) earning a major decision against Jacob Davis. No. 3 St. Johns, Mich., upended No. 29 Lowell, Mich. 41-18 on Wednesday night winning nine of the fourteen weight classes (Detroit Catholic Central had lost to St. Johns 31-21 while splitting the fourteen weight classes 7-7 the previous Saturday). Each team was missing a nationally ranked wrestler that took away a probable win from their totals -- St. Johns was without No. 14 Zac Hall at 113, while Lowell was without No. 16 Andrew Morse at 152. Two key matches of interest went in Lowell's favor as well -- Gabe Morse upended Josh Pennell at 140 by 3-2 score, which was his second win over Pennell this year, and No. 6 (at 195) Gabe Dean beat Payne Hayden 5-3 at 189. No. 10 Bettendorf, Iowa, took it to rival Davenport Assumption, Iowa, 47-21, in a Thursday night dual meet. Of more import was the fact that senior 132 pound wrestler Topher Carton (Davenport Assumption), who had yet to lose in his high school career, fell to an 8-5 defeat by sophomore Logan Ryan. Carton had beaten Ryan by major decision at their conference meet the prior Saturday. No. 20 Tulsa Union, Okla., won the championship at the Midwest Duals hosted by Oklahoma City University with a 34-30 victory over No. 17 Allen, Texas. The dual came down to the final match at 220 pounds, where Abdul Alyia upended Stone Drulman 3-2 in the ultimate tiebreaker. In the previous weight class, at 195 pounds, the Redskins had the chance to cinch the dual, but Nick Cobb was able to outlast Blasé Walser 4-3 in overtime. This came after Allen had to win the last three matches to beat Collinsville, Okla. 28-26 in the semifinal round. This came after a double forfeit at 160 pounds; and then No. 7 (at 152) Oliver Pierce bumped up one weight class from a 160 weigh-in to get a major decision, Mark Meyer (182) got a major decision, and Nick Cobb (195) scored a regular decision to secure the victory. Also key was a 4-1 victory from Jarred Trotter at 126 pounds over Gary Wayne Harding. Not helping the Allen cause was the absence of No. 14 Jack Bass from the lineup at 138 pounds. The absolute chaos and anarchy, parity and mediocrity which is NJSIAA wrestling in the Garden State continued this past week. No. 36 Jackson Memorial escaped with a 27-26 victory over Southern Regional at midweek, despite winning only six of the fourteen weight classes (although the Jaguars were without key starter Alec Huxford at 106). Then, on Sunday, No. 45 St. Peter's Prep was upset 29-28 by Brick Memorial. The rest of the coming week ... No. 12 Bethlehem Catholic, Pa., travels to No. 30 Easton, Pa., for a dual meet on Saturday. No. 13 Christiansburg, Va., hosts No. 41 Colonial Forge, Va., in a dual meet on Saturday. No. 29 Oak Park River Forest, Ill., travels to No. 27 Montini Catholic, Ill., for a dual meet this evening.

Fight Now USA Presents Takedown Wrestling from the Brute studios in Des Moines, Iowa at 1460 KXNO. Takedown Wrestling is brought to you by Kemin Agrifoods! This Saturday it's Takedown Wrestling Radio. Join guest host Texas Bob Selby along with Brad Johnson and the Takedown Wrestling Headline News. Saturday from 9 to 11 a.m. CT/ 10 a.m. to 12 noon ET. This week's guests: 9:03 Jack Spates, Oklahoma head wrestling coach 9:20 J Jaggers, Ohio State assistant wrestling coach 9:40 Joe LeBlanc, Wyoming 184-pounder 9:50 Ty Barkley, Max Muscle Sports Nutrition Update 10:03 Jason Welch, Northwestern 157-pounder 10:20 Joe Dubuque, Indiana assistant wrestling coach 10:40 Jeff Murphy, Kemin Top 20 Report 10:50 Amy Ruble, Wildrose Casino and Resort Emmetsburg, Iowa Takedown Wrestling is available on radio on AM 1460 KXNO in Iowa, online at Livesportsvideo.com, or on your Blackberry or iPhone with the iHeart Radio app.

OREM, Utah -- University of Wyoming 184-pound senior Joe LeBlanc (Meeker, Colo./Meeker HS) has been named the Western Wrestling Conference Wrestler of the Week after an outstanding performance on the mat last weekend. The conference award was announced Tuesday by the league. LeBlanc, the top-ranked wrestler in the nation at 184 pounds, had one of his most impressive performances of the season last Friday versus Cal Poly, in which he wrestled up at 197 pounds. The three-time All-America honoree from Wyoming moved up to take on the 18th-ranked Ryan Smith of Cal Poly. LeBlanc built an 11-0 advantage over Smith and kept up the pressure throughout the match, as he ended up winning with a 12-1 major decision. The next night, LeBlanc followed up his stellar performance by pinning Utah Valley's David Prieto in the first period (2:23). The two victories give LeBlanc 20 for the season and the win over Smith was his sixth of the year over a ranked opponent. The WWC weekly honor is LeBlanc's second of the season and fifth of his career. The Western Wrestling Conference, which is in its sixth year of competition, is comprised of seven schools including the Air Force Academy, North Dakota State, Northern Colorado, Northern Iowa, South Dakota State, Utah Valley and Wyoming. Other Nominees: Air Force: Cole VonOhlen, 149 pounds, Jr., (Jackson, Minn./Jackson Country Central HS) North Dakota State: Steven Monk, 157 pounds, So., (Wausau, Wis./Wausau West HS) Northern Colorado: Gabe Burak, 165 pounds, Sr., (Colorado Springs, Colo./Coronado HS/Penn) Northern Iowa: Joe Colon, 133 pounds, RSo., (Clear Lake, Iowa/Clear Lake HS) Utah Valley: Colby Christensen, 125 pounds, RFr., (Vernal, Utah/Uintah HS) 2011-12 WWC Wrestlers of the Week Nov. 9 - Cole VonOhlen (Air Force) Nov. 15 - Shane Onufer (Wyoming) Nov. 22 - Kasey Garnhart (Wyoming)/Steven Monk (North Dakota State) Nov. 29 - Ryan Loder (Northern Iowa) Dec. 6 - Joe LeBlanc (Wyoming) Dec. 13 - Zach Zehner (Wyoming) Dec. 20 - Shane Onufer (Wyoming) Jan. 4 - Steven Monk (North Dakota State) Jan. 10 - Pat Martinez (Wyoming) Jan. 17 - Cole VonOhlen (Air Force) Jan. 24 - Joe LeBlanc (Wyoming)

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