InterMat Staff

EAST BRUNSWICK, N.J. -- The Harvard University wrestling team welcomed the return of senior co-captain Corey Jantzen to its lineup as it opened the dual meet portion of its schedule Friday against Rider and Rutgers. The Crimson defeated Rider 22-15 in its first dual of the day before falling to No. 24 Rutgers, 33-12. Jantzen, a two-time NCAA Qualifier, won both of his bouts at 149 lbs. after missing the last two semester's worth of competition due to injury. He cruised to a 10-0 major decision against Rider's Connor Brennan in his first match, scoring two takedowns in the first period and adding takedowns in the second and third periods, respectively. In the biggest upset of the day, Jantzen then took out previously unbeaten No. 3 Mario Mason of Rutgers by a score of 7-6 in tiebreakers. After a scoreless first period, Mason jumped out to a 4-0 lead with a reversal and two back points in the second, but an escape and takedown by Jantzen moved the score to 4-3 heading into the third. Jantzen evened the score at four with a third-period escape, sending the match into overtime. Neither grappler could score in the sudden victory period, and Jantzen was able to ride out Mason in the first portion of the tiebreaker. Jantzen then scored an escape in the second portion of the tiebreaker, and sealed the victory with a takedown before time expired. No. 5 Walter Peppelman and No. 13 Steven Keith also went 2-0 on the day. Peppelman earned both of his victories by pin fall at 157 lbs., defeating Rider's Ramon Santiago at the 1:09 mark and Rutger's Dave Seidenberg at 1:38. The junior improved to 11-3 on the year and now ranks seventh in program history with 20 career falls. Keith moved his season record to 18-6 at 133 lbs. with a 4-1 decision over Jimmy Morris of Rutgers and a 2-0 decision over Michael DeMarco of Rutgers. The Crimson found itself in a 6-0 hole against Rider after a forfeit at 125 lbs. Trailing 9-3, the victories by Jantzen and Peppelman put Harvard ahead 13-9 but the Broncs bounced back with wins at 165 lbs. and 174 lbs. for a 15-13 edge. Cameron Croy, James Fox and David Ng won three straight decisions to end the match, however, giving the Crimson the 22-15 victory. Wins by Keith, Jantzen and Peppelman helped Harvard keep pace with Rutgers midway through the second dual, but the Scarlet Knights won five straight bouts to take the win, 33-12. Harvard will wrestle two more duals tomorrow, Jan. 7. The Crimson will first visit Millersville at 12 p.m. before traveling to EIWA foe Franklin & Marshall at 3 p.m. Harvard 22, Rider 15 125 – Chuck Zeisloft (RU) forfeit Harvard, 6-0 133 – No. 13 Steve Keith (HU) dec. Jimmy Morris (RU), 4-1, 6-3 141 – Jimmy Kirchner (RU) dec. Patrick Hogan (HU), 5-3, 9-3 149 – Corey Jantzen (HU) major dec. Connor Brennan, 10-0, 9-7 157 – No. 5 Walter Peppelman (HU) fall Ramon Santiago, 1:09, 13-9 165 – James Brundage (RU) dec. Ian Roy (HU), 4-2, 13-12 174 – No. 13 Jim Resnick (RU) dec. Josh Popple (HU), 9-2, 15-13 184 – Cameron Croy (HU) dec. Brandon Lintner (RU), 10-4, 16-15 197 – James Fox (HU) dec. Donald McNeil 4-0, 19-15 HWT – David Ng (HU) dec. Evan Craig (RU), 3-2, 22-15 No. 24 Rutgers 33, Harvard 12 125 – Vincent Dellefave (RU) forfeit Harvard, 6-0 133 – No. 13 Steve Keith (HU) dec. Michael DeMarco (RU), 2-0, 6-3 141 – Billy Ashnault (RU) fall Patrick Hogan (HU), 0:46, 12-3 149 – Corey Jantzen (HU) dec. No. 3 Mario Mason (RU), 7-4 TB1, 12-6 157 – No. 5 Walter Peppelman (HU) fall Dave Seidenberg (RU), 1:38, 12-12 165 – No. 11 Scott Winston (RU) fall Ian Roy (HU), 4:50, 18-12 174 – No. 16 Greg Zannetti (Ru) fall Josh Popple (HU), 5:33, 24-12 184 – Dan Seidenberg (RU) dec. Cameron Croy (HU), 4-1, 27-12 197 – Dan Rinaldi (RU) dec. James Fox (HU), 8-2, 30-12 HWT – Dan Hopkins (RU) dec. David Ng (HU), 6-3, 33-12

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- No. 7 Illinois won seven of 10 bouts and Mario Gonzalez added a big win with a pin in 1:55 in the Fighting Illini's first of three bouts this weekend as the Orange and Blue moved past Purdue, 24-9, at Holloway Gym. The Illini move to 8-1 overall and 1-1 in conference duals. "We had a couple really good wins tonight and a solid team showing," head coach Jim Heffernan said. "B.J. Futrell and Eric Terrazas won decisively over highly ranked guys. We had good energy and were aggressive throughout." The dual started at 141 with Daryl Thomas earning his ninth bout this season as he defeated Purdue's Brandon Nelsen in a 13-11 decision to put the Illini up an early 3-0. Thomas now owns a 1-1 record against Nelsen as the two met last week at the Midlands Championship with Nelsen coming out with the victory. 14th-ranked Eric Terrazas defeated his first ranked opponent this season with his 10-4 decision over Purdue's Ivan Lopouchanski. The win marked his 15th victory this year and his ninth in the past eleven matches to increase the team score to 6-0. At 157, Jackson Morse jumped out to a 7-2 lead over the first two periods, but Purdue's Tommy Churchard scored three takedowns and escapes to tie the score to 9-9 and force extra time. In overtime, Churchard scored the takedown to defeat Morse 11-9, bringing the score to 6-3. The Illini got on track with back-to-back decisions by Conrad Polz and Dan Stelter to bring Illinois to a 12-3 lead heading into the intermission. Polz, recorded his first dual win since he was injured on Nov. 20, after scoring four takedowns in a 9-5 win over Kyle Mosier while Stelter followed his teammate with a 9-6 victory over Drake Stein at 174. At 184, after tying his bout at 2-2 after the second period, redshirt-sophomore Tony Dallago dropped his bout against No. 19 Braden Atwood by a 4-2 decision to bring the team score to 12-6 in favor of the Illini. Illinois then got a quick pin from sophomore Mario Gonzalez as he needed only 1:55 to move past Justin Dinius to score his fourth fall of the season and increase the Orange and Blue's score to 18-6 with three bouts remaining in the match. Pat Walker was ousted by Roger Vukobratovich as the two were tied 1-1 after the third period to force overtime. After a scoreless first overtime, the two traded escapes in the tie-breaker to make it 2-2, however Walker dropped the bout in a takedown by Vukobratovich, bringing the Illini's score to 18-9. Jesse Delgado (125) and B.J. Futrell (133) scored consecutive decisions to close the meet for the Illini. The fifth-ranked freshman recorded his 19th victory of the season after defeating Camden Epert in a 8-3 decision while fifth-ranked junior moved past sixth-ranked Cashe Quiroga to earn a 13-6 decision to seal the victory for the Illini with a final score of 24-9. "Tomorrow presents another challenge," Heffernan said. "We will have a few new guys in the line up that will have the chance to compete at home." The Fighting Illini return home tomorrow as they host Lock Haven at Huff Hall beginning at 1 pm CT before heading to Ann Arbor on Sunday to compete against No. 8 Michigan. Live results will be available at the @IlliniWrestling Twitter Page. Results: 141 - Daryl Thomas (ILL) dec. Brandon Nelsen (PUR) 13-11 149 - Eric Terrazas (ILL) dec. Ivan Lopouchanski (PUR), 10-4 157 - Tommy Churchard (PUR) dec. Jackson Morse (ILL), 11-9 165 - Conrad Polz (ILL) dec. Kyle Mosier (PUR), 9-5 174 - Dan Stelter (ILL) dec. Drake Stein (PUR), 9-6 184 - Braden Atwood (PUR) dec. Tony Dallago (ILL), 4-2 197 - Mario Gonzalez (ILL) pinned Justin Dinius (PUR), 1:55 Hwt. - Roger Vukobratovich (PUR) dec. Pat Walker (ILL), 4-2 SV2 125 - Jesse Delgado (ILL) dec. Camden Eppert (PUR), 8-3 133 - B.J. Futrell (ILL) dec. Cashe Quiroga (PUR), 13-6

MORGANTOWN, W. Va. -- Sixth-ranked Christian Boley pinned West Virginia's Nicholas Hylton with five seconds remaining in the second period to clinch the Terps' ninth victory of the season as the Maryland wrestling team remained undefeated with a 22-15 victory over West Virginia Friday night. Boley's pin came after Hylton gained a 1-0 advantage with an escape to start the second period and after defending several Boley takedown attempts the match appeared to be headed to the third period. But with five seconds remaining, the Brockport, N.Y., native powered Hylton to the mat for the one count. Geoffrey Alexander picked up an important three points for the Terps at 133 after the Mountaineers' Shane Young earned a 10-3 decision over 20th-ranked Shane Gentry to open the meet. Alexander scored two early takedowns against Nathan Pennesi, the 17th-ranked wrestler at 141, and won a 6-2 decision. “West Virginia wrestled hard and did a good job,” said head coach Kerry McCoy. “We knew it was going to be a battle, but our guys rose to the challenge. We knew we had to win at least two of the first three to have a chance, so to get three [points] put us in a great position.” After the Terps and Mountaineers traded matches at 141 and 149, No. 12 Kyle John earned valuable bonus points with a 14-6 major decision over Dominic Prezzia. John secured the four team points with a late third period takedown. At 165, second-ranked Josh Asper remained unbeaten and improved his record to 17-0 with a 4-0 decision over Kyle Eason before 15th-ranked Jimmy Sheptock earned a decision over Lance Bryson. “Kyle [John] put us in the driver seat with his major decision win,” said McCoy. Josh [Asper] and Jimmy [Sheptock]'s wins were crucial. It was a great win and a great way to start the second semester.” The Terps travel to Blacksburg Sunday at 1 p.m. to face 15th-ranked Virginia Tech. Results: 125: Shane Young (WVU) dec. No. 20 Shane Gentry (MD), 10-3 (3-0) 133: Geoffrey Alexander (MD) dec. No. 17 Nathan Pennesi, 6-2 (3-3) 141: Michael Morales (WVU) dec. Frank Goodwin (MD), 10-7 (6-3) 149: Ben Dorsay (MD) dec. Brutus Scheffel (WVU), 15-8 (6-6) 157: No. 12 Kyle John (MD) major dec. Dominic Prezzia (WVU), 14-6 (10-6) 165: No. 2 Josh Asper (MD) dec. Kyle Eason (WVU), 4-0 (13-6) 174: No. 15 Jimmy Sheptock (MD) dec. Lance Bryson (WVU), 9-3 (16-6) 184: No. 17 Matt Ryan (WVU) dec. Ty Snook (MD), 3-0 (16-9) 197: No. 6 Christian Boley (MD) fall over Nicholas Hylton (WVU), 4:55 (22-9) 285: Brandon Williamson (WVU) Inj. Def. Ryan Gray (MD), (22-15)

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -- In its first dual meet of the 2011-12 season, the Air Force wrestling team picked up a 19-18 victory over Coe College Friday evening at Eby Fieldhouse. The Falcons won six of 10 bouts on the evening against the Kohawks, who are currently ranked fifth in Division III. Jimmy Gotto, one of seven nationally ranked wrestlers for Coe, got out to a strong start, earning a technical fall at 125 pounds to give the Kohawks a 5-0 lead. Air Force responded by winning the next four matches, beginning with a 7-3 decision by freshman Dylan Hyder (Yelm, Wash.) at 133 pounds. Carter McElhany (Fr., Colorado Springs, Colo.) added a 7-1 decision over 10th-ranked Chris LeClere at 141 pounds to give Air Force its first lead of the dual, while Cole VonOhlen (Jr., Jackson, Minn.), ranked fifth in the nation at 149 pounds, posted an 8-5 decision over James Locke, ranked fourth in Division III. Sophomore Josh Kreimier (Fort Collins, Colo.) closed out the first half of the dual by edging out ninth-ranked Dale Handley in a 4-3 decision, as Air Force took a 12-5 lead. However, Coe got back on the scoreboard with a major decision from top-ranked Nick LeClere at 165 pounds, while a fall by sixth-ranked Scott King in the 174-pound bout gave the Kohawks a 15-12 advantage in the team scoring. The Falcons were able to tie the score with a 9-3 decision by sophomore Greg Isley (Toledo, Ohio) at 184 pounds. Meanwhile, junior Josh Mohr (Pewaukee, Wis.) put Air Force back on top with a 13-5 major decision in the 197-pound bout. In the final match of the evening, the Falcons' Brook Gosch (So., Orwigsburg, Pa.) wrestled up a weight class to face fifth-ranked Alex Burkle. While Burkle was able to take the 6-3 decision, it was not enough for Coe to overtake Air Force in the team scoring, as the Falcons held on for the one-point win. The Falcons are back in action on Sunday, Jan. 8, when they visit WWC foe Northern Iowa in a 2:00 p.m. (CT) contest. Results: 125 Jimmy Gotto (Coe) tech fall Mengyuan Qiu, 16-1 (7:00) 133 Dylan Hyder (AF) dec. Jordan Westfall, 7-3 141 Carter McElhany (AF) dec. Chris LeClere, 7-1 149 No. 5 Cole VonOhlen (AF) dec. James Locke, 8-5 157 Josh Kreimier (AF) dec. Dale Handley, 4-3 165 Nick LeClere (Coe) maj. dec. Colby Kluesner, 12-4 174 Scott King (Coe) fall Clayton Gable, 6:33 184 Greg Isley (AF) dec. Ethan Ball, 9-3 197 Josh Mohr (AF) maj. dec. Donnie Horner, 13-5 HWT Alex Burkle (Coe) dec. Brook Gosch, 6-3

Lincoln, Neb. -- Behind a trio of bonus-point victories, the No. 12 Nebraska wrestling team upset the No. 6 Ohio State Buckeyes, 18-16, on Friday night in its Big Ten opener. The Huskers won their school-record 10th straight dual to open the season, while giving the Buckeyes their first loss on the year to drop their record to 7-1. Wrestling in front of 1,451 fans at the NU Coliseum, NU beat its first top 10 opponent since defeating No. 6 Missouri on Jan. 21, 2009. Nebraska got three key bonus-point wins on the night, including one from true freshman Jake Sueflohn (141), who upset No. 6 Hunter Stieber (OSU) by major decision, 10-2. After an early takedown by Stieber, No. 7 Sueflohn responded with 10 unanswered points, including a 3-point nearfall with 58 seconds left to put the Buckeye away. Sueflohn has now defeated five ranked opponents this season and owns an overall record of 16-3. Senior Tucker Lane (Hwt) got the Huskers started with his dominating win over No. 17 Peter Capone to open the match. Lane gained a 3-1 advantage going into the third period and was able to keep Capone in the bottom position for final two minutes of action. Following victories at 133 and 149 pounds for Ohio State, true freshman James Green (131) defeated Josh Demas (OSU) by decision, 7-4, to tie the team score at 10-10. No. 10 Green used two first period takedowns to pull away from Demas and collect his team-leading 20th victory. The Willingboro, N.J. native, has won eight consecutive matches for NU. At 165 pounds, No. 3 Robert Kokesh gave the Huskers their biggest lead of the night with his 9-1 major decision victory over Derek Garcia (OSU). Kokesh now owns an 18-2 overall record, and added to his bonus-point victory total which is now at 14. No. 5 Nick Heflin (OSU) brought the Buckeyes back within one after defeating Tyler Koehn at 174 pounds. Koehn was able to get in on Heflin's legs on several early shot attempts, but couldn't convert. Heflin sealed the match with a takedown with 22 seconds remaining in the third period. Following the loss, junior Josh Ihnen (184) put the match out of reach for OSU at 18-13 with his major decision victory over Craig Thomas (OSU). Ihnen was dominant during every period of the match en route to his 12-0 victory. The 7th-ranked wrestler now owns a 14-2 mark and has shutout three opponents this season. In the last match of the dual, OSU's Andrew Campolattano defeated NU's James Nakashima (197) by decision, 5-3, but it wasn't enough as the Huskers held on for the 18-16 win. The Huskers will now turn their attention to their next Big Ten dual, which is next Friday, Jan. 13, against No. 1 Iowa at the NU Coliseum at 7 p.m. Nebraska's dual against the Hawkeyes will be aired on the Big Ten Network on tape delay, with the broadcast starting at 9 p.m. after the dual. Results: Hwt- #9 Tucker Lane by dec. over #17 Peter Capone (OSU), 4-1 (NU 3, OSU 0) 125- #15 Johnni Dijulius (OSU) by major dec. over Shawn Nagel (NU), 11-3 (NU 3, OSU 4) 133- #2 Logan Stieber (OSU) by dec. over #19 Ridge Kiley (NU), 8-2 (NU 3, OSU 7) 141- #7 Jake Sueflohn (NU) by major dec. over #6 Hunter Stieber (OSU), 10-2 (NU 7, OSU 7) 149- #16 Cam Tessari (OSU) by sudden-victory dec. over Brandon Wilbourn (NU), 3-1 (NU 7, OSU 10) 157- #10 James Green by dec. over Josh Demas (OSU), 7-4 (NU 10, OSU 10) 165- #3 Robert Kokesh (NU) by major dec. over Derek Garcia (OSU), 9-1 (NU 14, OSU 10) 174- #5 Nick Heflin (OSU) wins by dec. over Tyler Koehn (NU), 6-2 (NU 14, OSU 13) 184- #7 Josh Ihnen (NU) by major dec. over Craig Thomas (OSU), 12-0 (NU 18, OSU 13) 197- Andrew Campolattano (OSU) by dec. over James Nakashima (NU), 5-3 (NU 18, OSU 16)

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The University of Iowa wrestling team defeated Indiana 26-12 tonight inside University Gym to extend its streak of unbeaten duals to 84, tying the Oklahoma State record set from 1959-66. The top-ranked Hawkeyes won seven-of-10 bouts to improve to 2-0 in conference duals, 7-0 overall. The Hawkeyes stormed to a 13-0 team lead behind a pair of bonus-point victories from junior Matt McDonough (125) and sophomore Tony Ramos (133). McDonough opened the dual with a 13-1 major decision, his fourth major of the season, and Ramos notched his fourth pin of the year with a second period fall to give Iowa a 10-0 team lead. Sophomore Nick Trizzino then extended the Hawkeye lead to 13-0 with a 5-1 decision in the 141-pound match. Trizzino, a sophomore from Bettendorf, Iowa, was making his first dual appearance of the season. Indiana got on the board when Taylor Walsh narrowly edged Iowa's Michael Kelly at 149 pounds, 4-3. Iowa then bounced back and extended its team lead with back-to-back victories from redshirt freshmen Nick Moore (157) and Mike Evans (165). Moore scored a 9-4 win in his first career Hawkeye dual and Evans recorded his third major decision of the season, 10-0, to give Iowa a 20-3 advantage in the team score. Evans' victory marked the ninth time this season he has either pinned or shutout his opponent. Indiana's Ryan LeBlanc pulled the Hoosiers within 13 points, 20-7, with a 15-5 major decision over Iowa redshirt freshman Walt Gillmor in the 174-pound match. Gillmor, a Donahue, Iowa, native, was making his first career dual appearance and just his fifth career appearance at 174 pounds. The Hawkeyes eventually closed the match with two wins in the final three bouts. Redshirt freshman Jeremy Fahler extended Iowa's team lead to 23-7 with a 3-1 decision at 184 pounds and, after Indiana's fourth-ranked Matt Powless topped sophomore Tomas Lira 22-7, senior Blake Rasing closed the dual with a 6-4 win in the heavyweight bout. Rasing, a 2011 Big Ten champion, was making his first dual appearance of the season. Iowa's win sets up a potential record breaking dual Saturday night when Oklahoma State visits Iowa City. A win or tie over the Cowboys would run Iowa's streak of unbeaten duals to 85, breaking OSU's previous mark. A win against Oklahoma State would also be the 900th dual victory in Iowa wrestling history. Only three other NCAA programs – Iowa State, Oklahoma State, Oregon State – have at least 900 dual victories in their respective wrestling histories. Iowa and Oklahoma State will square off beginning at 7 p.m. on Mediacom Mat inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Call the UI Ticket Office at 800-IA-HAWKS to purchase tickets to the dual. Fans are encouraged to wear black for the BLACKOUT event. Fans wearing black will receive $2 off tickets purchased at the door. Notes: Iowa wrestled with five redshirt freshmen in the lineup… the five redshirt freshmen – Kelly, Moore, Evans, Gillmor, Fahler -- combined for a 3-2 mark… Iowa is undefeated in its last 37 conference duals… the Hawkeyes have won 20 straight Big Ten road duals. Results: 125 lbs. - #1 Matt McDonough (Iowa) major dec. Zach Zimmer (IU), 1-13; Team Score: 0-4 133 lbs. - #4 Tony Ramos (Iowa) pinned Joe Duca (IU), 3:57; TS: 0-10 141 lbs. – Nick Trizzino (Iowa) dec. Matt Ortega (IU), 5-1; TS: 0-13 149 lbs. - Taylor Walsh (IU) dec. #11 Mike Kelly (Iowa), 4-3; TS: 3-13 157 lbs. – Nick Moore (Iowa) dec. Ryan Konz (IU), 9-4; TS: 3-16 165 lbs. - #10 Mike Evans (Iowa) major dec. Preston Keiffer (IU), 10-0; TS: 3-20 174 lbs. – Ryan LeBlanc (IU) major dec. Walter Gillmor (Iowa), 15-5; TS: 7-20 184 lbs. – Jeremy Fahler (Iowa) dec. Luke Sheridan (IU), 3-1; TS: 7-23 197 lbs. - #4 Matt Powless (IU) tech. fall Tomas Lira (Iowa), 22-7; TS: 12-23 285 lbs. – Blake Rasing (Iowa) dec. Adam Chalfant (IU), 6-4; TS: 12-26

Fight Now USA Presents Takedown Wrestling from our mobile Brute studios in West Lafayette Indiana on the campus of Purdue University. Takedown Wrestling is brought to you by Kemin Agrifoods! Friday Night Takedown Wrestling Radio will broadcast the War in West Lafayette. It's the 84th meeting between the Purdue Boilermakers and the University of Illinois in a classic Big 10 Showdown. Join us for the LIVE Radio Broadcast Friday evening For Military Appreciation Night. Scott Casber and Steve Foster will have the call from West Lafayette. Join us at Purdue or listen LIVE on TheMat.com! Saturday Morning it's Takedown Wrestling Radio. Join Scott Casber, Steve Foster and Brad Johnson with the Takedown Wrestling Headline News this Saturday from 9 to 11 a.m. CT/ 10 a.m. to 12 noon ET. We'll recap the previous evenings results and be joined by Our guests: The Coaches and athletes of The Purdue Boilermaker Wrestling program including: Scott Hinkel, Tom Erikson and many more. Special guest on the Kemin Live line will be Jeff Murphy with the Kemin Report. Jeff McCall will join us from Texas for a Lonestar Dual Update as well. 9:40 Jeff Murphy, Kemin Top 20 Report 9:50 Ty Barkley, Max Muscle Sports Nutrition Update 10:20 Jeff McCall, Lonestar Duals Update 10:50 Amy Ruble, Wildrose Casino and Resort 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.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Penn State, Iowa, Oklahoma State, and Minnesota, the only four programs to win NCAA championships over the past 23 seasons, will be in the hunt for a team title at the 2012 NCAA Division I Championships in St. Louis. Cornell, last year's NCAA runner-up, has four wrestlers ranked in the top 10, including two No. 1-ranked wrestlers, and could be in the hunt for a trophy, but at this point appears to lack the firepower up and down its lineup to be considered a major threat to win the NCAA title this season. Let's examine each of the four NCAA title contenders and why each will or will not be hoisting the championship trophy on March 17 in St. Louis. Penn State David Taylor, Frank Molinaro, and Quentin Wright all reached the NCAA finals last season (Photo/Bill Ennis)Why Penn State will win the NCAA title: The defending NCAA champion Nittany Lions have the most firepower of all the NCAA title contending teams, and as close to a sure-fire NCAA champion in David Taylor as there is in the country. Frank Molinaro (149), Taylor (165), Ed Ruth (174), and Quentin Wright (184) are all potential NCAA champions this season, and all have the ability to score lot of bonus points too. Molinaro, Taylor, Ruth, and Wright combined for 79 points last year at the NCAAs, and there is no reason to believe those four will not match or exceed that total this year. Then add in the points from potential All-Americans Nico Megaludus (125), Dylan Alton (157), Morgan McIntosh (197), and Cameron Wade (285), and it will be very difficult for any team to unseat Penn State. Why Penn State will not win the NCAA title: Last year Penn State may have benefited from the NCAA tournament being in Philadelphia, a four-hour drive from State College, Pa. With the NCAAs being in St. Louis this year, it takes away any sort of home-mat advantage for Penn State. Wright, Penn State's lone NCAA champion, had a magical Big Ten and NCAA tournament run last season, winning the NCAA title as the No. 9 seed, but consistency is still a concern. This season Wright was dominated by Minnesota's Kevin Steinhaus, who is currently ranked eighth, and has also taken a loss to NCAA runner-up Robert Hamlin of Lehigh. If the Quentin Wright who took three straight losses last February and a 6-1 loss to Steinhaus in November, shows up in St. Louis, don't expect him to repeat his 23-point effort from last year's NCAAs. In addition, Penn State has two true freshmen, Megaludis and McIntosh, in its lineup. Both are talented and at this point appear capable of being key contributors in St. Louis. But there is still a lot of season left and it remains to be seen how Megaludis and McIntosh will hold up from the grind of the Big Ten season. Iowa Iowa's Matt McDonough is poised to make his third straight NCAA finals appearance and win his second NCAA title (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Why Iowa will win the NCAA title: The Hawkeyes have a strong track record of peaking when it matters most and exceeding expectations. Iowa could push three or four wrestlers into the finals, and have seven or eight All-Americans. However, that is if virtually everything falls into place for the Hawkeyes. Matt McDonough, despite being ranked second at 125 pounds, has about as good a shot as anyone not named David Taylor, Jordan Oliver, or Kyle Dake to win an NCAA title this season. He has dominated top-ranked Zach Sanders of Minnesota over the past two and half seasons, going 4-0 with each of the last three victories coming by seven or more points. McDonough has two NCAA finals appearances in two attempts. Last year he scored the second most points at the NCAAs of all non-NCAA champions. (Boise State's Andrew Hochstrasser scored a half-point more.) Montell Marion reached the NCAA finals two seasons ago, and was a controversial, overtime (tiebreaker) loss away from making another trip to the NCAA finals last season. Marion spent most of the first half of this season ranked No. 1 before losing in the finals of the Midlands Championships. He has the tools to be an NCAA champion, but just needs to put it together. Iowa also has a potential NCAA finalist in Derek St. John at 157 pounds, and some very talented freshmen in Michael Kelly (149), Mike Evans (165), and Bobby Telford (285). Why Iowa will not win the NCAA title: Iowa does not have the firepower that Penn State does. Outside of McDonough, the Hawkeyes do not have a sure-fire NCAA finalist. Tony Ramos (133) has been wrestling well this season and looks primed to earn All-American honors, but it will be a tall order for him to reach the NCAA finals with Jordan Oliver of Oklahoma State and Logan Stieber of Ohio State residing in his weight class. Marion, like Ramos, will have his work cut out for him to reach the NCAA finals being in a weight class (141) that includes NCAA champion Kellen Russell of Michigan, NCAA finalist Boris Novachkov of Cal Poly, and top-ranked Kendric Maple of Oklahoma, who is undefeated and already owns a win over Marion. Marion is also dealing with off-the-mat issues after being arrested by University of Iowa police for driving while barred. Marion's future with the team remains in question. If the Hawkeyes lose Marion, it would take them out of the NCAA title hunt. Going into this season it appeared that Grant Gambrall could be a potential NCAA finalist at 184 pounds after finishing third at the NCAAs last season. But Gambrall recently made the move up to 197 pounds, and after his seventh-place finish at the Midlands Championships, it does not appear that Iowa can count on Gambrall to match or exceed his NCAA finish last year. There are question marks surrounding St. John's health. He missed the Midlands Championships and has not competed since Dec. 8. Kelly, Evans, and Telford have shown a lot of promise, but they are still freshmen who have yet to compete at the NCAA tournament. Oklahoma State Jordan Oliver dominated his competition at the Reno Tournament of Champions and was named Outstanding Wrestler (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)Why Oklahoma State will win the NCAA title: The Cowboys have four wrestlers ranked in the top four, including a defending NCAA champion in Jordan Oliver, and five other wrestlers who could be in the hunt for All-American honors. That could translate into a lot of points for the Cowboys in St. Louis. Oliver scored 26 points at the NCAAs last season, which was second only to Jordan Burroughs' 26.5. He has been crushing opponents all season long. Sophomore Chris Perry has been on a roll this season for the Cowboys. The undefeated Perry, who won the Reno Tournament of Champions, recently moved down from 184 pounds to 174 pounds. Jamal Parks (149) and Alan Gelogaev (285) are also undefeated and potential NCAA finalists for the Cowboys. (Gelogaev took an unofficial loss to Chad Hanke of Oregon State.) Both are ranked No. 2 in their respective weight classes. Cayle Byers (197) climbed to as high as No. 2 in the country earlier this season before some recent setbacks caused him to slide in the rankings. He had a win last season over NCAA champion Dustin Kilgore of Kent State. Jon Morrison (125), Josh Kindig (141), Albert White (157), and Dallas Bailey (165) are solid wrestlers capable of making noise at the NCAA tournament. Why Oklahoma State will not win the NCAA title: Oklahoma State has underperformed in each of the past three NCAA tournaments. Last year the Cowboys were expected to be in the hunt for the NCAA title and finished fourth with three All-Americans. Two of their seeded wrestlers failed to win a match. Outside of Oliver, there are a lot of question marks up and down Oklahoma State's lineup. Morrison and Byers have lost to wrestlers on their own team and may not even be in the lineup in March. It remains to be seen how Perry will perform down a weight class. Parks has a history of wrestling close, low-scoring matches, which could bite him at the NCAA tournament. Minnesota Zach Sanders is undefeated and ranked No. 1 at 125 pounds (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine)Why Minnesota will win the NCAA title: Minnesota has the most balanced team of the contenders. This year's Gopher team is reminiscent of the 2001 Gopher team that won the NCAA championship with 10 All-Americans and no NCAA finalists. The Gophers currently have nine ranked wrestlers, including four returning All-Americans. Zach Sanders, a three-time All-American, is undefeated and ranked No. 1 at 125 pounds. Minnesota has a strong mix of senior leadership with All-Americans Sanders and Sonny Yohn, and young talent. Minnesota's lineup includes seven freshmen or sophomores. All seven were InterMat Top 100 recruits coming out of high school. Those wrestlers include David Thorn (133), Nick Dardandes (141), Dylan Ness (149), Alec Ortiz (157), Logan Storley (174), Kevin Steinhaus (184), and Tony Nelson (285). Steinhaus and Nelson were All-Americans last season as freshmen. Why Minnesota will not win the NCAA title: The Gophers do not have the horses that can be counted on to finish in the top three and score extra bonus points. Sanders is Minnesota's best hope for an NCAA finalist, but his path to a title will likely have to go through a wrestler (McDonough) that he has never beaten in college. Returning All-Americans Steinhaus, Yohn, and Nelson have all suffered losses to lower ranked wrestlers this season. The Gophers' freshmen may be talented, but they are still very much unproven at the Division I level. Minnesota recently suffered a major blow with the loss of Jake Deitchler at 157 pounds. Deitchler, a 2008 Olympian in Greco-Roman, announced his retirement from wrestling this week because of a long history with concussions.

Top-ranked heavyweight Ryan Flores recorded a pin in his hometown and No. 14 Daniel Mitchell also registered a fall at 197 lbs. as the No. 10 American University wrestling team defeated Cal State Bakersfield, 26-16, Thursday evening at Clovis North High School in Clovis, Calif. A Clovis, Calif., native, Flores improves to a perfect 6-0 on the season, which includes pins in five of his victories. The reigning national runner-up has now won 17 of his last 18 bouts dating back to last season. Mitchell, meanwhile, improves to 10-5 on the campaign with victories in four of his last five matches. The dual began well for American as Kevin Tao opened with a 17-0 technical fall against Erik Martinez at 149 lbs. No. 4 Ganbayar Sanjaa followed with a 9-5 decision against Anthony Box at 157 lbs. to push AU's lead to 8-0. Cal State Bakersfield responded with victories in the next three bouts at 165 lbs., 174 lbs., and 184 lbs. to take an 11-8 advantage. AU, however, fired back with back-to-back pins, beginning with Mitchell's fall against AC Brown at 1:18 and then Flores' pin of Steven Wood at 2:54. Thomas Williams continued AU's win streak with a 2-0 decision over Miguel Comparan at 125 lbs. to extend AU's lead to 23-11. After a setback at 133 lbs., No. 14 Matt Mariacher closed the dual for the Eagles with a 7-4 decision against Dalton Kelley. American will continue its California swing when it visits No. 19 Cal Poly on Friday, January 6, beginning at 10 p.m. EST. Results: Exhibition HWT – Blake Herrin (American) maj. dec. Frankie Hurtado, 9-0 149 – Kevin Tao (American) tech. fall Erik Martinez (CSUB), 17-0 (5:54); American 5-0 157 – No. 4 Ganbayar Sanjaa (American) dec. Anthony Box (CSUB), 9-5; American 8-0 165 – Adam Fierro (CSUB) tech. fall Mark Cirello (American), 18-3; American 8-5 174 – Brady Garner (CSUB) dec. Phillip Barreiro (American), 12-6; Ties 8-8 184 – Reuben Franklin (CSUB) dec. Thomas Barreiro (American), 3-2; CSUB 11-8 197 – No. 14 Daniel Mitchell (American) pins AC Brown (CSUB), 1:18; American 14-11 285 – No. 1 Ryan Flores (American) pins Steven Wood (CSUB), 2:54; American 20-11 125 – Thomas Williams (American) dec. Miguel Comparan (CSUB), 2-0; American 23-11 133 – Frank Lomas (CSUB) tech. fall Corey Borshoff (American), 15-0 (2:58); American 23-16 141 – No. 14 Matt Mariacher (American) dec. Dalton Kelley (CSUB), 7-4; American wins 26-16

FAIRFAX, Va. -- In the first-ever meeting between the two teams, Appalachian State wrestling won all ten bouts to complete the sweep of George Mason, 42-0, on Thursday evening at the GMU Recreation and Athletic Complex. The win gives Appalachian (4-2, 1-0 SoCon) its first Division-I win over a non-conference opponent, while George Mason (2-4, 0-1 Colonial) has now dropped its second straight match. Senior Tony Gravely opened the night with the evening's fastest victory at 125 pounds, using just 2:17 to pin Chris Rodriguez. Gravely's fall gives him a team-high seven pins on the season. Junior Brett Boston earned his first dual victory of the year with a 21-8 major decision at 133 pounds, and senior Mike Kessler followed with a 10-4 decision at 141, giving the Apps a 13-0 lead in the match. Senior Savva Kostis had no trouble racking up a 12-1 major decision at 149 pounds, while classmate Chip Powell had a more-challenging but no less successful outing with a 6-4 win at 157 pounds. Coming off his third-place showing at the Southern Scuffle, No. 15 Kyle Blevins showcased his dominance with a 20-5 tech. fall over DJ Dwyer in the 165-pound bout. Blevins' efforts opened up a 25-0 lead and clinched the match for the Mountaineers with four bouts remaining. Junior Carter Downs shutout Steve Swayze for a 6-0 decision at 174 pounds, while No. 9 Austin Trotman recorded the day's second pin with a 4:30 victory at 184 pounds. Closing out the match, freshmen Paul Weiss and Joe Cummings both added major decisions at the top two weights, concluding the night with Appalachian on top, 42-0. The Mountaineers look to carry their momentum into next week when they face Cleveland State and Campbell in Buies Creek, N.C. on Monday, Jan. 9 at 3:45 and 7:15, respectively. Results: 125: Tony Gravely pinned Chris Rodriguez, 2:17 (ASU 6-0) 133: Brett Boston maj. dec. Zachary Isenhour, 21-8 (ASU 10-0) 141: Mike Kessler dec. Denny Herndon III, 10-4 (ASU 13-0) 149: Savva Kostis maj. dec. Shohei Takagi, 12-1 (ASU 17-0) 157: Chip Powell dec. Jaaziah Bethea, 6-4 (ASU 20-0) 165: No. 15 Kyle Blevins tech. fall DJ Dwyer, 20-5 (ASU 25-0) 174: Carter Downs dec. Steve Swayze, 6-0 (ASU 28-0) 184: No. 9 Austin Trotman pinned Alexander Stanley, 4:30 (ASU 34-0) 197: Paul Weiss maj. dec. Corey Smith, 13-1 (ASU 38-0) 285: Joe Cummings maj. dec. Adam Barnette, 10-2 (ASU 42-0)

STANFORD, Calif. -- The 23rd-ranked Stanford wrestling team topped visiting Boise State, 20-16, Thursday at Burnham Pavilion in Stanford, Calif. The Cardinal improves to 5-4 overall and 2-0 in the Pac-12, while The Broncos drop to 0-5 overall and 0-3 in the conference. The dual began at 165 pounds where Boise State's Michael Cuthbertson recorded an 8-3 decision over Stanford's Bret Baumbach to put the Broncos up 3-0. Baumbach is now 3-8 overall this season. Stanford senior All-American Nick Amuchastegui, ranked No. 1 in the nation at 174 pounds, answered for the Cardinal with a 9-0 major decision over Boise State's Scotty Bacon. The senior tallied two takedowns, three near fall points, an escape and earned 2:43 in riding time in the win. He improves to 12-0 overall this season and 9-0 in duals. The Cardinal increased its lead to 7-3 in the dual as junior Spence Patrick registered a 9-4 decision over Cody Dixon at 184 pounds. The score was tied 3-3 at the start of the third period, where Patrick earned an escape and two takedowns to seal the victory. He also posted 1:04 of riding time for another point. Patrick is now 10-9 overall and 6-3 in duals this season. The Broncos pulled within one of the Cardinal as BSU's Brent Chriswell edged Stanford's Alan Yen, 3-2, at 197 pounds. However, sophomore Dan Scherer pushed the Cardinal lead back to four with a 4-2 decision over BSU's J.T. Felix in overtime. He is now 14-8 overall this season and 7-2 in duals. Boise State forfeited at 125 pounds, giving Stanford junior Matt Sencenbaugh the victory and the Cardinal six more team points. Junior All-American Ryan Mango increased Stanford's lead to 20-6 in the dual. Ranked No. 9 in the nation at 133 pounds, Mango tallied five takedowns, five near fall points and a minute of riding time in his 16-5 major decision over the Broncos' Shawn Jones. Mango leads the team with 18 wins this season and remains undefeated in duals (9-0). At 141 pounds, Stanford sophomore Donovan Halpin was edged 7-6 by Ben Demeulle who scored on a last second takedown. It brought the dual score to 20-9 still in favor of the Cardinal. Boise State won the final two bouts, but it wasn't enough for the dual win as the Cardinal improved to 2-0 in the Pac-12. Stanford wraps up the week on Sunday as it hosts No. 10 American. The Cardinal and Eagles will square off at 2 p.m. PT in Burnham Pavilion. All home Stanford wrestling events are free to the public. Results: 125: Matt Sencenbaugh (S) won by forfeit 133: #9 Ryan Mango (S) maj. dec. Shawn Jones (B), 16-5 141: Ben Demeulle (B) dec. Donovan Halpin (S), 7-6 149: Steve Hernandez (B) maj. dec. Timmy Boone (S), 14-4 157: #16 George Ivanov (B) dec. Garrett Schaner (S), 6-1 165: Michael Cuthbertson (B) dec. Bret Baumbach (S), 8-3 174: #1 Nick Amuchastegui (S) maj. dec. Scotty Bacon (B), 9-0 184: Spence Patrick (S) dec. Cody Dixon (B), 9-4 197: Brent Chriswell (B) dec. Alan Yen (S), 3-2 HWT: Dan Scherer (S) dec. J.T. Felix (B), 4-2 (OT)

ON THE MAT The University of Iowa wrestling team travels to Bloomington, Ind., to face the Hoosiers Friday at 6 p.m. (CT) inside University Gym. The Hawkeyes then return home to host No. 2 Oklahoma State on Saturday at 7 p.m. on Mediacom Mat inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. AUDIO COVERAGE Both weekend duals 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 University Gym and Carver-Hawkeye Arena. TELEVISION COVERAGE The Oklahoma State dual will be televised live by IPTV. Tim Johnson and former Hawkeye head coach Dan Gable will have the matside call from Carver-Hawkeye Arena. INTERNET COVERAGE BTN.com will stream the Oklahoma State dual. BTN.com is a subscription service that provides quality coverage of Big Ten sports. Hawkeye All-Access subscribers will be able to stream the match at no additional charge via hawkeyesports.com. LIVE STATS Live stats will be available on the wrestling schedule page at hawkeyesports.com. CHASING 900 The Hawkeyes need two dual wins to become just the fourth program in NCAA history reach 900 dual victories. Iowa owns an 898-215-31 (.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. INDIANA/OKST IN THE LINE OF FIRE The Hawkeyes are unbeaten in their last 83 duals. Iowa's last dual loss was a 19-14 decision against Oklahoma State inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena (Jan. 12, 2008). The Hawkeyes and Cowboys have wrestled three times since then. Iowa holds a 2-0-1 advantage over Oklahoma State during the unbeaten streak, with wins in 2009 (20-13 @ OkSt) and 2010 (19-16 @ Iowa), and a tie in 2011 (15-15 @ OkSt). Iowa is 3-0 against the Hoosiers during its unbeaten streak. The Hawkeyes recorded victories in 2008, 2009 and 2011, outscoring Indiana a combined 87-25. HAWKEYES BUILD ON RECORD Iowa grabbed its record 22nd Midlands team title last week, 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. MCDONOUGH AMONG THE BEST Junior Matt McDonough owns a career record of 79-4 (.951). 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 AND THEN THERE WAS ONE Five Hawkeyes entered the Midlands Championships with unbeaten records. Tony Ramos, Derek St. John, Montell Marion, Bobby Telford and Grant Gambrall had a combined 44-0 mark entering the tournament. Gambrall dropped a pair of decisions and Ramos, Marion and Telford all lost in their respective finals. St. John did not compete at the event and owns an 11-0 mark. In the history of Iowa wrestling, 15 wrestlers have finished the season with a perfect record (minimum 20 matches). Four of those wrestlers were able to perform the feat twice. They include Mark Ironside, Lincoln McIlravy, T.J. Williams and Jim Zalesky. Iowa coaches Tom Brands and Terry Brands are among the 15 wrestlers. Tom went 45-0 in 1990-91 and Terry went 35-0 in 1991-92. KELLY DEBUTS AT 149 Redshirt freshman Mike Kelly recorded a 6-2 mark in his 149-pound collegiate debut last week at the Midlands Championship (one loss was against non-collegiate competition). Kelly, who had been 4-2 this season while competing at 157 pounds, recorded one pin and a major decision en route to a fifth place finish. Kelly is now ranked 11th at 149 according to Intermat. If Kelly competes at 149 pounds this week, he'll be the fourth wrestler Iowa has used at 149 in dual competition, joining Josh Dziewa (1-0), Mark Ballweg (1-1) and Jacob Ballweg (1-2). MCDONOUGH'S MIDLANDS SUCCESS Junior Matt McDonough won his second Midlands title in three years last week 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 15-1 this season with three major decisions and a team-high eight pins. HOME SWEET HOME Five of Iowa's probable starters have never lost a match inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. They include Tony Ramos (11-0), Dylan Carew (2-0), Mike Evans (5-0), Grant Gambrall (11-0) and Bobby Telford (5-0). RAMOS EARNS BIG TEN HONOR Tony Ramos was named Big Ten Co-Wrestler of the Week on Dec. 6. The weekly honor was the first of Ramos' career. Ramos, a sophomore from Carol Stream, Ill., won the award after a pair of bonus point victories against No. 7 Illinois and Iowa State. 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 a 15-1 record with four major decisions, five technical falls and three pins. GAMBRALL AT 197 Junior Grant Gambrall is listed as a probable starter at 197 pounds. 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 6-2 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. 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 103-6-1 career record since taking over the Iowa program in 2006. NCAA EXPERIENCE The top-ranked 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 898-215-31 (.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. IOWA UNBEATEN/WINNING DUAL STREAKS Unbeaten Streak: 83 Unbeaten Road Streak: 48 Big Ten Winning Streaks: 36 Big Ten Home Winning Streak: 17 Big Ten Road Winning Streak: 19 Home Winning Streak: 38 ABOUT THE UNBEATEN/WINNING DUAL STREAKS Iowa owns a streak of 83 consecutive duals without a loss, one shy of the mark set by Oklahoma State from 1959-66 (84). The current streak started with a win over Cornell (32-3) on Jan. 12, 2008, which was the first match after Iowa lost to Oklahoma State (19-14) on Jan. 5. The Hawkeyes are unbeaten in 48 consecutive road duals, which is also a school record. That streak started with a 20-13 win at Iowa State on Dec. 9, 2007. Iowa's 15-15 tie with Oklahoma State on Jan. 16, 2011, broke the Hawkeyes' 69-match winning streak that started with a win over Cornell (32-3) on Jan. 12, 2008. That streak is an Iowa school record and ranks second-best in NCAA wrestling history behind an Oklahoma State streak. The Cowboys won 76 straight duals from 1937-51. Oklahoma State is tied with Iowa in second place, tallying two 69-match streaks (1921-32 and 1996-99). Against Big Ten foes, the Hawkeyes have won their last 36 duals, including 17 at home and 19 on the road. All three marks rank second in school history. Iowa's school record for consecutive Big Ten wins is 98 (12/13/1975-1/28/1989), while the records for Big Ten home wins is 63 (1/17/1975-1/3/1998) and road wins is 54 (1/19/1974-1/28/1989). Iowa has won its last 38 duals at home. That streak started with a 27-13 win over Penn State on Jan. 20, 2008, which was also the first home match after the loss to Oklahoma State. The school record for consecutive home wins is 55 (1/9/1977-12/18/1983). ATTENDANCE LEADERS AT IT AGAIN 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). Iowa is off to a strong start in 2011-12. The Hawkeyes drew 8,527 fans to the Iowa City Duals on Nov. 25, 7,330 to the Dec. 2 dual vs. No. 7 Illinois, and 7,078 to the Dec. 8 dual vs. Northern Iowa. CARVER-HAWKEYE ARENA Iowa is 5-0 in dual competition inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena this season, outscoring their opponents 184-26. The 2010-11 Hawkeyes posted a perfect 8-0 dual record in their home venue of Carver-Hawkeye Arena, marking Iowa's 19th undefeated season in the facility since moving from the UI Fieldhouse in 1983. Iowa has a 193-18 (.915) record in the arena, which seats 15,500, and has won its last 38 duals at Carver-Hawkeye. Iowa's last home loss was 19-14 to Oklahoma State on Jan. 5, 2008. 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 December 6, 2008. LAST MEETINGS #2 IOWA 35, Indiana 6 (Feb. 4, 2011) 125 - Matt McDonough (I) pinned Justin Brooks (IU), 5:59 133 - Tony Ramos (I) pinned Matt Ortega (IU), 6:26 141 - Montell Marion (I) maj. dec. Mitchell Richey (IU), 13-5 149 - Kurt Kinser (IU) dec. Matt Ballweg (I), 2-0 157 - Derek St. John (I) pinned Paul Young (IU), 6:20 165 - Aaron Janssen (I) maj. dec. Ryan LeBlanc (IU), 14-5 174 - Jake Kerr (I) dec. Nick Avery (IU), 5-1 * 184 - Grant Gambrall (I) dec. Eric Cameron (IU), 5-3 197 - Luke Lofthouse (I) dec. Matt Powless (IU), 10-5 Hwt. - Ricky Alcala (IU) dec. Blake Rasing (I), 6-5 *The Indiana bench was warned after the 174-pound match. #10 IOWA 15, #6 Oklahoma State 15 (Jan. 16, 2011) 125 - Matt McDonough (I) dec. Jon Morrison (OSU), 7-3 133 - Jordan Oliver (OSU) dec. Tyler Clark (I), 11-4 141 - Mark Ballweg (I) dec. Josh Kindig (OSU), 8-3 149 - Jamal Parks (OSU) dec. Matt Ballweg (I), 8-4 157 - Derek St. John (I) dec. Neil Erisman (OSU), 7-5 165 - Dallas Bailey (OSU) dec. Aaron Janssen (I), 6-2 174 - Ethen Lofthouse (I) dec. Mike Benefiel (OSU), 4-3 184 - Chris Perry (OSU) dec. Grant Gambrall (I), 2-0 197 - Clayton Foster (OSU) dec. Luke Lofthouse (I), 5-3 HWT - Blake Rasing (I) dec. Blake Rosholt (OSU), 3-1 SV TICKET INFORMATION Single-meet tickets are now available for purchase on hawkeyesports.com. Single-meet tickets to Oklahoma State (1/7) and Minnesota (1/29) are $13 for adults, $7 for children, and $2 for kids five and under. Northwestern (1/15) and Wisconsin (2/5) are $10 for adults, $5 for children, and free for kids five and under. 2012 U.S. OLYMPIC TEAM TRIALS All-Session Tickets are available for the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials April 21-22 in Iowa City, Iowa. All-Session tickets are $75 for adults, $40 for youth. Nearly 6,000 tickets were sold as of Dec. 13. The trials attendance record was set in 2000 when Dallas, Texas, hosted 7,000 fans inside Reunion Arena. UP NEXT The top-ranked Hawkeyes return to the mat Friday, Jan. 13, at Nebraska. Iowa will face the Huskers at 6 p.m. (CT) inside the NU Coliseum. The Hawkeyes then host Northwestern on Sunday, Jan. 15. The Wildcats visit Carver-Hawkeye Arena at 1 p.m. To purchase tickets, contact the UI Ticket Office at 800-IA-HAWKS or online at hawkeyesports.com. Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for children, and free for kids five and under.

Photo/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images Brock Lesnar entered the UFC's heavyweight division in February of 2008. The champion was forgettable Frank Mir, and the largest pay-per-view buy to date was 1,050,000 -- for a Chuck Liddell fight. By New Year's Eve 2011, when Lesnar would announce his retirement, the UFC heavyweight division was the promotion's largest draw and Lesnar accounted for four of the top six PPV sales in UFC history, including the promotional best 1,600,000 for his 2009 title fight against Frank Mir. In business terms, Brock Lesnar was an unqualified success for the UFC. He made lots of people lots of money and did so with a charisma that hasn't been matched until the recent stirrings of Chael Sonnen. However, unlike the silver-tongued middleweight, Lesnar was fighting in the most important and most profitable division in all of combat sports. Let's face it, every man wants to know what he is capable of accomplishing against the biggest and the best. And with sledgehammer fists, a 56-inch chest, and a bench press of over 450 pounds, nothing excites our curiosity more than heavyweights. That thrill also opens our pocketbooks. Nobody has looked the part, or picked up more of the promotional workload than Lesnar. Were it not for the WWE convert -- an Aryan-Paleolithic vision of man -- who knows what would have become of the division, or the promotion? Would they have been as successful? Would the UFC have ever earned their deal with FOX? Why Lesnar chose to leave will always be up for debate, but if a man battling a sometimes fatal stomach illness believes that his ability to fight has been hampered; fans and writers have no place to judge. Few men have the salt to face the unknown, and even fewer on the international stage on which Lesnar has been perpetually elevated since leaving college. Still, the UFC is a business, and with the loss of a marketable fighter comes the birth of worry about the feasibility of his replacements to create financial gain for the company. Dana White has not made any pronouncements as to who he thinks can carry the cards in the future, but Overeem and champion Junior dos Santos are both viable candidates; good-looking, intelligent guys with salesmanship equal to that of any other fighter within the organization. Their international appeal -- Overeem in Europe and Asia and JDS in his native Brazil -- could make them the perfect ambassadors for a promotion with stated goals of worldwide domination. However, until now these fighters have only been character actors in someone else's big play; Steve Buschemi before the bright lights of Boardwalk Empire, just two more brutes wandering a lonely road outside Fargo. It's likely that Overeem and JDS won't be alone in tackling the financial burden left by Lesnar. The UFC has already added talent from their culling of the Strikeforce heavyweight division -- a commitment to the class that will only expand and deepen with the conclusion of the promotion's Heavyweight Grand Prix. But the question that keeps Dana White and other UFC executives unsettled is whether or not the promotion can expand as rapidly under the weight of a heavyweight division run by a committee, as easily as it could with the star power of Lesnar. The reality is the heavyweight division might end up like boxing, with less-charismatic draws like the Klitschko brothers holding onto titles, dominant in competition but almost wholly unsellable to mainstream audiences. That scenario might seem less likely in a world where the UFC PR machine can get butter from brisket fat by forcing fighters (Nate Diaz) into meaningful fan interactions which are then beamed across the FOX family of channels. The promotion's next big star is unknown, but the parsing of marketability should be interesting to fans who like to calculate the organization's next move. What will the UFC be trying to sell and how much will they direct their market by creating fights that both fans and advertising executive want to watch? The Brazilian JDS, the European Overeem, the Mexican-American Cain Velasquez -- just like a bulked-up, super trap Lesnar sold American viewers -- a character that forced you to love or hate him in a time when competition was souring -- each of the division's new fighters offer their unique marketing potential. Lesnar will be missed. His relevance among the mainstream fan base and recruitment of WWE fans forever altered the financial and professional future of the organization. That he went out on his shield, albeit in an uninspired performance, is also something that MMA fans, regardless of their allegiances, should note and respect. For most fighters, their time at the top is limited to a few years. Lesnar was clear in his post-fight interview that his decision to retire was best for the health of his body and his family. A man at the end of his line in a sport where he'd been as controversial as a winner as he was a loser. His time, his luck, his passion for the sport had simply run its course. Fans will have to adopt a new hero and a new villain, someone who they can rally behind, or curse with gusto. Either way, the UFC would just like you to choose, because at the moment they're all out of heavy lifters.

Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine Note: Recap items use the previous rankings (team and individual updated on Dec. 27). Preview items use the new team rankings updated Wednesday, and the most recent individual rankings. Not the time to be a highly ranked wrestler The week between Christmas and New Year's was remarkably unkind to wrestlers that occupied high positions in the national rankings. FOUR wrestlers ranked No. 1 in the nation fell to defeat. At 120 pounds, Nick Roberts (North Star, Pa.) was upended by No. 13 Jason Nolf (Kittaning, Pa.) 11-6 in the tiebreaker in a battle of Class AA state champions from last year during the championship match of the Southmoreland Holiday Classic. The sophomore Nolf remained undefeated for his career after riding out Roberts in the first portion of the tiebreaker, then scoring a reversal and three near fall points in the second portion. At 126 pounds, No. 7 Rossi Bruno (Brandon, Fla.) upset Dean Heil (St. Edward, Ohio), 2-1, in the tiebreaker during the championship round robin of The Clash X -- National High School Duals in Rochester, Minn. At 132 pounds, Chris Wilkes (Whitfield, Mo.) scored a 3-1 overtime victory against Zane Richards (Carbondale, Ill.) in the championship final of the Red Schmitt Holiday Tournament in Granite City, Ill., to end what was a 66 match win streak for Richards, going back to the beginning of his junior year. Finally, at 138 pounds, No. 5 Todd Preston (Blair Academy, N.J.) defeated Nate Skonieczny (Walsh Jesuit, Ohio) 2-1 in the tiebreaker in the championship final of the POWERade Christmas Tourament. In addition, two wrestlers ranked No. 2 in the country fell to defeat during the past week. No. 8 Brandon Griffin (Sprague, Ore.) defeated Nikko Reyes (Clovis West, Calif.), 5-1, in overtime during the 182 pound final of the Sierra Nevada Classic. At 195 pounds, Austin Severn (New Lothrop, Mich.) defeated Gabe Dean (Lowell, Mich.) 5-4 in the tiebreaker during a quadrangular meet at Lowell High School. Heading into the match, both wrestlers were on long winning streaks having been undefeated state champs in 2010-11 after runner-up finishes the prior year. Blair Academy simply the best, while Gulibon makes history Even without No. 3 Joey McKenna in the lineup at 113 pounds, No. 1 in the nation Blair Academy, N.J. dominated the 45th annual POWERade Christmas Tournament with seven finalists (four champions) and 12 placers in all. Champions for the Buccaneers were No. 3 Mark Grey (132), No. 5 Todd Preston (138), Russ Parsons (152), and No. 1 Brooks Black (285); while No. 18 P.J. Klee (120), No. 17 Max Hvolbek (126), and No. 10 Dylan Milonas (145) finished in second place. Third place finishes from No. 13 Frank Mattiace (195) and David Farr (220), fourth place honors for Patrick Coover (160) and Michael Mocco (182), and a sixth place finish from Jack Wedholm (170) helped boost Blair Academy to 293 points. Second in the tournament was the host school and defending tournament champion Canon-McMillan, Pa. Even without No. 8 Conner Schram at 120 pounds, the No. 11 ranked Big Macs still racked up 195-1/2 points anchored by five finalists. Champions were No. 8 Solomon Chishko (145) and No. 5 Cody Wiercioch (170), while Dalton Macri (113), Alex Campbell (220), and No. 16 Cody Klempay (285) finished in second place. Other medalists for Canon-McMillan were Dario Dobbin (152), who finished sixth; Colton Shorts (126), taking seventh; and Ian Birotto (195) earning an eighth place finish. Despite not having a champion, and just one finalist, No. 26 Central Dauphin, Pa., came in third place with 130-1/2 points due to having six total placers. Tyson Dippery (132) finished second, Shyheim Brown (138) and No. 20 Garrett Peppelman (152) each took third, Terrance Parsons (195) was fifth place, Austin Rose (145) earned seventh, while Jamison Peake (170) finished in eighth place. Jimmy Gulibon (Derry Area, Pa.), ranked No. 2 nationally, earned his fourth POWERade championship, this time with a 7-2 victory over Blair Academy's Max Hvolbek in the championship final at 126 pounds. In earlier matches Gulibon had three technical falls and a first period pin. Becoming just the fourth four-time champion in event history, Gulibon was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Wrestler. Freshmen No. 10 Vincenzo Joseph (Pittsburgh Central Catholic, Pa.) at 106 pounds and Michael Kemerer (Franklin Regional, Pa.) at 113, along with sophomore No. 1 Chance Marsteller (Kennard Dale, Pa.) at 160, remain on pace to potentially join the four-time champion club in the coming years. Rounding out the weight class champions were No. 15 Godwin Nyama (Brashear, Pa.), Dakota DesLauriers (Burrell, Pa.), Jacob Hart (Hampton, Pa.), and No. 9 Thomas Haines (Solanco, Pa.) Full Brackets: http://poweradewrestling.com/2011/2011-Powerade.pdf Cheesehead Invitational Dates: Friday, Jan. 6 and Saturday, Jan. 7 Location: Kaukauna (Wis.) High School Schedule: Friday wrestling starts at 6:00 p.m. ET (5 p.m. CT), Saturday wrestling starts at 9:30 a.m. ET (8:30 p.m. CT) with top six finals matches at 7:00 p.m. ET (6 p.m. CT) Tom Teams: No. 4 Apple Valley, Minn.; No. 10 Simley, Minn.; No. 11 Bettendorf, Iowa; No. 14 Southeast Polk, Iowa; No. 19 Allen, Texas; No. 28 Montini Catholic, Ill.; No. 45 Luxemburg-Casco, Wis. Notable Wrestlers: 106: Tommy Pawleski (Montini Catholic, Ill.), Jacob Schwarm (Bettendorf, Iowa), Bobby Nachreiner (Hartford, Wis.), Malou Woiwor (Apple Valley, Minn.) 113: No. 11 Johnny Jimenez (Marmion Academy, Ill.), Fredy Stroker (Bettendorf, Iowa), Jordan Laster (Montini Catholic, Ill.), John Wells (Milton, Wis.) 120: No. 20 Kevon Powell (Montini Catholic, Ill.), Seth Gross (Apple Valley, Minn.), Pedro Delao (Simley, Minn.), Andrew Crone (Arrowhead, Wis.) 126: No. 3 Cory Clark (Southeast Polk, Iowa), No. 11 (at 132) Dakota Trom (Apple Valley, Minn.), No. 18 Eric Devos (Waverly Shell-Rock, Iowa), Jarrod Trotter (Allen, Texas), Juan Torres (Simley, Minn.), Mitch Lexvold (Kenyon-Wanamingo, Minn.), Eddie Greco (Marmion Academy, Ill.) 132: Chris Garcia (Montini Catholic, Ill.), Dayton Racer (Apple Valley, Minn.), Oakley McLain (Kenyon-Wananmingo, Minn.), George Fisher (Marmion Academy, Ill.) 138: No. 14 Jack Bass (Allen, Texas), Mason Manville (Apple Valley, Minn.), Connor Ryan (Bettendorf, Iowa), Angelo Silvestro (Marmion Academy, Ill.) 145: No. 4 Mark Hall (Apple Valley, Minn.), No. 5 Jake Short (Simley, Minn.), No. 7 Bryce Brill (Mt. Carmel, Ill.), Bo Nickal (Allen, Texas), Alex Hernandez (Bettendorf, Iowa), Kolton Rottink (Waverly Shell-Rock, Iowa), Adam Yde (Arrowhead, Wis.) 152: No. 6 (at 160) Brandon Kingsley (Apple Valley, Minn.), No. 12 Nick Becker (Hartford, Wis.), Nick Wanzek (Simley, Minn.) 160: No. 8 Oliver Pierce (Allen, Texas), Ben Sullivan (Apple Valley, Minn.), Shaun'Que McMurtry (Lockport, Ill.), Jackson Fox (Wrightstown, Wis.), Mitch Berceau (Luxemburg-Casco, Wis.), Dylan Blackford (Southeast Polk, Iowa) 170: No. 2 Alex Meyer (Southeast Polk, Iowa), No. 19 (at 182) Daniel Woiwor (Apple Valley, Minn.), Scott Van De Loo (Kaukauna, Wis.), Colby Vance (Bettendorf, Iowa) 182: Ian Johnson (Milton, Wis.), Jordan Padowsky (Luxemburg-Casco, Wis.), Bryan Levse (Bettendorf, Iowa) 195: No. 5 Brad Johnson (Lockport, Ill.), No. 18 Nick Cobb (Allen, Texas), Jordan Ellingwood (Plainfield Central, Ill.), Bud Smith (Southeast Polk, Iowa), Blake Blair (Edwardsville, Ill.), Cody Hazlett (Simley, Minn.), Keaton Jurevitz (Bettendorf, Iowa) 220: No. 3 Willie Miklus (Southeast Polk, Iowa), No. 18 Nate Shaw (Bettendorf, Iowa), Stone Drulman (Allen, Texas), Edgar Ruano (Montini Catholic, Ill.) 285: Nelson Smerchek (Luxemburg-Casco, Wis.), Jesse Nelson (Stoughton, Wis.), Matt Kadrlik (Simley, Minn.) Green 'n Gold glow bright at The Clash In arguably the most prolific field of teams for a single event ever assembled, it was No. 2 St. Edward, Ohio, coming out on top at The Clash X -- National High School Duals on the last two days of 2011 in Rochester, Minn. The Eagles amassed victories over teams ranked No. 4 (Apple Valley, Minn.), No. 5 (Brandon, Fla.), No. 6 (Clovis, Calif.), and No. 13 (Christiansburg, Va.). Additionally the field featured nine additional members of the InterMat Fab 50. The following wrestlers went undefeated winning at least five contested matches (the bold wrestler was selected to The Clash All-Tournament Team): 106: No. 14 Coy Ozias (Christiansburg, Va.), No. 16 Dylan Lucas (Brandon, Fla.), Kyle Pfeifle (Rapid City Central, S.D.), Jim Pelligrino (Carl Sandburg, Ill.), Brady Berge (Kasson-Mantorville, Minn.), Blane Tschida (Coon Rapids, Minn.) 113: No. 10 Tommy Thorn (St. Michael-Albertville, Minn.), No. 14 J.R. Wert (Christiansburg, Va.), James Flint (Brandon, Fla.), Mark Duda (Marist, Ill.) 120: No. 4 Ryan Taylor (St. Paris Graham, Ohio), Kasey Klaus (Vacaville, Calif.), Seth Gross (Apple Valley, Minn.) 126: No. 7 Rossi Bruno (Brandon, Fla.), No. 20 Zach Watson (The Baylor School, Tenn.) 132: No. 5 Kevin Norstrem (Brandon, Fla.), No. 12 Joey Ward (Cincinnati Moeller, Ohio), Bryce Parson (Lewiston, Idaho) 138: Daniel Cartagena (Corona del Sol, Ariz.), Cody Laganiere (Kasson-Mantorville, Minn.), Mason Manville (Apple Valley, Minn.) 145: No. 4 Mark Hall (Apple Valley, Minn.), No. 5 Jake Short (Simley, Minn.), Larry Bomstad (ACGC, Minn.), Wayne Voss (St. Michael-Albertville, Minn.) 152: No. 1 Bo Jordan (St. Paris Graham, Ohio), No. 6 (at 160) Brandon Kingsley (Apple Valley, Minn.), Drew Randall (Lewiston, Idaho), Matthew Cate (The Baylor School, Tenn.) 160: No. 4 Isaac Jordan (St. Paris Graham, Ohio), No. 7 Clark Glass (Brandon, Fla.), Jason Greenaway (Mitchell, S.D.) 170: No. 4 Zach Nevills (Clovis, Calif.), No. 14 Ricky Robertson (Carl Sandburg, Ill.), Brent Havlik (Mitchell, S.D.) 182: No. 5 Huston Evans (St. Paris Graham, Ohio), No. 10 Micah Barnes (Simley, Minn.), No. 18 David Reck (Colonial Forge, Va.), James Nelson (ACGC, Minn.), Chase Lettau (Pierre, S.D.), Zack Hernandez (Punahou, Hawaii) 195: No. 19 James Suvak (St. Edward, Ohio), Cody Hazlett (Simley, Minn.), Broc Berge (Kasson-Mantorville, Minn.) 220: No. 14 Ty Walz (St. Edward, Ohio), Chalmer Freauf (Cincinnati Moeller, Ohio), Coyte Kuefner (Owatonna, Minn.), Nick Edling (St. Michael-Albertville, Minn.) 285: No. 7 Greg Kuhar (St. Edward, Ohio), No. 9 Sam Stoll (Kasson-Mantorville, Minn.), No. 20 Johnny Schupp (Vacaville, Calif.), Jake Weber (Rapid City Central, S.D.) Coverage Page (TheGuillotine.com): http://www.theguillotine.com/hsresults/1112/111230clash.html Doc Buchanan Invitational Dates: Friday, Jan. 6 and Saturday, Jan. 7 Location: Clovis (Calif.) High School Key information: Finals start at 8:30 p.m. ET (5:30 PT) on Saturday and will be streamed live through http://www.cloviswrestling.com or the Clovis Wrestling U-Stream channel. Top Teams (California Unless Noted): No. 6 Clovis, No. 17 Poway, No. 22 Bakersfield, De La Salle, Gilroy, Vacaville, and Roseburg (Ore.) Notable Wrestlers (California Unless Noted): 106: No. 1 Zahid Valencia (St. John Bosco), No. 3 Paul Mascarenas (Cleveland, N.M.), Gionn Peralta (Vacaville) 113: No. 4 Micah Perez (Central Union), No. 6 Emilio Saavedra (Modesto), No. 12 Isaiah Locsin (Live Oak), Jonas Gaytan (Clovis), Mason Pengilly (Porterville) 120: No. 19 (at 126) Daniel Gaytan (Clovis), Anthony Valencia (St. John Bosco), Kasey Klaus (Vacaville) 126: Jake Smith (Newark Memorial), Martin Ramirez (Elk Grove), Josh Rodriguez (Righetti), Javier Gasca (Kingsburg), Victor Lopez (Poway), Paul Fox (Gilroy), Joey Moita (De La Salle) 132: No. 2 Alex Cisneros (Selma), Patrick Phaysamone (Clovis East), Micah Cruz (Bakersfield), Ali Nasser (El Camino Real), Jon-Jay Chavez (De La Salle) 138: No. 9 Natrelle Deminson (Bakersfield), No. 17 Shayne Tucker (Bella Vista), No. 19 Nikko Villareal (Gilroy), Brian Sergi (College Park) 145: No. 3 (at 152) Isaiah Martinez (Lemoore), Reed Van Anrooy (Roseburg, Ore.), Alex Aniciete (Las Vegas, Nev.), Adam Hendrickson (Healdsburg), Maxx Ramirez (Bakersfield), Willie Fox (Gilroy) 152: No. 6 Coleman Hammond (Bakersfield), Keaton Subjeck (Oak Ridge), Alex Abono (De La Salle) 160: No. 2 Joey Davis (Santa Fe), No. 11 Victor Pereira (Newark Memorial), Javier Mandera (Roseburg, Ore.), Adrian Salas (Clovis) 170: No. 4 Zach Nevills (Clovis), No. 8 James Wilson (McNair), No. 17 Silas Nacita (Bakersfield), No. 18 Connor King (Poway), Steven Elicegui (Wooster, Nev.) 182: No. 2 Nikko Reyes (Clovis West), Paul Yoo (Cypress), Ryan Davies (Clovis) 195: Jesse Doyle (Wheatmore, N.C.), Dakota Gordon (Clovis), Broc Westlake (Reed, Nev.) 220: Spencer Empey (Reed, Nev.), Justin Walker (De La Salle, Calif.), Justin Everard (Etiwanda) 285: No. 4 Nick Nevills (Clovis), No. 20 Johnny Schupp (Vacaville), Marq Randall (Roseburg, Ore.) Good pair of days to be a Shamrock in Medina Coming down from Michigan, No. 15 Detroit Catholic Central overwhelmed the field to the tune of 256-1/2 points and four champions on the way to a Medina Invitational Tournament championship. Winning titles for the Shamrocks were Ken Bade (126), Alec Mooradian (145), Andrew Garcia (160), and Kevin Beazley (182). Finishing as runner-up was Malik Amine (132), while a pair of Shamrocks finished fourth and sixth respectively. The most notable win in the tournament for Detroit Catholic Central came in the semifinal round where Mooradian upended No. 16 Jake Faust 2-1 in the tiebreaker, which reversed a result from consolation wrestling at the Super32 in late October. Second in the standings was No. 27 Massillon Perry, Ohio with 202 points, as the Panthers were led by a trio of champions in David Bavery (106), No. 11 Zack Dailey (152), and Joe Tayse (195). Finishing in third place were Isaac Bast (132) and No. 20 Mitch Newhouse (138). Additional wrestlers finished fourth, fifth, and sixth to make it eight placers in all for the Panther squad. The other team with multiple champions was CVCA, Ohio. The Royals finished in third place with 176 points, and were led by dominant championships from their pair of nationally ranked wrestlers -- No. 2 Nathan Tomasello (113) and No. 10 Matt Meadows (220). Even so, the biggest story of the tournament for CVCA came from David Gray, a runner-up at 170 pounds who upended No.7 Felipe Martinez (Genoa, Ohio) 11-5 in the quarterfinal round before losing by 7-1 decision to Super32 placer Vince Pickett (Grove City Central Crossing, Ohio) in the final. After the loss, Martinez defaulted out of the tournament and did not place. Four additional wrestlers for CVCA placed -- one in third, two in fifth, and one in seventh. Arguably the tournament's most impressive performance was Matt Hammer (Medina, Ohio), champion at 138 pounds. Hammer dominated No. 20 Mitch Newhouse in the quarterfinal round to the tune of a 9-4 victory, then in the semifinal match he was leading state champion Logan Marcicki (Detroit Catholic Central) 6-2 in the third period before Marcicki had to default, and then it was a 6-1 victory over state placer Max Rohskopf (West Holmes, Ohio) in the final. Rounding out the weight class champions were Luke Langdon (Claymont, Ohio) at 120 pounds, Trevor Fiorucci (Olentangy, Ohio) at 132, Pickett at 170, and Ohio State football recruit Patrick Elflein (Pickerington North, Ohio) at 285. Scott West wins Rumble on the Red with volume Even with just one champion, No. 4 Michael Kroells (220), No. 35 Scott West, Minn. earned the championship at the Rumble on the Red with a tournament high nine placers in scoring 207 points. Other placers for Scott West included runner-up Luke Zilverberg (132); a single wrestler placing third, fourth, sixth, seventh, and eighth; as well as a pair of wrestlers placing fifth. Even with a tournament high three champions, West Fargo, N.D. placed third in the tournament scoring 186 points. Champions for West Fargo were Jordan Shearer (113), Trevor Kringile (120), and No. 16 Preston Lehmann (182). They only placed four other wrestlers for a total of seven in all, one wrestler in fourth and three in eighth. Second place in the tournament went to Albert Lea, Minn. with 190-1/2 points despite only six total placers. Those included a pair of championships from Trevor Westerlund (106) and Nate Lynn (138), a runner-up finish from Trey Hable (170), two wrestlers taking third, and a single wrestler in fourth place. Fourth place went to Foley, Minn. with 184-1/2 points and eight placers despite no champions. A trio of wrestlers -- Tyler Funk (106), Tristan Manderfield (113), and Taylor Lewandowski (160) -- finished in second place, another trio medaled in seventh place, while the other placers took sixth and eighth respectively. A close fifth place finish was had by Jackson County Central, Minn. with 180-1/2 points led by a pair of champions -- Darick Vancura (160) and No. 9 Cooper Moore (170). Other placers for their squad took third, sixth, a pair in seventh, and a pair in eighth. Rounding out the weight class champions were No. 8 Mitch Bengtson (St. Cloud Apollo, Minn.) at 126 pounds, No. 4 Thomas Gilman (Skutt Catholic, Neb.) at 132, Adam Cooling (Madelia-Truman, Minn.) at 145, No. 8 Jared Reis (Napoleon, N.D.) at 152, Adam Josephson (Minneota, Minn.) at 195, and Tommy Doeden (Hillsboro, N.D.) at 285. Other highlights of this coming week: OHSWCA State Duals -- No. 2 St. Edward, No. 16 Cincinnati Moeller, and No. 27 Wadsworth headline eight team field for Division I on Sunday at Wadsworth (Ohio) High School, No. 7 St. Paris Graham hosts the eight-team Division II event, while the Division III event is held at Evergreen High School outside of Toledo. No. 18 Tulsa Union, Okla., No. 20 Broken Arrow, Okla., and No. 29 Tuttle, Okla., headlines a 25-team field at the oldest wrestling tournament in the nation, the 68th annual Geary (Okla.) Invitational Wrestling Tournament. Unique about the event is that there are no seedings, the draw is completely open, and there are challenge matches for true second (when applicable) after the championship round. No. 30 Blue Springs, Mo. and No. 41 Christian Brothers, Tenn., anchors the Gateway to the Best Dual Tournament hosted by Lindenwood University in St. Louis, Mo. No. 47 Glenbard North, Ill., and No. 48 Carl Sandburg, Ill., compete in a dual meet match featuring two of the perennial powers in the Land of Lincoln.

University of Minnesota head wrestling coach J Robinson announced today that redshirt sophomore Jake Deitchler will no longer be competing for the Gopher wrestling program due to his history with concussions that have dated back since he was 7-years old. Jake Deitchler made the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team in Greco-Roman (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine)“I am very proud to say that I was a wrestler here at the University of Minnesota,” said Deitchler. “I have been through a lot since I arrived here on campus a few years back and in the end, I am very proud to say that I was a wrestler for the Minnesota Golden Gophers.” Over the holiday break Deitchler and coach Robinson traveled to meet with Sports Concussion Specialist Dr. Michael Collins of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, to discuss Deitchler's issue. This was Deitchler's third trip to the clinic in efforts to try and get him back on the mat. After conducting several tests, Dr. Collins advised Deitchler that it would be in his best interest not to continue his wrestling career. Deitchler had previously met with Dr. Collins back during the 2010-11 school year, to help resolve his concussion problem. He went through many tests and waited for positive results, before he finally was given the green light to get back on the mat that fall. “Talking with coach Robinson we both agreed that God closes one door and then opens up another door for you,” Detichler said. “I am sad that my wrestling career is over, but I am looking forward to the many opportunities that will come my way in the future.” This past fall, Deitchler made his comeback to the mat and began training with the Gophers. On Nov. 12 at the Bison Open in Fargo, N.D., he captured the 157 pound title for the Maroon and Gold. A week later he dropped a decision to top-ranked Kyle Dake of Cornell, but responded with a victory over No.9 ranked Dylan Alton of Penn State, in the Gophers upset win over the defending national champion Nittany Lions. “He (Deitchler) is a very special person who has been through a lot,” Robinson said. “It is very hard to tell someone who has put in so much time, hard work and dedication into this sport that you can no longer wrestle. Jake is a competitor and I know he will find other opportunities that will fuel his competitive spirit.” Deitchler was the 2007 NHSCA Junior National Champion at 145 pounds; he went on to represent the United States at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing in the 66 kg./145.5 lb. Greco-Roman division, becoming the first high school wrestler to make the U.S. Olympic team since Mike Farina in 1976. To get to Beijing, Deitchler knocked off 2006 World bronze medalist Harry Lester in the semifinals and 32-year-old Faruk Sahin, in Las Vegas at the 2008 Olympic Trials. Robinson said that Deitchler will still be part of the No. 4 Golden Gophers while finishing up his education. “He is a Gopher and will continue to be a member of this team in some shape or form,” Robinson said. “He is going to continue his education here and wants to get into business one day.” The Anoka, Minn., native prepped at Anoka High School where he won three state championships and compiled a 201-38 record. Over his last three seasons at Anoka, Deitchler dominated with a 125-1 over record, en route to his Olympic dream.

David Taylor

Related: Brackets The 2012 NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals Presented by Hibiclens and The Marines has announced the brackets for the event taking place on January 7-8 at the Prairie Capital Convention Center in Springfield, Ill. This five division tournament will take place over a two-day period and is double elimination. Division II, Division III and NAIA will all compete in sixteen team double-elimination brackets. The NJCAA and Women's Divisions are placed into eight team brackets, all divisions are guaranteed three matches. In Division II Newberry takes the number one seed to start the tournament, with Upper Iowa drawing in as the number two seed. Newberry is no stranger to this tournament, they have made the finals two of the last three years. In last year's final Nebraska-Omaha came away with a closely fought out win over Augustana 17-15. Augustana enters this year's event seeded fifth. Returning Champion, Wartburg College, comes in as the top seed in the Division III bracket with Augsburg College as the number two seed. , Warburg claimed their fifth team title last year with a 16-15 win over University of Wisconsin. UW La Crosse enters the tournament at No. 4. In the ten year history of the event, Wartburg College has been in the finals all ten years while Augsburg has been in the finals eight out of the ten years. Each school has won five titles. Great Falls (MT) earned the top seed in the NAIA division. This is the first time in school history that the program has earned this distinction. Grandview (IA) was awarded the second seed and looks to improve on last year's seventh place finish. Last year's finalist in the NAIA, Notre Dame College and Lindenwood University , will not be competing this year due to the fact they are re-classifying to Division II. Four-time NJCAA Dual Champion, Iowa Central will look for their fifth title as they enter the event as the number one seed. Returning NJCAA Champion Clackamus Community College is currently seeded second with Labette College as the third seed. Taking the No. 1 seed for the women are returning five time champions of the National Duals, Oklahoma City University. Competing in the tournament for the first year is King College as they capture the No. 2 seed, while returning runner-up Simon Fraser takes the third spot. The women are the only division in this competition that wrestle under freestyle rules. Competition will get underway on Saturday, January 7th at 9 a.m. Tickets can be purchased in advance or at the door, for more information visit our website at http://www.nwcaonline.com/NWCAWebSite/Events/nwcanationalduals/national-duals-info. The 2012 NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals are being hosted by the National Wrestling Advancement Association (NWAA).

One-time UFC competitor Rolles Gracie will aim to extend his win streak to three when he faces former Japanese MMA superstar Bob Sapp at One FC on Feb. 11 in Jakarta, Indonesia. Gracie announced the matchup late Sunday and Sherdog.com was first to report of the matchup. All five of Gracie (5-1)'s MMA wins have come by either an arm-triangle choke or a rear-naked choke. Read Story

Karl Amoussou is making the full drop from middleweight to welterweight for Bellator's season-six tournament. Officials today announced that Amoussou has joined the eight-man field for the 170-pound tourney. Amoussou, an M-1 and Strikeforce vet, recently score a vicious first-round TKO of Jesus Martinez in a 175-pound catchweight fight at Bellator 59 to begin the drop in weight class. Read Story

After dropping off the recent UFC 141 fight card on the day of the event due to an illness, Matt Riddle is quickly returning to action. UFC officials today announced Riddle has replaced injured Amir Sadollah and now meets Wanderlei Silva protege Jorge Lopez at next month's UFC 143 event. UFC officials today announced the change. Read Story

Just days after he was announced as part of this month's UFC on FX 1 event, Ken Stone has been forced off the card with an undisclosed injury. UFC officials today announced a search is underway for a replacement for Stone, who was slated to fight bantamweight Mike Easton. It was the final fight added to the night's FX-televised main card. Read Story

The dance card is rapidly filling for the UFC's first Canadian jaunt this year. The promotion today announced that lightweights Matt Wiman and Mark Bocek have agreed to square off at UFC 145, which takes place March 24 at Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec. It's not yet known whether Wiman vs. Bocek is set for the pay-per-view main-card or the preliminary card, which is expected to air on FX. Read Story

Mark Hominick will try to bounce back at UFC 145 in Montreal as he faces Eddie Yagin in a featherweight bout on the card. Read Story

Lyoto Machida recently had successful left elbow surgery, and moments after the procedure, he took to Twitter to lay down a challenge to the loquacious Chael Sonnen. "Chael Sonnen, I just had surgery but I can still give you your present in the octagon with just one arm. All you have to do is accept," he wrote. Read Story

The wins don't come much bigger -- or more exciting -- than Wyoming's on Tuesday in the Arena-Auditorium, as the Cowboy wrestling team defeated ninth-ranked Oklahoma 18-17 in a dual that came down to the last match. It was a win of historic proportion for UW, which had lost in each of the previous 16 meetings with the Sooners in a series that began in 1955. The Pokes now are 1-14-2 all-time versus Oklahoma. The Sooners rode into town with a season record of 3-1, with wins over Missouri and Iowa State, while Wyoming won its first dual of the season to move to 1-2 overall. "It's a great win. I knew we could compete with them, but right there at the end, you don't know if you're going to win, tie or lose," Wyoming coach Mark Branch said. "I thought it was sloppy and ugly, but sometimes getting over hurdles, you knock them down. You don't always clear them with a breeze. We knocked down the hurdle more than we cleared it, but we did get past it." Sophomore Pat Martinez sealed the Wyoming victory with his bonus-point win in the 174-pound bout, dominating OU's Nolan McBryde in a 15-2 major decision. It came at an opportune time, as Wyoming entered the last match down three points. Martinez's win, worth four team points, vaulted UW to 18 points, one point better than Oklahoma. Senior Shane Onufer gave Martinez the impetus to perform well, as he drew Wyoming to within striking distance on the scoreboard with his 7-3 win over No. 18 Bubby Graham in the 165-pound match. Onufer moved to 17-1 on the season with the win, and his decision gave Wyoming a fighting chance heading into the last match with the score OU 17, Wyoming 14. The dual began on a high note for UW, as third-ranked senior Joe LeBlanc (184) won his second-straight match by technical fall, beating No. 16 Erich Schmidtke 19-3. LeBlanc now is 17-1 on the season, and 4-1 versus ranked opponents. Junior Alfonso Hernandez (197 pounds) kept the momentum rolling, taking out OU's Keldrick Hall with a comeback 6-5 decision. Hernandez's win, his team-leading 25th of the year, made the team score Wyoming 8, Oklahoma 0. But OU showed its strength in the heavyweight match, as Kyle Colling took down Wyoming's L.J. Helbig with a 13-3 major decision, which cut Wyoming's lead to 8-4 after three matches. Senior Michael Martinez nabbed his 16th win of the season at 125 pounds, beating No.5 Jarrod Patterson in a thrilling 4-2 decision which came in the second tiebreaker period. Patterson took a 2-1 lead in the first tiebreaker, but a caution infraction and a stall penalty against Patterson gave Martinez a 3-2 advantage. He added an escape point with 5 seconds remaining to pad the lead. Martinez now is 2-3 versus ranked opponents this year and his victory gave Wyoming an 11-4 lead on the scoreboard. "Michael wrestled smart and stayed in position," Branch said. "It was good for him in the long run because he hasn't been getting the respect he deserves. Having a quality win over a top-five guy really sets you up for qualification (to the NCAA Championships)." The Sooners again fought back, as No. 12 Jordan Keller beat UW's Zach Zehner, ranked 14th, in the 133-pound battle in a tough 2-1 decision. No. 7 Kendric Maple took down UW's Mike Hamel at 141 pounds in a 6-1 decision, and No. 12 Nick Lester beat Brandon Richardson in an 8-1 decision. OU would earn one more victory in the 157-pound match as No. 11 Matt Lester won by major decision over Dakota Friesth, 16-4. The four straight wins gave OU the 17-14 advantage, but the Sooners wouldn't score the rest of the way. "We had such tight battles in several matches that could've went the other way and we could've been sitting here, disgusted," Branch said. "I'm happy we got a win. In some of those individual matches, although I didn't like what I saw, (Wyoming wrestlers) got their hand raised and we've emphasized that." The Pokes have a short break before they hit the road for the next test, versus Oregon State in Corvallis, Ore., on Jan. 15. Results: 184: No. 3 Joe LeBlanc (UW) technical fall No. 16 Erich Schmidtke (OU), 19-3 197: No. 12 Alfonso Hernandez (UW) dec. Keldrick Hall (OU), 6-5 Hwt: Kyle Colling (OU) major dec. L.J. Helbig (UW), 13-3 125: No. 17 Michael Martinez (UW) dec. No. 5 Jarrod Patterson (OU), 4-2 (TB2) 133: No. 12 Jordan Keller (OU) dec. No. 14 Zach Zehner (UW), 2-1 141: No. 7 Kendric Maple (OU) dec. Mike Hamel (UW), 6-1 149: No. 12 Nick Lester (OU) dec. Brandon Richardson (UW), 8-1 157: No. 11 Matt Lester (OU) major dec. Dakota Friesth (UW), 16-4 165: No. 6 Shane Onufer (UW) dec. No. 18 Bubby Graham (OU), 7-3 174: Patrick Martinez (UW) major dec. Nolan McBryde (OU), 15-4