InterMat Staff

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- The fifth-ranked Tigers honored the 2012-13 senior class Wednesday night with a 43-3 rout over the SIU-Edwardsville Cougars. Nearly a thousand fans packed the Hearnes Center to witness Mizzoutake nine of 10 matches, eight of which came in bonus point territory. The Tigers improved to 12-2 on the year and 20-4 all-time against SIUE. In what happened to be an evening full of scoring, Missouri grapplers won weight classes 141 through 197 all by major decision, technical fall, or pin. Zach Toal (Sidney, Ohio) and Mike Larson (McKinleyville, Calif.) both won by fall against their Cougar counterparts, and Brent Haynes (Kansas City, Mo.) and sophomore 149-pounder Trevor Wiest (O’Fallon, Mo.) acquired technical falls. Toal made quick work of his opponent Adam Osmoe by pinning him at 2:25. Toal only needed one takedown before getting Osmoe flat on his back. At 184, Larson waited until the last possible second to finish off Derek Nagel. Simultaneously, as the buzzer went off, the official smacked his hand on the mat indicated a pin at 6:59. Filling in for Drake Houdashelt at149, Wiest made the most of his opportunity by taking shot after shot. Wiest tallied nine takedowns and three nearfalls of two points in his 25-9 technical fall over Logun Taylor at 6:07. Wiest’s nine total takedowns is good enough for the most in a dual bout this season for a Tiger. Houdashelt previously heldthat honor with eight. Haynes added nine points to a 8-2 lead after two periods. A takedown and a couple three-point nearfalls got the senior the technical fall and his 107th career win as a Tiger. Senior 141-pounder Nicholas Hucke (Pewaukee, Wisc.) took care of Brandon Brindley by major decision thanks to 3:18 of riding time that increased the final score to 10-2. Kyle Bradley (St. Peters, Mo.) and Todd Porter (House Springs, Mo.) also added major decisions at 157 and 174, respectively. Bradley tacked on four takedowns, a reversal, and a two-point nearfall to earn his ninth major decision. Coming off of a big weekend against Oklahoma State and Oklahoma in early February, Porter earned his third in as many tries with a 17-5 victory over Jake Residori. Porter has a team-leading 49 takedowns on the year after accumulating six more Wednesday. The Tigers’ big man and No. 1-ranked heavyweight in the land Dom Bradley (Blue Springs, Mo.) capped the night off with a 6-2 decision over David Devine, the only win that didn’t count for bonus points. SIUE’s Patrick Myers closed the team score gap to 6-3 at 133 pounds after the Cougars failed to send a 125-pounder to combat No. 4 Alan Waters. Myers defeated Mizzou redshirt freshman BoomerBoyd (Wilmington, N.C.) 6-1 with 1:36 of riding time accumulated. Boyd got his first career start at 133 pounds against Myers and couldn’t amass much more than a few near takedowns and an escape. The loss marked the first time since the 1999-2000 campaign that the Tigers had given up team points against theCougars. Next up, the Tigers welcome No. 16Purdue, No. 20 Wyoming, and Maryland to Columbia for the NWCA Cliff Keen National Duals Midwest Regional this Sunday. The winner of the four-team bracket will advance to Minnesota the following week to compete in the Finals. Tickets are available for this elite event by visiting our ticket office online or by calling 1-800-CAT-PAWS. Stay up-to-date with Tiger Style Wrestling byfollowing us on Facebook and Twitter, and as always at MUTigers.com. Results: 125 – No. 4 Alan Waters (MU) wins by forfeit over Unknown (SIUE) 6 0 133 – Patrick Meyers (SIUE) dec. Boomer Boyd (MU) 6-1 6 3 141 – Nicholas Hucke (MU) major dec. over Brandon Brindley (SIUE) 10-2 10 3 149 – Trevor Wiest(MU) tech. fall Logun Taylor (SIUE) 25-9 6:07 15 3 157 – No. 16 Kyle Bradley (MU) major dec. over Kyle Lowman (SIUE) 13-4 19 3 165 – No. 13 Zach Toal (SIUE) fall Adam Osmoe (SIUE) at 2:25 25 3 174 – No. 11 Todd Porter (SIUE) major dec. over Jake Residori (SIUE) 17-5 29 3 184 – No. 10 Mike Larson (MU) fall Derek Nagel (SIUE) at 6:59 35 3 197 – No. 11 Brent Haynes (MU) tech. fall over Deshoun White (SIUE) 17-2 40 3 HWT – No. 1 Dom Bradley (MU) dec. over David Devine (SIUE) 6-2 43 3

Four regional events for the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals will be held Sunday, Feb. 17 at Cornell, Kent State, Missouri, and Oregon State. The four regional winners will advance to the championship, which will take place Feb. 23-24 at the University of Minnesota. Minnesota, Iowa, Ohio State, and Illinois earned automatic berths in the eight-team championship. The regional brackets have been released. The top seeds are Cornell, Oklahoma State, Missouri, and Virgina Tech.

Penn State head wrestling coach Cael Sanderson was a guest on the Jim Rome Show on Wednesday. Sanderson talks about wrestling being dropped from the 2020 Olympic Games. Cael Sanderson

Eric Guerrero

Takedown's Scott Casber talks with prominent wrestling figures about the IOC's decision to drop wrestling from the Olympic Games in 2020. Bruce Baumgartner | Michael Novogratz | Randy Lewis | Lee Kemp | Nick Gallo | Russ Hellickson | Kevin Jackson | Jake Herbert | Rich Bender | Eric Guerrero

Isaiah Bradley is one of 21 undefeated wrestlers in Indiana (Photo/Paul Tincher, IndianaMat.com) Undefeated showdowns rule in the Hoosier State This Friday and Saturday marks the 75th annual Indiana High School Athletic Association state wrestling tournament, as the single-class event will be held at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Twenty-one wrestlers enter the championship weekend undefeated, with 12 weights featuring at least one undefeated wrestler. Seven of those weights feature two undefeated wrestlers, while an eighth weight features a trio of wrestlers without a loss on the season. It all starts at the opening weight class, where freshman Chad Red (New Palestine) -- ranked No. 6 nationally -- enters the tournament with a 44-0 record. Joining Red in his half of the draw is junior Hayden Lee (Garrett), who is ranked No. 20 nationally with a 36-1 record; the wrestlers met for seventh place at the Super 32 Challenge, a match that red won 6-0. The other half of the draw features two undefeated wrestlers: freshman Brock Hudkins (Danville), who could face 40-1 sophomore Garrett Pepple (East Noble) in the quarterfinal; and junior Jake Sinkovics (Mishawaka), who upset Lee in the finals of a late December tournament. Seeking back-to-back state titles is No. 2 Stevan Micic (Hanover Central), who is undefeated at 44-0 during his junior season at 113 pounds. However, another undefeated wrestler looms as a possible finals opponent in sophomore Connor Knopp (East Noble), presuming he is able to clear returning state placer Jacob Cottey (Perry Meridian), who is 37-1 this season. Returning state runner-up Cody LeCount (Perry Meridian), also a Cadet National freestyle runner-up this summer, is ranked No. 19 nationally at 132 pounds. The junior enters the state tournament undefeated with a 36-0 record. In the other half is senior Levi Moss (Benjamin Davis), a returning state placer who is also undefeated with a record of 35-0. The 138 pound weight class is jam-packed with talent, including a pair of undefeated wrestlers in senior Luke Blanton (Alexandria) and sophomore No. 18 Tommy Forte (Mishawaka); Blanton placed fourth at state last year, though he upset defending state champion Neal Molloy in the quarterfinal, while Forte placed third at state with a consolation final victory over Blanton. The path to the state title for Blanton will not be easy, with NHSCA Junior National All-American Anthony McHugh (Culver Academy) looming as a quarterfinal opponent after his 3-2 loss to Forte in the semi-state final; and then a possible semifinal with 39-1 senior Tyler Hupp (Indian Creek), who placed sixth at the Preseason Nationals. In Forte's half of the draw, a semifinal matchup with two-time state placer Chandler Carroll (Yorktown), 40-1 during his junior season, is looming in his path. The 152-pound weight class features defending state champion Isaiah Bradley (Muncie Southside), who is ranked No. 18 nationally and carries an undefeated 33-0 record during his senior season. Joining Bradley here is a pair of returning state runners-up -- senior Josh Farrell (Greenfield Central) and junior Vinny Corsaro (Indianpolis Cathedral). Farrell is undefeated for the season at 44-0, including a 5-4 victory over Corsaro in the semi-state final this past weekend. The draw sets up so that Farrell is in the top half, while Bradley and Corsaro are featured in the projection bottom half-bracket semifinal. Another pair of undefeated wrestlers looms in the 170-pound weight class, one of whom is sophomore Bobby Steveson (Merrillville), who is ranked No. 19 nationally. Steveson placed fifth at state last year, was third in Cadet freestyle, and carries a 35-0 record this season. While in the opposite half of the draw, Riley Lefever (Fort Wayne Carroll) enters this weekend with a 43-0 record. Also in this weight is junior Jake Rickenbaugh (Heritage Hills), who has a 46-1 record, and is in the opposite quarter of the half-bracket featuring Steveson. At 195 pounds, defending state champion Mitch Sliga (Fishers) enters the state tournament with a 45-0 record. The senior Sliga -- ranked No. 4 nationally -- is joined by fellow undefeated senior Clayton Fiddler (Bloomington South), who is 44-0 this year, in the bottom half of the draw. In addition, Sliga's projected quarterfinal match is against 45-1 senior Kyle Garringer (Jay County). The top half of the draw features three seniors each having one loss on the season; Joseph Ross (Northfield) has a 36-1 mark in the top quarter, while 46-1 Jacob Ricks (Benton Central) and Kalob Salkill (South Spencer) are both in the second quarter. Last among the weights with a pair of undefeated wrestlers is 220 pounds, where both without a loss are juniors and in opposite halves of the draw. Fletcher Miller (Kokomo) is in the top half of the draw with a 47-0 record, and it's the much easier half, as the only other notable is Connor Tolley (Franklin Community); Tolley is in the other quarter-bracket, and was a Cadet double All-American this past summer. Returning third in the state Gelen Robinson (Lake Central) is 45-0 this year, and is looking at a quarterfinal match against a senior with only one loss on the season -- either 28-1 Jason Nicodemus (Churubusco) or 34-1 Dylan Jones (Avon); while the other quarter of that bottom half features 37-1 junior Maximilia Hernandez (Warren Central) and 47-1 senior Jared Boehm (Heritage Hills). Additional undefeated wrestlers include junior Deandre Wilson (Warren Central), 34-0 at 120 pounds; senior Nick Crume (Jimtown), 34-0 at 126; senior Neal Molloy (Danville), 39-0 and ranked No. 7 nationally at 145; and senior Matt Hurford (Culver Community), 43-0 at 182. Notable among those weights is the 126-pound class, which is obviously led by two-time state third place finisher Crume in the bottom quarter of the draw. The top quarter of this draw features a pair of state placers, both with one loss on the season -- sophomore Brandon James (Perry Meridian) and Luke Welch (Castle). They are joined in the upper half by Blake Denton (Twin Lake), a junior also with one loss on the season. The quarter opposite of Crume in the bottom half of the draw features two wrestlers with a single loss -- senior Tom Gettinger (Connersville), who upset James in the semi-state final, and junior Josh Fuqua (Crown Point), state runner-up at 103 in 2011. The two weights without an undefeated wrestler are 160 and 285 pounds. The 160-pound weight features returning state runner-up Luke Kreich (Franklin Community) and returning state third place finisher Austin McCloskey (Western Boone), both appear in the same quarter bracket of the draw. The 285-pound weight class has three nationally ranked wreslters in No. 10 Donte Winfield (Perry Meridian), a Junior National freestyle runner-up; along with returning state placers No. 13 Eric Hemmelgarm (Jay County) and No. 15 Wesley Bernard (Indianapolis Cathedral). The senior Winfield had split matches with Bernard heading into their semi-state final this past weekend; however, Bernard won this third match of the season. As a result, the junior Bernard has the more manageable half of the draw, opposite of both other nationally ranked wrestlers. Winfield is in a tough quarter bracket with freshman sensation Shawn Streck (Merrillville), who is 38-4 on the year and was a semi-state champion; while the second quarter of the draw features the junior Hemmelgarm. Coming down to the wire in the Keystone State This weekend's Class AAA state team championship match between No. 10 Canon McMillan and No. 29 Central Dauphin came down to the final bout, when Brendan Price came up the hero for the Big Macs pulling out a 4-3 decision over Zach Elvin at 106 pounds to give Canon McMillan the 34-31 victory. The dual meet went back-and-forth between the two squads, with the Rams firing the first salvo in the form of senior Austin Camacci's 13-0 major decision victory at 113 pounds. Three consecutive Canon McMillan victories gave them their biggest lead of the meet at 14-4. Those came in the form of a pin at 3:50 from No. 12 Dalton Macri, a 21-5 technical fall from No. 3 Connor Schram, and an 8-1 decision by Alec Hutchin. Central Dauphin then responded with five consecutive victories to take a 26-14 lead after 170 pounds; those coming in the form of a forfeit win for No. 8 Tyson Dippery, a 7-0 victory from Nick Varndell, a 14-2 major decision for Austin Rose, a 12 second pin by No. 5 Garrett Peppelman, and a 10-5 decision from Colton Peppelman. Cody Wiericioch, ranked No. 2 in the nation at 170, but wrestling up one weight in this match buffered the tide with a 19-4 technical fall victory to pull Canon McMillan to within 26-19. However, Terrance Parsons would respond right back with a 15-0 technical fall to extend the Rams lead back out to 31-19 with three matches remaning. Then it was consecutive pins by No. 15 Alex Campbell and Angelo Broglia to tie the match at 31-all, and set up the last weight class drama, which resulted in a repeat team state championship for Canon-McMillan. There was no such “down to the wire” in the Class AA tournament, as No. 22 Bethlehem Catholic ran through their four matches like a hot knife through butter. The opening match was an 81-0 shutout against Lower Moreland with only a 15-0 technical fall at 132 and 14-6 major decision at 160 preventing an all-pin assault. It was a 39-18 victory over Fort LeBoeuf, nine matches to five, in a rematch of the 2011 team state final during this year's quarterfinal round. The semifinal round featured a 48-9 victory for the Hawks over Bermudian Springs in which they won eleven of fourteen bouts. In the championship match, Bethlehem Catholic earned the three-peat with a 43-16 (10 matches to 4) victory over Reynolds, who had won this event three times in the recent past. Finishing third in the Class AAA event was No. 34 Franklin Regional, who had a couple of close calls along their journey. The Panthers opened with a 54-15 win over Jersey Shore, before escaping with a 29-28 quarterfinal victory over Owen J. Roberts. Their front-side run was ended in a 41-25 defeat to Central Dauphin, before a 29-25 consolation semifinal victory over Erie McDowell was followed up by a 29-26 victory over Easton in the consolation final. Sooner State decides its team champions At two different sites in Oklahoma, Claremore for the upper two classes (6A and 5A), Cushing for the smaller two classes (4A and 3A), team state champions were decided in the dual meet format. The Class 6A tournament saw a slight surprise as Broken Arrow, previously ranked No. 25, was upset in the semifinal round losing 28-27 to Muskogee. As a result, the Tigers slide back to No. 36 in the Fab50. While, it was No. 30 Edmond North able to capitalize on that upset and come away with the big school state team title. The Huskies had three competitive, but somewhat decisive, dual meets on their way to the title: 39-25 over Sapulpa in the final round, 35-18 over Tulsa Union in the semifinal, and 43-25 over Muskogee in the final. It was No. 12 Collinsville winning the Class 5A championship with a pair of blowout victories -- 64-10 over Deer Creek and 67-6 over Coweta -- before a rather tight 31-24 finals victory over Lawton McArthur. No. 40 Tuttle made it a four-peat in Class 4A with three dominating victories on Saturday: 63-13 over Bristow in the opening round, 61-9 over Blackwell in the semifinal, and finally 43-10 over Vinita in the final. Lastly it was Perry winning the small school (Class 3A) title with a 30-25 finals victory over Newkirk. Show-Me the state championships Tomorrow marks the beginning of the Missouri State Wrestling Championships, as all four classifications start their tournaments at the Mizzou Arena in Columbia. In the big school competition (Class 4), No. 32 Park Hill enters as a slight favorite over No. 37 Blue Springs. The Trojans are working with 11 total state qualifiers, while the Wildcats -- though favored to win four weight brackets -- only have eight competing in Columbia. Outside contenders in Class 4 are Seckman and Holt, who each have nine wrestlers qualified. Two weight classes in this classification stand out for their quality of competition. Two returning state champions are featured at 138 pounds, both of whom are juniors; Sam Crane (Rock Bridge), who is 43-1 on the season, and two-time state champion No. 9 Daniel Lewis (Blue Springs), who is 42-0. Those two wrestlers are in opposite halves of the draw; however, another undefeated competitor is in this weight bracket, 47-0 senior Nick Olejnik (Lafayette Wildwood) who is in the same half-bracket as Crane. Two of the nation's top 100 senior recruits, both of whom were Junior National folkstyle champions last spring, are in the same half-bracket at 145 pounds: No. 16 Darick Lapaglia (Blue Springs) and Clayton Ream (Holt). Two-time state champion Lapaglia, also Junior National freestyle All-American, enters the state tournament 40-1; while three-time state placer, but never a state champion, Ream enters 48-1. Both wrestlers' lone loss this season is to Grant Leeth, but Lapaglia also carries a win over Leeth during this season. Lingering in the opposite half-bracket is senior Russell Coleman (Park Hill), who is well-positioned to earn the dubious distinction of being a four-time state runner-up. Other nationally ranked wrestlers in Class 4 include No. 4 Ke-Shawn Hayes (Park Hill) at 113, No. 11 Cain Salas (Blue Springs) at 152, No. 8 (at 152) Austin Eads (Blue Springs South) competing at 160, No. 9 Michael Pixley (Blue Springs) at 182, and No. 2 (at 220) J'Den Cox (Hickman) competing at 285. No. 43 Kearney will seek to repeat in the Class 3 tournament, while working with just eight state qualifiers; and without the presence of Junior National freestyle All-American Seth Brayfield, who failed to qualify for state at 120 pounds. Key wrestlers for the Bulldogs include state champions No. 7 Jaret Singh (113), Kevin Kinney (138), and No. 18 Grant Leeth (145); along with state runners-up Blake Clevenger (132) and Blain Drescher (160). Teams seeking to dethrone Kearney include Neosho, with 13 state qualifiers; Oak Park Staley, with 12 state qualifiers; and Farmington, with 9 state qualifiers. Oak Grove (10 qualifiers) is the favorite in Class 2, while Whitfield (9 qualifiers) is the favorite in Class 1. Garden State to decide its best teams on Sunday While the individual state tournament sanctioned by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) is un-scored and a single-class affair, the team championships decided by dual meets is conducted in four public-school and two non-public-school groups based on enrollment. There are four nationally ranked teams under the NJSIAA umbrella, No. 26 South Plainfield, No. 35 Bergen Catholic, No. 38 Bound Brook, and No. 41 Don Bosco Prep. South Plainfield is a prohibitive favorite in the Group 3 tournament, Bound Brook has the same status in the Group 1 (small school) tournament, while Bergen Catholic and Don Bosco Prep are likely to meet on Friday night in the Non-public Group A North section final. The tournaments started with 24 teams in each public school group and 12 in the two private school groups as determined and seeded by power points. Each of the four public school sections and two private school sections in a group went from six to four on Monday night, with the sectional semifinals being conducted tonight. Section finals are on Friday, while the championships (final four for the public groups and championship match only for the non-public groups) will be held on Sunday at Pine Belt Arena in Toms River, N.J. For the public school groups, the final four teams are paired based on power points for the semifinal round on Sunday. The following is the list of pairings for tonight's sectional semifinal rounds, rankings come courtesy of The Star-Ledger Top 20 (regardless of group) from this Tuesday. Group 1 (small school) North 1: No. 10 Kittatinny vs. Pequannock, Emerson Boro vs. Lenape Valley North 2: Hanover Park vs. Bogota, Caldwell vs. Cedar Grove Central: No. 4 Bound Brook vs. Burlington City, Roselle Park vs. South River South: Paulsboro vs. Collingswood, Cinnaminson vs. Woodstown Group 2 North 1: No. 13 High Point vs. Parisppany, River Dell vs. West Essex North 2: No. 19 Voorhees vs. Governor Livingston, Parsippany Hills vs. Cranford Central: Long Branch vs. Point Pleasant Boro, Delaware Valley vs. Raritan South: No. 18 Delsea vs. Barnegat, Clayton vs. Highland Group 3 North 1: Northern Highlands vs. Wayne Valley, Passaic Valley vs. Paramus North 2: No. 1 South Plainfield vs. West Morris, Warren Hills vs. Roxbury Central: Brick Township vs. North Burlington, Ocean Township vs. Hopewell Valley South: No. 6 Toms River South vs. Cherry Hill West, Timber Creek vs. Hammonton Group 4 (big school) North 1: Morris Knolls vs. Hackensack, Clifton vs. North Bergen North 2: No. 8 Hunterdon Central vs. Watchung Hills, No. 9 Phillipsburg vs. North Hunterdon Central: No. 5 Brick Memorial vs. East Brunswick, No. 12 Jackson Memorial vs. No. 15 Howell South: No. 11 Southern Regional vs. Toms River North, Clearview vs. Shawnee Non-Public Group A North: No. 2 Bergen Catholic vs. No. 16 St. Joseph Montville, No. 3 Don Bosco Prep vs. No. 7 St. Peter's Prep South: St. Augustine vs. Bishop Ahr, Christian Brothers vs. St. John Vianney Non-Public Group B North: DePaul vs. Rutgers Prep, Morris Catholic vs. Pingry South: No. 14 Camden Catholic vs. St. Joseph Hammonton, Holy Cross vs. Holy Spirit Additional individual state tournament results/highlights from the past weekend Arizona Team champions included Sunnyside (Division 1), Ironwood Ridge (Division 2), Thunderbird (Division 3), and Camp Verde (Division 4). Notable individual highlight was Dalton Brady (Chandler) winning his fourth state title; the No. 8 ranked 126 pound wrestler, fourth at that weight in the Super 32 Challenge, competed all the way up at 138 pounds capping off a 33-0 season. Montana State championship teams included Great Falls (Class AA), Havre (Class A), and Forsyth (Class BC) by one point over Choteau. Nevada State championship teams included Green Valley (Division I), Lowry (Division I-A), and Battle Mountain (Division III/IV). Notable individual highlight was No. 20 Joey Lavallee (Reno) earning his fourth state title, for the second straight time at 145 pounds. Additional team state tournament results/highlights from the past weekend Maryland Damascus won their third Class 4A/3A title in program history, but first since 1999, while Winters Mill was repeat champion in Class 2A/1A. Ohio No. 2 St. Edward, No. 5 St. Paris Graham, and Delta won championships in the debut edition of this event in their respective divisions. South Carolina Dual meet state champions were Lexington (Class 4A), Eastside (Class 3A), and Bamberg-Ehrhardt (Class 2A/1A). Other individual state championships this coming weekend The state championship tournament in Utah starts today; events in Alabama, Georgia, Illinois (preview article posted yesterday), Iowa (preview article posted Tuesday), Nebraska, and Tennessee start tomorrow; while those in Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, North Dakota, Virginia, and Washington start on Friday. Other dual meet state championships this week Delaware decided its dual meet state champions yesterday, results to be posted in next week's notebook column; Iowa has its team state tournaments today; North Dakota wrestles its tournament tomorrow; while North Carolina has its state championship dual meets on Saturday.

Rich Bender

Russ Hellickson

Kevin Jackson

Jake Herbert

IOC leaders dropped wrestling from the Olympic program on Tuesday, a surprise decision that removes one of the oldest Olympic sports from the 2020 Games. The IOC executive board decided to retain modern pentathlon -- the event considered most at risk -- and remove wrestling instead from its list of 25 "core sports." Read story

No matter what one does during their high school career, winning a state championship is always going to be very treasured. For those seniors yet to win a state title, it is their last chance. In the Land of Lincoln, that opportunity comes this Thursday through Saturday at Assembly Hall on the campus of the University of Illinois. Brian Murphy (Glenbard North, Ill.), ranked No. 2 nationally at 152 pounds and No. 11 overall in the Class of 2013, is missing that state title. As a freshman, he finished third at 130 pounds losing to two-time state champion Edwin Cooper in the quarterfinal (though Keith Surber would go on to win the weight class). As a sophomore, Murphy finished second at 140 pounds, losing to undefeated Luke Smith in the final, before last year's 3-1 defeat against 2010 state champion Max Schneider at 152 pounds. He enters this year's state Class 3A state tournament with a 34-1 record, the lone loss coming 3-1 in the ultimate tiebreaker against No. 1 Jake Short (Simley, Minn.), which was one match after a 3-2 ultimate tiebreaker victory over No. 3 Mark Hall (Apple Valley, Minn.). However, yet another finals showdown looms, as defending state champion Kyle Langendorfer (Lincoln Way East) -- ranked No. 15 nationally at 145 pounds -- is actually in this bracket, and has an undefeated mark of 39-0 this season. There are three other big-time showdowns looming in the Class 3A state tournament, all of them involving both wrestlers being undefeated for the season. At 106 pounds, it would be No. 7 Miguel Silva (Plainfield South) and No. 10 Rudy Yates (Brother Rice). Silva, 38-0 during this his junior season, was a Cadet National freestyle champion this past summer at 100 pounds; while the freshman Yates is also 38-0, after winning the Preseason Nationals this past November. At 195 pounds, No. 8 Jordan Ellingwood (Plainfield Central) enters the state tournament 43-0, while No. 5 Ricky Robertson (Carl Sandburg) enters the tournament in Champaign at 44-0. Ellingwood finished third at state last year, won the Preseason Nationals in November, and has three victories this season over No. 15 Blake Blair (Edwardsville); while Robertson was runner-up at state last year, losing his only match in the state final, and finished fourth in both styles at the Junior Nationals this past summer in Fargo. Also looming in this weight class is the just mentioned Blair, who was runner-up in this weight class last year, and is present in the opposite quarter of Robertson's half-bracket. At 285 pounds, junior Brian Allen (Hinsdale Central) and senior Andrew Geers (Neuqua Valley) both enters the state tournament undefeated, and are on opposite halves of the draw as Illinois smartly seeds its sectional tournament champions for the state event. Allen, already placing third at state twice, is ranked No. 9 nationally with a 44-0 record this season; while Geers, who took fourth last year losing to Allen in the consolation final, is No. 19 nationally with a 37-0 record. Other undefeated wrestlers in Class 3A include sophomore Michael Cullen (Cary Grove), fifth in Cadet freestyle this summer, at 113 pounds; two-time state placer, including runner-up in 2011, Trayvon Zabala (Joliet Central) at 120; two-time state champion, and ranked No. 2 nationally, Jered Cortez (Glenbard North) at 126; sophomore Larry Early (Oak Park River Forest) at 132, who finished third at state last year as a freshman; No. 1 Bryce Brill (Mt. Carmel) at 145, state champion as a freshman before finishing second last year; No. 18 Davonte Mahomes (Oak Park River Forest, Ill.) at 160, who was third at state last year as a sophomore; three-time state placer Colin Holler (Carl Sandburg), who is ranked No. 11 nationally, at 170; and No. 17 Joe Ariola (Oak Park River Forest) at 182. Cullen is part of a four-person group that could win the 113-pound weight class. Looming in his half-bracket is junior Mark Duda (Marist), a two-time state placer who finished second at state last year. In the other half-bracket is Brian Rossi (Lockport), third at state last year, and defending state champion Kris Williams (Thornton). Zabala, third last year at 113 and second the year before at 112, is the top-seed in a brutal 120-pound weight group. Looming in his quarterfinal is the winner of a first round match featuring returning state runners-up Sebastian Pique (Carl Sandburg) and Matthew Rundell (Oak Park River Forest); the senior Pique happened to beat Zabala in the 2011 state finals match. Should Zabala advance to the semifinal, it would mean the Pique/Rundell loser cannot place at state. Also in that top half of the draw is Preseason Nationals runner-up Steve Polakowski (Libertyville). The bottom half-bracket features returning state placer Jon Marmolejo (Glenbard North) and two-time defending state champion Johnny Jimenez (Marmion Academy), ranked No. 8 nationally and the overall weight class favorite. Cortez is a strong favorite to win his third straight state title in as many high school seasons. However, the bottom half-bracket will be interesting to follow with two-time state placer Nick Nasenbenny (Plainfield Central), freshman Isaiah White (Oak Park River Forest) -- ranked No. 18 nationally, and defending state champion Jordan Northrup (Machesney Park Harlem) all there. Nasenbenny vs. White looms in the quarterfinal round. Early is well-positioned to clear to the final, while it's the bottom half-bracket that merits some attention. Two-time state finalist George Fisher (Marmion Academy), ranked No. 15 nationally and a 2011 state champion, is likely to face either two-time state placer Johnny Gosinski (Glenbard North) or fellow two-time state placer Doug Johnson (DeKalb) in the semifinal. Undefeated wrestlers Brill and Ariola are prohibitive favorites to win state titles in their respective weight classes; Mahomes, third at state last year as a sophomore, is looking at a state final matchup against either state placer Peter Andreotti (Marist) or Hunter Rollins (Hersey); while Holler is looking at a likely finals match against one of two state placers, either sophomore Alex Benoit (Marist) or senior Dan Rowland (Willowbrook). Only two weights in Class 3A do not have an undefeated wrestler, 138 and 220. At 138-pound, the three most accomplished wrestlers reside in the bottom half of the draw. State runner-up Cullen Cummings (Downers Grove North) is well positioned for a semifinal appearance, while defending state champion Sal Annoreno (Bartlett) is looking at a quarterfinal date with three-time state placer (2010 and 2011 state runner-up) Mech Spraggins (Belleville East). The top half of the draw features sectional champions Steve Galiardo (St. Patrick) and Manny Silva (Hononegah). Due to injuries to returning state placer David Denne (Mt. Carmel) and freshman sensation Lucas Warren (Marmion Academy), the 220-pound weight class is the weakest of the fourteen. The projected state final could feature two-time state qualifier Tom Howell (Marist) and Luke Roth (Naperville Central); Roth was undefeated prior to an upset loss in the sectional tournament against Bill Gore (Carl Sandburg), and it was Howell who ended up winning that sectional. Though this tournament is un-scored from a team standpoint, No. 9 Oak Park River Forest has the most state qualifiers with 11, while No. 14 Carl Sandburg and No. 21 Marist advanced ten to state, with No. 24 Marmion Academy and No. 49 Glenbard North being among the teams qualifying seven to state. In the medium school Class 2A, No. 11 Montini Catholic is the clear dominant force with 13 wrestlers -- all but their 285 -- qualifying for the tournament in Champaign this week. Seven wrestlers enter the event undefeated, including a pair at 152 pounds: Austin Culton (Sycamore) and Garrett Sutton (Richmond-Burton). Others without a loss include No. 20 (at 113) Nkosi Moody (Rich Central) down at 106 pounds, Cameron Mammen (Urbana) at 170, Pat Vitek (Nazareth Academy) at 195, No. 19 Lucas Joseph (East Peoria) at 220, and Preseason Nationals champion Tanner Farmer (Highland) at 285. However, it is the 120-pound weight class that is the featured one in this classification. The on-paper favorite would be No. 16 Barlow McGhee (Rock Island), a multi-time Fargo All-American who has finished second and third at state the last two years. However, McGhee suffered a 3-1 overtime loss to Kenny Baldridge (Morris) in the sectional semifinal round this past weekend. Baldridge is the second-seed in the weight and a semifinal date with Vince Turk (Montini Catholic) looms in his future; Turk, a sophomore, was Cadet National Greco-Roman this past summer but closed out by Tommy Pawleski and Kevon Powell last year. As a result of the loss, McGhee has a tough path to the championship with a first round match against Grant Sutton (Richmond Burton); the sophomore Sutton is 37-2 on the season, but one of those losses was 8-4 to McGhee, and the other 8-1 to Turk this past weekend. The winner of this match faces top seeded Sam Butler (Glenwood) in the quarterfinal. The Class 1A small school state tournament features nine undefeated wrestlers from eight weight classes, including No. 7 Josh Alber (Dakota) at 120 pounds; Alber won the Dvorak beating Jimenez in the final and was runner-up at the Super 32 Challenge. Others without a loss include Cody Minnick (Coal City) at 106, Brandon Biggs (Poplar Grove) at 113, Nat Jozsa (Argenta) at 132, Zach Nelson (Aledo) at 152, Logan Staver (Lena-Winslow) and Devin Mahnke (Grant Park) at 170, Daniel Zimmerman (Dakota) at 220, and Josh Wallick (Gibson City) at 285.

Adam Reth is one of Iowa's most dominant wrestlers (Photo/Wyatt Schultz, The Predicament) The passion for wrestling in Iowa is like nowhere else. The high school state tournament held in the Hawkeye State is the pinnacle of that on the prep level. This year's individual tournament will be held this coming Thursday through Saturday at the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, which five weeks later will also host the 2013 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. Though it looks like the Class 3A (big school) tournament will be dominated by No. 17 Southeast Polk, which had 13 of its wrestlers qualify for the state tournament, there is an extremely tight battle for second place and the always excellent individual weight class battles. The race for runner-up looks to be one about volume vs. elite anchors. Linn Mar has 12 individual qualifiers for the state tournament, while No. 48 Bettendorf only qualified seven for state but has five wrestlers ranked either first or second in the state per The Predicament. Other teams in the hunt for second are Waverly-Shell Rock, which qualified nine for state, along with Cedar Rapids Prairie and their eight state qualifiers. Six wrestlers enter the Class 3A state tournament without a loss, including two in the 170-pound weight class. In that bracket, Duke Egli (Fort Dodge) and Dustin Fuller (Sioux City North) are paired in the same quarter of the draw despite being the top two ranked wrestlers in the bracket per The Predicament. Other undefeated wrestlers include No. 16 Nolan Hellickson (Southeast Polk) at 106, Bryce Meyer (Fort Madison) at 113, returning state placer Joel Northrup (Linn Mar) at 145, and Alex Gross (Keokuk) at 285. Hellickson, ranked No. 1 in Iowa Class 3A at 106 by The Predicament, has the No. 2 ranked wrestler Jacob Schwarm (Bettendorf) in his half of the draw. At 113 pounds, Meyer is in the bottom quarter of the draw, which also features defending state champion Matt Wempen (Linn Mar), and in the other quarter of that same half is Junior National freestyle All-American Kaz Onoo (Mason City). Like Hellickson, Northrup at 145 pounds is ranked No. 1 in Iowa Class 3A, and has the No. 2 ranked wrestler -- three-time state placer Alex Hernandez -- from Bettendorf in his half of the draw. Finally, at 285 pounds, Gross finds himself in an unpleasant position, drawing national No. 17 Jake Scanlan (Southeast Polk) in the quarterfinal round and then having the class's top-ranked wrestler Pedro Gomez (Marshalltown) in the other quarter of the same half. The additional nationally ranked wrestler in this classification is Fredy Stroker (Bettendorf), who is ranked No. 14 at 126 pounds. He is positioned in the third quarter of the draw, and his primary challenger is in the other quarter of the same half, returning state runner-up Chris Walters (Iowa City West). A third returning state runner-up joins Stroker and Walters in this weight class, Travis Willers (Pleasant Valley), who finished second at 106 last year and is among those in the top half of the draw. Arguably the most notable Class 3A quarterfinal projection comes at 132 pounds, where the two top ranked wrestlers in the weight class are slated to meet; two-time state placer Logan Ryan (Bettendorf) and three-time state placer, also winning state in 2011, Colby Knight (Urbandale). Last year's battle for second place in Class 2A between Davenport Assumption and West Delaware Manchester was decided by one-half point, with both teams within seven of state champion Denver-Tripoli. This year, the state champion will most likely be either No. 34 West Delaware Manchester or Davenport Assumption, with the margin being razor thin. Heading to state, the Hawks have nine qualifiers, while the Knights are working with ten in Des Moines. Both squads are represented by a wrestler in seven of fourteen weight classes: 106, 113, 138, 145, 152, 182, and 285; while the Knights also have a wrestler at 126, 132, and 160 with the Hawks being represented at 170 and 220. Therefore, it makes some sense to look at those common weight classes first. At 106 pounds, each squad is poised to be represented in the top bracket semifinal. Patrick Woods (West Delaware Manchester) placed third at state last year and is the No. 1 ranked wrestler in this weight per The Predicament. Though freshman Darien Collins (Davenport Assumption) is only ranked ninth, he is the highest ranked in that quarter of the draw. Both squads also have wrestlers in the top half of the draw at 113 pounds, and each is the highest rated wrestler in their quarter of the draw. Zach Less (West Delaware Manchester) is ranked second after placing fifth at state last year, but is joined by third ranked Johnny Etherington (Charles City) in that top quarter; while returning state placer Brendan Gould (Davenport Assumption) is ranked fifth, highest of that second quarter. The overall weight class favorite would be returning state runner-up Mason Miller (Winterset). At 138 pounds, two-time state placer Eric Clarke (Davenport Assumption) is ranked third in the state, but has the second ranked wrestler -- Zach Skopec (Spirit Lake) in that same quarter; while senior Ryan Soppe (West Delaware Manchester) is unranked, but his quarter of the draw features no ranked wrestlers. However, the story of this weight class is No. 13 Jake Marlin (Creston), who seeks a fourth state title. Life will not be easy for Marlin, as he has the undefeated Drew Foster (Mediapolis) in his quarter of the draw. Similarly the 145-pound weight class features a wrestler from both favorites, but is dominated by the journey of No. 6 in the nation Brandon Sorenson (Denver-Tripoli) -- undefeated at 53-0 on the year -- going after a fourth state title. His first round opponent is Tionte Parks (Davenport Assumption). Looking forward in the draw, Sorenson is likely to face the fifth-ranked wrestler in the quarterfinal and the second-ranked wrestler in the semifinal. Zach Muller (West Delaware Manchester), already a two-time state placer, is ranked fourth in this weight, and is well positioned to make the semifinal from the bottom quarter of the draw. Three-time state placer Nick Georgean (Davenport Assumption), a state champion last year and undefeated at 32-0 is the favorite at 152 pounds. However, his journey will not be easy starting with Griffin Obsing (Albia), who is 47-1 and ranked fifth in this weight, in the opening round. In the other quarter of Georgean's half is returning state runner-up Logan Thomsen (Union) and returning state third place finisher Jesse Etherington (Charles City). All that leaves Jake Voss (West Delaware Manchester), a junior returning state placer, well positioned to make the state final here despite being fourth in the state rankings. Both teams also have a wrestler at 182 pounds, though Jacyn Goebel (West Delaware Manchester) enters as the favorite coming off a fourth at state finish last year, though returing state runner-up Chase Shedenhelm (Denver-Tripoli) is in that same half of the draw. Sophomore Gabriel Rangel (Davenport Assumption) is drawn into the same quarter as Goebel. Finally, both teams feature a wrestler at 285 pounds, where again the West Delaware wrestler enters as the favorite. Dean Broghammer placed third at state last year as a junior, and is undefeated this season at 43-0. Broghammer's primary challenge looms in the semifinal round, as second-ranked Josh Clark (Union) is in the same half of the draw. Sean Easler (Davenport Assumption), a returning state qualifier, is ranked fifth in this weight, and should advance to at least the semifinals. Other state qualifiers for Davenport Assumption include returning state runners-up Tony Devriese (126) and Kyle Springer (132), along with Danny Bush (160); while West Delaware Manchester is also represented by Thomas Oleson (170) and Adam Reth (220), who is ranked No. 7 nationally and a defending state champion. Devriese, ranked third in his weight class, finds himself in the tougher half of the draw. He is joined in his quarter by fifth-ranked Bryce Leshen (Albia), while the other quarter of that bottom half bracket features the two top ranked wrestlers -- defending state champion Max Thomsen (Union), undefeated this year at 43-0, and John Christopherson (Spencer). Springer, ranked second in this weight class, is looking at a de facto state final in the semifinal round against Colton McCrystal (Sgt. Bluff Luton). McCrystal, ranked first in this weight, beat Springer 8-6 in last year's state final. Bush, who is ranked sixth in this weight class, has a first-round bout against the fourth-ranked wrestler Tanner Schaefer (Spencer). If able to win that match, it would be the top-ranked wrestler Trey Ryan (Mt. Vernon) in the quarterfinal round. Oleson for West Delaware Manchester is drawn against fifth-ranked Brice Wilcke (Clear Lake). Wilcke is in the top quarter of the draw. In the second quarter of this weight class is the top-ranked wrestler Erik Lux (South Tama), who enters the state tournament undefeated at 45-0. He is the defending state champion, and is looking at a finals collision with two-time state placer Adam Drain (Mediapolis). Undefeated at 41-0, Reth is one of the state's most dominant wrestlers. He is the prohibitive favorite at 220 pounds. However, this will mark his last wrestling event -- unless post-season competition looms -- as he's going to play football for Northern Iowa next year. The showcase weight in Class 2A comes at 120 pounds, where there is a pair of undefeated wrestlers in Charles Jones (Waterloo Columbus), a defending state champion, and Leighton Gaul (New Hampton). Also in this weight class is two-time state champion Doug Miner (Spirit Lake), who is looking at a quarterfinal date with fellow defending state champion Jones. In small school Class 1A, Alburnett enters as the top-ranked team, and has the most state qualifiers with nine. Twelve wrestlers in nine weight classes enter this event as undefeated. Multiple undefeated wrestlers are present at 126, 138, and 220 pounds.

WEST LAFAYETTE, lnd. -- The 17th-ranked Purdue wrestling team clinched its first winning Big Ten dual season since 1998 on Monday night, downing archrival Indiana at Holloway Gymnasium, 28-13. The Boilermakers improved to 14-5 overall and 5-3 in conference action and earned a point for Purdue in the coveted Crimson and Gold Cup all-sport series between the Boilermakers and Hoosiers. Purdue's win was its third straight over the Hoosiers and fourth straight in Big Ten duals this season, marking their longest conference win streak since a four-match stretch in 1998. The 14 dual victories are the Boilermakers' most in a season under sixth-year head coach Scott Hinkel and their most overall since an 18-win dual season in 2004. The Boilermakers got off to a slow start in the dual, dropping matches by decision at 184 and 285 pounds. Purdue sophomore Patrick Kissel gave up a four-point move in the first period and his late rally fell short in a 7-6 loss to Indiana sophomore Luke Sheridan, while junior Alex White suffered a 10-4 loss to 12th-ranked Hoosier junior Adam Chalfant. Despite the losses, Purdue offset the six points by receiving a forfeit at 197 pounds, improving sophomore Braden Atwood's record to 21-6 on the year. The top of the lineup proved all Boilermakers as they reeled off four straight wins to cinch up the team score. Junior Camden Eppert got the run going with a dominant 10-3 victory over Indiana sophomore Joe Duca at 125 pounds. Eppert scored early and often, hitting a couple of throw-bys and a swing single en route to a 6-2 lead in the first, and followed up with another takedown in the second to carry a 9-2 edge to the final period. However, Duca stalled out the scoring in the third period and outlasted Eppert to deny him what would have been his ninth major decision of the season. Junior Cashe Quiroga put on a takedown clinic at 133 pounds, rolling out a season-high 11 takedowns in a 23-9 major decision over Indiana freshman Alonzo Shepherd. Quiroga practically scored at will through the match, using a variety of takedowns to continue increasing his lead for seven minutes. He was unable to come up with a turn late in the match and settled for the major decision as he improved to 7-1 on the year and 4-0 in conference duals. The run continued at 141 pounds as Purdue sophomore Brandon Nelsen put up several points in the second and third periods en route to a 12-2 major decision, his sixth of the season. After a scoreless first, Nelsen quickly escaped in the second and scored almost immediately for a 3-0 lead. He rode Indiana freshman Alex Gregory for the remainder of the period, forcing a pair of stalling calls and receiving a penalty point for a 4-0 advantage. Nelsen picked up three more takedowns and another stalling point in the third period as he coasted to his fourth straight Big Ten win and his 20th of the season. He became the sixth Boilermaker to hit the 20-win plateau on the year, joining Eppert, Kissel, Atwood, senior Ivan Lopouchanski and sophomore Pat Robinson. Lopouchanski finished off the Boilermaker rally at 149 pounds in dominant fashion, needing 5:32 to score a 23-8 technical fall over Indiana sophomore Preston Keiffer. The Boilermaker senior took advantage of his final home match, racking up a quick 9-2 lead in the first on three takedowns and a three-point turn, nearly pinning his Hoosier opponent off of a throw as time expired in the period. Nine more points came in the second period on three more takedowns, an escape and a two-point turn, and Lopouchanski finished him off in the third with an escape and two more takedowns, improving to 21-1 on the season. The Hoosiers turned the tables at 157 pounds as 15th-ranked sophomore Taylor Walsh and junior Ryan Leblanc each emerged victorious, cutting the lead to 22-13. Walsh used a nice counter in the second period and a takedown and turn in the third to score an 8-0 major decision over Purdue senior Tommy Churchard at 157, and Leblanc returned from injury to score a 10-3 decision over Robinson at 165. With the team score out of reach and Indiana sophomore Cheney Dale suffering from illness, the Hoosiers forfeited the 174 pound match to Purdue freshman Chad Welch, making it a 28-13 final. The Boilermakers return to action this weekend, heading to Columbia, Mo., for the regional of the NWCA National Duals. Purdue anticipates earning the No. 2 seed in the region and should face No. 21 Wyoming on Sunday, Feb. 17. The winner of that dual will face the winner of sixth-ranked Missouri and Maryland with a trip to the National Duals Finals in Minneapolis, Minn. at stake. Results: 184: Luke Sheridan (IU) def. Patrick Kissel (PU), D 7-6 (PU 0-3 IU) 197: Braden Atwood (PU) wins by forfeit (PU 6-3 IU) 285: Adam Chalfant (IU) def. Alex White (PU), D 10-4 (PU 6-6 IU) 125: Camden Eppert (PU) def. Joe Duca (IU), D 10-3 (PU 9-6 IU) 133: Cashe Quiroga (PU) def. Alonzo Shepherd (IU), MD 23-9 (PU 13- 6 IU) 141: Brandon Nelsen (PU) def. Alex Gregory (IU), MD 12-2 (PU 17-6 IU) 149: Ivan Lopouchanski (PU) def. Preston Keiffer (IU), TF 23-8 (PU 22-6 IU) 157: Taylor Walsh (IU) def. Tommy Churchard (PU), MD 8-0 (PU 22-10 IU) 165: Ryan LaBlanc (IU) def. Pat Robinson (PU), D 10-3 (PU 22-13 IU) 174: Chad Welch wins by forfeit (PU 28-13 IU)

My greatest challenge in writing these weekly columns is finding the most important storylines. I could spend every week writing only about the results from the latest match featuring the Minnesotas, Iowas, Penn States and Oklahoma States of the wrestling world, but I want to offer more than a summation of the deeds of our sport's highest ranked teams. I would like to discuss the success of teams that perform and succeed outside of the national championship radar, and I'd like to, if the situation permits, discuss the sport itself, with all of its challenges and triumphs. That is why this week the major storyline is the realization of the daunting length of the college wrestling season. More than a month remains until nationals and college wrestlers have already been working since September, if not earlier. They've punished their bodies through grueling preseason workouts, drudgerous in-season practices, and thrown themselves against rock-solid opponents time and time again. When they are not wrestling, or practicing to wrestle, they are sitting in buses for entire weekends, crisscrossing the Mid-Atlantic. Midwest, Great Plains, or who knows where else. All this and our wrestlers have grades to maintain and the occasional girlfriend to keep happy. Big-time college wrestling is an adult portion, and those who want to partake ought to be ready to open their mouths wide. We, as fans, are thrilled by the hotly contested conference duals which take place this time of year. What we need to remember is that there is one thing that makes wrestling at this level possible in a season this long. It isn't the scholarship money, it may help but there is far too little of it, and it isn't the approbation of the fans and the rest of the student body, once more it helps but there isn't enough. The only thing that fuels the sport this late in the season is the love-love of competing, love of improving, love of winning, and plain and simple love of the sport of wrestling. This love is what gets a wrestler motivated for practice number five trillion, it is what provokes a coach to go careening across a mat to argue a call that ultimately won't matter, and it is love that keeps a wrestler going after pouring out his soul preparing for a vital match and managing his weight only to lose at the worst possible time for him and his team. I think it is important we keep this in mind. This sport we love and cherish so much is kept alive only by the intense and resilient love felt by its participants and coaches. But for this love, we'd only have basketball to talk about and I'd have nothing about which to write. Dual of the Week: Ohio State vs. Penn State For a few fleeting moments this Sunday it looked like Ohio State might pull off a thrilling upset over Penn State. The Stiebers both earned pins, Cam Tessari looked the best he has this season in upending Andrew Alton (who had little answer for Cam's far-ankle ride), and Josh Demas was tantalizingly close to an upset over Dylan Alton. The Buckeyes have positioned themselves for a huge win, at least until top-ranked 184-pounder Ed Ruth took the mat. Ed and his deadly cross-face cradle bailed the necessary water out Penn State's boat, and the Nittany Lions were able to hold on for the win. Iowa vs. Nebraska At 157 James Green shows that he can take down anyone in the nation, but eventually he faded and allowed Derek St. John to rally and earn the victory. Mike Evans is becoming a Hawkeye superstar before our very eyes. He will never be the most fluid wrestler from his feet, but my gosh is he a fighter. He was able to make a very tough Robert Kokesh wilt and almost earn a pin with his nasty half at the end of their match. Penn State vs. Pitt Two observations here. First of all, against anyone not named Stieber or Ramos, Jordan Conaway is pretty danged good. Here he upsets Pitt's Shelton Mack. Second, I will admit that after the All-Star Classic I thought that Matt Wilps was simply too big and strong for Quentin Wright to handle. Apparently I was wrong and Wright, whom I feel is the most exciting wrestler in the NCAA, is more than capable of pinning anyone at any time. I hope this sets Quentin up as a No. 2 seed at the NCAAs and leads to an intriguing matchup between him and top-ranked Dustin Kilgore of Kent State. Michigan vs. Ohio State When I turned to this dual on my television, the guide read that "Freshman Taylor Massa leads the Wolverines ... " Massa is having a nice season and may well win a national championship or two in the future, but with the amount of experience and talent on the Michigan team, it probably is not a positive development that their leading wrestler is a true freshman currently ranked as to be outside the money at this year's NCAAs. Ohio State's Kenny Courts has had an up-and-down season at 184 pounds, but in his short time at 197 pounds has really turned some heads. First he beats Illinois' Mario Gonzalez. Now he defeats another NCAA qualifier in Max Huntley. If Courts keeps up this form, he could end up as a Big Ten finalist. Rutgers coaches (Photo/ScarletKnights.com)Rutgers vs. Bloomsburg I was rooting for Bloomsburg here largely because I wanted to see them build on the fantastic success they have experienced this season. After Rutgers won this watch, I realized that I should really have hoped for a Scarlet Knights victory. We all should. Rutgers is a program of vital strategic importance to our sport and we should celebrate every one of their program's successes and hope it helps them build themselves into the power they can become. Harvard vs. Lehigh Harvard beats Lehigh. When was the last time that happened? Virginia and Virginia Tech Showed again this week why they are wrestling's big boys in the Southeast.

EVANSTON, Ill. -- The Fighting Illini wrestling team won seven of the possible 10 matches, including three by bonus points as they moved past No. 17 Northwestern, 24-10 to win their final conference dual of the season. "We really wrestled pretty well and were aggressive in just about every match," head coach Jim Heffernan said. "It has been a tough stretch over the last five weeks. It is time to continue to get better physically as well as recharge mentally heading into the national duals." The dual started at 125 pounds with No. 3 Jesse Delgado wrestling Dominick Malone. Delgado won his second consecutive conference match this weekend, as he defeated the Wildcat by a 4-0 decision to give the Illini an early 3-0 lead. At 133, senior Daryl Thomas continued the early success as he defeated Garrison White by a 14-8 decision to give him his 20th victory this season and pushed the lead to 6-0. The Wildcats got points on the scoreboard at 141, as Steven Rodrigues took on Pat Greco. Three periods were not enough for the two, as the score was tied at 6-6 heading into sudden victory. Greco scored the takedown and the victory, 8-6. However, Caleb Ervin won his second match of the weekend, moving past Dylan Marriott by a 13-2 major decision to push the Illinois team score to 10-3. At 157, No. 2 Jason Welch defeated Matt Nora by a 18-7 major decision to give the Wildcats four more points midway through the dual. Senior Conrad Polz won his 20th victory of the season on Sunday night, after he defeated Pierce Harger by a tough 2-0 decision to give the Illini the 13-7 lead in the team score. The Illini scored bonus points in the next two weight classes as No. 8 Jordan Blanton defeated No. 9 Lee Munster by a 13-3 major decision at the 174 pounds while No. 16 Tony Dallago moved past Jacob Berkowitz by an 11-0 major decision to push the Illinois lead to 21-7 over the Wildcats. Blanton's victory was his third over ranked opponents this season and his third over top-10 wrestlers. At 197, No. 14 Mario Gonzalez wrestled Northwestern's Alex Polizzi. The defending Big Ten champion moved past the Wildcat by a 5-2 decision to push the team score to 24-7 with heavyweight remaining. Chris Lopez was defeated by 2012 NCAA Qualifier and No. 7 Mike McMullan by a 6-2 decision but it wasn't enough as Illinois defeated Northwestern, 24-10. The Orange and Blue will have a week off before traveling to Minneapolis, Minn., to compete in the NWCA National Duals finals on Sunday, Feb. 24. The Illini won the Cornell Regional last year and advanced to the finals, therefore bypassing the regional round this season. Results: 125: #3 Jesse Delgado (ILL) dec. Dominick Malone (NU), 4-0 (3-0) 133: #10 Daryl Thomas (ILL) dec. Garrison White (NU), 14-8 (6-0) 141: Pat Greco (NU) dec. Steven Rodrigues (ILL), 8-6 SV1 (6-3) 149: Caleb Ervin (ILL) major dec. Dylan Marriott (NU) 13-2 (10-3) 157: #2 Jason Welch (NU) maj. dec. Matt Nora (ILL), 18-7 (10-7) 165: #7 Conrad Polz (ILL), dec. #10 Pierce Harger (NU), 2-0 (13-7) 174: #8 Jordan Blanton (ILL) major dec. #9 Lee Munster (NU), 13-3 (17-7) 184: #16 Tony Dallago (ILL) major dec. Jacob Berkowitz (NU), 11-0 (21-7) 197: #14 Mario Gonzalez (ILL) dec. Alex Polizzi (NU), 5-2 (24-7) HWT: #7 Mike McMullan (NU) dec. Chris Lopez (ILL), 6-2 (24-10)

The No. 4 Minnesota Golden Gophers defeated the No. 18 Wisconsin Badgers by a score of 34-5 this afternoon in Madison, Wis. The Gophers claimed nine victories out of the 10 weight classes, including at fall at 125 lbs., a major at 149 lbs. and a forfeit at 184 lbs. With the win, Minnesota closes out the Big Ten Conference season with a 7-1 record, tying Penn State for second in the league standings. Iowa clinched the regular season championship title with a 31-7 win over Nebraska this afternoon. David Thorn opened the meet to rousing success at 125 lbs. After earning two takedowns, Thorn caught Matt Cavallaris on his back and held long enough to earn the pin at the 2:42 mark and give the Gophers a comfortable lead, one they would hold throughout the competition. Corey Hodowanic once again stepped in at 133 lbs. and watch outmatched by Wisconsin’s No. 5-ranked Tyler Graff. Hodowanic managed to avoid the pin, but Graff still earned an 18-2 tech fall for five team points. It wouldn’t matter. Minnesota won out the remainder of the bouts to dominate the Badgers. At 141 lbs., Nick Dardanes tallied an 8-2 decision over Tom Kelliher and Dylan Ness followed with a 10-0 major decision over Cole Schmitt at 149 lbs. Danny Zilverberg earned his second dual win of the season with a 5-4 close decision. The Gophers led the Badgers, 16-5 at intermission. After a scoreless first period at 165 lbs., Cody Yohn turned on the heat to start racking up points. With two takedowns, an escape, and 2:36 of riding time, Yohn walked away with the 6-1 victory. At 174 lbs., Logan Storley was closely matched by Scott Liegel. After regulation the score was tied at three but Storley received an additional point for riding time, winning by a 4-3 decision. Wisconsin’s forfeit at 184 lbs. gave Minnesota an overwhelming 28-5 advantage with only two weight classes to go. Scott Schiller notched a sudden victory over Jackson Hein at 197 lbs. The wrestlers managed one escape apiece in the regulation seven-minute frame. Forty-eight seconds deep in overtime, Schiller attacked for the two-point takedown and earned three back points on a near fall. Heavyweight Tony Nelson delivered Connor Medbery his first dual loss of the season. In the second period, Nelson tallied an early takedown and earned three points on the near fall to move ahead 5-1. He gathered three more technical points in the third period and added a bonus for 1:17 of riding time, giving him the 9-2 victory and sending the Gophers to a 34-5 final dual score. After a week off of competition, the Gophers will come back home as the University of Minnesota plays host to the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Dual Meet Championship, for which the team received an automatic bid. The competition will take place on Feb. 22-23. Tickets for the event are available at mygophersports.com. Results: 125 #13 David Thorn (MIN) fall Matt Cavallaris (WIS), 2:42 6 0 133 #4 Tyler Graff (WIS) tech fall Cody Hodowanic (MIN), 18-2, 5:38 6 5 141 #10 Nick Dardanes (MIN) dec. Tom Kelliher (WIS), 8-2 9 5 149 #9 Dylan Ness (MIN) maj dec. Cole Schmitt (WIS), 10-0 13 5 157 Danny Zilverberg (MIN) dec. Kalvin York (WIS), 5-4 16 5 165 #14 Cody Yohn (MIN) dec. Frank Cousins (WIS), 6-1 19 5 174 #1 Logan Storley (MIN) dec. Scott Liegel (WIS), 4-3 22 5 184 #5 Kevin Steinhaus (MIN) vs. FFT 28 5 197 #12 Scott Schiller (MIN) dec. #17 Jackson Hein (WIS), 6-1 SV 31 5 HWT #2 Tony Nelson (MIN) dec. Connor Medbery (WIS), 9-2 34 5

FAIRFAX, VA -- The 14th-ranked Bloomsburg University wrestling team won all 10 matches in blanking George Mason University, 39-0, on Sunday afternoon. The Huskies won four matches by major decision, one by technical fall and one by fall in earning the win by its largest margin of victory this season and getting its first shutout since a 54-0 drubbing of Millersville in January of 2012. Bloomsburg wrestlers allowed just three points in the first two matches, then put together a streak of three straight matches where it did not allow any points. Frank Hickman (Castle Hayne, NC/E.A. Laney) started the shutout streak when he won 13-0 at 157 pounds, while Kevin Hartnett (Staten Island, NY/Monsignor Farrell) won 1-0 at 165 and Chris Smith (Mineral, Va./Chancelor) scoring a 10-0 victory at 174. Sam Shirey (Beaver Springs/Midd-West) won by technical fall at 184 pounds, while Richard Perry (Meriden, CT/Middletown), at 197 pounds, posted a win by fall in 5:38. The Huskies improved to 15-3 on the season. Bloomsburg will be back in action on Friday night hosting Lock Haven at 7 p.m. at the Nelson Field House. Results: 141 – Matt Rappo (Holland/Council Rock South) (BU) maj. dec. Sahid Kargbo (GMU), 11-2 (4-0, BU) 149 – Josh Roosa (Mountaintop/Crestwood) (BU) maj. dec. Greg Flournoy (GMU), 9-1 (8-0, BU) 157 - #12 Frank Hickman (Castle Hayne, NC/E.A. Laney) (BU) maj. dec. Jaaziah Bethea (GMU), 13-0 (12-0, BU) 165 - Kevin Hartnett (Staten Island, NY/Monsignor Farrell) (BU) dec. Ty Knepp (GMU), 1-0 (15-0, BU) 174 – Chris Smith (Mineral, Va./Chancelor) (BU) maj. dec. Seth Robertson (GMU), 10-0 (19-0, BU) 184 – Sam Shirey (Beaver Springs/Midd-West) (BU) tech fall. Derek Dwyer (GMU), 21-4 (24-0, BU) 197 - #15 Richard Perry (Meriden, CT/Middletown) (BU) fall Matt Meadows (GMU), 5:38 (30-0) 285 - #16 Justin Grant (Easton/Easton) (BU) dec. Jake Kettler (GMU), 11-6 (33-0, BU) 125 – Sean Boylan (Seaville, NJ/St. Marks) (BU) dec. Rich Lavorato (GMU), 5-2 (36-0, BU) 133 - #11 Nick Wilcox (Greene, NY/Greene Central) (BU) dec. Zac Isenhour (GMU), 8-7 (39-0, BU)

CLEVELAND: Clarion won seven of ten bouts including major decisions from Tyler Bedelyon (Jr. Lewistown) at 149 and James Fleming (Sr. West Miflin) at 157 as the Golden Eagles defeated Cleveland State 23-9 in NCAA Division I wrestling. Held at CSU's Woodling Gymnasium, Clarion raised its season record to 4-8 and 2-3 in the EWL, while Cleveland State dipped to 3-7 overall and 0-4 in the EWL. Clarion jumped out to a 6-0 led early in the match when Tyler Fraley's takedown with 40-seconds left gave him a 3-2 win over Ben Willeford at 125, and Joe Waltko notched a 9-5 decision over Mike Carlone at 133. After CSU's Nick Flannery decisioned Sam Sherlock 10-6 at 141, the Eagles rebounded for two major decisions when Tyler Bedelyon won 13-1 over Mike Mencini at 149 and James Fleming won 16-2 over Matt Donohoe at 157 to put Clarion in front 14-3. Bedelyon had three takedowns and a two and three point near fall for the win while raising his season record to 16-11. Fleming dominated his bout one takedown and four, three point near falls for his win. Ranked #4 in the nation at 157, the victory puts his season record at 26-2 and his career record at 118-18. His 118 career wins has him 12th all-time. Next up at 120 career wins is former Clarion great and MMA Champion Frank Edgar, who had a career record of 120-55 (2002-2005). CSU's Corey Carlo notched a 9-2 win over Nick Milano at 165, but Clarion countered with three straight wins to win the dual when Ryan Darch defeated Mike Monson 6-3 at 174, Steven Cressley's overtime takedown gave him a 3-1 win over Bobby Blankenship at 184 and Justin Ortega won 6-0 over Corbin Boone at 197. Although CSU's Riley Shawn defeated Phil Catrucco 10-6 at heavyweight, Clarion won the dual by a final score of 23-9. CLARION NOTES: Fraley upped his record to 12-9, Bedelyon 16-11, Fleming 26-2, and Ortega 16-11… Clarion will host Bucknell on Friday night at 7pm, then host Lehigh on Saturday at 2pm at Tippin Gym. Results: 125-Tyler Fraley (CL) dec. Ben Willeford (CSU), 3-2. CL leads 3-0 133- Joe Waltko (CL) dec. Mike Carlone (CSU), 9-5. CL leads 6-0 141- Nick Flannery (CSU) dec. Sam Sherlock (CL), ,10-6. CL leads 6-3 149- Tyler Bedelyon (CL) maj. dec. Mike Mencini (CSU), 13-1. CL leads 10-3 157- #4 James Fleming (CL) maj. dec. Matt Donohoe (CSU), 16-2, CL leads 14-3 165- Corey Carlo (CSU) dec. Nick Milano (CL), 9-2. CL leads 14-6 174-Ryan Darch (CL) dec. Mike Monson (CSU), 6-3, CL leads 17-6 184-Steven Cressley (CL) dec. Bobby Blankenship (CSU), 3-1 in overtime. CL leads 20-6 197-Josh Ortega (CL) dec. Corbin Boone (CSU), 6-0. CL leads 23-6 285-Riley Shaw (CSU) dec. Phil Catrucco (CL), 10-6. CL wins 23-9.

LAWRENCEVILLE -- You never forget your first. Whether it is your first love, your first car, or your first pin. Rider freshman Curt Delia (Mullica Hill, NJ/Delsea) won by fall in 3:24 to give Rider a 9-8 lead in the Broncs' Colonial Athletic Association dual meet victory over Drexel Sunday afternoon. It was Delia's first collegiate pin. "It felt good," said Delia, who compiled 141 wins at Delsea High School. "Getting a big pin for the team is a great feeling. On the collegiate level getting a pin is great, but so hard to do. It is exciting. You work so hard to go out and perform. Today was one of the highlights of my career so far." "Curt was aggressive today," said Rider head coach Gary Taylor, who picked up his 390th career victory, "and that's what we needed. We needed him to be aggressive and we were pleased about that. His opponent was fighting hard but Curt stayed with it and got it. That was exciting and good to see." With the victory Delia improves to 18-9 as a true freshman. "I love the coaches here and it really feels like home," said Delia, who also starred in baseball in high school, catching on the Tri-County Championship team. "I do love baseball as well and thought about pursuing that career, but I feel I am more suited toward wrestling." The Broncs won seven bouts to defeat Drexel in the Colonial Athletic Association dual meet. "I thought it went pretty well today," Taylor said. "We expected it to be a tough match. I thought both teams wrestled hard. Fortunately we were able to get the victories we thought we would get. We were pleased today with the way our kids wrestled." For Rider (10-6, 3-2 CAA), junior Ramon Santiago (Sayreville, N.J./Sayreville), ranked 16th in the nation, won a major decision to give Rider a 16-8 lead over Drexel. Rider junior James Brundage (Ossining, N.Y./Ossining) won a major decision to give Rider a 20-8 lead. "Ramon and James have been wrestling well and have been consistent all year," Taylor said. Brundage improved to 17-9 overall and Santiago improved to 26-6 overall, 5-0 in the CAA. "I wasn't surprised with their majors today. They are both in their junior year and getting to understand their role. They know they need to step up for the team and they did that." Rider senior Zac Cibula (Luxemburg, Wis./Luxemburg Casco) used a late take down and riding time to win at 157. Rider sophomore Jimmy Morris (Northport, NY/St. Anthony's) won 6-2 at 133 to tie the score at 3-3. Rider freshman Ryan Wolfe (New Castle, Del./Caravel), the top ranked 184 in the CAA, also won, improving to 21-9. Rider freshman Greg Velasco (Union Beach, NJ/Keyport) won in overtime for the final score. For Drexel (7-10, 3-3 CAA) Brandon Palik (21-3, 13-2 duals), who is ranked 20th in the nation by AWN, won a major decision at 197 to cut the lead to 23-12. The top ranked 141 in the CAA, Frank Cimato, who is ranked 20th in the nation by W.I.N. Magazine and is 27-6 overall and 6-0 in the CAA, won by tech fall at 141 to give the Dragons an 8-3 lead. Jacob Goodwin, the reigning CAA Rookie of the Week, won at 125 to give Drexel a 3-0 lead. Rider travels to Penn State University for a dual meet with the Nittany Lions February 17. "That's going to be a tough trip," Taylor admitted, "but we're excited though. For Penn State to give us that opportunity and gain some exposure for our program, I am thankful to their coaching staff. It helps a program like ours to compete in that environment. It is a very special environment and it is going to be sold out and lively." Rider beat Drexel 19-18 last year in Philadelphia. Rider and Drexel have now met 37 times since the series began in 1970-71 with Rider winning 29. The last time Drexel defeated Rider was during the 2006-07 season. Results: 125: Jacob Goodwin-D dec. Patrick Skinner-R 9-7 0-3 133: Jimmy Morris-R dec. Jordan Hart-D 6-2 3-3 141: Frank Cimato-D tech fall Rob Cigna-R 17-2 3-8 149: Curt Delia-R wbf Josh Yurasits-D 3:24 9-8 157: Zac Cibula-R dec. Austin Sommer-D 7-4 12-8 165: Ramon Santiago-R major dec. Connor Moran-D 9-0 16-8 174: James Brundage-R major dec. Kevin Matyas-D 14-6 20-8 184: Ryan Wolfe-R dec. Bryan Sternlieb-D 10-5 23-8 197: Brandon Palik-D major dec. Don McNeil-R 11-2 23-12 285: Greg Velasco-R dec, Jon Max Wright-D 2-1 ot 26-12

Binghamton, NY -- Pride junior Luke Vaith recorded a tech fall victory and three other grapplers posted major decision wins to lead Hofstra to a 23-19 Colonial Athletic Association victory over the Bearcats of Binghamton University at West Gymnasium Sunday afternoon. The Pride, who have won six of their last eight dual matches, improved to 6-13 overall and 4-2 in the CAA. Binghamton fell to 5-12 overall and 3-3 in conference action. Hofstra grabbed the first three matches of the day as 17th-ranked senior Steve Bonanno opened up with a 12-2 major decision over Bearcat freshman Mike Sardo at 125 pounds. Bonanno, who recorded his 98th career victory, improved to 14-8 on the season. Pride junior Jamie Franco improved to 13-12 on the season with a 6-1 decision over freshman Dylan Cohen at 133. Luke Vaith, ranked 17th at 141 pounds, then gave the Pride a 12-0 lead in the match with a 21-6 tech fall victory over junior Dan Riggi. Vaith has now won five consecutive matches and seven of the last eight to improve to 18-10 on the season. Binghamton senior Donnie Vinson, ranked fourth in the nation at 149, put the Bearcats on the board with a pin of Pride sophomore Cody Ruggirello (3-13) at the 1:45 mark of the match. Vinson improved to 27-1 on the season. But the Pride won the next three matches to take a commanding lead. Senior Tyler Banks (6-3) won his fifth consecutive match with a 10-2 major decision over freshman Jack McKeever at 157 before sophomore Nick Terdick (5-19) posted a 13-4 major decision over freshman Brian Conrad at 165. Sophomore Jermaine John then tallied a 5-1 victory over John Paris at 174 to boost the match lead to 23-6. John has won seven of his last eight matches and is now 17-10 on the season. Binghamton won the final three matches of the contest. Junior Cody Reed tallied a 15-5 major decision over red-shirt freshman David Heitman (1-3), who was making his Pride dual match debut, at 184. Fifth-ranked senior Nate Schiedel (24-2) pinned Hofstra senior Tim Murphy (5-15) at the 1:15 mark of their 197-pound contest. Sophomore Tyler Deuel (17-14) topped sophomore Zeal McGrew (15-6) at 285 but the Bearcats came up a little short in the match. Heitman was filling in for senior Taras Luzhnyy, who was hurt in practice this week while McGrew is stepping into the 285 spot after an injury to senior Paul Snyder on February 2 against Cornell. The Pride will return to action next Sunday, February 17 when they compete in the NWCA-Cliff Keen Division I National Dual Championship Regional at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Hofstra is in the same regional with the 10th-ranked Big Red, 11th-ranked Virginia and 13th-ranked Nebraska. Pairings will be announced by the NWCA on Monday. Results: 125 - Steve Bonanno (Hofstra) maj. dec. Mike Sardo (BU), 12-2 133 - Jamie Franco (Hofstra) dec. Dylan Cohen (BU), 6-1 141 - Luke Vaith (Hofstra) tech fall Dan Riggi (BU), 21-6 149 - #4 Donnie Vinson (BU) WBF Cody Ruggirello (Hofstra), 1:45 157 - Tyler Banks (Hofstra) maj. dec. Jack McKeever (BU), 10-2 165 - Nick Terdick (Hofstra) maj. dec. Brian Conrad (BU), 13-4 174 - Jermaine John (Hofstra) dec. John Paris (BU), 5-1 184 - Cody Reed (BU) maj. dec. David Heitman (Hofstra), 15-5 197 - #5 Nate Schiedel (BU) WBF Tim Murphy (Hofstra), 1:15 285 - Tyler Deuel (BU) dec. Zeal McGrew (Hofstra), 12-8

ITHACA, N.Y. -- The No. 7 Big Red wrestling team powered its way to a 37-3 win over Bucknell on senior day. Seniors Kyle Dake and Steve Bosak both notched pins in their final matches at the Friedman Wrestling Center. At 125 pounds, freshman Nahshon Garrett won by forfeit, while Chris Villalonga won by major decision at 149 pounds. Before the start of the match, Cornell honored its eight seniors including three-time NCAA champion Kyle Dake, NCAA champion Steve Bosak, Cody Hutcheson, Pete Mesko, Oney Snyder, Lukasz Stala, Joe Stanzione and Patrick Sullivan. Cornell also inducted three new members into its Hall of Distinguished Wrestling Alumni including Joe DeMeo '66, Dan Kathan '71, Andy Noel (Honorary). After the forfeit at 125, sophomore Bricker Dixon hit the mat against Paul Petrov at 133 pounds. Dixon grabbed a takedown in the first and almost had back points, but had to settle for a 2-0 lead and 2:08 in riding time. Dixon reversed his opponent from his opening down position in the second, but Petrov would escape. Dixon almost had another takedown at the end of the period, but time had run out. Petrov escaped to open the third and tied the bout at 4-4 with a takedown midway through the period. Dixon escaped, and with 2:15 in riding time, won a 6-4 decision. At 141 pounds, No. 12 Mike Nevinger faced Derrik Russell. After a scoreless first period, Russell chose to start the second at neutral. Nevinger got on the board with a takedown midway through the period. Nevinger escaped from his opening down position in the third to win a 3-0 decision. No. 13 ranked Villalonga took on Adam Healey at 149 pounds. Villallonga notched a takedown right into a far side cradle at the edge of the mat. Villalonga tried to pull his opponent back on to the mat for a pin, but ended with three back points. Villalonga immediately rolled out from his opening down position in the second and almost had a reversal. Healey chose neutral to open the third period. Villalonga countered a shot to take him down once again. With 2:36 in riding time, Villalonga won a 9-1 major decision. At 157 pounds, Jesse Shanaman faced Ray Schlitt. Shanaman took down his opponent in the first to take a 2-1 lead. Shanaman chose to start the second down and within 30 seconds had escaped. Schlitt chose to start the third down, but was unable to escape. With 3:08 in riding time, Shanaman won a 4-1 decision. After the halftime break, No. 1 ranked Dake took on No. 10 Corey Lear. Dake went on the attack right off the whistle. Dake took down Lear with a throw by and immediately went to work securing a cradle. The Big Red senior brought the crowd to its feet, winning by fall in 0:53. Dake has won his last eight matches by bonus points including seven falls and one technical fall. At 174 pounds, Marshall Peppelman faced Robert Schlitt. Peppelman took down Schlitt a minute into the match to take a 2-0 lead. Peppelman immediately spun out from his opening down position in the second. Schlitt chose down to start the third period. Schlitt would escape, but Peppelman grabbed another takedown with one second left on the clock to win a 6-1 decision with riding time. NCAA champion Bosak faced Robert Marchese in his final match at the Friedman Wrestling Center. Bosak immediately took down Marchese and went to work turning him. The Big Red senior muscled his way to a pin in 2:24. At 197 pounds, Jace Bennett wrestled Tyler Lyster. Lyster took down Bennett with only nine seconds off the clock and rode him out for the remainder of the period. Lyster chose to start the second down, but was unable to escape. Bennett reversed Lyster from his opening down position in the third. Bennett let him up looking to score and added another takedown. With 4:49 in riding time, Bennett won a 7-1 decision. Sophomore Jacob Aiken-Phillips took on Joe Stolfi at heavyweight. Stolfi brought an eight match winning streak into the weekend. The two wrestlers traded shots and scrambled throughout most of the period. Stolfi caught Aiken-Phillips for a takedown and two quick back points before the Big Red wrestler could escape. Stolfi reversed Aiken-Phillips midway through the second period from his starting down position. Aiken-Phillips chose to start the third on top, but Stolfi reversed him once again. With 15 seconds left in the bout, Aiken-Phillips escaped to deny Stolfi a major decision ending the bout with a score of 9-2. Cornell will round out its home slate next weekend when the Big Red plays host to the National Duals in Newman Arena on Sunday. Results: 125: No. 6 Nashon Garrett (Cornell) win by forfeit (Cornell, 6-0) 133: Bricker Dixon (Cornell) dec. Paul Petrov, 6-4 (Cornell, 9-0) 141: No. 12 Mike Nevinger (Cornell) dec. Derrik Russell, 3-0 (Cornell, 12-0) 149: No. 13 Chris Villalonga (Cornell) maj. dec. Adam Healey (Bucknell), 9-1 (Cornell, 16-0) 157: Jesse Shanaman (Cornell) dec. Ray Schlitt, 4-1 (Cornell, 19-0) 165: No. 1 Kyle Dake (Cornell) win by fall No. 10 Corey Lear, 0:53 (Cornell, 26-0) 174: Marshall Peppelman (Cornell) dec. Robert Schlitt, 6-1 (Cornell, 28-0) 184: No. 4 Steve Bosak (Cornell) win by fall Robert Marchese, 2:24 (Cornell, 34-0) 197: Jace Bennett (Cornell) dec. Tyler Lyster, 7-1 (Cornell, 37-0) Hwt: Joe Stolfi (Bucknell) dec. Jacob Aiken-Phillips, 9-2 (Cornell, 37-3)

BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- The Harvard wrestling team pulled off one of the upsets of the year Sunday afternoon, knocking off No. 14 Lehigh on its home mat, 25-16. With the score tied at 16, 197-pounder James Fox came up with a 2-0 decision over John Bolich to put Harvard out in front by three, 19-16, heading into the final bout. From there heavyweight Nicholas Gajdzik did the rest, registering his third fall of the year against Max Wessell in sudden victory overtime to seal the victory. "Today's match versus Lehigh was a great team effort," Jay Weiss, The David G. Bunning Head Coach for Harvard Wrestling stated. "Our guys wrestled hard for points and they battled hard the entire match. Lehigh always has a great environment and today was no different. I told our guys to let that atmosphere work to our advantage. We took a big step towards our goals today." Harvard's (5-5, 3-4 EIWA) victory was its first against Lehigh (7-7, 3-4 EIWA) since 1998 and broke a streak of 14 consecutive losses to the Mountain Hawks, who placed eighth at last year's NCAA Championships. Jeffrey Ott put the Crimson on the board early with a 10-0 major decision over Alex Abreu at 125 lbs. to get the day started. Lehigh took the next match via an 8-0 major decision to even the team scores before No. 13 Steven Keith picked his 99th career win via a 7-2 decision against Anthony Salupo to put Harvard back on top. The Mountain Hawks tied it up once again at 149 lbs. as No. 17 Shane Welsh snuck by Todd Preson, 8-3. No. 8 Walter Peppelman gave Harvard a six-point cushion in team scores, 13-7, with his pin of Albert Woody at the 0:48 mark. The fall was his second of the year and the 29th of his career, ranking him third all-time in program history. Devon Gobbo followed Peppelman with a 5-4 decision versus Ben Haas, pushing the team score to 16-7. No. 15 Nathaniel Brown and No. 3 Robert Hamlin pulled Lehigh back into the dual with a major decision and technical fall at 174 lbs. and 184 lbs., respectively, before Fox and Gajdzik put the victory away. Harvard returns to Cambridge next weekend as it hosts Brown Saturday, Feb. 16 at 12 p.m. in the Malkin Athletic Center. The Crimson will then head over to Boston University later in the afternoon for a 6:30 p.m. showdown with the Terriers. Results: 125 – Jeffrey Ott (Harvard) major dec. Alex Abreu (Lehigh) 10-0, 4-0 133 – Randy Cruz (Lehigh) major dec. Shay Warren (Harvard) 8-0, 4-4 141 – No. 13 Steven Keith (Harvard) dec. Anthony Salupo (Lehigh) 7-2, 7-4 149 – No. 17 Shane Welsh (Lehigh) dec. Todd Preston (Harvard) 8-3, 7-7 157 – No. 8 Walter Peppelman (Harvard) fall Albert Woody (Lehigh) 0:48, 13-7 165 – Devon Gobbo (Harvard) dec. Ben Haas (Lehigh) 5-4, 16-7 174 – No. 15 Nathaniel Brown (Lehigh) major dec. Ian Roy (Harvard) 13-1, 16-11 184 – No. 3 Robert Hamlin (Lehigh) tech fall. Josh Popple (Harvard) 20-5 (6:04), 16-16 197 – James Fox (Harvard) dec. John Bolich (Lehigh) 2-0, 19-16 285 – Nicholas Gajdzik (Harvard) fall Max Wessell (Lehigh) 7:55 (SV1), 25-16

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- The University of Iowa wrestling team clinched its fifth Big Ten dual title in the last six years with a 31-7 win over Nebraska today at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes finished the conference dual season with a perfect 8-0 record and improved to 18-1 overall. "It's good," said Iowa head coach Tom Brands. "It's getting late in the year, we're getting closer to the postseason, and we did our jobs. We did some good work. We beat some good teams and we won some good individual matches. Now it's important we take the next step." The Hawkeyes (18-1, 8-0) won eight of 10 matches and scored bonus points in three bouts. Nick Moore and Tony Ramos earned pins and Matt McDonough added a technical fall. Nebraska opened the dual with an 8-0 win at 149 pounds, but Iowa's Derek St. John, Nick Moore and Mike Evans immediately took the air out of the Huskers' sails and with three straight wins, including one fall and two decisions over top 10 opponents. St. John, the nation's top-ranked 157-pounder, allowed a pair of first-period takedowns to No. 6 James Green, but opened the second period with an escape and added a takedown to tie the match, 4-4, heading into the third period. Green chose the down position so start the final frame, but he never got to his feet as St. John used a ride-out and a point for stalling to walk away with a 6-4 victory. Moore then put Iowa ahead for good in the team race when he locked up a cradle in the third period to score a fall in 6:41. His fourth pin of the season gave Iowa a 9-4 lead heading into the headlining match of the night. Evans, ranked No. 4 at 174 pounds, was facing his fourth straight top 10 opponent when No. 2 Robert Kokesh stepped on the mat. Evans trailed 3-0 after Kokesh opened the second period with a reversal, but he escaped to get on the board and added two takedowns in the final 1:07 to take a 5-4 lead into the third period. He opened the final period with an escape and added another takedown at 1:36 to grab an 8-4 lead. He eventually used 1:57 of riding time to add to a final 9-6 victory and improve to 15-0 all-time at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Nebraska (10-5, 4-4) got on the board for the final time when No. 8 Josh Ihnen scored a 5-1 win over Grant Gambrall in sudden victory. The Huskers' win at 184 pounds pulled them within four points, 11-7, at intermission. The Hawkeyes swept through the final five bouts beginning at 197, where Nathan Burak finished a disputed takedown with 14 seconds left in the sudden victory period to earn his fourth conference win of the season. Telford extended the Iowa lead to 17-7 with a 6-2 win at 285, and McDonough clinched the dual with a 20-5 technical fall at 125 pounds. McDonough used seven takedowns and three nearfall points to earn his first technical fall of the season. Ramos followed McDonough with his third consecutive fall. He turned his fifth takedown of the match into his ninth pin of the season to improve to 19-0 this year and 23-0 all-time at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. "It takes a lot of energy to put a guy into that position," Tom Brands said of the pins by Moore and Ramos. "It's something we talk about. Get your 2-count, 5-count, and then get your fall. It's explosive and it's entertaining for the fans." Mark Ballweg gave Iowa the final 31-7 team victory when he finished Ridge Kiley, 6-1, at 141 pounds. The Hawkeyes return to the mat Saturday, Feb. 16, when No. 16 Edinboro visits Carver-Hawkeye Arena at 7 p.m. Iowa will honor seniors Mark Ballweg, Jeret Chiri, Grant Gambrall and Matt McDonough following the dual. Notes: Attendance was 9,514 ... Replay was used one time: 197 pounds, Burak takedown was confirmed... Ramos (23-0), St. John (21-0) and Evans (15-0) are a combined 59-0 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena... the Hawkeyes finished 8-0 in Big Ten duals for the fifth time in the last six years. Results: 149 - #11 Jake Sueflohn (N) major dec. Brody Grothus (IA), 8-0; 0-4 157 - #1 Derek St. John (IA) dec. #6 James Green (N), 6-4; 3-4 165 -#13 Nick Moore (IA) pinned Austin Wilson (N), 6:41; 9-4 174 - #4 Mike Evans (IA) dec. #2 Robert Kokesh (N), 9-6; 12-4 184 - #8 Josh Ihnen (N) dec. Grant Gambrall (IA), 5-1 SV; 11-7* 197 - #19 Nathan Burak (IA) dec. Caleb Kolb (N), 3-1 SV; 14-7 285 - #6 Bobby Telford (IA) dec. Spencer Johnson (N), 6-2; 17-7 125 - #1 Matt McDonough (IA) tech. fall Eric Coufal (N), 20-5; 22-7 133 - #2 Tony Ramos (IA) pinned Shawn Nagel (N), 2:05; 28-7 141 - #8 Mark Ballweg (IA) dec. Ridge Kiley (N), 6-1; 31-7 *unsportsmanlike conduct, 1-point team deduction

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- The No. 19-ranked University of Michigan wrestling team used a late surge, winning five of the last six matches, to take down intrastate rival Michigan State, 24-15, in the Big Ten Conference dual finale on Sunday afternoon (Feb. 10) at Jenison Fieldhouse. The Wolverines claimed six individual wins, earning bonus points in four. With the dual starting at 184 pounds -- and MSU's tough stretch at the upperweights -- the Spartans claimed three of the opening four weight classes, including an unexpected pin at 125 pounds, to jump to an early nine-point advantage. Junior/sophomore Max Huntley (Emerald Isle, N.C./Blair Academy) kept the score close early with a 7-4 decision over Nick McDiarmid at 197 pounds, finishing on a first-period double-leg takedown and a second-period single. He added a quick reversal in the second and rode for 1:26 time advantage. The Spartans extended their advantage with a first-period fall at 125 pounds, where Brenan Lyon rolled through in an early scramble to put senior/junior Sean Boyle (Lowell, Mass./Blair Academy) on his back and end the bout at the 2:01 mark. Boyle, ranked 15th, had been working to finish a deep single-leg shot. Freshman Rossi Bruno (Brandon, Fla./Brandon HS) earned some of the points back with a 11-1 major decision over Brandon Fifield in the subsequent match at 133 pounds. Bruno struck early, countering an MSU attack to score and ride out the first period. He added a reversal in the second and, with bonus in mind, hit a five-point throw midway through the third to break it open. He finished with 5:04 in time advantage and cut the Wolverines' gap to 12-7 at intermission. Senior/junior Mike Hillock (Massillon, Ohio/Perry HS) kept Michigan's momentum after the break, using a last-second takedown to earn his first collegiate dual win with a 4-3 decision over Nick Trimble at 141 pounds. Hillock took the initial lead with a first-period single leg but was ridden the entirety of the second, giving up a stall point on bottom, and allowed a quick escape in the third. Down a point late, Hillock struck deep on a single, wrapping up Trimble's other ankle on the edge to steal away the lead. He rode out the match, erasing MSU time advantage, to hang on for the win. Senior/junior Eric Grajales (Brandon, Fla./Brandon HS) picked up big bonus points with a first-period pin against Dan Osterman at 149 pounds to give Michigan its first lead in the dual. Grajales hit an early headlock to score five points in the opening 30 seconds and secured a second to end the bout a minute later, pinning Osterman at the 1:28 mark. Grajales finished the Big Ten dual season with a perfect 8-0 record. MSU claimed its final win at 157 pounds, before the Wolverines ended the dual with back-to-back wins from freshman Taylor Massa (St. Johns, Mich./St. Johns HS) and senior/junior Dan Yates (Hesperia, Mich./Hesperia HS) at 165 and 174 pounds, respectively. Like Grajales, Massa wrapped the Big Ten dual season with a perfect mark, using a big first period to earn a 15-0 technical fall over Nick Proctor at 165. The Wolverine freshman, ranked ninth, scored on a knee pick midway through the opening frame before turning Proctor three times for nine points. He added another two-point turn in the second and used his 3:44 time advantage to secure his sixth tech fall of the season. Yates, ranked 10th, closed out the dual with a 12-5 major decision over Jordan Wohlfert at 174 pounds, scoring on five takedowns -- four in the first period -- and accumulating 2:28 in riding time. Yates allowed just five escapes in the match, including one in the waning seconds to just miss on bonus. Michigan will close out the dual portion of its 2012-13 schedule next Sunday (Feb. 17) heading to Corvallis, Ore., to participate in the annual Cliff Keen/NWCA National Duals. In addition to Michigan and host Oregon State, the Corvallis regional will feature Oklahoma and Virginia Tech in a four-team bracket. Results: 184 -- #18 John Rizqallah (MSU) dec. Chris Heald, 6-1 MSU, 3-0 197 -- Max Huntley (U-M) dec. Nick McDiarmid, 7-4 Tied, 3-3 Hwt -- #7 Mike McClure (MSU) dec. #19 Ben Apland, 5-1 MSU, 6-3 125 -- Brenan Lyon (MSU) pinned #15 Sean Boyle, 2:01 MSU, 12-3 133 -- Rossi Bruno (U-M) major dec. Brandon Fifield, 11-1 MSU, 12-7 141 -- Mike Hillock (U-M) dec. Nick Trimble, 4-3 MSU, 12-10 149 -- #10 Eric Grajales (U-M) pinned Dan Osterman, 1:28 U-M, 16-12 157 -- Ryan Watts (MSU) dec. Michael Carpenter, 3-1 U-M, 16-15 165 -- #9 Taylor Massa (U-M) tech. fall Nick Proctor, 15-0 (7:00) U-M, 21-15 174 -- #10 Dan Yates (U-M) dec. Jordan Wohlfert, 12-5 U-M, 24-15