InterMat Staff

Moorhead, Minn. -- Pins by junior David Demo (125 lbs) and sophomore No. 3 Cody Quinn (165 lbs) help lead the way as No. 10 Minnesota State moved to 8-2 overall and 5-0 in NSIC action as it defeated MSU Moorhead 24-19 Thursday night. Demo opened the dual at 125-lbs with a pin of Mitch Dunlap at 2:31. Freshman Alphonso Vruno (133 lbs) backed up Demo’s pin with a hard fought 4-3 decision over Philippe Walker. After Nathan Hennes (141 lbs) and Jeremy Kelly (149 lbs) both lost, Kelly’s by pin, MSU would rattle off three bouts in a row to take a commanding 21-9 lead. Freshman Sawyer Hoffman (157 lbs) started the rally off with a 7-5 overtime decision over Jacob Bennett. Quinn would go on to pin Kerron Williams at 1:27 and junior Brendan Eichmann (174 lbs) would complete the streak with an 8-2 decision over Jesse Punchocar. Following an injury default at 184-lbs, Nathan Haynes (197 lbs) would secure the win with a 6-1 decision over Lucas Moderow. Junior Corby Running (285-lbs) would lose a major decision to close out the night. To view a complete match-by-match box score of tonight’s dual, click HERE. MSU will return home to host Southwest Minnesota State on Saturday. Action is slated to begin at 7 p.m. Results: 125 lbs: David Demo pins Mitch Dunlap at 2:31 (6-0) 133 lbs: Alphonso Vruno over Philippe Walker 4-3 (9-0) 141 lbs: Angel Vega over Nathan Hennes 10-3 (9-3) 149 lbs: Casey Williams pins Jeremy Kelly at 4:37 (9-9) 157 lbs: Sawyer Hoffman Jacob Bennett 7-5 OT (12-9) 165 lbs: Cody Quinn pins Kerron Williams at 1:27 (18-9) 174 lbs: Brendan Eichmann over Jesse Punchocar 8-2 (21-9) 184 lbs: Lucas Moderow over Aaron Norgren Injury default 3:21 (21-15) 197 lbs: Nathan Haynes over Lucas Moderow 6-1 (24-15) 285 lbs: Gerad Fugleberg major over Corby Runnning 12-1 (24-19)

LAS VEGAS, N.M. -- The Chadron State College wrestling team won five of its first six matches en route to its 22-15 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference victory over New Mexico Highlands Thursday in Las Vegas, N.M. With the win, Chadron State improves to 6-5 overall and 2-2 in the conference. “It's always good to get a win on the road,” Chadron State interim head coach Brett Hunter said. The Eagles will wrestle Adams State in Alamosa, Colo., in another conference showdown tonight (Friday) at 7 p.m. Jace Johnson got things going for the Eagles in the first match by earning a 3-2 decision over Erick Rangel at 125 pounds. Perry McAfee put the Eagles up 7-0 in the dual after a major decision over Austin Morrow at 133. Following a win by Highlands' at 141, Chadron State received two straight pins. Reed Burgener pinned Mariano Montoya at 149 in the second period and Bruce Zurek got a first period fall over Juan Alvarado. After the two pins, Dylan Fors added to Chadron State's lead with a commanding 6-1 decision over Trevor Saxon. However, Highlands came back and earned three straight decisions before CSC's heavyweight Mike Hill closed out the dual with a 2-1 decision over Robert Rockhill. Results: 125 – Jace Johnson, CSC, dec. Erick Rangel, 3-2 133 – Perry McAfee, CSC, major dec. Austin Morrow, 14-6 141 – Dan Gaylor, NMH, dec. Josh McCance, 5-4 149 – Reed Burgener, CSC, pinned Mariano Montoya, 4:15 157 – Bruce Zurek, CSC, pinned Juan Alvarado, 2:20 165 – Dylan Fors, CSC, dec. Trevor Saxon, 6-1 174 – Easton Hargrove, NMH, dec. Devan Fors, 4-1 184 – Igor Gomzin, NMH, dec. Jordan Debus, 9-4 197 – Justin Rockhill, NMH, dec. Chris Leak, 9-5 285 – Mike Hill, CSC, dec. Robert Rockhill, 2-1

WEST LIBERTY, W. Va. -- Facing another tough road test, the Lake Erie College wrestling team bounced back from this past weekend's defeat with an impressive 39-6 nonconference dual victory over West Liberty University Thursday night (Jan. 31) at the Academics, Sports and Recreation Center in West Liberty, W. Va. The only blemish on the Storm's evening was a forfeit in the first match of the evening. With sophomore Ian Ross (Newark, N.Y./Newark) resting, Lake Erie was in a 6-0 hole before things got underway. But once they did get underway, it was a one-sided night for the Storm (10-4). Sophomore Austin Gillihan (Corry, Pa./Corry Area) pinned Dillon Nolte early in the second period at 133 pounds to tie the match and junior Tom McVicker (South Fork, Pa./Forest Hills/Penn Highlands) and sophomore Nate Ball (Wadsworth, Ohio/Wadsworth) followed with major decision victories at 141 and 149 pounds, respectively and the Storm were well on their way to a decisive win. Junior 157-pounder Zak Vargo (Stow, Ohio/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy) and sophomore 165-pound All-American Matt Vandermeer (Clarkston, Mich./Clarkston) picked up decision victories by comfortable scores of 8-1 and 7-2, respectively. Sophomore Dylan Zivcic (Mentor, Ohio/Mentor) earned the team's third major decision of the night, defeating Andy Church 12-3 at 174 pounds. The closest match of the evening was at 197 pounds, where sophomore Mikey Samijlenko (Parma, Ohio/Normandy) got by Danny Doyle by a 4-2 score. Lake Erie also earned forfeit victories at 184 pounds and heavyweight. West Liberty (4-7), which upset the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown earlier this season and was ranked as high as ninth nationally before falling out of the Top 20 in this week's Division II Coaches Association Poll, lost for the sixth time in seven duals. The Storm, who received votes in the last three coaches' polls, will next be in action on Saturday, Feb. 2, when approximately 15 team members will compete at the annual John Suma Memorial Tournament at Baldwin Wallace University. Results: 125: Joe Wagstaff (WL) won by forfeit 133: Austin Gillihan (LEC) pinned Dillon Nolte (WL), 3:34 141: Tom McVicker (LEC) maj. dec. Johnny McComas (WL), 14-6 149: Nate Ball (LEC) maj. dec. Dan Carpenter (WL), 13-3 157: Zak Vargo (LEC) dec. Art Hobley (WL), 8-1 165: Matt Vandermeer (LEC) dec. David Schlieper (WL), 7-2 174: Dylan Zivcic (LEC) maj. dec. Andy Church, 12-3 184: Zev Green (LEC) won by forfeit 197: Mikey Samijlenko (LEC) dec. Danny Doyle (WL), 4-2 Hwt: Almonte Patrick (LEC) won by forfeit

WARRENSBURG, Mo. -- Brothers Cory and Cody Dauphin both recorded falls to lead No. 3-ranked Central Oklahoma to a 34-6 Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association rout of Central Missouri here Thursday night. The Bronchos won nine of 10 weights in rolling to their seventh consecutive victory, improving to 10-1 on the year and 5-0 in the league to capture the conference dual title. UCO, which has won 36 of 40 individual matches in the last four duals, will host Colorado State-Pueblo and Ouachita Baptist starting at 12 p.m. Saturday. “I thought the guys did a nice job tonight competing and giving great effort,” head coach David James said. “There's still some things we've got to clean up and when guys get a chance to get bonus points in matches they've got to take advantage, but all-in-all it was a good night.” Cory Dauphin picked up his fourth fall of the night at 157 pounds, needing just 1:45 to dispose of Mike Boyd. Brother Cody pinned Tim Tuaquoi at the 3:58 mark in the final bout of the night at heavyweight for his team-high eighth fall. Casy Rowell had the only other bonus-point win for the Bronchos, overwhelming Hunter Neighbors 13-0 at 133. It was the 19th straight win – including the seventh consecutive bonus victory – for Rowell, who had three near-falls in notching his sixth major decision of the season. UCO got shutouts from 125 Ryan Brooks (6-0) and top-ranked 149 Jordan Basks (7-0), while 141 Ben Morgan, 174 Kelly Henderson, 184 Tanner Keck and 197 Znick Ferrell all picked up decisions. Keck had the toughest time before pulling out a 7-6 tiebreaker victory over Clarence Neely. Keck had two second-period takedowns in taking a 5-1 lead, but Neely tied it with two third-period takedowns and neither scored in the one-minute sudden-victory period. Keck escaped midway through the first 30-second tiebreaker to break the 6-6 deadlock and then controlled Neely in the second tiebreaker to pick up his 95th career victory. Results: 125 – Ryan Brooks, UCO, dec. Laramie Allembaugh, 6-0. 133 – Casy Rowell, UCO, major dec. Hunter Neighbors, 13-0. 141 – Ben Morgan, UCO, dec. Eric Mateo, 9-3. 149 – Jordan Basks, UCO, dec. Nick Viterisi, 7-0. 157 – Cory Dauphin, UCO, pinned Mike Boyd, 1:45. 165 – Ty Lathen, UCM, pinned Zach Aylor, 2:32. 174 – Kelly Henderson, UCO, dec. Josh Ploff, 6-1. 184 – Znick Ferrell, UCO, dec. Todd Brier, 5-1. Hvy – Cody Dauphin, UCO, pinned Tim Tuaquoi, 3:58.

MINNEAPOLIS -- Tom Kuehn (SO, Fargo, N.D./West Fargo HS) and Chad Johnson (JR, Ferryville, Wis./De Soto HS) claimed individual victories for Augsburg College, but the Auggies dropped a 29-6 decision to top-ranked Wartburg College (Iowa) in a wrestling dual meet on Thursday evening at Si Melby Hall. Kuehn claimed an 8-3 victory at 141 pounds, while Johnson, the defending NCAA Division III national champion and top-ranked wrestler at heavyweight, claimed a 6-1 victory to end the match. Wartburg (18-0 overall), the defending NCAA Division III national champions and top-ranked team in the National Wrestling Coaches Association Division III national poll, won eight of 10 bouts against Augsburg (5-5 overall), ranked No. 22 in the national poll. Wartburg claimed three major decisions and a technical fall among its eight victories. Kuehn won his fourth straight match to improve to 14-9 on the season with his 8-3 triumph over Wartburg's Andrew Johnson (JR, Kanehoe, Hawaii/Castle HS). Kuehn claimed two takedowns and a reversal, while building 3:14 of riding time in the win. Johnson improved to 24-1 on the season with his 6-1 victory over Wartburg's Ryan Fank (JR, Independence, Iowa), the No. 6-ranked heavyweight nationally, in the only meeting of ranked wrestlers on the evening. Johnson built a 4-0 lead with a takedown and reversal, and used 2:44 of riding time to claim the win, improving to 92-13 on his career. The closest match of the night came at 197, as Augsburg's Matt Hechsel (SO, Apple Valley, Minn.) rallied from a 7-3, third-period deficit with a reversal and three-point near-fall in the final 24 seconds of the third period to tie his match with Wartburg's No. 7-ranked Puna Soriano (JR, Waialua, Hawaii) at 8-8. But Soriano scored a takedown seven seconds into the first sudden-victory overtime session to claim a 10-8 win. Augsburg returns to action on Saturday (2/2) at 9 a.m., competing at the St. John's University North Country Open in Collegeville, Minn. No. 1 Wartburg (Iowa, 18-0) 29, No. 22 Augsburg (Minn., 5-5) 6 Results: 125 -- No. 7 Gilberto Camacho (WAR, 26-5) dec. Mike Fuenffinger (AUG, 20-4) 12-5 (Wartburg 3-0) 133 -- No. 1 Kenny Anderson (WAR, 20-0) tech. fall Tossaporn "Boyd" Suparat (AUG, 17-9) 18-1 at 6:08 (Wartburg 8-0) 141 -- Tom Kuehn (AUG, 14-9) dec. Andrew Johnson (WAR, 14-12) 8-3 (Wartburg 8-3) 149 -- No. 1 Kodie Silvestri (WAR, 16-1) maj. dec. Rashad Kennedy (AUG, 12-11) 13-3 (Wartburg 12-3) 157 -- vs. No. 3 Cole Welter (WAR, 17-2) maj. dec. Kurt Knutsen (AUG, 9-15) 11-0 (Wartburg 16-3) 165 -- No. 1 Landon Williams (WAR, 27-1) dec. Justin Bowland (AUG, 8-13) 4-0 (Wartburg 19-3) 174 -- No. 5 Dylan Azinger (WAR, 12-3) dec. Josh Kohler (AUG, 18-9) 9-4 (Wartburg 22-3) 184 -- No. 5 Sam Upah (WAR, 23-4) maj. dec. Noel Sweeney (AUG, 2-5) 11-3 (Wartburg 26-3) 197 -- No. 7 Puna Soriano (WAR, 21-5) dec. Matt Hechsel (AUG, 20-8) 10-8 (OT-SV1) (Wartburg 29-3) HWT -- No. 1 Chad Johnson (AUG, 24-1) dec. No. 6 Ryan Fank (WAR, 24-5) 6-1 (Wartburg 29-6)

Dateline Jan. 14, 2012 at Pleasant Valley High School in Broadheadsville, Pa. No. 1 Blair Academy, N.J. is wrestling No. 2 St. Edward, Ohio in a dual meet. Blair Academy was favored to win nine of the matches, with St. Edward needing to flip two outcomes to pull the upset. Now to the last match of the dual meet: Blair Academy 24 St. Edward 22, 132-pound match between Mark Grey and Edgar Bright, it's all on the line. What happens? How about only the most dramatic match of the whole high school season! Here's the account from the recap after the match: The first period would end up scoreless in spite of the fact Bright was in very deep on a leg attack at the end of the first period, was awarded the takedown, but it was then waived off. The official's decision being that takedown criteria was not met with time remaining on the clock (or not met at all), which would be one of many bones of contention in the post-mortem of this dual meet. Grey chose down in the second period, got an escape to lead 1-0 headed into the third period. After Grey takes an injury timeout between periods, Bright chose the down position, and got an escape with about one minute remaining. The last minute of regulation and one minute of sudden victory would go scoreless, though Bright was controlling the pace and ties, and would have one takedown scoring opportunity negated due to the fact he was called out of bounds. The match then goes to the :30-:30 tiebreaker situation. Bright chose down in the first tiebreaker. He stands up off the whistle, and gets into a scramble, where Grey wins the situation and almost gets near falls before the situation is stopped for a injury timeout that went against Bright. In the ending sequence of the first tiebreaker, the St. Edward coaching staff contests that there was a locking hands on Grey, but it's a moot point as it either wasn't there or wasn't called. Grey chooses down in the second portion of the tiebreaker, and promptly escapes. Then for the last twenty-plus seconds Bright is chasing after the go-ahead takedown, Grey does get hit for stalling once, but he fends it off and seals the deal for Blair. The Buccaneers win 27-22 and give themselves a significant advantage for the No. 1 position throughout the rest of the year. What will Saturday bring come 3 p.m. at St. Edward High School in Lakewood, Ohio? Well, what will happen before 3 p.m. is that St. Edward will face Marysville, Ohio and then Steubenville, Ohio -- while Blair Academy will face Steubenville then Marysville -- with those rounds starting at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Here are the highlight wrestlers for Marysville (Division I in Ohio) and Stuebenville (Division II in Ohio). Both squads are projected to finish in the top ten at the state tournament, and each will be wrestling in dual meet regional finals on Wednesday, with a win they'll be in the final eight next Saturday. 106: Tariq Wilson (Steubenville), the freshman is projected as a low state placer. 120: Taleb Rahmani (Marysville), placed fourth at state as a freshman last year, but missed bulk of season with injury and has been brought back slowly 126: David Sparks (Marysville), a junior who has qualified for state twice and is projected to place this year; Anthony Craig (Steubenville), two-time state qualifier who placed at state as a sophomore in 2011. 132: Anthony Parada (Steubenville), a senior who qualified for state last year, and has the chance to place at state this year. 138: Noah Forrider (Marysville), three-time state placer bound for Ohio University, and is a legitimate state title contender this year. 160: Chase Boyd (Marysville), placed at state last year as a junior, and has a chance to make the state finals this year. 182: Charlie Keenan (Steubenville), the Kent State bound senior finished as a state runner-up last year, and recently dropped down to this weight in hopes of winning a state title. 195: Austin Pfarr (Marysville), qualified for state last year as a sophomore, and has a chance to place at state this year. 220: Morgan Miller (Marysville), qualified for state as a sophomore in 2011, but missed last year due to injury and has chance to place at state this year; Greg Moray (Steubenville), placed fourth at state last year as a junior, and is a projected state finalist. And now the weight-by-weight analysis for the showdown between Blair Academy and St. Edward: 106: Jordan Kutler (Blair Academy) vs. L.J. Bentley (St. Edward) This is a battle of excellent sophomores, with Kutler a returning National Prep champion while Bentley failed to place at state last year. Kutler was a FILA Cadet freestyle champion at 101 pounds last spring, while Bentley won the NHSCA freshman nationals title at 106. At the Ironman this season, Bentley placed seventh, while Kutler failed to place and did not compete for a long time after that before returning to the mats. Look for Bentley to win a tight decision. Team: St. Edward 3-0 113: No. 20 Chaz Tucker vs. Sal Corrao The sophomore Tucker was a runner-up at National Preps last year and a Cadet freestyle runner-up last summer, while the senior Corrao is in his first year as a starter for the Eagles. Look for Tucker to dominate this matchup, with bonus points probable. Team: Blair Academy 4-3 120: No. 2 Matthew Kolodzik vs. Austin Hiles/Kurt Wysocki Yet another sophomore for Blair here in the Cadet freestyle champion Kolodzik, who has a title at the POWERade to go with runner-up finishes at the Ironman and Beast of the East this season. Kolodzik was a state champion in Ohio's Division III last year before transferring to Blair. St. Edward will either have an unproven sophomore Wysocki or the freshman Hiles, a junior high state runner-up last year making his first appearance in this weight, on the mats. Look for Kolodzik to dominate this matchup, with bonus points extremely likely. Team: Blair Academy 8-3 126: Alex Rinaldi vs. Chance Driscoll Neither wrestler in this matchup has a bevy of credentials, which makes it imperative that St. Edward win this match if they want any chance to steal this dual meet. Both wrestlers are in their first seasons as the varsity starter. The prediction is for Driscoll to win a narrow decision. Team: Blair Academy 8-6 132: No. 6 Joey McKenna vs. No. 3 Dean Heil McKenna, ranked No. 9 overall in the junior class, is a two-time National Prep champion, and in the last off-season was a FILA Cadet freestyle champion and a Junior National freestyle runner-up. However, he sustained an injury at FILA Cadet Worlds, returned at the POWERade down at 126, but has been up in this weight since. The senior Heil, ranked No. 14 overall in the Class of 2013, is prohibitively favored to win his fourth state title in four weeks time. The prediction is for Heil to win a narrow decision. Team: St. Edward 9-8 138: No. 6 Mason Manville vs. No. 17 Colin Heffernan Both wrestlers placed at the Walsh Ironman in early December, Manville second and Heffernan fifth, though the wrestlers did not meet. The freshman Manville is ranked No. 3 overall in his grade, and already placed third at 152 in last year's Minnesota state tournament while competing at Apple Valley. Heffernan placed fourth at 120 in last year's state tournament. Look for Manville to win a low-scoring decision in this match. Team: Blair Academy 11-9 145: No. 12 Dylan Milonas vs. No. 3 Edgar Bright Both competitors are elite wrestlers in their respective grade, Bright is No. 17 in the Class of 2013, while Milonas is No. 22 in the Class of 2014. At the Ironman this year, Bright was champion, while Milonas was third, though the wrestlers did not meet. The Pitt bound Bright is a three-time state placer, finishing as runner-up the last two years, while Milonas is has finished runner-up at National Preps the last two years. Look for Bright to earn a decision victory in a competitive match. Team: St. Edward 12-11 152: No. 5 Russ Parsons vs. No. 9 Markus Scheidel These senior grapplers are among the best overall in the Class of 2013, Parsons is ranked No. 22, while Scheidel comes in at No. 61. At the Ironman, Parsons was champion, while Scheidel took seventh. Last offseason, Parsons was seventh in Junior freestyle at 152 pounds, while Scheidel failed to place in that same weight class. Look for Parsons to win an extremely tight bout. Team: Blair Academy 14-12 160: Jack Wedholm vs. Ray Barr/Robbie Rogers The senior Wedholm was a low-placer in each of Blair Academy's three major December tournaments -- Ironman, Beast of the East, and POWERade. St. Edward will have one of two first-year starters in this weight, and it would behoove them to place the wrestler they perceive as better here in the quest of trying to poach the dual meet. However, the prediction is that Wedholm will wrestle Rogers, and get the narrow decision none the less. Team: Blair Academy 17-12 170: Patrick Coover vs. Barr/Rogers The junior Coover was a National Prep champion last year, and enters this match having placed at all three December tournaments. He is the strong favorite in this match, with bonus points a possibility for the Blair grappler. Team: Blair Academy 20-12 182: Addison Knepshield vs. No. 2 Domenic Abounader The senior Knepshield placed fourth at National Preps in 2011, before suffering through an injury-riddled junior campaign. This season he was fourth at both the Ironman and Beast of the East, before finishing as runner-up at the POWERade. The Michigan-bound Abounader is already a two-time state champion, and is ranked No. 19 overall in the Class of 2013. He is favored to win a convincing decision in this bout, with the Eagles begging for bonus points. Team: Blair Academy 20-15 195: No. 3 Frank Mattiace vs. Gabe Dzuro This is a rematch of the Walsh Ironman final, which was won by a 10-0 major decision in favor of the Penn-bound Mattiace. In this dual meet situation, the junior Dzuro will be seeking to shrink the margin of this match. Mattiace, ranked No. 37 overall in the Class of 2013, will be looking to maximize the margin for Blair Academy. Team: Blair Academy 23-15 220: David Showunmi vs. Parker Knapp This is a match featuring a pair of sophomore wrestlers that will emerge to be stars over the next two years. The two wrestlers met in the match-to-place at the Ironman, with Showunmi earning an 11-5 decision on the way to placing seventh. Look for the same wrestler to emerge victorious, but by a title margin. St. Edward will be hoping to see the Knapp who beat two Illinois placers at the Dvorak, as opposed to the one who struggled two weekends ago at St. Paris Graham. Team: Blair Academy 26-15 285: No. 2 Brooks Black vs. Ralph Nichols The senior Black has already won three Ironman titles, and is after a third National Prep title. Last year in this dual meet, Black earned a win by fall, and he will be seeking to do the same against the Eagles' junior opponent. Team: Blair Academy 32-15 Conclusion: Blair Academy is projected again to win nine of the weight classes. There are opportunities for Blair Academy to make this a true whitewash. However, through upsets and/or some lineup flexibility, St. Edward can make this a very tight dual meet. The path to winning the dual for St. Edward is very narrow, as they probably need eight wins with Blair Academy almost assuredly getting bonus points at 120 and 285. InterMat will be providing updates during the day at St. Edward through the twitter of high school analyst Josh Lowe (@JoshMLowe), and a recap story after the event.

Matt McDonough defeated Nico Megaludis twice last season (Photo/Bill Ennis) No. 1 Penn State battles No. 3 Iowa tonight at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City. The dual meet will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network at 8 p.m. CT/9 p.m. ET. Below is a match-by-match breakdown with my predictions. 125: No. 2 Nico Megaludis (Penn State) vs. No. 1 Matt McDonough (Iowa) The top-ranked McDonough had two wins over Megaludis last season, 3-1 (SV) in the February dual meet and 4-1 in the NCAA finals. While Megaludis did keep the previous matches close on the scoreboard, McDonough controlled the action and was never in serious danger of losing. McDonough has six wins over ranked opponents this season, but his only win over a top ten opponent was a 9-4 victory over No. 8 Matt Snyder of Virginia on Nov. 16. He's coming off a 6-3 victory over No. 13 David Thorn of Minnesota -- a match where McDonough gave up the first takedown and dominated the rest of the way. Megaludis has three wins over top ten opponents, but did suffer a 3-2 loss to Pitt's Anthony Zanetta, who is redshirting, on Dec. 2 at the Nittany Lion Open. Bottom Line: McDonough, riding a 41-match win streak, is undeniably the favorite. A Megaludis victory would be surprising, but not shocking. Prediction: McDonough by decision. (Iowa +3) 133: Jordan Conaway (Penn State) vs. No. 2 Tony Ramos (Iowa) Ramos has had only one competitive match this season, and that was a 3-2 victory over Oklahoma State's Jon Morrison. His only other regular decision was a six-point victory over All-American Chris Dardanes of Minnesota last Saturday. Every other win for Ramos this season has come with bonus points. He has six pins, one technical fall, and seven major decisions. This weight class was a question mark for Penn State coming into the season, but Conaway has stepped in and filled the spot nicely. He has reeled off four consecutive victories with his signature win coming over two-time All-American Tyler Graff of Wisconsin on Jan. 18. Graff led that match 7-3 after two periods, but Conaway wore the Badger junior out and scored two takedowns in the final 30 seconds to force sudden victory. Conaway then won the match with a takedown in sudden victory. It's Conaway's only win over a ranked wrestler, and two of his four losses have come to unranked wrestlers. Bottom Line: Ramos has never lost a match in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. He's 15-0, which includes a victory over Jordan Oliver of Oklahoma State. He's the probative favorite in this match and will be looking for bonus points. Prediction: Ramos by major decision (Iowa +4) 141: Bryan Pearsall (Penn State) vs. No. 8 Mark Ballweg (Iowa) Ballweg is quietly putting together a strong senior campaign wrestling in the Hawkeye lineup for the first time at 141 pounds. (He was the starter at 149 pounds in 2010-11.) The only blemish on his record this season is a 6-4 loss to No. 2 Hunter Stieber of Ohio State on Jan. 4. He is coming off one of the bigger wins of his career -- a 3-1 victory over Minnesota's Nick Dardanes last Saturday in a tossup match the Hawkeyes needed. Pearsall is a senior who has steadily improved throughout his career. He was ranked earlier this season, but fell out of the rankings after losing to some unranked wrestlers. Pearsall's most notable win this season came over West Virginia's Nathan Pennesi, who is currently ranked 14th. He has won four straight matches, with his most recent victory coming over then-No. 19 Ridge Kiley of Nebraska on Sunday. Bottom Line: On paper, Ballweg is the favorite, but Pearsall is a capable wrestler who has been in big matches, so expect this to be a very competitive and hard-fought match. Prediction: Ballweg by decision (Iowa +3) 149: No. 8 Andrew Alton (Penn State) vs. Mike Kelly (Iowa) Andrew Alton, like his twin brother Dylan, missed a month of the season for a violation of rules on Dec 22. Since returning to the lineup on Jan. 20, Alton has gone 4-1 with his most notable victory being a 3-2 decision over Ohio State backup Ian Paddock. His lone loss came in his last outing when he was pinned by Nebraska's Jake Sueflohn on Sunday. Alton was leading Sueflohn 5-1 midway through the second period, but seemed to run out of gas and eventually surrendered his lead before getting pinned in the third period. Kelly started the season by winning 10 of his first 12 matches. During that stretch his most notable victory came over Lehigh's Shane Welsh, who is currently ranked 17th. However, since the Big Ten dual season started on Jan. 4, Kelly has gone 0-4 with three of those four losses coming to wrestlers currently ranked. He is coming off a six-point loss to Minnesota's Dylan Ness on Saturday. Bottom Line: Andrew Alton is the superior wrestler and should win. Alton has 10 pins in 18 matches this season, so Penn State could be looking at bonus points here. Prediction: Alton by pin (Penn State +6) 157: No. 5 Dylan Alton (Penn State) vs. No. 1 Derek St. John (Iowa) The top-ranked St. John is undefeated with wins over two wrestlers ranked in the top ten: No. 3 Joey Napoli of Lehigh (6-0) and No. 9 Alex Dieringer of Oklahoma State (8-4). His closest match this season was a 4-2 victory over Ohio State's Josh Demas on Jan. 4. Alton enters tonight's match with a 17-2 record and riding a 12-match win streak. He is coming off a 3-1 victory over Nebraska's James Green, a returning All-American, on Sunday. His other notable wins this season have come against No. 2 Jason Welch of Northwestern at the NWCA All-Star Classic and No. 12 Taylor Walsh of Indiana on Dec. 9. Bottom Line: These two highly ranked wrestlers know each other well having met twice last season (Big Tens and NCAAs), with St. John wining both meetings 3-1. Expect another tight match that will likely be decided by a takedown. Prediction: St. John by decision (Iowa +3) 165: No. 2 David Taylor (Penn State) vs. No. 13 Nick Moore (Iowa) Taylor has crushed every wrestler he has faced this season not named Kyle Dake. He has earned bonus points in all 17 of his wins this season, and that includes a 10-0 victory over No. 3 Tyler Caldwell of Oklahoma State at the Southern Scuffle. Fifteen of those 17 bonus point victories have come by pin or technical fall. Only Dake, Caldwell, and Indiana's Ryan LeBlanc have gone the distance with Taylor. Moore, who took over the starting spot at 165 pounds after Mike Evans moved up to 174 pounds, has won 11 of 14 matches this season. He placed seventh at the Midlands, where he took losses to No. 10 Corey Lear and No. 12 Mark Lewandowski of Buffalo. His only other loss this season came against Caldwell, 3-2, on Jan. 13. Moore is coming off a big win, 8-2, over Minnesota's Cody Yohn, which helped propel the Hawkeyes over the Gophers. Bottom Line: Taylor will win and earn bonus. The only question is whether it will be a major decision, technical fall, or pin. Prediction: Taylor by technical fall (Penn State +5) 174: No. 4 Matt Brown (Penn State) vs. No. 6 Mike Evans (Iowa) Brown, a backup to NCAA champion Ed Ruth last season, started his first season in the Nittany Lion lineup by reeling off 12 straight victories. Brown's first loss came in the Southern Scuffle semifinals when he was pinned by Minnesota's Logan Storley, a wrestler he defeated the previous season. His only other loss this season came on Sunday when he fell 10-7 to Nebraska's Robert Kokesh. Brown's notable wins this season have come against No. 13 Greg Zannetti of Rutgers, No. 14 Nathaniel Brown of Lehigh, No. 15 Todd Porter of Missouri, No. 16 Jon Fausey of Virginia, No. 17 Cody Walters of Ohio, and Turtogtokh Luvsandorj of The Citadel. Evans, a returning NCAA qualifier, started the season at 165 pounds before moving up to 174 pounds in late November. His only blemishes this season have been one-point losses to the No. 1 and No. 2 wrestlers in the country, Oklahoma State's Chris Perry and Storley. Evans has notable wins over No. 7 Nick Heflin of Ohio State and No. 10 Dan Yates of Michigan. Bottom Line: This match is difficult to forecast because both wrestlers are competing at a high level this season ... and have only lost to wrestlers ranked in the top three. Both wrestle a physical, punishing style. It's arguably the most pivotal match in the dual meet, and whichever team wins this match will be in the driver's seat to win the dual meet. Prediction: Brown by decision (Penn State +3) 184: No. 1 Ed Ruth (Penn State) vs. No. 14 Ethen Lofthouse (Iowa) Ruth, like his NCAA champion teammate Taylor, has been racking up bonus points and dominating highly ranked wrestlers all season. He comes into tonight's match with a 19-0 record, which includes seven pins, three technical falls, five major decisions, and a forfeit. His only non-bonus point victories have come against wrestlers ranked in the top eight: No. 3 Robert Hamlin of Lehigh, No. 4 Steve Bosak of Cornell, and No. 7 Jimmy Sheptock of Maryland. In Ruth's most recent outing he earned a technical fall, 18-3, over Nebraska's Josh Ihnen, a returning All-American. Lofthouse, an All-American last season at 174 pounds, started this season 11-1, but has gone through a tough stretch, losing three of his last four matches. Bottom Line: These two have a history that goes back to their prep days. (Ruth defeated Lofthouse in the 2008 Walsh Ironman finals.) They met last season, with Ruth picking up a 10-1 major decision in the dual meet, and twice two seasons ago. It's hard to envision Ruth not getting bonus points based on how the two are wrestling at this point in the season. Prediction: Ruth by major decision (Penn State +4) 197: No. 3 Quentin Wright (Penn State) vs. No. 19 Nathan Burak (Iowa) Wright, a two-time NCAA finalist and 2011 NCAA champion, is officially 18-0, but was pinned by Pitt's Matt Wilps at the NWCA All-Star Classic. His biggest challenge during the regular season has come from redshirt teammate Morgan McIntosh. Wright pinned No. 7 Jake Meredith of Arizona State to win the Southern Scuffle title. Burak, who spent last year at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, has been up and down this season, but has been wrestling well of late. He has recent wins over NCAA qualifiers Andrew Campolattano of Ohio State and Max Huntley Michigan, and is coming off a sudden victory loss to No. 12 Scott Schiller of Minnesota. Bottom Line: This is a matchup pitting one of the nation's best against a young, promising wrestler who is still trying to find his way at the Division I level. Prediction: Wright by decision (Penn State +3) No. 17 Jon Gingrich (Penn State) vs. No. 6 Bobby Telford (Iowa) The returning All-American Telford comes in with a record of 11-3, but has dropped three of his last four matches. Telford's last loss came to NCAA champion Tony Nelson, 2-1, on Saturday. His two other losses have come to No. 3 Alan Gelogaev of Oklahoma State and No. 12 Peter Capone of Ohio State. His best win this season has come against NCAA qualifier Matt Gibson of Iowa State. Gingrich split time with Jimmy Lawson during the first half of the season, but took control of the starting spot in mid-January. He is one of only two wrestlers to defeat Michigan State's Michael McClure this season. Gingrich also has wins over ranked wrestlers Adam Chalfant of Indiana and Odie Delaney of The Citadel. Bottom Line: Expect a tight, competitive match between these two. Telford is the favorite, but Gingrich is capable of pulling the upset. Prediction: Telford by decision (Iowa +3) Dual Meet Predicted Score: Penn State 21, Iowa 16

InterMat senior writer T.R. Foley answers reader questions about NCAA wrestling, international wrestling, recruiting, or anything loosely related to wrestling. You have until Thursday night every week to send questions to Foley's Twitter or email account. Do you want to read a past mailbag? Access archives. The wrestling community is buzzing about tonight's dual meet between top-ranked Penn State and No. 3 Iowa. I'll discuss the details and predictions below, but it's important to note that several non-wrestling heads have emailed me to share their insights and excitement. Some are former Penn State and Iowa students, while others are casual fans who've heard about the match from nut jobs like YOU and are now going to be watching. It's nice to know that among the constant bickering between coaches, fans and media, that we actually do have marketable dual meets. I'm traveling through Asia the next few weeks writing stories about MMA and wrestling for a few magazines. I'll be sure to wrestle in the dirt with the Indians next week, but this week I'm in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur profiling EvolveMMA, the largest and fastest growing MMA gym in Asia. At the heart of the MMA in Singapore is a love for Muay Thai. I can't explain to you why so many people love risking cracked ribs for the chance to kick another human, but on the Malay Peninsula, just south of Thailand, the Singaporean people love it. Despite the propensity to punch and kick, there is a burgeoning community of American wrestlers influencing the Asian fighting style. Former Greco-Roman Olympic team member Heath Sims heads up the wrestling program at the gym. He's the longtime friend and MMA coach of Dan Henderson, and has been out here working to develop the team's wrestling ability. This weekend he and the EvolveMMA team are headed to Kuala Lumpur to coach former Princeton wrestler and NCAA qualifier Jake Butler in his first MMA fight. Wrestling is powerful connection and although I'm halfway around the globe it's been interesting to run into people with whom I share that connection. I'll be at Butler's fight and be sure to let you know how he does, and maybe even grab a podcast (backpoints.tumblr.com) with Sims. It's pretty exciting for this young team to compete at a large event in Asia, and a nice showcase foe the talents of an accomplished American wrestler. If you're an MMA fan be sure to check out my latest article for ESPN on the Top 25 fighters under the age of 25. You'll be certain to recognize a few of the names on the list. If you're not then just imagine that the link is to a story solely about wrestling and help me earn some page views! To your questions! Q: Who ya got in PSU-Iowa? I bleed blue and white but worried Iowa could win dual meet? Thoughts?? -- @kingston1990 Foley: You have reason to be concerned. The 2013 Penn State squad might have enough top caliber talent to be as good as any team we've seen the past ten years, but in a matchup with Iowa they're vulnerable to an upset. Most pundits have the match score 6-4 with Iowa winning at 125, 133, 141, 157, 174, and heavyweight. Given that none of those wrestlers earn bonus points, Penn State would have to generate bonus points at 149, 165, 184, and 197. That, or score an upset at one of Iowa's favored weights. So, how do those break down. The most contested weight of the dual meet will be 174 with No. 6 Mike Evans facing off against No. 4 Matt Brown. Though there is significant moaning about Brown being ranked in the top five, a similar argument might be made against Evans, whose late heroics against then-No. 2 Nick Heflin of Ohio State were impressive, but whose performance against No. 1 Chris Perry was underwhelming. Rankings are fun, but in this circumstance neither wrestler could be considered a huge favorite. Brown, who has losses to "Could he win it?" Robert Kokesh of Nebraska and Logan Storley of Minnesota, will need to work early to keep the action in the middle of the mat. He'll also need to be conservative from top. For his part Evans will need to withstand Brown's early attacks and find opportunities to score on the edge (as he did against Heflin) and look for scoring opportunities in scramble positions. No matter what is prognosticated, this will be a close match and one that could decide the dual meet. The other factor is bonus points. Quentin Wright is every bit capable of sticking Nathan Burak, and though the young Iowa wrestler is posting big results I doubt his ability to keep the score close enough to stage another legendary Iowa comeback. Though others don't agree, I see David Taylor steamrolling Nick Moore. It's a big match and Taylor will feed off the energy. I like Penn State by three. Q: When a dual meet score is tied how do they decide who gets the criteria point? Is the same thing done in high school meets as well? -- Gregg Y. Foley: For NCAA competition, according to Rule 3.15, "When two teams finish in a tie in a dual meet or a team-advancement tournament, the following criteria shall be applied to determine a winner: 3.15.1 Greater number of victories. Note: Forfeits, defaults and disqualifications count only toward total number of victories. 3.15.2 Combined total of falls and technical falls. 3.15.3 Total match points. 3.15.4 First takedown." Guy Trinetti Sr., an official from the Greater Cleveland area who has worked multiple state tournaments, forwarded this answer, which comes right from the NFHS rule book. Most matches end up coming down to E/F/G. A) Flagrant or unsportsmanlike, etc. B) Greater of team point deductions C) Penalize greater number of match points D) Most match wins (forfeits count) E) Greater number of falls, defaults, forfeits and disqualifications F) Greater number of tech falls G) Greater number of major decisions H) Team having greater number of first points scored I) Greater number of points for nearfalls J) Greater number of takedowns K) Greater number of reversals L) Greater number of escapes M) Team penalized the greater number of points for stalling N) Team warned more often for stalling O) Team whose opponent has the greater number of points for all other infraction P) Flip the disc Multimedia Halftime Cole Schrupp is a legend with the camera and editing software. I don't have time to watch a 15-minute video on Iowa vs. Minnesota, but I did anyway! This guy needs to be releasing every important promotional video for amateur wrestling. The NWCA promo for the National Duals. What do you think? The Iowa Way. Q: I'll keep a complex question simple. How has Bloomsburg become so good? -- Tom B. Foley: I'll keep a complex answer simple. Head wrestling coach John Stutzman. Q: What do you think about a high school team from Alabama already having close to 100 dual matches? Currently they are 59-38. -- Mike C. Foley: I think, "Roll Tide, Y'all!" Alabama wrestling shows that amateur wrestling has the opportunity to expand and thrive in non-traditional marketplaces. It's exciting to know that we can have a prep team from a state with a relatively new wrestling traditional that has an almost 60 percent winning percentage. Though Alabama will be a football state well after the federal government bans it as a sport, the growth of wrestling is an indication that there were kids whose athletic needs weren't being served. Success is an essential part of growing a sport in a non-traditional setting, especially in the Deep South where population centers lead to highly defined pockets of talent. In Tennessee it's the Chattanooga/Cleveland area, in Florida it's Oviedo and Brandon, and in Texas it was Bishop Lynch and now Allen -- home of the biggest high school football stadium in the country. Any successful high school has a talent pool of young wrestlers to train. No matter where you are in the country, creating that talent pool takes dedicated coaches willing to sacrifice every minute of their free time to give their wrestlers the best training and competition available to them. Those guys are the heroes of the sport, and though we think about the big-time programs and coaches, it's the guys hustling minivans across state lines weekend after weekend that keep our sport alive and healthy. Q: How were the automatic byes determined for the National Duals? I understand Minnesota getting one as they are highly ranked and defending champions. But how did Ohio State (ranked No. 6 by InterMat) and Illinois (ranked No. 8 by InterMat) get one while Oklahoma State (No. 2 and the No. 1 ranked team participating) end up traveling to Kent State? In my opinion, the integrity of the process in determining these and the eventual champion is somewhat flawed. Is this really what we want to decide the NCAA team champion? -- Tony G. Foley: There has been a lot of speculation about the National Duals and the system they used to select the teams invited to the championship. To understand a little better what is truth and what is fiction, I reached out to Pat Tocci NWCA for clarification. Tocci said that byes were selected last spring after teams submitted their potential lineups and points assigned to each wrestler listed. The points were tallied and the teams with the four highest point totals were given byes to the finals. He admitted that the "one problem with this method is that the lineups that were submitted at the time can often be different today and have wrestlers now in the lineup that were not even in school at the time." Why did the NWCA choose to hand out byes? Last year the kerfuffle was that winning teams couldn't plan for travel, which would ensure low fan participation and ruin the event. The solution advanced by J Rob and the NWCA was to guarantee the inclusion of four top teams and add in another four who may or may not bring in fans. This way they can guarantee fans and media exposure. Regional host schools were selected based on their availability to host the event, sell tickets, and create media buzz. The NWCA selected programs that could meet all these criteria in the hopes that the positive cash flow and attention would further their goal to make these meets a viable product worthy of future discussion. Though I agree on the surface that it's suspect to see Oklahoma State traveling to Kent State for a meet, I think that the NWCA is doing the best they can with the resources and cooperation that has been made available to them at this point in the process. Hopefully their success will spur others to join and if there is significant cash flow it's also possible that some schools will make their gyms available. The NWCA is operating in a confrontational environment that makes them vulnerable to criticism from both sides of the National Duals argument. Poor support, lackluster awareness and a suspect model for team selection certainly don't help their situation. Maybe we'll never come to love the National Duals, but many believe that if it were handed over to the NCAA the standards for participation and the quality of event would be much improved. One of the most interesting anecdotes offered during this summer's debate about the viability of a dual meet championship came from an NCAA committee member. He reminded everyone that "love them or hate them everything the NCAA touches turns to gold." The difficulties facing the National Duals are not a direct reflection on the work of Pat Tocci, Tammy Tedesco, and others at the NWCA; it's a statement of fact about their limited resources in juggling this event plus another half-dozen of national importance. They simply can't make everyone happy, or foresee the consequences of every action. Until we get together and have another productive round of discussions, the wrestling community will continue to be fractured about how best to use dual meets to advance our sport. Q: If you could put together a college dream team which wrestler would you have at each weight class and why and who would be the coach and why? -- Gregg Y. Foley: I love the idea of a dream team, but I hate that it'll likely uncover my biases. There are two major issues with selecting wrestlers for this list. First, the weight classes have shifted so often that it makes it difficult to fit everyone neatly into their boxes. My solution was to keep 118 as its own weight and then stick with modern weight classes for the rest of list, rounding up or down to match older wrestlers with newer weights. The second difficulty is where to place those wrestlers who've had success at several weight classes. For those guys I chose the place that allowed me to feature another top-level wrestler at a surrounding weight. Bring on the hate. 118: Barry Davis (Iowa) 125: Stephen Abas (Fresno State)/Yojiro Uetake (Oklahoma State) 133: T.J. Jaworsky (North Carolina) 141: Lincoln McIlravy (Iowa) 149: Kyle Dake (Cornell) 157: Dan Gable (Iowa State) 165: Pat Smith (Oklahoma State) 174: Mark Schultz (Oklahoma) 184: Greg Jones (West Virginia) 197: Cael Sanderson (Iowa State) 285: Kerry McCoy (Penn State) Coach: Dan Gable. Gable coaching himself? The time travel plot to Looper? Q: Why aren't Travis Rutt and Andrew Howe wrestling? I know they are on Oklahoma's roster. Are they both taking redshirt years? -- Anthony T. Foley: Both are redshirting. Howe is stilling recovering from the ACL tear he suffered against Jordan Burroughs at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials. Q: When someone trains at the OTC or the RTC before going to college how does it college affect their eligibility? How does one get accepted into one of these programs and do you think it is a wise choice to do it? -- Gregg Y. Foley: Accepted? I think it's up to the executives within the club overseeing the RTCs to decide who they're going to support during their training sessions. Much of that is decided by seeing who is available and if they'd be a good fit within your competition team and for your collegiate wrestlers. The Ohio Regional Training Center accepted Shawn Bunch and Reece Humphrey at the same time even as they were competing for the same Olympic position. That's a bold decision. The Olympic Training Center. Stay tuned.

If you asked me four years ago what I thought about wrestling, I would've told you I grew up watching Hulk Hogan and Macho Man Savage in the '80s and that I didn't know it was fake until I was 10. I've learned now what most outsiders don't understand -- that wrestling is as intense and mentally challenging a sport as there is -- and that it's a fantastic community that has opened its doors to this outsider and made my life the better for it. I take immense pride in the fact that I've been embraced by so many on the inside. I grew up an athlete, and most of my life has been centered around sports for as long as I can remember. Baseball, basketball, football, hockey -- you name it, I loved it and played it. I was good, but not great, and one of my regrets is that I didn't really figure out the mental side of sports until I was in college. I'd wanted to go to the University of Michigan since I was 8 years old and since they weren't looking for 5'8" guards who were average shooters, my 'official' athletic career was over. But I loved competition, so for the next decade, I still played in as many leagues as I could, first in college and then back home in New York City. I've been asked by a bunch of people inside and outside the sport how I got involved with wrestling. Here's the (long) answer: Every summer growing up I went to a sports camp in upstate New York, first as a camper then as a counselor. One of my passions as I got older has been working with high school and eventually college athletes and trying to help them in sports and in life. My camp was the place that taught me a lot about mentoring others. I was lucky enough to have counselors who were like big brothers to me growing up, and they helped me grow as an athlete and a person. I've been trying to pay it forward ever since. In my early 20s I got really into lifting and would always work with the kids I knew who needed help or advice. Anyone who knows me knows that when I do something I'm passionate about: I'm all in. So when it became lifting, I tried to learn as much about it as possible. When I graduated from Michigan, I got a job working for Major League Baseball Productions, a job I'm at to this day. For a kid who grew up a sports fanatic, it doesn't get much better than traveling around the country producing TV shows, roaming around the field and clubhouse and hanging out with pro athletes, many of whom I now call friends. My first few years at MLB, I would try and train some of my kids in the gym -- football players, basketball players, martial artists, you name it -- around the Tri State Area when possible, but I was focusing on my job and getting myself in the gym. It wasn't until my body broke down and I wasn't able to do what I wanted to physically that I realized that a big part of my life had been missing the previous few years, and so I got back into putting others through workouts with the challenge in my head that I'd help kids be better than I was and teach them what I wish I'd known when I was in high school. By this time, I'd gotten into sports psychology and really focused my workout on the mental side as much as the physical. The workout wasn't anything complicated -- it was basically a challenge to see how far someone was willing to push themselves, and my job was to help them get to and past their breaking points. I had one kid who always did better than the rest as far as pushing himself and getting through the workout where others couldn't. I asked him one day how he handled the workout better than the other kids, out of curiosity but not necessarily expecting a meaningful response. His answer changed a lot about my life and sucked me into a world that has made me many friends and taught me about a great sport. It was simple, but prophetic: "J, you're working with the wrong kids. I can get through this better because I'm a wrestler." He told me I should put some of his wrestling friends through the workout, and I did. The difference in mentality was amazing. Here were 135-pound kids who didn't look like much, making guys I'd trained who looked like Greek Gods and benched houses seem like grade schoolers mentally, fighting through with a mental toughness that was simply different than what I'd seen in most other athletes. There are kids in other sports who have this mentality and have supreme mental and physical toughness. It's not unique to wrestling. But as I've now found out through my experiences, it's far more prevalent in wrestlers than any other athletes. I decided to learn more about this sport I knew nothing about. One thing I learned pretty quickly is that if you're a really good wrestler, you know a lot of other really good wrestlers. Not in your town or your county or your state, as it is in other sports in high school, but in the COUNTRY. The sense of community is pretty amazing, and it wouldn't exist without the sacrifice a lot of wrestling parents make, driving their kids all over the country to get the best competition -- just one of the many things that makes the wrestling family special. One of the perks of my job is that I get to travel a lot, and once I got the "I need to tap into the wrestling mentality" bug, I decided that I'd try and find someone to put through my workout whenever I was on the road. One of the first nationally ranked high school kids I worked out was Tanner Eitel, who now wrestles at the University of North Carolina, down in Texas when I was working with the Rangers a few years ago. I stayed in touch with him and his family and when they came north to the Final Four Duals in Easton, Pennsylvania (not too far from my NYC home), I decided to show up and support his Bishop Lynch squad. By that point I'd watched some matches online and talked to a bunch of kids and their parents about the sport. But until you see it live, you don't really understand what's at stake. Sure, a batter and a pitcher can settle things on one-on-one at times in baseball, but for the most part there are going to be other players and factors involved. And yeah, a wide receiver and cornerback can be out on an island one-on-one in football, but the quarterback has to make the throw, and there's always the potential for a safety to come over and help. In wrestling, it's just you and the other guy, which sounds obvious and simple if you're a wrestler. But from the outside looking in, the mentality you have to have to go out there knowing that there's nobody else responsible for you winning or losing but yourself seems extremely gratifying, but also quite daunting, especially for a kid. Nothing illustrated this more than one of the matches in Easton. I might not have every detail perfect, but here's the gist of what went down. In one of the big duals, Bishop Lynch was tied going into the heavyweight match. I'd noticed that while a lot of the kids were very close, the heavyweight pretty much kept to himself and wasn't really a part of the bigger group of friends. He was also a wrestler who was average, at best, on a team with nationally ranked kids. What I saw next is part of the reason I fell in love with the sport. Going into the match, the rest of the team didn't seem at all confident that they'd get the "w." When their guy got the first takedown, the body language started to shift. When he went up a few points, the team started going BALLISTIC. The huge upset was now a possibility. As the seconds ticked down and the upset and the dual were in the books, the team engulfed the heavyweight with high fives and hugs. Here was a loner who went onto the mat with everyone expecting a loss, now the team hero. And it was all him. Nobody passed him the ball, nobody drove him in, nobody helped him out on the tackle. He was out there on an island against a superior opponent with no help save for what was in his mind and heart, and he got the job done. I had zero attachment to this kid, and I thought it was one of the greatest things I'd ever seen. I was hooked. This pushed me to want to be around the sport more and to find out how the best high school kids ticked. The workout became almost like a game of telephone. When I was traveling to a new city for work, I'd ask a kid I'd trained with to recommend someone to work out and with the help of word of mouth from the wrestlers I'd worked with, I'd find someone to beat up on. And that was really the essence of why I was doing it -- it was really fun and challenging being able to push really tough people to a breaking point and help them through it while seeing how they handled it. In the process, I learned more about the sport and saw the immense sacrifices wrestlers make. Taylor Massa, Jordan Thomas, Jason Katz, and Dan Yates (Photo/Michigan Sports Information)Wanting to see how the best conducted themselves and handled the workout, I ended up working out a few top recruits -- David Taylor, Logan Stieber, Destin McCauley, Taylor Massa and Ben Whitford. Taylor and Stieber were the first among the big recruits to do the workout -- both in the summer of 2010. They'd talked to guys who had been through it and figured they'd give it a try. This wasn't something they 'needed,' but the essence of who they are is that they'll attack challenges even if it will only help them .00000001%. Largely thanks to those guys vouching for me, I've had a number of really good wrestlers before and after that I worked more closely with and tried to help with the mental side of training and life in general -- when David Taylor and Logan Stieber say something's tough, other wrestlers will listen. And once I started understanding the sport better, it helped me work with wrestlers more closely. I still can't help anyone with a double leg, though. One of my favorite anecdotes proves how a lot of the top guys are wired and how competitive they are. At a certain point, I started ending the upper body portion of the workout with Tabata pushups. Tabata is a principle of 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off for four minutes. Pushups might sound simple, but when your arms are dead beyond belief, it's no fun. Stieber was the first to get to four minutes without falling on his face. We decided to keep going to six minutes to get a "full match" in, and we stopped there. That became the new benchmark. Flash forward to a year or so later: I'd done my homework on Taylor Massa before we trained, as I always did with whomever I worked with. Part of my job was to get in the head of the guy I was training. In my mind, if I couldn't do that, it would just be another workout and not worth their time. I'd already worked with three of his close friends who are also studs -- Jordan Thomas, Ben Whitford and Dan Yates. What I found out from his friends and family was that if you ever watched him in practice or Phys. Ed, he couldn't do a proper pushup worth a damn. And my rule was if the pushup wasn't legit, I was going to make you miserable. It just so happened Yates had grabbed the new record a few months earlier at a little over eight minutes. Before we got going, I stoked the fire a little and told Massa that I hoped he didn't embarrass himself. His response? "Yates has the record, right? Tell me what it is and it won't be the record for very long." Eleven and a half minutes and a half-dozen smacks to his head later, I had a new record holder. And every pushup was PERFECT. Funny what happens to stud wresters when something becomes a competition. Just another example of the mindset. It's a pretty impressive feat, although I enjoy joking with Tay that if Stieber got another shot at it, he'd probably be in second place. Over the past two years, I've had a chance to go to a bunch of practices run by Taylor Massa's father Rodger and Ben Whitford's dad Pat, who have helped the team in St. Johns, Mich., become a national powerhouse. Being inside a competitive room was another learning experience on how wrestlers are wired. I had my share of physical battles in practices growing up, but I can't really say that if started throwing punches with one of my teammates I'd smile about it and go out to eat with that guy a half hour later. More proof that wrestlers are indeed a different breed. I've talked a lot about some pretty big-time wrestlers, and they deserve all the accolades they get -- they've earned it. But I want to point out the kids I respect as much as the stars -- the backups. I can't imagine what it's like being a third or fourth-string wrestler, knowing that I might never get into a dual and that I'm going to get beat up on most days in the room. It's not hyperbole to say those guys who go to practice day in, day out and bust it when they could be doing A LOT of other things in high school and especially college, deserve as much respect as anyone. In any sport, you can't have strong teams without character guys like that, but with the physical and mental toll wrestling takes, it's even more impressive. All that being said, what makes wrestling special and personal to me are the moments and memories I've been able to witness and share over the past few years. Here are just a few: Being at the 2011 Pennsylvania State Championships and watching Nathaniel Brown win his first state title as a senior was the first time I TRULY understood how much all this meant to kids and families. After we worked out, I'd talked a lot with Nate after -- now starting for Lehigh -- about the mental side of getting over the hump and so watching the finals match with an understanding of how badly he wanted it, and witnessing dreams come to fruition ... man, it's an emotional thing. Seeing his family in their pure joy and pride was enough to make me lose it. Not to mention that the PA state tournament is something any wrestling fan should get to at least once. Jason Katz with Taylor Massa and Ben Whgitford after they won Super 32 Challenge belts in October of 2011Rushing from the 2011 World Series to see my Michigan guys (Massa, Thomas and Whitford) wrestle at Super 32 Challenge was a treat. I tell this story and people think I'm full of crap, but it's true. I'd just come from one of the great World Series' of all time, an epic seven-gamer where the Cardinals beat the Rangers after a great comeback. A lot of my friends saw me on TV on the field and in the middle of the celebration and it was a great experience. But I'm used to doing things like that, so it wasn't as rewarding as being in the corner for my guys at Super 32, especially after Massa and Whitford won belts. Yeah, those things are cool. Seeing Jordan Thomas get a late takedown against a big-time kid to win his third state title last year literally almost gave me a heart attack because of how much I wanted it for him. For a few minutes, I realized how a parent must feel in a close match of such a high magnitude. I've played and coached other sports, and I know how hard it is as a coach to not have as much control as you did as a player. Understanding for a brief second that what a wrestling parent must go through was what a coach goes through multiplied by a million was pretty crazy to think about. Getting a big hug from his dad, then collapsing into our chairs, both of us drained from what we'd just witnessed, was something I remember like it was yesterday. Going to the 2012 NCAA tournament and realizing how many people I knew as I walked around St. Louis brought a smile to my face. David Taylor celebrates after winning the NCAA title (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Being there to see David Taylor and Logan Stieber win titles, knowing how hard they'd worked was awesome to see. But as always, it's about family, and what I enjoyed most was seeing their parents after and congratulating them. A quick aside: Mr. Taylor had introduced me to Troy Letters earlier in the week, and when Troy said, "Oh, you're the guy with the workout," I was floored and humbled. And having the dad of one of the best wrestlers in the country introduce me around to people as the guy with "one of the best jobs ever" was a riot. Everyone else wanted to talk baseball; I wanted to talk wrestling. Getting to spend a little time with the Stiebers and Tessaris (Cam Tessari was another unfortunate victim of mine) before the tournament was a treat. I can honestly say that having seen them at a few tournaments and events since, Jeff and Tina Stieber are folks I always look forward to talking with. It's one of my favorite parts of any tourney that Logan is at. Just good people who have made it hard for me to completely hate EVERYTHING Ohio State as I was brought up to do being a Michigan fan since I was 8, and now being a Michigan Man. Speaking of Michigan, being in the Wolverine section when Kellen Russell won his second title and seeing his family explode was a great moment. And watching Zac Stevens, who I've gotten to know pretty well, will himself to the podium knowing how hard he worked to get that All American status was exciting to witness. Jason Katz presented Taylor Massa with the 2012 Dave Schultz Award (Photo/Larry Slater)Having the honor of being asked to present Taylor Massa with the 2012 Dave Schultz Award is way up there on the list of my favorites. His dad was at a big tourney with his brother Logan -- who, by the way, is a complete stud and will be making a lot of noise the next few years -- so I was called in to go to the Wrestling Hall of Fame with Taylor and his mom. The Massas are great and have treated me like family, so it was nice to be there for a big award like that. Being around the wrestling history and greats in Stillwater just added to the experience. Little known fact: Taylor can put a tuxedo on in 68 seconds. Amazing, but true. Having the privilege of getting to see how the Michigan wrestling team practices and learn about some of the nuances of the sport from the coaches is up top on my list of wrestling memories. I can't thank Joe McFarland, Sean Bormet and Donny Pritzlaff enough for letting me hang around and pick their brains a little over the past year or so. Seeing the direction the program is going in from up close has been great to witness. If you told me at any point before 2010 that I'd know as much about Michigan wrestling as I do about Michigan football, basketball and hockey, I'd have told you to gently lay down the crack pipe. Alas, it's now true. The respect I have for those men is sky high. I coached some in the past, and I've always said one big measure of a coach, in my view, is whether or not his players want to go to battle for him. I can say without a shred of doubt that if I were 15 years younger and knew how to wrestle, I'd run through a wall for those guys. I think Bormet summed up the wrestling mentality best when he told me that within five years, he'd be able to play in Major League Baseball, or at least hit any pitch. Granted, this was coming from a guy who Pritzlaff later told me didn't know if he was a lefty or righty batter. So yeah, good luck with that, Sean. But I guess the moral is that wrestlers really do think they can do anything. I was fortunate enough to be at the practice at which Dan Yates, another part of my Michigan 'family,' was named captain of this year's Michigan wrestling team, which was very special. To see a lot of hard work and maturing come to fruition made me extremely proud, especially having seen a lot of it up close. And then getting to see Danny, Taylor Massa and Jordan Thomas in Maize and Blue for the first time together made me a happy "Uncle J." Jason Katz with Jake HerbertHow could I not mention one of the great characters I've met and had a chance to spend time with on this wild ride, Mr. Olympian himself, Jake Herbert? When we're working with MLB teams, we have certain guys who make our shows better and who we love working with because of their personalities. Jake would be one of those guys. My hope is that he doesn't completely humiliate the wrestling community if I can get him to take some batting practice with the Pirates at some point. One thing I can guarantee is that he'll wear something loud, obnoxious and ridiculous on to the field. And amazingly, the guy will pull it off. Just make sure you never ask him for spelling tips -- top-five worst speller on the planet. And that's being kind. And last, but certainly not least: as I was finishing up this article, I took a quick trip down to Naples, Fla. I'm taking a dip in the Gulf of Mexico, and who do I have the pleasure of striking up a conversation with? None other than the great Dan Gable. A half hour later, after picking the brain of one of the best, I was much wiser about the sport. Can't beat having one of the all-time greats share some wisdom and kind words. It's a small world indeed. I guess, depending on how you look at things, maybe it's proof that things happen for a reason -- the story ends with my meeting the man who uttered the famous quote, "Once you wrestle, everything else in life is easy," which I've learned must be true from watching the sport the past few years. Most importantly, now I know that Dan Gable grew up loving Mickey Mantle. All these memories -- and I didn't wrestle a single match or know a single rule until four years ago. Mainly because of my wonderful herniated disc, I haven't put anyone through the workout in over a year. I knew it was bad when world-class (in his own mind) chiropractor and wrestling guru Rodger Massa told me I was screwed after looking at my MRI instead of giving me grief for being soft, which is what I expected from someone in the wrestling community. But I'm content in what I've done with the workout and hope to make an impact in other ways. A lot of the kids I've worked with, especially my Michigan crew, have become a big part of my life. As I've said multiple times, wrestling is about family. These families are now MY family. This is when paying it forward comes back to you tenfold. I owe wrestling for that, because as I tell my guys, the more good people you have in your life, the better off you are. Earning the trust, respect and friendship of so many great people in this amazing community is something I take great pride in. So I thank all of those who have been part of this ride -- those I've named and those I haven't. You all know who you are. Now someone please teach me what a Granby is.

OPRF ends regular season with major statements A week ago Wednesday, Oak Park River Forest, Ill., (now ranked No. 10) earned a 34-29 victory over Montini Catholic, Ill., (which drops to No. 11) in a battle of nationally elite squads. Without two key starters in returning state runner-up Matt Rundell (120) and projected state placer Andre Lee (195), the Huskies needed wins in the last five weight classes to rally back from a 29-15 deficit. Freshman Isaiah White started the rally with a 3-1 victory over two-time state placer Jordan Laster at 126 pounds, sophomore returning state placer Larry Early continued the momentum with a pin over Jose Champagne at 132 pounds, and then it was Jake O'Mara registering a mild upset with the win by fall against two-time state placer Chris Garcia at 138 to cut the deficit down to 29-28. The last two matches of the dual meet would now be “must wins” for OPRF. These were both tossup matches. At 145 pounds, it was a battle of returning state qualifiers decided in overtime, when junior Johnny Gahagan scored the takedown to earn a 3-1 victory. Then trying to protect a 31-29 lead, OPRF sent out freshman Kamaal Bey to face returning state placer Michael Sepke, and he got the job done in a 9-5 victory. It was another statement by the Huskies on a week ago this evening, as they traveled to No. 23 Marmion Academy, where they left with a 38-19 buoyed by four crucial swing victories during a stretch of eight consecutive wins early in the dual meet. The match started good enough for the Cadets, who saw senior Jake Field earn a 5-3 decision over fellow senior Darius Henry at 126 pounds. However, three straight losses in winnable matches would swing the proceedings in the Huskies favor. At 132 pounds, No. 15 George Fisher held a 4-2 lead into the last half-minute of the match, when the freshman White would register a late takedown and get a subsequent turn in registering a 7-4 victory. The next was even more disastrous for Marmion Academy, as freshman Matt Ferraro jumped out to a 5-0 lead over O'Mara after one period, but O'Mara earned the fall in the second period at the 3:15 mark. In the next match, it was a 5-3 overtime victory for Gahagan over another Cadet freshman Trace Carello. Consecutive falls from the freshman Bey and No. 18 Davonte Mahomes would give OPRF a 24-3 lead after 160 pounds. In the 170 pound match, the Cadets looked to turn things around; however, OPRF freshman Malik Stallings earned a 3-1 overtime victory. A technical fall from No. 18 Joe Ariola and 5-1 decision for Cory Cepak made the laed 35-3 for OPRF. Marmion Academy responded with wins in four of the last five matches, the only loss being 4-3 at 113 pounds in a battle of freshmen, to reflect the final margin. Hooray for the state series With the month of February about to be in our midst, most seasons are starting to taper down, and then ramp up with the state tournament progression. For one state, this weekend marks the end of the season, as it will be state finals weekend in Alaska's Class 4A competition. On the dual meet side of things, Tennessee will stage its championships. The opening weekend of the three-week individual state series in Illinois, they call it the regional level, is also crucial in the team state progression. Only champions in each of the individual regionals advance to the sweet 16 of the dual meet state tournament (the individual state tournament does not have an official team score kept). In the big-school division, that means a very tight battle at the Marist regional between No. 14 Carl Sandburg, the defending state champions, and No. 21 Marist. Last year, Carl Sandburg won this regional by a narrow 12-1/2 points, though Marist had earned a dual meet victory over the Eagles at The Clash, on the way to a subsequent state title. Additionally, district dual meet tournaments across the Keystone State will set up the bracket for next week's state dual meet championships that start with preliminary matches across the state on Monday night before sixteen teams convene for first round matches in Hershey one week from today. Bergen Catholic navigates tough week of schedule in the Garden State After their 39-18 win over then No. 31 Bound Brook, Bergen Catholic moved up seven spots in the rankings to No. 35, while Bound Brook dropped to No. 37 in the Fab 50 team rankings. Though Bergen Catholic won nine matches on this evening, it was a dual meet that could have just as easily been 9-5 in favor of Bound Brook. The teams split the first ten matches five-to-five, 220 pounds back around the turn to 152, as Bergen Catholic exited with a 20-18 lead. In terms of key early matches, Tyler Casementi scored a 3-2 victory at 113 pounds over Rob Murray due to a late stalling call. At 132 pounds, J.P. Ascolese also got a key 8-6 victory in overtime for Bergen Catholic against Jeison Arias; while at 145 pounds, it was Bound Brook's Nick Acetta earning a 10-9 victory in the overtime tiebreaker. Also in this first portion of the dual meet, Bergen Catholic junior Laurien Angelhina took it to returning state qualifier Emmanuel Soto in a first period win by fall at 138 pounds. The last one-third of the dual meet started innocently enough with a 6-2 victory from freshman Kevin Mulligan at 160 pounds to stretch the Bergen Catholic lead out to 23-18. Then at 170 pounds, freshman Abe Saavedra jumped out to a 5-0 lead for Bound Brook against senior opponent Gianni Hallak. However, Hallak rallied back to take a 9-7 lead late into the third period, when he would then secure the pin at 5:56. A 14-4 major decision by No. 7 Johnny Sebastian at 182 pounds put the dual meet out of reach, but a back-and-forth match at 195 pounds ended with a pin for Bergen Catholic's Christian Jenco to reflect the final margin. In a match just last evening, Bergen Catholic needed a last match victory from No. 1 Nick Suriano, 4-1 over No. 9 Kyle Bierdumpfel at 106 pounds, to beat a now at full strength Don Bosco Prep squad that was ranked earlier in the season 26-24. The teams split the fourteen weight classes seven-to-seven. Two-time state placer Luis Gonzalez, finally down to 113 pounds, opened the proceedings for Don Bosco with an 11-4 decision victory; and transfer Sam Cali, who missed the first part of the season, extended the Ironman lead out to 7-0 after a 24-11 major decision at 120 pounds. The lead would reach 10-0 after the 126 pound weight class before J.P. Ascolese and Laurent Angelhina answered back with a decision and major decision respectively for the Crusaders. The two squads would split decisions across the next four bouts, Don Bosco Prep at 145 and 170, while Bergen Catholic got victories from freshmen Joseph Grello and Kevin Mulligan at 152 and 160 respectively. A pin from Sebastian at the 1:18 mark would give the Crusaders their first lead of the night at 20-17 after the 182 pound weight class. State champion Razohn Gross was only able to earn a 14-8 decision at 195 pounds against Connor O'Brien, which tied the dual meet. No. 14 Zach Chakonis scored a 9-1 major decision over Cadet double All-American Christian Jenco for the Ironman, while Carmine Goldsack responded with a 7-3 decision at 285 for the Crusaders to set the stage for Suriano to close the dual meet. Southern statement In a battle of Georgia state dual meet champions, it was Archer (Class 6A champs) emerging with the 34-29 victory over Pope (Class 5A) this past Saturday. The Tigers were without state champion Ernest Alexander at 195 pounds in this dual meet due to SAT testing. In fact, the margin was 34-17 with two matches to go, with Archer choosing to forfeit those on indifference. With the result, Archer moves up from No. 49 to No. 44, while the Greyhounds drop from No. 34 to No. 40. Late regular season highlights No. 1 Blair Academy, N.J., travels to No. 2 St. Edward as part of a quad on Saturday afternoon. Joining those two squads will be Marysville, Ohio and Steubenville, Ohio. The first two rounds are slated for 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. while the top two teams in the nation will tussle at around 3 p.m. InterMat will be posting a preview of the event on Friday, while providing updates throughout the quad on Saturday afternoon. Don Bosco Prep, N.J., is slated to compete in a dual meet against No. 37 Bound Brook, N.J., on Saturday morning. It will be interesting to see how the revamped, and full strength, Ironmen lineup does against yet another prominent team. Shamrocks drive south on I-75, come home winners against Moeller This past Saturday it was No. 15 Detroit Catholic Central, Mich., who made the trip down to No. 20 Cincinnati Moeller, Ohio and left for the better with a 37-21. The Shamrocks won most of the crucial matches, got more matches with bonus points (3 pins to one), and got the matches they wanted. The dual meet did start well for the Crusaders, with No. 10 Chalmer Frueauf bumping up a weight class to get the pin at 285 over returning state placer Robert Coe. Moeller would then extend the lead out to 14-0 with major decisions coming from Will Kruspe (106) and Conner Ziegler (113). That would be almost it for Crusaders highlights, as the Shamrocks would win the next five matches to take a 19-14 lead. That stretch started with returning state placer Trevor Zdebski upending freshman Jacoby Ward 9-2 at 120 pounds, Myles Amine and No. 12 (at 126) Ken Bade would earn falls in the next two weights, two-time state placer Malik Amine scored a major at 138, and it was capped off by a 3-1 victory from Chris Naubert at 145. Moeller did cut the deficit down to two at 19-17 after the 4-3 decision victory by Wyatt Wilson at 152. However, Detroit Catholic Central answered back with a fall from 2011 state champion Logan Marcicki against 2011 state placer Dean Meyer in a battle of excellent juniors. In another swing match at 170, it was No. 17 Andrew Garcia extending the Shamrocks lead in the dual meet with a 5-1 victory over No. 20 Dakota Sizemore. The lead grew to 31-17 after sophomore Nick Giese, scored a 2-1 tiebreaker victory over returning state qualifier Quentin Rosser at 182 pounds in a battle of wrestlers projected to place top six in their respective state tournaments. Jerry Thornberry would score a major for Moeller at 195, while senior Jay Peterson responded with a fall for the Shamrocks to reflect the final outcome. Quick hits of the past weekend Even with multiple starters missing, No. 3 Wyoming Seminary, Pa., was able to score a 36-24 victory over No. 32 McDonogh, Md., in the championship match of the Gilman Duals this past Saturday. McDonogh won five matches against the Blue Knights in addition to getting the void at 106 pounds. One of the key victories for Wyoming Seminary came at 285 pounds, where reserve first-year wrestler Cody Stemrich scored a fall at the 2:23 mark to cinch the dual meet prior to the penultimate match forfeit. No. 19 Kasson-Mantorville, Minn. won the championship match at its home dual meet tournament this past Saturday with a 37-22 victory over No. 38 Simley, Minn. Two interesting outcomes were at 126 and 132 pounds, where Komet grapplers earned wins in what could be previews of key matches deep in the state tournament. At 126 pounds it was Nate Thomas, a 2010 state champion, scoring the 8-5 victory over defending state champion Juan Torres, who had missed the first half-plus of the season for Simley. While at 132 pounds, the match of defending state champions featured eighth grader Brady Berge scoring a 3-2 tiebreaker victory over Kyle Gliva. Davenport Assumption, Iowa out-pointed No. 46 Bettendorf, Iowa to win the MAC Conference Tournament this past Saturday, 255 to 243 was the final margin. There were five head-to-head matches for first place, with the second place Bulldogs going 3-2 in those affairs. However, Davenport Assumpiton added three other weight class titles, while Bettendorf just had one other weight class victory. Earlier in the season, Bettendorf won the dual meet while they also out-pointed Davenport Assumption at the Cheesehead. Grand Island, Neb., moves into the Fab 50 this week after their title at the Top of the Rockies this past weekend. The Islanders enter the rankings in the No. 49 position after volume ruled the day, as they had no champions, but saw half their lineup place -- including three finishing as runner-up and two more in third place. The margin ended up being very narrow, 196-1/2 to 194-1/2, as second place Broomfield, Colo. countered with four weight class champions. Formerly ranked Pomona, Colo. was third in the standings with 160 points coming from no champions and seven placers (one runner-up, three in third, a pair in fourth, and one in fifth). Team USA Dapper Dan squad unveiled Yesterday, the Dapper Dan Wrestling Classic Committee released the USA all-star team for the event to be held on Sunday, March 17 at the University of Pittsburgh. Four wrestlers ranked No. 1 in the country by InterMat are on the squad: Nathan Tomasello (120), Joey Dance (126), Ben Whitford (145), and Jake Short (152). For the full listing: http://intermatwrestle.com/articles/11270.

Charleston, S.C. -- The Citadel wrestling team topped Southern Illinois-Edwardsville in dominant fashion, 41-3, in a Wednesday evening Southern Conference dual match at McAlister Field House. The win improves The Citadel's record to 4-5 overall and 3-2 in the conference, while SIUE drops to 3-12 overall and 1-2 in conference action. SoCon newcomer SIUE opened the match with a 12-0 deficit as the Cougars forfeited the 125- and 165-pound bouts. Aaron Hansen, eighth-ranked Ugi Khishignyam, Matt Frisch and 14th-ranked Odie Delaney all topped their respective competition to remain unscathed in the conference. Hansen kicked off action in the 133-pound bout against SoCon's top-ranked Patrick Myers. With a 2-2 score after two periods, the Summerville native tallied an escape and a takedown in the final two minutes to collect the 5-3 decision en route to earning his 16th win of the season and fifth in conference dual meets. Ugi followed Hansen's performance with a pin in the final minute over Brandon Brindley to give the Bulldogs a commanding 21-0 advantage. The win improves the Mongolia native's record to 29-3. At 149 pounds, senior Jordan Dix posted his 14th win of the season and second by technical fall over Logun Taylor. Frisch, who entered the match with four consecutive major decision victories, bettered the result by earning the fall on SIUE's Kyle Lowman at the 4:32 mark. After an 8-4 loss by Jack Duane at 174-pounds, Josh Tuck (184) and Marshall Haas (197) earned 5-3 and 7-3 decisions, respectively, to increase the Bulldogs' margin to 38-3. Delaney closed out the match with a hard-fought 6-2 decision over David Devine to collect his 27th win on the season and 110th of his career. The redshirt senior is now one win shy of tying Ryan McClester for third most wins in Citadel history. Delaney will have the chance to overtake McClester on Saturday when the Bulldogs head to West Point, N.Y., for the All-Academy Championships. Results: 125 Joaquin Marquez (The Citadel) won by forfeit. (CIT 6-0) 133 Aaron Hansen (The Citadel) won by decision over Patrick Myers (SIUE), 5-3. (CIT 9-0) 141 #8 Ugi Khishignyam (The Citadel) won by pin over Brandon Brindley (SIUE) at 6:08. (CIT 15-0) 149 Jordan Dix (The Citadel) won by tech fall over Logan Taylor (SIUE) 18-1 at 5:29 (CIT 20-0) 157 Matthew Frisch (The Citadel) won by pin over Kyle Lowman (SIUE) at 4:32. (CIT 26-0) 165 Vincent Bellaran (The Citadel) won by forfeit. (CIT 32-0) 174 Jake Residori (SIUE) won by decision over Jack Duane (The Citadel), 8-4. (CIT 32-3) 184 Josh Tuck (The Citadel) won by decision over Derek Nagel (SIUE), 5-3. (CIT 35-3) 197 Marshall Haas (The Citadel) won by decision over Chris Johnson (SIUE), 7-3. (CIT 38-3) 285 #14 Odie Delaney (The Citadel) won by decision over David Devine (SIUE), 6-2. (CIT 41-3)

GREELEY, Colo. -- Pins from three Cowboys gave the University of Wyoming wrestling team a much-needed conference victory over Northern Colorado on Wednesday, 34-10. Wyoming head coach Branch won his 25th conference dual on the strength of six bonus-point wins, and UW won its 20th dual in a row over the Bears, dating back to 1993. The Pokes improved to 2-1 on the road, 3-1 in Western Wrestling Conference action and 8-4 overall. The win came on the heels of a 22-15 loss to North Dakota State just three days prior. "I like how they responded after a tough loss," Branch said of his wrestlers. "It was good to see that they came out with a little more attitude. It was a good win and we needed it. The thing with our guys is stepping out on the mat with confidence, and these matches are going to help." Sophomore Andy McCulley set the tone for the evening with a pin less than a minute into the 157-pound match. He stuck Northern Colorado's Mitchell Polkowske just 48 seconds in for the early 6-0 lead for UW. He leads UW with 11 pins and won his 24th match of the season. UW sophomore Dakota Friesth was dominant in a 16-1 technical fall over Iver Sandoval at 165, and senior L.J. Helbig followed up with a fall at 6:52 at 174 pounds to give UW a 17-0 lead. Sophomore Shane Woods got a nice 11-1 major decision over Keith Johnson for a 21-0 lead after four matches. The first blemish of the evening came when senior Michael Poulos saw the first dual action of his career at 197 pounds. Poulos, who regularly wrestles 174, wrestled hard but lost a 9-1 major decision to UNC's Cody McAninch. "Poulos was giving up a lot of weight, but he wrestled with a lot of heart," Branch said. "Even in a loss, he came out there and fought for us, so I was proud of him." UNC followed that match up with a closely contested 8-6 decision win at heavyweight to make it 21-7. But sophomore Tyler Cox stopped the bleeding at 125 pounds when he pinned UNC's Abe Fox at the 4:22 mark, giving UW a 27-7 lead. Cox set a career high in single-season wins with 26, surpassing his redshirt freshman total of 25. Senior Kasey Garnhart followed Cox with a 6-1 decision at 133, but junior Kyle Komata lost a 3-0 decision at 141 pounds. In the last bout of the evening, sophomore Brandon Richardson earned a 10-1 major decision to give the Pokes a 34-10 win. UW gets a break from competition until Feb. 17, when the Cowboys head to the NWCA National Duals in Columbia, Mo. Results: 157: No. 13 Andy McCulley fall (0:48) Mitchell Polkowske (UNC) / Wyoming 6, UNC 0 165: Dakota Friesth tech. fall Iver Sandoval (UNC), 17-1 / Wyoming 11, UNC 0 174: L.J. Helbig fall (6:52) Jesse Neilsen (UNC) / Wyoming 17, UNC 0 184: Shane Woods maj. dec. Keith Johnson (UNC), 11-0 / Wyoming 21, UNC 0 197: Cody McAninch (UNC) maj. dec. Michael Poulos, 10-1 / Wyoming 21, UNC 4 285: Henry Chirino (UNC) dec. Leland Pfeifer, 8-6 / Wyoming 21, UNC 7 125: Tyler Cox fall (4:22) Abe Fox (UNC) / Wyoming 27, UNC 7 133: Kasey Garnhart dec. Sam Bauer (UNC), 6-1 / Wyoming 30, UNC 7 141: Nick Adams (UNC) dec. Kyle Komata, 3-0 / Wyoming 30, UNC 10 149: Brandon Richardson maj. dec. Nick Alspaugh (UNC), 10-1 / Wyoming 34, UNC 10

LEXINGTON, Va. -- The George Mason wrestling team defeated VMI 27-12, in non-conference action, Wednesday. The dual was held in the Thunderdome in Lexington, Va. Beginning with the 165 weight class, VMI took an early 3-0 lead with Mark Darr's 6-5 decision win over Ty Knepp. In the next weight class, VMI extended their lead to 9-0 when John Dommert pinned Corey Smith one minute and eleven seconds into their match. Ryan Hembury put the first points on the board for Mason with his 11-2 major decision win over Jonathan Jones in the 184 weight class. Following Hembury's victory, Matt Meadows brought the Patriots within five with a decision win at 197 and Jake Kettler gave Mason the lead for the first time of the dual when he pinned Michael LaPrade one minute and forty seconds into his match at 285. Mason now led the dual 13-9. The Patriots would not relinquish their lead for the remainder of the dual. Zachary Isenhour and Sahid Kargbo each won their matches by decision at 133 and 141, respectively. Zeb Stewart added three points for VMI with a 6-1 decision win over Greg Flournoy at 149. Jaaziah Bethea added the final four points for the Patriots with his 14-6 major decision win over Edward Gottwald for a final score of 27-12. Mason returns to the mat February 2nd for a dual with Bucknell at 12:00 p.m. and a 7:00 p.m. against Franklin & Marshall the same evening. Results: 165 - Mark Darr (VMI) dec. Ty Knepp (GMU) (6-5)(3-0, VMI) 174 - John Dommert (VMI) fall. Corey Smith (GMU) (1:11)(9-0, VMI) 184 - Ryan Hembury (GMU) maj. dec. Jonathan Jones (VMI) (11-2)(9-4, VMI) 197 - Matt Meadows (GMU) dec. Urayoan Garcia (VMI) (3-2) (9-7, VMI) 285 - Jake Kettler (GMU) fall. Michael LePrade (VMI) (1:40)(13-9, GMU) 125 - Rich Lavorato (GMU) maj. dec. Armando Herrera (VMI) (13-2) (17-9, GMU) 133 - Zach Isenhour (GMU) dec. Andriy Onufriyaneko (VMI) (4-3) (20-9, GMU) 141 - Sahid Kargbo (GMU) dec. Ryan Goodsell (VMI) (9-6) (23-9, GMU) 149 - Zeb Stewart (VMI) dec. Greg Flournoy (GMU) (6-1) (23-12, GMU) 157 - Jaaziah Bethea (GMU) maj. dec. Ted Gottwald (VMI) (14-6) (27-12, GMU)

Cody Sanderson

The USA team for the 39th Dapper Dan Wrestling Classic has been announced. The event takes place on March 17 at the University of Pittsburgh's Fitzgerald Field House. Team USA 113: No. 17 Paul Mascarenas (Cleveland, N.M) 120: No. 1 Nathan Tomasello CVCA, Ohio) 126: No. 1 Joey Dance (Christiansburg, Va.) 132: No. 3 Dean Heil (St. Edward, Ohio) 138: No. 2 Anthony Ashnault (South Plainfield, N.J.) 145: No. 1 Ben Whitford (St. Johns, Mich.) 152: No. 1 Jake Short (Simley, Minn.) 160: No. 2 Isaiah Martinez (Lemoore, Calif.) 170: No. 5 Zach Beard (Tuttle, Okla.) 182 No. 2 Domenic Abounader (St. Edward, Ohio) 195: No. 6 Broc Berge (Kasson-Mantorville, Minn.) 220: No. 3 (at 195) Frank Mattiace (Blair Academy, N.J.) 285: No. 2 Brooks Black (Blair Academy, N.J.)

Reece Humphrey, a 2011 U.S. World Team member and two-time NCAA All-American, talks about training and balancing home life with chasing the Olympic dream. Brian Muir (@muirorless) sets all the lines for the much-anticipated Iowa vs. Penn State dual. Check out our Tumblr page at backpoints.tumblr.com. Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes by searching "back points" and pushing SUBSCRIBE. Do you want to listen to a past episode? Access archives.

Jake Meredith

BUIES CREEK, N.C. -- Campbell earned its third Southern Conference victory on Senior Night Wednesday, defeating Gardner-Webb 24-12. The Fighting Camels didn't trail the Runnin' Bulldogs the entire match, and move to 4-6 overall and 3-1 in the Southern Conference. The Fighting Camels are now tied with Appalachian State for second place in the Southern Conference. Before the match, Campbell recognized the careers of its four seniors, Tanner Bidelspach, Matt Cox, John Merickel, and Brad Merriman. Redshirt junior Brent Jorge gave the match an exciting start at 149 pounds with a pin over Gardner-Webb's Ryan Medved in 1:17. The pin was his fourth of the season, as he stays undefeated in the SoCon, standing 4-0 at 149 pounds. Nick Rex, another redshirt junior, fell at the 157-pound spot to Alex Medved 4-2. The loss was Rex's first of the season in the conference, moving to 2-1 at 157 pounds. Sophomore Paul Duggan and freshman Cody Ryba posted the only back-to-back wins of the night for the Camels at 165 and 174 pounds, respectively. Duggan tallied the second pin of the night over Justin Guthrie in 2:53 at 165. It was his 16th victory of the year and he is now 2-1 at 165 in the conference. Ryba followed up with a 7-1 decision over Hunter Gamble. It was the first SoCon win for Ryba, who is 1-1 in the conference at 174. At 184 pounds, Bulldog Gray Jones defeated redshirt sophomore James Cook in the second sudden victory round, 3-1. It was Cook's first conference loss, and he is now 1-1. Senior John Merickel blanked Blake Salyer in a 6-0 decision at 197 pounds, moving to 3-1 in the SoCon. The win evens his dual meet record at 5-5. The heavyweight and 125-pound classes saw nationally-ranked wrestlers in action. Gardner-Webb's No. 33 Travis Porter defeated sophomore Joe Nolan 6-3 at 285 pounds. Nolan now stands at 2-2 in the SoCon. Campbell's No. 25 Eric Montoya, a 125-pound freshman, stays perfect in SoCon action after posting an 8-2 decision over Cortez Starkes. He is 4-0 in the conference and holds the team's most wins as he is 27-10 overall. In the 133-pound spot, Bulldog Robbie Golde earned an 8-4 decision over redshirt junior Tanner Bidelspach, who is still seeking his first SoCon victory. In the final match of the night, freshman Michael Dahlstrom defeated Davante Andujar 7-3, moving to 2-2 in the conference at 141 pounds. Full results are listed below. The Camels will have a three-day break before their match with conference newcomer Southern Illinois-Edwardsville Saturday. Action will take place at Hibriten High School in Lenoir, N.C. at 5:00 p.m. Results: 149: Brent Jorge (CU) pin Ryan Medved; 1:17 157: Alex Medved (GWU) dec. Nick Rex; 4-2 165: Paul Duggan (CU) pin Justin Guthrie; 2:53 174: Cody Ryba (CU) dec. Hunter Gamble; 7-1 184: Gray Jones (GWU) SV-2 James Cook; 3-1 197: John Merickel (CU) dec. Blake Salyer; 6-0 285: #33 Travis Porter (GWU) dec. Joe Nolan; 6-3 125: #28 Eric Montoya (CU) dec. Cortez Starkes; 8-2 133: Robbie Golde (GWU) dec. Tanner Bidelspach; 8-4 141: Michael Dahlstrom (CU) dec. Davante Andujar; 7-3

HINSDALE, Ill. -- The No. 22 Purdue wrestling team snapped a three-match losing streak on Monday night, knocking off 20th-ranked Wisconsin, 22-14, at Hinsdale Central High School. The Boilermakers improved to 11-5 on the year and 2-3 in conference action, while the Badgers fell to 7-5 (4-3 Big Ten). The Boilermakers won six of the 10 bouts on Monday, including bonus-point victories at 141 and 184 pounds. It was Purdue’s first neutral-site victory over Wisconsin in series history, snapping a streak of 10 consecutive losses to the Badgers in matches not held in West Lafayette or Madison, as well as extending Purdue’s win streak over Wisconsin to three straight. Junior Camden Eppert got things going for the Boilermakers, earning a 3-1 victory over sophomore Matt Cavallaris at 125 pounds. Eppert reversed his opponent early in the second period, and then rode Cavallaris for the entire third period to improve to 4-1 in conference duals and earn his career-best 19th win of the season. His reversal also moved him into a tie for 16th all-time at Purdue with 29 for his career. The Badgers answered with a 21-5 technical fall by fifth-ranked senior Tyler Graff over Purdue freshman Danny Sabatello at 133 pounds, taking a 5-3 lead, but the Boilermakers came right back over the top as sophomore Brandon Nelsen stuck Badger senior Tom Kelliher for a 9-5 Purdue advantage. Nelsen wasted no time in the bout, getting a quick takedown and then putting Kelliher right on his back. Kelliher put up a great fight, limiting Nelsen to just three back points and a 5-0 lead, pushing the match to the second period. Kelliher battled back with a pair of takedowns, trimming the lead to 7-4, but Nelsen caught a cradle in the third period and would not let the Badger senior off his blades this time, earning the fall at 6:26. Nelsen’s 15th career fall earned him the No. 20 spot on the Boilermakers’ all-time pin list and sparked a four-match run for the Boilermakers to extend the lead to 18-5. Purdue senior Ivan Lopouchanski needed overtime to protect his undefeated record at 149 pounds, defeating senior Cole Schmitt in a tie-breaker, 2-1, while fellow Boilermaker senior Tommy Churchard used a clutch third-period takedown and ride-out for a 4-3 victory over junior Kalvin York at 157 pounds. Boilermaker sophomore Pat Robinson closed out the run at 165 pounds, avenging a loss from earlier this season with an 11-5 decision over sophomore Frank Cousins. The Badgers halted the run with a 7-2 decision from junior Scott Liegel at 174 pounds over Purdue freshman Chad Welch, but Boilermaker sophomore Patrick Kissel had a huge return from injury, sealing the dual with a 9-0 major decision over sophomore Ben Cox at 184 pounds. Having missed the last month with an injury, Kissel was solid in his return, scoring all his points in the second and third periods, including a key two-point tilt in the second. Despite having the team score out of reach, Wisconsin took the last two bouts as 20th-ranked junior Jackson Hein outlasted Purdue sophomore Braden Atwood in a 6-6 second tiebreaker at 197 and 11th-ranked Connor Medbery topped Boilermaker junior Alex White at heavyweight, 8-3. The Boilermakers will return to the Chicagoland area on Friday as they face 23rd-ranked Northwestern at 7 p.m (CT) in Welsh-Ryan Arena. Results: 125: No. 15 Camden Eppert (PU) dec. Matt Cavallaris (UW), 3-1 133: No. 5 Tyler Graff (UW) tech. fall Danny Sabatello (PU), 21-5 (6:15) 141: Brandon Nelsen (PU) pinned Tom Kelliher (UW), 6:26 149: No. 13 Ivan Lopouchanski (PU) dec. Cole Schmitt (UW), 2-1 TB 157: Tommy Churchard (PU) dec. Kalvin York (UW), 4-3 165: Pat Robinson (PU) dec. Frank Cousins (UW), 11-5 174: Scott Liegel (UW) dec. Chad Welch (PU), 7-2 184: Patrick Kissel (PU) maj. dec. Ben Cox (UW), 9-0 197: No. 20 Jackson Hein (UW) dec. No. 17 Braden Atwood (PU), 6-6 TB2 285: No. 11 Connor Medbery (UW) dec. Alex White (PU), D 8-3

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- Mizzou Wrestling took care of business on Sunday on the backend of a two-dual road trip by defeating the Panthers of Northern Iowa 27-9. The Tigers only dropped two of 10 matches on Sunday against their new MAC Conference foe in their second win in as many days. Junior Alan Waters and redshirt senior Dom Bradley both remained unbeaten in this year’s campaign with wins at 125 pounds and heavyweight, respectively. No. 2 Alan Waters improved to 18-0 on the season and 8-0 in dual meets with a 5-2 decision against Ryan Jauch. Jauch took the lead early in the first period with a takedown but Waters responded with one of his own following an escape. The Mizzou junior added one more point in the second frame with an escape afterstarting in the down position and a riding time point after accumulating 2:04 of ride time throughout the bout to make the final score 5-2. Dom Bradley, ranked atop the heavyweight rankings, gained win number 26 on the year with a 4-1 decision over Blayne Beale. Bradley scored the first point of the match in the second period via the escape, and added two more with a takedown with 43 seconds remaining. Beale scored his only point in the third after Bradley kept him down for 57 seconds. Bradley is eight wins shy of 100 in his career at Mizzou. The Tigers had three wins with bonus points at 133, 149, and 197. Senior captain Nathan McCormick defeated Levi Wolfensperger 11-1 for his eleventh dual win of theyear. Sophomore Drake Houdashelt won via the major for the second time in as many days over Bart Reiter of UNI. Houdashelt has a team-leading nine wins via the major decision this year. Senior Brent Haynes collected win number 105 in his career over Blaize Cabell, 9-0. Haynes won via the fall on Saturday when the squad battled Northern Iowa. Coming up next for Missouri is a matchup against former Big 12 rival and No. 2-ranked Oklahoma State. The Tigers meet up with the Cowboys this Friday for this year’s edition of Beauty and the Beast. Tickets can be purchased online or through the Mizzou ticket office by calling 1-800-CAT-PAWS. Results: 125: #3 Alan Waters (MU) dec. Ryan Jauch (UNI), 5-2 133: #6 Nathan McCormick #10 maj. dec. Levi Wolfensperger (UNI), 11-1 141: #14 Joey Lazor (UNI) pins Trevor Jauch (MU), 3:45 149: #18 Drake Houdashelt (MU) maj. dec. Bart Reiter (UNI), 12-3 157: Kyle Bradley (MU) dec. #17 David Bonin (UNI), 6-4 165: #19 Zach Toal (MU) dec. Jarrett Jensen (MU), 4-2 174: #15 Todd Porter (MU) dec. Cody Caldwell (UNI), 8-2 184: #9 Ryan Loder (UNI) dec. #8 Mike Larson, 3-0 197: #11 Brent Haynes (MU) maj. dec. Blaize Cabell (UNI), 9-0 285: #1 Dom Bradley (MU) dec. Blayne Beale (UNI), 3-1

LARAMIE, Wyo. -- It was Senior Day for the No. 14-ranked University of Wyoming wrestling team on Sunday inside the UniWyo Sports Complex, but the North Dakota State wrestling seniors made sure the Bison were the team celebrating at the end of the day. NDSU knocked off defending Western Wrestling Conference champion Wyoming, 22-15, for its third win over a ranked opponent this season. Seniors Mark Erickson (141), Joe Garner (149), and Mac Stoll (184) each recorded victories, and senior Kallen Kleinschmidt battled to a tough 7-4 defeat against No. 4 Alfonso Hernandez at 197 pounds to give NDSU the breathing room necessary to seal the dual victory. Freshman Josh Rodriguez (133), junior Steven Monk (165) and sophomore Evan Knutson (285) all earned match victories for the Bison as well. Entering this afternoon's dual, Wyoming was 24-1 in Western Wrestling Conference duals since head coach Mark Branch took over in 2008. NDSU was also able to avenge a 31-6 loss to Wyoming in the Bison Sports Arena on Feb. 17 of last season that clinched the league title for the Cowboys. "This was a big win for the North Dakota State wrestling program," said NDSU head coach Roger Kish. "It's the first time we've beaten Wyoming since I've been here, and I think it was important for our guys to get it out of the way. We've taken some licks from Wyoming in the past, but this should serve as a confidence-booster for the guys." "We're not sure we wrestled our absolute best, but we were still able to compete and win some big matches against a quality program," said Kish. "I think it gives our guys that confidence they need, and we'll try to keep it going in the upcoming weeks." NDSU (7-7, 2-0 WWC) overcame a loss by No. 6 Trent Sprenkle in the dual's opening match. Tyler Cox of Wyoming posted a 7-2 decision to hand Sprenkle his second straight defeat. The Bison rallied with wins in the next three weight classes. Rodriguez won 7-4 over Wyoming's Kasey Garnhart at 133 pounds, and Erickson rolled to a 15-5 major decision of Zach Zehner at 141 pounds. Garner defeated Brandon Richardson by 6-5 decision at 149 pounds after a video replay upheld the official's original ruling that a potential Richardson takedown had occurred after time expired. Wyoming (7-4, 2-1 WWC) received a pin from No. 13 Andy McCulley at 157 pounds, but NDSU's Steven Monk quickly erased any momentum for the Cowboys with a pin of Dakota Friesth in 1:46 at 165 pounds to give the Bison a 16-9 lead. The Cowboys and Bison alternated decisions over the final four weight classes, with Stoll winning by 4-1 decision at 184 pounds and heavyweight Evan Knutson posting an 11-4 decision to seal the dual meet victory. The win over No. 14 Wyoming was NDSU's third victory in seven duals against ranked opponents this season. NDSU defeated No. 24 Boise State on Nov. 16 and No. 25 Old Dominion on Jan. 12. North Dakota State will host non-conference foe Northern Iowa at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 3, in the Bison Sports Arena. Results: 125 - Tyler Cox (Wyo) dec. No. 6 Trent Sprenkle (NDSU), 7-2 ... Wyoming leads, 3-0 133 - Josh Rodriguez (NDSU) dec. Kasey Garnhart (Wyo), 7-4 ... Tied, 3-3 141 - Mark Erickson (NDSU) maj. dec. Zach Zehner (Wyo), 15-5 ... NDSU leads, 7-3 149 - Joe Garner (NDSU) dec. Brandon Richardson (Wyo), 6-5 ... NDSU leads, 10-3 157 - No. 13 Andy McCulley (Wyo) pinned Tanner Carlisle (NDSU), 3:34 ... NDSU leads, 10-9 165 - No. 6 Steven Monk (NDSU) pinned Dakota Friesth (Wyo), 1:46 ... NDSU leads, 16-9 174 - L.J. Helbig (Wyo) dec. Kurtis Julson (NDSU), 3-2 ... NDSU leads, 16-12 184 - Mac Stoll (NDSU) dec. Shane Woods (Wyo), 4-1 ... NDSU leads, 19-12 197 - No. 4 Alfonso Hernandez (Wyo) dec. Kallen Kleinschmidt (NDSU), 7-4 ... NDSU leads, 19-15 285 - Evan Knutson (NDSU) dec. Leland Pfeifer (Wyo), 11-4 ... NDSU wins, 22-15

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga wrestling team opened the Southern Conference portion of its 2013 schedule with 22-20 win over The Citadel today. The Mocs treated the Legends Weekend crowd to a hard-fought battle over a talented Bulldog team, improving to 5-6 overall and 1-0 in league action. Nearly 600 fans filled Maclellan Gym to see the Mocs honor the Jim Morgan era of UTC wrestling. And just like so many of Coach Morgan's championship squads, it took a full team effort to pull out the win today. "It was a good win," stated UTC head coach Heath Eslinger. "They are a good team and we knew we had our hands full. We had to wrestle well in every weight class. I think we left some on the table. I think there are a couple more weight classes we can win in that dual meet. We have to figure out how to do that because those are the matches that are going to get us to the national tournament." The Mocs started strong behind a 12-3 major decision win from sophomore Nick Soto (Spring Hill, Fla.). Ranked as high as No. 18 in the nation at 125, Soto defeated Joaquin Marquez to improve to 18-6 overall and give the Mocs a 4-0 lead. UTC handed the lead right back at 133 when freshman Marvin Lopez (Cleveland, Tenn.) surrendered an 8-0 major decision to Aaron Hansen. The Bulldogs took the lead when No. 8 Ugi Khishignuam posted an 8-1 win over senior Dean Pavlou (Cleveland, Tenn.) at 141. Junior Alex Hudson (Marietta, Ga.) evened the team score again with a 9-3 victory against Jordan Dix at 149. He posted a takedown at the buzzer in the first period to grab a 4-1 lead that he would not let go. The Citadel went back up 11-7 after a major decision win at 157, but that would be the last lead for the Bulldogs on the day. It may have been the intermission session that sparked the Mocs the rest of the way. Coach Morgan and dozens of his wrestlers were honored on the mat following the 157-pound match "Having those guys back here is awesome," said Eslinger. "Without those guys we would not be wrestling today. We would be among the 200+ programs that dropped wrestling. Without that era and those guys who were on that mat today, we would not have wrestling at this institution. What we owe them...we can't thank them enough. We need to honor them every year, because they bring a lot to the table. Coach Morgan developed a culture, environment and family-like atmosphere that people want to stay connected to for a long time. I need to be working hard to duplicate exactly what he did." When action resumed, senior Josh Condon (Powder Springs, Ga.) dominated his match at 165 with Vincent Bellaran. He was up 12-4 when he put Bellaran on his back at the 5:52 mark to give UTC a 13-11 lead. "Josh Condon is a senior and he is supposed to do that," said Eslinger. "He is one of the best kids in the country and he needs to believe he can go out and do that every time." Freshman John Lampe (Fairdale, Ky.) had a huge win at 174. He moved up a weight and scored a 3-2 victory over Jack Duane, giving the Mocs some breathing room with a 16-11 lead. After losing a decision at 184, Chattanooga had a 16-14 advantage with two matches left. No. 18 Niko Brown (Kissimmee, Fla.) clinched the win with his pin against Marshall Haas at the 5:44 mark. It was Brown's team-high 21st win of the season, as well as his team-best seventh pin of the year. "When you are a senior and you are doing the right things, that is what you are supposed to do," added Eslinger. "You go out and you control the match and you do what your team needs and you get the job done. Some kids have it and some don't. Niko has found it and he has to hold on to it and keep getting better." It was a good thing Brown scored the fall, because The Citadel's 14th ranked heavyweight Odie Delaney pinned freshman Kevin Malone (Carrollton, Ohio) to make the final score 22-20. "It was a good team effort, but I am not completely satisfied," said Eslinger. "You want to keep making improvements. We did at some weights, but we did not at others." Chattanooga is now the lone team in the SoCon without a loss. Appalachian State (3-1), Campbell (2-1) and Southern Illinois-Edwardsville (1-1) each have one loss, while The Citadel drops to 2-2 in league action and 3-5 overall. UTC hits the road for two matches this weekend. The Mocs visit Gardner-Webb on Friday, Feb. 1, for a 7:00 p.m. (E.S.T.) match against the Runnin' Bulldogs. Chattanooga then travels to Appalachian State for a 2:00 p.m. bout against the Mountaineers on Sunday, Feb. 3. The next home dual is set for Sunday, Feb. 10, against Davidson. Match time is 2:00 p.m. in Maclellan Gym and tickets are on sale now on GoMocs.com or at the UTC Ticket Office at (423) 266-MOCS (6627). Results: 125: Nick Soto (UTC) - MD 12-3 - Joaquin Marquez (CIT) - UTC 4-0 133: Aaron Hansen (CIT) - MD 8-0 - Marvin Lopez (UTC) - 4-4 141: Ugi Khishignyam (CIT) - Dec. 8-1 - Dean Pavlou (UTC) - The Citadel 7-4 149: Alex Hudson (UTC) - Dec. 9-3 - Jordan Dix (CIT) - 7-7 157: Matthew Frisch (CIT) - MD 10-2 - Trey Stavrum (UTC) - The Citadel 11-7 165: Josh Condon (UTC) - Fall 5:52 - Vincent Bellaran (CIT) - UTC 13-11 174: John Lampe (UTC) - Dec. 3-2 - John Duane (CIT) - UTC 16-11 184: Josh Tuck (CIT) - Dec. 10-3 - Robert Prigmore (UTC) - UTC 16-14 197: Niko Brown (UTC) - Fall 5:44 - Marshall Haas (CIT) - UTC 22-14 285: Odie Delaney (CIT) - Fall 3:53 - Kevin Malone (UTC) - UTC 22-20

ITHACA, N.Y. -- The No. 10 ranked Oregon State wrestling team capped off its upset win over No. 7 Cornell Sunday afternoon in thrilling fashion as heavyweight Chad Hanke pinned Cornell’s Jace Bennett at the 6:27 mark to give the Beavers the 23-20 victory. The pin came late in the third period and started a frenzy of celebratory high fives and hugs from Hanke’s teammates to the senior heavyweight, while stunning the more than 3,000 fans on hand in the process. Hanke’s pin was especially dramatic because OSU trailed the Big Red 20-17 heading into the final match, needing at least a decision to knot things up at 20-20. Entering Sunday’s competition, the No. 4 ranked heavyweight had never earned a pin in dual competition while wrestling in his new weight class, but that all changed Sunday, as Hanke gave Oregon State it’s fifth win in-a-row and his 11th, dating back to the Midlands Championships in December. With the win, the Beavers moved to 7-3 on the season and remain 2-1 in Pac-12 competition, while Cornell fell to 9-3 and remained 4-0 in the ECWA. While the meet ended in dramatic fashion, the beginning lacked the same flair, as the Orange and Black fell behind 5-0 after the first match, but then surged back with five consecutive wins from the 133 lb. weight class to the 157th. During that stretch Drew Van Anrooy (133 lbs.) picked up a 6-1 decision, which made it 5-3 Cornell. He was followed by 141-pounder Mike Mangrum who gave OSU a 6-5 lead with a 5-0 decision over CU’s No. 6 ranked Mike Nevinger. Scott Sakaguchi extended that lead to 10-5 with an 11-3 major decision and RJ Pena boosted the Beavers confidence with a major decision of his own (16-5), in the 157 lb. bout to make it 14-5, heading into the intermission. Coming out of the break, Seth Thomas went up against the top ranked 165 lb. wrestler in the country, Kyle Dake, who won via tech fall (19-3). It was only Thomas’ second ever collegiate dual meet, following his debut a day before and the redshirt freshman hung tough, denying Dake of extending his five pin win streak to six. Following the tech fall, Cornell pulled off victories in the 174 lb. and 184 lb. matches, making it three-in-a row for the Big Red and giving them 16 crucial points to make it 20-14 CU heading into the 197 lb. match. That’s when the stage was set for OSU’s dramatic comeback, put in motion by sophomore Taylor Meeks, who edged CU’s Billy George by a 3-1 decision. The victory followed George’s bizarre pre-match routine in which he sprinted full speed around the perimeter of the mat before the whistle blew. Meeks was not fazed by the showmanship, and neither was Hanke who dealt with a surprise opponent heading into the final bout. Taking the spot of Cornell’s normal heavyweights (Jacob Aiken-Phillips & Stryker Lane) was 197-pounder Jace Bennett, who moved up a weight class for this non-conference dual. Bennett fell behind 4-3 to Hanke after the first period, and then 7-3 after the second. Faced with the probability of 20-20 final score, the OSU heavyweight took matters into his own hands and pinned Bennett with just 33 seconds remaining in the third period, which erased the tie scenario and gave head coach Jim Zalesky and the Beavers the unquestionable upset win, their second victory in as many days. Sunday’s victory further supplants the ‘Beavs as road warriors, boasting a 5-1 record outside of Gill Coliseum this season and a 5-3 mark against nationally ranked opponents. OSU has taken four straight dual meets against teams in the top 25. Oregon State will now take the momentum created by knocking off two of the wrestling world’s most storied east coast programs into their home dual next weekend. That’s when the Beavers take on Cal State Bakersfield inside Gill at 7 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 2. Tickets to home Beaver wrestling events can be purchased online by going to beavertickets.com or by calling 1-800-GO-BEAVS. Tickets may also be purchased in person at the Oregon State ticket office inside Gill Coliseum, which is open from 9a.m. - 5p.m., Monday through Friday. Results: 125 - Nashon Garrett (Cornell) def. Joey Palmer Tech Fall (21-3) (6:26) Cornell 5, OSU 0 133 - Drew Van Anrooy def. Bricker Dixon (Cornell) Dec. (6-1) Cornell 5, OSU 3 141 - Mike Mangrum def. Mike Nevinger (Cornell) Dec. (5-0) OSU 6, Cornell 5 149 – Scott Sakaguchi def. Chris Villalonga (Cornell) Maj. Dec. (11-3) OSU 10, Cornell 5 157 - RJ Pena def. Jesse Shanaman (Cornell) Maj. Dec. (16-5) OSU 14, Cornell 5 165 - Kyle Dake def. Seth Thomas Tech Fall (19-3) (6:21) OSU 14, Cornell 10 174 - Duke Pickett (Cornell) def. Austin Morehead Maj. Dec. (16-4) OSU 14, Cornell 14 184 - Steve Bosak def. Brian Engdahl Fall (2:24) Cornell 20, OSU 14 197 - Taylor Meeks def. Billy George Dec. (3-1) Cornell 20, OSU 17 HWT - Chad Hanke def. Jace Bennett (Cornell) Fall (6:27) OSU 23, Cornell 20 FINAL SCORE: OSU 23, Cornell 20 RECORDS: OSU (7-3) (2-1) / Cornell (9-3) (4-0) POST MEET QUOTES Head Coach Jim Zalesky On the victory… “We knew if we won the (heavyweight) match we were going to win anyway since we won six matches which is the tie breaker. We were looking to get the major which would make it 21 not 20. Then Chad got into position where he could get the fall, he got the fall and iced the victory for us that way. It is always better to end with a fall than the other way.” On Chad Hanke’s performance… “They (Cornell) didn’t have their regular heavyweight, but when they don’t, you have to go out there and get those bonus points. It is good practice because we’ve been talking about going out and scoring more points and in that match he (Hanke) did.” On how tough of an opponent Cornell was… “We knew this was going to be a fight. We knew the way Cornell matched up with us, we thought maybe on paper it might be five-five. The thing that kept them in the match was scoring a lot of bonus points. They have some guys who can score bonus points like (Kyle) Dake and (Steve) Bosak and we gave up some bonus points at 125 and 174 that maybe we weren’t expecting, so bonus points are big in a dual meet.” On defeating Lehigh and Cornell on consecutive days… “I think it’s just good to go out and wrestle two of the traditional top teams in Lehigh and Cornell. It is good to get out of our conference, come back here and wrestle the two programs in the east that are well known for wrestling. It is also good to get different styles of wrestling this time of year, so it was good to come out here for those reasons.” Senior Heavyweight Chad Hanke On his walk-off pin… “That’s everybody’s dream when they get into college wrestling, to have a situation like that where it comes down to you, winning a big match in a big way. I just happened to be the last guy wrestling and it was a whole team effort. Everybody had to do their part to get me in that situation and I am just grateful that I got the pin and we got the win.” On being the last to wrestle… “Everybody loves heavyweights because in duals it usually comes down to the big boys, so for me to be the last guy and to get a win like that for the team, it is really cool. I am really honored.” On the momentum this win creates for the team… “It shows us that we are not the same team we were when we wrestled Michigan (Nov. 16). We are getting ready for the National Duals now and win like this against a big school shows people that we are contenders. We have a good team, it is time for us to show it.” POST MEET NOTES --The Beavers have now won five dual meets in-a-row for the first time since the five straight they claimed last season against Northern Colorado, North Dakota State, Boise, Stanford and finally Iowa State in the National Duals (Jan. 20 – Feb. 12, 2012). --OSU has won two-dual meets in two days for the first time since Dec. 10-11, 2011, when they defeated Cal State Bakersfield (45-4) and Cal Poly (36-6) on the road in a 48-hour span. --With his decision Sunday, 141 pounder Mike Mangrum moved into sole possession of seventh place on the all-time career wins list with 125, he passes Greg Strobel (1971-74, 190 lbs.), with 124. --Senior heavyweight Chad Hanke’s pin gave him 106 total victories for his career, placing him in a tie with Trent Flack (1989-90, 92-93) and Tom Phillip (1971-74) for 17th on the all-time program list. --Hanke’s 11 match winning streak is the second highest on the team this season, bested only by RJ Pena’s 12 he reeled off from the Cliff Keen Las Vegas invite (Nov. 30) to the Midlands Championships (Dec. 29). --The Orange and Black boast at least three wrestlers with six or more wins in-a-row including Hanke (11), Mangrum (10) and Pena (6). --Oregon State is now 3-1 against Cornell all-time dating back to 1997, this was the two school’s first meeting since 1999. Support Oregon State University Athletics by making your tax deductible donation to the OurBeaverNation.com. For more information follow this link or call 541-737-2370. Former Student-Athletes are invited to join the Varsity O Facebook Page for upcoming Alumni events.

MOUNT PLEASANT -- Central Michigan claimed at least a share of the Mid-American Conference regular season title in dominating fashion Sunday afternoon, defeating rival Kent State, 27-8. The Chippewas (11-3, 4-0 MAC) claimed eight of the 10 matches in the dual, including the first six, en route to earning their 13th regular season title and eighth in 10 seasons. CMU can clinch an outright title with a win over in-state foe Eastern Michigan on Friday, February 8. A pair of top 10 wrestlers in seniors Christian Cullinan and Scotti Sentes opened the dual with decisions, but it was junior Scott Mattingly that got the crowd on its feet and showed the Golden Flashes (6-4, 2-1 MAC) it was not their day. Mattingly fell behind Luke Kern on a takedown just a minute into the first period, but was able to score a reversal just 25 seconds later to tie the match. The junior was then able to work Kern to his back and claimed the first-period fall at the 2:12 mark to put the Chippewas up 12 to negative one. Senior Donnie Corby claimed a 8-2 decision at 149 pounds with a takedown in each of the three periods, while redshirt freshman Lucas Smith and sophomore Mike Ottinger claimed decisions at 157 and 165 pounds. After their first loss of the day at 174 pounds, No. 2 senior Ben Bennett got the Chippewas back on track with a 1-0 decision at 184 pounds over No. 16 Casey Newburgh. Jarod Trice, ranked No. 6 in the country at the heavyweight division, closed the contest with a 2-0 decision over Keith Witt. The Chippewas are back in action next Sunday when they host Old Dominion at 2 p.m. Results: 125: No. 10 Christian Cullinan (CMU) dec. Steve Mitcheff, 1-0; CMU 3, Kent State -1* 133: No. 7 Scotti Sentes (CMU) dec. Mack McGuire, 6-1; CMU 6, Kent State -1 141: Scott Mattingly (CMU) pin Luke Kern, 2:12; CMU 12, Kent State -1 149: Donnie Corby (CMU) dec. Andy Candiello, 8-2; CMU 15, Kent State -1 157: Lucas Smith (CMU) dec. Tommy Sasfy, 6-3; CMU 18, Kent State -1 165: Mike Ottinger (CMU) dec. Tyler Buckwalter, 3-2; CMU 21, Kent State -1 174: Sam Wheeler (Kent) dec. Craig Kelliher, 5-2; CMU 21-2 184: No. 2 Ben Bennett (CMU) dec. No. 16 Casey Newburgh, 1-0; CMU 24-2 197: No. 1 Dustin Kilgore (Kent) pin Jackson Lewis, 1:43; CMU 24-8 Hwt: No. 6 Jarod Trice (CMU) dec. Keith Witt, 2-0; CMU 27-8 *One point was deducted from Kent State on unsportsmanlike conduct following the 125 match

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- The 11th-ranked Virginia wrestling team captured eight of 10 bouts in a 32-7 ACC victory over North Carolina State Sunday afternoon in front of a packed house at Memorial Gymnasium. The Cavaliers (12-3, 3-1 ACC) won by bonus points at four weight classes, including wins by Joe Spisak (R-So., Boiling Springs, Pa.) and Mike Salopek (R-Sr., North Huntingdon, Pa.) in their return to the starting lineup. "I'm really proud of the way our guys competed, more than anything," Virginia head coach Steve Garland said. "I'm really excited for Joe Spisak. He's been injured and was able to get back today. His pin set the roof off this place. The crowd was fantastic today. That's about as packed as I've seen it in here. That was the momentum for the rest of the dual and we didn't look back from there." Spisak quickly pinned Tyler Hunt at 141 pounds, while Salopek earned a technical fall over William Cook at 197 in his first bout in nearly a month. Stephen Doty (R-Jr., St. Louis, Mo.) also picked up a technical fall at 184, while seventh-ranked Nick Sulzer (R-So., Cleveland, Ohio) scored a major decision over Nijel Jones at 165. Virginia won the first two bouts by convincing decisions, as ninth-ranked Matt Snyder (R-Sr., Lewistown, Pa.) downed Jay DeAngelo, 6-0, at 125 pounds and 13th-ranked George DiCamillo (Fr., Highland Heights, Ohio) cruised past Sam Speno, 6-1, at 133. Snyder dominated from the top in building up 5:19 in riding time as he won his 90th career match. He became the 13th Cavalier all-time to reach the 90-win plateau. DiCamillo racked up 2:49 in riding time in his triumph. Virginia doubled its lead to 12-0 in quick fashion at 141 pounds as Spisak promptly put Tyler Hunt on his back for a fall just 38 seconds into the first period. Spisak is now 6-0 since returning last week from an injury; he went 5-0 in winning the 141 title at the Shorty Hitchcock Classic last week. No. 19 Derek Valenti (R-Sr., Newton, N.J.) held off a late charge from Thomas Gantt to win 7-6 at 149. Valenti built a 5-1 lead and well over two minutes of riding time through two periods, but Gantt reversed him early in the third to get the momentum. Valenti escaped, but his third stall warning led to a penalty point. After a restart following Valenti's injury time, Gantt escaped to cut the lead to 6-5. Another Valenti stall warning just before the final horn gave Gantt another penalty point, but Valenti earned the riding time point to win, 7-6. NC State (3-3, 0-2) earned its first win at 157 as Matt Nereim scored a takedown with six seconds remaining in the third period to top UVa's Blaise Butler, 8-7. Butler had taken a 7-6 lead midway through the final stanza on a penalty point after Nereim was called for his second stall warning, but Nereim went in for a shot with 15 seconds left and finished off the takedown just a few seconds later. Ranked seventh nationally this week by InterMat, Sulzer dominated at 165 in a 12-3 major decision over Nijel Jones, who is ranked No. 20 nationally this week by Amateur Wrestling News. He scored three takedowns in the first period and built his lead the rest of the way, adding a takedown with 57 seconds left in the third to seal the major decision. NC State's Patrick Davis cut UVa's lead to 19-7 with a 15-4 major decision over Dusty Floyd (Fr., Alexandria, Va.) at 174. Davis quickly took Floyd down in the first period and went on to build 4:57 in riding time. Doty scored back points on four occasions as he rolled to a 16-0 technical fall over Keegan Cerwinski at 184. After taking Cerwinski down 22 seconds into the match, Doty added a pair of three-point near falls in the first period. He twice picked up three back points in the second and then reversed Cerwinski 21 seconds into the third to finish off the tech fall. In his first action since Jan. 1 at the Southern Scuffle, Salopek won a chippy bout against Cook, 17-2. Salopek twice scored penalty points in the first period when Cook was dinged for unsportsmanlike conduct. Salopek added a takedown with 53 seconds left, then rode Cook the remainder of the period. Salopek dominated the second period, escaping quickly and then taking Cook down before twice putting him on his back for three back points. He clinched the tech fall in the third with the riding time point. Derek Papagianopoulos (R-So., Burlington, Mass.) won at heavyweight, 7-4, over Mike Kosoy. Papagianopoulos took Kosoy down midway through the second period. Kosoy picked up a pair of escape points to knot the score, but Papagianopoulos took him down once again with 19 seconds left in the second period. He then reversed Kosoy early in the third and rode him until the final seconds when Kosey reversed him. Papagianopoulos built up 2:21 in riding time to gain the bonus point. Virginia concludes ACC dual action at 7 p.m. Friday at Maryland. The Cavaliers return home the following weekend for their final home duals of the season - Feb. 9 against Appalachian State and Feb. 10 versus Old Dominion. Results: 125: No. 9 Matt Snyder (UVa) dec. Joe DeAngelo (NCSU) 6-0; UVa 3-0 133: No. 13 George DiCamillo (UVa) dec. Sam Speno (NCSU) 6-1; UVa 6-0 141: Joe Spisak (UVa) pinned Tyler Hunt (NCSU), :38; UVa 12-0 149: No. 19 Derek Valenti (UVa) dec. Thomas Gantt (NCSU) 7-6; UVa 15-0 157: Matt Nereim (NCSU) dec. Blaise Butler (UVa) 8-7; UVa 15-3 165: No. 7 Nick Sulzer (UVa) major dec. Nijel Jones (NCSU) 12-3; UVa 19-3 174: Patrick Davis (NCSU) major dec. Dusty Floyd (UVa) 15-4; UVa 19-7 184: Stephen Doty (UVa) tech fall Keegan Cerwinski (NCSU) 16-0 (5:21); UVa 24-7 197: Mike Salopek (UVa) tech fall William Cook (NCSU) 17-2 (7:00); UVa 29-7 285: Derek Papagianopoulos (UVa) dec. Mike Kosoy (NCSU) 7-4; UVa 32-7