InterMat Staff

Two weekends after No. 9 Clovis, Calif., finished first in a loaded field at their home tournament, the Doc Buchanan Invitational, the Cougars travel down south right between Los Angeles and San Diego for the Clinch Gear Battle for the Belt at Temecula Valley High School this Friday and Saturday. It is again a loaded field featuring three other Fab 50 teams -- No. 19 Poway, Calif., No. 33 Bethlehem Catholic, Pa., and No. 43 Vacaville, Calif., -- along with thirteen nationally ranked wrestlers covering nine of fourteen weight classes. Isaiah Locsin (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)Arguably the tournament's featured weight class is at 120 pounds where a pair of state champions, both of whom are nationally ranked; an additional ranked wrestler; as well as three other state placers will do battle. The state champions are No. 3 Darian Cruz (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.) and No. 11 Isaiah Locsin (Live Oak, Calif.), while the other ranked wrestler is two-time third in the state No. 14 Micah Perez (Central Union, Calif.). Joshua Temple (Green Valley, Nev.) placed third at state, Jordan Gurrola (North Torrance, Calif.) placed seventh, and Arnulfo Olea (Exeter, Calif.) is a two-time state placer. The other two weight classes with multiple nationally ranked wrestlers are 113 and 170. At 113, it is a pair of sophomores who won state championships last year in No. 1 Zahid Valencia (St. John Bosco, Calif.) and No. 20 Sean Cannon (Green Valley, Calif.). Others present in this weight include two-time state placer Gionn Peralta (Vacaville, Calif.), state placers Julian Gayton (Clovis, Calif.) and Matt Smull (Shasta, Calif.), as well as two-time state qualifier Sean Williams (Lemoore, Calif.) who also placed at the Ironman. The 170-pound weight features a trio of state placers: No. 13 Corey Griego (Sultana, Calif.), champion of the Doc Buchanan, and Ray Lomas (Central Catholic, Calif) who both placed fifth; along with No. 17 Steve Cervantes (Poway, Calif.), who was seventh at state but a runner-up at the Reno TOC losing to No. 2 Cody Wiercioch (Canon McMillan, Pa.) in overtime. Additional nationally ranked wrestlers in the field include No. 12 Ali Naser (El Camino Real, Calif.) at 132 pounds, No. 14 (at 138) Anthony Valencia (St. John Bosco, Calif.) at 145, No. 2 Isaiah Martinez (Lemoore, Calif.) at 160, No. 20 Adrian Salas (Clovis, Calif.) at 182, No. 4 Spencer Empey (Reed, Nev.), and No. 3 Nick Nevills (Clovis, Calif.) at 285. Naser, Martinez -- though fellow state champion Drew Smith (Damonte Ranch, Nev.) is in his weight class, Empey, and Nevills should go relatively untested in their weight classes. In the 145 weight class, four other wrestlers present formidable alternatives to Valencia: two-time state placer Victor Lopez (Poway, Calif.), state placer Jason Ladd (Clovis, Calif.), three-time state finalist Alex Aniciete (Las Vegas, Nev.), and two-time state finalist Zack Perry (Green Valley, Nev.). Notable alternatives to Salas at 182 include state runner-up Kyle Pope (Bakersfield, Calif.) and state qualifier Jose Ortiz (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa), a NHSCA sophomore Nationals runner-up. Nationally ranked wrestlers are absent at 106, 126, 138, 152, and 195 but that does not mean a lack of quality competition. The 106 weight class features three of the top eight in the state of California -- state placer Adrian Camposano (Central), Reno TOC champion Tirso Lara (Poway), and state qualifier Nico Colunga (Oakdale) -- as well as freshman Luke Karam (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.), a 2011 Cadet freestyle finalist. The 126-pound weight class features a pair of wrestlers that have taken fifth and second each of the last two years at the state tournament. Zeke Moisey (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.) is one of the nation's top juniors, and would be nationally ranked, but made his season debut just last week as the FloNationals champion recovers from an injury. The Kent State bound Jonas Gayton (Clovis, Calif.) also placed fifth at the FloNationals last spring. The 138-pound weight class is led by three-time state finalist Geordan Martinez (Pine Creek, Colo.), who also is a two-time state champion and was a Cadet National double All-American in 2011. Two others to watch here are two-time state placer Ryan Todora (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.) and Doc Buchanan finalist Sergio Enloe (Poway, Calif.). The 152-pound weight class features a trio of California state placers. First is two-time state placer Coleman Hammond (Bakersfield), who was fourth as a freshman and third last year as a junior. Next is Kyle Perreault (Clovis East), who placed seventh at state but was a NHSCA Junior National champion last spring. Finally in the trio is Luke Wilson (Righetti), who placed eighth at state, eight at the NHSCA Junior Nationals, but had a pair of wins over Perreault at the Doc Buchanan two weekends ago. Additionally, the field also includes two-time state placer Alex Smith (Pine Creek, Colo.) Finally, at 195 pounds, there are three notable title contenders. Reno TOC champion Jeremy Sweany (Vacaville, Calif.) placed eighth at state last year and was third at the NHSCA Sophomore Nationals, Immanuel Barber (Canyon Springs, Calif.) placed third at state and third at the NHSCA Junior Nationals, while Josh Alpha (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.) is a two-time state qualifier.

The Yellow Jackets of Baldwin Wallace University visited Seiberling Gymnasium to open Ohio Athletic Conference dual match competition for the Heidelberg University wrestling team. The Yellow Jackets were in search of redemption after the Berg dropped Baldwin Wallace, 44-3 in Tiffin a year ago. However, the Student Princes and second year head coach Ned Shuck had different plans as they allowed only two Yellow Jackets victories and cruised to a 36-6 win. The Berg began the night with a Ryan Hornack (Medina) loss to national contender, Jesse Gunter, at 125-pounds, but the Student Princes would take three consecutive weight classes from the Yellow Jackets. First freshman 133-pounder Colin McDemitt (Lima/Lima Shawnee) pinned his BW counterpart in 0:58. The McDermitt pin was followed by a Chris Osborne (McComb) technical fall at 141-pounds and an Andrew Johnson (Weston/Otsego) 2:40 fall at 149-pounds. The final Heidelberg loss of the evening came at 157-pounds when Aaron Banko (Garfield Heights) dropped his match by decision, 8-2. The Student Princes closed out the match by taking the last five weight classes. 165-pounder, senior Justin Wharton (Orgeon/Clay) began the Berg's late charge with a 14-5 major decision, which was followed by Jeremy Stepp's (Cincinnati/Princeton) 10-5 decision over Ben Lebrun. Sophomore 184-pounder, Brennan Kelly (Clinton Township/De La Salle) kept the Berg's winning streak alive with his 9-3 decision, extending the Heidelberg lead to 27-6. Returning OAC Champion, senior 197-pounder Andy Lovins (Clinton Township/Lake Shore) opened OAC competition with a 3:33 fall over Wesley King, which was followed by freshman Nino Majoy's (Huron) 2-0 decision at 285-pounds. The Heidelberg wrestling team will return to the mat next Tuesday, January 22, 2013, when they travel to Concord, Ohio and the campus of Muskingum University. The Student Princes are set to battle the Muskies at 7:30 p.m.

ALLIANCE, Ohio -- No. 27 ranked Mount Union's wrestling team scored a 31-7 win over John Carroll in the first Ohio Athletic Conference Dual for both teams, Tuesday Jan. 15th at the McPherson Academic and Athletic Complex. With its win, the Purple Raiders improves to 4-2 overall and 1-0 in the OAC. The Raiders won six out of eight contested matches highlighted by a major decision from senior Nick Terifaj (Brook Park/Strongsville) winning 13-0 at 285 over John Carroll's junior Will Porter. The Raiders got five decisions from freshman Jeremy Border (Caldwell/Caldwell) at 133, sophomore Bryant Roby (Westchester, Ill./St. Joseph) at 141, sophomore Jon Garrison (Fairlawn/Copley) at 157,sophomore Brent Kirk (Adena/Buckeye Local) at 174 and senior Jeremy Hathaway (Cuyahoga Falls/Woodridge) at 184 won in an overtime match 5-1. The Blue Streaks(3-5, 0-1 OAC) freshman duo Mike Buckiso won by a major decision over junior Brad Kress (Louisville/Louisville) at 125 gaining four points and gained three points from Jordan Victor who won by a decision over junior Tyler Johnston (Lyndhurst/Brush) at 149, totaling out their seven points. Mount Union hosts Niagara County C.C., Saturday Jan. 19th for a dual matchup at 7:00 pm at the MAAC. Results: 125: Mike Buckiso (JCU) won by major decision over Brad Kress (Mount Union) 13-2 133: Jeremy Border (Mount Union) won by decision over Jeff Holy (JCU) 8-1 141: Bryant Roby (Mount Union) won by decision over Doug Hayes) 9-3 149: Jordan Victor (JCU) won by decision over Tyler Johnston (Mount Union) 7-4 157: Jon Garrison (Mount Union) won by decision over John Connick (JCU) 7-6 165: Jeremy Regula (Mount Union) won by forfeit. 174: Brent Kirk (Mount Union) won by decision over Danny McNamara (JCU) 3-1 184: Jeremy Hathaway (Mount Union) won by decision over Bryan Steinmetz (JCU) 5-1 OT 197: Nick Rajcsak (Mount Union) won by forfeit 285: Nick Terifaj (Mount Union) won by major decision over Will Porter (JCU) 13-0.

ASHLAND, OHIO -- Down three starters and trailing by five points with three matches to go, the Lake Erie College wrestling team got a late spark to get two pins and a decision to upset 18th-ranked Ashland University Tuesday night (Jan. 15) at Kates Gymnasium, 27-17. Trailing 17-12, junior Tom McVicker (South Fork, Pa./Forest Hills/Penn Highlands), wrestling in just his third dual match at 141 pounds this season, pinned Daniel McNulty just 43 seconds into their match. That moved to be the match the swung the team scoring, as Lake Erie (8-3, 1-1 GLIAC) took an 18-12 lead it would not relinquish. Sophomore Nate Ball (Wadsworth, Ohio/Wadsworth) followed with a 7-1 decision victory over Jacob Garringer at 149 pounds and junior Zak Vargo (Stow, Ohio/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy) ended the night by overwhelming Michael Hummer for a pin at 2:25 of the first round, putting an exclamation point on the Storm's second win over a ranked team this season. The Storm jumped out to a 9-0 lead after two matches. Sophomore 165-pound All-American Matt Vandermeer (Clarkston, Mich./Clarkston) pinned Randall Perkins midway through the second period to record his 12th consecutive win. Classmate Dylan Zivcic (Mentor, Ohio/Mentor) followed with a 6-1 decision over Jake Piatt at 174 pounds. Ashland (6-3, 0-1 GLIAC) closed in as Bryson Hall edged junior Zev Green (Marysville, Ohio/Marysville), 3-2, at 184 pounds and Brandon O'Neill followed with a major decision against Devin Smith (Salem, Va./Salem) at 197 to make it a 9-7 score. Almonte Patrick (Maple Heights, Ohio/Maple Heights) got the Storm back into the win column, just missing out on a major decision but earning a 7-0 victory at heavyweight over Kurt Schaefer. The lead would be short-lived, however, as Max Byrd broke a 3-3 tie with sophomore Mike November (Chesterland, Ohio/West Geauga) with a quick takedown and pin to put the Eagles up 13-12. Fourth-ranked Michael Labry remained perfect on the season with a 12-4 major decision over sophomore Austin Gillihan (Corry, Pa./Corry Area) that made the score 17-12. The eight dual victories for Lake Erie already match the Storm's school record total set last season. The Storm has a week off until hosting Gannon University on Wednesday night, Jan. 23, for the annual Youth Wresting Night at the Jerome T. Osborne Family Athletic & Wellness Center in Painesville. Results: 125: Max Byrd (AU) pinned Mike November (LEC), 133: Michael Labry (AU) maj. dec. Austin Gillihan (LEC), 12-4 141: Tom McVicker (LEC) pinned Daniel McNulty (AU), 0:43 149: Nate Ball (LEC) dec. Jacob Garringer (AU), 7-1 157: Zak Vargo (LEC) pinned Michael Hummer (AU), 2:25 165: Matt Vandermeer (LEC) pinned Randall Perkins (AU), 4:20 174: Dylan Zivcic (LEC) dec. Jake Piatt (AU), 6-1 184: Bryson Hall (AU) dec. Zev Green (LEC), 3-2 197: Brandon O'Neill (AU) maj. dec. Devin Smith, 14-6 285: Almonte Patrick (LEC) dec. Kurt Schaefer (AU), 7-0

The No. 12-ranked Mountain Cat wrestlers clawed back from an early 7-0 deficit to win eight straight bouts, including NCAA eighth-ranked Travis McKillop's (Lower Burrell, Pa.) technical fall over Super Region No. 2-ranked Zack Zelcs, to lead Pitt-Johnstown to a 27-7 victory at Gannon University on Tuesday. The Mountain Cats made it five straight dual meet wins and improved to 6-2. Gannon jumped out to a 7-0 lead after two bouts in a pair of matches that featured regionally-ranked wrestlers. In the opener at 125 lbs., Super Region I No. 3-ranked Matthew Turek won a 12-3 major decision over fifth-ranked Evan Link (Cresson, Pa.), and in a battle of the top-two wrestlers in the region, No. 2 Jose Matos upset top-ranked and national No. 8 Dave Fogle (Summerhill, Pa.), 5-3, at 133 lbs. However, the Mountain Cats took control and won he final eight matches to take home the victory. Dave Cawley (Pittsburgh, Pa.) shutout Adam Weinell, 4-0, at 141 lbs., and Jack Bachman (Greensburg, Pa.) earned a 6-4 win over Michael Krysiak, before Joel Paolo (Weirton, WV) used a third period takedown to hold off Casey Page, 2-1, at 157 lbs. to give Pitt-Johnstown its first lead of the night at 9-7. Decision wins by Keith Ryan (Shirleysburg, Pa.) (165 lbs.) and Gary Lantz (Delta, Pa.) extended the Mountain Cat lead to 15-7, and McKillop scored a 15-0 technical fall over Zelcs at 184 lbs. to put the match away. Pitt-Johnstown closed it out and set the final at 27-7 with Nikos Garafola's (Greensburg, Pa.) 13-3 major decision over Kristopher Rahn at 197 lbs., and Josh Duplin's (Johnstown, Pa.) 5-3 overtime win over Charles Lear at 285 lbs. With the loss, Gannon slipped to 1-1 on the year. The Mountain Cats host No. 18 Ashland (OH) University on Friday at 7 p.m. in the Sports Center, before traveling to the 2013 Super Region Duals at Newberry (SC) College on January 25-26. Results: 125 - Matthew Turek (GU) Major Decision Evan Link (UPJ) 12-3 4-0 GU 133 - Jose Matos (GU) Decision #8 Dave Fogle (UPJ) 5-3 7-0 GU 141 - Dave Cawley (UPJ) Decision Adam Weinell (GU) 4-0 7-3 GU 149 - Jack Bachman (UPJ) Decision Michael Krysiak (GU) 6-4 7-6 GU 157 - Joel Paolo (UPJ) Decision Casey Pace (GU) 2-1 9-7 UPJ 165 - Keith Ryan (UPJ) Decision Adam Greenman (GU) 6-3 12-7 UPJ 174 - Gary Lantz (UPJ) Decision Jermaine Easter (GU) 3-2 15-7 UPJ 184 - #8 Travis McKillop (UPJ) Tech. Fall Zack Zelcs (GU) 15-0 20-7 UPJ 197 - Nikos Garafola (UPJ) Maj. Dec. Kristopher Rahn (GU) 13-3 24-7 UPJ HWT. - Josh Duplin (UPJ) Decision Charles Lear (GU) 5-3 OT 27-7 UPJ

BOONE, N.C. -- By picking up his second major decision in the last three bouts, redshirt freshman Zack Strickland's 11-3 victory at 165 pounds was the deciding factor in Appalachian State University wrestling's 16-15 win over Southern Conference foe, Campbell, Tuesday night at Varsity Gymnasium. With the narrow victory, the Mountaineers improve their conference winning streak to 11 straight and move to 6-2 overall and 3-0 in the SoCon. After facing setbacks at 149 and 157 pounds to begin the dual, Strickland gave Appalachian some momentum, cruising to an 11-3 major decision over Campbell's Paul Duggan. For Strickland, it was his 18th win of the season as he remains perfect in duals (8-0). Following the Strickland win, redshirt freshman Colin Hedash (174 pounds), sophomore Jake Johnson and redshirt sophomore Paul Weiss each tallied decisions, propelling the Mountaineers to a 13-6 lead. Campbell made its way back into the dual, stringing together two hard-fought decisions. Redshirt sophomore Nick Vetell, who is listed at 174 pounds, matched up with Campbell's heavyweight, Joe Nolan. Vetell hung with Nolan, earning a late escape to allow Nolan to gain just three points for the Camels. At 125 pounds, redshirt sophomore Dominic Parisi suffered his first defeat in dual matches this season, falling for the second time this year to CU's Eric Montoya, 8-5. Parisi remains the only attached Mountaineer with 20 wins on the season. Senior Brett Boston gave the Mountaineers some breathing room at 133 pounds with a 6-1 decision over Campbell's Tanner Bidelspach. With the win, the Apps controlled the dual heading into the last bout of the night, 16-12. Needing at least a major decision to force a tiebreak, Campbell's Michael Dahlstrom was unable to earn the four or more points against App State's Chris Johnson, tallying a 5-4 decision over Johnson. Nevertheless, the Mountaineers came away the tightly contested 16-15 victory. Appalachian takes a short break, but returns to Varsity Gymnasium on Friday, Jan. 18, as the Apps host The Citadel. First bout is slated for 6:30 p.m. Results: 149: Brent Jorge (CU) dec. Zach Kechter (APP), 11-4 (CU 3-0) 157: Nick Rex (CU) dec. Aaron Scott (APP), 3-2 (CU 6-0) 165: Zack Strickland (APP) maj. dec. Paul Duggan (CU), 11-3 (CU 6-4) 174: Colin Hedash (APP) dec. Cody Ryba (CU), 11-6 (APP 7-6) 184: Jake Johnson (APP) dec. Matt Cox (CU), 3-0 (APP 10-6) 197: Paul Weiss (APP) dec. John Merickel (CU), 3-1 (APP 13-6) 285: Joe Nolan (CU) dec. Nick Vetell (APP), 10-3 (APP 13-9) 125: Eric Montoya (CU) dec. Dominic Parisi (APP), 8-5 (APP 13-12) 133: Brett Boston (APP) dec. Tanner Bidelspach (CU), 6-1 (APP 16-12) 141: Michael Dahlstrom (CU) dec. Chris Johnson (APP), 5-4 (APP 16-15) BOUT-BY-BOUT: 149: Jorge dec. Kechter, 11-5 Jorge jumped out to a quick 6-2 lead within the first minute of the opening period, which included a three-point near fall. Kechter tried to fight his way back into the bout, earning an escape point within the first three seconds of the second period. Jorge closed the bout scoring a quick escape, followed by another near fall to give Campbell its first points. 157: Rex dec. Scott, 3-2 After a scoreless opening period, Scott earned an escape point in the second period and held the 1-0 lead into the final period. Rex struck quickly with a two-point takedown and accumulated enough riding time to capture the 3-2 decision. 165: Strickland maj. dec. Duggan, 11-3 Strickland earned a takedown in the opening period and took a 2-0 lead into the second period. After earning an escape, Strickland looked to have a pin on Duggan, but could only manage two near fall points to lead 7-0 after two periods. In the final period, Strickland added to his lead with two stalls, an escape and the riding time point to win, 11-3. 174: Hedash dec. Ryba, 11-6 Hedash and Ryba traded takedowns in the first period, but Hedash notched his second takedown of the period and took a 4-3 lead into the second period. With an escape, followed by his third takedown, Hedash led, 7-4, heading into the final period. Scoring did not come until 17 seconds remained in the dual, as Hedash earned two more takedowns and a riding time point for the 11-6 decision. 184: Jake Johnson dec. Cox, 3-0 Johnson grabbed the lead with a minute left in the second period with a two-point reversal and controlled riding time for the 3-0 decision. It was the first victory in a dual in the sophomore's career. 194: Weiss dec. Merickel, 3-1 Scoring broke early in the second period, as Merickel escaped six seconds into the period. Weiss got back on track with a takedown with just 30 seconds left in the second period. Weiss closed the scoring with an escape to take the 3-1 decision. 285: Nolan dec. Vetell, 10-3 As Vetell tried to tire Nolan throughout the bout, Vetell found himself down 9-2 and facing the riding time point with 50 seconds left in the match. The redshirt sophomore found some room and was able to escape Nolan's hold, giving Nolan the 10-3 win, but allowing CU to earn just three points. 125: Montoya dec. Parisi, 8-5 In the most anticipated bout of the night, Montoya and Parisi were even through the first two periods with a 5-5 score. Montoya was able to grab an escape point early, as Parisi tried to put Montoya on his back many times. Montoya clinched his 25th win of the season; as he notched a takedown with 17 seconds remaining, giving Parisi his first loss in a dual this season. 133: Boston dec. Bidelspach, 6-1 Boston earned his first takedown with 27 seconds left in the second period and controlled for the remainder, earning another takedown early in the final period for the 6-1 victory. For Boston, it was his sixth win of the season. 141: Dahlstrom dec. Chris Johnson, 5-4 Dahlstrom opened scoring with a takedown, as Johnson quickly escaped to close the first period, 2-1. Dhalstrom added another takedown, but Johnson quickly bounced by with a two-point reversal. Johnson drew the bout even with an early escape but could not finish on top as Dahlstrom accumulated enough riding time for the 5-4 decision.

InterMat has released updated grade (recruiting) rankings. The Top 100 seniors, Top 50 juniors, Top 50 sophomores, Top 25 freshmen, and Top 15 junior high wrestlers are ranked. InterMat Platinum is required to view all the rankings. Below is a sneak peek at the top wrestlers in each grade. Seniors (Top 10): 1. Bo Jordan (St. Paris Graham, Ohio) 2. Adam Coon (Fowlerville, Mich.) 3. Zain Retherford (Benton, Pa.) 4. Isaiah Martinez (Lemoore, Calif.) 5. Ben Whitford (St. Johns, Mich.) 6. Brooks Black (Blair Academy, N.J.) 7. J'den Cox (Hickman, Mo.) 8. Jake Short (Simley, Minn.) 9. Cody Wiercioch Canon-McMillan, Pa.) 10. Anthony Ashnault (South Plainfield, N.J.) Juniors (Top Five): 1. Chance Marsteller (Kennard Dale, Pa.) 2. Kyle Snyder (Good Counsel, Md.) 3. Bryce Brill (Mount Carmel, Ill.) 4. Nick Nevills (Clovis, Calif.) 5. Solomon Chisko (Canon McMillan, Pa.) Sophomores (Top Five): 1. Zahid Valencia (St. John Bosco, Calif.) 2. Fox Baldwin (Osceola, Fla.) 3. Myles Martin (McDonogh, Md.) 4. Michael Kemerer (Franklin Regional, Pa.) 5. Matthew Kolodzik (Blair Academy, N.J.) Freshmen (Top Five): 1. Aaron Pico (St. John Bosco, Calif.) 2. Mark Hall (Apple Valley, Minn.) 3. Mason Manville (Blair Academy, N.J.) 4. Alex Marinelli (St. Paris Graham, Ohio) 5. Nick Suriano (Bergen Catholic, N.J.) Junior High (Top Five): 1. Spencer Lee (Pennsylvania) 2. Brady Berge (Minnesota) 3. Cade Olivas (California) 4. Jelani Embree (Michigan) 5. Nick Lee (Indiana)

Showdowns of elite headline Escape the Rock This Saturday and Sunday at Council Rock South High School outside of Philadelphia, Pa., will be the Escape the Rock Wrestling Tournament. Even though the field is bereft an elite team, there are many excellent individuals in the field, including four weight classes featuring a pair of nationally ranked individuals. The 113-pound weight class features No. 4 Brent Fleetwood (Smyrna, Del.), a two-time state champion, and No. 5 Ethan Lizak (Parkland, Pa.), state champion this past year. A pair of wrestlers ranked No. 19 and No. 20 in the nation are present at 138 pounds -- Cadet freestyle All-American Ronnie Gentile (Paulsboro, N.J.) and John Dutrow (Council Rock North, Pa.), a three-time state qualifier who placed fourth last year. Then at 182 pounds, there is a possible Class AAA finals preview between a pair of wrestlers who placed third at state last year in No. 4 Brett Harner (Norristown, Pa.) and No. 7 Jacob Taylor (Bald Eagle, Pa.); it was a third state placement for Harner who also was a Super 32 runner-up this fall, and a first placement for Taylor who also has titles at the Super 32 and FloNationals in the present cycle. Finally, at 220 pounds it will be two-time state champion Thomas Haines (Solanco, Pa.), ranked No. 3 nationally, likely to battle two-time state placer Raymond O'Donnell (Saucon Valley, Pa.), who is ranked No. 3 nationally at 195 but is bumping up to 220 for the rest of the season. Clovis builds upon Doc Buchanan title with pair of dual meet victories Coming off of last weekend's big tournament victory at the Doc Buchanan Invitational, No. 9 Clovis, Calif. traveled to De La Salle, Calif. for a pair of dual meets. The Cougars came home with victories in both bouts, 60-6 over the host squad and 43-24 over No. 43 Vacaville, Calif. However, the match with Vacaville was highly competitive, as the Bulldogs won six of the weight classes. The margin reflects Clovis earning six of their wins by fall, while Vacaville had only one fall to go with three major decisions and two decisions. To open the dual meet, Vacaville's Kasey Klaus earned a 12-4 major decision victory at 120 pounds. Two-time state placer Jonas Gayton responded back for Clovis with a pin at 126. Then, a pair of Vacaville decisions from Cameron Bailey, 5-4 at 132 pounds, and Bobby Ehman, 6-2 at 138 pounds, gave the Bulldogs their last lead of the dual meet at 10-6. In the next match, state placer Jason Ladd gave Clovis the lead with a pin at 145 pounds. However, said lead was almost short-lived, as Vacaville's Hayden Fry jumped out to a 4-1 third period lead at 152 pounds. However, Dominic Kincaid from Clovis responded with an escape and takedown to force the overtime, where Kincaid secured a fall to extend the Cougars lead to 18-10. The teams traded pins at 160 and 170, before No. 20 Adrian Salas earned an 8-3 decision over Chris Lai to boost the Clovis lead to 27-16. Responding back with a major decision for Vacaville was Reno TOC champion Jeremy Sweany at 195 pounds. However, three consecutive bonus point victories for Clovis -- two pins and a major decision at 285 pounds by No. 3 Nick Nevills -- turned a competitive dual meet into a 43-20 margin before Vacaville's Gionn Peralta earned a 10-1 major decision victory to yield the 43-24 final dual meet score. Big week ahead for No. 35 Park Hill, Mo. Coming off a championship at the Capital City Wrestling Invitational, the Trojans will be put to the test this coming week. It starts Thursday night with a home dual meet against No. 39 Kearney, Mo. These squads wrestled in an opening weekend dual meet, with the Bulldogs taking eight matches in a 31-27 victory. From that match, Kearney adds state runner-up Blake Clevenger to the lineup at 132 pounds. The 132-poundmatch in December was a tech fall victory for Park Hill freshman Canten Marriott, but Clevenger scored a 6-1 decision at the Kansas City Stampede two weeks later. Other key matchups in the dual meet at 113, 120, 145, and 170. At 113, No. 3 Ke-Shawn Hayes faces No. 9 Jaret Singh, a match won 4-3 by Park Hill's Hayes in the dual meet; the 120-pound wrestlers have split overtime matches this season, with Seth Brayfield giving Kearney a 5-3 victory in the dual meet, but John Erneste winning 11-6 at the Ironman; Kearney state champion No. 18 Grant Leeth earned a 10-3 dual meet victory over three-time state runner-up Russell Coleman in the dual meet at 145; while Kearney state runner-up Blain Drescher scored a 7-5 overtime victory over state placer Malik Colding at 170. Come Friday and Saturday, Park Hill is joined by No. 37 Blue Springs, Mo. in the Winnetonka Invitational Blair dominates to title, while Robinson a total unexpected runner-up at NHSCA Festival Over the four dual meets that No. 1 Blair Academy, N.J., wrestled on the way to winning the championship at the NHSCA Final Four Festival, the Buccaneers went a combined 50-6. This included a 66-6 victory over Emmaus, Pa., a 73-3 victory over Timberlane, N.H., a no contest against Pennsbury, Pa., a 65-3 semifinal victory over Springfield Central, Pa., and a 61-6 finals victory over Robinson, Va. It was quite frankly a total "Cinderella" story for Robinson, Va., to make the championship match. In the tournament's opening match against Don Bosco Prep, N.J. the Rams needed to significant upsets to earn a 37-29 dual meet victory. At 120 pounds, Ralph Mpanu scored a first period pin against two-time state placer Luis Gonzalez; while Cole DePasquale earned a 5-4 victory over Luke Farinaro, who was fourth at the Beast of the East, in the 170-poundclass. That result, combined with a 60-17 victory over Souderton, Pa. propelled Robinson to the semifinal round against No. 3 Wyoming Seminary, Pa. In that semifinal, the Blue Knights were still forfeiting the 106 class, as they have done all year, and also were without No. 1 Eric Morris at 182 and No. 8 Michael Johnson, Jr. at 285 (which cost Wyoming Seminary a pair of victories in context of the dual meet). In splitting seven matches to win 33-32, the Rams also benefitted from two very unexpected pins -- Austin Riggs at 126 scored a late first period fall against No. 18 Judson Preskitt and Cole DePasquale earned a third period fall over Chris Weiler at 170. Victories for Robinson in the championship match came from No. 19 Jack Bass, 3-2 over Brandon Pallavia at 152, and Zak DePasquale with a 6-2 victory over Jack Wedholm at 160. Upcoming weekend quick hits No. 10 Allen, Texas and No. 17 Collinsville, Okla., headline the Crossroads National Duals in El Reno, Okla. on Friday and Saturday. No. 15 Massillon Perry, Ohio headlines an excellent field at the Top Gun Wrestling Tournament in Alliance, Ohio on Friday and Saturday. A notable weight class showdown could occur at 106 pounds, where No. 6 Jose Rodriguez (Massillon Perry, Ohio) and No. 11 Alex Mackall (Walsh Jesuit, Ohio) are in the field. Additionally, No. 1 Nathan Tomasello (CVCA, Ohio) is looking at a third match this season against state champion David Bavery (Massillon Perry, Ohio) in the 120-poundfinal. Squads in the hunt for second place include Marysville, Ohio; Claymont, Ohio; CVCA, Ohio; Walsh Jesuit, Ohio; and Uniontown Lake, Ohio. No. 16 Southeast Polk, Iowa and No. 44 Bettendorf, Iowa will headline a 16-team field in the Ed Winger Invitational at Urbandale High School on Saturday. No. 23 McDonogh, Md., is looking at a test in dual meet competition against Don Bosco Prep, N.J. on Saturday night at the University of Maryland. Edmond North wins tournament at Sapulpa, flips last week's runner-up finish Traveling to the Jerry Billings Invitational this past weekend in Sapulpa, Okla., No. 29 Edmond North, Okla. sought to reverse the runner-up finish behind No. 24 Broken Arrow, Okla. at the prior weekend's Geary Invitational. And that is what they did with six finalists and an additional third place finisher in scoring 191 points. Winning titles in Sapulpa for Edmond North were the Dixon triplets -- No. 16 Lance (182), Joel, and No. 5 Andrew -- while Cy Trindle (113), Josh Breece (126), and Derek White (170) finished second place. Despite wrestling without two-time state placer Zach Edwards, who earned a title at Geary last weekend in the 132-poundclass, Broken Arrow was still able to win four titles but finished second with 161-1/2 points. Tigers' weight class champions were Markus Simmons (120), Paden Bailey (152), Brock Warren (170), and Carlos Taylor (285). Outstanding Wrestler honors went to three-time state champion Davey Dolan (Berryhill, Okla.), champion of the 145-poundweight class, who has won over 100 consecutive matches since the middle of his freshman season. Teammate Jonce Blaylock was champion in the 138-poundweight class. In addition, a pair of nationally ranked Stillwater, Okla. wrestlers won titles -- No. 10 Kaid Brock (113) and No. 13 Joe Smith (132). Rounding out the weight class champions were Dustin Hayes (Vinita, Okla.) at 106, Luke Wolfensberger (Tulsa Union, Okla.) at 126, and Jacobe Smith (Muskogee, Okla.) at 160. Quick hitters from the past weekend No. 26 South Plainfield, N.J., won their maiden Virginia Duals National High School Division title this past weekend. The Tigers dominated all three of their duals prior to the championship match: 81-0 over Cave Spring, Va., 45-22 over Nazareth, Pa., and 48-18 over Camden Catholic, N.J. The championship match against No. 32 McDonogh, Md., saw the South Plainfield jump out to 32-3 lead after seven matches; however, the Eagles responded with six successive wins to cut the deficit to 32-24, and with the dual clinched, Dan Maltsev received a forfeit at 285 to make the final score 32-30. Five Tigers wrestlers went 4-0 in the event: Daniel Hedden (113), Raymond Jazikoff (120), No. 14 Corey Stasenko (126), No. 7 Scott Delvecchio (132), and No. 2 Anthony Ashnault (138). Missing two nationally ranked wrestlers -- No. 4 Christian Moody (106) and No. 8 Davion Jeffries (113) -- No. 17 Collinsville, Okla., finished fourth Bobcat Classic with 154-1/2 points despite placing eight wrestlers (one second, four in third, two fourth, and one sixth). The lone Cardinal finalist was Zach Abkemeier, who lost an 8-0 major decision at 170 pounds to Bryan Guillen, who was the lone titlist for team champion Topeka Seaman, Kan. That squad scored 177-1/2 points in placing nine wrestlers (five in fifth, with one champ, runner-up, fourth-placer, and eighth-placer). Finishing second in the event with 172 points despite having their four nationally ranked wrestlers -- No. 9 Daniel Lewis (138), No. 16 Darick Lapaglia (145), No. 10 Cain Salas (152), and No. 13 Michael Pixley (182) -- win titles was No. 37 Blue Springs, Mo. In earlier recaps and soon-to-come previews Over the weekend, No. 11 Oak Park River Forest, Ill., traveled to No. 13 Carl Sandburg, Ill., and secured a 27-24 victory in winning eight weight classes. The Huskies were keyed by successive victories in the 126-145-poundweight classes in a dual meet that started at 160 pounds. No. 14 Detroit Catholic Central, Mich., hosted a loaded field of teams at the DCC Super Duals this past Saturday. No. 2 St. Edward, Ohio went undefeated on the day against four elite teams; however, it was not without intrigue. The Eagles won nine matches in a 43-15 opening match victory over Davison, Mich; also won nine matches in a 38-26 victory over No. 8 St. Johns, Mich.; then needed criteria to win a 22-2 tied match against No. 6 Montini Catholic, Ill.; and won nine matches in beating No. 14 Detroit Catholic Central 35-17. Other key dual meets included a 32-24 win for St. Johns over Montini, one in which the Redwings won nine weight classes; a 35-28 win for St. Johns over Davison, in which the weight classes were split; and a 36-21 victory for Montini over Detroit Catholic Central, in which the Broncos won nine weight classes. On Friday night, No. 8 St. Johns, Mich., and No. 14 Detroit Catholic Central, Mich., will wrestle in a dual meet at the University of Michigan. Saturday night features No. 2 St. Edward, Ohio traveling to No. 12 St. Paris Graham, Ohio. This coming weekend -- on Friday and Saturday -- Temecula Valley hosts the Clinch Gear Battle for the Belt in California. The field includes a quartet of Fab 50 teams in No. 9 Clovis, Calif., No. 19 Poway, Calif., No. 33 Bethlehem Catholic, Pa., and No. 43 Vacaville, Calif. Welcome the Go-Hawks to the Fab 50 Coming off a championship at the Geneseo Bi-State Invitational, Waverly-Shell Rock, Iowa joins the InterMat Fab 50 in the No. 50 position. The Go-Hawks were led by four champions and eight placers on the way to 193 points; their champions were Spencer Derifield (152), Izaak Miller (160), Adam Walther (195), and Kaleb Staack (285). All this was done without the presence of state placer Andrew Steiert, a Cheesehead runner-up at 138 pounds, who was out of the lineup. Second in the standings was No. 44 Bettendorf, Iowa, who had the same five finalists and eight placers as Waverly-Shell Rock, but just three titles coming from Jack Wagner (106), No. 16 Fredy Stroker (126), and Jacob Woodard (138). The Bulldogs scored 182 points. One-half point back in third with 181-1/2 points was No. 47 Cedar Rapids Prairie, Iowa despite the absence of three wrestlers that appear in the top eight of The Predicament Class 3A state rankings: Sam Uthoff (106), Dylan Becker (132), and Austin Gould (182). They did place eight wrestlers, but had only one champion, Skylar St. John at 145 pounds. Rounding out the weight class champions were a pair from North Scott, Iowa in Mitch Bowman (170) and Justin Kreiter (182); Ronald Triche (113) from Providence Catholic, Ill.; Sam Butler (120) from Cathan Glenwood, Ill.; Andrew Crone (132) from Arrowhead, Wis.; and Adarios Jones (285) from Moline, Ill.

NCAA champion and current Clarion head wrestling coach Troy Letters calls in to discuss the newness of being a head coach and the joys of hunting for grouse in Western Pennsylvania. Brian Muir drops in to set lines for Lehigh-Rutgers, Wisconsin-Iowa and more. Do you want to listen to a past episode? Access archives.

PITTSBURGH -- University of Pittsburgh senior heavyweight Zac Thomusseit has been named EWL Wrestler of the Week for the third time on the season, the Conference announced Monday. Thomusseit earns the honor after an impressive day at Pitt Duals where he tallied three first period pins. In his first match of the day, Thomusseit met 16th-ranked Justin Grant of Bloomsburg and was able to turn him to his back a mere 1:54 into the contest. In his second match, Thomusseit earned a fall over Eastern Michigan’s Chris Eggert at the 2:31 mark to help secure win No. 300 for head coach Rande Stottlemyer. In the final match of the day, Thomusseit took down Jordan Ownbey mere seconds into the contest and was able to work him to his back to earn the fall at the 48 second mark. With the three victories, Thomusseit improves his record to 18-1 on the season, including an impressive eight victories by fall and a flawless 9-0 mark in dual contests. Thomusseit and the rest of the Panthers will return to the mats on Sunday, Jan. 20, when they travel to Stillwater, Okla. to face No. 2 Oklahoma State at 2 p.m.

Fred Feeney is not only a real-life wrestling referee, he also plays one on film. Fred FeeneyFeeney, who has served as a mat official for a quarter-century, has now used his experience and expertise to portray an Olympic referee in Foxcatcher, the new movie about the murder of 1984 Olympic freestyle gold medalist wrestler Dave Schultz, now in production. In December, Feeney put his officiating to work as the main referee in the film version of the 1988 Olympics match between Dave's brother Mark Schultz (played by actor Channing Tatum) and the eventual silver medalist from Turkey, Necmi Gencalp (portrayed by Muzaffar Abdurakhmanov, former American University wrestler who is now an assistant coach at Harvard). How did Feeney get this opportunity to do what he does best for a big-time movie, and rub shoulders with the likes of Tatum, Mark Ruffalo (playing Dave Schultz) and Steve Carell (cast in the role of John du Pont, owner of the Foxcatcher wrestling facility and Dave Schultz's murderer)? An officiating career Prior to becoming a referee, Feeney played football and wrestled in high school ... but the Ohio native had his dream of competing in college deferred by service in Vietnam. He was introduced to the idea of becoming a referee by his wrestling coach and mentor, Bob Triano of St. Francis DeSales High School in Columbus, who later coached the now-defunct program at the University of Cincinnati, and officiated at fourteen NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. Fred Feeney (Photo/Kevin Schlosser)Fast forward to today. Feeney is now a respected high school and college wrestling referee, who was also a FILA official until he retired from freestyle and Greco-Roman officiating in 2007. In addition to officiating at the Ohio high school state wrestling tournament, Feeney has refereed at multiple NCAA Division II and III championships, as well as NCWA Nationals and NAIA Nationals. During the regular season, he primarily serves as a dual-meet referee in the Big Ten and Mid-American Conference. In addition, Feeney has worked a number of prestigious events over the years. In December, Feeney officiated at the inaugural Grapple at the Garden event in New York's Madison Square Garden, as well as the 2012 Ken Kraft Midlands Classic at Northwestern University. Feeney has shared his knowledge as a certified wrestling instructor, teaching two courses each year for the past 15 years, and has written extensively on the mechanics of officiating. Uniquely qualified for the role So, how did a real-life ref get to be one in a movie? "I got an email asking if I'd be interested in playing a referee -- can't remember who sent it," said Feeney. "In addition, there were open casting notices posted at various wrestling forums." "I drove from Columbus to Pittsburgh to audition. Figured it was a three-hour drive, what did I have to lose?" Feeney and his wife made the trip to see if there might be roles for them in Foxcatcher. They arrived at the Peterson Events Center at the University of Pittsburgh, where filming was taking place. "That day, there were about 20 guys who showed up for the referee role," according to Feeney. "I was asked if I had done any freestyle officiating; I was the only one who had." "Two hours later, I was asked to come back the next day. I show up the next day, and was taken to a room with mats. Reece Humphrey and Andy Hrovat were there, along with Mark Ruffalo. A guy said, 'I think we'll have something for you.'" While his wife was cast as an extra in an airport gate scene being filmed in a concourse at the Peterson Events Center, "I was told to stand off to the side," said Feeney. Dave and Mark Schultz after the 1984 Olympic Games"Later, I saw twenty guys in (referee) whites, and thought, 'I should be in that group.' I asked an assistant director, who responded, 'Yeah, you should be a part of this' and takes me down to Jonas (Spaccarotelli), the associate director, who then asked me to show him how a freestyle match would be conducted." Feeney continued, "Jonas said, 'Tonight we're gonna film the 1984 Olympics.' Then Bennett Miller, the director, said, 'We'll be using you for the 1988 Olympics, which we're filming tomorrow night.'" "They added, 'You're gonna get a bump-up.' I later learned that meant going from $10 an hour as an extra, to $1,000 a day, with SAG (Screen Actors Guild) membership, and screen credit." Lights, camera, action! Fred Feeney was cast in something of a dual role -- playing an Olympic freestyle referee, and serving as a consultant to make sure all aspects of the portrayal of Olympic wrestling and officiating were true to life. Part of that consulting role was helping to select others to play FILA officials for the filming of the scene where Feeney would play the principal mat official. "The next day, when I showed up, I was asked to pick a mat chair, and a mat judge," said Feeney. "Then, for the next twelve hours, we filmed one match, between Mark Schultz and the Turk (Necmi Gencalp)." With banners and signs, Pitt's Peterson Events Center had been transformed into the wrestling venue at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. The filming process was exacting ... and time-consuming. One example: for about an hour, the camera focused solely on Feeney's feet as he worked the match. ("As they were prepping for shooting my feet, I told them, 'I'm ready for my close-up,'" Feeney joked.) "We'd film something, then come down to matside to watch the film with the director and the actors," according to Feeney. "They really wanted realism ... They had video of the actual match. They were filming it to be as accurate as possible." "An assistant director told me, 'A hallmark of Bennett Miller is that he'll get it right," said Feeney, referring to the Foxcatcher director whose 2005 film Capote won numerous awards, including a Best Actor Oscar for Phillip Seymour Hoffman, who played Truman Capote. Feeney's role as a consultant and background as a former FILA referee came into play more than once during the filming. One small example of how Foxcatcher sweated the details: "As I pointed out to the crew, back in '88, at the start of the match, the official would've asked each wrestler to show his hankie that he was required to have tucked inside his singlet. They didn't have any hankies, so the wardrobe guy had to run out and purchase a bunch of hankies." "Bennett later said, 'You don't know how much you've helped us.'" The director wasn't the only one to pay a compliment to one of the actors. "At one point, about one in the morning, after a long day of shooting, Channing and I were standing up on the mat platform, alone. I told him, 'You look like you've wrestled all your life' and he said, 'Thanks, man' and gave me a man hug." Channing Tatum, carrying a trash bag, plays Mark SchultzFeeney's comment was high praise for Channing Tatum, who had received considerable wrestling training to prep him for Foxcatcher ... and had participated in a number of sports in high school, but not wrestling. About the closest Tatum had come to participating in a combat sport was playing a bare-knuckle streetfighter in the 2009 movie Fighting. Feeney shared another story about working with Tatum, who was named People magazine's "Sexiest Man Alive 2012." "During a lull in the filming, there was a girl in the crowd who asked if she could touch my hands, since they had touched Channing Tatum." Now that he's played a role in the filming of a major motion picture, is Fred Feeney about to go Hollywood? "Friends have said, 'You should get registered with an agent to play sports officials in movies,'" said Feeney. It'll be months before Foxcatcher makes its big-screen debut. While we'll have to wait to see Fred Feeney in that film -- or any others -- we won't have to wait to see him live and in person as a referee for college and high school matches. Want to know more about the 1996 murder of Dave Schultz? Check out Mark Palmer's five-part series for InterMat to commemorate the tenth anniversary of that tragic event.

January is the month when wrestlers really start to realize just how long the season truly is, and also when things start getting serious. Conference duals are starting, seeds for conference tournaments and NCAAs are already being established. This is the time of year when seasons start changing, for better or worse, and we get to see which wrestlers are truly equipped for the long haul. Dual Meets Sunday, Jan. 13: Bloomsburg 19, Pittsburgh 18 Both these programs seem to be in great form and both lineups are littered with ranked wrestlers. Big win for Bloomsburg, a program I've been touting since the beginning of the season. Bloomsburg earned its first important upset at 133 as Nick Wilcox ekes past 16th-ranked Shelton Mack, 5-4. At 165, 16th-ranked Josh Veltre continued the Husky winning ways as he stormed past 14th-ranked Tyler Wilps, 5-2. Second-ranked Panther 197-pounder Matt Wilps needs overtime to get past 20th-ranked Richard Perry, 6-5. Pittsburgh 27, Eastern Michigan 8 Bloomsburg 24, Eastern Michigan 9 Iowa State 31, Drexel 12 Iowa State 25, Penn 9 Twentieth-ranked Cyclone Ryak Finch drops another match, this time to Penn's 125-pounder Mark Rappo. 12th-ranked Quaker Charles Cobb has impressed me this year. Here he beats ISU's 20th-ranked Luke Goetll, 8-2. Lehigh 30, American 12 Lock Haven 31, Davidson 6 Lock Haven 21, Eastern Michigan 14 Minnesota 41, Indiana 3 At 165, 12th-ranked Cody Yohn earned a welcomed win over a higher ranked opponent as he tops IU's 10th-ranked Ryan Leblanc, 6-1. Second-ranked Gopher heavyweight Tony Nelson beats 13th-ranked Adam Chalfant, 4-1. North Carolina 24, Drexel 10 Oklahoma State 18, Iowa 12 Whoa boy. Practice for Iowa this week isn't going to fun, not one little bit. Not only did they lose to bitter rival OSU, but they did so in a very non-Hawkeye fashion. At 133, second-ranked Hawkeye Tony Ramos gets by fifth-ranked Jon Morrison, 3-2. Jordan Oliver, ranked No. 1 for OSU at 149, surprised by only earning a decision against Iowa's 19th-ranked Mike Kelly. Iowa's top-ranked Derek St. John completes a solid 8-4 win over Alex Dieringer. Third-ranked Cowboy 165-pounder Tyler Caldwell wins in a close one over 19th-ranked Nick Moore. In the match of the dual, OSU's top-ranked 174-pounder Chris Perry edges Mike Evans 3-2. In a dual meet-winning upset, OSU's 12th-ranked Chris Chionuma upended ninth-ranked Ethen Lofthouse, 3-2. At 197, fifth-ranked Blake Rosholt wins in a squeaker over Iowa's Nathan Burak, 3-2. Finally, third-ranked Cowboy heavyweight Alan Gelogaev wins a chippy 7-3 decision over Bobby Telford. Oregon State 21, Wyoming 12 Fourth-ranked 197 pounder, Wyoming's Alfonso Hernandez earns a hard fought 7-6 decision over 10th-ranked Beaver Taylor Meeks, 7-6. OSU's 10th-ranked 157 pounder Roger Pena majors 14th-ranked Andy McCulley, 11-3. Penn State 41, Michigan State 0 Penn State adds insult to injury. They shut out MSU and their backup heavyweight Jon Gingrich beats the Spartan's highest ranked wrestler, fourth-ranked heavyweight Michael McClure, 5-3. Pittsburgh 39, Davidson 6 Pittsburgh 27, Eastern Michigan 8 Wisconsin 19, Michigan 16 Eleventh-ranked Connor Medbery, the nation's top freshman heavyweight, beat 19th-ranked Wolverine heavyweight Ben Apland, 6-2. Saturday, Jan. 12: Maryland 27, Brown 6 CSU Bakersfield 22, Cal Poly 10 Pittsburgh 39, Davidson 6 Lock Haven 31, Davidson 6 Lock Haven 21, Eastern Michigan 14 Maryland 22, Harvard 14 Lehigh 19, Navy 15 Lehigh's 10th-ranked Nate Brown continues his strong season. Here he tops 14th-ranked Midshipman Matt Miller, 5-3 Clarion 25, Michigan State 16 N.C. State 22, Gardner-Webb 16 Nebraska 25, Northwestern 12 Robert Kokesh continues to roll. Here he completes an impressive major decision over NU's ninth-ranked 174-pound Lee Munster. Also, in what I would call my match of the week, Nebraska's 7th-ranked 157-pounder James Green comes roaring back to action and topples second-ranked Jason Welch, 9-8 Cornell 42, Princeton 0 Friday, Jan. 11: American 21, Harvard 19 Brown 20, George Mason 16 Cleveland State 20, George Mason 15 Franklin & Marshall 20, Davidson 16 Illinois 29, Purdue 10 In a high profile meeting of two athletic 197-pounders, fourth-ranked Mario Gonzalez of Illinois beats 17th-ranked Braden Atwood of Purdue. Iowa State 19, Rutgers 15 Iowa State's Tanner Weatherman upsets 13th-ranked Greg Zanetti at 174 pounds, 9-7. Meanwhile, at 125, ISU's 20th-rankedRyak Finch falls 5-4 to Joey Langel. . Minnesota 25, Ohio State 9 Twelfth-ranked Buckeye 125 pounder Nikko Triggas defeats 13th-ranked David Thorn, 6-4. Things get better for Minnesota as second-ranked 174 pound sophomore Logan Storley bests second-ranked Nick Heflin, 12-3. Minnesota's 14th-ranked Scott Schiller keeps getting better and better. This time he beats ninth-ranked Buckeye, Andrew Campolattano, 5-2. Nebraska 20, Michigan 19 At 174, fourth-ranked Cornhusker Robert Kokesh doesn't stop winning. Here he tops the tough 11th-ranked Dan Yates, 9-4. Nebraska earns another big win at 141 as Ridge Kiley defeats 18th-ranked Camryn Jackson, 9-4. Twelfth-ranked Wolverine 149-pound junior Eric Grajales earns an important win of his own as he upends eighth-ranked Jake Sueflohn, 3-2. Northern Iowa 40, Northern Colorado 6 Ohio 32, Northern Illinois 13 Oregon State 32, Air Force 7 Friday, Jan. 11 - Saturday, Jan. 12: Virginia Duals Virginia Tech 21, UVA 9 At 125, VT's fourth-ranked Jarrod Garnett beats seventh-ranked Matt Snyder again, 6-3. The match between 6th-ranked149 pound Hokie Nick Brascetta and 16th-ranked Derek Valenti goes to overtime. Brascetta prevails, 3-2. Pete Yates, currently ranked fifth at 165 for the Hokies, downs seventh-ranked Wahoo Nick Sulzer, 3-1. Arizona State 28, Rider 16 Army 27, The Citadel 19 Binghamton 31, VMI 13 Boise State 29, Buffalo 9 Bucknell 20, Buffalo 16 Central Michigan 31, North Dakota State 10 NDSU's Trent Sprenkle continues to shine as he edges ninth-ranked 125-pounder Christian Cullinan, 2-1. Central Michigan 38, Rider 3 Edinboro 25, Army 10 Edinboro's Dave Habat shuts down Army's 15th-ranked Daniel Young, 4-0. Army earns its own upset at 165 as Paul Hancock beats 18th-ranked Johnny Greisheimer, 13-8 Edinboro 21, Old Dominion 12 Mitchell Port is a study in steady improvement. Here Port,ranked 5th, beats 17th-ranked Monarch, Chris Mecate, 6-3. Kent State 44, VMI 3 Old Dominion 26, The Citadel 9 Rider 21, Buffalo 16 The Citadel 38, VMI 3 Virginia 31, Bucknell 6 Virginia Tech 32, Binghamton 9 Revenge from the Midlands finals. Seventh-ranked Bearcat 149-pounder Donnie Vinson turns the table on sixth-ranked Nick Brascetta, 5-3. Virginia 21, Boise State 13 This dual produced three marquee matchups. At 133, Virginia's 13th-ranked George Dicamillo beats 18th-ranked Brian Owen, 4-2. Second-ranked Jason Chamberlain of BSU overcomes 16th-ranked UVA 149-pound All American Derek Valentu, 5-2. Finally, in a result that surprised me a bit, 16th-ranked Bronco 157-pounder topples 13th-ranked Jedd Moore, 5-2. Kent State 26, Arizona State 12 At 184 KSU's 16th-ranked Casey Newburg edges ASU's 20th-ranked Kevin Radford 3-1. Top-ranked KSU 197-pounder Dustin Kilgore registers an impressive pin over ASU's eighth-ranked Jake Meredith. Virginia 20, Central Michigan 13 Seventh-ranked Matt Snyder blanks CMU's talented 125 pound newcomer, ninth-ranked Christian Cullinan, 4-0. In the next weight up, Scotti Sentes, ranked seventh for the Chips at 133, notches a solid 6-1 win over 13th-ranked George DiCamillo, 6-1. North Dakota State 22, Arizona State 19 Kent State 27, Old Dominion 6 Boise State 24, Army 12 Boise State 27, Kent State 12 BSU's 11th-ranked Jake Swartz edges 16th-ranked Casey Newburg, 1-0. North Dakota State 27, Old Dominion 15 Wednesday, Jan. 9: Campbell 32, VMI 9 N.C. State 27, Campbell 13 N.C. State 35, VMI 6

When someone mentions Illinois wrestling, what immediately comes to mind? Rob SherrillFor many, it would be the Fighting Illini wrestling program at the University of Illinois. Others would think of the Midlands, the annual college tournament held at Northwestern University between Christmas and New Year's Day. For others, Illinois wrestling would be personified by the man whose image is featured on state license plates, Abraham Lincoln, arguably the most famous wrestler to become U.S. President. Within the state that's known as the Land of Lincoln there's a rich history of great high school wrestling that's been captured in Tales from the Mat: Illinois High School Wrestling at 75 by Rob Sherrill, just published by Center Mat Press. High school mat fans beyond Illinois will recognize Rob Sherrill's name. He is the long-time high school wrestling writer and columnist for WIN (Wrestling Insider Newsmagazine). Within Illinois, Sherrill has built a reputation for his knowledgeable coverage of the sport, first at the Chicago Sun-Times, then for the Illinois Matman website. A classic, revisited Tales from the Mat is new, updated, expanded version of Sherrill's earlier book, Mat Madness: 60 Years of Illinois High School Wrestling, published in 1996, which Sherrill described as "a first attempt at a comprehensive, statewide history of wrestling in Illinois." Why a new version? "The original book has been out of print," said Sherrill. "People would ask, 'Do you have any copies left?' and I'd have to tell them I didn't." "As the 75th anniversary of Illinois high school wrestling approached, I thought it would be as good a time as any to update the book." "I started working on it with a trombone-playing friend here in Nashville," said Sherrill, who has lived in Tennessee for the past fifteen years but is still very connected to wrestling back in Illinois. "That was three years ago. Most of the work was completed in the past year." "It's not a radical makeover," according to Sherrill. "I'd say 90% of the original book is the same. We've updated the information to include what's taken place since the first book. We also added photos, and updated the ‘Reminiscences' features." That said, the changes incorporated into the new Tales from the Mat make for a significantly heftier book. "The addition of material for the past 15 years added 50% to the volume," Sherrill said of the newly updated book which is similar in size to a phone book for a medium-sized city, and weighs in just shy of 500 pages. The inside story of Illinois wrestling, by the numbers Despite Tales from the Mat's subtitle -- Illinois High School Wrestling at 75 -- wrestling at the prep level in the state goes back more than three-quarters of a century. In fact, the first dual meet in Illinois took place in 1926, between two Chicago public high schools. The "75" in the subtitle refers to the number of state wrestling championships officially sanctioned by the Illinois High School Association, the governing body for prep sports in the state, which held its first state tournament at the University of Illinois in Huff Gym (still the home for the Fighting Illini mat squad) in March, 1937. However, before that first "official" state mat championship took place in ‘'7, there was a series of four annual "downstate" tournaments held outside Chicago from 1933 through 1936, each in a different location. In addition, there was a fifth unofficial state championship in 1944. That year, the ISHA had cancelled the tournament because of World War II travel restrictions and gas rationing; however, high school coaches decided "the show must go on" and held a state event in the Champaign Junior High School. As Rob Sherrill pointed out in the interview for this article, "There have been 75 official state championships in Illinois, but there is a string of 80 unbroken years of state tournaments in the state." T.J. Williams, Chicago Mount Carmel, on his way to winning his fourth state title in Illinois, 1996Tales from the Mat provides a year-by-year look at the Illinois high school state tournament, including a concise write-up of the highlights for that particular year, along with weight-by-weight, individual match results for the championship finals, as well as placement bouts. In addition, scattered throughout the book are historical features, including "Reminiscences" from wrestlers, coaches and officials sharing their memories of past state tournaments and what the sport was like. Another historical feature: articles from past issues of Illinois Matman magazine that shed light on old-school wrestling in the Land of Lincoln, including stories from the 1930s and 40s that address topics such as injury concerns, nutrition, making weight, and making a case for the benefits of wrestling that still hold true today. Rob Sherrill also pointed out some additional back-of-the-book features that make Tales from the Mat a winner for wrestling historians and fans alike, including, "a year-by-year listing of all the rules from the ISHA Scholastic magazine, that would present rule changes each year," along with an extensive appendix "that has information that's simply not available anywhere else" ranging from weight classes through history, to team and individual champs for each school, to wrestlers who pinned their way to state titles, and so much more. History in words and pictures In addition to telling the story of 75 years of Illinois state wrestling championships in words and statistics, Tales from the Mat also provides a visual history of prep wrestling in the Land of Lincoln with tons of photos over the years. It's fun to see images of wrestlers "back in the day" in uniforms very different from what we see today ... and to get a glimpse of Illinois high school mat stars who then went on to even greater accomplishments as college wrestlers and coaches. What's more, the images reveal the inclusive nature of the sport in Illinois even 50 or 60 years ago, a point made by Sherrill when he said, "The photos show how integrated wrestling was in the 1950s and 60s." Tales from the Mat is a significant historical artifact for anyone who loves wrestling. "It's great for someone who grew up in Illinois, and wants to take a 'memory trip,'" said Sherrill. "It also gives readers an evolution of the top programs in the state that are now known beyond Illinois, such as Montini, Providence, Sandburg." "It's a historical work that has lessons for the wrestling community as a whole, not just Illinois fans," Sherrill continued. "It shows the evolution of wrestling history from one state's perspective." Tales from the Mat: Illinois High School Wrestling at 75 is available for purchase online from the CenterMatPress.com website.

WASHINGTON -- Senior Robert Hamlin and freshman John Bolich posted pins as the Lehigh wrestling team completed a 2-0 weekend versus EIWA foes with a 30-12 triumph over American Sunday at Bender Arena. The Mountain Hawks won seven of ten bouts, scoring bonus points in four of those wins to improve to 5-4 in duals, and 2-2 against EIWA opponents. The dual began at 165 where freshman Ben Haas scored the first takedown in his match against Phillip Barreiro before the Eagle senior rallied for a 5-3 win. From there Lehigh posted three consecutive bonus wins to build a 16-3 advantage after four bouts. At 174, sophomore Nathaniel Brown secured five takedowns en route to a 12-2 major decision over Keithen Cast. Hamlin then followed with a first period pin over Thomas Barreiro, the 93rd win of Hamlin’s career to extend Lehigh’s lead. Bolich then followed with his first career win by fall, taking down Devon Bradley early before using an arm bar to secure the pin in 1:11. “Any time you wrestle a conference rival, bonus points are huge,” said Lehigh head coach Pat Santoro. “We needed those today. Both teams had some (bonus wins) today, but to get those two falls right off the bat was nice.” American (3-3, 1-1 EIWA), which knocked off Stanford 24-14 earlier in the day, made things close with consecutive wins at 285 and 125 to cut Lehigh’s lead to 16-12. The Mountain Hawks took over from there, winning the final four bouts of the dual. At 133, a first period takedown proved to be the difference as freshman Randy Cruz held off Esteban Gomez-Rivera 3-2. Freshman Laike Gardner fell behind early in his match against John Boyle at 141 before battling back. Down 2-1 after one period, Gardner rode out the second period then scored an escape and a takedown in the third to win 5-3, giving Lehigh a ten point advantage. “The freshmen have stepped up and done a really nice job,” Santoro explained. “They’re getting better each week and gaining more confidence now. I’m excited about where they’re going. They’ve got a lot of work to do before March but they’re going in the right direction.” At 149, senior Shane Welsh met Kevin Tao in a rematch of last year’s EIWA finals at 149. Tao scored the first takedown, but Welsh methodically battled back, using a throw for a takedown to take a 3-2 lead after one period. After a scoreless second period in neutral, Welsh reversed Tao in the third and added a second takedown en route to a 7-4 decision. The final bout of the dual saw junior Joey Napoli dominate Mark Cirello in a 21-4 technical fall. Napoli scored a late takedown to go up by 14, and then turned Cirello for two near fall points in the final seconds to complete the technical fall in 7:00. “These were two big wins this weekend,” Santoro said. “Conference meets are doubly important, but at the end of the day you’re not wrestling just for seeds. It’s hard to assess everything right now because there’s still a lot of work to do. We had two good wins this weekend but our eyes are always on March.” The Mountain Hawks will conclude their three dual road swing on Friday when they travel to Piscataway, N.J. to face EIWA rival Rutgers. The match is set for a 7 p.m. start from the Louis Brown Athletic Center. The match will be broadcast on ESPN Radio 1230 and 1320 as well as Lehighsports.com, with pre-match coverage beginning at 6:45. Results: 165: Phillip Barreiro (AU) dec. Ben Haas (Lehigh) 5-3 174: Nathaniel Brown (Lehigh) major dec. Keithen Cast (AU) 12-2 184: Robert Hamlin (Lehigh) Fall Thomas Barreiro (AU) 1:36 197: John Bolich (Lehigh) Fall Devon Bradley (AU) 1:11 285: Blake Herrin (AU) dec. Jack Delia (Lehigh) 4-2 125: David Terao (AU) Fall Alex Abreu (Lehigh) 0:54 133: Randy Cruz (Lehigh) dec. Esteban Gomez-Rivera (AU) 3-2 141: Laike Gardner (Lehigh) dec. John Boyle (AU) 5-3 149: Shane Welsh (Lehigh) dec. Kevin Tao (AU) 7-4 157: Joey Napoli (Lehigh) tech fall Mark Cirello (AU) 21-4, 7:00

USAFA, Colo. - The Air Force wrestling team closed out its first home stand of the season with a pair of dual victories, defeating Northern Iowa, 19-18, and New Mexico Highlands, 42-0. With the wins, the Falcons, rated 25th in the latest InterMat rankings, improve to 5-1 overall on the season. Competing without its two nationally ranked wrestlers this weekend, Air Force faced a tough challenge against perennial West Region powerhouse Northern Iowa to start the afternoon. The Panthers scored a decision and a major decision in the first two duals to take a 7-0 lead before Josh Mohr (Sr., Pewaukee, Wis.) earned an 8-2 decision over Blaize Cabell at 197 pounds to put the Falcons on the board. Sophomore heavyweight Bentley Alsup (Missoula, Mont.) then gave Air Force its second-straight win with a 5-3 decision against 2012 NCAA qualifier Blayne Beale. At 125 pounds, freshman Mitch Brown (Payson, Utah), wrestling in place of 11th-ranked Josh Martinez, rebounded from a 7-0 first-period deficit against Ryan Jauch with a strong third period. Scoring three takedowns in the final stanza, Brown secured a fall with just 24 seconds on the clock to put the Falcons on top in the team scoring, 12-7. Northern Iowa regained the advantage with wins by nationally ranked wrestlers in the next two weight classes, including a narrow 7-5 decision by No. 12 Levi Wolfensperger over Dylan Hyder (Yelm, Wash.). After the Panthers scored a technical fall at 149 pounds to take a 19-12 lead in the team scoring, the Falcons needed wins in each of the last two bouts to have a chance at capturing the victory. The 157-pound match featured a pair of familiar foes, with Josh Kreimier (Jr., Fort Collins, Colo.) facing off against the Panthers' David Bonin. The two NCAA qualifiers, who have been listed in various rankings throughout the season, wrestled in a pair of overtime contests last season, with Bonin earning both wins. Sunday's match looked to be another close battle, as the only point in the first two periods was an escape from Bonin. However, Kreimier took control in the third period, scoring an early reversal to take the lead. Kreimier worked his way into a pinning situation in the final 30 seconds of regulation, but the action was stopped for an injury timeout, giving Kreimier a four-point near fall with 20 seconds on the clock. After Bonin chose the down position on the restart, Kreimier ended the match with a reversal and added 1:29 of riding time for the 9-1 major decision. Additionally, Northern Iowa was deducted a team point for an unsportsmanlike penalty on the bench, cutting the Panthers' lead to 18-16. Needing a win at 165 pounds to secure the Falcons' team victory, sophomore Jesse Stafford (Loomis, Calif.) got out to a strong start against Jarrett Jensen, scoring a takedown and a reversal in the first two periods to gain a 4-0 advantage. Stafford extended his lead to 6-0 with a third-period takedown before holding on to the 7-3 decision. The win gave Air Force a 19-18 team victory, the Falcons' first over the Panthers since 2002. "It was a good day for the program," stated Air Force head coach Joel Sharratt. "We had the same 10 guys as Friday night, who bounced back from a tough dual loss against Oregon State; they showed some character. We got a big spark at 125, with Mitch Brown staying in the fight for seven minutes--getting down early and wrestling back. Josh Kreimier--against a guy who's ranked top 20 in the country, who he's had some battles with back and forth--came out, wrestled well and kept his head in the match for the whole seven minutes. There was a great result there." "Could we have wrestled a little bit harder, won a couple more positions and put more points on the board? I think we could have," continued Sharratt. "But I think we had a good showing overall. It's also awesome, from the crowd perspective, to have the superintendent and the commandant out here supporting the guys. Seeing them here, our guys really appreciate it--it meant a lot having them out here to support us in the program victory." Air Force followed its win over Northern Iowa with a shutout of New Mexico Highlands. Alsup, Brown and Kreimier all scored falls against the Cowboys, while Mohr, Carter McElhany (So., Colorado Springs, Colo.) and Gabe Martinez (Sr., Falcon, Colo.) both registered major decisions. Earning decisions for the Falcons were Scott Reilly (Fr., Stafford, Va.), Devin Hightower (Jr., Colorado Springs, Colo.), Hyder and Logan Burch (Sr., Colorado Springs, Colo.), who scored the winning takedown with less than 10 seconds remaining. Also on Sunday, the Falcons' JV squad earned a 28-15 victory over New Mexico Highlands. Evan Gros (Jr., Lake Orion, Mich.), Cody Hancock (So., Wrightwood, Calif.) and Andrew White (Fr., Chehalis, Wash.) registered falls, freshman Zach Stepan scored a major decision and Cody Davis (Jr., The Woodlands, Texas) and Adam Jackson (Fr., Rosemount, Minn.) earned decisions for the Falcons. Air Force heads to California for its next three duals, as it faces Stanford and Menlo College on Friday, Jan. 18, while visiting Cal Poly on Sunday, Jan. 20. No. 25 Air Force 19, Northern Iowa 18 174: Cody Caldwell (UNI) dec. Tyler Mergen, 6-3 184: No. 6 Ryan Loder (UNI) maj. dec. Devin Hightower, 12-2 197: Josh Mohr (AF) dec. Blaize Cabell, 8-2 285: Bentley Alsup (AF) dec. Blayne Beale, 5-3 125: Mitch Brown (AF) fall Ryan Jauch (UNI), 6:36 133: No. 12 Levi Wolfensperger (UNI) dec. Dylan Hyder, 7-5 141: No. 15 Joey Lazor (UNI) maj. dec. Carter McElhany, 11-1 149: Bart Reiter (UNI) tech fall Logan Burch, 19-3 (5:49) 157: Josh Kreimier (AF) maj. dec. David Bonin, 9-1 165: Jesse Stafford (AF) vs. Jarrett Jensen, 7-3 *one team point deducted from Northern Iowa for unsportsmanlike conduct by the bench No. 25 Air Force 42, New Mexico Highlands 0 174: Scott Reilly (AF) dec. Easton Hargrave, 8-6 184: Devin Hightower (AF) dec. Igor Gomzin, 2-0 197: Josh Mohr (AF) maj. dec. Francisco Bernal, 13-3 285: Bentley Alsup (AF) fall RK Rockhill, 3:45 125: Mitch Brown (AF) fall Erick Rangel, 2:20 133: Dylan Hyder (AF) dec. Austin Morrow, 10-6 141: Carter McElhany (AF) maj. dec. Dan Gaylor, 10-2 149: Logan Burch (AF) dec. Mariano Montoya, 12-10 157: Josh Kreimier (AF) fall Juan Alvarado, 2:53 165: Gabe Martinez (AF) maj. dec. Travis Saxon, 11-0

LARAMIE, Wyo. -- The No. 13/15 ranked Oregon State wrestling team made it a perfect weekend with a second triumph in three days. This time it was at the hands of the No. 15/20 Wyoming Cowboys, 21-12 in Laramie, Sunday afternoon. The Beavers, now 4-3 and 1-1 in the Pac-12, used wins from six different weight classes to go ahead to the 11 point victory. With the loss Wyoming drops to 6-3 and remains 1-1 in the Western Wrestling Conference. Leading the way for head coach Jim Zalesky’s squad was 141 pounder Mike Mangrum and 157 lb. wrestler RJ Pena, who both earned bonus points in their individual match victories. Mangrum took to the mats with OSU and Wyoming knotted up at 6-6, but the No. 4 ranked senior used a technical fall (16-0) against the Cowboys’ Kyle Komata to give his team the lead for good at 11-6. Following a 4-2 Scott Sakaguchi decision, Pena won via major decision (11-3) over UW’s Andy McCulley in the 157 lb. bout, making it a commanding 12 point Orange and Black lead at 18-6. Despite Wyoming victories in two of the final three matches, the OSU lead was too much to overcome as the ‘Beavs secured their 19th all-time win over the Cowboys and third in the last four years. Other Oregon State winners on Sunday included No. 5 ranked heavyweight Chad Hanke (7-4, Dec.), who now boasts a team-high eight match winning streak, 133 pounder Drew Van Anrooy (9-5, Dec.), as well as Alex Elder who posted a 9-2 decision over Cowboy Dakota Friesth in the 133 lb match. The Beavers, who are now above the .500 mark for the first time all season, next host Stanford Saturday, Jan. 19 inside Gill Coliseum. OSU and the Cardinal are set to square off on the mats starting at 7 p.m. Results: 197: No. 4 Alfonso Hernandez (UW) dec. No. 9 Taylor Meeks (OSU), 7-6 / Wyoming 3, Oregon State 0 285: No. 5 Chad Hanke (OSU) dec. Leland Pfeifer (UW), 8-4 / Wyoming 3, Oregon State 3 125: Tyler Cox (UW) dec. Joey Palmer (OSU), 6-2 / Wyoming 6, Oregon State 3 133: Drew Van Anrooy (OSU) dec. Zach Zehner (UW), 9-5 / Wyoming 6, Oregon State 6 141: No. 4 Mike Mangrum (OSU) tech. fall Kyle Komata (UW), 16-0 / Oregon State 11, Wyoming 6 149: No. 9 Scott Sakaguchi (OSU) dec. Brandon Richardson (UW), 4-2 / Oregon State 14, Wyoming 6 157: No. 7 R.J. Pena (OSU) maj. dec. No. 12 Andy McCulley (UW), 11-3 / Oregon State 18, Wyoming 6 165: Alex Elder (OSU) dec. Dakota Friesth (UW), 9-2 / Oregon State 21, Wyoming 6 174: L.J. Helbig (UW) dec. Austin Morehead (OSU), 14-9 / Oregon State 21, Wyoming 9 184: Shane Woods (UW) dec. Brian Engdahl (OSU), 5-4 / Oregon State 21, Wyoming 12

Wrapping up a weekend of Big Ten action, the No. 3 Minnesota wrestling team (10-1, 4-0 B1G) defeated Indiana (6-4, 0-2) in a dominating 41-3 performance this afternoon in Bloomington, Ind. Dylan Ness (149 lbs.), Logan Storley (174 lbs.), and Scott Schiller (197 lbs.) all tallied pins in their respective weight classes to pad Minnesota’s team score with bonus points. David Thorn once again started the match at 125 lbs., taking Indiana’s Joe Duca to a 7-4 decision. At 133 lbs, Alonzo Shepherd kept the pressure on Chris Dardanes but the Gopher denied every attempt and boosted the score with consecutive takedowns of his own. With 12 seconds left, Dardanes went in for the pin but Sheperd fought him off. Dardanes took a three-point near fall to end with a 20-6 major decision. Nick Dardanes followed in the 141-pound weight class and gathered up a 7-1 score over Eric Roach before winning the bout by injury default. Down 6-3 to Preston Keiffer in the second period, Dylan Ness scrambled for a reversal and countered to force a fall at the 4:22 mark. Indiana found its only points in the 157 bout where Taylor Walsh defeated Minnesota’s Danny Zilverberg. Tied 7-7, Zilverberg went in for a shot but time ran out before he could capitalize. Walsh took the decision with an additional point for riding time. At 165 lbs., Cody Yohn and Ryan LeBlanc fought it out in an overtime bout. After regulation, the score remained tied at one. Three extra periods in, Yohn flipped LeBlanc to his back for a takedown and a two-point near fall for the sudden victory. Logan Storley maintained control over IU’s Cheney Dale at 174 lbs. In the second period, Storley demonstrated two titles for five near-fall back points before notching his third pin of the season on his third tilt attempt (4:14). Big hitters Kevin Steinhaus, Scott Schiller, and Tony Nelson closed out the match for the Gophers. Steinhaus kept a consistent aggressive attack against Lucas Sheridan for a 12-4 major decision. Schiller was the final Gopher of the night to score a fall over his opponent, Tarek Alaruri, at 3:24, while Nelson marked a 4-1 final over Adam Chalfant in the heavyweight competition. Next up, the Maroon and Gold return home to face Illinois on Jan. 21. The match will be broadcast on Big Ten Network at 7:30 p.m. CT as part of the channel’s featured match-up. Results: 125 #13 Thorn (MINN) by dec. over Duca (IU), 7-4 0 3 133 #6 C. Dardanes (MINN) by major dec. over Sheperd (IU), 20-6 0 7 141 #11 N. Dardanes (MINN) by injury default over Roach (IU), 5:23 0 13 149 #5 Ness (MINN) by fall over Keiffer (IU), 4:22 0 19 157 #12 Walsh (IU) by dec. over Zilverberg (MINN), 8-7 3 19 165 #12 Yohn (MINN) by sudden victory over #10 LeBlanc (IU), 6-1 3 22 174 #2 Storley (MINN) by fall over Dale (IU), 4:14 3 28 184 #4 Steinhaus (MINN) by major dec. over Sheridan (IU), 12-4 3 32 197 #12 Schiller (MINN) by fall over Alaruri (IU), 3:24 3 38 HWT #2 Nelson (MINN) dec. over #13 Chelfant (IU), 4-1 3 41

MADISON, Wis.-- In a thrilling dual at the UW Field House, the No. 22 Wisconsin wrestling team (6-2, 3-0 Big Ten) extended its dual win streak to four, including three straight to open Big Ten Conference competition, with a comeback, 19-16, upset win over No. 11 Michigan Sunday. In about as a dramatic ending as you could hope for, after being down six points with three matches to go, Wisconsin rallied to tie the team score at 16 and set-up a dual deciding match at heavyweight between No. 11 Connor Medbery and Michigan's No. 19-ranked Ben Apland. Medbery came through for the Badgers, winning by decision, 6-2, and sealing the win. "It's kind of a bittersweet thing," Medbery said of the outcome of the dual falling on his shoulders. "You know you have to help your team and your match has a big impact, but it's a lot of pressure too." Fast Facts • Connor Medbery (7-0) and Jackson Hein (8-0) extended their unbeaten dual competition records in the win. • No. 3 Tyler Graff made his dual debut at 133 lbs., and won by major decision for UW's only extra point match win. • Tom Kelliher (141 lbs.), Kalvin York (157 lbs.), and Scott Liegel (184 lbs.) also earn match wins for the Badgers. After going winless in Big Ten competition last season, this year's undefeated start to the conference season represents a remarkable turnaround for Wisconsin, but Medbery and the Badgers aren't content with just being a feel good story. "Three wins in Big Ten duals when we didn't win one last year is a great feeling," he said. "But we also know that there is a bigger picture and we're working towards March." Against the Wolverines, Wisconsin led 10-8 through five matches, but quickly saw that lead turned into a 16-10 deficit courtesy of a pair of Michigan major decision wins at 165 lbs., and 174 lbs. The comeback for the Badgers had to start at 184 lbs., where Scott Liegel would be wrestling for the first time this season. Until Sunday's dual, Liegel had been Wisconsin's starter at 174 lbs., but assistant coach Trevor Brandvold saw an opportunity to exploit a potential mismatch by wrestling Liegel up a weight class against Michigan's Chris Heald, and it paid off. In one of two sudden victory wins for the Badgers on the day, Liegel defeated Heald, 2-1, and brought the Badgers within three points. "We made the switch and Liegel came through," Wisconsin head coach Barry Davis said. "That was a good call by coach Brandvold." At 197 lbs., Jackson Hein tied the team score at 16 with an upset win by decision, 2-1, over the Wolverine's eighteenth-ranked Max Huntley to set up Medbery's decisive match at heavyweight. Tyler Graff, Tom Kelliher and Kalvin York also earned match wins for the Badgers. Making his dual debut at 133 lbs., the third-ranked Graff scored Wisconsin's only extra point win against Michigan with a 20-7 major decision. Kelliher won earned a sudden victory, 7-5, at 141 lbs., and York used a last second takedown to win, 9-7, by decision at 157 lbs. As Davis noted, Wisconsin showed poise throughout the dual, earning wins in a number of matches that came down to the last second, and it paid off with a big win over one of the top teams in the country. "It was a team effort and just a great win over a tough team," Davis said. The Badger wrestlers return to action next weekend with a pair of road duals against two of the best teams the Big Ten has to offer. Wisconsin will face No. 1 Penn State Friday, Jan. 18 at 6 p.m., in Happy Valley before heading to Columbus, Ohio, for a Sunday dual against No. 5-ranked Ohio State at noon. Friday's dual against the Nittany Lions will air live on Big Ten Network and the match-up with the Buckeyes will be streamed live on the Big Ten Digital Network (BTDN) at BTN.com. Results: 125 -- Sean Boyle (U-M) major dec. Matt Cavallaris, 12-0 U-M, 4-0 133 -- #3 Tyler Graff (UW) major dec. Rossi Bruno, 20-7 Tied, 4-4 141 -- Tom Kelliher (UW) dec. Mike Hillock, 7-5 SV UW, 7-4 149 -- #11 Eric Grajales (U-M) major dec. Cole Schmitt, 14-6 U-M, 8-7 157 -- Kalvin York (UW) dec. Collin Zeerip, 9-7 UW, 10-8 165 -- #13 Taylor Massa (U-M) major dec. Frank Cousins, 18-4 U-M, 12-10 174 -- #11 Dan Yates (U-M) major dec. Ben Cox, 12-1 U-M, 16-10 184 -- Scott Liegel (UW) dec. Chris Heald, 3-1 U-M, 16-13 197 -- Jackson Hein (UW) dec. #18 Max Huntley, 2-1 Tied, 16-16 Hwt -- #11 Connor Medbery (UW) dec. #19 Ben Apland, 8-2 UW, 19-16

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The Penn State wrestling team, holding the No. 1 spot on Intermat's TPI, shut-out visiting Michigan State 41-0 in Big Ten wrestling action. Another sold out, SRO crowd of over 6,300 fans roared in the dual's finale as sophomore Jon Gingrich (Wingate, Pa.) capped the shut-out victory with a win over his fourth-ranked Spartan foe at heavyweight. Before the final fireworks, head coach Cael Sanderson's crew bolted out to an early lead thanks to No. 2 Nico Megaludis (Murrsyville, Pa.) at 125. Megaludis rolled to a 19-6 major over Brenan Lyon and the Nittany Lions were up 4-0 early. Red-shirt freshman Jordan Conaway (Abbottstown, Pa.) remained unbeaten in dual meets with a 7-2 win over Brandon Fifield at 133 and senior Bryan Pearsall (Lititz, Pa.) notched a 10-2 major over MSU's Nick Trimble to up Penn State's lead to 11-0. Senior James English (York, Pa.) was outstanding at 149, posting a 6-0 shut-out over MSU senior Dan Osterman. Classmate James Vollrath (Richboro, Pa.) then brought another sell-out crowd to its feet with a 6-4 win over No. 19 David Cheza of Michigan State. Vollrath's win sent Penn State into intermission with a 17-0 lead. Two-time All-American David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio) continued Penn State's day with a first period pin, getting the fall at the 1:37 mark over Spartan Nick Proctor. Sophomore Matt Brown (West Valley City, Utah), ranked No. 3 at 174, put on a takedown show in a 22-7 technical fall win over Jordan Wohlfert. Two-time All-American Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.) matched teammate Taylor with a pin at the 1:37 mark as well, this one over MSU's John Rizqallah at 184. Three-time All-American Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.) posted a 13-4 major over Luke Jones at 197, leading to the night's capstone victory. Gingrich put the finishing touches on a 41-0 shut-out with a thrilling 5-3 win over No. 4 Michael McClure at heavyweight. Tied 1-1 late in the third period, Gingrich bored through on a high double, took McClure down and to his back for two near fall points, and walked away with a 5-3 win. The victory was Gingrich's second over a top-ten Big Ten foe to secure a shut-out (Gingrich also downed No. 8 Adam Chalfant of Indiana to secure PSU's shutout over the Hoosiers in December. The Nittany Lions owned the dual, posting a 33-1 advantage in takedowns. The shut-out is Penn State's second of the year, both in Big Ten duals. The MSU blanking marks the first time in school history the team has notched two shut-outs in Big Ten dual meets in the same season. In two duals, Penn State is now 20-0, outscoring its conference foes 93-0 and collecting a 60-2 takedown advantage. Penn State moves to 5-0, 2-0 B1G, while Michigan State falls to 4-6, 0-3 B1G. Penn State now preps for a busy Big Ten weekend. The Nittany Lions host Wisconsin on Friday, Jan. 18, at 7 p.m. Penn State then treks to Purdue for its first conference road dual on Sunday, Jan. 20, at 1 p.m. Penn State's full season of home duals is sold out but limited Standing Room Only tickets are available for select dual meets. For information on which duals have a limited number of SRO tickets available and to purchase tickets, fans can call 1-800-NITTANY or visit the Bryce Jordan Center ticket office windows from 10 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Fans are encouraged to follow Penn State wrestling via twitter at www.twitter.com/pennstateWREST and on Penn State Wrestling's facebook page at www.facebook.com/pennstatewrestling. The 2012-13 Penn State Wrestling season is presented by The Family Clothesline. Results: 125: #2 Nico Megaludis PSU maj. dec. Brenan Lyon MSU, 19-6 4-0 133: Jordan Conaway PSU dec. Brandon Fifield MSU, 7-2 7-0 141: Bryan Pearsall PSU maj. dec. Nick Trimble MSU, 10-2 11-0 149: James English PSU dec. Dan Osterman MSU, 6-0 14-0 157: James Vollrath PSU dec. #19 David Cheza MSU, 6-4 17-0 165: #2 David Taylor PSU pinned Nick Proctor MSU, WBF (1:37) 23-0 174: #3 Matt Brown PSU tech fall Jordan Wohlfert MSU, 22-7 (TF; 6:17) 28-0 184: #1 Ed Ruth PSU pinned John Rizqallah MSU, WBF (1:37) 34-0 197: #3 Quentin Wright PSU maj. dec. Luke Jones MSU, 13-4 38-0 285: Jon Gingrich PSU dec. #4 Michael McClure MSU, 5-3 41-0 Attendance: 6,353 Records: Penn State 5-0, 2-0 Big Ten; Michigan State 4-6, 0-3 Big Ten Up Next for Penn State: Home vs. Wisconsin, Friday, Jan. 18, 7 p.m. - Rec Hall BOUT-BY-BOUT: 125: Sophomore All-American Nico Megaludis (Murrysville, Pa.), ranked No. 2 at 125, took on Spartan junior Brenan Lyon. Megaludis wasted no time taking Lyon down, using a low double to take a 2-1 lead after cutting him loose. The Lion All-American added another takedown and cut to lead 4-2 at the 1:00 mark. Megaludis used a low single to gain control of Lyon's right ankle for a third takedown. This time, he rode Lyon out and carried a 6-2 lead with :43 riding time into the second period. Megaludis chose down to start the second stanza and burst out for a quick escape. He then used a low double to tack on a fourth takedown and led 9-2 midway through the period. Megaludis added two near fall points to lead 11-3 at the :30 mark, tacked on another takedown and led 13-3 with 2:00 riding time after two. Lyon chose down to start the third period and Megaludis cut him loose early. Megaludis tacked on two more takedowns, a stall point and 3:00 riding time to roll to the 19-6 major decision. 133: Red-shirt freshman Jordan Conaway (Abbottstown, Pa.) faced off against Michigan State's Brandon Fifield at 133. Conaway fought off a quick Fifield shot and countered for a takedown of his own and an early lead. The freshman nearly turned Fifield for back points but the Spartan was able to keep the count to a one count and Conaway's lead held firm at 2-0 at the 1:00 mark. Conaway put together a strong ride out and carried that lead, plus 1:53 riding time, into the second. Conaway chose down to start the second period and worked his way to a reversal and a 4-0 lead with :45 on the clock. Another ride out and Conaway lead 4-0 with 1:31 RT after two. Fifield took down to start the third period and Conaway immediately began looking for a chance to turn the Spartan wrestler. Conway maintained control long enough to clinch a riding time point before Fifield escaped. Fifield shot low on Conaway, forcing a scramble that worked the clock down to :42 before a stalemate ended the action. Conaway tacked on another takedown and, with the riding time point, rolled to a 7-2 win. Conaway remained undefeated in dual meet action. 141: Senior Bryan Pearsall (Lititz, Pa.) met MSU freshman Nick Trimble at 141. Pearsall notched the first takedown of the match, turning an early shot into a scramble and a 2-0 lead at the 2:00 mark. The Lion senior put together a strong ride, maintaining control and looking for a chance to turn Trimble in the process. Pearsall turned Trimble at the end of the period and led 5-0 with over 2:00 riding time after the opening period. Pearsall chose down to start the second stanza and quickly escaped to a 6-0 lead. Pearsall then picked up one more takedown and led 8-0 heading into the third. Trimble chose down to start the third period and reversed Pearsall to cut the lead to 8-2. But Pearsall had a riding time point clinched and then escaped to a 9-2 lead. Pearsall then fought off a late Trimble shot to kill the clock. With 2:18 riding time, Pearsall posted the 10-2 major and put Penn State up 11-0 in the dual. 149: Nittany Lion senior James English (York, Pa.) took on Spartan senior Dan Osterman at 149. English countered an early Osterman shot and led 2-0 at the 1:17 mark. The York native then put together a strong ride, building up over 1:00 riding time while working for a chance to turn Osterman. English's ride out gave the Nittany Lion a 2-0 lead with 1:17 riding time after the first period. English chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 3-0 lead. The duo then traded shots for the remainder of the period with neither man finding an opening to score. Trailing 3-0, Osterman chose neutral to start the third. English nearly scored out of the gates but Osterman was able to fight the shot off. The Lion senior continued to pressure Osterman and then countered an Osterman shot for a final, bout clinching takedown. With 1:08 in riding time, English posted the convincing 6-0 decision. 157: Penn State junior James Vollrath (Richboro, Pa.) battled No. 19 David Cheza in a key bout at 157. Cheza had the first chance to open up the scoring with a high single :30 in. But Vollrath was able to work his way out of trouble and keep the bout scoreless early on. Vollrath then worked in on a single leg, but Cheza was able to counter and open up the scoring to take a 2-1 lead after a quick Vollrath escape. Leading by one, Cheza told down to start the second period. Vollrath maintained control for :30 before the ranked Spartan escaped to a 3-1 lead. With 1:10 on the clock, Vollrath worked in on a high single and finished off the takedown to tie the bout at 3-3. Cheza quickly escaped to lead 4-3 with :45 on the clock. Trailing by one, Vollrath chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 4-4 tie. The duo battled evenly for the next minute-plus, the score still tied at 4-4. With :20 left, Vollrath turned a low single into a bout clinching takedown and brought the Penn State crowd to its feet with a 6-4 win over the ranked Cheza. 165: Two-time All-American David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio), ranked No. 2 at 165, met Michigan State's Nick Proctor. Taylor quickly opened up a 4-1 lead with a takedown and two nearfall points. After the escape, Taylor notched another takedown and led 6-1 just over a minute in. Taylor cut Proctor loose again, worked into a takedown and then ended the match. Taylor worked into a cradle and got the first period pin at the 1:37 mark and put Penn State up 23-0. 174: Sophomore Matt Brown (West Valley City, Utah), ranked No. 3 at 174, took on Spartan freshman Jordan Wohlfert. Brown wasted no time opening up an early lead, using a low double on the edge of the mat to take Wohlfert down and lead 2-0. Brown then put together a dominating ride, building up :57 in riding time before cutting Wohlfert loose. But less than :05 after cutting him, Brown worked his way around for another takedown and a 4-2 lead. Brown notched a third takedown and led 6-3 after a Wohlfert escape at the 1:10 mark. A fourth takedown put Brown up 8-4. Another takedown for the Nittany Lion and Brown led 10-4 with more than 2:00 riding time after a furious first period. Wohlfert took down to start the second stanza and escaped to a 10-5 deficit. He took a single leg but Brown quickly countered and turned the Spartan to his back for a takedown and three near fall points to lead 15-5 at the 1:09 mark. Brown cut Wohlfert loose with :30 left and tacked on another takedown as the period ended to lead 17-6 with 3:24 in riding time. Brown chose down to start the third period and escaped to an 18-6 lead. With the riding time point clinched, Brown added another takedown with 1:15 on the clock to up his lead to 20-6. One more cut and Brown ended the match with another takedown, getting the 22-7 technical fall at the 6:17 mark. 184: Two-time All-American Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 184, faced Michigan State sophomore John Rizqallah. Ruth scrambled his way to an early takedown and led 2-0 at the 2:10 mark. Ruth began working for a chance to finish off a cradle and hit the mark. After a brief ride, Ruth worked his way into his patented pinning move and got the fall at the 1:37 mark, putting Penn State up 34-0. 197: Three-time All-American Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.), ranked No. 3 at 197, battled Luke Jones. Wright got the first takedown early, taking a 2-0 lead on the edge of the mat. Jones worked his way to an escape and action moved to the center circle with the Nittany Lion senior up 2-1. Wright countered a Jones single leg and picked up his second takedown with 1:40 left in the opening period. Two near fall points later and Wright led 6-1 with :45 on the clock. After a Jones escape, Wright used a high shot to force the Spartan to the mat for another takedown to lead 8-2 with 1:31 riding time after one period. Wright chose down to start the second period and steadily worked his way to a reversal and a 10-2 lead. Jones escaped to a 10-3 deficit before the period ended but Wright had 1:20 in riding time. Jones chose down to start the third period and Wright cut him loose to a 10-4 score. Wright blasted through a high double to up his lead to 12-4 with :45 on the clock. After clinching the riding time point, Wright then rode Jones out to roll to the 13-4 major decision (with 2:13 in time). 285: Sophomore Jon Gingrich (Wingate, Pa.) took to the mat to face off with No. 4 Michael McClure of Michigan State, who carried a 20-1 record into the dual (an MSU best). Gingrich and McClure battled through an even first minute, with the Lion sophomore forcing McClure to the edge of the mat early on. McClure took a high single at the 1:30 mark but Gingrich stepped back out of trouble and kept the bout scoreless. Tied 0-0 after one period, Gingrich chose down to start the second period. He quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead action returned to the center circle. McClure took his second shot of the match at the 1:00 mark and Gingrich was called for stalling. With Gingrich leading 1-0, McClure took down to start the final stanza. A quick MSU escape and the bout was tied again, this time at 1-1. Gingrich then brought the crowd to its feet by blowing through a high double for a takedown and two near fall points to lead 5-1 at the :50 mark. McClure managed an escape but Gingrich's fast offense was all the Lion needed. With a stall point to McClure, Gingrich thrilled the 6,300 plus with a 5-3 win over the fourth-ranked Spartan.

With 64 top teams entering the 2013 NWCA/Cliff Keen Multi-Divisional National Duals, five emerged as champions following Saturday afternoon's finals. One of the most exciting finals matchups came at the NAIA division where a fall at the heavyweight class determined the match. The NAIA finals pitted returning National Duals Champion and No. 1 Grand View against No. 2 Southern Oregon. In a match that was highly contested, Eric Thompson got the fall at heavyweight for Grandview to secure the win by a score of 20-18. "I really can't believe it right now," said head coach Nick Mitchell. "I knew it was going to be a real tough dual and I am happy we got the win." Grand View reached the semifinals after defeating Dickinson State 39-8. In the semifinals, Grand View defeated No. 5 Campbellsville 32-4, with victories in nine of the ten weight classes. Southern Oregon reached the semifinals after defeating Baker 34-11. In the semifinals the Raiders defeated No. 3 Great Falls 23-19, with victories in five of the ten weight classes including one pin by Charles Johnson at 197 pounds. In another key event storyline, Wartburg legendary coach Jim Miller's No. 1 seeded team advanced to the finals where they faced No. 2 Elmhurst. In his final National Dual's event, his team won 24-10 in an impressive performance where they captured their seventh National Duals championship. "It means a lot to compete in this event," said head coach Jim Miller. "I am just grateful for all of the alums out there that have supported the program." Wartburg reached the semifinals after defeating No. 9 Ithaca College 33-6. In the semifinals Wartburg faced No. 5 Centenary College and wrestled to a 23-12 victory. Wartburg logged victories in six of the ten weight classes including a pin from Gilberto Camacho at 125 pounds. Elmhurst entered the semifinals after defeating No. 10 Wisconsin-Whitewater 26-9. The Blue Jays then defeated No. 3 Cortland State 26-19 with victories in six weight classes, including two pins registered by Lillashawn Coleman at 125 pounds and Dalton Bullard at 133 pounds. The Women's division finals, a marquee event at the duals, highlighted a matchup between No. 1 Oklahoma City and No. 3 Simon Fraser. In an impressive performance filled with top wrestlers, Simon Fraser pulled away and upset Oklahoma City by a score of 27-13. The victory marked the first time that a team other than Oklahoma City won the championship since 2007. "You know it is a great win for us," said head coach Mike Jones. "The girls wrestled really well today and we are just happy to come out on top." Oklahoma City reached the semifinals after defeating No. 8 Waldorf 21-3. The semifinals pitted Oklahoma City against No. 5 Missouri Valley. The Stars wrestled to a 33-7 victory, logging eight weight class victories including four pins registered by Emily Webster at 101 pounds, Joey Miller at 116 pounds, Audrey Morehouse at 130 pounds and Heather O'Connor at 191 pounds. Simon Fraser reached the semifinals with a first round 26-3 victory against No. 6 University of the Cumberlands. Once in the semifinals, Simon Fraser defeated No. 2 King 27-13, wrestling to victories in eight of the ten weight classes including one pin registered by Victoria Anthony at 109 pounds. At the Division II level, the championship match pitted No. 4 St. Cloud State against No. 7 Notre Dame, after several upsets earlier in the day. In a match that went down to the heavyweight match, St. Cloud State clinched the title with a 17-15 victory. St. Cloud State's path to the final match-up included a 29-12 victory against No. 5 Upper Iowa. The Huskies advanced to the semifinals where they faced Wisconsin-Parkside, who had upset No. 1 Nebraska Kearney in the first round of competition. St. Cloud State defeated Wisconsin-Parkside 27-9, with victories in eight of the ten weight classes. Notre Dame advanced to the semifinals after defeating No. 2 Newberry 21-15. In the semifinals the Fighting Irish faced No. 3 Central Oklahoma, who they defeated 19-13 with wins in six of the ten weight classes. This is the first year Notre Dame has competed at the Division II level, they had formerly been crowned champion at the NAIA level. The NJCAA division finals showcased a matchup of No. 1 Labette against No. 3 Colby. In a dominating performance, Labette won nine matches and secured the title with a 39-3 score. Labette reached the semifinals after defeating No. 8 Iowa Lakes 41-6. Once in the semifinals, Labette defeated Niagara 46-6. The Cardinals wrestled to victories in nine of the ten weight classes, including five pins recorded by Eric Hughes at 133 pounds, Spencer Rutherford at 149 pounds, Devin Aguirre at 165 pounds, Payne Hatter at 174 pounds and Jack Page at 285 pounds. Colby reached the semifinals after defeating No. 6 Harper 25-15. In the semifinals, Colby defeated No. 2 Iowa Central 36-9, with wins in eight weight classes including one pin registered by Xavier Fisher at 285 pounds. The NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals was presented by Hibiclens and The Marines. The attendance for the event was 1200. For more information on the event, visit the NWCA website. About the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) The National Wrestling Coaches Association, established in 1928, is a non-profit organization for the advancement of all levels of the sport of wrestling with primary emphasis on developing coaches who work in academic environments. The membership embraces all people interested in amateur wrestling. The three core competencies of the NWCA are: coaching development, student-athlete welfare, and promotion of wrestling. About Cliff Keen Cliff Keen Athletic is a wrestling and officials wear company, dedicated to the advancement of athletics through innovative products and communications. Cliff Keen Athletic exemplifies the rich traditions of sport and the superior quality of athletic wear required for holding up to the rigors of competition. About Hibiclens Hibiclens is an antiseptic antimicrobial skin cleanser possessing bactericidal properties that can be part of an effective defense for preventing the spread of skin infections. Its active ingredient works in a unique way — it kills germs on contact and bonds to the skin to keep killing microorganisms up to 6 hours after washing. Hibiclens® has been proven to kill MRSA (in vitro) and other staph infections. About the United States Marine Corps On November 10, 1775, the Marine Corps was established by the Second Continental Congress meeting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Since then, the Marine Corps, through service on land, in air, and at sea, have acquitted themselves with the greatest distinction, winning new honors on each occasion until the term "Marine" has come to signify all that is highest in military efficiency and soldierly virtue. Whether facing our nation's foes or conducting humanitarian relief and disaster recovery operations at home or abroad, today's Marine Corps stands ready to continue in the same proud tradition of faithful service to the United States. For more information, visit http://www.Marines.com.

STILLWATER, Okla. -- The University of Iowa wrestling team fell to second-ranked Oklahoma State today, 18-12, at Gallagher-Iba Arena. The Cowboys won six of 10 matches to hand the fourth-ranked Hawkeyes their first dual loss of the season (12-1). Iowa won four of the first five bouts to build a 12-3 lead before Oklahoma State rallied for five straight wins. The Cowboys needed a third-period takedown in four consecutive matches to earn one-point victories beginning at 165 through 197. "Finishing was the difference today," said head coach Tom Brands. "It was the difference between winning the matches and the meet." Matt McDonough (125), Tony Ramos (133) and Mark Ballweg (141) got the Hawkeyes rolling early with three straight decisions to build a 9-0 advantage. McDonough used four takedowns and 1:57 of riding time to earn a 10-4 win, Ramos' takedown in the first period held up for a 3-2 win over No. 5 Jon Morrison, and Ballweg recorded a takedown in all three periods to top Keokuk, Iowa, native Julian Feikert, 8-3. Oklahoma State cut Iowa's lead to 9-3 when top-ranked Jordan Oliver (149) scored a 9-4 win over Michael Kelly, but Derek St. John (157) regained Iowa's nine-point lead with an 8-4 win over No. 9 Alex Dieringer. St. John, the nation's top-rated 157-pounder, scored a takedown in the first period, escaped for a point in the second, and opened the third with two nearfall points to improve to 13-0 this season. The Cowboys began chipping into the Iowa lead when No. 3 Tyler Caldwell scored a 3-2 decision over Nick Moore at 165. Oklahoma State's top-ranked Chris Perry used 1:19 of riding time to top No. 6 Mike Evans, 4-3, at 165, and No. 12 Chris Chionuma scored a takedown with 1:13 left in the third to tie the dual, 12-12, with a 3-2 win over No. 9 Ethen Lofthouse. Nathan Burak nearly scored an upset of No. 5 Blake Rosholt at 197 pounds, but the Hawkeye freshman was unable to finish his shots and Rosholt countered a crackdown with a chest lock that rolled Burak through for a takedown with 20 seconds on the clock. Burak escaped with three seconds left but Oklahoma State held on for the 3-2 win to grab its first lead of the dual, 15-12. Iowa had a chance for the win or force a tiebreaker scenario at 285 pounds, but the Cowboys clinched the dual, 18-12, when third-ranked Alan Gelogaev topped No. 6 Bobby Telford, 7-3. The Hawkeyes return to the mat Jan. 18 when they face No. 11 Michigan at Ann Arbor, Mich. The dual will begin at 6 p.m. (CT) inside Cliff Keen Arena. Notes: Attendance was 5,537... McDonough extended his winning streak to 38 matches... Ramos' victory was in his meeting against a ranked opponent this season... McDonough (10-0), Ramos (13-0) and St. John (13-0) remained undefeated this year... Evans' loss was his first this season (9-1). Results: 125: #1 Matt McDonough (IA) dec. Eddie Klimara (OSU), 10-4; 3-0 133: #2 Tony Ramos (IA) dec. #5 Jon Morrison (OSU), 3-2; 6-0 141: #9 Mark Ballweg (IA) dec. Julian Feikert (OSU), 8-3; 9-0 149: #1 Jordan Oliver (OSU) dec. #19 Michael Kelly (IA), 9-4; 9-3 157: #1 Derek St. John (IA) dec. #9 Alex Dieringer (OSU), 8-4; 12-3 165: #3 Tyler Caldwell (OSU) dec. #19 Nick Moore (IA), 3-2; 12-6 174: #1 Chris Perry (OSU) dec. Mike Evans (IA), 4-3; 12-9 184: #12 Chris Chionuma (OSU) dec. #9 Ethen Lofthouse (IA), 3-2; 12-12 197: #5 Blake Rosholt (OSU) dec. Nathan Burak (IA), 3-2; 12-15 285: #3 Alan Gelogaev (OSU) dec. Bobby Telford (IA), 7-3; 12-18

The No. 4 ranked St. Cloud State University wrestling team (11-0, 1-0 NSIC) continued its impressive run by claiming first place at the 2013 NWCA DIvision II National Duals on Jan. 13 in Springfield, Ill. The Huskies earned their second consecutive NWCA National Duals crown with a thrilling 17-15 win over No. 7 Notre Dame (Ohio) in the championship match at the Prairie Capital Center in Springfield, Ill. SCSU earned its berth in the title bout with a 27-9 victory over No. 17 UW-Parkside in the semifinal round match in the morning of Jan. 13. Of note, SCSU stayed in the winners bracket thanks to a 40-7 win over UNC-Pembroke and a 29-12 win over No. 5 Upper Iowa in the opening day of action on Jan. 12. In the championship match, SCSU trailed Notre Dame by one point before a 3-0 victory by senior No. 2 Jacob Kahnke at 285-pounds over ND's No. 5 Orlando Scales provided the needed three points to secure the two-point win and the tournament title. The match opened well for the Huskies as Eric Forde gained a 2-1 decision over ND's Johnny Papesh. No. 2 Andy Pokorny padded the Huskies' lead with a 14-3 major decision win over ND's Marty Carlson at 133-pounds. ND's No. 8 Maurice Miller put his squad on the board with a 7-3 win at 141-pounds over SCSU's Matt Nelson. Senior Jacob D. Horn added three key points at 149-pounds with a 3-0 victory over ND's Jonaton Rivera. Notre Dame gained wins at 157-pounds and 165-points to tie the score at 10-10, before ND gained a 13-10 lead with a victory at 174-pounds. The Huskies gained critical points at 184-pounds with a 12-3 major decision win by No. 2 Shamus O'Grady over ND's Charles Mason. The lead changed hands once more at 197-pounds, as Notre Dame earned a decision to make it 15-14 heading into the decisive bout at 285-pounds. The complete results from the Huskies' final two bouts at the NWCA Duals are listed below. The win over Notre Dame marks the Huskies 37 consecutive dual match victory, as SCSU has not lost in dual meet action since the 2010-11 season. SCSU also owns a nine match win streak at the NWCA Division II Duals dating back to 2011. The last time the Huskies lost a match was on Jan. 27, 2011 against Augustana by a 19-18 score and the last time the Huskies lost a match at the NWCA Duals was an 18-15 setback against Augustana on Jan. 9, 2011. This is the longest team dual match win streak in the history of Husky wrestling. The defending NSIC champs, SCSU will continue its 2012-13 season with a home match against NSIC rival Minnesota State, Moorhead in Halenbeck Hall. The action will get underway at 7 p.m. and tickets may be purchased at the gate for this important contest. As always, all SCSU students with a valid SCSU student ID card get into the game for free. Just show you ID card at the gate and you get into the match for FREE! SCSU 17, Notre Dame 15 125 - Eric Forde (St. Cloud State) over Johnny Papesh (Notre Dame) Dec 2-1 133 - Andrew Pokorny - St. Cloud State) over Marty Carlson (Notre Dame) Maj 14-3 141 Maurice Miller (Notre Dame) over Matt Nelson (St. Cloud State) Dec 7-3 149 Jacob D. Horn (St. Cloud State) over Jonaton Rivera (Notre Dame) Dec 3-0 157 - Jeffrey Pelton (Notre Dame) over Clint Poster (St. Cloud State) Dec 7-6 165 - Joey Davis (Notre Dame) over Gabe Fogarty (St. Cloud State) Maj 18-8 174- Eric Burgey (Notre Dame) over Kurt Salmen (St. Cloud State) Dec 8-2 184 - Shamus O`Grady (St. Cloud State) over Charles Mason (Notre Dame) Maj 12-3 197 Brandonn Johnson (Notre Dame) over Chris Brassell (St. Cloud State) Dec 7-2 285 Jake Kahnke (St. Cloud State) over Orlando Scales (Notre Dame) Dec 3-0 3.00 0 SCSU 27, UW-Parkside 9 125 Eric Forde (St. Cloud State) over Ryan Mcquade (Wisconsin-Parkside) Dec 7-2 133 Eric Ellington (St. Cloud State) over Jacob Papke (Wisconsin-Parkside) Dec 8-3 141 Matt Nelson (St. Cloud State) over Arik Yde (Wisconsin-Parkside) Maj 11-1 149 Jacob D. Horn (St. Cloud State) over Dan Argueta (Wisconsin-Parkside) Dec 6-1 157 Clint Poster (St. Cloud State) over Kory Jauch (Wisconsin-Parkside) TF 17-1 165 Gabe Fogarty (St. Cloud State) over Nick Fishback (Wisconsin-Parkside) Dec 6-4 174 Kurt Salmen (St. Cloud State) over Josh Anthony (Wisconsin-Parkside) Dec 8-1 184 Shamus O`Grady (St. Cloud State) over Matt Gille (Wisconsin-Parkside) Dec 9-4 197 Davion Willis (Wisconsin-Parkside) over Mic Berg (St. Cloud State) Dec 4-3 285 James Malechek (Wisconsin-Parkside) WBF

PITTSBURGH -- The 24th-ranked Bloomsburg University swept its two matches on Sunday at the Pitt Duals beating the 12th-ranked Pitt Panthers, 19-18, and Eastern Michigan, 24-9. The win over the Panthers is second straight win over a ranked team for Bloomsburg after knocking off then-20th ranked Maryland on Jan. 5. “Great win for us against Pitt,” said an excited Huskies head coach John Stutzman. “After last year when we were embarrassed at home by them this feels good! However, as I have said before, we need to continue to get better and improve. Next up is Ohio University and they are good, so we need to be battle ready to wrestle.” Against the Panthers the Huskies got off to a quick start picking up a win by forfeit at 125 pounds to go up 6-0. At 133 pounds 18th-ranked Nick Wilcox (Greene, NY/Greene Central) and Shelton Mack, ranked 15th, needed overtime to settled their match. After being tied at 1-1 at the end of three periods, Wilcox scored a 5-4 win in overtime to make it 9-0. The Huskies extended their lead to 12-0 when Matt Rappo (Holland/Council Rock South) scored a win by decision at 141 pounds. After a scoreless first period Rappo rode out Travis Shaffer and picked up three near fall points. Rappo then went on to post a 6-0 victory. At 149 pounds the Huskies Josh Roosa (Mountaintop/Crestwood), seeing his first action in about a month, fell by a 4-3 score to Ronnie Garbinsky putting the Panthers on the board at 12-3. At 157 pounds Frank Hickman (Castle Hayne, NC/E.A. Laney), ranked 11th, earned some revenge with a 15-6 win over Donnie Tasser to add to the Huskies lead. A year ago Tasser snapped Hickman's 19-match winning streak, but this time it was all Hickman. The senior led 5-3 after one period; 8-3 after two periods and went on to the win by major decision to make it 16-3. Bloomsburg made it 19-3 at 165 pounds when Josh Veltre (Rochester, NY/Greece Olympia), ranked 19th, beat Tyler Wilps, ranked number 11. Veltre led 2-0 after one period before Wilps made it 2-1 after two periods. Veltre went on to a 5-2 win. Pitt began its comeback with wins at 174 and 184 by scores of 5-4 and 3-0 to trim the deficit to 19-9. At 197 pounds Bloomsburg Richard Perry (Meriden, CT/Middletown), ranked 16th, faced off with 2nd-ranked Matt Wilps. Perry led late in the match, but gave up a takedown to Wilps and fell in overtime, 6-5 to make it 19-12. With the match clinched for Bloomsburg the final bout of the match was between 9th ranked Zac Thomusseit and16th-ranked Justin Grant (Easton/Easton) with Thomusseit going on to win by fall in 1:54. In the second match of the day the Huskies rolled past Eastern Michigan, 24-9. The Huskies fell behind in the match 6-0 after the first two matches, but rallied by winning the next six bouts. Matt Rappo (Holland/Council Rock South) scored a 4-2 win at 141 followed by a win by major decision for Josh Roosa (Mountaintop/Crestwood) at 149 pounds. Frank Hickman (Castle Hayne, NC/E.A. Laney) won by decision at 157 followed by a major decision win for Josh Veltre (Rochester, NY/Greece Olympia) at 165 pounds. Chris Smith (Mineral, Va./Chancelor) made it six straight wins for Bloomsburg at 174 pounds when he scored a 6-3 decision to make it 17-6 in favor of the Huskies. After Eastern Michigan picked up a victory at 184, the Huskies closed out the match with wins by Perry at 197 pounds and a major decision by Justin Grant (Easton/Easton) at heavyweight. The Huskies improved to 10-2 with their fourth straight win and will host Ohio University on Sunday, Jan. 20 at 2 p.m. No. 24 Bloomsburg 19, No. 12 Pitt 18 125: Sean Boylan (Seaville, NJ/St. Marks) (B) wins by forfeit; Bloomsburg leads, 6-0 133: No. 18 Nick Wilcox (Greene, NY/Greene Central) (B) dec. No. 15 Shelton Mack (P), 5-4 (SV2); Bloomsburg leads, 9-0 141: Matt Rappo (Holland/Council Rock South) (B) dec. Travis Shaffer (P), 6-0; Bloomsburg leads, 12-0 149: Ronnie Garbinsky (P) dec. Josh Roosa (Mountaintop/Crestwood) (B), 4-3; Bloomsburg leads, 12-3 157: No. 11 Frank Hickman (Castle Hayne, NC/E.A. Laney) (B) m. dec. Donnie Tasser (P), 15-6; Bloomsburg leads, 16-3 165: No. 19 Josh Veltre (Rochester, NY/Greece Olympia) (B) dec. No. 11 Tyler Wilps (P), 5-2; Bloomsburg leads, 19-3 174: Nick Bonaccorsi (P) dec. Chris Smith (Mineral, Va./Chancelor) (B), 5-4; Bloomsburg leads, 19-6 184: No. 14 Max Thomusseit (P) dec. Andre Petroski (Glenn Mills/Springfield) (B), 3-0; Bloomsburg leads, 19-9 197: No. 2 Matt Wilps (P) dec. No. 16 Richard Perry (Meriden, CT/Middletown) (B), 6-5 (OT); Bloomsburg leads, 19-12 285: No. 9 Zac Thomusseit (P) pins No. 16 Justin Grant (Easton/Easton) (B), 1:54; Bloomsburg wins, 19-18 No. 24 Bloomsburg 24, Eastern Michigan 9 125: Alexander Calandrino (E) dec. Sean Boylan (Seaville, NJ/St. Marks) (B), 3-2; Eastern Michigan leads, 3-0 133: Jake Byers (E) dec. Andy Lyman (Selkirk, NY/Ravena Coeymans Selkirk) (B), 3-2; Eastern Michigan leads, 6-0 141: Matt Rappo (Holland/Council Rock South) (B) dec. Seth Schaner (E), 4-2; Eastern Michigan leads, 6-3 149: Josh Roosa (Mountaintop/Crestwood) (B) maj. dec. Justin Melick (E), 16-6; Bloomsburg leads, 7-6 157: No. 11 Frank Hickman (Castle Hayne, NC/E.A. Laney) (B) dec. Aaron Sulzer (E), 4-0; Bloomsburg leads, 10-6 165: No. 19 Josh Veltre (Rochester, NY/Greece Olympia) (B) maj. dec. Jacob Dorulla (E), 12-3; Bloomsburg leads, 14-6 174: Chris Smith (Mineral, Va./Chancelor) (B) dec. Jacob Davis (E), 6-3; Bloomsburg leads, 17-6 184: Phillip Joseph (E) dec. Sam Shirey (Beaver Springs/Midd-West) (B), 4-1; Bloomsburg leads, 17-9 197: No. 16 Richard Perry (Meriden, CT/Middletown) (B) dec. Nick Whitenburg (E), 6-3; Bloomsburg leads, 20-9 285: No. 16 Justin Grant (Easton/Easton) (B) maj. dec. Anthony Abro (E), 12-3; Bloomsburg wins, 24-9

AMES, Iowa -- The Iowa State wrestling team (4-3 overall, 0-1 Big 12) won two duals on Sunday to wrap up their road trip out East with a 3-0 record. The Cyclones defeated Drexel (5-7 overall, 2-0 CAA) by a score of 31-12 in the morning. They then toppled No. 20 Penn in dominating fashion, 25-9. “We have started winning those close matches,” Iowa State head coach Kevin Jackson said. “We kept trying to score points at the end of the period. We competed like Cyclones. That’s what stood out to me today.” Cyclone wrestlers won 14 out of 20 matches on the day, including eight wins that were accompanied by bonus points. Three Cyclones won both of their matches on the day with John Meeks (133), Mike Moreno (165) and Boaz Beard (184) all going 2-0. For Meeks, the two wins were his first dual victories in a Cyclone singlet, moving his record on the season to 5-6 overall and 2-5 in duals. Perhaps the highlight of the day was No. 11 Kyven Gadson’s upset victory at 197 pounds over Penn’s No. 7 ranked Micah Burak. Gadson scored a takedown in overtime to come away with a 3-1 victory over the senior Burak, who was an All-American at 197 pounds in 2012. “I’m 100 percent confident now that every time we step out on the mat, we will compete at a high level,” Jackson said. “Scoring and seeing guys win matches late is encouraging and we did that today. The Cyclones will be back in action Saturday at 2 p.m. to take on West Virginia in Morgantown, W.Va. Iowa State 31, Drexel 12 125: Ryak Finch (ISU) mdec. Jacob Goodwin (DU), 11-1 133: John Meeks (ISU) mdec. Clayton Lutzow (DU), 15-5 141: Luke Goettl (ISU) dec. Frank Cimato (DU), 8-7 149: Shane Fenningham (DU) dec. Max Mayfield (ISU), 5-3 157: Austin Sommer (DU) dec. Logan Molina (ISU), 8-6 165: Mike Moreno (ISU) mdec. Connor Moran (DU), 10-2 174: Mikey England (ISU) mdec. Kevin Matyas (DU), 14-6 184: Boaz Beard (ISU) WBF Bryan Sternlieb (DU), (2:36) 197: Brandon Palik (DU) WBF Cole Shafer (ISU), (6:18) 285: Matt Gibson (ISU) WBF Jon Max Wright (DU), (2:16) Iowa State 25, Penn 9 125: Mark Rappo (Penn) dec. Ryak Finch (ISU), 8-2 133: John Meeks (ISU) dec. Geoffrey Bostany (Penn), 8-5 141: CJ Cobb (Penn) dec. Luke Goettl (ISU), 8-2 149: Max Mayfield (ISU) dec. Andrew Lenzi (Penn), 6-1 157: Logan Molina (ISU) dec. Troy Hernandez (Penn), 6-1 165: Mike Moreno (ISU) mdec. Casey Kent (Penn), 11-3 174: Tanner Weatherman (ISU) WBF Harrison Cook (Penn), (2:32) 184: Boaz Beard (ISU) dec. Canaan Bethea (Penn), 4-3 197: Kyven Gadson (ISU) dec. Micah Burak (Penn), 3-1 (SV1) 285: Kyle Cowan (Penn) dec. Matt Gibson (ISU), 7-3

HAMPTON, Va. -- The Virginia Tech wrestling squad captured the 2013 Virginia Duals with a 21-9 victory over in-state rival Virginia Saturday night inside the Hampton Coliseum. The victory moved Tech, ranked 10th in the country, to 9-2 on the season. Things kicked off at 125 pounds with fourth-ranked Jarrod Garnett taking on sixth-ranked Matt Snyder. Snyder got a quick takedown, but Garnett reversed him and picked up another reversal in the second period before icing the match with a takedown late to pick up the big 6-3 win. At 133 pounds, Erik Spjut got a second-period takedown on 11th-ranked George DiCamillo, but was ridden for the whole third period, giving DiCamillo the 3-2 win. It was the second match of the day that Spjut got the lone offensive points against a top-11 opponent, but dropped a one-point decision. At 141 pounds, 13th-ranked Zach Neibert had his way with Jimmy Nehls, using two takedowns and riding time to take a 6-1 win. Sixth-ranked Nick Brascetta used a reversal with 2 seconds left in the tiebreaker to pull the 3-2 shocker over 14th-ranked Derek Valenti at 149 pounds. The two were tied at 1 apiece after regulation and after a scoreless sudden victory, Valenti got the escape in his half of the tiebreaker. With things looking bleak, Brascetta dug deep into his bag of tricks after the restart at 11 seconds to pull out the reversal for the win. At 157 pounds, sixth-ranked Jesse Dong became the eighth member of Virginia Tech’s 100-win club with a tough 9-5 win over Blaise Butler. A second-period takedown and a takedown late propelled him to the win. Fifth-ranked Pete Yates got a first-period takedown and didn’t allow No. 7 Nick Sulzer anywhere close to him as Yates picked up the 3-1 win. Sixteenth-ranked Jon Fausey got the lone escape in the tiebreaker at 174 pounds to down Tech’s Austin Gabel 2-1 after both wrestlers tallied only escapes in regulation. The win by the Cavaliers cut the Tech lead to 15-6 at that point with just three matches left. Zach Nye picked up a 4-2 win over Nick Vetterlein at 184 pounds, using a third-period takedown and riding time to pick up the win. Derrick Borlie picked up a pair of takedowns in the first period and twp more in the third period to down Stephen Doty, 10-4 at 197 pounds and lock up the team title for the Hokies. David Marone used a reversal and two nearfall points to begin the second period, and then a takedown late in the third, as the sixth-year senior beat Pat Gillen 5-2 to wrap up a successful weekend for the Hokies. The win marked the first time in the 33-year history of the Virginia Duals that a Virginia program had won the championship. Tech (9-2) will be back in action next weekend, travelling to Chapel Hill for a match at North Carolina on Saturday at 2 p.m., followed by a home home match on Sunday at 2 p.m. against NC State. Results: 125: #4 Jarrod Garnett (VT) dec. #7 Matt Snyder, 6-3 133: #13 George DiCamillo (VA) dec. Erik Spjut, 3-2 141: #13 Zach Neibert (VT) dec. Jimmy Nehls, 6-1 149: #6 Nick Brascetta (VT) dec. #16 Derek Valenti, 3-2 (TB-1) 157: #6 Jesse Dong (VT) dec. Blaise Butler, 9-5 165: #5 Pete Yates (VT) dec. #7 Nick Sulzer, 3-1 174: #15 Jon Fausey (VA) dec. Austin Gabel, 2-1 (TB-1) 184: Zach Nye (VA) dec. Nick Vetterlein, 4-2 197: Derrick Borlie (VT) dec. Stephen Doty, 10-5 285: David Marone (VT) dec. Pat Gillen, 7-2