InterMat Staff

Virginia and Virginia Tech will square off on Saturday at Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg at 7:00 p.m. EST. Virginia Tech's marketing department has worked hard to hype the match and hopes to have a crowd of over 5,000 on hand to see the latest installment of this in-state rivalry. Virginia is the defending ACC champion and currently ranked 33rd in the InterMat team poll, while Tech (22nd) is coming off of a big win this past Friday night over Lehigh, 23-15. Below is a weight-by-weight breakdown of the dual meet. 125: Matt Snyder (Virginia) vs. No. 15 Jarrod Garnett (Virginia Tech) Virginia Tech should get the decision here with Garnett holding the advantage in the neutral position. Snyder, however is a game and dangerous opponent who is coming off of a victory over ranked opponent Garrett Frey (No. 14) of Princeton. Snyder's strength is from the top position where he rides tough and has excellent turning combinations. Garnett however, should win the takedown battle and takes a 6-3 decision for an early Hokie lead. 133: Joe Spisak (Virginia) vs. No. 10 Devin Carter (Virginia Tech) In a battle of true freshman, Carter should shine here. He has shown an aggressive, physical style that has adapted very well to the college game. Look for this match to be decided from the feet as well as Carter dominates this position and picks up a major decision for Tech 11-3 to give the Hokies a 7-0 lead in the match. 141: Gus Sako (Virginia) vs. Zach Neibert (Virginia Tech) Another freshman battle. Neibert filled in for the slumping Chris Diaz (No. 19) against Lehigh and provided a huge spark with a first period pin in 55 seconds over Stephen Dutton. Sako is having a successful freshman campaign as well for the Cavaliers and this should be considered a tossup match that will be a key win for either team. I am calling a close decision here for Sako, who is coming off of a loss against Princeton over the high-flying Neibert but this match will a fun one to watch. Sako 6-5 and team score 7-3. 149: Derek Valenti (Virginia) vs. No. 9 Brian Stephens (Virginia Tech) Stephens is another of Coach Dresser's underclassmen that has looked good this year after an impressive freshman season. He is very strong at 149 and makes his opponents work extremely hard for any offensive points. Valenti is a tough draw however and also does not give up a lot of easy points. Look for this to be another hard fought match that should be low scoring with Stephens coming out on top by a slim margin, 4-5. Tech up 10-3. 157: Nicky Gordon/Shawn Harris (Virginia) vs. No. 6 Jesse Dong (Virginia Tech) Since having his redshirt removed, Dong has picked up right where he left off last season as a solid top 10 contender. Except for a lackluster performance against Corey Mock of UNC which resulted in his lone loss, he has dominated lesser opponents, picking up bonus points with consistency for his team. In spite of this, he will face a game opponent in either Harris or Gordon and will likely not be able get more than a decision here. Dong, 8-3, pushing the Hokies lead in the match to 13-3. 165: Jedd Moore (Virginia) vs. No. 15 Pete Yates (Virginia Tech) Moore has battled injuries after redshirting his second year as a Cavalier but looks to be working back into form. Yates has had his share of struggles as well with injury (knee) but has had a solid season thus far and would be considered the favorite in this matchup. If there is a potential upset in Saturday's contest, however, this is it. Remember that Moore is the guy who beat then No. 2 Dan Vallimont from Penn State two years ago as a true freshman. Moore likes a Russian two on one tie from the neutral position and can give opponents fits with this. Yates may certainly be more than up to the task but I am calling this one for Moore, 8-5 to narrow the gap a bit to VT 13-UVA 6. 174: No. 4 Chris Henrich (Virginia) vs. Matt Epperly (Virginia Tech) This matchup, on the other hand, is definitely NOT the spot to pick an upset. Epperly is certainly capable of the big upset, just ask Mike Benefiel, but it won't happen Saturday at 174. Henrich loses only to quickness and scrambles that very few guys at this weight class have in their arsenal. He is too strong and too solid in every position for Epperly to put him in any real danger in this match. Epperly has also shown himself historically to be vulnerable to cradles and I am predicting this one to end by fall for Henrich making the match score VT 13-UVA 12. All of the sudden, we have a barn-burner! 184: No. 18 John Fausey (Virginia) vs. John Dickson (Virginia Tech) With Tommy Spellman out with a career ending neck injury, John Dickson has had to step up at 184 and has wrestled hard for the Hokies but Fausey is having a stellar redshirt freshman season with a record of 21-6 and all but one of his losses coming against opponents ranked higher than him. Look for another solid win here for Fausey, 7-3, giving the Cavaliers their first lead of the match. VT 13 - UVA 15. 197: Mike Salopek (Virginia) vs. Chris Penny (Virginia Tech) This matchup is particularly interesting because I believe the outcome may hinge on which wrestler Virginia sends to the mat. Salopek has seen intermittent action this year but is the Cavalier that poses the bigger problems for Penny who is big, long and physical. If Salopek is unable to go, then Doty will likely wrestle up again from his more natural class at 174. Doty would start in a lot of D1 programs were he not behind Henrich but will have problems with Penny's size. I will assume Salopek gets the nod and performs like he is capable of to notch the 6-5 decision for Virginia pushing their team lead to 5 points. VT 13 - UVA 18. 285: Jack Danilkowicz (Virginia) vs. David Marone (Virginia Tech) The heavyweight match is a tossup with two solid guys with similar records and styles squaring off. Marone will be looking for the fall to win the match but Danilkowicz is too seasoned of a senior to put himself in danger. Marone gets the decision with one of his points coming via stall against Virginia. The defending ACC champion Cavaliers pull off the mini-upset in enemy territory Saturday, defeating Virginia Tech by a final score of 18-16. The dual win, however, will be the last time this season that UVA finishes above the Hokies as Dresser's young grapplers will prove to be the better tournament team in March at the ACC tournament and later in Philadelphia.

The Wyoming Cowboy wrestling team moved one step closer to an undefeated conference regular season Thursday, beating its Front Range rival, the Air Force Falcons, by a final score of 32-12. The Pokes won eight of the 10 matches versus the Falcons, but actually had to come back from two deficits to claim the win. Wyoming now is 10-4 overall and 4-0 in Western Wrestling Conference action. "It's not (just) about Air Force, but it's about improving," Wyoming coach Mark Branch said. "(The deficits) put some pressure on our guys, but our guys responded and came out and won some big matches. "They came out to try and slow us down, and for the most part, we broke through that barrier. We got after them, and I was pleased that we were the aggressors and the offensive wrestlers. I was pleased with our effort. Our team looks more mature than a month ago." The action began with the heavyweights, as Wyoming's Matthew McLaughlin took on Jared Erickson of Air Force. McLaughlin took an early 2-0 lead, but got caught late in the second period and Erickson got the pin at the 4:50 mark for the early 6-0 Air Force lead. Wyoming made up half the deficit when No. 16 Michael Martinez took an 8-3 decision over Tyler Spangler in the 125-pound bout, and UW's Tyler Cox gave Wyoming the lead when he got a 24-9 technical fall over Derek Gillespie in the 133-pound match. After three matches, Wyoming had an 8-6 lead. But the Falcons went back on top in the next match, as No. 11 Cole VonOhlen pinned Wyoming's Chase Smith at the 51-second mark in the 141-pound match. Air Force led 12-8 after four matches, but the Falcons wouldn't score any more team points the rest of the way. No. 17 Cole Dallaserra won a hard-fought 9-3 decision in the 149-pound match over Josh Kreimier, and then Jimmy Belleville came out on fire for Wyoming in the 157-pound match. He took a 4-0 lead and never relented, winning a 10-2 major decision to give Wyoming a 15-12 team lead. Shane Onufer, ranked fourth, led 6-1 in the second period before he pinned Clayton Gable in the 165-pound match. Onufer now is 24-0 on the season. After that, Patrick Martinez showed his resiliency in the 174-pound match. Martinez broke a 2-2 tie in the second period, and went on for the 8-2 decision. No. 5 Joe LeBlanc cruised to a 17-3 lead after one period in the 184-pound match, and took a 22-3 technical fall. In the last match of the night at 197 pounds, L.J. Helbig held Air Force's Neil Delaney scoreless for a 4-0 decision. "We didn't wrestle perfect by any means, but we wrestled tough," Branch said. The Pokes now will hit the road for three duals next week, starting with a WWC matchup with Northern Colorado on Wednesday. Then it's off to Oklahoma on Feb. 11, and Oklahoma State on Feb. 13. Both Oklahoma schools are ranked in the top 10 in several polls. "We've got to be very, very prepared to go out there and battle," Branch said. "Every kid we see is going to be a top-10 kid. It's definitely going to be a challenge for our team." Results: 285 - Jared Erickson (AF) fall Matthew McLaughlin, 4:50 125 - No. 16 Michael Martinez (UW) dec. Tyler Spangler, 8-3 133 - Tyler Cox (UW) tech fall Derek Gillespie, 24-9 (7:00) 141 - No. 10 Cole VonOhlen (AF) fall Chase Smith, 0:51 149 - No. 17 Cole Dallaserra (UW) dec. Josh Kreimier, 9-3 157 - Jimmy Belleville (UW) maj. dec. Alec Williams, 10-2 165 - No. 4 Shane Onufer (UW) fall Clayton Gable, 4:13 174 - Patrick Martinez (UW) dec. Joseph Stafford, 8-2 184 - No. 5 Joe LeBlanc (UW) tech fall Kazden Ikehara, 22-3 (3:25) 197 - L.J. Helbig (UW) dec. Neil Delaney, 4-0

Related: The Blair Mat Project Part 2: A Week at Blair This story wasn't supposed to be told. The whole concept behind the trip to Blair was about THE DUAL. We wanted to see what it would be like spending a week in Blair Academy's wrestling room as they prepare for the showdown. As everyone knows, Blair was humiliated last season at St. Paris Graham. This was supposed to be about how this Blair team was going to take revenge and reverse that sour taste these current athletes had to endure. That story is not being told here. Something else happened on the way to that dual. Jeff Buxton happened. Jeff Buxton acknowledging the crowd who came to recognize his achievementsWith a name like Buxton and a school called Blair, I would have expected the man to appear large. He's not. I expected a guy with a deep voice and large frame. Nope. He's just an average-size guy. His voice is closer to soprano than alto. He walks like a man twenty years older due to a hip replacement. But he has a larger than life presence and when he walks the campus that opened in 1858, humanity notices. THEY REALLY NOTICE. Every step we took during the week he was greeted with reverence. "Hello, Mr. Buxton ... Nice to see you, Mr. Buxton." This is his week. Oh, he won't tell you that. He will say, "This isn't about me, it's about the kids." I wonder how much of that he believes. Getting him to admit he is special here is about as common as a shutout loss. It's not happening. It has to be the greatest moment of his career. This is the week they name the room after him. Who gets that when they are still in their prime? This is the week they officially recognize the man after 29 years. Every kid and staff on campus knows this is his week. Alumni are coming from around the country. Many can't because they are wrestling or coaching at colleges around the country. But, plenty will be there and this is the time when Blair Academy officially knights the King of High School Wrestling. Oh, there's something else happening. They have to pound revenge come Saturday. But there is no way those words are spoken. Everyone knows it. Jeff Buxton's son, Tony, addressing the alumni and friends during the Buxton room dedication ceremonyThere are plenty of stats about Buxton's career. If you ask him, he can tell you only a few. He remembers he has guided the Buccaneers to nine national titles. But ask his dual record and he doesn't seem to care. But if you really want to know what makes the man's eyes sparkle, ask him about his favorite moment coaching. He doesn't hesitate and answers with one word: Tony. He's the son and former team captain at Blair who now wrestles at Harvard. Jeff gets emotional when he remembers how special it was coaching his boy. It's obvious of the 29 years, those four were the most special. His tears prove it. He has plenty of other special moments. He has another guy he calls his Russian son. His name is Marat Tomaev. Buxton lights up telling the story of how this kid arrives at Blair unable to speak English and how he made it his mission to watch over this kid. Marat has been spending holidays at the Buxton home ever since. He's his son. There's more. There's Ray Mendoza. If you go to the Ironman, you know the name. It's the most prestigious award given that weekend. Most passionate wrestling fans know about Ray losing his life in Iraq on his third tour of duty. But hardly any know the deal Jeff made with Ray before he left. His kids were students and Jeff said he would take care of them if anything happened to Ray. And he has. Those are the stories he's embarrassed telling, but someone needs to know. I'm humbled he trusted us with it. Jeff Buxton coaching visiting teenager from KansasJeff also has a senior daughter here. I wondered what this must be like for her. Dads are not supposed to be cool when you are this age. Especially when he teaches her in math class. But, Siena seem to genuinely admire and love her dad. I sensed none of the embarrassment I felt well into my adult years. I think she even likes her dad. She had a young man spending time with her and I wanted to ask what that was like, but I left that one alone. I have three daughters of my own and I know. Jeff also has a wife, Carol, he met while he was a sophomore in college in Rhode Island. I visualized what she looked like long before I finally met her. I expected her to look lonely and wishing for a different life than being married to a man who's married to a team. But, Carol seemed happy too. This whole picture I expected was slowly changing the longer I observed. These are normal people ... living an extraordinary existence. And I don't use that word lightly. So what else? What else is there about the man? What are the secrets that produced so many NCAA All-Americans? What is it about him that churns out NCAA champs like Steve Mocco, Mark Perry, Zack Esposito and so many others? I wanted to know what is happening on this campus that makes parents gladly part with $45,700 so they can live this special life. After a two- hour interview he asked if he could show us around the campus. We agreed and he proudly brought us to the library and to the admissions building. He brought us into the cafeteria and told us how the male students wear ties to dinner twice a week and rotate tables every three weeks so they know every student and staff. Jeff is in his glory. He is a man in love with Blair Academy. We run into a family of three from China who seem lost. Buxton starts guiding them around and has completely forgotten about us two story tellers. He's asking the prospective student where he wants to go to college. In broken English he answers, "Stanford." He responds with "good choice." I find it peculiar the first encounter is about which college he will attend, not about Blair. But, nothing's really normal with this guy. Steve Elwood has a few words for the Blair Academy wrestling team at the end of a long weekWe spend a week in the room. The Jeffrey P. Buxton Wrestling Room. Twice this week he will throw the entire team out for lack concentration, focus and for simply being flat. It becomes clear to me Todd Preston and Mark Grey are the barometers for the team. If they are on, so are the rest. But twice, even they couldn't rise the tide. In a dual the previous weekend I watched Jeff coach. He did very little except chew the gum. He hardly ever talked. But in the room, in his room, he is nonstop chatter. The high pitched voice hardly ever stops during the 120-minute session. He stalks the room looking for mistakes. He seems to know exactly where his team needs to be at each moment and if they aren't in sync with his thought, there will be pain. At one moment during an especially brutal beat down, Jeff had his kids wrestle live. If you ever wrestled in high school, you know how brutal this can be. I hated just knowing it was coming. After what seemed like an insanely long first period, I timed the second. It was four minutes. The third period brought the live wrestling to 12 minutes and that was followed by a one minute overtime period. The kids were whipped and sweat was dripping off each kid's face. He then had them go three more 45-second periods. I wanted him to stop. Chris Danyo, Jeff Buxton, and Steve ElwoodBy the end of the week, he lightened up. He was full of cheesy jokes and he actually seemed to enjoy what was coming. The three of us knew this was going to be a very special day on Saturday. He wouldn't touch it. He kept saying this is about raising money or honoring those that went before us. I finally got the courage to tell him BS. He had a sparkle in the dark brown eyes and we both knew. It's the closest he let me in. Saturday was a lot like a wedding. It went by like a blur. Everyone wanted a few minutes, a hand shake and an occasional hug. This was obviously an uncomfortable day for him. The wrestling match against St. Paris Graham can't get here fast enough. After plenty of tributes, it's finally time to wrestle. The entire 425-student assembly is here. The entire Blair staff is here. All the alumni are here. It's time to get it on. Jeff takes his seat and puts a stick of gum in his mouth. He doesn't talk. He's watching something completely different than we are. The man is in the moment. The man is in love. Steve Elwood can be reached at steveel@rstransportinc.com. Chris Danyo can be reached at cd1421@gmail.com.

Mindset for major competitions Dominant: Teams and individuals that win state and national tournaments consistently. Fade: Teams or individuals that want the season over. They want to be the best, but settle on mediocrity. They have no plan in place to peak. Their practice room and lifestyle habits are not conducive to consistent winning. Improper weight management could be a problem, but the main factor is their mental state. Fear carries more authority than belief. Peak: Teams and individuals that understand a superior person is able to focus. Focus allows mastery of your environment. Lack of belief is detrimental. Wasting time looking ahead and overanalyzing the past is hurtful to consistent performance. There are times when we question our readiness to compete by magnifying our opponents' abilities and minimizing our own. Athletes often create imagined obstacles that hinder their potential. Tournaments, ideally, are what you look toward all season. Use major competitions as a reward. Let other competitors work mental numbers on themselves. Let the competition become filled with anxiety and doubt. Let them compete with a mental parking brake on. Let the competition deal with the weight of doubt. Let the competition question and wear themselves out with non-stop mental games. Much like physical training, there are mental training skills. Improving your mental skills should be part of your overall program. Many athletes experience mental struggles but do little to change their state of mind. Many hope on game day everything will work itself out. Our thoughts can be cunning, but they provide evidence that shows up in our performance. Our thinking, a never ending internal conversation, will always be with us; it is how our minds work. There is always something on our mind. What occupies your mind is important. You can rehearse victory or you can court defeat. Overcoming defeat is a battle you can win, but you have to challenge yourself and you must give up comfort. The daily battle is always between what you should do and what you actually do. Win these battles. The more persistent the fight, the more likely the victory. A plan of action makes a difference. As major tournaments approach, many athletes tighten up, hold back, or shut down. They refrain from what produced past victories. They stay safe, over analyze, and wait; waiting is a trap. You are still in control during major competition. Nothing changes. You are still competing under the same rules and the same principles. Nothing has changed except your thinking. And since you control your thinking, you hold the key. What will you allow to speak loudest? You have been good before, and you can be good again. The athlete who deals with pressure will triumph. A venue does not change you. Nothing changes except what you allow. It is responsibility on your part. Responsibility is a choice and an opportunity to grow, not a burden. It is natural to be nervous; you can perform with nerves. Be in the moment. Do not fear something you have done consistently well. Relax, take a deep breath, and focus. It is either you or your opponent. Your responsibility is to tilt the odds in your favor through daily preparation. Since your competition is training like you are, you have to invest more. Maybe it is working harder and longer, but maybe it is working smarter and understanding that you will function at an optimal level when the body and mind are in unison. We create fear and doubt, but we also possess courage and belief. Both exist in your mind. They do not live in harmony so you have to choose. It takes work, but never confuse difficult with impossible. Eliminating doubt is a battle you can win. You will get what you think about consistently. Hold nothing back, and compete to win. Performance is not random; it is related to your thoughts and expectations. Somebody who is not supposed to win will excel. Someone who is supposed to excel will falter. The determining factor is focus and consistency. How to grow confidence and have a focused tournament mind Awareness of your thoughts. Identify situations where negative self-talk occurs. Interrupt the negative and replace with positive. (Keep this simple). If you learn to manage your self-talk, you can manage your performance. Make a decision that you are going to be committed to building your confidence. Focus is crucial. Body language indicates attitude and attitude dictates behavior. Maintain strong and positive body language. Only concern yourself with the controllable. Build success into your training. Set practice room goals that focus on specific behaviors. Manage your breathing. By slowing your breathing you conserve energy, in control of your movements and function at a higher level. Take a deep breath; breathe in confidence and strength; breathe out doubt and fatigue. Play your strengths. Train your weaknesses. Basics win. Analyze during practice and training. Simplicity during competition. Consistent pre-competition behaviors provide consistent performance results. A win is never certain and a loss is never final. Stay focused!

Adam Hall, a returning All-American who is currently ranked No. 2 at 157 pounds, has his sights set on winning an individual national title and leading second-ranked Boise State to a national team title in Philadelphia. The senior is currently 21-0 this season, which includes a victory over No. 4 Bubba Jenkins of Arizona State. (He has one unofficial loss to Jenkins at the NWCA All-Star Classic.) Hall has won tournament titles this season at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational and Reno Tournament of Champions. He defeated current No. 1 Steve Fittery of American, 6-4, in the NCAA consolation semifinals last season. InterMat caught up with Hall and talked to him about Boise State not getting as much national recognition as other top programs, the 157-pound weight class, Greg Randall, Jason Chamberlain, what it's going to take for the Broncos to win the national team title, and much more. Adam HallA lot of the talk in college wrestling this season has been about Cornell, Penn State, and now Iowa. It seems as though Boise State is kind of the forgotten team. Does that bother you that Boise State doesn't get the national recognition that other top programs get? Hall: It does, but at the same time we keep things in pretty good perspective here. We know being in the West we're not as respected. We're trying to change that and trying to build off that. First of all, we're trying to keep our programs in the West. But also build off of it. Like I said, we keep things in pretty good perspective. We know we have to always be proving ourselves to everybody. We know where we have to do that ... at the NCAA tournament in March. You and Bubba Jenkins of Arizona State have split two matches. He defeated you at the NWCA All-Star Classic, but you came back to beat him at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. Did the fact that the first meeting was an exhibition have anything to do with the way you approached that match? Hall: No, I approach every match the same, regardless of whether it counts or they use it for this or that. I don't really care. I'm a really competitive person, so I never want to lose. I just didn't have the right game plan when I went out there. I had never wrestled Bubba. Frankly, I didn't prepare like I needed to. Was it a matter of being overaggressive in that first meeting? Hall: Yeah, it was. Also having a different mindset. I tried to get him tired and I ended up getting myself tired and just making a bunch of mental mistakes. You tied Oregon State in a dual earlier this season, 18-18. This past Sunday you won in dominating fashion, 31-6. What was the difference this time around? Hall: We had a few of our guys back that we didn't have in that first dual. A lot of our guys are really turning it on right now. Coach Randall, Coach Owens, and Coach White are really busting us hard and training us through these duals for the bigger goal. We think it would show on the mat with us being tired, but in fact it is actually the opposite. We have good gas tanks and we're performing. I think the difference this time was our hustle. It looked like a couple of their guys cut their weight wrong ... There were all these factors. But I think we just got the ball rolling. It was big starting at 141 and getting a big win from Levi Jones. That got us going. They had almost four thousand fans there and it was pretty quiet most of the dual. Photo/Dave Jedlicka, jedicheetah.comHow would you describe the rivalry in wrestling between Boise State and Oregon State? Hall: It's growing. It continues to grow every year. We have respect for each other, but we definitely know we don't like each other. That's pretty much it. One of our wrestlers made a big axe, so now we have kind of a rivalry axe and we engrave the duals into it. We're trying to start something on the West Coast and build off it. That's the basis of our rivalry right now. It's pretty new. There has been a lot of interest nationally this season in the 157-pound weight class ... because of the names and dominating performances. How much attention do you pay to what's going on in your weight class nationally? Hall: Very little, actually. People can talk this and that about the top guys, like David Taylor has been dominant all year and Steve Fittery has been dominant all year. It's my senior year. I'm having fun. I really want to keep things in perspective. The last four years it really helped me do that because my perspective on wrestling and on life changed a lot since my freshman year. People talk about pressure and this and that, but I just take it a day at a time. I enjoy the team I'm on. I enjoy the guys that I'm competing with. I enjoy the fact that our coaches are really pushing us hard and reminding me to leave it all out there with this being my last year. Adam Hall (Photo/Tony Rotundo, wrestlersarewarriors.com)You mentioned that your perspective on life and wrestling has changed. How has it changed? Hall: Since I was little I had it on my mind to be a four-time All-American and a multiple-time national champion. But when things don't work out the way you want in life, especially in a heart-breaking way for a couple years, you have to make some changes, whether it's in wrestling or mental, or a combination of both. I enjoy my wrestling more now. Like I was saying, I keep things in perspective. People don't just see me as a wrestler. I see most of the guys on my team as good guys before I see them as good wrestlers. Do you think that change in perspective has taken some pressure off you? Hall: Oh, yeah. It helps that we have three other guys on the team ranked in the top three that are doing really well this year. Being by yourself and trying to do that, it just adds to the pressure. But when you have other guys that are trying to do the same thing, it works in reverse almost, I think. We're pretty light about things. We don't really think about records or this and that. We have been in the game long enough to know what counts. If a potential recruit asked you to describe your coach, Greg Randall, how would you describe him? Greg Randall (Photo/Dave Jedlicka, jedicheetah.com)Hall: A great leader. Without a doubt. People question him because he's soft-spoken and he doesn't talk very much. But when he's coaching us, what he says is either really funny or really important. That's what we like the most about it. We know when we need to get to work and he knows when we need to have a lighter side. Coming from Iowa, he knows that side and he knows how to really, really work us hard. But at the same time, he's a charismatic guy. He's doing a great job. Our assistant coaches are the best in the country, I think. They really do things that other coaches have more resources to do. We just signed on Dan Erekson as an assistant coach, but before that our three coaches were doing everything themselves ... and doing everything well. That's a testament to all the hard work they put in. They're willing to work for you. Some wrestlers watch a lot of video when preparing for matches, while others don't. How much time do you spend looking at film? Hall: Not as much compared to when I was a freshman. I've worked my way up to where I'm at in college. More or less for me, it's just going out and just wrestling, just flowing. When I have an opponent coming up, I'll see what he has on his feet, on top and bottom. But other than that, I don't necessarily have to break it down tremendously for an upcoming match. My coaches tell me, 'We don't need to coach you. We just need to cheerlead for you and try to get the calls going our way if need be.' That's basically it. They're like, 'You just need to go out and wrestle. Just enjoy it. You know what to do.' If we need to scout a little bit, we will. That's the great thing about my assistant coach Kirk White ... He's on top of the video that next week from the previous weekend. All season he has everything for every wrestler. He really works hard doing that, so I really appreciate that. Last season you beat Chase Pami the first two times you met, but he came back to beat you in the NCAA quarterfinals. What did that loss do to you? Hall: That was really the gut check in my career. I've had similar times in my career. One time was at Junior Nationals in Greco-Roman. In fact, I didn't want to wrestle anymore after that because it was a poor performance. Chris Owens, my assistant coach who was and still is the Idaho National Team coach, basically didn't give me a choice of not wrestling anymore. It worked out in my favor because I ended up taking second in freestyle in Juniors that year and it really got the ball rolling for me. But it was the same kind of deal when I lost last year. He got on my case pretty hard. I had gotten choked a little bit in the match. I was pretty out of it after the match. Basically I just went back to the hotel and I wrote down all the things I had done differently this year to have a different result and to not lose in the round of 12 again. I just wrote down that I'm going to be an All-American that year. I just decided that. I had like three or four hours to prepare. I had a tough opponent, a two-time returning All-American who was a senior. They don't call it the blood round for nothing. Everybody is out for blood to try to get in. It really turned the corner as far as college wrestling for me. The two previous years I lost in the round of 12. I never had known what it felt like to make it in. It was good. The funny thing is ... right after my match, Coach Owens was like, 'Hey, now that you made it in, they really respect a guy that comes back and takes third after a tough loss like you had. I was like, 'Fine, I'll come back and take third.' I just rolled off a string of victories. I look back and that was some of the best wrestling that I've had in college. I beat some tough guys pretty soundly. The other thing he was telling me was, 'Now that you've taken third, you don't really care do you?' I was like, 'To tell you the truth, I don't. I've put so much pressure on myself.' He's like, 'Once you get there, all you want to do is take first.' I said, 'That's right.' Since that point, I've just had that goal in mind and set my sights on it. Adam Hall (Photo/Tony Rotundo, wrestlersarewarriors.com)When you compare where you are with your wrestling right now to where you were last season at this point, where have you made the biggest gains? Hall: I would say in my leg defense. I have more confidence at being able to scramble, wrestle, and defend my legs a little better. I'm not saying I don't get taken down because I obviously do. I have always been such an offensive-minded wrestler. I've really learned better counter offense this year and stopping guys with my hips better. I look back, when Ben Cherrington won the NCAAs, that's all he worked on when he was hurt the first half of his senior year. He would hand fight with Kirk White and work on his defense. It really showed when he went to the NCAA tournament. He didn't have anybody score on him until the finals. His counter offense was really good. You look at a lot of the guys that are winning titles, they're not flashy, but they're solid wrestlers. They're hard to score on. They score when they need to. Have you thought about what it's going to take at the NCAAs for the team to be in a position to win the NCAA team title in Philadelphia? Hall: Yeah. Coach Owens talks about it a little bit. I kind of have it in my mind too. Punching four guys into the finals is a big step. Not just that, but having another guy make it into the All-American round and have a couple other contributors that are in the hunt to be All-Americans. We have that. Our 174-pounder, Jake Swartz, has beaten a returning All-American this year. He knows what it takes to win those tough matches come March. Our 197-pounder is turning it on too. He has beaten three ranked kids the last eight or nine days. He's really looking great. Those are the guys that we need to win matches at NCAAs and put is in a position to make a run for the title. And just keep doing what we have been doing ... just staying offensive and just getting after it. That's the one thing that I learned from the two years when I was at NCAAs and didn't place and last year ... I just watched the guys that were making it in and becoming All-Americans. They get after it. They don't wait. They trust their offense. That's another change I've seen in my style. Just knowing, 'What are you waiting for?' Adam Hall (Photo/Tony Rotundo, wrestlersarewarriors.com)How important is it to have Jason Chamberlain to train with? Hall: It's great because he has a very good offense as well and good hips. He's good on his feet. It's just another guy that is hard to score on. I love it. Every day I try to grab a tough guy and learn from their style because I never know when I'm going to be wrestling someone who has his style ... or I need to learn something that they're doing really well. I'll even drill with our 133-pounder Andrew Hochstrasser. He's a lot smaller than me, but he's one of the toughest riders in college. He's really good on top. Not only that, but he's able to turn guys. That's one thing I've been trying to work on as well ... not just riding, but also being able to turn guys. I just kind of feed off everyone I wrestle. Jason is a really good one because he's really, really technically sound. That's one area that I try to definitely improve on because I'm a little bit more of a bruiser than him and kind of just grind out points a little bit more than him. He's very smooth, very fluent. It definitely helps not only drilling, but also wrestling with him. You have done a lot of freestyle wrestling over your career. You competed on the senior level this past summer and even spent time at the Olympic Training Center. Do you plan to continue wrestling freestyle after your collegiate wrestling career? Hall: I've been debating both. I'm not exactly sure yet. I'm just going to enjoy the end of my college career. I'm going to help contribute back to the program here and make that decision when the time comes. The hardest thing for me is the weight. I was talking with the coaches (at the Olympic Training Center) because I was an intern for them this summer. They all say the best weight for me is at 145.5. I'm kind of caught in between weights. I really am. Even when you're a decent-sized 157-pounder, you're still going to be a small 163-pounder. I'm so lean year round. Out of season when I lift, my body really responds and I really put on a lot of muscle. They tell me it would be a lifestyle change, obviously, and I would have to do some things different. I know that. I just want to make sure my heart is in it. Without a doubt, I would love to. But I think after the season I would need a little bit of a break. I was contemplating wrestling in the Open, obviously at 163, but it's like a week after our spring break. I think I'll wait to try to wrestle in the qualifiers and try to get into the Trials ... and just enjoy wrestling and see where I'm at from there.

Liberty took decisions in the opening three bouts on Wednesday afternoon and never looked back, defeating UNC Greensboro inside its own Fleming Gymnasium, 24-16. The win improves the Flames' dual record to 8-6 overall, along with upping their road mark to 4-2. It also snaps the Spartans' two-match win streak against the Flames, pulling the series record between the programs to 3-2 in favor of UNC Greensboro. Liberty's last win against UNC Greensboro came at home on Feb. 5, 2008. The loss drops UNC Greensboro to 5-8 on the year. Liberty jumped out to a quick start behind a 4-3 decision from freshman Robert Jillard at 125 pounds. Jillard and Manny Ramirez were knotted after one period, with Jillard striking first with a takedown and Ramirez scoring with a reversal. The second period saw no scoring. In the final two minutes, Jillard began in the down position and took a two-point advantage after scoring on a reversal. Ramirez escaped later in the period, but Jillard held off the Spartan for the 4-3 win. The win is Jillard's 14th victory of the year. With a 3-0 team lead already, T. J. Mitchell scored the second straight decision for the Flames at 133 pounds, taking his bout 8-2 over Robert Gribschaw. Mitchell gained a 4-1 edge through one period behind two takedowns. After no points in the second period, Mitchell added an escape in the final stanza after starting in the down position. He then tacked on a takedown along with 2:32 of riding time. Gribschaw added an escape in the third for the final score of 8-2. Seth Hicks continued the momentum for the Flames with a 7-6 decision at 141 pounds. Hicks' opponent Jamel Johnson scored first, earning a takedown in the opening period. The two found themselves tied, 4-4, through two periods, after Hicks scored on a three-point near fall and Johnson earned a last-second escape. Johnson also was awarded a penalty point earlier in the period. After starting in the down position, Hicks escaped to take the early edge in the final period. Johnson grabbed the lead back with a takedown, but another Hicks escape along with riding time gave the Bakersfield, Calif., native the win for the Flames, putting Liberty up, 9-0. At 149 pounds, Peter Crawford faced No. 16 Ivan Lopouchanski. The Spartan scored at will in the opening period, earning six takedowns and two back points, giving him a 14-5 edge through one. He put the match to a finish in the second, winning by fall at the 3:55 mark of the bout and putting the Spartans on the board. Julian Colon took the mat for the Flames at 157 pounds, looking to hold off a Spartan rally from Justin Rice. Colon did just that, and gave the Flames momentum once again with a pin in the third period. Colon held a 10-3 lead going into the final two minutes, but put the bout away at the 6:26 mark, extending the lead to 15-6. In the 165-pound bout, Chad Porter got his fourth straight win from a 5-0 blanking of Brett Miller. The win also pulls Porter's career win total to 99, just one away from being in the Gold Level of the Eagle Medal Club, which honors Liberty grapplers with 100+ career victories. Porter controlled the bout throughout, which showed in his 3:59 of riding time. In addition to that bonus point, Porter tallied a takedown in the first and a reversal in the final period after starting in the down position. Porter's decision pushed the Flames' lead to 18-6. Royal Brettrager II and Byron Sigmon had a tight match at 174 pounds, with Brettrager II nearly coming from behind for the victory. Sigmon jumped to a 6-3 lead through one behind a takedown, a two-point near fall, and a reversal, to Brettrager's reversal and escape. Brettrager pulled the score to 7-5 after two periods. In the closing frame, Brettrager took the lead with a minute to go behind an escape and a takedown. However, Sigmon tacked on a reversal and two back points in the closing seconds of the bout, earning an 11-9 decision, and pulling the Spartans to within nine, 18-9. At 184 pounds, redshirt senior Aaron Kelley was able to put the overall match out of reach, pinning Elijah Adams at the 3:30 mark of the bout. The pin extended the visitors' lead to 24-9 with just two bouts remaining. The Spartans closed out the match by taking the final bouts. At 197 pounds, Caylor Williams defeated Aaron Thompson with a major decision, 8-0, while Peter Sturgeon picked up a 3-1 decision over the Flames' Josh Pelletier at heavyweight. UNC Greensboro's closing victories pulled the final score to 24-16 in favor of the Flames. Head Coach Jesse Castro commented on the victory over the 2010 Southern Conference champions by saying, "Going into the match the coaching staff knew it would be a hard-fought match. I'm really proud of the way the guys picked up their intensity. We feel like the wrestlers are buying into the system and we're seeing the dividends of that." The Liberty wrestling squad now heads to Millersville, Pa., where they will compete in the East Regional Duals on Friday. The duals, hosted by Millersville, will act as a preview of the NCAA East Regional Championships, which is where the Flames will have the opportunity to qualify for the NCAA Championships. Liberty serves as host for the 2011 East Regional Championships on March 6, inside the Vines Center. Results: 125 – Robert Jillard (LU) Dec. over Manny Ramirez (UNCG), 4-3, LU 3-0 133 – T.J. Mitchell (LU) Dec. over Roberty Gribschaw (UNCG), 8-2, LU 6-0 141 – Seth Hicks (LU) Dec. over Jamel Johnson (UNCG), 7-6, LU 9-0 149 – No. 16 Ivan Lopouchanski Pins (UNCG) Peter Crawford (LU), 3:55, LU 9-6 157 – Julian Colon (LU) Pins Justin Rice (UNCG), 6:26, LU 15-6 165 – Chad Porter (LU) Dec. over Brett Miller (UNCG), 5-0, LU 18-6 174 – Byron Sigmon (UNCG) Dec. over Royal Brettrager II (LU), 11-9, LU 18-9 184 – Aaron Kelley (LU) Pins Elijah Adams (UNCG), 3:30, LU 24-9 197 – Caylor Williams (UNCG) M. Dec. over Aaron Thompson (LU), 8-0, LU 24-13 HWT – Peter Sturgeon (UNCG) Dec. over Josh Pelletier (LU), 3-1, LU 24-16

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Hello again Wrestling Fans! Fight Now presents Takedown Wrestling LIVE from our Brute Adidas studios. Join Scott Casber, Steve Foster, Ryan Freeman, Geoff Murtha and our own Jeff Murphy this 2 hour show brought to you by Kemin Agrifoods. This week we take a look at Penn State with Casey Cunningham, We'll Talk with Roger Chandler about Michigan State. Craig Sesker joins us to discuss his new book- Bobby Douglas: Life and Legacy of an American Wrestling Legend, Tom Brands will discuss the Hawkeye's win at PSU. Joel Sharratt will update us on the Falcons and their best start yet and of course our Kemin Big 10 and Big 12 report with Jeff Murphy. Join us LIVE 9 to 11 AM for Takedown Wrestling Radio. Listen on radio, computer, your Blackberry or iPhone with the iHeartRadio App. Our Guests Include: (All times Central) 9:01 Casey Cunningham- Assist. Coach of Penn State 9:20 Craig Sesker- Author, Bobby Douglas: Life and Legacy of an American Wrestling Legend 9:40 Roger Chandler- Assist Coach of Michigan State 10:01 Tom Brands- Head Coach University of Iowa 10:20 Jeff Murphy- Kemin's Top 20 Report In Studio 10:40 Joel Sharratt- Head Coach Airforce Falcons 10:50 Maureen Roshar- Wildrose Resorts 563 219 0704 Listen at KXNO.com, Takedownradio.com, Livesportsvideo.com, on Supertalk 1570 Michigan and our flagship Des Moines Sports Station AM 1460 KXNO

The statements continue for Blair Academy After a 5-0 Saturday at the NHSCA Final Four of High School Wrestling in which they only lost nine matches during the day, one in which they faced a pair of ranked teams from New Jersey (High Point and Jackson Memorial), No. 2 Blair Academy hosted St. Paris Graham, Ohio seeking revenge for last year’s blowout loss in Ohio. And revenge is what they got on a night in which they honored Jeff Buxton. The Bucs bookended the night with pins in just over a minute by nationally-ranked wrestlers -- No. 7 Joey McKenna (103) to open the night, and No. 5 Brooks Black (285) to close the evening. They also earned seven other wins on the evening to score a 39-18 victory, the result of which sees Graham dropping down to fifth in the national team rankings updated today. Lower weights for Blair Academy came up huge, as they won the first six matches to open up a 27-0 lead before Graham was able to put out the majority of their heavy artillery. Coming up big for Blair were No. 1 Evan Silver (112), No. 11 Caleb Richardson (119), and No. 2 Austin Ormsbee (135) -- each of whom scored a decision over a formidable Graham opponent. Silver won 7-4 over No. 9 Ryan Taylor, Richardson 11-4 over freshman Micah Jordan, and Ormsbee 3-2 over over No. 19 Case Garrison. The Falcons did win five of the next six bouts, starting with three in a row from nationally ranked No. 7 Nick Brascetta (140), No. 5 Bo Jordan (145), and No. 11 Matt Stephens (152). Again the absence of junior state champion Isaac Jordan (160) played a critical role in the dual meet -- this time though it was more of a death knell than anything when Michael Mocco ended the Graham win string with a 3-1 victory over Robert Mannier. Kyle Ryan (171) and No. 5 Huston Evans (189) did follow up with decision victories, but it was too little too late when mid-season transfer Frank Mattiace (215) scored a 3-1 victory for Blair over Mark Meyer to make the score 33-18. Another week, more big matches This coming Saturday, No. 2 Blair Academy seeks to cement their position in the rankings when they travel to Lakewood, Ohio (just to the west of Cleveland) for a quad against new No. 4 St. Edward, Ohio; No. 8 Wyoming Seminary, Pennsylvania; and Kiski Prep, Pennsylvania. Wrestling starts at 10:30 a.m., with St. Edward wrestling Wyoming Seminary, the Blair vs. Wyoming Seminary match should follow at 12:30 p.m., with St. Edward and Blair closing out the day starting at about 2:30 p.m. The following is a weight-by-weight look at the quad: 103: No. 7 Joey McKenna (Blair), Tyler Ponte (Wyoming Seminary), Anthony Stanley (St. Edward), DJ Gress (Kiski Prep) 112: No. 1 Evan Silver (Blair), No. 20 Edgar Bright (St. Edward), Evan Botwin (Wyoming Seminary), Mario Bortoluzzi (Kiski Prep) 119: No. 10 Dominick Malone (Wyoming Seminary), No. 11 Caleb Richardson (Blair), No. 18 Dean Heil (St. Edward), Austin Marsico (Kiski Prep) 125: No. 3 Mark Grey (Blair), Tyler Fraley (Wyoming Seminary), Markus Scheidel (St. Edward), Brant Myers (Kiski Prep) 130: No. 10 Todd Preston (Blair), Colin Heffernan (St. Edward), Shane Phillips (Kiski Prep), Sal Diaz (Wyoming Seminary) 135: No. 2 Austin Ormsbee (Blair), RC Ramirez (Wyoming Seminary), Nick Barber (St. Edward) 140: No. 8 Evan Henderson (Kiski Prep), Cohl Fulk (Wyoming Seminary), Ross Parsons (Blair), Russ Rauber (St. Edward) 145: Matt Van Curen (St. Edward), Dylan Milonas (Blair), Reid Paswall/Steven Harty (Wyoming Seminary), Manny Markatone (Kiski Prep) 152: No. 11 (at 145) Robert Henderson (Kiski Prep), No. 14 Eric Morris (Wyoming Seminary), Mark Martin (St. Edward), Patrick Coover (Blair) 160: Domenic Abounader (St. Edward), Angelo Bortoluzzi (Kiski Prep), Adam Morris (Wyoming Seminary), Michael Mocco (Blair) 171: Jacob Davis (St. Edward), Addison Kneppshield (Blair), Ryan McMullen (Wyoming Seminary) 189: James Suvak (St. Edward), Frank Mattiace/Willie Wilson/Jamie Farr (Blair), James Missell (Kiski Prep) 215: AJ Vizcarrando (Wyoming Seminary), Ty Walz (St. Edward), Colynn Cook (Kiski Prep), Mattiace/Wilson/Farr (Blair) 285: No. 5 Brooks Black (Blair), No. 10 Greg Kuhar (St. Edward), No. 20 Terrance Jean-Jacques (Wyoming Seminary), Joe Manderino (Kiski Prep) Garden State Chaos For the three nationally ranked in the state of New Jersey, this was a week that saw lots of disorder and confusion. For South Plainfield, they traveled to Ithaca, New York to compete in the undercard of the Cornell-Iowa State dual meet on Sunday. They lost by a 34-26 score to unranked Spencerport. However, a crucial seven-plus point swing came at 119 pounds, where returning state placer Troy Heilmann was out of the lineup; the backup lost by major decision against his Spencerport opponent. In addition, South Plainfield forfeited the 96 pound weight class, which is sanctioned in New York State but not elsewhere across the country. Coming off a sixth place finish at the NHSCA Final Four, including being upset by Council Rock South, Pennsylvania -- Jackson Memorial competed in the Shore Conference Tournament last week. The Jaguars advanced to the final with wins over Point Beach 71-4, Long Branch 39-18, and Raritan 43-15. The championship final saw them facing Southern Regional, a team that they beat 39-9 just ten days before. One key to note in that match was Jackson going 5-1 in matches decided by two points or less. This past Saturday, Southern went 3-1 in similar matches, got an additional pin in overtime, and were able to change a net of three outcomes from the prior dual in scoring a 28-23 victory. Adding further to the chaos, on Monday night, the home-standings Jaguars upset High Point (generally considered the best team in New Jersey other than Blair) 31-28. The match started at 119 pounds with a tossup match placing Brian Hamann of Jackson Memorial against Billy Hagany. Trailing 2-1 late in the second period, Hamann reversed Hagany to his back and scored the fall at the 3:50 mark. In a dual meet that was split 7-7 in matches, the other key factor was the absence of No. 13 John Guzzo (160) from the lineup for High Point due to injury. Sunday Showcase This past Sunday featured the New Jersey Coaches Association All-Star Invitational, which matches up some of the top wrestlers in the state against one another in a showcase setting for the fans at Brick Memorial High School. Below is a listing of results for those matches. 135: Julian Quintero, North Bergen dec. Luis Filipe, Long Branch, 3-2. 135: Anthony Perrotti, West Essex dec. Zach DiPini, Pope John, 9-2. 119: Billy Ward, Buena, dec. Dante Porazzo, DePaul, 13-2. 285: Zach Troutman, New Providence, pinned Ryan Moskwa, Perth Amboy, 1:41. 152: Christian Barber, Westfield dec. Connor Brennan, Brick, 5-3. 103: Luis Gonzalez, North Bergen pinned Mike Bohling, Sayreville, :54. 125: Brandon Keller, Timber Creek dec. Dan Haines, Hopatcong, 2-1. 112: Mike Magaldo, WatchungHills dec. Kevin Corrigan, Toms River South, 6-0. 171: Tony Pafumi, St. Peter's Prep dec. Mike LaBell, Lenape Valley, 4-3. 130: B.J. Clagon, Toms River South dec. Alex Richardson, St. Peter's Prep, 10-4. 140: Connor Melde, Bergen Catholic dec. Curt Delia, Delsea, 9-1. 189: No. 9 James Fox, St. Peter's Prep dec. Brian Lussier, Cherry Hill East, 3-1. 145: No. 4 James Green, Willingboro dec. No. 13 Sal Mastriani, Don Bosco Prep, 9-4. 160: Colin Hewitt, Franklin dec. Ottis Wright, Montclair, 5-4 3 OTs. 215: No. 1 Andrew Campolattano, Bound Brook dec. Mitch Seigel, Marlboro, 5-3. Dual Meets for Glory The state qualifiers for the State Dual Meet Championships in Pennsylvania are this coming weekend in both Class AAA (big-school) and Class AA (small-school). In particular, keep an eye on the District 11 tournament in Class AAA where the likely final between No. 17 Easton and No. 25 Nazareth will be vital for each team’s title hopes. The winner of that match slots into a half of the draw most likely to be anchored by Council Rock South (District 1 champ) along with teams finishing second and third in the WPIAL/District 7 championships (likely some combination of Franklin Regional, Kiski Area, and Greater Latrobe). However, the runner-up is looking at a preliminary match early next week against the District 1 runner-up and then an opening round match against likely WPIAL champion No. 26 Canon-McMillan. No. 15 Central Dauphin is likely waiting in the semifinal. District 11 is also the place to be in Class AA, with No. 20 Bethlehem Catholic and an underrated Pen Argyl squad likely to be the finalists. This is also an imperative bracketing match, with the loser looking at an opening round match next Friday against the WPIAL champion, most likely No. 41 Burrell. Though there is not as great an imbalance with the Reynolds vs. Fort LeBeouf (District 10) loser the best team in the other quarter of that half. The bottom of half of the pre-determined state meet draw likely places Brookville (District 9) in the opposite quarter of the District 11 champion and District 10 champion. Ranked Collisions There are at least three dual meets involving ranked teams on the docket for the coming week. No. 17 Easton, Pennsylvania hosts No. 20 Bethlehem Catholic, Pennsylvania in a Lehigh rivalry this evening -- assuming the weather cooperates. Tomorrow night, it is a clash on the mats between No. 27 Broken Arrow, Oklahoma and No. 29 Tulsa Union, Oklahoma. Finally -- on Friday night -- No. 28 Wadsworth, Ohio travels to No. 4 St. Paris Graham, Ohio for a matchup of the defending champions in Division I and Division II. Bakersfield with all ships on deck Finally with all of its core wrestlers in the lineup at the right weight class, No. 9 Bakersfield, California came up with a dominant showing at the Canyon Springs Invitational this past weekend. The Drillers scored 298 points on the strength of seven finalists, and placement finishes from the first eleven weight classes. Winning championships were Ian Nickell (112), Timmy Box (135), No. 18 Coleman Hammond (145), Adam Fierro (152), No. 1 Bryce Hammond (160), and Silas Nacita (171). No. 20 Natrelle Demison (130) was pinned in the final by Chris Calgano of Clovis North, which earned Calgano the lower weight MVP, as that was his fourth pin of the tournament to go with one technical fall. Second place honors went to Poway, California with 231-1/2 points on the strength of eight placers, anchored by upper weight MVP Porfi Sosa (215), who had four pins leading to the final and an 18-3 technical fall victory in the final match. They also had three wrestlers finish in second place -- Justin Chua (125), Josh Egli (140), and Bryant Heagney (145). The other notable champion was No. 12 Vince Rodriguez of Clovis North, California -- winning the crown at 125 pounds. Razor thin margin at Reser TOC For at least the third consecutive year, nationally ranked Roseburg, Oregon came home with the championship at the Reser Tournament of Champions held just outside of Portland. This tournament brings together the majority of the best individuals and teams within the state of Oregon in a singular competition. However, this year’s competition was a bit closer than the prior couple, as both champion Roseburg and runner-up Hermiston had eight wrestlers earn top six placements. Second-place Hermiston had four in the finals, one in third, one in fifth, and two in sixth to total 170-1/2 points. Champions were Tyler Berger (125), Joey Delgado (135), and Abraham Rodriguez (145); and Bryce McMahon (152) finished as runner-up. Roseburg scored 181 points with five in the finals, two in fourth, and one in fifth. Champions for Roseburg were Drew Van Anrooy (130) and Seth Thomas (152), while Reed Van Anrooy (135), Dylan Fors (171), and Devan Fors (189) each were runners-up. Outstanding Wrestler honors went to Delgado, while the least time wrestled award went to No. 16 (at 171) Brandon Griffin of Sprague, Oregon -- who won the 189 pound weight class with four falls leading up to a 10-6 victory in the championship match. Fab 50 team rankings updated The top two teams remain unchanged from two weeks ago, as Apple Valley, Minnesota and Blair Academy, New Jersey maintain their positions. Brandon, Florida moves up one position to third; St. Edward, Ohio moves up one to fourth; while St. Paris Graham, Ohio drops two positions to round out the top five. Newly minted into the national rankings are No. 30 Longwood, New York; No. 46 Hermiston, Oregon; No. 47 Columbia, Idaho; and No. 49 St. Anthony’s, New York. Dropping out were Oakdale, California; Crown Point, Indiana; Archbishop Spalding, Maryland; and Claremore, Oklahoma.

PARK RIDGE, Ill. -- Hawkeye sophomore Matt McDonough turned a big weekend into a Big Ten award, earning the conference Wrestler of the Week honor earlier today. McDonough, who is ranked first in the nation at 125 pounds by Intermat and WIN, recorded two pins to help the eighth-Hawkeyes beat #18 Northwestern (31-9) Friday night in Evanston and top-ranked Penn State (22-13) Sunday afternoon in University Park. Iowa’s wins over Northwestern and Penn State extended its streak of unbeaten duals to 73, and helped the Hawkeyes jump to No. 2 in the most recent NWCA/USA Today Coaches Poll. The Marion, IA, native entered Friday’s dual with Northwestern against top-ranked and undefeated Wildcat Brandon Precin ranked second by Intermat and WIN, and third by AWN. Precin handed McDonough his first season loss and second career loss at the 2010 Midlands Championships in December, taking over the top ranking. Precin took a 3-0 lead Friday night and had the riding time point locked up mid-way through the third period when McDonough took the Wildcat senior to his back and recorded a pin in 6:11 to hand Precin (25-1) his first loss of the season. Against Penn State, McDonough got the Hawkeyes out to a strong 6-0 start and kept the sold-out Rec Hall crowd quiet when he pinned Penn State’s Nate Morgan in 4:16 to open the dual. The Hawkeyes held Penn State to its lowest point total of the season, while handing the Nittany Lions their first loss. McDonough is 16-1 this season, going 12-0 in duals and 4-0 in Big Ten duals. The 2010 NCAA Champion at 125 pounds leads Iowa in team points scored in dual competition (59) and pins (8). Named 2010 Big Ten Freshman of the Year, this is his first career Big Ten Wrestler of the Week honor. He is the first Hawkeye to be selected for the weekly conference award this season. Up next for Iowa is Friday night’s 7 p.m. dual with Indiana (10-5, 0-4 Big Ten) at Carver-Hawkeye Arena (15,500). It is “Camo Night” where fans are encouraged to wear camouflaged attire to the dual. The first 1,000 students will receive a camouflaged headband. Tickets for the dual are $10 for adults and $5 for youth, if purchased in advance from the UI Athletics Ticket Office at (319) 335-9323 or online at hawkeyesports.com. Tickets are $12 for adults and $6 for youth if purchased at the dual.

Boise State University head wrestling coach Greg Randall and Hector Gomez, founder of Gomez Wrestling Academy will be radio show guests this week. "On the Mat" is a presentation of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum and can be heard live on the Internet at www.kcnzam.com or locally in Northeast Iowa each Wednesday from 5:00 - 6:00 PM Central time on AM 1650, The Fan. Feel free to e-mail radio@wrestlingmuseum.org with any questions or comments about the show. Greg Randall is his 9th season leading the Boise State wrestling program. The Broncos have been ranked in the top 5 all season and currently have a dual meet record of 8-2-1. A native of Mount Vernon, Iowa, Randall was a four-time high school state champion and three-time All-American as an Iowa Hawkeye. Hector Gomez began Gomez Wrestling Academy in 2004. His 7,300 square foot facility in Carol Stream, Illinois, serves wrestlers in the Chicago area. GWA recently crowned three champions at the Cliff Keen Tulsa Nationals.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- Rutgers senior 157-pounder Daryl Cocozzo (River Edge, N.J.) has been named the EIWA Wrestler of the Week, the Conference announced Sunday. Cocozzo becomes the second Scarlet Knight to take home Wrestler of the Week honors this season joining fellow senior DJ Russo (Netcong, N.J.) who took home the honor during the week of Nov. 29. Cocozzo, ranked No. 16 in the nation by InterMat, earned the honor after earning a 3-2 decision over No. 6 Bryce Saddoris of Navy. The victory, which was the 96th of Cocozzo’s career, helped spark a 23-9 victory over the Midshipmen. Cocozzo and the rest of the Scarlet Knights return to action on Wednesday, Feb. 9, when they host EIWA rival American in a 6:30 dual at College Ave. Gym. Tickets are on sale now for all of RU’s remaining duals. To purchase tickets please visit http://tickets.scarletknights.com or call 866-445-GoRU (4678).

EDINBORO, Pa. -- Edinboro University’s Johnny Greisheimer (Wantagh, NY/Wantagh) has been named the Eastern Wrestling League Wrestler of the Week and the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Wrestler of the Week for the week ending January 30. The sophomore picked up a pair of wins at 157 lbs. as Edinboro won a pair of EWL matches, defeating Bloomsburg 23-15 and Cleveland State 35-7. The Fighting Scots have now won four straight dual matches and are 8-8-1 overall and 3-1 in the EWL. Greisheimer won by fall over Bloomsburg’s Frank Hickman, pinning the former PSAC champion at 2:40. The next day he won a 9-1 major decision over Cleveland State’s Matt Donohoe. The two wins boosted Greisheimer’s record to 19-10. He has now won four straight matches and seven of his last eight. Edinboro returns to action on Saturday, February 5 at North Carolina.

Montell Marion

Steve Costanzo is a program changer. His college head coaching career began in 1999 at Dana College, where he built the program into an NAIA national wrestling power. After leading Dana to top 10 finishes at the NAIA Championships in 2004 and 2005, Costanzo delivered a national championship to Dana in 2006. He then took over a struggling St. Cloud State wrestling program that had gone 2-36 in dual meets over the previous four seasons. Since taking over at St. Cloud State in 2006, he has continued to improve the program every season. He has taken the program from 32nd at the NCAA Division II Championships in his first season, to 12th in his second season, to eighth in his third season, to seventh last season. The Huskies have been ranked in the top five all of this season and finished third at the 2011 NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals. InterMat caught up with Costanzo and talked to him about winning a national championship at Dana, coaching against Mike Denney, building St. Cloud State's program, Notre Dame's move to Division II, and much more. Steve CostanzoYou spent seven seasons as a head coach at Dana College prior to taking over at St. Cloud State in 2006. In your final season at Dana, you not only led the program to an NAIA national title, but you broke the all-time NAIA national tournament scoring record. What did that national title do for you as a coach? Costanzo: I think it gave me confidence as an individual in the profession that I can help lead a team to a national championship. I think it also made me a little more marketable when looking for jobs. It was a great year, a great experience. I had a lot of help. I had a great coaching staff. Our administration was very much behind what we were doing at the time. We had a great group of alumni down there at the time that was very much engaged with our program. They had a lot to do with it as well. There were a lot of people behind the scenes that deserve the credit as well. We were just fortunate to put a good tournament together that weekend. After that historic season, you left Dana to take over a struggling program at St. Cloud State in 2006. That move opened some eyes in the wrestling world at that time. What went into the decision to leave Dana for St. Cloud State? Costanzo: There were a lot of things going on at Dana College at the time. I had a great relationship with Dana's athletic director at the time, Jim Krueger. He and I sat down and discussed the opportunity at St. Cloud State. He felt like St. Cloud State was a great opportunity for me. I felt like it was a pretty good time to start looking in a new direction. I always wanted to get back into Division II. I wrestled at Nebraska-Omaha, a Division II school. We were a part of that old North Central Conference. It was very appealing to me. I wrestled up here as an athlete. I thought this could be a very successful program. Minnesota is one of the top states in wrestling. I thought it was just a no-brainer. So I came up here, took a look at the job, had an opportunity to get an interview, and I was fortunate to get the job. I think it was a good move for me professionally. No regrets about it. I'm very happy with my decision. When you took over at St. Cloud State, I imagine that you had goals for the program and a timetable for accomplishing those goals. You're now in your fifth season. Are you on track with where you thought you would be at this point? Steve Costanzo (Photo/SCSU Sports Information)Costanzo: Yeah. I always take things day to day, year to year. I really try not to look too far ahead on things and put a timetable on things. As long as we're continuing to get better year after year, that's really all I care about ... that we're showing progress and we're getting people on board, we're getting our alumni more engaged in the program, continuing to get top-level recruits to our school. That's really all I look at. Winning a national championship is always the goal. It's always the goal of mine to be the best. But the main thing right now is continuing to make progress. I think if we continue to make progress every year, we're going to be at the top. We're showing progress year after year. We have been consistent with that over the last five years. We'll see what happens this year, but things have continued to move forward year after year for us. I'm happy about that. You wrestled under Mike Denney at Nebraska-Omaha. Now you're competing against him as a coach. What's that like? Costanzo: It's just business. I have a great relationship with Coach Denney. He did a lot for me. He's another father-like figure for me ... all the things that he did for me as a person, as an athlete. He was just the right type of coach for me. I learned a lot from him. To this day as a coach, I use a lot of the same type of things that he does. They continue to be successful for him ... Now they're starting to be successful for us. But when you compete against him, it's just business. I don't look across the way and see Coach Denney as one of my father figures. I just look at him as another coach, another team that we want to have another great performance against. That's really it. There's nothing more to it. Steve Costanzo (Photo/SCSU Sports Information)You have served as a head coach in both the NAIA and Division II. What are the biggest differences in coaching at the NAIA level compared to coaching at the Division II level? Costanzo: The biggest difference is compliance with all the NCAA rules. I've always had to ask a lot of questions to make sure we're doing the right things. As far as the two levels are concerned, they're both great levels. There are great NAIA wrestlers that could wrestle at any level, including at the Division I level. As far as Division II vs. NAIA, whether it's better or not better ... I think the organization might be a little bit better. It seems to be a little bit more organized. But NAIA is a great division. They're doing a great job. They continue to add programs year after year. That's showing something there ... when you have a division that continues to add wrestling programs. It says a lot about the work behind the scenes. As far as the levels go, both divisions are very good. A lot of those kids in NAIA could wrestle in any division. Notre Dame College is ranked No. 1 in NAIA and will be moving to Division II with the start of the 2012-13 season. What are your thoughts on Notre Dame moving to Division II? Costanzo: I think it's great for Division II to have another quality team like that moving up. I think they're going to find success immediately in Division II. They've dominated NAIA over the last few years. This year looks to be one of the strongest teams they've ever had. I think them moving up is just going to make Division II a lot tougher. You have to look out for Notre Dame. I think it's great for their program as well and what they're doing, winning national titles in NAIA. Now they're going to be in the mix for Division II titles. Good for their program, good for Division II wrestling. Derek Sikora, a former Division III national champion, joined your coaching staff this season. What has he brought to the table? Derek SikoraCostanzo: He's a tireless worker. I try to outwork that guy, but he's a tireless worker. He does a lot of things behind the scenes. A lot of times I don't even know what he's doing, but he's always trying to make our program better in some way or another. He always tries to make my job easier, which I really appreciate. Things are just run really smoothly here. Things are organized. He's a very personable individual. He has a great sense of humor. I think our guys really like him. He's a hands-on type of guy, so he's another guy that gets on the mat and works hard with our kids and has developed great relationships with those guys. So bringing him in has just been a great move for us and things have worked out really well. When you're recruiting student-athletes to St. Cloud State, what traits are you looking for? Costanzo: Well, obviously everybody looks at the traits of being a successful wrestler on the mat with statistics and credentials. But really I'm looking for a combination of things. First and foremost, I look at their academics. If they don't have the academic accolades to go along with the accolades they have on the wrestling mat, then we won't go any further with them. But when you get to meet them and find out about their personalities they have ... Are they an individual that you feel like can fit well in the program with the current student-athletes? Also, I look at their character. What kind of character do they have? I feel like I'm a pretty good judge of character. So those are some of the basic traits I look for when recruiting a student-athlete. Jake Kahnke, who started his collegiate wrestling career at Old Dominion, is the nation's No. 1-ranked Division II heavyweight and has positioned himself to challenge for a national title. The defending national champion, Elijah Madison, recently transferred from Nebraska-Omaha to Oklahoma. What's the difference in Kahnke's wrestling this season compared to last season? Jake KahnkeCostanzo: Well, last year was his first year wrestling heavyweight. He wrestled 197 his redshirt year at Old Dominion. He wrestled 215 in high school. So I think last year was kind of a learning curve for him as far as adjusting to that weight class. Now he has a lot more confidence and he knows the positions he needs to be in at that weight class. I think that's really the difference. He has a different mindset, I believe, as well. He has developed some confidence. He understands how to wrestle in that weight class. He stays in great position when he's competing. He's hard to take down. He's fast. He's super strong for that weight class. I think that has been the difference this year ... his mindset, confidence, ability to understand how to wrestle in that weight class. That's why he's 16-1 right now. In addition to Kahnke, you have coached other student-athletes who have transferred from Division I programs … wrestlers like Willie Parks and Burke Barnes. Is it different coaching student-athletes who come from Division I as opposed to coaching kids who come directly into your program from high school? Costanzo: I really don't think so. The training is very similar. I don't think it's any different at all. I think it's a huge advantage getting guys like that in the room. It not only helps take the program to another level, but it also takes the room to another level when you have wrestlers with that type of athleticism. But I don't think the training is any different with them. Wrestling is wrestling. I think we're doing a lot of things that a lot of quality Division I programs are doing to be successful. We just keep plugging along here and trying to get these guys to wrestle at a high level in Division II. Steve Costanzo (Photo/SCSU Sports Information)St. Cloud State entered the NWCA/Cliff Keen Nationals Duals as the No. 2 seed. You opened with two victories before losing to Augustana, 18-15, in the semifinals. What was the difference in that dual meet loss to Augustana? Costanzo: Overtimes. We lost four overtime matches. In addition to that, there are seven minutes on the scoreboard. You can't wrestle for six minutes and fifty seconds. You can't wrestle for six minutes and fifty eight seconds. Regardless of whether we were dominating them for six minutes and fifty seconds, you have to wrestle seven minutes. That's what they did. They finished the matches. They wrestled in their positions and took us out of our positions. That was really the difference. When we got into those overtime situations, they attacked us. We kind of sat back. I don't know if we were thinking that things were going to work out in our favor if we were just patient. They attacked us and went after the win immediately ... and they got it. They got four overtime victories. I have to give those guys credit. We knew they were tough. But they're a super tough team. They're one of the teams to beat right now. They have a great shot to win a national championship. Your coaching career has been marked by continued improvement every season. Now that you're in the top five, how much emphasis is put on winning a trophy or capturing the national title? Is it something you talk much about? Costanzo: We have talked about it. There's no doubt. We have it in the back of our minds. But it's not something we blow out of proportion either. We just have to continue doing the little things right. Not putting such an emphasis on the winning part, but putting more of an emphasis on performing to the best of our ability. That's what I try to get these guys to believe ... Don't put a focus so much on the winning part. Put a focus on just going out and performing your best. If you do that, you don't have to worry about the wins and the trophies ... That stuff will come. Right now we're just focused on staying healthy and bringing our best performance to the mat match after match. That's all you need to focus on. If there is one thing that you want people to know about what is happening with the St. Cloud State wrestling program right now, what would that be? Costanzo: I think a lot of the reason why we have gotten to where we are so fast is because of our alumni engagement. When I got here five years ago, there was a rumor that St. Cloud State might be dropping its wrestling program. I kind of knew that going into it. But at the same time, I thought, 'How can they do that in Minnesota?' I just think the difference in our program right now, and maybe a lot of programs across the country right now, is just getting the alumni more engaged in the program. That's one of my goals as a coach ... just to continue to get more and more alumni on board. Our president is aware of that. Our athletic director is aware of that. They know the type of support we have received here. It's really hard to drop a program when you have that type of alumni support and backing ... and that's what we have here. It continues to get stronger and better year after year. I really give credit to our alumni. If it wasn't for those guys, we wouldn't be where we are right now. We had a core group of alumni when I got here. There were probably about four or five of them that were just consistently willing to help get this program to another level. From there, we just continued to get more and more alumni on board, friends, and family members. We have a lot of support behind the scenes right now. That is really helping us and giving us an advantage. This story also appears in the Jan. 28 issue of The Guillotine. The Guillotine has been covering amateur wrestling in Minnesota since 1971. Its mission is to report and promote amateur wrestling at all levels -- from youth and high school wrestling to college and international level wrestling. Subscribe to The Guillotine.

WEST POINT, N.Y. -- The Boston University wrestling team posted an impressive 29-12 victory over Army on Saturday afternoon at Gillis Field House. With the victory, the Terriers improve to 7-5-1 on the year. Trailing 12-11 after six matches, the Terriers won the final four bouts en route to the dual win. BU opened the match with a pair of major decisions, as freshman Bubba McGinley topped David White, 9-1, at 125 before sophomore Fred Santaite followed with a 12-2 victory against Jordan Thome at 133. Army won three of the next four matches, however, to take the 12-11 advantage. BU's lone win during the stretch was a 9-3 triumph by sophomore Nestor Taffur at 149 against Nicholas Bundy. Sophomore Hunter Meys started the decisive run for the visitors by pinning Michael Gorman just 1:37 into their match at 174. At 184, senior Brock Mantella blanked Robert Doyle, 6-0, before junior John Hall won by the same score in his 197-pound match versus Daniel Mills. With the team result secured, freshman Kevin Innis added six more points to the Terriers' total when Jacob Bohn forfeited their 285-pound match due to an injury early in the second period. The Terriers will return to the mats on Friday (Feb. 4) when they travel to Philadelphia to face Drexel for a CAA dual at 7 p.m. Results: 125: Bubba McGinley (B) maj. dec. David White, 9-1 133: Fred Santaite (B) maj. dec. Jordan Thome, 12-2 141: Casey Thome (A) pinned Jordan Frease, 3:23 149: Nestor Taffur (B) dec. Nicholas Bundy, 9-3 157: Jimmy Rafferty (A) dec. Nick Tourville, 3-2 165: Alex Smith (A) dec. Kyle Czarnecki, 6-2 174: Hunter Meys (B) pinned Michael Gorman, 1:37 184: Brock Mantella (B) dec. Robert Doyle, 6-0 197: John Hall (B) dec. Daniel Mills, 6-0 285: Kevin Innis (B) med. forfeit Jacob Bohn, 3:14

PITTSBURGH -- The No. 23-ranked Pitt wrestling team improved to 9-6 overall and 2-0 in EWL competition after defeating Bloomsburg, 22-8, Sunday at Fitzgerald Field House. Redshirt senior Ryan Tomei earned his 100th career victory, and the Panthers won seven of the 10 bouts to remain unbeaten in the EWL conference. The Panthers jumped out to a 14 point lead after four matches with wins by sophomore Anthony Zanetta (125), freshman Shelton Mack (133), redshirt junior Tyler Nauman (141) and redshirt freshman Dane Johnson (149). Zanetta put the Panthers on the board first with a 6-4 sudden victory decision. In the 1-minute sudden victory period, Zanetta picked up a takedown to win the match. Following the bout, the Bloomsburg team was given a 1-point team penalty for a technical violation. Mack put the Panthers up by seven with a solid performance at 133. Trailing 3-1 entering the third period, Mack took the next five points with a takedown and a three-point near-fall. “Shelton came up big for us today and a quality win like that will continue to build his confidence,” Pitt Head Coach Rande Stottlemyer said following the match. “He really helped us keep the momentum of the match in our favor.” Nauman followed with a major decision at 141, scoring four takedowns and five back points, while Johnson used three takedowns of his own en route to an 8-2 victory at 149. After Bloomsburg earned the victory at 157, redshirt junior Ethan Headlee (165) notched a team-leading 22nd win with a 4-1 decision. Headlee needed only one takedown and was able to control most of the final period to add an additional point with riding time (1:19). In the closest matchup of the day, freshman Max Thomusseit (184) rallied to earn a 3-1 sudden victory over Bloomsburg’s Nate Graham. Picking up an escape to even the match at 1-1 in the third, Thomusseit scored a takedown just 18 seconds into the sudden victory period. The win put the Panthers up 19-5, clinching the dual. In the final bout of the day, Tomei put the fans on their feet with his 100th career victory. The 6-1 decision improved Tomei to 100-32 all-time as the Irwin, Pa. native became only the 18th Panther to reach the 100 win plateau. Following the match, Pitt coaches held an autograph session and provided a free clinic for junior wrestlers in attendance. The University of Pittsburgh will hold its annual “Fill the Fitz” promotion when the Panthers return to action on Friday, Feb. 4 for a 7 p.m. showdown against rival West Virginia at Fitzgerald Field House. Both teams enter the contest with a 2-0 EWL record. Results: 125: Anthony Zanetta (P) dec. Sean Boylan (B), 6-4 SV2 3-(-1) Pitt * 133: Shelton Mack (P) dec. Nick Wilcox, 6-4 6-(-1) Pitt 141: No. 7 Tyler Nauman (P) maj. dec. Derek Shingara (B), 16-4 10-(-1) Pitt 149: Dane Johnson (P) dec. Matt Hicks (B), 8-2 13-(-1) Pitt 157: Frank Hickman (B) dec. Donnie Tasser (P), 7-6 13-2 Pitt 165: Ethan Headlee (P) dec. Josh Veltre (B), 4-1 16-2 Pitt 174: Mike Dessinio (B) dec. Andy Vaughan (P), 5-2 16-5 Pitt 184: Max Thomusseit (P) dec. Nate Graham (B), 3-1 SV 19-5 Pitt 197: Richard Perry (B) dec. Phil Sorrentino (P), 7-4 19-8 Pitt HWT: No. 7 Ryan Tomei (P) dec. Zac Walsh (B), 6-1 22-8 Pitt *Bloomsburg was assessed a one point team penalty for a technical violation.

CORVALLIS, Ore. -- The No. 10 ranked Boise State wrestling team secured the advantage in its regular season series against Pac-10 Conference rival Oregon State, Sunday (Jan. 30), as the Broncos rolled past the No. 20 ranked Beavers, 31-6, to finish with a 2-0-1 record against Oregon State this season. After wrestling to an 18-18 tie in Boise on Nov. 13, Boise State (8-2-1 overall, 3-0-1 Pac-10) won its next two duals against the Beavers (8-4-3, 2-2-1). The first win came, 24-12, at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals on Jan. 8; which does not count as a conference loss for either team. After Sunday’s win Boise State has now gone seven consecutive duals (6-0-1) without a loss to Oregon State. The last loss to the Beavers came on Jan. 28, 2007, 32-6, in Corvallis, Ore. In Sunday’s meeting Boise State used wins in the first four matches of the dual to gain an early 14-0 lead over Oregon State. In all, the Broncos would win eight matches; including two by major decision, one by fall and another by technical fall. Levi Jones, who entered the weekend ranked No. 18 nationally by InterMat, scored the first victory of the day to ensure Boise State would never trail in the dual. Jones scored an upset by 9-2 decision over No. 11 Mike Mangrum at 141 pounds. The win avenged an 11-4 loss to Mangrum at the National Duals in their only other meeting this season. The Broncos built on their early momentum next at 149 pounds where No. 3 Jason Chamberlain beat No. 20 Scott Sakaguchi by 6-3 decision. Adam Hall would score Boise State’s first big win of the day in the following 157-pound match, as No. 2 Hall scored a 26-8 technical fall victory over Alex Elder at the 6:35 mark to give the Broncos an 11-0 lead in the dual. Kurt Swartz pushed the team score to 14-0 with a win next at 165 pounds, as he held off Jonathan Brascetta for a 3-2 decision. Boise State would drop its first match of the day at 174 pounds, but senior Kirk Smith recaptured momentum for the Broncos with a major decision win at 184. His 9-0 major decision win over Brice Arand gave Boise State an 18-3 lead in the dual. Matt Casperson would add to the Bronco team total by upsetting No. 18 Chad Hanke, 10-5, at 197 pounds. Oregon State managed its second and final win of the day at heavyweight, but the score proved to be too little too late. No. 15 ranked Alan Bartelli added the exclamation point on the day as he pinned Christian Strahl at the 4:08 mark of the 125-pound match to give Boise State a 27-6 lead. No. 2 Andrew Hochstrasser put the finishing touches on the dual with a win by 12-3 major decision over No. 15 Garrett Drucker at 133 pounds, in the final match of the day. Boise State returns home for its last Pac-10 Conference dual of the season, Wednesday (Feb. 2), when the Broncos host Cal State Bakersfield at 7 p.m. in Taco Bell Arena. Boise State will then host its home finale on Friday (Feb. 4), as the Broncos meet Utah Valley as part of the Beauty & Beast Event. The UVU dual is also scheduled for 7 p.m. in Taco Bell Arena. Results: 141 – #18 Levi Jones (BSU) dec. #11 Mike Mangrum (OSU) 9-2 149 – #3 Jason Chamberlain (BSU) dec. #20 Scott Sakaguchi (OSU) 6-3 157 – #2 Adam Hall (BSU) tech. fall Alex Elder (OSU) 26-8 (6:35) 165 – Kurt Swartz (BSU) dec. Jonathan Brascetta (BSU) 3-2 174 – #6 Colby Covington (OSU) dec. #11 Jacob Swartz (BSU) 12-6 184 – #1 Kirk Smith (BSU) major dec. Brice Arand (OSU) 9-0 197 – Matt Casperson (BSU) dec. #18 Chad Hanke (OSU) 10-5 HWT – #16 Clayton Jack (OSU) dec. J.T. Felix (BSU) 10-5 125 – #15 Alan Bartelli (BSU) fall Christian Strahl (OSU) 4:08 133 – #2 Andrew Hochstrasser (BSU) major dec. #15 Garrett Drucker (OSU) 12-3

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Falls by Boris and Filip Novachkov lifted the Cal Poly wrestling team, presented by Meathead Movers, to a 40-11 victory over Arizona State in a Pacific-10 Conference dual meet Sunday afternoon in Wells Fargo Arena. Boris Novachkov pinned Carlos Castro in 4 minutes, 46 seconds at 133 pounds, while his brother, Filip Novachkov, registered his fall over Taihei Fukumoto in 6:29 at 149 as the Mustangs won the first six bouts of the dual meet for a 31-0 lead and improved to 8-1 overall and 4-1 in Pac-10 duals. Arizona State, the 1988 NCAA national champion, fell to 5-9 and 1-2. Boris Novachkov, ranked No. 4 by InterMat, improved his record to 22-1 with his fourth fall of the season, He was leading 15-4 when he pinned Castro with 14 seconds remaining in the second period. Filip Novachkov, who wrestled at 141 pounds a year ago and moved down to 133 at the start of the current season to accommodate his brother’s move to 141, elected this week to try his luck at 149 pounds after compiling a 7-6 record, including a 1-6 mark against top-20 wrestlers at 133. The move has paid off so far as he earned a 12-10 overtime win over John Cardenas of Cal State Bakersfield on Friday night followed by Sunday’s fall over Fukumoto. Filip Novachkov was leading 18-4 at the time of the fall, scored with just 31 seconds remaining in the bout. Filip Novachkov, ranked No. 14 at 133 by InterMat, is now 9-6 on the year. Arizona State forfeited bouts at 157 and 174 pounds and Cal Poly also picked up six team points at 285 when Sun Devil Levi Cooper was forced to default due to a knee injury suffered six seconds into the bout. Cooper and Mustang Atticus Disney (11-9) wrestled to the side of the mat and Cooper fell and hit his knee on the wood floor off the side of the mat. Cal Poly’s other points came from Brandan Rocha at 133, Ryan DesRoches at 165 and Ryan Smith at 197. In the opening bout, Rocha scored a takedown in each of the first two periods and notched a reversal and two-point near fall in the third period en route to a 9-5 decision over Kalin Goodsite. Rocha sports an 11-9 mark for the season. DesRoches (pictured above), ranked No. 16 at 165, recorded three takedowns and a pair of reversals on his way to a 14-6 major decision over Tejovan Edwards, improving his record for the season to 28-5. It was DesRoches’ third win over Edwards this season. The other two were by fall in 2:56 at the Fullerton Open and an 8-6 decision in the Reno Tournament of Champions. Smith, coming off his first win in five tries against Cal State Bakersfield’s Riley Orozco, a 9-7 overtime decision, earned an escape and takedown in the second period and another takedown in the final period for a 5-2 decision over Luke Macchiaroli. Smith is now 14-5 on the year. Arizona State’s only two wins were registered by 125-pounder Anthony Robles and 184-pounder Jake Meredith. Robles, ranked No. 2 in the nation, improved to 24-0 on the year with a 16-0 technical fall over Britain Longmire while Meredith pinned Mustang Kelan Bragg in 2:13. With its second straight win over Arizona State, Cal Poly now trails the Sun Devils in the series, 31-12. The Mustangs will compete in the California Collegiate Invitational on Saturday at San Francisco State. Results: 133 -- Brandan Rocha (CP) dec. Kalin Goodsite (ASU) 9-5 141 -- Boris Novachkov (CP) pinned Carlos Castro (ASU) 4:46 149 -- Filip Novachkov (CP) pinned Taihei Fukumoto (ASU) 6:29 157 -- Barrett Abel (CP) won by forfeit 165 -- Ryan DesRoches (CP) maj. dec. Tejovan Edwards (ASU) 14-6 174 -- Steven Vasquez (CP) won by forfeit 184 --Jake Meredith (ASU) pinned Kelan Bragg (CP) 2:13 197 -- Ryan Smith (CP) dec. Luke Macchiaroli (ASU) 5-2 285 -- Atticus Disney (CP) injury default over Levi Cooper (ASU) 0:06 125 -- Anthony Robles (ASU) tech. fall Britain Longmire (CP) 16-0

LARAMIE, Wyo. -- Fresh off a victory Friday night, the University of Wyoming wrestling team aimed to keep momentum on its side for Sunday's dual versus North Dakota State. It did all that and then some, as the Cowboys defeated the Bison 35-3 on Sunday in Laramie. The win boosted Wyoming's overall record to 9-4, and 3-0 in Western Wrestling Conference action. The loss drops North Dakota to 7-4 overall, and 1-3 in WWC action. Wyoming won nine of the 10 matches Sunday and looked comfortable throughout, as two wrestlers won by technical fall, one won by major decision and one won by fall. On the weekend, the Cowboys won 19 of the 20 total matches versus South Dakota State and North Dakota State. "It was a good weekend, for sure," Wyoming coach Mark Branch said. "You saw some individual battles, but I kind of liked our grit in those battles. We need more of that kind of effort, where our kids are out there looking to improve." No. 18 Michael Martinez had the upset of the day for Wyoming as he knocked off No. 17 Trent Sprenkle in a hard-fought 3-1 decision in the 125-pound match to begin the dual. Tyler Cox then used his quickness to end his 133-pound bout with NDSU's Justin Solberg in the second period. Cox claimed two near fall points at the 3:50 mark of the match to take an 18-2 technical fall. UW's Chase Smith won a close 3-1 decision over Trevor Johnson in the 141-pound match, and No. 18 Cole Dallaserra won an 8-4 decision over Mark Erickson in the 149-pound match. After those wins, Wyoming led 14-0. The Bison got their lone win of the day in the 157-pound bout, as Vince Salminen defeated UW's Jimmy Belleville in a 7-1 decision. Wyoming's Shane Onufer, ranked fourth, kept his flawless record intact, as he moved to 23-0 on the year with a 5-1 decision over NDSU's Steve Monk in the 165-pound match. Patrick Martinez followed that a 14-5 major decision over Tyler Johnson in the 174-pound match, and No. 5 Joe LeBlanc claimed a 20-4 technical fall over Tyler Wells at 184 pounds. L.J. Helbig rallied from a 2-0 deficit early in the 197-pound match to take a 6-3 decision over Kenny Moenkedick. But Jack Tennant made the home crowd come to its feet in the heavyweight match, as he pinned Will Johnson at the 2:57 mark. A late addition to the team, it was just Tennant's third match of the season. "The first couple weeks (of training) were rough on him, because he wasn't used to this sport and the demands we have," Branch said. "But he stuck with it, and I wanted to give him a chance to wrestle at home. That was great to see, to see him get to experience something like this." In Wyoming's next dual, the wrestlers will host Air Force at 6:30 p.m. Thursday in the UniWyo Sports Complex. Results: 125 – No. 18 Michael Martinez (WYO) dec. No. 17 Trent Sprenkle, 31 133 – Tyler Cox (WYO) tech. fall Justin Solberg, 18-2 141 – Chase Smith (WYO) dec. Trevor Johnson, 3-1 149 – No. 18 Cole Dallaserra (WYO) dec. Mark Erickson, 8-4 157 – Vince Salminen (NDSU) dec. Jimmy Belleville, 7-1 165 – No. 4 Shane Onufer (WYO) dec. Steven Monk, 5-1 174 – Patrick Martinez (WYO) maj. dec. Tyler Johnson, 14-5 184 – No. 5 Joe LeBlanc (WYO) tech. fall Tyler Wells, 20-4 197 – L.J. Helbig (WYO) dec. Kenny Moenkedick, 6-3 Hwt – Jack Tennant (WYO) fall Will Johnson, 2:57

The No. 10 American University wrestling team won seven of 10 matches Sunday en route to a 30-10 victory over Ohio. The win is American's sixth straight and pushes its overall record to 12-4. The Eagles won six straight bouts to open the dual, beginning with a 10-7 decision for No. 20 Nick Arujau over Gabe Ramos at 125 lbs. 133-pounder Kevin Tao picked up a 5-0 decision before No. 13 Matt Mariacher defeated #20 Germane Lindsey at 141 lbs., 4-2. No. 11 Ganbayar Sanjaa kept American's streak alive by pinning Darrin Boing at the 2:15 mark of the 149 lbs. match. At 157 lbs., No. 1 Steve Fittery recorded a fall over Casey Gordon at 6:26 and Patrick Graham made it six in a row for the Eagles with an 8-2 decision over 165-pounder Steve Wilson. Ohio bounced back with wins at 174 lbs., 184 lbs. and 197 lbs. before No. 6 Ryan Flores closed out the day with a pin of No. 20 Jeremy Johnson at the 2:48 mark. Fittery's victory improves him to 19-0 while the fall was his 10th of the year. Flores is now 13-4 with six falls while Sanjaa moves to 16-3 with five falls. Mariacher's record now stands at 23-6 and Arujau is 22-4. Tao improves to 16-10 and Graham sits at 18-11. The Eagles will return to action Friday, February 4 when they take on Binghamton at 12:00 p.m. in Bender Arena. Fans unable to attend the match can watch all of the action live online at AUeagles.com via a subscription to Eagles Vision TV. Fans can also follow @AU_Wrestling on Twitter to receive match-by-match updates throughout the dual. Results: 125 - #20 Nick Arujau (AU) dec. Gabe Ramos (Ohio), 10-7 133 - Kevin Tao (AU) dec. Gavin Moore (Ohio), 5-0 141 - #13 Matt Mariacher (AU) dec. #20 Germane Lindsey (Ohio), 4-2 149 - #11 Ganbayar Sanjaa (AU) fall Darrin Boing (Ohio), 2:15 157 - #1 Steve Fittery (AU) fall Casey Gordon (Ohio), 6:26 165 - Patrick Graham (AU) dec. Steve Wilson (Ohio), 8-2 174 - Nick Purdue (Ohio) dec. Tanner Shaffer (AU), 2-0 184 - Ryan Garringer (Ohio) major dec. Thomas Barreiro (AU), 10-2 197 - #16 Erik Schuth (Ohio) dec. #20 Daniel Mitchell (AU), 7-5 HWT - #6 Ryan Flores (AU) fall #20 Jeremy Johnson (Ohio), 2:48

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga wrestling team put on a dominating performance in front of a big crowd at Maclellan Gym this afternoon. The Mocs had little trouble defeating The Citadel 26-6 in Southern Conference action, improving to 7-9 on the year and 1-0 in league play. Over 600 fans showed up to watch the Mocs win their 31st SoCon match in a row. UTC has won six-straight SoCon regular season titles and 18-straight league contests at home. Chattanooga has not dropped a SoCon match since 2004 and has not lost in conference action at home since 2003. "It is an important win for us," stated head coach Heath Eslinger. "Every win from here on out is super-important. We've had a grueling schedule and we won every close match today. That's why we have a tough schedule, to get guys ready to win those matches. They are as good a team as any in our conference, so it is a big deal." In a scheduling quirk, this was the last SoCon bout of the season for the Bulldogs and the first for the Mocs. The Citadel came in with a little swagger, sporting a 3-1 league mark. The Bulldogs were the last team in the league to defeat UTC back on Feb. 14, 2004, in Charleston, S.C., and were hoping to repeat that performance today. Action began at 149 where sophomore Alex Hudson (Marietta, Ga.) scored a 10-5 decision over Derek Royster to give the Mocs a 3-0 lead. It was low-scoring affair between sophomore Josh Condon (Powder Springs, Ga.) and Pierre Frazile at 157. Both managed just one escape for most of the match. With time winding down, Frazile seemed to let up and prepare for overtime. Condon pounced on the opening and scored a winning takedown just before the final horn. His 3-1 win moved him to 18-6 on the year and gave Chattanooga a 6-0 lead. The next two matches were going to be tough ones for the Mocs as both opponents had 20+ wins. At 165, junior Dan Waddell (Chattanooga, Tenn.) took the mat against No. 8 Turotgtokh Luvsandorj. Luvsandorj was 29-6 on the year and was looking for bonus points. However, Waddell fought him off for the entire match and kept it close in the 9-4 loss. Junior Brandon Wright (Germantown, Tenn.) was going for his first win in four matches at 174, facing J.C. Oddo who was 20-7 on the year. Trailing 2-1 with seconds left, Wright scored a reversal to take a 3-2 lead, sending the big crowd into a frenzy. Oddo escaped before the horn and the match went into overtime. With the crowd on their feet, Wright shot out on the opening whistle and tallied the winning takedown seconds into sudden victory time. Wright's win gave UTC a 9-3 lead and took all of the wind out of the Bulldog's sails. Junior Jason McCroskey followed that up with an 8-2 decision over Justin Sparrow at 175. It was McCroskey's team-leading 18th win of the year to go against seven losses. Sophomore Niko Brown (Kissimmee, Fla.) improved to 15-7 with his 5-3 decision over Kelby Smith at 197. Sophomore Robert Prigmore (Southlake, Texas) scored the first bonus points with a 10-2 major decision over Luke Johnson at heavyweight. Sophomore Prescot Garner (West Linn, Ore.) and senior Cody Cleveland (Tullahoma, Tenn.) rounded out the scoring for the Mocs with wins at 125 and 141, respectively. Cleveland, ranked No. 8 in the nation, posted an 11-1 major decision over Jordan Dix to move to 7-0 on the year. Chattanooga hits the road next weekend for a pair of huge matches at UNC Greensboro and Appalachian State. The Mocs hope to get back a pair of starters who were out for the match against The Citadel. Junior Demetrius Johnson is still trying to get into the lineup at 133 for the first time this year. He is recovering from offseason knee surgery. Senior heavyweight Matt Lettner was also out with a foot injury. UTC visits the Spartans on Saturday, Feb. 5 at 2:00 p.m. (E.S.T.) and travel to Boone, N.C. to take on the Mountaineers on Sunday, Feb. 6 at 2:00 p.m. The Mocs are back home on Sunday, Feb. 13, hosting Davidson in Maclellan Gym at 2:00 p.m. Results: 149: Alex Hudson (UTC) - Dec. 10-5 - Derek Royster (The Citadel) - UTC 3-0 157: Josh Condon (UTC) - Dec. 3-1 - Pierre Frazile (The Citadel) - UTC 6-0 165: No. 8 Turtogtokh Luvsandorj (The Citadel) - Dec. 9-4 - Dan Waddell (UTC) - UTC 6-3 174: Brandon Wright (UTC) - Dec. 5-3 (OT) - James Oddo - (The Citadel) - UTC 9-3 184: Jason McCroskey (UTC) - Dec. 8-2 - Justin Sparrow (The Citadel) - UTC 12-3 197: Niko Brown (UTC) - Dec. 5-3 - Kelby Smith (The Citadel) - UTC 15-3 285: Robert Prigmore (UTC) - Maj. Dec. 10-2 - Luke Johnson (The Citadel) - UTC 19-3 125: Prescott Garner (UTC) - Dec. 9-8 - Richard Alarcon (The Citadel) - UTC 22-3 133: Tyler Sim (The Citadel) - Dec. 7-4 - Adam Wilson (UTC) - UTC 22-6 141: No. 8 Cody Cleveland (UTC) - Maj. Dec. 11-1 - Jordan Dix (The Citadel) - UTC 26-6

MOUNT PLEASANT -- Central Michigan's wrestling program helped make it a clean sweep for the maroon and gold in the inaugural Royal Rumble and Tumble at McGuirk Arena on Sunday, defeating Old Dominion 18-16 in a nonconference dual. While the No. 13 Chippewas were earning their fifth dual meet victory of the season, CMU's gymnastics program was improving to 8-0 on the season with a 195.750-189.100 victory over Mid-American Conference rival Northern Illinois. The events were held simultaneously in McGuirk Arena. "I thought it was great," said CMU wrestling head coach Tom Borrelli. "The thing that helps us is that, at the NCAA Championships, there are eight mats so there is a lot going on in the arena. Your guys have to be able to focus when there is a big crowd, a lot of noise, a lot of whistles, which are the same things we had in the arena today." Six decisions accounted for the Chippewas' 18 team points, but Old Dominion (5-9-1 overall) scored bonus points in two bouts and held a one-point lead with three bouts remaining. CMU (5-7 overall) built an early 9-3 lead, with No. 5 Ben Bennett, Craig Kelliher and No. 2 Jarod Trice claiming decisions at 174, 197 and 285 pounds, respectively. The Monarchs drew within 9-7 when No. 4 James Nicholson posted a 15-5 major decision over Christian Cullinan at 125 pounds. Nicholson improved to 24-0 on the season with the win. Scotti Sentes responded with a key decision for the Chippewas at 133 pounds in a bout between two nationally ranked individuals. Sentes, ranked 11th in the country, scored a second-period takedown built a riding time advantage of 2:22 in a 4-0 decision over ODU's No. 12-ranked Kyle Hutter. Old Dominion took its only lead of the dual when Brennan Brumley pinned Scott Mattingly at 141 pounds. The pair traded reversals in the second period before Brumley turned Mattingly and scored the fall at the 4:57 mark. Momentum swung back to CMU, however, when Donnie Corby rallied for a 5-3 decision over Joey Metzler at 149 pounds. Corby built riding time in the second period, but still trailed 3-1 entering the final period. An early escape made it 3-2, and he took the lead with a takedown with just 15 seconds remaining. Riding time provided the final 5-3 margin. Ryan Cubberly followed with a 6-3 decision over Micah Blair at 157 pounds that extended CMU's lead to 18-13. Cubberly took down Blair in the first and second period and held a riding time advantage of 2:01. Old Dominion's Dan Rivera closed the dual with a 3-1 sudden-victory decision over the Chippewas' Eric Cubberly. CMU is back in action Friday, traveling to Ohio for a MAC dual at 7 p.m. Results: 174: No. 5 Ben Bennett (CMU) dec. Tristan Warner, 8-3; CMU 3-0 184: Joe Budi (ODU) dec. Chad Friend, 5-1; Tied 3-3 197: Craig Kelliher (CMU) dec. Jacob Henderson, 4-2; CMU 6-3 285: No. 2 Jarod Trice (CMU) dec. Grant Chapman, 2-0; CMU 9-3 125: No. 4 James Nicholson (ODU) maj. dec. Christian Cullinan, 15-5; CMU 9-7 133: No. 11 Scotti Sentes (CMU) dec. No. 12 Kyle Hutter, 4-0; CMU 12-7 141: Brennan Brumley (ODU) pin Scott Mattingly at 4:57; ODU 13-12 149: Donnie Corby (CMU) dec. Joey Metzler, 5-3; CMU 15-13 157: Ryan Cubberly (CMU) dec. Micah Blair, 6-3; CMU 18-13 165: Dan Rivera (ODU) dec. Eric Cubberly, 3-1 SV1; CMU 18-16

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The No. 13-ranked University of Michigan wrestling team dominated the lowerweights and won seven of the opening eight matches to roll past Indiana, 23-9, on Sunday afternoon (Jan. 30) at University Gymnasium. With the win, the Wolverines improve to 4-0 in Big Ten Conference dual action. Michigan won the opening three bouts, earning major decisions in two, to build an early and sizable advantage through the lowerweight division. Sophomore Sean Boyle (Lowell, Mass./Blair Academy) used a balanced attack -- takedowns and subsequent ride-outs in each period -- to cruise past Justin Brooks, 9-1, at 125 pounds. Boyle spent the bulk of the match on top, building nearly five minutes of riding-time advantage, and drew a pair of stalling calls on Brooks from the position. After the second call, which earned Boyle an extra point midway through the third period, he released the Hoosier wrestler with the major in mind and quickly converted on a low single and rode out the remaining 30 seconds to earn the necessary bonus margin. Junior Zac Stevens (Monroe, Mich./Monroe HS) overcame an early deficit against familiar foe Matt Ortega in the 133-pound contest, taking advantage of a contentious second-period flurry to score big points and claim an 8-5 decision. Ortega struck first on an early single leg, but the remainder match was all Stevens, who went ahead for good with successive takedowns midway through the middle frame. He converted the first off a front headlock, coming around to score with the head in the hole. The controversy came when the official subsequently awarded Ortega an escape without breaking contact and immediately awarded Stevens another takedown when he returned him to the mat just seconds later. The Wolverine wrestler rode out the period and iced the match with another single leg in the third. Senior/junior captain Kellen Russell (High Bridge, N.J./Blair Academy) secured his second bonus win of the weekend with a 10-1 victory over Mitchell Richey at 141 pounds. Russell, ranked No. 1 nationally, converted on four takedowns -- two in the first period -- and accumulated more than five minutes in riding-time advantage. He nearly earned back points with a tilt in the waning seconds of the middle period but ran out of time and had to settle for the major decision. Russell remains perfect on the season, improving to 25-0. Michigan earned decision victories from its Hesperia crew as sophomore/freshman Brandon Zeerip (Fremont, Mich./Hesperia HS) cruised at 157 pounds before sophomore/freshman Dan Yates (Hesperia, Mich./Hesperia HS) and senior/junior Justin Zeerip (Fremont, Mich./Hesperia HS) earned back-to-back shutouts at 165 and 174 pounds, respectively, to keep their momentum rolling after the intermission break. Brandon Zeerip scored on three takedowns -- one in each period -- to roll past Alex Warren, 8-2, en route to his second win of the weekend and third in Big Ten competition. The Wolverine rookie, ranked 19th nationally, finished on a double leg, a front headlock and a high crotch and built up more than two minutes in riding-time advantage. Despite setting an aggressive early tone with several missed first-period shots, Yates needed only an escape and riding time to win a low-scoring 2-0 affair against Ryan LeBlanc. He rode out the second period before scoring on a quick escape in the third to improve to 3-0 in Big Ten dual action. Justin Zeerip controlled the 174-pound match from start to finish en route to a 4-0 decision over Nick Avery. The Wolverine captain converted on a first-period takedown, readjusting on a single leg along the edge to score midway through the frame, before adding a second-period escape and third-period ride out. For the second time in as many weeks, junior/sophomore Hunter Collins (Gilroy, Calif./Gilroy HS) used a late five-point move to prevail at 184 pounds, defeating Indiana's Eric Cameron, 6-1, for Michigan's final win of the afternoon. After the two wrestlers traded little more than a couple early flurries and escape points, the match appeared headed to overtime when Collins won a late scramble along the edge of the mat, pulling an underhook into a single leg to get Cameron onto the mat and when the Hoosier wrestler tried to sit the corner, Collins hopped across and hooked the leg turk to bring Cameron right to his back. The Wolverine wrestler nearly pulled Cameron in bounds to earn the pin but ran out of time at the final buzzer. Indiana's three wins came from its ranked wrestlers in the marquee matchups. Sophomore/freshman Eric Grajales (Brandon, Fla./Brandon HS) could not quite finish the necessary reversal in the closing seconds against No. 15 Kurt Kinser at 149 pounds, falling, 6-4. The match had already featured three reversals, including one from Kinser midway through the third period that netted the Hoosier the final advantage. Fifth-year senior captain Anthony Biondo (Clinton Twp., Mich./Chippewa Valley HS) was doomed by three late-period counter takedowns in a 9-4 loss to No. 6 Matt Powless at 197 pounds. Biondo, ranked 11th nationally, took the first lead on a quick single leg and rode long enough for time advantage, but Powless controlled the remainder of the match, scoring off of Biondo's offense in the waning moments of all periods and riding out the frame on each occasion. Junior/sophomore heavyweight Ben Apland (Woodbridge, Ill./Downers Grove South HS) claimed the previous two matchups against the Hoosiers' No. 14 Ricky Alcala but couldn't overcome a deficit in the third meeting, falling 9-4 on four Alcala takedowns. The Wolverines (9-2, 4-0 Big Ten) will continue Big Ten competition next weekend with dual slates against Wisconsin and Penn State. U-M will travel to Madison, Wis., on Friday (Feb. 4) for a 7 p.m. match against the Badgers at UW Field House before returning home to face top-ranked Penn State on Sunday (Feb. 6) in a 2 p.m. contest at Cliff Keen Arena. Results: Match Score 125 -- Sean Boyle (U-M) major dec. Justin Brooks, 9-1 U-M, 4-0 133 -- Zac Stevens (U-M) dec. Matt Ortega, 8-5 U-M, 7-0 141 -- #1 Kellen Russell (U-M) major dec. Mitchell Richey, 10-1 U-M, 11-0 149 -- #15 Kurt Kinser (IU) dec. Eric Grajales, 6-4 U-M, 11-3 157 -- #19 Brandon Zeerip (U-M) dec. Alex Warren, 8-2 U-M, 14-3 165 --#19 Dan Yates (U-M) dec. Ryan LeBlanc, 2-0 U-M, 17-3 174 -- Justin Zeerip (U-M) dec. Nick Avery, 4-0 U-M, 20-3 184 -- Hunter Collins (U-M) dec. Eric Cameron, 6-1 U-M, 23-3 197 -- #6 Matt Powless (IU) dec. #11 Anthony Biondo, 9-4 U-M, 23-6 Hwt -- #14 Ricky Alcala (IU) dec. #8 Ben Apland, 9-4 U-M, 23-9

Link: The Guillotine Photo Gallery MINNEAPOLIS -- In front of a sold-out crowd of 5,225 at the Sports Pavilion, the No. 4 Minnesota wrestling team scored a 21-15 win over No. 3 Wisconsin capped off with a 3-2 decision victory by a returning Ben Berhow in the heavyweight match to lock up the win. The Gophers also picked up wins from Zach Sanders, Mike Thorn, Danny Zilverberg and Cody Yohn. "I think the fans got their money's worth today. We're trying to get better and better each week going into the Big Ten tournament. We made some good progress today, and that's what we're looking for," Minnesota head wrestling coach J Robinson said. Ben Berhow (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine)Berhow, a redshirt senior this year for the Gophers, was a late addition to the lineup - replacing an ill Tony Nelson at heavyweight - for the final matchup of the night against No. 11 Eric Bugenhagen with the score sitting at 18-15 in the Gophers' favor. The pair of heavyweights dueled through a scoreless first period before Bugenhagen opened the second period with an escape to take a 1-0 lead. But Berhow, who hadn't wrestled since Dec. 11, would bide his time until the third period, scoring an escape of his own and following up with a takedown in the match's final seconds to jump ahead. Bugenhagen would score a late escape as time expired, giving Berhow a 3-2 decision in the match and the Gophers a 21-15 win in the dual. "That was really special. I'll remember that the rest of my life," Berhow said. "And with the great crowd...it's fun wrestling for them." Minnesota (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine)Minnesota (13-3 overall, 4-0 Big Ten) once again opened the dual with a strong showing in the earlier matches. No. 5 Zach Sanders kicked off the afternoon with his 13th-straight dual win, this time taking down Tom Kelliher with an 11-8 decision. The Badgers (9-2-1, 0-0-1) would answer with a decision win in the 133 lbs. match as No. 3 Tyler Graff put together a 9-4 win over David Thorn. The Gophers would add bonus points in three of the next four matches however as No. 2 Mike Thorn pinned Danny Arnel at 3:42 in the 141 lbs. match, Danny Zilverberg scored a 12-3 major decision over Shawn Perry at 149 lbs. and No. 11 Cody Yohn followed up a 9-3 loss in the 157 lbs. match with a 15-0 technical fall over Ben Cox in the 165 lbs. match. The Badgers, who remain winless in Big Ten action, would make it interesting over the next three matches however, picking up a trio of decision in the 174-197 lbs. matches to head into the 285 lbs. match with Minnesota nursing an 18-15 lead. Bonus points by Wisconsin would have given the higher-ranked team a come from behind win while a decision would have given Wisconsin its second tie of the season. However, neither result would come as Berhow sent the packed house into a frenzy with the late takedown to seal the win in both the match and the dual. Minnesota returns to action next Saturday at Ohio State. The dual can be watched live on the Big Ten Network. Results: 125: No. 5 Zach Sanders (MINN) dec. Tom Kelliher (WISC) 11-8 133: No. 3 Tyler Graff (WISC) dec. David Thorn (MINN)9-4 141: No. 2 Mike Thorn (MINN) fall Danny Arnel (WISC) 3:42 149: Danny Zilverberg (MINN) maj. Shawn Perry (WISC) 12-3 157: Kalvin Yok (WISC) dec. Joe Grygelko (MINN) 9-3 165: No. 11 Cody Yohn (MINN) tech. Ben Cox (WISC) 15-0; 3:27 174: No. 19 Ben Jordan dec. No. 8 Scott Glasser (MINN) 8-4 184: No. 3 Travis Rutt (WISC) dec. No. 9 Kevin Steinhaus (MINN) 3-2 197: No. 2 Trevor Brandvold (WISC) dec. Joe Nord (MINN) 8-1 285: Ben Berhow (MINN) dec. No. 11 Eric Bugenhagen (WISC) 3-2

ITHACA, N.Y. -- Cornell wrestling head coach Rob Koll notched his 200th career win on Sunday afternoon with a 30-16 victory over No. 15 Iowa State. The Big Red collected bonus points in all six of its wins, with Kyle Dake (149) and Steve Bosak (184) pinning their opponents in their respective weight classes. In front of a crowd of 4,419 in Newman Arena, Cornell inducted four new members into its Hall of Distinguished Wrestling Alumni. The match also served as the Big Red's annual fundraiser for the Adam Frey Foundation. The dual started at 141 pounds. Freshman Mike Nevinger collected six team points for Cornell with a win by forfeit. At 149 pounds, No. 2 Dake faced Max Mayfield. Dake got on the board a minute into the bout with a takedown, and earned two back points as time ran out in the first period. Mayfield chose to start the second period at neutral. Dake took down the Iowa State wrestler once again and turned him to win by fall in 4:44. No. 9 DJ Meagher faced Trent Weatherman at 157 pounds. Weatherman countered a shot by Meagher midway through the first period and caught the Big Red wrestler for a takedown immediately earning back points. Weatherman was looking for the fall, but Meagher worked relentlessly to return to his stomach. With 15 seconds left in the period, Meagher reversed Weatherman and almost had back points but time ran out. Meagher escaped from his opening down position in the second period and with 30 seconds off the clock grabbed a takedown. Weatherman escaped, and countered a shot by Meagher once again turning him to his back. Weatherman won by fall in 4:36. Freshman Craig Eifert moved up a weight class from Friday night to wrestle for Cornell at 165 pounds against No. 9 Andrew Sorenson. Sorenson took down Eifert 45 seconds into the period and rode him out for the remainder. The Cyclone escaped from his bottom position in the second period. Eifert scored to come within a point with a takedown against the ranked junior. Eifert escaped from his down position to start the third period, but Sorenson would take him down two more times. The Big Red rookie fought hard throughout the entire match always looking to score, but Sorenson won the 9-4 decision. In the highly anticipated bout at 174 pounds, No. 3 Mack Lewnes squared off against No. 1 Jon Reader. Reader grabbed a takedown early in the first period. Lewnes would escape, but the Iowa State wrestler took him down once again. Reader chose to start the second period down and quickly reversed Lewnes. Lewnes escaped to head into the third period down, 6-3. Lewnes immediately escaped from his opening down position in the third and 10 seconds later took down Reader to tie the bout at 6-6. Over 30 seconds ticked off the clock before Reader was able to escape. Reader was hit with a stalling warning late in the period, but evaded Lewnes long enough to secure a 7-6 decision. The Big Red and Iowa State was tied 12-12. No. 7 ranked Bosak followed at 184 pounds taking on Cole Shafer. Bosak quickly took down his opponent, but when he worked to tilt, Shafer reversed him. Bosak escaped, but the Iowa State wrestler scored again with a takedown. With 20 seconds left on the clock, Bosak fought to neutral to tie the bout at 4-4. Shafer chose to start the second period down, and Bosak took advantage turning him to win by fall in 3:34. During a 10 minute halftime break, the Big Red inducted Dr. Richard Fox, John Murray, Donald New and Dick Vincent into the Hall of Distinguished Wrestling Alumni. Koll, along with assistant coach Damion Hahn also presented a check as a donation to the Adam Frey Foundation. After the break, No. 1 Cam Simaz faced No. 16 Jerome Ward. Simaz got on the board first with a takedown, but Ward reversed him to tie the bout. Ward received his first stall warning when he failed to quickly return to the center of the mat after the action went out of bounds. Simaz earned his escape with 13 seconds left in the period. Ward escaped from his opening down position in the second period, and Simaz took him down once again. Simaz quickly let him up looking to score. The Big Red wrestler earned two more points when Ward was hit with two more stalling calls. Simaz grabbed another takedown before the end of the period. Simaz chose to start the third down and immediately escaped. Ward was taken down once again, but worked to neutral. The Big Red junior earned two points when Ward was called for stalling for the fourth time. Simaz won a 14-6 major decision. At heavyweight, Stryker Lane wrestled against Kyle Simonson. Simonson held a 4-0 lead after the first with a takedown and two back points. The Cyclone notched two more points in the second with a reversal from his starting down position. Lane chose neutral to start the third period, and Simonson took him down with 24 seconds left in the match. Lane escaped with two seconds left on the clock, but with 1:54 in riding time, Simonson won a 9-1 major decision. The dual continued with No. 10 Frank Perrelli facing Brandon Jones at 125 pounds. The Big Red wrestler notched two takedowns in the opening period. Perrelli escaped from his starting down position in the second period, and with a takedown and two back points held a 9-1 lead. Jones chose to start the third down, and Perrelli racked up riding time until with 18 seconds left in the match, Jones escaped. With 3:13 in riding time, Perrelli won a 10-2 major decision. In the last bout of the day, senior No. 7 Mike Grey took on Ben Cash at 133 pounds. The crowd was electric in showing its support for the Big Red wrestler, who returned to the mats for the first time this season against Binghamton on Friday after fighting back from an injury. For the second time in as many matches, Grey looked to be back at full strength easily taking down Cash twice in the first period. Grey quickly escaped from his opening down position in the third and took down his opponent three more times. Cash escaped to start the third period, and grabbed his only two offensive points with a takedown with a little more than a minute left in the bout. Grey quickly escaped. The Big Red veteran notched two more takedowns and added two back points for good measure as time ran out. With 3:30 in riding time, Grey won an impressive 19-8 major decision. The Big Red will open its Ivy League slate next weekend as it travels to Columbia on Saturday for a 6 p.m. bout. Cornell will wrestle at Hofstra earlier in the day at 1 p.m. Results: 141: Mike Nevinger (Cornell) win by forfeit (CU, 6-0) 149: No. 2 Kyle Dake (Cornell) win by fall Max Mayfield (Iowa State), 4:44 (CU, 12-0) 157: Trent Weatherman (Iowa State) win by fall No. 9 DJ Meagher (Cornell), 4:36 (CU, 12-6) 165: No. 9 Andrew Sorenson (Iowa State) dec. Craig Eifert (Cornell), 9-4 (CU, 12-9) 174: No. 1 Jon Reader (Iowa State) dec. No. 3 Mack Lewnes (Cornell), 7-6 (Tied, 12-12) 184: No. 7 Steve Bosak (Cornell) win by fall Cole Shafer (Iowa State), 3:34 (CU, 18-12) 197: No. 1 Cam Simaz (Cornell) maj. dec. No. 16 Jerome Ward (Iowa State), 14-6 (CU, 22-12) HWT: Kyle Simonson (Iowa State) maj. dec. Stryker Lane (Cornell), 9-1 (CU, 22-16) 125: No. 10 Frank Perelli (Cornell) maj. dec. Brandon Jones (Iowa State), 10-2 (CU, 26-16) 133: No. 7 Mike Grey (Cornell) maj. dec. Ben Cash (Iowa State), 19-8 (CU, 30-16)