InterMat Staff

PITTSBURGH, Pa. -- Chris Honeycutt won his showdown against Pittsburgh's Matt Wilps but it was the ninth-ranked Panthers who came away with the big evening on Friday, clinching their third straight Eastern Wrestling League Championship with a 26-10 win over 20th-ranked Edinboro at Fitzgerald Field House. The loss drops Edinboro to 9-3 overall and 4-1 in the EWL, while the Panthers are now 14-1 and 6-0. The good news for the Fighting Scots is they won't have long to dwell on the loss, returning to action on Saturday night, hosting West Virginia on Senior Night. Honeycutt, ranked second by InterMat at 197 lbs., defeated fourth-ranked Wilps (26-2) for the second time, and did so in dominant fashion. The senior recorded five takedowns to snap Wilps' 16-match winning streak with an 11-5 decision. Honeycutt is now 33-0 and improved to 123-20 for his career. Unfortunately, the rest of Edinboro's highly-ranked grapplers struggled against a veteran Pittsburgh team wrestling its final home match. The Panthers won seven of the first eight matches before Edinboro claimed the last two bouts. Anthony Zanetta, 25-3 and ranked 15th, started the night with a 9-0 major decision over Kory Mines at 125 lbs., dropping Mines to 14-15 on the season. Pitt picked up a big win in the next match at 133 lbs., as Shelton Mack upset seventh-ranked A.J. Schopp, 3-2. The loss dropped the redshirt freshman to 32-4 and snapped a ten-match winning streak. Mack was able to make a first period takedown stand up. 14th-ranked Mitchell Port improved to 25-6 with his ninth straight win, a 4-2 decision over Travis Shaffer, at 141 lbs. That left the Scots trailing 7-3, but Pitt ran off wins in the next five bouts. It began with the other marquee matchup at 149 lbs. between Dave Habat, ranked fifth, and Tyler Nauman, ranked 12th. The fourth meeting was the equalizer, after Nauman won the first and Habat the next two. Nauman prevailed 7-4 to improve to 24-4, while Habat suffered his first loss in his last 12 matches to fall to 32-6. Honeycutt would snap the string with his win at 197 lbs., and Ernest James followed with an impressive 10-1 major decision over Joel Yahner at heavyweight. That leaves the sophomore with 28-8 record. Results: 125 #15 Anthony Zanetta (UP) maj. dec. Kory Mines (E), 9-0 0-4 133 Shelton Mack (UP) dec. #7 A.J. Schopp (EU), 3-2 0-7 141 #14 Mitchell Port (EU) dec. Travis Shaffer (UP), 4-2 3-7 149 #12 Tyler Nauman (UP) dec. #5 Dave Habat (EU), 7-4 3-10 157 Donnie Tasser (UP) dec. Casey Fuller (EU), 6-0 3-13 165 Tyler Wilps (UP) maj. dec. Jesse Swink (EU), 14-4 3-17 174 Ethan Headlee (UP) fall over Chris Hrunka (EU), 1:51 3-23 184 Andy Vaughan (UP) dec.Vic Avery (EU), 9-3 3-26 197 #2 Chris Honeycutt (EU) dec. #4 Matt Wilps (UP), 11-5 6-26 285 Ernest James (EU) maj. dec. Joel Yahner (UP), 10-1 10-26

Buies Creek, N.C. -- The Citadel wrestling team scored victories in the final four matches of the evening as the Bulldogs rallied from a 13-9 deficit to earn a 25-13 Southern Conference win over host Campbell University Friday evening. The Bulldogs even their overall record at 8-8 and secured a third place finish in the SoCon standings with a 4-2 mark on the season. The Citadel continued to dominate the upper weights this season, picking up the final 16 points on the evening for the victory. Turtogtokh Luvsandorj scored a takedown on James Cook just eight seconds into overtime to earn at 4-2 decision at 174 and cut the Bulldogs' deficit to one point. Josh Tuck put The Citadel back in the lead for good with a 14-2 major decision over Matthew Cox at 184 and Kelby Smith picked up some revenge for a loss at the Southern Scuffle, defeating John Weakley by a 6-4 decision at 197 pounds to stay a perfect 6-0 in SoCon matches this season. Joining Smith with a perfect mark in league action was No. 15 Odie Delaney, who pinned Joe Nolan at the 4:22 mark for his 12th fall of the season and improved to 22-2 on the year. Richard Alarcon opened up the dual with six points for the Bulldogs at 125, pinning Grabiel Soto at the 1:45 mark for his sixth fall of the season. Campbell cut the lead in half with a 9-5 decision victory by Joey Rizzolino over Kyle Casaletto at 133. The Citadel regained its six-point advantage at 141 as Jordan Dix posted a 6-2 decision over Jordan Tolbert. Campbell reeled off three straight wins at 149, 157 and 165 to take a 13-9 lead heading into the upper weights. Mark Hartenstine scored a 12-0 major decision over David Ivashchenko at 149 and Nick Rex needed double overtime to dispatch Pierre Frazile at 157. Heading into the second overtime period, Frazile was called for stalling and Rex was awarded the go-ahead point before escaping Frazile's advantage in the third overtime session for the two-point victory. At 165, Mike Harper dropped a 4-2 decision to Ryan Krecker, when Krecker scored a takedown with one second remaining in the third period for the dramatic win. The Bulldogs return to action Sunday afternoon as they host Sacred Heart and North Carolina for The Citadel Duals. The Citadel will take on Sacred Heart at noon in McAlister Field House and weather permitting, take on North Carolina outside at First Barracks at 1:30 p.m. In the case of inclement weather, the dual will be held at McAlister Field House. The Bulldogs will also honor its five seniors before the UNC contest. Results: 125 Richard Alarcon (The Citadel) won by pin over Grabiel Soto (Campbell) 1:45; CIT leads 6-0 133 Joey Rizzolino (Campbell) won by decision over Kyle Casaletto (The Citadel) 9-5; CIT leads 6-3 141 Jordan Dix (The Citadel) won by decision over Jordan Tolbert (Campbell) 6-2; CIT leads 9-3 149 Mark Hartenstine (Campbell) won by major decision over David Ivashchenko (The Citadel) 12-0; CIT leads 9-7 157 Nick Rex (Campbell) won in double overtime over Pierre Frazile (The Citadel) 4-2 TB; CAMP leads 10-9 165 Ryan Krecker (Campbell) won by decision over Michael Harper (The Citadel) 4-2; CAMP leads 13-9 174 Turtogtokh Luvsandorj (The Citadel) won by decision over James Cook (Campbell) 4-2 SV; CAMP leads 13-12 184 Josh Tuck (The Citadel) won by major decision over Matthew Cox (Campbell) 14-2; CIT leads 16-13 197 Kelby Smith (The Citadel) won by decision over John Weakley (Campbell) 6-4; CIT leads 19-13 285 No. 15 Odie Delaney (The Citadel) won by pin over Joe Nolan (Campbell) 4:22; CIT wins 25-13

LOCK HAVEN -- The Bloomsburg University wrestling team closed out its regular season with a 21-12 win over Lock Haven on Friday in an Eastern Wrestling League matchup. Bloomsburg ends the year with a record of 16-7, 3-3 in the EWL. The Huskies jumped out to a 7-0 lead and never looked back in the match. Nationally-ranked Frank Hickman (Castle Hayne, NC/E.A. Laney) won by a score of 11-3 at 157 pounds to highlight the night for the Huskies. The win was the eighth straight in the series between the two rivals. Bloomsburg will wrestle in the EWL championships at Clarion on March 4. Match by match (Information courtesy of Lock Haven Sports Information) 125: Rehm vs. Boylan – Tremendous action midway through first period, Boylan worked strong single leg, nearly scored TD, but Rehm countered and strong double leg almost led to TD, but again Boylan scrambled and countered the move ... Boylan scored a TD after a strong single leg with 28 seconds left in first period to lead 2-0 … Boylan quickly scrambles to feet and escapes early in the second period …3-0 Boylan after two … with 1:22 left in third, Rehm escapes, Boylan quicky works in for a takedown and 5-1 lead … Rehm late reversal … RT 1:31 Boylan wins 7-3, Bloom leads 3-0 133: Childress vs. Wilcox – slow first period, no real shots or action from either, 0-0 after one … Childress starts down and Wilcox goes to work quickly turning Childress with a cradle, three near fall to Wilcox and 1:59 RT, 3-0 after two … Childress starts on top and with a minute to go Wilcox works a reversal for 5-0 lead … again Wilcox works Childress to back for three more near fall and 2:03 RT, Wilcox wins 9-0, Bloom leads 7-0 141: #33 Bonson vs. Hicks – Bonson gets TD just 20 seconds into bout, after quick restart, Bonson goes to work on top and rides out period for 2:32 of riding time … Bonson starts second down, 33 seconds left in second Bonson earns escape after Hicks was tough on top and countered every move (3-0) RT at 1:04 in favor of Bonson … Neutral to start third … RT 1:04, Bonson wins 4-0, Bloom 7-3 149: Randt vs. #30 Busler – Late first period takedown for Busler …Busler scores early second period escape, Busler scores another TD with less than 10 seconds to go in second, leads 5-0 after two … Randt earns escape midway through third, but Busler quick TD, but cuts Rehm (7-2) … RT 1:06, Busler wins 8-2, Bloom 13-3 157: Fry vs. #8 Hickman – 1:43 in, Hickman ankle picked a single leg for TD, 2-0 after one … Hickman starts second with quick escape, Fry nearly had takedown, but Hickman countered with TD of his own (5-0), cuts Fry (5-1) … Hickman lead 6-1 after two (got point for Fry stalling) … Hickmans goes to work on top in third, lets Fry out … just under a minute, takedown for Hickman (8-3), cuts Fry, TD Hickman (10-3) … 2:57 RT Hickman 11-3, Bloom leads 14-3 165: Creasy vs. Smith – No scoring, not much action … Creasy had deep single leg late, but couldn't record TD … midway through second, Creasy scores reversal, Smith escapes with just one second left in second period … 2-1 Creasy … Smith chooses down to start third, Creasy hammers third and rides it out for 2:26 RT, wins 3-1, Bloom leads 14-6 174: McKinney vs. Dessino – 0-0 after one, not much action … Dessino earns quick escape to start second period, 36 seconds left in second, TD for Dessino 3-0 after two … neutral third period start, McKinney has deep single leg, nearly TD, but Dessino counters and scores sloppy takedown for 5-0 lead …1:07 RT, Dessino wins 6-0, Bloom 17-6 184: Garcia vs. Shirey – Garcia scores takedown off opening whistle, but 31 seconds in Shirey gets escape … Garcia scores takedown with under 30 seconds to go, 4-1 after one … Shirey earns escape early in second and Shirey takes him down (4-4), but can't keep him down and Garcia escapes (5-4) … 5-4 after two, Garcia starts third down and quickly escapes (6-4) … Shirey takedown with under a minute and quick escape to Garcia (7-6 Garcia) … 1:05 RT to Garcia 8-6 final, Bloom 17=9 197: Parlier vs. #27 Perry – Perry earns three first period takedowns and leads 6-3 after one … Parlier escapes quick in second, but Perry puts him on his back for a four-point move (10-4) … 10-4 after two with 2:32 RT … Perry escapes in third and earns another TD … FINAL 16-6 (2:29 RT), Bloom leads 21-9 285: Walsh vs. Turner – scoreless first … Walsh starts second down, earns escape 1-0 Walsh … Turners starts third down, quick escape to Turner, Turner scores takedown with 1:13 to go in match … 52 seconds left, Walsh escape (3-2) … Turner wins 3-2, Bloom wins 21-12 Results: 125: Sean Boylan (Seaville, NJ/St. Marks) (Bloom) dec. Bobby Rehm (LHU) 7-3 133: Nick Wilcox (Greene, NY/Greene Central) (Bloom) major dec. Jonathan Childress (LHU) 9-0 141: #33 Matt Bonson (LHU) dec. Matt Hicks (Allentown (Annapolis, MD)/St. Mary's, MD) (Bloom) 4-0 149: #30 Bryce Busler (Mechanicsburg/Cumberland Valley) (Bloom) dec. William Randt (LHU) 8-2 157: #7 Frank Hickman (Castle Hayne, NC/E.A. Laney) (Bloom) major dec. Aaron Fry (LHU) 11-3 165: Seth Creasy (LHU) dec. Chris Smith (Mineral, Va./Chancelor) (Bloom) 3-1 174: #27 Mike Dessino (Middlesex, NJ/Middlesex) (Bloom) dec. Aaron McKinney (LHU) 6-0 184: Fred Garcia (LHU) dec. Sam Shirey (Beaver Springs/Midd-West) (Bloom) 8-6 197: #27 Richard Perry (Meriden, CT/Middletown) (Bloom) major dec. Matt Parlier (LHU) 16-6 285: Harry Turner (LHU) dec. Zac Walsh (Denville, NJ/Morris Knolls) (Bloom) 3-2

ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- The Navy wrestling team won eight of the 10 bouts, including each of the first four to secure a 27-9 victory over arch rival Army in the annual Star Match held Friday evening in front of a packed house at Alumni Hall in Annapolis. Navy has won 12 straight against the Black Knights, including six in a row in Annapolis. “I am so proud of the effort our team put forth tonight and the fight they brought to the match,” said Navy head coach Bruce Burnett, who is 12-0 against the Black Knights since his arrival in Annapolis. “We were well prepared and came out and wrestled hard. “From Chet Gladchuk, our athletic director, to Adm. Miller, our Superintendent to Capt. Clark, our Commandant, I can't say enough about the support in which they gave us tonight. Having a good number of the Brigade in attendance to back us gave us the opportunity to win this match.” Navy built an early 12-0 lead after taking the first four matches of the evening, including the opening bout featuring senior team captain Aaron Kalil against Army junior Jordan Thome at 133 pounds. It marked the third time this season the two wrestlers had met and Kalil made it a sweep by capturing a 5-4 decision over Thome. Deadlocked at 2-2 going into the final period, Kalil took a 4-2 lead with a takedown with just 46 seconds left in the match. However, Thome knotted the match up on a reversal with 14 seconds to go. Kalil would go on to win the match after building more than two minutes of riding time over the first two periods. “I think Aaron set the tone for the match with his win over the Thome kid,” said Burnett. “Do you know how hard it is to beat a kid three times by a similiar score? He's a tough wrestler, but Aaron matched him throughout and started us off with a win.” Senior Dustin Hasilip (Inwood, W.Va.) closed out his dual career by scoring a 6-0 victory over Army sophomore Tyler Rauenzahn at 141 pounds. Haislip scored the takedown mid-way through the first period and never looked back, as Rauenzahn wouldn't score his lone point of the match until the final period. Meanwhile, sophomore Joe Locksmith (Kissimmee, Fla.) earned his third dual win of the season by way of a 5-3 decision over Army sophomore Ryan Bilyeu. Locksmith jumped out to a 3-1 lead after the first two periods, but began to tire as the match wore on. Bilyeu closed to within one early in the final period with an escape, but Locksmith scored a takedown with 17 seconds left to push his lead to 5-2. Bilyeu, however, immediately freed himself and was back within a takedown, but Locksmith contained him for the win. Making his Army-Navy debut was junior Bobby Barnhisel (River Forest, Ill.) who carried on the Mids' success at 157 pounds that two-time All-American Bryce Saddoris had previously carried over the last four seasons. Barnhisel scored a pair of two-point nearfalls over Army senior Jimmy Rafferty to take a 6-1 advantage into the second period. Barnhisel added a point for an escape in the second and another point for his 1:23 of riding time to take the match, 8-1. After being shut out by Army rookie Cole Gracey in the 165-pound championship bout of the All-Academy Championship two weeks ago, junior Mason Bailey (Fairmont, W.Va.) sought to avenge the loss. Bailey owned a 2-1 advantage going into the final period, but a last minute takedown by Gracey gave the Army newcomer a 3-2 lead with 1:01 to go. Bailey, however, owned over two minutes of riding time and that point would have sent the match into extra minutes. Instead, the match quickly turned in favor of Gracey and with just 18 seconds remaining in the bout, Gracey was able to get the fall over Bailey, cutting Navy's lead to six at 12-6. Junior 174-pound Oscar Huntley (Stafford, Va.) earned a major decision after bumping up to 197 pounds for the Mids in last year's match. This year, he shut out junior Collin Wittmeyer, 6-0, to push the Mids' advantage in the match to 15-6. Wrestling in his final Army-Navy match was 184-pound Luke Rebertus (Gloucester, Va.), who absolutely manhandled Army senior Michael Gorman. Rebertus scored four takedowns, two 2-point nearfalls and a 3-point nearfall en route to a 17-2 tech fall over Gorman. It was Rebertus' 99th-collegiate victory and he will graduate owning a 3-0 individual record in Star Matches. Navy newcomer Paul Rands (Cary, Ill.) faced a tough challenge in meeting Army senior Derek Stanley, who was coming off a title win at the All-Academy Championship. After a scoreless first period between the two 197-pounders, Stanley scored the first point of the match off an escape. Rands, who took a shot to the head from Stanley going into the third period, was finally able to gather himself and tie up the match with an escape with just 20 seconds to go. In an attempt to take down Stanley for the winning points, Stanley turned the tables and took Rands to the mat for two with three seconds remaining and tacked on a point for just over a minute of riding time for the 4-1 decision. Junior heavyweight Dan Miller (Berlin, Md.) clinched the team victory for the Mids by way of a 6-1 victory over Army senior Daniel Mills who was vastly outweighed by Miller. Senior 125-pound Tyler Sackett (Omaha, Neb.), meanwhile, took full advantage of what was his first and only Star Match against Army. In the opening period he scored a takedown and three 3-point nearfalls to hold an 11-0 lead. Sackett broke down in the final 20 seconds of the match, giving up a pair of takedowns and a 2-point nearfall, but it wouldn't matter as Sackett earned a 15-7 major decision for the Mids. “Our seniors - Tyler Sackett, Dustin Haislip, Aaron Kalil and Luke Rebertus - they performed tonight,” added Burnett. “I'm just so proud of their effort!” Not only did the Midshipmen push their series advantage to 46-5-5, the rout marked Navy's 12th-straight win over its service academy rival. “Army has a good team, but honestly, I think the level of competition that we compete against throughout the year helps give us an edge. It doesn't always look good in the win/loss record, but we learn how to compete and grind it out with some of the best competition the country has to offer. That prepares you for a tough rivalry match like this and sets us up for the conference and national championships.” Navy will use the next two weeks to prepare for the 108th EIWA Championship which will be held at Princeton on March 3-4. Results: 133 – Aaron Kalil (N) dec. Jordan Thome (A), 5-4 3-0 141 – Dustin Haislip (N) dec. Tyler Rauenzahn (A), 6-1 6-0 149 – Joe Locksmith (N) dec. Ryan Bilyeu (A), 5-3 9-0 157 – Bobby Barnhisel (N) dec. Jimmy Rafferty (A), 8-1 12-0 165 – Cole Gracey (A) fall Mason Bailey (N), 6:42 12-6 174 – Oscar Huntley (N) dec. Collin Wittmeyer (A), 6-0 15-6 184 – #13 Luke Rebertus (N) tech fall Michael Gorman (A), 17-2 20-6 197 – Derek Stanley (A) dec. Paul Rands (N), 4-1 20-9 HWT – Dan Miller (N) dec. Daniel Mills (A), 6-1 23-9 125 – Tyler Sackett (N) major dec. Scott Filbert (A), 15-7 27-9

CLARION, Pa. -- Kent State (14-5) ended the dual portion of its season on a high note, with a 30-16 victory over Clarion Friday night at Tippin Gym. With two starters out of the lineup and another wrestling up a weight class, the Golden Flashes trailed 16-14 after six matches. The Golden Eagles recorded pins at 141 and 165 and looked ready to extend their lead at 174, before senior Ross Tice (Brookfield, Ohio) mounted a late comeback. Moving up from his usual spot at 165, Tice trailed 7-3 in the third, before rallying for a 10-7 victory. A third period escape and stalling point narrowed the margin to 7-5 and with 25 seconds left, Tice scored a takedown quickly followed by back points. The win by Tice was the first of four straight by the Flashes to end the dual. "Ross really went after him late and their guy was getting tired," Head Coach Jim Andrassy said. "He was nearly pinned earlier in the match, but he wrestled really hard tonight and things could have gotten interesting if he doesn't fight off his back." The night started with senior Nic Bedelyon (Lewistown, Pa.) scoring a 21-4 technical fall. Bedelyon put Trey Hicks on his back three different times. Junior Stevie Mitcheff (Lorain, Ohio) scored a key takedown in the third period to defeat Joe Waltko 8-5. "Stevie wrestled well," Andrassy said. "He needs to correct a couple mistakes, but he's really made progress this year." Momentum shifted when sophomore Tyler Small (Littlestown, Pa.) was cradled and pinned in the opening period by Tyler Bedelyon. "Tyler looked flat tonight, almost like he was in a daze and I'm not sure why," Andrassy said. Kent State answered with a pin of its own as freshman Ian Miller (Oak Harbor, Ohio) had a first period fall against Cameron Moran. Miller threw a half in during a mat return and dragged Moran back in bounds to flatten him. Miller leads the team with 11 pins on the year. Senior Marcel Clopton (Shaker Hts., Ohio) moved up a weight to 157 and ran into No. 4 James Fleming, who claimed a 14-2 major decision. The Eagles then took the lead when No. 5 Bekzod Abdurakhmonov pinned redshirt freshman Andrew Candiello (Pittsburgh, Pa.). An injury to Brandonn Johnson (Middletown, Md.) forced Tice to move up a weight, giving Candiello his first appearance in a college dual. After Tice grabbed the lead back, junior Casey Newburg (Union, Ohio) tallied his ninth major decision of the season, an 11-2 win over Steven Cressley. Junior Keith Witt (Oak Harbor, Ohio) sealed the team victory with a 10-6 win over Alex Thomas. Witt jumped out to an early 4-0 lead, following a quick takedown and tilt and never trailed. Senior heavyweight Brendan Barlow (Westerville, Ohio) left no doubt about what was once a close dual, with a second period pin against Brandon Contreras. The Golden Flashes now have two weeks to prepare for the 2012 Mid-American Conference Championships on March 4 in Athens. "Our goal has been to win the MAC Tournament and we feel like we'll be healthy and ready for it." Results: 125 - Nic Bedelyon (Kent State) over Trey Hicks (Clarion) Tech Fall 21-4 133 – Stevie Mitcheff (Kent State) over Joe Waltko (Clarion) Dec. 8-5 141 - Tyler Bedelyon (Clarion) over Tyler Small (Kent State) Fall 1:34 149 –Ian Miller (Kent State) over Cameron Moran (Clarion) Fall 1:46 157 –James Fleming (Clarion) over Marcel Clopton (Kent State) Maj. Dec 14-2 165 –Bekzod Abdurakhmonov (Clarion) over Andy Candiello (Kent State) Fall 4:02 174 –Ross Tice (Kent State) over Nick Milano (Clarion) Dec. 10-7 184 –Casey Newburg (Kent State) over Steven Cressley (Clarion) Maj. Dec 11-2 197 –Keith Witt (Kent State) over Alex Thomas (Clarion) Dec 10-6 HWT - Brendan Barlow (Kent State) over Brandon Contreras (Clarion) Fall 4:24

VESTAL, N.Y. -- No. 19 Binghamton wrestling celebrated its Senior Night in grand style with a commanding 29-9 win over CAA rival and No. 23 Old Dominion Friday at West Gym. The Bearcats (15-4) won seven of the 10 bouts and with the victory in their final dual, BU broke the program's Division I-era record for highest win percentage in a season (.789), set by last year's team (16-6, .727). Two pins and two major decisions allowed Binghamton to rack up the points against a strong Monarchs squad that entered the match with five ranked individuals. “This is an important win for team momentum heading into the conference tournament,” head coach Pat Popolizio said. “Old Dominion has had our number over the years so it's great to turn the tide over a conference rival. Our mindset and focus now has to shift to getting our guys peaking at the right time as we go into the CAA Championship in two weeks.” Before the match, BU honored its three outgoing seniors - Matt Kaylor, Justin Lister and Mike McKeever. Then the Bearcats got rolling with a key win in the opening match. Junior 125-pound Derek Steeley hit a reversal with 1:20 remaining in his match against No. 29 Jerome Robinson. Already holding riding time, Steeley gave up a reversal but earned the escape with 28 seconds left and then fought off a late takedown attempt from Robinson to secure a 7-5 win. After ODU countered with back-to-back wins at 133 (9-4) and 141 (11-4), BU rode the strength of its middle weights to the tune of five straight wins - including two pins and a major - to seal the lopsided win. Junior No. 4 Donnie Vinson began the run with a 15-5 major decision at 149 pounds. Vinson led 12-2 after the first period and compiled five takedowns to lift his record to 30-4, 18-1 in duals. Vinson has lost just twice in 41 duals over the last two seasons (39-2). Lister, ranked No. 9 at 157 pounds in the latest NCAA Coaches' Panel, recorded his historic 100th win in style with a first-period pin of Jacob Kingett. Lister put Kingett to his back just 20 seconds into the match and ended it shortly thereafter with his 13th pin of the season and 36th career fall. Lister, a 2010 All-American, is now 100-36 in his career, including a 23-5 mark this season. Kaylor, No. 25, continued the run with a solid 8-2 win over No. 21 Tristan Warner at 165 pounds. Kaylor, ranked No. 4 in the CAA, was aggressive from the opening whistle against No. 2 Warner, and built a 5-0 first-period lead thanks to a takedown and back points. He added a third-period takedown and riding time to notch his 110th career win. Kaylor is 22-8 overall. After a decision by freshman 174-pound Caleb Wallace, junior 184-pound Nate Schiedel, No. 20, notched a takedown just over one minute into his match with Billy Curling and ended it with his seventh pin of the season in 1:28. Schiedel improved to 26-7 overall, 14-3 in duals. Freshman heavyweight Nick Gwiazdowski, No. 18, trailed Grant Chapman 2-1 after one before a second-period takedown and subsequent back points gave him control. The true freshman then rattled off five takedowns in the third period to produce the 19-6 major decision. Binghamton now sets its focus on the postseason and its host role for the upcoming CAA Championship on March 3. The event will serve as the NCAA qualifier with numerous Bearcats eying a trip to St. Louis for the NCAA Championship on March 15-17. Results: 125 Derek Steeley (BU) dec. #29 Jerome Robinson (ODU), 7-5 133 Scott Festejo (ODU) dec. Patrick Hunter (BU), 9-4 141 #26 Justin LaValle (ODU) dec. Joe Bonaldi (BU), 11-4 149 #4 Donnie Vinson (BU) maj. dec. Brennan Brumley (ODU), 15-5 157 #9 Justin Lister (BU) pinned Jacob Kingett (ODU), 1:07 165 #25 Matt Kaylor (BU) dec. #21 Tristan Warner (ODU), 8-2 174 Caleb Wallace (BU) dec. Brett Miller (ODU), 6-3 184 #20 Nate Schiedel (BU) pinned Billy Curling (ODU), 1:28 197 Joe Budi (ODU) dec. #31 Cody Reed (BU), 3-2 Hwt #18 Nick Gwiazdowski (BU) maj. dec. Grant Chapman (ODU), 19-6 Rankings are the Feb. 7 NCAA Coaches' Rankings

EVANSTON, Ill. -- No. 18 Northwestern ended the 2011-12 regular season on a positive note Friday night, defeating Indiana 27-7 at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Despite dropping the first two matches of the evening, NU rattled off eight-straight wins to end the regular season with five-straight dual victories, an 11-4 overall record and 4-4 mark in Big Ten action. Also of note in Friday's victory is junior Jason Welch concluding the regular season with a perfect 21-0 record. Ranked second in the country at 157 lbs., Welch now has a .817 career winning percentage (76-17), tying him with current NU volunteer assistant coach and three-time All-American Brandon Precin for seventh on the school's career winning percentage list. Friday's match was Senior Night and right off the bat, two upperclassmen battled hard in the first two bouts at 184 and 197 lbs. At 184 lbs., senior Robert Kellogg and Luke Sheridan wrestled to a scoreless first period. Kellogg got on the board first with a second-period escape but IU countered with a takedown, taking the 2-1 lead into the third. Another IU escape put the score at 3-1 yet Kellogg tied everything up with a takedown of his own. Sheridan managed to edge the NU senior 4-3 with one final escape. Senior captain John Schoen had the tall task of facing IU's No. 3 Matt Powless at 197 lbs. Schoen wrestled Powless close the first two periods but the Hoosier was able to rattle off a number of points in the third, taking the 10-2 major decision. Indiana's 7-0 lead didn't last long though as the Wildcats began their eight-match winning streak at heavyweight in one of the night's most exciting bouts. No. 13 Mike McMullan used a takedown in the final four seconds to come back for the 5-4 victory over Adam Chalfant. IU led the entire match before McMullan scored the match-winning takedown. No. 10 Levi Mele kept things rolling at 125 lbs., defeating Zach Zimmer 9-4, putting the 'Cats within one at 7-6. True freshman Jameson Oster used a huge first period to shut out Joe Duca 11-0 at 133 lbs., giving Northwestern the 10-7 lead. Oster scored a quick eight points off a takedown, three nearfall points and three more back points all within the first two minutes. Redshirt freshman Colin Shober wrestled a close match against Matt Ortega and emerged the 4-3 winner. Shober scored the first takedown but Ortega took the 3-2 first-period lead off an escape and takedown of his own. Shober evened the score at 3-3 with an escape before the end of the period. Beginning the second period down, Shober tacked on one more escape and neither wrestler scored after a neutral third-period start, giving NU the 4-3 win. Northwestern tacked on two more wins with bonus points as sophomore Kaleb Friedley shut out Geno Capezio, 8-0 with exactly 4:00 of riding time at 149 lbs. and Welch scored a 15-3 major decision over Sawyer Morris at 157 lbs. Redshirt freshman Pierce Harger used a takedown, an escape, a point for stalling and 2:55 of riding time in his 5-0 shutout of Ryan LeBlanc at 165 lbs. At 174 lbs., redshirt freshman and 12th ranked Lee Munster needed a sudden victory period to edge Ryan LeBlanc, 3-1. Both wrestlers traded escapes in the second and third periods and Munster scored the match-winning takedown with 17 seconds left in overtime. With the regular season in the books, Northwestern now turns its attention to the postseason. Up first, the 2012 Big Ten Championships March 3-4 at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Ind. Results: 184: Luke Sheridan (IU) dec Robert Kellogg (NU), 4-3 (3-0 IU) 197: No. 3 Matt Powless (IU) maj dec John Schoen (NU), 10-2 (7-0 IU) Hwt: No. 13 Mike McMullan (NU) dec Adam Chalfant (IU), 5-4 (7-3 IU) 125: No. 10 Levi Mele (NU) dec Zach Zimmer (IU), 9-4 (7-6 IU) 133: Jameson Oster (NU) maj dec Joe Duca (IU), 11-0 (10-7 NU) 141: Colin Shober (NU) dec Matt Ortega (IU), 4-3 (13-7 NU) 149: Kaleb Friedley (NU) maj dec Geno Capezio (IU), 8-0 (17-7 NU) 157: No. 2 Jason Welch (NU) maj dec Sawyer Morris (IU), 15-3 (21-7 NU) 165: Pierce Harger (NU) dec Preston Keiffer (IU), 5-0 (24-7 NU) 174: No. 12 Lee Munster (NU) dec Ryan LeBlanc (IU), 3-1 SV (27-7)

PITTSBURGH -- The University of Pittsburgh wrestling team won its third straight Eastern Wrestling League Dual Meet Championship with a 26-10 victory over visiting Edinboro on Friday night at the Fitzgerald Field House No. 15 Tyler Nauman won a highly anticipated rematch over No. 6 Dave Habat and No. 24 Shelton Mack posted a huge upset over No. 7 A.J. Schopp as the Panthers won their 18th straight match in the conference, in front of a packed house of 2,112 fans. “The crowd definitely played a factor, said Nauman, who will finish his career with just one home loss in his entire college career. “Senior night, last match here and we wanted it. I think that showed in our performance tonight.” Pitt, winner of 11 straight dual meets this season, improves to 14-1. The Panthers had the match and the title clinched with three bouts still left to go following Ethan Headlee's fall at 174 pounds. Headlee's fall was the 30th of his career, moving him into sixth-place on Pitt's career pins list. “This was a total team effort,” said Pitt head coach Rande Stottlemyer. “I don't think you could have scripted it any better.” Anthony Zanetta got things rolling for the Panthers with a 9-0 major decision over Kory Mines at 125. Zanetta's win was fueled by two takedowns and a three-point tilt as he improved to 14-1 in dual meets this season. Mack followed with a 3-2 decision over Schopp. The Edinboro freshman was 32-3 entering the match and is top-10 in the nation in falls. Mack erased an earlier loss to Schopp this season, bolstered by a first period takedown at the edge of the mat. “It's definitely a huge win for me and it means even more that it helped the team win its third straight title,” Mack said. “The whole season we have known this was going to come down to a few key matches for us to win the EWL.” Nauman (24-4) proved he should still be considered one of the nation's top wrestlers at 149 pounds with his win in the fourth matchup with Habat. The Panther senior evened the season series at 2-2 with a 7-4 decision. It was the third win of the season over a top-10 wrestler for Nauman. His four losses are also against top-10 wrestlers. Nauman's win was the start of five consecutive victories for the Panthers from 149-184. Donnie Tasser and Tyler Wilps followed him with easy wins at 157 and 165, respectively. Tasser notched a 6-0 shutout over Casey Fuller, while Wilps had six takedowns in a 14-4 major decision over Jesse Swink. Andy Vaughan made it a perfect night for the Pitt seniors in the starting lineup with his 9-3 decision over No. 28 Vic Avery. Vaughan, who is ranked No. 32, picked up his first win over a ranked opponent this season, using three takedowns, two escapes and a point for riding time. Edinboro closed out the match with wins at 197 and 285 to get their score into double digits. The 26-10 win was the biggest point differential of the Panthers' three straight victories over the Fighting Scots. Pitt is 4-1 against ranked opponents this season with wins over Michigan, Lehigh, Hofstra and Edinboro, and a loss to Ohio State. The Panthers will face another ranked team when they travel to Penn State to take on the second-ranked and defending national champion Nittany Lions. The match is already sold out with over 6,000 fans expected to attend.

The National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) is excited to announce that ten premier dual meets from the 2012 NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals Presented by Hibiclens and The Marines will be nationally broadcasted to 54 million homes (on a 2 week tape delay) on Fox College Sports, compliments of former wrestler and businessman, Alan Meltzer of The Meltzer Group. “On behalf of the NWCA Board of Directors and our President, Coach Brian Smith, we want to extend a heartfelt thanks to Alan Meltzer for providing the National Duals with unprecedented national television exposure,” said Mike Moyer. The current agreement with Fox College Sports will enable us to have two great dual meets in each of the four Regionals and also of the Championship Final Round nationally televised. So that ten fantastic matches will be televised to 54 million homes each time. Fox College Sports is also committed to re-broadcasting each dual meet a minimum of 10 to 15 times. The Meltzer Group is a full-service insurance and financial services company that has been in business for over 30 years. They are based in the metropolitan area of Washington, DC. The Meltzer Group represents over 1,500 companies for employee benefit and retirement plans along with insuring thousands of people for life insurance, disability insurance and long-term care insurance. “I am happy that I have the ability to give back to the sport of wrestling. It has done so much for me and continues to do so. Being able to help showcase these athletes who are competing with their ultimate competitive goals of making it to the top is a great honor. Wrestling is also continuing to give back, through the Greater Washington Wrestling Business Network (GWWBN) as we have connected and reconnected with so many former wrestlers where everyone works together and makes a great team,” said Meltzer. Alan Meltzer has been recognized as the Agent of the Year for MassMutual 18 times and ranks in the top one percent of all agents nationwide. The Meltzer Group is also extraordinarily philanthropic as evidenced by the fact they donate over a million dollars annually to charity. “Alan should be appreciated as much for his investment ‘in wrestlers' as he is for his investment ‘in wrestling.' He has built one of the most successful insurance companies in the nation by hiring former wrestlers such as Max Meltzer - All American at Harvard, Scott Kirsch -All American at George Mason University, Keith Burgess- University of Maryland, and numerous others. I encourage the wrestling community to support people like Alan Meltzer who so generously contribute to our sport, said Mike Moyer, NWCA Executive Director. The collaboration that is taking place to make this possible is a prime example of “wrestlers” helping “wrestlers.” The group that is coordinating and producing the ten broadcasts is Global Media Marketing, Inc., based out of Anaheim, California. CEO Christian Holiday is a former wrestler from Liberty University and has dedicated countless hours toward producing these national telecasts as well as others. Keith Burgess, another former wrestler and partner at The Meltzer Group, was one of the driving forces behind starting GWWBN, a group dedicated to reuniting former wrestlers who are currently in the business world. Their focus is to promote the importance of wrestlers doing business with each other so as their businesses grow, they are better positioned to give back to the wrestling community at all levels. “This is a tremendous opportunity to promote Division I wrestling at its best. Being able to nationally televise ten great dual meets is a cause that all of us here at the NWCA believe in supporting. This would never have happened without the support of Alan Meltzer and his associates at The Meltzer Group,” said Brian Smith, President of the NWCA. The air dates for Mat Mayhem will be released in the upcoming weeks and will be released at www.nwcaonline.com. Viewers are encouraged to check their local Fox College Sports Channel for specific timing information. The National Wrestling Coaches Association, established in 1928, is a non-profit organization for the advancement of all levels of the sport of wrestling with primary emphasis on developing coaches who work in academic environments. The membership embraces all people interested in amateur wrestling. The three core competencies of the NWCA are: Coaching Development, student-athlete welfare, and promotion of wrestling.

Fight Now USA Presents Takedown Wrestling from the Brute studios in Des Moines, Iowa at 1460 KXNO. Takedown Wrestling is brought to you by Kemin Agrifoods! It's tournament time around the country. This Saturday it's Takedown Wrestling Radio. Join Scott Casber, Jeff Murphy, Steve Foster, and Brad Johnson with the Takedown Wrestling Headline News this Saturday from 9 to 11 a.m. CT/10 a.m. to noon E.T. This week's guests: 9:03 Eric Guerrero, Oklahoma State head assistant wrestling coach 9:20 J Robinson, Minnesota head wrestling coach 9:20 Angel Escobedo, Olympic freestyle hopeful 9:40 Chris Roseman, St. Louis Sports Commission director 9:50 Ty Barkley, Max Muscle Sports Nutrition Update 10:03 Tom Brands, Iowa head wrestling coach 10:20 Jim Heffernan, Illinois head wrestling coach 10:40 Brandon Slay, Team USA freestyle developmental coach 10:50 Maureen Roshar, Wildrose Casino and Resort Fans, athletes, and coaches: Join in the conversation live by calling 866-333-5966 or 515-204-5966. Takedown Wrestling is available on radio on AM 1460 KXNO in Iowa, online at Livesportsvideo.com, or on your Blackberry or iPhone with the iHeart Radio app.

The 2012 NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals semifinals and finals take place on Sunday at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, Okla. Oklahoma State will put its undefeated record on the line against Illinois in one semifinal matchup. Big Ten powers Iowa and Minnesota will battle in the other semifinal matchup. The semifinal round is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. CT, with the final round set for 6 p.m. CT. There are plenty of storylines ... Illinois associate head coach Mark Perry returns to his hometown of Stillwater to coach against his brother Chris Perry and uncle John Smith ... All-American Grant Gambrall returns to the 184-pound weight class after competing at 197 pounds all season ... No. 1 Matt McDonough of Iowa and No. 2 Zach Sanders of Minnesota face off again .... four of the nation's top 133-pounders will battle ... and those are only a few of the many storylines. InterMat will be providing a live chat on Sunday from Stillwater, Okla., for fans to follow the action and interact. All four dual meets will be broadcast live on LiveSportsVideo.com. Now let's examine each of the semifinal matchups ... Oklahoma State vs. Illinois B.J. Futrell of Illinois battles Jordan Oliver of Oklahoma State (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Top-seeded Oklahoma State will put its unbeaten record (15-0) on the line against Illinois (16-2) in the top bracket semifinal matchup. The Cowboys cruised through their regional last weekend, and are coming off a 19-18 victory over in-state rival Oklahoma on Thursday night in a dual meet that came down to criteria. Illinois advanced to the National Duals semifinals by winning its regional over top-seeded Cornell. Weight-by-Weight Breakdown 125: No. 13 Jon Morrison (Oklahoma State) vs. No. 6 Jesse Delgado (Illinois) Expectations were high coming into this season for the freshman Delgado, and he has not disappointed. Delgado owns a 26-4 record and is ranked No. 6. His signature win this season came over No. 1 Matt McDonough of Iowa in December. It was McDonough's first and only dual meet loss of his career. In late December, Delgado placed third at the Midlands Championships. In January, Delgado faced Minnesota's Zach Sanders, and raced out to an 11-4 lead through two periods. But Sanders stormed back in the third period and edged Delgado, 14-13. Delgado is coming off a strong performance at the regional held at Cornell, where he went 2-0 with victories over Oklahoma's Jarrod Patterson and Cornell's Frank Perrelli. Morrison split time as the starter with Ladd Rupp during the first half of the season, but took control of the starting spot after winning the Reno Tournament of Champions over Rupp. Morrison is 17-6 and ranked No. 13, but is coming off a lopsided loss, 9-0, to Patterson on Thursday night. 133: No. 1 Jordan Oliver (Oklahoma State) vs. No. 4 B.J. Futrell (Illinois) Oliver's wrestling resume speaks for itself. He is the defending NCAA champion and has suffered only one loss in two seasons. This season he 19-1 with 14 pins, two technical falls, and two major decisions. Futrell, ranked fourth, is riding a 12-match winning streak. Two of his three official losses have come to Iowa's Tony Ramos. Not included on his record is a loss to Oliver, 8-7, at the NWCA All-Star Classic on Nov. 21. In that match Futrell took Oliver down three times in the third period and nearly pulled out the victory. 141: No. 12 Josh Kindig or Julian Feikert (Oklahoma State) vs. Darryl Thomas (Illinois) Kindig, a true sophomore, is better than his 12-7 record indicates. Six of his seven losses this season have come to wrestlers ranked in the top 11. Kindig is coming off a 7-6 loss to No. 4 Hunter Stieber of Ohio State. Julian Feikert got the call for the Cowboys against Oklahoma on Thursday night and fell 12-4 to No. 3 Kendric Maple. Thomas is unranked, but is a capable wrestler. He is 13-10, with seven of those losses coming against ranked wrestlers. Thomas has close losses to No. 1 Kellen Russell of Michigan and No. 8 Nick Dardanes of Minnesota, but gave up bonus points in both of his matches last weekend. 149: No. 2 Jamal Parks (Oklahoma State) vs. No. 19 Eric Terrazas (Illinois) Parks, ranked second, has been perfect this season. He is 25-0, which includes wins over No. 3 Cole VonOhlen of Air Force, No. 4 Donnie Vinson of Binghamton, and No. 10 Dylan Ness of Minnesota. On Thursday night, Parks beat Oklahoma's Nick Lester, 6-2. Parks has always been difficult to score on, but has been much more offensive this season. Terrazas is a solid competitor who has shown he can compete with the nation's best. He won 14 of his first 15 matches this season, but has struggled with consistency during the second half of the season. He has gone 6-6 over his last 12 matches. Last Sunday, Terrazas dropped a 1-0 decision to Lester, but bounced back to defeat Cornell's Chris Villalonga, 3-1. 157: No. 12 Albert White (Oklahoma State) vs. Jackson Morse (Illinois) White came to Oklahoma State with high expectations after winning four Illinois state titles and a junior college national championship. But his career at Oklahoma State has been marred by injuries. First it was a shoulder injury, then a neck injury. White, though, has persevered and is having a strong senior campaign. He is currently 22-6 and ranked No. 12. Morse was one of the nation's top recruits in the Class of 2010. He stepped in the Illini lineup as a true freshman last season and qualified for the NCAAs. Morse has struggled with consistency this season. He is currently 10-10, but has dropped seven of his last 10 matches. 165: Dallas Bailey (Oklahoma State) vs. No. 12 Conrad Polz (Illinois) Polz, a junior, missed almost two months of the season due to injury, but has made up for lost time. Polz has a 17-2 record, with one of those two losses coming by injury default. Bailey won 26 matches as a freshman last season and earned the No. 6 seed at the NCAAs, but has battled injuries this season and has not been able to hit his stride. He owns a 13-10 season mark, but has lost three of his last four matches. 174: No. 3 Chris Perry (Oklahoma State) vs. No. 9 Jordan Blanton (Illinois) Perry is one of three unbeaten Cowboy wrestlers. He was an NCAA qualifier last season at 184 pounds. Perry spent the first part of this season at 184 pounds, but moved down to 174 pounds shortly after winning the Reno Tournament of Champions in late December. Perry edged Iowa's Ethen Lofthouse, 3-2, in his first match at 174 pounds, but has crushed every opponent he has faced since. Over his last 10 matches he has outscored his opposition 112-26. Blanton was an All-American in 2010, but an injury kept him out of last year's postseason. He has bounced back nicely this season, winning 21 of 24 matches. 184: Chris McNeil (Oklahoma State) vs. Tony Dallago (Illinois) Both McNeil and Dallago are unranked, but both are capable wrestlers with winning records. McNeil spent the first part of the season at 174 pounds, but made the move up to 184 pounds after Perry moved down a weight class. McNeil is 14-8 this season with some quality wins. He is coming off a 4-3 loss to Oklahoma's Erich Schmidtke on Thursday night. Dallago was an NCAA qualifier last season as a freshman and had some big wins, including one over Penn State's Quentin Wright. This season Dallago is 18-8 and has won five of his last six matches. 197: No. 8 Blake Rosholt or Cayle Byers (Oklahoma State) vs. No. 18 Mario Gonzalez (Illinois) Oklahoma State has a good problem on its hands with two potential All-American 197-pounders on its roster. Byers, a transfer from George Mason, climbed to No. 2 in the country earlier this season and many expected him to challenge for an NCAA championship. But after Rosholt defeated Byers in the finals of the Reno Tournament of Champions, Rosholt has gotten most of the starts. Rosholt suffered an injury on Feb. 4 against Missouri's Brent Haynes, which kept him out of the opening rounds of the National Duals. Byers stepped in and beat two ranked opponents in Rosholt's absence. Rosholt returned to the Cowboy lineup this week and defeated No. 17 Keldrick Hall of Oklahoma. Gonzalez, a sophomore, has been ranked most of this season. His most notable win this season came against two-time All-American Sonny Yohn of Minnesota. Gonzalez played a key role in Illinois' victory over Cornell in the regional finals last Sunday by bumping up to heavyweight and winning with the dual meet on the line. 285: No. 2 Alan Gelogaev (Oklahoma State) vs. Pat Walker (Illinois) Gelogaev has been one of the nation's most dominant wrestlers this season. He is 24-0 with 16 bonus point victories. He defeated Oklahoma's Kyle Colling, 11-6, on Thursday night, but suffered an injury in the match. The severity of the injury was not known on Thursday night. Walker has hovered around the .500 mark most of this season. He has some quality wins and some close losses to some of the nation's top heavyweights. Iowa vs. Minnesota Minnesota's Nick Dardanes gets in deep on a shot against Iowa's Montell Marion (Photo/Johnnie Johnson) Big Ten rivals Iowa (13-3) and Minnesota (12-3) meet for the second time this season. The Hawkeyes edged the Gophers, 19-17, in their meeting Jan. 29 in front of 9,511 fans at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The two teams split 10 matches in the dual meet, and bonus points proved to be the difference. Weight-by-Weight Breakdown 125: No. 1 Matt McDonough (Iowa) vs. No. 2 Zach Sanders (Minnesota) McDonough, a two-time NCAA finalist and 2010 NCAA champion, has owned the series against Sanders, winning all five meetings in college. McDonough's last four victories over Sanders have been by six or more points, with the most recent being a 7-1 victory. Sanders was able to get to McDonough's legs in the last meeting, but couldn't convert against the longer McDonough. Sanders is a three-time All-American and will go down as one of Minnesota's greats, but has not been able to solve the McDonough puzzle to this point. 133: No. 3 Tony Ramos (Iowa) vs. No. 8 Chris Dardanes (Minnesota) Ramos and Dardanes, both Illinois natives, are very familiar with each others' styles. They have both beaten each other throughout their careers. Dardanes had a win over Ramos at the FILA Junior Nationals (freestyle) in 2010. Ramos, though, won their only collegiate meeting this season, 5-2, by making the most of his scoring opportunities. 141: No. 5 Montell Marion (Iowa) vs. No. 8 Nick Dardanes (Minnesota) Marion, a two-time All-American, needed just one takedown to edge Dardanes, 3-2, in their last meeting. Dardanes was in deep on a double leg attack in that match, but Marion used great hip action to avoid getting taken down. Look for Dardanes to try to turn this match into a high-scoring affair, unlike the last meeting, while Marion will look to slow Dardanes down and pick and choose his shots carefully. Both have been wrestling well. Dardanes scored 27 points in two matches last weekend, while Marion defeated then-No. 4 Mike Mangrum of Oregon State this past Sunday. 149: Michael Kelly (Iowa) vs. No. 10 Dylan Ness (Minnesota) Ness, who is currently ranked 10th, registered a major decision over Kelly, 15-7, in their last meeting, which was highlighted by a spectacular leg sweep throw by the Gopher redshirt freshman. Ness can score a lot of different ways, and like older brother Jayson, is dangerous with his high half nelson series. Kelly, a redshirt freshman, had a nice Midlands, placing fifth, but has struggled since then, going 2-7 over his last nine matches. Ness is the prohibitive favorite in this match and will be looking for bonus points again. 157: Nick Moore (Iowa) vs. Danny Zilverberg or Alec Ortiz (Minnesota) This is the only match in the dual meet featuring a pair of unranked wrestlers. Indications are that Moore will go for Iowa with Derek St. John battling a knee injury that could put him on the shelf. Minnesota will counter with either Zilverberg or Ortiz. Zilverberg, a starter last season at 149 pounds, has seen limited action this season. The Gophers used both Ortiz and Zilverberg at the regional last weekend. Moore already owns a major decision victory over Ortiz this season, so the Gophers may turn to Zilverberg, who is coming off a close loss to Drake Houdashelt of Missouri. 165: No. 6 Mike Evans (Iowa) vs. No. 14 Cody Yohn (Minnesota) Evans, a redshirt freshman, pinned Yohn in last month's dual meet, which helped propel the Hawkeyes over the Gophers. Evans is wrestling with a lot confidence right now. He was dominant in his last four matches, picking up two pins and two shutout victories. He is strongest in the top position and has improved tremendously on his feet. Yohn, a two-time NCAA qualifier, has battled through ups and down this season. He was a runner-up at the Southern Scuffle, where he picked up some quality wins. But he had a tough stretch in January, where he went 2-5. Yohn had a nice showing last weekend, picking up wins over two NCAA qualifiers. 174: No. 8 Ethen Lofthouse (Iowa) vs. No. 5 Logan Storley (Minnesota) Storley came from behind to beat Lofhouse, 5-3, in their meeting last month. The Gopher true freshman has not suffered a defeat since the Southern Scuffle, where he lost to Penn State's Matt Brown. He is currently 21-3 and ranked No. 5. Lofthouse, a redshirt sophomore, has been dominant since losing to Storley, picking up three straight bonus point victories. His only losses in 2012 are to No. 2 Ed Ruth of Penn State, No. 3 Chris Perry of Oklahoma State, and Storley. 184: Grant Gambrall (Iowa) vs. No. 7 Kevin Steinhaus (Minnesota) Steinhaus, like Storley, has not lost since the Southern Scuffle. He went 8-0 in Big Ten dual meet competition and picked up bonus points in six of those victories. The only non-bonus point victories came over Penn State's Quentin Wright and Nebraska's Josh Ihnen. Last weekend Steinhaus outscored his two opponents 22-1. Gambrall, a returning All-American at 184 pounds, has only competed at 197 pounds this season, so he will be making his season debut at 184 pounds. He comes in with a 7-7 season mark. These two wrestlers met twice last season, with Steinhaus winning both meetings. 197: Tomas Lira or Vinnie Wagner (Iowa) vs. No. 7 Sonny Yohn (Minnesota) Yohn, a two-time All-American, beat Gambrall the last time these two teams met. With Gambrall down at 184 pounds, Yohn will likely face either Tomas Lira or possibly Vinnie Wagner. Yohn has had a few bumps in the road this season, including a 10-0 loss last weekend to Missouri's Brent Haynes, but comes in with a 20-4 record. Lira is coming off four straight losses, including two last weekend. Wagner has gone 9-8 competing at 184 pounds. He was a seventh-place finisher at the Midlands Championships. 285: No. 14 Bobby Telford or Blake Rasing (Iowa) vs. No. 4 Tony Nelson (Minnesota) Nelson, who earned All-American honors last season as a freshman, has reeled off 15 straight victories since losing to Oklahoma State's Alan Gelogaev on Dec. 4. He has six wins over ranked wrestlers, but has had some close calls lately. Nelson has needed overtime in two of his last three wins, including last weekend against Kent State's Brendan Barlow. Nelson beat Rasing in the dual meet last month, which was his first win over the Hawkeye senior in four career meetings. Rasing and Telford have split time as the starter this season, but lately Telford has been getting the nod. Telford, a Midlands runner-up, comes in with a 20-5 season record. Predictions Semifinals Oklahoma State 22, Illinois 10 Minnesota 17, Iowa 16 Third Place Iowa 21, Illinois 9 Championship Minnesota 17, Oklahoma State 15

Jake Ellenberger won a unanimous decision over Diego Sanchez (Photo/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images) UFC president Dana White has always said he's listening to fans and fighters. After a stunning come-from-behind third round on Wednesday night by Diego Sanchez against Jake Ellenberger, the message was loud, clear and consistent. All main events should be five rounds. Sanchez, who lost the unanimous 29-28 decision on the premier card for the UFC on Fuel TV, had mounted an unlikely, and thrilling comeback in the final moments of the third round in Omaha, leaving many fight fans to wonder what would happen if the fight had gone an extra ten minutes. "We blew it," said White in the post-fight press conference. "It should have been a five-round fight." The UFC has some contractual obligations that might limit their ability to immediately make all main events five rounds, but White assured fans that the promotion is putting in the work to make it happen. "Somebody dropped the ball," said White. The move to five rounds might've meant that Sanchez, a fighter known to take abuse before making his move, could've overcome the early two rounds he gave up to the wrestler Ellenberger. Momentum had certainly shifted in favor of Sanchez. The final moments of the fight were spectacular for Sanchez. The UFC vet capitalized on a mistake by Ellenberger with 90 seconds remaining to take down the former University of Nebraska-Omaha wrestler, secure top position and then mount -- trying his best to finish Ellenberger with strikes. After a brief scramble Sanchez converted his position and was able to gain Ellenberger's back, though he was unable to secure the hooks as he threatened a rear-naked. Though he wasn't able to earn the stoppage and also stopped just short of being able to earn a 10-8 round to force a draw. Ellenberger left the cage as bloodied and injured as Sanchez. The seemingly hasty decision to make the move to a consistent five round format wasn't without precedence. The first non-title fight to go five rounds was Leben vs. Munoz at 138 in Nottingham, England. The contract with Fuel TV didn't call for five rounds, and once the contractual obligations the UFC are complete all main events (42 events in 2012) will feature a main event at five rounds. The change of policy does mean that last-minute replacements will all be pinched between the draw of being on the top of the card, and the extra conditioning that's necessary to be competitive in the last two "championship" rounds. Recent events have been wrought with injuries meaning that fighters have not only had to trade in their competitive techniques (adjusting from one opponent to another), but now their training regiments will need to keep in mind that three rounds could soon become five. As fans saw with Shogun vs. Henderson those last two rounds of conditioning could mean the difference between a unanimous decision and a "Fight of the Century." Wednesday's Sanchez vs. Ellenberger fight was on Fuel, and that a free TV fight might have slipped away from UFC brass was like a drug dealer giving away bad product to first time users. The UFC listens to fans, but they also look at the bottom line, and a five round title event last night could have meant more PPV buys for years to come. When it comes to fans, fighters and finances, Dana White's eyes and ears are always wide open.

FAIRFAX, Va. -- Second-ranked Josh Asper and 19th-ranked Kyle John tallied back-to-back technical falls to propel the No. 17 Maryland wrestling team to a 30-10 victory over George Mason Thursday night at the Recreation and Athletic Complex. The Terps (15-1, 4-1 ACC) were able to rack up the points with three technical falls and a pin by No. 8 Spencer Myers. "I think we looked really good,” said head coach Kerry McCoy. “We still have some areas that we need to improve, but all-in-all I think it was a good showing and a good way to finish the season." After dropping the opening match at 125, freshman Geoffrey Alexander became the first Terp to score bonus points. Alexander took control with three takedowns in the first period. After a takedown to open the third period, the Pittsburgh, Pa., native scored two 3-point near-falls to earn a 17-2 victory. George Mason regained the lead with a decision at 141, but it was short lived as sophomore Ben Dorsay won a 6-2 decision to put the Terrapins in front for good at 8-6. The combination of John and Asper put the match out of reach. At 157, John scored nine points in the first period with three takedowns and a 3-point near-fall to earn a 17-2 technical fall. Asper's match followed a similar script at 165. The Parkton, Md., native tallied three takedowns and a 3-point near-fall in the first period, and added three more takedowns and an escape in the third to record Maryland's third technical fall of the evening. Senior Owen Smith scored a late takedown to earn a decision at 174, and redshirt sophomore Ty Snook clinched the match for the Terps with a 7-3 decision at 184. After the Patriots won at 197, Myers wore down George Mason's Hunter Manspile and got the one-second count to register his third pin of the season. "The difference in the conference championship, the difference between being an All-American and scoring well as a team is bonus points,” McCoy said. “In a tournament setting, if you win five matches and another team wins five matches, but if they get five pins and you win five decisions, they are up 10 points on you in the tournament. Bonus points are very important, but ultimately it is important for us to go out there and get better every time." Maryland's next action will be in Chapel Hill for the ACC Championships on Saturday, March 3. Results: 125: Vince Rodriguez (GM) dec. Shane Gentry (MD), 3-0 (3-0) 133: Geoffrey Alexander (MD) tech. fall over Brian Benton (GM), 17-2 (5-3) 141: Dennis Herndon (GM) dec. Danny O'Malley (MD), 5-3 (6-5) 149: Ben Dorsay (MD)dec. Kevin Timothy (GM), 6-2 (8-6) 157: No. 19 Kyle John (MD)tech. fall over Donald Takagi (GM), 17-2 (13-6) 165: No. 2 Josh Asper (MD) tech. fall over Ty Kneep, 19-4 (18-6) 174: Owen Smith (MD) dec. Steve Swayze (GM), 3-1 (21-6) 184: Ty Snook (MD) dec. Ryan Hembury (GM), 7-3 (24-6) 197: Bagna Tovuujav (GM) major dec. Tony Gardner (MD), 12-4 (24-10) 285: No. 8 Spencer Myers (MD) fall over Hunter Manspile F: 2:53 (30-10)

NORMAN, Okla. -- The No. 1-ranked Oklahoma State wrestling team improved its all-time series advantage over No. 12 Oklahoma to 130-26-10 Thursday evening, highlighted by a huge technical fall from Chris Perry at 174 pounds to put the Cowboys on top. With Oklahoma (13-5; 3-3 Big 12) leading the dual 15-13 and only the 174- and 184-pound bouts remaining, Chris Perry stormed to a 20-5 technical fall victory over Kyle Detmer to give the Cowboys (15-0; 5-0 Big 12) an 18-15 lead. OU edged out a 4-3 win in the final bout to tie the score at 18-18, but since the overall bouts were split 5-5, the dual was decided by the second tiebreaker criteria, which OSU won, 1-0, by total falls or technical falls due to Perry's win. “I think we all knew it could be a tough match coming in, and it lived up to it,” coach John Smith said. “In the end, it went five and five. The difference was the tech. fall.” The Cowboys jumped out to a 6-0 lead after Blake Rosholt (197) and Alan Gelogaev (HWT) each earned decisions, but the Sooners stayed within striking distance leading up Perry's match with wins at 125, 141, 157 and 165 pounds. OSU's other wins came from Jordan Oliver, who earned an 11-2 major decision over No. 11 Jordan Keller at 133 pounds, and Jamal Parks, who won 6-2 over No. 17 Nick Lester at 149 pounds. “We fell behind a couple times this year and we bounced back,” Perry said. “That's the thing that national championship teams are going to have to do. We did it at Iowa, we did it against OU, and we did it against Missouri. That's a good thing to have, to know that you're not going to have to panic, but we can't have those next week.” The Oklahoma State wrestling team, who extended its unbeaten streak against OU to seven duals, is back in action in just three days, hosting the NWCA National Duals final round Sunday at 2 and 6 p.m. at Gallagher-Iba Arena. Results: 197: Blake Rosholt (OSU) dec. No. 16 Keldrick Hall (OU); 11-8 285: No. 3 Alan Gelogaev (OSU) dec. Kyle Colling (OU); 11-6 125: No. 8 Jarrod Patterson (OU) MD No. 14 Jon Morrison (OSU); 9-0 133: No. 1 Jordan Oliver (OSU) MD No. 11 Jordan Keller (OU); 11-2 141: No. 3 Kendric Maple (OU) MD Julian Feikert (OSU); 12-4 149: No. 2 Jamal Parks (OSU) dec. No. 17 Nick Lester (OU); 6-2 157: No. 14 Matt Lester (OU) MD No. 16 Albert White (OSU); 11-3 165: No. 16 Bubby Graham (OU) dec. Dallas Bailey (OSU); 8-4 174: No. 3 Chris Perry (OSU) TF5 Kyle Detmer (OU); 20-5; 6:34 184: Erich Schmidtke (OU) dec. No. 20 Chris McNeil (OSU); 4-3 Bout Summaries: 197: Blake Rosholt (OSU) dec. No. 16 Keldrick Hall (OU); 11-8 Rosholt started the scoring with a takedown on the edge of the mat two minutes into the bout and rode out Hall the rest of the period. Hall started the second period down and escaped 20 seconds into the period. Rosholt answered with another takedown, but Hall managed an escape at the end of the period to make the score 4-2 entering the third. Rosholt grabbed a quick escape and takedown in the final period to push his lead to 7-2. Hall earned a reversal and a pair of takedowns in an action-filled final minute, but could not cut far enough into Rosholt's lead, as the Cowboy earned an 11-8 decision with his 1:28 riding time advantage. 285: No. 3 Alan Gelogaev (OSU) dec. Kyle Colling (OU); 11-6 Gelogaev led 4-1 after he recorded a pair of takedowns and rode out the opening period. Colling picked up two points with and escape to open the period and another after a Gelogaev injury timeout. Gelogaev added a takedown and Colling escaped to make the score 6-4. Gelogaev added a reversal and a takedown in the final period. With his 2:29 riding time advantage, he picked up an 11-6 decision. 125: No. 8 Jarrod Patterson (OU) MD No. 14 Jon Morrison (OSU); 9-0 Patterson went up 2-0 with a takedown in the first and carried the momentum throughout the bout. He added a nearfall, escape, takedown and riding time to earn a 9-0 win. 133: No. 1 Jordan Oliver (OSU) MD No. 11 Jordan Keller (OU); 11-2 Oliver had another big first period with two takedowns and a three-point nearfall to take a 7-1 lead into the second. He added an escape and another takedown to go into the final period with a 10-2 lead. After a scoreless third period, Oliver rode out the entire third period and won an 11-2 major decision with 3:36 of riding time. 141: No. 3 Kendric Maple (OU) MD Julian Feikert (OSU); 12-4 Feikert struck with a quick single-leg shot to open the bout, but Maple fought it off and answered with a takedown to take a 2-0 lead. After a Feikert escape and another Maple takedown, Maple led 4-1 entering period No. 3. Maple escaped to start the third and traded three takedowns for three escapes with Feikert. With 4:24 of riding time, Maple won 12-4. 149: No. 2 Jamal Parks (OSU) dec. No. 17 Nick Lester (OU); 6-2 Parks led 4-1 entering the second after he picked up a pair of takedowns in the first. He chose neutral to start the second and grabbed a late takedown to take a 6-1 lead. Lester started the third on top and rode out the period to earn a 1:22 riding time advantage and give Parks a 6-2 decision. 157: No. 14 Matt Lester (OU) MD No. 16 Albert White (OSU); 11-3 Lester brought White to mat in the first minute of the bout, but an illegal hold gave White a 1-0 lead. White went up 3-0 with a takedown, but Lester answered with an escape and subsequent takedown to tie it up at 3-3 entering the second. White chose neutral to start the second period and neither was wrestler was able to score. Lester started the final period on top and earned a three nearfalls and rode out the period to build up a 3:07 of riding time and win 11-3. 165: No. 16 Bubby Graham (OU) dec. Dallas Bailey (OSU); 8-4 Bailey opened the scoring with a late takedown in the first period and started the second period down. Graham earned a reversal halfway through the period and another point from Bailey's second injury timeout. Bailey escaped with 40 seconds left to make it 3-3 entering period three. Bailey earned an escape in the final period, but Graham's escape, takedown, stalling point from Bailey and 1:18 riding time advantage gave him an 8-4 decision. 174: No. 3 Chris Perry (OSU) TF5 Kyle Detmer (OU); 20-5; 6:34 With the Cowboys down 15-13 in team points and OSU needing a big win, Perry answered in a big way. He started with a takedown and nearfall in the first period to go up 4-0. He started down in the second and earned a reversal and two takedowns to take a 10-2 lead. Perry added three takedowns and a nearfall in the third to take a 19-5 lead. Fighting for the final points needed for the technical fall, Perry got the last point need with just under 30 seconds remaining as Detmer was called for stalling and Perry won 20-5. 184: Erich Schmidtke (OU) dec. No. 20 Chris McNeil (OSU); 4-3 When McNeil took the mat, only a bonus-point win by Schmidtke could give the Sooners the team win. After a scoreless first period, McNeil escaped and was taken down in the second to give Schmidtke a 2-1 lead entering the final period. McNeil picked up a takedown in the final period, but a pair of Schmidtke escapes gave him the 4-3 decision and the Cowboys a 19-18 win.

MOUNT PLEASANT -- No. 25 Central Michigan won six bouts, scoring bonus points in three, to defeat Michigan State, 21-12, in nonconference wrestling action at McGuirk Arena Thursday night. The win was CMU's 11th straight over the Spartans (3-11 overall) and gave the Chippewas a 14-13 edge in the all-time series. CMU has won 16 of its last 18 dual meets against in-state opponents. "Every match is really important to us," said CMU head coach Tom Borrelli, whose team improved to 14-8 on the season. "We've been fortunate -- some of our dual meets with them have been very, very close. To me, this dual meet was more important because it was our next match and we're trying to build some momentum and confidence going into the MAC Tournament. Last weekend we had a really disappointing weekend, so this match was important for that reason." Thursday's dual meet opened at 184 pounds, where Ben Bennett cruised to a 14-1 major decision to give the Chippewas the early lead. Bennett, ranked No. 4 nationally, pushed the pace throughout the match before securing the major with an eight-point third period. He scored an early takedown in the final period, then after a restart turned Hinton for three back points. Bennett racked up 3:43 of riding time en route to the major decision. Bennett improved to 27-3 overall with his 23rd bonus-point victory of the season. After Michigan State's Nick McDiarmid defeated CMU's Chad Friend at 197 pounds, the Chippewas put together four straight victories to extend their lead to 18-3. Peter Sturgeon, ranked No. 17 nationally at heavyweight, scored takedowns in the final minute of both the second and third periods to defeat Mike McClure, 5-4. An escape seven seconds into the third period gave Sturgeon a 3-2 lead, and he scored what proved to be the decisive takedown with 45 seconds left. At 125 pounds, No. 16-ranked Joe Roth scored takedowns in both of the first two periods and added an escape in the third to defeat Eric Olanowski, 5-3. Tyler Keselring (133 pounds) and Scott Mattingly (141 pounds) followed with convincing major decisions to pad the Chippewas' lead. Keselring scored four takedowns and two back points in a 13-4 major over Brandon Fifield at 133, while Mattingly was dominant in a 10-2 major at 141. He scored an early takedown and built 2:20 of riding time against Brian Gibbs in the first period, then added three more takedowns over the final two periods and ended with a riding time advantage of 4:14 in a 10-2 major decision. Michigan State ended the Chippewas' run with back-to-back one-point wins at 149 and 157 pounds, but Mike Ottinger secured the dual meet victory for CMU with a 9-7 decision over David Cheza at 165 pounds. A wild scramble in the final minute saw Ottinger nearly taken down to his back, but the true freshman responded by reversing Cheza to his back and scoring two nearfall points. The four-point move gave Ottinger an 8-6 lead in the eventual 9-7 decision. The Spartans posted their fourth and final win of the night at 174 pounds, where No. 18 Curran Jacobs was a 3-0 winner over CMU's Anthony Bill. "We knew we were going to have to have bonus points in a few weight classes," Borrelli said. "Ben got it started for us tonight, and we got big bonus points from Tyler Keselring and Scott Mattingly. Peter Sturgeon's win was huge, too, and Mike Ottinger sealed the win for us." The Chippewas close the dual meet season on Sunday when they face Purdue at Clay High School in Oregon, Ohio. Results: 184: No. 4 Ben Bennett (CMU) maj. dec. Ian Hinton, 14-1; CMU 4-0 197: Nick McDiarmid (MSU) dec. Chad Friend, 8-3; CMU 4-3 285: No. 17 Peter Sturgeon (CMU) dec. Mike McClure, 5-4; CMU 7-3 125: No. 16 Joe Roth (CMU) dec. Eric Olanowski, 5-3; CMU 10-3 133: Tyler Keselring (CMU) maj. dec. Brandon Fifield, 13-4; CMU 14-3 141: Scott Mattingly (CMU) maj. dec. Brian Gibbs, 10-2; CMU 18-3 149: Dan Osterman (MSU) dec. Joey Kielbasa, 7-6; CMU 18-6 157: No. 9 Anthony Jones (MSU) dec. Donnie Corby, 2-1 SV1; CMU 18-9 165: Mike Ottinger (CMU) dec. David Cheza, 9-7; CMU 21-9 174: No. 18 Curran Jacobs (MSU) dec. Anthony Bill, 3-0; CMU 21-12

Davidson, N.C. -- The Gardner-Webb wrestling team snapped a three-match losing streak in dominating fashion on Thursday night, as the Runnin' Bulldog wrestlers won nine out of the 10 bouts to defeat the Wildcats 36-3 in Southern Conference action in Davidson, N.C. Redshirt-senior Michael Slaughter led off the Southern Conference match with a hard fought decision, as he edged out Matt Zarth to earn a 2-1 decision at 125 pounds. Slaughter's 14th overall win of the season put the Runnin' Bulldogs up early at 3-0 to start the match. After a loss at 133 pounds tied the score up at 3-3, the Runnin' Bulldogs went on a roll, winning the eight final matches of the bout en route to the 36-3 conference win. At 141 pounds, sophomore Alex Hamm posted his second straight win, defeating Benjamin Hartshorn 5-4, while freshman Davante Andujar posted a win over Kevin Birmingham at 149 pounds by the same score, 5-4, pushing Gardner-Webb in front by six in the match at 9-3. Alex Medved did not waste any time in adding to his winning streak to, pushing his streak to seven straight matches with a pin over Dan Hagemann at 1:08 in the 157 pound bout. The fourth straight win came by way of redshirt-junior Justin Guthrie at 165 pounds, as he controlled the match from the start, earning a 10-2 major decision win over Tyler Mullen to put the visitors in front at 19-3 for the match. GWU's Erin O'Dell continued the Runnin' Bulldogs run, as the sophomore held off the Wildcats' Ian Solcz for an 11-8 win at 174 pounds, while redshirt-junior Jason Porter posted a 10-3 decision over Christopher Cirenza at 184 pounds to essentially put the match away at 25-3 in favor of GWU. After a 19-3 technical fall win at 5:59 by GWU's Travis Porter at 197 pounds over Eddie Isola, GWU freshman Justin Kozera drew a forfeit victory to put the final score at 36-3. Gardner-Webb (6-11, 2-5 SoCon) will wrap up its 2011-12 regular season slate this Saturday night, as the Runnin' Bulldog grapplers will host the Ohio Bobcats at 7 p.m. in Bost Gymnasium on the campus of Gardner-Webb University. Results: 125 - Michael Slaughter (GWU) dec. Matt Zarth (DAV) - 2-1 (GWU 3-0) 133 - Anthony Elias (DAV) dec. Robbie Golde (GWU) - 12-7 (Tied 3-3) 141 - Alex Hamm (GWU) dec. Benjamin Hartshorn (DAV) - 5-4 (GWU 6-3) 149 - Davante Andujar (GWU) dec. Kevin Birmingham (DAV) - 5-4 (GWU 9-3) 157 - Alex Medved (GWU) FALL over Dan Hagemann (DAV) - 1:08 (GWU 15-3) 165 - Justin Guthrie (GWU) maj. dec. Tyler Mullen (DAV) - 10-2 (GWU 19-3) 174 - Erin O'Dell (GWU) dec. Ian Solcz (DAV) - 11-8 (GWU 22-3) 184 - Jason Porter (GWU) dec. Christopher Cirenza (DAV) - 10-3 (GWU 25-3) 197 - Travis Porter (GWU) tech. fall Eddie Isola (DAV) - 5:59 19-3 (GWU 30-3) 285 - Justin Kozera (GWU) forfeit win. (GWU 36-3)

Lawrenceville, N.J. -- The Pride won eight of the 10 matches, including major decisions by sophomores Jamie Franco and Luke Vaith, as 24th-ranked Hofstra defeated Rider, 26-9 in a Colonial Athletic Association match at Alumni Gymnasium Thursday night. The Pride, who snapped a three-match losing slide-all to top 20 opponents-improved to 11-3 on the season and 5-1 in the CAA. Rider slipped to 9-9 overall and 3-2 in conference matches. Hofstra won the first seven matches in the contest to post a 23-0 advantage in the contest. Opening the match 1t 285 pounds, Pride junior Paul Snyder (16-11), ranked third in the CAA, recorded a 3-0 win over sophomore Evan Craig to give the Pride a 3-0 lead. Junior Steve Bonanno (24-6), ranked 14th in the country at 125, defeated Chuck Zeisloft, the third-ranked wrestler in the CAA, 6-2. Franco (18-10), the second-ranked CAA wrestler, boosted the lead to 10-0 with an 11-0 major decision over Rider's third-ranked grappler Jimmy Morris, 11-0 at 133 pounds. Pride sophomore Luke Vaith (18-8), ranked second in the CAA at 141, posted his second major decision of the season with a 10-1 victory over Jimmy Kirchner, the third-ranked conference wrestler. Vaith has now won eight of his last nine matches. Hofstra junior Justin Accordino recorded the second 20-win season of his career with a 6-4 decision over the third-ranked conference wrestler Zac Cibula at 149. Accordino, who is the second-ranked grappler in the CAA, improved to 20-10 on the year. Junior Tyler Banks (11-11), who is unranked in the CAA, made it six-in-a-row with a 4-1 decision over the fourth-ranked league wrestler in Ramon Santiago at 157 pounds. Hofstra senior P.J. Gillespie, ranked 19th by InterMat at 165, picked up his 25th win of the year with an 8-3 win over James Brundage for a 23-0 lead. Gillespie is now 25-5 and has won eight consecutive matches. Rider got on the board at 174 as Jim Resnick, ranked first in the CAA and 11th in the nation, pinned Hofstra freshman Jermaine John in 1:08. But Pride senior Ben Clymer, ranked 12th in the nation and first in the CAA at 184, notched his 25th win of the year in a 2-0 decision over Clint Morrison, the third-ranked league wrestler. Rider freshman Don McNeil closed out the match with an 11-8 victory over Hofstra sophomore Tim Murphy at 197. Hofstra has won 12 of the last 13 meetings with Rider, including 25-12 last year on Long Island. The Pride lead the all-time series, 23-17. Hofstra returns to action on Sunday, February 19 when they travel to Columbia University for a 1 p.m. contest. Results: 285- Paul Snyder (HU) dec. Evan Craig (RU), 3-0 125- #14 Steve Bonanno (HU) dec. Chuck Zeisloft (RU) , 6-2 133- Jamie Franco (HU) major dec. Jimmy Morris (RU),11-0 141- Luke Vaith (HU) major dec. Jimmy Kirchner (RU), 10-1 149- Justin Accordino (HU) dec. Zac Cibula (RU), 6-4 157- Tyler Banks (HU) dec. Ramon Santiago (RU), 4-1 165- #19 P.J. Gillespie (HU) dec. James Brundage (RU), 8-3 174- Jimmy Resnick (RU) WBF Jermaine John (HU), 1:08 184- #12 Ben Clymer (HU) dec. Clint Morrison (RU), 2-0 197- Donald McNeil (RU) dec. Tim Murphy (HU), 11-8

BROOKINGS, S.D. -- Ten straight match wins earned the University of Wyoming wrestling team its fifth conference win of the season Thursday night as the Cowboys overpowered South Dakota State, 45-0. Wyoming (9-3 overall, 5-0 Western Wrestling Conference) had seven bonus-point wins en route to its first shutout victory of the season. Wyoming's last shutout victory was Jan. 28, 2011, as the Pokes beat South Dakota State in Laramie, 49-0. “I felt we saw some signs of our crazy week and the fact we crammed a couple of tough workouts in between National Duals (on Feb. 12) and these duals, and for the most part, we pushed through that,” said Wyoming head coach Mark Branch, who won his 21st WWC dual in four years at the helm. “That was good to see. We weren't fresh by any means and we wrestled pretty well.” Eighteenth-ranked senior Michael Martinez claimed a solid win on SDSU's Aaron Pickrel in the first bout of the night at 125 pounds. Neither wrestler could score in the first period, but Martinez recorded an escape for the early 1-0 lead, and he managed a takedown shortly thereafter for the 3-0 advantage. Pickrel, who was 29th in the latest NCAA Coaches' Poll, earned an escape to cut the margin to 3-1. Pickrel worked for an escape after that, but Martinez scored a takedown just before the third period expired to go up 5-2. Wyoming took a 3-0 lead after one match. UW's No. 16 Zach Zehner, a redshirt freshman, took on Jackrabbit Nick Chavez in the 133-pound match, and Zehner earned his eighth pin of the season at the 4:21 mark. The Cowboys went up 9-0 after that bout. Cowboys senior Chase Smith faced SDSU's Dustin Walraven at 141 pounds, and it was Smith with the early offense, notching a takedown for the 2-0 lead. Smith kept pouring it on and ended up with the 9-2 decision. Redshirt junior McCade Ford then showed his skill to claim his first pin of the season, sticking SDSU's Tyler Johnson in only 39 seconds for the 18-0 UW lead after four matches. UW redshirt freshman Andy McCulley earned his victory the hard way, taking Jackrabbit Nick Flynn to overtime to earn his 7-2 decision in the 157-pound contest. Wyoming's third-ranked senior Shane Onufer claimed his fifth major decision of the year, beating Dillon Reid 10-2 at 165. It was Poke sophomore Pat Martinez's turn after that, and he grabbed an 11-3 major decision over Joe Rasmussen for the 29-0 Cowboy lead. First-ranked senior Joe LeBlanc (184) subsequently earned six more team points for Wyoming, notching his 10th pin of the season over Tony Lisek of South Dakota State in 3:50. Alfonso Hernandez kept the momentum rolling, as the ninth-ranked Wyoming junior defeated SDSU's Nick Mart in a 17-3 major decision at 197 pounds. It was Hernandez's 11th major decision on the season. The nightcap went UW's way, as junior L.J. Helbig pinned Joe Skow at 6:09 in the heavyweight bout, and UW came away with the 45-0 win. “There were a couple of close matches that make you nervous, but the fact we got our hand raised made for some pretty good results,” Branch said. “(In some matches), we had a couple of guys who wrestled well but had a couple moments where they relaxed. I look at it as a good learning lesson, because when you have an opportunity to put your opponent away, you need to do that.” Up next, the Cowboys travel to Fargo, N.D., for a Friday matchup with North Dakota State. That dual is set to begin at 6 p.m. MT. Results: 125 pounds: No. 18 Michael Martinez (UW) dec. Aaron Pickrel (SDSU), 5-2 / Wyoming 3, SDSU 0 133: No. 16 Zach Zehner (UW) fall (4:21) Nick Chavez (SDSU) / Wyoming 9, SDSU 0 141: Chase Smith (UW) dec. Dustin Walraven (SDSU), 9-2 / Wyoming 12, SDSU 0 149: McCade Ford (UW) fall (0:39) Tyler Johnson (SDSU) / Wyoming 18, SDSU 0 157: Andy McCulley (UW) dec. Nick Flynn (SDSU), 7-2 OT / Wyoming 21, SDSU 0 165: No. 3 Shane Onufer (UW) maj. dec. Dillon Reid (SDSU), 10-2 / Wyoming 25, SDSU 0 174: Pat Martinez (UW) maj. dec. Joe Rasmussen (SDSU), 11-3 / Wyoming 29, SDSU 0 184: No. 1 Joe LeBlanc (UW) fall (3:50) Tony Lisek (SDSU) / Wyoming 35, SDSU 0 197: No. 9 Alfonso Hernandez (UW) maj. dec. Nick Mart (SDSU), 17-3 / Wyoming 39, SDSU 0 285: L.J. Helbig (UW) fall (6:09) Joe Skow (SDSU) / Wyoming 45, SDSU 0

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. -- The Rutgers wrestling team concluded its 2011-12 dual season in top form, winning 24-9 over Drexel on Thursday inside College Ave. Gym. The Senior Night victory improved RU's overall record to 13-8 under head coach Scott Goodale in his fifth season. The Scarlet Knights were pushed through to victory by bonus point performances from junior Greg Zannetti (Edison, N.J.) and redshirt sophomore Dan Seidenberg (Red Bank, N.J.). RU took seven of the 10 contested bouts over the Dragons (7-10) after the team's Senior Night presentation concluded. Billy Ashnault (South Plainfield, N.J.), Mike DeMarco (Lyndhurst, N.J.) and Dan Hopkins (Jackson, N.J.) were on hand for the final home dual of their Rutgers careers. Trailing after the 125-pound match, the Scarlet Knights ran off four-straight victories. Junior 125-pounder Joe Langel (Howell, N.J.) bumped up to 133 pounds to score a 7-2 decision over Drexel's Paul Wampler. Ashnault was next, blanking Frank Cimato of DU by a score of 2-0 at 141 pounds. Seventh-ranked 149-pound junior Mario Mason (Moorestown, N.J.) controlled the Dragons' Shane Fenningham for an 8-3 decision. At 157 pounds, freshman Anthony Perrotti (Roseland, N.J.) notched an 8-6 win over Drexel's Austin Sommer. The outcome was Perrotti's first dual victory at the weight after notching two dual wins at 149 pounds. Perrotti competed in open tournaments at 141 pounds earlier in the 2011-12 season. Zannetti, Seidenberg and Dan Rinaldi (Lodi, N.J.) won three consecutive matches at 174 pounds, 184 pounds and 197 pounds, respectively. Zannetti scored his second technical fall of the season with a 20-5 (5:48) victory against DU's Alex Rinaldi. The win improved his team-leading victory total to 26-3 (20-1 duals). Seidenberg followed with bonus points of his own at 184 pounds, winning a 12-3 major decision over Nick Becattini of Drexel. Rinaldi held off Drexel's Brandon Palik for a 3-1 win by decision. RU next heads to the 2012 EIWA Championships, hosted by Princeton, March 3-4 at Jadwin Gym in Princeton, N.J. Tickets are available by visiting GoPrincetonTigers.com or by calling 609-258-4849. Follow Rutgers Athletics on Facebook (www.facebook.com/RutgersAthletics) and Twitter (@RUAthletics) for all of the latest news and updates. For specific updates regarding Rutgers wrestling, follow the program on Twitter (@RUWrestling). Fans can receive timely information, including special offers and giveaways throughout the year on our social media outlets along with www.ScarletKnights.com. Results: 125 pounds: Franco Ferraina (DU) dec. Vincent Dellefave (RU), 5-3 (SV) 133 pounds: Joe Langel (RU) dec. Paul Wampler (DU), 7-2 141 pounds: Billy Ashnault (RU) dec. Frank Cimato (DU), 2-0 149 pounds: No. 7 Mario Mason (RU) dec. Shane Fenningham (DU), 8-3 157 pounds: Anthony Perrotti (RU) dec. Austin Sommer (DU), 8-6 165 pounds: No. 18 Joe Booth (DU) dec. Doug Hamann (RU), 5-0 174 pounds: No. 16 Greg Zannetti (RU) tech. fall Alex Rinaldi (DU), 20-5 (5:48) 184 pounds: Dan Seidenberg (RU) maj. dec. Nick Becattini (DU), 12-3 197 pounds: Dan Rinaldi (RU) dec. Brandon Palik (DU), 3-1 HWT: No. 19 Kyle Frey (DU) dec. Dan Hopkins (RU), 1-0

Tom Brands

GREELEY -- Northern Colorado Wrestling got seven wins in 10 matches Wednesday night in an impressive 22-12 Western Wrestling Conference dual victory against Utah Valley at Butler-Hancock Sports Pavilion. The victory was the Bears' fifth in its past six duals and its first victory against Utah Valley since February 2008, when Northern Colorado earned a 28-10 home win. In between, the Wolverines compiled a 3-0 mark against the Bears with an average winning team score of 24-13. Northern Colorado also (6-6) improved Wednesday night to 3-2 in WWC duals this season and set the stage for its final conference dual at 2 p.m. Sunday, when the Air Force Academy Falcons will come to Greeley for the Bears' Senior Day. "These guys are definitely doing the right things and wrestling the right way," Northern Colorado coach Ben Cherrington said. "We were taking advantage of opportunities, and we were working hard the whole match, and it paid off in the end. They took risks and it paid off. I was proud of them." Seniors Gabe Burak (165 pounds) and Casey Cruz (141) and freshman Henry Chirino (285) had the Bears' biggest wins in the dual. Burak, ranked No. 10 in the country in his weight class by Intermat, had little trouble against the Wolverines' Ethan Smith in an 11-1 win and improved to 18-2 this season and 11-1 in duals. Cruz started the night with a 4-0 win against Avery Garner, giving him a 15-7 mark this season, and Chirino evened his dual record this season (6-6) with a gritty 9-5 win against Dustin Dennison. Burak recorded three take downs against Smith, notched a couple escapes and had a three-point near-fall to end the second period. He also accumulated nearly three minutes of riding time (2:57). "[Burak] had a little set back up in Wyoming (one of his two losses on the year), and we learned a lot of things in the match," Cherrington said. "In order to accomplish his goals and get on the podium at the national tournament he's going to have to make things happen against the top guys. He's going to have to take the action to the guys; he can't wait for the action to come to him. "That's what he was working on tonight. He took some shots; got the guy's legs; had chances to finish. [Those are] things I've told him that need to happen. He's out there, he's taking risks, and that's what's going to help him in March." The dual ended with the 133-pound match between Northern Colorado's Sam Bauer and Utah Valley's Blake Mangum. The score entering the dual was 19-12, so the Bears had already clinched the dual, but there was drama still to be had before the night was through. Bauer's escape four seconds into the second period was the only scoring in the match through the first two periods, and Mangum's escape 1:11 into the third period tied the match at 1-1. The score stayed the same through regulation, and the match went to overtime, where Bauer earned the sudden-death victory with a swift leg attack that he and Cherrington had been working on in the wrestling room. "That was great," Cherrington said. "It's huge for Sam to win a match like that and to win a match with a leg attack. He's been working at getting better at getting the guys' legs and giving himself more opportunities to score points. That was a big win for him." Results: 141 – Casey Cruz (NC) dec. Avery Garner, 4-0 149 – Justin Gonzales (NC) dec. Sam Mecham, 4-2 157 – Napoleon Aniciete (UVU) dec. Charlie McMartin, 7-1 165 – Gabe Burak (NC) maj. dec. Ethan Smith, 11-1 174 – Monte Schmalhaus (UVU) maj. dec. Josh Van Tine, 8-0 184 – Cody McAninch (NC) dec. David Prieto, 3-1 197 – Nick Bayer (NC) dec. Brian Chamberlain, 3-1 285 – Henry Chirino (NC) dec. Dustin Dennison, 9-5 125 – Colby Christensen (UVU) tech fall. Jesse Meis, 15-0 133 – Sam Bauer (NC) OT dec. Blake Mangum, 3-1

Jake Ellenberger (Photo/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images) Jake Ellenberger def. Diego Sanchez by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) Stefan Struve def. Dave Herman by TKO (punches from mount) -- Round 2, 3:52 Ronny Markes def. Aaron Simpson by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) Stipe Miocic def. Philip De Fries by knockout (punches) -- Round 1, 0:43 T.J. Dillashaw def. Walel Watson by unanimous decision (30-25, 30-25, 30-26) Ivan Menjivar def. John Albert by submission (rear-naked choke) -- Round 1, 3:45 Jonathan Brookins def. Vagner Rocha by knockout (punches) -- Round 1, 1:32 Justin Salas def. Anton Kuivanen by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) Tim Means def. Bernado Magalhaes vis unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-26)

Matt Brown (Photo/Penn State Sports Information) To travel between Luanda, Angola, and Salt Lake City takes two full days, covers 10,000 air miles (across three continents), requires three connections (Johannesburg, London, Chicago), and an untold number of inconsiderate passengers, delays, and minor bothers. It's the type of flight itinerary that nudges marriages into an abyss, gives toddlers laryngitis, and incites businessmen to berate their assistant. Most can agree that it's an unpleasant way to spend 48 hours. Not Penn State redshirt freshman Matt Brown. His time in transit was just another thing to be endured, and possibly even enjoyed. Matt Brown is 23-2 this season (Photo/Bill Ennis)"Oh, yeah, it was was definitely a long couple of days, but I was excited to be coming home," says Brown. "I'd been away from my family and wrestling for two years and I was just thinking about how it was all about to start up again." For Brown, the newest star to emerge from head coach Cael Sanderson's ever-deepening roster of talent, "it" has definitely started. Originally recruited to wrestle for Cael at Iowa State, Brown left Ames after his freshman year to complete his mission for the Church of Latter Day Saints in Mozambique and Angola. When he returned after two years he decided to transfer to Penn State to continue his career under the guidance of Cael, Cody Sanderson, and Casey Cunningham. Over the past two months Brown has captivated wrestling fans by proving to be the most serviceable backup in the nation. Fans have watched in amazement as the 21-year-old Utah native has battled to improbable wins even as he seems hopelessly log-jammed behind Happy Valley's inordinate amount of upperweight talent. Brown, who wrestles at 174 pounds, is currently doing the backup work for Ed Ruth, the second-ranked wrestler at the weight class, and Quentin Wright, the returning NCAA champion at 184 pounds. It's a crevice with little sunlight. But according to Coach Cody Sanderson, the months it took Brown to position himself to even challenge for a starting spot was a slow process, only gaining momentum when Brown's positive attitude and hard work were rewarded by his body's long-dormant wrestling memory. Matt Brown rides teammate Ed Ruth (Photo/Bill Ennis)"He was a little impatient when it came to getting back on the mats in August," says Cody. "I tried to keep him from getting too frustrated. But you could see in his face that he was frustrated that his timing wasn't right, or that he wasn't flowing between moves well. But since then he just stays longer and works harder every day to get himself better and we're starting to see the results." Brown was working hard in relative obscurity until he entered unattached into the Southern Scuffle. It was in Chattanooga that he enjoyed the first rewards of his hard work, beating Missouri's 15th-ranked Dorian Henderson and Minnesota's 5th-ranked Logan Storley on his way to a showdown with teammate Ed Ruth in the finals. Brown lost a 6-3 decision. It's still the closest match of Ruth's season. "I was glad I could wrestle him, but of course I wanted to win," says Brown. "I was disappointed I couldn't finish my shots in the finals." It wouldn't be Brown's last chance for acclaim, as he'd soon be asked to enter the Nittany Lions' starting lineup. Brown's legend became Lin-sane in February when an injury to 197-pound starter Morgan McIntosh forced Brown (who'd weighed in at 174 pounds) into the starting lineup for two duals against Nebraska and Michigan. Brown beat the Nebraska wrestler with solid hand fighting and aggression, winning on a last-second stalling point. To ensure his place in Nittany Lion lore, he then knocked off 14th-ranked Max Huntley of Michigan. Coach Cody Sanderson has high hopes for Matt Brown (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)"The fans here just really respond to a guy who works hard and wrestles aggressively," says Cody. "He's inspiring guys on the team with his work ethic and outlook on the season. He's an incredible athlete and has the potential, I think, to be an NCAA champion." The wins and attention are nice, but all wrestlers want to test themselves against the best competition -- to see their names along the other greats from their school. Could Brown leave? Surrounded by all that talent, nobody would blame him if he transferred to become the starter at any other big-time program. Brown acknowledges the blockade of talent through the Penn State upperweights, but says he doesn't see himself wrestling for anyone but Cael and the Nittany Lions. "I don't plan on transferring," says Brown, who is also on an Army ROTC scholarship. "I think something will open in the future. And I believe I can accomplish my goals in three years that I might be able to do in four years somewhere else." Brown admits moments of disappointment in thinking about the hard work of the season, coupled with the idea of not being able to compete in next month's Big Ten and NCAA tournaments -- the tournaments where Brown, and his fans, would love to see him compete. "It would be frustrating to not wrestle at Big Tens or the NCAAs," says Brown. "I'm very grateful for the opportunities I've had, and I'm not really worried about losing focus, but like every wrestler, I want to compete in the best tournaments." Matt Brown puts his Lock Haven opponent in danger (Photo/Penn State Sports Information)Even as the desire to compete builds and the options for this season seem to be fading away, Brown thinks that he's on track to do something important with his college wrestling career if remembers to value the optimism that the coaches preach. "Coach Cael paints a picture that it's not the result, but if you're trying your best. Doesn't matter if you get beat, just that you're trying your hardest, fighting for points. "So in some ways the goal has become pretty simple: Just do your best." And wait, which is something Brown is prepared to endure, and possibly even enjoy.

Mike Powell

OREM, Utah -- University of Northern Iowa 133-pound redshirt sophomore Joe Colon (Clear Lake, Iowa/Clear Lake HS) has been named the Western Wrestling Conference Wrestler of the Week after an outstanding performance on the mat last weekend. The conference award was announced Tuesday by the league. Colon toppled the nation's No. 1-ranked wrestler last weekend as the Panthers competed at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals Regional at Iowa State. Colon, who was ranked 11th at 133 pounds at the time of the bout, defeated Virginia Tech's Devin Carter with a 13-3 major decision in UNI's first round dual. The redshirt sophomore did not shy away from his aggressive wrestling style against the top-ranked Carter, landing a takedown and a three-point near fall in the first period. In his next match, Colon pinned Wisconsin's Shane McQuade in 3:41 in a dual that featured a season-high four pins for the Panthers. With the fall, Colon remained undefeated in dual action at 10-0 and extended his win streak to 15 matches. Over the span of those 15 victories, Colon has won by regular decision just once. The rest have been major decisions (5), technical falls (4) and pins (5). The conference honor is Colon's second of the season. The Western Wrestling Conference, which is in its sixth year of competition, is comprised of seven schools including the Air Force Academy, North Dakota State, Northern Colorado, Northern Iowa, South Dakota State, Utah Valley and Wyoming. Other Nominees: North Dakota State: Steven Monk, 157 pounds, So., (Wausau, Wis./Wausau West HS) Northern Colorado: Justin Gonzales, 149 pounds, So., (Greeley, Colo./Northridge HS) South Dakota State: Aaron Pickrel, 125 pounds, RJr., (Watertown, S.D./Watertown HS) Utah Valley: Blake Mangum, 133 pounds, RFr., (Heber City, Utah/Oklahoma) Wyoming: Shane Onufer, 165 pounds, Sr., (Auburn, Wash./Auburn HS) 2011-12 WWC Wrestlers of the Week Nov. 9 - Cole VonOhlen (Air Force) Nov. 15 - Shane Onufer (Wyoming) Nov. 22 - Kasey Garnhart (Wyoming)/Steven Monk (North Dakota State) Nov. 29 - Ryan Loder (Northern Iowa) Dec. 6 - Joe LeBlanc (Wyoming) Dec. 13 - Zach Zehner (Wyoming) Dec. 20 - Shane Onufer (Wyoming) Jan. 4 - Steven Monk (North Dakota State) Jan. 10 - Pat Martinez (Wyoming) Jan. 17 - Cole VonOhlen (Air Force) Jan. 24 - Joe LeBlanc (Wyoming) Jan. 31 - Joe Colon (Northern Iowa) Feb. 7 - David Bonin (Northern Iowa)/Clayton Gable (Air Force) Feb. 14 - Joe Colon (Northern Iowa) 2011-12 WWC Dual Standings School Conf. Overall No. 10 Wyoming 4-0 8-3 Northern Iowa 5-1 8-6 North Dakota State 3-2 6-8 Northern Colorado 2-2 5-6 Air Force 2-3 7-5 Utah Valley 1-4 6-9 South Dakota State 0-5 4-8