InterMat Staff

The No. 4 Minnesota Golden Gophers won the NWCA National Dual Regional this afternoon. Minnesota defeated Kent State 35-3 in the semi-final, before defeating Missouri 26-7 for the championship. With the win the Gophers improve to 12-3 overall on the season. Minnesota is the first team to move on the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Dual Final Four. The Gophers will await their opponents from the other three regional's (Cornell, Iowa State and Oklahoma State) that take place tomorrow. There is a chance the final four could be held in Minneapolis next Sunday. An announcement will be made at the conclusion of tomorrow's action. Head coach J Robinson was a big part of putting this tournament style together for the last 25 years and he is feeling pretty good that his squad will be participating in the inaugural final four next Sunday. “It's the first one there's ever been one, so why wouldn't we be excited?” Robinson said. “If the people who are supposed to get in get in ... then we get a chance to wrestle two of the three people who beat us this year. We're excited about going. We want it at our place. We think we can get a ton of fans there. We're excited about the whole thing.” Minnesota's losses this season have come against Cornell (21-16), Oklahoma State (23-14) and Iowa (19-17). Those three teams are the favored to make it out of their regional alive tomorrow afternoon. Championship: Minnesota 27, Missouri 7 Zach Sanders started things off with an 8-4 decision over Missouri's Alan Waters. The two battled each other till the final horn, before Sanders picked up the win to improve to 23-1 overall this season. Chris Dardanes had no problem with the Tigers Nathan McCormick, as he scored a 14-5 major to put the Gophers up 7-0 early. Brother Nick would take the mat next and was able to pick up another major for Minnesota. Dardanes defeated Brandon Wiest 15-7 before Dylan Ness picked up a solid overtime win against Kyle Bradley, to put Minnesota on top 14-0. Cody Yohn would pick up his second win of the afternoon for the Gophers. Yohn took Missouri's Zach Toal all three periods, before coming away with a 6-1 decision. He finished with over three minutes of riding time. Minnesota's final victories came from Kevin Steinhaus and Tony Nelson. Steinhaus took care of Claernce Neely in a 6-0 decision and Nelson would seal the deal for the Maroon and Gold when he scored 4-1 decision over the Tigers Devon Mellon. Semifinal: Minnesota 35, Kent State 3 Minnesota came out swinging in the semifinals of the NWCA/Cliff Clean National Duals. The Gophers took care of Kent State 35-3 in their first match of the afternoon on the campus of Rutgers University. The Gophers picked up bonus points from Chris Dardanes, Nick Dardanes, Cody Yohn, Logan Storley and Kevin Steinhaus. Chris Dardanes scored a 12-3 major decision over Steve Mitcheff and his brother Nick followed with a 12-4 major decision over Tyler Small. Yohn got back on the winning side of things after scoring a first period fall over Ross Tice. Yohn picked up the bonus points at the 1:22 mark in the match. Storley would take care of Brandon Johnson with a 13-3 major and Steinhaus picked up a 16-1 technical fall win over Casey Newburg. Tony Nelson wrapped up the first dual of the day for the Gophers with a 5-4 overtime victory. Nelson and Kent State's Brandan Barlow went the full length in the extra session, with Nelson picking up the win with the riding time advantage. Minnesota 35, Kent State 3 125: No. 2 Zach Sanders (Minnesota) dec. No. 4 Nic Bedelyon (Kent State), 8-4 133: No. 7 Chris Dardanes (Minnesota) maj. dec. Steve Mitcheff (Kent State), 12-3 141: No. 8 Nick Dardanes (Minnesota) maj. dec. No. 10 Tyler Small (Kent State), 12-4 149: No. 10 Dylan Ness (Minnesota) dec. Marcel Clopton (Kent State), 6-2 157: No. 14 Mallie Shuster (Kent State) dec. Alec Ortiz (Minnesota), 8-4 165: No. 14 Cody Yohn (Minnesota) pinned Ross Tice (Kent State), 1:22 174: No. 6 Logan Storley (Minnesota) maj. dec. Brandonn Johnson (Kent State), 13-3 184: No. 7 Kevin Steinhaus (Minnesota) tech. fall Casey Newburg (Kent State), 16-1 197: No. 6 Sonny Yohn (Minnesota) dec. Keith Witt (Kent State), 3-1 285: No. 4 Tony Nelson (Minnesota) dec. No. 14 Brendan Barlow (Kent State), 5-4 SV Minnesota 26, Missouri 7 125: No. 2 Zach Sanders (Minnesota) dec. No. 3 Alan Waters (Missouri), 8-6 133: No. 7 Chris Dardanes (Minnesota) maj. dec. No. 8 Nathan McCormick (Missouri), 15-5 141: No. 8 Nick Dardanes (Minnesota) maj. dec. Brandon Wiest (Missouri), 15-7 149: No. 10 Dylan Ness (Minnesota) dec. No. 17 Kyle Bradley (Missouri), 8-6 SV 157: No. 17 Drake Houdashelt (Missouri) dec. Danny Zilverberg (Minnesota), 6-4 165: No. 14 Cody Yohn (Minnesota) dec. Zach Toal (Missouri), 6-3 174: No. 6 Logan Storley (Minnesota) dec. No. 18 Dorian Henderson (Missouri), 2-0 184: No. 7 Kevin Steinhaus (Minnesota) dec. Clarence Neely (Missouri), 6-0 197: No. 7 Brent Haynes (Missouri) maj. dec. No. 6 Sonny Yohn (Minnesota), 10-0 285: No. 4 Tony Nelson (Minnesota) dec. Devon Mellon (Missouri), 4-1

OREM, Utah -- Utah Valley got key decisions from Blake Mangum and Avery Garner as the Wolverines overcame two falls to defeat South Dakota State 21-18 and pickup its first Western Wrestling Conference dual victory of the season Friday night in the UCCU Center. But UVU (6-8, 1-4 WWC) came up just short in the nightcap, falling 24-18 to North Dakota State. The Wolverines will have a quick turnaround and return to action Saturday evening for the biggest home dual in program history. Defending national champion and second-ranked Penn State rolls into the UCCU Center at 7 p.m. The match will air live on UVU-TV and will be tape delayed on Fox College Sports next week. The dual with the Nittany Lions will be the final home match for UVU this season. The Wolverines' top wrestler, 14th-ranked Josh Wilson, got the home squad off to a nice start to the evening by controlling the bout with the Jackrabbits' Andrew Youngblom from the start. Wilson compiled 3:13 of riding time and picked up a 6-0 decision. SDSU (4-7, 0-4 WWC) answered in the 157-pound matchup when the Jacks' Nick Flynn pinned Napoleon Aniciete after the two had battled to a 5-5 tie over two periods. But Ethan Smith (165 pounds) put the Wolverines back in front, 9-6, when he forced a fall of his own, pinning Dillon Reid as the second period wound to a close. The Win was Smith's fourth in a row, three of which had been pins. Monte Schmalhaus (174) and David Prieto (184) each took care of business in their bouts with a pair of decisions to push UVU ahead 15-6, but SDSU would reel off 12 straight points to quickly overcome the deficit. The Jacks' Nick Mart defeated Brian Chamberlain by decision in the 197-pound match, then Joe Skow got a huge result when he pinned Dustin Dennison (285) just 1:58 into the first period. Finally, Aaron Pickrel, SDSU's top wrestler held on for a 7-2 decision over Colby Christensen in the 125 pound match to cap the comeback late into the dual. Desperately needing points, UVU's Blake Mangum (133) and Nick Chavez ground to a 1-1 tie late into the third period. But Mangum secured a takedown with just 33 seconds remaining and held on for a gritty 3-1 decision to tie the dual at 18-18 with one match left. Avery Garner, who was ranked 28th in the latest RPI list for UVU, faced off with another of SDSU's top wrestlers, Dustin Walraven in the winner-take-all bout. Walraven took a 3-1 lead just moments into the second period after an escape, but Garner quickly responded with a takedown to level the score. Another Walraven escape put him ahead 4-3, but Garner quickly grabbed the visitor and slammed him on his back, winning a takedown and a three-point near fall to claim an 8-4 advantage heading into the third frame. Garner stayed on the offensive in the final period, adding two more points after a reversal and he would hold on from there, picking up a 10-6 decision and securing a 21-18 dual victory for the Wolverines. UVU seemed poised to pick up where it left off against SDSU when Wilson (149) opened the dual and swiftly put the Wolverines in front with a first period pin of NDSU's Mark Erickson. Wilson wasted no time, earning a takedown just a minute into the period and finishing it off just moments later to put UVU ahead 6-0 after one bout. But the Bison (6-7, 3-1 WWC) would respond with a pin of their own when Steven Monk, ranked 13th nationally at 157 pounds, forced a fall of Aniciete early in the second period to tie the dual score at 6-6. NDSU would win the next three matches to shoot ahead 17-6 after Smith (165) dropped a 13-3 major decision to Tyler Johnson, Joe Garner picked up an 8-4 decision over UVU's Schmalhaus (174), and Mac Stoll won another major decision against Prieto (184). Chamberlain (197) got UVU back on the board when he won a tightly contested 8-6 decision over John Gusewelle, but Dennison (285) came up just short against Evan Knutson in a 4-0 decision. Facing a big 20-9 deficit, Christensen (125) battled No. 19 Trent Sprenkel but Sprenkle ended up securing an 11-2 major decision, which clinched the win for the Bison with two bouts remaining, Mangum (133) went on to defeat Justin Solberg by decision, 7-5, and Garner (141) won by forfeit, but it was NDSU who stole the nightcap, winning 24-18. Utah Valley 21, South Dakota State 18 149 - #14 Josh Wilson (UVU) Dec. Andrew Youngbloom (SDSU), 6-0 157 - Nick Flynn (SDSU) Fall Napoleon Aniciete (UVU), 6:19 165 - Ethan Smith (UVU) Fall Dillon Reid (SDSU), 4:46 174 - Monte Schmalhaus (UVU) Dec. Joe Rasmussen (SDSU), 7-1 184 - David Prieto (UVU) Dec. Tony Lisek (SDSU), 5-3 197 - Nick Mart (SDSU) Dec. Brian Chamberlain (UVU), 5-3 285 - Joe Skow (SDSU) Fall Dustin Dennison (UVU), 1:58 125 - Aaron Pickrel (SDSU) Dec. Colby Christensen (UVU), 7-2 133 - Blake Mangum (UVU) Dec. Nick Chavez (SDSU), 3-1 141 - Avery Garner (UVU) Dec. Dustin Walraven (SDSU), 10-6 North Dakota State 24, Utah Valley 18 149 - #14 Josh Wilson (UVU) Fall Mark Erickson (NDSU), 1:59 157 - #13 Steven Monk (NDSU) Fall Napoleon Aniciete (UVU), 3:51 165 - Tyler Johnson (NDSU) Maj. Dec. Ethan Smith (UVU), 13-3 174 - Joe Garner (NDSU) Dec. Monte Schmalhaus (UVU), 9-4 184 - Mac Stoll (NDSU) Maj. Dec. David Prieto (UVU), 11-0 197 - Brian Chamberlain (UVU) Dec. John Gusewelle (NDSU), 8-6 285 - Evan Knutson (NDSU) Dec. Dustin Dennison (UVU), 4-0 125 - #19 Trent Sprenkle (NDSU) Maj. Dec. Colby Christensen (UVU), 14-2 133 - Blake Mangum (UVU) Dec. Justin Solberg (NDSU), 8-5 141 - Avery Garner (UVU) won by forfeit

Boiling Springs, N.C. -- The Citadel used pins by Richard Alarcon, Jordan Dix, Josh Tuck and No. 15 Odie Delaney to defeat host Gardner-Webb 36-10 in Southern Conference action Friday evening at Paul Porter Arena. The Bulldogs improve to 6-8 overall and 2-2 in the SoCon and face Davidson Saturday at 2:00 p.m. The Citadel scored victories in the first three matches of the evening to open a 16-0 lead. Alarcon had posted a 9-3 advantage at 125 pounds before pinning Michael Slaughter at the 6:52 mark for a 6-0 Bulldog lead. Kyle Casaletto dominated his match at 133, scoring a 10-2 major decision over Robert Golde before Dix dispatched Jacob Reinemund with a pin at the 1:50 mark of the 141 bout for the early 16-point lead. Gardner-Webb got on the board at with a major decision at 149 as Davante Andujar out-pointed Shane Lee 12-2, cutting The Citadel's advantage to 16-4. At 157 pounds, Pierre Frazile and Alex Medved each scored a takedown and an escape to finish the first period at 3-3. Frazile notched an escape in the second and Medved grabbed a point off one in the third to send the match to overtime tied 4-4. Medved edged ahead with a point off an escape in the second overtime period and Frazile was unable to score a takedown, falling 5-4. Justin Guthrie picked up an 8-3 decision over Mike Harper to cut the Bulldogs' lead to 16-10. The Bulldogs swept the final four matches of the evening to pull away for the final 36-10 victory. At 174 pounds, Turtogtokh Luvsandorj picked up his first technical fall of the season, opening a 10-3 lead in the first period before stopping Erin O'Dell at the 6:30 mark with a 23-7 score. Tuck's pin of Jason Porter at 2:20 of the 184-pound match increased the Bulldogs' lead to 27-10 securing the team win. Kelby Smith picked up a 10-3 decision over Travis Porter at 197 for his team-high 29th win of the season. Delaney closed out the victory with a pin of Justin Kozera at the 1:20 mark of the heavyweight bout, his 11th win via fall of the season. Results: 125 Richard Alarcon (Citadel) won by pin over Michael Slaughter (Gardner-Webb) 6:52; CIT leads 6-0 133 Kyle Casaletto (Citadel) won by major decision over Robert Golde (Gardner-Webb) 10-2; CIT leads 10-0 141 Jordan Dix (Citadel) won by pin over Jacob Reinemund (Gardner-Webb) 1:50; CIT leads 16-0 149 Davante Andujar (Gardner-Webb) won by major decision over Shane Lee (Citadel) 12-2; CIT leads 16-4 157 Alex Medved (Gardner-Webb) won in double overtime over Pierre Frazile (Citadel) 5-4; CIT leads 16-7 165 Justin Guthrie (Gardner-Webb) won by decision over Mike Harper (Citadel) 8-3; CIT leads 16-10 174 Turtogtokh Luvsandorj (Citadel) won by tech fall over Erin O`Dell (Gardner-Webb) 6:30 23-7; CIT leads 21-10 184 Josh Tuck (Citadel) won by pin over Jason Porter (Gardner-Webb) 2:20; CIT leads 27-10 197 Kelby Smith (Citadel) won by decision over Travis Porter (Gardner-Webb) 10-3; CIT leads 30-10 285 No. 15 Odie Delaney (Citadel) won by pin over Justin Kozera (Gardner-Webb) 1:20; CIT wins 36-10

LOCK HAVEN, Pa. -- Alex Pellicciotti and Stephen McPeek recorded pins and Bucknell registered three total bonus-point victories as it easily defeated Lock Haven by a 28-13 margin Friday evening. The win snapped a four-match losing streak for the Bison, who have now defeated the Bald Eagles three consecutive years. Bucknell (4-15) has now outscored Lock Haven (4-9) 79-38 over the course of the last three meetings. The Bison earned their second road win of the season. Freshman Austin Miller gave Bucknell the early lead with a 6-4 overtime decision in the opening bout of the night at 125. He scored a takedown with 10 seconds left in overtime to earn his team-high 18th victory of the season. The lead was short-lived, however, as Lock Haven's John Trumbetti posted a 15-1 major decision at 133, giving the Bald Eagles a 4-3 advantage, their only lead of the match. Lock Haven would win only one more bout (184) before being given a forfeit at heavyweight after the Bison had opened up a 28-7 lead. Pellicciiotti's pin at 149 followed a major decision by Derrik Russell and extended the Bucknell lead to 13-4. Pellicciotti was dominating his bout and led 12-2 at the time of the pin, his fifth bonus-point victory of the season. Three bouts later McPeek followed with his third pin of the year to improve to 17-15 overall. Like Pellicciotti, he held a large lead at the time of the pin as he was up on Aaron McKinney by a 14-4 score when the fall occurred early in the third period. Senior John Regan, junior Corey Lear and freshman Tyler Lyster also posted wins by decision in the match. Regan won 5-2, but led the whole bout, while Lear won 2-1 based on riding time (1:21). Lyster snapped a four-bout losing streak with an 8-3 decision at 197 as he never trailed. Bucknell will wrap up its regular season Sunday at noon against Penn in Davis Gym. Regan, the team's lone senior, will be honored during Senior Day ceremonies prior to the match. Results: 125: Austin Miller (BU) dec. Bobby Rehm (LHU) 6-4 (OT) 133: John Trumbetti (LHU) major dec. Bob Hauser (BU) 15-1 141: Derrik Russell (BU) major dec. Jonathon Childress (LHU) 11-3 149: Alex Pellicciotti (BU) pinned Owen Wilkinson (LHU) 4:36 157: John Regan (BU) dec. Aaron Fry (LHU) 5-2 165: Corey Lear (BU) dec. Seth Creasy (LHU) 2-1 174: Stephen McPeek (BU) pinned Aaron McKinney (LHU) 5:35 184: Fred Garcia (LHU) dec. Jamie Westwood (BU) 6-2 197: Tyler Lyster (BU) dec. Matt Parlier (LHU) 8-3 285: Harry Turner (LHU) wins by forfeit

ATHENS, Ohio -- In its final non-conference dual meet of the season, the West Virginia University wrestling team dominated Ohio, 36-3, at the Convocation Center. After the 184-pound bout was drawn as the dual meet's starting point, the Mountaineers ran off seven consecutive victories that helped build an insurmountable 27-0 lead. Lance Bryson “I don't normally like to start at any other weight class than 125 pounds, but our guys seemed to respond,” said coach Craig Turnbull. “We won a couple close matches, and our guys handled themselves well in front of an away crowd.” Redshirt senior Matt Ryan (184) got WVU off to a quick start, as he took a 7-1 decision from the Bobcats' Ryan Garringer. Ryan used a takedown within the first 30 seconds of the match to jump out to an early lead. In the second period, Ryan chose bottom position and was able to reverse his opponent. Ryan tallied almost six minutes of riding time in the bout. Redshirt sophomore Mac Mancuso (197) followed Ryan's performance with a strong showing of his own in his return to the mat. Mancuso nearly pinned Ohio's Beau Wenger from a defensive position and earned two near fall points in the second period. The near fall points put Mancuso on top 7-1. Mancuso closed on the match with another takedown that helped seal the riding time point in a 10-2 major decision. “I felt good in my return, and I felt a little more loose than I am use to,” said Mancuso. “I didn't feel stiff, and I let things go a little more. It was an all around good day.” In the heavyweight contest, redshirt senior Brandon Williamson took a 5-1 decision from Andy Hartshorn. Williamson pushed the pace against a defensive Hartshorn and tallied three near fall points in the final 15 seconds that ensured the victory. At 125 pounds, junior Shane Young (125) jumped out to a 4-0 lead against the Bobcats' Gabe Ramos. Young continued to carry the pace of the match throughout the remainder of the first and second period. In the third, Young scored yet another takedown and took a 7-3 decision. Redshirt sophomore Nathan Pennesi (133) and sophomore Michael Morales (141) scored two of the Mountaineers' biggest wins, as they put the meet out of reach for Ohio. Pennesi teched Drew Hammer, 15-0, while Morales pinned Darrin Boing 2:28 into the first period. Pennesi's win was his team-leading 24th of season. “Our lightweights took control of the match for us,” Turnbull said. “Nathan and Morales did a great job and put us in a very good position. Overall, it was a very good match for us.” Redshirt freshman Brutus Scheffel also helped build on WVU's lead, as he took a 7-5 decision from Andrew Romanchik. Scheffel got to his offensive game early and converted a takedown attempt. After a second period with little action, Scheffel's offense was persistent in the third period and helped him build a 7-3 lead that sealed the victory. Following a loss at 157 pounds, redshirt senior Kyle Eason scored his first dual meet pin of the season, as he pinned Miles Chapman at the 4:54 mark of the match. Chapman battled for nearly a minute against Eason's position, but Eason was able to get the fall. Redshirt junior Lance Bryson closed out the dominant win for the Mountaineers with an impressive win over No. 18 Nick Purdue. Bryson worked takedowns in the first and third period that got him the 5-1 decision victory. “It felt great to be on the other side of a close decision against a ranked opponent,” said Bryson. “A win like this will help me build confidence and momentum as we head into the Eastern Wrestling League tournament and the NCAA tournament.” WVU is now 7-4 overall this season, while the Bobcats drop to 3-6 overall this season. The Mountaineers will close out their regular season next weekend, as they will travel to Edinboro on Saturday and Cleveland State on Sunday. Results: 184: No. 16 Matt Ryan (WVU) dec. Ryan Garringer (OU), 7-1 197: Mac Mancuso (WVU) maj. dec. Beau Wenger (OU), 10-2 HWT: No. 16 Brandon Williamson (WVU) dec. Andy Hartshorn (OU), 5-1 125: No. 26 Shane Young (WVU) dec. Gabe Ramos (OU), 7-3 133: No. 24 Nathan Pennesi (WVU) tech fall Drew Hammer (OU), 15-0 141: No. 31 Michael Morales (WVU) win by fall Darrin Boing (OU), 2:28 149: Brutus Scheffel (WVU) dec. Andrew Romanchik (OU), 7-5 157: Harrison Hightower (OU) dec. Dominic Prezzia (WVU), 6-0 165: Kyle Eason (WVU) win by fall Miles Chapman (OU), 4:54 174: No. 22 Lance Bryson (WVU) dec. No. 18 Nick Purdue (OU), 5-1

PRINCETON, N.J. -- Kyle Gilchrist, Steve Santos, Jake O'Hara, and Kevin Lester notched wins by major decision as Columbia wrestling team picked up its first Ivy League win of the season in dominant fashion on Friday, crushing Princeton, 28-6 at Dillon Gym. The Lions (5-3, 1-1 Ivy League, 2-2 EIWA) won eight of the 10 bouts to bring down Princeton (6-11, 1-3 Ivy League) and begin their three-match weekend on a strong note. Columbia jumped out to a 7-0 lead after Robert Dyar (13-14) defeated Ryan Cash, 8-4, at 125 pounds and Gilchrist (21-10) took a 11-3 major decision at 133. Princeton got on the scoreboard at 141, where Adam Krop had a 6-0 win over Matt Bystol (18-14). Columbia then scored 17 straight points to take clinch the win with 24-3 lead with two matches left. At 149, Santos (16-5) won his eighth-consecutive bout, defeating dual rookie Seth Hazleton by major decision, 10-2. O'Hara (22-10) followed with the biggest win of the day, dominating Kyle Roddy, 13-2, for a major decision victory at 157. Eren Civan, wrestling for the first time since the New York State Wrestling Championships on Jan. 20-21, enjoyed a 5-1 win over Rich Eva to improve his season record to 7-6. At 174, Stephen West (25-10) won his fourth-straight matchup, taking a 10-5 victory over Andy Lowy. Shane Hughes improved to 16-9 on the season and 8-5 at 184 with a 4-0 shutout of Dan Santoro. Nick Mills (9-11) came up just short at 197, losing to Kurt Brendel, 10-9. At heavyweight, Lester (24-8) closed out the match with an 11-2 major decision over Bobby Grogan. The Lions' big man continues to win in impressive fashion as 13 of his 24 wins this year have come either by fall or by major decision. Columbia will face Penn on Saturday at 1 p.m. in Philadelphia before heading back to the Garden State for a 6 p.m. match at Rider in Lawrenceville, N.J. Results: 125 – Robert Dyer (C) d. Ryan Cash, 8-4 133 – Kyle Gilchrist (C) md. Joe De,Quinzio, 11-3 141 – Adam Krop (P) d. Matt Bystol 6-0 149 – Steve Santos (C) md. Seth Hazleton, 10-2 157 – Jake O'Hara (C) md. Kyle ,Roddy, 13-2 165 – Eren Civan (C) d. Rich Eva 5-1 174 – Stephen West (C) d. Andy Lowy, 10-5 184 – Shane Hughes (C) d. Dan Santor,o 4-0 197 – Kurt Brendel (P) d. Nick Mills, 10-9 285 – Kevin Lester (C) md. Bobby Grogan, 11-2

EDINBORO, Pa. -- It wasn't the first time this year that a match has been left up to heavyweight Ernest James (left), and it probably won't be the last. On Friday night James came through with flying colors to lead Edinboro to an 18-15 win over Michigan State. The victory left the Fighting Scots at 9-2, while the Big Ten Spartans fell to 3-10. A crowd of 1,314 took in the match on Military and First Responders Appreciation Night. With the match tied at 15-15, James took the mat against MSU's Mike McClure in a matchup of sophomore heavyweights. Following a scoreless first period James took the 1-0 lead with a quick escape in the second, but McClure matched it to start the third. James nearly had the winning takedown with 25 seconds to go at the edge of the mat, but the wrestlers were out of bounds. He followed with another double leg shot seconds later and this time finished it for the winning takedown with 15 seconds to go for a 3-1 decision. The win boosted James to 27-8, while McClure is now 12-9. Michigan State took advantage of wins at two swing weights to push the match to the final bout. The only bonus points of the night were earned by Edinboro's A.J. Schopp (below), who picked up his 16th fall of the season at 1:53 over Terry Turner at 133 lbs. The sixth-ranked Schopp improved to 32-3 with his eighth straight triumph. It proved the difference as both teams won five bouts. One of those swing match wins came at 125 lbs., as Brenan Lyon (8-9) edged Kory Mines (14-14) 9-7. The Fighting Scots won the next three matches to take a 12-3 lead. Following Schopp's pin Mitchell Port won a 6-1 decision over Brian Gibbs (16-14) at 141 lbs. Port, ranked 15th by InterMat, led just 2-1 after two periods, but used an escape and takedown to pull away in the third period. He owned 1:45 in riding time. Port is now 24-6 and has won his last nine matches. Dave Habat, ranked fifth by InterMat at 149 lbs., was forced into overtime before coming away with a 4-2 decision over Dan Osterman in a match that lived up to its advanced billing. Osterman took a 2-0 lead with a reversal to start the second period, and a Habat escape made it 2-1 going into the third. Habat tied it with an escape to start the third period. The redshirt freshman would come up with the winning takedown 17 seconds into sudden victory to improve to 32-5 with his 11straight win and 20 in the last 21 matches. Osterman is now 19-13. Michigan State would follow with four straight wins to take a 15-12 lead. Anthony Jones (18-6), ranked tenth by InterMat, held off freshman Casey Fuller (19-17), 6-3, at 157 lbs. thanks to takedowns in the second and third period. David Cheza (14-7) followed with a 7-2 decision at 165 lbs. over another Boro freshman, Jesse Swink (8-10). Cheza had takedowns in the first and third, plus a second period reversal. At 174 lbs., senior Chris Hrunka (16-14) turned in a strong showing against 16th-ranked Curran Jacobs (21-9) before dropping a 70-3 decision. Following a scoreless first period Jacobs used a reversal and takedown for a 4-2 lead after two periods. Hrunka closed to 4-3 with an escape with 18 seconds to go, but Jacobs registered an insurance takedown with eight seconds remaining. The Spartan had 2:51 in riding time. Vic Avery saw his four-match winning streak come to an end at 184 lbs. as the freshman fell to 20-11 with a 6-5 loss to Ian Hinton in a match that featured three penalty points for stalling or locked hands. Avery led 5-4 following his lone takedown with 1:15 left in the match, but the freshman was called for locked hands and Hinton escaped almost instantaneously with a minute left for the winning points. Hinton improved to 15-8. Second-ranked Chris Honeycutt followed with a 6-2 decision against Nick McDiamid at 197 lbs. The two had met earlier in the year with Honeycutt prevailing 15-5, but the MSU redshirt freshman kept his distance throughout this time around. In improving to 32-0 for the season and 122-20 for his career, Honeycutt had takedowns in the first and second periods, with McDirmiad escaping twice in the second. An ugly third period saw Honeycutt gain points for stalling and locked hands. The senior moved past Alex Clemsen for sole possession of tenth place in career wins. Edinboro returns to action next Friday, February 17 at Pittsburgh in a match that could decide the EWL regular season title. Results: 125 lbs. Brenan Lyon (MSU) dec. Kory Mines (EU) 9-7 0-3 133 lbs. #6 A.J. Schopp (EU) fall over Terry Turner (MSU) 1:53 6-3 141 lbs. #15 Mitchell Port (EU) dec. Brian Gibbs (MSU) 6-1 9-3 149 lbs. #5 Dave Habat (EU) dec. Dan Osterman (MSU) 4-2 SV 12-3 157 lbs. #10 Anthony Jones (MSU) dec. Casey Fuller (EU) 6-3 12-6 165 lbs. David Cheza (MSU) dec. Jesse Swink (EU) 7-2 12-9 174 lbs. #16 Curran Jacobs (MSU) dec. Chris Hrunka (EU) 7-3 12-12 184 lbs. Ian Hinton (MSU) dec. Vic Avery (EU) 6-5 12-15 197 lbs. #2 Chris Honeycutt (EU) dec. Nick McDiarmid (MSU) 6-2 15-15 Hwt. Ernest James (EU) dec. Mike McClure(MSU) 3-1 18-15

PITTSBURGH -- Pitt sophomore P.J. Tasser bumped up a weight to 184 pounds and beat ninth-ranked Ben Clymer to help the No. 9 Panther wrestling team knock off No. 22 Hofstra on Friday at the Fitzgerald Field House. It was the third win over a top-25 team this season for the Panthers (13-1) and their 10th straight win overall. No. 13 Tyler Nauman, No. 33 Donnie Tasser, No. 21 Ethan Headlee, No. 32 Andy Vaughan and No. 4 Matt Wilps also had victories for the Panthers against the Pride. With the score tied 12-12 after Headlee's forfeit win at 174, the Pitt coaching staff made a last-second change in the lineup, inserting P.J. Tasser at 184 pounds and bumping the remaining probable starters up a weight class. The move worked to perfection as Tasser helped the Panthers close out the meet with four straight wins. Tasser faced a tough challenge in Clymer, who had just moved up the rankings with a win over then-No. 3 Steve Bosak of Cornell, but proved to the crowd, and possibly himself, that he could compete with his highly-touted opponent with his performance in the first period. “I went in a little bit nervous, but once I got out there and I started getting after it, I could tell I could take him down,” Tasser said. “Right around the end of the first period after I was in on a couple of shots I turned it on and it all worked out.” The match was scoreless after one period, but Tasser was clearly the aggressor. Trailing 1-0 after an escape by Clymer in the second period, Tasser chose neutral, avoiding Clymer's best skill set by not selecting bottom. With less than 20 seconds on the clock, he scored the winning takedown on the edge of the circle and rode out the final seconds for the victory. “It was great for P.J. to get a win like that,” said assistant coach Jason Peters. “It was an opportunity for him to help the team and he came through.” Tasser has now beaten two nationally-ranked wrestlers in a row. He posted a decision over then-No. 33 Mike Dessino – the returning EWL champion – in Pitt's win over Bloomsburg. Vaughan followed Tasser with a major decision at 197 pounds to clinch the match. The redshirt senior has won 12 of his last 13 matches. Giving up a good 50 pounds, Wilps won by decision at heavyweight, putting away any doubt of the outcome even if the Pride wrestler had made weight at 174. Wilps improved to 14-0 in dual meets this season. The meet didn't start off too well for the Panthers as they lost the first three bouts and found themselves down 9-0. Nauman, the lone All-American on the Pitt roster, put his team back on track with a 4-3 decision over No. 17 Justin Accordino at 149. Nauman, who had beaten Accordino in overtime earlier this season, used a takedown and two escapes to take a 4-2 lead into the final period and held on in a near must-win situation for the Panthers. Donnie Tasser made it two in a row for Pitt with his 9-3 decision at 157 pounds, cutting the Hofstra lead to 9-6. Tasser trailed 3-2 part way through the second period but scored the final seven points of the bout. Even some of Pitt's losses were solid showings. No. 20 Shelton Mack nearly had a fall in the first sudden victory before falling short in the second tiebreaker in a 6-5 loss to No. 26 Jamie Franco. No. 33 Tyler Wilps came up just short in his attempt to reverse an earlier loss to No. 17 P.J. Gillespie, dropping a 5-4 decision in overtime. No. 16 Anthony Zanetta saw his perfect dual meet season come to an end with a 6-1 loss to Hofstra's No. 12 Steve Bonanno at 125 pounds. Still, Zanetta is the favorite to win the Eastern Wrestling League tournament and is a lock for the national tournament with his 24-3 overall record. He has won 14 of his last 15 matches. Pitt is 13-1 overall for the first time in team history. The Panthers can nearly guarantee a top-10 ranking in the final dual meet poll with a win over Edinboro on Friday, Feb. 17. The match with the Fighting Scots, which will be held at the Fitzgerald Field House at 7 p.m., will also determine the EWL regular season champion. Results: 125 - No. 12 Steve Bonanno (H) dec. Anthony Zanetta (P), 6-1 133 - No. 26 Jamie Franco (H) dec. No. 20 Shelton Mack (P), 6-5 tb2 141 - No. 23 Luke Vaith (P) dec. Travis Shaffer (P), 4-1 149 - No. 13 Tyler Nauman (P) dec. No. 17 Justin Accordino (H), 4-3 157 - No. 33 Donnie Tasser (P) dec.Tyler Banks (H), 9-3 165 - No. 17 P.J. Gillespie (H) dec. No. 33 Tyler Wilps (P), 5-4 tb 174 - No. 21 Ethan Headlee (P) wins by forfeit 184 - P.J. Tasser (P) dec. No. 9 Ben Clymer (H), 2-1 197 - No. 32 Andy Vaughan (P) maj. dec. Tim Murphy (H), 13-4 HWT - No. 4 Matt Wilps (P) dec. Paul Snyder (H), 5-2

OREM, Utah -- The North Dakota State wrestling team improved to 3-1 in the Western Wrestling Conference with a 24-18 win over Utah Valley Friday, Feb. 10. No. 14 Josh Wilson of Utah Valley gave the home side an early lead with a first period pin of Mark Erickson at 149 pounds. The lead was quickly erased as No. 13 Steven Monk responded with a pin of his own at 157 pounds. Monk downed Napoleon Aniciete in 3 minutes 51 seconds. The Bison then won the next three in a row to take a commanding 17-6 lead. Tyler Johnson used a five-takedown performance to claim a 12-3 major decision win over Ethan Smith at 165 pounds. At 174 pounds, Joe Garner tallied two third period takedowns to put Monte Shmaulhaus away, 8-4. Mac Stoll continued the Bison run at 184 pounds, shutting out David Prieto, 11-0. Stoll scored three takedowns and a three-point near fall in the win. Utah Valley got back in the win column at 197 pounds as Bryan Chamberlain won an 8-6 decision over John Gusewelle. Heavyweight Evan Knutson put the Bison up 20-9 with the team's second shutout of the night, defeating Dustin Dennison 4-0. After two scoreless periods, Knutson scored an early escape in the third and put the match away with a takedown with 33 seconds remaining. He also earned a point for riding time. At 125 pounds, Trent Sprenkle dominated Colby Christensen, 13-2. Christensen scored an early takedown, but Sprenkle shut him down the rest of the way, scoring 11 points in the first two periods and punctuating the win with a takedown with two seconds to go in the third period. At 133 pounds, Blake Mangum defeated Justin Solberg, 8-5. Mangum jumped out to a 5-1 lead after two periods and Solberg battled back with two third period takedowns, but was unable to close the gap. Utah Valley's Avery Garner won the 141 pound bout by forfeit to give the match the final 24-18 score. The Bison will take on Northern Colorado at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 12 in the final road dual of the season. Results: 149 - No. 14 Josh Wilson (UVU) fall Mark Erickson (NDSU), 1:59 157 - No. 13 Steven Monk (NDSU) fall Napoleon Aniciete (UVU), 3:51 165 - Tyler Johnson (NDSU) maj. dec. Ethan Smith (UVU), 13-3 174 - Joe Garner (NDSU) dec. Monte Shmaulhaus (UVU), 9-4 184 - Mac Stoll (NDSU) maj. dec. David Prieto (UVU), 11-0 197 - Bryan Chamberlain (UVU) dec. John Gusewelle (NDSU), 8-6 Hwt - Evan Knutson (NDSU) dec. Dustin Dennison (UVU), 4-0 125 - Trent Sprenkle (NDSU) maj. dec. Colby Christensen (UVU), 14-2 133 - Blake Mangum (UVU) dec. Justin Solberg (NDSU), 8-5 141 - Avery Garner (UVU) win by forfeit

BOONE, N.C. -- After taking eight of 10 possible bouts, Appalachian State University wrestling clinched a share of the Southern Conference dual-meet title as the Mountaineers defeated VMI, 37-9, in Varsity Gymnasium on Friday. With the victory, Appalachian (11-3, 5-0 SoCon) is one win away from its first undefeated league performance since 2002-03; the Apps will take on Davidson in their final match of the season on Feb. 19. League-rival Chattanooga is one match behind at 4-1 in SoCon play and concludes its slate with VMI (5-8, 2-3 SoCon) on Feb. 20. The evening's action began at 165 pounds, and No. 15 Kyle Blevins (Sapulpa, Okla./Sapulpa) delivered a big 15-2 major decision to put the Mountaineers on the scoreboard first, 4-0. With his 114th career win, the senior is now tied for second on ASU's all-time career wins list. VMI's Matthew Brock responded with a 6-0 decision at 174, narrowing the ASU advantage to 4-3. The threat would not last long, as VMI was unable to field a 184-pounder, and No. 12 Austin Trotman (Winston-Salem, N.C./Mount Tabor) earned his 119th career victory by forfeit. Freshman Paul Weiss (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla./St. Thomas Aquinas) notched a convincing, 10-1 victory at 197 pounds, extending the Appalachian lead to 14-3. VMI picked up a pin at 285 pounds but failed to present a 125-pound entry, and junior Tony Gravely (Martinsville, Va./Magna Vista) received credit with a win-by-forfeit to advance the score to 20-9. Appalachian junior Brett Boston (Morganton, N.C./Freedom) earned the Black and Gold's only pin of the match, needing 2:15 to level his Keydet opponent. The senior trio of Mike Kessler (Bay City, Mich./Western), Savva Kostis (Boone, N.C./Watauga) and Chip Powell (Greensboro, N.C./S.W. Guilford) cleaned up the final three bouts, sealing the 37-9 match victory. The Mountaineers return to action Saturday at Varsity Gym, when they take on No. 20 Virginia at 6:30 p.m. in the season's final showdown with a ranked opponent. Results: 165: No. 15 Kyle Blevins (ASU) maj. dec. Jonathan Jones (VMI), 15-2 ASU, 4-0 174: Matthew Brock (VMI) dec. Jesse Johnson (ASU), 6-0 ASU, 4-3 184: No. 12 Austin Trotman (ASU) won by forfeit ASU, 10-3 197: Paul Weiss (ASU) maj. dec. Urayoan Garcia (VMI), 10-1 ASU, 14-3 285: Andrew Embree (VMI) pinned Joe Cummings (ASU), 5:54 ASU, 14-9 125: Antonio Gravely (ASU) won by forfeit ASU, 20-9 133: Brett Boston (ASU) pinned Joe Jarrells (VMI), 2:15 ASU, 26-9 141: Mike Kessler (ASU) dec. Zeb Stewart (VMI), 4-1 ASU, 29-9 149: Savva Kostis (ASU) maj. dec. David Yost (VMI), 15-6 ASU, 33-9 157: William Powell (ASU) maj. dec. Edward Gottwald (VMI), 16-2 ASU, 37-9

The NWCA is excited to announce that the 2012 NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals Presented by Hibiclens and The Marines, that NWCA webcasting partner, Live Sports Video will be live streaming several rounds from each regional. At each of the four host sites (Cornell, Iowa State, Oklahoma State and Rutgers) at least one semifinal and final will be webcasted and then archived through Live Sports Video. These matches will then be tape delayed on Fox College Sports. A complete list of all the matches being streamed through Live Sports Video will be available at http://www.nwcaonline.com/NWCAWebSite/Events/nwcanationalduals/mat-mayhem. “We are excited to have this extraordinary coverage coming out of the National Duals this February. Between the Live Sports Video webcasts and the Fox College Sports tape delayed telecasts, the National Duals will receive unprecedented media exposure this year. We are pleased that the fans at home who cannot attend a regional site will have an opportunity to enjoy this exciting event through the webcast by Live Sports Video,” said Brian Smith, NWCA President. “Live Sports Video is thrilled to be a part of the next evolution of the 2012 NWCA Cliff Keen National Duals, providing live webcasting coverage from all (4) Regional sites to wrestling fans around the world,” commented Caroline Market, Business Development Manager for Live Sports Video. LiveSportsVideo.com, which is funded and started by former Princeton University wrestler Bob Feldmeier, is a simple “do-it yourself” webcasting system that is perfect for any wrestling coach at any level. Live Sports Video has served as a clearing house of amateur sports web casted via the Internet, delivering end users over 10,000 archived and live events with over 15,000,000 page views per year and 300,000 direct access memberships. “Mr. Feldmeier has been extremely generous in giving back to the wrestling community over many decades. This is just another example of a wrestler stepping up big to promote our sport. We would like to encourage the entire wrestling community to make sure they are supporting companies like this that are so generously supporting wrestling. The best way to support Live Sports Video is for coaches to utilize the LiveSportsVideo system to cover all competitions,” said NWCA executive director, Mike Moyer. Please visit www.nwcaonline.com for complete information on the 2012 NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals Presented by Hibiclens and The Marines. About Live Sports Video: The goals of Live Sports Video are to provide a cost-effective webcasting solution to allow increased exposure to the sport of wrestling (and all amateur sports), which is often over-looked. Live Sports Video webcasting allows fans, alumni, supporters and community to stay connected while also acting as a revenue generator to your wrestling program, as well as an excellent recruiting tool. For more information and pricing as low as $99.00 for all wrestling programs, please visit www.livesportsvideo.com.

Michael Chandler (Photo/Bellator Fighting Championships) Bellator lightweight champion Michael Chandler chats with InterMatFight about his transition into martial arts, winning the Bellator belt, and who he thinks would win in fight between his former Mizzou teammates. Tell us a little bit about how you got into MMA? Chandler: I wasn't really a fan until I started living with Raymond Jordan, and he would go out and watch all the fights and would even rent old ones from the library sometimes. Then my sophomore year, Tyron Woodley started fighting in amateur fights, and then he made his pro debut in my junior year about the same time as Ben Askren. When did you transition from fan to participant? Chandler: I started rolling with Tyron a little bit and we were holding mitts for each other. Neither of us knew what the heck we were doing. We just kinda saw it on television and knew what it looked like. He was actually taking trips to American Top Team and started crushing people in amateur and bringing back knowledge. Who was your first fight against? What were your feelings going in? Chandler: Kyle Swadley in Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri. I did some of my training in Mizzou, because I was sticking around and coaching at the time. How'd that end? Chandler: First-round TKO. It was like two minutes. You knew it was a career that night? Chandler: I knew I should be pretty darn good at it because I was a wrestler. Wrestlers have the best mindset, the best training, the best competitiveness, and the best body awareness. I knew that if I was able to get around good coaches that the sky would be the limit and so after gradation I knew that I'd go for it one-hundred percent. I spent that first year all over the place but it was obvious that I needed to quit coaching, so I sat down with Coach Smith and told him I was moving to Las Vegas to be with Xtreme Couture. What does Coach Smith say about your fighting career? Chandler: He's done a complete 180. In the beginning he was thinking it was going to take away from Mizzou wrestling. I think like a lot of people he just had a lack of knowledge about MMA, and just two or three years ago it wasn't anywhere close to where it is now. He definitely had his guard up but now he calls and asks for updates and is super interested and that means a lot to me. You know how it is, your wrestling coach is your dad, your father figure, and so his accepting it with open arms means a lot. Do younger guys ask you about MMA? What do you say? Chandler: Yeah, a little bit. My main goal is to get these guys to be NCAA champs and work their butt off to get there. What happens after college happens after college. If there's a 10-year-old kid telling me he wants to be an MMA champ I tell him he doesn't have to worry about mixed martial arts until he's 22 years old and graduated from college. Wrestle in high school, wrestle in college, and that's the absolute best base you can get. The mental aspect, the cutting weight, the discipline you earn over the years, there is no comparison to a college wrestling background. Take us through the Eddie Alvarez fight, the one where you earned the title. Chandler: He was ranked top five in the world and I knew it was a big test. I dominated him in the first round and almost knocked him out and stayed on him the rest of the round. The second was a lot closer, but I think I did enough with my striking to earn it. The third was bad, because when I hurt my foot I bent down and as I did I ate a head kick. I spent the rest of the round fending off his kicks and punches. I knew that if I could make it to my corner that I would be OK. I came back out in the fourth bouncing, and hit him with an overhand right and eventually finished it off with a choke. What did you learn about yourself in that fight? Chandler: Lowlight was when I was getting my butt kicked, but it was also a highlight because it showed the rest of the world that I won't go down easily. Going back to my wrestling background: I've been in so many crazy situations on the mat that I was able to keep composed, think happy thoughts and knew all I had to do was get out of the round and get ready to battle for the last two. Next step? Chandler: Getting my butt back in the gym and getting better. I want to go out there and exceed people's expectations. I'm hoping for two fights in 2012, with one as soon as April, but the main thing is to just keep getting better and keep putting on great fights for the fans and show them that I can be a great MMA champion. You recently started a new clothing line? Chandler: Basically just some T-shirts right now, with more designs in the works. You can check it out at blessedthreads.com and on Twitter @blessedthreads. You love Twitter. Chandler: I do. You can follow me @mikechandlerMMA Who wins between Askren and Woodley? Chandler: First round, Tyron gets the better of him because Ben struggles to take him down. Tyron takes the first round 10-9. Second round, Ben comes out and gets the takedown, earns some ground and pound, evens it up 19-19. Third round, they circle each other a little bit, and :35 in they both throw hard overhand rights and earn a double knockout. No contest. You could've started a Twitter war. Chandler: I wanted to avoid that, they're both like my big brothers!

VESTAL, N.Y. -- Binghamton wrestling (13-4), No. 19 in the country, split 10 matches with visiting Bloomsburg (15-7) but utilized a technical fall and major decision to earn an 18-15 win Thursday night from West Gym. The match was deadlocked at 15-15 heading into the final bout at heavyweight. Freshman Nick Gwiazdowski, No. 18 in the country, racked up five takedowns plus riding time for a 12-5 decision to give the Bearcats the deciding three team points. “It was a solid performance overall,” head coach Pat Popolizio said. “We had a couple of key individual loses but impressive performances from our guys who won. It was a big win for Gwiazdowski and our team. Nick is a true freshman and that win is a great sign for him heading forward.” Bloomsburg won the first two matches at 125 and 133 to forge ahead 6-0. Freshman 141-pound Joe Bonaldi put BU on the board with a 5-3 decision over Derek Shingara, who entered the night with 19 wins. Bonaldi (15-13) stretched a 3-2 lead with a takedown with 56 seconds remaining in the match and held on for the key win. Junior 149-pound Donnie Vinson, ranked No. 4, was in control from the start and cruised to a 14-1 major decision over Bryce Busler, who is No. 29 in the latest NCAA Coach Ranking. Vinson (28-4, 16-1 duals) needed just two takedowns and recorded eight back points and a commanding 3:10 of riding time. In a high-scoring affair between two ranked foes at 157, Bloomsburg's No. 9 Frank Hickman overcame a 4-2 third-period deficit to storm past 10th-ranked Justin Lister, 13-10. Hickman attacked for five takedowns in the third period and despite more than two minutes of riding time, Lister dropped to 21-5 overall, 13-3 in duals. Senior 165-pound Matt Kaylor collected five takedowns en route to an 11-6 decision. Kaylor raised his record to 20-8 overall, 12-5 in duals. Junior 184-pound Nate Schiedel, No. 20, looked strong in a 20-3 technical fall. Schiedel (25-6, 13-2 duals) led 2-0 before registering three takedowns in the second period and two more takedowns and subsequent back points in the third to end the bout with 31 seconds remaining. After a Bloomsburg decision at 197, the stage was set for Gwiazdowski. He shot in for a single leg takedown 50 seconds into the match and added another with 19 seconds left in the period to take a 4-1 lead after one. An escape by Zachary Walsh made it 4-2 before Gwiazdowski added another takedown with 26 seconds left in the second to push ahead 6-3 entering the third. Two more Gwiazdowski takedowns and 1:24 of riding time gave the BU freshman a seven-point final cushion and the pivotal three team points. Up next is a bragging-rights away tilt Sunday at CAA rival Hofstra - in a battle between the last two CAA team champions. The Pride is ranked No. 22 in the poll and won the 2011 conference crown. A home encounter with fellow CAA member and No. 23 Old Dominion finishes off the dual season on February 17. Results: 125 Sean Boylan (BL) dec. Derek Steeley (BU), 10-5 133 Nick Wilcox (BL) dec. Patrick Hunter (BU), 12-6 141 Joe Bonaldi (BU) dec. Derek Shingara (BL), 5-3 149 #4 Donnie Vinson (BU) major dec. Bryce Busler (BL), 14-1 157 #9 Frank Hickman (BL) dec. #10 Justin Lister (BU), 13-10 165 Matt Kaylor (BU) dec. Chris Smith (BL), 11-6 174 #19 Mike Dessino (BL) dec. Caleb Wallace (BU), 5-1 184 #20 Nate Schiedel (BU) tech fall Sam Shirley (BL), 20-3 (6:29) 197 Richard Perry (BL) dec. Cody Reed (BU), 7-4 Hwt #18 Nick Gwiazdowski (BU) dec. Zachary Walsh (BL), 12-5

The 2012 NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals regionals take place this weekend on the campuses of Rutgers (Saturday), Cornell (Sunday), Iowa State (Sunday), and Oklahoma State (Sunday). InterMat will be providing coverage throughout the weekend. Live Webcasts: LiveSportsVideo.com RVision Results: InterMat Live Chat Rutgers Regional Cornell Regional Iowa State Regional Oklahoma State Regional Articles: LSV to provide video coverage A look at potential matchups Brackets released Finals location announcement Videos: Coaches on Mat Mayhem Mat Mayhem Overview Regional Pages: Rutgers Regional Cornell Regional Iowa State Regional Oklahoma State Regional

The 2012 NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals regionals this weekend will feature numerous matches pitting ranked wrestlers against each other. If all four regional brackets go according to the seeds, here are some potential matchups you could see in each of the regionals ... Rutgers Regional (Saturday) Round 1 (2 p.m. ET) No. 4 Kent State vs. No. 5 Rutgers 149: No. 8 Mario Mason (Rutgers) vs. No. 9 Ian Miller (Kent State) No. 3 Missouri vs. No. 6 Cal Poly 174: No. 4 Ryan DesRoches (Cal Poly) vs. No. 18 Dorian Henderson (Missouri) Semifinals (4 p.m. ET) No. 1 Minnesota vs. No. 4 Kent State 125: No. 2 Zach Sanders (Minnesota) vs. No. 4 Nic Bedelyon (Kent State) 141: No. 8 Nick Dardanes (Minnesota) vs. No. 10 Tyler Small (Kent State) 149: No. 9 Ian Miller (Kent State) vs. No. 10 Dylan Ness (Minnesota) 285: No. 4 Tony Nelson (Minnesota) vs. No. 16 Brendan Barlow (Kent State) No. 2 Michigan vs. No. 3 Missouri 133: No. 8 Nate McCormick (Missouri) vs. No. 16 Zac Stevens (Michigan) 149: No. 6 Eric Grajales (Michigan) vs. No. 17 Kyle Bradley (Missouri) 174: No. 8 Justin Zeerip (Michigan) vs. No. 18 Dorian Henderson (Missouri) 197: No. 15 Max Huntley (Michigan) vs. No. 7 Brent Haynes (Missouri) Finals (6 p.m. ET) No. 1 Minnesota vs. No. 2 Michigan 133: No. 7 Chris Dardanes (Minnesota) vs. No. 16 Zac Stevens (Michigan) 141: No. 1 Kellen Russell (Michigan) vs. No. 8 Nick Dardanes (Minnesota) 149: No. 6 Eric Grajales (Michigan) vs. No. 10 Dylan Ness (Minnesota) 165: No. 13 Dan Yates (Michigan) vs. No. 14 Cody Yohn (Minnesota) 174: No. 6 Logan Storley (Minnesota) vs. No. 8 Justin Zeerip (Michigan) 197: No. 6 Sonny Yohn (Minnesota) vs. No. 15 Max Huntley (Michigan) 285: No. 4 Tony Nelson (Minnesota) vs. No. 10 Ben Apland (Michigan) Cornell Regional (Sunday) Round 1 (10 a.m. ET) No. 4 Central Michigan vs. No. 5 Purdue 184: No. 4 Ben Bennett (Central Michigan) vs. No. 19 Braden Atwood (Purdue) No. 3 Oklahoma vs. No. 6 American 141: 3 Kendric Maple (Oklahoma) vs. No. 14 Matt Mariacher (American) 157: No. 3 Ganbayar Sanjaa (American) vs. No. 15 Matt Lester (Oklahoma) Semifinals (12 p.m. ET) No. 1 Cornell vs. No. 4 Central Michigan 125: No. 5 Frank Perrelli (Cornell) vs. No. 17 Joe Roth (Central Michigan) 184: No. 4 Ben Bennett (Central Michigan) vs. No. 5 Steve Bosak (Cornell) No. 2 Illinois vs. No. 3 Oklahoma 125: No. 7 Jesse Delgado (Illinois) vs. No. 9 Jarrod Patterson (Oklahoma) 133: No. 5 B.J. Futrell (Illinois) vs. No. 10 Jordan Keller (Oklahoma) 149: No. 13 Nick Lester (Oklahoma) vs. No. 19 Eric Terrazas (Illinois) 165: No. 12 Conrad Polz (Illinois) vs. No. 20 Bubby Graham (Oklahoma) Finals (2 p.m. ET) No. 1 Cornell vs. No. 2 Illinois 125: No. 5 Frank Perrelli (Cornell) vs. No. 7 Jesse Delgado (Illinois) 197: No. 1 Cam Simaz (Cornell) vs. No. 16 Mario Gonzalez (Illinois) Iowa State Regional (Sunday) Round 1 (11 a.m. CT) No. 4 Virginia Tech vs. No. 5 Northern Iowa 133: No. 1 Devin Carter (Virginia Tech) vs. No. 11 Joe Colon (Northern Iowa) No. 3 Iowa State vs. No. 6 Wisconsin 165: No. 4 Andrew Sorenson (Iowa State) vs. No. 11 Ben Jordan (Wisconsin) Semifinals (1 p.m. CT) No. 1 Iowa vs. No. 4 Virginia Tech 133: No. 1 Devin Carter (Virginia Tech) vs. No. 4 Tony Ramos (Iowa) 141: No. 6 Montell Marion (Iowa) vs. No. 19 Zach Neibert (Virginia Tech) 165: No. 7 Peter Yates (Virginia Tech) vs. No. 8 Mike Evans (Iowa) No. 2 Oregon State vs. No. 3 Iowa State No. 4 Mike Mangrum (Oregon State) vs. No. 17 Luke Goettl (Iowa State) No. 5 Clayton Jack (Oregon State) vs. No. 12 Matt Gibson (Iowa State) Finals (3 p.m. CT) No. 1 Iowa vs. No. 2 Oregon State 141: No. 4 Mike Mangrum (Oregon State) vs. No. 6 Montell Marion (Iowa) 157: No. 5 Derek St. John (Iowa) vs. No. 18 R.J. Pena (Oregon State) 285: No. 5 Clayton Jack (Oregon State) vs. No. 14 Bobby Telford (Iowa) Oklahoma State Regional (Sunday) Round 1 (1 p.m. CT) No. 4 Wyoming vs. No. 5 Chattanooga 133: No. 13 Nick Soto (Chattanooga) vs. No. 17 Zach Zehner (Wyoming) No. 3 Ohio State vs. No. 6 Boise State 157: No. 14 George Ivanov (Boise State) vs. No. 20 Josh Demas (Ohio State) 184: No. 10 Jake Swartz (Boise State) vs. No. 11 C.J. Magrum (Ohio State) Semifinals (3 p.m. CT) No. 1 Oklahoma State vs. No. 4 Wyoming 125: No. 13 Jon Morrison (Oklahoma State) vs. No. 18 Michael Martinez (Wyoming) 133: No. 2 Jordan Oliver (Oklahoma State) vs. No. 17 Zach Zehner (Wyoming) 197: No. 8 Blake Rosholt (Oklahoma State) vs. No. 9 Alfonso Hernandez (Wyoming) No. 2 Nebraska vs. No. 3 Ohio State 133: No. 3 Logan Stieber (Ohio State) vs. No. 18 Ridge Kiley (Nebraska) 141: No. 5 Hunter Stieber (Ohio State) vs. No. 9 Jake Sueflohn (Nebraska) 157: No. 7 James Green (Nebraska) vs. No. 20 Josh Demas (Ohio State) 174: No. 7 Nick Heflin (Ohio State) vs. No. 20 Tyler Koehn (Nebraska) 184: No. 8 Josh Ihnen (Nebraska) vs. No. 11 C.J. Magrum (Ohio State) Finals (7 p.m. CT) No. 1 Oklahoma State vs. No. 2 Nebraska 133: No. 2 Jordan Oliver (Oklahoma State) vs. No. 18 Ridge Kiley (Nebraska) 157: No. 7 James Green (Nebraska) vs. No. 11 Albert White (Oklahoma State) 174: No. 3 Chris Perry (Oklahoma State) vs. No. 20 Tyler Koehn (Nebraska) 285: No. 2 Alan Gelogaev (Oklahoma State) vs. No. 9 Tucker Lane (Nebraska)

NORFOLK, Va. -- The No. 23 Old Dominion University Wrestling team had no trouble on Senior Night at the Ted Constant Convocation Center as nine Monarchs tallied victories over North Carolina State in a 34-3 win Thursday evening. The Monarchs (13-8) finished the season a perfect 4-0 at home, having defeated two ranked opponents in the process and outscoring their opposition by a total of 106-39 in the four duals. Redshirt freshman No. 32 Jerome Robinson started the evening off with an upset at 125 pounds over 23rd-ranked Colin Fought, 10-3. At 133, sophomore Scott Festejo pinned NC State's Ben Elliott in the third period at the 5:08 mark for his team-leading sixth fall of the season. The Wolfpack (4-8) got their lone victory of the night at 141 pounds as 11th ranked and redshirt senior Darrius Little used a furious rally late to squander the upset bid of true freshman Taylor Moeder in a narrow 3-2 decision. Redshirt junior Brennan Brumley got ODU back on track at 149 pounds when he downed Matt Nereim, 6-2. Before breaking for intermission and honoring Old Dominion's All-Decade Team, No. 24 John Nicholson won his 13th straight decision and recorded his 12th major decision of the year in a 14-4 win over Thomas Gantt at 157 pounds. Resuming at 165 pounds, sophomore No. 24 Tristan Warner continues to shine as he earned a 13-2 major decision and his team-leading 25th win of the year over Nijel Jones. In another battle of ranked opponents, senior No. 13 Te Edwards held off a late charge by No. 32 Quinton Godley at 174 pounds with a 5-3 decision. Earning a major decision with a final takedown as time expired, redshirt sophomore Billy Curling defeated Robert O'Neill, 12-4, at 184 pounds. Following the suit of his fellow senior, Joe Budi went out at his final home dual of his career with a hard earned 2-0 win at 197 when he defeated KaRonne Jones. Redshirt freshman Matt Tourdot continued the momentum for ODU at heavyweight when he earned a 13-3 major decision over Josh Davis to cap off the evening. Old Dominion will now break until Feb. 17 when they travel to face No. 19 Binghamton in their final CAA dual of the season. The Monarchs conclude the regular season with a match at No. 20 Virginia on Feb. 19. Results: 125: #32 Jerome Robinson (ODU) dec. #23 Coltin Fought (NCST), 10-3 133: Scott Festejo (ODU) pinned Ben Elliott (NCST), 5:08 141: #11 Darrius Little (NCST)
dec. Taylor Moeder (ODU), 3-2 149: Brennan Brumley (ODU) vs. Matt Nereim (NCST), 
6-2 157: #24 John Nicholson (ODU) major dec. Thomas Gantt (NCST), 
14-4 165: #24 Tristan Warner (ODU) major dec. Nijel Jones (NCST), 13-2 174: #13 Te Edwards (ODU) dec. #32 Quinton Godley (NCST), 5-3 184: Billy Curling (ODU) major dec. Robert O'Neill (NCST), 12-4 197: Joe Budi (ODU) dec. KaRonne Jones (NCST), 2-0 285: Matt Tourdot (ODU) major dec. Josh Davis (NCST), 13-3

Penn State won its first NCAA wrestling title since 1953 (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) The NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals for Division I kick off this weekend. The event has been revamped and is being referred to as "Mat Mayhem." Twenty-four Division I programs will now participate in four regionals on Saturday and Sunday, with the winner of each regional advancing to the championship finals on Feb. 19. Noticeably absent from the event is defending NCAA champion Penn State. Penn State coach Cael Sanderson and the Nittany Lions are being unfairly criticized for their decision not to participate in the National Duals. Minnesota coach J Robinson called Cael's decision not to participate "short-sighted" following Minnesota's 19-17 dual meet loss at Iowa on Jan. 29. This past Sunday, Robinson said, "If we want wrestling to grow, we all need to be there." Mark Manning is in his 12th season as Nebraska's coach (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine)Another Big Ten wrestling coach, Nebraska's Mark Manning, whose Huskers will compete on Sunday in a regional with five other teams in Stillwater, Okla., recently voiced his displeasure for Penn State's decision not to participate in the National Duals. "If you're defending national champions, you should be in the National Duals," said Manning. "You represent our sport. You're sending a message that it's important for wrestling. No one likes the grind of the Big Ten. I don't want to take my young team down to Stillwater. I would love to have a week off. But some people don't think that way and they're only thinking single-mindedly." Robinson and Manning are not the only people who have spoken out about Penn State's absence from the National Duals. Wrestling fans across the country have slammed Cael and Penn State for their decision not to participate in the National Duals, just like fans slammed Tom Brands and Iowa's wrestling program a year ago for their decision not to participate in the National Duals. One anonymous person on a wrestling message board called Cael's decision "selfish." Another wrote, "PSU failed to support the entire sport of wrestling by not attending." It's one thing to hold the opinion that this revamped National Duals is best for the growth of college wrestling. But to criticize Penn State, or any program, for doing what they believe is best for the growth of college wrestling, or their program, is wrong. The NWCA's vision for growing college wrestling Mike Moyer, who serves as the executive director of the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA), believes that regular season dual meets need to take on a greater importance in order to grow the spectator base in college wrestling, and that this revamped National Duals format is a step in the right direction. Moyer and the NWCA see it as a way to add five signature college wrestling events to the schedule. NWCA executive director Mike Moyer with Takedown's Scott Casber at the 2011 NWCA All-Star Classic in Tempe, Ariz. (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)"We need to grow the spectator base on each campus," said Moyer. "This whole National Duals is based on the premise that when you look at every mainstream spectator sport in America, they all have one thing in common, and that is the outcome of every regular season competition has a lot of importance because it determines advancement into a postseason competition, whereas in wrestling currently our whole infrastructure is designed to support an individual tournament at the end of the year. So it places very little importance on the outcome of regular season dual meets." Moyer has studied past data and believes something needs to be done to grow college wrestling's spectator base. "I have looked at our average spectator base over a 10-year period," said Moyer. "In 2001 we had three teams that had an average spectator base of 4,000 or more and we had 10 other teams that had a spectator base of 1,000 or more. You fast forward 10 years to last year. Nothing has changed. We still have three teams that have an average spectator base of 4,000 or more. We have 10 other teams that have an average spectator base of 1,000 or more. So my question is, what makes us think we can continue doing exactly the same things for the next 10 years and get a different result?" Moyer may be right that certain changes to college wrestling could help grow its spectator base. But there is certainly no guarantee that this revamped National Duals format is the best way to grow the sport. It may or may not be a step in the right direction. This year's dry run may give some indications. Attendance numbers will serve as one barometer for the success of the event. According to Moyer, feedback from coaches will be very important. Penn State's vision for growing college wrestling It's absurd for anyone to claim that Penn State is not helping to grow college wrestling. Cael and his staff arrived at Penn State in 2009, and in two seasons the average attendance for Penn State home dual meets doubled. Last season Penn State averaged nearly 5,500 fans per home dual meet, which was by far the program's best average attendance in two decades or more. This year Penn State is averaging almost 6,500 fans per home dual meet with one dual meet remaining. (Penn State's final home dual meet against Pitt on Feb. 19 is already sold out.) Cael Sanderson (Photo/Bill Ennis)Penn State is more than doing its part to grow college wrestling by maintaining an exciting dual meet schedule with a minimum of seven home events that attract sell-out crowds, competing against smaller Pennsylvania programs in order to foster in-state rivalries, wrestling at-risk programs, competing in non-traditional wrestling areas, and putting a winning product on the mat that is entertaining to watch. "I doubt that any program is doing any more for our sport than Penn State is doing right now, and that's not me," said Cael. "It's just our program and everything that is going on." Penn State, ranked No. 1 by InterMat, will travel across the country to wrestle Utah Valley University on Saturday. Cael and older brother Cody Sanderson, Penn State's associate head coach, were born and raised in Utah and are part of one of the state's most celebrated sports families. The Sanderson brothers, Cody, Cole, Cael, and Cyler combined to win 14 state wrestling championships in Utah. Their father, Steve, wrestled at Brigham Young University (BYU) before becoming a legendary high school wrestling coach in Utah. Cody Sanderson, a two-time NCAA finalist at Iowa State, started the wrestling program at Utah Valley from scratch in 2003, and served as the program's head coach for three seasons before joining Cael's staff at Iowa State. Utah Valley is now its ninth season of existence and third season of being eligible to compete in the postseason. Last season Utah Valley's wrestling program had its first NCAA Division I All-American when Ben Kjar placed fourth at 125 pounds. "If you think about it, any school on the West Coast has a very difficult time getting matches at home," said Cael. "There just aren't very many programs and it's very expensive. We felt that going out to Utah and helping them create a big event was the best thing we could do for the sport." Greg Williams coached Ben Kjar to an All-American finish (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Utah Valley coach Greg Williams, who is trying to put together as a tough a schedule as possible, says the event has been generating a lot of interest in Utah. "We're expecting somewhere between 4,000 and 6,000 fans for this match, and that's a conservative figure," said Williams. "We could top that. There's a lot of interest in the event. I think it's great that they're coming back to Utah because Utah loves the Sanderson boys." College wrestling may be experiencing growth at non-Division I levels, but at the Division I level college wrestling programs continue to be cut and opportunities continue to be lost. Thirty-five years ago there were approximately 180 Division I college wrestling programs. Today that number is 78. (It will be 77 next year with Millersville dropping down to Division II.) Eight Division I college wrestling programs have been dropped since 2009. Cael believes there needs to be a shift in thinking among wrestling people to find ways to grow the sport instead of trying to save it. Said Cael, "If somebody puts out a press release or they say, hey, save this program ... What's going to happen? No one wants to put money into a program when there's a good chance it's going to fail, except a few people that are very committed, and they're already supporting that program. What does that do? Recruits don't go to that school. You're like dooming a program. How smart is that? Even though you think you're trying to help, you're actually hurting it." Cael feels that wrestling needs to build on its strengths. "It's about being positive, just like I have to do as a coach," said Cael. "You've got to build on your strengths, not emphasize your weaknesses. That's just an old-school mentality, to point out your weaknesses. Well, it doesn't work in coaching. It doesn't work in business. It doesn't work in life. You build on your strengths. That's where your success comes from." Numerous changes have been made to college wrestling in recent years. Those changes have come in the form of rule changes, NCAA tournament qualification, and a revamped National Duals. Cael refers to these types of changes to college wrestling as "quick fixes." "The future of wrestling is not a quick fix," said Cael. "It's a long-term plan. What's our long-term plan? It's not, well, let's keep dinking around with the National Duals. It's well, let's build our foundation. That's a 20-year process. It's not, well, it didn't work last year, let's force something in while everybody is focused on coaching and this is the answer, and if you don't participate, well, shame on you." Penn State and others programs' decision not to participate in the National Duals For the record, Penn State was not only the program to turn down the National Duals invitation. The NWCA sent out an email last February inviting the top 24 teams in last season's final NWCA/USA Today Division I Team Coaches Poll. Of those 24 teams, 20 accepted invitations. (No. 25 Central Michigan and three unranked teams filled the remaining four spots.) Northwestern and Lehigh both turned down invitations. "When the National Duals was being organized, several uncertainties remained such as locations and travel allotments," said Northwestern coach Drew Pariano. "The time of the year was something that we considered and having the team peak at Big Tens and NCAAs is imperative. I think that it's going to be a great success and we look forward to being involved if we are invited in the upcoming years." Last season Pat Santoro coached his first NCAA champion at Lehigh, Zack Rey, who won the title at heavyweight (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Lehigh coach Pat Santoro said the timing of when it was being organized made it difficult. "When we found out about the National Duals, I probably had 13 or 14 of our 16 dates already done," said Santoro. "My schedule was almost all done and then that came out, and I was like, 'Well, how am I going to change it? I already have teams scheduled in February and things like that.' For us, I just didn't like the timing of it." Santoro, like Pariano, also had concerns that, by participating in the National Duals in February, it would be more difficult for wrestlers to peak in March. "I didn't like the timing of the last two weeks of the season," said Santoro. "If you go to National Duals, you're going to try to win it. There's no question. To try to peak the second and third weekend in February, and then try to peak again the first and third weekend in March, five weeks is a long time to try to keep the peak." Santoro likes the concept of the National Duals and wants to support the NWCA. He also sees the other side of it, which is why he is taking a wait-and-see approach. "I think it's a great concept, a great idea," said Santoro. "I just want to see how it plays out for a couple years. I think next year is really going to be the first real run of it. I know this year is like a dry run. I want to know what happens next year. I want to see how it kind of runs through the system once you pick your top 24 teams at the end of January." David Taylor hugs Cael Sanderson after his 7-1 victory over American's Steve Fittery in the 2011 NCAA semifinals (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)It's Penn State, though, that has been receiving the most attention and criticism for its decision not to attend because the Nittany Lions are the defending NCAA champions and Cael, a four-time undefeated NCAA champion and Olympic gold medalist, is an icon in the sport. The simple, short answer for why Penn State chose not participate in the National Duals is that Cael and his staff don't believe it's in the best interest of college wrestling. Cael and his staff are doing what they feel is right. "A lot of details need be ironed out before we jump into it, said Cael. "There's a lot of details. It's kind of hard to go into because I just think there are so many different areas and questions that were in our mind as a staff. We want to build wrestling as much as we can. Just because one person says this is how you do it, that doesn't mean it's necessarily the right answer." Cael understands the need to raise money for the sport, but disagrees with the idea of taking away February home duals meets, which not only help generate revenue for programs, but also help generate fan interest and excitement leading up to the conference and NCAA tournaments. "Right now the event is just a fundraiser, which is good," said Cael. "We want the NWCA to make money. But it's not like creating a new revenue stream. It's dipping in and basically taking the gate that we would be producing at a home dual and giving it to them. "I think a coach needs to do what he feels is in the best interest of his program. I don't think anyone would say it's in the best interest of our team. How could it be? It's not. You're asking a lot out of your kids and you're asking a lot out of your administration to forgo a home dual and a gate in February. It doesn't make any sense." Cael also does not believe the National Duals directly help at-risk programs. "How will the National Duals help the programs that are at-risk?" remarked Cael. "How? How does it help them? It doesn't. That's what it was first sold to us as, and we're like, 'OK, wait a second, let's figure out how this is going to help them. No, it doesn't." Cael and his staff support Mike Moyer and the NWCA and want the event to be successful, but just have a difference of opinion on how to grow the sport. "The good thing is that we're all fighting for the same cause," said Cael. "We have some difference of opinion. But that's good for the sport, I believe." What's not good for the sport is criticizing Penn State, or any program, for doing what they believe is best for the sport and their program.

WICHITA, Kan. -- Dustin Reed and Jarrett Edison scored falls as Central Oklahoma earned bonus points in half the matches to hammer Newman 36-6 here Wednesday night. The sixth-ranked Bronchos got bonus wins from Reed, Edison, Kaleb Cradduck, Chris Watson and Kelly Henderson in addition to decisions from Ky Corley, Tanner Keck and Cody Dauphin to easily overcome an early 6-3 deficit and improve to 8-5 on the year. UCO wraps up its dual and regular season schedule Saturday, hosting Ouachita Baptist for a 2 p.m. dual at Hamilton Field House. “We did some good things, but it was disappointing to lose the two matches that we did,” head coach David James said. “Both of them could have gone either way and we've got to find a way to win those tight matches at the end. But overall it wasn't a bad night and we just need to finish strong Saturday.” Reed picked up UCO's first bonus win with a first-period fall at 133, whipping Zach Vann to his back barely a minute into the match and earning his first pin of the season at the 1:37 mark. Cradduck, filling in for injured All-American Cory Dauphin and wrestling up a weight at 157, needed just over two minutes to record a 16-0 technical fall. He got a takedown in the first 10 seconds of the match and quickly racked up six near-falls to end the bout early. Watson earned a disqualification win just 43 seconds into his 165-pound match when Alex Prine was called for flagrant misconduct while Watson was working to turn him over after scoring a quick takedown. The eighth-ranked Henderson followed with a 9-0 major decision at 174, piling up four minutes of riding time while also scoring three takedowns. Edison, wrestling in his hometown for the final time, had three takedowns, a near-fall and a reverse in cruising to an 11-2 lead at 197 before turning Steven Cooksley over and getting the pin at 5:30. Corley had two reverses and a takedown in a methodical 7-1 victory at 149 and Dauphin scored a pair of takedowns to prevail 5-1 in the final match at heavyweight, while Keck pulled out a wild 10-9 win at 184. The second-ranked junior used three takedowns to build a 6-3 lead early in the second period and was up 8-5 after escaping to start the third before Tyler Hasenbank pulled even with a pair of takedowns. But Keck broke the 9-9 deadlock on an escape with 38 seconds left and held on for the win. UCO's two losses were both close, the first coming at 125 when Ryan Brooks dropped a 2-1 decision after Jordan Krenek was awarded a controversial reverse at the buzzer and the second at 141 where Casy Rowell was taken down 24 seconds into the sudden-victory period in falling to Mitch Arnold 6-4. Results: 125 – Jordan Krenek, NU, dec. Ryan Brooks, 2-1. 133 – Dustin Reed, UCO, pinned Zach Vann, 1:37. 141 – Mitch Arnold, NU, dec. Casy Rowell, 6-4 (SV). 149 – Ky Corley, UCO, dec. Greg Delk, 7-1. 157 – Kaleb Cradduck, UCO, tech. fall J.P. Carter, 16-0 (2:13). 165 – Chris Watson, UCO, by disqualification over Alex Prine, 0:43. 174 – Kelly Henderson, UCO, major dec. Chandler Hart, 9-0. 184 – Tanner Keck, UCO, dec. Tyler Hasenbank, 11-10. 197 – Jarrett Edison, UCO, pinned Steven Cooksley, 5:30. Hvy – Cody Dauphin, UCO, dec. Jacob Cole, 5-1.

WAVERLY, Iowa -- The top-ranked Wartburg wrestling team (19-1 overall, 8-0 IIAC) defeated Iowa Conference opponent, Loras (4-17, 2-4) 37-10 Wednesday evening in Levick Arena. Fittingly on Senior Night, all four senior Knights won their respective matches. Mike Kremer (Independence) won at 141, Bradley Banks (Stockbridge, Ga.) at 174, Ben Scott (Adel) at 184 and Byron Tate (Clinton) at 197. Second-ranked Kenny Anderson and Banks both moved their streaks to 11-straight wins and Tate increased his string to 16-straight wins. Cole Welter recorded his seventh pin of year and Phil Hawes had his second pin in a Knights singlet. Landon Williams (Davenport) reached the 30-win mark of the year with his 6-0 decision and Scott attained his 31st win of the season and 101st career victory on the night. Wartburg returns to the mat in two weeks at the Iowa Conference Championships on Feb. 24. Results: 125 #2 Kenny Anderson (WB) vs. Pat Pfantz (LC), Tech fall 17-0, 4:45, WB 5-0 133 Matt Holmes (LC) vs. Jake Agnitsch (WB), fall 6:30, Loras 6-5 141 Mike Kremer (WB) vs. Chris Reed (LC), maj dec, 13-5, WB 9-6 149 Joe Wood (LC) vs. Braxton Chiccelly (WB), maj dec 11-1, LC 10-9 157 #7 Cole Welter (WB) vs. Chris Gansen (LC), fall, 2:42 WB 15-10 165 #2 Landon Williams (WB) vs. Mitch Gansen (LC), dec 6-0, WB 18-10 174 #4 Bradley Banks (WB) vs. Joe Butler (LC), tech fall 23-1, 6:30 WB 23-10 184 Ben Scott (WB) vs. Josh Kirkland (LC), dec 2-1, WB 26-10 197 #1 Byron Tate (WB) vs. Ryan Ward (LC), tech fall, 17-2, 4:30, WB 31-10 HWT Phil Hawes (WB) vs. Kyle Henry (LC), fall 2:35, WB 37-10

GETTYSBURG, Pa. -- Franklin & Marshall captured wins at six weight classes to take down Gettysburg, 29-16, in wrestling action on Wednesday night. The Diplomats improve to 2-12 with the victory, while the loss drops the Bullets to 7-12. The Diplomats trailed early on as the Bullets came away with wins by decision in each of the first two bouts. Abe Evans defeated David Hershberger at 125 pounds, 8-3, while Matt Spano edged Robert Ruiz, 9-7, at 133 to give Gettysburg a 6-0 advantage. Richard Durso then turned the tide F&M's way at 141 with his second pin of the season to pull the Diplomats even with the Bullets at 6-6. The freshman took down Andrew Petroulias in 2:24 to record his 10th straight victory. At 149, Andrew Murano delivered an 18-2 technical fall victory over Tony Stanell to earn five additional points for F&M. Eric Norgard followed with a 6-1 decision against Joe Fiore at 157 to push the F&M advantage to 14-6. Both sides exchanged wins by forfeit at the ensuing two weight classes to bring the Diplomats' lead to 20-12 with three bouts remaining. Gettysburg's Zach Thomson notched the victory at 165, while Matt Fullowan nabbed the points for F&M at 174. Matt Latessa and Colin Ely locked up the win for F&M with victories at 184 and 197, respectively. Latessa downed Anton Serhan by decision, 6-3, before Ely registered his team-high seventh pin of the year over Marshall Puls in just 1:50. Kevin Poplaski scored an 11-3 major decision over Alex Henry in the night's final bout at 285, but it was too little, too late for the Bullets as F&M walked away with the 29-16 triumph. F&M returns to the mat on Sunday as they travel to Princeton for a tri-meet. The Diplomats will open the day against Clarion at 2:30 pm, before facing off against Princeton at 4:00 pm. Results: 125: Abe Evans (G) dec. David Hershberger, 8-3 (0-3) 133: Matt Spano (G) dec. Robert Ruiz, 9-7 (0-6) 141: Richard Durso (F&M) pinned Andrew Petroulias (2:24) (6-6) 149: Andrew Murano (F&M) tech. fall Tony Stanell, 18-2 (11-6) 157: Eric Norgard (F&M) dec. Joe Fiore, 6-1 (14-6) 165: Zach Thomson (G) won by forfeit (14-12) 174: Matt Fullowan (F&M) won by forfeit (20-12) 184: Matt Latessa (F&M) dec. Anton Serhan, 6-3 (23-12) 197: Colin Ely (F&M) pinned Marshall Puls (1:50) (29-12) 285: Kevin Poplaski (G) major dec. Alexander Henry, 11-3 (29-16)

YPSILANTI, Mich. -- The Eastern Michigan University wrestling team wrapped up the dual-meet season with a 31-7 victory over the University at Buffalo Wednesday evening, Feb. 8, on Senior Night at Bowen Field House. The Eagles walked away with their third victory in Mid-American Conference matches and clinched a winning record in MAC competition for the first time since the since the 1990-91 campaign. The Eagles (14-6; 3-2 MAC) took early control of the match, 9-0, with a decision and pin before the Bulls (5-14; 0-4 MAC) recorded a decision and major decision of their own to cut the EMU lead to 9-7 with six matches remaining. The Green and White did not allow UB any to get closer, as the Eagles claimed victory in each of the final six matches. Prior to the match, the wrestling program honored its six graduating seniors: Lester France, Justin Joseph, Andrew Novak, Corey Phillips, Matt Pettigrew and Wes Schroeder. Novak completed his perfect MAC season with a pin over Justin Farmer at 133 lbs. Additionally, redshirt sophomore Khodor Hoballah recorded his second MAC win in as many attempts on the season. After being taken down 20 seconds into the 125 lbs. match, redshirt sophomore Jared Germaine quickly made up for it with a takedown and a trio of nearfall points to gain a 5-2 edge against Max Soria. Germaine racked up 2:39 of riding time through the first two periods and headed into the final frame with a 10-6 lead. The Saginaw, Mich. native fell a few points short of the major decision, 13-7, but gave EMU an early 3-0 lead. Novak and Farmer started the 133 lbs. bout at a furious pace, with Novak scoring the first points by takedown. The New Boston, Mich. native increased his lead to 5-0 midway through the second period before turning Farmer on his back and notching a pin at the 4:48 mark. EMU took a 9-0 lead through two bouts. Buffalo's Kevin Smith snapped the Eagles' winning streak at 141 lbs. with a 9-5 decision over Phillips. After fighting to a 2-2 draw in the first period, Smith used a reversal and a pair of escapes to enter the final two minutes ahead, 6-4. Phillips was unable to make up the difference as the Bulls cut the Eagles' lead to six points, 9-3. Redshirt freshman Jaylyn Bohl and Blake Roulo then squared off at 149 lbs., where the score was tied, 3-3, after two periods. Bohl began the third period with an escape, but Roulo recorded 12 points over the final 1:37 to win by major decision, 15-6, and pull the Bulls to within a pair, 9-7. In the 157 lbs. bout, redshirt junior Aaron Sulzer put the home team back in the win column with a well-fought 9-3 decision over Wally Maziarz. Sulzer tallied a pair of decisions and 3:26 of riding time through five minutes, and tacked on five additional points in the third period to make the score 12-7 for EMU halfway through the match. France picked up where Sulzer left off at 165 lbs., breaking out to a, 8-3 lead after one period against Clay Reeb with three takedowns and a pair of nearfall points. With a minute remaining in the third period, France moved to within a point of major-decision territory, 14-7, before Reeb recorded a reversal. The final buzzer sounded with France on top, 16-11, for Eastern Michigan's fourth win of the evening. Redshirt sophomore Phillip Joseph broke a scoreless tie with an escape of Jake Waste in the second period of the 184 lbs. bout. Joseph added on to that lead with a takedown to gain a 3-0 advantage headed into the final frame. The Lapeer, Mich. native surrendered an escape in the third period but no more, as the Eagles won their third straight match, 4-1. The Green and White led the dual, 18-7, with three bouts to wrestle. At 184 lbs., Hoballah earned a pair of nearfall points before the first period expired to take a 4-0 lead over Dom Montesanti. Hoballah scored another takedown in the second, and ultimately fought his way to a 9-1 major decision with a reversal in the final 10 seconds of the match to clinch the meet for the Eagles. Redshirt sophomore Nick Whitenburg then imposed his will on Justin Heiserman at 197 lbs., scoring nearfall points on five separate occasions to win by technical fall, 16-0, just three minutes into the match. The final match of the evening featured heavyweights Schroeder and Jedd Mason. Schroeder broke a scoreless tie in the second period with an escape, a takedown and two nearfall points for a 5-0 edge. The Manitou Beach, Mich. native improved upon his lead in the final frame to notch EMU's third major decision of the evening, 10-0. The Eagles will compete in their final event of before the Mid-American Conference Championships Saturday, Feb. 11, at the Edinboro Open in Edinboro, Pa. Results: 125: Jared Germaine (EMU) dec. Max Soria (UB), 13-7 EMU 3, UB 0 133: Andrew Novak (EMU) fall Justin Farmer (UB), 4:48 EMU 9, UB 0 141: Kevin Smith (UB) dec. Corey Phillips (EMU), 9-5 EMU 9, UB 3 149: Blake Roulo (UB) maj. dec. Jaylyn Bohl (EMU), 15-6 EMU 9, UB 7 157: Aaron Sulzer (EMU) dec. Wally Maziarz (UB), 9-3 EMU 12, UB 7 165: Lester France (EMU) dec. Clay Reeb (UB), 16-11 EMU 15, UB 7 174: Phillip Joseph (EMU) dec. Jake Waste (UB), 4-1 EMU 18, UB 7 184: Khodor Hoballah (EMU) maj. dec. Dom Montesanti (UB), 9-1 EMU 22, UB 7 197: Nick Whitenburg (EMU) tech. fall Justin Heiserman (UB), 16-0 (3:00) EMU 27, UB 7 HWT: Wes Schroeder (EMU) maj. dec. Jedd Mason (UB), 10-0 EMU 31, UB 7

The University of Wyoming's five senior wrestlers were treated to a memorable final home dual Wednesday as the Cowboys blew past Northern Colorado, 37-3. "It's a good way to send those guys out," Wyoming coach Mark Branch said. "They'll be remembered for a long time around here." In a ceremony preceding the dual, seniors Dallas Hintz, Joe LeBlanc, Michael Martinez, Shane Onufer and Chase Smith were honored for their years of dedication to UW wrestling. After that, the Cowboys (7-2 overall, 4-0 Western Wrestling Conference) won the first eight matches and nine out of 10 versus the Bears (3-6 overall, 0-2 WWC). Branch now is 4-0 on Senior Night in his Wyoming career, and his Cowboy teams have outscored opponents 134-31 in those duals. Third-ranked Onufer took on 10th-ranked Gabe Burak of UNC in the 165-pound match to begin the night, and Onufer won his sixth match versus a ranked opponent in a 5-2 decision. The other seniors fared just as well, as LeBlanc beat UNC's Patrick Gomez with a 22-3 technical fall at 184 pounds. LeBlanc now has seven tech falls, a team-high. Michael Martinez made his last home match a solid one as he beat Jesse Meis in a 9-2 decision at 125 pounds, and Smith defeated Casey Cruz at 141 pounds in a tough 2-0 decision. The Pokes took major decisions from sophomore Pat Martinez (174 pounds) and junior Alfonso Hernandez (197). Hernandez reached the 30-win mark for the season, a team-high mark. Only Onufer reached 30 or more wins last season when he had 34 for the year. UW received 12 points, thanks to explosive pins from redshirt freshmen Zach Zehner (133) and Andy McCulley (157). McCulley's pin was the final home match of the year and he stuck UNC's Charlie McMartin in just 29 seconds to bring the 812 fans packed into the UniWyo Sports Complex to their feet. "That's a nice way to send the fans out of here with an exciting pin," Branch said. The Cowboys now will hit the road for the NWCA National Duals, which are Sunday in Stillwater, Okla. UW will face Chattanooga in the first round. Results: 165 pounds: Shane Onufer (UW) dec. Gabe Burak (UNC), 5-2 / Wyoming 3, Northern Colorado 0 174: Pat Martinez (UW) maj. dec. Josh Van Tine (UNC), 14-3 / Wyoming 7, Northern Colorado 0 184: Joe LeBlanc (UW) tech. fall (5:22) Patrick Gomez (UNC), 22-3 / Wyoming 12, Northern Colorado 0 197: Alfonso Hernandez (UW) maj. dec. Nick Bayer (UNC), 10-2 / Wyoming 16, Northern Colorado 0 285: L.J. Helbig (UW) dec. Henry Chirino (UNC), 5-0 / Wyoming 19, Northern Colorado 0 125: Michael Martinez (UW) dec. Jesse Meis (UNC), 9-2 / Wyoming 22, Northern Colorado 0 133: Zach Zehner (UW) fall (4:03) Sam Bauer (UNC) / Wyoming 28, Northern Colorado 0 141: Chase Smith (UW) dec. Casey Cruz (UNC), 2-0 / Wyoming 31, Northern Colorado 0 149: Justin Gonzales (UNC) dec. McCade Ford (UW), 5-3 SV1 / Wyoming 31, Northern Colorado 3 157: Andy McCulley (UW) fall (0:29) Charlie McMartin (UNC) / Wyoming 37, Northern Colorado 3

Nick Diaz (Photo/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images) Mixed martial arts have progressed significantly since UFC 1. That 1993 tournament displayed a hodgepodge of talent and outfits; there was a single-gloved boxer, a gi'ed grappler and a wrestler wearing shoes. The rules were few and the battle watched in only a few thousand households. Maybe it was the marketing, maybe it was the outfits, but it would take several years and tens of millions in investment before the UFC and MMA became a legitimate sport. Primary to the growth of the sport was its legalization in many states, that came after hundreds of rules were added regarding everything from legal striking and no head-butting, to ring size and proper attire. The stewardship of UFC president Dana White and the Fertittas were instrumental in seeing positive changes made to the structure of the sport. Eighteen years later, in wake of one of the most controversial decisions in UFC history, the multi-billion dollar MMA enterprise needs to once again visit the idea of tweaking the rules of the Octagon, particularly regarding aggression and stalling. Wrestlers have always taken the brunt of criticism when it comes to unexciting fights. There have been talented wrestlers in their early fight careers who've hung out in half guard (Josh Koscheck, Chad Mendes) and who were lambasted by critics for that lay-and-pray style. To fix that type of go-nowhere fight style, Strikeforce encouraged fighters to be stood up if they failed make gains on the ground. The UFC has recently seen this occurring in the Octagon as well with referees (especially Herb Dean) standing up fighters due to their perceived lack of their aggression on the ground. The opposite side of the argument is that wrestling control, the ability to stop the momentum and motion of an opponent should be allowed (it would win a street fight), the reason it's discouraged is for the sake of entertainment. This past weekend there has been little focus placed on strikers who fail to engage their opponent's advances and choosing instead to backpedal and launch fleeting counter attacks. Love 'em or hate 'em, defend his tactics or loathe them, there is no doubt that the judges scored Carlos Condit the unanimous winner (49-46, 49-46, 48-47) over Nick Diaz. As clear as that victory was on the score cards, it's equally undeniable that Condit was on skates for the totality of the five rounds, ever refusing to engage the forward plodding Diaz. Condit gamed the rules by scoring points with leg kicks in the first few rounds and effective counter-striking as he was being pressured into the fence. While many fans thought Diaz had won the fight based on his Octagon control alone (Rounds 1, 2 and 5 seem to be where most fans think Diaz won) others saw enough in Condit to argued for a win (Rounds 2, 3, 4 and 5). Most in the pro-Condit camp (no doubt those who won money on the underdog) claim that his style was perfect game planning. Team Jackson knew Diaz wanted to get into a head-punching contest with a better-conditioned fighter so they avoided it altogether. It's something Jackson himself was proud to share with the media after the fight. "We need to slow him down, a guy like that … who is so tough, you need to bring him down to your rhythm." Of course, "rhythm" meant "pace." Condit wasn't able to keep the pace so he avoided contact. Jackson, ever the spinster was even bold enough to compare Condit's cage tactics to that of Muhammad Ali, whose style was famous for retreating and counter attacking. The problem with the premise is that three-minute rounds in a single combat sport are much different than 5 five-minute rounds in a sport that is built on aggression and the cooperation of several forms of combat. In MMA you have options. There was another solution to the Diaz plodding forward that Condit failed to utilize: wrestling. Don't like a guys waling into you, take him down. Running away isn't sporting in a game meant to avoid the tap dancing, and corruption, and bullshit of boxing. Nobody with a full cranium is advocating for a sport where wrists are laced together for a forced head-bludgeoning test, but if you choose to avoid contact, the points should reflect that lack of aggression. Though the same could be said for Diaz. Once he finally scored a takedown he controlled Condit on the ground for almost two minutes. Had he done that earlier it also might have been a different fight. Should there be new rules policing stalling? There are examples of other sports (not to mention Pride's yellow cards) which penalize a fighter for displaying a lack of aggression. Amateur wrestling is attempting to increase viewership by punishing stalling. The modern college rules have changed drastically in recent years to become more spectator-friendly, with at least five rules added to promote action, and decrease the lulls in the viewing experience. It's technically stalling to take two consecutive backward steps. If rules like those that govern wrestling were in play Saturday Diaz would have won a 50-45 unanimous decision. The UFC has been very actively promoting strikers, but with Jackson's recent assault on the premise that strikers need to stand-and-trade the sport needs to look at the resulting response. The public prefers striking to wrestling, but they'll certainly take a combination attack over the retreat of an eventually winner. That style isn't just bad for business, it's antithetical to the founding spirit of mixed martial arts, and as appropriate now as a one-gloved boxer.