InterMat Staff

EVANSTON, Ill. -- No. 22 Northwestern (5-1, 1-1 Big Ten) has arguably one of the toughest weekends of competition on the horizon as the Wildcats host the defending NCAA and Big Ten champions, and currently top-ranked, Penn State Nittany Lions (5-1, 1-1) at 7 p.m. Friday, at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Then, less than 48 hours later, the 'Cats take on this year's Midlands champions, and fourth-ranked, Iowa (7-1, 2-0) at 1 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 15. This weekend, a total of 19 wrestlers ranked by InterMat are probable to take the mat; four for Northwestern, eight for Penn State and seven for Iowa. Fans can watch both matches this weekend on the Big Ten Digital Network, which airs on Wildcat All-Access on NUsports.com. Friday Night Promotions Friday is Family Fun Night at Welsh-Ryan Arena, presented by Coke Zero, where families will enjoy free hot dogs courtesy of Vienna Beef and free Coke Zero in a color-changing Northwestern wrestling mug. Fans are invited to stay after the match to get your Northwestern Wrestling schedule poster signed by the team at the post-match autograph session. Pariano to Appear on Takedown Radio This Saturday Northwestern head coach Drew Pariano will be a guest on the Takedown Radio broadcast airing this Saturday. Pariano is scheduled to be on the show in the 10 a.m. hour and fans can listen to a live streak online at www.takedownradio.com. Northwestern wrestling fans in the Des Moines, Iowa, area can listen live on 1460 WXNO. Scouting the Nittany Lions Penn State is currently the top-ranked team in the country according to InterMat, and WIN Magazine polls. The Nittany Lions are 5-1 in dual action, losing their lone match of the season on Nov. 20, 23-14 to Minnesota. Since then, PSU has won four-straight duals, including a 50-0 shutout of Lock Haven and most recently, a 36-6 win over Michigan State last weekend. The Nittany Lions also won the team title at the Southern Scuffle with four individual champions. Eight Nittany Lions are currently ranked, including No. 10 Nico Megaludis (125), No. 1 Frank Molinaro (149), No. 9 Dylan Alton (157), No. 1 David Taylor (165), No. 2 Ed Ruth (174), No. 2 Quentin Wright (184), No. 12 Morgan McIntosh (197), No. 6 Cameron Wade (Hwt). Penn State has four returning All-Americans on this year's roster (Molinaro, Taylor, Ruth and Wright). Scouting the Hawkeyes Iowa won the team title at the 49th Annual Ken Kraft Midlands Championships at Welsh-Ryan Arena and is out to a 7-1 record in dual action. The Hawkeyes saw their 84-dual unbeaten streak come to an end Saturday night against Oklahoma State. Despite splitting 10 matches, the Cowboys outscored the Hawkeyes 54-51 in match points to earn the 17-16 victory. Iowa visits Nebraska Friday before hosting the Wildcats on Sunday. Like Penn State, Iowa has a number of ranked wrestlers in the latest InterMat poll, including No. 2 Matt McDonough (125), this week's Big Ten Wrestler of the Week, No. 2 Tony Ramos (133), No. 3 Montell Marion (141), No. 2 Derek St. John (157), No. 9 Mike Evans (165), No. 11 Ethen Lofthouse (174), No. 19 Grant Gambrall (197) and No. 8 Bobby Telford (Hwt). All, with the exception of St. John, are listed as probable starters for Sunday. How Do You Rank? Depending on what wrestling poll you look at, Northwestern is wrestling either the No. 1 or No. 3 team in the country Friday night and then the No. 2, or No. 4 team Sunday. Either way, this weekend brings tough competition for the Wildcats, who come in ranked as high as 17th and are also tabbed at No. 22 in two other polls. Here's a breakdown of the InterMat, WIN Magazine and USA Today/NWCA Coaches Polls. InterMat WIN NWCA Northwestern 22 22 T17 Penn State 1 1 3 Iowa 4 T2 2 Probable Starters Weight Northwestern Penn State Iowa 125 #7 Levi Mele #10 Nico Megaludis #2 Matt McDonough 133 Jameson Oster Frank Martellotti OR Derek Reber #2 Tony Ramos 141 Colin Shober OR Pat Greco Bryan Pearsall #3 Montell Marion 149 Kaleb Friedley #1 Frank Molinaro Mark Ballweg OR Mike Kelly 157 #3 Jason Welch #9 Dylan Alton Nick Moore 165 Pierce Harger #1 David Taylor #9 Mike Evans 174 #9 Lee Munster #2 Ed Ruth #11 Ethen Lofthouse 184 Robert Kellogg OR Marcus Shrewsbury #2 Quentin Wright Jeremy Fahler OR Vinnie Wagner 197 John Schoen #12 Morgan McIntosh #19 Grant Gambrall OR Tomas Lira Hwt #19 Mike McMullan #6 Cameron Wade #8 Bobby Telford *InterMat rankings used Last Time Out Last weekend, the Wildcats opened up the 2011-12 Big Ten dual campaign, hosting No. 7 Michigan and then visiting Wisconsin. The Wolverines escaped Welsh-Ryan Arena with a 28-9 win, but Northwestern bounced back with a 33-9 victory over the Badgers on Sunday. Northwestern relied heavily on bonus points in its bout on Sunday with three major decisions and two pins. Despite all of the wins by bonus points, redshirt freshman Pierce Harger recorded the biggest win of the weekend for the 'Cats, upsetting Wisconsin's No. 8 Ben Jordan 4-2 at 165 lbs. Juniors Levi Mele and Jason Welch both went 2-0 on the weekend. Mele got the 'Cats out to a 6-0 lead vs. Michigan by pinning Grant Pizzo in 3:36 and then added a major decision to his record, defeating Wisconsin's Austin Hietpas 14-1 on Sunday. Welch won his 11th and 12th bouts of the season, knocking off Michigan's Brandon Zeerip 2-0 on Friday and then pinned his third opponent of the season, Shawn Perry from Wisconsin, in 3:41 Sunday. With the wins, Mele improves to 19-2 on the season and Welch is a perfect 12-0. Have We Met? Friday's match will be the first time Northwestern has wrestled Penn State at any event this year, but the Wildcats and Hawkeyes are somewhat familiar with one another as Midlands featured a number of bouts between the two teams. Three exciting rematches could take place Sunday at Carver-Hawkeye at 174, 197 and heavyweight. In the Midlands finals at 174 lbs., No. 5 seed Lee Munster met second-seeded Ethen Lofthouse and the NU redshirt freshman defeated the Hawkeye 7-3 to win the title. Two other matches featuring the Wildcats and Hawkeyes went to overtime at Midlands. At the 197 lbs. seventh place match, unseeded John Schoen was edged 3-1 in sudden victory by No. 7 seed Grant Gambrall and No. 10 seed Mike McMullan also lost a close 4-2 overtime match against No. 3 seed Bobby Telford. In the Bonus This year, Northwestern is racking up the bonus points, as 71 of its 152 wins have been by either major decision, technical fall or fall. Individually, Levi Mele and Jason Welch also have a number of wins with bonus points. Mele has scored extra points in 11 of his 21 matches (or 52.4 percent of his bouts this year) while Welch has eight bonus point wins in 12 bouts (66.7 percent). Northwestern has 37 pins, 26 major decisions and eight tech falls on the season. Be the first to know what's going on with the 'Cats -- Follow @NU_Sports on Twitter, become a fan of Northwestern Athletics on Facebook! and subscribe to the NU Sports Express e-newsletter to receive the latest news, schedule updates and video and to interact with NU. For more information on following specific Northwestern teams online, visit our Social Media page!

An undisclosed injury has forced Mike Stumpf out of UFC 143. In his place goes undefeated welterweight prospect Stephen Wonderboy Thompson, who fights Justin Edwards at the Super Bowl weekend event, UFC officials today announced. UFC 143 takes place Feb. 4 at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. Read Story

Sean Sherk, UFC Hall of Famer? With the UFC entering a new era and veterans such as Tito Ortiz, B.J. Penn and Rich Franklin in the homestretch of their careers, former UFC lightweight champ Sherk is hoping to cement his place in a crowded field of HOF candidates. Inactive since a September 2010 win over Evan Dunham, the oft-injured Sherk now is planning for a spring or early-summer return to the octagon. Read Story

For the first time since 2008, the Ultimate Fighting Championship is headed to the Peach State. It was announced on Tuesday's new edition of FUEL TV's UFC Live that Atlanta's Philips Arena will play host to UFC 146, which takes place April 21. MMAjunkie.com has since confirmed with sources close to the event that the city's Philips Arena will host the card. Read Story

Stockholm's own light heavyweight Alexander Gustfasson will take on Brazilian veteran Antonio Rogerio Nogueira in the main event of UFC Sweden, the UFC announced Tuesday. UFC Sweden (also known as UFC on FUEL TV 2), the promotion's debut in Sweden, takes place Saturday, April 14 at the Ericsson Globe Arena in Stockholm. Sweden has been on our radar for a long time and on April 14, we're excited to finally bring the UFC to Stockholm, UFC President Dana White stated Tuesday ...

It's not secret that the UFC wants to do a giant event with Anderson Silva in Brazil this summer, but Dana White recently all but confirmed that would happen if a rematch with Chael Sonnen comes alive. Read Story

Photo/Forza LLC via Getty Images Chances are that if you know nothing else about women's MMA, you know that there was once a very scary-looking Brazilian woman with a nickname reminiscent of RoboCop. Until last Friday, Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos was the face of women's MMA. Her six year, 10-fight win streak made her the class of the Strikeforce 145-pound division and forced Scot Coker and other executives to cultivate one competitive, or marketable matchup for her every six months. Last month it was jiu-jitsu ace and Japanese legend, Hiroko "Cat's Eye" Yamanaka, a fighter that at least a few pundits thought could give Cyborg a test -- maybe bloody the champ's nose, or threaten with a submission. Yamanaka was unconscious in 16 seconds, the latest victim of Cyborg's right hand. But then came last week's announcement that the reigning pound-for-pound women's champ had tested positive for stanozolol, a steroid metabolite banned by nearly every professional sporting league in the world. Cyborg went on to release a statement that the drug found her way into her supplements, but as many doctors and nutritionists have pointed out, those explanations are somewhat fantastical. Dana White, speaking on behalf of Zuffa Inc., has indicated that in the wake of Cyborg's suspension he would likely shudder the 145-pound women's division. It's a decision he says is based in a lack of attractive and available talent. Cyborg was the face of the organization and in his opinion few names remained to carry the burden. Of course it's difficult not to cry foul when White, a vocal opponent of female MMA, is the one announcing the decision. Unfortunately, there is a belief among fight executives that at least two things are true. First, that both men and women don't want to pay to see pretty women batter each other with their fists; and second, that women should not be fighting in the first place. The marketability of women fighters is only starting to be understood. It's ironic that the organizations governing MMA would detect a lack of marketability on the women's side in the same month that former MMA superstar Gina Carano begins her movie career by starring in a big budget Steven Soderbergh film, "Haywire." The movie isn't small peanuts, it's cast is potentially the biggest of 2012; Ewan McGregor, Channing Tatum, Michael Douglas, and Antonio Banderas are just some of the top-billed actors. People will go to theaters and they will see a former MMA superstar alongside "The American President" and "Zorro." The popularity of "Haywire" should spark at least some interest in female MMA. However, since the Cyborg drug test and subsequent response from Zuffa, any Google search for "women's MMA" is likelier to pull up stories of contraction, than stories of celebration. Were the organizations even-handed (as they are with the men -- all the recent rape jokesters are still employed) they'd instead have pushed to celebrate the impressive resumes and insane marketability of Ronda Rousey and Meisha Tate, who are scheduled to fisticuff March 3 in Columbus, Ohio. The two fighters have even been falling into the Zuffa model by embroiling themselves in a Twitter war that has earned thousands of new followers for the fighters. Another major concern is the lingering culture of female protectionism that informs the decision-making of executives in charge of female sports, and those with involvement in any type of female contact sport (wrestling, judo, MMA, rugby). Women are not fragile; they are not all concerned with their periods and the health of their nail beds. Most of the women who are flocking in record numbers to jiu-jitsu gyms and rugby fields are searching for the same catharsis -- the same physical release from the stresses of the day -- as their male counterparts. The paternalism inherent in limiting the contact sports opportunities of women at both the amateur (NCAA) and professional (MMA) level should be met with disgust. Women have a place in the cage no matter if it disagrees with the antiquated gender roles imagined by a few knuckle-dragging troglodytes. Fans want to see talented and motivated fighters battle each other for 15-25 minutes inside a cage, regardless of race, ethnicity or gender. MMA executives should take note that not unlike their male counterparts, the majority of the women who populate the ranks of MMA are witty, attractive and marketable, which means given the platform they'll be able to sell their fights to the fans. The dissolution of the 145-pound class would also mean that fight fans won't get to see the most exciting new talent in women's MMA, undefeated 2004 Olympic silver medalist wrestler Sara McMann. She's currently fighting in ProElite, but to think that she could possibly face off against former Olympic judo medalist Ronda Rousey is enough to make a true MMA fan half-giddy. Talented, professionally trained fighters is exactly what the MMA world enjoys. Fans and pundits love a contrast of styles, especially when performed by two of their best practitioners. Even though a 135-pound title might be in her future, Rousey hasn't been in the cage for longer than 57 seconds and has ended each of her eight fights with an arm bar submission. When it comes to dominance, gender shouldn't be a factor, especially when it's a matchup that could generate enormous viewership. Women fighters deserve a chance to see their sport grow. It was only six years ago that the UFC was struggling to turn a major profit on its male side -- now the company has a $700 million television deal with FOX and the most talented pool of any MMA organization. Given time and incentives fight fans will see an equal access to talent on the women's side with more former Olympians bringing their talents to the cage. Former MMA stars like Carano and even the embattled Cyborg brought the sport of women's MMA mostly by encompassing polar opposites of the female fighting spectrum, the former a beautiful burgeoning movie star, the latter an intimidating almost comical impersonation of fitness. The future of women's MMA doesn't exist in these boundaries, it's square on the shoulders of well-trained super-athletes who are attractive and marketable and at least somewhat normal. The women have done the work, now it's time for the promotional leaders of the sport to recognize and reward that growth, rather than destroy it out of pettiness or gender bias.

Detroit Catholic Central Note: Recap items use the previous rankings (team updated on Jan. 4 and individual updated today). Preview items use the new team and individual rankings. Detroit Catholic Central Super Duals Date: Saturday, Jan. 14 Location: Detroit Catholic Central High School (Novi, Mich.) Dual Meet Schedule: 10:00 a.m. -- No. 28 Montini Catholic, Ill. vs. No. 3 St. Johns, Mich.; No. 15 Detroit Catholic Central, Mich. vs. Bedford, Mich.; Richmond, Mich. vs. Clarkston, Mich.; Dundee, Mich. vs. Solon, Ohio 11:45 a.m. -- No. 28 Montini Catholic vs. Bedford, No. 15 Detroit Catholic Central vs. No. 3 St. Johns, Richmond vs. Solon, Dundee vs. Clarkston 1:30 p.m. -- Dundee vs. Richmond, No. 15 Detroit Catholic Central vs. No. 28 Montini Catholic, Clarkston vs. Solon, Bedford vs. St. Johns 3:15 p.m. -- No. 3 St. Johns vs. Richmond, No. 15 Detroit Catholic Central vs. Solon, No. 28 Montini Catholic vs. Dundee, Bedford vs. Clarkston Top Wrestlers (Note -- Michigan uses the "old" weights): 103: Tommy Pawleski (Montini Catholic), Trevor Zdebski (Detroit Catholic Central), Drew Wixson (St. Johns) 112: No. 13 (at 113) Zac Hall (St. Johns), Mitch Rogaliner (Bedford), Brandon Thompson (Solon), Jordan Laster (Montini Catholic), Myles Amine (Detroit Catholic Central) 119: Kevon Powell (Montini Catholic), Stephen Ireland (Richmond), Logan Massa (St. Johns) 125: Jacob Schmitt (St. Johns), Michael Sepke (Montini Catholic), Dustin Pitcel (Richmond), T.J. Fagan (Detroit Catholic Central) 130: Ken Bade (Detroit Catholic Central), Doug Rojem (Dundee) 135: Chris Garcia (Montini Catholic), Brant Schafer (St. Johns), Malik Amine (Detroit Catholic Central), Devin Skataza (Richmond) 140: Josh Pennell (St. Johns), Drew Vrbenec (Montini Catholic), Garrett Edwards (Richmond), Brody Whitman (Dundee) 145: No. 2 Ben Whitford (St. Johns), No. 11 Anthony Collica (Solon), Logan Marcicki (Detroit Catholic Central), Xavier Montalvo (Montini Catholic), Liam Grantham (Dundee) 152: No. 19 (at 145) Alec Mooradian (Detroit Catholic Central), Travis Curley (St. Johns) 160: No. 20 Jordan Wohlfert (St. Johns), Justin Kresevic (Solon), Nick Mason (Detroit Catholic Central), Todd Olson (Dundee) 171: No. 1 (at 170) Taylor Massa (St. Johns), Andrew Garcia (Detroit Catholic Central), Connor Winel (Montini Catholic) 189: Kevin Beazley (Detroit Catholic Central), Payne Hayden (St. Johns), Brandon Sunday (Bedford) 215: Brian Smith (Bedford), Edgar Ruano (Montini Catholic), Greg Sebastian (Richmond), Conrad Domiguez (St. Johns) 285: Logan Rimmer (Bedford), John Marogen (Dundee), Scott Devos (Clarkston), Jaleel Johnson (Montini Catholic) A perfect hundred Now ranked No. 6 in the nation at 126 pounds, junior Anthony Ashnault (South Plainfield, N.J.) won his 100th career match without a loss on Monday night with a 15-4 major decision victory over Jake Balesteri (Franklin Regional, N.J.) in dual meet competition. Ashnault, also a two-time champion at the Super32 Challenge, won state titles during his first two years of high school competition. He joins Andrew Campolattano (Bound Brook/Ohio State) and Scott Winston (Jackson Memorial/Rutgers) as the lone wrestlers to start their careers with at least 100 wins without losing. Campolattano won his first 100 matches before losing to Michael Evans in the finals of the Bethlehem Liberty Hurricane at 189 pounds in December 2009, during his junior December; going on to finish his career 175-1. Winston is the lone wrestler to finish his career undefeated, as he went 137-0, but did not compete in the state tournament series his freshman year due to injury. Ashnault seeks to become the third four-time state champion in New Jersey history, joining Campolattano and Mike Grey (Delbarton/Cornell), who went 158-2 in his career; but the first to do so without a loss. The Apple finds the Cheese … barely Given an event with 24 teams, and seven of them ranked, one would expect to see a very balanced and hotly contested tournament. This past weekend's Cheesehead Invitational was that and more, with no team in the field coming home with more than two weight class champions, and the highest number of championship finalists for a given team was four. When it was done, even though No. 4 Apple Valley, Minn., did not have No. 4 Mark Hall with them for much of the tournament at 145 pounds, they still were able to muster the team title with 565 points, which was four more than No. 11 Bettendorf, Iowa. In fact, it was the nine points that Hall scored in the tournament -- a bye advancing into the top 16, and a pin in the preliminary round-robin -- which one could argue made the difference. Apple Valley was one of four teams to have a pair of weight class champions -- Malou Woiwor (106) and No. 11 Dakota Trom (132). The Eagles also had a runner-up finish from No. 6 Brandon Kingsley (160), and eight other top-eight finishers -- one in third, fourth, seventh, and eighth; and a pair each taking fifth and sixth. Second-place Bettendorf was anchored by a championship from Fredy Stroker (113) along with runner-up finishes from Connor Ryan (138), Bryan Levsen (182), and No. 18 Nate Shaw (220). The Bulldogs had six additional top-eight finishers -- one each in fourth, sixth, seventh, and eighth; with a pair in fifth, while an additional wrestler placed ninth. Even without two-time state finalist Kyle Gliva (113/120), No. 10 Simley, Minn., was able to finish in third place with 521.5 points anchored by the effort of their four finalists -- No. 5 Jake Short (145) and No. 10 (at 182) Micah Barnes (170), who won titles, while Nick Wanzek (152) and Matt Kadrlik (285) finished in the runner-up position. Six additional wrestlers for Simley finished inside the top eight -- one in fifth and eight, while a pair each took fourth and seventh. Finishing fourth in the standings was No. 14 Southeast Polk, Iowa, with 508.5 points. The Rams were anchored by six top three finishers among their eight wrestlers finishing in the top eight. Winning titles were No. 3 Cory Clark (126), who stayed undefeated for his career, and No. 3 Willie Miklus (220); No. 2 Alex Meyer (170) took second; while Dylan Blackford (160), Bud Smith (195), and Bryce Fisher (285) each took third. Additional placers were fifth and seventh. Despite the absence of No. 14 Jack Bass (138), No. 19 Allen, Texas, earned a fifth-place finish with 445 points keyed by seven top-eight finishers anchored by a championship effort from No. 8 (at 160) Oliver Pierce (152). Bo Nickal (145) finished as runner-up, Jarrod Trotter (126) was third, a pair of wrestlers in fourth, while single wrestlers finished fifth and eighth. Despite no champions, and the absence of No. 20 Kevon Powell (120), No. 28 Montini Catholic, Ill., finished in sixth place with 411.5 points. The Broncos were anchored by runner-up finishes from Jordan Laster (113) and Chris Garcia (132), as well as five other top eight placers -- one each in third, fourth, and eighth, while a pair finished in sixth. The seventh and eighth place squads finished with six placers each. In seventh was No. 45 Luxemburg-Casco, Wis., with 403 points, anchored by a championship from Newton Smerchek (285) while other wrestlers finished third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh; two additional wrestlers placed ninth. Anchored by a pair of champions -- Shaun'Qae McMurtry (160) and No. 5 Brad Johnson (195), Lockport, Ill. finished with 390.5 points. It was the second straight championship final upset victory for McMurtry, as he beat No. 16 Justin Koethe of Iowa City West at the Dvorak, and now beat Kingsley 12-6. Other placers for Lockport took second, fourth, seventh, and eighth. Rounding out the weight class champions were Mitch Lexvold (Kenyon-Wanamingo, Minn.) at 120 pounds, Angelo Silvestro (Marmion Academy, Ill.) at 138, and Ian Johnson (Milton, Wis.) at 182. Direct link for all result information -- http://www.trackwrestling.com/predefinedtournaments/VerifyPassword.jsp?tournamentId=28775009 Virginia Duals -- National High School Division Dates: Friday, Jan. 13 and Saturday, Jan. 14 Location: Hampton Coliseum (Hampton, Va.) Bracket and Schedule: http://virginiaduals.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/2012-National-high-school-bracket.pdf (championship rounds -- Friday at 9:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m., Saturday at 2:00 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.) Top Teams: No. 9 Canon McMillan, Pa. (1st seed); No. 13 Christiansburg, Va. (2nd seed); No. 36 McDonogh, Md. (4th seed); No. 44 South Plainfield, N.J. (3rd seed); Timber Creek, N.J. (5th seed); and Nazareth, Pa. (6th seed) Top Wrestlers: 106: No. 14 Coy Ozias (Christiansburg, Va.), Tyrone Klump (Nazareth, Pa.), Brendon Price (Canon McMillan, Pa.), Gabe Gibson (Cox, Va.) 113: No. 10 J.R. Wert (Christiansburg, Va.), Dalton Macri (Canon McMillan, Pa.), Cody Stageberg (Cox, Va.), Ray Jazikoff (South Plainfield, N.J.) 120: No. 9 Conner Schram (Canon McMillan, Pa.), No. 11 Troy Heilmann (South Plainfield, N.J.), Kaleb LeMaire (Caesar Rodney, Del.), Ricky Carter (Timber Creek, N.J.), Kyle Dulaney (Christiansburg, Va.) 126: No. 5 Brandon Jeske (Cox, Va.), No. 6 Anthony Ashnault (South Plainfield, N.J.), No. 7 Joey Dance (Christiansburg, Va.), Colton Shorts (Canon McMillan, Pa.), Micah Hight (Caesar Rodney, Del.), Chase Zemenak (Nazareth, Pa.), Kyle Smith (Chantilly, Va.) 132: Brandon Keller (Timber Creek, N.J.), C.J. Jablonski (Cox, Va.), Xavi Ramos (McDonogh, Md.), Scott DelVecchio (South Plainfield, N.J.), Dallas Smith (Christiasburg, Va.), Trey Gregory (New Kent, Va.) 138: Tyler Hunt (South Plainfield, N.J.), Austin Fuller (New Kent, Va.), Gabe Lumpp (Christiansburg, Va.), Isaiah DeGuzman (Timber Creek, N.J.) 145: No. 8 Solomon Chishko (Canon McMillan, Pa.), No. 15 Jack Clark (McDonogh, Md.), Corey Stasenko (South Plainfield, N.J.), Robert Janis (St. Christopher's, Va.), Stephen Jackson (Caesar Rodney, Del.) 152: Dario Dobbin (Canon McMillan, Pa.), Bryce Shade (Timber Creek, N.J.), Myles Martin (McDonogh, Md.), Devontae Fitzgerald (New Kent, Va.) 160: No. 8 Zach Epperly (Christiansburg, Va.), Toby Hague (McDonogh, Md.), Justin Altice (Franklin County, Va.), Nolan Shultz (New Kent, Va.) 170: No. 3 Cody Wiercioch (Canon McMillan, Pa.), Tyler Miles (Christiansburg, Va.), Robert Shade (Timber Creek, N.J.), Tyler Patrick (McDonogh, Md.), Gunter Dickson (Cox, Va.), Pierce DeMarreau (Caesar Rodney, Del.) 182: Eric Wolak (Nazareth, Pa.), Ryan Wade (Christiansburg, Va.) 195: Kevin Marvel (McDonogh, Md.), David Wilke (Nazareth, Pa.) 220: Aaron Bradley (Nazareth, Pa.), Alex Campbell (Canon McMillan, Pa.), Marshall Hollerith (St. Christopher's, Va.), Brandon Taylor (Christiansburg, Va.) 285: No. 14 Cody Klempay (Canon McMillan, Pa.), Greg Webb (Timber Creek, N. J.), Roman Braglio (McDonogh, Md.), Brandon Lance (Nazareth, Pa.) Awesome field at the Doc Buchanan but Clovis still unkind hosts What's a tournament field that has eight nationally ranked wrestlers win championships? Loaded. How about when six of the finals feature nationally ranked wrestlers going head-to-head? Electric. That was what the Doc Buchanan Invitational featured this past weekend. For all the intensity and excitement within the individual weight classes, it was that boring in the team landscape, where No. 6 Clovis, Calif., scored 205 points to almost double the next three teams in the standings. The hosts Cougars had a tournament-high three champions -- Jonas Gaytan (120), Dakota Gordon (195), and No. 4 Nick Nevills (285). Nick Nevills was named the Outstanding Wrestler for upper-weights after defeating No. 20 Johnny Schupp (Vacaville, Calif.) 10-8 in overtime. No. 4 Zach Nevills (170) finished in second place after losing 11-5 to No. 2 (at 160) Joey Davis (Santa Fe, Calif.). With that performance, Davis was selected as the tournament's overall Outstanding Wrestler. Clovis had ten weight classes with a place-finisher, eleven wrestlers in all inside the top eight. Other medalists were a pair in fourth, sixth, and seventh; while their non-scoring placer also took sixth. Second in the standings was No. 22 Bakersfield, Calif., with 115 points, primarily coming from five placers, all inside the top four. The Drillers were anchored by runner-up finishes from No. 9 (at 138) Natrelle Deminson (145) and No. 6 Coleman Hammond (152), while it was an additional wrestler in third and another pair in fourth. Deminson was upended in the final 6-4 by Willie Fox (Gilroy, Calif.), while Hammond fell to No. 3 Isaiah Martinez (Lemoore, Calif.) 8-4 in a match featuring two of the nation's elite junior class wrestlers. Tied for third were No. 17 Poway, Calif., and Roseburg, Ore., with 111.5 points. The Titans placed wrestlers in eight weight classes, nine in all; however, none of the Titan grapplers placed above fifth. A pair placed fifth and seventh, while four wrestlers placed sixth; and the non-scoring wrestler placed eighth. Their anchor wrestler, No. 18 Connor King (170) placed sixth, losing an 8-6 overtime decision in the semifinals to Zach Nevills and then an 8-4 decision to No. 18 Silas Nacita (Bakersfield) in the consolation semifinal. Roseburg had five placing wrestlers, anchored by the second place finish from Javier Mandera (160), who fell in the finals by 10-2 major decision against No. 11 Victor Pereira (Newark Memorial, Calif.). Reed Van Anrooy (145) and Hector Mandera (152) placed third, while other wrestlers placed fifth and seventh. Three other championship matches featured nationally ranked wrestlers going head-to-head. At 106 pounds, No. 1 Zahid Valencia (St. John Bosco, Calif.) beat No. 3 Paul Mascarenas (Cleveland, N.M.) 6-4 in the tiebreaker. At 113 pounds, No. 12 Isaiah Locsin (Live Oak, Calif.) earned the Outstanding Wrestler honor for lower-weights with a 14-3 major decision victory over No. 4 Micah Perez (Central Union, Calif.). Finally, up a weight class, No. 2 (at 132) Alex Cisneros (Selma, Calif.) beat No. 19 Nikko Villarreal (Gilroy, Calif.) 4-3 in the tiebreaker. This came after Villareal avenged a Reno TOC finals loss to No. 17 Shayne Tucker (Bella Vista, Calif.) with a pin at the 2:59 mark. Additional weight class champions were Javier Gasca (Kingsburg, Calif.) at 132 pounds, No. 2 Nikko Reyes (Clovis West, Calif.) at 182, and Spencer Empey (Reed, Nev.) at 220. The rest of the week that was … No. 2 St. Edward dominated their way to yet another OHSWCA Division I State Duals championship. The Eagles beat Kettering Fairmont 54-16 in the opening round and Wadsworth 49-12 in the semifinal before upending No. 16 Cincinnati Moeller 44-13 in the championship match. The Eagles won 11 of the 14 weight classes, including a pair of matches featuring one vs. two matchups in the big-school division; No. 9 Edgar Bright scored a second period takedown in upending No. 12 Joey Ward 3-1 at 132 pounds, while No. 14 Ty Walz beat Chalmer Freauf 6-4 with a go ahead takedown late in the match. The Crusaders advanced to the championship match with a 33-29 victory over No. 27 Massillon Perry in the semifinal round. No. 20 Broken Arrow, Okla., won the nation's oldest wrestling tournament -- the 68th annual Geary Invitational -- with 143.5 points. They were led by a trio of weight class champions -- No. 12 Markus Simmons (106), No. 8 Chase Ferman (138), and Tanner Bailey (145). The team placed eight other wrestlers, including a pair in second and third. Second in the standings was No. 18 Tulsa Union, Okla. with 138 points, led by a pair of champions in Brian (132) and No. 4 Kyle (182) Crutchmer and nine other placers. Third place was Tuttle, Okla. with 114.5 points, led by their lone champion No. 10 Zach Beard (170) and seven other placers. The final at 152 pounds featured a pair of nationally ranked wrestlers, with No. 16 Keilan Torres (Altus, Okla.) defeating No. 10 Kyle Ash (Tulsa Union) 7-4. Two dual meets this past weekend featured a pair of nationally ranked teams battling head-on. In the finals of the Gateway to the Best Duals hosted by Lindenwood College, No. 41 Christian Brothers, Tenn. upended No. 30 Blue Springs, Mo., 35-19; while also on Saturday afternoon, No. 48 Carl Sandburg, Ill., won eight of the 14 matches, including all three decided by a single point, to defeat No. 47 Glenbard North, Ill., 25-24. Winning eight of fourteen matches, including the final four -- two of those in overtime -- St. Peter's Prep, N.J., was able to pull off the 29-28 upset victory over No. 32 South Plainfield, N.J., on Friday night. Furthering the surprise was that No. 12 Alenick Richardson (St. Peter's Prep) was upset 7-3 by Corey Stasenko in the match immediately preceding the end of match run for St. Peter's Prep. An additional upset over a nationally ranked team happened in the Chicago area, where Hinsdale Central, Ill., won eight of 14 matches to defeat No. 46 Marist, Ill. 34-20. The rest of the coming week … Dual meet state tournaments are being conducted in Georgia and Texas this weekend. No. 17 Allen, Texas, seeks to defend the single class dual meet title (an invitational tournament, not sanctioned by the state association); No. 25 Collins Hill and No. 38 Collins Hill will battle it out for the Class 5A (big-school) title in Georgia, while No. 49 Jefferson is a prohibitive favorite for Georgia's Class 2A title. No. 1 Blair Academy, N.J., and No. 2 St. Edward, Ohio, are very likely to battle it out for the NHSCA Festival championship at about 5:15 p.m. ET on Saturday at Pleasant Valley High School in Broadheadsville, Pa. Also present in the 20-team event is No. 46 Bergen Catholic, N.J. A separate preview of the potential Blair Academy vs. St. Edward dual meet will appear later in the week. No. 4 Apple Valley, Minn., No. 30 Oak Park River Forest, Ill., and Marmion Academy, Ill., travel to No. 21 Iowa City West, Iowa, on Saturday for a quadrangular in which all four teams will wrestle one another. Three key matches of ranked wrestlers competing head-on are probable in this dual meet: No. 12 Johnny Jimenez (Marmion Academy) against No. 20 Phillip Laux (Iowa City West) at 113 pounds, No. 12 Dakota Trom (Apple Valley) against No. 15 Dakota Bauer (Iowa City West) at 132, and No. 11 Brandon Kingsley (Apple Valley) against No. 16 Justin Koethe (Iowa City West). No. 5 Clovis, Calif., No. 18 Poway, Calif., and No. 22 Bakersfield, Calif., headline a second consecutive showcase tournament for the Golden State and west of the Rockies wrestling as a whole. This time, they anchor the Temecula Valley Invitational Tournament on Friday and Saturday. There are five weights where nationally ranked wrestlers could collide -- 106 pounds with No. 1 Zahid Valencia (St. John Bosco, Calif.) and Johnson Mai (North Torrence, Calif.); 113 with No. 4 Isaiah Locsin (Live Oak, Calif.) and No. 9 Micah Perez (Central Union, Calif.); 138 with No. 11 Natrelle Deminson (Bakersfield, Calif.) and No. 13 Nikko Villarreal (Gilroy, Calif.); 152 with No. 3 Isaiah Martinez (Lemoore, Calif.) and No. 6 Coleman Hammond (Bakersfield, Calif.); and 170 with No. 2 Zach Nevills (Clovis, Calif.), No. 18 Silas Nacita (Bakersfield, Calif.), and No. 19 Connor King (Poway, Calif.). No. 7 St. Paris Graham, Ohio, and No. 27 Massillon Perry, Ohio, anchor the field at the Top Gun Invitational hosted by Alliance (Ohio) High School this Friday and Saturday. The lone weight with a pair of nationally ranked wrestlers is 152, where No. 1 Bo Jordan (St. Paris Graham) and No. 12 Zack Dailey (Massillon Perry) are present; however, seven other nationally ranked wrestlers do populate the field. No. 8 Wyoming Seminary, Pa., and No. 42 Wantagh, N.Y., are among approximately 100 teams slated to compete in the 10th annual Eastern States Wrestling Classic this coming Friday and Saturday on the campus of SUNY-Sullivan in Lake Sheldrake, N.Y. There is a possibility of nationally ranked wrestlers meeting at 170 pounds, with No. 7 Eric Morris (Wyoming Seminary) and No. 16 Burke Paddock (N.Y.) present in the field. No. 12 Bethlehem Catholic, Pa., and No. 37 Colonial Forge, Va., anchor the 32-team Escape the Rock Wrestling Tournament hosted by Council Rock South High School outside of Philadelphia, Pa this coming Friday and Saturday. This year, the event is also a benefit for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). Three weight classes have the potential for showdowns between nationally ranked wrestlers -- No. 11 Brent Fleetwood (Smyrna, Del.) against No. 13 Ethan Lizak (Parkland, Pa.) at 106 pounds, No. 2 (at 106) Darian Cruz (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.) against No. 11 Billy Rappo (Council Rock South, Pa.) at 113, and No. 7 Brian Brill (Central Mountain, Pa.) against No. 17 Brett Harner (Norristown, Pa.) at 160 pounds. No. 23 Wisconsin Rapids, Wis., will be hosting No. 48 Glenbard North, Ill., as part of a quadrangular meet this coming Saturday.

VESTAL, N.Y. -- Oklahoma, ranked No. 12 nationally, downed 24th-ranked Binghamton 20-15 inside the West Gym in Vestal, N.Y., on Tuesday night. The Sooners (5-2-0, 2-1-0) earned five wins on the night, three of which led to bonus points, as Oklahoma handed the Bearcats (8-1) their first loss of the season. “This dual came down to exactly what I thought it would,” Mark Cody said. “I'm happy with the win, but definitely not satisfied. There were a few matches that we had, but we lost them with seconds to go.” OU's eighth ranked Jarrod Patterson gave the Sooners their first bonus points of the night after he devastated Binghamton's Derek Steeley, 19-6. Patterson led 10-2 after the first period and added nine additional points due to a reversal, three takedowns and 3:39 of riding time. With the Sooners leading 4-0 Jordan Keller, ranked No. 11, collected a 7-2 win over Patrick Hunter in the 133 pound matchup. Keller had a takedown and nearfall in the first and ended with an escape and riding time. Kendric Maple racked up his second-consecutive pin in dual action after he earned a fall in 1:42 against the Bearcat's Joe Bonaldi. Prior to the fall, Maple earned three quick takedowns. The fall gave OU a commanding 13-0 lead over the Binghamton going into the 149 pound bout. The Bearcats got on the board after fourth-ranked Donnie Avery defeated OU's Nick Lester, ranked No. 7. Avery earned three takedowns and riding time, while Lester's only points came on two escapes. Twin brother Matt Lester suffered the Sooners' second loss of the night after he dropped an 8-6 decision to Binghamton's eighth-ranked Justin Lister. Lister opened the bout with a takedown, but Lester earned an escape and takedown to lead 3-1 going into the second. Lister earned a takedown, which Lester later reversed. Leading 5-4, Lester gave up a reversal and a 2-point nearfall. The Sooners led 13-6 when Bubby Graham earned the Sooners final bonus points of the night after he earned a major decision victory over Binghamton's Joe Chamish, 14-4, at 165 pounds. In the bout, Graham had six takedowns, an escape and riding time to run away with the victory. Binghamton earned a win in the 174 pound bout after Nate Schiedel downed OU's Marcus Armato, 13-7. Schiedel had four takedowns, while Armato had four escapes. The Bearcat added two more takedowns and riding time in the third. Armato finished with six escapes. OU led 17-9 heading into the 184 pound matchup between OU's 20th-ranked Erich Schmidtke and Binghamton's Nate Schiedel. Schiedel took a 7-5 lead into the third period where Schmidtke posted an escape and earned a takedown with 0:30 remaining to take an 8-7 lead; however, Schiedel earned a reversal with 0:07 remaining to take the match, 9-8. Keldrick Hall clinched the match for the Sooners after he downed Binghamton's Cody Reed, 7-6. In the bout, Hall earned two takedowns, two escapes and a point via a stalling penalty to give OU a 20-12 advantage. OU's Kyle Colling fell shy of his third straight win Tuesday when Binghamton's Nick Gwiazdowski defeated him, 7-6. Colling trailed 4-2 after the first period, but had three escapes and a 2-point nearfall to bring the bout within one. However, the Bearcat hung on for the win. “It has been a long road trip, but I am proud of the way the guys competed,” Cody said. “Now we are ready to move forward.” Up next, the Sooners head down I-35 to take part in the Lone Star Duals on Saturday, Jan. 14, in Arlington, Texas. Results: 125 –No. 8 Jarrod Patterson (Okla.) major dec. Derek Steeley (BU), 19-6 133 –No. 11 Jordan Keller (Okla.) dec. Patrick Hunter (BU), 7-2 141 –No. 1 Kendric Maple (Okla.) pinned Joe Bonaldi (BU), 1:42 149 – No. 4 Donnie Vinson (BU) dec. No. 7 Nick Lester (Okla.), 7-2 157 – No. 8 Justin Lister (BU) dec. No. 14 Matt Lester (Okla.), 8-6 165 – Buddy Graham (Okla.) major dec. Joe Chamish (BU), 14-4 174 – Matt Kaylor (BU) dec. Marcus Armato (Okla.), 13-7 184 – Nate Schiedel (BU) dec. No. 20 Erich Schmidtke (Okla.), 9-8 197 – Keldrick Hall (Okla.) dec. Cody Reed (BU), 7-6 Hwt – Nick Gwiazdowski (BU) dec. Kyle Colling (Okla.), 7-6

Jacob Volkmann

Jason Bryant and Nick Mitchell will go "On the Mat" this Wednesday, Jan. 11. "On the Mat" is a presentation of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum. The show can be heard live on the Internet at www.kcnzam.com or locally in Northeast Iowa each Wednesday from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. CT on AM 1650, The Fan. An archive of the show can be found on www.themat.tv. E-mail radio@wrestlingmuseum.org with any questions or comments about the show. Bryant is the coordinator of grassroots and social media for USA Wrestling. Bryant, twice named national wrestling writer of the year, will provide an update on the National Duals and the Virginia Duals. Mitchell is in his fourth season as the head wrestling coach at Grand View University. As a competitor, he was a three-time All-American for Wartburg. His team recently won the NAIA portion of the National Duals held in Springfield, Ill.

BUIES CREEK, N.C. -- Senior Austin Trotman made ASU history, becoming the program's winningest wrestler, as Appalachian State wrestling earned a pair of dual meet wins, defeating Cleveland State, 31-6, and Southern Conference foe Campbell, 37-6, on Monday evening at the Pope Convocation Center. The Mountaineers (6-2, 2-0 SoCon) have now won their last three duals, while CSU (3-8, 0-1 EWL) and Campbell (8-9, 2-1 SoCon) are not as fortunate. Austin TrotmanNo. 9 Trotman (184 pounds) entered the night two wins shy of the Appalachian career wins record and took care of business with a 0:20 pin against Cleveland State and a 18-3 technical fall (7:00) over Campbell's TeShaun Johnson. He now stands atop the leaderboard with grappler Scott Ervin (2003-08)-both wrestlers tallying 114 wins in Black and Gold. Trotman looks to take the outright lead on Saturday, when he could have as many as four chances to steal outright first place. His first-match pin is the team's second-fastest of the season, behind only John Blakely's 15-second pin at the Wolfpack Open. No. 15 Kyle Blevins (165 pounds) also made strides on the ASU career wins list. After his earlier accomplishment of becoming the fourth Mountaineer to crack 100 wins, the senior's two wins on Monday moved him to third on Appalachian's career wins list, leapfrogging Jeramy Hart's mark of 108 (1996-2001). Blevins began the day with a 5-2 decision against Cleveland State and earned his 109th victory with a pin over Campbell's Daniel Luty in 3:23. In other action, 125-pound senior Tony Gravely picked up two victories, including a 9-3 decision against Cleveland State and a first-period fall against Campbell. Junior Brett Boston led with a 0:39 pin, the team's fourth fastest, against Cleveland State, and pulled out an 11-8 decision against his Fighting Camel foe. Senior Mike Kessler earned seven team points for the Apps, picking up a 5-1 decision against CSU before cruising to a 12-0 major decision versus Campbell. At 149 pounds, sophomore Russ Benner took the honor against the Vikings and racked up an 11-0 major decision. Senior Savva Kostis entered the third period with a 9-1 advantage over Campbell's Mark Hartenstine, but the Fighting Camel notched eight-straight in the final stanza to close the gap to 11-9 before time expired on a 12-9 decision for Kostis. Appalachian State Career Wins Name Years Wins T1. Scott Ervin (2003-08) 114 T1. Austin Trotman (2007-12) 114 3. Kyle Blevins (2008-12) 109 4. Jeramy Hart (1996-01) 108 5. Mark Fee (1998-03) 98Senior Chip Powell squeaked out a 3-2 decision at 157 pounds against his Viking combatant. Powell and Campbell's Nick Rex battled to a scoreless regulation before Rex scored a 2-0 sudden victory win midway through the first minute of extra time. After suffering a 5-2 loss at 174 pounds, junior Carter Downs rebounded to earn a 13-5 major decision against Campbell's Paul Duggan. Freshman Paul Weiss made the jump to 285 pounds against Cleveland State and picked up a 10-6 win in his first heavyweight appearance. He returned to 197 for his latter bout, a 1:27 pin of John Weakley from Campbell. After ASU defeated Cleveland State, the Vikings fell to the host Fighting Camels, 30-10, before Appalachian and Campbell squared off in the day's final match. The Mountaineers return to action on Saturday, Jan. 14 when they head to Grand Prairie Texas for the Lone Star Duals. ASU is scheduled to face Brown, Harvard, No. 9 Oklahoma and Utah Valley in action beginning at 9 a.m. Central. Appalachian State (5-2) 31, Cleveland State (3-7) 6 125: Tony Gravely dec. Ben Wileford, 9-3 (ASU 3-0) 133: Brett Boston pinned Nick Flannery, 0:39 (ASU 9-0) 141: Mike Kessler dec. Josh Palivoda, 5-1 (ASU 12-0) 149: Russ Benner major dec. Tyler Green, 11-0 (ASU 16-0) 157: Chip Powell dec. Brandon Sommers, 3-2 (ASU 19-0) 165: No. 15 Kyle Blevins dec. Corey Carlo, 5-2 (ASU 22-0) 174: Aric Thurn dec. Carter Downs , 8-4 (ASU 22-3) 184: No. 9 Austin Trotman pinned Corbin Boone, 0:20 (ASU 28-3) 197: Nick Anthony dec. Jesse Johnson , 12-6 (ASU 28-6) 285: Paul Weiss dec. Garry Yarborogh, 10-6 (ASU 31-6) Appalachian State (6-2, 2-0 SoCon) 37, Campbell (8-9, 2-1 SoCon) 6 125: Tony Gravely pinned Grabiel Soto, 1:51 (ASU 6-0) 133: Brett Boston dec. Tanner Bidelspach, 11-8 (ASU 9-0) 141: Mike Kessler maj. dec. Jorge Gavillan, 12-0 (ASU 13-0) 149: Savva Kostis dec. Mark Hartenstine, 12-9 (ASU 16-0) 157: Nick Rex dec. Chip Powell , 2-0 SV1 (ASU 16-3) 165: No. 15 Kyle Blevins pinned Daniel Luty, 3:23 (ASU 22-3) 174: Carter Downs maj. dec. Paul Duggan, 13-5 (ASU 26-3) 184: No. 9 Austin Trotman tech. fall TeShaun Johnson, 18-3 (7:00) (ASU 31-3) 197: Paul Weiss pinned John Weakley, 1:27 (ASU 37-3) 285: Joe Nolan dec. Joe Cummings, 3-2 (ASU 37-6)

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- North Carolina opened its ACC season in impressive fashion Monday night as the Tar Heels downed rival Duke 30-5. Freshman Evan Henderson earned his team-leading 19th victory of the year as he was one of seven different Tar Heels to claim a win. Sophomore Brian Bokoski opened the dual with a narrow 4-3 decision over Peter Terrezza as he was able to get a late takedown to extend his lead to 4-2 before keeping Terrezza at bay during the final period. After a Duke forfeit at 133 pounds the Tar Heels were in the driver's seat with a 9-0 lead. No. 16 ranked Evan Henderson picked up his 19th victory of the year at 141 pounds as he battled Duke's Tanner Hough to a 5-2 decision win. The decision upped Carolina's lead to a commanding 12-0 margin. Freshman Nick Heilmann dropped a 10-4 decision to senior A.J. Guardado at 149 pounds as Duke picked up its first points of the night narrowing the the margin to nine (12-3). Junior Jon Burns who was forced to move up to 157 pounds responded for the Tar Heels as he quickly registered a take down of Duke's Immanuel Kerr-Brown before overpowering the Blue Devil for a pin in just 1:01. Burns' six points upped Carolina's lead to 18-3. Senior Kyle Kiss followed with a physical 8-3 win over Ryan Harding at 165 pounds and moved Carolina to a 21-2 advantage after Harding was called for unsportsmanlike conduct docking his team a point. Freshman Alex Utley continued his impressive freshman campaign at 174 pounds with a 3-1 win over fellow freshman Randy Roden of Duke to lock up the match as Carolina led 24-2. Senior Thomas Ferguson earned win number ten on the year at 184 pounds as he claimed a 12-8 decision over arguably Duke's best wrestler in Diego Bencomo. Zac Bennett held Brian Self scoreless to claim a 5-0 decision at 197 pounds in just his second appearance of the season. Freshman Frank Abbondanza moved up to heavyweight to take on Duke's Andrew Fulk and fell by a 7-0 margin to provide the final tally of 30-5. The win is Carolina's eighth straight over the Blue Devils and improves the Tar Heels to 1-7 overall and 1-0 in the ACC this season. Up next for the Tar Heels is a trip to Hampton, Va. for the Virginia Duals. Carolina will open competition Friday morning at 11 a.m. against Rider and will face either Drexel or Edinboro in the second round. Results: 125 - Brian Bokoski (UNC) wins 4-3 dec over Peter Terrezza (Duke) - 3-0 UNC 133 - Brock LiVorio (UNC) wins by forfeit - 9-0 UNC 141 - #16 Evan Henderson (UNC) wins 5-2 dec over Tanner Hough (Duke) - 12-0 UNC 149 - A.J. Guardado (Duke) wins 10-4 dec over Nick Heilmann (UNC) - 12-3 UNC 157 - Jon Burns (UNC) pins Immanuel Kerr-Brown (Duke) in 1:01 - 18-3 UNC 165 - Kyle Kiss (UNC) wins 8-3 dec over Ryan Harding (Duke) - 21-3 UNC (one point deducted from Duke for unsportsmanlike conduct) - 21-2 UNC 174 - Alex Utley (UNC) wins 3-1 dec over Randy Roden (Duke) - 24-2 UNC 184 - Thomas Ferguson (UNC) wins 12-8 dec over Diego Bencomo - 27-2 UNC 197 - Zac Bennett (UNC) wins 5-0 dec over Brian Self (Duke) - 30-2 UNC HWT - Andrew Fulk (Duke) wins 7-0 dec over Frank Abbondanza (UNC) - 30-5 UNC

The night before stepping on the scales at the 49th annual Midlands wrestling tournament, I went to a low-key dinner at a Mexican-fusion restaurant down the street from my Chicago apartment. My best friend and former teammate was visiting from out of town, and a dinner with mutual friends seemed appropriate for his arrival. I'm not a monk, and as promised in an earlier article, I drank a few glasses of red wine. My meal was equally indulgent, as I took down healthy portions of chips, salsa, and a lime-cooked ceviche appetizer. Glasses were clinked; jokes were told. T.R. Foley gets ready to competeThe next morning I arrived at Welsh-Ryan Arena fifteen minutes before weigh-ins. In the back room of the complex I was reminded of the less-playful realities inside a collegiate weigh-in: gaunt-faces, sallow skin and the constant thwacking of jump ropes. Some of the Northwestern wrestlers I've come to know over the years paced by me, most shirtless and shoeless, each holding their phone manically checking the time and texting loved ones their current condition. Their faces looked soured, lips purple. I was wearing jeans, some boots, and a sensible winter sweater. In line I found a moment to take mental snapshots of the competition, most had a heat coming from behind their eyes -- their competitive urges mixing together with a dash of desperation. Whatever their motivation, the stress of it all was being worn on each of their faces -- an unsettling sight for someone intent on a good-natured scuffle. My weight class seemed full and with few exceptions I was the shortest member, and at 182 pounds likely the lightest. I hadn't cut weight or changed my diet in any significant way and felt that my 'old man strength' -- the tensile toughness retained in grip and good positioning -- would equalize their impressive physiques. Either way, my mood seemed so much better than my opponents' that I wondered if a psychological victory wasn't impossible. I had spent the past year in jiu-jitsu rooms, with my wrestling background making me an exception among the other grapplers. Most of that separation came from a physical tenacity instilled by training in an NCAA room for five years. There are several similarities between wrestling and jiu-jitsu, but one of the main differences (outside of submissions) are the common breaks inside a jiu-jitsu match, where back exposure isn't harshly penalized and where competitors take brief moments to recompose their breathing. Of course wrestling does not offer easy-outs or breaks inside a typical seven-minute match. Those moments of composure would ultimately be what separated my collegiate opponents from their middle-aged competitor. I came to compete out of my lifelong passion for the sport and interest in re-calibrating my own career and experiences. They came to win. I was given a bye in the first round when my opponent from North Dakota State either did not make weight, or possibly duffed skin checks. The break should have meant that I would retain the limited energy I had for the day, but it would also leave me confront my pre-match anxieties (jitterbugs, if you will) against the fifth-seeded Braden Atwood from Purdue University. The match started well. We danced a bit before I hit a slide-by and scored a quick two. Once on top I was able to throw-in a half, scissor the body, deepen the half and wait for the fall call. I waited ... and waited ... and waited. Eventually Braden turned his chest back towards the mat. He would later earn an escape and late slide-by takedown of his own to end the period. The age difference was beneficial for my comparative skill level, but a noticeable hindrance for conditioning. As Braden jogged back to the circle, I noticed that my head began to pound hard enough that I wondered if skull was being softened from the inside-out. T.R. Foley talks to referee Kevin TannThe referee would caution me three times at the beginning of the second for something I was told by many of my friends looked like a stall technique. It was genuine confusion. Apparently -- and this was not made clear to me until the third caution which resulted in a point -- there was now a "set" in front of the starting whistle. To my friends: I maintain my innocence; To Kevin Tann: You really should have given me the heads up after the first caution. Where I do plead guilty (and where I deserve some lashings) was in taking an injury time to start the second, during which I'm pretty confident I heard Purdue head coach Scott Hinkel scream, "He's not injured, he's just tired." I'd argue that the most damage done to my body -- as further evidenced by my now-lingering cough -- was to my lungs, which were woefully over-expanded and which left my torso stiff for days. Also, lungs are a vital internal organ and I would classify any distress/misery/failure to them as an "injury" of the highest order. The break did not help and I was not able to recapture any wind for the start of the third period. The gasping began to extinguish my spirit ("Why am I doing this?"). Despite what my coaches told me growing up, death I was certain did come before passing out. My eyes had begun to cross, and my head - once filled with great ideas for late-match techniques -- was as jumbled as a snow globe. A bad locked hands call (Kevin!) and subsequent reversal sealed my fate. Next came the enthusiastic bar arm of the Boilermaker, which reminded me that rehabbing a torn rotator cuff wasn't in my five-year plan. I lost by fall. T.R. Foley attempts an inside tripI have an incredible amount respect for the hard work of the 19-year-old Atwood. He showed incredible resilience in climbing back from an early hole. He was physically strong, in excellent condition, and while he was no doubt encouraged by my inability to take a breathe without muttering an impish, "Dear, God ..." He wrestled with balls. After I recovered from the severe physical trauma caused to my lungs (imagine an over-filled inner tube, lumpy and threatening to explode) I picked up my phone and listened to a voicemail from my former boss, Cal Poly head wrestling coach Brendan Buckley, "Foley ... No time to be sulking. You're a wrestler ... get back up ... alright?" It was the correct motivation for the moment. I had entered a wrestling tournament, and while the first match had felt like being tied to an anchor in the middle of maelstrom, I had signed up to compete. I would not default. I won my next match by slowing the pace and earning a reversal and an escape. My opponent, perhaps wisely, chose to stay off bottom, but was close to earning the win after almost finishing a gutsy last second high crotch. T.R. Foley gets put to his backThe final match of the day was against an Iowa wrestler who felt freakishly strong, and with Jon Jones-like reach was able to keep me well away from his legs. My luck turned bad when a roll-through chin lock attempt (lazy man's technique) landed me on my back in the first period. However, my fate was sealed in the second when an attempted turn from top ended with me being reversed AND throwing what was likely the tournament's only jiu-jitsu arm bar submission. It's not too much to say that by the end of my wrestling night, 10:30 p.m., I was running on the atomic remnants of the fumes in my gas tank. I was tuckered. Where did it all go pear-shaped? I would argue it didn't, really. If were I to compete again I would have wrestled more live in the weeks leading up to the event. I had worked on timing and reorienting myself to funky situations, but failed to ever set the clock to seven minutes and let loose. It's difficult, if not impossible, to get a full seven-minute match against collegiate competition without stepping into a college room. You can run and lift, drill and sweat, but when it comes to the 10-percent more required by college wrestling, you just have to be in that room, surrounded by guys whose mission it is to win an NCAA title. The negative takeaway is the popularity of American wrestling will always be limited by the level of conditioning it asks from its competitors. I know the justification and the pride behind such things, the mantras of "Iowa Style," "extending your lead" and "breaking your opponent." Those have paid off nicely for our warriors in MMA, but from a stability standpoint it's impossible to ask the same of athletic adults who value time with their family and their health, more than they do a total commitment to self-hating forms of conditioning exercises. It's why so many former wrestlers have moved over to jiu-jitsu -- sustainability matters. In Mongolia many of the older men still compete in the summer wrestling festival of NaadamCould there be room for organizations that allow the growing wrestling community to compete in much the same style as before, but with less chance of injury, and a lesser need for good conditioning? Takedown rules and room for breathers wouldn't be a bad start. Upright-only wrestling is the most popular form of wrestling in the world, and excellent examples of cultures exist where octogenarians suit up for competition. After this weekend there is plenty I would like to see changed in college wrestling, but nothing more than the new rules around calling for an injury timeout. My belief is that the rule will eventually be overturned, likely as a result of a parent complaining that a coach risked the wrestler's health rather than give up a positional advantage or point. It's not barbaric, but it intentionally values the perception of toughness over the reality of injury. Already this season I've seen wrestlers risk a greater threat to their body rather than succumb to the necessary and healthy decision to stop action and evaluate the extent of their injuries. I agree that injury timeouts like the one's I took against Atwood aren't agreeable, but making the health decision for a wrestler is a dangerous, perhaps even liable alternative. Wrestling is in our blood. For most fans and competitors it frames our worldview for the rest of our adult life. I was unhappy, moody and cantankerous as a collegiate wrestler. This past weekend I wrestled with contentment about my journey and with an eye towards picking up on details I might have missed in the past -- none more significant than the realization that I value my older self's relative emotional and psychological stability more than I value the ability to showcase athletic talents. American collegiate wrestling asks more of its competitors than any other sport, and that should remain, philosophically, unchanged. But wouldn't it be nice if we could share the complexity of our sport with more people -- bring them closer to the world we have grown to love and appreciate? I think so, and I'm willing to keep trying. And in the future, if I decide to enter the 50th Midlands, the World Team Trials, or a Kushti tournament in Lahore, I'll remind myself that the miserable part is over and that this is fun. Because this is supposed to be fun, right?

J Robinson On the team's performance ... On Logan Storley's win over Nick Heflin at 174 pounds ... On Logan Storley's progression ... On why David Thorn did not wrestle at 133 pounds ... On what Chris Dardanes' win over Logan Stieber means ... On Dylan Ness getting pinned at 149 pounds ... On whether Zach Sanders has taken over more of a leadership role as a senior ... On whether the Gophers are a team that can contend for an NCAA title in March ...

BLACKSBURG, Va. -- Second-ranked Josh Asper defeated seventh-ranked Peter Yates and 13th-ranked Kyle John recorded his team-high sixth fall as No. 13 Maryland topped No. 15 Virginia Tech, 25-10, to improve to 10-0 Sunday evening at Cassell Coliseum. After the Hokies claimed seven points from the first three matches, the Terps won six consecutive matches to secure a conference victory in Maryland's ACC opener. “The guys wrestled with the right attitude and the results showed,” said head coach Kerry McCoy. “It's great to keep rolling and get our first conference win.” Virginia Tech led 7-6 after the opening four matches, but John altered the momentum of the dual with a third period pin. The Coopersburg, Pa., native drove Matt Stephens to the mat and after several attempts was able to lock Stephens' shoulders to the mat for the one count with 10 seconds remaining in the match. “Kyle [John] getting the pin really opened things up,” said McCoy. “He has been a huge factor in our success and this weekend is a tribute to that.” Following John's victory, Asper took the mat against Yates in a highly anticipated matchup. After surrendering an early takedown, Asper responded with an escape and a takedown late in the first period. Asper dominated riding time in the second period and went on to win a 5-4 decision. Fifteenth-ranked Jimmy Sheptock earned bonus points with his third major decision this season, and Ty Snook clinched the Terrapin win with a 6-5 decision over John Dickson. The Terps will have a little time off before returning to the mat against Navy in Annapolis on Friday, Jan. 20. Results: 125: No. 20 Shane Gentry (MD) dec. Erik Spjut (VT), 6-3 (3-0) 133: No. 3 Devin Carter (VT) major dec. Geoffrey Alexander (MD), 23-10 (4-3) 141: No. 11 Zach Neibert (VT) dec. Frank Goodwin (MD), 9-7 (7-3) 149: Ben Dorsay (MD) dec. Chris Mears (VT), 7-4 (7-6) 157: No. 13 Kyle John (MD) fall over Matt Stephens, 6:50 (12-7) 165: No. 2 Josh Asper (MD) dec. No. 7 Peter Yates (VT), 5-4 (15-7) 174: No. 15 Jimmy Sheptock (MD) major dec. Chris Moon (VT), 10-2 (19-7) 184: Ty Snook (MD) dec. John Dickson (VT), 6-5 (22-7) 197: No. 6 Christian Boley (MD) dec. Nick Vetterlein (VT), 7-4 (25-7) 285: Chris Penny (VT) dec. Dallas Brown (MD), 7-2 (25-10)

The No. 2 Grand View wrestling team gutted out a win over No. 3 Southern Oregon and upset top-rated Great Falls (Mont.) to win its first national title at the Cliff Keen National Duals today in Springfield, Ill. The Vikings outlasted Southern Oregon, defeating the Raiders 19-18. Three Vikings toppled higher ranked opponents – No. 4 Nick Coffman won an 8-3 decision over No. 3 Kyle Wirkuty at 141, No. 10 TJ Moen won a 5-4 overtime decision against No. 4 Jimmy Eggemeyer at 149, and No. 4 Derek Nightser won a 9-7 decision over No. 2 Austin Vanderford at 107 pounds. GV dominated the championship match-up against the No. 1 team in the NAIA Great Falls. The Vikings won eight of ten matches with five close decisions. Moen took down another higher ranked opponent with a 7-3 decision over No. 3 Mike Vassar at 149 and No. 12 Jimmie Schuessler defeated No. 5 Michael Hader 6-2 at 157 pounds. Brad Lower (165) and Derek Nightser (197) both won by fall to finish the weekend 4-0 at the Duals. Following the tournament, senior Eric Thompson was named the National Duals NAIA Outstanding Wrestler. Thompson went 3-0 against ranked opponents over the weekend, including a fall over No. 1 Leviticus Roberson of Midland on Saturday and No. 7 Sears Tiernan of Great Falls and No. 12 Bubba Owens of Southern Oregon on Sunday. Grand View 19, Southern Oregon 18 125 #1 Lofstedt (SO) fall over Alex Peitz (4:44) 133 Omi Acosta (GV) major decision over Baltazar 11-1 141 #4 Nick Coffman (GV) decision over #3 Wirkuty 8-3 149 #10 TJ Moen (GV) decision over #4 Eggemeyer 5-4 (OT) 157 #8 Hooper (SO) fall over #11 Chad Lowman (1:04) 165 #2 Brad Lower (GV) decision over #8 Mestrovich 2-1 174 #9 Gutches (SO) decision over #2 Ty Knowler 3-1 184 #10 Rottenburg (SO) decision over Cody Swim 5-3 197 #4 Derek Nightser (GV) decision over #2 Vanderford 9-7 285 #2 Eric Thompson (GV) decision over #12 Owens 6-1 No. 2 Grand View def. No. 1 Great Falls (Mont.) 31-7 Grand View 31, Great Falls (Mont.) 7 125 Luttrell (GF) major decision over Alex Peitz 11-3 133 #3 Travis Evans (GV) decision over #8 Schlossler 5-2 141 #1 Varnell (GF) decision over #4 Nick Coffman 3-2 149 #10 TJ Moen (GV) decision over #3 Vassar 7-3 157 #12 Jimmie Schuessler (GV) decision over #5 Hader 6-2 165 #2 Brad Lower (GV) fall over #5 Hatton (6:12) 174 #2 Ty Knowler (GV) decision over #12 Lau 6-2 184 Cody Swim (GV) major decision over Picard 10-2 197 #4 Derek Nightser (GV) fall over #8 Morgan (:32) 285 #2 Eric Thompson (GV) decision over #7 Tiernan 13-12 Grand View next hosts it first home dual of the season on Saturday, Jan. 14. The Vikings will take on Lindenwood University at Sisam Arena at 7 p.m.

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Pat Rollins, Scott Sakaguchi, RJ Pena and Clayton Jack each picked up pins and the 15th-ranked Oregon State wrestling team held off a late Arizona State charge for a 32-18 win over the Sun Devils at Wells Fargo Arena. The Beavers' win was their sixth consecutive win over Arizona State, and each has come under sixth-year head coach Jim Zalesky. He now has 198 career victories between his tenure at Oregon State and Iowa. Seventy-one of his 198 wins have come at Oregon State. The Beavers built up a 26-6 after Cody Weishoff earned a 9-2 decision over Hans Rasmusson at 165 pounds. OSU had built that lead on the strength of pins by Rollins at 125, Sakaguchi at 149 and Pena at 157. Rollins downed David Prado in 1:41, but then saw ASU even the score when Shane McGough pinned Garrett Drucker in 2:10 in the 133-pound dual. The Beavers score the dual's next 20 points, however, as Mike Mangrum won at 141 over Kalin Goodsite, 24-7, for a technical fall, and Sakaguchi pinned Kyle McIntosh in 1:20. Pena's 21st win of the season was his 16th pin, defeating Victor DeJesus in 2:26. Arizona State (5-5 overall) scored 12 consecutive points from 174-197; Jacob Graham pinned Ty Vinson in 5:48, and that was followed by two consecutive bouts decided by decisions. John Tuck dropped a 7-3 bout at 184 to Kevin Radford and Tommy Burriel defeated Taylor Meeks, 7-5, at 197 pounds. The Beavers (5-1) were assured of the win after the loss by Meeks, but nevertheless, Jack capped off OSU's afternoon with a pin of Levi Cooper in 3:26. Jack has 11 pins on the year and 39 for his career. Jack is also 107-35 for his career; his winning percentage of .753 is currently good for 47th in team history. Oregon State returns to Gill Coliseum next Sunday, Jan. 15 when the Beavers host Wyoming in a 12 p.m. start – note this was changed from a 2 p.m. start to accommodate Wyoming's travel schedule. Make sure and mark your calendars for the time change. Fans can purchase tickets for the dual by visiting the ticket off at Gill Coliseum, calling 1-800-GOBEAVS or going online to osubeavers.com. For more on Oregon State wrestling, make sure and follow the team's official Twitter page at twitter.com/osu_wrestling and osubeavers.com. Results: 125 – Pat Rollins fall David Prado (ASU), 1:41. OSU 6, ASU 0 133 – Shane McGough (ASU) fall Garrett Drucker, 2:10. OSU 6, ASU 6 141 – Mike Mangrum technical fall Kalin Goodsite (ASU), 24-7. OSU 11, ASU 6 149 – Scott Sakaguchi fall Kyle McIntosh (ASU), 1:20. OSU 17, ASU 6 157 – RJ Pena fall Victor DeJesus (ASU), 2:26. OSU 23, ASU 6 165 – Cody Weishoff decision Hans Rasmusson (ASU), 9-2. OSU 26, ASU 6 174 – Jacob Graham (ASU) fall Ty Vinson, 5:48. OSU 26, ASU 12 184 – Kevin Radford (ASU) decision John Tuck, 7-3. OSU 26, ASU 15 197 – Tommy Burriel (ASU) decision Taylor Meeks, 7-5. OSU 26, ASU 18 HWT – Clayton Jack fall Levi Cooper (ASU), 3:26. OSU 32, ASU 18

Springfield, Ill -- The No. 3 St. Cloud State wrestling team defeated No. 1 Newberry 23-12 to claim the championship of the Division II NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals held in Springfield, Ill. Earlier in the day, the Huskies defeated Upper Iowa University 22-13 to advance to the championship bout. Seniors Tad Merritt (165/174), Derek Skala (184), and Lucas Munkelwitz (197) and junior Jake Kahnke (285) all had two wins on the day. Merritt (Canby) pinned Wade Gobin of Upper Iowa in 4:35 and won a major decision over Sean Byrnes of Newbery, 12-1. Skala (Owatonna) decisioned Mitch Schultz of Upper Iowa 10-4 and defeated Mitch Brown of Newberry 4-2 in overtime. Munkelwitz (Forest Lake) gained a 6-2 decision over Carl Broghammer of Upper Iowa and won 6-0 over John Reed of Newberry. Kahnke (Shakopee) had two major decisions on the day. He beat Luke Stika of Upper Iowa 11-0 and Jake Elkins of Newberry 19-8. Against Newberry, the Huskies won four of the last five weights as the match was tied 9-9 after the first five weights. Semifinal Match No. 3 St. Cloud State 22, Upper Iowa 13 125 Kyle Pedretti (Upper Iowa) over Eric Forde (St. Cloud State) Dec 3-2 133 Trevor Franklin (Upper Iowa) over Zach Stewart (St. Cloud State) Dec 4-1 141 Jay Hildreth (St. Cloud State) over Blake Hilmer (Upper Iowa) Dec 9-3 149 Josh Howk (St. Cloud State) over Jordan Rinken (Upper Iowa) Dec 5-3 157 Winston Robbins (Upper Iowa) over Matt Leibforth (St. Cloud State) Maj 13-2 165 Blake Sorensen (Upper Iowa) over Dan Dick (St. Cloud State) Dec 2-0 174 Tad Merritt (St. Cloud State) over Wade Gobin (Upper Iowa) Pin 4:35 184 Derek Skala (St. Cloud State) over Mitch Schultz (Upper Iowa) Dec 10-4 197 Lucas Munkelwitz (St. Cloud State) over Carl Broghammer (Upper Iowa) Dec 6-2 285 Jake Kahnke (St. Cloud State) over Luke Stika (Upper Iowa) Maj 11-0 Championship Match No. 3 St. Cloud State 23, No. 1 Newberry 12 125 Dylan Wright (St. Cloud State) over John McDonald (Newberry) Dec 9-4 133 Andrew Pokorny (St. Cloud State) over Matt Oliver (Newberry) Pin 0:38 141 William Young (Newberry) over Jay Hildreth (St. Cloud State) Dec 11-4 149 Deral Brown (Newberry) over Matt Leibforth (St. Cloud State) Dec 3-0 157 Taylor Knapp (Newberry) over Josh Howk (St. Cloud State) Dec 13-7 165 Tad Merritt (St. Cloud State) over Sean Byrnes (Newberry) Maj 12-1 174 Travis Sheehy (Newberry) over Kurt Salmen (St. Cloud State) Dec 6-23 184 Derek Skala (St. Cloud State) over Mitch Brown (Newberry) OT 4-2 197 Lucas Munkelwitz (St. Cloud State) over John Reed (Newberry) Dec 6-0 285 Jake Kahnke (St. Cloud State) over Jake Elkins (Newberry) Maj 19-8

SPRINGFIELD, Ill.-- The top-ranked Wartburg wrestling team (10-1 overall) defeated No. 4 UW-LaCrosse 25-9 the semifinals to advance to the Championship match. The Knights defeated No. 2 Augsburg 29-6 in the Championship match to claim their sixth title in school history and second repeat crown since 2003 and 2004. "This was the best weekend of wrestling for us," said co-head coach Jim Miller. "I was really proud of the way the guys came together." #4 UW-LaCrosse, WB win 25-9 125: #3 Kenny Anderson (WB) vs. Joey Nelson (UWL), tech fall 17-0 133: #6 Adam Sheley(UWL) vs. #5 Tommy Mirocha (WB), dec 7-3 141: #1 Bebeto Yewah (UWL) vs. Mike Kremer (WB), dec 10-4 149: Kodie Silvestri (WB) vs. Robert Dorn (UWL), maj. Dec 9-1 157: Cameron Wagner (WB) vs. James Lewis (UWL), dec. 2-1 2 OT. 165: #7 Landon Williams (WB) vs. Kevin Obrien (UWL), dec 5-1 174: #1 Michael Schmitz (UWL) vs. #6 Bradley Banks (WB), dec 4-3 184: #5 Dylan Azinger (WB) vs. Grant Miller (UWL), dec 10-5 197: #1 Byron Tate (WB) vs. Tony Piechowski (UWL) , maj dec 22-9 285: Ryan Fank (WB) vs. #6 William Mayer (UWL), dec 9-2 #2 Augsburg, WB wins 29-6 125: #3 Kenny Anderson (WB) vs. Mike Fuenffinger (A), major 11-0 133: #5 Tommy Mirocha (WB) vs. Tossaporn Suparat, dec. 6-0 141: #7 Kodie Silvestri (WB) vs. #5 Will Keeter (A), dec 6-0 149: Drew Waggenhofer (WB) vs. Jake Saatzer (A), fall 1:47 157: #10 Cole Welter (WB) vs. Zach Enrico (A), dec 4-3 165: #2 Orlando Ponce (A) vs. #7 Landon Williams (WB), dec 9-4 174: #5 Bradley Banks (WB) vs. Josh Kohler (A), dec 5-2 184: #5 Dylan Azinger (WB) vs. Jackson Mboma (A, dec 4-3 197: #1 Byron Tate (WB) vs. #5 Brad Baus (A), maj. dec. 13-4 285: Chad Johnson vs. Ryan Fank (WB), dec 6-3

WEST POINT, N.Y. -- The 16th-ranked Rutgers wrestling team continued its hot streak Sunday at Army, winning 27-10 in Christl Arena. The Scarlet Knights won seven of 10 matches against the Black Knights, including big wins for bonus points by Vincent Dellefave (Toms River, N.J.), Billy Ashnault (South Plainfield, N.J.), Greg Zannetti (Edison, N.J.) and Dan Seidenberg (Red Bank, N.J.). The victory improved RU's overall record to 8-1 in the 2011-12 season and 4-0 in EIWA action. Army dropped to 3-5 overall and 1-1 in conference matches. Dellefave started out the Scarlet Knights with bonus points, winning 12-4 over Army's Scott Filbert for a major decision at 125 pounds. Michael DeMarco (Lyndhurst, N.J.) followed with an overtime victory against Black Knight 133-pounder Jordan Thome, 9-7 (SV). Ashnault capped a tight match with Army 141-pounder Connor Hanafee with a pin at the 6:04 mark. After the Black Knights ran off three consecutive victories to close RU's lead to 13-10, the Scarlet Knights' upper weights sealed off the win. Striking first was RU's Zannetti at 174 pounds, winning by major decision over Army's Ryan Tompkins, 11-2. Zannetti improved to 15-2 overall and 9-0 in dual action with the victory. Seidenberg continued the bonus points, recording a 10-2 major decision win against Michael Gorman of Army. Dan Rinaldi (Lodi, N.J.) and Daniel Hopkins (Jackson, N.J) closed the dual with decision victories at 197 pounds and heavyweight, respectively. Rinaldi improved to 14-3 overall and 9-0 in dual action with the win. Rutgers continues on the road at Hampton, Va., taking part in the Virginia Duals from Friday, Jan. 13-Saturday, Jan. 14. RU's potential competition includes: Arizona State, Bucknell, Campbell, Drexel, Edinboro, Kent State, North Dakota State, Old Dominion, Rider, The Citadel, Buffalo, Missouri and North Carolina. Follow Rutgers Athletics on Facebook (www.facebook.com/RutgersAthletics) and Twitter (@RUAthletics) for all of the latest news and updates. For specific updates regarding Rutgers wrestling, follow the program on Twitter (@RUWrestling). Fans can receive timely information, including special offers and giveaways throughout the year on our social media outlets along with www.ScarletKnights.com. Results: 125 pounds: Vincent Dellefave (Rutgers) maj. dec. Scott Filbert (Army), 12-4 133 pounds: Michael DeMarco (Rutgers) dec. Jordan Thome (Army), 9-7 (SV) 141 pounds: Billy Ashnault (Rutgers) pinned Connor Hanafee (Army), 6:04 149 pounds: Ryan Bilye (Army) dec. Luke Rigoglioso (Rutgers), 6-2 157 pounds: Jimmy Rafferty (Army) dec. Dave Seidenberg (Rutgers), 7-1 165 pounds: Cole Gracey (Army) maj. dec. Doug Hamann (Rutgers), 12-3 174 pounds: No. 16 Greg Zannetti (Rutgers) maj. dec. Ryan Tompkins (Army), 11-2 184 pounds: Dan Seidenberg (Rutgers) maj. dec. Michael Gorman (Army), 10-2 197 pounds: Daniel Rinaldi (Rutgers) dec. Derek Stanley (Army), 9-3 HWT: Daniel Hopkins (Rutgers) dec. Stephen Snyder (Army), 4-2

Hempstead, NY -- Junior Steve Bonanno and senior Ben Clymer each recorded tech fall victories to lead 25th-ranked Hofstra to a 19-15 Colonial Athletic Association victory over Drexel at the Mack Sports Complex Sunday afternoon. The Pride improved to 3-0 on the season and 1-0 in CAA action while the visiting Dragons fell to 3-3 overall and 0-1 in conference play. Bonanno (Wantagh, NY) gave the Pride a 5-0 lead in the match with a 16-0 victory over Drexel senior Michael Gomez in just four minutes. After leading 7-0 after one period, Bonanno poured it on in the second for his 14th win in 19 decisions. Pride sophomore Jamie Franco (Monroe, NY) then boosted the Pride lead to 8-0 with a 9-3 decision over freshman Paul Wampler at 133 pounds. Franco posted a big third period with a reversal and two takedowns to improve his season record to 10-7. The Dragons got on the board at 141 pounds when junior Frank Cimato held Pride sophomore Luke Vaith (Hastings, MN) to four escapes on the way to a 9-4 win. Vaith falls to 9-6 on the season. But Hofstra junior Justin Accordino (Wilkes-Barre, PA) boosted the Pride lead to 11-3 with a 7-2 win over junior Shane Fenningham at 149 pounds. Accordino improved to 11-0 on the year. Drexel closed the gap with back-to-back wins at 157 and 165 to close to 11-9. At 157, sophomore Austin Sommer downed Pride junior Tyler Banks (Griswold, CT), 5-2, on five-third period points. Banks falls to 5-6. At 165 pounds in a battle of the top two wrestlers in the CAA, Drexel's 19th-ranked and second in the conference junior Joe Booth defeated Hofstra's 13th-ranked and top wrestler in the CAA, senior P.J. Gillespie, 3-2 on a third period escape. Gillespie falls to 15-4 on the season. But the Pride bounced back with two big wins at 174 and 184 to give them a 19-9 advantage. At 174, freshman Jermaine John (Brooklyn, NY) came up with a 9-4 victory over Alex Rinaldi to boost the Pride lead to 14-9. John improved to 4-8 on the season. Clymer (Germansville, PA) followed with an 18-3 tech fall win over Nick Becattini. After holding a 2-0 lead after the first period, Clymer exploded for seven in the second and eight in the third plus the riding time point for the win. He is now 15-5 on the season. The Dragons needed bonus-point wins in their final two matches of the contest but came away with wins at 197 and 285 to fall a little short. At 197, sophomore Brandon Palik, ranked 19th in the nation, downed Pride sophomore Tim Murphy (Nazareth, PA), 8-1, to close to 19-12 in the match. Murphy is now 9-10 on the season. At 285, senior Kyle Frey, the top wrestler in the CAA at heavyweight, downed Pride junior Paul Snyder (Greensburg, PA), 6-3. Snyder is now 10-6 on the year. Hofstra, which has won 74 of its last 80 conference matches with five losses and one tie, returns to action next Sunday, January 15, when they host Kutztown University in a non-conference match at 1 p.m. Results: 125 Steve Bonanno (Hofstra) tech fall Michael Gomez (Drexel) (4:00) 16-0. 133 Jamie Franco (Hofstra) dec Paul Wampler (Drexel) 9-3. 141 Frank Cimato (Drexel) dec Luke Vaith (Hofstra) 9-4. 149 Justin Accordino (Hofstra) dec Shane Fenningham (Drexel) 7-2 157 Austin Sommer (Drexel) dec Tyler Banks (Hofstra) 5-2. 165 Joe Booth (Drexel) dec P.J. Gillespie (Hofstra) 3-2. 174 Jermaine John (Hofstra) dec Alex Rinaldi (Drexel) 9-4. 184 Ben Clymer (Hofstra) tech fall Niccolo Becattini (Drexel) 7:00 197 Brandon Palik (Drexel) dec Tim Murphy (Hofstra) 8-1. 285 Kyle Frey (Drexel) dec Paul Snyder (Hofstra) 6-3.

AMES, Iowa -- The No. 11 Missouri wrestling team won their fifth straight dual on Sunday afternoon, improving to 6-1 on the year and 2-1 in the Big 12 with a 24-11 victory over Iowa State at Hilton Coliseum. The win marks the second time in program history that the Tigers have defeated the Cyclones twice in one season, having done so in 2005-06 with 21-18 and 16-15 wins. Missouri has won four of their last five against Iowa State. Starting at 125 pounds, No. 3 Alan Waters earned his second win over No. 12 Ryak Finch this year, shutting the Cyclone out with a 4-0 win. Waters hit a late first period takedown to take the early 2-0 lead and added a point when Finch was hit for an illegal hold. A third period escape for Waters closed out the scoring, as he improved to 14-1 on the season and 5-0 in duals. Making his first dual start since Feb. 14, 2010, sophomore Eric Wilson put the Tigers up 6-0 with a 9-3 decision over RJ Hallman. Wilson went up 2-0 with a takedown midway through the first period and showed impressive skills on top, riding out Hallman for the rest of the period. Hallman chose down to start the second and reversed Wilson to even the score, but Wilson quickly escaped to go up 3-2. Hallman took a deep shot late in the period but Wilson fought it off and turned it into his score, extending his advantage to 5-2. He'd hit a third period takedown to go with riding time, giving him the victory. Iowa State made it 6-3 with a 9-2 decision by Luke Goettl over Nicholas Hucke at 141 pounds, but Missouri bounced back with a 5-2 win by No. 20 Kyle Bradley over Luke Swalla. Bradley led 3-2 after the first period, as he took Swalla down to start the match. Swalla scored a reversal to even things up, but Bradley was able to escape before the period ended. Bradley would escape in the second and added a riding time point, putting the Tigers up 9-3. Missouri was able to cushion their lead with the first bonus point victory of the day, as No. 17 Drake Houdashelt scored an 11-1 major decision over Michael Moreno to make it a 13-3 advantage for the Tigers. After a scoreless first, Houdashelt scored a two point near fall and rode Moreno out in the second. In the third, Houdashelt escaped in six seconds and scored a takedown to take a 5-0 lead. With 10 seconds left, Houdashelt hit another escape and was able to get three back points with one second left on the clock, giving him the major decision. Iowa State was able to get back in it with a 20-2 technical fall win by No. 5 Andrew Sorenson at 165 pounds over Jordan Gagliano, but the Tigers won the next three matches – two in overtime and one by technical fall – to clinch the match. Iowa State pulled out the win at heavyweight, as Matt Gibson exacted revenge on Devin Mellon with a 5-0 win. At 174 pounds, Patrick Wright won his first dual start of the season with a 4-2 victory over Mikey England in the second tiebreaker. Tied 1-1 late in the third, Wright was in deep on a shot but couldn't finish, sending the match to overtime. Wright escaped in 10 seconds to take a 2-1 lead into the second half of the tiebreaker, but England returned the favor to even the score. With short time remaining, England had a leg on Wright but the Tiger was able to circle around and score the takedown with just one second left on the clock. Junior Mike Larson, ranked 16th, and No. 11 Boaz Beard, also battled into the second tiebreaker after being tied 2-2 after three periods. Larson was able to ride Beard out in the first tiebreaker, and escaped in four seconds to go ahead 3-2. Twelve seconds later, Larson hit a takedown to ice the match, giving him the 5-2 win and his first victory over a ranked opponent this season. Brent Haynes won his seventh straight match and scored his fifth technical fall of the season, defeating Cole Shafer by a 22-7 score in 6:29. Haynes scored a takedown, three near falls and a reversal in the first period to build an 11-5 advantage. He extended that lead in the second period, as he reversed Shafer after starting down and hit a pair of two-point near falls, going ahead 17-5. In the third, Shafer took Haynes down to make it 17-7, but Haynes reversed Shafer for a third time and put him to his back for three more points. It was the second time this season that Haynes defeated Shafer by technical fall, winning 15-0 in Columbia last month. Missouri heads to their second major tournament of the season next weekend, as they travel to the Virginia Duals. Joining the Tigers in Virginia Beach will be 13 other teams, including No. 20 Rutgers, No. 22 Kent State and No. 24 Edinboro. Action gets underway on Friday, Jan. 13 and runs through Saturday, Jan. 14. For more information, stay tuned to mutigers.com. Results: 125 No. 3 Alan Waters (MU) dec. No. 12 Ryak Finch (ISU), 4-0 3 0 133 Eric Wilson (MU) dec. RJ Hallman (ISU), 9-3 6 0 141 Luke Goettl (ISU) dec. Nicholas Hucke (MU), 9-2 6 3 149 No. 20 Kyle Bradley (MU) dec. Luke Swalla (ISU), 5-2 9 3 157 No. 17 Drake Houdashelt (MU) major dec. Michael Moreno (ISU), 11-1 13 3 165 No. 5 Andrew Sorenson (ISU) tech. fall Jordan Gagliano (MU), 20-2 (5:34) 13 8 174 Patrick Wright (MU) dec. Mikey England (ISU), 4-2 (TB2) 16 8 184 No. 16 Mike Larson (MU) dec. No. 11 Boaz Beard (ISU), 5-2 (TB2) 19 8 197 No. 12 Brent Haynes (MU) tech. fall Cole Shafer (ISU), 22-7 (6:29) 24 8 HWT Matt Gibson (ISU) dec. Devin Mellon (MU), 5-0 24 11

BATTLE CREEK, Mich. - The fourth-ranked Penn State wrestling team dominated host Michigan State to pick up a 36-6 Big Ten road win. The dual, wrestled in front of a packed house at Kellog Arena in Battle Creek, Mich., saw Penn State win nine of ten bouts, losing only once on an illegal throw disqualification. The dual began at heavyweight, where Nittany Lion senior Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio), ranked No. 6 nationally, gave Penn State a 3-0 lead with an 8-3 decision over Steve Andrus. Nittany Lion freshman Nico Megaludis (Murrysville, Pa.), ranked No. 10 at 125, was crushing Spartan senior Eric Olanowski 8-3 early in the second period before being called for an illegal hold and, when Olanowski could not continue, lost the match on a disqualification, giving MSU a 6-3 lead. Lion sophomore Frank Martellotti (Pittsburgh, Pa.) made his 133-pound dual debut with a 7-5 win over Brandon Fifield to tie the dual and then Bryan Pearsall (Lititz, Pa.) put Penn State on top for good by pinning Brian Gibbs at the 4:21 mark. No. 1 Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.) handled No. 18 Dan Osterman 9-3 at 149 to put Penn State up 15-6. With the win, Molinaro moved into 18th place on Penn State's all-time victories list (105) and into 17th on Penn State's all-time dual meet victory list (47). Freshman Dylan Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.), ranked No. 9 at 157, then downed No. 14 Anthony Jones 1-0 to put the Nittany Lions up 18-6. Top-ranked David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio) then majored David Cheza 13-5 at 165. Second-ranked Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.) dominated Michigan State's Curran Jacobs, posting a second period technical fall at the 6:33 mark, getting the 17-2 win. Third-ranked Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.) then fought off an early struggle to pin Michigan State's John Rizqallah at the 5:52 mark to put Penn State up 33-6. True freshman Morgan McIntosh (Santa Ana, Calif.), ranked No. 13 at 197, closed out the dominating performance with a 7-5 win to give Penn State the 36-6 victory. Penn State won nine of ten bouts and was leading handily in the one bout it lost on the illegal throw call. The Nittany Lions posted a dominating 24-5 edge in takedowns and picked up five riding time points. Penn State picked up nine bonus points off two pins, a tech fall and a major. The Nittany Lions improve to 5-1 on the year, 1-1 in the Big Ten. Michigan State falls to 2-3, 0-2. Penn State continues a multi-week road swing with two Big Ten road duals next weekend. Penn State is at Northwestern on Friday, Jan. 13, at 8 p.m. (Eastern) and at Wisconsin on Sunday, Jan. 15, at 2 p.m. (Eastern). Penn State's next home dual is on Sunday, Jan. 22, when Iowa invades Rec Hall for a 2 p.m. dual that is already sold out. The Nittany Lions then host Ohio State on Sunday, Jan. 29, at 2 p.m. Fans can purchase a limited number of `standing room only' tickets for the Ohio State dual by calling 814-865-5555. Tickets are priced at $8 for adults and $5 for youth (18 and under) and can be purchased from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day or in person at the Bryce Jordan Center box office. A maximum of four tickets may be purchased per person. The full season slate of live dual meet and tournament action will air locally on WRSC AM (1390 AM) with Friday evening duals being simulcast on WRSC FM (103.1 FM). Lock Haven's WBPZ (1230 AM) will also carry the entire season live, WIEZ (670 AM) in Huntingdon/Lewistown carries all Sunday events and further affiliates may be added soon. The regular season schedule of radio broadcasts will be streamed live at www.GoPSUsports.com as part of Penn State's All-Access package, which will also feature live video streams of many home events. Ticket information is accessed easily online at www.GoPSUsports.com/tickets/m-wrestl-tickets.html . Fans are encouraged to follow Penn State wrestling via twitter at www.twitter.com/pennstatepat and on Penn State Wrestling's facebook page at www.facebook.com/pennstatewrestling. The 2011-12 Penn State Wrestling season is presented by The Family Clothesline. Results: 285: #6 Cameron Wade PSU dec. Steve Andrus, 8-3 3-0 125: Eric Olanowski MSU DQ over #10 Nico Megaludis PSU (Illegal Throw, Megaludis up 8-3 early in second period, 3:45) 3-6 133: Frank Martellotti PSU dec. Brandon Fifield MSU, 7-5 6-6 141: Bryan Pearsall PSU pinned Brian Gibbs MSU, WBF (4:21) 12-6 149: #1 Frank Molinaro PSU dec. #18 Dan Osterman MSU, 9-3 15-6 157: #9 Dylan Alton PSU dec. #14 Anthony Jones MSU, 1-0 18-6 165: #1 David Taylor PSU maj. dec. David Cheza MSU, 13-5 22-6 174: #2 Ed Ruth PSU tech fall Curran Jacobs MSU, 17-2 (TF; 6:33) 27-6 184: #3 Quentin Wright PSU pinned John Rizqallah MSU, WBF (5:52) 33-6 197: #13 Morgan McIntosh PSU dec. Nick McDiarmid MSU, 7-5 36-6 Attendance: 3,000 Records: #4 Penn State (5-1, 1-1 B1G), Michigan State (2-3, 0-2 B1G) Up Next for Penn State: at Northwestern, Friday, Jan. 13, 8 p.m. (Eastern) BOUT-BY-BOUT: 285: Senior Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio), ranked No. 6 at heavyweight, battled Spartan Steve Andrus. Wade set the tempo early, taking a couple shots out of the gate, looking to take control early. Wade got in on a low single at the 1:46 mark and taking a 2-0 lead at the 1:29 mark. The Lion senior then began working for a chance to turn Andrus for back points. Wade finished off the tilt for three near fall points at the :15 mark and led 5-0 at the end of the first period. Wade chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 6-0 lead. The duo then battled evenly for the rest of the period, allowing Wade to hold that lead heading into the third period. Andrus chose neutral to start the second period, Wade shot low and Andrus countered for a quick takedown to cut the lead to 7-2 after a Wade escape. Wade got called for a stall warning at the :35 mark and then another at the :12 mark, giving Andrus a third point. Wade got the riding time point at the match's end and claimed a hard-fought 8-3 win. 125: True freshman Nico Megaludis (Murrysville, Pa.), ranked No. 10 nationally at 125, took on Michigan State senior Eric Olanowski. The Lion freshman took the senior down at the 2:02 mark with a low single for an early 2-1 lead. Megaludis notched his second takedown at the 1:10 mark, cut the Spartan loose and led 4-2 at the 1:10 mark. The Nittany Lion freshman countered an Olanowski shot at the :25 mark, worked his way around him for a third takedown and then rode him out to lead 6-2 after one period. Megaludis chose neutral to start the second stanza, shot low off the whistle and quickly added another takedown and cut to lead 8-3 at the 1:40 mark. But Megaludis was quickly called or an illegal throw, Olanowski did not continue to wrestle and Megaludis lost via a disqualification. 133: Sophomore Frank Martellotti (Pittsburgh, Pa.) made his season dual meet debut against the Spartans and took on Brandon Fifield. Fifield got an early takedown and rode the Lion sophomore for over a minute before the Nittany Lion escaped to a 2-1 deficit. Fifield immediately got in on another single, but this time Martellotti scrambled behind the Spartan for a takedown and led 3-2. With a one point lead after one, Martellotti chose down to start the second period, quickly scrambled into a position to reverse Fifield but could not get the call before a stalemate call at the :30 mark. On the reset, Martellotti did reverse Fifield to lead 5-3 after a Fifield escape. Martellotti held that lead after two periods and Fifield chose down to start the third period. The Nittany Lion sophomore was strong on top to start the third, working off a minute's time before Fifield reversed him to tie the bout at 5-5. Martellotti escaped and then fought off a late Spartan shot and, with 1:10 riding time, posted a 7-5 win. 141: Junior Bryan Pearsall (Lititz, Pa.) took to the mat at 141 for Penn State and met MSU freshman Brian Gibbs. Pearsall got on the board at the 1:39 mark, countering a Gibbs shot for a takedown and a 2-0 lead. The Nittany Lion junior then put together a strong ride, controlling Gibbs and turning him for three near fall points at the buzzer to lead 5-0 after one. Gibbs chose neutral to start the second stanza but Pearsall quickly took the Spartan down, turned him for two back points and led 9-0 at the 1:22 mark. Pearsall locked up a far side cradle and worked his way into a chance for a fall, getting the pin at the 4:21 mark. 149: Top-ranked Nittany Lion Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.) faced off against Michigan State's Dan Osterman, who was ranked No. 18, at 149. Osterman energized the packed Spartan crowd with an early takedown to lead 2-0 out of the gate. Molinaro quickly escaped, only to see Osterman pressure the Lion senior into another near takedown. Molinaro was able to fight off that move and then, on a reset, used a fierce double leg to take Osterman down and lead 3-2 at the 1:30 mark. The three-time All-American then controlled the action from top, building up over 1:00 in riding time on his way to a ride out. Leading 3-2 with 1:31 in riding time, Molinaro chose down and quickly escaped to a 4-2 lead. Molinaro turned a head outside single into another takedown and a 6-2 lead at the :38 mark. Osterman chose neutral to start the third period. With the riding time point clinched, Molinaro needed just one more takedown to secure a major and picked it up at the :45 mark to lead 8-3 after a takedown and a cut. But it was Osterman who nearly scored at the buzzer with Molinaro holding off the effort and posting the 9-3 win. 157: Red-shirt freshman Dylan Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.), ranked No. 9 at 157, met Michigan State senior Anthony Jones, ranked No. 14, in one of the dual's most anticipated bouts. The ranked duo battled through the first half of the opening period evenly. Jones tried to score off a throw at the 1:20 mark but Alton was able to roll out of trouble and force a reset with the bout still scoreless. After a scoreless first period, Jones chose neutral to start the second stanza. As in the first period, neither man could find a chance to work their offense in the second period and the bout went to the third scoreless. Alton took down to start the third and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. Alton pressured the senior Jones for the entire third period with Jones backing away and playing the edge of the mat. Alton fought off one Jones shot at the :17 mark and then escaped with a 1-0 win. 165: Top-ranked Lion sophomore David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio) face off against MSU senior David Cheza at 165. Taylor took a 2-0 lead with a quick takedown but was reversed by Cheza at the 1:50 mark for a 2-2 tie. Taylor quickly escaped, got in on a single leg and pulled Cheza back onto the mat and got the takedown to lead 5-2 at the :49 mark. The Lion sophomore then rode Cheza out to lead 5-2 after one period. Taylor took down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 6-2 lead. Another low single for Taylor gave the Nittany Lion an 8-2 lead at the 1:10 mark. He then turned Cheza for two back points and led 10-2 at the :45 mark but Cheza notched his second reversal to cut Taylor's lead to 10-4 at the :08 mark. Cheza took neutral to start the third period only to be quickly taken down by Taylor, giving the Lion a 12-4 lead with well over 1:00 in riding time. After clinching the riding time point, Taylor continued to build the riding time edge before Cheza escaped at the :23 mark. With the riding time point, Taylor posted the 13-5 major decision. 174: Second-ranked Penn State sophomore Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.) med MSU senior Curran Jacobs at 174. Ruth was relentless from the start, forcing Jacobs into a stall warning less than a minute into the bout. He then took Jacobs down at the 2:09 mark to open up an early lead. He then spent the next minute-plus looking to turn Jacobs for back points. He picked up two near fall points and the :25 mark and led 4-0 with 2:09 in riding time after one. Ruth took down to start the second stanza and quickly escaped to a 5-0 lead. The Lion All-American then turned a head lock into a pinning opportunity, getting the takedown and three back points to lead 10-0 at the 1:06 mark. Another dominating ride by Ruth led to a stall point for the Nittany Lion and an 11-0 lead after two periods. Jacobs took neutral to start the third period, but Ruth quickly gained control of the action, working his way around the Spartan for another takedown and a 13-1 lead after a quick Jacobs escape. Another Ruth takedown and cut at the :45 mark gave Ruth a chance for a technical fall. The Lion added the last takedown to post the 17-2 tech fall at the 6:33 mark. 184: Third-ranked junior Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.) took to the mat against Spartan John Rizqallah at 184. Wright dominated the action from the start, picking up a quick takedown and then turning Rizqallah for three near fall points to lead 5-0. Rizqallah escaped and countered Wright's next shot for his own takedown, cutting the lead to 5-3 at the :55 mark. He then nearly ended the bout with a pin of Wright, turning the Nittany Lion All-American for three back points to lead 6-5. Wright escaped at the :14 mark to tie the score at 6-6 after the opening period. Wright chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 7-6 lead. He added to his lead with a nice double leg on the edge of the mat to lead 9-6 with :32 left in the middle stanza. Trailing 9-6, Rizqallah chose top to start the third period. Wright quickly reversed Rizqallah, turned him to his back for two near fall points and reset himself with a 13-6 lead. The defending national champion then turned Rizqalla to his back and, after a brief struggle, pinned the Spartan at the 5:52 mark. 197: True freshman Morgan McIntosh (Santa Ana, Calif.), ranked No. 13 at 197, met MSU's Nick McDiarmid. The Nittany Lion freshman picked up the bout's first takedown at the 1;49 mark, moving out to a 2-0 lead with 1:43 on the clock. McDiarmid escaped after a brief McIntosh ride and action resumed in the center circle with the Nittany Lion up by one. McDiarmid countered a McIntosh shot to lead 3-2 as the period wound down and rode McIntosh out to lead 3-2 after one period. McIntosh chose down to start the second stanza and, after a brief McDiarmid ride, reversed the Spartan to retake the lead, 4-3. McIntosh was called for locked hands while riding McDiarmid out and the match went to the third tied 4-4. McDiarmid chose down to start the final period and quickly escaped to a 5-4 lead. McIntosh turned a swift low single into a takedown in front of the MSU bench to take a 6-5 lead at the :45 mark. McIntosh maintained control long enough to build up over a minute's riding time. He then rode McDiarmid out and, with the riding time point, posted the 7-5 win.

MADISON, Wis. -- No. 15 Northwestern won eight of 10 bouts, including five with bonus points, Sunday afternoon in its 33-9 victory over Wisconsin at the UW Field House. Despite all the bonus point victories, redshirt freshman Pierce Harger won the biggest match of the day for Northwestern, upsetting No. 8 Ben Jordan 4-2 in the 165 lbs. bout. With the win, Northwestern improves to 5-1 overall and 1-1 in Big Ten action. “Big win for Pierce Harger; he needs matches like that,” Northwestern head coach Drew Pariano said. “He's a very, very capable wrestler, same with John Schoen, and winning those tight matches are so important when you prepare for Big Ten's and NCAA's. We had some big wins there and a lot of other guys on the team took care of business by getting some falls. Overall, I'm happy with the effort of all of the guys.” A tape-delayed broadcast of today's match will air at 8 p.m. Sunday on the Big Ten Network. Northwestern got out to a quick 14-0 lead with bonus points at 125, 133 and 141. No. 7 Levi Mele continued his winning ways at 125 lbs. with a 14-1 major decision over Wisconsin's Austin Hietpas. Mele did most of his damage in the second period, scoring eight points and racked up 4:56 of riding time for his team-leading 19th win of the season. Jameson Oster then put six more points on the board for the Wildcats after pinning UW's Shane McQuade in 6:27 at 133 lbs. After a 0-0 first period, Oster scored six points in the second and added two more nearfall points in the third before the fall. At 141 lbs., Colin Shober met UW's Thomas Glenn and added four more to the scoreboard for NU with a 10-1 major decision. Neither wrestler scored in the first period and Glenn was close to escaping for the first point of the match but Shober took Glenn back to the mat and recorded three nearfall points. Shober then added three more backpoints, taking the 6-1 lead into the third period. The Wildcat added an escape, a takedown and 1:49 of riding time for the major decision. Kaleb Friedley was back in the lineup for Northwestern at 149 lbs. and took on No. 13 Cole Schmitt. Friedley jumped out to a 5-0 lead with a takedown and three nearfall points in the first, but Schmitt scored 11 unanswered for the 11-5 decision. Third-ranked Jason Welch then recorded the second fall of the afternoon for Northwestern, pinning Shawn Perry in 3:41. Welch had the 2-0 lead, with more than two minutes of riding time heading into the second. He began the third period down, reversed Perry and recorded the fall in 3:41 to stay a perfect 12-0 on the season. Pierce Harger scored the biggest win of the day for the 'Cats with his 4-2 upset of No. 8 Ben Jordan at 165 lbs. Harger had the first points of the match with a reversal in the second. Jordan escaped and tied everything up at 2-2 with another escape to begin the third period, but Harger scored the match-winning takedown with 14 seconds left to pull off the upset. No. 8 Lee Munster added another major decision victory for Northwestern, shutting out Frank Cousins 14-0 with 2:59 of riding time. Wisconsin won its final bout of the afternoon at 184 lbs. as Timmy McCall pinned Marcus Shrewsbury in 4:06. No. 20 John Schoen faced Jackson Hein at 197 lbs. and gave Northwestern the 30-9 lead with his 3-2 decision. Both wrestlers traded escapes before Schoen scored a third-period takedown for the 3-1 lead. Hein added one more escape but neither wrestler scored in the closing seconds as Schoen hung on for the win. No. 19 Mike McMullan closed out the match on a high note for Northwestern, defeating Cole Tobin 7-3. McMullan got out to a 4-1 lead in the first with two takedowns, added a reversal in the second and a point for 2:02 of riding time in the win. Northwestern has another challenging weekend on the horizon facing two of the top teams in the country in a matter of 48 hours. No. 1 Penn State heads into Welsh-Ryan Arena at 7 p.m., Friday, Jan. 13 and then the Wildcats visit Iowa City to wrestle second-ranked Iowa at 1 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 15. Results: 125: No. 7 Levi Mele (NU) maj dec Austin Hietpas (UW), 14-1 (4-0 NU) 133: Jameson Oster (NU) pins Shane McQuade (UW), 6:27 (10-0 NU) 141: Colin Shober (NU) maj dec Thomas Glenn (UW), 10-1 (14-0 NU) 149: No. 13 Cole Schmitt (UW) dec Kaleb Friedley (NU), 11-5 (14-3 NU) 157: No 3 Jason Welch (NU) pins Shawn Perry (UW), 3:41 (20-3 NU) 165: Pierce Harger (NU) dec No. 8 Ben Jordan (UW), 4-2 (23-3 NU) 174: No. 8 Lee Munster (NU) maj dec Frank Cousins (UW), 14-0 (27-3 NU) 184: Timmy McCall (UW) pins Marcus Shrewsbury (NU), 4:06 (27-9 NU) 197: No. 20 John Schoen (NU) dec Jackson Hein (UW), 3-2 (30-9 NU) Hwt: No. 19 Mike McMullan (NU) dec. Cole Tobin (UW), 7-3 (33-9 NU)