InterMat Staff

Omaha, Neb. -- Missouri crowned its third wrestling National Champion after senior 184-pounder Max Askren's 10-3 victory over top-seeded Kirk Smith of Boise State. Askren started the match out strong racking up seven points in the first period to counter Smith's sole escape. With a 7-1 lead, the Hartland, Wis. Native began the second period in the down position, earning a point for an escape. Smith made a run at Askren, picking up a takedown to begin the third period, with Askren escaping again at the :30 mark. With a point for riding time, Askren won the match by decision, 10-3, and became Missouri's first National Champion at 184 pounds. "It feels great. I'm just happy I was able to do what everybody around me thought i could do. I know my technique was always up to part to be a National Champion and in the finalist finally came out," said Askren. "I was the one hiding my ability. I was afraid of what I was capable of doing or not doing. The pressure was trying and holding oneself back. At some point, I had to do it." As a team, the Tigers finished the 80th annual Division I Wrestling Championships in tenth with 48 points. Iowa captured its third consecutive team title with 134.5 points, while Cornell took second (90 points) and Iowa State third (75 points). The top-10 finish is Missouri's fourth in program history, with the last coming in 2009 when the Tigers finished seventh. Three of the top-10 finishes have come under current Head Coach Brian Smith. 20-2 for the season, Askren finishes his career with a record of 104-16 and stands at 13th on Missouri's top career victories list. In addition to Askren, Mark Ellis collected his second All-America honor, finishing sixth at heavyweight. In the first NCAA Championships to be held at Nebraska's Qwest Center, over 93,702 fans attended the event over six sessions, including over 15,617 at the title finals.

OMAHA, Neb. -- Penn State senior Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.) was defeated in the national finals at 165 in the culminating event at the 2010 NCAA Wrestling Championships. Vallimont's run to National Runner-Up status helped head coach Cael Sanderson and the Nittany Lion wrestlers take ninth place at the event. Vallimont, the No. 6 seed, took on No. 1 seed Andrew Howe of Wisconsin, who had downed Vallimont twice during the regular season. Vallimont got in on Howe's right thigh at the 2:22 mark, but the Badger was able to force a stalemate. Howe countered a low Vallimont shot and got the bout's first takedown with 1:51 on the clock to take a 2-0 lead. Vallimont could not escape a strong Howe ride for the remainder of the period. Leading 2-0 with 1:51 in riding time, Howe chose down to start the second period, escaped quickly and then took Vallimont down to open up a 5-0 lead. Vallimont escaped with :40 left in the period, only to be taken down at the end of the second to fall behind 7-1 (and how clinched the riding time point). Vallimont chose neutral to start the third period and quickly got in on Howe's right leg. But Howe once again forced a stalemate. Vallimont forced another scramble with a low single and got his first takedown with :59 on the clock. He cut Howe loose and trailed 8-3. The Nittany Lion took two more solid shots as the bout ended, but Howe was able to fight off every Vallimont effort and posted the 9-3 win. Vallimont ends his Penn State career in stellar fashion. A two-time All-American with a third place finish at 157 and a National Runner-Up finish this year, Vallimont posted a 30-8 mark this year. He ends his Penn State career ninth on the school's all-time NCAA tournament win list with 15. The New Jersey native leaves Happy Valley with a 108-35 career record. Iowa won the team title with 134.5 points. The Nittany Lions returned to the top ten after falling to 17th a year ago. With only six wrestlers competing, Penn State collected 49 points and took ninth place. The 49 points is the 17th -most in Penn State's long history at nationals and the third most in the last decade. Sanderson's six entrants posted an 18-12 record. Every one of the Lions' six qualifiers won at least two bouts. Penn State's three All-American placers in the top six marks only the third time this decade that the Nittany Lions have had three top six placers. Sanderson's first three All-Americans as Penn State head coach bring Penn State's overall total to 166. The ninth place finish is an eight spot improvement over last year's 17th. Penn State had placed out of the top ten in seven of the last ten years. Sanderson has now guided all four of his teams to top ten finishes (three years at Iowa State and now his first at Penn State). Sophomore Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.) ended his season earlier in the day with a fifth place finish at 149. A two-time All-American now, Molinaro ends his season with a 33-7 record. The sophomore placed eighth at 141 last year and took fifth at 149 this season. He will carry a 56-26 career record, including an 8-5 mark at the NCAA tournament, into his junior campaign. Senior Cyler Sanderson (Heber City, Utah) ends an outstanding collegiate career as a two-time All-American after a sixth place finish at 157 this year. The Iowa State transfer placed seventh at 157 in 2008 for the Cyclones and qualified for nationals four times. He went 32-7 in his senior season for Penn State and ends his collegiate career with a 114-33 record. Junior Brad Pataky (Clearfield, Pa.) finished one win shy of being an All-American for the second time at 125, falling in the round of 12. Pataky went 2-2 at the event, beating the No. 8 and 9 seeds but losing to the No. 1 and 2 seeds. He went 28-10 over the course of the year. Senior David Erwin (Urbana, Ohio) posted a 2-2 mark at 184 and posted a 31-10 record in his final year with Penn State. Sophomore Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio) went 2-2 at heavyweight and closed out his second year as the Lions' heavyweight with a 22-11 mark. The Nittany Lions ended the 2009-10 dual meet season with a 13-6-1 overall record, 5-3 in Big Ten action, and ranked No. 10 in the final USA Today/NWCA Coaches Poll. The 2009-10 Penn State Wrestling season is presented by The Family Clothesline.

OMAHA, Neb. -- The University of Oklahoma wrestling team is once again among the nation's elite to end the season, as the Sooners earned fifth place at the 2010 NCAA Championships in Omaha, Neb. It marks the sixth time OU has earned fifth place or better at the NCAAs since 2001 and the seventh time in the past decade the Sooners have finished inside the top 10. Oklahoma, who picked up its first top-five finish since 2006, was one of just four teams in this year's field to qualify all 10 starters. Iowa took home the team title for the third straight year, gathering 134.5 points. Cornell was second with 90 points, followed by Iowa State (75) and Wisconsin (70.5) in third and fourth, respectively. Individually, Oklahoma crowned four All-Americans - Zack Bailey (141), Kyle Terry (149), Tyler Caldwell (165) and Eric Lapotsky (197) - at the Championships, its most since earning five in 2006. The four All-Americans finished in the top five in their respective weight classes, led by third-place winner Terry. Bailey was fourth at 141 pounds and earning fifth was Caldwell and Lapotsky. Seven of the 10 qualifiers for Oklahoma will return to the squad next season. Wrestling in Sooner singlets for the last time were seniors Terry, Shane Vernon (157 pounds), and Lapotsky.

OMAHA, Neb. -- Recently crowned four-time All-American Jayson Ness sealed the deal today (Mar. 20), completing a perfect season with his first career national championship. At the conclusion of the tournament, Ness was also named NWCA Outstanding Wrestler of the Championships, as he went 5-0 including a fall and three shutouts. The tension ran high in his 11-minute 1-0 win in the semifinals, but that was nothing compared to the drama that unfolded tonight. In a rematch of the Big Ten championship, Ness was matched up with Daniel Dennis of rival Iowa. Despite several close calls, Ness had only an escape to his credit and trailed 1-4 after Dennis scored his second takedown with just 1:20 to go in the third period. Ness was able to escape but still trailed two and needed to score. As the clock ticked down, past a minute, past 30 second and past 15 seconds he was still behind. Then, with just five seconds left in his career, Ness shot and landed the biggest takedown yet. Once he had Dennis on his back, he got the near fall call and the clock hit zeros. "I was just thinking about getting a takedown to tie it up," Ness said of the final 10 seconds. "I came after him as hard as I could. Good things happen when you wrestle hard for a full seven minutes." On a night where the Gophers had already named three All-Americans, Ness was the main attraction. Yesterday he became the just the sixth four-time All-American in the 100-year history of Minnesota wrestling. He has wrestled in the national semifinals all four years of his career and his win Friday night made him just the 11th two-time NCAA finalist in Minnesota history. All season long, Ness has been open, that the ultimate goal was to finish as a champion at the NCAA Championship meet, here in Omaha. Once the goal was complete the usually reserved Ness, jumped off the stage and into the stands for an embrace with his father worthy of four-years of waiting. "It's definitley up there," he said when asked to rank this win. "I don't have a top list but it's up there. I usually don't show much emotion, but this was an exciting one for me." He is now the 14th national champion in program history and joins Brock Lesnar (2000) and Marty Morgan (1991) as the only Gophers to end their career with their first national championship. He also breaks a three-year drought of NCAA Champions for the Golden Gophers, as the first to win a NCAA title since Cole Konrad in 2007. Ness' career seemed destined for success from the start. After an impressive redshirt season, he was the Big Ten's best freshman in 2007, winning the 125-pound title on his way to earning Freshman of the year honors. At his first NCAA Tournament he placed fifth to be named All-American, helping the Gophers to the team title. From there he went on to win 36 straight matches, one of the best stretches in school history, and one he nearly matched this year with 33, until he literally just ran out of matches to wrestle. This season he beat everyone on the schedule, winning 19-matches by pin. He faced 10 ranked opponents and beat them all, including three this weekend. He has placed fifth, second, third and now first at the National tournament, placing him along side Konrad as the only two in Minnesota history to average better than a third place finish over four years and NCAA Championships. The 2010 edition of Golden Gopher wrestling returned to their usual spot among the top ten nationally. They finished in seventh place with 63 points, just six points out of the top five. Iowa closed out their championship with 134.5 points, ahead of second place Cornell with 90.0. Iowa State finished in third with 75, with Wisconsin in fourth at 70.5. With 69.0 points, Oklahoma rounded out the top-five. This season marks the 13th time in the last 14 years that the Gophers have finished in the top-10, with last season as the only aberration. Minnesota will bid farewell to Ness and fellow seniors Matt Everson (Mitchell, S.D.), Nate Matousek (Glencoe, Minn.) and Dustin Schlatter (Masillion, Ohio) this season, but will look to returning All-Americans Zach Sanders (Wabasha, Minn.), Mike Thorn (St. Michael, Minn.) and Sonny Yohn (Alamosa, Colo.) as they lead the Gophers into 2011.

OMAHA, Neb. -- Oklahoma State senior heavyweight Jared Rosholt lost a 3-2 decision to top-ranked David Zabriskie of Iowa State in the title bout at the NCAA Championships Saturday at the Qwest Center. Oklahoma State finished sixth on the team leader board with 65 points. After a scoreless first period and an escape from Rosholt to start the second, the key moment of the bout came when Rosholt attempted to headsnap Zabriskie, but didn’t connect and then appeared to lose his footing, which led to a Zabriskie takedown. Rosholt escaped to tie the score at two, then Zabriskie escaped quickly in the third to take a 3-2 lead. Rosholt attacked from there, but was unable to generate any points to win. "It felt just like the other times I've wrestled him,” Rosholt said. “Pace was definitely a factor. I relaxed on the edge a little bit and he got the two. I thought there might be a second stall call at the end, but you can't count on that kind of thing." "He played right into how Zabriskie wanted the match to go,” Coach John Smith said. “Zabriskie slowed him down and the match was slow-paced in general. It played right into Zabriskie's style." Rosholt and Zabriskie entered the title very familiar with each other, having squared off nine times prior to Saturday’s clash. While Zabriskie won six of those previous nine meetings, Rosholt was victorious in three of the most recent five meetings. The 2010 NCAA title bout put a cap on Rosholt’s distinguished career. With 125 wins during his time in Stillwater, Rosholt is the winningest heavyweight in Oklahoma State history by a wide margin. The next closest win total among Cowboy heavyweights is Kirk Mammen, who won 110 bouts from 1989-92. Rosholt is one of only five heavyweights in Oklahoma State’s storied history to earn a spot on the All-America podium three times and is the first to do it since Jimmy Jackson in 1976, 1977 and 1978. He is one of 55 Cowboy wrestlers to be a three-time All-American. "Jared Rosholt had a good career. He has been a very successful heavyweight for Oklahoma State and he doesn't have anything to be ashamed of. He had a good career." Rosholt was joined by teammates Jordan Oliver, Clayton Foster and Alan Gelogaev as 2010 Cowboy All-Americans. Oliver placed fourth at 133 pounds, Foster was sixth at 184 pounds and Gelogaev was seventh at 197 pounds. Their respective performances at the NCAA Championships were key in Oklahoma State posting an improvement of 31 points from last year’s team scoring total.

OMAHA, Neb. -- From at-large berth to All-American. That’s the road Northern Colorado junior Justin Gaethje took at the 2010 NCAA Division I Championships over the weekend, winning his final match of the year over No. 12 Steven Brown of Central Michigan to finish in seventh-place at 157 pounds. Gaethje won a 12-7 decision over Brown to knock off the No. 8, 9, 10 and 12 seeds at the championship en route to earning the first Division I All-American honors in 40 years at Northern Colorado. He went 5-2 at the NCAA Championship to end his season with a 29-15 record. “Justin had a great tournament,” said Head Coach Ben Cherrington. “He was aggressive all three days and finished strong this morning with a dominating third period.” Brown tallied two takedowns in the first period for the 4-1 lead after the first period, but like he has done the entire tournament, Gaethje battled back scoring all three points in the second stanza for a 4-4 tie heading into the final two minutes. Brown chose bottom and escaped three seconds in, but Gaethje got another takedown on the edge of the mat. The pair repeated with two more escapes and two more takedowns before Gaethje got Brown to his back for a two-point nearfall and the 12-7 victory. Gaethje was one of 50 wrestlers to earn an at-large berth to the NCAA Championship and one of three to earn All-American honors along with Germane Lindsey from Ohio (133 pounds) and Kyle Borshoff from American (149 pounds). He is also one of three All-American wrestlers in the Western Wrestling Conference as Jarion Beets (174 pounds) from Northern Iowa finished eighth and Joe LeBlanc (184 pounds) from Wyoming placed fourth.

OMAHA, Neb. -- Iowa State senior wrestlers Jake Varner and David Zabriskie won NCAA Championship individual titles at 197 pounds and heavyweight, respectively Saturday evening to lead the Cyclones to a third-place national collegiate finish at the Qwest Center. Varner and Zabriskie leave grappling legacies that rank high in Iowa State’s storied program. Iowa won the team title 134.5 points. Cornell was second with 90 points. ISU was third with 75 points. ISU crowned three All-Americans in total, with 125-pounder Andrew Long taking runner-up honors. “To have Zabriskie and Varner walk out of here as national champions, with over 100 wins apiece, they're proven winners and consistent performers,” Iowa State head coach Kevin Jackson said. “They deserve to be national champions. We're not excited about our (team) finish. We've got a lot of work to do. There are a lot of new faces that we have to groom. Our goals haven't changed, though. Our goal is to be the best. That will still be the plan. The national championship still runs through Iowa City, and Cornell may be another team we have to look out for as well." Varner’s victory cheer could be heard of the noise made by 15,000 spectators in attendance. The Cyclone four-time finalist let out a roar of jubilation after silencing Nebraska’s Craig Brester in the NCAA 197-pound finals by a score of 5-2. Varner improves to 6-1 against the Husker three-time All-American. “Craig’s a tough guy,” Varner said. “We’ve wrestled a lot. I guess that’s why not a lot happens. We know each other pretty well, but I just kept to my gameplan. I would have liked to score in that first period, but it didn’t happen. I got away as soon as I could like I wanted to and I scored that front headlock, and that was a big, key point in the match. That last takedown, I knew he had to come after me and I was ready for it, and I ended up with that last takedown.” Varner, a two-time champion at the weight, capped one of the most successful seasons and careers in ISU history with his perfect 31-0 season. The ISU standout was additionally a Midlands Championships and Big 12 Championship champion this season. The Bakersfield, Calif., finishes his career with 121-10 record, for a .923 career-winning percentage that is in the top-five in program history. Zabriskie, Iowa State’s little big man, turned away Oklahoma State’s Jared Rosholt in the NCAA final at heavyweight by a score of 3-2. “Big Z”, the top-seed at the weight, turned away his larger, but familiar Cowboy opponent with the help of a takedown on edge of the mat in the second period. Zabriskie finishes his career with a 116-22 record. "This is my final meet as a college athlete,” Zabriskie said. “So just being able to come out and win an NCAA title; it's everything anybody could ask for." The Cyclone heavyweight was equally thankful of the coaching he’s received in his ISU career. "When Coach Jackson came to Iowa State, I was absolutely thrilled,” Zabriskie said. “There was no other coach I wanted to come in. But for this title, I need to thank all the coaches I've had. Every coach has had a pretty big chunk of what has made me into an NCAA champion, and I need to thank them all -- coach (Kevin) Jackson, Cael (Sanderson), (Tim) Hartung, (Casey) Cunningham, (Bobby) Douglas and (Chris) Bono." Zabriskie is the first Cyclone to be an NCAA titlist at heavyweight since all-time great Chris Taylor in 1973. The Iowa State senior is the first three-time heavyweight All-American in school history. Zabriskie placed sixth, fifth and first over his last three seasons. ISU’s Long had a storybook tournament at 125 pounds, but the Cyclone couldn’t secure the ending he wanted. Fifth-seeded Long went toe-to-toe with Iowa’s Matt McDonough, pressing the action throughout the bout, only to fall to the third-seeded Hawkeye by decision, 3-1. After a scoreless first period, Long surrendered a takedown to his Iowa foe after escaping from bottom and was never able to score his own offensive move. An escape for McDonough and several fruitless takedown attempts by Long in the third period brought about the final outcome. The Iowa Stater advanced to the 125-pound final by stunning top-seed and previously unbeaten senior Angel Escobedo of Indiana with a decisive victory, 7-4. The Creston, Iowa, native concludes his first campaign in an ISU singlet with a 27-7 record. Long went 4-1 in the NCAA Championships. The ISU wrestler also took runner-up honors at both the Midlands Championships and Big 12 Championship. Session VI Results NCAA Championships Finals 125 pounds - No. 3 Matt McDonough (Iowa) dec. No. 5 Andrew Long (ISU), 3-1 197 pounds - No. 1 Jake Varner (ISU) dec. No. 2 Craig Brester (Nebraska), 5-2 HWT - No. 1 David Zabriskie (ISU) dec. No. 2 Jared Rosholt (Oklahoma State), 3-2 Four-Time NCAA Finalists (12) Hutton, Dick (Oklahoma State, 47-50) - 1-1-2-1 Milkovich, Pat (Michigan State, 72-76) - 1-1-2-2 Kemp, Lee (Wisconsin, 75-78) - 2-1-1-1 Burley, Darryl (Lehigh, 79-83) - 1-2-2-1 Banach, Ed (Iowa, 80-83) - 1-1-2-1 Goldman, Duane (Iowa, 83-86) - 2-2-2-1 Smith, Pat (Oklahoma State, 90-94) - 1-1-1-1 McIlravy, Lincoln (Iowa, 93-97) - 1-1-2-1 Branch, Mark (Oklahoma State, 94-97) - 1-2-2-1 Sanderson, Cael (Iowa State, 99-02) - 1-1-1-1 Mocco, Steve (Iowa/Oklahoma State, 02-06) - 2-1-1-2 Askren, Ben (Missouri, 04-07) - 2-2-1-1 Varner, Jake (Iowa State, 07-10) - 2-2-1-1

OMAHA, Neb. -- The Big Red wrestling team finished in second place at the NCAA tournament on Saturday evening, crowning freshman Kyle Dake as the champion at 141 pounds. Cornell had a total of four All-Americans with Mack Lewnes taking second, Cam Simaz finishing third and Troy Nickerson taking fourth to join Dake. The Big Red’s second-place team placing is the highest in school history at the NCAA tournament. In his championship bout, Dake faced No. 6 Montell Marion of Iowa. Dake went for a double, but Marion defended and the two went out of bounds. A single by Dake almost resulted in another takedown, but once again the two went out of bounds. With a shot by Marion, the two scrambled and Dake ended up with the takedown before the two once again went out of bounds. Marion managed an escape at the edge of the mat once more. Dake deferred to start the second period, and Marion chose the bottom position. The Cornell freshman nearly earned back points, but his opponent managed to wriggle to his stomach. Dake, managed tilt Marion again to his back for two near fall points. Accruing 2:34 of riding time in the second period, Dake looked fierce on top. The Cornell freshman started in the bottom position for the third period, and earned an instant escape. Marion got in on a single, but Dake’s defense warded off the points again near the mat’s edge. Marion got a single and earned another takedown, but Dake captured a quick escape. Marion responded with a quick single but Dake held it off to win the championship 7-4. In Lewnes’ championship match at 174 pounds, he took on No. 2 Jay Borschel of Iowa. Both wrestlers were undefeated on the season heading into the bout. The two wrestlers started heavy at the head and each took a couple of quick shots initially without catching a leg. Borschel went in for a single and was able to takedown Lewnes near the mat’s edge. Lewnes was cautioned back at center. The Iowa wrestler secured a bar but was unable to turn Lewnes before the two went out of bounds once more. Lewnes was then cautioned a second time. Borschel was able to ride out Lewnes for the remainder of the period. Lewnes chose bottom to start the second period. The Cornell wrestler immediately tried to pop up, but Borschel held on and was warned for stalling. Lewnes earned his escape. Lewnes went in for a single that transformed into a scramble between the wrestlers resulting in a stalemate. With just 20 seconds remaining in the period, Lewnes got a double, but no takedown was awarded before the buzzer. Borschel started the third in the bottom position, and Lewnes cut him free. A single by Borschel resulted in another takedown for the Iowa wrestler. Borschel was again warned for stalling and Lewnes was awarded a point. With 3:46 of riding time, the Iowa wrestler won the match 6-2. Cornell opened its day with the place matches, third through eighth, where Cam Simaz and Troy Nickerson were competing. Nickerson wrestled first taking on Cashe Quiroga of Purdue. With a win, Nickerson would advance to the match for third place. In the first period, a single from Quiroga was countered by Nickerson, who got a single of his own for the takedown. Nickerson immediately turned his opponent and worked the remainder of the period for the pin, but came away with just three near fall points as time ran out. Nickerson chose top to start the second, and he made quick work of putting his opponent to his back. Despite the Purdue wrestler’s powerful arch, Nickerson pinned his opponent to advance to the place match. Moving on to the third place bout, Nickerson faced Indiana’s Angle Escobedo. Escobedo earned a takedown early in the period, and Nickerson used injury time. The Cornell senior almost grasped the escape but was unable to get it period the end of the period. Escobedo chose neutral to start the second period. Both wrestlers hoped from the takedown but neither was able to manage points. Nickerson chose top to start the third period. Nickerson worked incredibly hard to turn his opponent but was unable to get the near fall he needed to win the match. Escobedo won with a decision of 2-0. Nickerson earned his fourth All-America honor. In the match for third place, Simaz faced No. 3 Hudson Taylor of Maryland. The two wrestlers were fast and heavy right from the start. Simaz dove in for a single and nearly took down Taylor before the two went out of bounds. Simaz looked active and went for a double on his opponent that nearly resulted in a takedown but a stalemate was called. Just before time ran out on the first, Simaz shot one more time, but no points were scored. Taylor started down in the second and escaped early. Another double by Simaz was denied points near the edge of the mat. A single attempt by Taylor was well-defended by Simaz to prevent the points. Simaz started neutral in the third. Simaz went in for a single and this time got the takedown he was looking for throughout the match. After the two went out of bounds, Taylor jumped up for the escape at the whistle. A wild scramble between the two resulted in a stalemate that called the action back to center. Just before the end of regulation, Simaz got in on a double but Taylor defended just as time ran out.With a 2-2 score, the match went into sudden death overtime. The Cornell wrestler looked hungry and just moments into the sudden death period, he shot and circled for the takedown over Taylor to win with a final score of 4-2.

OMAHA, Neb. -- Senior J.P. O’Connor won the 157 pound title at the 2010 NCAA Wrestling Championships Saturday night in front of a sold out crowd of 15,919 at the Qwest Center. O’Connor is the third NCAA champion for the Crimson and first to finish a season undefeated. “I just had the fire and determination to win it this year,” O’Connor said in his post-match press conference. I truly believed that I could win it during my sophomore and junior years, but I just didn’t turn out that way, which was disappointing. I tried to turn it into a positive and thought about it every day.” O’Connor defeated Cal Poly’s Chase Pami, 6-4, to take the title and improve to 35-0 on the season. Pami struck first and scored quickly, it was the first time O’Connor had been taken down all tournament. It only took O’Connor 12 seconds to get out and start his own offense. He scored on Pami and held him to start the riding time. O’Connor chose bottom to start the second and scored on a reversal to take a 5-3 lead. Pami picked bottom to start the third and escaped after 1:39. Pami took several shots late, but O’Connor held off the attack. O’Connor outscored his opponents 51-10 at the NCAAs. He is the second three-time All-American at Harvard and finishes his career tied for first in program wins with 132. He shares the top spot with another national champion, Jesse Jantzen. He is the 16th All-American under Jay Weiss, the David G. Bunning '88 Head Coach for Harvard Wrestling and 23rd overall. This marks the fifth year in a row, the Crimson has had at least one All-American at the NCAA Championships. As a team, the Crimson finished in a tie for 23rd with 25 points.

OMAHA, Neb. -- Sophomore Andrew Howe defeated Penn State’s Dan Vallimont, 9-3, for the 2010 NCAA Division I Championship title at 165 lbs. With the win, Howe becomes the 13th different NCAA champion in school history and the first since current UW Associate Head Coach Donny Pritzlaff won back-to-back titles in 2000 and 2001. “It’s a great feeling,” Howe said. “I can’t explain it yet. It’s good.” Howe scored his first takedown of the championship match at the 1:51 mark and then rode out Vallimont for the remainder of the period. Howe started down in the second, but escaped two seconds in and scored another takedown 12 seconds later. Vallimont escaped with 46 seconds left in the period, but Howe took him down once again to end the second period up 7-1. Vallimont scored a takedown one minute into the third period after starting in neutral. However, Howe escaped with 55 seconds remaining, holding on to the lead to win the title by a 9-3 decision. “I wasn’t going to let this one get away from me,” said Howe, who was a runner-up in last year’s final. “I’ve been telling myself that for a whole year now. I’ve been thinking about that loss (in last year’s finals) every single day for that entire year and I didn’t want to go another year thinking the same thing.” Howe finishes his sophomore season as an All-American, as well as an NCAA and Big Ten champion. He compiled a 37-0 overall record, including four wins by pin, two by tech fall and 13 by major decision. The undefeated sophomore is just the fourth Badger to go undefeated in a single season, joining Matt Demaray (42-0 in 1990-91), Andy Rein (40-0 in 1979-80) and Lee Kemp (39-0 in 1975-76). As a team, Wisconsin finished in fourth place with 70.5 points, to tie for the best finish in school history and the best under current head coach Barry Davis. Wisconsin also finished in fourth place in 1976 and 1978. In addition, the Badgers crowned four All-Americans, tied for the second-most in school history and the most since getting five in 1984. Coach Davis was also named the 2010 NWCA Coach of the Year. “It’s great,” Howe said of the team’s performance. “We kind of struggled at some points during the year, but I knew we had some tough guys and we put together a good tournament for the most part.”

OMAHA, Neb. -- Iowa went into the 2010 NCAA Division I Championship finals with the team title already locked up. Even with that comfort level, three out of five Hawkeyes won individual titles to put even greater distance between the team champs and the rest of the pack. Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.comIowa placed first with 134.5 points. Cornell came in second with 90 points, and one individual champ out of two finalists. In third place was Iowa State, with two champs out of three wrestlers in the finals. This year's finals may not have had some of the over-the-top drama of the 2009 NCAAs, but, for the most part, the actual championship matches were exciting, with more action than is sometimes the case when wrestlers compete not to lose. Here are the recaps for the 2010 finals: 125: No. 2 Matt McDonough (Iowa) vs. No. 5 Andrew Long (Iowa State) McDonough brought a 36-1 record to the finals; Long was 27-5 this year. Both wrestlers are freshmen -- the first time two first-year matmen have faced each other in an NCAA final in 30 years. Both are native Iowans; Long is from Creston, while McDonough a product of Marion. The two have wrestled each other three times this season, with McDonough winning all three. There was no scoring in the first period. Long scored an escape at the beginning of the second; McDonough responded with a takedown at 1:05 to go up 2-1. At the start of the third, the Hawkeye choose down. Long cut McDonough, making the score 3-1. McDonough was warned for stalling with less than a half-minute to go ... but McDonough held onto the lead, defeating Long 3-1, making their record 4-0 for the Hawkeye. McDonough is Iowa's first freshman NCAA champ since Lincoln McIlravy in 1993. Asked about winning the title, the first-year Hawkeye responded, "For starters, it's not done. I've got three more years. You can't end on one championship, or one match. It's what I've worked for all season. It's a relieving thing, but I'm already looking ahead and ready to keep training and bettering myself. It was a great week." 133: No. 1 Jayson Ness (Minnesota) vs. No. 2 Daniel Dennis (Iowa) Both wrestlers are from the Big Ten, and both are redshirt seniors. Ness is 32-0 this year, while Dennis is 22-3 ... with two of those losses to his Gopher rival. In fact, these two last met on the mat just two weeks ago, at the 2010 Big Ten conference championships, with Ness winning the title. Jayson Ness was named Most Outstanding Wrestler (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)In the first period, Ness nearly got the fall from a neutral position, but no control and no scoring. In the second period, Dennis took down. The Gopher rode, but the Hawkeye got the reversal with about a half-minute to go in the period. The third period started with the score 2-0 Dennis. Ness chose down, scored the escape. Dennis then scored a takedown to take a 4-1 lead. Ness got another escape, and, in the last ten seconds, scored a takedown and two nearfall points for an incredible come-from-behind win. Ness takes the 133 title with a 6-4 victory. In the post-match interview, Ness was asked about the final ten seconds. "I was just thinking about getting a takedown to tie it up," the Gopher champ responded. "I came after him as hard as I could. Good things happen when you wrestle for a full seven minutes." 141: No. 1 Kyle Dake (Cornell) vs. No. 6 Montell Marion (Iowa) Dake is a true freshman, with 33 wins, 2 losses; his father Doug was an All-American at Kent State, placing seventh at 177 pounds at the 1985 NCAAs. Marion is a redshirt sophomore with a 27-5 record this season. Dake started the scoring with a takedown with 44 seconds left in the first. Marion scored an escape with about ten seconds to go in the first period. In the second, the Hawkeye chose down. Dake got two nearfall points. The Big Red freshman, leading 4-1, started the third period in the down position, and scored an escape. Marion got a takedown to make the score 5-3; Dake answered with an escape. With riding time, Dake won the 141 title, 7-3, becoming the first true freshman to win an NCAA championship since Dustin Schlatter in 2005. "He is a great wrestler," Dake said of his opponent, Montell Marion. "He's an Iowa wrestler, so you know they're going to go hard. It was expected for him to go as hard as he could and I just had to match it. If you watched the first 30 seconds, we were just basically punching each other in the face and we didn't care. We were just wrestling. That's how they go and that's how I matched it." When asked if he gets tired of being labeled a freshman, Dake responded, "Yes. Just because people think it's such a big deal that I'm a freshman, and it probably is to the common folk. To me, I'm just another wrestler going out there to wrestle someone else." 149: No. 1 Lance Palmer (Ohio State) vs. No. 2 Brent Metcalf (Iowa) Palmer is a senior, with a 31-2 record; Metcalf is a redshirt senior, with 35 wins and just one loss ... to his Buckeye rival, two weeks ago, in the 149 finals of the Big Tens. It was the first time Metcalf had lost to Palmer in a total of five college matches. Brent Metcalf hoists the team championship trophy (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)Right from the start, Metcalf went in on the single leg, getting the takedown 30 seconds into the match. Palmer put points on the board with an escape. No other scoring in the first period, making it 2-1 Metcalf. Palmer took down, got an escape to tie things up ... but the Hawkeye already had 1:29 of riding time. Metcalf started the third in neutral, went for a double-leg but Palmer fought it off. Metcalf won 3-2 on the riding time point, avenging his loss to the Buckeye at the Big Tens ... and, in a way, last year's finals upset by Darrion Caldwell of North Carolina State. In the post-finals press conference, Metcalf was asked to compare and contrast the feelings between this year and last year: "It feels good, feels like I'm redeeming myself from last year a little bit, just because this is the national tournament. You can't get last year back, but you can feel better about it because you finished it off the way you did." Asked about his future in wrestling, and the Michigan native said, "It's not over yet. There are multiple world and Olympic championships ahead to aim for. How many (Olympic) gold medals did Tom Brands win? One. How many did Dan Gable win? One. Now I've got to win two." 157: No. 1 J.P. O'Connor (Harvard) vs. No. 7 Chase Pami (Cal Poly) These two wrestlers have faced each other before. Pami, a redshirt senior who's 29-6 this year, knocked O'Connor out of All-American contention at the 2009 NCAAs. The Harvard senior (who's 34-0) got some revenge Pami at this season's Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. Pami launched the scoring with a single leg; O'Connor countered, gained control and grabbed a 3-2 lead at the end of the first. In the second, the Harvard man got a reversal, making the score 5-2. After some blood time for Pami, the Mustang scored an escape. In the third, with the score 5-3, Pami chose down, got an escape. Despite some end-of-bout scrambling, that was the extent of the scoring With riding time, O'Connor wins 6-4 over Pami at 157 ... becoming only the third Harvard wrestler to win an NCAA title. (John Harkness won the 175-pound crown in 1938, Jesse Jantzen, the 149 championship in 2004.) O'Connor addressed the legacy of becoming a Harvard national champ: "I was just trying to follow in the footsteps of former Harvard national champions, John Harkness and Jesse Jantzen, while creating my own path. I looked up to Jesse; as great of a wrestler as he is he is even a better person. I consider it to be an honor to be mentioned in the same sentence with him." The Crimson champ also talked about how he meets the challenges of wrestling at an academically rigorous school such as Harvard: "Hard work and discipline as well as time management. It's amazing what you can do. I've been blessed physically and mentally. Wrestling has taught me so much and it has molded me into the person that I am today." 165: No. 1 Andrew Howe (Wisconsin) vs. No. 6 Dan Vallimont (Penn State) Howe, a sophomore, has a perfect 36-0 record; Vallimont is a redshirt senior with a 31-7 record. These two Big Ten wrestlers have faced each other twice this season, with Howe winning both matches. Howe scored first with a takedown; that's the extent of the scoring in the first period, but he had already accumulated nearly two minutes of riding time. The Badger started the second period down. Howe got a very quick escape, followed seconds later by a takedown, taking a 5-0 lead. Vallimont answered with an escape; Howe countered that with another takedown and he went up 7-1 going into the third. In the final stanza, Vallimont got a takedown, while Howe scored an escape. With riding time, Howe wins the match 9-3, and the 165-pound title. "I wasn't going to let this one get away from me. I've been telling myself that for a whole year now," Howe said, referring to last year's finals where he fell to Edinboro's Jarrod King. "I've been thinking about that loss every single day for that entire year and I didn't want to go another year thinking the same thing." 174: No. 1 Mack Lewnes (Cornell) vs. No. 2 Jay Borshel (Iowa) One of these two wrestlers would leave Omaha with his first loss of the season. Lewnes, a junior, has a 40-0 record ... while the redshirt junior Borschel is 36-0 this season. Borschel got a takedown about one minute into the first period -- the extent of scoring in the opening round. Lewnes selected down to start the second, scored an escape in the first 30 seconds. No other scoring. In the third, Borschel chose down, got an escape to make score 3-1 for the Hawkeye ... with 2:20 of riding time. Borschel scored a takedown, then was dinged for stalling on top. One point Lewnes with :32 to go, making the score 5-2. With riding time, Jay Borschel defeats Mack Lewnes 6-2, and wins the 174 title. In the press conference after winning the title, Borschel mentioned that he and Matt McDonough both came out of the Linn-Mar High School wrestling program. "It says a lot about the coaching staff there. They instilled a lot of hard work and determination, a never-give-up attitude. That's what they're all about -- tough wrestling. The head coach came out of Iowa, he was an all-American, wrestled under (Dan) Gable, so he knows all about that. He was able to put that into (McDonough and I)." 184: No. 1 Kirk Smith (Boise State) vs. No. 6 Max Askren (Missouri) Smith is a junior with a perfect 29-0 record. Askren is a senior with 19 wins, 2 losses. Askren scored the first takedown, then got two nearfall points in the first. The Missouri Tiger then put three more nearfall points on the board; Smith could only answer with an escape. Askren led 7-1. In the second, Askren chose down, quickly scoring an escape ... the only scoring in the second. Smith took neutral to start the third, and got a double-leg to cut the lead to 8-3. Askren scored an escape. With riding time, Max Askren gets a 10-3 victory over Kirk Smith ... joining Mark Ellis (last year's heavyweight champ) and older brother Ben Askren as the third-ever Missouri NCAA champ. Asked about winning the 184 crown, Askren responded, "It feels great. I'm just happy I was able to do what everybody around me thought I could do. I know my technique was always up to par to be a national champion and in the finals it finally came out. I was the one hiding my ability. I was afraid of what I was capable of doing or not doing. The pressure was trying and holding oneself back. At some point, I had to do it." The Tiger wrestler also talked about some of the struggles he had experienced this year. "The passion went away," said Askren. "There were moments during practice and matches when it was there but it didn't sustain itself. This season with the help of my coaches, brother, friends and family, I got back to doing things how I like." 197: No. 1 Jake Varner (Iowa State) vs. No. 2 Craig Brester (Nebraska) These two Big 12 wrestlers have faced each other numerous times, most notably, the 2009 NCAA finals, and the 2010 Big 12 conference finals. Varner won both bouts. There was no scoring in the first period. For the second, Varner started down, and escaped ... which was the extent of scoring in that period. In the third, Brester chose down, got the escape, and tied the score. Varner got a reversal with about a minute left; Brester scored another escape, making the score 3-2 for the Cyclone. The Cornhusker tried for a takedown, but Varner countered with a takedown of his own in the final seconds. In the final match between these two conference rivals, Jake Varner bested Craig Brester, 5-2 ... winning his second consecutive NCAA title. Varner is one of a limited number of wrestlers to have been a four-time NCAA finalist. "Craig's a tough guy," said Varner of his collegiate rival from Nebraska. "We've wrestled a lot. I guess that's why not a lot happens. We know each other pretty well, but I just kept to my gameplan. I would have like to score in that first period, but it didn't happen. I got away as soon as I could like I wanted to and I scored that front headlock, and that was a big, key point in the match. That last takedown, I knew he had to come after me and I was ready for it, and I ended up with that last takedown." 285: No. 1 David Zabriskie (Iowa State) vs. No. 2 Jared Rosholt (Oklahoma State) Immediately after the Varner-Brester bout, the second battle of the Big 12 big men, featuring Zabriskie, a senior with 25 wins, 2 losses ... while Rosholt, a redshirt senior, is 34-2 this year. This was a rematch of the conference title bout, which the Cyclone won. No score in the first three minutes. To start the second, Zabriskie offered the choice to Rosholt, who escaped in 19 seconds. The Cyclone countered with a takedown on the edge of the mat. The Cowboy scored a second escape, knotting the score at the end of the second. In the third, Zabriskie chose down, came out from under, making the score 3-2. That was it for the scoring ... so David Zabriskie got the 3-2 win over Jared Rosholt, and becomes the second Iowa State heavyweight champ (the other being the late, great Chris Taylor in 1972 and 1973). "When Coach Jackson came to Iowa State, I was absolutely thrilled. There was no other coach I wanted to come in," said Zabriskie. "But for this title, I need to thank all the coaches I've had. Every coach has had a pretty big chunk of what has made me into an NCAA champion, and I need to thank them all -- coach (Kevin) Jackson, Cael (Sanderson), (Tim) Hartung, (Casey) Cunningham, (Bobby) Douglas and (Chris) Bono." Final Team Standings: 1. Iowa 134.5 2. Cornell 90 3. Iowa State 75 4. Wisconsin 70.5 5. Oklahoma 69 6. Oklahoma State 65 7. Minnesota 63 8. Ohio State 62 9. Penn State 49 10. Missouri 48 All-Americans: 125: First Place: Matt McDonough (Iowa) dec. Andrew Long (Iowa State), 3-1 Third Place: Angel Escobedo (Indiana) dec. Troy Nickerson (Cornell), 2-0 Fifth Place: Zach Sanders (Minnesota) dec. Cashe Quiroga (Purdue), 6-2 Seventh Place: Anthony Robles (Arizona State) dec. Nikko Triggas (Ohio State), 9-3 133: First Place: Jayson Ness (Minnesota) dec. Daniel Dennis (Iowa), 6-4 Third Place: Franklin Gomez (Michigan State) maj. dec. Jordan Oliver (Oklahoma State), 8-0 Fifth Place: Tyler Graff (Wisconsin) dec. Dan Mitcheff (Kent State), 5-3 Seventh Place: Borislav Novachkov (Cal Poly) pinned Steve Bell (Maryland), 4:26 141: First Place: Kyle Dake (Cornell) dec. Montell Marion (Iowa), 7-3 Third Place: Reece Humphrey (Ohio State) dec. Zack Bailey (Oklahoma), 3-2 Fifth Place: Tyler Nauman (Pitt) dec. Germane Lindsey (Ohio), 3-2 Seventh Place: Mike Thorn (Minnesota) pinned Christopher Diaz (Virginia Tech), :56 149: First Place: Brent Metcalf (Iowa) dec. Lance Palmer (Ohio State), 3-2 Third Place: Kyle Terry (Oklahoma) dec. Kyle Ruschell (Wisconsin), 5-4 Fifth Place: Frank Molinaro (Penn State) maj. dec. Torsten Gillespie (Edinboro), 10-1 Seventh Place: Kevin LeValley (Bucknell) dec. Kyle Borshoff (American), 5-0 157: First Place: J.P. O'Connor (Harvard) dec. Chase Pami (Cal Poly), 3-2 Third Place: Adam Hall (Boise State) maj. dec. Justin Lister (Binghamton), 8-0 Fifth Place: Steve Fittery (American) maj. dec. Cyler Sanderson (Penn State), 15-6 Seventh Place: Justin Gaethje (Northern Colorado) dec. Steve Brown (Central Michigan), 12-7 165: First Place: Andrew Howe (Wisconsin) dec. Dan Vallimont (Penn State), 9-3 Third Place: Jarrod King (Edinboro) dec. Nick Amuchastegui (Stanford), 3-2 Fifth Place: Tyler Caldwell (Oklahoma) dec. Andrew Rendos (Bucknell), 6-3 Seventh Place: Ryan Morningstar (Iowa) dec. Chris Brown (Old Dominion), 3-2 174: First Place: Jay Borschel (Iowa) dec. Mack Lewnes (Cornell), 6-2 Third Place: Chris Henrich (Virginia) maj. dec. Stephen Dwyer (Nebraska), 10-1 Fifth Place: Jordan Blanton (Illinois) dec. Ben Bennett (Central Michigan), 3-2 Seventh Place: Scott Giffin (Penn) dec. Jarion Beets (Northern Iowa), default 184: First Place: Max Askren (Missouri) dec. Kirk Smith (Boise State), 10-3 Third Place: Mike Cannon (American) dec. Joe LeBlanc (Wyoming), 7-2 Fifth Place: John Dergo (Illinois) dec. Clayton Foster (Oklahoma State), 10-4 Seventh Place: Dustin Kilgore (Kent State) dec. Phil Keddy (Iowa), 9-4 197: First Place: Jake Varner (Iowa State) dec. Craig Brester (Nebraska), 5-2 Third Place: Cam Simaz (Cornell) dec. Hudson Taylor (Maryland), 4-2 OT Fifth Place: Eric Lapotsky (Oklahoma) dec. Trevor Brandvold (Wisconsin), 7-0 Seventh Place: Alan Gelogaev (Oklahoma State) dec. Sonny Yohn (Minnesota), 12-7 285: David Zabriskie (Iowa State) dec. Jared Rosholt (Oklahoma State), 3-2 Third Place: Zach Rey (Lehigh) dec. Konrad Dudziak (Duke), 4-2 Fifth Place: Mitch Monteiro (Cal State Bakersfield) dec. Mark Ellis (Missouri), 3-1 Seventh Place: Dan Erekson (Iowa) dec. Jarrod Trice (Central Michigan), 8-2 Other awards: NWCA Bill Koll Outstanding Wrestling Award: Minnesota's Jayson Ness NWCA Coach of the Year: Wisconsin's Barry Davis Gorriaran Award (most pins in the least amount of time): Virginia's Brent Jones ... 2 in 1:13. Related Content: Final Standings Final Brackets All-Americans Auio Interviews Day 1 Recap Day 2 Recap

OMAHA, Neb. -- The 2010 NCAA Division I Championships have been upsetting to plenty of wrestlers ... but not for the Iowa Hawkeyes. The black and gold nabbed their 23rd NCAA team title Friday night -- their third in a row -- on the strength of all five of their semifinalists qualifying for the finals Saturday night. It the most Iowa wrestlers to find themselves in the finals since 1997, when six Hawkeyes vied for individual crowns in Dan Gable’s last NCAAs as head coach. At the end of Session IV Friday night, the Hawkeyes had accumulated 120.5 points. Cornell was a distant second, with 75 points, and two finalists. In third place is Iowa State, with 67 points, and three wrestlers in the finals. When asked about Iowa winning the team crown before a single match of the finals was wrestled, the Hawkeyes’ head coach Tom Brands said, "It shows that you're in control, that you've wrestled well as a team. I don't think it lessens the urgency, going back to that word again, of winning five titles and three sevenths. It's flexing your muscles." Brands contrasted this year to last, when Iowa didn’t know the team title was theirs until well into the 2009 finals ... and won it by just four-and-a-half points over Ohio State: "Last year, we didn't win any titles. This year, we have five chances to win titles. When you're 5-for-5 in the semifinals, you might as well be 5-for-5 in the finals. I'm not making any predictions there, I'm just saying that's the philosophy, the marching orders, how we go forward." Incredibly, only one 2009 NCAA champ will be defending his title Saturday: Jake Varner of Iowa State, 197-pound titlist. Varner owns the rare distinction of being a four-time national finalist, having lost as a freshman and sophomore. The other champ from last year’s NCAAs to still be in the title hunt as of Friday evening, 165-pounder Jarrod King of Edinboro, fell in the semifinals. 125 pounds: No. 5 Andrew Long (Iowa State) dec. No. 1 Angel Escobedo (Indiana), 7-4 No. 3 Matt McDonough (Iowa) dec. unseeded Cashe Quiroga (Purdue), 14-3 The finals will be a battle of Iowa rivals -- two redshirt freshmen who have made names for themselves already. Long brings a 27-5 record to the title match; McDonough is 36-1. The two have wrestled each other three times this season -- at a regular-season dual meet, the Midlands, and National Duals -- and McDonough came out the winner each time. When asked about the finals, Long said, "It’s going to be a big match. We always have close matches that are always entertaining, so it’s going to be fun going out there knowing that we’ve wrestled before and I kind of know what to expect from that aspect." McDonough said of finding himself in the finals, "Well you take one match at a time, don’t worry as much about who you’re wrestling, but how you’re wrestling and battling for seven minutes every match. I came into the tournament with a lot of confidence. I just kept working my skill and it paid off." 133 pounds: No. 1 Jayson Ness (Minnesota) dec. No. 4 Jordan Oliver (Oklahoma State), 2-0 No. 2 Daniel Dennis (Iowa) dec. No. 3 Franklin Gomez (Michigan State), 5-3 SV The 133 finals will feature two redshirt seniors, both from the Big Ten. Ness is 32-0 this year, while Dennis is 22-3. Weighing in on his finals rival, Ness said, "He's a battler. This will be our third time wrestling this year. He'll come out and want to get the win just as bad as I do." (The Gopher has defeated Dennis twice, most recently in the Big Ten finals, 9-3. However, last year, the Hawkeye was 2-0 over Ness.) Dennis talked about the honor of making it to the championship match: "This is what my college career has culminated in, and even going further back to when my parents allowed me to participate in wrestling. It's been a long time coming for this opportunity." 141 pounds: No. 1 Kyle Dake (Cornell) dec. No. 4 Reece Humphrey (Ohio State), 3-2 No. 6 Montell Marion (Iowa) dec. No. 10 Tyler Nauman (Pitt), 7-6 Dake brings a 33-2 record as a freshman to the finals, while Marion is a redshirt sophomore with a 27 wins, 5 losses this season. The first-year Cornell matman has wrestled with an impressive amount of poise through most of the season. "At the beginning of the year, I wasn’t as confident as I should have been," said Dake after winning his semifinals match. "I have great coaching, great wrestling partners, and having those every day, I should be confident in my skills and my ability to win. So just learn how to deal with the pressure, and have fun -- basically have fun." Making the finals is the realization of a dream for Marion: "It feels great. I’ve been dreaming about this for a very long time. It keeps me up at night. I’m just happy to be in the final. I’m ready to go tomorrow, staying on my offense and finishing all the way through." 149 pounds: No. 1 Lance Palmer (Ohio State) dec. No. 5 Frank Molinaro (Penn State), 2-0 No. 2 Brent Metcalf (Iowa) dec. No. 3 Kyle Terry (Oklahoma), 6-2 This could well be THE match of the tournament. These two Big Ten contenders have wrestled each other five times in their collegiate careers ... with Metcalf taking the first four. Then, two weeks ago, Palmer stunned Metcalf – and the college wrestling world – with a decisive 9-3 win over the Hawkeye to win the conference championship. Naturally, both men were asked about the prospect of facing each other again, this time for a national title. Palmer, a junior with a 31-2 record, said, "It’s going to be fun. I love wrestling Brent. He’s a great wrestler. It’s not fun because people make him out to be the person he is, it’s great because he is a great wrestler and it gives us a chance to see who the best in the country is." Metcalf, a redshirt senior who brings a 35-1 record, has a bit different attitude about Saturday night’s match: "I’m excited. It’s an opportunity to correct a wrong. I’ve been waiting the past two weeks maybe to get to this point and we both had to do our job, and we have. It’s time to go out and compete and work it out." 157 pounds: No. 1 J.P. O’Connor (Harvard) dec. No. 5 Steve Fittery (American), 14-2 No. 7 Chase Pami (Cal Poly) dec. unseeded Justin Lister (Binghamton), 13-5 A finals with wrestlers representing schools from opposite ends of the country. O’Connor is a senior with a perfect 34-0 record ... while Pami, a redshirt senior, has a 29-6 won-loss record. In their individual press conferences after winning their semifinals matches, both wrestlers mentioned their previous meetings on the mat. "We definitely have a history," said Pami. "I knocked him out of the All-American round last year. I'm going out there with the intent of whatever it takes to win the match, with that focus and that intensity. I just have to go out there and go to my offense, my turns, my shots." O’Connor said, "I got him earlier this year in Las Vegas, so I settled that score (from last year) a little bit. I give him a lot of credit. He's a great athlete, a really tough competitor. I wrestled him three times last year, and unfortunately he beat me when it counted. He's a big reason why I'm this fired up, and striving to win a national title. I took that loss to heart. It's something I think about to this day, and that's something that won't change whether or not I win a national title." 165 pounds: No. 1 Andrew Howe (Wisconsin) dec. unseeded Tyler Caldwell (Oklahoma), 4-1 No. 6 Dan Vallimont (Penn State) dec. No. 2 Jarrod King (Edinboro), 3-1 OT Yet another finals featuring two Big Ten wrestlers. Howe is a sophomore with a flawless 36-0 record; he was a finalist last year, losing to King ... who won’t be defending his title, thanks to Vallimont, a redshirt senior with a 31-7 record. "I’ve wrestled him twice this year so far," said the second-year Badger of Vallimont, who won both matches against the Nittany Lion. "He’s tough. He’s a smart wrestler. I just want to stay on him, get a couple take-downs and seal the match." When asked what he anticipates for the finals, Vallimont responded, "It’s going to be similar to tonight’s match. Just get out there and finish my shots as quick as I can ... I feel like I’ve been wrestling better than I ever have in my career, and I think it’s a great way to finish it out tomorrow with a championship. I felt great wrestling in the semifinals and I’m hoping to be able to wrestle even better tomorrow." 174 pounds: No. 1 Mack Lewnes (Cornell) dec. No. 5 Stephen Dwyer (Nebraska), 3-2 No. 2 Jay Borshel (Iowa) dec. No. 3 Chris Henrich (Virginia), 11-9 A matchup between the top two seeds in this weight class ... and two undefeated wrestlers. Lewnes, a junior, has a 40-0 record ... while the redshirt junior Borschel is 36-0 this season. Both wrestlers had challenging semifinals bouts ... which both men addressed in their separate post-match press conferences. When asked about his close matches in the quarterfinals and semifinals, Lewnes responded, "I believe confidence allows me to go into a wrestling match knowing I can be dominant and go after most guys, but some guys are good at keeping it close. I think winning those tight matches comes from experience. Last year, the year before, even in high school, one of the biggest turning points was actually winning those close matches instead of losing those 3-1, 3-2 matches. I think it comes from experience there. I’m able to keep my composure and relax. It doesn’t matter if my shots aren’t working, I’ll set something else up and try and go for another shot." "Sometimes I get in trouble with my laid-back style and approach, and sometimes come out slow," said Borshel. "It’s our mentality as a team that when you go deeper and deeper into the tournament you get stronger. Coach Brands says every session our best wrestling is now and everything else is behind us. I just stayed calm and tried to take them one at a time to get those points." 184 pounds: No. 1 Kirk Smith (Boise State) dec. No. 4 Mike Cannon (American), 11-2 No. 6 Max Askren (Missouri) dec. No. 7 Joe LeBlanc (Wyoming), 9-7 OT Kirk Smith, a junior, brings a blemish-free 29-0 record to the 184 finals ... while Max Askren is a senior with 19 wins, 2 losses. Both wrestlers were rather philosophical and serious-minded when looking forward to Saturday night’s finals. "I know he's a competitor, that he wrestles hard," said the Missouri wrestler, younger brother of two-time NCAA champ for the Tigers – and emerging MMA star – Ben Askren. "He's going to make it a match, he's not going to stop. I know him off the mat a little bit, and he's a good person. We'll both go out and hopefully put on a show." Smith said of his journey to the finals, "I figure it's not worth it to win an NCAA title without the hardest road. Mentally, all year, I've been preparing myself to take that road, to go against those top seeds in each round. And then, to follow that to the finals. I think that's helped me a lot, that mental preparation." 197 pounds: No. 1 Jake Varner (Iowa State) dec.. No. 4 Cam Simaz (Cornell), 6-0 No. 2 Craig Brester (Nebraska) dec. No. 3 Hudson Taylor (Maryland), 1-0 Now, an all Big 12 final between two rivals who have wrestled each other a zillion times ... or so it seems. Varner and Brester faced each other in the 197 pound finals at the 2009 NCAAs ... and, two weeks ago in the title match at the Big 12 conference championships. Varner won both of those matches. Varner has a perfect 30-0 record in his senior season ... while Brester, a redshirt senior, has the same number of wins this year, and two losses – both to the Cyclone he’s facing Saturday night. Both men reflected on what will be the last time they face each other as college wrestlers. "It’s just another match," said Varner. "Obviously, it’s the national finals. We’ve wrestled a few times this year. It’s the same game plan. I’m going to go out there and wrestle my match, wrestle to win. Stick to my gameplan and have fun. Whatever happens happens, but I’m not going to go down without a fight and I’m going to battle to win my second title." Brester portrayed himself as the underdog: "I’ve got nothing to lose going out there. He’s expected to win. He’s been there. He’s done this. He’s made a name for himself and I’m just me. I’m just going to go out there and take down the giant, and I’m just going to have a fun time trying to do it." When asked what would be the perfect final, the Husker wrestler said, "Get my hand raised. I don’t care how it happens. I’ve dreamt. You see takedowns. You see back points and stuff like that, but any way it happens, if I get my hand raised, I’m going to be a happy man." Heavyweight: No. 1 David Zabriskie (Iowa State) dec. No. 4 Konrad Dudziak (Duke), 6-5 No. 2 Jared Rosholt (Oklahoma State) dec. No. 3 Zach Rey (Lehigh), 4-0 Yet another finals featuring two Big 12 big men. Zabriskie is a senior, with 25 wins, 2 losses; Rosholt is a redshirt senior, 34-2 this year. When asked about facing Zabriskie yet again, the Cowboy answered, "It's perfect. He and I have a pretty good rivalry going. I lost to him in the championship match of the Big 12's two weeks ago. We should meet again to decide who is the national champion." "He's a tough competitor," the Cyclone acknowledged. "I've faced him a few times and I know it's going to be a battle." Standings (Top 10): 1. Iowa, 120.5 points 2. Cornell, 75 3. Iowa State, 67 4. Wisconsin, 62 5. Oklahoma State, 60.5 6. Oklahoma, 58 7. Ohio State, 56.5 8. Minnesota, 55 9. Penn State, 47 10. Missouri, 44 The finals take place Saturday at 6:30 p.m. CT, and will be broadcast live on ESPN.

OMAHA, Neb. -- Qwest Center in Omaha was an upsetting place on the first day of the 2010 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. Upsetting for a number of highly seeded wrestlers -- including a 2009 NCAA champ, and a 2008 titlewinner -- but exciting for fans. Especially Iowa fans, for the Hawkeyes are solidly in first place after two sessions, with eight of their wrestlers still vying for individual titles. Arguably the biggest upset in Thursday's competition: Defending 125-pound champ Troy Nickerson of Cornell University lost his second-round match to Boston University's unseeded Fred Santaite, 2-1. The champ had been leading 1-0 when Santaite scored a takedown just before the end of regulation. The 2008 NCAA champ who lost his first match of this year's tournament was Ohio State's Mike Pucillo. The Buckeye -- who was also a 184-pound runner-up at the 2009 NCAAs -- lost to 2009 NCAA runner-up at 174, Mike Miller of Central Michigan, 4-2, in their pigtail match at 184. It was the first time in the 80-year history of the NCAAs that two returning finalists met in a first-round bout. The Pucillo-Miller bout wasn't the only upset in the pigtails. In the 133-pound pigtail, 11th-seeded Scotti Sentes of Central Michigan was pinned by Lehigh's unseeded Matt Fisk at 3:29. Among the bigger upsets in Session I: four of the top ten seeds at 125 pounds lost in the opening round, including No. 6 Zach Sanders of Minnesota, who lost a 17-7 major decision to Virginia Tech's unseeded Jarrod Garrett ... at 141, fifth-seeded Oklahoma Sooner Zach Bailey was shut out 4-0 by unseeded Seth Ciasulli of Lehigh and, at 165 pounds, No. 3 Nick Marable of Missouri, and Iowa State's fourth-seeded Jon Reader -- both from the Big 12 -- both lost their first-round matches. Dustin Schlatter's dream of a 2010 NCAA title vanished in the first round when he was unable to continue wrestling because of an injury that had kept him out of the Big Tens. The sixth-seeded Minnesota 157-pounder lost on an injury default to North Carolina's Thomas Scotten. The upsets went all the way to the big men. Throughout most of the season, Jarod Trice of Central Michigan had been ranked among the top three heavyweights by InterMat. However, the seventh-seeded Chippewa was pinned in his first-round match by West Virginia's Brandon Williamson. In just the pigtails and first-round matches alone, there were 24 upsets. If you think that sounds like a lot, you'd be right. That total equals the number of upsets in Session I of the 2008 and 2009 NCAAs combined. The upsets kept coming in Session II Thursday evening, starting with Santaite knocking off the champ Nickerson at 125. Also at 125, unseeded Penn State wrestler Brad Pataky edged No. 8 Matt Steintrager of Central Michigan, 3-2. At 141 pounds, No. 3 seed Mike Thorn of Minnesota lost a 7-3 decision to unseeded Germane Lindsey of Ohio University. In 157-pound competition, Edinboro's unseeded Torsten Gillespie -- younger brother of 2007 NCAA champ Gregor Gillespie -- defeated fourth-seeded Kyle Ruschell of Wisconsin, 6-4. Incredibly, the Badger had a 4-0 lead going into the third period, but Gillespie scored two takedowns and got two nearfall points for the come-from-behind win. In the second session at heavyweight, three top-ten seeds were sent to the consolation bracket. No. 6 Nathan Everhart of Indiana lost to Minnesota's Ben Berhow, 3-1 SV. Earlier Thursday, the Gopher big man had scored a 6-4 SV win over eleventh-seeded Mitch Monteiro of Cal State Bakersfield. West Virginia's Brandon Williamson of West Virginia defeated Rutgers' tenth-ranked Dominic Russo. And, defending heavyweight champ Mark Ellis of Missouri -- who is unseeded because he placed last at the Big 12 conference championships -- edged Pittsburgh's Ryan Tomei (seeded eighth), 2-1. All ten top seeds made it to the quarterfinals round, and nine of the second seeds are still in title contention. Of the 80 wrestlers still in the championship bracket, 13 are unseeded ... including three at 165 pounds. Despite the individual match upsets, the team title race seems to be following expectations. Defending team champs, the Iowa Hawkeyes, are currently in first place after the first day of competition, with 34.5 points, and, perhaps most significantly, eight of its ten wrestlers are still in contention for a title. Iowa wrestlers won 19 of 21 matches on the first day. In second place in the team standings: Oklahoma State, with 26 points, and five Cowboys remaining in the championship bracket. Also with five wrestlers still in title contention is Iowa State, with 24 points for third place. Team Standings (Top 10): 1. Iowa, 34.5 points 2. Oklahoma State, 26 3. Iowa State, 24 4. Wisconsin, 23 4. Oklahoma, 23 4. Ohio State, 23 7. Cornell, 22 8. Minnesota, 20 9. Missouri, 18.5 10. Central Michigan, 17 10. Lehigh, 17 10. Penn State, 17 10. Virginia, 17 The quarterfinals begin at 9:30 a.m. CT.

Takedown Wrestling Media will again provide coverage of the NCAA Championships of collegiate wrestling this week Live from the Qwest Center in Omaha, Nebraska. Join last years Broadcaster of the Year Steve Foster, one of the great play by play men of the sport, retired voice of the OK State Cowboys J. Carl Guymon, former wrestler now Coach Caleb Nemmers and founder of America's Wrestling Radio Talk show Scott Casber. Listen in for the interviews and color of this championship weekend with TDR. TDR, along with our streaming partner Livesportsvideo.com will provide this season ending broadcast to listeners free of charge throughout the week. TDR's Broadcast Schedule of the 2010 NCAA Championships - First Round: Thursday, March 18 11 a.m. Central Time Takedownradio.com Second Round: Thursday, March 18 6:30 p.m. Central Time Takedownradio.com Quarterfinals: Friday, March 19 9:30 a.m. Central Time Takedownradio.com Semifinals: Friday, March 19 6 p.m. Central Time Takedownradio.com All-America Round: Saturday, March 20 9 a.m. Central Time Takedownradio.com Finals: Saturday, March 20 6:30 p.m. Central Time Takedownradio.com *Saturday's live radio broadcast will start at 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. (Guests and coverage of the All-American Round) Our thanks to our collegiate partners, our sponsors and listeners who throughout the year make our show and the promotion of this sport possible. Wrestling fans- Please note that Episode 49 of TDR TV is now available on all the top web sites and cable systems around the country. TDR every week! It's appointment Radio and TV! Join us at Takedownradio.com. America's Wrestling Radio Talk Show airs on Supertalk 1570 in Michigan, AM 1460 KXNO in Iowa and on a radio station near you or on line at many of our broadcast partners around the world including Livesportsvideo.com. TDR "the Radio Program" airs 9 AM to 11 AM CST every Saturday morning we look forward to having you listen. Thanks for watching listening!

Jim Koch

INDIANAPOLIS -- The NCAA and Resilite are teaming up to donate one of the official championship wrestling mats to a local Omaha, Neb., middle school at the 2010 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. The wrestling mat, valued at $10,000, will be delivered to King Science Magnet Middle School after the championship has concluded. In addition to the donation, students from the school will be invited to attend Session 6 of the championship on Saturday, March 20. The NCAA will also donate two wrestling championship chairs to the middle school. "We are thrilled to be partnering with the NCAA to donate the championship wrestling mat to the King Science Magnet Middle School,” said Paul Gilbert, president of Resilite. The Division I Wrestling Championship will be held from March 18-20 at the Qwest Center Omaha in Omaha, Neb. For more information on the Division I Wrestling Championship, log on to NCAA.com/wrestling. About the NCAA The NCAA is a membership-led nonprofit association of colleges and universities committed to supporting academic and athletic opportunities for more than 400,000 student-athletes at more than 1,000 member colleges and universities. Each year, more than 54,000 student-athletes compete in NCAA championships in Divisions I, II and III sports. Visit www.ncaa.org and www.ncaa.com for more details about the Association, its goals and members and corporate partnerships that help support programs for student-athletes. The NCAA is proud to have the following elite companies as official Corporate Champions—AT&T and Coca-Cola—and the following elite companies as official Corporate Partners—Enterprise, The Hartford, Hershey’s, Kraft Foods, LG, Lowe’s and State Farm. About Resilite Resilite™ Sports Products is a world leader in manufacturing athletic mats and customized padding. With over 50 years of experience, Resilite Sports Products offers a variety of athletic mats, wall padding, and sports products to meet a variety of needs for athletic facilities as well as other market segments. For more information about any of the products offered by Resilite you may visit the website at: www.resilite.com or contact them toll free at: 1-800-THE-MATS.

THIS WEEK Iowa's 10 qualifiers will compete for the school's 23rd NCAA team title at the 2010 NCAA Wrestling Championships, Thursday-Saturday at the Qwest Center in Omaha, NE. Competition is set to start Thursday at 11 a.m. (CT). This is the first time in the championship's 80-year history that the state of Nebraska will host the event. The NCAA, University of Nebraska and the Omaha Sports Commission will co-host the event. For ticket information, visit ticketmaster.com. Iowa enters the tournament as the two-time defending team champion. The Hawkeyes have put together a series of title streaks, placing first nine straight times from 1978-86, six times from 1995-2000, three times from 1991-93 and two times twice (1975-76, 2008-09). CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE Following is the NCAA Championships event schedule. Times are Central. Session - Day - Time (CT) - Mats - Competition Session I - Thursday - 11 a.m. - 8 - Pigtails & 1st Round Session II - Thursday - 6:30 p.m. - 8 - Consolation Prelims, 1st Round Session III - Friday - 9:30 a.m. - 8 - Championship Quarterfinals, Consolation 2nd & 3rd Rounds Session IV - Friday - 6 p.m. - 6 - Championship Semifinals, Consolation 4th & 5th Rounds Session V - Saturday - 10 a.m. - 6 - Consolation Semifinals, 3rd-5th-7th Place Matches Session VI - Saturday - 6:30 p.m. - 1 - Championship Finals NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS Updated brackets and team standings will be available throughout the tournament at www.ncaasports.com. NCAA QUALIFIERS Iowa is one of four schools to qualify its entire 10-man lineup for the national tournament. It is the 18th time in school history - and the first since 2004 - that the Hawkeyes have qualified all 10 wrestlers. The other years were 1968, 1970, 1974, 1976, 1978, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998 and 2004. Iowa qualified 11 wrestlers to the national tournament in 1959 and 1969. Iowa is the only school with 10 automatic qualifiers. The other three schools with 10 qualifiers - Iowa State, Central Michigan and Oklahoma - each had at least one at-large qualifier. Oklahoma State and Minnesota each have nine qualifiers, while Boise State, Cornell, Ohio State and Virginia have eight. ON THE AIR Radio - Steven Grace and two-time Hawkeye NCAA champion and four-time all-American Mark Ironside will call the action live on AM-800, KXIC and www.hawkeyesports.com. Web audio broadcasts are available using the XXL All-Access subscription ($14.95 per month or $119.95 per year). Television - Sessions III, IV and V will be aired live on ESPNU HD. The championship finals will be aired live on ESPN HD. Internet - Matches from Sessions I and II will be broadcast on NCAA.com, and wrestling from Sessions III and VI will be available on ESPN360.com. Press releases, meet results and audio broadcasts are available on the University of Iowa's website, www.hawkeyesports.com. Current staff and student-athlete head shots can be found at ppics.hawkeyesports.com. IOWA QUALIFIERS BY THE NUMBERS Iowa's 10 NCAA qualifiers have combined for one national title, eight all-America honors and 24 NCAA appearances. Seniors Ryan Morningstar (165) and Phillip Keddy (184) are making their fourth NCAA appearance, seniors Brent Metcalf (149), Jay Borschel (174) and Dan Erekson (Hwt.) are competing at their third and seniors Daniel Dennis (133) and Chad Beatty (197) are wrestling in their second. Junior Jake Kerr (157), sophomore Montell Marion (141) and redshirt freshman Matt McDonough (125) are all making their first NCAA appearance. Metcalf and Keddy are all two-time all-Americans, with Metcalf winning the 2008 149-pound NCAA title. Dennis, Morningstar,Borschel and Erekson have each earned one all-America honor. NCAA BRACKETS ANNOUNCED The NCAA released brackets for the upcoming Division I Wrestling Championships last week, announcing that nine of Iowa's 10 national qualifiers earned tournament seeds. The top-ranked Hawkeyes will compete for the school's 23rd NCAA team title March 18-20 at the Qwest Center in Omaha, NE. Seniors Daniel Dennis (133), Brent Metcalf (149) and Jay Borschel (174) are each seeded second at their respective weight classes, while redshirt freshman Matt McDonough is seeded third at 125. Hawkeye senior Dan Erekson (Hwt.) is seeded fifth, sophomore Montell Marion (141) is seeded sixth and seniors Phillip Keddy (184) and Chad Beatty (197) are each seeded ninth. Iowa's 10 NCAA qualifiers have combined for one national title, eight all-America honors and 24 NCAA appearances. McDonough, Marion and Kerr will be competing at their first NCAA tournament. IOWA'S FIRST ROUND NCAA MATCH-UPS (Numbers indicate tournament seeds) 125 - #3 Matt McDonough (Iowa) vs. winner of Eric Morrill (Edinboro)/Jason Lara (Oregon State) 133 - #2 Daniel Dennis (Iowa) vs. Kevin Smith (Buffalo) 141 - #6 Montell Marion (Iowa) vs. Cole VonOhlen (Air Force) 149 - #2 Brent Metcalf (Iowa) vs. Trenton Washington (Northern Iowa) 157 - Jake Kerr (Iowa) vs. Tejovan Edwards (Arizona State) 165 - #7 Ryan Morningstar (Iowa) vs. Donald Jones (West Virginia) 174 - #2 Jay Borschel (Iowa) vs. Scott Giffin (Pennsylvania) 184 - #9 Phillip Keddy (Iowa) vs. Michael Salopek (Virginia) 197 - #9 Chad Beatty (Iowa) vs. Alan Gelogaev (Oklahoma State) Hwt. - #5 Dan Erekson (Iowa) vs. Clayton Jack (Oregon State) NCAA RECORDS Iowa holds five NCAA Championship records. The Hawkeyes hold records for most team points scored (170 in 1997), largest margin of victory (73.25 points in 1986), number of consecutive team titles (nine from 1978-86), most finalists (six in 1986 and 1997) and most individual champions (five in 1986 and 1997). Ten Hawkeyes have been named Outstanding Wrestler of the NCAA Championships since the award was first given in 1932. They are Chuck Yagla (1976), Bruce Kinseth (1979), Jim Zalesky (1984), Barry Davis (1985), Marty Kistler (1986), Tom Brands (1992), Terry Steiner (1993), Lincoln McIlravy (1997), Joe Williams (1998) and Brent Metcalf (2008). 2009 NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS REVIEW Despite crowning no individual champions, the Hawkeyes collected their second straight national team title at the 2009 NCAA Championships in St. Louis, MO. Iowa scored 96.5 points, edging runner-up Ohio State by 4.5 points, to record the school's 22nd NCAA team title. That is the closest margin of victory since Iowa won the 1999 team title by two points. It marked only the second time in school history that the Hawkeyes won the NCAA title without an individual champion. Iowa also accomplished that feat in 1978. It was also the first year the Hawkeyes did not crown an individual champion since 2006. Iowa's lone finalist - junior Brent Metcalf - was upset in the 149-pound finals by #3 seed Darrion Caldwell of North Carolina State, 11-6. Metcalf, who won the 2008 NCAA 149-pound title and was the tournamen'ts top seed at that weight class, saw his 69-match winning streak snapped in the finals. After qualifying nine wrestlers for the event, the Hawkeyes crowned five all-Americans in Metcalf and juniors Daniel Dennis (133-7th), Ryan Morningstar (165-3rd), Phillip Keddy (184-4th) and Dan Erekson (Hwt.-4th). The tournament's six-session attendance total of 97,111 was a record. 2010 BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS REVIEW Hawkeye seniors Jay Borschel (174) and Dan Erekson (Hwt.) wrestled their way to conference titles at the 2010 Big Ten Championships in Ann Arbor, MI. The duo helped the top-ranked Hawkeyes win their third-straight Big Ten title and the school's 34th overall. Iowa scored 156.5 points en route to the title, which is its highest score since 1995 (185), and the Big Ten's highest since Minnesota scored 174 in 2002. Iowa also qualified its entire 10-man lineup for the NCAA Championships for the 18th time in school history and the first since 2004. The Hawkeyes posted a 27-10 record over the two-day tournament, including a perfect 15-0 first round on Saturday. Hawkeye Head Coach Tom Brands was named Big Ten Coach of the Year for the third straight year becoming the first coach in conference history to earn the honor in three consecutive seasons. Iowa redshirt freshman Matt McDonough, who placed second at 125 pounds, was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year. He is the fifth Hawkeye to earn the honor and the first since Steve Mocco in 2002. Borschel, who was the tournament's top seed at 174 pounds, picked up his first Big Ten title with an 8-1 decision over Minnesota's Scott Glasser in the finals. The Hawkeye senior controlled the match, scoring a takedown in each period, a second-period escape and a point for accumulating 2:59 of riding time. Borschel is undefeated at 32-0, and the title is Iowa's first at 174 pounds. Erekson became Iowa's 27th two-time conference champion with his 9-6 win over top-seeded Nate Everhart of Indiana in the finals. Erekson took Everhart to his back right off the opening whistle, scoring a takedown and three nearfall points to take a 5-0 lead. Everhart, who entered the bout with an undefeated 35-0 record, scored two escapes, but Erekson took a 6-2 lead when he was awarded a penalty point for Everhart fleeing the mat. Erekson started the third period with an escape, but Everhart rallied scoring two takedowns. Erekson held off the rally and added a point for riding time to remain undefeated at 12-0 this season. McDonough, and seniors Daniel Dennis (133), Brent Metcalf (149) and Phillip Keddy (184) all earned second-place finishes for the Hawkeyes. Sophomore Montell Marion (141) placed third, while junior Jake Kerr (157) and senior Ryan Morningstar (165) placed fourth, and senior Chad Beatty (197) placed sixth. McDonough, who was making his first Big Ten Championships appearance, lost a close 6-4 decision to three-time Big Ten champion Angel Escobedo of Indiana in the finals. Both wrestlers entered the bout with undefeated 32-0 records. After two periods full of scrambles, Escobedo led 1-0. McDonough escaped early in the third period to tie the score at 1-1, but Escobedo scored a quick takedown to take a 3-1 lead. McDonough escaped with 40 seconds left in the match, but Escobedo scored another takedown to make the score 5-2. McDonough reversed the top-seeded Indiana senior with 13 seconds left to pull within one (5-4). He let Escobedo up, but ran out of time in losing his first bout of the season. Dennis, who was also wrestling in his first Big Ten final, lost to two-time Big Ten champion Jayson Ness of Minnesota, 9-3, in the 133-pound finals. Ness, who was the top seed and undefeated at 25-0, scored a first period takedown to take a 2-0 lead. Dennis chose the neutral position to start the second period and neither wrestler scored in the allotted two minutes. Ness chose the down position to start the third period, scoring an escape, takedown and two nearfall points to go up 7-0. Dennis escaped and scored a takedown of his own, but Ness escaped and added a riding time point for the 9-3 win. The Hawkeye senior is now 18-3 this season. Metcalf was going for his third-straight 149-pound Big Ten title, but Ohio State's Lance Palmer spoiled the effort with a 9-3 victory in the finals. Metcalf led 3-1 after the first two periods, but Palmer had 1:33 in riding time going into the third. Palmer chose down to start the third period, and was awarded a penalty point after Metcalf was called for locked hands during a scramble. Metcalf held on to get the riding time under one minute, but Palmer escaped to tie the score at 3-3. The pair scrambled after an offensive flurry and Palmer came out on top, scoring a takedown and three nearfall points. Palmer held on to get the riding time point back and win his first Big Ten title. The Buckeye handed Metcalf (31-1) his first loss of the season while scoring his first win over Metcalf in five attempts. Keddy placed second for the second-straight year, losing a 5-2 decision to top seed John Dergo of Illinois in the finals. The Hawkeye senior put the first points on the board with an escape to start the second period. Dergo followed with a takedown, but Keddy quickly escaped to tie the score at 2-2. Dergo started the third period in the down position and escaped to grab a 3-2 lead. Keddy had several offensive attempts, and Dergo capitalized on the last one, scoring a takedown for the 5-2 win. The Hawkeyes had some key matches early in Sunday's consolation round to ensure 10 national qualifiers. The NCAA only allocated four automatic qualifiers at 141 and 157 pounds, which meant Marion and Kerr needed to with their first round matches to earn a trip to the NCAA meet. Morningstar's 165-pound class allowed for five qualifiers, meaning that he needed to win at least one match to make the national trip, and the 197-pound class took seven qualifiers so Beatty was guaranteed a spot regardless of his finish. Marion was the only Hawkeye to win two matches on the day, posting an 11-6 decision over Wisconsin's Cole Schmitt in the consolation semifinals and a 5-2 win over Purdue's Juan Archuleta in the third-place match. Against Schmitt, Marion led 4-2 at the start of the third period, but the Badger escaped and scored a takedown to take a 5-4 lead. Marion reversed Schmitt to take a 6-5 lead with 42 seconds remaining. Schmitt escaped to tie the score at 6-6 and had 1:06 of riding time banked, but Marion's takedown with 12 seconds left and three additional nearfall points as time expired gave him the 11-6 win. Kerr scored a 5-3 win over Michigan's David Johnson in the consolation semifinals, but lost a 6-4 decision in overtime to Michigan State's Anthony Jones to place fourth. Morningstar held off a late charge from Indiana's Paul Young to win 4-3 in the consolation semifinals. He was tied 2-2 with Penn State's Dan Vallimont in the third-place bout, but was injured going out of bounds and was forced to default the match and take fourth place. Beatty, in his first competition since December due to injury, posted medical forfeits in each of his consolation matches to place sixth. IOWA EARNS THIRD STRAIGHT BIG TEN TITLE The Hawkeyes earned their third straight Big Ten regular season title Feb. 21 when they defeated Wisconsin, 31-6, in Madison, WI, going undefeated (23-0, 8-0 Big Ten) in dual competition for the 2009-10 season. It marked the second straight season the Hawkeyes posted an undefeated record. The team ended the regular season on a school-record 61-match winning streak. The Hawkeyes have now posted 13 undefeated and untied seasons in school history. IOWA WINNING STREAKS The Hawkeyes have won 61 straight dual matches, which is a school record. The current streak started with a win over Cornell (32-3) on Jan. 12, 2008, which was the first match after Iowa lost to Oklahoma State (19-14) on Jan. 5. That 61-match winning streak ranks fourth-best in NCAA wrestling history behind three Oklahoma State streaks. The Cowboys won 76 straight duals from 1937-51, and had two 69-match streaks (1921-32 and 1996-99). The Hawkeyes have also won 41 consecutive duals on the road, which is also a school record. That streak started with a 20-13 win at Iowa State on Dec. 9, 2007. Iowa has also won its last 25 duals at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. That streak, which ranks fourth-best in school history, started with a 27-13 win over Penn State on Jan. 20, 2008, which was also the first home match after the loss to the Cowboys. The school record is 55 (1/9/1977-12/18/1983). Against Big Ten opponents, the Hawkeyes have won their last 27 duals, including the last 12 at home and 15 on the road. The 27 duals rank second in school history, while the 12 home duals rank third and the 15 road duals rank fourth. Iowa's school record for consecutive Big Ten wins is 98 (12/13/1975-1/28/1989), while the records for Big Ten home wins is 63 (1/17/1975-1/3/1998) and road wins is 54 (1/19/1974-1/28/1989). SENIOR LEADERSHIP Iowa's 11 seniors - Chad Beatty, Jay Borschel, Daniel Dennis, Dan Erekson, Michael Fahrer, Phillip Keddy, Dan LeClere, Rick Loera, Brent Metcalf, Ryan Morningstar, Joe Slaton - bring a wealth of talent and experience to the mat. The group has a combined career record of 669-221, going 413-116 in duals, 137-51 in Big Ten duals and 156-39 in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The group has scored 1,687 team points in dual competition and has started a combined 532 dual matches. Iowa's seniors have won one NCAA individual title, five Big Ten individual titles, nine all-America honors and qualified for the NCAA Championships 21 times. HAWKEYES SET SHUTOUT RECORD Iowa's 49-0 shutout of Northwestern on Feb. 12 was its eighth of the season, which is a school record. The previous record of five was set during the 1980-81, 1989-90, 1990-91 and 2008-09 seasons. Iowa blanked Cornell College (57-0), Iowa Lakes (52-0), North Carolina Pembroke (47-0), Southern Illinois Edwardsville (51-0), Michigan (36-0), Michigan State (37-0), Utah Valley (38-0) and Northwestern (49-0) this season. UNDEFEATED AT HOME The 2009-10 Hawkeyes added another school record to their list of accomplishments with a 32-3 victory over #3 Ohio State on Feb. 19. The win gave Iowa a perfect 11-0 season record at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, which bested the previous record of 10 home wins in a season set in 1986. The Hawkeyes have posted 18 undefeated seasons at Carver-Hawkeye since moving into the facility in 1983. Iowa has a 179-18 (.909) record in the arena, which seats 15,500. The dual wrestling attendance record for Carver-Hawkeye Arena is 15,955, set when Iowa defeated Iowa State (20-15) on December 6, 2008. BORSCHEL, EREKSON ENTER NCAA TOURNAMENT UNDEFEATED Hawkeye seniors Jay Borschel (174) and Dan Erekson (Hwt.) enter their final NCAA tournament with undefeated season records. Borschel is 32-0, posting a 23-0 record in dual competition, while Erekson is 12-0, going 8-0 in dual matches. Two Hawkeyes - redshirt freshman Matt McDonough (125) and senior Brent Metcalf (149) - each have one loss. McDonough is 32-1, while Metcalf is 31-1. Both lost their first bout of the season in the 2010 Big Ten Championship finals. TRIO GOES OVER CENTURY POINT TOTAL For the first time since the 2000-01 season, more than one Iowa wrestler has scored over 100 team points in dual competition. Hawkeye seniors Brent Metcalf and Jay Borschel, and redshirt freshman Matt McDonough scored 123, 105 and 104 team points in duals, respectively. Metcalf scored 100 or more dual team points in each of his seasons at Iowa, scoring 100 in 2007-08 and 123 in 2008-09. Former Hawkeye Eric Juergens (108) and current Hawkeye Assistant Coach Doug Schwab (104) were the last wrestlers to score over 100 team points in the same season. METCALF MOVES UP ON CAREER PINS LIST Hawkeye senior 149-pounder Brent Metcalf ranks seventh on Iowa's all-time career pins list with 47 falls. Former Hawkeye Ed Banach (1980-83) holds the record with 73. Iowa Assistant Coach Terry Brands ranks sixth with 48 (1988-92). Metcalf is the only Hawkeye to crack the career list with only three seasons of competition. He has pinned 45 percent (44 pins in 106 matches) of his opponents at Iowa. The top-ranked Hawkeye has 16 pins this season with a 31-1 record. METCALF, MORNINGSTAR SNARE 100TH CAREER VICTORIES Seniors Brent Metcalf and Ryan Morningstar have each posted their 100th collegiate career victories this season. Metcalf recorded his 100th career victory Feb. 19 with a 3-1 decision over Lance Palmer of Ohio State. He started 69 duals at Iowa, has a career record of 103-3 and a season record of 31-1. Morningstar recorded his 100th career win Feb. 6 with a 3-1 victory over Utah Valley's Jeb Clark. The Lisbon, IA, native is 26-6 this season, starting 86 duals for the Hawkeyes and has a career record of 106-38. Hawkeye senior Phillip Keddy (99-39) is also closing in on his 100th career victory. IOWA WRESTLING HISTORY Iowa's overall dual meet record is 877-215-30 (.795) in 100 seasons. The Hawkeyes have won 22 national titles and 34 Big Ten titles. Iowa's 49 NCAA champions have won a total of 57 NCAA individual titles, crowning six three-time and 14 two-time champions. The Hawkeyes' 102 Big Ten champions have won a total of 186 conference titles. There have been seven four-time, 18 three-time and 27 two-time Iowa winners. Iowa's 138 all-Americans have earned all-America status 278 times, including 17 four-time, 27 three-time and 35 two-time honorees. BIG TEN WRESTLERS OF THE WEEK Each week during the regular season, the Big Ten awards a conference wrestler of the honor to the Big Ten's best individual competitor for that week. Five Hawkeyes earned the honor during the 2009-10 season, including three in consecutive weeks. The five honorees ties Iowa's school record set during the 2002-03 and 2007-08 seasons. Minnesota posted six honorees in 2005-06, which is the Big Ten record. It was the first time, since the conference started awarding the weekly honor during the 2001-02 season, that wrestlers from the same team earned the honor in three consecutive weeks. Senior Brent Metcalf earned the honor twice in 2009-10, becoming Iowa's first season honoree on Jan. 5 and collecting the season's last honor on Feb. 23. The Davison, MI, native was one of two Big Ten wrestlers to earn the honor twice in 2009-10, as Ohio State's Lance Palmer (Jan. 26, Feb. 16) and Penn State's Cyler Sanderson (Nov. 17, Dec. 22) each collected the honor twice this season. Metcalf totaled five Big Ten Wrestler of the Week awards during his Hawkeye career, and is one of only three wrestlers in Big Ten history to do so. Minnesota's Ryan Lewis (2001-03), Michigan State's Nick Simmons (2004-07) and Northwestern's Jake Herbert (2004-09) are the other three. Metcalf earned his first honor of the season after winning his third straight title at the annual Midlands Championships in Evanston, IL. He was named the Dan Gable Most Outstanding Wrestler for the tournament, and took home the Individual High Scorer Award for racking up 32.5 team points. Iowa won its 21st overall and third straight Midlands title with 168.5 points. Metcalf pinned three Midlands opponents, and recorded a technical fall and major decision before beating #2 Kyle Ruschell of Wisconsin, 9-2, in the finals. He picked up his second season award for helping the Hawkeyes finish out the 2009-10 season undefeated (23-0) for the second-straight season and pick up their third-straight Big Ten regular season title with wins over #3 Ohio State (32-3) and #14 Wisconsin (31-6). The wins helped Iowa extend its school-record winning streak to 61 matches. Metcalf scored a 3-1 victory over #2 Lance Palmer of Ohio State in Iowa City, recording his 100th career victory and going undefeated (25-0) at Carver-Hawkeye Arena during his collegiate career. The Hawkeye senior received a forfeit in the dual at Wisconsin to stay undefeated at 29-0 and post a perfect 8-0 record in Big Ten dual competition. Senior Jay Borschel (174) picked up his first career honor Jan. 12 after being named Division I Outstanding Wrestler at the 2010 NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals in Cedar Falls, IA. Borschel, who went 4-0 at the two-day tournament, helped the Hawkeyes win their third-straight and sixth overall National Duals tournament team title. Iowa joins Oklahoma State (2003-05) as the only schools to win three consecutive team titles in the tournament's 22-year history. He is only the second Hawkeye to earn the Division I Outstanding wrestler honor. Metcalf earned the award in 2008. Borschel opened the tournament with a 10-7 win over #3 Stephen Dwyer of Nebraska and a 8-2 decision over #16 Nate Lee of Boise State. He posted one of Iowa's two major decisions in the championship semifinals over #13 Scott Glasser of Minnesota (11-3). He then scored the only team bonus points in Iowa's finals match with #2 Iowa State, beating #14 Duke Burk, 10-2. Sophomore Montell Marion (141) earned his first career honor Jan. 19 after scoring Iowa's biggest upset in its 19-16 victory over the Cowboys. Marion, who was ranked #11 by Intermat at match time, blanked fifth-ranked sophomore Jamal Parks, 4-0. After a scoreless first period, Marion scored an escape and takedown and added a riding time point for the victory. Marion accumulated 3:16 of riding time during the match. A crowd of 10,967 was on hand at to see Iowa Oklahoma State for the first time, in Carver-Hawkeye Arena, since December 4, 2000. Both teams won five bouts in the dual, but Marion's upset and Iowa's bonus-point wins at 125, 149 and 174 made the difference in the final team score. Senior Daniel Dennis (133) picked up his second career honor Feb. 2 after upsetting top-ranked Franklin Gomez of Michigan State, 3-2 in the first tiebreak period, and scoring a 17-7 major decision over Penn State's Bryan Pearsall. Gomez, a senior who is the defending NCAA and Big Ten champion, entered the dual on a 29-match winning streak. Dennis was the last collegiate wrestler to beat Gomez, scoring a 3-2 decision at the dual in East Lansing last season, earning him his first Big Ten Wrestler of the Week honor. After a scoreless first period, Gomez scored a quick escape in the second to take a 1-0 lead. Dennis started down in the third period and scored a reversal to take a 2-1 lead. Gomez escaped with 13 seconds left in regulation to tie the score at 2-2. Dennis had only accumulated 59 seconds of riding time when Gomez escaped, so the match went to overtime. Neither wrestler scored in the one minute sudden victory period. Dennis started down in the first 30-second tiebreak period, escaping with 16 seconds left to take a 3-2 lead. Gomez needed an escape in the second 30-second tiebreak to force the match to a second sudden victory period, but Dennis rode him out to hold on for the 3-2 win. Iowa's 37-0 shut out of Michigan State was the sixth for the Hawkeyes this season, which sets a new school record. The previous record of five was set during the 1980-81, 1989-90, 1990-91 and 2008-09 seasons. Following are the 2009-10 Big Ten Wrestlers of the Week: Date - Wrestler (Wt., School) 11/10 - Colton Salazar (157, Purdue) 11/17 - Cyler Sanderson (157, Penn State) 11/24 - Reece Humphrey (141, Ohio State), Brad Pataky (125, Penn State) 12/1 - Paul Young (165, Indiana) 12/8 - Angel Escobedo (125, Indiana) 12/15 - Ben Berhow (Hwt., Minnesota) 12/22 - Cyler Sanderson (157, Penn State) 1/5 - Brent Metcalf (149, Iowa) 1/12 - Jay Borschel (174, Iowa) 1/19 - Montell Marion (141, Iowa) 1/26 - David Cheza (149, Michigan State), Lance Palmer (149, Ohio State) 2/2 - Daniel Dennis (133, Iowa) 2/9 - Trevor Brandvold (197, Wisconsin) 2/16 - Lance Palmer (149, Ohio State) 2/23 - Brent Metcalf (149, Iowa) WRESTLING SUMMER CAMPS For dates and more information about 2010 Iowa Wrestling Summer camps visit www.iowawrestlingcamps.com. CHAMPIONSHIP EXPERIENCE The Hawkeye wrestling staff of Tom Brands, Terry Brands, Doug Schwab, Mike Zadick and Danny Song earned a total of one Olympic gold medal, one Olympic bronze medal, six NCAA titles, 10 conference titles and 13 all-America honors. ALL IN THE FAMILY On the 2009-10 Hawkeye wrestling team, there is one set of brothers, three wrestlers whose fathers wrestled at Iowa and two uncle-nephew combinations. Junior Matt Ballweg (157) and redshirt freshman Mark Ballweg (133/141) are brothers who hail from Waverly, IA. Senior Rick Loera (197), redshirt freshman Matt McDonough (125/133) and true freshman Nick Trizzino all had fathers who wrestled for the Hawkeyes. George Loera (1975-76) and Mike McDonough (1974-76) wrestled on the same team, while Mark Trizzino was an all-American (1984) and four-year letterwinner (1981-84) for the Hawkeyes. Junior Luke Lofthouse (197) is the uncle of Hawkeye true freshman Ethen Lofthouse (174). Nick Trizzino's uncle, Scott Trizzino, was also a three-time all-American (1978-79-81) and four-time letterwinner (1977-79, 1981) for the Hawkeyes. There have been 11 sets of brothers to wrestle together in the Hawkeye lineup since the 1950s. They are Don and Tom Huff (1961), Mark and Scott Trizzino (1981), Lenny, Larry and Jim Zalesky (1981-82), Ed and Lou Banach (1981-83), Marty and Lindley Kistler (1984-85), Jim and John Heffernan (1987), Tom and Terry Brands (1989-92), Troy and Terry Steiner (1991-93), Ryan and Randy Fulsaas (2001) and Luke and Ty Eustice (2003-04). There have also been five sets of twins to wrestle at Iowa. They are Ed and Lou Banach, Tom and Terry Brands, Ben and Brett Stedman, Troy and Terry Steiner, and Randy and Ryan Fulsaas. BIG TEN/BIG 12 FREESTYLE CHALLENGE SET FOR OMAHA In a cooperative effort, USA Wrestling and the NCAA will present an exhibition men's freestyle wrestling dual meet as part of the NCAA Fan Festival which is held alongside the 2010 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in Omaha, NE. The event is called the Big Ten vs. Big 12 Challenge and will feature wrestlers who competed for universities in these prestigious conferences as undergraduates. The competitors are now pursuing their Olympic dreams in men's freestyle wrestling. It will be held at Exhibit Hall C of the Qwest Center Omaha on Friday from 1:45 p.m.- 2:30 p.m. Central, as part of the annual NCAA Fan Festival. The dual meet will be held on the mats where USA Wrestling's Team USA will hold their popular public workouts between sessions of the NCAA Championships each day. Admission to the Fan Festival is free. For the Big Ten vs. Big 12 Challenge, there will be close to 1,000 seats and many more standing room only viewing opportunities provided matside on a first-come, first-serve basis. In addition, as many as 1,000 fans will be able to watch the dual meet on two large projection screens flanking the main stage within the Fan Festival. For those who cannot attend the NCAA Division I Championships in person, the Big Ten vs. Big 12 Challenge will be webcast live on NCAA.com/wrestling and available through TheMat.com, with USA Wrestling's Jason Bryant calling the action. The rules for the Big Ten vs. Big 12 Challenge have been modified. Instead of having individual match winners, there will be a cumulative point total for each conference. Team scores will be based upon adding up the technical points scored in each match by the athletes. At the end of the dual meet, the points will be tallied up, and the winning conference team will be announced. Another rule modification is that each match will consist of two, two-minute periods. There will not be any third periods contested, which is possible in an international freestyle match. Following are the tentative lineups: TENTATIVE BIG TEN VS. BIG 12 CHALLENGE LINEUPS (Big Ten athlete/school vs. Big 12 athlete/school) 55 kg/121 lbs. - Nick Simmons (Michigan State) vs. Obe Blanc (Oklahoma State) 60 kg/132 lbs. - Jimmy Kennedy (Illinois) vs. Coleman Scott (Oklahoma State) 66 kg/145.5 lbs. - Andy Simmons (Michigan State) vs. Jared Frayer (Oklahoma) 74 kg/163 lbs. - Mike Poeta (Illinois) vs. Trent Paulson (Iowa State) 84 kg/185 lbs. - Jake Herbert (Northwestern) vs. Chris Pendleton (Oklahoma State) 96 kg/211.5 lbs. - Andy Hrovat (Michigan) vs. David Bertolino (Iowa State) 120 kg/264.5 lbs. - Aaron Anspach (Penn State) vs. Steve Mocco (Oklahoma State) Exhibition bouts 96 kg/211.5 lbs. - J.D. Bergman (Ohio State) vs. Kyle Cerminara (Buffalo) 120 kg/264.5 lbs. - Tervel Dlagnev (UN-Kearney) vs. Blake Gillis (Wartburg) Big 10 Coach: Mark Johnson (Illinois) Big 12 Coach: Bobby Douglas (Iowa State) This year's NCAA Fan Festival will feature wrestling exhibit booths, displays, memorabilia, interactive games, souvenirs, food and beverage sales, and a number of other featured events. In addition to the Big Ten vs. Big 12 Challenge, the lineup Friday includes a USA Wrestling autograph session at 3:15 p.m. and the annual Semifinals Preview Show featuring Nate Carr, Scott Casber and Wade Schalles at 4 p.m. Central. For more information on the NCAA Fan Festival at the 2010 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in Omaha, Nebraska, visit: NCAA.com/wrestling. NCAA FUTURE SITES & DATES Following are the future sites, dates and hosts for the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. 2011: March 17-19 - Philadelphia, PA - Wachovia Center Hosts: Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, Rider University 2012: March 15-17 - St. Louis, MO - Scottrade Center Hosts: University of Missouri, St. Louis Sports Commission

Title Time The Gophers are set to return to the NCAA championships. Minnesota will send wrestlers in nine of 10 weight classes to the National Tournament, one of just seven schools to send at least nine competitors. Ben Berhow, Scott Glasser, Mario Mason, Jayson Ness, Zach Sanders, Dustin Schlatter, Mike Thorn and Cody and Sonny Yohn will all take the mat this weekend. The NCAA Tournament will run from Mar. 18-20 in the Qwest Center in Omaha, Neb., starting with session one at 11:00 a.m. The Records The Gophers finished the 2009-2010 season with a 12-5 overall record and a 7-1 mark in Big Ten duals. The Gophers lone Big Ten loss was to unbeaten Iowa, while all five of their losses came to the teams ranked 1-4 in the national polls. 2009-10 marked the Gophers third season of at least seven wins in the last five years. The Series The Gophers have had quite the run of success at the NCAA Tournament. Minnesota won National Titles in 2001, 2002 and 2007 and finished as national runner-up in 1998, 1999, 2003 and 2006. The Gophers have placed in the top-10 at the NCAA Tournament 31 times. Last season marked Minnesota's first finish outside the top-10 since 1996. Last Match-Up Last season at the NCAA Tournament Minnesota finished in a tie for 14th place with Central Michigan. Each team finished with 35.0 points12.5 points outside the top-10. The Gophers boasted three All-Americans last season, led by Jayson Ness who finished in third place at 133. In his first NCAA Tournament, freshman Zach Sanders placed sixth at 125, and senior Tyler Safratowich ended his career with his first All-America certificate, placing eighth at 157. Mike Thorn at 141 and Ben Berhow at heavyweight also qualified last season, but did not place. Follow Along ESPN, ESPNU and ESPN360 will be broadcasting the NCAA Championships, starting with the quarterfinals on Saturday Mar. 19 and continuing through the championships Mar. 20. Also fans can log on to NCAA.com and GopherSports.com all weekend for updates from the tournament. Scores, results and updated brackets will be posted as they become available. Last Time Out At the Big Ten Tournament Mar. 6-7, the Gophers earned a second place finished with 119.5 points, finishing behind first place Iowa with 156.5. Jayson Ness at 133 and Mike Thorn at 141 each won Big Ten Championships while Scott Glasser at 174 and Sonny Yohn at 197 finished in second place. Zach Sanders at 125 and Ben Berhow at HWT placed third while Mario Mason at 149 finished in fifth. The final Gopher to place was Cody Yohn in sixth at 165. Next Up As the Gophers wrap up the 2009-10 season and look ahead to 2010-11, they will have to say goodbye to four seniors. Matt Everson, Nate Matousek, Jayson Ness and Dustin Schlatter all conclude their careers this spring. Scouting The NCAA Championships - Weekend Schedule Thursday, Mar. 18 Session I - Qwest Center Omaha 11:00 a.m. Session II - Qwest Center Omaha 6:30 p.m. Friday, March 19 Session III - Qwest Center Omaha 9:30 a.m. Session IV - Qwest Center Omaha 6:00 p.m. Saturday, March 20 Session V - Qwest Center Omaha 10:00 a.m. Session VI - Qwest Center Omaha 6:30 p.m. - Jayson Ness and Dustin Schlatter are making their third NCAA Tournament appearance - Ben Berhow is making his third appearance - Zach Sanders and Mike Thorn are making their second appearance - Scott Glasser, Mario Mason, Cody Yohn and Sonny Yohn are all going to the NCAA Tournament for the first time - Minnesota won National titles in 2001, '02 & '07 - Iowa, Iowa State, Oklahoma State and Central Michigan all Qualified 10 wrestlers - Ohio State and Oklahoma join Minnesota with nine qualifiers - From 1997 to 2007 Minnesota finsihed in the top-three at the NCAA Championships nine times, the most in the country during that span. - Iowa is a two-time defending national champion - Four National Champions return to defend their 2009 titles Get Score Updates on Your Phone Fans can get scoring updates from all of Golden Gopher athletics through the Twitter page @GopherScores. Just find and follow @GopherScores, then set up your phone or mobile device to receive the text updates. If you are not already on Twitter, you will need to create an account. Twitter Follow the Golden Gophers on Twitter. Just search @GopherWrestling on Twitter to follow all the news updates.

ARKADELPHIA, Ark. -- Kevin Ward, a four-year starter on Oklahoma State University’s NCAA Championship wrestling teams, has been named head coach of Ouachita Baptist University’s first-ever wrestling team. Ouachita’s NCAA Division II men’s wrestling team will begin its first season this fall. Noting that “we will be the first university in Arkansas to offer collegiate wrestling,” Ouachita President Rex Horne added, “I am excited that Kevin Ward has committed to be Ouachita's first wrestling coach. His background as a wrestler in a premier program, his desire to build a quality program and his readiness to recruit students will bring excitement to our university.” Citing Ouachita’s mission as a top-ranked liberal arts university with a strong Christian emphasis, Dr. Horne said, “I was encouraged to hear Kevin speak of his faith commitment and his appreciation for the mission and vision of Ouachita.” "We are excited about beginning a new tradition in Ouachita athletics with the addition of wrestling,” said Athletic Director David Sharp. “For high school wrestlers in the state who want to compete on the collegiate level, we will give them that opportunity. “I look forward to working with Coach Kevin Ward,” Sharp added. “I am impressed with the knowledge and enthusiasm he brings to our program." Ward, age 27, holds a bachelor of arts degree in sociology and a master of science degree in health and human performance and exercise science from Oklahoma State. He served as a graduate assistant wrestling coach at OSU in 2006-2007 and worked several summers as an OSU wrestling camp counselor. While wrestling at OSU, Ward was a two-time NCAA qualifier and 2005 Big XII champion. He was named a three-time Academic All-American by the National Wrestling Coaches Association and named three times to the 1st Team Academic All-Big XII. He also was named to the OSU President’s Honor Roll and Dean’s Honor Roll. In his new position at Ouachita, Ward said his goal is to “draw from a lifetime of experience in wrestling to develop student athletes to achieve high levels of success both academically and athletically.” “I’m really excited about the opportunity at Ouachita,” Ward added. “I think it’s fantastic that the school sees the potential in wrestling in Arkansas. I’m excited about the opportunity to build the program from scratch and build it into a successful, competitive program that can compete for national titles.” Reflecting on his wrestling experience at Oklahoma State, Ward said, “I’ve been around some of the best coaches and wrestlers in the world for six years as an athlete and graduate assistant coach. I’ve gained valuated experience seeing firsthand the type of athlete it takes to get a program to that level.” Affirming Ouachita’s Christian heritage and emphasis, Ward noted, “I have the same beliefs as the university and I’m going to recruit student-athletes with strong morals who can represent the school well. I believe the values and intangibles that athletes learn from wrestling such as commitment, discipline and sacrifice for the greater good of the team will fit in well to the university and community.” With the addition of both men’s wrestling and women’s golf this fall, the total number of Division II athletic teams at Ouachita will expand to 16. This marks the first time that Ouachita has expanded its athletic options since 2000 when the university joined the Gulf South Conference and added men’s soccer and women’s softball. Greg Hatcher, president of the Arkansas Wrestling Association, previously announced that the non-profit association will provide wrestling mats and uniforms to help Ouachita’s wrestling program get under way. The association also has donated wrestling mats to more than 40 Arkansas high schools to help launch their wrestling programs. Ouachita Baptist University, located in Arkadelphia, Ark., has been ranked the No. 1 Baccalaureate College in the South for three years in a row by U.S. News & World Report. With an enrollment of approximately 1,500 students from more than 30 states and 50 nations, Ouachita seeks to foster a love of God and a love of learning in a vibrant, Christ-centered learning community.

125: No. 1 Angel Escobedo (Indiana) over No. 3 Matt McDonough (Iowa) If the seeds hold up and first round upsets are avoided, Iowa super frosh Matt McDonough is going to wrestle defending champ Troy Nickerson in the semifinals. Insane shot defense, size and uncommon composure, McDonough presents a bad matchup for the oft-injured Nickerson. A win in the semifinals will put him up against Indiana's Angel Escobedo, a match McDonough could win, but it might be too soon. Expect a healthy Escobedo to secure a lopsided victory and his second NCAA title. 133: No. 1 Jayson Ness (Minnesota) over No. 2 Daniel Dennis (Iowa) Jordan Oliver should give top seed Jayson Ness trouble in their semifinal match. Quick, respectable on the mat, and under the tutelage of John Smith, it's conceivable that Oliver could find a way to best the undefeated Gopher, but it's highly unlikely. Besides, how do you not choose a guy who permanently mean-mugging the world? Ness takes the title. If Gomez comes ready to wrestle, he could make the finals, but Dennis has shown a knack for beating the defending champion. 141: No. 8 Alex Krom (Maryland) over No. 3 Mike Thorn (Minnesota) One of the most up-for-grab weight classes at the tournament features a twice-defeated freshman in Cornell's Kyle Dake and explosive Oklahoma State sophomore in Jamal Parks. While they've earned their seeds (one and two respectively) Dake might not be ready for the stress, and Parks is a bit streaky. Here comes the obnoxious, ACC-bias pick of the tournament: Maryland senior Alex Krom. Kerry McCoy has repeatedly shown the ability to peak his athletes for the NCAA tournament. And though Krom starts his tournament with Arizona State All-American Chris Drouin, he should steal Dake's seed, manage a match with Reece Humphrey (don't tie up) and turn his eight seed into a national championship. . 149: No. 1 Lance Palmer (Ohio State) over No. 2 Brent Metcalf (Iowa) Despite a tough Kyle Ruschell, there are only two wrestlers in title contention at 149: Ohio State's Lance Palmer and Iowa's Brent Metcalf. There was hype for their dual meet, insanity in their Big Ten finals, and now with the series knotted (this season), the two will have their rubber match for the NCAA title. If Palmer keeps Metcalf from earning an escape -- or earns a ride time point -- I don't think he can generate an extra takedown, especially if he's gun-shy from the hi-crotch that ended with a scramble, back points, and loss. 157: No. 3 Jesse Dong (Virginia Tech) over No. 4 Cyler Sanderson (Penn State) Here's the problem with Harvard senior J.P. O'Connor winning the NCAA title: too many stall calls. O'Connor can get away with his nasty parallel ride back East, clocking hours of ride time and the occasional set of back points. In Omaha, surrounded by 17k action-hungry fans, referees are more likely to call his ride a stall, forcing O'Connor back to his feet, and giving opponents like Steve Fittery and Cyler Sanderson a chance to work from their feet. Boise State's Adam Hall and Virginia Tech's Jesse Dong are the bottom-side semifinalists. Dong wins a somewhat lopsided finals match against Sanderson and earns Virginia Tech its first-ever NCAA champion. 165: No. 1 Andrew Howe (Wisconsin) over No. 3 Nick Marable (Missouri) With Missouri's Nick Marable beating 2009 NCAA champ Jarrod King in the semifinals, the NCAA finals will be a Big 12/Big Ten match-up with Andrew Howe of Wisconsin breezing past his competition to win his first title. Howe, who won their first meeting this year in a ride out, trains with Oklahoma grad Jared Frayer and former U.S. World Team member Donny Pritzlaff -- I just can't see Marable giving him the same amount of trouble the second time around. 174: No. 1 Mack Lewnes (Cornell) over No. 2 Jay Borschel (Iowa) Mack Lewnes is wrestling at a different level this season. He's won decisively in most of his bouts against top opponents, and even though he underperformed at the tournament last year, it probably served as a lesson coming into the 2010 tournament. Standing in his way is piano playing Jay Borschel, who has endeared himself to wrestling fans with an aggressive but balanced set of attacks. I think this will be the highlight match of the finals. 184: No. 1 Kirk Smith (Boise State) over No. 2 John Dergo (Illinois) Miller and Pucillo in the pigtail?! Despite that ridiculous draw, the finals are pretty easy to predict. Boise State's Kirk Smith is on a tear and Illini John Dergo -- a Chicago-land native and most athletic competitor in the tournament -- are headed to the finals. Their first match ended with an overtime takedown for Smith, but Dergo beat Keddy in the Big Ten finals and I think the Big Ten schedule has done well to prepare him for their rematch. 197: No. 1 Jake Varner (Iowa) over No. 2 Craig Brester (Nebraska) Craig Brester is talented and any other year he might be the NCAA Champion, but with Jake Varner in the bracket there is only one person who can, or will, win the title. 285: No. 4 Konrad Dudziak (Duke) over No. 6 Nathan Everhart (Indiana) Because of poor seeding, which makes almost no sense, there will be more upsets and interesting matchups at heavyweight than most any other weight class. In the Big Ten finals, Dan Erekson locked up a tight cradle on then-undefeated Nathan Everhart from Indiana. While I like what Pat DeGain has done getting Everhart to the podium, the tournament champion will be decided Friday Morning when Erekson meets Duke's Polish phenom Konrad Dudziak in the quarterfinals. If Dudziak stays out of the cradle he should earn a one-point win and face Everhart in the finals. He'd be Duke's first-ever NCAA champion.

125: No. 2 Troy Nickerson (Cornell) over No. 1 Angel Escobedo (Indiana) Nickerson stays healthy enough to make it two straight NCAA championships over his rival in this clash between veteran national title-holders. 133: No. 1 Jayson Ness (Minnesota) over No. 3 Franklin Gomez (Michigan State) Ness breaks through after last year's semifinal loss, downing Big Ten rival Gomez for first place. 141: No. 4 Reece Humphrey (Ohio State) over No. 2 Jamal Parks (Oklahoma State) In a deep weight class with few real standouts, go with the senior over the sophomore in the finals. 149: No. 2 Brett Metcalf (Iowa) over No. 4 Kyle Ruschell (Wisconsin) Inspired by his first loss of the season at Big Tens, Metcalf takes it out on the field, winning his second national title -- though closer than people expect. 157: No. 1 J.P. O'Connor (Harvard) over No. 2 Adam Hall (Boise State) O'Connor completes an undefeated season with a narrow victory over Hall, whom he needed overtime to beat earlier this season. 165: No. 3 Nick Marable (Missouri) over No. 1 Andrew Howe (Wisconsin) Marable avenges a tough OT loss at Midlands in late December by dealing Howe his first and only loss of the season. 174: No. 1 Mack Lewnes (Cornell) over No. 2 Jay Borschel (Iowa) Borschel has had quite a dominant year, but he gets run over by a Mack truck in Omaha. 184: No. 4 Mike Cannon (American) over No. 6 Max Askren (Missouri) Cannon seems to have hit his stride at 184 pounds and looked pretty dominant in winning EIWAs. Here’s guessing that carries over to Nationals. 197: No. 1 Jake Varner (Iowa State) over No. 3 Hudson Taylor (Maryland) Taylor upsets Brester to improve on his previous third-place Nationals finishes, but the No. 1 college wrestler at this weight -- if not in the country -- is clear. 285: No. 2 Jared Rosholt (Oklahoma State) over No. 4 Konrad Dudziek (Duke) Jared does the Rosholt family proud by bringing home another national title -- this one at heavyweight. Top Five Teams: 1. Iowa 2. Cornell 3. Iowa State 4. Oklahoma State 5. Ohio State

125: No. 2 Troy Nickerson (Cornell) over No. 1 Angel Escobedo (Indiana) The last two NCAA champions in this weight should do battle in this year's final match, as Nickerson caps off his career with back-to-back titles overcoming injury. However, the future of this weight is in the Cy-Hawk rivalry, as redshirt freshmen Andrew Long (Iowa State) and Matt McDonough (Iowa) both project to the semifinals. 133: No. 1 Jayson Ness (Minnesota) over No. 3 Franklin Gomez (Michigan State) Seeking that elusive title, the senior Ness will have to go through two of the nation's finest redshirt freshmen in Tyler Graff (Wisconsin) and Jordan Oliver (Oklahoma State) prior to a collision in the final with defending NCAA champion Franklin Gomez (Michigan State). 141: No. 4 Reece Humphrey (Ohio State) over No. 10 Tyler Nauman (Pittsburgh) The bracket in this weight is interesting with the best performing wrestler during the course of the year -- true freshman Kyle Dake (Cornell) -- and the highest returning placer, runner-up Humphrey -- paired in the top half of the draw. The bottom half of the draw is wide open, and I like Nauman to clear that half; remember that it was this wrestler who provided J Jaggers with his toughest challenge on the way to his second national title with an overtime match in the round of 16 last year. 149: No. 2 Brent Metcalf (Iowa) over No. 1 Lance Palmer (Ohio State) Even though Metcalf was knocked off by Palmer in the Big Ten final, it seems that the draw worked out to the detriment of Palmer -- even with the No. 1 seed. Palmer would be projected to having to defeat Kyle Ruschell (Wisconsin) in the semifinal, and Ruschell has served as a nemesis to Palmer in the past. Other than matches with Palmer, Metcalf has steamed through the competition in this weight class. 157: No. 6 Dustin Schlatter (Minnesota) over No. 1 J.P. O'Connor (Harvard) Even with the sixth seed, the fifth-year senior Schlatter does not seem to have that tough a path to the championship match, with all other returning All-Americans in the top half of the draw headed by the undefeated O'Connor. Schlatter is my pick to end his career with four All-American finishes bookended by NCAA titles. 165: No. 4 Jon Reader (Iowa State) over No. 10 Alex Meade (Oklahoma State) Want to know how tough this weight class is? Returning third-place finisher Ryan Morningstar (Iowa) is the seventh seed, with the supremely talented redshirt freshman Meade awaiting in the round of 16 as the 10th seed. Five other wrestlers could easily see themselves in the Saturday night final on the raised mat. 174: No. 1 Mack Lewnes (Cornell) over No. 2 Jay Borschel (Iowa) This weight class is arguably the most defined in determining its two top wrestlers. It has been truly impressive to observe as Lewnes and Borschel have overcome disappointing NCAA tournaments last year -- having finished third in 2008, but failing to All-American in 2009, with undefeated seasons in 2009-10. 184: No. 6 Max Askren (Missouri) over No. 1 Kirk Smith (Boise State) On the other hand, this weight has incredibly little definition on top, and tons of quality. Two testaments to this: (1) returning national runners-up Mike Pucillo (Ohio State), the 10th seed, and Mike Miller (Central Michigan) have been drawn to meet in the rat-tail match (2) Top seed, undefeated Kirk Smith (Boise State) would have to be considered on upset alert in the first round against Jerome Ward (Iowa State). However, when the day is done, I like the senior Askren to come through with an NCAA title to help make up for some unfulfilling NCAA tournaments past. 197: No. 1 Jake Varner (Iowa State) over No. 3 Hudson Taylor (Maryland) Despite not necessarily wrestling a fan-friendly style -- leading to message board nicknames like "Varnish," -- Jake Varner is about to culminate a truly superlative collegiate wrestling career. One with four finals appearances, two titles, and a 120-10 career record. Even more impressive is that he already has appeared in the World Championships, and is being predicted to close out his last three years at 91-3. Look for Taylor to make that step up from third place the last two years with a finals appearance in the bottom half of the draw. 285: No. 2 Jared Rosholt (Oklahoma State) over No. 5 Daniel Erekson (Iowa) In what is truly a wide open weight class, I like Rosholt to find some of his brother's mid-March magic and come through with a championship this weekend. Remember that it was Erekson's performance in consolations that allowed Iowa to sneak out with an NCAA title last year after the majority of their squad had underperformed. He was down late in his match to earn All-American, rallied to win that one and then came all the way back to take third place. Top Five Teams: 1. Iowa 2. Cornell 3. Minnesota 4. Iowa State 5. Oklahoma State

125: No. 1 Angel Escobedo (Indiana) over No. 2 Troy Nickerson (Cornell) Too much experience for both seniors to get beat in this bracket. I like McDonough, but I don’t see the freshman able to navigate the bracket. 133: No. 1 Jayson Ness (Minnesota) over No. 3 Franklin Gomez (Michigan State) Could be Dennis in the finals here, but I will take Gomez to get back to the finals. Ness has been great all season and doubles with his younger brother's (Dylan) state title with his own national title. 141: No. 2 Jamal Parks (Oklahoma State) over No. 4 Reece Humphrey (Ohio State) I like the sophomore to win the title match and Humphrey to pull an upset in the semis to set up the match up with Parks. 149: No. 2 Brent Metcalf (Iowa) over No. 1 Lance Palmer (Ohio State) These two have been on a collision course all season. I really hope they get to do it one more time. Despite Palmer’s win in the Big Ten championship, I like Metcalf to win the final match- up between these two stars. 157: No. 3 Jesse Dong (Virginia Tech) over No. 4 Cyler Sanderson (Penn State) The weight class seems to be wide open. I will take two guys to wrestle above their seeds with Dong coming out on top. 165: No. 1 Andrew Howe (Wisconsin) over No. 3 Nick Marable (Missouri) It is tough to pick against the undefeated Howe. Anything can happen in a tournament like this, but the Badger finishes the season without a loss. 174: No. 2 Jay Borschel (Iowa) over No. 1 Mack Lewnes (Cornell) You can’t ask for more than an undefeated final, I like the competition Borschel has faced this season. 184: No. 5 Clayton Foster (Oklahoma State) over No. 6 Max Askren (Missouri) Every year someone is going to surprise. I like Foster to get hot and be that guy this year. 197: No. 1 Jake Varner (Iowa State) over No. 2 Craig Brester (Nebraska) Experience is the biggest reason for me going with the chalk here. Varner beats his conference rival. 285: No. 2 Jared Rosholt (Oklahoma State) over No. 1 David Zabriskie (Iowa State) I am going with Rosholt again this year. I like the top two seeds to get through the bracket and prove they are the two best. Top Five Teams: 1. Iowa 2. Oklahoma State 3. Ohio State 4. Minnesota 5. Cornell

125: No. 1 Angel Escobedo (Indiana) over No. 3 Matt McDonough (Iowa) This weight class has been taken by storm by one well-known veteran (Escobedo), and one up-and-comer (McDonough). They will meet in the finals, with the cagey veteran winning it all. Sadly, the great Troy Nickerson will be watching the finals nursing that shoulder and asking himself “What if?" 133: No. 1 Jayson Ness (Minnesota) over No. 3 Franklin Gomez (Michigan State) Ness is one of those wrestlers who, no team allegiances in play, nearly everyone cheers for. He's exciting, strong, and a pinner. Gomez, while extremely game, simply won't be able to match Ness in the finals after squeaking by Dennis in the semis. 141: No. 4 Reece Humphrey (Ohio State) over No. 3 Mike Thorn (Minnesota) This is perhaps the most wide-open weight class of the tournament, with no clear favorite. Humphrey is wonderfully talented, though, and will win the title over an in-form Thorn. 149: No. 2 Brent Metcalf (Iowa) over No. 1 Lance Palmer (Ohio State) There's just no way that Metcalf loses, barring injury, in his last NCAA tournament appearance. This should be a finals for the ages, however, with Palmer giving Metcalf all he can handle. 157: No. 1 J.P. O'Connor (Harvard) over No. 7 Chase Pami (Cal Poly) O'Connor has been the class of the weight thus far this year, and this tournament will be no different. Pami will be one of those surprise seniors that no one really expects to get to the finals; however, he will fall short. The x-factor at this weight is, of course, Dustin Schlatter: He would be a favorite to make the finals if his health holds up -- no guarantee, of course, as he's already missed the Big Tens. 165: No. 1 Andrew Howe (Wisconsin) over No. 3 Nick Marable (Missouri) The senior, Marable, will have given a great showing at the tourney by knocking off Jarrod King in the semis. However, Howe is an unstoppable force, it seems, this year. Sentimentality says Marable or King, brain says Howe. 174: No. 1 Mack Lewnes (Cornell) over No. 2 Jay Borschel (Iowa) Lewnes rebounds from his inexplicable showing at last year's tournament to take the title in 2010. This battle of unbeatens will come down to the wire: Low-scoring and very tactical. 184: No. 12 David Craig (Lehigh) over No. 6 Max Askren (Missouri) Remember David Craig? He was the No. 1 recruit just a few years ago, a "can't miss" who had seemed to miss. A guy who indicated that wrestling was simply a way for him to attain a good education. His potential is finally fulfilled, as he wrestles the tournament of his life, knocking off Askren in the finals. 197: No. 1 Jake Varner (Iowa State) over No. 3 Hudson Taylor (Maryland) Varner caps off his magnificent career with a low-scoring, but controlled, win over Taylor. The match of this weight might just be the semifinal between Taylor and Brester, two tough seniors hoping to make the finals. That would be one to watch. 285: No. 4 Konrad Dudziak (Duke) over No. 6 Nathan Everhart (Indiana) The big boys butt heads in a methodical, grueling match with Dudziak coming out on top. Everhart will be a deserving finalist, having navigated through such names as Monteiro, Rey, and Rosholt; however, Dudziak will have enough in his tank after his showdown with Zabriskie to take the title. Top Five Teams: 1. Iowa 2. Minnesota 3. Iowa State 4. Wisconsin 5. Oklahoma State

125: No. 2 Troy Nickerson (Cornell) over No. 1 Angel Escobedo (Indiana) Nickerson has been there, done that. He’ll gut it out to finish his college career on top. 133: No. 3 Franklin Gomez (Michigan State) over No. 1 Jayson Ness (Minnesota) Gomez avenges two previous losses this season to Dennis in the semis and takes out the No. 1 seed Ness in the finals. 141: No. 6 Montell Marion (Iowa) over No. 4 Reece Humphrey (Ohio State) Hawkeye gets hot and rolls through NCAA tourney as No. 6 seed. 149: No. 2 Brent Metcalf (Iowa) over No. 1 Lance Palmer (Ohio State) Metcalf breaks Palmer and gets a major in the finals. 157: No. 1 J.P. O'Connor (Harvard) over No. 6 Dustin Schlatter (Minnesota) Schlatter shows heart with a gutsy performance to make it to the finals, but can’t top O'Connor in his first bid to win a national title. 165: No. 1 Andrew Howe (Wisconsin) over No. 6 Dan Vallimont (Penn State) Sophomore sensation stops Vallimont's bid to regain 2008 form. 174: No. 1 Mack Lewnes (Cornell) over No. 2 Jay Borschel (Iowa) Lewnes makes up for disappointing 2009 performance and wins the battle of undefeated wrestlers. 184: No. 1 Kirk Smith (Boise State) over No. 2 John Dergo (Illinois) Smith escapes early round upsets to Keddy and Cannon before knocking off Big Ten champ Dergo in the finals. 197: No. 1 Jake Varner (Iowa State) over No. 2 Craig Brester (Nebraska) Varner dominates defensively in a snooze fest. 285: No. 3 Zach Rey (Lehigh) over No. 1 David Zabriskie (Iowa State) Rey is a wrestling sponge that has been the benefactor of tremendous coaching throughout his high school and young college career. The result in this case will be his first NCAA championship. Top Five Teams: 1. Iowa 2. Cornell 3. Ohio State 4. Minnesota 5. Iowa State