InterMat Staff

SALEM, Va. -- The sixth-ranked Virginia Tech wrestling team rolled to a 34-7 victory over Liberty University Thursday night at Andrew Lewis Middle School as it wrapped up the regular season with 20-4 mark in dual meets and snapped Liberty's seven-ma! tch winning streak. The 20 wins tied the school record set by the 2008-09 squad. The match started at 125 pounds with 14th-ranked Jarrod Garnett picking up a 13-5 major decision over Justin Branham. Garnett got two first-period takedowns and two more in the second period to take an 8-3 lead. He quickly reversed Branham early in the third stanza and got a late takedown to secure the four team points. At 133 pounds, Liberty's T.J. Mitchell got an early takedown on No. 10 Devin Carter, but Carter battled back with three takedowns and a three-point nearfall to take a 10-4 lead after one period and stretched his lead to 15-5 after two periods. The freshman went on to pick up yet another major decision, winning 15-6 to improve to 30-5 on the season. Zach Neibert continued his impressive season at 141 pounds, pinning Joe Montgomery in the first period. Neibert got two takedowns, and on the second, he locked a cradle in and put Montgomery on his back, sticking him at the 1:59 mark to pick up his 22nd victory of the season. At 149 pounds, Tech's Cameron Hurd took to the mat in front of a large contingent of friends and family and downed Peter Crawford, 12-5. The Roanoke native and Liberty transfer got a takedown in the period and then picked up three points for a nearfall. He led 6-2 after a period and both wrestlers got a takedown in the second period. Hurd got a takedown off an exciting scramble with a minute left to ice his 21st win of the season. Moving to 157 pounds, fifth-ranked Jesse Dong kept things rolling for the Hokies as he downed Julian Colon, 17-3. Dong got two takedowns and a nearfall in the first period to take a 6-1 lead and used a takedown and three more points for a nearfall in the second period to take a 12-1 lead. He picked up two takedowns in the third period to pick up the major decision, giving Tech a 21-0 lead at the halfway point. At 165 pounds, Liberty's unranked Chad Porter grabbed an early 5-3 lead on No. 14 Pete Yates with a pair of takedowns, and stretched his lead to 8-5 heading to the final stanza. Porter owned the third period, getting an escape, two takedowns and a point for riding time to pick up a big 15-7 major decision. Matt Epperly picked up an impressive pin of Eli Sanchez to get the momentum back on the Hokies' side at 174 pounds. Epperly used a headlock throw to take down Sanchez right to his back and locked it in tight, picking up the first-period pin at the 1:23 mark. At 184 pounds, Aaron Kelley of Liberty used a takedown and nearfall points at the buzzer to grab a 6-1 lead after one period over Tech's John Dickson. Dickson battled back in the second period with a takedown and reversal to cut it to a 9-6 deficit heading to the final period. But Kelley squirmed out a standing cradle and worked the takedown for himself to secure the 13-6 win. Tech's Chris Penny earned three takedowns in the first period to take a 6-2 lead after period over Aaron Thompson at 197 pounds. Penny got another takedown in the second period, but Thompson cut into the lead with a takedown in the third period. But Penny recorded a takedown with 10 seconds left to pick up the 13-5 major decision and win his fourth match in a row heading to postseason. The bout finished at heavyweight with Tech's David Marone downed Josh Pelletier, 7-3. Marone worked for a takedown late in the first period to grab a 2-0 lead and then escaped early in the second stanza. Marone got in on Pelletier's ankle and pulled it in for another takedown late in the second period to take a 5-1 lead into the final period. There, Marone got another takedown and held off several late charges from Pelletier for the win. The win was a big one for Marone as he moved to 18-7, making him eligible to qualify in the winning percentage portion in the NCAA's qualify process. The Hokies will now have two weeks off before heading to Charlottesville for the ACC Championships, held Saturday, March 5 at the John Paul Jones Arena on the campus of UVa. Results: 125: #14 Jarrod Garnett (VT) maj. dec. Justin Branham, 13-5 133: #10 Devin Carter (VT) maj. dec. T.J. Mitchell, 15-6 141: Zach Neibert (VT) fall Joe Montgomery, 1:59 149: Cameron Hurd (VT) dec. Peter Crawford, 12-5 157: #5 Jesse Dong (VT) maj. dec. Julian Colon, 17-3 165: Chad Porter (LU) maj. dec. #14 Pete Yates, 15-7 174: Matt Epperly (VT) fall Eli Sanchez, 1:23 184: Aaron Kelley (LU) dec. John Dickson, 13-6 197: Chris Penny (VT) maj. dec. Aaron Thompson, 13-5 285: David Marone (VT) dec. Josh Pelletier, 7-3

PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- Down 6-0 after two bouts and 9-6 halfway through the 10th-ranked Lehigh wrestling team won the final five bouts to knock off No. 7 Rutgers 21-9 in front of over 5,000 fans at Louis Brown Athletic Center. Three Mountain Hawks upset higher-ranked Rutgers opponents as Lehigh snaps the Scarlet Knights' 16-dual winning streak as the Brown and White improve to 14-6 on the season and 5-1 against EIWA foes. The host Scarlet Knights (20-2, 8-1 EIWA) had the early momentum as wins at the first two weight classes gave Rutgers an early 6-0 lead. Joe Langel scored reversals in each of the first two periods in a 7-2 win over senior Mitch Berger at 125, while backup 125 Matt Fusco scored an early takedown and added a second in the final seconds of the second period to stun freshman Frank Cagnina 5-3 at 133. Freshman Stephen Dutton put Lehigh on the scoreboard with an impressive 6-1 win over Trevor Melde at 141. Dutton scored takedowns in the first and third periods plus a second period escape and riding time. At 149, sophomore Joey Napoli upset top-ten ranked Mario Mason 7-2. Mason scored first, but Napoli reversed and built a large riding time advantage heading into the second period. Napoli escaped for the only points of the second period and added a penalty point for Mason's second stalling warning and a third period takedown plus a riding time advantage. Rutgers took the lead at the halfway point as Daryl Cocozzo won a 5-3 decision over junior Sean Bilodeau, but from there Lehigh took control winning the final five bouts. Junior Brandon Hatchett impressed in a 7-2 win over Scott Winston at 165. After a scoreless first period Hatchett escaped to open the second and added a takedown to lead 3-0. Hatchett was reversed to open the third but escaped and added a second takedown to account for the final margin. The deadlock was broken at 174 as former Lehigh teammates Austin Meys and Alex Caruso squared off. The bout was deadlocked at one into the third period before Meys took Caruso down and picked up over one minute of riding time to win 4-1 and give Lehigh its first lead of the night. Sophomore Robert Hamlin extended the lead with a 5-2 decision over Dan Rinaldi at 184, while junior Joe Kennedy clinched the dual for the Brown and White with a 3-2 win over Mike Wagner at 197. Wagner scored the only takedown of the match but Kennedy scored two escapes and rode out the third period despite nearly being reversed several times to win on riding time. The matchup at heavyweight came down to riding time as well as top-ranked Zach Rey moved to 25-0 with a 2-1 win over D.J. Russo. Rey escaped in the second period then built a minute-plus advantage in the third before Russo escaped. Rey did have to defend a late Russo takedown attempt at the final buzzer. The Mountain Hawks will wrap-up the dual season Sunday when they host the Penn Quakers at 1 p.m. inside Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall. Tickets can be purchased online or by visiting the Lehigh ticket office located in Grace Hall. Results: 125 – Joe Langel (RU) dec. Mitch Berger (LU) 7-2 133 – Matt Fusco (RU) dec. Frank Cagnina (LU) 5-3 141 – Stephen Dutton (LU) dec. Trevor Melde (RU) 6-1 149 – Joey Napoli (LU) dec. Mario Mason (RU) 7-2 157 – Daryl Cocozzo (RU) dec. Sean Bilodeau (LU) 5-3 165 – Brandon Hatchett (LU) dec. Scott Winston (RU) 7-2 174 – Austin Meys (LU) dec. Alex Caruso (RU) 4-1 184 – Robert Hamlin (LU) dec. Dan Rinaldi (RU) 5-2 197 – Joe Kennedy (LU) dec. Mike Wagner (RU) 3-2 285 – Zach Rey (LU) dec. D.J. Russo (RU) 2-1

David Taylor

Boiling Springs, N.C. -- Gardner-Webb redshirt-senior Jonathan Velazquez was one of seven Runnin’ Bulldogs to pick up a win on Wednesday night, as GWU defeated Davidson 31-9 in Paul Porter Arena. GWU and Davidson started the match off in a dead heat, as at 125 GWU’s Brett Kostern and Davidson’s Matt Zarth battled to a 6-6 draw after three periods. However, Kostern had the advantage in the riding time which propelled him to a 7-6 decision over Zarth. After tying the score up at 3-3 with a win at 133, Davidson’s Vitaly Radsky used a one point escape with 1:10 to go in the third period to pick up a 5-4 decision over GWU’s Richie Spicel at 141 and put the Wildcats in front for the first time in the match at 6-3. At 149, GWU’s Ryan Medved picked up his 18th win on the year in dominating fashion, controlling the match from start to finish en route to a 14-3 major decision win over Scott Ray, pushing the Runnin’ Bulldogs in front at 7-6. The Runnin’ Bulldogs then picked up back-to-back forfeit wins at 157 and 165 to take a demanding 19-6 lead heading into the 174 bout. After suffering a loss at 174, GWU’s Velazquez stayed unbeaten on the year, defeating Ike Crews 6-2 at 184. Gardner-Webb’s Blake Salyer picked up a forfeit win at 197, putting the score at 28-9 in favor of the Runnin’ Bulldogs. Redshirt-sophomore Travis Porter moved up to the heavyweight spot where he battled Charlie Wolff of Davidson to a 1-1 tie after three periods. In the overtime period, Porter picked up a two-point takedown to earn a 3-1 decision and give GWU a dominating 31-9 match win. Gardner-Webb (6-13-1) will return to action this weekend, as the Runnin’ Bulldog grapplers will travel to Charleston, S.C. to take on the Citadel Bulldogs on Saturday night, February 19th, at 7 p.m. Results: 125 – Brett Kostern (GWU) dec. Matt Zarth (DAV) – 7-6 (GWU 3-0) 133 – Alex Radsky (DAV) dec. Alex Hamm (GWU) – 7-2 (Tied 3-3) 141 – Vitaly Radsky (DAV) dec. Richie Spicel (GWU) 5-4 (DAV 6-3) 149 – Ryan Medved (GWU) maj. dec. Scott Ray (DAV) 14-3 (GWU 7-6) 157 – Alex Medved (GWU) wins by forfeit. (GWU 13-6) 165 – Justin Guthrie (GWU) wins by forfeit. (GWU 19-6) 174 – Chris Cirenza (DAV) dec. Erin O’Dell (GWU) – 5-3 (GWU 19-9) 184 – Jonathan Velazquez (GWU) dec. Ike Crews (DAV) – 6-2 (GWU 22-9) 197 – Blake Salyer (GWU) wins by forfeit. (GWU 28-9) HVY –Travis Porter (GWU) dec. Charlie Wolff (DAV) 3-1 OT (GWU 31-9)

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- North Carolina earned victories in six of the final eight weight classes to rally from an early 12-point deficit and defeat The Citadel 19-18 in the Tar Heels' regular-season finale Wednesday night at Carmichael Arena. With the win, Carolina closes its dual meet season at 9-9-1 while the Bulldogs drop to 7-12. Trailing 18-13 with two matches remaining, Zac Bennett and Andre Petroski recorded decisions at 197 pounds and heavyweight, respectively, to close out the match and give the Tar Heels the victory. 174-pounder Thomas Ferguson earned a major decision that gave UNC a bonus point that proved to be the difference in the match. Trailing until the final match, the Tar Heels kept it close due to decisions from three other wrestlers: Mike Rappo (141), Nick Stabile (149) and Corey Mock (157). Rappo, Stabile and 165-pounder Thomas Scotton wrestled the final matches of their career in Carmichael Arena. Carolina quickly fell behind 12-0 after The Citadel's 125-pounder Richard Alarcon pinned Jake Corrill in 2:37 and the Tar Heels forfeited at 133 pounds. Rappo put UNC on the board with a 10-8 decision over Jordan Dix at 141. The Holland, Pa., native fell behind 5-2 after a period but used three takedowns over the final two frames to earn the victory. The Tar Heels continued to chip away at the Bulldog lead with Stabile's 7-3 victory over Derek Royster at 149 pounds. The senior recorded two takedowns in the opening frame to take a 4-1 lead, and then took control with a reversal early in the second period. The win evened Stabile's record at 5-5 on the season and he has now won four of his last five contests. At 157 pounds, Mock cut the lead to 12-9 with a 3-0 decision over Pierre Frazile. Mock earned single points with an escape, a stalling penalty and the accumulation of riding time to improve to 32-14 on the season. The Bulldogs pushed the lead back to six when No. 8 165-pounder Turtogtokh Luvsandorj registered a takedown with under 20 seconds remaining to defeat Carolina's Thomas Scotton. Ferguson answered for Carolina with a 12-4 major decision over Kenneth Radford at 174 pounds. Ferguson took command early and never was threatened as he logged five takedowns in the convincing victory, which cut The Citadel's lead to 15-13. The Bulldogs responded once again, padding their lead with a 6-5 win by Justin Sparrow over UNC's Antonio Giorgio in the 184-pound weight class. Sparrow took a 6-2 lead into the third period and withstood a furious rally from the Carolina freshman that included a three-point near fall. Bennett kept the Tar Heels alive when he defeated Kelby Smith 4-1 at 197 pounds. The match was scoreless entering the third period, but an escape and a takedown gave Bennett a 3-0 lead. Smith was able to earn an escape, but Bennett held on for the victory. With The Citadel leading 18-16, the match was set to be decided at heavyweight. Carolina sent out Petroski, a freshman who has wrestled at 174 and 184 pounds this season, due to a concussion suffered by Ben Brooks Saturday against Nebraska. The Bulldogs countered with Josh Tuck, who has wrestled mostly at 184 pounds also. Petroski jumped out to an early lead with a takedown and recorded a two-point near fall in the second period. Tuck responded to close within 5-3, but two third-period takedowns by the Carolina freshman clinched the bout and gave the Tar Heels the victory. Carolina is next in action on March 5 at the ACC Championships in Charlottesville, Va. Results: 125 - Richard Alarcon (CIT) pins Jake Corrill (UNC), 2:37 (CIT 3-0) 133 - Tyler Sim (CIT) wins by forfeit (CIT 12-0) 141 - Mike Rappo (UNC) dec. Jordan Dix (CIT), 10-8 (CIT 12-3) 149 - Nick Stabile (UNC) dec. Derek Royster (CIT), 7-3 (CIT 12-6) 157 - Corey Mock (UNC) dec. Pierre Frazile (CIT), 3-0 (CIT 12-9) 165 - #8 Turtogtokh Luvsandorj (CIT) dec. Thomas Scotton (UNC), 3-1 (CIT 15-9) 174 - Thomas Ferguson (UNC) major dec. Kenneth Radford (CIT), 12-4 (CIT 15-13) 184 - Justin Sparrow (CIT) dec. Antonio Giorgio (UNC), 6-5 (CIT 18-13) 197 - Zac Bennett (UNC) dec. Kelby Smith (CIT), 4-1 (CIT 18-16) HWT - Andre Petroski (UNC) dec. Josh Tuck (CIT), 11-5 (UNC 19-18)

Hempstead, NY -- Senior Lou Ruggirello tallied his 11th pin of the year and sophomore Steve Bonanno added a major decision to lead seven Pride winners as Hofstra defeated Rider, 25-12 in a CAA contest at the Mack Sports Complex Wednesday night. The Pride won their third straight match and the eighth in the last nine outings to improve to 12-4-1 overall and 5-1 in the CAA. Rider, which had its three match winning streak snapped, slips to 8-11 on the year including 2-3 in the CAA. The Pride jumped out to a 10-0 lead behind 20th-ranked Bonanno (20-10) and fourth-ranked Ruggirello (24-3) as the sophomore from Wantagh tallied his 20th win of the season with a 12-3 decision over Rider freshman Chuck Zeisloft at 125. Bonanno posted a nine-point third period. Ruggirello celebrated senior night with a pin of junior Jimmy Kirchner in 1:21. Rider closed the deficit to 10-9 as junior Aaron Nestor pinned Pride junior Vince Varela (17-11) in 5:30 at 141 pounds, and sophomore Zac Cibula tallied a 4-0 decision over red-shirt freshman Zach Clemente (12-12) at 149 pounds. Hofstra sophomore Tyler Banks (17-14) held on to a 5-4 second period lead for the decision by the same score over red-shirt freshman Ramon Santiago at 157 pounds, and 16th-ranked junior P.J. Gillespie (22-6) recorded a takedown midway through the third period for a 3-1 decision over sophomore Jim Resnick at 165 pounds to boost the Pride lead to 16-9. Rider senior Rob Morrison, ranked second in the CAA at 174 pounds, downed 18th-ranked Hofstra senior Ryan Patrovich (13-5), ranked first in the CAA, 6-4 in sudden victory. Morrison caught Patrovich with a takedown just four seconds into the extra period to close the score to 16-12. But the Pride closed out the match with three straight decision victories. Junior Ben Clymer (17-8) rebounded from being bounced on his head in the first period to post a 6-5 win on the riding time point over red-shirt freshman James Brundage at 184 pounds. Freshman Matt Loew (11-21), the CAA Rookie of the Week, posted a reversal with three seconds remaining in the match to down senior Joe Ferber, 6-5 at 197 pounds. Sophomore Paul Snyder (20-14) made a first period takedown and an escape in the third stand up in a 3-1 victory over freshman Evan Craig at 285 pounds. The Pride return to action on Saturday, February 19 when they travel to New Jersey to face the Tigers of Princeton University at 1 p.m. Results: 125 #20 Steve Bonanno (HU) MD Chuck Zeisloft (RU) 12 - 3 133 Lou Ruggirello (HU) FALL Jimmy Kirchner (RU) (1:21) 141 Aaron Nestor (RU) FALL Vicente Varela (HU) 5:30 149 Zac Cibula (RU) DEC Zach Clemente (HU) 4 - 0 157 Tyler Banks (HU) DEC Ramon Santiago (RU) 5 - 4 165 Paul Gillespie (HU) DEC Jim Resnick (RU) 3 - 1 174 Rob Morrison (RU) DEC Ryan Patrovich (HU) 6 - 4 184 Ben Clymer (HU) DEC James Brundage (RU) 6 - 5 197 Matt Loew (HU) DEC Joseph Ferber (RU) 6 - 5 285 Paul Snyder (HU) DEC Evan Craig (RU) 3 - 1

DES MOINES -- Hello again Wrestling Fans! Weeks away from conference championships and then its the SOLD OUT NCAA Championships. This week we're in our Brute studios. Join Scott Casber, Ryan Freeman, Geoff Murtha, Steve Foster in studio and our own Jeff Murphy LIVE from London, England brought to you by Kemin Agrifoods. This week we look at Wisconsin and Andrew Howe, will he or won't he- we ask the tough questions in prep for the Big 10's. We'll Talk with Joe McFarland about his team and success on the year. We'll talk with University of Nebraska/Omaha Head Coach Mike Denney on the possibility of a repeat as champions, Coach Duane Goldman joins us to update us all things Indiana. Bob Selby will give us a preview on the Iowa State HS Championships finals and Westbrook Shortell will preview the New York States. Finally, LIVE from England, Jeff Murphy will join us for our Kemin Big 10 and Big 12 review. Join us LIVE 9 to 11 AM CST for Takedown Wrestling. Listen on radio, on computer, your Blackberry or I Phone with the I Heart Radio App. Our Guests Include: (All times Central) 9:01 Joe McFarland- Head Coach University of Michigan 9:10 Andrew Howe- University of Wisconsin 165 pound Star 9:20 Mike Denney- Head Coach University of Nebraska Omaha 9:40 Bob Selby- Iowa State HS State Championships Finals preview 10:01 Duane Goldman- Head Coach Indiana University 10:20 Jeff Murphy- Kemin's Top 20 Report 10:40 Westbrook Shortell- New York States- Finals preview 10:50 Maureen Roshar- Wildrose Resorts

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- The No. 1 UNO wrestling team won the anticipated showdown between the top two teams in the nation handily on Wednesday night with a 22-9 victory over No. 2 Augustana in Sioux Falls, S.D. The Mavericks finished the regular season with a 12-1 dual record, while the Vikings finished 14-2 with both losses coming at the hands of the nation's top team. UNO beat Augustana at the NWCA National Duals in November, 17-15. The dual got off to a good start for Augustana, as No. 3 Jason Jeremiason decisioned Trent Cox 7-3 to get the Vikings on the board first at 133 pounds. At 141 pounds, in a rematch of last year's national championship, No. 1 Mario Morgan knocked off No. 4 Jay Sherer 5-4 to even up the team score at 3-3. Morgan has now beaten Shearer four out of five times in his career and twice this season. No. 1 Esai Dominguez then avenged a loss to No. 5Nate Herda earlier this season with a 3-2 decision at 149 pounds. Dominguez escaped five seconds into the third period to account for the winning point. No. 1 George Ivanov extended the Mavs' lead in the team score to 9-3 after a 4-3 decision over No. 3 Marcus Edgington. Edgington had defeated Ivanov earlier this year 5-3 at the Daktronics Open, but Ivanov never trailed in this match. No. 4 Gavin Nelson got Augie back in the dual with a 6-3 decision over Nathan Sigman at 165 pounds. Nelson earned a takedown at the last second of the match and added the riding time bonus point for the final margin. No. 3 Ryan Pankoke continued his dominance of late at 174 pounds with a 3-1 win over No. 7 Carl Serck, who he earned an 11-1 major decision win against at the NWCA National Duals in November. Pankoke has now won 26 straight matches. No. 3 Aaron Denson added the only bonus points of the night for either team with a 12-3 major decision over Augustana's Tom Davies at 184 pounds. Denson's win gave the Mavs a 16-6 lead heading into the final three weights. Augustana drew within 16-9 after No. 2 Ty Copsey beat No. 4 Matt Baker 3-1, with a takedown 37 seconds into overtime. Taylor Escamilla sealed the win for UNO, though, with a 5-0 decision over heavyweight Lance Peters, who Escamilla is now 3-0 against all-time. With the win assured, UNO's true freshman Josh Keszler ended the night in spectacular fashion with a come-from-behind 4-2 sudden victory win over Augustana senior Al Meger at 125 pounds. Keszler earned a takedown with 49 seconds left in the third period to tie the match, then got another takedown 18 seconds into overtime. Keszler's win gave him a 22-9 record this year and gave the Mavs the 22-9 victory. The Mavericks now begin their quest for a third straight national championship next Fri.-Sat., Feb. 25-26 at the Midwest Regional Championships in Findlay, Ohio. Results: 125: Josh Keszler (UNO) dec. Al Meger (Augie), 4-2 (SV1) 133: Jason Jeremiason (Augie) dec.Trent Cox (UNO), 7-3 141: Mario Morgan (UNO) dec. Jay Sherer (Augie), 5-4 149: Esai Dominguez (UNO) dec. Nate Herda (Augie), 3-2 157: George Ivanov (UNO) dec. Marcus Edgington (Augie), 4-3 165: Gavin Nelson (Augie) dec. Nathan Sigman (UNO), 6-3 174: Ryan Pankoke (UNO) dec. Carl Serck (Augie), 3-1 184: Aaron Denson (UNO) major dec. Tom Davies (Augie), 12-3 197: Ty Copsey (Augie) dec. Matt Baker (UNO), 3-1 (SV1) 285: Taylor Escamilla (UNO) dec. Lance Peters (Augie), 5-0

In any discussion of all-time great high school wrestling coaches, the name Bob Siddens automatically comes up. Siddens coached at Waterloo West in Iowa from 1950-1977, where his "lads" (as he referred to his wrestlers) claimed eleven state team titles and 51 individual championships. To many wrestling fans, Siddens is known as "the man who coached Dan Gable in high school." Still others might remember him as an NCAA referee. Now all these facets of Robert Saunders Siddens' life -- and more -- are presented in a brand-new, 224-page book titled Siddens! Win with Humility, Lose with Dignity -- But Don't Lose! by Don Huff and Mike Chapman. Meet Bob Siddens Bob Siddens was raised in the small town of Eagle Grove, in north-central Iowa, about a dozen miles from Humboldt, the hometown of early 1900s professional wrestling legend Frank Gotch. (Interestingly, according to the book Siddens!, the future high school coach wrestled in front of a crowd for the first time at age 5 at a professional wrestling event in Council Bluffs, Iowa, taking on his twin brother Charlie.) Siddens wrestled at Eagle Grove High School, where he was a four-time state tournament qualifier ... and a two-time runner-up. He continued his education -- and wrestling career -- at what was then called Iowa State Teachers College (now University of Northern Iowa), where he was teammates with NCAA champs (and future college coaches) Gerry Leeman and Bill Koll. After graduation, Siddens returned to his high school alma mater to coach wrestling for one year ... then, in 1950, accepted the head coaching position at Waterloo West. In his 27 years at the helm, Siddens built a dynasty. His Wahawks compiled a 327-26-3 record (including a 88-dual win streak over seven years), winning eleven team titles, with 51 individuals winning Iowa state championships. (Two of the best-known: Dale Anderson, and Dan Gable.) Siddens also had a long career as a mat official for high school and college matches, serving as a referee in 24 NCAA championships. He is now enjoying retirement in Waterloo. A division of labor, a labor of love The authors of Siddens! know their subject well. Both consider Bob Siddens a friend. Don Huff wrestled for Bob Siddens at Waterloo West (one of four Huff brothers who took to the mats for the Wahawks), winning Iowa high school state titles at 95 pounds in 1956, and at 112 in 1957. He continued his mat career at Colorado State College, then at the University of Iowa. Huff returned to West High, serving as Siddens' assistant coach for ten years before taking the helm in 1978. Huff was head coach of the wrestling Wahawks for 20 years. Bob Siddens and Dan Gable"When coach Siddens came to Waterloo, I was 11," said Don Huff. "I've known him for 60 years." A native of Waterloo, Mike Chapman is an award-winning writer, having authored more than two dozen books, many of them about wrestlers and wrestling. He also founded WIN (Wrestling Insider Newsmagazine) and what is now known as the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum in Waterloo. Don Huff had come up with the idea of writing a tribute to his high school coach. But he was a bit concerned about taking on the project. "I'm not an experienced book writer," Huff disclosed. "When I actually started writing the book, I asked Mike for help." Together, the two came up with a division of labor for the Siddens book. "Mike did quite a bit of the historical part of the book," said Huff. "He got into more of the growing-up years, Siddens' high school, college, the service. I did the years of Siddens as coach." With these assignments in mind, Mike Chapman and Don Huff each interviewed Bob Siddens and his wife Joyce. "He was very willing to talk," according to Huff. "He likes to talk about his wrestlers and the sport." "We talked to a lot of his guys and the stories are pretty much the same. Everybody who wrestled for him thought their time was the best, yet they also thought they were the only ones who felt that way." What makes Siddens a winner Much has been made about the impressive stats that Bob Siddens' teams compiled in his more than a quarter-century as Waterloo West coach ... and the impressive roster of wrestlers who competed for him. Among his wrestlers who won Iowa high school state titles, then went on to become NCAA champs: Dale Anderson (Michigan State), Rich Binek (Iowa State), and Dan Gable (Iowa State). How did Bob Siddens do it? There is a nuts-and-bolts, how-to-coach element ... and a more personal, human element. "He expected his wrestlers to be warmed up when they got to the wrestling room," said Don Huff. "When he came to West, the room was so small, he had to divide the team into three groups. Each group worked out while the other two watched ... There were 100 guys in the program at one time." Dan Gable and Bob SiddensThat procedure remained in place when the Wahawk matmen moved into larger digs when the present Waterloo West High opened in the mid 1950s. It paid dividends in terms of each group of wrestlers getting the instruction and attention they needed from coach Siddens ... and provided those who were on the sidelines an opportunity to learn by observing. Huff said that Siddens was respected by his own wrestlers and their parents, as well as by coaches and wrestlers in other schools. "Guys from other high schools who went on to college would come to the room to work out," according to Huff. "It's about his leadership abilities," said Mike Chapman. "I don't think there are too many others who have those qualities." "Siddens was a very intuitive and skilled motivator ... Readers will take away some insights as to how to mentor young people." As Huff pointed out, "He has a master's degree in counseling, and served as a high school counselor for nearly 20 years. He knew how to meet his kids on their level." "He has a lot of compassion for those who wrestled for him," Huff continued. "There are coaches with great records who have wrestlers who don't care about their coach." Mike Chapman concurred with that thought: "I can't think of ever hearing anyone say anything that could be considered even slightly negative about him." A fitting tribute Mike Chapman described Siddens! Win with Humility, Lose with Dignity -- But Don't Lose! as "more a tribute than a straight biography." With that in mind, along with providing a narrative of the major chapters in Bob Siddens' life, the book features quotes and letters from a number of his wrestlers who pay tribute to their coach and mentor ... and provide the reader with insights into the man who contributed so much to wrestling, and to the lives of his wrestlers. Siddens! also includes the year-by-year dual-meet records for the Waterloo West wrestling program during coach Siddens' tenure, and lists the individuals who placed at the Iowa state championships. What's more, the book is a visual treasure-trove , with more than four dozen great photos of Bob Siddens as a child, as a wrestler, and as coach. As Don Huff said, "Young coaches might like to read it, not just how to run a practice, but to get insights into a successful wrestling coach." To purchase the Siddens! book, contact Don Huff by email at donwhuff@Q.com, or by phone (319) 233-2404. The book may also be ordered by sending a check for $19.95 + $5 for shipping to: Don Huff, 3444 Rosehill Terrace, Waterloo, IA 50701.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- Coming off a 19-15 dual win over No. 11 American, the seventh-ranked Rutgers wrestling team (20-1, 8-0 EIWA) will return to the Louis Brown Athletic Center for a 7 p.m. dual with EIWA rival No.10 Lehigh (13-6, 5-1 EIWA) on Thursday, Feb. 17. The dual with Lehigh will be broadcast live on KnightVision Broadband via www.scarletknights.com with Danny Breslauer on play-by-play and redshirt senior heavyweight Sean DeDeyn (Bayville, N.J.) providing the color commentary. Additionally, the dual will be aired tape delayed on Verizon FiOS with Ralph Bednarczyk on play-by-play and National Wrestling Hall of Famer John DeMarco on color. The dual will air on Thursday, Feb. 24, at 7:30 p.m. The dual with Lehigh will also serve as the final home meet for six Scarlet Knight seniors-DJ Russo (Netcong, N.J.), Daryl Cocozzo (River Edge, N.J.), Alex Caruso (Green Brook, N.J.), David Greenwald (Union, N.J.), Mike Cucinotta (Gibbstown, N.J.) and DeDeyn. The six Scarlet Knights have combined for 365 career wins. Lehigh, who owns a 39-1 advantage in the all-time series with Rutgers, comes into the match with a 13-6 overall record, which includes wins over wrestling powerhouses Cornell and Michigan. For the season, the Mountain Hawks have been led by seven grapplers who are ranked in the InterMat top-20 at their respective weights. Zach Rey leads the way ranking first at hevyweight. He is followed closely by Robert Hamlin who is the fourth-ranked 184-pounder. Austin Meys (174-pounds), Frank Cagnina (133-pounds), Brandon Hatchett (165-pounds) and Joe Kennedy (197-pounds) round out the ranked Lehigh wrestlers. Lehigh is coached by Pat Santoro, who is in his third season with the program. The Scarlet Knights, who are riding a 16 dual winning streak, have been led on the season by four wrestlers who are ranked in the InterMat top-20 at their respective weight classes. Heavyweight Russo and 165-pounder Scott Winston (Jackson, N.J.) are the two highest ranked Scarlet Knights rated fourth and fifth in the nation at their respective weight classes. Mario Mason (Moorestown, N.J) also ranks in the top-10, ranking ninth at 149-pounds. Cocozzo rounds out the ranked Scarlet Knights, placing 15th at 157-pounds. Following the dual with the Mountain Hawks on Thursday, RU will return to action on Saturday, Feb. 20, when it travels to Philadelphia to face Drexel in a 5 p.m. dual. Tickets are on sale now for the Lehigh dual. To purchase tickets please visit http://tickets.scarletknights.com or call 866-445-GoRU (4678). Probables for RU-LU Dual 125: Joe Langel (15-6) OR Matt Fusco (17-9) vs. Mitch Berger (8-15) 133: Mike DeMarco (17-12) vs. No. 17 Frank Cagnina (15-3) 141: Trevor Melde (24-9) vs. Stephen Dutton (15-10) 149: No. 9 Mario Mason (22-4) vs. Joey Napoli (12-9) 157: No. 15 Daryl Cocozzo (22-8) vs. Sean Bilodeau (7-7) 165: No. 5 Scott Winston (16-2) vs. No. 19 Brandon Hatchett (13-8) 174: Alex Caruso (27-7) vs. No. 10 Austin Meys (17-8) 184: Dan Rinaldi (18-6) vs. No. 4 Robert Hamlin (22-2) 197: Mike Wagner (12-12) OR Dan Hopkins (8-3) vs. No. 19 Joe Kennedy (15-8) 285: No. 4 DJ Russo (25-4) vs. No.1 Zach Rey (24-0) -Rankings according to InterMat -All probables subject to change

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Darrion Caldwell became NC State’s career leader in winning percentage, and freshman Nijel Jones pinned a top-10 opponent Tuesday night, highlighting the Wolfpack’s 28-18 victory over The Citadel in a dual wrestling match at Reynolds Coliseum. Caldwell, a two-time All-American and the 2009 NCAA champion at 149 pounds, pinned Derek Royster at 2:14. The pin improved his career winning percentage to .8974, moving him past Sylvester Terkay (.8971, from 1990-93) and into first place in school history. Jones pinned eighth-ranked Turtogtokh Luvsandorj at 6:00 in the 165-pound bout. Jones, who improved to 7-17 overall and 3-7 at 165, controlled the entire match. He got a takedown and a near fall in the first period and held a 9-6 lead at the time of the pin. Luvsandorj, who dropped to 34-7, had won eight consecutive matches prior to the pin. In the opening match of the night, The Citadel’s Richard Alarcon got a takedown and a reversal against NC State 125-pounder Pedram Rahmatabadi, then put Rahmatabadi on his back for a pin at 6:23 to give the Bulldogs a 6-0 lead. Tyler Sims won by forfeit at 133 pounds to make it 12-0 before Darrius Little got the Wolfpack on the scoreboard with an 8-7 decision over Jordan Dix at 133 pounds. The two wrestlers combined for nine points in the second period. Little, who improved to 25-8 for the season, won for the 10th time in his last 12 matches, and the 14th time in his last 17. Little’s decision cut the lead to 12-3, and Caldwell made it 12-9 when he pinned Royster. Caldwell improved to 11-0 for the season and 105-12 for his career. He trails only Terkay in career victories (122-105) and career pins (64-58). Caldwell has 49 first-period pins for his career and has wrestled 51 consecutive matches since his last on-the-mat defeat. Caldwell lost by a medical default in January 2009. Colton Palmer tied the team score at 12-12 after five bouts with a 3-1 decision over Pierre Frazille at 157 pounds. Palmer got the match-winning takedown with 39 seconds remaining in the match and rode Frazille the remainder of the period. Palmer improved to 26-10 with the decision. Nijel Jones’s pin of Luvsandorj gave NC State an 18-12 lead in the team scoring, and the Wolfpack pushed its lead to 24-12 when Quinton Godley pinned Kenneth Radford at 6:54 in the 174-pound match. Godley took control of the match with three takedowns in the second and third periods, then got the fall just ahead of the buzzer in the third. Godley improved to 19-15 overall and 18-13 at 174. Justin Sparrow finally ended the slide for The Citadel with an 8-3 decision over Pat Carey at 184 pounds. That cut the Wolfpack lead to 24-15. Kelby Smith broke open a close match with a takedown and a pair of near falls in the third period to take a 7-0 decision over KaRonne Jones at 197 pounds. Smith’s decision pulled The Citadel to within six points at 24-18, but Wolfpack heavyweight Eloheim Palma won a 16-6 major decision over Luke Johnson to give the Wolfpack a 28-18 victory in the team scoring. Results: 125 - Richard Alarcon (CIT) pinned Pedram Rahmatabadi at 6:23 133 - Tyler Sim (CIT) won by forfeit 141 - Darrius Little (NCS) dec. Jordan Dix, 8-7 149 - #1 Darrion Caldwell (NCS) pinned Derek Royster at 2:14 157 - Colton Palmer (NCS) dec. Pierre Frazille, 3-1 165 - Nijel Jones (NCS) pinned #8 Turtogtokh Luvsandorj at 6:00 174 - Quinton Godley (NCS) pinned Kenneth Radford at 6:54 184 - Justin Sparrow (CIT) dec. Pat Carey, 8-3 197 - Kelby Smith (CIT) dec. KaRonne Jones, 7-0 Hwt - Eloheim Palma (NCS) major dec. Luke Johnson, 16-6

As chronicled in Mark Kreidler's Four Days to Glory, the Iowa State Wrestling Tournament will be happening this week starting on Wednesday with competition in Classes 1A and 2A (small-school and medium school). Class 3A (big-school) competition will start on Thursday morning, with all three tournaments reaching their conclusion on Saturday. With a trio of teams ranked between 10th and 16th nationally, the Class 3A tournament will be a showdown worth following. 3A first round pairings: https://www.iahsaa.org/wrestling/2011%20Tournament/11_3A_1st_Round_Pairings.htm 2A first round pairings: https://www.iahsaa.org/wrestling/2011%20Tournament/11_2A_1st_Round_Pairings.htm 1A first round pairings: https://www.iahsaa.org/wrestling/2011%20Tournament/11_1A_1st_Round_Pairings.htm NOTE: Rankings with the format "No. #" reflect national rankings compiled by InterMat. All other references to ranking are state rankings for Class 3A as compiled by The Predicament. No. 9 Iowa City West, though only qualifying 11 wrestlers to the state tournament in Des Moines, is the favorite as they carry the top spot in the final rankings published by The Predicament on Feb. 10. Second in those rankings is No. 16 Waverly-Shell Rock, and they'll take 12 wrestlers (all but 160 and 189) to the state tournament; while No. 12 Bettendorf, third in the state rankings, will bring 13 wrestlers to the Wells Fargo Arena on Thursday morning (all but 152). The following is a weight-by-weight breakdown: 103: No. 9 Phillip Laux (Iowa City West) enters as the clear favorite to win the state championship, and should advance to the final relatively unchallenged. Junior National freestyle All-American Jay Fresh (Knoxville) headlines the other half of the draw, though it is the bottom quarter that could carry some team race implications. Both Andrew Steiert (Waverly-Shell Rock) and Drake Swarm (Bettendorf) won district tournaments; but the top ten ranked wrestlers are in the same quarter. Joining that quarter of the draw is Jake Koethe (West Des Moines Valley), another top ten wreslter, who draws Swarm first round. 112: The top half of the draw is absolutely loaded with three of the top four in the rankings (including both finalists last year at 103), five top ten wrestlers, plus district champion Ernest Willis (Iowa City West). Willis draws defending state champion Tyler Willers (Pleasant Valley) in the opening round; with the other first round match of the second quarter featuring Jordan Jones (Des Moines North) against Matt Birbaum (Fort Dodge), wrestlers ranked second and tenth in the state. The top quarter of the draw features top-ranked Colby Knight (Urbandale), state runner-up and Junior National freestyle All-American, and Spencer Derifield (Waverly-Shell Rock). On the other hand, the bottom half of the draw is relatively barren and represents a golden opportunity for freshman Logan Ryan (Bettendorf) to reach the final. 119: A very unfortunate circumstance has a pair of defending state champions, both of whom are undefeated, in the bottom half of the draw doomed to a semifinal date. No. 6 Cory Clark (Southeast Polk) is yet to lose a match in three years of high school; while No. 15 Eric Devos (Waverly-Shell Rock) won state titles in seventh and eighth grade competing at Apple Valley, Minnesota, and finished second in Iowa as a freshman before winning state last year. Making life even harder for Devos, ranked second in the state, is a first round match against fourth-ranked Chase Helenthal (Keokuk) and a possible quarterfinal date against either Richie Eikenberry (Bettendorf) or eighth-ranked Chris Walters (Cedar Rapids Prairie). On the other hand, the top half of the draw provides a golden opportunity for Kegan Wakefield (Iowa City West) to reach the final. 125: Losing in the district final last week has handed Jack Hathaway (Iowa City West) a challenging, but still manageable, road to the state final. Twice third in the state, the double Cadet National finalist Hathaway is looking at an opening round date against sixth-ranked Tyler McWilliams (Sioux City East), a quarterfinal match against ninth-ranked Randy McPhee (Davenport West), and then a semifinal match against most likely fourth-ranked Kyle Larson (West Des Moines Valley). Key rivals in the team race No. 19 Connor Ryan (Bettendorf) and No. 20 Tanner Werner (Waverly-Shell Rock) are looking at a likely semifinal date; Ryan has twice finished second in the state, while Preseason Nationals champ Werner was fifth at state last year. Werner has a very unkind path into a potential semifinal with Ryan, drawing a first round match against fifth-ranked Tyler Feller (Lewis Central), and is looking at another state ranked opponent in the quarterfinal round. 130: The top two ranked wrestlers in this weight class, No. 5 John Meeks (Des Moines Roosevelt) and Adam Perrin (North Scott) are draw into the same top half of the draw. Like Clark, the junior Meeks is undefeated in three years of high school wrestling with two state titles; while Perrin won state as a freshman, was third as a sophomore, and finished as runner-up last year. The bottom half of the draw is headlined by Dakota Bauer (Iowa City West), who won state in 2009 as a freshman while competing for Ballard Huxley, and is ranked third by The Predicament. Seth Ebling (Waverly-Shell Rock), ranked tenth, draws into the quarter bracket of Meeks, while David Lewis (Bettendorf) is unranked and looking at a first round match against seventh-ranked Mike Wallace (Council Bluffs Jefferson). 135: With 2010 state runner-up Grady Gambrall (Iowa City West) out due to suspension, though he'll be able to compete at next weekend's dual meet state tournament, this is arguably the weakest weight class of the Class 3A state tournament. Entering the tournament as favorite is Bubba Hernandez (Bettendorf), who was fourth last year as a freshman. Kolton Rottink (Waverly-Shell Rock) is a potential semifinalist in the opposite half of the draw from Hernadez, while Sam Chalkley (Iowa City West) is looking at a first round match against second-ranked Jay Hildreth (Lewis Central). 140: The ineligibility of defending state champion Bo Schlosser (Bettendorf) throws a slight dent into their state championship hopes, and it changes the dynamic of this weight class from a three-man race to a two-man race. The clear favorites in this weight are a pair of returning state runners-up from the two other key players in the state championship battle: No. 20 Elijah Sullivan (Iowa City West) and Jordan Rinken (Waverly-Shell Rock). However, these two wrestlers are looking at a semifinal matchup, as opposed to a meeting in the finals. Despite the absence of Schlosser, Bettendorf does have a ranked wrestler in this weight class -- Taylor Wickett, who is ranked eighth. However, Wickett has a first round match against Rinken. Both Rinken and Sullivan are slated to face a top six ranked wrestler in the quarterfinal round -- Jack Randall (Spencer) and Zach Cooper (Des Moines Lincoln) respectively. 145: All three state title contending teams have an entrant in this weight class, though none is truly expected to make noise; only Garrett Hathaway (Iowa City West) is even ranked, and that is in ninth. Hathaway is looking at a projected quarterfinal against undefeated Zach Witte (Cedar Rapids Prairie). Defending state champion Chad Ryan (Sioux City North) is in the other quarter of this top half of the draw, and draws Blake Seehusen (Waverly-Shell Rock) in the first round. In the bottom half of the weight bracket, the quarterfinal between Cadet freestyle All-Americans Gabriel Moreno (Urbandale) and Dylan Blackford (Southeast Polk) should determine the finalist. Unranked Jacob Smith (Bettendorf) is in the bottom half of the draw, but in the quarter opposite of Moreno and Blackford. 152: The top three wrestlers in this weight class are all in the top half of the draw, and this happens to be the single weight for which Bettendorf does not have a state tournament qualifier. Two-time state champion No. 10 Cody Caldwell (Waverly-Shell Rock) enters as the clear favorite, though he'll have to beat third-ranked Zeb Wahle (Lewis Central) in the quarterfinal and second-ranked Britt Thompson (Iowa City West) in the semifinal round just to reach the final. Thompson has a couple of decent opponents on the way to that semifinal, with Reid Herrig (Davenport West) and Ben Swalla (Ames) standing in his way. The other half of the draw is led by fifth-ranked Trey Lewis (West Des Moines Valley). 160: This is one of two weights for which Waverly-Shell Rock did not qualify a wrestler to the state tournament. It is also one that early round match between Iowa City West and Bettendorf could influence the team standing. District champions No. 18 Justin Koethe (Iowa City West) and Dominic Chase (Bettendorf) are slated to meet in the quarterfinals, this places number one and number three in Class 3A against one another. Koethe has finished third and fourth the last two years at state, with multiple Fargo All-American finishes on the resume as well; while Chase was second at state in 2009 before finishing fifth last year. Leading the other half of the draw is second-ranked Taylor Berger (Carroll), the last of five undefeated wrestlers it he Class 3A state tournament. 171: This weight has the top two wrestlers in the state looking at a quarterfinal match, as returning state runner-up Willie Miklus (Southeast Polk) and two-time state placer Travis Mallo (Mason City) are slated to meet. Each has one loss, but one will have a second loss before Friday afternoon. Terry Stover (Waverly-Shell Rock) is in that same top half of the draw, but the quarter next to Miklus and Mallo, which is anchored by sixth-ranked Carson Powell (Ankeny). Five ranked wrestlers reside in the bottom half of the draw, including ninth-ranked Bryan Levsen (Bettendorf), but none as formidable as Miklus or Mallo. Levsen has a first round match against seventh-ranked Skyler Spaur (Knoxville) waiting him on Thursday morning, with Levi Peters (Fort Dodge) as a possible quarterfinal opponent. This is the first of three weights for which Iowa City West did not qualify a wrestler to state. 189: Fourth-ranked Nate Shaw (Bettendorf) is the lone member of the "big three" in this weight class, as Iowa City West and Waverly-Shell Rock did not qualify a wrestler to state here. Shaw, sixth in the state last year, is looking at a quarterfinal match against second-ranked Jared Bartel (Mason City). Third-ranked AJ McBroom (Southeast Polk) would be the other projected semifinalist in the top half. No. 14 Brendan Abernathy (Indianola) is the unequivocal favorite in the bottom half of the bracket, and for the weight class as a whole. 215: Second-ranked Ben Nagle (North Scott) is the headline wrestler in the top half of the draw, and would be the quarterfinal opponent for freshman Kaleb Staack (Waverly-Shell Rock) if he somehow pulled off a first round victory. The other quarter of this top half features Mickey Pelfrey (Iowa City West), Joe Scanlan (Johnston), and Evan Rethmeier (Newton). Pelfrey faces Scanlan in the first round, in what could be a key match for Iowa City West's title hopes. The bottom half of this bracket is loaded, as seven of the eight participants are ranked in the top ten per The Predicament -- including top ranked Jesse South (Urbandale). Ninth-ranked Keaton Jurevitz (Bettendorf) is looking at a first round match against fourth-ranked Kris Rhode (Spencer), with the other first round match of that quarter featuring a pair of ranked wrestlers. 285: The anticipated battle of state champions between Brodie Berrie (Bettendorf) and No. 4 Cody Krumwiede (Waverly-Shell Rock) would happen in the state final. Both wrestlers are significantly ahead of the rest of the weight class, though Berrie will have to clear three ranked opponents to reach the final while Krumwiede only has two in his path.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- Virginia sophomore Stephen Doty (St. Louis, Mo.) has been named the Atlantic Coast Conference Wrestler of the Week after posting three wins - including a pair of ACC victories - while competing in two different weight classes. Doty is the second straight Cavalier to earn the award. Derek Valenti picked up the honor last week. Chris Henrich has won the award twice this year. Doty filled in for the Cavaliers in all three of their weekend dual matches. On Friday, the St. Louis native wrestled up a weight class and picked up a 5-2 win at 197 pounds over Maryland's Dallas Brown, giving the Cavaliers a late lead in the dual, which Maryland eventually won by a 19-16 score. On Saturday, Doty moved back down to 184 pounds to wrestle Diego Bencomo of Duke, who owned a 22-11 record coming into the match. Doty rallied from a 5-1 third-period deficit and scored a takedown just before the final buzzer to force overtime. He then took Bencomo down early in the extra session to pick up the exciting win, 7-5. Doty went back to the 197-pound class later Saturday and dominated Appalachian State's Jon Hartley, 10-4. With his three weekend victories, Doty improved to 23-9 this season. Virginia travels to George Mason for a 7 p.m. Thursday match before concluding the regular season at 4:30 p.m. Sunday at Old Dominion. UVa will play host to the 2011 ACC Wrestling Championship on March 5.

Donny Pritzlaff

An undefeated career Winning a fourth state title this weekend in Montana's Class B/C Tournament was Townsend High School's Jade Rauser. The senior is ranked No. 5 in the nation at 125 pounds, but competed one weight class lower in the state tournament. With three first period pins, and a 15-3 major decision victory, the Utah Valley State signee ends his career 175-0, including a 46-0 senior campaign. Twin brother Val was also a state champion with three first period pins and a 17-7 major decision at 130 pounds. Over his career, he made the state final all four years and won three of them. He ended his senior year 43-1, with 155 career wins against 5 losses. Class AA: http://www.mhsa.org/!WR_Results/MT_AAhome.htm Class A: http://www.mhsa.org/!WR_Results/MT_Ahome.htm Class B/C: http://www.mhsa.org/!WR_Results/MT_BChome.htm Garden State Champions overcome adverse circumstances Sunday's New Jersey Group Wrestling Championships were not without drama, as both No. 22 High Point and No. 39 Jackson Memorial won championships despite not being at full strength. In Group 4, the Jaguars of Jackson Memorial were without Brian (119/125) and Doug (152/160) Hamann -- arguably the best two wrestlers on the their roster. In Group 3, High Point remained without No. 13 John Guzzo (160), who continued to rest the aggravation of a shoulder injury from the NHSCA Final Four of Wrestling three weekends ago. Additionally, two key Wildcat wrestlers -- Billy Hagany and No. 14 Nick Francavilla -- were stuck up one weight class, as they failed to make 119 and 125 pounds respectively. Both semifinals in Group 3 were split at seven matches apiece. High Point's dual meet against Roxbury ended up in a 32-25 final score, as Francavilla and Ethan Orr (171) scored pins with No. 17 William Smith (285) receiving a forfeit. Like last year's semifinal between No. 33 South Plainfield and Timber Creek, this year's match was super tight throughout -- even moreso than last year, as Sunday morning's match was decided on tiebreaker criteria. A 25-25 regular dual meet score in which each team had five decisions, one pin, and one major decision came down to which team scored the most first match points. That went in favor of South Plaifield -- the Tigers advanced to a rematch final against High point, while Timber Creek was left to "winning by losing" yet again. Jackson Memorial started its day on Sunday with a semifinal match against Southern Regional. The Jaguars had upended Southern Regional in a mid-January dual meet, but lost a very close call in the rematch two weekends ago for the Shore Conference title. This time around, starting at 140 pounds, Jackson Memorial would jump out to a 24-6 lead with victories in seven of the first nine matches. In fact, the Jaguars clinched the dual meet with two matches remaining, when Southern Regional's Kyle Caseletto could do no more than score a 6-3 decision victory at 125 pounds. The score was 27-12 in favor of Jackson Memorial at that point; the Jaguars forfeited the last two matches to shrink the final margin to 27-24. Like the Group 3 semifinals, the final between No. 22 High Point and No. 33 South Plainfield was a 7-7 split in matches. Key to the High Point victory were a technical fall from Drew Wagenhoffer (145), pin from Ethan Orr (171), and a forfeit handed to No. 17 William Smith (285). South Plainfield responded with key bonus point victories coming from pins by Corey Stasenko (152) and No. 2 Anthony Ashnault (112). After a 9-1 major decision victory by South Plainfield's Troy Heilman (119) extended the Tigers lead to 28-23, both Hagany and Francavilla came up big with victories that allowed High Point to avenge last year's loss in the Group 3 final. Hagany earned a 9-0 major decision, while Francavilla upended Tyler Hunt 6-3 at130 pounds. The Group 4 final saw Jackson Memorial take home eight of the matches in a 34-24 victory over Phillipsburg. Rounding out the championship matches were a 42-27 victory for David Brearley against West Essex in Group 2; Paulsboro's 37-25 victory over Kittatinny in Group 1; Delbarton winning Non-Public Group A with a 55-12 victory over Bishop Ahr; and Camden Catholic dominating DePaul 67-3 in the Non-Public Group B final. With number two (per The Star-Ledger) defeating number one in the Group 3 final, one would think that the number one crown would be clearly worn by High Point. However, fans of number three Jackson Memorial will gripe because the Jaguars defeated High Point 31-28 two weeks prior. That debate will be left to Bob Bahre and The Star-Ledger staff to decide, as it's all about individuals now in the Garden State. http://highschoolsports.nj.com/news/article/6134053922439603555/live-from-toms-river-group-wrestling-championships/ A grand slam for the Rams in Hershey Even having to navigate what was "on paper" the tougher half of the draw at the Pennsylvania Class AAA Team Wrestling Championship, No. 15 Central Dauphin won all of its matches by at least double digits. The Rams won ten matches in the opening round against Norristown (48-12 dual meet) and in the championship match against No. 17 Easton (36-18), while winning nine in the quarterfinal against No. 44 LaSalle (43-24) and in the semifinal against No. 26 Canon-McMillan (36-20). Four wrestlers won all four matches on the weekend -- Tyson Dippery (119/125), Nick Varndell (135), No. 4 Kenny Courts (189), and Zak Koller (215). The relatively unheralded Koller came through with overtime wins relatively early in each of the last three dual meets against ranked teams, which helped to create momentum for Central Dauphin. Easton advanced to the final with a 48-10 opening round victory over Big Spring, beating Greater Latrobe 39-12 in the quarterfinal, and then a 40-23 defeat of Council Rock South in the semifinals. After losing a 26-25 nailbiter against No. 26 Canon-McMillan in the opening round on Thursday night, No. 25 Nazareth cleared through five consolation duals to take home third place: 52-6 over Clearfield, 41-10 over Cumberland Valley, 36-15 over Greater Latrobe, 33-19 over Canon-McMillan (a rubber match for the year as the Blue Eagles had a win over the Big Macs at the Virginia Duals), and then beating Council Rock South 33-24 in the final. http://piaa.org/assets/web/documents/2011_AAA_TW_Brax.pdf http://gimp.escapesports.on-rev.com/TeamDuals/PIAAStateDuals2011_204.htm First of probably many for the Eagles in Hershey When seven wrestlers sweep their four matches in the Class AA Team Wrestling Championships, it is kind of hard to imagine not winning and dominating the dual meet tournament. That was life for No. 20 Bethlehem Catholic as they continued to announce their presence on the state and national wrestling scene this weekend. Going undefeated for the Eagles were No. 3 Darian Cruz (103), No. 15 Zeke Moisey (112), Randy Cruz (119), Ryan Todora (140/145), Kyle Dehaut (152), Elliott Riddick (160/171), and Josh Alpha (189/215). Like Central Dauphin, they also did not win less than nine matches in any dual meet, and all matches were decided by at least double digits. The opening round was a 52-9 victory over Biglerville (12 weight class victories), then it was a 38-19 quarterfinal victory over Reynolds in which nine matches were won, the semifinal round was a 45-18 defeat of Towanda (10 wins), and then it was a 38-21 victory over defending team champions Fort LeBeouf (9 wins). Fort LeBeouf advanced to the finals with a 30-28 upset victory over No. 41 Burrell, a match in which the Bison scored two overtime victories and an additional 2-0 victory. Burrell came back to finish third with a 36-29 consolation semifinal victory over Pen Argyl and upending Towanda 37-18 in the consolation final. http://piaa.org/assets/web/documents/2011_AA_TW_Brax.pdf http://gimp.escapesports.on-rev.com/TeamDuals/PIAAStateDuals2011_204.htm An Ultimate District XI Champion The dual meet was supposed to happen on February 2nd; however, adverse weather postponed the match between No. 17 Easton and No. 20 Bethlehem Catholic to this Wednesday at Bethlehem Catholic. In the interim period, both squads won their respective classification (Class AAA for Easton, and Class AA for Bethlehem Catholic) at the District XI Duals the weekend prior to last. Additionally, Bethlehem Catholic won the Class AA team championship in Pennsylvania this past weekend, and Easton was runner-up in Class AAA. Two repeat, two do not at Oklahoma Dual State Meet No. 27 Broken Arrow was one of four teams to win a state dual meet championship in the Sooner State on Saturday evening. In order to do so, they had to avenge last year's 35-23 semifinal loss to Muskogee in the Class 6A championship match. That was what they did, with a 30-22 victory over the defending state champions. In what may be the first of a string of titles, a rather young Collinsville team took home the Class 5A championship with a 27-25 victory over Claremore, who had won the last two state dual meet titles. Tuttle was the most dominant team this weekend, as they steamrolled all three opponents at state duals to win the Class 4A title for the second consecutive year. While in Class 3A, Perry won the state dual meet crown for the third consecutive year, and eleventh in a string of thirteen years; however, it was a little dicier than normal with a 30-26 escape against Vian in the championship match. http://www.ossaa.com/Sports/Wrestling.aspx Land of Lincoln Individual Showdowns One of the states that have gotten much attention for its performance in major national events the last few seasons is the state of Illinois. Its individual state championships are this coming Friday and Saturday at Assembly Hall on the campus of the University of Illinois. Though the state tournament is un-scored, team champions are determined through next weekend's dual meet state tournament, many individual battles are present. Four undefeated wrestlers anchor the bracket at 125 pounds in Class AAA. The top half of the draw features No. 17 Danny Sabatello (Stevenson) and Steve Galliardo (St. Patrick), while No. 11 Eddie Klimara (Providence Catholic) and Nicholas Drendel (West Aurora) on in the bottom half. Sabatello is a defending state champion after the big-time upset over Klimara in last year's 119 pound state final. Galliardo qualified for state at 112, but lost in the first round and was not carried into consolation wrestling. State champ as a freshman at 103, Klimara fell short last year at 119, but earned a Junior National freestyle title over the summer. Finally, Drendel was runner-up last year at 112 pounds. Three state champions are in the Class 3A bracket at 171 pounds -- No. 2 Jahwon Akui (St. Rita), No. 15 Sam Brooks (Oak Park River Forest), and Steve Congenie (Villa Park). Akui is opposite the other two in the draw, after wins over Brooks in two consecutive weeks. Congenie and Brooks would meet in the semifinal round, should each advance to that point. Another weight with multiple state champions is 152 pounds in Class 2A where both No. 7 Stephen Robertson (Montini Catholic) and No. 8 Joey Kielbasa (Crystal Lake Central) are after a third state title. Individual State Tournaments Arizona: Division I: http://www.aiaonline.org/story/uploads/Wrestling___Division_I_Brackets_2011_1297522448.pdf Division II: http://www.aiaonline.org/story/uploads/Wrestling___Division_II_Brackets_2011_1297540429.pdf Division III: http://www.aiaonline.org/story/uploads/Wrestling___Division_III_Brackets_2011_1297521900.pdf Division IV: http://www.aiaonline.org/story/uploads/Wrestling___Division_IV_Brackets_2011_1297521686.pdf Hawaii: http://www.sportshigh.com/files/content/sports/wrestling/schedule_results/2010-2011/HHSAA_boys/state_wrestling_boys_2011_final.pdf Louisiana: Division I -- (bracket) http://www.lhsaa.org/images/db_sports/561.PDF (standings) http://www.lhsaa.org/images/db_sports/568.pdf Division II -- (bracket) http://www.lhsaa.org/images/db_sports/562.pdf (standings) http://www.lhsaa.org/images/db_sports/569.pdf Division III -- (bracket) http://www.lhsaa.org/images/db_sports/563.pdf (standings) http://www.lhsaa.org/images/db_sports/570.PDF Utah: Class 5A: http://www.trackwrestling.com/predefinedtournaments/VerifyPassword.jsp?tournamentId=1501009 Class 4A: http://www.trackwrestling.com/predefinedtournaments/VerifyPassword.jsp?tournamentId=1502009 Class 3A: http://www.trackwrestling.com/predefinedtournaments/VerifyPassword.jsp?tournamentId=1503009 Class 2A: http://www.trackwrestling.com/predefinedtournaments/VerifyPassword.jsp?tournamentId=1504009 Class 1A: http://www.trackwrestling.com/predefinedtournaments/VerifyPassword.jsp?tournamentId=1505009 Dual Meet State Tournaments Maryland: http://www.mpssaa.org/wintersports/wrestling/release.asp?release_id=383 North Carolina: Class 4A: http://www.nchsaa.org/championships.php?mode=viewchampPDF&champID=579 Class 3A: http://www.nchsaa.org/championships.php?mode=viewchampPDF&champID=578 Class 2A: http://www.nchsaa.org/championships.php?mode=viewchampPDF&champID=577 Class 1A: http://www.nchsaa.org/championships.php?mode=viewchampPDF&champID=576 South Carolina: Class 4A: http://www.schsl.org/2010%20Brackets/wr4.pdf Class 3A: http://www.schsl.org/2010%20Brackets/wr3.pdf Class 2A: http://www.schsl.org/2010%20Brackets/wr2.pdf Class 1A: http://www.schsl.org/2010%20Brackets/wr1.pdf The coming week's state championship tournaments Individual Bracket: Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington Dual Meet: Delaware (2/15) and North Dakota Coming Wednesday … Updated national team rankings and a preview of the Iowa Class 3A State Tournament.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- The 23rd-ranked Purdue wrestling team rebounded from Friday night's loss to earn a 22-9 Big Ten Dual victory over visiting Michigan State at Holloway Gymnasium on Sunday. The Boilermakers took seven of 10 matches on the day, improving to 7-8-1 overall and 2-5 in Big Ten competition, while the Spartans fell to 9-7 (1-6 Big Ten). The Boilermakers raced out to a 9-3 lead after four matches, dropping a 7-2 decision at 149 pounds as 20th-ranked sophomore Dan Osterman topped Purdue senior Sam Patacsil, but reeling off three straight wins for the advantage. Senior Colton Salazar started the run with a 2-1 decision over MSU freshman and Indiana native Sean McMurray at 157 pounds, scoring the match's only takedown in the first period. Freshman Kyle Mosier kept up his solid record at 165 pounds home, putting together a 10-4 decision over Spartan freshman Bobby Nash. Mosier added his team-leading 14th reversal of the season in the win, earning a tie for the 17th-best single-season total in Purdue history. Eighth-ranked Boilermaker senior Luke Manuel capped the run at 174 pounds, recovering from an early deficit to score a 7-5 decision over junior Curran Jacobs and improve his record to 15-6 on the year. Manuel took an errant shot in the second and appeared to slip as Jacobs scored the two, however, it was all Manuel the rest of the way. Manuel scored a takedown of his own in the second and then another in the third to secure career win No. 111, good for a tie for seventh all-time at Purdue with Dave Walter (1988-1991) and Nathan Moore (2004-2007). The Spartans scored an upset at 184 pounds as junior Ian Hinton picked off eighth-ranked Purdue junior A.J. Kissel in sudden victory, 5-3. After sitting out Friday's dual with No. 2 Iowa, Kissel gave it a go on Sunday, but didn't quite look like himself. The bout went to the third scoreless, but the scoring started there as Kissel escaped and scored a takedown for a 3-0 advantage. Hinton worked for the escape and then picked up a takedown of his own just before time expired in the period, forcing the extra minute. Hinton took full advantage in sudden victory, narrowly escaping a takedown on the edge and then hitting his second takedown for the win. The Boilermakers rebounded at 197 pounds as 10th-ranked senior Logan Brown took full advantage of his return to the lineup after the Purdue doctors held him out of Friday's contest. Brown scored three takedowns and a reversal en route to a 9-4 decision, picking up career win No. 105. Michigan State bounced right back at 285 pounds as No. 20 Joe Rizqallah rolled out a 7-2 decision over Alex White to cut the team score back to 12-9. The return to the top of the lineup was huge for the Boilermakers as they closed out the dual with three straight wins to put it away. Freshman Camden Eppert was forced to come from behind at 125 pounds, giving up an early takedown to MSU senior Eric Olanowski, but rallying for a 10-5 decision. The score was 4-3 in the Spartans favor going to the third period, but an Eppert takedown and Olanowski escape left it at 5-5 as time ticked down. Eppert sealed the win with a five-point play at the buzzer, putting the Spartan senior on his back and nearly pinning him in the decision. Senior Akif Eren and junior Jake Fleckenstein put forth dominating performance in the final two bouts as Eren posted a 7-3 decision over MSU freshman Chris Lyon, and Fleckenstein scored the only bonus points of the day in a 19-7 major decision over freshman Levi Stace. The Boilermakers close out their dual schedule on Friday at 7 p.m. as they host archrival Indiana at Holloway Gymnasium. The match will air on the Big Ten Network via tape delay on Saturday morning as Purdue honors its seven seniors at the event. Results: 125- Eppert, Camden (Purdue University) DEC Eric Olanowski (Michigan State ) 10-5 133- Eren, Akif (Purdue University) DEC Chris Lyon (Michigan State ) 7-3 141- Fleckenstein, Jake (Purdue University) MD Levi Stace (Michigan State ) 19-7 149- Dan Osterman (Michigan State ) DEC Patacsil, Sam (Purdue University) 7-2 157- Salazar, Colton (Purdue University) DEC Sean McMurray (Michigan State ) 2-1 165- Mosier, Kyle (Purdue University) DEC Bobby Nash (Michigan State ) 10-4 174- Manuel, Luke (Purdue University) DEC Curran Jacobs (Michigan State ) 7-5 184- Ian Hinton (Michigan State ) SV Kissel, A.J. (Purdue University) 5-3 197- Brown, Logan (Purdue University) DEC Tyler Dickenson (Michigan State ) 9-4 285- Joseph Rizqallah (Michigan State ) DEC White, Alex (Purdue University) 7-2

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga wrestling team wrapped up no worse than a tie for its seventh-straight Southern Conference regular season title with a 41-3 win over Davidson today. The Mocs improve to 10-9 overall and are 4-0 in the SoCon after their 34th-consecutive league win. Davidson (5-11, 0-4 SoCon) started off the day in a big hole, forfeiting the first two matches at 157 and 165 as the Mocs jumped out to a 12-0 lead. Junior Brandon Wright (Germantown, Tenn.) remained undefeated in SoCon action at 4-0 after his 14-7 win over Donald Patrick at 174. Junior Jason McCroskey (Soddy Daisy, Tenn.) increased the lead to 21-0 when he pinned Ike Crews at the 1:10 mark. Another forfeit by the Wildcats at 197 and Chattanooga went up 27-0. Davidson finally got on the board in the heavyweight match. Mocs sophomore Robert Prigmore (Westlake, Texas) has been wrestling up a weight due to an injury to senior Matt Lettner (Soddy Daisy, Tenn.). He gave up a lot of size to Wildcat Charlie Wolf, but put out an excellent effort. Prigmore took the match to overtime before falling 4-1. Sophomore Prescott Garner (West Linn, Ore) put the match away with his 12-1 major decision over Matt Zarth at 125. The next two contests were tough ones for UTC, beginning with junior Demetrius Johnson's (Memphis, Tenn.) 133 bout with Alex Radsky. Johnson is just returning to form following an offseason knee injury and was hitting the mat for just the third time this season. Radsky was tops on the Wildcat squad with a 23-7 record. Johnson came away with a tough 5-3 win. Senior Cody Cleveland (Tullahoma, Tenn.), ranked No. 9 at 141, also had a tough battle against Vitaly Radsky. He needed a late takedown to post a 5-3 decision and move to 10-0 on the year. Sophomore Dean Pavlou (Cleveland, Tenn.) closed out the afternoon with his 15-6 major decision over Scott Ray. The Mocs conclude the 2010-11 season next weekend when they host VMI on Senior Day. Match time is set for 2:00 p.m. (E.S.T.) at Maclellan Gym on Sunday, Feb. 20. Results: 157: Josh Condon (UTC) won by forfeit - UTC 6-0 165: Daniel Waddell (UTC) won by forfeit - UTC 12-0 174: Brandon Wright (UTC) - Dec. 14-7 - Donald Patrick (Davidson) - 15-0 184: Jason McCroskey (UTC) - Fall 1:10 - Ike Crews (Davidson) - 21-0 197: Niko Brown (UTC) won by forfeit - UTC 27-0 285: Charlie Wolf (Davidson) - Dec. 4-1 - Robert Prigmore (UTC) - UTC 27-3 125: Prescott Garner (UTC) - MD 12-1 - Matt Zarth (Davidson) - UTC 31-3 133: Demetrius Johnson (UTC) - Dec. 5-3 - Alex Radsky (Davidson) - UTC 34-3 141: No. 9 Cody Cleveland (UTC) - Dec. 5-3 - Vitaly Radsky (Davidson) - UTC 37-3 149: Dean Pavlou (UTC) - MD 15-6 - Scott Ray (Davidson) - UTC 41-3

STANFORD, Calif. -- The Stanford wrestling team posted its second straight upset, Sunday, defeating 12th-ranked Arizona State, 28-11, in front of nearly 1,000 fans on Senior Day at Burnham Pavilion. The Cardinal ends the regular season with a 4-2 Pac-10 Conference record (9-9-1 overall), while the Sun Devils drop to 5-11 overall and 1-3 in the conference. Justin Paulson (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)Prior to the start of the dual, Stanford honored its four seniors, Lucas Espericueta, Zack Giesen, Justin Paulsen and Dylan Rush, who wrestled in their final home matches of their careers. The dual began at 141 pounds where redshirt freshman Jordan Gray posted his eighth win of the season with a 10-5 decision over Josh Sandoval. Gray tallied four takedowns, an escape and riding time in the win. True freshman Donovan Halpin gave the Cardinal a 7-0 advantage with a 14-3 major decision over Carlos Castro at 149 pounds. Halpin racked up his points with three takedowns, six nearfall points, an escape and riding time. After ASU forfeited at 157 pounds, the Sun Devils finally scored points as Te Edwards tallied a 6-2 decision over Espericueta at 165 pounds. However, ASU also forfeited at 174 pounds, increasing the Stanford lead to 19-3. Redshirt sophomore Spence Patrick earned his eighth win of the year with a 3-2 decision over Jake Meredith at 184 pounds. After a scoreless first period, Meredith chose the down position and Patrick rode him for over a minute before Meredith was able to score the escape. Patrick then chose the neutral position to start the third period trailing 0-1. He scored a takedown with 40 seconds remaining to go up 2-1. Meredith tallied an escape as time wound down, but Patrick picked up the win with riding time. Giesen, ranked 12th nationally, added to the Stanford lead with a 10-3 decision over Luke Macchiaroli at 197 pounds. The Grants Pass, Ore., native registered four takedowns, an escape and riding time in his final match in Burnham Pavilion. It was his 15th win of the season and 102nd of his career, tying him for fifth all-time in Stanford history. The Sun Devils cut the Cardinal lead to 25-11 with wins at heavyweight and 125 pounds. Rush dropped a 2-1 overtime decision to ASU's Levi Cooper at heavyweight, while redshirt sophomore Matt Sencenbaugh fell to top-ranked Anthony Robles at 125 pounds, 18-1. Paulsen scored Stanford's final points with an 8-2 decision over Kalin Goodsite at 133 pounds. Paulsen had three takedowns, an escape and riding time in his final home match. The senior improved to 12-2 on the season. Stanford will now prepare for the Pac-10 Conference Championships, where NCAA Tournament berths will be on the line. The championships will be hosted by Oregon State University on Sunday, Feb. 27 in Corvallis, Ore. Results: 141 - Jordan Gray (S) dec. Josh Sandoval (A), 10-5 149 - Donovan Halpin (S) maj. dec. Carlos Castro (A), 14-3 157 - Kyle Meyer (S) won by forfeit 165 - Te Edwards (A) dec. Lucas Espericueta (S), 6-2 174 - #6 Nick Amuchastegui (S) won by forfeit 184 - Spence Patrick (S) dec. Jake Meredith (A), 3-2 197 - #12 Zack Giesen (S) dec. Luke Macchiaroli (A), 10-3 285 - Levi Cooper (A) dec. Dylan Rush (S), 2-1 (OT) 125 - #1 Anthony Robles (A) tech. fall Matt Sencenbaugh (S), 18-1 133 - Justin Paulsen (S) dec. Kalin Goodsite (A), 8-2.

STILLWATER, Okla. -- The No. 4 Oklahoma State wrestling team capped an undefeated home season with a 34-3 beating of No. 24 Wyoming Sunday in Gallagher-Iba Arena. OSU won nine of the 10 bouts and racked up 18 takedowns in the dual to Wyoming’s two. With the win, OSU improved to 14-2-1 on the year. Wyoming fell to 11-6-0. Prior to the dual, Oklahoma State seniors Neil Erisman and Clayton Foster were honored by the home crowd as part of OSU’s Senior Day celebration. The two wrestlers then gave the fans more to celebrate during their respective bouts, with Erisman scoring a 10-1 major decision win over Jimmy Belleville and Foster pinning L.J. Helbig in 2:12. "It feels great. I don't know how many people can say that got a pin on their last match in Gallagher,” Foster said. “It feels good." Erisman had a taste of nostalgia after the match was over. "It feels good. It is kind of hard knowing that it’s the last time you are going to wrestle here, but I am excited for the rest of the season and I want to finish strong and get to where I want to be at the end," Erisman said. Freshman Jon Morrison and sophomore Jordan Oliver also provided bonus-point victories Sunday, with Morrison rolling to an impressive 10-1 major decision win over No. 12 Michael Martinez and Oliver recording a 16-0 technical fall triumph that was stopped with eight seconds left in the first period. It marked the second time this year that Oliver scored a technical fall victory in the first period. "Good effort by our team. We put a lot of points on the board and bonus points,” Coach John Smith said. “Jon Morrison, no question, from Friday night to tonight, I don't know if he was mad at me because I criticized him a little bit. Maybe I need to criticize him more because he looked like an animal tonight against a very tough 12th-ranked wrestler in the country. I'm glad he found that focus and pleased to see him really turn something around quickly.” Other impressive wins for Oklahoma State came at 165 pounds, where Dallas Bailey was a 6-3 upset winner over No. 5 Shane Onufer and at 141 pounds, where Jamal Parks was a comfortable 6-1 winner over No. 20 Cole Dallaserra. Bailey trailed Onufer for most of the bout, but he connected on a four-point move with a reversal into a two-point nearfall with 30 seconds left to take a 4-2 lead. He added a second two-point nearfall with four seconds left to erase all doubt. "(Onufer) was aggressive in the first period, but we went scoreless,” Bailey said. “Then in the second period, I got reversed and ridden out. It didn't start out the way I wanted to. It was kind of one big flurry at the end. It is not something you plan out, you act and react and we do it enough every day so you just trust your senses. "A match like that against a high-caliber wrestler gets your confidence going into the back stretch and you can say 'hey I am right here with these guys in the top 10 and the top five,' so if nothing else it gives you confidence going into the Big 12 and national tournaments,” Bailey said. Oklahoma State wraps up the regular season next Sunday when the travel to Norman for a rematch with Bedlam Series rival Oklahoma. The two teams met in Gallagher-Iba Arena on Dec. 12, with OSU claiming a 22-12 victory over the Sooners. Results: 141: No. 17 Josh Kindig (OSU) dec. Kasey Garnhart (UW); 8-3 149: No. 7 Jamal Parks (OSU) dec. No. 20 Cole Dallaserra (UW); 6-1 157: No. 15 Neil Erisman (OSU) MD Jimmy Belleville (UW); 10-1 165: No. 15 Dallas Bailey (OSU) dec. No. 5 Shane Onufer (UW); 6-3 174: No. 16 Mike Benefiel (OSU) dec. Patrick Martinez (UW); 8-5 184: No. 3 Joe LeBlanc (UW) dec. No. 9 Chris Perry (OSU); 4-3 197: No. 2 Clayton Foster (OSU) fall L.J. Helbig (UW); 2:12 285: Blake Rosholt (OSU) dec. Matthew McLaughlin (UW); 4-2 125: No. 7 Jon Morrison (OSU) MD No. 12 Michael Martinez (UW); 10-1 133: No. 1 Jordan Oliver (OSU) TF5 No. 15 Tyler Cox (UW); 16-0, 2:52

WASHINGTON -- Two nights after suffering a last-second defeat to Virgina’s No. 4 Chris Henrich, senior captain and 19th-ranked Mike Letts earned a technical fall over Tanner Shaffer as the University of Maryland wrestling team upset No. 11 American 19-16 Sunday. Lou Ruland and Corey Peltier also earned bonus points with major decisions at 133 and 184 pounds, respectively, to give the Terps (13-4) the narrow two-point victory, their third consecutive since falling to No. 16 Virginia Tech on Jan. 23. “The guys fought hard and really competed well,” said head coach Kerry McCoy. “Today was another reminder that we can compete with the best teams in the nation, individually and as a team…I am very proud of our team and very happy about the performance today.” Maryland took an early seven point advantage over the Eagles (13-6) thanks to a Shane Gentry overtime decision against Nick Arujau at 125 pounds and Ruland’s 11-1 major decision over Thomas Williams at 133. It was American, however, which won the next three bouts thanks to a trio of top-20 wrestlers: No. 14 Matt Mariacher, No. 10 Ganbayar Sanjaa and No. 1 Steve Fittery, who topped No. 14 Kyle John 13-4 to give the Eagles the 10-7 edge. At 165 pounds, No. 3 Josh Asper squared off against American’s Patrick Graham, who handed Asper his first loss of the season on Dec. 29 at the Midlands Championship. This time however, Asper easily handled Graham by earning a 7-1 decision to keep the Terps on pace with American. Coming off of an emotional 3-2 loss to fourth-ranked Henrich of Virginia on Friday, No. 19 Letts had a huge opportunity to help Maryland not only take, but also pad, the lead against Tanner Shaffer. Early on in the 174-pound match, Letts made his seniority known as he outscored Shaffer 6-2 after the first period with three takedowns. Letts added another pair of takedowns in the second and, by the end of the third, led 19-4 plus an overwhelming three minutes of riding time. With the technical fall, Letts improved to 23-6 on the season, but more importantly gave the Terps a five-point lead with just three matches remaining. Corey Peltier extended the Terrapin lead to 17-10 with his 11-3 major decision over Thomas Barreiro and, despite the final two matches going in favor of the Eagles, Maryland escaped the District with the 19-17 victory, the team’s first win over a ranked opponent of the season. The Terps will look to add to its winning ways as they travel south to take on North Carolina State and Duke on Saturday, Feb. 19. Maryland will honor its seniors on Sunday at 1 p.m. when George Mason travels to College Park, Md. Results: 125-Shane Gentry (MD) dec. Nick Arujau, 8-7 TB2 (3-0) 133- Lou Ruland (MD) major dec. Thomas Williams, 11-1 (7-0) 141- No. 14 Matt Mariacher (AU) dec. No. 16 Jon Kohler, 4-2 SV (7-3) 149- No. 10 Ganbayar Sanjaa (AU) dec. Ben Dorsay, 8-4 (7-6) 157- No. 1 Steve Fittery (AU) major dec. No. 14 Kyle John, 13-4 (7-10) 165- No. 3 Josh Asper (MD) dec. Patrick Graham, 7-1 (10-10) 174- No. 19 Mike Letts (MD) tech. fall over Tanner Shaffer, 20-4 [6:41] (15-10) 184- Corey Peltier (MD) major dec. Thomas Barreiro, 11-3 (19-10) 197- No. 18 Daniel Mitchell (AU) dec. Christian Boley, 8-6 (19-13) HWT- Ryan Flores (AU) major dec. Spencer Myers, 15-7 (19-17)

LYNCHBURG, Va. -- Liberty wrestling used four bonus-point wins on its way to a 28-13 victory over VMI, Sunday afternoon, in the Vines Center, securing its seventh-consecutive dual win, where the program’s five seniors were honored. The Flames won six of the ten weight-class bouts in the contest, including five of the last six match-ups. Liberty’s dual record improves to 13-6 on the year, while also claiming its ninth-consecutive victory over the Keydets. The Flames are now 3-0 at home this season, with this being their first contested match in the Vines Center. With the defeat, visitors VMI drop to 4-8 on the season. Liberty’s seventh-straight dual meet victory is the longest single-season streak since the 1980-81 season, when Bob Bonheim’s squad went a perfect 11-0. However, this isn’t the first time head coach Jesse Castro has had a streak of seven straight. Castro led his team to six successive victories to end the 2009 campaign before rolling off four straight to begin 2010, resulting in a 10-dual streak over multiple seasons. . Robert Jillard and John Pope found themselves knotted at four through one period at 125 pounds to open the dual. While Jillard struck first, Pope tallied a reversal along with a takedown later in the period for his tallies. After tacking on an escape in the second, Pope gained the 5-4 edge, which he would hold on to in the final time frame to give the Keydets a 3-0 advantage. T. J. Mitchell responded for the Flames with a dominating performance at 133 pounds against Charles Gray. Mitchell gained a 7-0 advantage through the opening two periods, scoring a takedown, a three-point near fall and a reversal. The Hazlet, N.J., native then scored three additional takedowns in the closing period, along with three more back points. His 5:47 of accumulated riding time added another point to his total at the conclusion of the bout, giving him a 17-2 technical fall for his fifth-straight and sixteenth overall victory. With the Flames taking the 5-3 lead, Joey Montgomery and Ryan Goodsell took the mat at 141 pounds. After drawing 3-3 through two periods, the Keydets’ Goodsell controlled the final two minutes of action, earning an escape and a takedown. He also gained a penalty point and the riding time bonus for the 8-3 win, giving VMI a one-point advantage, 6-5. The Keydets’ Mike Long countered with an 8-1 victory at 149 pounds over Flames senior, Peter Crawford. Long scored seven points in the second frame of action behind an escape, a takedown and two two-point near falls. With 3:17 of riding time, Long received the bonus for the 8-1 decision, extending the Keydets’ dual lead to four, 9-5. Liberty’s Julian Colon then picked up the second technical fall victory of the day for the Flames, winning 16-1 over VMI’s Mike Burnett. To open the 157-pound bout, Colon scored a takedown and three back points. The East Petersburg, Pa., native then built his lead to 11-0 through two periods, scoring an escape, a takedown and a three-point near fall. Liberty’s co-captain tacked on a takedown, multiple penalty points for stalling against Burnett, and the riding bonus in the final period for the 16-1 victory. The win gave the Flames the dual lead once again, 10-9. After being honored as a senior to open the dual, Chad Porter made quick work of his opponent at 165 pounds, earning the win by fall just one minute into the bout. His victory over Ted Gottwald was the 102nd of his career, surpassing his head coach, Jesse Castro, for seventh on Liberty’s all-time wins list. The six points made the Flames’ lead 16-9. The Keydets’ team leader in wins, Matt Brock, then answered at 174 pounds, picking up a 15-2 major decision over Eli Sanchez. Despite scoring first with a takedown, Sanchez found himself down 9-2 through two periods. Matt Brock scored three back points in the final stanza, to go along with multiple penalty points from Sanchez stalling, and the riding time bonus. The Keydets’ deficit was trimmed to three, 16-13, with the win but would be the last points tallied by the visitors. Aaron Kelley wasn’t to be outdone by his teammate Porter, as he’d earn his own win by fall in the 184-pound bout. Kelley ended his match in just 57 seconds, pinning Evan Dill to extend the Flames’ lead to 22-13. The redshirt senior’s win is his seventh-consecutive victory, and fourth win by fall in that stretch. In a tight match at 197 pounds, the Flames’ Aaron Thompson used a first-period takedown to earn a 2-1 decision over John Dommert. The only other points in the bout came in the final two-minutes of action, with Dommert escaping to open the period. Thompson defended the remainder of the time to hold on and give Liberty a 25-13 lead, sealing the team’s seventh-consecutive dual victory with one bout remaining. In the closing heavyweight bout, Josh Pelletier used his accumulated riding time to pick up the victory after he and Juan Adams were knotted at two-each through regulation. The Flames’ third redshirt senior scored a takedown in the first, while Adams escaped in the first and second period for his two points in the bout. Pelletier’s victory made the final dual result 28-13 in favor of Liberty. Aside from the four aforementioned seniors, Justin Krop was also honored on Senior Day. Krop has been with the program for four years and has added depth to the middle weights, competing at four different weight classes during his career. This season the Monrovia, Md., native has competed at 157 pounds. Liberty’s three redshirt seniors, Porter, Kelley and Pelletier all picked up wins on their Senior Day. Each of the grapplers came to Liberty for the 2006-07 season, when the wrestling program was reinstated. During their time on Liberty Mountain, the trio has accumulated a 215-133 mark, winning at a 61.8 percent clip. Porter and Kelley came from Parkersburg South High School in West Virginia, while Pelletier is from Charleston, Maine and grappled for Foxcroft Academy. The Flames next dual is on Thursday when they travel to Salem, Va. to face Atlantic Coast Conference foe, Virginia Tech. The Hokies are currently ranked No. 6 in the NWCA/USA Today Coaches Poll. Contested at Andrew Lewis Middle School, the contest is slated for an 8 p.m. start. Results: 125 Johnathan Pope (VMI) DEC Robert Jillard (Liberty ) 5 - 4 133 Thomas Mitchell (Liberty ) TF5 Charles Gray (VMI) 17 - 2 ( (7:00)) 141 Ryan Goodsell (VMI) DEC Joseph Montgomery (Liberty ) 8 - 3 149 Mike Long (VMI) DEC Peter Crawford (Liberty ) 8 - 1 157 Julian Colon (Liberty ) TF5 Michael Burnett (VMI) 16 - 1 ( (7:00)) 165 Chad Porter (Liberty ) FALL Edward Gottwald (VMI) (1:00) 174 Matthew Brock (VMI) MD Eli Sanchez (Liberty ) 15 - 2 184 Aaron Kelley (Liberty ) FALL Evan Dill (VMI) (0:57) 197 Aaron Thompson (Liberty ) DEC John Dommert (VMI) 2 - 1 285 Johsua Pelletier (Liberty ) DEC Juan Adams (VMI) 3 - 2

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Winning seven of the 10 matches on the day, the No. 13 Tiger wrestling squad closed out their regular season campaign with an impressive 23-11 victory over the No. 17 Iowa State Cyclones on Sunday afternoon. Missouri finished the regular season with a 15-9 dual record and a 1-3 record in conference competition. Prior to the match, the Tigers honored their three seniors for Senior Day, as Luke Cherep, Tyler Perry and Todd Schavrien were recognize for the hard work and dedication they had given the Missouri program over the years. An announced attendance of 1,512 was there to witness Missouri's final dual of the season. Starting at 149 pounds for the first time this season, redshirt freshman Kyle Bradley got the Tigers off on the right foot with a solid 6-2 victory to open the afternoon. A pair of first period takedowns guided Bradley to an early lead, and he capped off the win with a third period escape and 2:33 of riding time. Sophomore Nick Gregoris followed with a 7-4 win of his own, giving the Tigers an early 6-0 lead. Scoring a takedown in the first minute of the match, Gregoris put Trent Weatherman on his back with 15 seconds left in the opening period for a two-point near fall, giving him the early 4-0 edge. An escape in the second put him up 5-0, and though Weatherman scored two takedowns in the third, it wasn't enough, as another escape and 1:39 of riding time kept Weatherman at bay. Iowa State took their first lead of the day after winning by a 7-3 decision at 165 and by a 16-0 technical fall at 174, putting them up 8-6. At 184, sophomore Mike Larson snapped a three-match losing streak with a 4-3 decision over Cole Shafer. After giving up an early takedown, Larson escaped to cut the first period lead to 2-1. After tying it with another escape in the second, Larson landed a takedown of his own. Shafer quickly got out, making it 4-3 after two periods, but a scoreless third played out in Larson's favor. Iowa State scored their last win of the day at 197 pounds, getting a decision to make it 11-9 at the intermission. However, the Tigers would go on to win the last four matches, including two by bonus points, to put themselves ahead for good. At heavyweight, junior Dom Bradley won his 15th straight match as he topped Kyle Slifka by a 4-0 score. Scoreless heading into the third, Bradley worked an escape 10 seconds into the period and landed a takedown with nine seconds left while also picking up 1:59 in riding time after Slifka out in the second. At 125 and 133, the Tigers put the match out of reach with a pair of major decisions to put Mizzou up 20-11. Freshman Alan Waters knocked off Brandon Jones in a chaotic match that saw both grapplers get hit with penalty points. Waters jumped out to an early lead after the first, as a takedown 27 seconds in turned into a three point near fall, giving him the early 5-0 edge. Two more takedowns in the period put Waters up 9-3 after one. In the second, with Jones starting on bottom, Waters worked a tilt and put Jones on his back for a two point near fall and increased his lead to 11-4 headed to the third. From there, Waters earned a point when Jones was called for locked hands, and then worked an escape. After getting another point when Jones was hit with his second stall warning, both wrestlers were hit with unsportsmanlike conduct calls, with Jones earning one point and Waters picking up two. Jones scored an escape and a takedown at the buzzer, but when all was said and done, Waters came out victories by a 19-8 final. An impressive third period by sophomore Nathan McCormick helped guide him to his major decision, as he picked up an escape, a takedown and two points on a near fall in the final frame to go along with 2:54 in riding time, as he edged Benjamin Cash by a 10-2 final. McCormick led 4-2 after the first two periods, as he picked up a pair of takedowns in the opening three minutes. In a fitting way to close out senior day, Schavrien finished off the day for the Tigers at 141 pounds in his last match at the Hearnes Center, where he knocked off No. 15 Chris Drouin by a 3-1 decision. After a scoreless first, Schavrien took the 1-0 edge on an escape to begin the second. Drouin matched that in the third, making it 1-1, but the Tiger landed a takedown on a scramble with 20 seconds left in the match, riding out Drouin and picking up one last win in front of the Tiger faithful. After a few weeks off from competition, the Tigers will return to action on Saturday, March 5 when they head to Ames, Iowa for the 2011 Big 12 Championship. Stay tuned to mutigers.com for more information. Results: 149: Kyle Bradley (MO) dec. Nate Carr Jr. (ISU), 6-2 157: Nick Gregoris (MO) dec. Trent Weatherman (ISU), 7-4 165: Andrew Sorenson (ISU) dec. Zach Toal (MO), 7-3 174: Jon Reader (ISU) tech. fall Dorian Henderson (MO), 16-0 (5:43) 184: Mike Larson (MO) dec. Cole Shafer (ISU), 4-3 197: Jerome Ward (ISU) dec. Brent Haynes (MO), 8-3 285: Dom Bradley (MO) dec. Kyle Slifka (ISU), 4-0 125: Alan Waters (MO) mdec. Brandon Jones (ISU), 19-8 133: Nathan McCormick (MO) mdec. Ben Cash (ISU), 10-2 141: Todd Schavrien (MO) dec. Chris Drouin (ISU), 3-1

MADISON, Wis. -- The No. 12 Wisconsin wrestling team defeated Ohio State in its last home dual of the season, 23-18. Sunday's matchup signified Senior Day for No. 2 redshirt senior Trevor Brandvold (197 lbs.) and No. 11 redshirt senior Eric Bugenhagen (heavyweight). The Badgers trailed the Buckeyes 18-15 entering the 197 lbs. bout, but two-consecutive major decisions by the two seniors propelled UW over OSU. The win represents Bugenhagen's first major decision in a dual this season and Brandvold's sixth. "It felt really good to get a win like that in front of all of the fans on Senior Day," Brandvold said. "After all of the hard work I have put in for the past five years, it was great to get a big win and have the support of my friends and family." Although Wisconsin gave up two falls for the second-straight dual, the Badgers collected four victories by bonus points. The dual began at 125 lbs. where redshirt sophomore Tom Kelliher earned his first win since beating Illinois Logan Arlis on Jan. 16. Kelliher defeated Bo Touris by a 10-4 decision, putting the Badgers on top, 3-0. Despite Touris scoring the first points of the match with a takedown, Kelliher rallied back to record three takedowns, three escapes and 2:08 of riding time. No. 3 redshirt sophomore Tyler Graff then extended Wisconsin's lead to 8-0 with a five-point tech fall against Jacob Vaughn. In Graff's tenth tech fall of the season, he scored five takedowns, six nearfall points and an escape. The 17-2 victory awarded Graff his 24th victory (at 133 lbs.) of the season. OSU earned its first dual points at 141 lbs. where Randy Languis pinned redshirt freshman Danny Arnel 1:25 into the bout. Languis' win brought the Buckeyes within one point of the Badgers. No. 8 redshirt sophomore Cole Schmitt then defeated Joe Gandominico by a 9-3 decision at 149 lbs. Schmitt was on track for a major decision, leading 8-1 with 19 seconds remaining in the match, but was reversed by Grandominico. Schmitt's two takedowns, reversal, two nearfall points accompanied by 4:23 of riding time gave UW an 11-6 lead. At 157 lbs., redshirt freshman Shawn Perry lost to Sean Nemec by a 9-5 decision. Perry trailed by as many as five points in the match, but scored a takedown, two escapes and was given a point for Nemec's excessive stall warnings. Perry's loss narrowed the Badgers' lead to 11-9. The Buckeyes grabbed their second pin of the afternoon at 165 lbs. Freshman Ben Cox battled No. 7 Colt Sponseller for most of the first period, but fell at 2:43. The fall gave Ohio State its first lead of the afternoon, 15-11. The closest match of the day came at 174 lbs. where No. 17 redshirt sophomore Ben Jordan faced No. 13 Nick Heflin. The wrestler each earned a point for escaping after starting down at the beginning of the second and third period, but Heflin scored a quick takedown with just six seconds remaining in the matchup. Heflin's 3-1 decision extended the Buckeyes' lead to 18-11. No. 3 junior Travis Rutt then responded with Wisconsin's first of three-straight major decisions to end the dual. Rutt defeated C.J. Magrum by a 12-1 major decision that included two takedowns, six nearfall points, an escape and 2:35 of riding time. The victory brought UW within three points of OSU. Brandvold then reclaimed the lead for the Badgers, 19-18, beating Peter Capone by a major decision. Brandvold entered the second period leading by just two points, but scored four additional takedowns, a reversal and 4:23 of riding time in the 13-4 major decision. Bugenhagen sealed the win for Wisconsin with another major decision over Zach Stolarsky. Bugenhagen scored four takedowns, an escape and 3:55 of riding time in his last bout at the UW Field House. The 10-1 major decision gave the Badgers a 23-18 victory over the Buckeyes. "The support of my friends and family was exactly what I needed to give me the momentum to keep scoring points today," Bugenhagen said. "Every win gives me confidence and it will really help me heading into the last two duals next weekend." Wisconsin now travels to University Park, Pa. to face No. 3 Penn State. The Nittany Lions defeated the Badgers in last season's dual, 22-15. The Badgers compete in their final dual of the season at Michigan State on Sunday in East Lansing, Mich. Results: 125: Tom Kelliher (WIS) dec. Bo Touris (OSU), 10‐4 133: #3 Tyler Graff (WIS) tech. fall Jacob Vaughan (OSU), 17‐2, 5:37 141: Randy Languis (OSU) pin Danny Arnel (WIS), 1:35 149: #8 Cole Schmitt (WIS) dec. Joe Grandominico (OSU), 9‐3 157: Sean Nemec (OSU) dec. Shawn Perry (WIS), 9‐5 165: #7 Colt Sponseller (OSU) pin Ben Cox (WIS), 2:43 174: #13 Nick Heflin (OSU) dec. #17 Ben Jordan (WIS), 3‐1 184: #3 Travis Rutt (WIS) maj. dec. C.J. Magrum (OSU), 12‐1 197: #2 Trevor Brandvold (WIS) maj. dec. Peter Capone (OSU), 13‐4 Hwt: #11 Eric Bugenhagen (WIS) maj. dec. Zach Stolarsky (OSU), 10‐1

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- The University of Iowa wrestling team extended its consecutive dual unbeaten streak to 76 with a 30-7 win over Michigan Sunday afternoon on Mediacom Mat inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. With the win, Iowa wrapped up its 19th undefeated season in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes posted an 8-0 record at home this year. Seniors Aaron Janssen and Luke Lofthouse each picked up a victory in their final appearances in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Janssen used five takedowns to score an 11-4 win over 19th ranked Dan Yates. Lofthouse recorded a pair of takedowns and an escape in the final two periods to erase a 2-1 deficit and defeat 10th ranked Anthony Biondo, 7-3. "First thing, the seniors did a good job," said Head Coach Tom Brands. "The two that were on the mat, Lofthouse and Janssen. It's a tribute to them. Lofthouse is ahead by a point at the end of the match and shoots to build his lead - good for him. That's how you build leads, that's how you win tough matches. The guy was getting to him a little bit there at the end in the third period a couple times. He took that away from him by going back to what got him four points in the first place." Sophomore Matt McDonough opened the dual with a 3:56 fall. The defending NCAA champion scored three takedowns in the opening period before decking Michigan's Sean Boyle 54 seconds into the second frame. The pin was McDonough's sixth in a row and 11th this season. He is now perfect in 19 career matches inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Redshirt freshman Tony Ramos got the crowd of 8,790 excited with a 7-2 decision over 18th-ranked Zac Stevens at 133. After exchanging escape points at the beginning of the second and third periods, Ramos broke a 1-1 tie with a 27-second flurry in the final frame. He scored a takedown with 27 seconds left in the match and recorded a pair of nearfall points at the 15-second mark. After Stevens escaped with 11 seconds remaining, Ramos scored another takedown with seven seconds on the clock to run the final score to 7-2. The win was Ramos' ninth-straight, giving him a 11-0 dual record and a 7-0 record in Big Ten duals. Michigan cracked into Iowa's 9-0 lead with a pair of wins at 141 and 149. Top-ranked Kellen Russell erased a 5-2 deficit against Iowa's fifth-ranked Montell Marion with an escape and takedown in the final 25 seconds of the third period to force overtime. Russell recorded a takedown and scored two nearfall points 16 seconds into the overtime period to escape with a 9-5 win. Michigan's Eric Grajales scored a 13-3 major decision over Iowa's Mark Ballweg at 149 to pull the Wolverines within two, 9-7, before the Hawkeyes closed the meet with six consecutive victories. Freshman Derek St. John earned four takedowns to top Brandon Zeerip at 157 and start the Hawkeye rally. St. John improved his dual record to 14-1 this season. Sophomore Matt McDonough runs off the mat following his second-period pin. McDonough has recorded six straight falls. Janssen followed St. John with his team-high 22nd victory this season to stretch the Hawkeye advantage to 15-7. Iowa's 12th ranked sophomore Ethen Lofthouse followed Janssen with a 6-4 decision over Michigan's Justin Zeerip at 174. Lofthouse used a pair of takedowns and two escapes en route to his 15th win of the season. Sophomore Grant Gambrall remained unbeaten in nine Carver-Hawkeye Arena career matches with his 9-6 win over Michigan's Hunter Collins. Gambrall scored a pair of takedowns in the opening frame and added a pair of escapes in the third period to secure the win. The 12th ranked 184-pounder is undefeated in seven conference matches this season. After Luke Lofthouse's 7-3 decision built Iowa's lead to 24-7, Hawkeye heavyweight Blake Rasing sent the Iowa faithful home happy with a third period pin over 13th ranked Ben Apland. After Apland recorded an early takedown in the opening frame, Rasing scored consecutive escapes to knot the score 2-2 heading into the final period. Apland chose to start the final period in the down position and recorded an escape at the 1:55 mark before Rasing got his arms around the Michigan sophomore and drove him to the ground for a 4-3 lead at 0:55. Six seconds later the Hawkeye junior put Apland on his back for his second pin of the season. The No. 2 Hawkeyes (14-0-1, 7-0 Big Ten) will face their final Big Ten opponent of the 2010-11 season when they travel to No. 5 Minnesota (15-3-1, 6-0-1 Big Ten) Feb. 20 for a 2 p.m. dual. The meet will be held at Minnesota's Williams Arena (14,625). General admission tickets are available for $15 at gophersports.com. The Big Ten Network will air a same-day taped-delay broadcast of the dual at 8:30 p.m. (CT). Announcers Tim Johnson and Jim Gibbons will provide commentary. Results: 125 - Matt McDonough (I) pinned Sean Boyle (M), 3:56 133 - Tony Ramos (I) dec. Zac Stevens (M), 7-2 * 141 - Kellen Russell (M) dec. Montell Marion (I), 9-5 SV 149 - Eric Grajales (M) maj. dec. Mark Ballweg (I), 13-3 157 - Derek St. John (I) dec. Brandon Zeerip (M), 10-3 165 - Aaron Janssen (I) dec. Dan Yates (M), 11-4 174 - Ethen Lofthouse (I) dec. Justin Zeerip (M), 6-4 184 - Grant Gambrall (I) dec. Hunter Collins (M), 9-6 197 - Luke Lofthouse (I) dec. Anthony Biondo (M), 7-3 Hwt. - Blake Rasing (I) pinned Ben Apland (M), 6:11

Related: Post-Meet Interviews MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. -- The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestlers, ranked No. 3 nationally, forged an 18-18 tie at No. 5 Minnesota on Sunday in a battle between two of the nation's top squads. Undefeated freshman David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio) and sophomore Andrew Long (Creston, Iowa) provided the spark for Penn State in the dual. Senior Brad Pataky (Clearfield, Pa.), ranked No. 11 at 125, returned to the mat for the first time since January 8 to take on No. 5 Zach Sanders of Minnesota. The Lion nearly upset Sanders but dropped a scintillating 10-8 decision. Sophomore All-American Andrew Long (Creston, Iowa), ranked No. 9 at 133, continued his hot week with an impressive 14-4 major over talented Minnesota freshman David Thorn to put Penn State on top 4-3. Long is now 10-1 on the year with seven majors. Second-ranked Gopher senior Mike Thorn notched a late takedown to hold off Nittany Lion freshman Andrew Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.), ranked No. 7, by a 4-1 score at 141. Fifth-ranked Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.) held on for a 6-5 win over Minnesota's Danny Zilverberg at 149 to put Penn State up 7-6. Undefeated freshman Taylor nearly pinned Minnesota's Matt Mincey at 157 but did not get the call and settled for a 16-1 technical fall at the 6:15 mark to give the Lions a 12-6 lead at the break. Taylor, now 30-0, has posted bonus point decisions in 29 of his 30 wins. He has 13 technical falls, nine pins and seven majors. Minnesota closed the gap with an 8-0 major from No. 11 Cody Yohn over Lion freshman Jake Kemerer (Greensburg, Pa.) at 165. No. 2 Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.) posted a 12-5 win over No. 12 Scott Glasser at 174, nearly picking up the major but for a last-second Glasser escape. The win put Penn State up 15-10. No. 9 Scott Glasser majored No. 13 Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.) at 184 to cut Penn State's lead to 15-14 before Gopher junior Sonny Yohn returned to the line-up for the first time since December at 197. Yohn, who was ranked in the top ten before an injury at the Southern Scuffle, majored freshman Nick Ruggear (Oxford, Pa.) 10-2 to give Minnesota an 18-15 lead heading into the final bout of the dual. Junior Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio), ranked No. 6 at heavyweight, clinched a dual meet tie with an exciting 2-0 win over No. 8 Tony Nelson in the final action of the day. The dual meet, a Big Ten Network production, will air tonight as a same day tape delay at 9:30 p.m. (Eastern) on the BTN. Not only did the teams split the dual five bouts a piece, but each team had 14 takedowns as well. Penn State got its three bonus points off Taylor's technical fall and Long's major while Minnesota used majors at 165, 184 and 197. While only forging a tie, the deadlock marks the first time in Penn State history that the Nittany Lions have not lost in the Gophers' building. Penn State returns to action on Friday, Feb. 18, with a 7 p.m. dual against No. 12 Wisconsin in Rec Hall. The match-up is Penn State's dual meet finale and will also serve as senior night. Tickets are disappearing fast but are still available. Fans wishing to purchase tickets can place their orders by calling 814-865-5555 or visit the Bryce Jordan Center ticket office. The box office is open Monday-Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Ticket pricing is $8 for adults and $5 for youth, and there will be a limit of eight tickets per order. Group sales are also available. The 2010-11 Penn State wrestling season is presented by the Family Clothesline. All Penn State events will once again air live on Forever Broadcasting's WRSC (1390 AM) and WSQV (92.1 FM). All radio broadcasts are streamed live at GoPSUsports.com as part of the All-Access package. The 2010-11 Penn State Wrestling season is presented by The Family Clothesline. Results: 125: #5 Zach Sanders MN dec. #11 Brad Pataky PSU, 10-8 0-3 133: #9 Andrew Long PSU 14-4 maj. dec. David Thorn MN, 14-4 4-3 141: #2 Mike Thorn MN dec. #7 Andrew Alton PSU, 1-4 4-6 149: #5 Frank Molinaro PSU dec. Danny Zilverberg MN, 6-5 7-6 157: #3 David Taylor PSU tech fall Matt Mincey MN, 16-1 (TF; 6:15) 12-6 165: #11 Cody Yohn MN maj. dec. Jake Kemerer PSU, 8-0 12-10 174: #2 Ed Ruth PSU dec. #12 Scott Glasser MN, 12-5 15-10 184: #9 Kevin Steinhaus MN maj. dec. #13 Quentin Wright PSU, 10-1 15-14 197: Sonny Yohn MN maj. dec. Nick Ruggear PSU, 10-2 15-18 285: #6 Cameron Wade PSU dec. #8 Tony Nelson MN, 2-0 18-18 BOUT-BY-BOUT: 125: Senior Brad Pataky (Clearfield, Pa.), ranked No. 11 at 125, returned to the mat for Penn State for the first time since January 8 to take on No. 5 Zach Sanders of Minnesota. The duo fought for position early in the opening period, with the action taking place in the center circle. Pataky gained control of Sanders' right leg, looking to score, but Sanders countered and rolled through the move for a takedown of his own to lead 2-0 at the 1:10 mark. Pataky was not able to work free of a strong Sanders ride and trailed by two after one period. Sanders chose down to start the second period and Pataky quickly controlled his wrist and turned him over for two back points to tie the score at 2-2. Pataky got hit for a stall warning before Sanders escaped to a 3-2 lead with :48 on the clock. Sanders then gained control of Pataky's leg and forced a scramble that led to a Sanders takedown with :11 left, giving Sanders a 5-2 lead with :13 in riding time after two periods of wrestling. Pataky chose down to start the third period and was cut loose to a 5-3 deficit. Pataky used a low double to gain control of Sanders' ankles and take him down to tie the score at 5-5. Sanders escaped for a one point lead and then took Pataky down to up his lead to 8-5 with 1:20 on the clock. Pataky could not work free of Sanders' control. Pataky gave up a penalty point with a third caution and trailed 9-5 with :40 on the clock. He then reversed the Gopher to cut the lead to 9-8 and cut Sanders loose. Time ran out before Pataky could get a tying takedown and Sanders escaped with a 10-8 win. 133: Sophomore All-American Andrew Long (Creston, Iowa), ranked No. 9 at 133, met Minnesota freshman David Thorn. Thorn came out of the gates aggressive and took an early 2-1 lead with a shoulder toss and a quick score. Long countered a low Thorn shot and took the 3-2 lead with his first takedown at the 1:45 mark. Long then turned Thorn for two back points and a 5-2 lead at the 1:00 mark. Long reset himself, turned Thorn again and upped his lead to 7-2 with another two-point near fall. Long rode Thorn out to lead 7-2 with 1:42 in riding time after one period. Thorn chose down to start the second period and escaped to a 7-3 deficit. Long fought off a Thorn shot attempt at the :30 mark and maintained his four-point lead, nearly took Thorn down at the end and then picked up a point on a personal misconduct penalty on Thorn at the buzzer. Long chose down to start the third with an 8-3 lead and 1:53 in riding time. A quick escaped gave Long a 9-3 lead. The sophomore All-American then gained control of Thorn and tossed him down for an 11-4 lead after a quick Thorn escape. Long secured the riding time as action hit the 1:00 mark. Long countered a late Thorn shot, then worked his way into a final takedown with :01 to clinch the major. The riding time point gave Long a 14-4 win and put Penn State up 4-3. 141: In one of the dual's most anticipated match-up, true freshman Andrew Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.) faced off against Minnesota senior Mike Thorn at 141. Alton was ranked No. 7 while Thorn was ranked No. 2. Alton came out the aggressor early, shooting numerous times but not breaking through the Gopher senior defense for a takedown. Alton gained control of Thorn's left leg and spend the next :20 trying to take him down. But a stalemate was called at the :45 mark still scoreless. Tied 0-0, Alton chose down to start the second period. Thorn, known for his strong work on top, controlled the Lion freshman for over a minute before a stalemate forced a reset with :47 on the clock. Alton escaped to a 1-0 lead with :38 on the clock but Thorn had 1:24 in riding time. Thorn chose down to start the third period but Alton was able to control him long enough to kill the riding time edge before Thorn escaped to a 1-1 tie. Alton countered a Thorn shot and tried to control his shoulders but a stalemate was called at the :50 mark. Thorn then got control of Alton's right leg and scrambled his way to a takedown with :18 left to grab the hard-fought 4-1 win (with the riding time point). 149: Two-time All-American Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.), ranked No. 5 at 149, faced Minnesota's Danny Zilverburg. Molinaro took Zilverburg down right away but the Gopher quickly reversed the Lion junior to tie the score at 2-2 less than :30 into the bout. Molinaro quickly escaped to a 3-2 lead and action resumed in the center circle. Molinaro then used a deep high single to up his lead to 5-2 with 1:30 on the clock and then began controlling the Gopher, looking for back points. Molinaro was dominant in control, keeping the Gopher down for the remainder of the period and also forcing a stall warning. Down 5-2 and facing 1:31 in riding time, Zilverberg chose down to start the second period. Molinaro cut him loose and Zilverberg quick got in on a single leg that he nearly turned into a tying takedown. After a reset, Zilverberg did tie the bout with a takedown at the 1:10 mark. Zilverberg was able to control Molinaro for the rest of the period and the bout went to the third tied 5-5. Molinaro chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 6-5 lead. Riding time was not a factor. Molinaro set the pace over the next minute, looking for a chance to score. The Lion countered a couple low Zilverberg shots and maintained his one point lead with :45 left in the bout. Molinaro gave up a stall warning with :20 left and Zilverberg nearly scored at the end of the bout. But Molinaro was able to hang on for the 6-5 win and put Penn State up 7-6. 157: Red-shirt freshman David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio), ranked No. 3 at 157, faced off against Gopher sophomore Matt Mincey. Taylor began the bout in his typical aggressive style and got in on a couple shots early that Mincey was able to fight off. Taylor gained control of Mincey's ankle and the Gopher grabbed the mat to break the hold but was not called for the penalty. Taylor responded after the reset by quickly taking the Gopher down for a 2-0 lead at the 1:31 mark. Taylor quickly turned him for three back points and a 5-0 lead. The Lion freshman reset, turned him again for three points and led 8-1 after a late Mincey escape. Leading 8-1 with 1:29 in riding time, Taylor chose top to start the second stanza. Taylor turned Mincey for two back points at the 1:00 mark, nearly pinning the Gopher, and led 10-1. Mincey got hit for a stall warning before the period ended and Taylor led 10-1 with a clinched riding time point heading into the third. Mincey chose top to start the third period and Taylor quickly escaped to an 11-1 lead. Taylor then took him down to lead 13-1 and had the Gopher flat for a possible pin with a minute left in the bout. But the Lion freshman did not get the call and ended up with three back points for a 16-1 technical fall at the 6:15 mark. The win put Penn State up 12-6 at the break. 165: Penn State freshman Jake Kemerer (Greensburg, Pa.) met No. 11 Cody Yohn of Minnesota at 165. Yohn was able to dictate the early pace but Kemerer countered with a couple shots of his own. Yohn gained control of Kemerer's shoulders at the 2:25 mark, but Kemerer was able to fight off the move and force a stalemate with 2:10 on the clock. Kemerer used a deep single to gain control of Yohn's right leg, but the ranked Gopher was able to force a stalemate with 1:45 left. Kemerer shot again and Yohn countered once more, this time snagging Kemerer's ankle and tripping him to the mat for a 2-0 lead with 1:05 on the clock. Yohn then turned Kemerer for two near fall points with :15 left and led 4-0 with 1:05 in time after one period. Kemerer chose neutral to start the second period and continued to shoot. But Yohn was able to step out of trouble each time and keep the Lion freshman from breaking through. Kemerer shot again and Yohn countered once more for a takedown and a 6-0 lead. Yohn was able to ride Kemerer out and led 6-0 with 2:27 in riding time after two periods. Yohn chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 7-0 lead. The Gopher also clinched the riding time point and was looking at a major if Kemerer could not cut into the lead. Kemerer continued to shoot, forcing the action. But Yohn was able to counter the Lion's shots and keep his lead. Kemerer continued to shoot and Yohn continued to block off the attempts but was hit with a first stall warning. Yohn held on and, with the time point, got the 8-0 major. 174: Red-shirt freshman Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.), ranked No. 2 at 174, faced off against No. 12 Scott Glasser in one of the dual's marquee match-ups. Ruth gained control of Glasser's left ankle and worked for an early takedown. But the 12th-ranke Gopher was able to force a stalemate with 2:10 left in the opening period. Ruth continued to pressure Glasser, forcing the tempo and broke through with a double leg to lead 2-0 at the 1:26 mark. Glasser escaped at the :58 mark and action resumed in the center circle. Glasser took a couple shots that Ruth was able to fight off and the Lion led 2-1 heading into the second period. Ruth chose down and quickly escaped to a 3-1 lead. The Lion freshman then rolled through a low double for a 5-2 lead after a quick Glasser escape. Ruth got in on a single off a reset and led 7-2 with :40 left. Ruth got hit with a first stall warning during his ride out. Ruth led 7-2 with 1:17 in riding time after two periods and Glasser chose down to start the third period. Glasser escaped to a 7-3 deficit but Ruth quickly took him down again for a 9-3 lead with 1:20 left. Ruth cut Glasser loose at the 1:06 mark with a riding time point in hand and led 9-4. He then used a swift high double for another takedown and led 11-4 with :53 on the clock. Ruth then dominated the action from the top, needing to keep control of the 12th-ranked Glasser for the final :50 to secure the major. But Glasser got the escape at the :01 mark to keep from giving up bonus points. Ruth's 12-5 win put Penn State up 15-10. 184: Sophomore All-American Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.), ranked No. 13 at 184, battled No. 9 Kevin Steinhaus in yet another anticipated meeting of ranked opponents. Steinhaus quickly took Wright down for a 2-0 lead and then tacked on two back points for a 4-0 lead. Two more near fall points put the Gopher up 6-0 with 1:10 on the clock. Wright rolled his way to an escaped with :30 on the clock and trailed 6-1 (Steinhaus had 2:05 in riding time). Steinhaus chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 7-1 lead. The duo traded hip toss attempts and then Wright got in deep on a single ledge, looking for his first takedown. Wright scrambled but Steinhaus forced a stalemate at the :48 mark to hold his six-point lead. Steinhaus used a duck under for another takedown and a 9-1 lead with :20 left in the period. Trailing 9-1 and facing 2:32 in riding time, Wright chose down to start the third period. Steinhaus clinched the riding time point and maintained control of the Penn State sophomore, not allowing Wright an escape. The ride-out gave Steinhaus 4:33 in riding time and a 10-1 major, cutting Penn State's lead to 15-14. 197: Penn State freshman Nick Ruggear (Oxford, Pa.) took on Gopher junior Sonny Yohn, who up until suffering an injury at the Southern Scuffle, was ranked among the nation's elite at 197. Yohn took Ruggear down at the 1:49 mark to take a 2-0 lead and began looking for a chance to turn the Lion freshman for back points or more. Ruggear was not able to break free of a strong Yohn ride and trailed 2-0 with 1:48 in riding time for the Gopher after one period. Yohn chose down to start the middle stanza and quickly escaped to a 3-0 lead. Ruggear got in deep on a low double but Yohn was able to slide out of bounds and force a reset with 1:30 on the clock. Ruggear shot again and this time Yohn countered for a takedown at the :42 mark, taking a 5-0 lead. Yohn rode Ruggear out again and led 5-0 with 2:26 in riding time after two periods. Ruggear chose down to start the third period but could not break free of Yohn's ride once again. Yohn clinched the bonus point then cut Ruggear loose to a 5-1 lead. He then took him down and cut him to lead 7y-2 with :40 on the clock. Yohn got in deep on a single and scrambled for a takedown with :26 left to lead 9-2. Ruggear could not work out of control and Yohn posted the 10-2 major to put Minnesota up 18-15. 285: With the dual on the line, junior heavyweight Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio), ranked No. 6 at heavyweight, met No. 8 Tony Nelson of Minnesota in yet another meeting of top-ten grapplers. Nelson took the first shot and nearly gained control of Wade, but the Lion junior was able to fight through the move and action returned to the center circle. Wade countered with a low single of his own, but Nelson forced the shot away and the bout remained scoreless with 1:50 on the clock. Wade nearly made a deep double under hook work for a takedown, but Nelson was able to break free of the attempt. The duo battled evenly for the rest of the period and the bout went to the second stanza tied 0-0. Wade chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead (nearly reversing Nelson in the process). Wade got in on another double under hook but once again could not break through Nelson's defense and maintained a 1-0 lead heading into the third period. Nelson chose down to start the third period and Wade was able to control the Gopher for nearly a minute. But Nelson worked his way into position for a near reversal but Wade held on long enough to force a stalemate and hold his 1-0 lead and control. Wade kept control of Nelson long enough to build up the riding time edge. Wade got hit with a stall warning at the :24 mark, but still maintained control (he clinched the riding time point). Wade then rode Nelson out to post a hard fought 2-0 win and clinch the dual meet tie.