InterMat Staff

PHILADELPHIA -- In its final dual meet of the regular season, No. 7 Lehigh won seven of ten bouts to defeat Penn Sunday afternoon at the Palestra. One day after routing Rutgers at Stabler Arena, Lehigh showed some rust, but still managed to score bonus points in five of the seven wins. Seniors Seth Ciasulli and David Craig posted wins by fall for the Mountain Hawks who finish the dual season at 16-3-1 overall, 5-0-1 in the EIWA. Penn falls to 10-6 overall, 4-2 in EIWA duals. “To come in here and beat Penn on their home turf, that’s a good thing,” said Lehigh head coach Pat Santoro. “We won some hard battles today through fight, but technically, we got beat. We’re coming off an emotional day yesterday. We talked about it. We were concerned about it. Santoro continued, “In some cases today we weren’t aggressive on our feet. That’s something we talked about a month ago. We thought we fixed that. If you don’t shoot you’re not going to win matches. That’s something we’re going to have to work on over the next two weeks.” For the second straight day sophomore John McDonald gave Lehigh a spark right off the bat, as on Sunday he opened the dual with an 8-0 major decision over Mark Rappo. McDonald tallied a takedown in each period and added an escape and riding time to put the Mountain Hawks in front 4-0. At 133, senior Matt Fisk found himself down 3-1 late in the third period against Brian Ortenzio, having given up a point for locked hands, an escape and a point for three cautions. In the final seconds, Fisk took his best shot of the bout which resulted in a takedown with two seconds left. The two extra seconds of riding time got Fisk to a minute, which was the deciding factor in a 4-3 win. Seth Ciasulli’s bout with Zack Kemmerer at 141 also came down to the wire. Sudden victory was needed with the bout tied 2-2, and in the final seconds of the overtime period Ciasulli used a leg scissors to get Kemmerer’s shoulders to the mat for a fall in 7:53 to extend Lehigh’s lead to 13-0. Freshman Joey Napoli completed a four-bout Lehigh run to start the dual with a dominant 11-2 major decision over Zach Ellis. The Quakers netted their first win at 157, where Matt Dragon, wrestling with knee and shoulder injuries, overcame a 4-1 first period deficit, scoring a reversal and two-point near fall in the third period to rally past sophomore Sean Bilodeau 9-7. At 165, sophomore Brandon Hatchett continued his strong close to the season with a 5-0 decision over Gabriel Burak. Hatchett scored a first period takedown, and turned Burak for two near fall points in the second period. Penn’s second win came at 174 as Scott Giffin was impressive in a 12-5 decision over freshman Robert Hamlin, but Craig clinched the dual for the Mountain Hawks building a 9-0 lead against Harrison Cook before decking the Quaker freshman in 4:12. Sophomore Joe Kennedy entered the day on an eight bout win streak, but could not find his offense as he suffered his first loss since the Virginia Duals. Micah Burak escaped in the first 30-second tiebreaker and then rode out Kennedy second to prevail 3-2 at 197. In the final bout of the dual, sophomore Zach Rey was dominant, scoring six takedowns, including the bonus-win clincher in the final seconds as he defeated Tyler Blakely 14-6. “We found a way to win a lot of matches this weekend by sheer guts,” explained Santoro. “That’s something you can’t really put together in two weeks. The technical stuff you can work on. Right now these guys are fighting hard to win every single match and that’s the most important thing going into the post season.” Next up for the Mountain Hawks is the 106th EIWA Championships, which Lehigh will host at Stabler Arena March 6-7. Tickets can be purchased by calling 610-7LU-GAME or by logging on to Lehighsports.com. Results: 125 John McDonald (Lehigh) maj. dec. Mark Rappo (Penn) 8-0 133 Matt Fisk (Lehigh) dec. Bryan Ortenzio (Penn) 4-3 141 Seth Ciasulli (Lehigh) Fall Zack Kemmerer (Penn) 7:53, s.v. 149 Joey Napoli (Lehigh) maj. dec. Zach Ellis (Penn) 11-2 157 Matt Dragon (Penn) dec. Sean Bilodeau (Lehigh) 9-7 165 Brandon Hatchett (Lehigh) dec. Gabriel Burak (Penn) 5-0 174 Scott Giffin (Penn) dec. Robert Hamlin (Lehigh) 12-5 184 David Craig (Lehigh) Fall Harrison Cook (Penn) 4:12 197 Micah Burak (Penn) dec. Joe Kennedy (Lehigh) 3-2, t.b. 285 Zach Rey (Lehigh) maj. dec. Tyler Blakely (Penn) 14-6

AMES, Iowa -- The second-ranked Iowa State wrestling team capped off the regular season in dominating fashion Sunday afternoon with a 34-7 win over Big 12 foe Nebraska on Senior Day. The highlight match at 197 pounds went to the wire, with top-rated Jake Varner (24-0) turning away Craig Brester (25-1) of Nebraska in overtime, 6-4. The Cyclones took eight of the 10 contested weights, with five matches resulting in bonus points for the ISU team effort. The victory is the largest Cyclone victory over the Huskers since 1985 (34-4). “We’re getting better,” ISU head coach Kevin Jackson. “Jake got a big takedown when he had to,” Jackson said. “We practice those situations all the time, trying to get a takedown when you are almost drained.” Iowa State finishes the dual season with a 13-2 overall record, and a perfect 4-0 mark in league action. ISU swept its four Big 12 opponents for the second time in the dual season (2006-07). Nebraska concludes its season with a 9-11 overall dual record, with a 0-4 mark in the Big 12. “It was a great afternoon,” Jackson said. “Nick Fanthorpe is wrestling at his best and he went after the pin. Mitch Mueller wants to be an All-American and he is wrestling better than he ever has.” Before the dual had even began, the Cyclone cheers rang down upon the mat as ISU honored its seven senior wrestlers. The crowd of over 3,500 was on their feet to applaud the career efforts of Cyclones Duke Burk, Joe Curran, Nick Fanthorpe, Nick Gallick, Mitch Mueller, Varner and David Zabriskie. Senior Cyclones scored four wins in the affair. “The pre-match ceremony was great,” Fanthorpe said. “I made the right choice going to Iowa State and I could not have wrestled for better fans.” The rematch of the 2009 NCAA 197-pound title bout was everything fans expected. Heading into overtime with a sudden victory period, ISU’s Varner and NU’s Brester were tied 4-4. Both grapplers each notched takedowns and a pair of escapes in regulation. Varner snapped his familiar foe towards the mat and circled around for the decisive takedown with three seconds remaining in the period to secure the victory. “When you are out there, you aren’t thinking about last year or it being your last home match,” Varner said. “It was a great way to go out and I love being a part of this team.” The dual meet started with consecutive pins from Cyclones Andrew Long (125) and Nick Fanthorpe (133). Long stuck Husker David Klingsheim in the third period at the 6:43 mark. Fanthorpe made quick work of Nebraska’s C.J. Napier, ending the match at 2:32 in the first period. Cyclone senior Mitch Mueller scored his first technical fall in dual action of this season with an 18-3 (4:34) performance over Nebraska’s Dustin Payne at 149 pounds. Iowa State’s Andrew Sorenson (157) and Jon Reader (165) put up major decision victories for the ISU team score. Sorenson used a strong third period to power his way to an 18-5 win against Nebraska’s Tyler Koehn. Reader scored a 21-8 win over Husker 165-pounder James Nakashima. ISU 184-pounder Jerome Ward gutted out a 3-1 decision of Nebraska’s Josh Ihnen. Heavyweight David Zabriskie concluded the dual by defeating Husker Tucker Lane by decision, 3-2. “It has all gone by so fast,” Zabriskie said. “I can’t believe that we wrestled our last match in Hilton Coliseum. I have loved it here.” The Cyclones will march towards the postseason with the next stop being March 6 in Norman, Okla. for the 2010 Big 12 Championships. Click the slideout tabs in the above photo for access to video, a photo album and full results (.PDF) from the ISU-NU dual. Results: 125 pounds – No. 5 Andrew Long (ISU) pinned David Klingsheim (NU), 6:43 133 pounds – No. 9 Nick Fanthorpe (ISU) pinned C.J. Napier (NU), 2:32 141 pounds – Mike Koehnlein (NU) dec. No. 18 Dalton Jensen (ISU), 4-2 149 pounds – No. 9 Mitch Mueller (ISU) tech. fall Dustin Payne (NU), 18-3 (4:34) 157 pounds – No. 20 Andrew Sorenson (ISU) major dec. Tyler Koehn (NU), 18-5 165 pounds – No. 2 Jon Reader (ISU) major dec. James Nakashima (NU), 21-8 174 pounds – No. 4 Stephen Dwyer (NU) major dec. No. 20 Duke Burk (ISU), 11-2 184 pounds – No. 13 Jerome Ward (ISU) dec. Josh Ihnen (NU), 3-1 197 pounds – No. 1 Jake Varner (ISU) dec. No. 2 Craig Brester (NU), 6-4 (SV) HWT – No. 5 David Zabriskie (ISU) dec. No. 14 Tucker Lane (NU), 3-2

MADISON, WI -- The top-ranked University of Iowa wrestling team won its third straight Big Ten regular season title Sunday afternoon with a 31-6 victory over #14 Wisconsin (8-10, 4-4 Big Ten) in Madison, WI. The dual will be aired at 10 p.m. (CT) Sunday on the Big Ten Network. The Hawkeyes, who posted their second-straight undefeated dual season with a 23-0 record (8-0 Big Ten), picked up their 61st straight dual win and 41st straight road dual win to close out the 2009-10 regular season. Iowa went 8-2 in the dual in front of 2,578 fans at the UW Field House, scoring team bonus points in three matches and allowing a total of four takedowns. Hawkeye seniors Brent Metcalf (149 - 29-0), Jay Borschel (174 - 28-0) and Dan Erekson (Hwt. - 8-0), and redshirt freshman Matt McDonough (125 - 29-0) all posted wins to remain undefeated on the season. The win was also the 30th Big Ten victory for Hawkeye Head Coach Tom Brands. Iowa jumped out to a 19-0 lead with wins at the first five weights. McDonough started the dual at 125 with a 10-1 win over Drew Hammen to record his 11th major decision of the season. Leading 4-1 after the first period, McDonough scored a reversal with 10 seconds left in the second period to take a 6-1 lead. He then added three nearfall points in the third and a point for riding time for the 10-1 win, which was his 22nd bonus-point victory of the season. Hawkeye senior Daniel Dennis, who is ranked between third and seventh in the nation, used 1:52 of riding time to score a 2-1 win over #5 Tyler Graff at 133. The Badger redshirt freshman escaped with less than 10 seconds left in the second period to take a 1-0 lead, but Dennis followed with a third-period escape and kept his riding time intact for the win. At 141, sophomore Montell Marion gave up Iowa's first takedown of the dual, but responded with an eight-point third period to beat Wisconsin's Cole Schmitt, 11-4. The 149-pound bout between the top-ranked Metcalf and #5 Kyle Ruschell was one of the dual's marquee match-ups, but Wisconsin forfeited to give Iowa a 16-0 lead. It was the 25th time in 29 bouts that Metcalf scored extra team points for the Hawkeyes. Iowa junior Jake Kerr scored two first-period takedowns in his 157-pound match with Greg Burke, and held on for the 6-5 win. After the intermission, fourth-ranked Hawkeye senior Ryan Morningstar could not pull off the upset over top-ranked Badger Andrew Howe at 165. After a scoreless first period, Howe scored an escape to take a 1-0 lead. Morningstar, who is now 0-4 against the defending Big Ten Champion and NCAA runner-up, chose the down position to start the third period. Howe, who improved to 28-0 on the season and snapped Morningstar's eight-match winning streak, held the Hawkeye senior down until he accumulated 1:04 of riding time. He then released Morningstar to tie the score at 1-1, but Howe's riding time point gave him the victory. Borschel stopped any chance of a Badger run with his 4:26 pin of Brendan Ard at 174. The Hawkeye senior was close to the fall in the first period, but had to settle for a takedown and three nearfall points to take a 5-0 lead. After a neutral start to the second period, Borschel scored another takedown and then turned Ard to collect his ninth pin and 19th bonus-point win of the season. Hawkeye senior Phillip Keddy followed a 184 with a 4-3 decision over Badger Travis Rutt to give Iowa a 28-3 lead. Rutt scored an early takedown in the first period, but Keddy quickly escaped and scored a takedown of his own for a 3-2 lead. Rutt escaped after starting the second period in the down position to tie the score at 3-3, but Keddy's escape in the third period have him the 4-3 win. Wisconsin scored its second and final victory of the night at 197 when junior Trevor Brandvold, who is ranked between fifth and seventh in the nation, recorded a 4-2 victory over Hawkeye junior Luke Lofthouse. Lofthouse scored an early takedown, but Brandvold followed with an escape and takedown to take a 3-2 lead. Brandvold added a second-period escape and held off Lofthouse's third-period takedown attempts for the win. Erekson closed out the dual with a 3-2 decision over Badger heavyweight Eric Bugenhagen. Iowa will wrestle for its third straight and 34th overall conference team title March 6-7 at the 2010 Big Ten Wrestling Championships. The event will be held at the University of Michigan's Crisler Arena in Ann Arbor. Session One (first round and quarterfinals) is set to start Saturday at 10 a.m. (CT). Session Two (championship semifinals and consolation matches) will begin Saturday at 5 p.m. Sunday's Session Three (consolation semifinals and seventh-place matches) will start at 11 a.m., with the championships round (first, third and fifth-place matches) starting at 1:05 p.m. The championships round will be aired live on the Big Ten Network. All-session tickets ($30) are available from the University of Michigan Athletic Ticket Office (734-764-0247 or www.MGoBlue.com/tickets). Single-session tickets will be on sale at Crisler Arena at the event. Results: 125 - Matt McDonough (I) maj. dec. Drew Hammen (W), 10-1 133 - Daniel Dennis (I) dec. Tyler Graff (W), 2-1 141 - Montell Marion (I) dec. Cole Schmitt (W), 11-4 149 - Brent Metcalf (I) won by forfeit 157 - Jake Kerr (I) dec. Greg Burke (W), 6-5 165 - Andrew Howe (W) dec. Ryan Morningstar (I), 2-1 174 - Jay Borschel (I) pinned Brendan Ard (W), 4:26 184 - Phillip Keddy (I) dec. Travis Rutt (W), 4-3 197 - Trevor Brandvold (W) dec. Luke Lofthouse (I), 4-2 Hwt. - Dan Erekson (I) dec. Eric Bugenhagen (W), 3-2

ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- After dropping two of the first three bouts of the night, Navy went on to win the remaining seven and earn a 26-6 victory over arch rival Army in the annual Star Match held Saturday evening at Alumni Hall in Annapolis. While the Midshipmen now own a 44-5-5 series advantage, the rout marked Navy's 10th consecutive win over its service academy rival. "I am so proud of our guys," said an elated Bruce Burnett. "When you look at this match on paper, this wasn't supposed to happen. They had beaten us at several of the weight classes either last year or in competitions earlier this season. I can go down the list of wrestlers who gutted it out, gave their heart, believed in themselves. This is the biggest win against Army since I've been here. They rose above and got the job done." While there were countless performances that displayed courage and desire over the course of the evening, Navy freshman Andrew Buck (Carson, Wash.) provided the Mids with an amazing come-from-behind win over Collin Wittmeyer at 184 pounds. After knotting the match up in the third period with a takedown, Buck lost a pair of points less than 30 seconds later after being called for an illegal move. Buck, however, scored the takedown with 21 seconds remaining to tie the score at 4-4. Despite the scored, Wittmeyer held the advantage after building up more than a minute's worth of riding time, forcing Buck to allow Wittmeyer out of the hold and giving him the opportunity for a last second takedown. Buck did just that, scoring a two-point nearfall at the buzzer to send it to sudden victory. Starting in the neutral position, Buck was able to bring Wittmeyer down and tried to lean him back onto his back. Despite multiple tries, Buck finally was able to roll and swing around Wittmeyer for the takedown with 18 seconds remaining in the one-minute sudden victory period. "Can you believe Andrew Buck coming back," said Burnett. "He's had several injuries over the last few months and he just gutted it out." The Mids received another emotional lift from junior Allan Stein (Portland, Maine) who has spent his entire collegiate wrestling career at 125 pounds but was asked to step into the role at 133 pounds. Stein, a scrappy, speedy wrestler who leaves everything he has on the mat, won perhaps the biggest match of his career. Stein built a 5-3 lead after the opening period that included a takedown followed by a two-point nearfall, but his foe, sophomore Travis Coffey, proved a valid foe as he put together a pair of escapes and a takedown with a minute to go in the second period to knot the match at 7-7. Stein scored the escape at the end of the period and opened the final period with an escape to push his lead to two. Coffey, though, was credited with a takedown with 47 seconds left to tie the match at 9-9. Stein broke free and was able to hold on for the 10-9 win. "I'm naturally about 135 pounds, so for me to cut two pounds versus 10 pounds was a noticeable difference for me," said Stein. "I felt fresher and was able to press the pace a little." For Stein, the win was significant for a number of reasons. "I had that loss against Army from my Plebe Year in the back of my head. I thought to myself, `this is the last chance I have to wrestle against Army at Alumni Hall and win. This is truly the most excited I've ever been after a win. It's a much bigger win than any other match I've ever wrestled. It was a special win for me because it was against Army and it was at home. My dad was able to drive down to watch and my high school coach, Coach Kirk, drove all the way down here. It meant a lot to me to have all of them here." "When you wrestle Allan, you know what you are going to get," said Burnett. "I knew that Allan would give everything he had in his tank and in his heart." Familiar foes Matt Pagan (Carteret, N.J.) of Navy and Casey Thome of Army met in the 141-pound match and based on record alone, Thome clearly had the advantage. Thome came into the match boasting a 23-5 record and had won 10 consecutive matches, while Pagan had produced a 20-14 record and was coming off a second-place finish at the All-Academy Championship. Pagan was the aggressor early on, but as the match continued both wrestlers began to tactically stalk one another. Pagan built a 3-1 lead with 1:48 to go in the second period, but a Thome takedown with just over a minute to go tied things up. Pagan took a 4-3 lead at the end of the period, however Thome would again tie the match with an escape to start the final period. After the two wrestlers rode out the one-minute sudden victory period, the match headed to a pair of 30-second tie breakers. Pagan selected the down position in the first tie breaker and was able to break loose with 20 seconds to go to take a 5-4 lead. Fight as he may, Thome was unable to break free from Pagan's hold in the second 30-second tie breaker and Pagan scored a huge win for the Mids. Team captain Glenn Shober (Reading, Pa.) used the momentum built by his teammates to help him upset eighth-ranked Matt Kyler, who came into the match with an impressive 27-2 record. After a scoreless opening period, Kyler scored the first point with an escape to begin the second stanza. The final period began with a Shober escape and with 57 seconds remaining, the senior took Kyler to the match for a 3-1 advantage. Unable to ride him out, Kyler was able to narrow the gap with an escape, but Shober sealed the win with a takedown with just four seconds remaining to upset one of the nation's best at 149 pounds. "I've got to thank Coach Burnett for preparing us," said Shober, who picked up his first win over Army in the annual dual. "Mentally, I knew I could do it. I think the momentum that we built after winning four matches in a row really got me up. This is definitely the biggest upset of my career." "We really couldn't have scripted Glenn's match any more than how it turned out," said Burnett. "You wouldn't believe that we actually had talked prior to the match about him going for a last second takedown. He was well prepared and his weight management this week was probably the best it's been all year. Glenn did a great job of preparing and believing in himself." Additionally, Navy received wins from sophomore 125-pound Aaron Kalil (Salem, N.H.), 157-pound Bryce Saddoris (Spring Creek, Nev.) and junior 165-pound Robby Neill (Brick, N.J.) and Scott Steele (Towson, Md.) who earned an 11-7 win in what was his 100th career match. "The preparation and hard work is honestly like no other sport in that you see immediate results when you focus on those two aspects," added Burnett. "On the flip side, that can certainly work against you, but it proves how valuable preparation and execution are. They are just words, it's about hard work and seeing that hard work through. The Midshipmen will be back in action in two weeks when they make the short journey to Bethlehem, Pa. to take part in the 2010 EIWA Championship, slated for March 6-7. Results: 174 - Ryan Mergen (A) dec. Mike Billings, 5-3 184 - Andrew Buck (N) dec. Collin Wittmeyer, 8-6 (SV1) 197 - #16 Richard Starks (A) dec. Russ Kropp, 8-4 285 - #9 Scott Steele (N) dec. Orion Ross, 11-7 125 - Aaron Kalil (N) dec. Lance Penhale, 11-9 133 - Allan Stein (N) dec. Travis Coffey, 10-9 141 - Matt Pagan (N) dec. Casey Thome, 5-4 (TB) 149 - Glenn Shober (N) dec. #8 Matt Kyler, 5-2 157 - #7 Bryace Saddoris (N) tech. Daniel Young, 17-2 (3:24) 165 - Robby Neill (N) dec. Patrick Marchetti, 6-3

Hempstead, NY -- Tyler Banks, Jonny Bonilla-Bowman and P.J. Gillespie posted major decision victories and the Pride received a final match forfeit win as Hofstra defeated Drexel, 21-17, in a CAA match at the Hofstra Physical Fitness Center Saturday afternoon. The Dragons of Drexel jumped out to a 7-0 lead after two matches as junior Michael Gomez (3-3) defeated Pride freshman Jamie Franco (5-14), 2-1, on a third period takedown at 125 pounds, and 15th-ranked senior Steve Mytych (30-6) posted a 10-2 major decision over freshman Luke Vaith (15-17) at 133 pounds. Hofstra got on the board at 141 pounds when red-shirt freshman Tyler Banks (10-17) rolled to a 13-0 major decision over Dragon freshman Josh Yurasits (2-8). Drexel boosted the lead to 10-4 at 149 when senior Brett McCurdy (10-12) downed Pride junior Jeff Rotella (3-19). But the Pride rallied with major decisions in the next two matches to take a 12-10 lead in the contest. Senior Jonny Bonilla-Bowman (16-4), ranked 19th in the country, jumped out to a 9-5 lead after one period and rolled to a 21-11 major decision over Joe Booth (19-6) at 157 pounds. It was Bonilla-Bowman’s fourth straight win and the ninth in his last 10 matches. Pride sophomore P.J. Gillespie (28-12) gave Hofstra a 12-10 advantage with a 14-6 major win over sophomore Alex Rinaldi (8-20) at 165 pounds. Drexel regained the lead at 174 pounds as junior Dave Woodall edged Pride senior Jon Rothman (2-17), 6-5 at 174 pounds, on the riding time point after Rothman pulled off a late escape to tie the match. But Hofstra sophomore Ben Clymer (23-6) gave the Pride the lead right back, recording a second period escape for a 1-0 victory over junior Justin Weiller (12-15). Clymer has won 12 of his last 14 matches. At 197 pounds, Drexel sophomore Shawn Fausey (3-6) recorded a 10-0 major decision over Pride red-shirt freshman Patrick Murphy (1-5), who was filling in for senior starter Anthony Tortora, who was injured at Rider last Wednesday, giving the Dragons a 17-15 advantage heading into the match finale. A battle between Drexel junior Kyle Frey (27-8), ranked second in the CAA, and Hofstra red-shirt freshman Paul Snyder (10-14), ranked fourth in the CAA, was expected at 285 pounds, But Frey, who suffered a hand injury in a recent match, forfeited the match giving Hofstra the 21-17 victory. The Pride, who snapped a seven-match losing streak, ended their dual match schedule with a 6-12-2 mark and a 4-3 mark in the CAA. Drexel ended its regular season with a 9-12-0 mark and a 3-4 record in the CAA. Both teams will now prepare for the 2010 CAA Championships at Rider University in Lawrenceville, New Jersey on March 5-6. Results: 125- Mike Gomez (DU) dec. Jamie Franco (HU), 2-1 133- Steve Mytych (DU) maj. dec. Luke Vaith (HU), 10-2 141- Tyler Banks (HU) maj. dec. Josh Yurasits (DU), 13-0 149- Brett McCurdy (DU) dec. Jeff Rotella (HU), 10-3 157- Jonny Bonilla-Bowman (HU) maj. dec. Joe Booth (DU), 21-11 165- P.J. Gillespie (HU) maj. dec. Alex Rinaldi (DU), 14-6 174- Dave Woodall (DU) dec. Jon Rothman (HU), 6-5 184- Ben Clymer (HU) dec. Justin Weiller (DU), 1-0 197- Shawn Fausey (DU) maj. dec. Patrick Murphy (HU), 10-0 285- Paul Snyder (HU) win by forfeit

MINNEAPOLIS -- Qualifying nine individuals to compete at the national tournament, the top-ranked Augsburg College wrestling team won the NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional for the eighth straight year on Saturday at Augsburg's Si Melby Hall. The Auggies won regional titles in seven of the 10 weight classes, had a regional runner-up and one at-large qualifier for the national championships, to be held March 5-6 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Augsburg (Minn.) won the tournament with 224 points, followed by second-place Concordia-Moorhead (Minn.) with 142 points, Elmhurst (Ill.) with 133.5 points and St. John's (Minn.) with 126.0 points.Winners of 10 of the last 19 national titles, Augsburg has won the Great Lakes Regional every year since joining the region in 2003. Augsburg's Josh Roberts (125), Jafari Vanier (141), Tony Valek (149), Jason Adams (157), Orlando Ponce (165), Zach Molitor (174) and Jared Massey (197) all won regional titles to qualify for the national tournament, while Paul Bjorkstrand was a runner-up at 133. He qualified along with at-large qualifier Andy Witzel at heavyweight. Massey, the defending national titlist at 197 pounds, won all three of his matches, including one by fall, to improve to 25-0 on the season. In two years at Augsburg, Massey is now 55-1 in his two seasons at Augsburg. A competitor at Division I Wisconsin in the 2003-04 season, he returned to college wrestling last year after a four-season absence. Adams won four matches, including two by pin, at 157 to return to the national tournament for the third straight year, improving to 39-4 in the process. Adams is a two-time All-American, finishing second at 141 in 2008 and third at 157 last season. Adams is now 129-24 in his career. At 141, Vanier reached the Division III national tournament for the third time in his career with four victories, emerging from the No. 4 seed to win the regional title in a weight class that featured four of the top-five ranked wrestlers in the latest national poll. Vanier returned to the Auggie lineup this season after a two-season absence. He was a national runner-up in both 2006 and 2007 at 133 pounds. Molitor claimed four wins at 174, including two major decisions, to improve to 27-3 and advance to the national tournament for the second straight year. Molitor scored a 10-1, major-decision win in the championship match. Valek will return to the national tournament for the second year in a row after claiming his crown at 149. He won three matches, including a 6-0 decision in the finals, to improve to 30-4 on the season. Ponce, also a national tournament qualifier last year, won the regional title with four victories, including a 14-6, major-decision win in the finals, to improve to 27-10 on the season. Roberts qualified for the national tournament for the first time in his career, scoring three wins, including an 8-7 win over top-ranked Jake Oster of Elmhurst in the finals. Roberts is now 24-8 on the season. Bjorkstrand reached the national tournament for the first time in his career with a runner-up finish at 133, and will advance with a 36-7 record. Witzel, an All-American last year with a fifth-place finish at heavyweight, reached this year's tourney as an at-large qualifier with a 27-9 record. Concordia-Moorhead (Minn.) qualified four individuals to the national tournament -- 184-pound champion Phil Moenkedick, 174-pound runner-up Ross Dakners, 149-pound runner-up Justin Berns and at-large qualifier Ben Anderson at 141. Also qualifying four individuals was North Central (Ill.) -- 133-pound champion Nathan Fitzenreider, 184-pound runner-up Gabe Youel, 141-pound at-large qualifier John Starzyk and 174-pound at-large qualifier Cowan Brown. St. John's (Minn.) qualified three individuals to the national tournament -- 141-pound true-second winner Minga Batsukh, 133-pound at-large qualifier Mogi Baatar and 165-pound at-large qualifier Matt Baarson. Elmhurst (Ill.) qualified three individuals -- heavyweight champion Mark Corsello, 125-pound runner-uip Jake Oster and 149-pound at-large qualifier Charlie Curran. St. Olaf (Minn.) qualified two individuals -- 156-pound true-second finisher Justin Skillings and 165-pound runner-up Josef Waples. Qualifying one individual each were Lakeland (Wis., heavyweight runner-up Adam Sutter), Chicago (Ill., 197-pound runner-up Troy Carlson) and Augustana (Ill., 125-pound at-large qualifier George Gogonas).

No. 1 Iowa hits the road to take on No. 19 Wisconsin in the final dual meet of the season for both teams. The dual meet is scheduled to take place at 3 p.m. CST at the UW Field House in Madison, Wisconsin. It will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network (same-day delay) at 10 p.m. CST tonight. The Hawkeyes are 22-0 on the season and 7-0 in the Big Ten, while the Badgers are 8-9 overall and 4-3 in the conference. Below is a weight-by-weight breakdown of today's dual meet. 125: No. 3 Matt McDonough (Iowa) vs. Drew Hammen (Wisconsin) McDonough, a redshirt freshman, stands one match away from finishing the regular season undefeated. He has picked up bonus points in his last three matches, with his last victory coming over Nikko Triggas of Ohio State, 9-1, on Friday night. Hammen snapped an 11-match losing streak last Sunday when he defeated true freshman Sean Boyle of Michigan, but he dropped his last match on Friday night to Levi Mele of Northwestern. Bottom Line: McDonough should overwhelm Hammen and pick up bonus points, most likely a major decision or technical fall. Prediction: McDonough (Iowa) major dec. Hammen (Wisconsin) 133: No. 3 Daniel Dennis (Iowa) vs. No. 6 Tyler Graff (Wisconsin) Dennis has not looked real sharp in his last two outings. He lost 8-4 to Minnesota's top-ranked Jayson Ness last Sunday and then narrowly defeated true freshman Ian Paddock of Ohio State, 3-2, on Friday night. He is currently 15-2 on the season and ranked No. 3. Graff has been one of the most impressive freshmen in the country this season. He was Midlands champion in December (Dennis did not compete) and has not lost a conference match, going 7-0. He has won his last eight matches and is 24-4 on the season. Bottom Line: This should be a great match with a lot of action. Both wrestlers have attacking styles and like to wrestle at a high pace. This match could go either way. Prediction: Dennis (Iowa) dec. Graff (Wisconsin) 141: No. 4 Montell Marion (Iowa) vs. Cole Schmitt (Wisconsin) Marion has established himself as a real threat at 141 pounds. He has won seven of his last nine matches, which includes victories over No. 7 Jamal Parks of Oklahoma State and No. 8 Mike Thorn of Minnesota. He dropped his last match on Friday night to No. 2 Reece Humphrey of Ohio State, 9-5. Schmitt, a redshirt freshman, has been up and down this season. He has some quality wins over All-Americans, but also some head-scratching losses. He comes into today's match having won three of his last four matches. Bottom Line: Marion defeated Schmitt, 7-4, earlier this season at the Midlands. But Schimitt was crushed in his last two outings against wrestlers ranked in the top 10. Prediction: Marion (Iowa) major dec. Schmitt (Wisconsin) 149: No. 1 Brent Metcalf (Iowa) vs. No. 5 Kyle Ruschell (Wisconsin) Metcalf was pushed hard in his last match on Friday night against Ohio State's second-ranked Lance Palmer, but came away with a 3-1 decision to improve to 28-0 on the season. If he wins today, he will finish his Big Ten career undefeated at 24-0. Ruschell was ranked No. 2 (behind Metcalf) for the first three months of the season before losing, 6-5, to Frank Molinaro of Penn State on January 31. He has won his last five matches and comes into today's match with a 25-2 season mark. Bottom Line: Metcalf has faced Ruschell four times and dominated him in virtually every meeting. He has picked up bonus points in all but one of the matches. The lone match in which Metcalf did not pick up bonus points against Ruschell was their last meeting in the finals of the Midlands, which was a 9-2 victory for the Hawkeye senior. Prediction: Metcalf (Iowa) major dec. Ruschell (Wisconsin) 157: Jake Kerr (Iowa) vs. Greg Burke (Wisconsin) This is the lone matchup in the dual meet that does not include a ranked wrestler. Iowa still has not yet determined its starter for the postseason at this weight class as Aaron Janssen and Jake Kerr have been alternating matches. Janssen started on Friday night, which more than likely means Kerr will get the start today. Kerr is 8-7 on the season and coming off a 4-1 loss to No. 2 Dustin Schlatter of Minnesota last Sunday. Burke picked up his first conference victory of the season on Friday night, a 5-4 decision over Northwestern's Kevin Bialka. The Badger junior is 5-16 on the season. Bottom Line: This is a crucial match for Kerr as he looks to make his case for earning the nod in the postseason. Prediction: Kerr (Iowa) dec. Burke (Wisconsin) 165: No. 4 Ryan Morningstar (Iowa) vs. No. 1 Andrew Howe (Wisconsin) This is one of the marquee matches up of the dual meet. Howe, who is ranked No. 1, has compiled a perfect 27-0 record this season and picked up bonus points in each of his last four matches. Morningstar has not lost a conference match this season, going 7-0. He is 23-3 on the season and has won 14 of his last 15 matches. Bottom Line: These two met three times last season, with Howe winning each of those matches by one point in the tiebreaker. Prediction: Howe (Wisconsin) dec. Morningstar (Iowa) 174: No. 2 Jay Borschel (Iowa) vs. Brendan Ard (Wisconsin) Borschel, a 2008 All-American, is one of four undefeated Hawkeyes. He has been dominating his opponents lately, picking up bonus points in six of his last seven matches. Borschel registered a shutout victory, 9-0, over No. 11 David Rella of Ohio State on Friday night. Ard began his Big Ten season with a victory over Justin Ortega on January 31, but has not won a match since, losing four straight. He is 1-8 on the season. Bottom Line: The second-ranked Borschel has his sights set on winning an NCAA title this season. Look for him to come out and dominate Ard. Prediction: Borschel (Iowa) pins Ard (Wisconsin) 184: No. 11 Phil Keddy (Iowa) vs. Travis Rutt (Wisconsin) Keddy, a two-time All-American, is coming off a 3-2 victory over 2008 NCAA champion Mike Pucillo of Ohio State on Friday night. The Hawkeye senior has won seven of his last eight matches. Rutt broke into the rankings after the NWCA/Cliff Keen National duals, but fell out after losing to Hunter Collins of Michigan last Sunday. Rutt picked up a decision over Aaron Jones of Northwestern on Friday night to improve to 12-8 on the season. Bottom Line: Keddy seems to be hitting his stride and should defeat Rutt, who has lost three of his last five matches. Prediction: Keddy (Iowa) dec. Rutt (Wisconsin) 197 Luke Lofthouse (Iowa) vs. No. 7 Trevor Brandvold (Wisconsin) Brandvold has been perfect in the Big Ten, going 7-0 in one of the conference's deepest weight classes. His last loss came at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals to No. 5 Cam Simaz of Cornell. Brandvold defeated John Schoen of Northwestern by major decision, 10-0, in his last outing on Friday night. Lofthouse will be wrestling his final match of the season as Chad Beatty is expected to be back in the Hawkeye lineup for the Big Ten Championships. He has won five of his last six matches. Bottom Line: Brandvold has established himself as a legitimate All-American threat. And while Lofthouse has done a nice job filling for the injured Beatty, he is not wrestling at Brandvold's level. Prediction: Brandvold (Wisconsin) dec. Lofthouse (Iowa) 285: No. 10 Dan Erekson (Iowa) vs. Eric Bugenhagen (Wisconsin) Erekson, a returning All-American, has gone 7-0 since stepping into the Hawkeye lineup on January 24. Of his seven victories, three have come by pin. On Friday night, Erekson pinned NCAA qualifier Corey Morrison of Ohio State. Bugenhagen moved up two weight classes this season from 184 pounds. He will finish his season the regular season with a .500 record as he can upset Erekson. He is riding a four-match winning streaking heading into today's match. Bottom Line: While Bugenhagen has won four straight matches, it needs to be noted that he lost eight of nine matches prior to that. He has gone 0-10 against wrestlers who have been ranked at some point this season. Erekson should win the match, but Bugenhagen has proven that he can be competitive with the best heavyweights in the country. Prediction: Erekson (Iowa) dec. Bugenhagen (Wisconsin) Dual Meet Prediction: Iowa 30, Wisconsin 6

BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- A battle between two top-25 teams turned into a one-sided affair Saturday afternoon as No. 7 Lehigh won nine of ten bouts to defeat No. 22 Rutgers 28-3 Stabler Arena. In a dual that featured a number of close matches, Lehigh won the first four to take an early 12-0 lead and then prevailed in the final five to snap the Scarlet Knights 15-dual unbeaten streak. Senior David Craig delivered the only bonus win for the Mountain Hawks, who improved to 15-3-1 overall and 4-0-1 against EIWA opponents. “It was a great effort this afternoon,” said Lehigh head coach Pat Santoro. “A lot of matches were close. It was 28-3 in favor of us but it really could have gone either way. It was nice to have this kind of effort late in the season.” Sophomore John McDonald gave Lehigh a big spark in his return to the lineup as he opened the dual by upsetting 21st-ranked Joseph Langel 5-4. McDonald scored takedowns in each of the first two periods to build a 4-2 lead, and then after being taken down in the third; McDonald escaped for the decisive point. “McDonald’s win was huge,” explained Santoro. “Langel has been wrestling really well. John’s been going good but hasn’t been able to find a way to win. Today he found a way.” In the first of six matches between ranked wrestlers, senior No. 14 Matt Fisk dominated No. 20 Bill Ashnault 8-1 at 133. Fisk built a 7-1 lead after one period with a takedown, a two-point near fall and a three-point near fall. Senior Seth Ciasulli avenged a loss to Trevor Melde at the Midlands by winning a 6-4 decision at 141. Ciasulli led 1-0 on a penalty point in the first period but was reversed in the second to trail 3-2. In a wild third period, Ciasulli escaped to tie the bout, and then took down Melde to take the lead before being reversed. Ciasulli finally went ahead late in the bout with a reversal of his own. A late reversal also helped out freshman Joey Napoli who rallied to defeat David Greenwald 4-2 at 149. Rutgers (19-5-1, 6-2 EIWA) picked up its only win at 157 as Daryl Cocozzo won a 5-1 decision over sophomore Sean Bilodeau, to cut Lehigh’s lead to 12-3 at intermission. The second half of the dual belonged to the Mountain Hawks who won all five bouts. In the first bout after intermission, sophomore Brandon Hatchett totaled four takedowns en route to an 11-4 win over Greg Zannetti at 165. Freshman Robert Hamlin then followed with a 3-1 decision over Dan Rinaldi at 174. Craig provided bonus points with a 14-0 major decision over Jesse Boyden at 184. The senior scored early on a duckunder, before adding two three-point near falls to lead 8-0 after one period. In the second, Craig used a cradle to add three more near fall points and he rounded out his scoring with a third-period takedown. Lehigh enjoyed more late magic at 197 where Joe Kennedy scored a takedown in the final seconds to defeat Lamar Brown 3-2. With the match tied at one late, Kennedy was penalized a point for stalling, but used an inside trip to take down Brown in the waning seconds of the bout. The final bout of the dual was also the featured bout, as No. 6 Zach Rey faced No. 10 Domenick Russo. For the second time this season, Rey prevailed, taking Russo down to his back for a total of four points in the second period on the way to a 4-2 victory, improving his season record to 24-3. The Mountain Hawks will wrap-up the dual season on Sunday when they visit Penn. The match is slated for a 1 p.m. start from the Palestra in Philadelphia. The match can be heard on WLVR-FM (91.3) as well as online at Lehighsports.com. The Rutgers dual will be rebroadcast nationally on Fox College Sports beginning Tuesday at 9 p.m. and Wednesday at 4 a.m. Results: 125 John McDonald (Lehigh) dec. Joseph Langel (Rutgers) 5-4 133 Matt Fisk (Lehigh) dec. Bill Ashnault (Rutgers) 8-1 141 Seth Ciasulli (Lehigh) dec. Trevor Melde (Rutgers) 6-4 149 Joey Napoli (Lehigh) dec. David Greenwald (Rutgers) 4-2 157 Daryl Cocozzo (Rutgers) dec. Sean Bilodeau (Lehigh) 5-1 165 Brandon Hatchett (Lehigh) dec. Greg Zannetti (Rutgers) 11-4 174 Robert Hamlin (Lehigh) dec. Dan Rinaldi (Rutgers) 3-1 184 David Craig (Lehigh) maj. dec. Jesse Boyden (Rutgers) 14-0 197 Joe Kennedy (Lehigh) dec. Lamar Brown (Rutgers) 3-2 285 Zach Rey (Lehigh) dec. Domenick Russo (Rutgers) 4-2

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- No. 9 Maryland won seven of ten matches to defeat No. 24 Virginia 22-11 in Charlottesville, capping off a 19-4 regular season in which the Terps set the school record for wins. The Terps trailed 10-11 following the sixth match, but Mookie Golden, No. 9 Alex Krom, Jon Kohler and Kyle John notched victories as Maryland scored 12 straight points to end the match. "It was a great atmosphere and we had some hard-fought victories," said head coach Kerry McCoy. "It's huge to get this win and end the regular season with this momentum. It's great because our guys are wrestling better and with more confidence every day." No. 3 Hudson Taylor improved to 36-2 this season with a victory over defending ACC Champion Brent Jones, who is ranked 18th in the nation at 197 pounds. The focus now shifts to the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament, as Maryland and Virginia Tech both finished the season 4-0 in conference action. The Terps improved their case for high seeds in the tournament at a number of weight classes; Taylor, No. 14 Josh Asper, Kyle John and Patrick Gilmore all finished the season 4-0 in conference duals. The ACC Championship will be held March 6 in Raleigh, N.C. Tickets are just $10 for adults and $5 for children, and can be purchased here. Results: 165 - No. 14 Josh Asper (MD) dec. Beau Fisher, 12-5 (3-0) 174 - No. 3 Chris Henrich (VA) tech. fall over Bradley Nielson, 15-0 (3-5) 184 - No. 20 Mike Salopek (VA) dec. Corey Peltier, 2-0 (3-8) 197 - No. 3 Hudson Taylor (MD) major dec. No. 18 Brent Jones, 13-5 (7-8) HWT - Patrick Gilmore (MD) dec. Jack Danilkowicz, 3-2 TB2 (10-8) 125 - Ross Gitomer (VA) dec. James Knox, 3-2 (10-11) 133 - Mookie Golden (MD) dec. Matt Snyder, 3-2 (13-11) 141 - No. 9 Alex Krom (MD) dec. Derek Valenti, 6-2 (16-11) 149 - Jon Kohler (MD) dec. Shawn Harris, 10-6 (19-11) 157 - Kyle John (MD) dec. Dan Gonsor, 9-3 (22-11)

EDINBORO, Pa. -- One night after seeing Pittsburgh end Edinboro’s string of 30 consecutive Eastern Wrestling League matches without a defeat, the Fighting Scots started a new streak with an impressive 29-6 win over West Virginia on Saturday night. The victory ended the dual match season for both teams, as Edinboro finishes with a 9-6 record and 5-1 in the EWL, while the Mountaineers are 3-10 and 3-3, respectively. It was Senior Night at McComb Fieldhouse, and five of the six seniors in the lineup came away with wins. The night didn’t get off to a good start, however, as the Fighting Scots dropped the first two matches, both by ranked wrestlers. The match got underway at heavyweight. Senior Chris Birchler, ranked 20th by InterMat, saw his record fall to 28-11 with a 3-0 decision to WVU’s Brandon Williamson, who is now 16-6. It marked Birchler’s third straight loss. After two scoreless periods Williamson recorded a takedown with 1:20 remaining and added a point for riding time. While the Birchler-Williamson match was a swing match to begin with, the 125 lb. bout was not. Eric Morrill came in with a 29-5 record and ranked seventh by Amateur Wrestling News and eighth by InterMat, against freshman Shane Young. Young came out the aggressor, however, and Morrill found himself behind 6-2 after one period. Trailing 7-3 heading into the third period and with Young woning riding town, Morrill came alive with a pair of takedowns, pulling to within 8-7 with just under 50 seconds left, but he would end up dropping a 10-7 decision. It marked Morrill’s second straight loss as he fell to 29-6. Edinboro would run off wins in the next eight matches, however, beginning with a big upset by Kyle Fluke (above) at 133 lbs. One of the six seniors in the lineup, Fluke upset 18th-ranked Colin Johnston, 2-0, to improve to 13-10. After a scoreless first period Fluke rode Johnston throughout the second period. Fluke then chose the top to start the third, and would ride out Johnston for two more minutes. He also picked up a stalling point with 30 seconds remaining. The loss dropped Johnston to 21-4. “Fluke wrestled well,” related head coach Tim Flynn. “He beat the best kid in the EWL at that weight class.” Joel Webster, another senior, followed with a dominating performance at 141 lbs., winning by a 13-0 major decision over Ryan Romano. Webster improved to 16-12 thanks to a pair of takedowns along with eight near-fall points. That gave Edinboro the lead for good at 7-6. Tortsen Gillespie made it back-to-back major decisions with a 14-3 win over Jonathan Waldron at 149 lbs. The junior led 7-0 after two periods thanks to a pair of takedowns and three back points, then added a reversal and two more takedowns in the third. He improved to 25-13. Freshman Johnny Greisheimer picked up a hard-earned 7-4 decision over Kyle Eason at 157 lbs. He led at one point 4-1 early in the second period, but it was all tied up at 4-4 after two periods. In a wild scramble that lasted for close to a minute, Greisheimer registered the winning takedown with 11 seconds left, and also earned riding time thanks to the two-point move. He is now 22-19. In the most anticipated bout of the night, Jarrod King held off Donnie Jones in a renewal of their long-standing rivalry, 5-3, at 165 lbs. The senior was in control of the match when, in a scary moment, he hit his head when Jones tried to roll out for an escape and was left laying out of bounds stunned with 23 seconds remaining. King led 4-2 at the time. After using most of his injury time, he was able to return, although clearly not himself. Jones would escape immediately, but King picked up a penalty point for a third caution on the restart with 11 seconds to go. With riding time, he won 6-3. King, ranked second by Amateur Wrestling News and third by InterMat, is now 31-1, while Jones is 17-10. Phil Moricone and Matt Weston staged an entertaining match at 174 lbs. The two combined for 15 points in the first period as Moricone led 8-7. He started to take control in the second period with an escape and takedown, leading 11-8. It was all Moricone in the third, as he tilted Weston for three near-fall points, then added a takedown. When the smoke finally cleared, Moricone won a 17-9 major decision. The graduate student is now 16-3, while Weston fell to 7-11. Pat Bradshaw gave Edinboro its fourth bonus point win of the night at 184 lbs., dominating Rob DeSano in an 18-1 technical fall, with the end coming at 5:42. Bradshaw bolted out to a 10-0 lead with a takedown followed by eight near-fall points. All told, he recorded three takedowns and had four moves for back points. The senior boosted his record to 27-11 in his final home appearance, and now has 94 career wins. In the final bout of the night, Shawn Fendone turned in an impressive showing while winning a 5-0 decision over Kyle Rooney. Rooney came in as the reigning EWL Wrestler of the Week after a pair of wins over ranked wrestlers last weekend. Fendone scored all of the points in the first period, with a takedown with 1:52 in the period, and three near-fall points as the period concluded. The junior is now 14-9, with Rooney falling to 9-11. “It’s nice to gon into the postseason on a winning note,” Flynn pointed out. “Now we’ll look to sharpen up and heal up. Our goal is to win the EWL Championship.” The EWL Championship is set for Sunday, March 7 at West Virginia, with Edinboro looking to claim its seventh straight EWL crown. Results: Hwt. Brandon Williamson (WVU) dec. #20 Chris Birchler (EU), 3-0 0-3 125 lbs. Shane Young (WVU) dec. #8 Eric Morrill (EU), 10-7 0-6 133 lbs. Kyle Fluke (EU) dec. #18 Colin Johnston (WVU), 2-0 3-6 141 lbs. Joel Webster (EU) maj. dec. Ryan Romano (WVU), 13-0 7-6 149 lbs. Torsten Gillespie (EU) maj. dec. Jonathan Waldron (WVU), 14-3 11-6 157 lbs. Johnny Gresheimer (EU) dec. Kyle Eason (WVU), 7-4 14-6 165 lbs. #3 Jarrod King (EU) dec. Donnie Jones (WVU), 6-3 17-6 174 lbs. Phil Moricone (EU) maj. dec. Matt Weston (WVU), 17-9 21-6 184 lbs. Pat Bradshaw (EU) tech. fall Rob DeSano (WVU), 18-1 (5:42) 26-6 197 lbs. Shawn Fendone (EU) dec. Kyle Rooney (WVU), 5-0 29-6

On Sunday, Michigan will travel to Evanston, Illinois to take on Northwestern at 6 p.m. CST. The dual meet will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network. Both teams will be looking for their first conference victory. Michigan is 4-14 overall and 0-7 in the Big Ten, while Northwestern is 5-12-1 overall and 0-7 in the conference. It will mark the final dual meet for Tim Cysewski as Northwestern's head coach before he switches roles with Drew Pariano, who will take over as head coach after this season. Michigan leads the all-time series 69-7-3 dating back to the 1925-26 season. Last season, the two teams battled to a 17-17 tie in Ann Arbor. Below is a weight-by-weight breakdown of Sunday's dual meet. 125: Sean Boyle (Michigan) vs. Levi Mele (Northwestern) Boyle, a true freshman from national powerhouse Blair Academy, has been struggling of late. He is 1-6 in the conference and has given up bonus points in five of those six losses. His most notable win this season came over Virginia's Matthew Snyder, who was ranked at one point this season, at the Virginia Duals. He is 19-18 on the season. Mele, also a true freshman, enrolled at Northwestern after a two-year Mormon mission. He has gone 2-4 during the Big Ten season, but is coming off an 8-4 victory over Wisconsin's Drew Hammen on Friday night. Bottom Line: This will be a battle of two young wrestlers who probably could have used a redshirt season to develop, but were needed immediately. This should be a competitive match. Prediction: Boyle (Michigan) dec. Mele (Northwestern) 133: Zac Stevens (Michigan) vs. Eric Metzler (Northwestern) Metzler, a four-year starter for Northwestern, has been a virtually .500 wrestler throughout his collegiate career. He is an Academic All-Big Ten honoree. Metzler has gone 3-3 in Big Ten competition this season. In his last outing, he avoided giving up bonus points against Wisconsin's sixth-ranked Tyler Graff , losing 7-2, which is no small task. Stevens, a true sophomore, is in his second season as a starter for the Wolverines. He has compiled a solid record of 21-13 with a 3-4 conference mark. Bottom Line: This is virtually a tossup match. Both wrestlers have beaten the same three wrestlers in the conference by similar scores. Prediction: Metzler (Northwestern) dec. Stevens (Michigan) 141: Mark Weber (Michigan) vs. Forfeit Weber has stepped in for two-time Big Ten champion Kellen Russell, who is taking a redshirt season, after serving as the starter at 149 pounds last season. He was 15-12 last season, but has struggled this season, going 14-23. Two-time NCAA qualifier Keith Sulzer was expected to be the starter for the Wildcats this season, but had season-ending surgery. Bottom Line: Northwestern has forfeited at this weight class in every Big Ten dual meet. Prediction: Weber (Michigan) forfeit 149: Mark Boyer (Michigan) vs. No. 13 Andrew Nadhir (Northwestern) Nadhir has put together a nice season, climbing all the way to No. 13 in the rankings, but has been wrestling a brutal schedule of late. In his last four matches, Nadhir has faced four wrestlers ranked in the top five. He has lost all four of those matches and has given up bonus points in all but one of those matches. Boyer, a sophomore, is 3-14 and still in search of his first conference victory. Bottom Line: Not to take anything away from Boyer, but this will be a much-needed break from facing elite competition for Nadhir. Boyer has given up bonus points in all but one of his conference matches. Prediction: Nadhir (Northwestern) major dec. Boyer (Michigan) 157: Dave Johnson (Michigan) vs. Dave Bialka (Northwestern) Johnson has gone 3-4 in the conference (17-17 overall), but has had some gutty performances. Against Minnesota's Joe Grygelko on January 23, he scored the winning takedown with seven seconds remaining in the match. On January 29, Johnson overcame a three-point deficit against Michigan State's Anthony Jones, using a pair of two-point tilts in the third period to win 7-6. In his last match, he used three tilts to rack up seven bonus points en route to a 15-8 victory over Wisconsin's Greg Burke. Bialka is still looking for his first conference win. He lost narrowly, 5-4, to Burke on Friday night. Bottom Line: Johnson should beat the struggling Bialka. Prediction: Johnson (Michigan) dec. Bialka (Northwestern) 165: Aaron Hynes (Michigan) vs. Robert Kellogg (Northwestern) Hynes found his way into the rankings once earlier this season (November 25), but has been struggling of late, going 0-7 in the conference. On January 22, he took No. 4 Ryan Morningstar into sudden victory, before losing 4-2. He lost by one point (8-7) to 2008 All-American Dan Vallimont on February 7. He is currently 14-16 on the season. Kellogg, like Hynes, has yet to win a conference match. He has given bonus points in his last four outings. Bottom Line: The good news is that one of these wrestlers will pick up his first conference victory the season. The bad news is that one of these two will finish the Big Ten season without a win. Prediction: Hynes (Michigan) dec. Kellogg (Northwestern) 174: Justin Zeerip (Michigan) vs. Brian Roddy (Northwestern) Both of these wrestlers came to their schools with very impressive high school accolades. Zeerip was a four-time Michigan state champion with a perfect 260-0 record. Roddy was a two-time Ohio state champion and one of the top recruits in the country. He lost to current Kent State standout Dustin Kilgore in the state finals as a sophomore, but avenged that loss in the state finals his junior season. Zeerip, an NCAA qualifier last season, has gone 25-16 this season and has been in and out of the rankings all season. He has won his last three matches. Roddy is 3-3 in the conference and was one of only two Northwestern wrestlers to win against Wisconsin on Friday night. Bottom Line: Zeerip is the slight favorite in the match, but expect it to be competitive. Prediction: Zeerip (Michigan) dec. Roddy (Northwestern) 184: Hunter Collins (Michigan) vs. Aaron Jones (Northwestern) Collins, a redshirt freshman, has competed well in his first season in the Wolverine lineup, going 16-13. The four-time California state placewinner is coming off a 4-2 over then-No. 16 Travis Rutt of Wisconsin last Sunday. Jones started his collegiate career at the junior college level where he earned All-American honors for Rend Lake College (IL). Last season, he went 11-12 wrestling behind two-time NCAA champion Jake Herbert. This season, Jones has gone 1-4 in the conference, with his only victory coming against Ohio State's backup (T.C. Pendleton) on February 7. He is coming off a 12-6 loss to Rutt on Friday night. Bottom Line: Collins is coming off his first victory over a ranked opponent, which should give him confidence. Look for the Wolverine sophomore to come out on top in this one. Prediction: Collins (Michigan) dec. Jones (Northwestern) 197: No. 8 Anthony Biondo (Michigan) vs. John Schoen (Northwestern) Biondo has been one of the most improved wrestlers in the Big Ten this season. After posting a modest 15-11 mark as a sophomore at 184 pounds, Biondo has moved up a weight class and compiled a 29-4 mark as a junior, establishing himself as a legitimate All-American threat at 197 pounds. He is 5-2 in Big Ten matches, but coming off a 4-1 loss to No. 7 Trevor Brandvold of Wisconsin last Sunday. Schoen, who is in his second season as a starter for the Wildcats, has gone 1-5 in the conference. He was dominated, 10-0, in last outing on Friday night against Brandvold. Bottom Line: Biondo should dominate Schoen Prediction: Biondo (Michigan) major dec. Schoen (Northwestern) 285: Ben Apland (Michigan) vs. Marcus Shrewsbury (Northwestern) Apland, a redshirt freshman, has some quality wins this season, including a pin over Minnesota's Ben Berhow, a two-time NCAA qualifier at the Southern Scuffle (Berhow later avenged the loss), and a 10-8 victory over NCAA qualifier Corey Morrison of Ohio State on February 5. Apland, though, has dropped his last three matches and comes into Sunday's match with an 11-15 record. Shrewsbury is a true freshman who started the season at 184 pounds, but moved up to heavyweight after the Midlands. He is still looking for his first conference victory and has given up bonus point in each of his last four matches. Bottom Line: It's not easy for a wrestler to move up two weight classes in the middle of the season, like Shrewsbury did, and compete against wrestlers who could weight a hundred pounds more. Apland should pick up his third conference victory. Prediction: Apland (Michigan) dec. Shrewsbury (Northwestern) Dual Meet Prediction: Michigan 28, Northwestern 7

Event: UFC 110: Nogueira vs. Velasquez Venue: Acer Arena (Sydney, Australia) Date: February 20, 2010 For the first time ever the explosive-growing UFC goes "down under" to Australia for some more worldwide exposure. Unfortunately, a late shoulder injury to Elvis "King of Rock and Rumble" Sinosic caused his fight with fellow Australian Chris Haseman to be cancelled. In addition to that, main card participant, Ben Rothwell, became ill, and Anthony "The Hippo" Perosh is a late (two days before the fight!) substitute to fight Mirko "Cro-Cop" Filopovic, who is desperately trying to keep his UFC career alive. There is no late betting line on that fight now, so we are down to nine (9) fights, with only eight (8) betting opportunities. This offers a real challenge. In addition to that, I find tonight's card one of the most balanced ever, seeing many fights as "about even," so I have a strong UNDERDOG lean to my plays, and this can mean additional "risk" of capital. So, for those feint of heart, perhaps tonight's action should be watched from a distance away from the bookie's windows. If favorites roll, I will be getting rocked. But that being said, great athletes often perform best when not feeling well. Perhaps, my uneasiness with my own selections will be indicative of such a performance? I guess we will soon find out. Tonight's main event has the young undefeated Arizona State wrestling stud Cain Velasquez (7-0-0) taking on a legend of jiu-jitsu submissions Antonio "Minotauro" Nogueira (32-5-1 with 1 NC). Nogueira's lost only three times in the last seven years to guys named Mir, Barnett and Fedor! Bookmakers gave Cain little chance of winning when they opened him at a +190 'dog. I jumped on him early, but so did the betting oublic, and now today Cain is favored to pull the "upset" and you will lay at least –120 to take youth over experience. I respect Nogueira's history and ability to take a lickin'and keep on tickin', but I think Cain will be too quick, too strong, and too brutal with his punches to see this getting into the second round. Take Velasquez @ –120 to win by first round TKO. Another Pride and UFC legend, middle-weight Wanderlei "The Ax Murderer" Silva (32-10-1, with 1 NC) is also trying to stay in the fish tank when he takes on the brash Brit, Michael "The Count" Bisping (19-2-0). In any other time in history, I would be all over Wanderlei to pummel Bisping, but today's Ax Murderer has a dull blade, losing five of his last six fights. Think about that. And, Wanderlei's only win was over an erratic Keith Jardine. I don't generally bet on Bisping, tho' I had him in his last victory, but I'm taking my chances on his slight underdog odds here, too. I'll grab the +120 that Bisping stays his distance and out-points a frustrated Silva, as the judges award him the decision and I head to the winner's window! Speaking of light-heavyweight Keith Jardine (14-7-1), another Arizona State alum, Ryan "Darth" Bader (11-0-0) will test his skills against the "Dean of Mean" in a fight much-needed by Jardine, who has lost his last two and three-out-of-four! A hungry fight is a dangerous fighter, and Jardine's quick leg kicks can keep an opponent at bay. But he has also been know to get steam-rolled, and Bader's aggressive takedowns and brute strength could quickly find Jardine fighting from his back. Eating elbows and fists is no remedy for breaking a losing streak. I'll lay the –155 with Bader and hope for the best. Lightweight Joe "Daddy" Stevenson (36-10-0) has been crushing opponents since joining Greg Jackson's camp. That's a familiar story. His opponent, George Sotiropoulos (11-2) is 4-0 in the UFC and has been submitting opponents repeatedly. But does he have enough takedown defense and strength to counter with Stevenson? I doubt it. But I've seen many a time when a lankier fighter can transition into some funky submission move and end it in a heartbeat. So while only 20% of voting UFC fans give George a chance of winning, I'll throw my chip on his +210 odds, and hope that Sotiropoulos is the real deal and finds a way to put that armbar submission on Daddy midway through the fight. With Cro-Cop's fight off the board and one preliminary fight cancelled, we are down to just four (4) betting opportunities left. And, as I said earlier, I find tonight's card difficult to pick winners from, and I see most fights as being very competitive, so with that strategy in place, I will be blanketing the four remaining UNDERDOGS, and hoping to win at least two of the four fights, to show a profit. And, I think all four 'dogs could win, so why not? Let's look at the preliminary fights: Light heavyweight Stephan "American Psycho" Bonnar (14-6-0) hasn't looked good for quite awhile. Nagging injuries and age may be taking their toll on his career. Destroyed by Bones Jones and lacking a good effort against Mark Coleman, Bonnar's UFC career is at the end of the plank. That's what makes him so dangerous against a slugger like Krzysztof "The Polish Experiment" Soszynski (19-10-1). Soszynski had won six in a row, mostly by his deadly kimura submission, before losing a close decision to Barndon Vera. The bookies are giving you +155 if you want to put your faith in Bonnar. I will take the bait, and hope that he has enough left in the tank to earn a decision over a bright, rising star. Maybe another re-match with Forrest is in the making? Mirko Cro-Cop's training partner, light-heavyweight Croatian Igor Pokrajac (21-6-0) must know what it's like to get kicked in the head. That's probably a good thing when he takes on Australian, James Te Huna (13-4-0), a relative unknown who has been taking people's heads off with early round TKO's. Strike, strike, strike ... pow, pow, pow ... should be the sounds of this one. Then, "thud". Someone goes down, but who? The Big Tuna, I hope. I'll give Pokrajac one last shot. Let's take him @ +150. Welterweight Chris "Lights Out" Lytle (37-17-4) is an entertaining and highly energetic fighter that brings it and brings it and brings it. Though known for his knock-out power, Chris surprisingly wins most of his fights by submission, or decision. He is currently on a W-L-W-L-W-L-W sequence. Tonight he is scheduled to (L)ose. His opponent is a younger Brian Foster (15-4-0), who surprised the UFC world with a shocking upset of Brock Larson. Foster was able to outwrestle and outwork his opponent until he scored a ground-and-pound victory. With "only" four years of experience, Foster will be somewhat disadvantaged against Lytle's 11 years in the business, but youth has its advantages, and on a night where there is much passing of the torch, I'll stick with the younger Foster @ +140 to "git 'er done!" Lytle has NEVER been submitted, but he will lose a close decision here. ... and finally, yet another ASU alumni, light-heavyweight CB "The Doberman" Dollaway (10-3-0) will try to show his advanced skills when he takes on undefeated Croatian striker, Goran Reljic (8-0-0), who hasn't fought in two years due to serious back injuries! Dollaway uses his superior wrestling skills to try to mount his opponent and end it with some decent ground-and-pound. But his submission defense and skills are marginal, and many skeptics think he is not advancing fast enough. But offering up Dollaway @ +200 underdog odds against an athlete who hasn't fought for two years? I like those odds. I hope that "ring rust" is the theme of this affair, as I hope to cash for greater than my risk if all goes as planned. OK, so that's it. Let's now take a look at how we can do with our "fictitious" $1000 bankroll ... Let's lay $180 to win $150 on Cain Velasquez to "upset" Minotauro Nogueira. Let's lay $100 to win $120 on Bisping to end Wanderlei's UFC career. Let's lay $100 to win $210 on George Sotiropoulos to shock Joe Stevenson. Let's lay $217 to win $140 on Ryan Bader over the bounty hunter. Let's lay $100 to win $155 on Stephan Bonnar to survive to fight another day. Let's lay $100 to win $150 on Pokrajac to make Mirko proud. Let's lay $100 to win $140 on Brian Foster to tag Chris Lytle. Let's lay $100 to win $200 on CB Dollaway to get back on track. No bets on Cro-Cop vs. Anthony Perosh. In total, we are risking $997 to try and win $1265. Don't forget to give some of your winnings to your local youth wrestling programs, where tomorrow's champions are born. Good luck and enjoy the fights. I know I will.

PITTSBURGH -- In dramatic fashion in front of over 1,900 fans on Senior Night, the Pitt wrestling team (17-1-1, 6-0 EWL) claimed their first-ever Eastern Wrestling League title Friday night in a 21-13 victory over rival Edinboro (8-6, 4-1 EWL) at Fitzgerald Field House. "This win was satisfying, certainly," head coach Rande Stottlemyer said. "But I'm the same person whether we win or we lose. It was just neat for our guys. We had such a great atmosphere and we are putting a good product out. I was told by Steve Pederson and Chancellor Nordenberg that they are lighting the Victory Lights on the Cathedral tonight and I am really touched by that. "We have been close so many times so it was nice to get this one," Stotlemyer continued. "We really out-wrestled them tonight though. We were aggressive and went after them. I have to give credit to our lead-off guy (Anthony Zanetta). He went up against one of the top guys in the country and it wasn't that close. He just creates momentum for this team every time he steps on the mat." Stottlemyer, in his 31st season, brought Pitt its first EWL regular season or tournament title in the 35th year of the league. The Panthers also won their sixth league match of the season for a school record and their only undefeated conference mark. Pitt's win over the Fighting Scots is also the first since the 1998 season, breaking an 11-match losing streak. The Panthers looked to be in control, starting off the night winning the first five matches and taking a commanding 15-0 lead. Freshman Anthony Zanetta (Pittsburgh, Pa./Keystone Oaks) defeated the No. 7 wrestler at 125, 4-1, to take the early lead. Senior Jimmy Conroy (South Plainfield, N.J./South Plainfield) couldn't have asked for a better end to his collegiate career at Fitzgerald Field House as he closed out the 133 weight class with a 4-2 decision over Kyle Fluke. At 141, sophomore Tyler Nauman (Middletown, Pa./Middletown), who finished his dual season with an undefeated 18-0, had another strong performance with a 7-2 decision over Joel Webster. Nauman's 18 dual wins also ties the most in a season with Nick Mengerink's 18-0 record in 1997-98. Senior Eric Albright (York, Pa./Red Lion Area/Virginia) followed that up with a hard-fought 4-3 decision at 149 over Torsten Gillespie. Donnie Tasser (Belle Vernon, Pa./Belle Vernon) sealed the match with a last-second decision, 7-6, over Johnny Greisheimer in the 157 weight class. At 197, sophomore Matt Wilps (Pittsburgh, Pa./Chartiers Valley) added to the tally with a 4-2 decision over Shawn Fendone, which set up an all-star battle in the heavyweight. Seventh-ranked Ryan Tomei (Irwin, Pa./Penn Trafford) matched up with No. 20 Chris Birchler with the score set at 18-13 in the final match of the night. Tomei needed to avoid a technical fall or a pin to seal the win for the Panthers. The junior looked strong from start to finish, taking the 7-3 decision and leading Pitt to the 21-13 team win. The Panthers will have a break until the EWL tournament, held March 7 in Morgantown, W.Va. at the WVU Coliseum. Results: 125 - #19 Anthony Zanetta (Pitt) dec. vs. #7 Eric Morrill (Edinboro) (4-1) 133 - #28 Jimmy Conroy (Pitt) dec. vs. Kyle Fluke (Edinboro) (4-2) 141 - #16 Tyler Nauman (Pitt) dec. vs. Joel Webster (Edinboro) (7-2) 149 - #30 Eric Albright (Pitt) dec. vs. Torsten Gillespie (Edinboro) (4-3) 157 - Donnie Tasser (Pitt) dec. vs. Johnny Greisheimer (Edinboro) (7-6) 165 -#2 Jarrod King (Edinboro) MD vs. Adam Counterman (Pitt) (12-2) 174 - Phil Moricone (Edinboro) FALL vs. David Sullivan (Pitt) (4:15) 184 - Pat Bradshaw (Edinboro) dec. vs. #25 Zac Thomusseit (Pitt) (3-2) 197 - #19 Matt Wilps (Pitt) dec. vs. Shawn Fendone (Edinboro) (4-2) 285 - #7 Ryan Tomei (Pitt) dec. vs. #20 Chris Birchler (Edinboro) (7-3)

STILLWATER, Okla. -- The No. 4 Oklahoma State wrestling team handed Binghamton a 32-9 defeat Friday in Gallagher-Iba Arena. With the win, the Cowboys improved to 14-2-1 overall on the year. The Bearcats dipped to 14-7-2 on the year. OSU won eight of the 10 bouts, highlighted by a 59-second pin from Alan Gelogaev at 197 pounds, technical fall victories by Jordan Oliver at 133 pounds and Jared Rosholt at 285 pounds and a 14-3 major decision win from Jamal Parks at 141 pounds. “I go out every match just trying to put points on the board,” Oliver said. “My style is to attack and keep scoring and if my opponents aren't wrestling, I just keep attacking and keep scoring. I keep pressure on the guys and keep the action going.” The lone Cowboy defeats came at 149 pounds, where Luke Silver lost a 9-7 decision to Donnie Vinson and at 174 pounds, where OSU’s backup 157-pounder Alex Munoz was pinned by returning All-American and 17th-ranked Josh Patterson in 3:59. “We were a little slow. In a few matches, we appeared to be a little bit nonchalant at times but in other matches we looked really good,” OSU coach John Smith said. “I thought 133 and 141 was a solid effort. I thought 157 was good. Obviously, 197 and heavyweight finished it out for us. It’s definitely something we can take and utilize for Sunday’s Bedlam match.” The Pokes close out the regular season Sunday when they host eighth-ranked Oklahoma at 2 p.m. “Bedlam is going to be a tough match. Both teams are very good this year, definitely a lot better,” Smith said. “The last match in Norman was a 16-16 tie and we’re definitely not looking for a tie. It’s the last match of the year. We’ve got several seniors leaving the program after this year. Jared Rosholt is the top name there and Chris Notte, of course; also Tyler Shinn and Kevin Wainscott. It’s a good group of kids and definitely would like to see a win for them in their last match in Gallagher-Iba Arena.” Results: 125: No. 9 Chris Notte (OSU) dec. James Inghram (BU); 10-6 133: No. 3 Jordan Oliver (OSU) TF5 Tyler Malmberg (BU); 23-7, 6:37 141: No. 7 Jamal Parks (OSU) MD Anwar Goeres (BU); 14-3 149: Donnie Vinson (BU) dec. Luke Silver (OSU); 9-7 157: No. 14 Neil Erisman (OSU) dec. Justin Lister (BU); 9-3 165: No. 8 Alex Meade (OSU) dec. Matt Kaylor (BU); 8-4 174: No. 17 Josh Patterson (BU) fall Alex Munoz (OSU); 3:59 184: No. 9 Clayton Foster (OSU) dec. Nate Scheidel (BU); 12-8 197: No. 8 Alan Gelogaev (OSU) fall Pat Walsh (BU); 0:59 285: No. 1 Jared Rosholt (OSU) TF5 Corey Waite (BU); 17-2, 7:00

CLEVELAND -- Behind five bonus decision victories, the West Virginia University wrestling team cruised to a 34-11 victory over Eastern Wrestling League foe Cleveland State Friday evening at Woodling Gym. The Mountaineers improved to 3-2 in league action, 3-9 overall. WVU started off the match with back-to-back bonus decisions, courtesy of freshman Shane Young and sophomore Colin Johnston. Opening the dual at 125 pounds, Young tallied three takedowns and two three-point near falls in the first period. After tacking on an escape and a takedown in the second, he registered his fifth takedown of the match in the final period and accumulated 5:12 in riding time for the 18-3 tech fall. It is Young’s first tech fall victory of his career, as he improved to 13-7 overall, 6-4 in dual meets. Johnston, ranked 18th at 133 pounds, notched two quick takedowns in the first period and then was able to slowly roll Zech Huff on his back for the pin at the 2:52 mark for his team-leading sixth pin of the season. The Eighty-Four, Pa., native has won his last six matches, three by bonus decision. Johnston’s 21st victory ties him with Ian “Whitey” Chlebove for fifth-most wins in a single season by a 126/133-pounder. After CSU (2-17, 0-6) won the next three bouts, the Mountaineers found their niche, winning the final five matches. Redshirt senior Donnie Jones, now winner of his last four, put on a takedown clinic at 165 pounds. The Slickville, Pa., native matched his season high in takedowns with 11, recording five in the first, three in the second and three in third period. He earned a two-point near fall in the first period and won via a five-point tech fall at the 6:28 mark. Redshirt sophomores Matt Weston (174) and Robert DeSano (184) each won at their respective weight classes, with DeSano earning his first victory of the year. Juniors Kyle Rooney and Brandon Williamson closed out the contest with back-to-back pins. Riding a hot streak, Rooney, the reigning co-EWL Wrestler of the Week, won his fifth-straight match. After registering a takedown and a three-point near fall, Rooney slowly turned CSU 197-pounder Jeff Schuller on his back at the 2:50 mark. The Cincinnati, Ohio, native improved to 10-10 overall, 7-4 in dual meets. Williamson, who recorded his fifth pin of the year, scored a pair of takedowns in the first period and then was able to tilt Chris Weber at the 2:12 mark for his 15th win of the season at heavyweight. The Mountaineers finish the regular season with a match at 25th-ranked Edinboro on Saturday, Feb. 20. Action at McComb Fieldhouse is set for 7 p.m. Results: 125: Shane Young (WVU) tech. fall Ronald Butler (CSU), 18-3 (7:00) 133: #18 Colin Johnston (WVU) pinned Zech Huff (CSU), 2:52 141: Mike Mencini (CSU) tech. fall Ryan Romano (WVU), 20-5 (6:15) 149: Dan Castillo (CSU) dec. Jonathon Waldron (WVU), 5-4 157: Corey Carlo (CSU) dec. Kyle Eason (WVU), 7-3 165: Donnie Jones (WVU) tech. fall Dustin Doty (CSU), 24-9 (6:28) 174: Matt Weston (WVU) dec. Aric Thurn (CSU), 6-0 184: Robert DeSano (WVU) dec. Danny Michaels (CSU), 8-7 197: Kyle Rooney (WVU) pinned Jeff Schuller (CSU), 2:50 HWT: Brandon Williamson (WVU) pinned Chris Weber (CSU), 2:12

MADISON, Wis. -- The No. 14 Wisconsin wrestling team (8-9, 4-3) defeated Northwestern (5-12-1, 0-7-0) 32-6 in the team's first home match of the weekend. The Badgers’ dominant win included seven individual wins and a victory by forfeit. The match began at 125 lbs., where senior Drew Hammen took on true freshman Levi Mele. Mele won the match, outscoring Hammen 8-4 and giving the Wildcats their first and only lead of the matchup at 3-0. Hammen scored a reversal and a takedown in the second to last home match of his collegiate career. At 133 lbs., No. 6 redshirt freshman Tyler Graff won his eighth-straight bout thanks to a victory over senior Eric Metzler. With a 7-2 decision, the Badgers were then tied with the Wildcats, 3-3. Graff, who is now 24-4 on the season, scored three takedowns and riding time in the match. This bout marks the first time since Jan. 10 that Graff did not defeat his opponent by bonus points. Redshirt freshman Cole Schmitt was then awarded a victory by forfeit at 141 lbs., giving the Badgers a 9-3 lead. Northwestern did not have a competitor in the weight class. No. 5 senior Kyle Ruschell then faced No. 13 Andrew Nadhir at 149 lbs. After a scoreless first period, Ruschell scored the only points of the second with an escape, followed by two nearfall points in the third period to shutout Nadhir 4-0. Ruschell’s 25th win of the season extended Wisconsin’s lead to 12-3. Junior Greg Burke then claimed his first victory since Jan. 9 with a win over true freshman Kevin Bialka at 157 lbs. The bout was tied 4-4 with just 10 seconds left in regulation, but Burke was awarded riding time, extending the Badgers’ lead to 15-3. Burke recorded two takedowns in the matchup. At 165 lbs., No. 1 sophomore Andrew Howe claimed his 27th victory and 11th major decision of the season by defeating sophomore Robert Kellogg. Howe recorded seven takedowns, an escape and riding time in his 17-5 victory. The win improved Howe's record to a perfect 27-0 and gave the Badgers a 19-3 lead over the Wildcats. Northwestern won its second match at 174 lbs., where true freshman Brendan Ard lost to sophomore redshirt freshman Brian Roddy Jr. Ard scored three escapes and was awarded a point for excessive stall warnings by Roddy in the 11-4 defeat. The win cut Wisconsin’s advantage to 19-6. Sophomore Travis Rutt then snapped his two-match losing streak with a 12-6 decision over junior Aaron Jones at 184 lbs. Rutt registered the first takedown with 2:01 left in the first period and held on to the lead for the rest of the match. He scored two takedowns, a reversal and six nearfall points to give the Badgers a 22-6 edge over the Wildcats. No. 7 junior Trevor Brandvold won his ninth-consecutive match by topping sophomore John Schoen at 197 lbs. Brandvold won the bout by a 10-0 major decision, scoring three takedowns, an escape, two nearfall points and riding time in the match. Wisconsin then led by a 26-6 score. At heavyweight, junior Eric Bugenhagen won his fifth-straight conference match with a pin at 4:02 over freshman Marcus Shrewsbury. Bugenhagen’s fall capped off a dominating 32-6 performance by the entire Wisconsin wrestling squad. The Badgers close out the regular season as they face No. 1 Iowa at the UW Field House on Sunday, Feb. 21, at 3 p.m. (CT). Results: 125: Levi Mele (NU) dec. Drew Hammen (WIS), 8-4 (NU 3, WIS 0) 133: #6 Tyler Graff (WIS) dec. Eric Metzler (NU), 7-2 (NU 3, WIS 3) 141: Cole Schmitt (WIS) win by forfeit (WIS 9, NU 3) 
149: #5 Kyle Ruschell (WIS) dec. #13 Andrew Nadhir (NU), 4-0 (WIS 12, NU 3) 157: Greg Burke (WIS) dec. Kevin Bialka (NU), 5-4 (WIS 15, NU 3) 165: #1 Andrew Howe (WIS) Maj. Dec. Robert Kellogg (NU), 17-5 (WIS 19, NU 3) 174: Brian Roddy, Jr. (NU) dec. Brandan Ard (WIS), 11-4 (WIS 19, NU 6) 184: Travis Rutt (WIS) dec. Aaron Jones (NU), 12-6 (WIS 22, NU 6) 197: #2 Trevor Brandvold (WIS) Maj. Dec. John Schoen (NU), 10-0 (WIS 26, NU 6) 285: Eric Bugenhagen (WIS) FALL Marcus Shrewsbury (NU) (WIS 32, NU 6)

Mankato, Minn. -- St. Cloud State University coach Steve Costanzo gained his 100th career victory as a collegiate wrestling coach on Feb. 19, with a big 32-7 victory at #9 Minnesota State University in Mankato. Coach Costanzo now owns a 100-51-2 career record over his 11 seasons as a collegiate coach. At SCSU, Costanzo is in his 4th season with the Huskies, and his career record at SCSU is 39-21. The match at MSU opened at 125-pounds as the Mavericks' #5 Andy Forstner posted a 10-2 victory over SCSU's Trent Herold. The Huskies charged back at 133-pounds with an 8-3 decision by Shane McQuade over MSU's Brian Reisenauer. SCSU took a 6-4 lead in the match at 141-pounds with a 14-7 victory by Gabe Suarez over MSU's Robby Fisher. SCSU charged to a 12-4 lead at 149-pounds thanks to a pin by Jake Horn at 1:45 against MSU's Travis Elg. At 157-pounds, John Sundgren added a 5-1 decision over Justin Jurek of MSU to push SCSU's lead to 15-4. The points continued to roll in at 165-pounds as SCSU's #5 Tad Merrit charted a pin fall win over MSU's Darren Olsen. At 174-pounds, Shamus O'Grady added a 14-0 major decision against MSU's Ben Becker, who was ranked #6 in the latest DII polls this week. The victory pushed the match score to 25-4. At 184-pounds, #2 Derek Skala added to his season totals with an 11-5 win over MSU's Aaron Norgren. SCSU finished its scoring at 197-pounds with a 16-7 major decision victory by #6 Lucas Munkelwitz over MSU's John Makabe. To complete the match, MSU's #1 Brady Wilson scored a close 6-3 victory over SCSU's #6 Jake Kahnke at 285-pounds. Results: 125- #5 Andy Forstner (MSU) maj. dec. Trent Herold (SCSU) 10-2 133 - Shane McQuade (SCSU) dec. Brian Reisenauer (MSU) 8-3 141 - Gabe Suarez (SCSU) dec. Robby Fisher (MSU) 14-7 149 - Jacob Horn (SCSU) fall Travis Elg (MSU) 1:45 157 - John Sundgren (SCSU) dec. Justin Jurek (MSU) 5-1 165 - #5 Tad Merritt (SCSU) fall Darren Olsen (MSU) 2:20 174 - Shamus O'Grady (SCSU) maj.dec. #6 Ben Becker 14-0 184 - #2 Derek Skala (SCSU) dec. Aaron Norgren (MSU) 11-5 197 - #6 Lucas Munkelwitz (SCSU) maj. dec. John Makabe (MSU) 16-7 285 - #1 Brady Wilson (MSU) dec. #6 Jake Kahnke (SCSU) 6-3

IOWA CITY, IA -- In a night of farewells and milestones, the top-ranked University of Iowa wrestling team handed #4 Ohio State (18-2, 7-1 Big Ten) its first conference dual loss of the season with a 32-3 victory Friday night at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The win was Iowa's 60th straight and gave the Hawkeyes their 18th undefeated season at home, setting a school record for season wins (11-0) at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Improving to 22-0 (7-0 Big Ten), Iowa now stands alone atop the conference regular season standings with a chance to clinch the title outright Sunday afternoon at Wisconsin. After the match, Iowa honored its 11 seniors - Chad Beatty (197), Jay Borschel (174), Daniel Dennis (133), Dan Erekson (197), Michael Fahrer (165), Phillip Keddy (184), Dan LeClere (141), Rick Loera (197), Brent Metcalf (149), Ryan Morningstar (165), Joe Slaton (141) - who made their final Carver-Hawkeye Arena appearance. The group has a combined career record of 646-214, going 408-115 in duals, 132-50 in Big Ten duals and 156-39 in Carver-Hawkeye Arena, while scoring 1,666 dual team points and starting a combined 526 dual matches. For the first time this season, the dual started at a weight class other than 125 pounds. But Iowa posted its same winning result, going 9-1 on the night in front of 9,125 fans. Dennis opened the dual at 133 with a 3-2 win over Ohio State's Ian Paddock. The Hawkeye senior scored the dual's first takedown and followed with a second-period escape to post his 15th win of the season. Ohio State put its only team points on the board at 141 when #2 Reece Humphrey scored a 9-5 decision over Hawkeye sophomore Montell Marion, who is ranked between fourth and seventh in the nation. The Hawkeyes shut the Buckeyes out the rest of the dual, scoring a pin, two major decisions and five decisions. Metcalf recorded his 100th career victory at 149 with a 3-1 decision over #2 Lance Palmer. The top-ranked Hawkeye senior remains undefeated at 28-0 this season and boasts a perfect 25-0 career record at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. At 157, junior Aaron Janssen came back from a 2-1 third-period deficit, scoring a takedown, a stalling point and a riding time point for a 5-2 victory over Buckeye Sean Nemec. Morningstar made his 85th career dual start an exciting one with a 1-0 decision over #6 Colt Sponseller at 165. After two scoreless periods, the fourth-ranked Hawkeye escaped with 34 seconds left in the match for the win. Borschel scored Iowa's first bonus points of the night at 174 with a 9-0 major decision over Ohio State's Dave Rella, keeping his undefeated record of 27-0 intact. Keddy followed at 184 with his second straight win over Buckeye Mike Pucillo - a 3-2 decision for Keddy's 20th season victory. Junior Luke Lofthouse scored takedowns in the first two periods, then added an escape and a point for riding time in his 6-1 victory over Ohio State's C.J. Magrum at 197. Erekson built a 7-0 first-period lead at heavyweight before pinning Corey Morrison in 2:53 to pick up his 60th career victory. Iowa redshirt freshman Matt McDonough ended the dual with a 9-1 major decision over Nikko Triggas at 125 to remain undefeated at 28-0 this season. The Hawkeyes will close out the 2009-10 dual meet season Sunday at #14 Wisconsin (8-9, 4-3 Big Ten). The match will be wrestled at the UW Field House in Madison at 3 p.m. (CT), and aired on a same-day taped-delay basis on the Big Ten Network at 10 p.m. Steven Grace and two-time Hawkeye NCAA champion and four-time Iowa all-American Mark Ironside will call the action live on AM-800, KXIC and www.hawkeyesports.com. Web audio broadcasts are available using the XXL All-Access subscription ($14.95 per month or $119.95 per year). Tickets ($5 for adults, $2 for children and seniors) go on-sale one hour prior to the event and are available at the ticket windows located inside the entrance to Gates B and C of the Field House. Results: 133 - Daniel Dennis (I) dec. Ian Paddock (OSU), 3-2 141 - Reece Humphrey (OSU) dec. Montell Marion (I), 9-5 149 - Brent Metcalf (I) dec. Lance Palmer (OSU), 3-1 157 - Aaron Janssen (I) dec. Sean Nemec (OSU), 5-2 165 - Ryan Morningstar (I) dec. Colt Sponseller (OSU), 1-0 174 - Jay Borschel (I) maj. dec. Dave Rella (OSU), 9-0 184 - Phillip Keddy (I) dec. Mike Pucillo (OSU), 3-2 197 - Luke Lofthouse (I) dec. C.J. Magrum (OSU), 6-1 Hwt. - Dan Erekson (I) pinned Corey Morrison (OSU), 2:53 125 - Matt McDonough (I) maj. dec. Nikko Triggas (OSU), 9-1

MINNEAPOLIS -- On a night held in their honor, the Gopher seniors led the charge in a 26-16 win over Penn State in the Sports Pavilion. Coming off maybe their toughest loss of the season to Iowa last week, the Gophers came out and wrestled the Minnesota way tonight (Feb. 19), attacking from the opening whistle. The Gophers followed the lead of their seniors on the night, and Jayson Ness (Bloomington, Minn.) set a great standard to follow. Still battling injury, Zach Sanders (Wabasha, Minn.) got the night off as the Gophers gave the forfeit at 125. The 6-0 deficit was short lived, though, as Ness responded with a pin in a mere 1:17 over Penn State's Bryan Pearsall. The lopsided score was no surprise to the fans in the Sports Pavilion, as the win completed an undefeated career in home dual meets for the senior. Top-ranked Ness also won his 140th match and logged his 17th fall of the season with the victory. He becomes just the forth Gopher ever with 140 career wins, and is just three fall shy of tying, and four from breaking, his own school record for pins in a single season. Just as impressive as Ness' quick pin, was fellow senior Dustin Schlatter's (Massillion, Ohio) shutout of No. 6 Cyler Sanderson at 157. In the only top-10 match-up of the night, No. 2 Schlatter took control early and led the entire match for the 4-0 win. Schlatter entered the match riding a 13-match winning streak, and extended to 14 with his first win over a ranked opponent at 157. In his final home meet, Schlatter ends his career with just one lone loss in front of the Minnesota crowd. The Gophers went into the intermission up 15-9 after Schaltter's match, thanks in part to a fall from Mike Thorn (St. Michael, Minn.). Following in Ness' footsteps, Thorn logged his sixth fall of the season at 141, scoring a first period pin over the Nittany Lions' Adam Lynch. Sixth ranked Thorn notched one of his fastest falls of the season, ending the match in just 2:18, and won his third match of the season over a ranked opponent, handing No. 20 ranked Lynch just his second Big Ten loss. Scott Glasser (Bismarck, N.D.) and Sonny Yohn (Alamosa, Colo.) won similar matches at 174 and 197 respectively. Each turned on the scoring late to notch major decisions with Glasser winning 12-3 over Justin Ortega and Yohn winning 14-5 over David Crowell. Yohn was looking at just a decision late in his match, but fought and managed one final takedown with just two seconds left for the final nine-point margin. The major decision by Yohn sealed the match for the Gophers, giving them a 23-16 lead with just one match left to go. Despite the outcome of the match already decided the final bout at heavyweight still came with plenty of drama. The Gopher's Ben Berhow (Hayward, Minn.) battled No. 12 Cameron Wade to a scoreless first period. Wade entered the match with a 6-1 Big Ten record, but it was Berhow who scored the first points, tallying a reversal early in the second after starting the period down. Two escapes by Wade tied the match, but with just three seconds left Berhow got the big takedown for the winning points in the 4-2 decision. With a 12-5 overall record and a 7-1 mark in the Big Ten, Minnesota locked up second place in the Big Ten, tied with Ohio State who dropped their first conference match this evening to dual meet champion Iowa. The Gophers have won seven or more Big Ten matches for the third time in the last five years. Along with Ness and Schlatter, fellow seniors Matt Everson (Mitchell, S.D.) and Nate Matousek (Glencoe, Minn.) were also honored tonight, during a ceremony at the intermission. They wrestlers will take a much needed break next week in preparation for the Big Ten Tournament Mar. 6-7 in Ann Arbor, Mich. Results: 125: #13 Brad Pataky (PSU) For - - / 0-6 133: #1 Jayson Ness (MINN) fall Bryan Pearsall (PSU), 1:17 / 6-6 141: #6 Mike Thorn (MINN) fall #20 Adam Lynch (PSU), 2:18 / 12-6 149: #4 Frank Molinaro (PSU) dec. #16 Mario Mason (MINN), 7-3 / 12-9 157: #2 Dustin Schlatter (MINN) dec. #6 Cyler Sanderson (PSU), 4-0 / 15-9 165: #7 Dan Vallimont (PSU) dec. Cody Yohn (MINN), 10-3 / 15-12 174: #8 Scott Glasser (MINN) maj. Justin Ortega (PSU), 12-3 / 19-12 184: #10 David Erwin (PSU) maj. Kaleb Young (MINN), 12-3 / 19-16 197: #12 Sonny Yohn (MINN) maj. David Crowell (PSU), 14-5 / 23-16 HWT: Ben Berhow (MINN) dec. #12 Cameron Wade (PSU), 4-2 / 26-16

After having its own Senior Night spoiled last week at the hands of No. 23 Rutgers, Liberty returned the favor, Thursday night, with a 30-10 dual victory over George Mason inside the RAC. With the victory, Liberty raises its dual match record to 10-9 and gives head coach Jesse Castro his fourth-straight season with 10 or more dual wins. The four-year run leaves Castro one victory shy of his 50th career win (49-38-2). The loss dropped George Mason to 3-10-1 on the year and kept the Patriots from giving a pair of seniors one more victory during their home careers. It also marked the second-straight year the Flames have downed George Mason at home, as Liberty scored a 23-19 comeback win over the Patriots at the Field House on Feb. 17, 2009. Brian Wright, one of two seniors honored prior to the dual, gave George Mason a 4-0 lead with a 10-0 major decision over Jonathan Childress at 125 pounds. Wright scored individual takedowns in the first and second periods to open up a 4-0 lead after five minutes. The senior then put the matchup out of reach during the final period, scoring a reversal with three near-fall points to go along with an additional point for 3:23 of riding time. Liberty was able to pull the dual back within a single point, 4-3, following a 6-0 blanking by Joe Pantaleo over Denny Herndon at 133 pounds. Neither grappler could find the scoreboard until Pantaleo recorded a takedown midway through the second period. Starting from the down position, the redshirt freshman quickly got away from Herndon, then added a second takedown and was given a penalty point after Herndon tried to stall the match late during the final two minutes of action. Liberty was able to take the lead shortly thereafter without any action taking place on the mats, as T. J. Mitchell was awarded a forfeit win at 141 pounds. The Flames managed to keep things rolling as Frankie Gayeski picked up his team-leading 23rd win of the season with a 9-2 decision victory over Brandon Bucher at 149 pounds. Gayeski scored the first four points in the bout, including a first-period takedown and a second-period reversal. Bucher managed to trim his deficit in half with a late reversal, giving Liberty’s senior captain a 4-2 lead with two minutes left. The back-and-forth reversal battle continued when Gayeski put the match out of reach with a reversal out of the down position and two near-fall points. The move allowed the senior to rack up 1:14 of riding time to close out his seven-point decision win and give his squad a 12-4 lead in the overall dual. Gayeski’s fellow senior captain Shaun Smith pushed Liberty’s dual lead to 11 points, 15-4, with the evening’s most thrilling win, a 7-6 comeback decision at 157 pounds over Aaron Keeton. Both wrestlers scored a takedown and an escape during the opening three minutes to tie the matchup at three points apiece, while Keeton carded the lone second-period point with an escape out of the down position. Smith followed suit, tying the dual with is second escape, only to find himself down following Keeton’s second takedown of the night. However, Smith was able to regroup and score his eighth win in his last nine bouts with a late escape and takedown to steal the one-point win. The two teams managed to trade six-point wins in the next two weight classes, courtesy of a pair of first-period pins. Chad Porter made a quick move on Frankie McLaughlin at 165 pounds with an early takedown, only to see the junior slip away with an escape point. Porter continued to control the pace of action and scored his second takedown, and with the clock winding down, he ended the bout with his fourth win by fall at 2:49 for his 20th win of the season. The Patriots were able to stop their five weight class losing streak quick at 174 pounds, as Mendbagana Tovuujav won his 12th match in a row. The nation’s 12th-ranked grappler at 174 pounds moved in on Brad Clark shortly after the opening whistle for a two-point takedown. Clark tried to escape, but Tovuujav was able to pin him to the mat just 31 seconds into the bout to pull George Mason within 11 points in the overall dual, 21-10. However, the Flames put the dual out of reach by taking the last three weight classes to pick up their 10th dual victory of the season and their second straight in Faixfax. Nick Knowles started the run with a hard-fought 8-6 decision over Greg Scott at 184 pounds. Knowles looked to be in control of the dual, opening up a 4-1 lead after three minutes with a pair of first-period takedowns. Scott came storming back to knot the dual at 4-4, thanks to an escape out of the down position followed by a takedown. The two grapplers started neutral for the final two minutes and Knowles quickly regained control with two takedowns. Scott slipped away from Knowles both times, but could do no further damage, giving Knowles his fourth win in a row and 15th of the year. Jacobi Johnson found himself down early to Bill Widener, but managed to score five third-period points to earn a 7-5 decision victory at 197 pounds. Neither wrestler scored until Widener escaped out of the down position during the second period. By time the middle period had ended, Widener found himself with a 4-2 lead in his final home dual. However, the senior was not as fortunate as his 125-pound teammate, as Johnson dominated action during the final two minutes to secure the two-point decision. Fresh off a near upset of No. 18 Lamar Brown of Rutgers last Friday, Johnson tallied an escape and a pair of takedowns to polish off the two-point victory. With the dual already well in hand, Liberty’s Josh Pelletier took to the mats to finish off the night for the Flames with a 4-1 decision over Adam Barnette. The only point either heavyweight scored during the opening five minutes was an escape by Barnette during the second period. Starting down in the third, Pelletier finally got on the scoreboard with a quick escape followed by a takedown. The redshirt junior then managed to keep Barnette to the mat the rest of the period, securing an extra point for 1:54 of riding time and his 13th victory of the season. The Flames will have the weekend off to rest and prepare for their regular-season finale in Boone, N.C. The Tuesday matchup against Appalachian State is slated to begin at 6 p.m. Results: 125: Brian Wright (Mason) major dec. Jonathan Childress (Liberty), 10-0 133: Joe Pantaleo (Liberty) dec. Denny Herndon (Mason), 6-0 141: T.J. Mitchell (Liberty) wins by forf. 149: Frankie Gayeski (Liberty) dec. Brandon Bucher (Mason), 9-2 157: Shaun Smith (Liberty) dec. Aaron Keeton (Mason), 7-6 165: Chad Porter (Liberty) fall Frankie McLaughlin (Mason), 2:49 174: Mendbagana Tovuujav (Mason) fall Brad Clark (Liberty), 0:31 184: Nick Knowles (Liberty) dec. Greg Scott (Mason), 8-6 197: Jacoby Johnson (Liberty) dec. Bill Widener (Mason), 7-5 285: Josh Pelletier (Liberty) dec. Adam Barnette (Mason), 4-1

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. -- The No. 22 Rutgers wrestling team capped off its home schedule by extending its school record unbeaten streak to 15 matches with a dominating 35-6 win against Drexel Thursday night at College Ave Gym. The win improves the Scarlet Knights record to 19-4-1. The 19 victories is the second most in school history. RU set a school record with 20 wins last season. Rutgers owns a 14-0-1 record in 2010 and has not lost a dual match since being edged at then-No. 24 Pittsburgh, 21-18, on Dec. 12, 2009. Rutgers captured eight matches from Drexel (11-14), including two technical falls, a major decision and a pin. The Dragons still lead the all-time series by a 11-10 mark. Prior to the match, four Rutgers seniors – Lamar Brown (Red Bank, N.J.), Jack Barrett (Metuchen, N.J.), Kellen Bradley (Newton, N.J.) and Matthew Rigoglisio (Wayne, N.J.) – were honored as it was their final home match as a Scarlet Knight. “For us, the match was perfect,” said Rutgers head coach Scott Goodale. “It gave us a chance to get the seniors out there. I was proud of our guys because they took care of their individual matchups to make sure the seniors got in. It was a special night.” During the senior presentation, Barrett got the biggest ovation of the night when he walked to the center of the mat with his family for his senior day picture. The Metuchen, N.J. native won 10 of 16 matches in the fall but was forced to sit out the spring semester due to a medical issue. “Jack may not know it but he brought this team together,” commented Goodale. “He inspired not only our staff but these wrestlers as well. It was great to have him on the bench with us.” Thursday night’s battle started at 174 where 28th-ranked redshirt freshman Daniel Rinaldi (Lodi, N.J.) breezed by Rob Brooks with a 12-3 major decision to give RU the early 4-0 lead. The major decision is Rinaldi’s ninth of the season and improves his overall record to 25-7, including a 17-5 mark in dual. At 184, redshirt freshman Jesse Boyden (Kenilworth, N.J.) increased RU’s advantage to 7-0 with a 3-1 victory over Justin Wieller. The win improves Boyden’s overall record to 10-12 and 6-8 in dual competition this season. Brown finished his five-year run at The Barn on a high note with a 3-1 victory over Shawn Fausey. Brown owns a 21-6 record this season and has claimed a victory in 14 of 19 dual battles. 10th-ranked heavyweight Dominick Russo (Netcong, N.J.) got the night off as Drexel’s Kyle Frey was forced to forfeit due to injury. The forfeit ballooned Rutgers lead to 16-0. 21st-ranked and 125-pound Joseph Langel (Howell, N.J.) refuses to lose in 2010 as he dominated Michael Gomez by a 10-3 technical fall (4:53) to increase his win streak to an outstanding 17 matches. Drexel finally got on the scoreboard at 133 to trim Rutgers’ lead to 21-3. 24th-ranked 141-pounder Trevor Melde (Hewitt, N.J.) earned his fifth pin fall victory of the season by taking down Shane Fenningham with a 2:37 time. The pin puts Melde’s record in 2010 at 24-6 overall and 18-3 in dual. Bradley exited College Ave Gym a winner by claiming a 4-2 decision over Brett McCurdy to increases RU’s lead to 30-3. 23rd-ranked 157-pounder Daryl Cocozzo (River Edge, N.J.) increased his winning streak to 10 matches by overpowering Charles Aungst with an 18-2 technical fall (5:00). The RU newcomer has won 23 of his 30 matches this season, including 11 of his 12 dual contests. Drexel picked up a decision in the last match at 165 to put the final score as a Rutgers 35-6 victory. Rutgers will close out the regular season at No. 7 Lehigh on Saturday at 1 p.m. Results: 174 #28 Daniel Rinaldi (Rutgers) major. dec. Rob Brooks (Drexel) 12-3 4-0 184 Jesse Boyden (Rutgers) dec. Justin Wieller (Drexel) 3-1 (OT) 7-0 197 #20 Lamar Brown (Rutgers) dec. Shawn Fausey (Drexel) 3-1 10-0 285 #10 Dominick Russo (Rutgers) WBFF 16-0 125 #21 Joseph Langel III (Rutgers) tech. fall Michael Gomez (Drexel) 19-3 (4:53) 21-0 133 #13 Steve Mytych (Drexel) dec. #20 Bill Ashnault (Rutgers) 6-3 21-3 141 #24 Trevor Melde (Rutgers) pins Shane Fenningham (Drexel) 2:37 27-3 149 Kellen Bradley (Rutgers) dec. Brett McCurdy (Drexel) 4-2 30-3 157 Daryl Cocozzo (Rutgers) tech. fall Charles Aungst (Drexel) 18-2 (5:00) 35-3 165 Alex Rinaldi (Drexel) dec. Matthew Rigoglioso (Rutgers) 11-9 (OT) 35-6

CHAMPAIGN, Ill.-- In front of almost 2,500 fans at Huff Hall, the No. 23 Purdue wrestling team snapped an 11-match losing streak to the University of Illinois, knocking off the 21st-ranked Fighting Illini, 25-11. The Boilermakers secured their fourth straight winning season with the victory, finishing the dual season at 11-10 overall and 2-6 in conference contests, while Illinois wraps up the year at 8-8 (3-5 Big Ten). The win makes Purdue head coach Scott Hinkel the only coach in the Boilermakers' 96-year history to post a winning dual mark in his first three seasons at the helm, improving his career mark to 33-25-1. It also matches the longest streak of consecutive winning seasons in school history, matching the stretch between 1996 and 1999, and gives Purdue its first win over Illinois since 1999. The Old Gold and Black took home seven of the 10 bouts on the evening, including bonus-point victories by juniors Logan Brown and Akif Eren and freshman Cashé Quiroga. Sixth-ranked junior Luke Manuel opened the match in solid fashion, grinding out a 5-3 win over 13th-ranked Illinois sophomore Jordan Blanton at 174 pounds. Manuel hit the same takedown twice in the first period to build his lead and displayed his outstanding defensive stance the rest of the way to take home his 36th victory of the season. His win total is the best in NCAA Division I this season and is now tied for ninth in Purdue's single-season record books with Hinkel's senior year in 1987. The Fighting Illini responded at 184 pounds as second-ranked senior John Dergo used solid defense for a 14-4 major decision over Purdue senior Nick Corpe. Four of Dergo's takedowns in the match came off of Corpe's shots as he managed to stuff the shot and work behind for takedowns and a 4-3 advantage in the team score. The Boilermakers came roaring back through the remainder of the top end of the lineup as Brown, ranked 15th in the country at 197, and junior classmate David Pisarcik rolled out back-to-back wins at 197 and 285 to give Purdue an 11-3 lead. Brown put on a takedown clinic at 197, rolling out six two-pointers en route to a 20-4 technical fall in 6:35 over Illini senior Jake Norman. Pisarcik followed with his first match of the year at 285 pounds, posting an 8-4 win over Illinois sophomore Marty Smith. The Purdue run continued at the top of the lineup as Quiroga, tabbed 19th in the nation at 125, and Eren notched major decisions at 125 and 133 pounds, respectively. Quiroga burst on to the Boilermakers' single-season takedown leaderboard, racking up six two-point maneuvers in a 14-4 major decision over Illinois junior John Deneen. Quiroga leads Purdue with 99 takedowns this season, good for 16th in single-season history for the Boilermakers. Eren posted a dominating performance in his 12-2 win over Illini freshman Daryl Thomas, nearly pinning him twice en route to bonus points. Eren hit a monster throw en route to the five point play in the first period to build his lead and turned Thomas for three more backs in the second, missing the pin by seconds as time expired. No. 14 junior Ryan Prater halted the Boilermakers' run at 141 pounds, scoring an impressive 13-0 major decision over Purdue sophomore Bill Putman to trim the lead to 19-8. The first period was very exciting as the pair went into a 30-to-45 second scramble that went back and forth with Prater eventually emerging with the two points. It was all Illini the rest of the match as Putman fought off the technical fall late. The bout at 149 was by far the most exciting of the night, going all the way to a second sudden-victory period before Purdue senior Nick Bertucci came away with a thrilling 6-4 victory over No. 19 sophomore Eric Terrazas. The two traded takedowns and escapes through the first period en route to a 3-3 score, and each scored an escape to start the second and third frames to end regulation at 4-4. Neither wrestler could score in the first overtime, and both rode their opponent for a full 30 seconds through the tie-break period, forcing another minute period on their feet. Terrazas pulled the trigger midway through the second overtime, snatching one of Bertucci's leg, but in a replay of Bertucci's first-period takedown, the Boilermaker senior locked his hands through the legs of Terrazas, shifted his hips through, stepped over Terrazas' trail leg and worked through for two and his second straight Big Ten Dual win. With the team score in hand, Purdue junior Colton Salazar added to the Boilermakers' lead at 157 pounds with a 10-4 decision over senior Clint Arlis. Salazar picked Arlis' ankle twice in the first period, hit a nice single-leg takedown in the second and scored a fourth takedown in the third for his 27th win of the season and fourth straight in conference action. The Fighting Illini closed out the dual with a narrow win as freshman Conrad Polz needed a riding-time point to outlast Boilermaker senior Jason Martin, 4-3. Purdue heads into postseason action their next time out, traveling to Ann Arbor, Mich., for the Big Ten Championships on Saturday and Sunday, March 6-7. Results: 174: #6 Luke Manuel (PU) def. #13 Jordan Blanton (UI), D 5-3 (3-0) 184: #2 John Dergo (UI) def. Nick Corpe (PU), MD 14-4 (3-4) 197: #15 Logan Brown (PU) def. Jake Norman (UI), TF 20-4 (6:35) (8-4) 285: David Pisarcik (PU) def. Marty Smith (UI), D 8-4 (11-4) 125: Cashé Quiroga (PU) def. John Deneen (UI), MD 14-4 (15-4) 133: Akif Eren (PU) def. Daryl Thomas (UI), MD 12-2 (19-4) 141: #14 Ryan Prater (UI) def. Bill Putman (PU), MD 13-0 (19-8) 149: Nick Bertucci (PU) def. #19 Eric Terrazas (UI), SV2 6-4 (22-8) 157: Colton Salazar (PU) def. Clint Arlis (UI), D 10-4 (25-8) 165: Conrad Polz (UI) def. Jason Martin (PU), D 4-3 (25-11)

FARGO, N.D. -- The South Dakota State wrestling team shook off the program's longest single-season winless streak, nine matches, to beat North Dakota State 23-22 Thursday in Fargo in Western Wrestling Conference action. The win marks only the second win in the conference since joining the league during the 2006-07 season, and ends a 23-match winless streak in the WWC. The Jacks are now 2-23-1 since joining the league. The win also marks the first win over the Bison since the 1996-97 season, when the Jacks won 24-10 in Fargo. The Jacks improve their record to 2-11-1 on the season and 1-5 in conference while the Bison fall to 9-7, 2-3 in the WWC. The Jacks ended tonight's match on a 13-0 run and secured the victory in the final match at heavyweight when winless Kevin Kelly picked up his first win of the year in a 4-1 decision over Joe Arthur. Kelly is now 1-6 on the season. "Winning the last dual of the year and winning it against the Bison is a big deal for our program," said head coach Jason Liles. "They beat No. 6 Boise State earlier this season, which shows you what type of program they have. Hopefully this win gives our kids momentum and something to build on going into the regional." SDSU opened the match on a 10-0 run as freshman Aaron Pickrel scored a major decision at 125 pounds and the Bison forfeited the 133-pound class. Pickrel's win pushes him to 22-11 on the season, as he defeated Justin Solberg 15-5. Solberg entered tonight's match ranked No. 30 in the RPI and is now 22-10 on the season. At 184 pounds, David Michaud started the 13-0 run with a pin of Kenny Moenkedick at 2:13, boosting his record to an even 7-7 on the year. Tyler Sorenson kept the ball rolling with a bonus point 15-4 major decision win at 197 pounds over Drew Ross, setting up Kelly's heroic victory. The Jacks are idle next week as they prepare to host the 2010 NCAA West Regional at Frost Arena on March 6. Results: 125 – Aaron Pickrel (SDSU) maj. dec. Justin Solberg, 15-5 133 – Tyler Johnson (SDSU) win by forfeit 141 – Ryan Adams (NDSU) maj. dec. Dustin Walraven, 16-5 149 – Andrey Patselov (NDSU) maj. dec. Nick Hagar, 16-6 157 – Vince Salminen (NDSU) maj. dec. Nick Flynn, 14-2 165 – Tyler Johnson (NDSU) fall Seth Moe, 4:42 174 – Mac Stoll (NDSU) maj. dec. Marc Wermersen, 15-5 184 – David Michaud (SDSU) fall Kenny Moenkedick, 2:13 197 – Tyler Sorenson (SDSU) maj. dec. Drew Ross, 15-4 Hwt - Kevin Kelly (SDSU) dec. Joe Arthur, 4-1

The University of Wyoming Wrestling team beat the Air Force Falcons by a score of 22-13 on Thursday night in Colorado Springs, and in doing so won the Western Wrestling Conference regular season dual title for the second straight year. The `Pokes earned the title outright with a victory over the Falcons (6-10, 1-4), taking their overall season record to 12-3 and their WWC record to 6-0. Last season UW shared the honor with the University of Northern Iowa. Wyoming won six of 10 matches and got bonus point wins at 165 and 184 pounds. "We had a very hard week of training, so the challenge for us tonight was to make up for that with our mental toughness," UW head coach Mark Branch said. "We did not do that in some of our early matches, but did pick it up in the upper weights. There are definitely some things we need to change in the next few weeks prior to the West Regional." The dual started at 133 pounds where UW senior Cory VomBaur used a second-period escape and a riding time point to defeat Derek Gillespie, 2-0. That gave the `Pokes an early 3-0 team lead. At 141 pounds Cowboy sophomore Chase Smith lost a major decision, 9-1 to No. 15 Cole VonOhlen, who had over five minutes in riding time. That win gave Air Force a 4-3 lead. Wyoming junior Cole Dallaserra then fell victim to a third-period takedown and subsequent three-point nearfall at 149 pounds to Gabe Martinez and lost a 6-5 decision. The Falcons extended their team lead to 7-3. At the 157-pound weight class, UW freshman Jimmy Belleville lost a high-scoring, back and forth match with Alec Williams, 16-11. Air Force had won three straight and led 10-3. No. 9-ranked Cowboy sophomore Shane Onufer fought his way to a 12-4 major decision with five takedowns against Clayton Gable and earned four team points. AFA's lead was now 10-7. Cowboy sophomore Brock Smith avenged a loss earlier this year to Tyler French at 174 pounds by winning a sudden victory overtime decision, 4-2. Smith used a takedown in the opening seconds of the extra period to get a big win and tie the team score at 10-10. In the 184-pound fight, No. 9-ranked UW sophomore Joe LeBlanc did his job as a team leader and pinned Josh Mohr at 4:18. The win gave Wyoming a 16-10 team lead. The Cowboys' All-American was leading 13-2 at the time of the fall, his 11th of the year. He now has a season record of 32-4 with 26 bonus-point (eight points or more) margins of victory. LeBlanc's last five wins have now all been by fall (three) or technical fall (two). 197-pound UW sophomore Alfonso Hernandez earned a 3-1 decision over Neil Delaney with a late takedown in the third period at the 6:35 mark. That win stretched UW's lead to 19-10 with two matches remaining. The heavyweight match was another close contest as Cowboy redshirt freshman L.J. Helbig lost to Stephen Larson, 5-3. UW's lead was now 19-13. No. 12 sophomore Michael Martinez closed things out for Wyoming at 125 pounds over Andrew Zwirlein with a 6-2 decision. That finalized the team score in favor of Wyoming, 22-13. "Tonight was not about the team score," Branch added. "It was about sharpening things up and getting ready for the postseason. The West Regional will be a wide open tournament and we will have our work cut out for us." The Cowboys will now have a couple weeks of training before the NCAA West Regional, at which all WWC institutions currently qualify for nationals, which will be held on March 6 in Brookings, South Dakota. Results: 133 Cory VomBaur (UW) dec. Derek Gillespie, 2-0 141 Cole VonOhlen (AF) maj. dec. Chase Smith, 9-1 149 Gabe Martinez (AF) dec. Cole Dallaserra, 6-5 157 Alec Williams (AF) dec. Jimmy Belleville, 16-11 165 No. 9 Shane Onufer (UW) maj. dec. Clayton Gable, 12-4 174 Brock Smith (UW) dec. Tyler French, 4-2 (SV) 184 No. 9 Joe LeBlanc (UW) fall Josh Mohr, 4:18 197 Alfonso Hernandez (UW) dec. Neil Delaney, 3-1 HWT Stephen Larson (AF) dec. L.J. Helbig, 5-3 125 No. 12 Michael Martinez (UW) dec. Andrew Zwirlein, 6-2

SALEM, Va. -- The 14th-ranked Virginia Tech wrestling squad won their first three matches of the night in dominant fashion, carrying the Hokies to a 29-12 victory over No. 24 Old Dominion on Thursday night at Andrew Lewis Middle School in Salem, Va. Junior Chris Diaz, ranked 10th at 141 pounds, started the match off strongly with a methodical major decision over Craig Wilson of Old Dominion. Diaz controlled the tired opponent to the tune of a 17-5 victory. Freshman Brian Stephens followed that up with a strong pin, his third straight, at the 3:35 mark in the 157-pound weight class to give the Hokies a quick 10-0 advantage in the team competition. The Tech dominance continued at 157 pounds, as fifth-ranked sophomore Jesse Dong defeated Joey Sheridan of Old Dominion, 15-4, earning more bonus points for Hokies with the major decision. At 165 pounds, Old Dominion began to mount a comeback. The Monarchs tallied their first victory of the evening as 13th-ranked Chris Brown held off junior Matt Epperly at 165 pounds, 7-6, and freshman Taylor Knapp fell by a 5-0 decision at 174 pounds. Eighteenth-ranked, junior Tommy Spellman scored a takedown with less than 15 seconds left in the third period to secure a 4-2 decision at 184 pounds and help right the ship for the Hokies. After Tech forfeited at 197 pounds, freshman Chris Penny won a big match at 285 pounds, 4-3, to give the Hokies control in the match. Despite the forfeit, Tech took a commanding 20-12 team. The Hokies received a forfeit at 125 pounds, and sophomore Brock LiVorio took a 5-3 decision at 133 pounds to close out the match strongly. The Hokies beat the Monarchs 29-12. “Tonight’s win was total domination by the Hokies,” said head coach Kevin Dresser. “At 165 pounds, we lost on a bad call and at 125 pounds, they were afraid to wrestle us. Considering the adversity this team has been through this year, to go undefeated against in-state teams and to claim a state championship says a lot about how far this program has come and how bright the future is for the Hokies.” Tech next competes at the ACC Championships on March 6 in Raleigh, N.C. Results will be available on hokiesports.com. Results: 125 lbs.: #14 Jarrod Garnett (VT) wins by forfeit 133 lbs.: Brock LiVorio (VT) dec. Justin LaValle, 5-3 141 lbs.: #10 Chris Diaz (VT) maj. dec. Craig Wilson, 17-5 149 lbs.: Brian Stephens (VT) fall Brennan Brumley, 3:35 157 lbs.: #5 Jesse Dong (VT) maj. dec. Joey Sheridan, 15-4 165 lbs.: #13 Chris Brown (ODU) dec. Matt Epperly, 7-6 174 lbs.: Eric Decker (ODU) dec. Taylor Knapp, 5-0 184 lbs.: #18 Tommy Spellman (VT) dec. Joe Budi, 4-2 197 lbs.: #19 Jesse Strawn (ODU) wins by forfeit 285 lbs.: Chris Penny (VT) dec. Grant Chapman, 4-3