InterMat Staff

Tonight J Robinson and the No. 5 Minnesota Golden Gophers welcome Cael Sanderson and the No. 11 Penn State Nittany Lions. The dual meet, which will take place at the Sports Pavilion in Minneapolis, is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. CST. It will be streamed live on BigTenNetwork.com. Minnesota is 11-5 and 6-1 in the Big Ten, while Penn State is 13-5-1 and 5-2 in the conference. This will mark the final dual meet of the season for both programs. Below is a weight-by-weight breakdown of tonight's dual meet. 125: No. 13 Brad Pataky (Penn State) vs. No. 6 Zach Sanders (Minnesota)/Forfeit Sanders, a returning All-American, is coming off a lopsided loss (13-2) to third-ranked Matt McDonough of Iowa in a match where the Gopher sophomore clearly wasn't himself. He had not competed since injuring his leg in his victory over No. 19 Cashe Quiroga of Purdue on January 31. Pataky has won seven of his last eight matches, with the only loss during that span coming to McDonough. He is 23-6 on the season and ranked No. 13. Bottom Line: These two met three times last season, with Pataky winning two of the three meetings, although Sanders had the better season and stronger finish. The Gophers need Sanders to be healthy for the postseason ... and it is obvious that he's not yet back to where he needs to be. It would be a surprise if the Gophers sent out Sanders to wrestle. With no backup 125-pounder, look for the Gophers to forfeit. Prediction: Pataky (Penn State) forfeit 133: Bryan Pearsall (Penn State) vs. No. 1 Jayson Ness (Minnesota) Ness has been a fan favorite ever since he stepped in the lineup for the Gophers as a freshman because of his pinning prowess, humility, and the fact that he is a local product. He will be making his final home appearance in front of the Gopher faithful in what is being called Jayson Ness Day at Gopher Wrestling (Fans who mention Jayson Ness' name at the ticket window will get tickets for $4.) The No. 1-ranked wrestler in the country has been a pinning machine, not only this season, but all throughout his career. Ness has pinned 16 of 22 opponents this season ... and is the all-time career leader at Minnesota with 70 pins. He is coming off an 8-4 victory over No. 3 Daniel Dennis of Iowa on Sunday. Pearsall, a redshirt freshman, has struggled this season, going 3-20. Bottom Line: Look for Ness to give the fans what they came to see him do ... pin. Prediction: Ness (Minnesota) pins Pearsall (Penn State) 141: No. 20 Adam Lynch (Penn State) vs. No. 6 Mike Thorn (Minnesota) Thorn has established himself as a legitimate All-American threat this season after a season in which he went 0-2 at the NCAA Championships. He has dominated several ranked wrestlers this season and has been wrestling well, but is coming off a 15-7 loss to fourth-ranked Montell Marion of Iowa on Sunday. Lynch has been a pleasant surprise for Penn State this season, especially during the Big Ten season. He broke into the rankings for the first time in his career at No. 20. The senior has gone 6-1 in the conference, which includes victories over No. 4 Montell Marion of Iowa and No. 14 Ryan Prater of Illinois. Bottom Line: The 141-pound weight class is deep, balanced, and unpredictable in the Big Ten. These two have been wrestling well of late, but Thorn has dominated opponents of Lynch's calendar all season long. Prediction: Thorn (Minnesota) major dec. Lynch (Penn State) 149: No. 4 Frank Molinaro (Penn State) vs. No. 16 Mario Mason (Minnesota) Molinaro has put together an impressive sophomore campaign after earning All-American honors last season as a redshirt freshman. He is 26-3 on the season and ranked No. 4. Molinaro comes into tonight's match riding a four-match winning streak in which he has outscored his opponents 51-22 during that stretch. Mason, who is ranked No. 16, won three straight matches prior to the 24-8 beating he took on Sunday against No. 1 Brent Metcalf of Iowa. He did takedown Metcalf down with a slick duckunder. His only victory over a ranked opponent this season came on February 5 against No. 19 Eric Terrazas of Illinois. Bottom Line: Molinaro should win this match, but Mason has the tools to make interesting. Prediction: Molinaro (Penn State) dec. Mason (Minnesota) 157: No. 6 Cyler Sanderson (Penn State) vs. No. 2 Dustin Schlatter (Minnesota) Schlatter, a 2006 NCAA champion and three-time All-American, has not been challenged since moving down from 165 pounds to 157 pounds, going 5-0. On Sunday, he defeated Iowa's Jake Kerr, 4-1, but seemed to shut down offensively after getting the lone takedown of the match in the first period. Sanderson, a senior, will be looking to finish his season and career strong after the disappointment of last season, when he failed to place at the NCAA Championships. His only conference loss came to Kerr on January 29, but he has since pinned his last four opponents. Bottom Line: Schlatter defeated Sanderson a couple times during the 2006-07 season by scores of 9-2 and 3-1, but both have come a long way since those meetings. Sanderson's style is wide open and he is not afraid to take risks, so it will be interesting to see if can get Schlatter to open up. Prediction: Schlatter (Minnesota) dec. Sanderson (Pen State) 165: No. 7 Dan Vallimont (Penn State) vs. Cody Yohn (Minnesota) Vallimont, much like Sanderson, is a hungry senior who wants to erase the memories of coming up short of All-American honors last season by finishing his college career strong. He has won his last three matches after a stretch in late January in which he lost three straight matches to wrestlers ranked in the top six. Yohn has gone 3-4 since stepping into the lineup at 165 pounds. He was blanked (9-0) in last outing against No. 4 Ryan Morningstar of Iowa on Sunday. Bottom Line: Look for Vallimont to control the action against Yohn and pick up the victory. Bonus points are not out of the question, but Vallimont has only earned bonus points once in his last 11 matches. Prediction: Vallimont (Penn State) dec. Yohn (Minnesota) 174: Justin Ortega (Penn State) vs. No. 8 Scott Glasser (Minnesota) Glasser has won 18 of his last 20 matches, with both losses during that span coming to No. 2 Jay Borschel of Iowa. He was dominated for the second time against Borschel on Sunday, losing 13-2. Ortega is still looking for his first conference victory and comes into tonight with a 6-17 overall season mark. Bottom Line: Glasser should handle the struggling Ortega. Prediction: Glasser (Minnesota) dec. Ortega (Penn State) 184: No. 10 David Erwin (Penn State) vs. Kaleb Young (Minnesota) Erwin is wrestling as well as anyone on the Nittany Lions right now. He has won five straight matches, which includes a 6-4 victory over No. 11 Phil Keddy of Iowa on January 29. His last loss came on January 22 to No. 2 John Dergo of Illinois, 6-4. Young has struggled of late, losing five straight matches. He is 7-13 on the season. Bottom Line: Erwin should dominate Young. Prediction: Erwin (Penn State) major dec. Young (Minnesota) 197: David Crowell/Clay Steadman (Penn State) vs. No. 12 Sonny Yohn (Minnesota) Yohn was one of only three Gophers to pick up victories against Iowa on Sunday when he blanked Luke Lofthouse, 7-0, to improve to 21-9 on the season. Prior to beating Lofthouse, Yohn went through a tough stretch where he faced five straight ranked opponents and went 2-3 against them. Penn State has been using both Steadman and Crowell here. Crowell has competed in the last two dual meets, while Steadman has not competed since February 5. Both wrestlers have lost five straight matches. Bottom Line: Yohn should beat whoever Penn State sends out on the mat. Prediction: Yohn (Minnesota) major dec. Crowell (Penn State) 285: No. 12 Cameron Wade (Penn State) vs. Ben Berhow (Minnesota) Wade dropped a significant amount of weight going into this season ... and is now a much more agile heavyweight than he was last season as a redshirt freshman. He has won four straight matches and is wrestling with a lot of confidence right now. Berhow has been very competitive with several of the nation's top heavyweights, but has not been able to win the close matches this season. He lost a close match in sudden victory to Dan Erekson, a returning All-American, on Sunday. He is currently 16-10 this season. Bottom Line: This should a competitive match. Wade is the favorite, but don't be surprised if his match is decided by a takedown. Prediction: Wade (Penn State) dec. Berhow (Minnesota) Dual Meet Prediction: Minnesota 20, Penn State 19

The Big Ten dual meet championship hangs in the balance as two Big Ten wrestling powers collide tonight. No. 1 Iowa hosts No. 4 Ohio State at 7 p.m. CST at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. The dual meet will be broadcast on same-day delay tonight on the Big Ten Network at 10 p.m. CST with Tim Johnson and Lee Kemp on the call. Both teams are undefeated in the Big Ten. Iowa is 21-0 overall and 6-0 in the Big Ten, while Ohio State is 18-1 overall and 7-0 in the conference. The Hawkeyes will be looking to win their school-record 60th straight dual meet. Below is a weight-by-weight prediction of tonight's dual meet. 125: Nikko Triggas (Ohio State) vs. No. 3 Matt McDonough (Iowa) With just two matches remaining in the regular season, McDonough remains undefeated at 27-0. On Sunday, the redshirt freshman had his way with returning All-American Zach Sanders of Minnesota, earning a 13-2 major decision over the Gopher sophomore. Triggas, a two-time NCAA qualifier, has been wrestling well and is on a pinning spree. He has pinned his last four opponents over the past two weekends to bring his season pin total to 12 and career total to 34. He ranks fifth on the all-time pins list at Ohio State. Bottom Line: McDonough is wrestling as well as anyone on the Hawkeyes right now. He should win handily as long as he stays out of the positions where Triggas is strong and does not get caught on his back. Prediction: McDonough (Iowa) major dec. Triggas (Ohio State) 133: Ian Paddock (Ohio State) vs. No. 3 Daniel Dennis (Iowa) Dennis, who is ranked No. 3, will be one of six Hawkeye seniors competing in his final dual meet at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. He is coming off his only Big Ten loss this season, which came at the hands of No. 1 Jayson Ness of Minnesota, 8-4, on Sunday. He comes into tonight's match with a 15-2 mark. Paddock, a true freshman, started his Big Ten season with three straight victories, but has since lost three of his last four matches. He was hammered by defending NCAA champion Franklin Gomez in his last outing, losing 14-2 on Sunday. Bottom Line: Dennis has won by major decision and put up double digit points against the last three unranked opponents he has faced in the conference. Look over Dennis to overpower the true freshman and pick up bonus points. Prediction: Dennis (Iowa) major dec. Paddock (Ohio State) 141: Pat Harrington/No. 2 Reece Humphrey (Ohio State) vs. No. 4 Montell Marion (Iowa) The big question entering this dual meet is whether or not No. 2 Reece Humphrey will take the mat for the Buckeyes. He was held out against Michigan State on Sunday after getting injured in a 14-9 victory last Friday against Ryan Prater of Illinois. Humphrey has been getting to his offense and putting points on the scoreboard lately. In his last three matches (not counting his forfeit victory), the Buckeye senior has scored 56 points. Harrington, who began the season at 125 pounds, got the start on Sunday and lost 7-2 to Dan Osterman of Michigan State. Marion has been wrestling very well of late and has climbed all the way to No. 4 in the rankings after winning seven of his last eight matches. The only hiccup during that span was an 8-6 sudden victory loss to No. 20 Adam Lynch of Penn State. He is coming off perhaps his most impressive victory of the season, a 15-7 major decision over No. 8 Mike Thorn of Minnesota, a wrestler who pinned him earlier this season. Bottom Line: Ohio State coach Tom Ryan has always stressed the importance of dual meets ... and this is certainly a very important dual meet for the Buckeyes. With that said, Ryan will not put a less-than-one-hundred-percent Humphrey out on the mat unless he believes the Buckeyes have a legitimate shot to beat the Hawekeyes. The gut feeling is that Humphrey will sit and Harrington will get the call. Prediction: Marion (Iowa) technical fall Harrington (Ohio State) 149: No. 2 Lance Palmer (Ohio State) vs. No. 1 Brent Metcalf (Iowa) Metcalf has not yet been tested in the Big Ten conference season. Of his seven conference victories, four have come by pin, two by technical fall, and one by disqualification. The undefeated and top-ranked Hawkeye will be looking for his 100th victory in his final match at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Palmer, much like Metcalf, has been dominating his Big Ten competition. He has pinned his last three opponents and has picked up bonus points in six of his last seven matches. Bottom Line: These two know each other well ... having faced each other three times during their college careers. Metcalf has won all three meetings, but Palmer has been competitive. All three matches have been within four points. Prediction: Metcalf (Iowa) dec. Palmer (Ohio State) 157: Sean Nemec (Ohio State) vs. Jake Kerr/Aaron Janssen (Iowa) Nemec has battled injuries all season, which has led to inconsistent training. When he has been on the mat, he has been solid, going 14-5. All five of his losses have come to wrestlers who have been ranked at some point this season. He picked up two conference wins last weekend, including a 6-0 shutout over returning NCAA qualifier Anthony Jones of Michigan State. Iowa has alternated Janssen and Kerr throughout the Big Ten season ... in hopes that one would step up, but it has not happened yet. Janssen has a better record this season, but Kerr has the biggest win, which came over sixth-ranked Cyler Sanderson of Penn State on January 29. Bottom Line: This is one of only two matches in the dual meet that does not include a ranked wrestler. This is not only a critical match in the dual meet, but also critical in the sense that both wrestlers who step on the mat will be showcasing their ability in hopes of earning a starting spot in the lineup for the Big Ten Championships. Prediction: Nemec (Ohio State) dec. Kerr (Iowa) 165: No. 6 Colt Sponseller (Ohio State) vs. No. 4 Ryan Morningstar (Iowa) The fourth-ranked Morningstar is coming off a weekend in which he picked up bonus points in both matches to improve to 22-3 on the season. Prior to last weekend, he had not earned bonus points in any of his five previous conference victories. All three of his losses this season have come at the hands of Big 12 opponents. He lost twice to No. 2 Jon Reader of Iowa State (before defeating Reader in the third meeting) and once to No. 8 Alex Meade of Oklahoma State. Sponseller, who is ranked No. 6, has won his last eight matches and sports a record of 24-3. His last loss came to Reader, 6-0, at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals on January 9. Bottom Line: These two met twice last season, with Morningstar winning both matches, once in sudden victory and once in the tiebreaker. Expect another tight one. Prediction: Morningstar (Iowa) dec. Sponseller (Ohio State) 174: No. 11 Dave Rella (Ohio State) vs. No. 2 Jay Borschel (Iowa) Borschel has not only been winning, but he has been dominating his opponents. The Hawkeye senior is undefeated on the season (26-0) and has earned bonus points in his last five conference matches. On Sunday, Borschel completely dominated eighth-ranked Scott Glasser of Minnesota, 14-2. Rella, a senior, is wrestling well right now. He has gone 7-0 in Big Ten competition. Last weekend, though, he was tested in matches against No. 13 Jordan Blanton of Illinois and Ian Hinton of Michigan State, winning both in sudden victory. Bottom Line: Both Borschel and Rella are wrestling with a lot of confidence right now. The two met at the Big Ten Championships (consolation semifinals) last season, with Borschel winning that match 7-0. Prediction: Borschel (Iowa) major dec. Rella (Ohio State) 184: No. 7 Mike Pucillo (Ohio State) vs. No. 11 Phillip Keddy (Iowa) When the season began, many believed this would be the national championship match as they were the two highest returning placewinners at this weight class. Both certainly have the ability to still reach the NCAA finals, but at the beginning of the season it would have been hard to fathom that neither wrestler would be ranked in the top five and one would be outside the top 10. Both have had solid seasons, but have lost some tight battles. Pucillo dropped his first conference match last weekend to second-ranked John Dergo of Illinois, 6-2, on Friday, but bounced back on Sunday to pick up a 12-6 victory over Curran Jacobs of Michigan State. Keddy has gone 5-1 in the conference, but lost to the only ranked opponent (No. 10 David Erwin of Penn State) that he has faced in those matches. Bottom Line: Pucillo and Keddy have met four times during their college careers. Pucillo has won three of the four meetings, but Keddy took the last one, a 5-2 tiebreaker victory in the semifinals of the Big Ten Championships last season. Prediction: Pucillo (Ohio State) dec. Keddy (Iowa) 197: C.J. Magrum (Ohio State) vs. Luke Lofthouse (Iowa) Lofthouse will compete this weekend for the final time this season as Chad Beatty is expected to return to the Hawkeye lineup for the Big Ten Championships. He has gone 6-6 since stepping in the lineup and is 19-12 overall. Lofthouse has won four of his last five matches. Magrum, a redshirt freshman, moved up two weight classes after competing at 174 pounds during his redshirt season. Magrum dropped three of his first four conference matches, but has picked up steam lately, winning his last three. He comes into tonight's match with a season record of 16-10. Bottom Line: These two have similar results against common opponents, which probably means it will be a very competitive match. Prediction: Lofthouse (Iowa) dec. Magrum (Ohio State) 285: Corey Morrison (Ohio State) vs. No. 10 Dan Erekson (Iowa) Erekson, a returning All-American, has gone 6-0 since stepping in the lineup on January 24 after missing the first two months of the season. The only ranked wrestler he has faced in those six matches is No. 12 Cameron Wade of Penn State, who he defeated 6-1. On Sunday, Erekson was pushed hard by Minnesota heavyweight Ben Berhow, but the Hawkeye senior heavyweight prevailed, 5-3, in sudden victory. Morrison has been wrestling well of late, winning his last three matches to improve to 18-10 overall on the season, but he's still looking for his first victory over a ranked opponent this season. Bottom Line: Erekson didn't look great against Berhow on Sunday, but still pulled out a close victory against a quality heavyweight. Morrison seems to beat the heavyweight he should, but has struggled with ranked heavyweights. Prediction: Erekson (Iowa) dec. Morrison (Ohio State) Dual Meet Prediction: Iowa 29, Ohio State 6

The Brute adidas studios of Takedown Wrestling Radio will once again play host to our annual three-hour Black History Month Special. In keeping with the goals of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater, OK and that of the NCAA our topic this year is Celebrating Diversity in the Sport of Wrestling. This years three-hour special is sponsored and presented by 2008 Olympian in Greco Roman TC Danztler and his company TC logiQ Inc. of Colorado Springs, CO. The company provides quality Employment Business Services and Resources to clients in both non-profit and for-profit industries. The services and resources offered help clients to protect themselves, their organizations, and their customers from harm, fraud, and theft. Join Hosts: TC Danztler- Dantzler never won a high school state title or NCAA championship. Dantzler has been a regular on the U.S. national team. He first competed in the U.S. Nationals in 1996, finishing 5th, and 10 years later finally won his first national title. In between, he placed third six times and runner-up three times. He defended his title in 2007 and 2008. Dantzler has been the U.S.’s 74kg representative at the world championships every year since 2002 (except 2004; Worlds are not held in Olympic years), with his best finish being 5th in 2006. He won bronze at the 2007 Pan Am Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Dantzler is the founder, President and CEO of TC logiQ, a Background Screening company, which specializes in employee/volunteer background checks for its clients. TC is also founder and CEO of Amazing Technologies, LLC a firm specializing in software development specializing in mobile applications for I Phones and Blackberry devices. His hometown is Harvey, Illinois, where he attended Thornwood High School and was a runner-up in the 1988 state wrestling tournament. TC is a Harvey Twisters life member! Bobby Douglas- The Iowa State wrestling program entered a new era when legendary Cyclone head coach Bobby Douglas turned the page in his extraordinary career of achievement, assuming assistant athletics director duties after 14 years as Iowa State’s fifth head coach. Douglas was succeeded by his legendary pupil, Cael Sanderson now Head Coach at Penn State. Douglas continues to command a presence in the wrestling room and as an ambassador for Iowa State, the sport of wrestling. A U.S. coach at several Olympic Games, one of four collegiate coaches to win more than 400 dual meets, Douglas won an NCAA team title at Arizona State. In short, the numbers are astounding: 13 NCAA champions, 110 All-America performances and 68 conference titles. Born in poverty, Douglas rose to the top of the wrestling world. He became the first black Ohio high school state titlist when he captured the 112-pound weight class crown at Bridgeport High School. He wrestled for West Liberty (W.V.) State University and won the NAIA title and was runner-up at the NCAA Championship. After transferring to Oklahoma State, Douglas won the Big Eight Conference 147-pound crown. The Cowboys never lost a dual meet with Douglas in the lineup and captured a pair of conference championships and the 1964 NCAA team title. In Studio Mike Allen- Allen grew up in Waterloo, Iowa, and attended East High School where he competed in football and wrestling. He also competed in both sports at Ellsworth Community College (IA) and the University of Northern Iowa. Allen is best known for his 35-year career as a wrestling official. He has officiated national wrestling tournaments in all five divisions, including 23 NCAA Division I tournaments. In Studio Dell Marion- Father of 2 sons including University of Iowa 141 lb wrestler Montell Marion. Montell was the first African American to go to the Iowa HS State Finals in Iowa 4 consecutive years. Del was A High School wrestler and is a graduate of Eastern Illinois University. Del is Married to Karen and has lived in West Des Moines, Iowa for 20 years. Del brings a unique perspective on Diversity from a parents point of view. In Studio Scott Casber of Takedown Wrestling Media as we welcome our guests: _______________________________________________________________ James Tanniehill- Founder of Tanniehill Wrestling Academy and its Takedown Crime initiative in Indianapolis, Indiana. Through wrestling, Tanniehill teaches kids how to be good citizens, keeps them off the streets and encourages them to do well in the classroom. James Tanniehill is changing lives through wrestling. Coach" has an amazing track record in the sport of wrestling. He has been active in wrestling for over 47 years now and has achieved the following accolades: 12 x National Champion, 4 x USA Masters Champion, 9 x Military Inter-Service Champion, Member of 4 World Teams, Alternate on 3 Olympic Team, Member of 5 Hall of Fames Bubba Jenkins- Jenkins, a former NCAA finalist for Penn State with one year of eligibility remaining in his career. A Native or Virginia Beach, Virginia earned an 81-22 record while competing for Penn State. Jenkins has decided to complete his year of academics at PSU and has asked for and received his release from the team. Where will Jenkins wrestle his senior year? Some are betting AZ State. Maybe he'll tell us of his plans for the future. Leigh Jaynes- USA Women's World Team member at 55 kg/121 lbs. Jaynes, who competes for the New York Athletic Club, is a hopeful for the 2012 Olympic Team, an officer in the U.S. Army Reserves with a graduate college degree and an inspiring story of hope. Leigh Jaynes had to deal with major family crisis from the day she was born. Her father, Clayton Jaynes, was a Vietnam veteran who suffered from post traumatic stress disorder and drug issues. Her mother, Karen Williams, tried to help Clayton, but could not get him the help necessary. Right after Leigh was born, Karen left Clayton to provide her children with a healthier environment. Joining wrestling changed her life and opened a new world of opportunity. However, perhaps the most important thing it did for her was expose her to the wrestling family. Jordan Burrows- 157 pound Senior for the University of Nebraska from Sicklerville, N.J. Burroughs' move from 149 to 157 pounds paid off with dramatic results as he went 36-0 last season and became Nebraska's first undefeated national champion in school history. Coached by Mark Manning, Burrows has applied for a medical RS year to recuperate from season ending injuries. Burrow's is a Sociology Major at University of Nebraska. Tyron Woodley- The 11th of 13 children raised mostly by a single mother, Woodley entered the world to an immediate struggle to survive. His father was out of the picture by the time he was 10, leaving his mother to work double and triple shifts in order to keep the family afloat. Woodley oftentimes had to fend for himself. Needs sometimes went unmet. They say iron sharpens iron. He earned two All-American honors and became the University of Missouri's first Big 12 conference champion. Woodley now has begun a successful in MMA and remains active coaching wrestling. Dr. Wayne Watson- President of Chicago State University, Chicago, Illinois. As past Chancellor of the City Colleges of Chicago, Wayne D. Watson, PhD was profiled as an Agent of Change. Appointed Chancellor in 1998, he immediately began instituting the changes he saw as needed to achieve the excellence in education he so passionately wanted to bring to Chicago's diverse community. Prior to his appointment, he served as president of Kennedy-King College and Harold Washington College among others. Dr. Watson was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame / Illinois Chapter and honored as the 2005 Outstanding American at a Honors Banquet held April 3 in Darien, Illinois. Dr. Watson excelled at wrestling as a student at Chicago's Mt. Carmel High School. Following his graduation in 1964 he was invited to try out for the U.S. Olympic Wrestling Team. Continuing his education at Joliet Junior College, Dr. Watson went on to win a National Junior College Wrestling Championship. Mo Lawal- The Man who would be "King". Lawal joins a growing trend of championship-level college wrestlers turning to MMA in order to continue the pursuit of greatness in athletics. The shift from wrestling to MMA came for Lawal after he won the 2008 US Open. Lawal competed for the Cowboys of Oklahoma State in 2003 and finished 3rd at the Nationals that year. Lawal began training at Dan Henderson’s Team Quest in Temecula, Calif. Phil Davis- Mr. Wonderful? Not to his opponents! Davis is a 2008 NCAA Division I champ for Penn State and After his recent UFC debut the 25-year-old now owns a 5-0 professional record as a light-heavyweight in MMA competition. Before his MMA career, Davis was a four-time NCAA Division I All-American wrestler at Penn State -- only the fourth in the school's 100+ years of intercollegiate wrestling. The native of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, finished his collegiate career with a 116-20 record, two Big Ten titles (in 2006 and 2008), and a national title at 197 pounds in 2008. More about TC logiQ- Based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. TC logiQ is a specialty firm providing quality Employment Business Services and Resources to its clients in both non-profit and for profit industries. We provide our clients with the services and resources so that they may protect themselves, their organization and their customers from harm, fraud, and theft. TC logiQ is a member of NAPBS. More about Amazing Technologies LLC- http://www.technologyisamazing.com/ More about The National Wrestling Hall of Fame- http://www.wrestlinghalloffame.org More about The NCAA- http://www.ncaa.org More about Takedowncrime.com initiative- http://takedowncrime.com More about the Harvey Twisters- http://www.harveytwisters.org

GREELEY, Colo. -- Utah Valley University's wrestling team took care of business in its final regular season action Wednesday night at Northern Colorado as the Wolverines (10-3, 4-1) downed the Bears (3-13, 2-4) on their senior night, 25-10. "This was a big win for us," UVU head coach Greg Williams said. "Wyatt (Ray) and Ben's (Kjar) matches were huge. The guys have practiced at an extremely hard pace the past three weeks so I am proud of their mental toughness tonight. This will help us fine-tune and peak for the upcoming conference meet." In the most anticipated match of the night, UVU's Benjamin Kjar (ranked 11th by InterMat) went up against rival 125-pounder Tony Mustari. The match didn't disappoint as it took overtime to decide the victor. In the sixth period, Kjar scored an escape point to defeat Mustari as the Wolverine won by decision, 6-5. Mustari got on the board first scoring a takedown but Kjar was able to free his hold and score an escape right before the end of the first period. Trailing 2-1, Kjar reversed Mustari's hold in the second to go up 3-2. To begin the third, Mustari escaped Kjar to tie the score at three-all. Kjar then answered with a takedown but Mustari quickly followed with a big escape. With the escape and riding time for Mustari the match headed to a sudden victory overtime as it was tied at five-all. After two scoreless overtime periods, Kjar picked up the escape and the win. With UNC's Brett Bahe (133 pounds) leading 5-0 in the second, UVU's Flint Ray scored a takedown to cut the deficit to 5-2 heading into the third. Ray scored an escape and a reversal in the final period but it wasn't enough as he fell to Bahe by decision, 7-5. With UNC leading 6-3 on the team score, UVU redshirt-freshman Wyatt Ray (141) picked up a huge win over the Bears' Kenny Hashimoto to tie the score at six. Ray took the early 2-0 lead over Hashimoto as he scored a quick takedown. Hashimoto then tied the score early in the second at two-apiece. Ray picked up an escape point in the third and a takedown to go up 5-2. Ray held on to spoil Hashimoto's senior night as he beat him by decision, 5-4. Hashimoto is ranked 12th in the RPI and 21st in the coaches' panel. At 149 pounds, UVU's Justin Morrill gave the Wolverines the 9-6 lead as he defeated UNC's Justin Gonzales by decision, 7-1. Morrill scored quickly as he took down Gonzales in the first. In the second Morrill then extended his lead to 6-1. Morrill then held on to his lead in the third and with over a minute of riding time won by the 7-1 score. Northern Colorado's Justin Gaethje (157) then regained the overall lead for the Bears, 10-9, as he defeated the Wolverines' Jamison Moss by major decision 12-0. UVU's Jeb Clark then (165) answered right back as he defeated UNC's Kevin O'Brien by major decision, 15-2. Clark took the upper hand early as he scored a takedown and a three-point near fall in the opening period. After an escape and a takedown, Clark got close to pinning O'Brien for the second time in the bout as he scored another near fall to lead 11-0. In the final period Clark secured his major decision victory and gave UVU the 13-10 overall lead. At 174 pounds, Utah Valley's Brad Darrington gave UVU the 16-10 lead as he won his match by decision over Northern Colorado's Brandon Kammerzell. With Darrington leading 2-0 after one, the UVU sophomore extended his lead to 6-1 after picking up a reversal and a takedown in the second. Kammerzell then cut the deficit in half as he scored a takedown to cut it to 6-3. Darrington then extended his lead in the third and held on to win by decision, 9-3. In an all freshmen battle at 184 pounds, UVU's Monte Schmalhaus helped the Wolverines secure the dual victory as he won his match by decision over UNC's Patrick Prentice. Schmalhaus took a 3-2 lead after the end of one. Schmalhaus then built his lead up to 6-2 in the second period after scoring an escape and takedown. Schmalhaus won by the score of 7-2. In the final matchup UVU's Josh Wood (197) scored early and often against UNC's Ed Matthews and eventually pinned Matthews in the second period to win his match by fall (3:33). Before the fall Wood was leading the bout 12-0. The bout began at heavyweight with UVU's Casen Eldredge going up against the much heavier Justin Tuell of UNC. The match was scoreless up until midway through the second when Tuell scored a two-point near fall. Eldredge countered right back with an escape point to trail by only one. In the end, Tuell held on to beat Eldredge by decision, 4-1. The victory over the Bears marked the conclusion of UVU's regular season as well as the second consecutive year that the Wolverines finished with a 10 or more win season. The 4-1-conference record also secures UVU at least a second place finish in the regular season Western Wrestling Conference standings. Now Utah Valley will head to the NCAA West Regional/WWC Championships, on March 6, in Brookings, S.D., for the first time in school history. There the Wolverines will be trying to qualify as many grapplers as they can to get them to the NCAA Championships. The championships will be held this year in Omaha, Neb., March 18-20. Results: 285 - Justin Tuell (NC) dec. Casen Eldridge, 4-1 125 -#11 Ben Kjar (UV) dec. Tony Mustari, 6-5 (OT3) 133 -Brett Bahe (NC) dec. Flint Ray, 7-5 141 -Wyatt Ray (UVU) dec. Kenny Hashimoto, 5-4 149 - Justin Morrill (UVU) dec. Justin Gonzales, 7-1 157 -Justin Gaethje (NC) maj. dec. Jamision Moss, 12-0 165 -Jeb Clark (UVU) maj. dec. Kevin O'Brien, 15-2 174 -Brad Darrington (UVU) dec. Brandon Kammerzell, 9-3 184 -Monte Schmalhaus (UVU) dec. Patrick Prentice, 7-2 197 -Josh Wood (UV) fall Ed Matthews, 3:33

LAWRENCEVILLE -- The King is dead. Long live the King. The Hofstra Pride, Kings of the jungle and the Colonial Athletic Association since 2001, lost to the Rider Broncs Wednesday night, as both teams won five bouts but the Broncs put together a tech fall, a major decision and a victory by injury default for the bonus points. The victory over Hofstra was the first for Rider in 11 years. "It has been a while," said Rider head coach Gary Taylor. "It was important to get this win. I felt the Hofstra kids wrestled hard and very well. This was a hard-fought battle and a good win." Rider won 13 conference championships in a 15-year span before Hofstra won the last nine. "What I'm feeling best about is the fact that we're heading back in the right direction to build back up," Taylor said. "We've got some good red-shirts coming in next year and we had another good recruiting year. We're trying to get back up top and start winning this thing on a regular basis. This was a step in that direction." Rider senior Michael Kessler (Randallstown, MD/Owings Mills) won a major decision in his last dual meet in Alumni Gym to give Rider a 7-6 lead. "Before the match I was thinking this will be my last dual meet here," Kessler said. "I wanted to go out on a good way and this was a great way to go out. Hofstra has always kind of beat up on us so it was great to get this this year, especially my last year. Now I will always know we finally got the best of them my last year." "That was a good way for Mike to finish up his career here," Taylor said. "He did a real nice job." Kessler (20-9 overall, 5-0 CAA), ranked first in the CAA and 27th in the nation in the Coaches' Poll, now has 94 career wins. "I started off kind of slow this year," said Kessler, a three-time National qualifier who dropped down a weight class this year. "I was getting used to the new weight and as the season progressed I felt myself getting better in certain spots. Now I feel I have this weight totally under control. I've been getting better each match. This is the time when I want to peak. Coming up is what really counts, the conference tournament and Nationals." Wednesday night will go down as a fond memory for Kessler, wiping out his previous fondest memory in Alumni Gym. "Tonight is definitely up there, beating Hofstra in my last match," Kessler said in rating his Alumni Gym experiences. "Before this it was a match I actually lost, and to Hofstra. It was my freshman year and I took a three-time All-American (Jon Masa) into overtime. I was winning and had him on his back, should have pinned him but I didn't get the pin and ended up losing to a pretty good wrestler." Also for Rider (12-6, 4-1 CAA) sophomore Tyler Smith (Phillipsburg, N.J./Belvidere) was leading 2-0 when he won by injury default to give Rider an 18-16 lead. Smith (21-12, 4-1 CAA) is ranked first in the CAA and 29th in the nation in the Coaches' Poll In his last home dual meet senior Ed Bordas (Montgomery, NY/Valley Central) won in the final bout for the final score. Bordas (26-7 overall, 5-0 CAA), ranked first in the CAA and 19th in the nation in the NCAA Coaches' Poll, defeated the fourth ranked heavyweight in the conference, Paul Snyder, 3-0. "Eddie was steady," Taylor said. "The match was on the line so Eddie was not going to do anything real risky. He did what he needed to do for the team to get the win." Rider freshman Jim Resnick (Media, Pa./Penncrest) won by tech fall to cut the Hofstra lead to 13-12. "Jimmy can be very devastating once he starts scoring," Taylor said. Rider junior Matt Bradley (Jackson/Jackson Memorial) won at 141 to get Rider on the board. Rider junior Rob Morrison (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cedar Cliff) (22-11, 3-2 CAA), ranked third in the CAA and 26th in the nation in the Coaches' Poll, lost 6-5 to the second ranked 165 in the conference, PJ Gillespie, who is ranked 17th in the nation. Also for Hofstra (5-12-2, 3-3 CAA), 19th ranked Jon Bonilla-Bowman won a major decision to give the Pride a 10-7 lead. The fourth ranked 133 in the conference, Luke Vaith, upset Rider sophomore Jimmy Kirchner (Somerville) (15-10, 3-2 CAA), ranked second in the CAA and 30th in the nation in the Coaches' Poll. The last time Rider defeated Hofstra was February 17, 1999. After that dual meet Hofstra went 62-0-1 in conference duals before losing to Old Dominion last year. Rider is now 16-14 against Hofstra since 1980-81. Rider lost 23-12 to Hofstra last year. Rider travels through New England Saturday, taking on CAA-foe Boston University and Division II American International at BU and CAA-foe Sacred Heart in Connecticut. "We're hoping to finish strong and build for the conference championships," Taylor said. "Every time you wrestle a conference opponent it is critical because it determines seeding," Taylor said, "and seeding certainly puts you in a better position to win." Rider returns to Alumni Gym to host the CAA Championships March 5-6. "Hopefully my fondest memory of wrestling in Alumni Gym is yet to come, a couple of weeks away," Kessler said. Hopefully it will be the crowning of a new King. Results: 125: Jamie Franco-H dec. Ilyass Elmsaouri-R 4-2 0-3 133: Luke Vaith-H dec. Jimmy Kirchner-R 8-2 0-6 141: Matt Bradley-R dec. Tyler Banks-H 5-3 3-6 149: Michael Kessler-R major dec. Jeff Rotella-H 19-5 7-6 157: #19 Jon Bonilla-Bowman-H major dec Zac Cibula-R 24-11 7-10 165: #17 PJ Gillespie-H dec. Rob Morrison-R 6-5 7-13 174: Jim Resnick-R tech fall Jon Rothman-H 16-1 (4:39) 12-13 184: Ben Clymer-H dec. Mike Ward-R 7-2 12-16 197: Tyler Smith-R dec. Anthony Tortora-H injury default 18-16 Hwt: Ed Bordas-R dec. Paul Snyder-H 3-0 21-16

Joe Seay

The future for Penn State looks bright, judging by the high school wrestling talent already committing to first-year coach Cael Sanderson. One of the brightest stars who is coming to State College is Nico Megaludis. A junior at Franklin Regional High School outside Pittsburgh, Megaludis has made a verbal commitment to wrestle for the Nittany Lions after he graduates in 2011. (He won't be able to sign a letter of intent until November.) Megaludis has already made a name for himself on the mats in Pennsylvania and beyond. He won the 2009 PIAA Class AAA title at 112 pounds ... and, in fact, has lost only one match in high school. Weeks after winning the Pennsylvania championship, Megaludis won the 119-pound title at the FILA Cadet Nationals. More recently, he earned his third straight POWERade Wrestling Tournament title over the Christmas holidays, and, in early January, was named the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette High School Athlete of the Week. Right now, Nico Megaludis is ranked No. 2 at 119 pounds by InterMat, and, in fact, ranks sixth in the nation of all junior-year high school wrestlers, according to InterMat. "This kid really hates to lose" Nico Megaludis was a Junior Nationals runner-up in freestyle this past summer at 119 pounds (Photo/Dave Jedlicka, jedicheetah.com)"I think I started wrestling when I was 5," Nico Megaludis. "Dad had a wrestling mat in our old house. He had wrestled in high school, and took me to matches." "I liked it from the start. I won my first six matches ..." "I remember to this day my first loss, losing in overtime. I took it so hard." In separate interviews for this article, both Nico and his dad -- Dan Megaludis, who serves as an assistant wrestling coach at Franklin Regional -- both said that the junior wrestler hates to lose. The issue was also addressed in the opening paragraphs of a recent profile of Nico Megaludis in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, in a story his father told about his then three-year-old son playing Whiffle ball in the yard at home. "If he would miss one, it was the end of the night," Dan Megaludis told writer Michael Sanserino for the January 2010 article. "It was a temper tantrum. It was the worst thing in the world. And right then and there, I was like, 'This kid really hates to lose.' "He hated losing more than anyone I've ever met in my entire life." Losing shapes a winner Fortunately, losing is a rare event for Nico Megaludis. In fact, he has suffered only one defeat in his high school career. In his freshman year, Megaludis lost in the semifinals of the 2008 PIAA state championships, falling to undefeated senior -- and eventual 103-pound state champ -- Mark Rappo. That year, Nico Megaludis placed third at Hershey. As a sophomore, Nico Megaludis moved up to 112 pounds. He capped off a perfect 46-0 season by winning his second WPIAL (Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League) and second Section crowns, then topped that with the Pennsylvania state title, becoming the first Franklin Regional wrestler to win a PIAA championship. "It was pretty cool," said Megaludis. "Something you always dream of, something that dad always talked about. I won the title against Zac Horan in overtime. He was a pretty tough kid." On his way to the title, Megaludis made a statement with dominating wins in his first three matches -- 13-7 in the first round, 15-2 in the quarterfinals and 9-3 in the semifinals. Nico Megaludies (bottom row, second from left) won a PIAA championship last season at 112 pounds, becoming the first Franklin Regional wrestler to accomplish the feat"The whole (championship) match, I put pressure on (Horan)," Megaludis told his hometown newspaper, the Murrysville Star. "He shot and got in on my legs once. I was in on his legs a couple times. I was the aggressor throughout the entire match. At the end, I had an underhook, shot a sweep and dumped him over to get the two." Megaludis scored that takedown in the sudden-death overtime period with just ten seconds remaining to win the state crown. Final score: 3-1 over Zac Horan of Nazareth. Eric Mausser, head coach at Franklin Regional, put Nico Megaludis' perfect sophomore season in perspective. "Forty-six and zero is spectacular with the teams we wrestle in the WPIAL. There were 11 guys from the WPIAL in the state final," Mausser told the Murrysville Star. "We wrestle all the top teams in the WPIAL in either dual meets or tournaments. We went to the POWERade tournament where you're seeing some of the tougher teams in the nation. It's a great feat for him to go 46-0. That's something to be very proud of." Now a junior, Nico Megaludis is continuing his winning ways. For the third straight year, he has bumped up a weight class, now competing at 119 pounds. As of this writing, he is undefeated. In late December 2009, he won his third consecutive championship at the POWERade Wrestling Tournament, joining "brand-name" wrestlers such as Ray Brinzer, T.J. Williams, Teague Moore, Robbie Waller, Coleman Scott and Marshall Peppelman who have won three titles at this Christmastime classic held in the Pittsburgh area. Finding freestyle success Nico Megaludis is also winning on the mats in freestyle competition beyond the borders of the Keystone State. Last April, the then-sophomore won the 2009 FILA Cadet Nationals at 119 pounds, which he considers to be his greatest accomplishment in his mat career. A couple months later, Megaludis placed second at 119 at the Junior Nationals in Fargo. "I thought I wrestled well overall in my 10 matches," said Megaludis. (Two years earlier, at the Cadet Nationals, Megaludis took fourth place at 98 pounds.) "I really like freestyle. I think it's fun. It's a nice break from folkstyle." Megaludis, who started wrestling freestyle at age 8 or 9, believes that style has a positive impact on his high school wrestling. "With freestyle, you get to know the mat ...You gain positioning experience that helps with folkstyle." Ultimately, Megaludis would like to hone his freestyle wrestling at the Olympic Training Center, with a dream of someday wrestling for the U.S. at the Olympics. A verbal commitment to Cael Last October, Nico Megaludis committed verbally to wrestle at Penn State for new head coach Cael Sanderson. Cael Sanderson"I've always liked Penn State," said Megaludis. "When coaches Sanderson and (Troy) Letters came, that sealed the deal for me. I really like the way they do things." Megaludis has a particular comfort level with Letters, as he was Nico's coach in Fargo, and is a former WPIAL champ from the Pittsburgh area ... but was especially excited when Sanderson left Iowa State for Penn State. "I was shocked when Sanderson jumped," said Megaludis. "I immediately thought, 'This is awesome.'" "My style is kind of like Cael's," Megaludis told the Centre Daily Times -- the community newspaper serving the Penn State area -- when he made his oral commitment. "Obviously, he's much better than me, but I kind of wrestle like him. I thought it was a perfect fit and great location." "I can see myself wrestling for them and I can see myself improving so much," the 2009 PIAA 112-pound champ said in the interview for InterMat. "I can tell Penn State will be a winner. They are headed in the right direction." Before Megaludis had made his verbal commitment as Sanderson's first recruit of the 2010-2011 class, Penn State has already landed a number of top-flight recruits. In fact, Megaludis is the eighth state champion to commit to Penn State since Sanderson's arrival this past April. Among Megaludis' future college teammates: Andrew and Dylan Alton, Dirk Cowburn, Jake Kemerer and Sam Sherlock from the state of Pennsylvania ... along with three-time Arizona state champion Luke Macchiaroli, and David Taylor, four-time state champ from Ohio. More benefits of being a Nittany Lion Nico Megaludis is also excited about competing in the Big Ten. "There are so many studs in the Big Ten, so many great wrestlers," said the Franklin Regional wrestler. "It'll be a great test for me." There are other reasons why Megaludis chose Penn State over other colleges he had been considering, including Iowa, Lehigh, Maryland and Pitt. "I especially like being only two hours away from home," the junior class wrestler said. "I'll still be close to family. They can come see me wrestle. I won't get homesick." Dan Megaludis echoed his son's comment about being close to home, and offered additional positive factors from Nico's choice of Penn State at this early date. "The alumni support of the program has been tremendous, no matter how the program has done in the past," said the elder Megaludis. "Now, with Cael Sanderson, there's hope for a national title." "When Cael came here, it was a no-brainer." "As a parent, I like Sanderson's personality and the way he structures things. I admire his disciplined approach to coaching ... I think Nico will be a good fit with the way he does things." Choosing a college this far in advance has other benefits as well. "Nico said (Thursday) morning that he's relieved that he made his decision even though he didn't go through the real arduous process that he could have gone through next year with making a lot of visits," Dan Megaludis told the Centre Daily Times at the time his son made the verbal commitment to Penn State. Grounded in study ... and faith Despite all his accomplishments and accolades, Nico Megaludis is a thoughtful, grounded young man. Nico Megaludis wrestling Ty Mitch, a Virginia Tech recruit, in the Junior National freestyle finals last summer at 119 pounds. Mitch won the match 1-0, 1-0 (Photo/Dave Jedlicka, jedicheetah.com)Two elements reflect his maturity: He is always seeking ways to improve, and has deep religious faith. "Nico is a student of the sport," said his high school coach, Eric Mausser. "He loves wrestling. He's the type of kid that even after the state finals match he wanted to see what he could have done better. He watched his match three times to see areas he could have scored. He loves the sport. He works extremely hard. It's just paying off for him." Dan Megaludis confirmed that sentiment: "Nico is very self-motivated." Both Nico and his father mentioned the young wrestler's faith as also being a cornerstone to who he is. He is an active member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes at his school. "Ever since Day 1, I have gone to church," said the younger Megaludis. "God has made so much possible for me. Without Him, I wouldn't be doing this now ... Prayer gives me support and confidence." "Nico's faith helps him get through the most grinding sport in the world," said Dan Megaludis. Despite the grind, Nico Megaludis seems to be thriving. After winning the 2009 PIAA title, he was already looking to the future. "This is one goal. There's many more that I want after this," he told the Murrysville Star. "I just want to take it day by day, and train to try and get my second and third state titles and national and Olympic titles."

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Tickets are now on sale for the 2010 ASICS U.S. Open Wrestling Championships and the Men’s FILA Junior National Championships scheduled for April 22-25th at Cleveland State University’s Wolstein Center. Individual Tickets start at just $10 per session and are available through Ticketmaster at ticketmaster.com or by visiting the Wolstein Center box office located at 2121 Euclid Avenue in Cleveland from 10:00am – 6:00pm, Monday thru Friday. All Session Passes are also available and start at just $35. Discounted Group Rate tickets of 20 or more individuals are also available by calling 216-687-5498. The U.S. Open competition format has been changed, with all three styles competing over two days, Friday, April 23 and Saturday, April 24. The FILA Junior Greco-Roman Championships will be held on Thursday, April 22. The FILA Junior Freestyle Championships will be held on Sunday, April 25. Tickets are available in two categories, adults (age 13 yrs. and up) and youth (age 3-12 yrs.). Children age 2 and under are free sitting on an adult lap. All-Session tickets are available for all four days of wrestling action. The All-Session price for adults is $50 and for youth is $35. Click here to purchase All-Session tickets (adults and youth) Individual tickets are also for sale, each which covers a full day of wrestling action. An individual daily ticket for adults is $18 and an individual daily ticket for youth is $10. Click here to purchase individual tickets for Thursday, April 22 Click here to purchase individual tickets for Friday, April 23 Click here to purchase individual tickets for Saturday, April 24 Click here to purchase individual tickets for Sunday, April 25 The ASICS U.S. Open Wrestling Championships will feature the nation’s top senior-level wrestlers in the three Olympic styles: men’s freestyle, women’s freestyle and Greco-Roman. The Men’s FILA Junior National Championships include the nation’s top athletes who are 17-20 years old, competing in freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling. Up to 850 athletes are expected to participate in the two competitions. The top seven athletes in each weight class at the ASICS U.S. Open Wrestling Championships qualify to compete at the 2010 U.S. Senior World Team Trials in Council Bluffs, Iowa, June 10-12. The Men’s FILA Junior National Championships is a qualifying event for the FILA Junior World Team Trials in Colorado Springs, Colo., May 21-22. The Cleveland Local Organizing Committee include the following organizations: • USA Wrestling – Ohio • Greater Cleveland Wrestling Coaches & Officials Association • Cleveland State University • Mid-American Conference • City of Cleveland • Greater Cleveland Sports Commission • Convention & Visitors Bureau of Greater Cleveland To purchase tickets, view a detailed event schedule or to learn more, please visit www.USOpenCleveland.com About the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission The mission of the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission is to measurably enhance the economy, image and quality of life in the Greater Cleveland community by attracting and creating significant sporting events and activities. Since 2000, the Sports Commission has been responsible for attracting over ninety sporting events, contributing nearly $300 million in economic impact. Visit us online at www.clevelandsports.org for a complete listing of our services and events.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Notre Dame College (Ohio) is No. 1 in the sixth and final NAIA Wrestling Coaches' Top 20 Poll, the NAIA announced Tuesday. The Falcons boast 11 ranked individuals in their respective weight classes, the most among all programs, to total 144.5 points. Great Falls' (Mont.) 10-ranked grapplers earned the Argos 92.5 points to hold steady at No. 2. With two top-ranked wrestlers and nine others listed, Missouri Valley is third with 89 points and nine individuals ranked. Lindenwood (Mo.) and McKendree (Ill.) are tied for fourth with seven ranked wrestlers and 84 points. The road to Oklahoma City for the NAIA Wrestling National Championships begins on Saturday with four Qualifying Group Tournaments. William Penn (Iowa), Sioux Falls (S.D.), Cumberland (Tenn.) and Montana State-Northern will host the events. Wrestlers that qualify for the National Championships March 4-6 will be announced on Feb. 23. To get a recap of Saturday's action, click here. Notre Dame ran its season record to 10-1 with another dominant performance at home, beating NCAA Division II No. 12 West Liberty (W.Va.) 33-8 to claim its ninth straight dual victory. The win also improved the Falcons' record against Division II foes to 3-0. The Falcons won eight of the 10 bouts against the Hilltoppers. The Wrestling Falcons haven't dropped a dual match since losing to Ohio State on Nov. 22. Since then, Notre Dame has gone 9-0, outscoring opponents, 301-42. Derek Moore (197) is the only top-ranked Falcon, while five other grapplers, Tyler Savage (125), Adam Koballa (141), Jeffery Pelton (149), Thomas Straughn (157) and Orlando Scales (HWT), are ranked second at their respective weight. The only weight class in which Notre Dame does not have a ranked individual is 133 pounds. Great Falls prevailed on the road in back-to-back duals, first shutting out Montana State-Northern 47-(-1) and notched a 19-12 win over Dickinson State (N.D.). The Argos' 47 points against Montana State-Northern was a season high for a single dual. The Lights were deducted one point for coach misconduct. Great Falls boasts 10 ranked grapplers, led by the No. 1 184-pounder Michael French. The Argos are only missing from one weight class at 141 pounds. Missouri Valley is the only team to sport a pair of No. 1s in Colin Pierce and Joseph Cornejo, at 133 and 157 pounds, respectively. All 10 of the previous poll's top wrestlers held on to their ranking: Mitchell Lofstedt of Southern Oregon (125), Michael Davis of Cumberland (Tenn.) (141), Lindenwood's Samuel Schmitz (149), Brad Lower of Grand View (Iowa) (165), California Baptist's Enock Francois (174) and Arjan Bhullar of Simon Fraser (B.C.) (HWT). Team Ratings Rank School Team Points Group 1 Notre Dame (Ohio) 144.5 East Group 2 Great Falls (Mont.) 92.5 West Group 3 Missouri Valley (Mo.) 89 Central Group 4 Lindenwood (Mo.) 84 East Group 4 McKendree (Ill.) 84 East Group 6 Southern Oregon (Ore.) 71.5 West Group 7 California Baptist (Calif.) 50 West Group 8 Dana (Neb.) 48.5 North Group 9 Grand View (Iowa) 46.5 Central Group 10 Dickinson State (N.D.) 33.5 North Group 11 Simon Fraser (B.C.) 32.5 West Group 12 Cumberland (Tenn.) 30 East Group 13 Oklahoma City (Okla.) 25 Central Group 14 Campbellsville (Ky.) 24.5 East Group 15 Missouri Baptist (Mo.) 23 East Group 16 Montana State-Northern (Mont.) 22.5 West Group 17 Jamestown (N.D.) 18 North Group 18 Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) 16.5 West Group 18 Northwestern (Iowa) 16.5 North Group 20 Morningside (Iowa) 16 North Group Others receiving points: Hastings College (Neb.) 10; Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) 9; Menlo (Calif.) 7; Waldorf (Iowa) 5.5; William Penn (Iowa) 2.5; Bacone (Okla.) 1.5. Individual Ratings Wt Rank First Name Last Name Points School Group 125 1 Mitchell Lofstedt 80 Southern Oregon (Ore.) West Group 125 2 Tyler Savage 64 Notre Dame (Ohio) East Group 125 3 Dante Rini 54 Notre Dame (Ohio) East Group 125 4 Paul Hansen 50 Missouri Valley (Mo.) Central Group 125 5 Angel Olea 39 Dickinson State (N.D.) North Group 125 6 Chauncey Philipps 32 California Baptist (Calif.) West Group 125 7 Zach Muery 26.5 Missouri Baptist (Mo.) East Group 125 8 Jason Moorhouse 20 Menlo (Calif.) West Group 125 9 Matt Chustz 13 William Penn (Iowa) Central Group 125 10 Aaron Wilcox 11.5 Dana (Neb.) North Group 125 11 Akmal Adilov 6 Great Falls (Mont.) West Group 125 12 Samuel Fragoza 2 California Baptist (Calif.) West Group 133 1 Colin Pierce 80 Missouri Valley (Mo.) Central Group 133 2 Joseph Michel 59 Jamestown (N.D.) North Group 133 3 Wade Lowe 58 McKendree (Ill.) East Group 133 4 Myles Mazurkiewicz 46 Great Falls (Mont.) West Group 133 5 Tommy Pretty 44 Campbellsville (Ky.) East Group 133 6 Brian Jacob 37 Southern Oregon (Ore.) West Group 133 7 Michael Schultz 21 Grand View (Iowa) Central Group 133 7 Anton Prater 21 Missouri Baptist (Mo.) East Group 133 9 Matthew Jacobson 12 Dana (Neb.) North Group 133 10 Cameron Ream 9.5 Oklahoma City (Okla.) Central Group 133 11 Joshua Chang 5.5 Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) West Group 133 12 Blake Hunter 4 Dickinson State (N.D.) North Group 141 1 Michael Davis 80 Cumberland (Tenn.) East Group 141 2 Adam Koballa 64 Notre Dame (Ohio) East Group 141 3 Andrew Carrillo 54 Dana (Neb.) North Group 141 4 Drew Smith 46.5 Morningside (Iowa) North Group 141 5 Kyle Wirkuty 42.5 Southern Oregon (Ore.) West Group 141 6 Jordan Harer 33.5 Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) North Group 141 7 Barry Johnson 28.5 Southern Oregon (Ore.) West Group 141 8 Jacob Murton 23 Campbellsville (Ky.) East Group 141 9 Jeremy Garner 8.5 Oklahoma City (Okla.) Central Group 141 10 Adam Manz 7.5 Dana (Neb.) North Group 141 11 Neil Birt 5.5 Cumberland (Tenn.) East Group 141 12 Nick Coffman 4 Grand View (Iowa) Central Group 149 1 Samuel Schmitz 80 Lindenwood (Mo.) East Group 149 2 Jeffrey Pelton 61.5 Notre Dame (Ohio) East Group 149 3 Byron Kuylen 56.5 Great Falls (Mont.) West Group 149 4 Brian Graham 45 Missouri Valley (Mo.) Central Group 149 5 Benjamin Garcia 39.5 California Baptist (Calif.) West Group 149 6 Ryan Jahn 37 McKendree (Ill.) East Group 149 7 Levi Price 24.5 Northwestern (Iowa) North Group 149 8 Jeff Marval 18 Waldorf (Iowa) Central Group 149 9 Eddie McCray 16.5 Dana (Neb.) North Group 149 10 Ashtin Primus 11 Notre Dame (Ohio) East Group 149 11 Trace Billet 5 Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) West Group 149 12 Nick waldrop 2.5 Campbellsville (Ky.) East Group 157 1 Joseph Cornejo 80 Missouri Valley (Mo.) Central Group 157 2 Thomas Straughn 61.5 Notre Dame (Ohio) East Group 157 3 Tyler Chang 56.5 Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) West Group 157 4 Jake Johnson 47.5 Lindenwood (Mo.) East Group 157 5 Nikolas Turner 40.5 Oklahoma City (Okla.) Central Group 157 6 Brian Oeschner 38 Lindenwood (Mo.) East Group 157 7 Tommie Norton/Hooper 25 Southern Oregon (Ore.) West Group 157 8 James Casadaban 23 Cumberland (Tenn.) East Group 157 9 Ross Mosher 8.5 Great Falls (Mont.) West Group 157 10 Robert Carothers 5.5 Dickinson State (N.D.) North Group 157 11 Mark Meyer 4 Oklahoma City (Okla.) Central Group 157 11 Josh Emmett 4 Menlo (Calif.) West Group 165 1 Brad Lower 80 Grand View (Iowa) Central Group 165 2 Chris Chionuma 64 Lindenwood (Mo.) East Group 165 3 Kevin Hardy 53 Notre Dame (Ohio) East Group 165 4 Ryan Tuzon 46 Dana (Neb.) North Group 165 5 Lamar Reed 41.5 California Baptist (Calif.) West Group 165 6 Aaron Winning 39.5 McKendree (Ill.) East Group 165 7 John Murray 26 Lindenwood (Mo.) East Group 165 8 Michael Hader 19 Great Falls (Mont.) West Group 165 9 David Dwyer 12.5 McKendree (Ill.) East Group 165 10 Noah Hatton 8.5 Great Falls (Mont.) West Group 165 11 Damon Jackson 5.5 Missouri Valley (Mo.) Central Group 165 12 Luke Evjen 2.5 Northwestern (Iowa) North Group 174 1 Enock Francois 80 California Baptist (Calif.) West Group 174 2 Glenn Rhees 64 Grand View (Iowa) Central Group 174 3 Jon Bittenger 53 Notre Dame (Ohio) East Group 174 4 Brendon DeCock 47.5 Great Falls (Mont.) West Group 174 5 Jameon Rush 40.5 Hastings College (Neb.) North Group 174 6 Josh Bryant 39 McKendree (Ill.) East Group 174 7 Preston McKinney 26 Missouri Valley (Mo.) Central Group 174 8 Austin Vanderford 19 Southern Oregon (Ore.) West Group 174 9 Bryan Wells 9.5 Campbellsville (Ky.) East Group 174 10 Cameron Schrempp 9 Dickinson State (N.D.) North Group 174 11 Jacob Guernsey 6.5 Missouri Valley (Mo.) Central Group 174 12 Anthony Clay 2.5 Jamestown (N.D.) North Group 184 1 Michael French 80 Great Falls (Mont.) West Group 184 2 Evan Hinebaugh 64 Montana State-Northern (Mont.) West Group 184 3 Mark Peiffer 54 Dana (Neb.) North Group 184 4 Clete Hanson 45 Simon Fraser (B.C.) West Group 184 4 Tanner Wolk 45 McKendree (Ill.) East Group 184 6 Chad Williams 36 Missouri Valley (Mo.) Central Group 184 7 Chris Platt 24 Southern Oregon (Ore.) West Group 184 8 Spencer Adams 20 Campbellsville (Ky.) East Group 184 9 Brett Owen 11.5 Dickinson State (N.D.) North Group 184 10 Alex Denman 8.5 Notre Dame (Ohio) East Group 184 11 Jordaryl Logan 5 Grand View (Iowa) Central Group 184 12 Brian Block 3.5 Morningside (Iowa) North Group 197 1 Derek Foore 80 Notre Dame (Ohio) East Group 197 2 Andrew Sanchez 64 McKendree (Ill.) East Group 197 3 Jake Kallestad 54 Dickinson State (N.D.) North Group 197 4 Alex Calvi 47.5 Great Falls (Mont.) West Group 197 5 Ike Okenwa 41.5 Missouri Baptist (Mo.) East Group 197 6 Nicholas Leither 37 Northwestern (Iowa) North Group 197 7 Evan Mattingly 26 Montana State-Northern (Mont.) West Group 197 8 Charlie Gibbs 22 Missouri Valley (Mo.) Central Group 197 9 Joseph Lockett 8 Morningside (Iowa) North Group 197 10 Ronald Lee 7.5 Southern Oregon (Ore.) West Group 197 11 Justin Rau 5.5 Grand View (Iowa) Central Group 197 12 Eric Metzler 5 Cumberland (Tenn.) East Group HWT 1 Arjan Bhullar 80 Simon Fraser (B.C.) West Group HWT 2 Orlando Scales 64 Notre Dame (Ohio) East Group HWT 3 Willie Wiggins 54 Lindenwood (Mo.) East Group HWT 4 Cedric Powell 47.5 McKendree (Ill.) East Group HWT 5 Eric Hinebauch 37 Great Falls (Mont.) West Group HWT 6 Corey Johnson 33.5 Oklahoma City (Okla.) Central Group HWT 7 Tyler Porras 33 Lindenwood (Mo.) East Group HWT 8 John Bates 16 Southern Oregon (Ore.) West Group HWT 9 Frank Lopez 12 Dickinson State (N.D.) North Group HWT 10 Byron Stewart 10.5 Cumberland (Tenn.) East Group HWT 11 Jeremy Colbert 5.5 Bacone (Okla.) Central Group HWT 12 Willie Hernandez 3 Jamestown (N.D.) North Group

Kevin LeValley

Shane Riccio

Jon Reader (Iowa State) has been named the Big 12 Wrestler of the Week, it was announced. It is the second Conference honor of Reader’s career. WRESTLER OF THE WEEK Jon Reader, Iowa State, 165, Jr., Davison, Mich./Davison Reader pushed the action immediately upon the opening whistle against Missouri’s Nicholas Marable and downed the fifth-ranked 165-pounder by decision, 3-2. Reader accumulated 1:29 of control to notch an additional point at the conclusion of the bout. The two-time All-American, previously 0-3 against Marable, improved his season mark to 20-3 overall, with a 12-2 mark in dual action. 2009-10 BIG 12 WRESTLERS OF THE WEEK November: Eric Lapotsky, Oklahoma, Sr., 197 Dec. 7: Alex Meade, Oklahoma State, Fr., 165 Dec. 14: Craig Brester, Nebraska, Sr., 197 Dec. 21: Jake Varner, Iowa State, Sr., 197 Jan. 4: Andrew Long, Iowa State, Fr., 125 Jan. 11: Jerome Ward, Iowa State, So., 184 Jan. 19: Alex Meade, Oklahoma State, Fr., 165 Jan. 25: Jake Varner, Iowa State, Sr., 197 Feb. 1: Clayton Foster, Oklahoma State, Jr., 184 Feb. 8: Jared Rosholt, Oklahoma State, Sr., 285 Feb. 15: Jon Reader, Iowa State, Jr., 165

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- West Virginia University wrestler Kyle Rooney was named co-Eastern Wrestling League (EWL) Wrestler of the Week, league officials announced today. He shares the award with Clarion’s 157-pounder Hadley Harrison. A 197-pound junior, Rooney earned consecutive upset victories this past week. He defeated 19th-ranked Matt Wilps of Pitt, 5-2, on Feb. 9. Ahead 3-2 in the final period, Rooney sealed the 5-2 win with a takedown in the waning seconds of the bout. Five days later on Feb. 14, the Cincinnati, Ohio, native faced Erik Schuth, ranked No. 16 nationally, of Ohio. Rooney quickly fell behind 6-2 to start the match, but registered three points in the second period and a takedown in the final seconds of the third for the 7-6 victory. Rooney, who has won his last four matches, improved to 9-10 overall, including a 6-4 record in dual meets. The league also made note of freshman Nathan Pennesi, who competed at the Edinboro Open on Feb. 13, and won the 141-pound title. The Mountaineers (2-9, 2-2 EWL) close out the regular season this weekend with a pair of league opponents. On Friday, Feb. 19, WVU faces Cleveland State at 7 p.m. at Woodling Gym. A day later on Saturday, Feb. 20, WVU will battle 22nd-ranked Edinboro at 7 p.m. at McComb Fieldhouse.

New Jersey Group State Finals create more questions than answers One of the great debates for wrestling fans in New Jersey on an annual basis is which team should be crowned No. 1 by The Star-Ledger at season's end. Normally the end of the regular season -- marked by the group wrestling state finals (dual meets) -- provides some degree of an answer. However, like last year, Sunday's wrestling at the Ritacco Center in Toms River left more questions than answers. Heading into the day, No. 34 High Point could have sealed up the No. 1 spot with a Group 3 state title -- most likely defeating South Plainfield in the process. The resulting victory would have given it head-to-head wins against the other three title contenders -- having beaten No. 35 Long Branch, 24-23, and No. 38 Jackson Memorial, 36-20, earlier in the season. High Point had defeated Passaic Valley, 45-29, in the semifinal round, while South Plainfield narrowly escaped against unranked Timber Creek, 29-28, despite only winning six matches. However, the finals match would be a different story. South Plainfield won the first of four matches they would win by margin of two points or less at 285 pounds, Bobby Sacks defeating Trevor Papenmeier 3-1 in overtime to take a 7-6 lead as the match turned back to 103 pounds. High Point took two of the next three matches, with Nick Francavilla (112) winning by a 7-2 decision and Billy Gould (119) winning by a 4-3 decision to lead 12-11 through seven matches. The next five matches would go the way of South Plainfield -- all by decisions -- to cinch the dual meet victory. The last three of those matches were all decided by two points or less. At 135 pounds, Nick Heilmann defeated Drew Wagenhoffer 5-3; the freshman Corey Stasenko upended Tom DiVitantonio 9-8 at 140 pounds; and finally senior Ryan Sacco would defeat Joe Gaccione 6-5 in the ultimate tiebreaker to send the Tiger bench into delirium. With the dual out of reach, South Plainfield would concede forfeits to Ethan Orr (152) and John Guzzo (160) to narrow the final margin to 26-24. Long Branch was dominant in its journey to the Group 2 title with a 50-18 win over West Essex in the semifinal round, and a 37-19 victory over West Deptford in the championship final. Also boosting the Long Branch cause is their Shore Conference championship, culminated with a victory over Jackson Memorial 29-23 in which they won eight of the fourteen bouts. Speaking of Jackson Memorial, they were convincing winners of the big-school Group 4 championship on Sunday with a 48-10 semifinal win over Washington followed up by a 38-19 victory over Hunterdon Central. Those two teams were ranked 11th and fifth respectively in The Star-Ledger poll of this past week in the Garden State. Earlier during the season, the Jaguars earned a 34-20 victory over South Plainfield in which they took home nine of 14 matches. Rounding out the state titles handed out on Sunday at the Ritacco Center were those won by Paulsboro in small-school Group 1, Don Bosco Prep winning the non-Public Group A title, and Camden Catholic taking home the non-Public Group B championship. The title for Paulsboro was a repeat championship, and more notably a record 27th championship. Ram-tough three-peat in Keystone State In a rather anti-climactic championship final match, No. 6 Central Dauphin earned its third consecutive title in the Class AAA team wrestling championships with a 41-28 victory over No. 30 Parkland. The Rams came out all guns ablazing with the dual meet starting at 160 pounds, as that enabled their two best wrestlers -- Marshall Peppelman and Kenny Courts -- to start the dual meet. Peppelman, ranked first in the nation, earned a 10-0 major decision victory against the formidable Wade Rivera; while the sixth ranked Courts followed it up with a pin in 1:15 against Andrew Laudenslager. By the time 11th ranked Tyson Dippery secured a fall in 1:51 against Ian Evans, Central Dauphin had a 31-0 dual meet lead. Parkland would attempt to cut into the lead with a 2-0 decision from Mike Fake at 112 pounds followed up by a second-period pin from Brandon Davis at 119. However, a 13-2 major decision from Kevin Gooding (125) and second period pin by Tyler Buckman (135) cinched the dual with four matches remaining. Parkland would win those four matches to reduce the margin to a more respectable one. However, it was a semifinal match against seventh-ranked Central Mountain which created the electricity in the GIANT Center during the competition on Saturday morning. That dual meet started with the nation's top-ranked wrestler at 145 pounds, Andrew Alton, stepping on the mat. Alton would secure a pin in 30 seconds against Wesley Rick. The strategy then began, as the Wildcats weighed in Tyler Buckwalter down one weight class from his normal 160-pound spot in the lineup. Buckwatler went to the mat and secured a second-period fall to extend the Central Mountain lead to 12-0. At 160 pounds, Central Mountain was hoping to create a matchup placing No. 1 against No. 1 -- Dylan Alton facing Marshall Peppelman. However, that was not to be, as Central Dauphin smartly bumped out of that matchup. Dylan Alton would secure a 23 second pin against Justin Wolfe to extend the lead out to 18-0. The Rams condensed the deficit down to 18-10 with a second period pin from Marshall Peppelman at 171, and Kenny Courts earning an 11-3 major decision against Dylan Caprio -- as the pair of starting 171 pounders went up to 189. The Wildcats responded with a pair of decisions from Cody Dolan and Zach Corl to take a 24-10 lead heading into the turn, and an area of the lineup that favored Central Dauphin. Over the next five matches, the Rams would turn that 24-10 deficit into a 35-24 lead with pins from Tyson Dippery (103), Shyheim Brown (112), and Tyler Buckman (130); while Nick Varndell (119) earned a 4-0 decision, and Kevin Gooding (125) secured a 14-2 major decision. They would need every point as Jordan Rich (135) secured a third-period pin for Central Mountain against Colton Peppelman to set up the last match of the dual. A technical fall would secure the dual for the Wildcats on criteria, while a pin would win it outright. Cadet National freestyle All-American Brian Brill took to the mats on such a mission, and was close to securing the pin early in the match but had to settle for a 10-1 major decision victory over AJ Sweigard. Central Dauphin won their opening match of the tournament on Friday afternoon with a 52-10 victory over Kiski Area, while Central Mountain had two wins on Friday afternoon -- 42-20 over Council Rock South, and 40-24 over District 11 champions Easton. The Wildcats replicated those victories to take third place in the tournament, winning 36-25 over Council Rock South and 38-25 over Easton in consolation. After the quarterfinal loss, Easton battled through three tough consolation matches with WPIAL opposition -- winning 32-28 over No. 36 Connellsville, 31-30 over Kiski Area, and 31-21 over Canon-McMillan. Fort LeBeouf was the unexpected winner of the Class AA team championship, as they had to battle through a mid-week play-in dual meet and four matches once they reached the GIANT Center. The Bison started their journey with a 38-28 victory over Shady Side Academy on Thursday afternoon. It was followed up by a 38-22 victory over Ridgway to advance to the quarterfinal. Two wins by forfeit, three pins, and a 7-4 decision from Craig Cihon at 189 pounds were enough to defeat Benton 33-30 and advance the Bison to the semifinal round. Fort LeBeouf had a similarly close semifinal bout against Schuylkill Valley, this time winning eight of the dual matches to secure a 32-30 victory. Key to that was winning the match opening bout in overtime, an 8-6 victory by Shawn Stancliff at 145 pounds. The Bison were then able to upset Reynolds in the final 32-29, the opponent they had lost to in the District 10 final last weekend. Two keys to that were winning by injury default at 130 pounds in a match they had lost the previous week -- Kody Pace getting the win against Adam Matthews -- and then winning a one point match at 189 pounds, Cihon securing a 7-6 victory over Jeremy Fowler. Finishing in third place in the Class AA tournament was Pen Argyl with a 31-24 victory over Ridgway. Alabama State Wrestling Championships Hoover won a closely contested state championship battle in the Class 6A (big-school) group scoring 170-1/2 points led by four finalists, including a pair of champions in Michael Bond (125) and Carl Brown (160). Finishing second with three finalists was Vestavia Hills with 160-1/2 points, led by a pair of champions in Phillip Cato (130) and Henry Carlson (145); Carlson was ranked 16th in the nation at 140 pounds. Despite having no champions, Oak Mountain finished third with 146-1/2 points, as four wrestlers finished in second place. With a pair of championships from Nick Hall (140) and Josh Gillaspie (152), Thompson was fourth with 124 points. Like Oak Mountain, Prattville had a quartet of runners-up; however, they finished back in fifth place with 110-1/2 points. Southside Gadsden was the dominant team in Class 5A with six state finalists, getting a pair of championship titles from Seth Perman (130) and Garrett Kitchens (152); as the squad scored 153 points. With five finalists, Arab finished second scoring 127-1/2 points; two champions emerged for the team in Jarod Stephenson (125) and Blake Suttles (171). Similarly, Tallassee had two champions from five finalists; however, they finished third with 125 points. Winning titles for Tallassee were Chris Adams (145) and TC Robinson (285). Three finalists and a pair of championships from Leo Gaspar (112) and Clint Wright (135) gave Fort Payne 123-1/2 points in a fourth place finish. Two other squads also had a pair of champions -- Brandon Buchanan (140) and Tyler Newton (160) giving Hayden titles, while Scottsboro had title wins from Brandon Womack (103) and Alex Whigham (189). Walter Wellborn won the small school title in Class 1A-4A with 127 points, anchored by six finalists -- also getting a pair of championships from Dalton Carroll (140) and Tyler McCarson (145). Oak Grove had five in the finals, but only getting a single title from Dillon Campbell (215); they finished in second with 108-1/2 points. Piedmont was third with 104 points from four finalists, and getting a trio of championships from Jonathon Propes (135), Clay Dent (171), and Demestress Jackson (285). Cleburne County had a pair of champions as well, getting titles from Timothy Mayfield (112) and Bryan Roblens (130). Link to results: http://www.trackwrestling.com/predefinedtournaments/VerifyPassword.jsp?tournamentId=915009 Montana State Wrestling Championships It was a shootout in the big-school Class AA tournament between Kalispell and Billings Skyview. Each team only had a pair of champions -- Shawn Lau (140) and Caleb Allen-Schmid (160) for Kalispell, with Nick Hinebauch (105) and Carson Hillard (189) winning for Billing Skyview. Kalispell had two other runners-up and fourteen total placers to score 274 points. Skyview had three other runners-up, but only thirteen total placers, in scoring 259 points. Bozeman was the squad with the most champions -- three total -- Colin Rupert (112), Marshall (145) and Michael (152) Carpenter ascending to the top of the podium. Great Falls and Missoula Sentinel each had a pair of champions as well; Cole Mendenhall (119) and Josh Murin (125) for Great Falls, Tanen Doty (1710 and Bentley Alsup (215) for Missoula Sentinel. Havre was the dominant team in the Class A tournament with three champions -- Duell Stadel (112), Kent Pattison (152), and Mitchell Schnittgen (285) -- and two second place finishers on the way to scoring 215 points. Finishing second with 196-1/2 points was Belgrade, who had Bryce Weatherston (105) winning their lone title, but two other wrestlers finished as runner-up. Fergus County, Ronan, and Dawson County each had a pair of wrestlers on top of the podium. Champions for Fergus County were Ryan Martin (140) and Connor Malone (160); Tyler Kinn (95) and Garret Tennant (135) won titles for Dawson County; while Cameron Neiss (130) and Toby Cheff (189) won the titles for Ronan. With a total of seven top three placers, Glasgow earned the title in the small-school Class BC tournament scoring a total of 185 points. Champions for Glasgow were Luke Zeiger (130), Parker Miller (215), and Tyler Shumway (285); one wrestler took second; three others took third. Broadwater had five finalists on the way to scoring 151 points. Chris Wagner (112), 10th in the nation Jade Rauser (119), and Val Rauser (125) ascended to the top of the podium. For third place Forsyth, Dallen Bauer (135) was the lone champion; however, they also had two wrestlers take second place as part of a 141-1/2 point effort. Chinook joined Glasgow and Broadwater in having three wrestlers win championships -- William Miller (152), Robert (160) and Benjamin (171) Stroh earning the titles. Link to results: http://mtguard.com/linksmthighschoolsports.php Utah State Wrestling Tournament Five teams had a pair of champions in the big-school, Class 5A, tournament. However, with four finalists it was Viewmont winning the championship by the narrowest of margins. Titles for Viewmont were won by Danner Kjar (145) and Mitch Rasmussen (152), while two others finished second -- as the team scored 164-1/2 points. One point back, at 163-1/2 was Pleasant Grove with a pair of championships from Korbin Levin (112) and Dustin Dennison (215). Finishing third with 151 points was Bingham, with titles coming from 19th ranked Kade Moss (135) and Kesni Tausinga (285). Also winning a pair of titles were Alta and Weber. 11th ranked Carson Kuhn (119) and Mark Michels (125) won back-to-back titles for Alta, while Derek Malan (130) and Janitz Arbon (160) were champions for Weber. With five champions, Payson dominated their way to a Class 4A title with 258-1/2 points -- as they also had a sixth wrestler take second place. Titles for Payson came from Mitch Brown (112), Zac (125) and Brady (171) Loveless, Brock Brown (130), and Colton Cannon (160). Box Elder and Mountain Crest waged a close battle for second place approximately 30 points in back of first place. Five finalists for Box Elder led the squad to 226-1/2 points; championships earned by Koleton Hardy (135) and Daniel Crook (285). Four finalists -- and just the title from Raider Lofthouse (152) -- gave Mountain Crest 225-1/2 points. Delta and Wasatch set an assault on the brackets in the Class 3A tournament, and it was Delta that stood on top at the end of the event, as they had seven finalists. The quintet that won titles on the way to 342-1/2 team points were Taggart Harris (119), Jace Abbot (130), Derek Peterson (135), Justin Penn (145), and Brendan Willoughby (160). Wasatch was in second place with 236-1/2 points, led by five wrestlers in the championship final -- with a pair of champions in Gerritt Bradley (103) and Kaleb Moritz (189). Three teams essentially had a monopoly on the happenings of the Class 2A tournament, as they won 13 of the 14 contested weight class brackets. Leading the way with 235-1/2 points was Millard, which had nine wrestlers in the finals and four standing on top of the podium. Champions for Millard were Brendan Turner (103), Dakota Payne (140), Renden Shields (189), and Thomas Kesler (215). Five titles were won by the second place squad Southern Summitt, which had only six total finalists and 197 points. Champions for that squad were Colton Thornton (125), Jeff McCormick (130), Junsen Crandall (152), Niko Klus (171), and Colten Argyle (285). Northern Sevier was one point back in third place with 196 points, as they split eight championship bouts -- winning titles from Cy Robins (112), Kade Johnson (119), Dixon Richins (135), and Daniel Beenfield (145). Ten finalists led the way to Altamont scoring 223 points to occupy the top spot of the small-school Class 1A standings. The team had six wrestlers win championships -- they were Brady Enman (103), Zach Hatch (140), Bryson (145) and Kyle (152) Foy, Landon Miles (160), and Dalton Smith (285). Finishing in second place was Monticello with 169 points, as the squad had eight finalists with three champions in David Boyle (119), CJ Cardasco (135), and MJ Wagstaff (215). Rich also had multiple champions, with Austin Clark (171) and Tyler Larsen (189) earning the top step of the podium in their weight classes. Link to results: http://www.uhsaa.org/info/index.php?option=com_content&task=category§ionid=6&id=27&Itemid=69 Maryland Dual Meet Wrestling Tournaments delayed The weather delayed the regional and state wrestling tournaments that were supposed to be held during the past week. The regional tournaments in Class 1A/2A (small-school) and Class 3A/4A (big-school) will be held this evening (Tuesday 2-16), while the state tournaments will be held one week from tonight (Tuesday 2-23) North Carolina Dual Meet Playoffs Parkland earned the Class 4A championship, winning five consecutive matches during the past week -- including a 38-14 victory over perennial champions Cary in the final. The narrowest of the matches came in a 36-35 semifinal victory over Davie County. Croatan had a first round bye, and then dominated four matches to win the Class 2A championship -- this included a 36-18 victory over Piedmont in the final match. West Wilkes won the title among small schools in Class 1A with a 60-9 victory over Rosewood; however, in the semifinal and quarterfinal they had much closer matches -- defeating Robinsville 36-33 and Bishop McGuiness 33-25 in those respective matches. Unlike the other three finals that were held this past Saturday, the Class 3A final between JM Robinson and Orange was postponed until Monday night due to weather. Robinson had three consecutive narrow victories in order to advance to the final -- 37-35 over Anson County in the round of 16, 35-33 over SW Randolph in the quarterfinal, and 33-30 over Enka in the semifinal. The closest match in Orange's run to the final was a 36-30 victory over Union Pines in the quarterfinal round. Oklahoma Dual State Wrestling Championships Muskogee -- ranked 27th by Amateur Wrestling News -- earned its first dual state championship in program history one year after falling a step short of the big-school (Class 6A) title. Last year, a program defining victory came in a semifinal upset of Tulsa Union. This year's defining victory came in a 35-23 semifinal victory against 26th ranked Broken Arrow. The championship final ended up being anticlimactic, as the Roughers dominated Tulsa Union in a 42-15 victory. The Zebras from Claremore were repeat champions in Class 5A, as their toughest match came in a 32-22 semifinal victory over Altus. The championship final saw Claremore upend Deer Creek 57-12. Tuttle earned the title in Class 4A, with its most notable victory coming in a 45-20 defeat of defending state champions Cushing during the semifinal. To earn the title, Tuttle defeated Sallisaw 51-15 in the final. Finally, the small school Class 3A tournament saw perennial title winners Perry earn the trophy with a 54-12 victory over Cascia Hall in the final. South Carolina State Duals Of the four classifications, only one has had its final as scheduled. Among the smallest schools in Class 1A, Chesterfield defeated Bamberg-Ehrhardt 33-31 in the final match. Hanahan won the lower state tournament in Class 2A; however, the state association ruled them to have used an ineligible wrestler, which forfeits them from the tournament. That squad has filed an injunction to delay the completion of the tournament. Winning upper state in Class 2A was Woodruff. Delayed until mid-week are state finals in the big-school Class 4A and Class 3A tournaments. Battling it out in Class 4A will be Rock Hill and Fort Dorchester, while Lugoff-Elgin and Hilton Head seek the 3A title. Championships this week ... Individual Bracket: Arizona (Class 5A/I and 5A/II), Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia, and Washington. *Divisional tournaments will be held in the six New England Reigonal states. Dual Meet: Arizona and North Dakota

NORFOLK, Va. -- Three Old Dominion seniors collected victories to lead the No. 25 Monarchs past American, 20-15, Monday evening at the Ted Constant Center. Eric Decker and Jesse Strawn won via decision in their last home matches, while Chris Brown posted a technical fall win. Old Dominion (10-4-1) has lost only one match in its last eight outings and improves to 6-1 at home this year. In the only match of the evening that pitted ranked wrestlers against each other, No. 7 James Nicholson topped No. 16 Jasen Borshoff, 4-3, at 125-pounds. Nicholson got a takedown in the first round and collected valuable riding time in the third to lead 3-1 before Borshoff posted a reversal with only 15 seconds remaining. With nearly two minutes of riding time, Nicholson picked up the decision, 4-3. At 133-pounds, freshman Justin LaValle dominated American’s Thomas Williams. The Apple Valley, Minn. native recorded three takedowns and a reversal en route to a 10-2 major decision win. Trailing 7-0, American would win the next two matches as Jordan Lipp won a decision over ODU’s Craig Wilson and No. 11 Kyle Borshoff pinned Monarch senior Cam Watkins. The pin would give the Eagles a 9-7 advantage after four matches. Old Dominion bounced back, showing off its youth and experience as a freshman and two seniors won the next three matches. At 157-pounds freshman Joey Sheridan won an 8-2 decision over Sean McCarty and at 165-pounds No. 13 Brown picked up a technical fall victory without back points over Tanner Shaffer. Brown recorded a remarkable nine takedowns and held a 2:56 riding time advantage in the 21-6 win. Decker gave ODU a commanding 17-7 lead in the team scoring after topping American’s Phillip Barreiro 4-2 in one of the hardest fought matches of the evening. Barreiro came at Decker with a flurry of moves over the final two minutes, but Decker was able to hold him off to pick up his 22nd win of the season. Sophomore Joe Budi struck first for ODU with an early takedown against No. 4 Mike Cannon at 184-pounds, but the nationally-ranked foe proved to be too much as he grabbed a 9-3 decision to bring American within striking distance. With two matches remaining and the Monarchs up 17-10, Strawn could seal the match with a senior day win against Kenneth Clessas. With the bout tied, 6-6, midway through the final period, the senior tallied a takedown and held the advantage to record the win and clinch the ODU victory. After winning five straight matches, American has now dropped three straight to fall to 7-9 overall. Old Dominion will close out the regular season on Feb. 18 at No. 14 Virginia Tech. The Monarchs topped the Hokies last season at the Constant Center. Results: 125: # 7 James Nicholson (ODU) wins by decision over #16 Jasen Borshoff (American), 4-3 133: Justin LaValle (ODU) wins by major decision over Thomas Williams (American), 10-2 141: Jordan Lipp (American) wins by decision over Craig Wilson (ODU), 6-5 149: #11 Kyle Borshoff (American) wins by fall over Cam Watkins (ODU), 3:29 157: Joey Sheridan (ODU) wins by decision over Sean McCarty (American), 8-2 165: #13 Chris Brown (ODU) wins by technical fall (4) over Tanner Shaffer (American), 21-6 174: Eric Decker (ODU) wins by decision over Phillip Barreiro (American), 4-2 184: #4 Mike Cannon (American) wins by decision over Joe Budi (ODU), 9-3 197: #14 Jesse Strawn (ODU) wins by decision over Kenneth Clessas (American), 9-6 285: Blake Herrin (American) wins by decision over Grant Chapman (ODU), 7-3

ST. CLAIRSVILLE, Ohio -- Ohio Wrestling (11-4, 2-1 Mid-American Conference) got back to its winning ways in St. Clairsville on Sunday, defeating the West Virginia Mountaineers by a final score of 27-15. The Bobcats came out ready and wrestled hard, taking three of their victories by way of pin. Gabe Ramos, Germane Lindsey, Seth Morton, Clay Tucker, Jacob Ison and Nick Purdue all earned wins against the Mountaineers. “We wrestled pretty well,” said head coach Joel Greenlee. “I was a little worried about it from the standpoint of having a big match on Friday and losing a heart-breaker (to Kent State) and not knowing how we’d bounce back. We bounced back well.” The day began with a wrestling clinic hosted by Bobby Douglas. Douglas had an impressive wrestling career, winning five national championships and two U.S. Olympic Trials Titles. He captained the United States Freestyle Wrestling Team at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City and was named the Nation’s Outstanding Wrestler in 1970. He is also a member of the Wrestling Hall of Fame. The dual meet began with the 125 pound wrestlers squaring off. Mountaineer Shane Young started quickly out of the gate, earning a takedown in the first minute of the bout to go up 2-0. Ramos (Hopatcong, N.J.) came up with a nice escape the center of the mat and then a takedown in the final minute of the first round to take a 3-2 lead. Young fought back, opening up the second period with a takedown of his own to retake the lead. Ramos was then able to pull off back-to-back escapes, finding himself in the third period with a 5-4 lead. Young was not done, however, and came back with a big takedown. Ramos promptly followed it up with another escape, and the bout was tied at six with seven seconds left when the redshirt freshman came back with the winning takedown. Young had over a minute of riding time to get one more point, but Ramos took the bout by a final score of 8-7 to put Ohio up 3-0. West Virginia’s No. 18 Colin Johnston came through in a big way in the day’s next bout, pinning Tim Silvers (Eaton, Ohio) in 2:38 to give the Mountaineers a 6-3 lead. Lindsey (Cincinnati, Ohio) started off his bout well, taking a 4-1 lead at the end of the first period. He racked up multiple takedowns in the second period, pushing the score to 14-6 before he eventually pinned Ryan Romano in 5:29, earning a huge six points for the Bobcats. The 149 pound bout was a very strategic one, as Morton (Canal Winchester, Ohio) and opponent Mike Rowe tried to feel out each other’s strengths and weaknesses. The first score came in the second period when Morton achieved an escape, which he immediately followed with a takedown. Rowe was able to make it close with back-to-back reversals, but Morton added another takedown to take the bout by a final score of 5-2. In a homecoming of sorts for Tucker (Martins Ferry, Ohio) the redshirt senior found himself in a close battle with Mountaineer Kyle Eason. Tucker took an early 2-0 advantage with a first period takedown, but Eason came back in a big way with a three-point near-fall. Tucker was able to reverse it, however, taking a 4-3 lead into the final period. He was able to hold on to that lead in a furious third period, taking the win by decision. Donnie Jones of West Virginia (2-9, 2-2 Eastern Wrestling League) came out strong in the first period of the 165 pound bout, earning an early takedown. He pushed his advantage out further to 5-0 before Kevin Christensen (Fairborn, Ohio) escaped his hold for Ohio’s first point in the bout. Jones kept up the pressure and earned a 10-3 victory by decision. The 174 pound bout got off to a furious start as Ison (Batavia, Ohio) earned a takedown in the first 30 seconds. He pushed the advantage to 11-1 before pinning Matt Weston in just 97 seconds, giving the Bobcats a 21-9 lead. The pin was Ison’s seventh of the season, a mark that leads all Bobcat wrestlers in 2009-10. “Ison looked great, I thought,” added Greenlee. “He went out there and really put it on his guy.” Purdue (Genoa, Ohio) followed Ison’s lead by starting fast, leaping out to a 9-2 lead. He kept up the pressure on West Virginia’s Brandon Boyer, finally pinning the Mountaineer with six seconds remaining in the bout. Schuth (Spencerport, N.Y.) had an impressive bout for the Bobcats at 197 pounds, racking up takedown after takedown to grab an early lead. WVU’s Kyle Rooney stormed back in the second period, narrowing the score to 6-5 in favor of Schuth. Rooney came away with a big takedown in the final seconds of the third period, taking a 7-6 decision. In the final bout of the day, redshirt freshman Matt Prichard (Dayton, Ohio) wrestled in his first bout of the season. He stymied Brandon Williamson through the first period, taking a 0-0 score into the second. Williamson took the final bout with a 4-0 decision to wrap up the match. “It was a great event (at Ohio University East),” said Greenlee. “Like I said on Friday, I think that we need to make wrestling important and get our name out there a bit around the state. I thought it was another good crowd today.” The Bobcats will next be in action when they travel to No. 6 Central Michigan on February 19. Results: 125: Gabe Ramos (Ohio) vs. Shane Young (WVU) 8-7 dec. OHIO 3-0 133: Tim Silvers (Ohio) vs. No. 18 Colin Johnston (WVU) Fall 2:38 WVU 6-3 141: No. 11 Germane Lindsey (Ohio) vs. Ryan Romano (WVU) Fall 5:29 OHIO 9-6 149: Seth Morton (Ohio) vs. Mike Rowe (WVU) 5-2 dec. OHIO 12-6 157: Clay Tucker (Ohio) vs. Kyle Eason (WVU) 4-3 dec. OHIO 15-6 165: Kevin Christensen (Ohio) vs. Donnie Jones (WVU) 10-3 dec. OHIO 15-9 174: Jacob Ison (Ohio) vs. Matt Weston (WVU) Fall 1:37 OHIO 21-9 184: No. 18 Nick Purdue (Ohio) vs. Brandon Boyer Fall 6:54 OHIO 27-9 197: No. 16 Erik Schuth (Ohio) vs. Kyle Rooney (WVU) 7-6 dec. OHIO 27-12 HWT: Matt Prichard (Ohio) vs. Brandon Williamson (WVU) 4-0 dec. OHIO 27-15

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- No. 6 Central Michigan scored bonus points in four bouts and cruised to a 35-3 Mid-American Conference victory at Buffalo on Sunday. The Chippewas (15-2 overall, 3-0 MAC) have won seven straight duals. The victory also was CMU's 60th in its last 62 MAC duals. Buffalo fell to 8-7-1 overall, 1-3 in the MAC. "I thought we wrestled pretty well," said CMU head coach Tom Borrelli. "We had a few matches that I felt it was important that we did well in to set ourselves up for seeding at the MAC Tournament, and we won each of those matches. Overall I thought we had a pretty good day." CMU scored bonus points via Tyler Grayson's fall at 165 pound, technical falls by Tony D'Alie (149) and Ben Bennett (174) and Jarod Trice's major decision at heavyweight. Grayson's fall was his first of the season. He pinned No. 19 John-Martin Cannon with just less than a minute remaining in the third period. Both D'Alie and Bennett completed their technical falls in the third period. Bennett won 16-0, the fifth consecutive match in which he has not allowed a point. Overall, he has won eight straight bouts to improve to 17-5 overall. Trice became the first Chippewa to reach 20 victories this season, posting a 19-7 major decision over Jason Weber. Trice extended his winning streak to 17 matches to improve to 20-1 overall this season. Winning via decision for CMU were Matt Steintrager (125), Scotti Sentes (133), Conor Beebe (141), Steve Brown (157) and Eric Simaz (197). Brown defeated Andrew Stella, 6-5, in his first match since competing at Midlands on Dec. 30. Brown had missed the past six weeks with an injury. "We felt like it was important for him to get back on the mat and get back in the rhythm of things, and I thought he did a good job today," Borrelli said. CMU closes the regular season with a pair of duals this week. The Chippewas host Ohio Friday at 7 p.m., then visit Kent State Sunday at 2 p.m. A pair of victories would secure an outright conference championship for CMU and match a program record for victories in a season. Results: 125: No. 9 Matt Steintrager (CMU) dec. Dan Bishop (UB), 6-3 133: No. 7 Scotti Sentes (CMU) dec. No. 19 Kevin Smith (UB), 4-1 141: Conor Beebe (CMU) dec. Andrew Schutt (UB), 6-1 149: No. 13 Tony D'Alie (CMU) tech. fall Chris Conti (UB), 19-4 at 6:05 157: Steve Brown (CMU) dec. Andrew Stella (UB), 6-5 165: Tyler Grayson (CMU) pin No. 19 John-Martin Cannon (UB), 6:09 174: No. 10 Ben Bennett (CMU) tech. fall Brian Sheehan (UB), 16-0 at 6:24 184: Josh Peters (UB) dec. Dillon Kern (CMU), 4-1 197: Eric Simaz (CMU) dec. Jimmy Hamel (UB), 5-4 285: No. 3 Jarod Trice (CMU) maj. dec. Jason Weber (UB), 19-7

USAFA, Colo. -- Despite both teams winning five bouts each, the Air Force wrestling team was able to earn a 22-19 victory over Cal State Fullerton Sunday afternoon at Clune Arena. The win moves the Falcons to 6-9 overall on the season, while the Titans fall to 2-9-1 on the year. Cal State Fullerton jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the team scoring with a technical fall at 125 pounds, while Air Force junior Derek Gillespie (Chesapeake, Va.) put the Falcons on the board at 133 pounds with a 16-3 major decision over Aaron Navarrete. Freshman Cole VonOhlen (Jackson, Minn.), ranked 15th in the nation at 141 pounds, gave Air Force its first lead of the match, after rolling to a 17-2 technical fall over Adin Duenas. Though Duenas scored the first takedown of the bout, VonOhlen grabbed a 6-2 lead after one period and was up 11-2 at the end of the second period. After scoring a reversal to open the final period, VonOhlen was awarded a four-point near fall with just six seconds left on the clock to stop the match. The Falcons’ lead was short-lived, as the Titans earned back-to-back decisions at 149 and 157 pounds. Air Force regained the advantage after a strong performance from Joseph Stafford (Jr., Loomis, Calif.) at 165 pounds. Stafford held a 10-2 second period advantage before pinning Clayton Schuelke with just 25 seconds remaining in the period. The fall by Stafford gave Air Force a 15-11 lead in the team scoring, but Cal State Fullerton responded with a pin of their own in the 174-pound match-up to take a two-point lead. Senior James Ciccone (Mentor, Ohio) took the mat for the Falcons at 184 pounds and recorded his second major decision of the weekend. Leading 7-2 in the final period with over a minute of riding time, Ciccone was able to score a takedown of Matt Savalle with 15 seconds on the clock to earn the major and put Air Force back up by two points. With the Falcons needing at least one win in the final two bouts for a chance at the team victory, the 197-pound match-up proved to be one of the most crucial of the night. Neil Delaney (Jr., Grand Rapids, Mich.), who faced off against CSF’s Ethan Weisrock, opened with an early deficit, trailing 4-2 after one period of action. Early in the second period, an unsportsmanlike call against the Titans’ bench resulted in a loss of a team point for Cal State Fullerton, while Delaney scored another escape to cut his deficit to 4-3. The remainder of the second period and much of the final period went scoreless before Delaney notched a takedown, his first of the match, with just 20 seconds to go. Delaney held on for the 5-4 decision to put the Falcons ahead, 22-16. The final bout of the evening was a challenge for Air Force’s heavyweight Stephen Larson (Sr., Lakeville, Minn.), who faced Kurt Klimek, ranked 17th in the nation. With the only points of the match scored on a third-period escape, Klimek took the 1-0 victory, but the Falcons were able to hold on for the 22-19 team victory. The Falcons close out their home slate on Thursday, Feb. 18, when they host Western Wrestling Conference rival Wyoming. The dual is scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m. in Clune Arena. Results: 125 Andre Gonzalez (CSF) tech fall Andrew Zwirlein, 21-6 (7:00) 133 Derek Gillespie (AF) maj. dec. Aaron Navarrete, 16-3 141 No. 15 Cole VonOhlen (AF) tech fall Adin Duenas, 17-2 (6:54) 149 Nick Jordan (CSF) dec. Gabe Martinez, 4-3 157 Steven DeLaFuente (CSF) dec. Alec Williams, 9-5 165 Joseph Stafford (AF) fall Clayton Schuelke, 4:35 174 Todd Noel (CSF) fall Tyler French, 6:05 184 James Ciccone (AF) maj. dec. Mark Savalle, 10-2 197 Neil Delaney (AF) dec. Ethan Weisrock, 5-4 HWT No. 17 Kurt Klimek (CSF) dec. Stephen Larson, 1-0

VESTAL, N.Y. -- Binghamton wrestling (14-6-2) and George Mason (3-8-1) battled to a 22-22 tie on Sunday afternoon in the East Gym. Five Bearcat seniors were honored on senior day prior to the match. No. 19 Mendbagana Tovuujav of George Mason upset No. 12 Josh Patterson at 174, 7-6 in the final bout of the match to force the tie. Binghamton had been trailing 19-13 with three matches remaining when No. 18 sophomore 157-pound Justin Lister picked up a major decision and 165-pound sophomore Matt Kaylor earned a win via forfeit to set the stage for Patterson-Tovuujav with Binghamton holding a 22-19 lead. Junior 141-pound Anwar Goeres earned a major decision to improve to 17-3. Freshman 184-pound Nate Schiedel picked up a decision at 184 to lead off the match and move to 19-2 in duals on the season. Senior heavyweight Corey Waite pinned his opponent in the waning seconds of the second period to increase his team-high win total to 33 (33-14). The Bearcats will next wrestle at No. 3 Oklahoma State on Friday. Results: 184- Nate Schiedel (BU) dec. Andrew Rock (GM), 10-4 197- Bill Widener (GM) pinned Mike McKeever (BU), 5:55 285- Corey Waite (BU) pinned Adam Barnette (GM), 4:59 125- Brian Wright (GM) dec. James Inghram (BU), 1-0 133- Denny Herndon (GM) pinned Tyler Malmberg (BU), 3:17 141- Anwar Goeres (BU) maj. dec. Jaaziah Bethea (GM), 17-7 149- Brandon Bucher (GM) maj. dec. Anthony Jerome (BU),9-1 157- No. 18 Justin Lister (BU) dec. Aaron Keeton (GM), 7-2 165- Matt Kaylor (BU) win by forfeit 174- No. 19 Mendbagana Tovuujav (GM) dec. No. 12 Josh Patterson (BU), 7-6

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- Put a point on the board for the Hoosiers in the Crimson and Gold Cup Standings after the wrestling team's 22-17 victory over Purdue. Indiana split the 10 bouts, five wins apiece, but a pair of Hoosier pins proved to be the difference. The No. 13 Hoosiers improve to 15-3 overall and 4-3 in Big Ten action with the win at Lawrence North High School. Indiana completes a weekend sweep after a 22-13 besting of Michigan at home on Friday night. Indiana began the dual in an 8-0 hole following losses in the first two opening matches at 174 and 184 pounds. Redshirt sophmore Matt Powless, ranked 15th nationally, lit the scoreboard first for IU, picking an exciting 4-1 over No. 13 Logan Brown. Powless defeated Brown in last year's dual against Purdue as well, clinching the Indiana team victory a year ago. Second-ranked and undefeated heavyweight Nate Everhart then pushed IU ahead 9-8 by sticking Adam Walls in the first period (2:27) and having his hand raised for the 31st time this season. Next up was the 125-lbs. bout which showcased Indiana's other wrestler yet to suffer a loss, Angel Escobedo. The Griffith, Ind., native put a hurting on Lawrence North alum Cashe Quiroga. Escobedo posted a 19-5 major decision over No. 17 Quiroga, narrowly missing out on the tech fall. He also brought the IU-heavy crowd to their feet in the closing seconds as he hit a throw that sent Quiroga straight to his back. Quiroga was saved by the bell, however, as time expired in the match before Escobedo could secure the fall. A decision for the Boilermakers at 133-lbs. closed the gap to just two points at 13-11. That is when redshirt freshman Danny Monaco came up big for his Hoosiers. Monaco topped Bill Putman, 7-1, for a decision that extended the IU lead to 16-11. Click here to find out more! That lead didn't stand for long though as Purdue seized the next two bouts to regain an edge at 17-16 heading into the final match of the day. Indiana's Paul Young (No. 12) left little doubt toa the outcome right from the get-go, posting takedown after takedown in the opening period. He then finished off Jason Martin in the second stanza, recording his team-leading 13th pin of the year. Results: 174 lbs.- #6 Luke Manuel (PU) tech falls Nick Avery (IU), 22-7 (Team Score: 0-5) 184 lbs.- Nick Corpe (PU) dec. over Eric Cameron (IU), 3-2 (0-8) 197 lbs.- #15 Matt Powless (IU) dec. over #13 Logan Brown (PU), 4-1 (3-8) 285 lbs.- #2 Nate Everhart (IU) pins Adam Walls (PU), 2:27 (9-8) 125 lbs.- #1 Angel Escobedo (IU) maj. dec. over #17 Cashe Quiroga (PU), 19-5 (13-8) 133 lbs.- Akif Eren (PU) dec. over Matt Ortega (IU), 6-2 (13-11) 141 lbs.- Danny Monaco (IU) dec. over Bill Putman (PU), 7-1 (16-11) 149 lbs.- Nick Bertucci (PU) dec. over Matt Coughlin (IU), 3-0 (16-14) 157 lbs.- Colton Salazar (PU) dec. over #6 Kurt Kinser (IU), 3-1 (SV) (16-17) 165 lbs.- #12 Paul Young (IU) pins Jason Martin (PU), 4:34 (22-17)

COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- It was a fitting final home match for a senior class that is likely to go down as the best in Maryland wrestling history. The Terps dominated Hofstra 34-6 on Sunday at Comcast Pavilion in front of 743 fans, in the process setting the school record with 18 wins this season. Seniors Hudson Taylor, Steven Bell, Alex Krom and James Knox all notched victories for the No. 9 Terps as Maryland improved its home record to a perfect 7-0 this season. Maryland, a program rich in history with 20 conference titles to its name, had twice reached the 17-win mark, but this year's team set the record against one of the toughest schedules in the nation. The Terps have won five straight and nine of their last ten matches. "We've talked about this team being one of the most successful in program history and this further solidifies that statement," said head coach Kerry McCoy. "We still have a chance to win one more and anytime you can have this much success against such a tough schedule it's a huge accomplishment. It's a real credit it to what these guys have done." The Terps (18-4) won eight out of 10 matches against the Pride (5-11-2) and received bonus points in four matches, as Taylor, Bell, and Jon Kohler recorded pinfalls, while Alex Krom won by major decision. Kohler set the tone in the first match at 149 pounds, methodically wearing down Ryan Colmer before recording a pin 6:29 into the match. No. 19 Jonny Bonilla-Bowman, one of two ranked wrestlers for Hofstra, got the Pride on the scoreboard with a slim 15-11 decision over Kyle John in a back-and-forth match at 157 pounds. No. 14 Josh Asper responded in the next match by defeating Hofstra's other ranked wrestler, No. 17 P.J. Gillespie. The grapplers battled through a scoreless first period, but Asper countered Gillespie's escape with a takedown in the second period to go ahead 2-1 heading into the final stanza. The redshirt freshman, now 29-6 this season, picked up an escape and another takedown in the third period and earned an additional point for riding time to take a 6-1 decision. Asper has won nine consecutive matches. Bradley Nielson then extended Maryland's lead to 12-3 with a 10-3 decision over Jon Rothman at 174 pounds. At 184, Corey Peltier dropped a 2-0 decision as Ben Clymer recorded a takedown in the final seconds, but Maryland won the next five matches. Taylor, ranked third in the country at 197 pounds, recorded his NCAA Division 1-best 22nd pin of the season against Anthony Tortora. The two-time All-American pinned his opponent in 2:35, bringing his win total to 35 this season, which also leads all Division 1 wrestlers. Taylor, who never lost a home match in his career, is one pin shy of tying the single-season pins record of 23 set by Jake Stork in 2002-03. Patrick Gilmore earned a 6-3 decision over Paul Snyder at heavyweight and Knox earned a hard-fought 4-3 decision over Jamie Franco at 125 pounds as the Terps increased their lead to 24-6. Bell, who only lost one match at home in his career, pinned Luke Vaith in 4:46 at 133 pounds. A two-time ACC Champion, Bell has 97 wins in his career and is ranked 12th in the nation. Krom finished things off for Maryland with a 10-2 major decision over Tyler Banks at 141 pounds. Ranked ninth in the nation, Krom won his fourth-straight match and has amassed 106 wins in his career, second on the team only to Taylor's 158. The senior class consisting of Taylor, Bell, Krom, Knox, Andrew Bradley, Rich DiPietro, Mookie Golden and Casey Marwine recorded its 68th win in the last five seasons. The class also has two ACC titles to its name, and will compete for a third straight March 6 at the ACC Championship in Raleigh, N.C. "For years to come people are going to talk about this class," said McCoy. "They've etched themselves in the record books in several areas. They're the leaders of the most successful years in program history. We're going to try to outperform ourselves each year but right now they're at the top of the ladder." Maryland has an important match for conference seeding at Virginia on Saturday, Feb. 20. Match time is scheduled for 1 p.m. Results: 149 - Jon Kohler (MD) pinfall over Ryan Colmer, 6:29 (6-0) 157 - No. 19 Jonny Bonilla-Bowman (HU) dec. Kyle John, 15-11 (6-3) 165 - No. 14 Josh Asper (MD) dec. No. 17 P.J. Gillespie, 6-1 (9-3) 174 - Bradley Nielson (MD) dec. Jon Rothman, 10-3 (12-3) 184 - Ben Clymer (HU) dec. Corey Peltier, 2-0 (12-6) 197 - No. 3 Hudson Taylor (MD) pinfall over Anthony Tortora, 2:35 (18-6) HWT - Patrick Gilmore (MD) dec. Paul Snyder, 6-3 (21-6) 125 - James Knox (MD) dec. Jamie Franco, 4-3 (24-6) 133 - No. 12 Steven Bell (MD) pinfall over Luke Vaith, 4:46 (30-6) 141 - No. 9 Alex Krom (MD) major dec. Tyler Banks, 10-2 (34-6)

NORMAN, Okla. -- The ninth-ranked University of Oklahoma wrestling squad (16-2-1, 2-1-1 Big 12) wrapped up its home slate Sunday afternoon by toppling No. 15 Oregon State, 25-6, inside the Howard McCasland Field House in Norman. Honoring four seniors -- Eric Lapotsky, Chad Terry, Kyle Terry and Shane Vernon -- on Senior Night, the Sooners earned their sixth win over a top-20 team this season. The win over the Beavers (18-3) also marked the second straight season Oklahoma has posted 16 dual wins. “This was a big win against a very tough team,” head coach Jack Spates said. “We won tough matches at the end and that is the kind of effort we want. It was a great way to send out four very special seniors.” Freshman Jarrod Patterson, ranked 18th nationally, gave Oklahoma a 3-0 team lead by posting an 8-1 upset win over 15th-ranked Jason Lara at 125 pounds. The Cushing, Okla., product scored three takedowns and racked up two minutes 48 seconds of riding time in the victory. Oregon State’s 16th-ranked Kelly Kubec tied the team score, 3-3, with a 5-3 sudden victory decision over 141-pound Kendric Maple (29-8). Trailing 3-1 in the third period, Kubec posted a takedown with 16 seconds remaining to force overtime and scored a takedown in the sudden victory period to win. Sudden victory was forced for the second straight match between No. 3 Zack Bailey (22-5) and Beaver Mike Mangrum. Tied 1-1 after three periods, Bailey scored a takedown with 16 seconds remaining to earn the sudden victory win and give OU a 6-3 team advantage. The victory marked Bailey’s 12th-straight this season dating back to Jan. 8. No overtime was needed at 149 pounds for third-ranked Kyle Terry, as the Midwest City, Okla., native overpowered No. 17 RJ Pena, 15-3, to claim his 14th-straight victory of the season. Terry led 5-0 after two periods before posting three takedowns and a three-point nearfall to improve to 23-2 on the season. The senior also extended this dual winning streak to 33-straight (15-0 this season) dating back to last season. At 157 pounds, senior Chad Terry (8-2) used two minutes 33 seconds of riding time to post a 5-4 decision over No. 13 Keegan Davis of OSU. With the match tied a four, Terry’s riding time proved to be the difference, extending OU’s team lead to 13-3. Sooner Tyler Caldwell (26-10), ranked 15th nationally, faced a 4-1 deficit after the first period against Dan Brascetta at 165 pounds. The Sooner quickly recovered by posting an escape, takedown and nearfall in the second to lead, 6-4. The Beaver only managed an escape in the final period, and Caldwell used one minute 42 seconds of riding time to win, 7-5. Ninth-ranked Beaver Colby Covington then controlled the 174-pound match against 15th-ranked Sooner Jeff James (21-7) by recording a 12-6 decision behind five takedowns, including three in the final period. Erich Schmidtke (15-14) increased OU’s team lead to 19-6 with a 3-2 decision over Ty Vinson at 184 pounds. The redshirt-freshman scored an opening period takedown and an escape in the second to gain Oklahoma’s sixth dual win of the afternoon. Sixth-ranked senior Eric Lapotsky (21-5) then posted a 7-2 win over Chad Hanke to put OU on top 22-6. Lapotsky racked up a 5-0 lead after two periods and used an escape and riding time point in the final stanza to gain the victory. Fifteenth-ranked heavyweight closed out the dual with an upset over No. 14 Clayton Jack, 7-5. Trailing 3-1 in the third, Fernandez scored a takedown and an escape to force extra time. With 30 seconds remaining in the one minute sudden victory period, the redshirt-junior scored a takedown to improve to 24-9 on the season. Next up, the Sooners close out the regular season by visiting in-state rival Oklahoma State on Feb. 21 in Stillwater at 2 p.m. Oklahoma (2-1-1 Big 12) will shoot for its third Big 12 win of the season for the first time since the 2001-02 campaign. “Bedlam is going to be great,” Spates said. “Oklahoma State has a great program and we are excited for the challenge. We have wrestled extremely hard the last two matches, just the way you want heading into Bedlam.” Results: 125: Jarrod Patterson (OU) dec. Jason Lara (OSU), 8-1 133: Kelly Kubec (OSU) dec. Kendrick Maple (OU), 5-3 (SV1) 141: Zack Bailey (OU) dec. Mike Mangrum (OSU), 3-1 (SV1) 149: Kyle Terry (OU) maj. dec. RJ Pena (OSU), 15-3 157: Chad Terry (OU) dec. Keegan Davis (OSU), 5-4 165: Tyler Caldwell (OU) dec. Dan Brascetta (OSU), 7-5 174: Colby Covington (OSU) dec. Jeff James (OU), 12-6 184: Erich Schmidtke (OU) dec. Ty Vinson (OSU), 3-2 197: Eric Lapotsky (OU) dec. Chad Hanke (OSU), 7-2 HWT: Nathan Fernandez (OU) dec. Clayton Jack (OSU), 7-5 (SV1)

MADISON, Wis. -- The No. 15 Wisconsin wrestling team (7-9, 3-3) defeated Michigan (4-13, 0-6) 26-9 in the team’s final road match of the 2009-10 season. The Badgers had seven individual victories in their largest margin of victory of the year. The match began at 165 lbs., where No. 1 sophomore Andrew Howe claimed his 26th victory and 10th major decision of the season over junior Aaron Hynes. Howe recorded seven takedowns and a reversal in his 17-7 victory. The win improved Howe’s record to a perfect 26-0 and gave the Badgers a 4-0 edge over the Wolverines. At 174 lbs., freshman Brendan Ard made his fourth consecutive start as he took on sophomore Justin Zeerip. Ard was defeated in a close 5-2 decision to make the team scores 4-3 in favor of the UW. Ard scored a reversal in the third period for his only points. No. 16 sophomore Travis Rutt dropped Wisconsin’s second match of the day with a 4-2 loss to redshirt freshman Hunter Collins at 184 lbs. Rutt, who scored two escapes in the loss, now has an 11-8 record this season. Michigan took its first and only lead of the afternoon, 6-4. No. 7 junior Trevor Brandvold got Wisconsin back in front when he faced Michigan’s only ranked wrestler, No. 8 Anthony Biondo, at 197 lbs. Brandvold won the bout by a 4-1 decision, extending his win streak to eight matches. Brandvold’s victory put the Badgers back on top, 7-6. At heavyweight, junior Eric Bugenhagen won his fourth-straight conference match as he defeated redshirt freshman Ben Apland. Bugenhagen scored a takedown and an escape in the 3-2 victory, extending the Badgers’ lead to 10-6. Senior Drew Hammen took on true freshman Sean Boyle at 125 lbs. Hammen won the bout 4-3, claiming his first Big Ten victory this season, and his first since the Midlands Championship on Dec. 29. Hammen scored a reversal and nearfall in the third period, adding three points to Wisconsin’s score and making it 13-6. At 133 lbs., No. 6 redshirt freshman Tyler Graff captured his seventh-straight win thanks to a victory over sophomore Zac Stevens. With a 12-3 major decision, Graff is now 23-4 on the season and has six consecutive wins by bonus points. The Badgers led by 17-6 following the match. Redshirt freshman Cole Schmitt then shutout sophomore Mark Weber at 141 lbs., in a 4-0 decision. Schmitt scored a takedown and an escape and added riding time for his winning total. He is now 16-13 this season and is 3-3 in Big Ten matchups. The win extended the Wisconsin lead to 20-6. The Badgers claimed their fifth-straight individual victory of the afternoon as No. 5 senior Kyle Ruschell defeated redshirt freshman Mark Boyer at 149 lbs. Ruschell won the bout with a pin at 5:14, his third win via fall this season. He now has a 24-2 record and is 5-1 in the Big Ten. Michigan claimed a final victory at 157 lbs. as junior Greg Burke lost to sophomore Dave Johnson. Johnson won the match 15-8 with Burke scoring a takedown and three reversals in the bout. The victory came too little too late as the margin still favored Wisconsin, 26-9. The Badgers now return home to host Northwestern on Friday, Feb. 19 at 7 p.m. and No. 1 Iowa on Sunday, Feb. 21 at 1 p.m. Results: 165 -- #1 Andrew Howe (UW) major dec. Aaron Hynes, 17-7 UW, 4-0 174 -- Justin Zeerip (U-M) dec. Brendan Ard, 5-2 UW, 4-3 184 -- Hunter Collins (U-M) dec. #16 Travis Rutt, 4-3 U-M, 6-4 197 -- #7 Trevor Brandvold (UW) dec. #8 Anthony Biondo, 4-1 UW, 7-6 Hwt -- Eric Bugenhagen (UW) dec. Ben Apland, 3-2 UW, 10-6 125 -- Drew Hammen (UW) dec. Sean Boyle, 4-2 UW, 13-6 133 -- #6 Tyler Graff (UW) major dec. Zac Stevens, 12-3 UW, 17-6 141 -- Cole Schmitt (UW) dec. Mark Weber, 4-0 UW, 20-6 149 -- #5 Kyle Ruschell (UW) pinned Mark Boyer, 5:14 UW, 26-6 157 -- Dave Johnson (U-M) dec. Greg Burke, 15-8 UW, 26-9

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Not only has the Ohio State wrestling team won seven consecutive Big Ten matches this season, but the No. 4/3 Buckeyes (18-1; 7-0) also own a 13-match conference win streak that dates back to 2008-09 following their 30-7 win over Michigan State Sunday in St. John Arena. The Buckeyes will look to run the table next Friday when they travel to Iowa City to face the No. 1 team in the nation in the Iowa Hawkeyes. That match is slated for an 8 p.m. ET start in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes face No. 5 Minnesota at 7 p.m. ET Sunday. Wrestling for the last time in front of family and friends in St. John Arena, seniors Corey Morrison, Lance Palmer, Mike Pucillo and Dave Rella all won their final matches in the historic venue. Reece Humphrey did not wrestle because of injury. The afternoon began at 125 pounds and just like the previous three matches, junior Nikko Triggas pinned his opponent; this time Brenan Lyon was down in 2:25. The Buckeye from Moraga, Calif., now has 12 falls on the season for a career 34, good for fifth place in the program's record book. After dropping matches at 133 and 141 pounds, the Scarlet and Gray faced a slim 7-6 deficit, but would win the remaining seven matches. At 149 pounds, Palmer helped Ohio State regain the lead (12-7) when he pinned No. 12 David Cheza in 4:51. A team captain from Columbia Station, Ohio, Palmer is second (tie) on the team in falls with seven after back-to-back pins this weekend. Sean Nemec scored his second-consecutive Big Ten win Sunday when he beat Anthony Jones, Jr., 6-0, at 157 pounds. Nemec, a sophomore from Garfield Heights, Ohio, continuously increased his advantage, taking a 2-0 lead after the first and building it to 3-0 following the second. Another takedown in the final two minutes, coupled with a 1:08 riding time gave him his second straight win and 13th overall this season. Junior Colt Sponseller only gave up an escape in his 7-1 decision over Kyle Bounds at 165 pounds. Sponseller, a native of Glenmont, Ohio, used two takedowns, an escape and riding time to secure the victory. (Sponseller was awarded a point on a second called MSU warning). For the second-straight dual match and third this season, Rella wrestled into extra time before winning. Up against Ian Hinton, the two grapplers traded escapes throughout regulation. It was in the one-minute sudden victory, Rella recorded the takedown for the 3-1 win. The native of Akron, Ohio, is 3-0 in dual matches this season in sudden victory. Pucillo rebounded from a loss Friday and beat Curran Jacobs, 12-6, at 184 pounds. A native of Strongsville, Ohio, Pucillo built a 9-2 lead after the second period and finished the match with a final takedown and riding time of 3:30 for his 17th victory of the season. C.J. Magrum held on for a 3-1 win over Tyler Dickenson at 197 pounds to give the Buckeyes a 27-7 advantage. Despite an escape by Dickenson in the third period to cut Magrum's lead to two points, the Buckeye from Oak Harbor, Ohio, halted any rally attempt from the Spartan. Morrison wrapped up the afternoon and his collegiate career in Columbus with an 11-4 decision over Alan O'Donnell at heavyweight. A fifth-year graduate student, Morrison jumped out to a 4-1 lead after the first period. However, O'Donnell scored a reversal in the next period to cut Morrison's lead to 4-3. The Buckeye from Shaker Heights, Ohio, countered with an escape and takedown to go up 7-3. Choosing bottom in the final period, Morrison recorded another escape. He then scored a crucial takedown in an attempt at bonus points (Morrison also owned riding time), but O'Donnell managed an escape as time ticked off the clock. Ian Paddock and Pat Harrington suffered setbacks at 133 and 141 pounds, respectively. Facing No. 4 and reigning NCAA champion Franklin Gomez, Paddock lost 14-2. Filling in for Humphrey, Harrington dropped a 7-2 decision to Dan Osterman. Results: 125 No. 20 Nikko Triggas (OSU) pinned Brenan Lyon (MSU), 6:25 133 No. 4 Franklin Gomez (MSU) mdec. Ian Paddock (OSU), 14-2 141 Dan Osterman (MSU) dec. Pat Harrington (OSU), 7-2 149 No. 2 Lance Palmer (OSU) pinned No. 12 David Cheza (MSU), 4:51 157 Sean Nemec (OSU) dec. Anthony Jones, Jr. (MSU), 6-0 165 No. 6 Colt Sponseller (OSU) dec. Kyle Bounds (MSU), 7-1 174 No. 11 Dave Rella (OSU) dec. Ian Hinton (MSU), 3-1sv 184 No. 7 Mike Pucillo (OSU) dec. Curran Jacobs (MSU), 12-6 197 C.J. Magrum (OSU) dec. Tyler Dickenson (MSU), 3-1 285 Corey Morrison (OSU) dec. Alan O'Donnell (MSU), 11-4

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. -- It's not often that Iowa coach Tom Brands uses the word "fun" to describe a wrestling event, but it's precisely the word he used to describe the top-ranked Hawkeyes' dominating 28-9 victory over No. 5 Minnesota on Sunday night at Williams Arena in Minneapolis. Terry & Tom Brands (Photo/The Guillotine)"This is always a brawl coming up here," said Brands. "J Robinson puts tough teams on the mat and we know we're in for fights. It's rather fun." On paper, the first three weight classes (125, 133, 141) were thought to be critical matches that could go in either direction. If the Gophers were going to pull the upset, it was assumed that they would need to win all three to have a chance. As it turned out, the Hawkeyes won two of three matches to start the dual meet, plus added bonus points in both of those victories. Fourth-ranked Matt McDonough got things rolling for the Hawkeyes with a one-sided 13-2 major decision victory over sixth-ranked Zach Sanders at 125 pounds. The Iowa redshirt freshman picked up two takedowns in the first period to go up 4-1. In the second period, after a quick escape, McDonough added another takedown and secured a deep half nelson, forcing Sanders to his back and nearly getting the pin, but settled for three nearfall points, which put the match out of reach. Three-time All-American and top-ranked Jayson Ness excited the Gopher faithful at 133 pounds with an 8-4 win over No. 3 Daniel Dennis. The Gopher senior captain used a first period takedown and a tilt to quickly go up 4-0, which helped pace him to the victory and cut the dual meet deficit to one. "Ness is in a good place," said Minnesota coach J Robinson. "I think he's doing what he needs to do. He's very, very good at adapting. He's very, very good at learning new stuff. He spent a lot of time over the summer doing certain things ... and as we watched the match, a lot of them paid off." But seventh-ranked Montel Marion helped shift the momentum back to Iowa' s side with a convincing 15-7 victory over sixth-ranked Mike Thorn, avenging a loss from the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals last month. The match was competitive throughout. Marion led 3-2 after the opening period and 7-5 after two periods, but widened the gap in the third period with a reversal, takedown, nearfall points (plus riding time) to pick up the major decision. "I felt like I came out with a lot of confidence and made sure that I was getting on my offense right away," said Marion, who improved to 18-3 with the victory. "I didn't let the last match affect me at all ... because the fact is I knew if I stayed aggressive, if I was aware of all situations, and if I got in on my offense, head up through, like I've been saying all year, then good things are going to happen." Brent Metcalf cruised to a technical fall victory over Mario Mason at 149 pounds (Photo/The Guillotine)At 149 pounds, Iowa's top-ranked Brent Metcalf put on a takedown clinic en route to 24-8 technical fall over No. 16 Mario Mason. The Gopher freshman was completely dominated, but did register a takedown -- a beautiful duckunder -- on Metcalf in the first period. "It was probably me just getting overanxious," said Metcalf of giving up a takedown. "I know he's good in those positions. I was in killer mode you could say. I just wanted to get a hold of him ... rather than being smart ... and rather than being in ties where I'm good. Error on me and good for him because he got to where he wanted. I just have to keep those things tight. I hate giving up points." Metcalf's victory put the Hawkeyes in front 13-3. Second-ranked Dustin Schlatter of Minnesota scored the only takedown of the match in the first period against Jake Kerr to win an uneventful match, 4-1, at 157 pounds heading into intermission. "He spent a year in freestyle and he's kind of used to that ... It's a one or two-takedown game and he kind of holds on there," said Robinson. "But we're trying to get him to open up. He's taken a real leadership role in getting the rest of the guys on the team to do some extra stuff, so I think that will kick in once we get to the Big Ten and national tournament." Jay Borschel picked up a 14-2 major decision over Scott Glasser at 174 pounds (Photo/The Guillotine)After intermission, the Hawkeyes came out with three straight bonus-point victories, which put them in front 25-6. At 165 pounds, fourth-ranked Ryan Morningstar scored a 9-0 shutout victory over Cody Yohn. Second-ranked Jay Borschel hammered No. 8 Scott Glasser, 14-2, at 174 pounds. At 184 pounds, No. 12 Phil Keddy won 9-1 over Kaleb Young. Sonny Yohn stopped the bleeding for Minnesota with a 7-0 victory over Luke Lofthouse at 197 pounds, but it was too little too late. Returning All-American Dan Erekson put the finishing touches on the Iowa's dominating 28-9 victory with a win in sudden victory, 5-3, over Ben Berhow. "You want to develop and you want to get better ... and that's what we did," said Metcalf, who improved to 27-0 with his victory. "We widened the gap and it was good. You work hard to put more points on the board. McDonough comes to mind ... a guy like that. Maybe that should be a close match, but he just blows it out." With the victory, the Hawkeyes improved to 21-0 and extended its school-record consecutive dual meet winning streak to 59. Iowa will conclude its regular season next weekend with Ohio State on Friday and Wisconsin on Friday. The Gophers fall to 11-5 and will conclude its regular season on Friday with a home dual meet against Penn State. "They have to get out there and battle and some of them didn't battle tonight," said Robinson. "They didn't battle. They didn't fight. They stepped back and they took a backset in some of the matches and that can't happen. That's not acceptable here ... and they know it." Results: 125: No. 4 Matt McDonough (Iowa) major dec. No. 6 Zach Sanders (Minnesota), 13-2 133: No. 1 Jayson Ness (Minnesota) dec. No. 3 Daniel Dennis (Iowa), 8-4 141: No. 7 Montell Marion (Iowa) major dec. No. 6 Mike Thorn (Minnesota), 15-7 149: No. 1 Brent Metcalf (Iowa) technical fall No. 16 Mario Mason (Minnesota), 24-8 157: No. 2 Dustin Schlatter (Minnesota) dec. Jake Kerr (Iowa), 4-1 165: No. 4 Ryan Morningstar (Iowa) major dec. Cody Yohn (Minnesota), 9-0 174: No. 2 Jay Borschel (Iowa) major dec. No. 8 Scott Glasser (Minnesota), 14-2 184: No. 12 Phil Keddy (Iowa) major dec. Kaleb Young (Minnesota), 9-1 197: No. 12 Sonny Yohn (Minnesota) dec. Luke Lofthouse (Iowa), 7-0 285: No. 10 Dan Erekson (Iowa) dec. Ben Berhow (Minnesota), 5-3 SV Related Links: Audio Interviews Photo Gallery (The Guillotine)