InterMat Staff

IRVING, Texas -- Iowa State's Andrew Long has been named the Big 12 Wrestler of the Week, it was announced Monday by the Big 12 Conference. This is the first league honor of Long’s career. ISU redshirt freshman 125-pounder Long had an outstanding holiday break. Long was seeded fourth heading into the prestigious Midlands Championships Dec. 29-30 in Evanston, Ill. After advancing due to forfeit in the initial round, the Creston, Iowa, native reeled off three straight pins. After sticking Seth Wright (New Mexico-Highlands) in 3:27 and Matt Steintrager (Central Michigan) in 2:15, Long recorded his third fall over top-seeded Brandon Precin. Long stuck the redshirting Northwestern All-American at the 4:20 mark. The Iowa Stater fell in the tournament finals to Iowa’s Matt McDonough in overtime, 9-7 (SV). The Cyclone followed his Midlands runner-up finish with another impressive victory at Minnesota Jan. 3. Long, ranked 13th according to Intermat, took down No. 3 Zach Sanders of Minnesota by decision, 8-4. Sanders, who placed sixth at last year’s NCAA Championships, had no answer for Long’s continual offensive attack. The Iowa Stater iced the bout with a late third-period takedown. With a 6-4 lead late in the final period, Long went straight at his Gopher opponent for his third takedown of the match to win by decision, 8-4. Long advances his record to 15-2 in his freshman campaign. He holds a 3-1 mark in dual action. This is the second Big 12 weekly honor received by a Cyclone this season. Long's teammate Jake Varner(197) notched league accolades Dec. 21.

With the release of the updated InterMat high school weight class rankings having occurred right after the Christmas holiday, there was much discussion about the relative merit of the new rankings. After a week that included many major tournaments, the "upsets" were plentiful. The saying that "rankings don't decide matches" was never clearer. Evans sparks Blair Academy to title at Bethlehem Holiday Classic In probably the most anticipated match of the first month of the scholastic wrestling season, the 189 pound championship match of the Bethlehem Holiday Wrestling Classic placed career undefeated Andrew Campolattano (Bound Brook, NJ) against Ironman and Beast of the East champion Mike Evans (Blair Academy, NJ). Ranked first in the nation, the junior Campolattano got the match's first takedown. However, the University of Iowa bound Evans responded with a reversal as the first period would end tied at 2-2. Over the course of the next two periods, Evans would be the dominant wrestler and emerge with a 7-2 victory. Still without the services of Austin Ormsbee (135), Evans was one of the six Blair Academy wrestlers -- out of eight in the finals -- to earn a tournament championship. Other Buccaneers on the top step of the podium were Max Hvolbeck (103), Evan Silver (112), Mark Grey (119), Chris Villalonga (145), and Jesse Shanaman (152). Finishing in second place were Todd Preston (130) and Brooks Black (285). That was enough to amass 238-1/2 points. Finishing back in second place was St. Mark's, DE with 172-1/2 points on the strength of four finalists, two of which were champions. Nick Schenk (130) and Bobby Telford (285) won their finals match, Sean Boylan (125) and Matt Buckworth (135) finished second. Sean Dolan (119) finished in third for St. Mark's, losing to Grey in a semifinal match placing nationally ranked wrestlers against one another. Nazareth, PA was the leading local team, finishing in third with 172 points. Zach Horan (125) was the lone Blue Eagle champion, while Franco Ferraina (119) and Ryan Krecker (152) finished as runners-up. Rounding out the weight class champions were Steve Spearman (Erie McDowell, PA) at 135 pounds; Josh Dziewa (Council Rock South, PA) at 140; Patrick LaBuz (Hazleton, PA) at 160; Colin Hedash (Northern Lehigh, PA) at 171; and Spencer Myers (Selinsgrove, PA) at 215. Two other nationally ranked wrestlers suffered upset losses during the course of competition -- Tyler Pendergast (St. Mark's, DE) at 112 pounds and Ben Dorsay (Cox, VA) at 145. Pendergast, ranked ninth in the country, lost a 6-2 decision to 13th ranked Caleb Richardson (Cox, VA) in the semifinals before falling on the short end of a 6-0 result against Devon Lotito (Bethlehem Liberty, PA) in the consolation semifinal. Coming off a championship at Beast of the East, Dorsay -- ranked third nationally -- was upended by Taylor Walsh (Camden Catholic, NJ); Walsh was ranked in the preseason, but after a disappointing Beast of the East fell out of the rankings. Apple Valley tries to establish normalcy at Cheesehead In a tournament with five prominent teams and gobs of ranked wrestlers, there was bound to be fireworks -- and that there were. Apple Valley, MN won its third Cheesehead title in a relatively close team race over defending champion Brandon, FL. Twelve Apple Valley wrestlers made the upper eight-man bracket with seven wrestlers advancing to the championship final as part of a 710-1/2 point effort. Brandon countered with eleven in the top bracket, six in the final, to score 671-1/2 points. Wyoming Seminary, PA had ten in the top bracket, with three finalists, on the way to 585 points. Despite each only having a lone finalist, and no champions; Montini Catholic, IL and Simley, MN finished fourth and fifth respectively with 512-1/2 and 481-1/2 points. Montini had ten in the upper bracket, while Simley had all seven of its upper bracket wrestlers placing inside the top five. Two of the Apple Valley championships came from lower profile wrestlers -- Jordan Kingsley (103) and Devin Scott (140), though Kingsley did defeat No. 15 Kevon Powell (Montini, IL) 3-1 in the semifinal round. On the other hand, Destin McCauley -- ranked second nationally - won the evening's feature final bout at 152 pounds; a 6-5 victory over defending tournament champion Joey Cozart (Brandon, FL), who entered the match ranked fourth in the nation. Steven Keogh (160) also was a weight class champion for the Eagles. On the other side of the ledger, Dakota Trom (119) lost a 3-2 decision to No. 20 Rossi Bruno (Brandon, FL); while Jake Waste (171) lost 6-2 to Noah Budi (Kaukauna, WI) in a battle of nationally ranked wrestlers. Matt Kelliher (125) defeated Jameson Oster (Lockport, IL) 11-6 in a semifinal battle of nationally ranked wrestlers before falling short against the unranked Johnni DiJulius (Walsh Jesuit, OH) 2-1 in the championship match. Joining Bruno as a weight class champion for Brandon, FL was Zach Baldwin (215). Along with Cozart falling short in the final - Clark Glass (145), Mike Ettore (189), and Henry Chirino (285) suffered the same fate. In the 285 pound final, the eighth ranked Chirino lost by fall to top-ranked Mike McMullan (Wyoming Seminary, PA). Clearly the tournament's most chaotic bracket was the one at 135 pounds. Coming off of a Beast of the East championship, and ranked fifth nationally, Simon Kitzis (Wyoming Seminary, PA) lost a 5-4 decision against state runner-up Jake Sueflohn (Arrowhead, WI) in the tournament semifinal. The other semifinal match had the unranked Alex Dieringer (Port Washington, WI) upending state champion Brandon Kingsley (Apple Valley, MN) 4-2; Dieringer was a double Cadet National champion in Fargo, while Kingsley was ranked 17th nationally up at 140 pounds. This year's Cheesehead final was a rematch of last year's third place bout at 125 pounds that Dieringer won by a 20-9 score; however, the story this year was much different, as Sueflohn rose to the top of the podium with a 10-6 victory. In the third place bout, it was Kingsley defeating Kitzis 4-0. Other weight class champions included Dominick Malone (112) of Wyoming Seminary, PA; Nate Skonieczny (130) of Walsh Jesuit, OH; Joey Uccardi (145) of Plainfield Central, IL; and Eric Nelson (189) of Stoughton, WI. Rams anchor way to POWERade title Central Dauphin, PA mustered a three-peat at the POWERade Christmas Wrestling Tournament anchored by a trio of champions in Tyson Dippery (103), Marshall Peppelman (160), and Kenny Courts (171); Kyle Wolfe (215) also helped the cause with a fourth place finish. Peppelman -- the nation's top ranked wrestler at 160 pounds - became only the second four-time champion in event history with a 4-2 victory over No. 10 Eric Hess (Benton, PA). All four of his matches prior to the finals ended in the first period, three pins and a 15-0 technical fall; the combined length of those matches was four minutes and 18 seconds. Despite a disappointing tournament for their two anchor wrestlers, finishing second was Collins Hill, GA with 147 points. Ranked 14th in the country at 125 pounds, TJ Mitchell lost a pair of 3-2 decisions to unranked wrestlers -- Brandon Choate (Blue Mountain, PA) in the quarterfinals and Tanner Hough (Westmont Hilltop, PA) in the consolation quarterfinals -- as part of a seventh place finish. Joel Smith, ranked 10th nationally at 140 pounds, lost by fall in the semifinals to No. 20 Pete Baldwin (Osceola, FL) and a 5-1 decision to unranked Lorenzo Thomas (Pittsburgh Central Catholic, PA) in dropping to fourth place. Other placers for the Eagles were Mac Bennett, fifth at 189 pounds, and CJ Collins, third at 215. Four other teams were within nine points of Collins Hill, led by Christiansburg, VA with 144-1/2 points. The Blue Demons had six place-winners led by Devin Carter, who finished third at 125 pounds. Ranked second in his weight class nationally, Carter was upset by No. 7 Mitchell Port (Bellefonte, PA) 11-4 in the semifinal round. Joey Dance, ranked 18th nationally at 112 finished fourth - losing 5-4 to No. 19 Corey Keener (Blue Mountain, PA) in the quarterfinals, and 6-1 to No. 20 Stephen Myers (Moeller, OH) for third place. A pair of Blue Demon wrestlers also finished seventh and eighth. Connelsville, PA was fourth with 143-1/2 points led by a championship from Nate Gaffney (215), a runner-up finish from Jesse Swink (145), and three other placement finishes (third, fifth, and seventh). Blue Mountain, PA was fifth with 140-1/2 points led by a trio of finalists -- Josh Kindig (140) was the lone champion, while Keener and Tyler Rauenzahn (130) earned second place. The team also had two wrestlers take home sixth place. Finally, Shady Side Academy, PA scored 138-1/2 anchored by a pair of finalists -- Frank Martelotti (130) took home the title with Matt Cunningham (171) in second place -- along with three other placers (third, fourth, and eighth). Most Outstanding Wrestler honors went to freshman Cody Wiercioch (Charleroi, PA), the champion of the 152 pound weight class. Prior to the final, Wiercioch had victories over the fifth, seventh, and third place wrestlers. Of interest was that all three victories came by two points or less; 6-5 over Aaron McKinney (West Allegheny, PA); 3-2 over Rich Eva (Christiansburg, VA); and 2-0 over Travis McKillop (Burrell, PA). In the final, he defeated Pierce Harger (Moeller, OH) -- ranked 18th nationally at 160 -- by a 2-1 score on a late third period reversal. There was a duo of finals matches involving a pair of nationally ranked wrestlers that went to overtime. Nico Megaludis (Franklin Regional, PA) -- ranked second at 119 pounds -- defeated No. 18 Mike Rhone (Benton, PA) 2-1 on an ultimate tiebreaker rideout. At 285 pounds, it was No. 9 Tyler Demott (Benton, PA) defeating No. 5 Karl Green (Mt St. Joseph, MD) 4-2 in the sudden victory period. Other weight class champions included Jimmy Gulibon (112) and Travis Shaffer (135) of Derry Area, PA; Mitchell Port (125) of Bellefonte, PA; Gabriel Bird (145) of Osceola, FL; and Jamie Callender (189) of Council Rock North, PA. Megaludis is on course to become the third 4x tournament champion next year, while Gulibon is halfway home to four titles at the POWERade. Dardanes twins headline "Red" Schmidt Holiday Tournament Chris (135) and Nick (140) Dardanes of Oak Park River Forest, IL were among the 14 weight class champions crowned at the "Red" Schmidt Holiday Tournament hosted by Granite City, IL during this past week. Over seven matches, Chris Dardanes had three pins and three major decisions heading into championship final -- which was a battle of undefeated and nationally-ranked wrestlers. Dardanes -- ranked 13th at 135 -- upended Keith Surber (O'Fallon, IL), who was ranked 14th at 130, by a 5-4 score. His twin brother Nick was dominant during his seven matches of the tournament with four pins and three major decisions. The twins -- along with Sam (171) and Ben (215) Brooks, who finished third and second respectively -- catapulted the Huskies to a second place finish with 499-1/2 points. Winning the tournament title was Neosho, MO with 600 points on the back of four finalists and two other wrestlers that took home third place. Blake Stauffer (171) was the lone champion while Joe Barnes (112), Carter Boatright (125), and Ryne Hatter (140) took home runner-up honors. Three other teams had multiple champions -- Oak Park, MO; Francis Howell Central, MO; and Fort Zumwalt West, MO. Winning titles for Oak Park were Brad Perkins (103) and Cody Brewer (125); Terrel (130) and Brandon (152) Wilbourn were champions for Francis Howell Central; while Fort Zumwalt West had Drake Houdashelt (160) and Isaac LeBlanc (215) winning tiltes. Grizzlies dominate, scratches rule nation's oldest holiday wrestling tournament At the 49th annual Brecksville Holiday Invitational Tournament, it was Wadsworth, OH running rampant over a field that is considered Ohio's toughest in-season tournament other than the Walsh Ironman. Using six finalists -- and a trio of champions in Alfredo Gray (112), Brad Squire (145), and Ben Buzzelli (285) -- the Grizzlies scored 275-1/2 points with eleven total placers. This was despite state placer Caleb Busson (189) not yet able to compete due to injury from football, and Kagan Squire (119) having to scratch out of second day competition due to injury and dropping back to sixth place; Busson is the projected favorite in the big-school division at his weight, while Squire is ranked 19th nationally at his weight. Speaking of injuries, two members of the "Monroeville Four" were unable to compete; fourth-ranked Hunter Stieber (119) sustained an injury prior to the tournament, while top ranked Chris Phillips (171) was still not fully recovered from the injury he sustained in the first round of the Walsh Ironman. Two of the three nationally-ranked wrestlers for St. Ignatius, OH were also impacted by varying ailments. Jerome Robinson (119) -- ranked seventh nationally -- was not cleared to compete; while it was clear that David Habat (152) was not in top condition recovering from the skin condition that forced him to scratch the second day of the Walsh Ironman, as he lost a pair of overtime matches in taking fifth place. Despite no finalists -- and only one finalist -- Chanel, OH took home second place honors with 168-1/2 points. Five Firebird wrestlers competed in the consolation finals, seven placing in all; with three earning third place finishes. Chanel is one of the three major contenders for a small-school title this year in Ohio. George DiCamillo (103) of St. Ignatius; Jake McCombs (125) of Marysville, OH; and Harrison Hightower (152) of University School, OH each won their second tournament title. Logan Stieber (130) and Cam Tessari (140) of Monroeville each won their third title at the event, which means that Tessari remains on pace to become only the third four-time tournament champion next year. DiCamillo is also on schedule for four titles should he replicate his performance over the next two years. Outstanding Wrestler honors went to Ty Mitch of Aurora, OH -- champion of the 119 pound weight class. Ranked fifth nationally, Mitch was absolutely dominant during the course of the tournament with three pins, a major decision, and a technical fall in the championship match. St. Edward fired first with domination at Medina Probably the biggest question in Ohio high school wrestling this year is if St. Edward, OH can win a 14th straight big-school state title. While Wadsworth was dominating at Brecksville, the Eagles did the same at the Medina Invitational Tournament. St. Edward made up for failing to win Medina last year, as they took home their fifth title in six years with 285-1/2 points. Even without top-ranked Jamie Clark (130), seven St. Edward wrestlers made the finals with five taking home championships. Dean Heil (103), Gus Sako (125), Anthony Salupo (145), Nick Sulzer (160), and Greg Kuhar (285) stood atop the podium. Heil defeated Nathan Tomasello (CVCA, OH) by a 3-0 score in the evening's opening final, which was a battle of nationally ranked freshmen. The two other teams with multiple champions finished second and third respectively. Oak Harbor, OH was second with a trio of finalists; Ian Miller (140) and Keith Witt (152) stood on top of the podium for the Rockets, who scored 168-1/2 points. For defending tournament champions Massillon Perry, OH -- Zach Dailey (135) and Anthony Wise (215) were weight class champions to anchor a 150-1/2 team point effort for the Panthers. A pair of wrestlers ranked fourth nationally in their weight class earned the Outstanding Wrestler awards for the tournament. Earning top honors was Josh Demas (Westerville North, OH) -- champion of the 171 pound weight class with two major decisions and three technical falls. One of those major decisions was over returning state placer, and Ironman runner-up, Michael Alexander (Findlay, OH) in the championship final. The second outstanding wrestler award went to Nick Sulzer (St. Edward, OH) -- champion of the 160 pound weight class with two technical falls and three pins during the tournament. Some order at the GMVWA but not totally The feature weight class at the Greater Miami Valley Wrestling Association (GMVWA) Holiday Tournament hosted by Vandalia Butler High School outside of Dayton, OH was 140 pounds, where three defending or former state champions were in the bracket. Felipe Martinez (Graham, OH) was ranked sixth nationally, 2008 state champion Tucker Armstrong (Kenton Ridge, OH) was ranked 12th, while Shawn Fayette (Miamisburg, OH) was just outside the national rankings. The first salvo was in the semifinal round when Armstrong defeated Fayette by a 3-2 score. However, the final round match would also be a 3-2 score -- this time not in Armstrong's favor as Martinez emerged victorious in the match between present and former Graham wrestlers. Graham wrestlers would also be part of the disorder during the course of competition. Ranked 13th nationally at 103 pounds, Ryan Taylor would lose on a defensive fall during the second period of his semifinal bout against eventual champion Nick Garcia (Oregon Clay, OH). In the final at 160 pounds, state champion Kyle Ryan was on the wrong end of a 5-4 decision against state qualifier Charles Mason (Cincinnati Princeton, OH). When all was done, Graham did win the tournament with 376-1/2 points, almost doubling the next best team -- which was Princeton with 187-1/2 points. Along with Martinez, six other Falcon wrestlers won championships -- Nick Brascetta (119), Bo (130) and Isaac (135) Jordan, Matt Stephens (145), Huston Evans (171), and Max Thomusseit (189). Buchanan leads California invasion at Sierra Nevada Classic Buchanan, CA dominated a formidable field of approximately 95 teams at the Sierra Nevada Classic held in the Reno Livestock Event Center scoring 185 points. The squad had three finalists, two others take third place, and one finish seventh in the tournament. The lone champion was Martin Fabbian (171) -- ranked 17th nationally -- and he had to survive an 8-7 battle against sophomore sensation Brandon Griffin (Sprague, OR). Finishing as runners-up were Adrian Rodriguez (112) and Kyle Papendorf (285). Five other wrestlers from the Golden State came home with individual crowns; Aaron Ceballos (130) of McNair, David Ferry (140) of Central Catholic, Kevin Maelfeyt (145) of Trinity, Derrick Hawkins (189) of Santiago, and Peter Aguiano (285) of Franklin. In fact, Maelfeyt had the biggest upset of the finals, mustering a 4-2 decision against 13th ranked Nick Wooden (Spanish Springs, NV). Two schools had multiple champions -- Caldwell, ID and the host school Reno, NV. Winning titles for Caldwell were Martin Meza (119) and Colby Kloetzer (152), while Bo Bettinson (112) and Joey Lavallee (125) were champions for the host squad. Rounding out the weight class champions were Curtis Lampert (103) of Spanish Springs, NV; Nick Schlager (135) of Carson City, NV; Charlie McMartin (160) of Capital, ID; and Brian Chamberlain (215) of Moses Lake, WA. Schlager and Kloetzer earned the Most Oustanding Wrestler awards with wins by fall in the championship final. Schleger had three falls from six matches during the tournament, while Kloetzer had five out of his six victories coming by fall. Teike/Bernabi unkind to Peru wrestlers The two nationally-ranked wrestlers from Peru, NY fell in the finals of the Teike/Bernabi Invitational hosted by Spencerport, NY. Alec Dierna (Wayne, NY) knocked off No. 7 Jacob Goddeau 7-2 in the final at 103 pounds; while Sean McCormick (Johnson City, NY) defeated No. 6 Arik Robinson 3-2 in the final at 112 pounds. Nick Kelley (119) and John Belanger (135) anchored the team title efforts of Shenendehowa, NY with weight class championships, as the squad scored 204 points for the tournament. Finishing as weight class runners-up were Mike Almavia (189) and Cole Lampman (285), while two other wrestlers took home third place honors. The host squad -- Spencerport -- came in second place with 186-1/2 points. Winning their lone title was Joe Inzana (160), while Paul Morabito (145) and Enzo Zargari (215) earned runner-up honors; the host squad also had three wrestlers earn runner-up honors. Despite having sharing the tournament lead with three champions, Wantagh, NY finished in third place as a team with 156 points. Joe Kavanagh (171), Matthew Loew (189), and Tom Hall (215) were weight class champions; however, they only had two other wrestlers in the top four -- one in third and one in fourth. Johnson City, NY also had three champions -- which included McCormick, the tournament's Most Oustanding Wrestler; Lance Moore (285), ranked 15th nationally; and Kyle Halladay (125). However, this team did not have another wrestler finish among the top four.

Nebraska head wrestling coach Mark Manning and Mike Moyer, executive director of the National Wrestling Coaches Association, will go "On the Mat" this Wednesday, January 6. "On the Mat" is a presentation of the Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum. The show can be heard live on the Internet at www.kcnzam.com or locally in Northeast Iowa each Wednesday from 5:05 - 6:00 PM CST on AM 1650, The Fan. E-mail radio@wrestlingmuseum.org with any questions or comments about the show. Manning is the current head wrestling coach at the University of Nebraska. He took his current position in 2000 following a three-year stint as the head coach at the University of Northern Iowa. The Cornhuskers are currently ranked 12th by Intermat. Moyer is the executive director at the National Wrestling Coaches Association. The NWCA will be hosting the National Duals in Cedar Falls, Iowa, on Jan. 9-10. The event features schools from all college wrestling divisions.

NORMAN, Okla. -- The 10th-ranked University of Oklahoma wrestling team (5-0-1) began the New Year by recording its second top 20 victory of the season over No. 16 Cal Poly (3-2) by a 27-13 final Sunday at the Howard McCasland Field House in Norman. It marked the first dual of the season Oklahoma appeared as a top-10 team. OU vaulted up the rankings after a 16-16 tie versus then-No. 3 Oklahoma State on Dec. 1. “Cal Poly is a good team and we knew that coming in,” head coach Jack Spates said. “We knew we had to come to wrestle. One big positive for us is the third period belonged to us. If you look at the third periods in all of our matches, we did most of the scoring. That is a compliment to our training.” Freshman Jarrod Patterson (16-3) put the Sooners on the board first with a 6-1 decision over Micah Ferguson. The Cushing, Okla., product scored takedowns in the first and third period and accumulated over two minutes of riding time to record his second dual win (2-0) of the season. Cal Poly took a 10-3 lead after ninth-ranked Boris Novachkov blanked Greg Cannon at 133 pounds, 9-0, and No. 13 Filip Novachkov pinned No. 4 Zack Bailey of Oklahoma (4:18) at 141 pounds. Fifth-ranked Kyle Terry closed the Mustang lead to 10-7 with a dominate 12-3 major decision win at 149 pounds over Eric Maldonado. Terry posted five takedowns in the victory to push his season record to 12-2. Cal Poly then extended its lead, 13-7, when No. 4 Chase Pami defeated 11th-ranked Shane Vernon by a 4-1 decision at 157 pounds. Pami scored all four points in the final period with an escape and a takedown and was awarded a riding time point. A 10-1 major decision by 17th-ranked 165-pound Sooner Tyler Caldwell (13-5) brought Oklahoma within two team points, 13-11. The Wichita, Kan., product dominated Mustang Steven Vasquez by recording four takedowns and accumulating three minutes 18 seconds of riding time. Jeff James, ranked eighth at 174 pounds, gave Oklahoma its first lead, 14-13, since after the opening bout with a 7-2 decision over Ryan DesRoches. James posted three takedowns in the 174-pound win to improve his season record to 14-2. Erich Schmidtke (12-6) then posted an impressive 16-8 major decision over Kelan Bragg at 184 pounds. The redshirt freshman recorded a match-high eight takedowns in the victory while gathering 2 minutes 13 seconds of riding time to give Oklahoma an 18-13 team lead. Sooner heavyweight Nathan Fernandez (17-4) closed out the afternoon with a 2-0 victory over Jim Powers. A Cal Poly forfeit at 197 pounds gave Eric Lapotsky his 14th victory of the season (14-1) and the Sooners a 24-13 team lead heading into the final bout of the afternoon. Next up, the Sooners will travel to the highly competitive Virginia Duals in Hampton, Va., on Jan. 8. The team will resume its home slate on Jan. 22 when it takes on Big 12 foe Iowa State at 7 p.m. “There will be some great competition at the Virginia Duals with teams like Oklahoma State, Lehigh, Penn State and Edinboro,” Spates said. “We will have to be ready, prepared and tough.” Results: 125: No. 12 Jarrod Patterson (OU) dec. Micah Ferguson (CP), 6-1 133: No. 9 Boris Novachkov (CP) maj. dec. Greg Cannon (OU), 9-0 141: No. 13 Filip Novachkov (CP) fall No. 4 Zack Bailey (OU), 4:18 149: No. 5 Kyle Terry (OU) maj. dec. Eric Maldonado (CP), 12-3 157: No. 4 Chase Pami (CP) dec. No. 11 Shane Vernon (OU), 4-1 165: No. 17 Tyler Caldwell (OU) maj. dec. Travis Rasmussen (CP), 10-1 174: No. 8 Jeff James (OU) dec. Ryan DesRoches (CP), 7-2 184: Eric Schmidtke (OU) maj. dec. Tyler Holt (CP), 16-8 197: No. 4 Eric Lapotsky winner by forfeit HWT: No. 9 Nathan Fernandez (OU) dec. Jim Powers (CP), 2-0

LOCK HAVEN, Pa.; January 4, 2010 - No. 15 Penn State, returning to the mats for the first time in two weeks, made short work of host Lock Haven on its way to a 32-6 victory over the home standing Bald Eagles. The Nittany Lions won eight of ten bouts in front of a near capacity Thomas Field House crowd to coast to the victory. No. 11 Brad Pataky (Clearfield, Pa.) got Penn State off to a fast start with a pin in under a minute at 125. After an LHU victory at 133, Penn State senior Adam Lynch (Mifflinburg, Pa.) got his first career dual meet win at Penn State with a 15-3 major at 141, putting Penn State up 10-3 after three bouts. Penn State's three All-Americans then did their damage in fine fashion. Sophomore Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.), ranked No. 6 at 149, posted an 11-2 major; senior Cyler Sanderson (Heber City, Utah), ranked No. 2 at 157, posted a 24-9 technical fall at 157; and senior Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.), ranked No. 8 at 165, notched an impressive 16-6 major to put Penn State up 23-3 after six bouts. Freshman Justin Ortega (Oxford, Pa.) picked up his third dual meet win, getting a takedown just :10 into a sudden victory period to post a thrilling 8-6 (SV) win over Lock Haven junior Derek Caldwell at 174. Senior David Erwin (Urbana, Ohio), ranked No. 14 at 184, then added a convincing 6-1 win over Lock Haven veteran Jeremie Cook. Sophomore Clay Steadman (McKean, Pa.) got Penn State's final win with a 6-2 decision at 197 as sophomore Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio) was upset 6-1 by LHU's Daniel Craig at heavyweight. The Nittany Lions dominated the takedown war, posting a 36-4 edge in takedowns. Penn State also collected eight bonus points to none for Lock Haven. The Nittany Lions got a pin, a technical fall and three majors in front of nearly 2,000 fans. Penn State moves to 6-1-1 on the year while Lock Haven fell to 0-3. The Nittany Lions will trek to Hampton, Va., for the 2010 Virginia Duals next weekend. Penn State will take part in the two day dual meet tournament on Friday and?Saturday, Jan. 8-9, at the Hampton Coliseum. Penn State's next home dual is set for Jan. 22 when it hosts Illinois at 7 p.m. in Rec Hall. Single event tickets will cost $8 for adults and $6 for youth. Group sales are available once again for groups of 15 people or more. Group prices are $4 in advance and $5 walk-up. Fans can purchase tickets by calling 1.800.NITTANY between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays. All Penn State events will once again air live on Forever Broadcasting's WRSC?(1390 AM) or 3WZ (95.3 FM) and on www.GoPSUsports.com as well. The 2009-10 Penn State Wrestling season is presented by The Family Clothesline. Results: 125: #11 Brad Pataky PSU pinned George Ester LHU, WBF (0:50) 6-0 133: John Trumbetti LHU dec. Bryan Pearsall PSU, 7-4 6-3 141: Adam Lynch PSU maj. dec. Justin Loudon LHU, 15-3 10-3 149: #6 Frank Molinaro PSU maj. dec. Brock Parker LHU, 11-2 14-3 157: #2 Cyler Sanderson PSU tech. fall Seth Creasy LHU, 24-9 (TF; 6:11) 19-3 165: #8 Dan Vallimont PSU maj. dec. Kevin Dufresne LHU, 16-6 23-3 174: Justin Ortega PSU dec. Derek Caldwell LHU, 8-6 (SV) 26-3 184: #14 David Erwin PSU dec. Jeremie Cook LHU, 6-1 29-3 197: Clay Steadman PSU dec. Harry Turner LHU, 6-2 32-3 285: Dan Craig LHU dec. #12 Cameron Wade PSU, 6-1 32-6 BOUT-BY-BOUT: 125: Junior Brad Pataky (Clearfield, Pa.), ranked No. 11 at 125, took on Lock Haven's George Ester. Pataky wasted no time in gaining control of Ester with a front headlock, but Ester was able to fight off the first move before giving up the pin on a cement mixer at the 0:50 mark. Pataky's quick pin put Penn State up 6-0 early. 133: Freshman Bryan Pearsall (Lititz, Pa.) met Lock Haven's John Trumbetti at 133. Trumbetti got the first takedown at 133 just over ten seconds in to take an early 2-0 lead. Trumbetti then put together a strong ride, controlling Pearsall for the entire period to lead by two (with 2:50 in riding time). Trumbetti chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 3-0 lead. Trumbetti added a second takedown at the :42 mark to up his lead to 5-0 (with a guaranteed riding time bonus point) after two periods. Trailing by essentially six, Pearsall chose neutral to start the final stanza. Pearsall quickly scored on a fast double leg to cut the lead to 5-2. Trumbetti escaped to a 6-2 lead with :45 left in the bout. Pearsall added another takedown with :15 left but Trumbetti would hold on for a 7-4 win, cutting Penn State's lead to 6-3. 141: Nittany Lion senior Adam Lynch (Mifflinburg, Pa.) faced off against Bald Eagle Justin Loudon at 141. Lynch took an early lead, turning a single leg into a takedown at the 2:20 mark. The Lion senior then put together a strong ride, building up over a minute's worth of riding time while to turn Loudon for back points. Lynch worked on a cradle, but Loudon was able to work out of trouble for an escape with :30 left. Lynch, however, quickly turned into the Bald Eagle and turned another single leg into a 4-1 lead off a solid takedown. With just :07 left, Lynch locked in on a cradle and turned Loudon to his back for two near fall points and a 6-1 lead after one period. Loudon chose neutral to start the second stanza, but Lynch used a solid shoulder throw to force Loudon down for another takedown and an 8-1. Lynch then dominated Loudon on top, riding the Bald Eagle out to carry the 8-1 lead with 3:36 in riding time (guaranteeing the bonus point) into the third period. Lynch also chose neutral and upped his lead to 10-2 with a quick takedown and cut. Looking for more bonus points, Lynch got his fifth takedown to up his lead to 12-3 at the 1:00 mark. The Nittany Lion continued to pressure Loudon for the remainder of the period and used a high crotch for one more takedown and a 15-3 major decision. The win put Penn State up 10-3. The win was Lynch's first dual meet victory as a Nittany Lion. 149: All-American Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.), ranked No. 6 at 149, met Lock Haven sophomore Brock Parker. Molinaro and Parker battled through an uneventful first period, with neither wrestler finding an opening in which to walk through for a takedown until Molinaro exploded into a high double to get the first takedown with :20 left. A short ride out allowed the Nittany Lion to carry that slim 2-0 lead into the second period. Parker chose down to begin the middle stanza, but Molinaro was able to maintain control of the Bald Eagle and work his way into a turning combination. The Lion sophomore turned the Bald Eagle for three near fall points with just :10 left to lead 5-0 with 2:20 in riding time after two periods. Molinaro chose down and quickly exploded out to a 6-0 lead with a quick escape. Molinaro used a single leg, driving through for an 8-1 lead after cutting Parker loose with 1:10 left in the third period. With the riding time assured, Molinaro added another takedown with :58 left to up his lead to 10-1. Molinaro cut Parker loose with :18 left and nearly added a final takedown. But Parker was able to flee the mat as time expired. Still, the 11-2 major by Molinaro gave the Lions a 14-3 lead. 157: All-American Cyler Sanderson (Heber City, Utah), ranked No. 2 at 157, took on Bald Eagle Seth Creasy. Sanderson began a demolition of Creasy with a takedown/cut at the 2:30 mark and another with 2:08 to lead 4-2 early. A third takedown at the 1:15 mark gave the Lion senior a 6-3 lead. Sanderson added another takedown and cut with an ankle pick at the :40 mark. A counter of a Creasy shot gave the Nittany Lion a fifth takedown and a 10-4 lead with 1:17 in riding time after one period. Sanderson chose down to begin the middle stanza and quickly reversed Creasy to up his lead to 12-4. A two-on-one tilt gave added two back points and put the Lion up 14-5 after cutting Creasy loose. Another ankle pick led to a sixth takedown and a 16-6 lead after a Creasy escape. Sanderson added one more takedown to lead 18-6 after two periods (with 2:27 in riding time). Creasy chose down to begin the final period. Sanderson secured the bonus point before cutting Creasy loose to an 18-7 lead. Sanderson added two quick takedowns to up his lead to 22-9 and then got the final takedown at the 6:11 mark to post the 24-9 technical fall. The five points put PSU up 19-3. 165: All-American Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.), ranked No. 8 at 165, met Bald Eagle Kevin Dufresne. Vallimont got his first takedown at the 2:12 mark, taking a 2-0 lead with a single leg turned high double for the score. Dufresne escaped at the 1:10 mark, only to have Vallimont turn into the Bald Eagle and up his lead to 4-1 with a takedown just eight seconds later. Dufresne escaped once more trailed only 4-2 after one period. The Bald Eagle chose down to start the second period and escaped to a 4-3 deficit, but Vallimont quickly upped his lead to 6-3 with another takedown at the 1:00 mark. The Nittany Lion then put together a strong ride, amassing 2:50 in riding time with a ride out to lead 6-3 heading into the final period. Vallimont chose down to start the third and quickly escaped to a 7-3 lead with an assured bonus point. Vallimont used a quick single leg for a fourth takedown and a 9-4 lead after cutting Dufresne loose with 1:29 left. A fifth takedown and cut gave Vallimont an 11-5 lead with :58 remaining in the bout. Looking for bonus points, Vallimont secured the major with two quick takedowns at the :30 mark. The 16-6 major put Penn State up 23-3. 174: Nittany Lion freshman Justin Ortega (Oxford, Pa.) took on Haven junior Derek Caldwell at 174. Caldwell got the bout's first takedown, taking a 4-0 lead by adding two back points less than :30 into the opening period. Ortega escaped to a 4-1 deficit and action returned to the center circle. Ortega fought off two solid Caldwell shots as the period ended to keep the bout close, trailing 4-1 after one period. The Nittany Lion freshman chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 4-2 deficit. Ortega deftly tied the bout with a quick single leg trip as the period ended, tying action at 4-4 heading into the final period. Caldwell chose down to start the final period and quickly escaped to a 5-4 lead. But Ortega was relentless with his pressure, consistently forcing Caldwell back towards the edge of the mat. The hard work paid off as Ortega countered a Caldwell shot to take a 6-5 lead with :50 left in the bout. The Lion freshman then rode Caldwell hard but the Bald Eagle rolled to a takedown with just :03 left to tie the bout and send action into overtime tied 6-6. Ortega then worked his way around Caldwell just :10 into the sudden victory period to post a thrilling 8-6 (sv) win and put Penn State up 26-3. 184: Senior David Erwin (Urbana, Ohio), ranked No. 14 at 184, met talented Lock Haven junior Jeremie Cook. Erwin battled the veteran Bald Eagle evenly for most of the opening period and then took a 2-0 lead with a late takedown at the :14 mark. Cook chose down to start the second period, only to get ridden by the senior Lion for the entire period. The dominating ride allowed Erwin to lead 2-0 with 2:14 in riding time heading into the final period. Erwin chose down to start the third stanza and quickly escaped to a 3-0 lead. A high double leg by Erwin put the Nittany Lion up 5-0 with 1:25 left before cutting the Bald Eagle loose after securing the riding time point. Erwin got in on a low single with :30 left, but Cook forced a stalemate and a reset with :16 left. Erwin walked away with an impressive 6-1 win, putting Penn State up 29-3. 197: Nittany Lion sophomore Clay Steadman (McKean, Pa.) took on Lock Haven's Harry Turner at 197. Neither wrestler found a solid opening in an uneventful first period, leading to a scoreless first period. Turner chose down to start the period and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead, but Steadman countered a slight Turner shot, worked his way around behind the Bald Eagle to lead 2-1 with 1:36 left. But Steadman was called for an illegal hold and the bout was tied 2-2 with Steadman still in control. The Nittany Lion sophomore then maintained control of Turner, building up a 1:36 riding time edge with a ride-out. Tied 2-2, Steadman chose down to start the final period and steadily worked his way to a 3-2 lead with an escape (while maintaining a 1:15 time edge). Steadman countered a late Turner shot to ice the bout with a late takedown to post a 6-2 win and put the Nittany Lions up 32-3. HWT: Sophomore Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio), ranked No. 12 at HWT, met LHU's Dan Craig. Wade got in on an early single leg, but the Bald Eagle countered to stun Wade with a quick takedown and two near fall points to lead 4-0 a minute into the bout. Craig then put together a very strong ride, maintaining control of the Nittany Lion sophomore until the :28 mark before Wade escaped. Trailing 4-1, Wade chose down to start the second period, but could not break free of another strong Craig ride. The two minute ride gave Craig a 4-1 lead with an assured bonus point heading into the final period. Craig chose down to start the last period, giving Wade a chance to turn the Bald Eagle for back points. But Craig was equal to the task, forcing an illegal hold on Wade and nearly reversing the Nittany Lion. Craig posted a strong 6-1 upset win over Wade, but the Nittany Lions posted the 32-6 dual meet win.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The third-ranked Ohio State wrestling team began its preparation for the NWCA National Duals next weekend by wrestling three times Sunday and its groundwork had positive results. The Buckeyes (8-0) posted a 3-0 record on the day, first beating Hofstra, 32-6, in Hempstead, N.Y., before shutting out George Mason, 46-0, and Columbia, 37-0, in New York, N.Y. In all, Ohio State recorded six major decisions, four technical falls and three pins to earn 23 bonus points. So far this season, the Buckeyes have amassed 82 bonus points in dual action. Additionally, Ohio State has outscored its opponents, 301-39. Senior tri-captain Lance Palmer, a Columbia Station, Ohio, native had an exceptional afternoon, recording a pair of major decisions and a fall at 149 pounds. Fellow team captain and No. 1-ranked Reece Humphrey (Indianapolis, Ind.) stayed perfect on the season as he collected wins No. 16, 17 and 18. No. 3 Ohio State 32, Hofstra 6 125 - Nikko Triggas win by forfeit 133 - Ian Paddock win by medical forfeit over Jamie Franco (Hofstra) at 5:40 141 - No. 1 Reece Humphrey mdec. Luke Vaith (Hofstra), 18-7 149 - No. 4 Lance Palmer mdec. Tyler Banks (Hofstra), 12-4 157 - No. 19 Jonny Bonilla-Bowman (Hofstra) dec. Sean Nemec, 18-11 165 - No. 7 Colt Sponseller dec. No. 16 P.J. Gillespie (Hofstra), 4-0 174 - Dave Rella dec. No. 10 Ryan Patrovich (Hofstra), 3-2 184 - No. 20 Ben Clymer (Hofstra) dec. T.C. Pendleton, 4-3 197 - Cody Magrum dec. Anthony Tortora (Hofstra), 6-1 285 - Corey Morrison dec. Paul Snyder (Hofstra), 10-3 Major decisions, coupled with two Hofstra forfeits, helped Ohio State jump out to a 20-0 lead after the first four matches. Following a Pride forfeit at 125 pounds, freshman Ian Paddock was afforded the win at 133 pounds when Hofstra's Jamie Franco was forced to medical forfeit at the 5:40 mark. With Ohio State up 12-0, Humphrey downed Luke Vaith, 18-7. Palmer followed his teammate's performance with a major decision of his own, beating Tyler Banks, 12-4. Hofstra avoided the shutout as No. 19 Jonny Bonilla-Bowman handed sophomore Sean Nemec an 18-11 loss at 157 pounds. However, the Buckeyes would score back-to-back decisions at 165 and 174 pounds, respectively. No. 7 Colt Sponseller shut out No. 16 P.J. Gillespie, 4-0, before senior Dave Rella recorded the upset of the match and possibly the day against 10th-ranked Ryan Patrovich. With both wrestlers knotted up at 2-all entering the third period, Rella recorded an escape in the final frame and held on for the 3-2 victory. Wrestling at 184 pounds in place of No. 9 Mike Pucillo, sophomore T.C. Pendleton nearly upset No. 20 Ben Clymer, but a late escape in the third period by Clymer pushed him to the 4-3 win. Consecutive decisions by sophomore Cody Magrum (197) and senior Corey Morrison (285) wrapped up an impressive outing for Ohio State as both Buckeye wrestlers scored decisions. Magrum downed Anthony Tortora, 6-1, before Morrison defeated Paul Snyder, 10-3. No. 3 Ohio State 46, George Mason 0 125 - Nikko Triggas tech. fall Brian Wright (George Mason), 16-0 (3:00) 133 - Ian Paddock tech. fall Zachory Huxford (George Mason), 16-1 141 - No. 1 Reece Humphrey wins by forfeit Shohei Takagi (George Mason) 149 - No. 4 Lance Palmer pinned Brandon Bucher (George Mason), 1:59 157 - Sean Nemec dec. Ty Knapp (George Mason), 12-6 165 - No. 7 Colt Sponseller mdec. Frankie McLaughlin (George Mason), 12-3 174 - Dave Rella dec. Mendbagana Tovuujav (George Mason), 3-1 (SV) 184 - T.C. Pendleton mdec. Jimmy Webb (George Mason), 12-4 197 - Cody Magrum mdec. Bill Widener (George Mason), 11-2 285 - Corey Morrison pinned Dave Speaker (George Mason), 1:07 Seven of the 10 Buckeye wins against George Mason were backed by either major decisions, technical falls or pins. After not having to wrestle against Hofstra, 125-pounder Nikko Triggas started his day with a 16-0 technical fall over Brian Wright at the 3-minute mark. Paddock had little trouble with Zachory Huxford at 133 pounds as the Buckeye, who has a 13-4 season ledger, secured a 16-2 victory. Humphrey was given a breather in the second of three Ohio State duals Sunday afternoon since the Patriots Shohei Takagi forfeited the 141-pound match. Up next at 149 pounds, Palmer pinned Brandon Bucher in 1:59. At 157 pounds, Nemec rebounded nicely from his early setback and downed Ty Knapp, 12-6. Sponseller earned his 13th victory of the season (he now is 14-2 overall) at 165 pounds courtesy of a 12-3 major decision over Frankie McLaughlin. Following his impressive upset against No. 10 Ryan Patrovich in Hempstead, Rella still had momentum on his side, as he escaped with a 3-1 sudden victory decision vs. Mendbagana Tovuujav. Two major decisions by Pendleton and Magrum at 184 and 197 pounds, respectively, gave Ohio State a 40-0 lead. Pendleton major decisioned Jimmy Webb, 12-4, and Magrum scored an 11-2 win over Bill Widener. Morrison concluded the dual in resounding fashion, pinning Dave Speaker in 1:07. Columbia 0, No. 3 Ohio State 37 125 - Nikko Triggas tech. fall Kyle Gilchrist (Columbia), 17-0 (4:23) 133 - Ian Paddock pinned Robert Dyar (Columbia), 1:11 141 - No. 1 Reece Humphrey tech. fall Jake O'Hara (Columbia), 25-10 (6:45) 149 - No. 4 Lance Palmer mdec. Steve Santos (Columbia), 20-6 157 - Sean Nemec dec. Matt Dunn (Columbia), 4-2 165 - No. 7 Colt Sponseller dec. Eren Civan (Columbia), 5-2 174 - Dave Rella dec. Stephen West (Columbia), 9-3 184 - T.C. Pendleton dec. Cary Aldrich (Columbia), 5-2 197 - Cody Magrum dec. Lou Miller (Columbia), 3-1 285 - Corey Morrison dec. Kevin Lester (Columbia), 10-4 It was another shutout for the Buckeyes, this time against host Columbia. Although, Ohio State did not amass nearly as many bonus points against the Lions, the Scarlet and Gray still managed to earn a pair of technical falls, a major decision and a fall in the victory. All four bonus point wins were recorded during the first four bouts of the match, beginning with Triggas' (18-9) 17-0 technical fall in 4:23 over Kyle Gilchrist. Paddock put six points on the board following his 1:11 pin of Robert Dyar. Humphrey, who began the day leading the team with two technical falls, earned his third of the season when he beat Jake O'Hara, 25-10, in 6:45. Palmer moved to 13-1 on the season after finishing the day with a 20-6 major decision over Steve Santos. The Buckeyes scored decisions in the remaining six bouts beginning with Nemec's 4-2 decision over Matt Dunn. Nemec improves to 12-4 on the season. A 5-2 finish by Sponseller vs. Eren Civan followed at 165 pounds, as did a 9-3 decision by Rella against Stephen West. Rella is now 13-4 this season. Pendleton also registered a 5-2 win over the Lions' Cary Aldrich. Magrum escaped with a 3-1 victory at 197 pounds to move to 11-5 overall, before Morrison finished the busy Buckeye day with a 10-4 win over Kevin Lester to improve to 11-6 in 2009-10. Up next, Ohio State will compete in the annual NWCA National Duals Jan. 9-10 in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

MINNEAPOLIS -- Winning all 10 matches, including seven by bonus-point margins, the Augsburg College wrestling team dominated in a 42-0 victory over the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire in a dual meet on Sunday afternoon at Augsburg's Si Melby Hall. Augsburg (3-0 in dual meets), the No. 2-ranked team in the latest National Wrestling Coaches Association Division III national rankings, claimed three major decisions, a pin an a technical fall in its first five bouts to build a 23-0 lead, then had two more technical falls among its final five victories over Wisconsin-Eau Claire (0-11 in dual meets). Against opponents from Divisions II and III since the 1989-90 season, Augsburg is now 241-21. Augsburg has lost just 16 matches against non-Division I opponents since the 1995-96 season. Against strictly Division III opponents, Augsburg is 243-23 since the 1979-80 season and 167-13 since the 1989-90 season. Brandon Bahr (SO, Bemidji, Minn.) claimed the lone pin of the day for the Auggies, a 2:45 match-ender over the Blugolds' Keith Dawson (SO, Neillsville, WIs.) at 174 pounds. Three Auggies scored technical falls -- a second-period 16-1 win by Paul Bjorkstrand (SR, Burnsville, Minn.) at 133 pounds, and third-period 16-0 wins by Brad Baus (SO, Mukwonago, Wis.) at 197 and Josh Roberts (SO, Grand Forks, N.D./Central HS) at 125. Bjorkstrand improved to 15-4 on the season with a dominating effort, using three takedowns and three 3-point near-falls to secure the early ending to his bout. Roberts also had three takedowns and three 3-point near-falls in his victory, while Baus collected four 3-point near-falls in his win. Top-ranked 157-pounder Jason Adams (SR, Coon Rapids, Minn.) opened the match with a 10-2, major-decision win over Jon Ames (SR, Genoa, WIs./Viroqua, Wis.), improving to 19-2 on the season. Augsburg's two other ranked wrestlers competing on Sunday also scored wins -- with No. 4-ranked heavyweight Andy Witzel (SR, Fulda, Minn.) scoring a 2-0 decision over Joe Pitsch (SO, Oshkosh, Wis./North HS) and No. 3-ranked 149-pounder Tony Valek (SO, Belle Plaine, Minn./Scott West) closing the match with an 8-2 triumph over Andy Johnson (SR, St. Cloud, Minn./Tech HS). Beau Hansen (JR, Albert Lea, Minn.) scored an 11-2, major-decision win at 165, while Caleb Lines (FY, Jackson, Minn./Jackson County Central HS) claimed three takedowns, a reversal, two near-falls and 4:23 of riding time en route to a 14-1, major-decision win at 184. Jake Saatzer (JR, Mound, Minn./Mound-Westonka HS) also claimed a win for the Auggies, an 8-4 triumph at 141. Augsburg is in competition this coming Saturday and Sunday (1/9-10) at the National Wrestling Coaches Association Division III National Duals in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Augsburg is the defending NWCA Division III National Duals champions, having won the event four times in its eight-year history. Wisconsin-Eau Claire hosts St. Olaf and Itasca Community College next Saturday at 1 p.m. No. 2 Augsburg (Minn., 3-0) 42, Wisconsin-Eau Claire (0-11) 0 Sunday, January 3, 2010 – Si Melby Hall, Minneapolis, Minn. Action begins at 157 pounds. Time of match: 1:23. Attendance: 94. Official: Mike Roff. 157 -- No. 1 Jason Adams (AUG, 19-2) maj. dec. Jon Ames (UWEC, 2-12) 10-2 (Augsburg 4-0). 165 – Beau Hansen (AUG, 6-4) maj. dec. Levi Polus (UWEC, 2-10) 11-2 (Augsburg 8-0). 174 – Brandon Bahr (AUG, 8-8) pinned Keith Dawson (UWEC, 3-8) 2:45 (Augsburg 14-0). 184 – Caleb Lines (AUG, 10-8) maj. dec. Will Christ (UWEC, 3-11) 14-1 (Augsburg 18-0). 197 – Brad Baus (AUG, 10-5) tech. fall Andy Meyer (UWEC, 0-11) 16-0 at 5:46 (Augsburg 23-0). HWT – No. 4 Andy Witzel (AUG, 12-3) dec. Joe Pitsch (UWEC, 1-7) 2-0 (Augsburg 26-0). 125 – Josh Roberts (AUG, 6-3) tech. fall J.T. Bernstein (UWEC, 1-12) 16-0 at 5:34 (Augsburg 31-0). 133 – Paul Bjorkstrand (AUG, 15-4) tech. fall Brian Reier (UWEC, 0-1) 16-1 at 4:47 (Augsburg 36-0). 141 – Jake Saatzer (AUG, 8-3) dec. Zach Weisenberger (UWEC, 0-6) 8-4 (Augsburg 39-0). 149 – No. 3 Tony Valek (AUG, 19-4) dec. Andy Johnston (UWEC, 7-5) 8-2 (Augsburg 42-0).

Lincoln -- Behind seven bonus-point victories and two pins from senior Craig Brester, the 12th-ranked Nebraska wrestling team (8-3) extended its winning streak to three with a pair of victories over North Dakota State (33-9) and North Carolina State (31-10) Sunday afternoon at the NU Coliseum. Seven Huskers dominated in their first competition of the New Year by individually winning both matches on the day, with Nebraska claiming seven bouts against the Bison and eight versus the Wolfpack. At 17-0, Brester remained perfect in his senior season as he pinned North Dakota State's Drew Ross and North Carolina State's Andrew Tumlin. The Howells, Neb., native needed only 41 seconds to defeat Ross and just 1 minute, 19 seconds to down Tumlin. With nine falls in 2009-10, Brester is four pins away from reaching the school's single-season all-time top-10 chart. Lane followed Brester's example against North Dakota State, registering his second pin of the season in 1 minute, 3 seconds against Joe Arthur to wrap up the 33-9 team win. The Huskers led just 13-9 through six matches, but 174-pound senior Stephen Dwyer created separation with his technical fall victory over Mac Stoll (18-1), followed by redshirt freshman Josh Ihnen's 6-0 win at 184 pounds against Kenny Moenkedick. Dwyer was also responsible for spurting NU in its second dual of the day, as his pin of North Carolina State's Quinton Godley (3:59) gave the Huskers a 19-10 lead with three matches remaining. Ihnen, Brester and Lane all claimed victories again to give the Huskers their eighth dual victory of the season. Nebraska was just as dominant in the light weight classes, with freshman David Klingsheim, freshman C.J. Napier and junior Mike Koehnlein all winning both matches. On paper, Koehnlein delivered the biggest upset of the day, defeating North Dakota State's Ryan Adams (14-7), who entered Sunday with a 16-2 record. Redshirt freshman Tyler Koehn also stepped in at 157 pounds to claim a 2-0 victory over North Carolina State's Colton Palmer. The Huskers return to the road next weekend as it travels to the tradition-rich NWCA National Duals in Cedar Falls Iowa Jan. 8-9. Last year, Nebraska defeated Northwestern and Penn State, but fell to Iowa and Iowa State at the UNI Dome. No. 12 Nebraska 33, North Dakota State 9 125-David Klingsheim (NU) wins by decision over Justin Solberg (NDSU), 10-5 (NU 3, NDSU 0) 133-C.J. Napier (NU) wins by forfeit (NU 9, NDSU 0) 141-Mike Koehnlein (NU) wins by major decision over Ryan Adams (NDSU), 13-2 (NU 13, NDSU 0) 149-Andrey Patselov (NDSU) wins by decision over Chris Hacker (NU), 10-8 (NU 13, NDSU 3) 157-Vince Salminen (NDSU) wins by decision over Tyler Koehn (NU), 6-1 (NU 13, NDSU 6) 165-Tyler Johnson (NDSU) wins by decision over Alex Ward (NU), 6-5 (NU 13, NDSU 9) 174- Stephen Dwyer (NU) wins by technical fall over Mac Stoll (NDSU), 18-1 (NU 18, NDSU 9) 184-Josh Ihnen (NU) wins by decision over Kenny Moenkedick (NDSU), 6-0 (NU 21, NDSU 9) 197-#2 Craig Brester (NU) wins by fall over Drew Ross, 0:41 (NU 27, NDSU 9) HWT-#12 Tucker Lane (NU) wins by fall over Joe Arthur (NDSU), 1:03 (NU 33, NDSU 9) No. 12 Nebraska 31, North Carolina State 10 125-David Klingsheim (NU) wins by decision over Mike Moreno (NCSU), 10-5 (NU 3, NCSU 0) 133-C.J. Napier (NU) wins by major decision over Scott Norris (NCSU), 11-2 (NU 7, NCSU 0) 141-Mike Koehnlein (NU) wins by decision over Dale Shull (NCSU), 14-7 (NU 10, NCSU 0) 149-Bobby Ward (NCSU) wins by major decision over Chris Hacker (NU), 14-4 (NU 10, NCSU 4) 157-Tyler Koehn (NU) wins by decision over Colton Palmer (NCSU), 2-0 (NU 13, NCSU 4) 165-Ray Ward (NCSU) wins by fall over James Nakashima (NU), 2:02 (NU 13, NCSU 10) 174-#3 Stephen Dywer (NU) wins by fall over Quinton Godley (NCSU), 3:59 (NU 19, NCSU 10) 184-Josh Ihnen (NU) wins by decision over Jonathan Becker (NCSU), 2-0 (NU 22, NCSU 10) 197-#2 Craig Brester wins by fall over Andrew Tumlin (NCSU), 1:19 (NU 28, NCSU 10) HWT-#13 Tucker Lane wins by decision over Eloheim Palma (NCSU), 6-2 (NU 31, NCSU 10)

NORFOLK, Va. -- The 24th ranked Old Dominion wrestling team put forth an impressive performance in their home opener Sunday, topping Purdue, Rider and UNC Greensboro in a quad meet at the Ted Constant Convocation Center. Junior James Nicholson, ranked No. 4 nationally, won all three of his bouts, including two by technical fall and one by pin. Senior Chris Brown, ranked No. 10, also swept his trio of matchups, picking up a technical fall and a major decision in the process. The Monarchs (3-1, 1-0 CAA) upended Purdue, which is receiving votes in the latest national polls, 17-14 in the closest match of the day. Redshirt freshman Grant Chapman won the clinching match at the heavyweight spot to give ODU the victory. Old Dominion also topped UNC Greensboro, 36-7 and CAA foe Rider, 19-15. In the opening match of the day, Old Dominion rolled past UNC Greensboro. The Monarchs won the first seven bouts and eight overall. James Nicholson and redshirt freshman Brennan Brumley each registered falls in the opening round, while freshman Justin LaValle and Brown picked up technical fall victories. A win by senior Eric Decker at 174-pounds would put ODU up 33-0. The Spartans would win two of the final three matches. Rider topped Purdue 25-10 in the other 11 a.m. match. In the most thrilling match of the day, the Monarchs and Boilermakers battled until the last bout. Brothers James and John Nicholson each won their matchups to give ODU an early 8-6 lead. Consecutive wins by Brown and freshman Joey Sheridan gave the Monarchs a 14-6 cushion. Purdue would fight back though, winning three straight decisions to make the heavyweight bout between Chapman and Adam Walls the deciding matchup. The final bout was a thriller as it went all the way to a tiebreaker, where Chapman pulled through with a 3-2 win to give the Monarchs their second consecutive win over the Boilermakers. Rider bested UNC Greensboro 38-9 to pit the only two undefeated teams against each other in the last match. The Monarchs once again used a critical James Nicholson win to take an early lead. Rider would win three of the next four matches though to grab a 9-8 lead. Brown would stop the Broncs momentum as he used a flurry of third round takedowns to get a major decision win over Rob Morrison at 165-pounds. Decker and sophomore Joe Budi also won their matches to put the Monarchs up 19-9 with two bouts remaining. At 197-pounds a pair of nationally ranked wrestlers met as No. 19 Tyler Smith of Rider topped No. 13 Jesse Strawn, 7-4. Rider also grabbed a win with No. 17 Ed Bordan in the heavyweight bout, but they could not amount enough points to surpass conference rival Old Dominion. Purdue picked up its first win of the day by topping UNC Greensboro 30-9 in the other 3 p.m. match. The Monarchs will next be in action at the Virginia Duals in Hampton, Va. The two-day event will begin on January 8th at the Hampton Coliseum.

TEMPE -- With seven individual wins, including two that produced bonus points, the No. 22 Arizona State University wrestling team opened the second half of its season with a 25-13 road victory over the host Roadrunners of CS Bakersfield inside the Icardo Center in Bakersfield, Calif., on Sunday afternoon in a Pac-10 dual. The victory kept the Sun Devils perfect in the conference at 3-0 and improved them to 4-2 overall on the season while the Roadrunners slipped to 0-3 on the year with a 0-2 record in the Pac-10. The dual opened at 184 pounds with Jake Meredith taking a 5-1 victory over Mike Larson to stake the visitors to an early 3-0 team lead. Larson carried a 1-0 lead through two periods before Meredith started the third period down and reversed Larson for a 2-1 lead. Meredith added a two-point near fall and one more point for riding time to take the win. At 197 pounds, rookie Anthony Pike was trailing 8-3 in the second period before Riley Orozco pinned him at 4:55 to put the hosts in front, 6-3. But, that lead for the Roadrunners was short-lived as No. 15 Erik Nye knocked off the top-ranked heavyweight in the Pac-10 rankings, No. 16 Mitch Monteiro, with a 5-3 decision to tie the team score at 6-6. With the match scoreless through one, Monteiro chose down to open the second and escaped for a 1-0 lead before Nye made it 2-1 with a takedown. After Monteiro escaped, the match was tied at 2-2 heading into the third where Nye escaped and then took down Monteiro for a 5-2 lead. The CSUB big man escaped with 1:03 remaining, but no more scoring was to be had as Nye took the decision. From there, the Sun Devils piled on 10 points to take the lead for good as the light weights took to the mats. First up, No. 3 Anthony Robles used four takedowns and one three-point near fall to easily score a 13-1 major decision over Frank Lomas to win the 125-pound match and give ASU a 10-6 lead. Then, Ben Ashmore made it 16-6 after the 133-pound match as he scored a takedown 15 seconds into the match before working for the fall and getting it as he stuck Tyler Iwamura in 1:21. CSUB cut the lead to 16-10 after 141 pounds as No. 12 Elijah Nacita scored a major decision over ASU’s No. 11 Chris Drouin, 13-5, but the Sun Devils rebounded with two wins in a row as Vicente Varela and Michael Swigart won at 149 and 157, respectively, to make it 22-10 ASU. First up, Varela used three takedowns, one reversal and one three-point near fall to take a 12-5 decision over John Cardenas. Then, Swigart won a close match as he took a 2-0 lead into the second period before Andrew Balch escaped to open the period and then took down Swigart with one second remaining in the stanza. Trailing, 3-2, Swigart chose down to open the third and reversed Balch at 1:06 and then rode him out for the 4-3 win. The hosts picked up a win at 165 as Joey Granata defeated Kyle DeBerry, 5-4. DeBerry was up 2-1 through the first period on a takedown before Granata took the 3-2 lead through two periods on a reverse. DeBerry chose neutral to open the third and scored a takedown, but, with one second remaining in the match, was reversed by Granata to fall, 5-4. The final match of the day came at 174 pounds and featured a meeting between a pair of high school teammates as ASU’s Eric Starks won a 4-3 decision over his fellow Battle Ground High School graduate Trevor Hall. Hall held a 2-1 lead through one with a takedown before a Starks escape in the second tied it at 2-2. Hall escaped in the third for a 3-2 lead before Starks took down Hall with two seconds remaining in the match to win, 4-3. Next up for the Sun Devils will be the 2010 NWCA National Duals that will be held in Cedar Falls, Iowa, on Saturday and Sunday (January 9-10). The match-ups for the first round of the double-elimination team tournament will be announced later this week. #22 Arizona State (4-2, 3-0 Pac-10) def. CS Bakersfield (0-3, 0-2 Pac-10), 25-13 Icardo Center • Bakersfield, Calif. 184 - Jake Meredith (AS) dec. Mike Larson (CB), 5-1 197 - Riley Orozco (CSB) pinned Anthony Pike (AS), 4:55 285 - #15 Erik Nye (AS) dec. #16 Mitch Monteiro (CB), 5-3 125 - #3 Anthony Robles (AS) major Frank Lomas (CB), 13-1 133 - Ben Ashmore (AS) pinned Tyler Iwamura (CB), 1:21 141 - #12 Elijah Nacita (CB) major #11 Chris Drouin (AS), 13-5 149 - Vicente Varela (AS) dec. John Cardenas (CB), 12-5 157 - Michael Swigart (AS) dec. Andrew Balch (CB), 4-3 165 - Joey Granata (CB) dec. Kyle DeBerry (AS), 5-4 174 - Eric Starks (AS) dec. Trevor Hall (CB), 4-3

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. -- On Sunday, No. 2 Iowa State and No. 5 Minnesota split 10 matches, but Jake Varner's pin against Sonny Yohn at 197 pounds with one second remaining on the clock helped propel the Cyclones over the Gophers, 19-16, at the Sports Pavilion in Minneapolis. Jake Varner of Iowa State (Photo/The Guillotine)"That's Jake's win right there," said Iowa State coach Kevin Jackson. "He did what the best guy in the country is supposed to do. And I'm talking about the best guy. He's dominating all his opponents. I thought Sonny Yohn actually wrestled a very, very strong match for a young kid. He was in that match all the way up until Jake caught him, unfortunately. He should have known not to roll the half nelson because Jake loves that position." The dual meet started at 174 pounds with Minnesota's Scott Glasser defeating No. 11 Duke Burk of Iowa State, 7-2, to put the Gophers up 3-0. "I think that I've made a lot of improvements," said Glasser who improved to 18-3 on the season. "I'm basically injury free right now ... besides some nicks, but everyone has them." Earlier this week, Glasser dropped his first round match at the Southern Scuffle, but won eight straight matches in the consolation bracket, which included a win over No. 10 Ryan Patrovich of Hofstra, to place third. "I've come off some good wins at the Scuffle," said Glasser. "I think it just gave me a lot of confidence. That's just what I needed." Iowa State won the next two matches as No. 12 Jerome Ward won by decision at 184 pounds before Varner pinned Yohn to put the Cyclones in front 9-3. At heavyweight, Iowa State held out starter David Zabriskie, who is ranked No. 5, because of an injury he sustained at the Midlands Championships and sent out freshman Eric Thompson against No. 10 Ben Berhow. Thompson picked up the first takedown of the match to go up 2-0 and eventually held a 4-3 lead heading into the final period. But in the third period, Berhow picked up an escape to tie the match at 4-4 ... and then registered the go-ahead takedown with under a minute remaining to win the match 6-4. Iowa State's Andrew Long defeated Minnesota's Zach Sanders at 125 pounds (Photo/The Guillotine)At 125 pounds, Iowa State's Andrew Long picked up two takedowns in the second period and added another as time expired to upset No. 3 Zach Sanders of Minnesota, 8-4, which put Iowa State up 12-6 heading into the intermission. "Andrew is a true competitor," said Jackson. "He will wrestle. He will try his best. And he will try to do the things that he needs to do to win. He's getting better every time out there." Long, a freshman, improved to 15-2 on the season. Both of Long's losses this season have come to Iowa's Matt McDonough ... with the most recent loss coming earlier this week in the final of the Midlands Championships. "That match at the Midlands was his to win," said Jackson. "He was in that exact same position here in the third period with Sanders. And I think Sanders might be a better offensive wrestler than McDonough ... with his shots anyway. He was able to finalize this match. I think he did that because he gained from that experience from the Midlands. If that wouldn't have happened, we probably wouldn't have gotten the victory here. I think he's continuing to learn and understand and figure out what it takes to win against these very good wrestlers." Minnesota's second-ranked Jayson Ness dominated No. 5 Nick Fanthrope of Iowa State, 6-1, at 133 pounds to improve to 17-0 on the season. At 141 pounds, Mike Thorn won by major decision over Dalton Jensen, who was filling in for the injured Nick Gallick, which put the Gophers in front 13-12. At 149 pounds, Minnesota's David Zilverberg led Iowa State's Mitch Mueller 1-0 heading into the third period. In the third period, Mueller, a three-time NCAA qualifier, picked up an escape, added two takedowns and a riding time point to win 6-3 and put the Cyclones back in front 15-13. Zilverberg was filling in for Mario Mason, who was suspended for violating team rules. At 157 pounds, Iowa State's Andrew Sorenson nearly pinned Minnesota's Luke Mellmer, but settled for a 12-0 major decision. Minnesota is hoping to get 2008 Olympian Jake Deitchler in its lineup soon at 157 pounds, but according to Minnesota coach J Robinson, it's a "wait and see" situation. Sorenson's major decision gave the Cyclones a 19-13 lead heading into the marquee matchup of the dual meet between No. 3 Jon Reader of Iowa State and No. 4 Dustin Schlatter of Minnesota at 165 pounds. Minnesota's Dustin Schlatter topped Iowa State's Jon Reader at 165 pounds (Photo/The Guillotine)Schlatter, who made the U.S. World Team in freestyle this past summer, scored first, picking up a takedown just under 30 seconds into the match to go up 2-0. That takedown proved to be the difference as neither scored another takedown and Schlatter held on for the 3-2 win to improve to 8-1 on the season. "I thought Jon Reader had a couple opportunities to win the match and got a little excited and lost those positions," said Jackson. "Schlatter is a tough guy. He's a true competitor. We've got to finalize those positions in order to win. And we have a couple other guys that really have to figure out how they're going to wrestle to win and tie into our basic philosophy. If we can get that done, we'll be fine. With the victory, Iowa State improved to 3-1, while Minnesota fell to 3-2. Both teams will now prepare to compete at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals Saturday and Sunday at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Results: 174 Scott Glasser (MINN) dec. No. 11 Duke Burk (ISU) 7-2 / 3-0 184 No. 12 Jerome Ward (ISU) dec. Kaleb Young (MINN) 4-0 / 3-3 197 No. 1 Jake Varner (ISU) pinned Sonny Yohn (MINN) 6:59 / 3-9 HWT No. 10 Ben Berhow (MINN) dec. Eric Thompson (ISU) 6-4 / 6-9 125 No. 13 Andrew Long (ISU) dec. No. 3 Zach Sanders (MINN) 8-4 / 6-12 133 No. 2 Jayson Ness (MINN) dec. No. 5 Nick Fanthrorpe (ISU) 6-1 / 9-12 141 No. 6 Mike Thorn (MINN) major dec. Dalton Jensen (ISU) 11-3 / 13-12 149 No. 14 Mitch Mueller (ISU) dec. David Zilverberg (MINN) 6-3 / 13-15 157 Andrew Sorenson (ISU) major dec. Luke Mellmer (MINN) 12-0 / 13-19 165 No. 4 Dustin Schlatter (MINN) dec. No. 3 Jon Reader (ISU) 3-2 / 16-19 Related: Kevin Jackson Audio Interview The Guillotine Photo Gallery

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- The No. 13 Indiana University wrestling team improved to 9-0 on the year with a 29-9 road victory at West Virginia (0-4) Saturday afternoon. Indiana won seven of 10 bouts on the day. The Hoosiers have limited all nine opponents to nine points or less. Angel Escobedo got things started for the Cream and Crimson in the 125-pound match, defeating Shane Young, 12-4. Escobedo (20-0) controlled the tempo throughout the match en route to his sixth major decision of the year. West Virginia held a lead momentarily after taking the next two decisions at 133 and 141 pounds. Matt Coughlin would put an end to that quickly, however, dominating Brandon Loro at 149 pounds. Coughlin's 14-4 major decision gave the Hoosiers an 8-6 advantage on the team scoreboard, an edge they would not relinquish the rest of the way. Coughlin's win started a four-bout streak in which IU posted bonus points. Kurt Kinser notched a 16-4 major decision, followed by a pin and technical fall for Paul Young and Trevor Perry. Young's opponent, Donnie Jones, is a two-time NCAA Qualifier and has been ranked as high as No. 13 this season. Young made quick work of him though, sticking Jones in just under two minutes (1:55). Perry nearly one-upped his teammate, connecting on his lethal headlock right off the opening whistle. After Christian Mory fought his way out of Perry's grasp, Perry continuously racked up points until the match was halted due to technical fall at 21-6. At 184-lbs., Eric Cameron battled No. 19 Matt Ryan in a tight 7-4 defeat for the Mountaineers third and final win. Matt Powless and Nate Everhart then concluded the match with back-to-back decisions, pushing Indiana's final lead to 29-9. Results: 133 lbs.- Colin Johnston (WVU) dec. over Matt Ortega (IU), 8-2; (4-3) 141 lbs.- Brandon Rader (WVU) dec. over Danny Monaco (IU), 14-7; (4-6) 149 lbs.- Matt Coughlin (IU) maj. dec. over Brandon Loro (WVU), 14-4; (8-6) 157 lbs.- No. 12 Kurt Kinser (IU) maj. dec. over Kyle Eason (WVU), 16-4; (12-6) 165 lbs.- No. 14 Paul Young (IU) pins Donnie Jones (WVU), 1:55; (18-6) 174 lbs.- Trevor Perry (IU) tech. fall over Christian Mory (WVU), 21-6; (23-6) 184 lbs.- No. 19 Matt Ryan (WVU) dec. over Eric Cameron (IU), 7-4; (23-9) 197 lbs.- Matt Powless (IU) dec. over Kyle Rooney (WVU), 8-6; (26-9) 285 lbs.- No. 6 Nate Everhart (IU) dec. over Brandon Williamson, 6-0; (29-9) Indiana wraps up the non-conference schedule on Jan. 16 with a pair of home dual matches versus American and Cleveland State. Those matches are slated to start at 10 a.m. inside University Gym.

STILLWATER, Okla. -- Oklahoma State’s fourth-ranked wrestling team improved to 4-0-1 on the season with a 21-13 victory over the No. 19 Cal Poly Mustangs on Saturday night in front of 1,210 fans inside Gallagher-Iba Arena. Alex Meade led the Cowboys with a 12-2 major decision over Cal Poly’s Steven Vasquez at 165 pounds. The redshirt freshman got the Cowboys going with the first of their three major decisions on the night. Meade improved to 17-3 on the year. Joining Meade with bonus-point wins were 174-pounder Mike Benefiel and Jared Rosholt at 285 pounds. Meade dropped Steven Vasquez, 12-2, while Rosholt handled Jim Powers by a 13-3 count. The Cowboys will be back in action on Jan. 8 at the Virginia Duals, in Hampton, Va. 125: No. 8 Chris Notte (OSU) dec. Micah Ferguson (CP), 11-5 Notte started off the day right for the Cowboys with an 11-5 victory over Ferguson at 125. He had two first-period takedowns to take a 4-1 advantage and added to his lead with a takedown in the second. Notte recorded four more points in the third and added a point for riding time to give the Cowboys a 3-0 advantage. 133: No. 10 Boris Novachkov (CP) dec. No. 9 Jordan Oliver (OSU), 6-0 Oliver fought off a leg shot for more than thirty seconds in the first period to take a 0-0 score into the second. He added more than a minute of riding time before Novachkov escaped, giving the visitor a 1-0 lead. A late takedown and a three-point near fall with less than one minute left gave Novachkov a 6-0 victory. 141: No. 8 Filip Novachkov (CP) dec. No. 3 Jamal Parks (OSU), 4-2 Parks took an early 2-0 with a takedown halfway through the first period. Novachkov escaped once in the first and once in the second to tie the bout 2-2 going into the third period. A Parks escape in the third put the sophomore in the lead but a late takedown by Novachkov gave Cal Poly a 4-3 victory, their second of the day. 149: No. 20 Quinten Fuentes (OSU) dec. Eric Maldonado (CP), 8-4 Fuentes took down Maldonado with just 25 seconds remaining in the first period to take a 2-0 into the second. An escape early in the second and another takedown gave the Cowboys a 5-0 lead into the third period. Maldonado was able to manage two escapes and a takedown in the third, but it wasn’t enough as Fuentes rolled to an 8-4 victory, tying up the match 6-6. 157: No. 10 Chase Pami (CP) dec. No. 12 Neil Erisman (OSU), 8-3 157 got off to a quick start with a Chase Pami takedown just eleven seconds into the bout. The first period saw a 4-2 advantage in favor of the Mustangs. Pami added three points to his lead in the second with an escape and a takedown. He allowed just one escape point from Erisman in the third period and added a point for riding time, resulting in an 8-3 Mustang win. 165: No. 12 Alex Meade (OSU) maj. dec. Steven Vasquez (CP), 12-2 Meade got the Pokes back on the winning track with a 12-2 major decision at 165. A takedown and a two-point near fall gave the Cowboy redshirt freshman a 4-0 lead entering the second period. A pair of takedowns and an escape led to a 9-1 lead for the Cowboy in the second. He added another takedown and a point for riding time in the third to get the 12-2 major decision. 174: No. 14 Mike Benefiel (OSU) maj. dec. Travis Rasmussen (CP), 12-4 Two takedowns in the first minute of the bout highlighted a 4-1 first period lead for Benefiel, and he also added more than two minutes of riding time in the beginning period. He continued scoring in the remaining two periods, running away with a 12-4 major decision. 184: Ryan DesRoches (CP) maj. dec. Elliott Hellwege (OSU), 12-2 DesRoches struck first and put on the pressure early, resulting in two two-point near falls in the closing seconds of the first and an 8-1 opening period lead. Hellwege managed just one escape point in the second to narrow the lead to 8-2 entering the third period. DesRoches recorded an escape and a takedown in the third and added a riding time point to finish with a 12-2 major decision. 197: No. 9 Alan Gelogaev (OSU) dec. Ryan Smith (CP), 10-4 Smith scored the first points with a takedown just 15 seconds into the opening period, but Gelogaev quickly escaped and returned the favor a minute later with a takedown of his own. Smith was able to escape and the first period ended in a 3-3 tie. Gelogaev dominated the second with a takedown and a two-point near fall in the closing seconds, giving him a 7-4 advantage entering the third period. He added another takedown in the third and a riding time point, resulting in a 10-4 decision and giving the Cowboys their fifth win of the evening. 285: No. 3 Jared Rosholt (OSU) maj. dec. Jim Powers (CP), 13-3 Rosholt recorded his 101st career victory as a Cowboy in dominating fashion with a 13-3 win over Cal Poly’s Jim Powers. Two takedowns in the opening period gave the Cowboy senior a 4-1 advantage entering the second. Rosholt added four more points in the second period by way of an escape, a takedown and a stalling point awarded in his favor. A five-point third period gave Rosholt a 13-3 major decision, improving his record to 16-1 on the season.

Event: UFC 108: Evans vs. Silva Venue: MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas Date: January 2, 2010 I hope you all had a great holiday season! I hope to cap it off for you with some holiday cheer and a little extra spending money for those credit card bills. Those who followed my advice for UFC 107 would have profited by $246! That's enough for a lifetime Platinum subscription to InterMat. Let's see if we can keep the good times rolling … Tonight's UFC 108 card features a light heavyweight, non-title fight between former Michigan State wrestler and former champion Rashad Evans (18-1-1) and knockout artist Thiago Silva (14-1-0), whose only loss is to undefeated champion Lyota Machida. This is a great match-up. It should end with a knockout, and not go the distance of three (3) rounds. If it does go the distance, I would guess that Rashad wins the dance contest. But tonight my money will be on the Brazilan Beast Silva at an attractive +175 underdog odds. I respect the methodic, cautious style of Rashad and his quick-striking power (see the Iceman for details), but Thiago Silva will be fine if Evans takes it to the mat. He may even win by submission. But my guess is that after some toe-to-toe slugging, we will once again see an invisible knife go across the neck of Thiago Silva, as this scary dude notches another scalp for his belt. Take SILVA as a rabid ‘dog and benefit from the generous +175 odds. In what I think may be the "fight-of-the-night." British welterweight Paul "Semtax" Daley (22-8-2) takes on the division's best jiu-jitsu artist, the very lanky Dustin Hazelett (14-4-0). In a pick-em affair, Daley will be trying to end it quickly with a single punch. He devastated favorite Martin Kampmann in his last fight, and his record shows 17 of his 22 wins have come by KO! Hazelett has no chance if they stand and punch. They won't. As soon as Hazelett gets his chance to go to the mat, he will. And, that is where it will end, with Daley's arm bend backwards and his neck getting cranked. The referee will call an end to this affair late in the first round with Hazelett's hand-raised at a true valued price of –115. Lay it and lay it big. Hazelett by submission. Lightweight Joe Lauzon (17-4-0) is another tall and lanky fighter who trains with BJ Penn, and beats most guys, but can't beat the elite (Kenny Florian). Like Hazelett, he wins by submission and his opponent tonight is the experienced veteran slugger, Sam "Hands of Stone" Stout (15-5-1, his draw with Joey Clark). These are two, different styles and the heavily favored Lauzon at –275 is expected to win. I agree. The price is steep, but his arsenal is more complete, and he gets the job done tonight. It's Lauzon by decision for me. Lightweight Jim Miller (15-2-0) takes on journeyman, Duane Ludwig (27-9-0), who has been fighting in the UFC since '03. I'm not sure why this is on the main card tonight, but oddsmakers give Ludwig little chance of winning. A strong puncher, Ludwig will need more to get past Miller, who should end this quickly with a choke submission. There is little value in laying –450, so proceed with caution. The opening event on the main card has Junior Dos Santos (9-1-0), who is on fire with consecutive wins against Mirko Cro Cop, Stefan Struve, and Fabricio Verdum, all formidable opponents, taking on veteran Gilbert Yvel (36-13-1, with one no contest), who has been fighting MMA for 13 years, but is making his UFC debut. The former Pride and Affliction fighter has had two fights this year, against Josh Barnett and Pedro Rizzo. Enough said. He's been around the block and his physique is impressive. But Dos Santos is younger, quicker, and more accurate with his strikes. His underrated ground game will be used only if he can't end this fight with a KO. An overpriced favorite at –325. Dos Santos still offers the only side to consider here. I like his KO chances and see this one ending in the very first round. Tonight's undercard features two (2) fights that will be shown FREE on Spike TV for those of you interested in mixed martial arts, but unwilling to pay the almost $50 PPV fee. These fights are: Lightweight Cole "Magrinho" Miller (15-4-0) taking on Dan Lauzon (12-2-0), Joe's brother, who makes his UFC debut. Miller is a gateway guy, if you can beat him, you belong in the UFC, lose to him and you get cut. Dan is a tough fighter, but Cole's experience in the big show gives him the edge, and at –160, the value is there. Cole Miller by decision. Former Minnesota All-American, Jacob "Christmas" Volkmann (9-1-0) will try to bounce back from his only loss (to Paulo Thiago) as he takes on powerful striker, Martin Kampmann (15-3-0), who is also coming off a loss (to Paul Daley). This is a classic wrestler vs. striker match-up. Can Volkmann survive the KO long enough to win a decision with body control on the mat? As a +190 underdog I will take my chances on Christmas. The remaining fights will be seen only if viewers get the chance due to shorter main event fights: Middleweight Mark "The Filipino Wrecking machine" Munoz (6-1-0), former Oklahoma State NCAA champion, is too big a favorite here at –400, but he should get by Ryan Jensen (15-4-0). Munoz's only loss was to Matt Hamill, and he struggled against Nick Catone, but I look for him to get back on track tonight with some impressive body control that leads to some fight-ending ground-and-pound in the second round. Lay a limited amount on Munoz. Welterweight wrestler Jake Ellenberger (21-5-0) almost shocked the MMA world by hanging so tough with Carlos Condit. He lost a close decision. He takes on a never-quit Mike "Quicksand" Pyle (18-6-1). Ellenberger is a modest –140 favorite who should out work and out wind Pyle. He gets the clear decision in a boring fight of tactical technique. Lightweight Rafaello Oliveira (9-2-0) made his UFC debut by losing to unknown Nik Lentz. His opponent tonight, John "Quick Guns" Gunderson (22-6-0), makes his UFC debut with more submission wins than KOs, despite his nickname. Gunderson is small for even a lightweight, and I think the bright light experience of Oliveira should help him cash the ticket tonight. I'll make a small play on him at –190 to win by submission. So let's see how we can do with our "fictitious" $1000 bankroll. History is on our side. Let's lay $100 to win $175 in Thiago Silva's upset knockout. Let's lay $138 to win $120 on Dustin Hazelett's predicted submission. Let's lay $165 to win $60 on Joe Lauzon's dominance. Let's lay $90 to win $20 on a Jim Miller bridge-jump. Let's lay $130 to win $40 on red hot Jr. Dos Santos. Let's lay $50 to win $125 on Jacob Volkmann to lay and pray. Let's lay $64 to win $40 on Cole Miller and ask why we didn't lay more? Let's lay $75 to win $20 on Munoz making wrestlers feel proud. Let's lay $112 to win $80 on Ellenberger's work ethic. Let's lay $76 to win $40 on Oliveira to win. In total, we are laying an even $1000 to win $720. That's two (2) underdogs and eight (8) favorites. Good luck and enjoy the fights. I know I will. Don't forget to support your local youth wrestling program, where tomorrow's champions are made.

On Sunday, national wrestling powers Iowa State and Minnesota will clash at the Sports Pavilion in Minneapolis. The Cylones, under the direction of first-year head coach Kevin Jackson, are 2-1 and ranked No. 2, while the Gophers are 3-1 and ranked No. 5. Below is a weight-by-weight breakdown of Sunday's dual meet. Matchups are subject to change. 125: No. 13 Andrew Long (Iowa State) vs. No. 3 Zach Sanders (Minnesota) Sanders has clearly established himself as one of the nation's top wrestlers after finishing sixth at the NCAAs last season as a freshman. He has a motor that never stops ... and he is able to create scoring opportunities through constant motion. His only loss this season has come to 2008 NCAA champion Angel Escboedo in the semifinals of the Southern Scuffle this past weekend. Long, a three-time Iowa state champion, has been impressive in his freshman campaign. He's coming off a runner-up finish at the Midlands ... and the only wrestler who has defeated him this season is Matt McDonough of Iowa, who has defeated him twice. Bottom Line: Long is a talented freshman who has bright future in front of him, but Sanders, a returning All-American, is the more seasoned and proven wrestler at this point. Sanders defeated Long 6-3 at the Kaufman-Brand Open last season. Expect Long to keep this match competitive, but look for Sanders to eventually wear out the freshman and pull out the victory. Prediction: Sanders (Minnesota) by Decision 133: No. 5 Nick Fanthrope (Iowa State) vs. No. 2 Jayson Ness (Minnesota) Ness, a three-time All-American, has dominated his competition this season. He's 16-0 and has 13 pins. He won the Southern Scuffle this past weekend, picking up three pins, an injury default, and a 7-3 victory in the finals over No. 11 Danny Mitcheff of Kent State. Fanthorpe was a 2008 All-American who has battled injuries over the past two seasons. He's 6-3 this season and coming off a disappointing fifth-place finish at the Midlands after he entered the event as the No. 1 seed. Bottom Line: Ness seems to be at the top of his game right now, while Fanthrope hasn't been at his best. The two met at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals in 2007 and Ness won that match 11-8. Both wrestlers have certainly come a long way since that meeting, but Ness is still a cut above Fanthorpe. Prediction: Ness (Minnesota) by Decision 141: Dalton Jensen (Iowa State) vs. No. 6 Mike Thorn (Minnesota) Thorn, a returning NCAA qualifier, is wrestling with a lot of confidence. He has been impressive in the first half of the season, going 11-2. Thorn was on the verge of winning the Southern Scuffle this past weekend. He was up 4-2 in the third period of his finals match against talented true freshman Kyle Dake of Cornell before giving up a reversal and a riding time point to lose 5-4. Interestingly, Thorn's father, John, was an All-American for Iowa State in 1983. Jensen is filling in for the injured Nick Gallick, a two-time All-American who is recovering from a hip injury. He's 9-3 this season, but two of those losses have come to Division II wrestlers. Bottom Line: A Thorn-Gallick match would have been intriguing (Gallick won 7-5 last season), but won't happen because of Gallick's injury. Jensen is a serviceable fill-in for the Cyclones, but Thorn is a legitimate All-American threat this season who has proven that he can compete with the nation's best. Prediction: Thorn (Minnesota) by Major Decision 149: No. 13 Mitch Mueller (Iowa State) vs. David Zilverberg (Minnesota) Mueller has had a solid career for the Cyclones, qualifying for the NCAAs three times, but remains the lone four-year starter from Iowa's State 2005 No. 1 recruiting class who has not reached the All-American podium. He's coming off a solid Midlands performance, where he went 4-2 and placed fourth. Mario Mason has been the starter for the Gophers all season at this weight class, but is not expected to compete against Iowa State. Look for David Zilverberg, who placed eighth at the Southern Scuffle, to get the call for the Gophers. Bottom Line: Mueller is a seasoned veteran who seems to beat the wrestlers he should and lose to wrestlers ranked above him. He had a big win over No. 3 Kyle Borshoff of American at the Midlands, which should give him confidence as he heads into the final months of his collegiate career. Mueller will not only be looking to win, but also pick up bonus points. Prediction: Mueller (Iowa State) by Major Decision 157: Andrew Sorenson/Nate Carr Jr. (Iowa State) vs. Joe Grygelko (Minnesota) The 157-pound weight class was thought to be the weakest link in Iowa State's lineup this season after Cyler Sanderson transferred to Penn State to wrestle for his older brother, Cael Sanderson. Sorenson has stepped up and wrestled well in the early part of the season, winning two tournaments and finishing runner-up in another. But he has yet to beat a ranked opponent and failed to place at the Midlands. Another option here for the Cyclones is Carr Jr., the son of Iowa State great Nate Carr Sr. Carr Jr. has a career record of 18-9. Minnesota is hoping to get 2008 Olympian Jake Deitchler, who placed fourth at the Midlands, in its lineup soon, but expect to see Grygelko on Sunday. Grygelko lost his pigtail match at the Southern Scuffle, but got on a bit of a roll in the consolation bracket, winning four straight matches before losing to Kent State's Mallie Shuster in sudden victory. Bottom Line: This is the lone match that does not include a ranked wrestler. Iowa State will be favored, but Grygelko, who is coming off the best college tournament of his career, could certainly make it interesting. Prediction: Sorenson/Carr Jr. (Iowa State) by Decision 165: No. 3 Jon Reader (Iowa State) vs. No. 4 Dustin Schlatter (Minnesota) This is the marquee matchup of the dual meet. The winner will likely move into the No. 2 spot in the rankings at 165 pounds (behind Wisconsin's Andrew Howe) after No. 1 Jarrod King of Edinboro was throttled, 15-2, in the semifinals of the Southern Scuffle. Reader has been wrestling well all season. He has two wins over No. 5 Ryan Morningstar of Iowa, avenging losses from last season. His only loss this season was to Howe in sudden victory in the finals of the Midlands. Schlatter won the Southern Scuffle this past weekend in impressive fashion. He had wins over the No. 9 (13-1), No. 10 (3-2), and No. 18 (5-1) wrestlers in the country. Bottom Line: Both wrestlers are expected to challenge for NCAA titles this season ... and this should be a tight, low scoring match. One takedown might decide the match. Schlatter defeated Reader in freestyle, 3-0, 3-1 at the 2009 U.S. Nationals. Prediction: Schlatter (Minnesota) by Decision 174: Duke Burk (Iowa State) vs. Scott Glasser (Minnesota) Burke, a three-time NCAA qualifier, is coming off a sixth-place finish at the Midlands, while Glasser is coming off a third-place finish at the Southern Scuffle. Burk transferred from Northern Illinois to Iowa State last season and had a solid first season for the Cyclones, but struggled at the end of the season, dropping four of his last six matches. Glasser, a five-time North Dakota state champion, has battled injuries throughout his career, which have hindered his performance. This past weekend at the Southern Scuffle, Glasser lost his opening-round matches before reeling off eight consecutive wins in the consolation bracket to place third. Bottom Line: This match is a tossup. Both wrestlers have battled injuries and inconsistency over the past two seasons. Minnesota will need this one to have a shot in this dual meet. Prediction: Glasser (Minnesota) by Decision 184: No. 12 Jerome Ward (Iowa State) vs. Kaleb Young (Minnesota) Ward had the biggest win of his young career last month when he defeated All-American Phil Keddy of Iowa in front of over 11,000 fans in Ames. He's strong and very difficult to score on ... but sometimes struggles to his offense rolling. He's coming off s a seventh-place finish at the Midlands. With Sonny Yohn moving up to 197 pounds, Young is expected to step in for the Gophers at 184 pounds. He was slightly above .500 last season (17-16), but failed to win a match this past weekend at the Southern Scuffle. Bottom Line: Ward is the more skilled athlete and should win this match. However, Ward rarely gets bonus points, even against inferior opponents. Prediction: Ward (Iowa State) by Decision 197: No. 1 Jake Varner (Iowa State) vs. No. 18 Sonny Yohn (Minnesota) Varner's wrestling resume speaks for itself: Three-time All-American, NCAA champion, and U.S. World Team member in freestyle. He's strong and technical ... and has thrived under the tutelage of Cael Sanderson and Kevin Jackson. Varner has his sights set on winning World and Olympic medals, while most college wrestlers aren't looking past the NCAA. He's currently 13-0 on the season. Yohn has competed at both 184 pounds and 197 pounds this season with mixed results. He was dominant in winning the Bison Open and Kaufman-Brand Open ... and pinned No. 10 Brent Jones of Virginia at the Southern Scuffle. But he also has some bad losses, like losing 13-1 to No. 10 (at 184) Clayton Foster of Oklahoma State and getting pinned by No. 13 Jesse Strawn. Bottom Line: Varner should have no problem handling Yohn, but the question is whether or not he will be able to pick up bonus points in this match. Prediction: Varner (Iowa State) by Major Decision No. 5 David Zabriskie (Iowa State) vs. No. 10 Ben Berhow (Minnesota) Zabriskie, a two-time All-American, is wrestling at a very high level right now. At the Midlands, Zabriskie defeated defending NCAA champion Mark Ellis of Missouri and No. 3 Zach Rey of Lehigh en route to reaching the finals. While Zabriskie is coming off a great tournament, Berhow is coming off one of the most disappointing tournaments of his college career, failing to place at the Southern Scuffle while losing to an unranked true freshman and getting pinned by another unranked wrestler. Berhow had been wrestling well up to that point this season with wins over NCAA qualifiers David Marone of Virginia Tech and Tucker Lane ... and a close (sudden victory) loss to No. 2 Jared Rosholt of Oklahoma State. Bottom Line: Zabriskie is a national title threat this season, while Berhow is still trying to establish himself as a legitimate All-American threat. Zabriskie defeated Berhow 11-6 in the dual meet last February. Prediction: Zabriskie (Iowa State) by Decision Dual Meet Prediction: Iowa State 17, Minnesota 16

Evanston, Ill. -- Alex Krom won the individual championship at 141 pounds and the University of Maryland wrestling team finished sixth at the Midlands Championships, its best finish ever at the prestigious tournament. The Terps had three wrestlers place, as Steven Bell finished runner-up at 133 pounds and Hudson Taylor took fifth at 197 pounds. Maryland finished sixth despite wrestling with eight entrants rather than 10, as Mike Letts and Patrick Gilmore were unable to compete. "It's a pretty good showing for us," said head coach Kerry McCoy. "We're not overly excited about it. To have only eight guys compete and finish sixth is pretty good, and it's a good barometer to see where we are. We have some work to do to get ready for National Duals and correct some errors, but I'm happy with the way our guys are wrestling at this point." Krom had a dominant run, going 5-0 with three pinfalls and one major decision. The 10th ranked wrestler in the country, Krom took a 9-2 decision over one-seed Jimmy Kennedy of Illinois in the final, becoming the first Maryland wrestler to win a title at the Midlands. To get there, he pinned No. 19 Trevor Melde of Rutgers in the quarterfinals in 1:45 and No. 16 Ryan Prater of Illinois in the semifinals in 2:00. Bell won his first four matches to reach the finals, including a semifinal win over No. 15 Kelly Kubec of Oregon State, but was defeated in the championship match by fourth-seeded and No. 12 Tyler Graff of Wisconsin. Taylor, meanwhile, found himself wrestling a post-collegiate entrant in the semifinals. Because the Midlands Championships is an open tournament, wrestlers of all ages are eligible to enter. Wynn Michalak, who wrestled at Central Michigan, bested Taylor 9-5 in the semifinal round. The loss, however, does not count towards Taylor's record. From there Taylor went on to drop a close match with fourth-seeded and No. 7 Trevor Brandvoid of Wisconsin. He then pinned Patrick Bond of Illinois in 3:55 to take fifth place. The Terps are next in action on Jan. 9 when they compete in the National Wrestling Coaches Association National Duals in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- Propelled by eight placewinners, the No. 18 Virginia wrestling team finished in fifth place Wednesday in the Southern Scuffle, hosted by UNC Greensboro at the Greensboro Coliseum Special Events Center in Greensboro, N.C. The Cavaliers recorded 96.5 points, just one point outside of fourth place, held by No. 20 Edinboro. No. 8 Cornell won the event with 164 points and was followed by No. 5 Minnesota (151.5) and No. 13 Indiana (131.5). Fourth-ranked Chris Henrich (Jr., Lansdale, Pa.) notched UVa's top finish with a runner-up standing at 174 pounds. Henrich (15-2) picked up a 4-0 win over No. 10 Ryan Patrovich of Hofstra in the semifinals before dropping a 6-1 decision to top-ranked Mack Lewnes of Cornell in the championship match. At 184 pounds, Mike Salopek (R-Fr., North Huntingdon, Pa.) notched a third-place podium finish. Salopek blanked Virginia Tech's Tommy Spellman, 2-0, in the consolation championship. Jon Fausey (Fr., Dalmatia, Pa.), competing unattached, scored an eighth-place finish at 184. Nick Nelson (Jr., Pittsburgh, Pa.), competing unattached for UVa, scored an impressive third-place finish at 141 pounds. He finished with seven wins in the tournament, including a 3-2 decision over Ohio's Germane Lindsay to claim the third-place match. Derek Valenti (So., Newton, N.J.) took seventh at 141 after eking out a 1-0 decision over Penn's Zach Kemmerer in the seventh-place match. No. 16 Danny Gonsor (So., Cleveland, Ohio), after suffering an upset loss Tuesday, rebounded to take fifth place at 157 pounds. He finished with a pin of Ohio's Clay Tucker in the fifth-place bout. Gonsor's lone loss Wednesday was a narrow 7-5 defeat to No. 4 Matt Moley of Bloomsburg, a defending All-American. Ross Gitomer (Sr., Flemington, N.J.) placed sixth at 125 pounds. His tournament was highlighted by a 3-2 upset of No. 5 Eric Morrill of Edinboro on Tuesday. He fell into the consolation bracket after dropping a 7-0 decision to top-ranked Troy Nickerson of Cornell, the reigning national champion. Morrill bounced Gitomer in the fifth-place match with a 3-1 win which needed two sudden victory periods. Matt Snyder (R-Fr., Lewistown, Pa.) nabbed seventh place at 125. He finished strong with a 16-9 victory over UNCG's Eric Chandler in the seventh-place bout. Virginia starts the 2010 portion of its schedule Jan. 8-9 at the Virginia Duals in Hampton. Brackets for the event will be announced early next week.

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Senior Matt Kyler won the individual championships at 149 pounds and an injured Jordan Thome finished sixth at 133 pounds as the Army wrestling team wrapped up competition at the Southern Scuffle held at the Greensboro Coliseum Special Events Center. Army finished with 60 points and placed 12th in the 32-team field. Cornell won the event with 164 points, in front of Minnesota (151.5), Indiana (131.5), Edinboro (87.5) and Virginia (96.5). “We have a lot of work to do and we’re certainly not content with the final results at all of our weight classes,” said Army head coach Chuck Barbee. “We want to do better. We need to get back in the room, make corrections, get tougher and raise our intensity even more. The whole team wrestled hard. Guys need to keep making jumps and making improvements. We can’t be satisfied with winning a match; we need to get on the podium.” Kyler secured two major decisions early Wednesday to move into the finals where he claimed the individual championship when Cesar Grajales of Pennsylvania injury defaulted. Ranked 10th in the latest InterMat rankings, Kyler secured a 17-7 major decision against John Nicholson of Old Dominion followed by a 15-7 major decision over Torsten Gillespie of Edinboro to advance to the finals. Kyler jumped out to a 5-1 in the third period when Grajales defaulted at the 5:22 mark. “Matt wrestled hard,” said Barbee. “He has been working on fundamentals and doing the little things right and that certainly added up. He paid attention to the details and was rewarded.” Thome, a freshman, moved into the semifinals with a hard-fought 8-6 win against Zac Stevens of Michigan. Thome faced Jayson Ness of Minnesota, ranked second in the latest InterMat poll, in the semifinals but injury defaulted, ending his tournament run. Thome, who did not compete in his consolation bout, finished sixth in the event. “Jordan is wrestling really well,” said Barbee. “Any time you put a freshman out there, you never know how he is going to respond. Jordan shows up at game time and loves to compete. It wasn’t a huge surprise how well he wrestled but he was certainly exciting to watch before he was hurt.” Three other Army wrestlers competed during the second day of the 10-mat event. Casey Thome was edged in his quarterfinal bout at 141 pounds by Germane Lindsey of Ohio, 3-2, and then fell in the consolation bracket to Zack Kemmerer of Pennsylvania, 8-3. Nicholas Bundy, who wrestled four times on Tuesday in the 141-pound division, lost his consolation bout to Ivan Lopouchanski of UNC Greensboro, 7-4. Jimmy Rafferty posted a 4-1 mark at 149 pounds during the first day but lost to Savva Kostis of Appalachian State, 13-4. Army will return to dual meet action next week, hosting four matches. On Friday, Army will host Hofstra at 7:30 p.m. at Gillis Field House and then welcome Merchant Marine Academy, Boston University and Rutgers for a Sunday quad-meet at Christl Arena. Wrestling Sunday gets underway at 2 p.m.

GREENSBORO, NC -- Chris Honeycutt led a contingent of seven Edinboro wrestlers to place at the Southern Scuffle, as Edinboro finished fourth out of 31 teams in the two-day event held at the Greensboro Coliseum Special Events Center. Honeycutt took home first place place at 184 lbs. Three Fighting Scots – Torsten Gillespie (149 lbs.), Jarrod King (165 lbs.), and Chris Birchler (285 lbs.) – finished third, with Eric Morrill coming in fifth at 125 lbs. and Ashton Osterberg and Phil Moricone placing eighth at 133 and 174 lbs., respectively. Edinboro finished with 97.5 points. Cornell came away with the title with 164 points, with defending champion Minnesota second (151.5 points) and Indiana (131.5) third. Virginia rounded out the top five with 96.5 points. Honeycutt is redshirting this season, and the two-time national qualifier at 184 lbs. has enjoyed an outstanding campaign while competing in open events. Coming in as the third seed, he won all five of his matches, culminated by a 7-5 decision over Kent State’s Dustin Kilgore, the top seed, in the finals. He trailed 5-3 late in the match, but used a takedown and two near-fall points for the upset. In the semifinals the junior handed Cornell’s Steve Bosak, the second seed, a 5-2 defeat. He improved to 26-1. King, the number one seed at 165 lbs., reached the semifinals in the morning with a 3-0 decision over Pennsylvania’s Steve Burak in the quarterfinals, his 21st straight win to start the season. The defending national champion was surprised in the semifinals by a familiar foe, however, as Rick Schmelyun of Bloomsburg defeated King 15-2. King had earlier defeated Schmelyun in the PSAC finals. King would rebound to pick up a fall over Cornell’s Justin Kerber, then winning a 4-0 decision over Paul Young of Indiana to take home third place. He is now 23-1. Gillespie enjoyed a strong run, winning six of his seven matches at 149 lbs. He actually faced a pair of EWL opponents today, handing Bloomsburg’s Josh Roosa a 4-3 defeat in the quarterfinals, then after losing 14-7 to number one seed Matt Kyler of Army, claiming a 5-1 decision over Frank Hickman of Bloomsburg to reach the consolation finals. He had lost to Hickman in the PSAC’s. Gillespie won by medical forfeit over Liberty’s Frank Gayeski in the third place match. He is now 20-10. Bircher turned in a strong showing at heavyweight, going 5-1. The lone loss was a 3-2 decision to top-seeded Nathan Everhart of Indiana in the semifinals. He won by the same score over Dustin Porter of Gardner-Webb in the third place match. That leaves the senior with a 21-7 record. Morrill was unable to duplicate his recent performance at the Reno Tournament where he upset the top two seeds. Facing a loaded field at 125 lbs., the junior suffered two tight losses. In the quarterfinals he was a 3-2 loser to Virginia’s Ross Gitomer. He came back with two more wins but then suffered another 3-2 setback, this time to third-seeded Zachary Sanders of Minnesota, ranked fourth nationally. Morrill avenged the loss to Gitomer in the fifth place match with a takedown in overtime for a 3-1 decision in sudden victory. That leaves Morrill with a 22-4 ledger. Moricone had a strong early run after just recently returning to competition at 174 lbs. He lost by fall to top-ranked Mack Lewnes of Cornell in the quarterfinals, but came back with a 10-7 decision over Cody Yohn of Minnesota. An injury would derail his efforts for a higher finish, as he was unable to continue in the first period against Scott Glasser of Minnesota, who he had defeated 2-0 in his first match of the tourney. He injury defaulted in the seventh place match with Jacob Ison of Ohio. Moricone is now 10-3. Osterberg turned in a strong showing while filling in for starter Kyle Fluke at 133 lbs. The senior would win five of eight matches to come in eighth. After losing in the round of 16 he picked up three wins in the consolation bracket to reach the stand. Osterberg improved to 13-13.

Evanston, Ill. -- Senior Keegan Davis (Salem, Ore.) posted the highest place for the No. 25 Oregon State wrestling team, finishing third at 157 pounds, lifting the Beavers to a tie for eighth place out of 54 with 65.0 team points at the Midlands Championships. Oregon State tied with American University, edging out No. 20 Illinois and 21 Pittsburgh. The Beavers moved up three spots from yesterday's finish, tacking on 28 team points. Davis found himself narrowly behind in the third place match at 157 pounds before chalking up a final takedown late in the match to earn the 4-3 decision over sixth-seeded Jake Deitchier, wrestling unattached for Minnesota, and his highest placing at the Midlands Championships and first placing of the season. Davis began the day as the only remaining Beaver wrestler in the championship bracket, but fell to top seeded Steve Fittery of American in a 15-5 major decision. Davis came back in the consolation bracket with a 9-6 win over Derek St. John, wrestling unattached for Iowa, before his placing victory. Also competing in the third place match, junior Colby Covington (Springfield, Ore.) had already solidified himself as the only unseeded wrestler guaranteed to place at 174 pounds. Covington opened the final day with three straight nail biting decisions over Ethan Lofthouse of Iowa, wrestling unattached, 5-4, a 9-8 victory over seventh-seeded Shane Riccio of Bucknell and a 2-1 win over fifth-seeded Duke Burke of Iowa State to get to the deciding match. But in the final match, Covington came up just shy of third place in a 5-3 loss to third-seeded Luke Manuel of Purdue. Redshirt sophomore Jason Lara (Midway City, Calif.) earned the first placing for the Beavers, tallying seventh place honors at 125 pounds. Lara started the day off with a 6-3 decision over JJ Krutsinger of Iowa but fell to sixth-seeded Ben Kjar of Utah Valley in a tough 4-3 heartbreaker in the consolation semifinals. But Lara rebounded with a 5-3 decision over ninth-seeded Anthony Zanetta of Pitt to earn his first placing at the Midlands Championships and of his collegiate career. Next to place was sophomore Kelly Kubec (Lake Stevens, Wash.) at 133 pounds, earning seventh place. Kubec started out strong with a fall over Jimmy Kirchner of Rider in 2:22, but came up just short against seventh-seeded Matt Fisk of Lehigh in a 6-4 decision. But Kubec got back to his pinning ways with a 2:08 fall over eighth-seeded Billy Ashnault in the seventh place match. Kubec has now placed in both big tournaments this season and has a team-high tying 10 falls - tied for 42nd all-time in a single season and ninth most for a sophomore in school history. Earlier in the day, freshman RJ Pena (Salem, Ore.) fell just short of a placing match at 149 pounds, losing to seventh-ranked Mitch Mueller of Iowa State, 5-1, in overtime. And sophomore heavyweight Clayton Jack (Vacaville, Calif.) was unable to overcome sixth-seeded Mark Ellis of Missouri, falling 10-1, just out of placing. The Beavers return home to host Wyoming next on Thursday, Jan. 7, in legendary Gill Coliseum beginning at 7:00 p.m.

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Two champions, three finalists, seven placers and a third-place finish in the team standings ... That is what the No. 13 Indiana University wrestling team accomplished the last two days at the 2009 Southern Scuffle. Angel Escobedo, ranked second nationally at 125 lbs., concluded his individual title run by avenging his loss to No. 1 Troy Nickerson (Cornell) in last season's NCAA semifinals, defeating the defending national champion when Nickerson suffered an injury in the early goings and could not continue. Escobedo has run his undefeated season record to 19-0, and is all but assured to be slotted as the nation's top-ranked 125-pounder next week. The Griffith, Ind., native also defeated No. 3 Zach Sanders, 8-2, in the semifinals. Escobedo began the championship round by putting IU on top of the podium, and Nate Everhart ended the evening the same way by earning the heavyweight crown. Everhart tallied five victories en route to his championship, inflating his flawless season mark to 21-0. He topped Scott Steele of the U.S. Naval Academy, 3-2, in the finals. It marks the second time this season in which both Escobedo and Everhart have won individual championships at a nationally-prominent tournament, having each done so earlier this year at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. Kurt Kinser made a splash as well, advancing to the 157-pound championship match. The Bloomington High School South product's biggest win came over Bloomsburg's Matt Moley, who is ranked third nationally. With a 1-1 score late in the third period, Kinser garnered a takedown in the final seconds to earn a 3-1 triumph. He then came up just shy of snagging Indiana's third individual title, falling to No. 7 Thomas Scotton (North Carolina), 2-1, in the fourth tiebreaker. Paul Young and Trevor Perry each placed fourth in the competition. They combined for five pins during the two-day tournament. Young's season pin total is now a team-high nine falls while Perry has stuck 28 opponents in his career, the eighth most in school history. Eric Cameron and Matt Powless could also be found on the medals stand, both going out with a win in the seventh place match. Cameron and Powless each racked up five victories the last two days. The Cream and Crimson receive little rest after their stellar performance at the Southern Scuffle, returning to action just three days later with a dual match at West Virginia on Jan. 2 at 2 p.m. EST.

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Jarod Trice's individual title at heavyweight led Central Michigan to a third-place finish at the 2009 Midlands Championships. Trice, the No. 8 seed, capped his run through the bracket with a 3-2 decision over No. 3 seed David Zabriskie (Iowa State) in the finals Wednesday night. He earned his spot in the championship match by defeating No. 1 seed Aaron Anspach in the quarterfinals and No. 4 seed Dom Bradley in the semis. Trice, just a sophomore, is CMU's first Midlands champion since Wynn Michalak won the 197-pound title as a sophomore in 2005. CMU finished third in the team standings with 118 points, trailing only Iowa (168.5 points) and Iowa State (144.5). It is the Chippewas' fifth top-four finish at Midlands in the past six years, and the 118 team points are the most CMU has ever scored at Midlands. Trice was one of seven Chippewas to finish in the top eight of their weight class. Redshirt freshman Ben Bennett, seeded second at 174 pounds, finished runner-up after dropping a 6-1 decision to No. 1 Jay Borschel in the finals. Also finishing in the top eight were Matt Steintrager (fourth, 125 pounds), Tony D'Alie (sixth, 149 pounds), Steve Brown (sixth, 157 pounds), Tyler Grayson (sixth, 165 pounds) and Eric Cubberly (seventh, 165 pounds). Michalak, a three-time NCAA All-American at CMU and the 2008 NCAA Championships runner-up, represented Chippewa Wrestling Club at Midlands and finished runner-up. The Big Ten Network will air the finals on tape delay on Sunday, Jan. 3 at 7 p.m. Eastern Time. CMU next competes at National Duals in Cedar Falls, Iowa Jan. 9-10.

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Iowa State finished second at the Midlands Championships for the third-straight year Wednesday evening in Welsh-Ryan Arena. The second-ranked Cyclone squad, which scored 144.5 points, capped the event by crowning Jake Varner as an individual champion at 197 pounds in the 2009 tournament’s finals. Iowa’s squad placed first with 168.5 and Central Michigan (118) followed with third place. Iowa State’s Varner added a second Midlands Championship to his impressive wrestling resume with a 6-1 decision of Wynn Michalak of the Chippewa Wrestling Club. Varner controlled the post-collegiate competitor by allowing only one point from an escape. The Cyclone had previously been a champion of the event as a sophomore at 184 pounds in 2007. The 47th edition of the Midlands, hosted by Northwestern, featured over 360 individual entries from around the country. Iowa State’s wrestlers amassed a 48-30 record over the two-day tournament. Making his third-straight Midlands finals appearance at 165 pounds, ISU’s Jon Reader was unable to topple top-seed Andrew Howe of Wisconsin. Reader fell to the Badger in triple-overtime, 3-1 (SV2). The defeat was Reader’s first loss of the 2009-10 season, as his record drops to 11-1. An amazing string of big wins ended for ISU redshirt freshman Andrew Long as he fell in the 125-pound final to Iowa’s Matt McDonough by decision, 9-7. The Creston, Iowa native lead 5-2 after the first period but could not overcome a late barrage of takedown attempts by his opponent. Long recorded a 4-1 mark in the tournament to improve his season record to 14-2. In the last finals match of the evening, third-seeded Cyclone heavyweight David Zabriskie fell to the upset-minded No. 8-seed, Jarod Trice of Central Michigan, 3-2. Zabriskie was unable to find a shot in the last period to take the lead on the larger Chippewa heavyweight. Zabriskie was 4-1 in his senior try at the Midlands and has an 11-1 overall mark this season. ISU 149-pounder Mitch Mueller made the most of his fourth trip to the Midlands by notching his best finish ever. Mueller, who hails from Iowa City, Iowa wrestled to fourth place after previously placing sixth as a sophomore and freshman. Mueller fell in the final Midlands session to Bucknell’s Kevin LeValley by a score of 2-0 in the third-place match. Mueller notched a record of 5-2 in the Midlands to advance to 16-4 in his senior campaign. Cyclone senior Nick Fanthorpe capped his fourth Midlands outing with a fifth-place finish at 133 pounds. Fanthorpe edged Iowa’s Nate Moore in overtime, 2-1 (TB1). Fanthorpe recorded a 4-2 Midlands record and stands at 6-3 overall. Senior 174-pounder Duke Burk fell in the fifth-place match to Missouri’s Dorian Henderson by a score of 3-1 (SV). Burk’s 3-3 mark in the tournament drops his overall record to 10-4. Sophomore Jerome Ward clinched a seventh-place Cyclone finish at 184 pounds in the afternoon session of Midlands wrestling by receiving a medical forfeit. Ward went 4-2 in his second trip to the event. The second-ranked Cyclones return to action with a road trip to dual No. 6 Minnesota Jan. 3 at 2 p.m. in the Sports Pavilion.

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Senior No. 6 John Dergo won the Midlands title at 184 pounds Wednesday at Welsh-Ryan Arena, his first title in a major tournament, by defeating American’s No. 2 and second-seeded Mike Cannon, 11-9 in sudden-victory overtime. Dergo beat three two-time All-Americans in a row in Cannon, Missouri’s top-ranked Max Askren and fourth-seeded Louis Caputo (Harvard). Also for the Illini, senior Jimmy Kennedy took second at 141, junior No. 16 Ryan Prater took fifth at 141 and senior Patrick Bond finished sixth at 197. The Illini placed 10th in the 54-team field. “He had an unbelievable tournament,” Illinois head coach Jim Heffernan said. “He beat three two-time All-Americans in a row, so it was awesome. A lot of times last year, he saw what he was supposed to do and he was a half-step behind. But he’s going full-speed now. There’s no holding back. He’s going as hard as he can every time he wrestles.” Dergo had the most exciting run of the Illini on Wednesday, avenging a loss earlier in the season with a 3-2 win over top-ranked and top-seeded Max Askren (Missouri) in the semifinals to set up a title bout with American’s second-ranked and second-seeded Mike Cannon. Dergo trailed Cannon 8-6 late in the bout but scored a takedown and Cannon was called for a technical violation, giving Dergo a 9-8 lead. Cannon earned a point for the riding-time advantage, tying the bout and sending it to sudden-victory overtime. Dergo stayed aggressive, recording a takedown to win the match and the championship. In the tournament, Dergo defeated Askren, Cannon and Harvard’s fourth-seeded Louis Caputo all for the first time in his career. Kennedy won his third career bout against Iowa’s fourth-seeded Joey Slaton in the semifinals, 6-5, but fell behind early in his championship bout against Maryland’s 10th-ranked and third-seeded Alex Krom and dropped a 9-2 decision to finish second. Prater was one of the bigger surprises of the tournament, reaching the semifinals against Krom before being pinned by the Terrapin. Prater dropped a tight 4-3 bout to Hofstra’s eighth-seeded Lou Ruggirello but rebounded by pinning Iowa’s ninth-seeded Montell Marion in 2:24 to earn fifth place. After Bond dropped his quarterfinal bout on Tuesday, he responded by winning a pair of consolation bouts to stay alive. He began Wednesday by knocking off Purdue’s 12th-ranked and seventh-seeded Logan Brown, 5-3, in the round of 12 to ensure a placing finish. Bond kept rolling with an 8-5 win over No. 11 and sixth-seeded Brent Haynes (Missouri), avenging a dual loss earlier in the season, but dropped a 6-2 match to Iowa’s No. 9 and fifth-seeded Chad Beatty in the consolation semifinals. That set up a fifth-place match with second-seeded and third-ranked Hudson Taylor (Maryland), which Taylor took by fall in 3:55, giving Bond a sixth-place finish. The Illini return to action on Jan. 8 when they host SIUE at Huff Hall at 7 p.m.

EVANSTON, IL -- The top-ranked University of Iowa wrestling team won its 21st overall and third straight Midlands Championships title with 168.5 points at the 47th annual tournament Wednesday night in Evanston, IL. Iowa State placed second with 144.5, while Central Michigan placed third with 118.0. The Hawkeyes went 3-3 in the finals, crowning three champions in redshirt freshman Matt McDonough (No. 3 seed at 125), and seniors Brent Metcalf (No. 1 seed at 149) and Jay Borschel (No. 1 seed at 174). It was Metcalf's third Midlands title and the first for McDonough and Borschel. Metcalf was named the Dan Gable Most Outstanding Wrestler for the tournament, and took home the Individual High Scorer Award for racking up 32.5 team points. Hawkeye redshirt freshman Nate Moore (133) earned the tournaments Fastest Fall Award, sticking his first opponent in 46 seconds. McDonough sparked a strong Iowa start with a 9-7 win in sudden victory over No. 4 seed Andrew Long in the 125-pound title match. Down 5-2 at the end of the first period, McDonough scored an escape and takedown to tie the score at 5-5 in the second period. Long, who accumulated over one minute of riding time in the bout, scored an escape to start the third period to take a 6-5 lead. McDonough scored a takedown near the end of the third period to take a 7-6 lead, but Long's riding time point sent the match into sudden victory. McDonough scored a takedown in the first sudden victory period for the win. The Hawkeye redshirt freshman remains undefeated at 15-0 this season. In a rematch of the 2008 Midlands title match, Metcalf won a 9-2 decision over No. 2 seed Kyle Ruschell of Wisconsin. The Hawkeye senior improved to 15-0 on the season, scoring team bonus points in five of his six Midlands matches. Borschel picked up his 75th career victory with a 6-1 win over No. 2 seed Ben Bennett of Central Michigan in the finals. The Hawkeye senior scored a takedown and two nearfall points near the end of the first period, an escape early in the second period and accumulated over two minutes of riding time in the match. He is now undefeated at 14-0 this season and is a three-time Midlands placewinner. He placed second in 2007, third in 2008 before winning the 2009 title. Also placing for the Hawkeyes were seniors Joe Slaton (No. 4 seed at 141-3rd), Ryan Morningstar (No. 3 seed at 165-3rd), Phillip Keddy (No. 3 seed at 184-4th) and Chad Beatty (No. 5 seed at 197-3rd), sophomore Montell Marion (No. 9 seed at 141-6th), redshirt freshman Nate Moore (133-6th) and Grant Gambrall (184-6th), and true freshman Derek St. John (157-5th). It is the first time that Beatty, Moore, Gambrall and St. John have placed at Midlands. Slaton, who is 10-1 while competing unattached this season, recorded a dominating 9-0 major decision over No. 8 seed Lou Ruggirello, who was also competing unattached. Morningstar scored a takedown near the end of the second sudden victory period to beat No. 4 seed Nick Marable of Missouri, 4-2. Morningstar, a four-time Midlands placewinner, is now 11-2 on the season. Beatty scored a third-period escape and takedown to score a 6-3 win over No. 4 seed Trevor Brandvold of Wisconsin, improving to 13-2 this season. St. John, who was competing unattached, recorded a medical forfeit over No. 3 seed Steve Brown of Central Michigan for fifth place in his first Midlands appearance. The Hawkeye true freshman is 21-4 while wrestling unattached this season. Moore, who was also wrestling at Midlands for the first time, took No. 1 seed Nick Fanthorpe of Iowa State to the tie break period, but lost the bout 2-1. Iowa's next competition will be Jan. 9-10 at the 2010 NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls. The Hawkeyes (9-0) are the defending Division I team champion, and will be making their 17th appearance at the two-day annual tournament, which features top wrestlers from each collegiate athletic division (NCAA Divisions I, II and III, NAIA, JUCO and Women's). The Division I field includes eight of the top 10 ranked teams in the most recent USA Today/NWCA coaches poll. All-session tickets are $45 for adults and $35 for seniors and students. Individual session tickets are $25 for adults and $20 for seniors and students. Tickets may be purchased by contacting the UNI-Dome box office at 877-216-3663 or 319-273-4849. Final Team Standings (Top 10) 1. Iowa - 168.5 2. Iowa State - 144.5 3. Central Michigan - 118.0 4. Missouri - 103.0 5. Wisconsin - 90.5 6. Maryland - 74.5 7. Lehigh - 65.5 8. American - 65.0 Oregon State - 65.0 10. Illinois - 64.0