InterMat Staff

GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas -- The No. 16 Nebraska wrestling team won all three duals they participated in on Saturday, Jan. 15, at the Lone Star duals in Grand Prairie, Texas. The Huskers, who defeated Utah Valley earlier in the first session of the day, defeated Stanford and Brown in the afternoon to improve their season record to 9-2. In their match against Stanford, the Huskers used a technical fall victory from No. 11 Tucker Lane (NU) to rally back and defeat the Cardinal by a 19-17 count. Entering the 184-pound match trailing by three team points, the Huskers' Josh Ihnen (184) tied the dual with his 2-1 victory over Spence Patrick (Stan.). NU couldn't pull ahead in the next match as senior Andy Johnson (NU) fell to No. 10 Zack Giesen (Stan.) by a 10-4 decision to give the Cardinal a three-point lead. With the Huskers needing a bonus-point victory to win the dual, Lane came through for the Huskers by defeating Alen Yen (Stan.), 18-2, in the heavyweight bout. The dual-clinching victory gave Lane his first technical fall of the season. Earlier in the dual, Ridge Kiley (NU) got the Huskers their first three points with his upset of No. 18 Justin Paulsen (Stan.) in second sudden-victory period, while Mike Koehnlein (NU) picked up his second victory of the day by taking down Jordan Gray (Stan.) at 141-pounds. Jordan Burroughs was the other Husker to get a win as he defeated Garrett Schaner (Stan) by technical fall, 24-7. In their last dual of the night, the Huskers jumped on the Brown Bears right out of the gate by winning the first three matches. David Klingsheim (125), Kiley (133) and Koehnlein (141) gave the Huskers a 10-0 lead, before Brown's Giuseppi Lanzi defeated Ross Grande to put the Bears on the scoreboard. After Grande's defeat, the Huskers won the last six matches of the dual, with four of those being bonus point victories. Burroughs pinned Dave Foxen (BU) for his sixth pin of the season, while Cody Compton (NU) defeated Pat Labuz (BU) at the 157-pound match for his first victory of the day. The Huskers also got major decision victories from Kolb, Ihnen and Lane to round out the action. Burroughs, Lane and Ihnen all went 3-0 on the day for Nebraska. The Huskers return to action on Friday, Jan. 21, when they will travel to Madison, Wisc., to take on the Wisconsin Badgers at 7 p.m. The match against the Badgers will be available on the Big Ten Network.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- A major decision by Navy 125-pound junior Aaron Kalil (Salem, N.H.) over Mitch Berger sealed the win for the Mids, as the Navy wrestling team scored a 19-15 upset victory over No. 12 Lehigh Saturday evening at Halsey Field House in Annapolis. The Mountain Hawks came into the match having won 13 of the last 14 matches in the series with the Mids' last win over Lehigh coming on Jan. 13, 2007, in Annapolis. "All of the hard work that we have put in over the last several months paid off tonight," said 11th-year Navy head coach Bruce Burnett, who inched a step closer to his 100th by earning his 98th-career victory. "We competed hard from top to bottom and we earned some upset wins because we wrestled smart. Prior to the match I told the guys that we needed to win the battle of the mind and the battle of the body, but more importantly we needed to win the battle of the heart. "Lehigh is well coached and Pat Santoro has done a phenomenal job with that wrestling program." Santoro's Mountain Hawks looked strong in the opening bouts, building a 6-0 advantage following decisions by 141-pound Stephen Dutton over Navy's Dustin Haislip (Inwood, W.Va.) and 149-pound Joey Napoli over the Mids' Eric Filipowicz (Elkridge, Md.). Burnett, however, looked to his team captain to get the Mids back into the match. And seventh-ranked Bryce Saddoris (Spring Creek, Nev.) didn't disappoint. Lehigh junior Sean Bilodeau opened the match fearless and went after Saddoris, scoring the match's opening points with a takedown halfway through the opening period. Saddoris quickly broke free and had Bilodeau on the mat less than 15 seconds later and at the 2:13 mark of the match, official Jeff Cook slapped the mat and awarded Saddoris a win by fall. The pin quickly erased the Lehigh lead and sparked a four-match run by the Mids. Navy took the lead for good when 165-pound sophomore Mason Bailey (Fairmont, W.Va.) pulled the evening's first upset, a 5-4 win over 18th-ranked Brandon Hatchett. After a scoreless opening period, Bailey took a quick lead in the second with a reversal, but seven seconds later Hatchett knotted the match with his own version of a reversal. Bailey eventually took the lead into the third period by earning the point for the escape. The third period began with Hatchett getting to the neutral position to tie the match at 3-3, but Bailey quickly went for Hatchett's legs and got him to the ground for a 5-3 advantage. Although Hatchett would get on his feet and free from Bailey, it was too little, too late and Bailey his first-career win over a ranked foe. "I've been so close in so many matches," said an elated Bailey following the match. "It's about time that I stepped up and wrestled hard and got a win for this team and myself. I have some of the best practice partners in the country and I have no doubt that each of them - Robby Neill, Bryce Saddoris, Luke Rebertus, Bobby Barnhisel - they all helped me get to where I am now and get this win tonight." Navy continued to keep the pressure on the Mountain Hawks with senior Matt DeMichiel (Whitesboro, N.Y.) stunning No. 9 Austin Meys at 174 pounds. With the match deadlocked at 3-3 after the first period, DeMichiel would score the only point of the second to take a 4-3 lead. Meys then evened the match at 4-4 with an escape to start the third. DeMichiel, who had not wrestled since Dec. 19 at the Reno Tournament of Champions because of an injury, made his clinching move with 1:25 left in the match, a takedown that gave him a 6-4 advantage. Meys eventual got free with just over a minute to go, but succumbed to DeMichiel, 6-5. "Meys is a strong kid, so going into the match I felt like I needed to keep him on his toes and get a lot of movement in on him," said DeMichiel, who earned his second-career victory over a ranked foe and first this season. "It felt great to get back onto the mat after being out for so long. This win not only was huge for us tonight, but it's important because it's against an EIWA opponent and that will be important for seeding at the EIWA Tournament." The two upset victories led into perhaps the most anticipated match of the evening, a battle at 184 pounds between No. 5 Robert Hamlin of Lehigh and 18th-ranked Luke Rebertus (Gloucester, Va.) of Navy. Both wrestlers came into the match having won two huge matches the week prior. While Rebertus defeated then 14th-ranked Eric Schmidtke of Oklahoma in a tie-breaker, Hamlin downed the nation's top-ranked wrestler, Joe LeBlanc of Wyoming at the Virginia Duals. Rebertus struck first with a takedown 30 seconds into the match and built a 3-1 advantage through the first two periods. Hamlin cut into the lead with an escape to start the third before Rebertus was dinged for his second stall warning to tie the match at 3-3. He did, however, redeem himself with a takedown with under a minute to go. Hamlin broke free with 37 seconds remaining, but Rebertus held on to earn the 5-4 win and record his third win over a ranked wrestler this season. "I was really pumped up for this match," said Rebertus. "I just won at Oklahoma and he (Hamlin) just knocked off the No. 1-ranked wrestler in the country. I was excited to get the win, but more importantly I was glad that I could contribute to the team. It was an awesome environment and I always enjoy wrestling against Lehigh. "This season has gone where I had hoped, but I have more goals to achieve. I have to make up for only wrestling half of last season and so I'm training harder, I'm working harder and I make every practice count." Trailing 15-6, Lehigh worked its way back into the match with a 4-2 win by 14th-ranked Joe Kennedy over Navy senior Greg Prioleau (Poway, Calif.) at 197 pounds, followed by the narrowest of victories by No. 1-ranked Zach Rey over Navy senior Mike Landis (Hershey, Pa.). With the match tied at 1-1 with two minutes to go in the match, Landis made the smallest of errors and Rey was quick to take advantage of it and brough Landis to the mat with 1:34 to go. The Navy senior who last saw action on Dec. 29 at the Southern Scuffle was able to get to within one, 3-2, with an escape, but it would be the final margin. "I tip my hat to Mike Landis who had a chance to beat the No.1 wrestler in the country tonight," said Burnett. "He had a chance because he did the right things and let me tell you, Zach Rey is a really good wrestler." With two matches remaining, Navy was clinging to a three-point advantage at 15-12. Kalil went into his match against Lehigh senior Mitch Berger knowing he needed to take care of business. He looked like a man on a mission, building a 7-1 lead at the end of the first period and a 10-1 advantage after two. By match's end he had produced three takedowns, a three-point nearfall and nearly two minutes in riding time (1:58) to not only earn a win for the Mids, but the major decision put the match out of reach for the Mountain Hawks. Navy junior 133-pound Tyler Sackett (Omaha, Neb.) had upset on his mind throughout the match, building a 6-3 lead through the opening period. However, 20th-ranked Frank Cagnina fought back to a 6-6 tie after two. The two wrestlers went back and forth and after a Sackett escape with 28 seconds left, the match was all tied up at 8-8. However, Cagnina won the bout, 9-8, thanks to his 1:30 of riding time. "I want our guys to enjoy the win because it was well deserved," said Burnett. "However, I also told them not to rest on it. While we had more points than Lehigh at the end of the match, we made some small mistakes and we need to continue to get better. I think we have pretty much everybody on board now believing in our hard work and what we are doing in practice daily is making the difference when we step onto the match in competition." The Midshipmen return to action next Friday when they play host to Liberty in what will be the two programs' first meeting. Action is on tap to begin at 7:00 pm at Halsey Field House. Navy will then make the short trip to College Park on Saturday where the Mids will battle Maryland beginning at 4:00 pm at the Comcast Center. Results: 141 - Stephen Dutton (L) won by dec. Dustin Haislip (N), 9-5 0-3 149 - Joey Napoli (L) won by dec. Eric Filipowicz (N), 8-2 0-6 157 - #8 Bryce Saddoris (N) won by fall Sean Bilodeau (L), 2:13 6-6 165 - Mason Bailey (N) won by dec. #18 Brandon Hatchett (L), 5-4 9-6 174 - Matt DeMichiel (N) won by dec. #9 Austin Meys (L) , 6-5 12-6 184 - #18 Luke Rebertus (N) won by dec. #5 Robert Hamlin (L), 5-4 15-6 197 - #14 Joe Kennedy (L) won by dec. Greg Prioleau (N), 4-2 15-9 HWT - #1 Zach Rey (L) won by dec. Mike Landis (N), 3-2 15-12 125 - Aaron Kalil (N) won by major dec. Mitch Berger (L), 13-3 19-12 133 - #20 Frank Cagnina (L) won by dec. Tyler Sackett (N), 9-8 19-15

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- Cal Poly scored three major decisions while Wyoming produced just one -- the two extra bonus points providing the margin of victory in an 18-16 dual wrestling meet victory Friday night before 881 in Mott Gym. Atticus Disney at 285 -- the opening bout -- along with Boris Novachkov at 141 and Barrett Abel at 157 all won by major decision as the Mustangs built a 12-9 lead in the first six bouts. Wyoming 165-pounder Shane Onufer, ranked No. 6 in the nation by InterMat, improved to 18-0 on the year with a 5-4 decision over Mustang Ryan DesRoches, tying the dual meet at 12-12. But unranked Cal Poly won two of the final three bouts to earn the team victory, improving to 5-0 in dual meets this season. Wyoming, ranked No. 25 by InterMat, fell to 4-4. The Cal Poly wrestling team,presented by Meathead Movers is 4-0 in its all-time series against the Cowboys. Steven Vasquez (pictured above) edged Patrick Martinez 3-2 at 174 and, after Wyoming took a 16-15 lead with No. 6 Joe LeBlanc’s 14-4 major decision over Kelan Bragg at 184, Mustang 197-pounder Ryan Smith clinched the dual meet with a 10-8 decision over L.J. Helbig. After a scoreless first period, Vasquez scored a key takedown in the second period and an escape in the final period for the 3-2 win. Three takedowns in the first two periods gave Smith a 7-6 lead and he secured the win with two escapes and riding time for the 10-8 triumph. Smith had beaten Helbig 9-2 in the Reno Tournament of Champions a month ago. The feature match was at 165 with DesRoches ranked No. 17 by InterMat and Onufer ranked No. 6. DesRoches was trying to avenge a 10-2 major decision loss to Onufer in the 165-pound championship match at Reno and led 4-3 in Friday’s dual before surrendering a late takedown to Onufer in the final period. Disney raced to a 14-4 lead in the first period with a pair of takedowns and seven near-fall points before settling for a 16-7 major decision over Matthew McLaughlin at 285. Novachkov, ranked No. 4 by InterMat, scored five takedowns and a reversal en route to a 14-5 major decision over Chase Smith at 141. The junior is now 18-1 on the year. Abel sprinted to a 13-1 lead with two takedowns and a trio of three-point near falls in the first period of his match against Jimmy Belleville and was working for another three-point near fall for a technical fall. Instead, the senior transfer from UC Davis gave up a reversal but went on to earn a 16-8 major decision. Another feature match was at 133 with No. 10-ranked Filip Novachkov of Cal Poly getting upset by No. 20 Tyler Cox 6-5. Cox scored a takedown in the third period for a 6-3 lead. Novachkov reversed positions with five seconds remaining, but couldn’t secure any near-fall points in the closing seconds. In other matches, No. 13-ranked Michael Martinez of Wyoming was a 7-3 winner over Brandan Rocha at 125 while Cowboy 149-pounder Cole Dallaserra was a 16-5 major decision winner over Stephen Thalin. The two teams split the 10 bouts at five apiece. Wyoming had won the Reno Tournament of Champions while Cal Poly placed ninth. Cal Poly visits Oregon State next Friday and Boise State next Sunday for Pac-10 Conference dual meets. Results: 285 -- Atticus Disney (CP) maj. dec. Matthew McLaughlin (W) 16-7 125 -- Michael Martinez (W) dec. Brandan Rocha (CP) 7-3 133 -- Tyler Cox (W) dec. Filip Novachkov (CP) 6-5 141 -- Boris Novachkov (CP) maj. dec. Chase Smith (W) 14-5 149 -- Cole Dallaserra (W) dec. Stephen Thalin (CP) 5-1 157 -- Barrett Abel (CP) maj. dec. Jimmy Belleville (W) 16-8 165 -- Shane Onufer (W) dec. Ryan DesRoches (CP) 5-4 174 -- Steven Vasquez (CP) dec. Patrick Martinez (W) 3-2 184 -- Joe LeBlanc (W) maj. dec. Kelan Bragg (CP) 14-4 197 -- Ryan Smith (CP) dec. L.J. Helbig (W) 10-8

EVANSTON, Ill. -- In a showdown of ranked interstate rivals, No. 18 Northwestern sped to an 18-3 lead over No. 14 Illinois after five matches before the visitors won three straight matches to pull within five. That's when NU junior John Schoen (197) rallied from what was a 7-5 deficit with under a minute remaining to pin Mario Gonzalez and send the `Cats on their way to an exciting 27-13 victory Friday in Welsh-Ryan Arena. With the victory, which was televised live on Big Ten Network, Northwestern remained unbeaten on the season under the direction of first-year head coach Drew Pariano, who has 14 dual wins in 14 tries this year and has his squad off to a 2-0 start in the Big Ten. "This is a team that wrestles for bonus points," Pariano said after the match. "That's a huge difference from last year to this year. If you're the aggressor in 90 percent of the match, you expect to win and you deserve to win, and I think (John Schoen's match) was one of those things where justice was served for once. I'm pleased with how we represented ourselves in front of a great crowd tonight." After seeing that impressive 15-point intermission lead slashed to five, Schoen and Gonzalez squared off in what was expected to be a close match. Schoen trailed 2-1 after one period, but continually pushed the pace in the second and was awarded a stalling point after a Gonzalez takedown had given the Illini a 4-2 lead. A third Gonzalez takedown on the edge of the mat put Schoen in a 7-5 hole but, following another stalling penalty on Gonzalez, Schoen finally finished a shot and drove Gonzalez to his back. Gonzalez was injured on the takedown, but the officials granted Schoen the pin and six points for Northwestern to give the Wildcats an insurmountable lead. "My whole thing this year has been to up the pace of my matches and get back to being the man on offense," Schoen said. "Drew, Timmy (Cysewski) and (Matt) Storniolo have our team really well conditioned so we can win in the third period and overtime. I should have wrestled better earlier in the match but it's because of my shape where I'm going to keep going because I want to win that match." Schoen is now 15-5 overall in his redshirt junior campaign. Schoen's classmate Ben Kuhar followed that thrilling match with a solid 3-1 victory over Illinois' Pat Walker to send the Wildcat faithful in attendance home on a high note. At the outset of the dual, No. 1-ranked 125-pounder Brandon Precin got Northwestern off to a fast start, collecting three near-fall points in the first period and going on to hold a 7-0 lead after two periods. He poured it on in the third with another set of back points, finishing just shy of a technical fall with a 15-1 major decision. NU's Levi Mele battled seventh-ranked B.J. Futrell at 133 pounds and wrestled hard but was unable to stave off three Futrell takedowns in the first period. Mele couldn't generate any offense down the stretch, suffering his first dual setback of the season in an 8-3 loss. Friedley then took to the mat at 141 pounds against Daryl Thomas, who was filling in for injured Illinois starter and third-ranked Jimmy Kennedy. Friedley pounced to a 4-0 lead just moments into the second when he brought Thomas to his back, pancaking him for the fall at the 3:23 mark and giving the 'Cats a 10-3 lead. That brought up the matchup of two top-15 competitors in NU's No. 13 Andrew Nadhir and Illinois' No. 12 Eric Terrazas, who had edged Nadhir in tiebreakers at the 2010 Midlands Championships. Nadhir picked up the first takedown early on and, after allowing Terrazas to score only on escapes, won the match with an escape in the third. Nadhir, 22-2 this year, repeatedly evaded surrendering a two after Terrazas was in on a leg to help him win the 3-2 decision. Ninth-ranked Jason Welch had no difficulty with U of I's Jackson Morse, reaching the 17-2 technical fall win thanks to a riding time point added at the match's conclusion. After the break, Chicagoland native Conrad Polz claimed a win at 165 pounds, defeating Kevin Bialka by 17-6 major decision. That brought up NU junior Robert Kellogg wrestling up a weight at 174, who was able to start the third trailing Ben Friedl 4-3 thanks to a key reversal at the end of the second. After a Friedl escape, Kellogg notched a takedown with 45 seconds remaining but could not find the final score he needed to overcome Friedl's riding time advantage in a 7-5 decision. Northwestern's Aaron Jones lost an 8-4 decision at 184 pounds to Illinois' Tony Dallago, setting up the dramatic win by Schoen at 197. Northwestern will take its 14-0 record with it on the road next week, traveling to face Big Ten foes Michigan and Michigan State. Results: 125: #1 Brandon Precin (NU) maj. dec. Logan Arlis (IL), 15-1 (NU 4, IL 0) 133: #7 B.J. Futrell (IL) dec. Levi Mele (NU), 8-3 (NU 4, IL 3) 141: Kaleb Friedley (NU) FALL Daryl Thomas (IL), 3:23 (NU 10, IL 3) 149: #13 Andrew Nadhir (NU) dec. #12 Eric Terrazas (IL), 3-2 (NU 13, IL 3) 157: #9 Jason Welch (NU) Tech Fall Jackson Morse (IL), 17-2 (7:00) (NU 18, IL 3) 165: Conrad Polz (IL) maj. dec. Kevin Bialka (NU), 17-6 (NU 18, IL 7) 174: Ben Friedl (IL) dec. Robert Kellogg (NU), 7-5 (NU 18, IL 10) 184: Tony Dallago (IL) dec. Aaron Jones (NU), 8-4 (NU 18, IL 13) 197: John Schoen (NU) FALL Mario Gonzalez (IL), 6:47 (NU 24, IL 13) 285: Ben Kuhar (NU) dec. Pat Walker (IL), 3-1 (NU 27, IL 13)

In front of thousands of fans and numerous Gopher wrestling alumni, including the 2001 NCAA Championship team, the No. 5 Minnesota wrestling team opened the Big Ten season victoriously on Friday night with a 25-14 win over Indiana. The Gophers (9-3 overall, 1-0 Big Ten) opened the dual with three straight wins including a pair that gave the program bonus points. All-American junior Zach Sanders kicked off the event with a 22-7 five-point technical fall over Justin Brooks in the 125 lbs. bout before redshirt freshman David Thorn scored a come-from behind 7-5 decision in sudden victory over Matt Ortega in the 133 lbs. match. Thorn, who trailed 5-3 in the third period, logged a two-point takedown with four seconds left in the period to force overtime and then tallied another takedown in the extra time frame to put Minnesota up 7-0 after two matches. All-American senior Mike Thorn made it 13-0 Minnesota when he recorded a pin at 3:49 over Mitchell Richey in the 141 lbs. match for his ninth pin of the season and. The fall improved Mike Thorn's record to 26-1 on the year and 12-0 in duals. The Hoosiers would eventually get on the scoreboard with a pair of wins in the middleweights. Kurt Kinser scored a 5-0 decision over Danny Zilverberg in the 141 lbs. match and No. 6 Paul Young tallied a 14-6 major decision Joe Grygelko in the 157 lbs. match to make it 13-7 Minnesota. Cody Yohn ended the brief slide with a 2-0 decision over Ryan LeBlanc in the 165 lbs and then No. 8 Scott Glasser and No. 8 Kevin Steinhaus each followed up major decision victories. Glasser topped Nick Avery 11-3 in the 174 lbs. match and Steinhaus picked up a 10-1 win over Eric Cameron to put the Gophers out in front 25-7. Indiana would go on to win the final two matches of the dual with a major decision in the 197 lbs. match and a sudden victory win in the heavyweight contest, but by then the dual was out of reach as the Gophers held on to pick up the 25-14 win. Notes: Minnesota honored the 2001 NCAA Championship team during tonight's match as the program celebrated the tenth anniversary of Minnesota's first national team title. The Gophers return to action on Sunday at Iowa State. Results: 125: No. 5 Zach Sanders (MINN) tech. Justin Brooks (IU) 22-7 133: David Thorn (MINN) SV. Matt Ortega (IU) 7-5 141: No. 2 Mike Thorn (MINN) fall Mitchell Richey (IU ) 3:49 149: Kurt Kinser (IU) dec. Danny Zilverberg (MINN) 5-0 157: No. 6 Paul Young (IU) maj. Joe Grygelko(MINN) 14-6 165: No. 7 Cody Yohn (MINN) dec. Ryan LeBlanc (IU) 2-0 174: No. 8 Scott Glasser (MINN) maj. Nick Avery (IU) 11-3 184: No. 9 Kevin Steinhaus (MINN) maj. Eric Cameron (IU)10-1 197: Matt Powless (IU) maj. Joe Nord (MINN) 13-3 285: No. 19 Ricky Alcala (IU) SV No. 9 Tony Nelson (MINN) 3-1

FARGO, N.D. -- The University of Northern Iowa wrestling team picked up its first Western Wrestling Conference win of the season, topping North Dakota State 21-19 Friday evening in Fargo, N.D. The Panthers picked up wins from Ryan Jauch, Joey Lazor, Brett Robbins, Brice Wolf, Ryan Loder and Christian Brantley. After a NDSU major decision win at 125, Jauch scored an 11-8 decision over NDSU’s Justin Solberg at 133 pounds to pull the Panthers within 4-3. Lazor and Robbins scored decision wins at 141 and 149 pounds, respectively, giving UNI a 9-4 lead. NDSU picked up wins at 157 and 165 pounds to take a 13-9 lead before Wolf and Loder scored wins to put the Panthers back up 15-13. Wolf scored a 9-3 decision over Steven Monk at 174 pounds while Loder notched an 8-5 win over Kenny Moenkedick. NDSU took the lead back at 19-15 off a pin at 197 pounds. However a NDSU forfeit at the heavyweight slot gave UNI the 21-19 dual win. UNI has won 11 straight matches against the Bison and now leads the series 17-2-1. UNI (6-7, 1-0 WWC) will face South Dakota State tomorrow evening in Brookings, S.D. Action is slated to begin at 7 p.m. Results: 125 – Trent Sprenkle (NDSU) maj. dec Caleb Flores, 17-4 133—Ryan Jauch (UNI ) dec. Justin Solberg, 11-8 141—Joey Lazor (UNI) dec. Trevor Johnson, 9-3 149—Brett Robbins (UNI) dec. Mark Erickson, 5-4 157—Vince Salminen (NDSU) dec. David Bonin, 6-2 165—Tyler Johnson (NDSU) fall Riley Banach, 1:29 174—Brice Wolf (UNI) dec. Steven Monk, 9-3 184 – Ryan Loder (UNI) dec. Kenny Moenkedick, 8-5 197—Drew Ross (NDSU) fall Joe Johnson, 4:22 Hwt—Christian Brantley (UNI) win by forfeit

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 11-ranked University of Michigan wrestling team rallied from an early and sizable deficit, winning seven consecutive bouts to roll past No. 21 Purdue, 28-13, in its the Big Ten Conference opener on Friday evening (Jan. 14) at Cliff Keen Arena. The Wolverines claimed bonus points in three individual wins. Sophomore/freshman Brandon Zeerip (Fremont, Mich./Hesperia HS) stole the show in his dual-meet debut, pinning No. 19-ranked Colton Salazar at the 5:27 mark in the 157-pound bout to seal Michigan's team victory with two matches remaining. Salazar struck first on a pair of early takedowns, but Zeerip stole away the advantage on a five-point move midway through the frame, catching a standing half off a single leg to put the Boilermaker wrestler on his back. Salazar scored on two more takedowns to pull within two points entering the final frame, but Zeerip wore him out, countering a lackadaisical single attempt for another takedown early in the third before catching Salazar midway through a granby roll to stack him up. Junior/sophomore Ben Apland (Woodridge, Ill./Downers Grove South HS) and senior/junior Kellen Russell (High Bridge, N.J./Blair Academy) claimed technical falls at heavyweight and 141 pounds, respectively, to pull Michigan back into the driver's seat. Apland notched the Wolverines' first victory after they dropped the opening two weights, including a first-period pin at 184 pounds, dominating Purdue's Roger Vukobratovich en route to a 21-4 win -- his second career tech fall and first in two seasons. Apland, ranked 10th in the latest InterMat poll, spent the bulk of the match on top, turning the Boiler wrester four times -- for 12 total points -- on a first-period cradle, a first-period guillotine, another cradle early in the second period and out of a third-period scramble to end the bout at 6:29. Russell posted a similarly decisive score in the 141-pound contest, using three takedowns and 13 back points to roll over Jake Fleckenstein, 20-4. The Wolverine captain, ranked No. 1 nationally, nearly had the tech fall in the first period after a quick snap down for two and three straight three-point tilts, but he gave up a late reversal off the last turn before ending the frame with a duck under and another two-point tilt. Russell countered a single leg to take Fleckenstein down early in the second and registering one more, match-ending two-point tilt to end the bout at 4:49. Russell is 21-0 on the season. Between Michigan's two tech falls, sophomore Sean Boyle (Lowell, Mass./Blair Academy) and junior Zac Stevens (Monroe, Mich./Monroe HS) took advantage of explosive starts to claim decision victories at 125 and 133 pounds, respectively, providing the Wolverines' their first lead of the dual at the midway point. Boyle controlled the first two periods against Camden Eppert, scoring on a first-period single leg before notching a reversal and subsequent single-leg takedown in the middle frame. Eppert narrowed the gap on a Boyle technical violation and a single leg of his own, but the Wolverine earned an escape and added a point after for riding time to secure the 8-6 decision. Stevens also claimed narrow win, battling past Akif Eren, 7-4, behind two takedowns, two escapes and riding time. The Wolverine struck on a double leg and a counter takedown in the first period, but Erin worked back into the match on a double leg of his own late in the second. Erin escaped to open the third, and neither wrestler scored again to preserve Steven's advantage. Sophomore/freshman Eric Grajales (Brandon, Fla./Brandon HS) claimed a solid 6-1 win in the 149-pound match, earning his second win over Purdue's Sam Patacsil of the season. Grajales converted on a double leg and subsequent ankle leg in the first period, both times carrying Patacsil back to the center to finish with a leg turk. He scored again out of a second-period flurry and rode out the frame to build riding-time advantage. He was ridden out to lose that advantage in the third but didn't come close to being turned to hang onto the decision victory. Sophomore/freshman Dan Yates (Hesperia, Mich./Hesperia HS) earned Michigan's last win with a 6-0 shutout against Kyle Mosier at 165 pounds. The Wolverine rookie scored on a snap-down spin around early in the first and, after getting ridden out in the second, scored on a quick reversal and two-point half in the third. The Wolverines will wrap up the weekend slate on Sunday (Jan. 16), heading to Mount Pleasant, Mich., for a 2 p.m. dual against intrastate rival Central Michigan at McGuirk Arena. Results: 184 -- A.J. Kissel (PU) pinned Hunter Collins, 2:04 PU, 6-0 197 -- #9 Logan Brown (PU) dec. #13 Anthony Biondo, 7-4 PU, 9-0 Hwt -- #10 Ben Apland (U-M) tech. fall Roger Vukobratovich, 21-4 (6:29) PU, 9-5 125 -- Sean Boyle (U-M) dec. Camden Eppert, 8-6 PU, 9-8 133 -- Zac Stevens (U-M) dec. Akif Eren, 7-4 U-M, 11-9 141 -- #1 Kellen Russell (U-M) tech. fall Jake Fleckenstein, 20-4 (4:49) U-M, 16-9 149 -- Eric Grajales (U-M) dec. Sam Patacsil, 6-1 U-M, 19-9 157 -- Brandon Zeerip (U-M) pinned #19 Colton Salazar, 5:27 U-M, 25-9 165 -- Dan Yates (U-M) dec. Kyle Mozier, 6-0 U-M, 28-9 174 -- #11 Luke Manuel (PU) tech. fall Mark Boyer, 27-12 (6:51) U-M, 28-13

PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- The 10th-ranked Rutgers wrestling team (13-1, 5-0 EIWA) used a balanced wrestling from their entire lineup to defeat EIWA rival Bucknell (3-7, 0-3 EIWA), 33-3. Matt Fusco (Bellville, N.J.) got the Scarlet Knights out to a strong start downing Derek Reber 5-2 using a pair of takedowns and the bonus riding time point. Mike DeMarco (Lyndhurst, N.J.) kept the momentum going earning an 11-0 major decision over Bob Hauser. Trevor Melde (Hewitt, N.J.) dominated in a 6-1 decision over Eric Harris to push RU’s advantage to 10-0. In the biggest match of the night No. 5 Mario Mason (Moorestown, N.J.) went up against No. 4 Kevin LeValley at 149 pounds. After a scoreless first, Mason began down to begin the second and earned an escape less than 30 seconds in. The two went back and forth for the remainder of the frame but neither wrestler was able to connect on any of their moves and Mason held a 1-0 lead going into the third. LeValley started down and quickly earned an escape to even the score at one. The two felt each other out for the remained of the frame and the match went into overtime. In the extra frame, Mason came out aggressive and eventually got LeValley by the left leg and took him down less than 30 seconds into the bonus frame sending the crowd at the RAC into the frenzy and giving Rutgers a 13-0 lead. Daryl Cocozzo (River Edge, N.J.) earned a 4-2 decision over Brantley Hooks to push RU’s lead to 16-0. At 165 pounds, Scott Winston (Jackson, N.J.) and Corey Lear gave the crowd another exciting bout. Heading into the final frame the two grapplers were even at two with Winston having 58 seconds of riding time. Lear was able to ride Winston out until the two went into a stalemate with 10 seconds. After the stalemate, Lear needed seven seconds to earn the bonus point and take a 3-2 lead. Lear was able to get the riding time and the bonus point but Winston didn’t give up and was able to score a reversal and earn two points in the matches waning moments to win the match 4-3 and again send the crowd into a frenzy. Alex Caruso (Green Brook, N.J.) used a bonus point from a minute and a half of riding time to defeat David Thompson 3-2 at 174-pounds and push the Scarlet Knight lead to 22-0. Dan Rinaldi (Lodi, N.J.) was able to keep the RU momentum going earning a pin fall over Rob Waltko 5:16 into the match to give Rutgers a 28-0 lead. After Bucknell took the bout at 197-pounds, DJ Russo (Netcong, N.J.) earned a tech. fall over Conor Sweeney to close out the match for Rutgers, 33-3. The Scarlet Knights return to action tomorrow afternoon at 1 p.m. when they host Army, Cleveland State and the United States Merchant Marines in a quad meet at College Ave. Gym. Results: 125: Matt Fusco (RU) dec. Derek Reber (BU), 5-2; Rutgers leads, 3-0 133: Mike DeMarco (RU) maj. dec. Bob Hauser (BU), 11-0; Rutgers leads, 7-0 141: Trevor Melde (RU) dec. Zac Hancock (BU), 6-1; Rutgers leads, 10-0 149: No. 5 Mario Mason (RU) dec. No. 4 Kevin LeValley (BU), 3-1 (OT); Rutgers leads, 13-0 157: No. 18 Daryl Cocozzo (RU) dec. Brantley Hooks (BU), 4-2; Rutgers leads, 16-0 165: No. 8 Scott Winston (RU) dec. Corey Lear (BU), 4-3, Rutgers leads, 19-0 174: No. 18 Alex Caruso (RU) dec. David Thompson (BU), 3-2; Rutgers leads, 22-0 184: Dan Rinaldi (RU) pins Rob Waltko (BU), 5:16; Rutgers leads, 28-0 197: Jay Hahn (BU) dec. Mike Wagner (RU), 10-4; Rutgers leads, 28-3 285: DJ Russo (RU) tech fall Conor Sweeney (BU), 15-0/7:00; Rutgers leads, 33-3

PITTSBURGH -- Looking to defend as the EWL dual champion, the Pitt wrestling team cruised to a 33-6 victory over host Lock Haven on Friday night. The Panthers won the final eight bouts of the dual, including three by fall. Pitt improves to (8-5) overall and (1-0) in EWL action. Lock Haven drops to (4-6) on the season and (0-1) in the EWL. The Bald Eagles took the opening two matches with one point decisions to lead the contest by seven. The Panthers were docked a penalty point after the 125-bout. In a showcase matchup, redshirt junior Tyler Nauman (141) put the Panthers on the board with a 12-10 decision over Matt Bonson. Nauman improved to 16-2 on the season and handed Bonson just his second defeat in 18 matches. The Panthers pulled to within one point when redshirt freshman Dane Johnson (149) claimed a 10-4 decision over Owen Wilkinson. Redshirt sophomore Donnie Tasser (157) gave the Panthers their first lead of the evening with a 9-0 major decision. Tasser capitalized on several shots while defending his ground for the shutout. With the momentum clearly in the Panthers favor, redshirt junior Ethan Headlee (165) picked up his 20th win of the year and team-leading eighth fall, pinning Dylan Caprio at the 2:23 mark. Headlee was in control in the first period when he forced the pin on the outer edge of the circle. Senior Andy Vaughan (174) continued his undefeated dual season with a 7-2 decision. Vaughan stands at 5-0 in dual action after winning all four of his matches at the Pitt duals this past Sunday. Pitt sealed the match in the eighth bout when freshman Max Thomusseit (184) notched his third fall of the season over the Bald Eagles’ Dylan Caldwell at 6:06. Thomusseit joined Headlee in earning his 20th victory of the season. With junior Zac Thomusseit out of the lineup, senior Phil Sorrentino (197) claimed his first win of the season with a 2-1 tiebreak decision. Sorrentino missed the first-half of the season due to injury, but made a spirited return at the Pitt duals. With the match locked up at 1-1, Sorrentino started on top in the extra session and held his ground. The senior then earned the deciding point with an escape in the second half of the tiebreaker and held on for the win. In the final match of the night, redshirt senior Ryan Tomei (285) capped a dominating night for the Panthers with his sixth fall of the season at 1:16 into the first period. The win put Tomei in a four-way tie for first place in wins by a Panther this season, joining Zac Thomusseit along with Headlee and Max Thomusseit with 20 wins each. The Panthers will travel to State College, Pa. for a top-25 clash against in-state rival Penn State on Friday, Jan. 21. The scheduled match time is 6 p.m. and the contest will air live on the BIG TEN network. Results: 125: Nick Hyatt (LH) dec. Anthony Zanetta (P), 5-4 (3- (-1) Lock Haven 133: John Trumbetti (LH) dec. Shelton Mack (P), 5-4 6- (-1) Lock Haven 141: No. 9 Tyler Nauman (P) dec. Matt Bonson (LH), 12-10 6-2 Lock Haven 149: Dane Johnson (P) dec. Owen Wilkinson (LH) 10-4? 6-5 Lock Haven 157: Donnie Tasser (P) maj. dec. Seth Creasy (LH), 9-0 9-6 Pitt 165: Ethan Headlee (P) WBF (2:23) Dylan Caprio (LH) 15-6 Pitt 174: Andy Vaughan (P) dec. Michael Khoury (LH), 7-2 18-6 Pitt 184: Max Thomusseit (P) WBF (6:06) Derek Caldwell (LH) 24-6 Pitt 197: Phil Sorrentino (P) dec. Jacob Bachman (LH), 2-1 TB1 27-6 Pitt 285: No. 4 Ryan Tomei (P) WBF (1:16) Henry Turner (LH) 33-6 Pitt

STILLWATER, Okla. -- Oklahoma State and Iowa clash on the mat at 2 p.m. Sunday in Gallagher-Iba Arena. For wrestling fans, it gets no better than this because by any measure, Oklahoma State and Iowa are the elite programs in the sport of wrestling. In fact, OSU and Iowa are two of the three winningest programs in all of college athletics. Cowboy wrestling leads all intercollegiate sports with 34 NCAA team titles. Iowa wrestling's 23 NCAA team titles ranks third, trailing only OSU's 34 and the 26 won by USC men's outdoor track and field. Oklahoma State and Iowa have combined for 211 individual NCAA wrestling champions, with the Cowboys good for 133 and Hawkeyes tallying 78. Those are the top two figures in the sport. It's a similar story when you look at wrestling All-Americans. Oklahoma State wrestlers have combined for 422 All-America honors, while Hawkeye grapplers have 286 All-America honors to their names. If recent history is the judge, then OSU and Iowa still rise to the top. Seven of the last eight NCAA wresting team titles have been won by either the Cowboys or the Hawkeyes, with the Pokes claiming the crown in 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006 and the Hawks winning in 2008, 2009 and 2010. Success after college? Oklahoma State and Iowa wrestling both have that as well. OSU has produced 40 Olympic wrestlers and Iowa has generated 17. Dominant programs are borne of dominant recruiting and development, and the men on the bench for both programs have certainly achieved in both areas. Oklahoma State coach John Smith - known in wrestling circles as the greatest American wrestler of all-time - owns six world championships and every award available in the wrestling world. He is assisted by three-time NCAA champion and 2004 Olympian Eric Guerrero. Smith has served as coach of the U.S. senior freestyle world team each of the past two summers and Guerrero coached the U.S. junior freestyle world team in 2009. Four-time All-American Tyrone Lewis rounds out the Cowboy coaching staff. Iowa coach Tom Brands won gold at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and is a four-time All-American and three-time NCAA champion. His brother and top assistant coach, Terry Brands, won two world titles and the bronze medal at the 2000 Olympics. Three-time All-American and 2008 Olympian Mike Zadick also serves on the Hawkeye staff. Perhaps one of the most intriguing storylines behind this year's Oklahoma State-Iowa dual is the fact that the Hawkeyes enter with a school-record 69-match win streak in duals. That is the second-longest streak in NCAA history, trailing only the 76-match win streak put together by the Cowboys from 1937-51. OSU coaches John Smith and Eric Guerrero have experience with long winning streaks, as the Pokes won 69 duals in a row from 1996-99 with Smith serving as head coach and Guerrero competing as a wrestler. It's a rivalry unlike any other because no other sport features a head-to-head clash of royalty quite like Oklahoma State and Iowa on the mat. The legendary rivalry will be renewed at Gallagher-Iba Arena this Sunday. Tickets are $12. Admission is $6 for groups of 20 or more, but to be eligible, group tickets need to be reserved ahead of time. All OSU students are admitted free with valid OSU student ID. Members of the OSU Alumni Association are eligible to receive half-price general admission tickets. Members may purchase discounted tickets by visiting orangeconnection.org/cowboys and logging in with their active account.

MOUNT PLEASANT -- The Central Michigan wrestling program makes its McGuirk Arena debut Sunday afternoon when Michigan visits Mount Pleasant. The match begins at 2 p.m. The Chippewas will be competing at home for the first time this season after spending the season's first two months on the road. Sunday's dual is the first of five home matches this season. "It's going to be fun," said CMU head coach Tom Borrelli. "We should have a very good crowd, and we have a quality opponent in the University of Michigan. They're wrestling really well right now. It should be a good environment against a good opponent." CMU enters the dual ranked No. 12 nationally by InterMat, while Michigan is ranked No. 18 in this week's InterMat poll. The Wolverines boast the nation's top-ranked 141-pounder, senior Kellen Russell. He is 20-0 this season and has claimed individual titles at both the Southern Scuffle and the Cliff Keen Invitational. A pair of top-10 ranked individuals will square off at heavweight, where CMU's Jarod Trice is ranked second nationally and Michigan's Ben Apland is 10th. Apland defeated Trice, 5-3, in the semifinals at the Cliff Keen Invitational; Trice enters Sunday's match 17-3 overall, including 5-4 against opponents ranked in this week's InterMat top 20, while Apland is 10-6 overall. The Series: Michigan leads the all-time series, 18-5, but the Chippewas have won each of the last three meetings. CMU was a 19-12 winner in the most recent matchup in Ann Arbor during the 2008-09 season. In the teams' last meeting in Mount Pleasant, No. 9 CMU defeated No. 4 Michigan, 21-13, in front of a Rose Center wrestling record crowd of 4,273. CMU vs. the State of Michigan: CMU has won 12 consecutive duals against opponents in the state of Michigan dating back to 2005. Individually, CMU has won three straight duals against Michigan, nine straight against Michigan State and 19 straight against Eastern Michigan. CMU's last loss to an in-state opponent was a 22-14 decision against No. 2 Michigan in 2005. In the Rankings: CMU is ranked 12th in the InterMat poll and 20th in the NWCA/USA Today poll this week. Michigan is ranked No. 18 by InterMat and No. 11 by the NWCA/USA Today. The InterMat team rankings are based on InterMat's individual weight class rankings, while the NWCA/USA Today poll is voted on by a nationwide pool of head coaches. Three Chippewas and three Wolverines are ranked in the top 20 nationally in InterMat's weight class rankings. CMU's ranked individuals are Scotti Sentes (9th, 133 pounds), Ben Bennett (5th, 174 pounds) and Jarod Trice (2nd, 285 pounds). Michigan's ranked individuals are Kellen Russell (1st, 141 pounds), Anthony Biondo (13th, 197 pounds) and Ben Apland (10th, 285 pounds). Bennett Continues Winning Streak: Sophomore Ben Bennett was 4-0 last week, improving his overall record to 19-4 including 8-1 in dual meets. After posting an 18-2 technical fall over Northern Illinois' Caleb Busson on Thursday, Bennett swept his three matches at National Duals, including two decisions over ranked opponents: No. 10 Luke Manuel (Purdue) and No. 20 Dorian Henderson (Missouri). Bennett leads the team in dual victories and is second in overall victories. He has won nine of his last 10 matches overall and has not surrendered an offensive point in the nine victories. Bennett Named MAC Wrestler of the Week: Ben Bennett was named MAC Wrestler of the Week for the second time this season for his efforts at NIU and National Duals. He was previously honored after sweeping his three matches at the Northern Quad. This is the second straight week a Chippewa has won the award. Jarod Trice was recognized after finishing runner-up at Midlands. Top of the Tournament: Scotti Sentes (133 pounds), Ben Bennett (174) and Jarod Trice (heavyweight) combined for seven top-three finishes at the Body Bar Invitational, Cliff Keen Invitational and Midlands Championships. Sentes won the Body Bar and was third at Midlands, Bennett finished runner-up at all three events and Trice was third at the Cliff Keen and runner-up at Midlands. Pair Earns First MAC Wins: Sophomore Christian Cullinan and redshirt freshman Craig Kelliher both earned their first career MAC dual victories in the Chippewas' 21-13 win over Northern Illinois last week. Cullinan was a 5-4 winner over Nick Smith at 125 pounds, while Kelliher earned a 4-3 decision over Mike Lukowski at 197 pounds. Trice Travels the World: Junior heavyweight Jarod Trice has competed in a pair of events outside of CMU's schedule this season. In October, Trice placed eighth in Greco-Roman at the University World Championships in Italy. He was the highest placing American in Greco-Roman at the event. In November, Trice represented CMU at the NWCA All-Star Classic in Fresno, Calif. American's Ryan Flores scored a third-period takedown to defeat Trice, 3-1. Chippewas Open New Practice Facility: CMU celebrated the new year by moving into its new practice facility at the CMU Events Center. Built as part of the Events Center construction project, the new practice room has space for three full mats and fitness equipment. The practice room is just steps away from the competition floor in McGuirk Arena. "During dual meets our guys will be able to warm up in the wrestling room and then run from the wrestling room, where they're comfortable, right into the arena to wrestle a match," Borrelli said. "That is a perfect situation that not many other programs in the country have." CMU Adds Four During Early Signing Period: Four high school student-athletes signed a National Letter of Intent to join the Chippewas for the 2011-12 season, including three of the top-60 ranked recruits in the country. Ty Davis (141 pounds), Zach Horan (133), Joey Kielbasa (157) and Devin Pommerenke (285) committed to CMU during the early signing period. Horan (No. 16), Kielbasa (No. 59) and Pommerenke (No. 42) are ranked among the top 60 recruits nationally by InterMat. The group was ranked as the No. 13 recruiting class in the country by W.I.N. Magazine. Coming Up: The Chippewas are back in action next Friday, Jan. 21, when they visit Michigan State. The match begins at 7 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- Tickets for the 2011 ACC Wrestling Championships will go on sale at 9 a.m. Friday (Jan. 14) through the Virginia Athletics Ticket Office. The championships will be held March 5 at UVa's John Paul Jones Arena. "I couldn't be happier to host ACC's in JPJ this year," Virginia head coach Steve Garland said. "The venue is one of the most beautiful and functional I've ever seen and it will undoubtedly make for a great experience for both the fans and the student athletes. The ACC is absolutely loaded with talent this year so the competition will be fierce. Anyone that is a wrestling fan, or just a fan of watching hard nosed athletes compete in the world's oldest sport, should be there." Virginia is the defending ACC champion and will face another formidable challenge as the ACC is the strongest it has been in many years. In all, 18 ACC wrestlers are ranked in the latest national individual rankings, including the top-ranked wrestler at 149 pounds, Darrion Caldwell of NC State, who won the 2009 NCAA championship at 149. All seating for the ACC Championships is general admission. Adult tickets are $10, while tickets for youth, senior citizens and students of the participating schools (with valid ID) are $5. Tickets will be good for the entire day of competition. Tickets may be purchased in person at the Virginia Athletics Ticket Office in Bryant Hall, by calling the Ticket Office at (800) 542-8821 or logging on to VirginiaSports.com. The Virginia Athletics Ticket Office is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. First-round matches start at 11 a.m. on March 5. The semifinals begin at 1 p.m., while consolation semis start at 3:30 p.m. The consolation finals begin at 5 p.m., with the championship round slated to start at 7 p.m.

STILLWATER, Okla. -- Oklahoma State wrestling coach John Smith met with members of the media to preview this Sunday's dual against Iowa. The highlights: On the 125-pound match in Sunday's dual: "That is probably one of many that are going to be pretty tough. Matt McDonough is a returning national champion with a 12-1 record. He had a pretty solid performance last year as a freshman and it looks like he is backing it up again this year. It will be a tall order for Jon Morrison, but anytime you get the opportunity to wrestle the defending champion you need to really embrace it and be excited about the opportunity to wrestle somebody that is considered the best at the weight." On the youth of both teams: "There will be a lot of new faces in this dual. That is different from last year. We have five, possibly six freshmen starting for us on Sunday and they have several guys that have not wrestled in an Oklahoma State-Iowa dual meet. For that reason I think that it is going to be very competitive." On Jordan Oliver: "I think just being in the program, competing a full year, and just understanding the battles and the challenges of making weight every week from the time that November starts until March has helped. I think the thing that helped him over the top was him taking a little bit more control and giving him the choice of moving up to the 141-pound division this summer and him choosing to stay down. I think when he made that choice, he took on the responsibility that he was going to do some things differently and really control his diet, and that is what's made the difference. "I think technically he has improved in what he does offensively, both on his feet and on the mat. He is what we are looking for and he is what we teach. He really bought into what we are trying to get across to this group right now. He has a lot of success, his best defense is his offense, and in a lot of ways you see that." On if Jordan Oliver is wrestling at his best right now: "He will have to be better. I think he will have to get better from this point forward to win a NCAA championship. It is a great weight class with several guys that can really challenge for a title, and probably some new people that may pop in here late. He can get better. I am sure we will see him get better with every year." On the history of Oklahoma State and Iowa: "It's personal. We have been behind them the last several years. In most years to get to the top, it's likely you have to go through Iowa. I think that this dual is important from that standpoint. They have won the last three years and for us to move toward our ultimate goal at the end of the season, this dual meet becomes a little more significant. We know that they are ranked 10th, but I don't think we look at rankings right now. I don't think they have anything to do with the outcome at the end of the season." On if ending Iowa's current 69-match winning streak in duals is a motivator: "I think it is about performance and performing in duals and how you want to perform coming off a very tough tournament that I felt like we wrestled pretty well in. We had some disappointment with the losses, but I felt like overall it was a pretty good effort by our squad. I am just looking for an improved performance from the National Duals tournament. We want to win. We want to win every dual meet." On his experiences with long winning streaks and the added pressure that comes with them: "I think the difference was that during those years, we didn't win a championship and they did. Those were not some of my better teams, we won some dual meets during that streak that I don't know how we won them. We won some Iowa meets where after we won they were still favored by 70 points over us going into nationals. The difference was that I didn't really have the teams that should have been running off that many victories in a row. We would always find a win somewhere. Something would go crazy in a dual meet because we would make something go crazy in a dual meet, so it's really a credit to those individuals and those teams to me." On Neil Erisman's health: "This is an incredible guy as far as conditioning goes and he has been on the mat for about two or three weeks. Unlike most people, he can pop back on. What he did while he was injured allowed him to come back on at a pretty high level percentage-wise. He was about 85 percent of what he is capable of getting to. He did a lot of work while he was off the mat, and it wasn't any easier than what we were doing on the mat. When he got back on, it came back quickly and a lot of that was due to the preliminary work he did while he was injured. I don't think he is perfect by any means, but he is ready to wrestle hard. He had a chance to wrestle a few matches at the National Duals and for the most part he looked good other than a little bit of a scramble in the Missouri match that caught him on his back. He has a little fire in his eyes right now because that is the last thing he remembers." On Alan Gelogaev's health: "He is doing well. I don't expect him back anytime soon and when I say soon I mean the next week or two weeks. He has done well and we will stay on the cautious side with him as long as we have to. I don't know if he will see any of the regular season, everything points to that. He will be back wrestling."

Fairfax, Va. -- The Dragons cruised by George Mason 25-9 in their conference opener. Drexel, now 6-9 in dual meets, took seven out of 10 bouts, including one forfeit and one major decision. Reigning CAA Rookie of the Week, Brandon Palik, recorded a 10-2 major decision over George Mason's James Webb. Palik is now tied for most bonus point wins with five. Sophomore Frank Cimato picked up his 13th win of the season as he picked up 6 easy team points for Drexel through forfeit. Fellow sophomore Josh Yurasits earned Drexel's third win in a row giving the Dragons a lead they would never give up. Joe Booth earned his team leading 14th win on the season with a decisive 8-2 win over Aaron Keeton. Drexel closed the match with three wins in a row as Shawn Fausey, Palik and Jack Callender all won by four or more points. Fausey and Callender kept their opponents off the board, the only two shut-outs of the dual. The Dragons remain on the road and prepare for the CAA Duals on Saturady, Jan. 15. Drexel will face Old Dominion at 12:00 p.m. and Binghamton at 1:00 p.m.

DAVIDSON, N.C. -- Duke University wrestling team won six straight matches to score 23 unanswered points in a comeback 23-18 victory over Southern Conference foe Davidson this evening. The Blue Devils trailed 15-0 after three matches and added 23 straight points to capture their first dual match win of the year. Duke (1-1) fell behind 12-0 after having to forfeit at 125 and 133 pounds. A decision win by the Wildcats at 141 put Davidson (2-3) ahead 15-0 after three matches. The comeback started at 149 pounds with senior A.J. Guardado. The West Covina, Calif. native cruised to a 16-1 technical fall for five points. Guardado jumped all over William Ray in the first period, scoring a takedown and a three-point near fall in the opening 25 seconds. He added six more points in the second period to make it 11-0 and pushed the margin to 15 to cut Duke's deficit to 15-5 after three matches. Competing in a dual match for the first time in his career, freshman Ryan Harding picked up a big decision for the Blue Devils at 157 pounds. He outlasted Brent Mowry in overtime to pull Duke within seven, 15-8, after four bouts. Harding registered the first takedown of the match and owned a 4-1 lead after three minutes of wrestling. The North Andover, Mass. native came out in the second session and stretched his lead to 6-2 with two minutes of wrestling left. Needing four points to force overtime, Mowry came back in the third and picked up three near fall points and added a point for riding time to send the match into sudden victory. With the first wrestler to score declared the winner, Harding came up with a big takedown just 32 seconds into the session to secure the 8-6 decision, his 11th win of the season. The excitement continued at 165 pounds with Duke's Willy Mello matched up against Davidson's Tyler Mullen. After a scoreless first period a flurry of points ensued in the second with Mello grabbing a narrow 5-4 lead after five minutes of action. Mellow registered a reversal, a near fall for two points and an escape for the slight edge after two sessions. Mullen, who started down to open the third period, got a point on an escape to tie the match. After Mullen was warned for stalling with just 19 seconds to go, Mello was unable to get on the scoreboard as the second straight match headed to overtime. Needing a win to cut the Wildcats lead to four, Mello picked up his first takedown of the evening 24 seconds into sudden victory overtime for the 7-5 decision. Amidst a furious comeback by the Blue Devils, redshirt freshman Bret Klopp evened the score for the Duke with a 10-0 major decision over Christopher Cirenza. Klopp remains unbeaten in dual bouts this season as he used a five-point second period to emerge with his second major decision win of the year. The 184-pound match was action packed from the very start. Duke redshirt sophomore Diego Bencomo scored a takedown just 11 seconds in before Davidson's Donald Patrick answered with an escape. Bencomo responded with another takedown 12 seconds later and Patrick picked up another point with an escape to make a 4-2 match midway through the first period. The pattern continued and the Phoenix native added two more takedowns to make it 8-3 after three minutes. Bencomo continued to dominate the contest and gave Duke a four-point edge, 19-15, with a 23-9 major decision. The win was Bencomo's 16th of the year and first dual victory overall. Freshman Brian Self completed the Duke comeback at 197 pounds with a 12-1 major decision over Ike Crews. Self captured his second dual match win of the year and 11th overall as he controlled the match with four takedowns and a two-point near fall score. After picking up just two points in the first three minutes, Self want on the offensive and added five in the second and five more in the third for his first major decision victory of the year. Sporting a 23-15 overall lead in the match, Duke redshirt sophomore Andrew Fulk found himself embroiled in a marathon heavyweight match against Charlie Wolff. After both wrestlers managed to score just one escape apiece, the third bout of the evening headed into overtime. Scoreless in the first overtime, Wolff scored on a reversal in the second to take a 3-2 lead. Fulk responded with an escape to force a third overtime. Neither Wolff nor Fulk scored in the sudden victory session and the match continued into a fourth extra session. This time it was Wolff coming away with the single point escape to garner the narrow 4-3 win. Duke returns home to Cameron Indoor Stadium on Jan. 18 against ACC rival North Carolina. The Blue Devils welcome the Tar Heels to Cameron for a 7 p.m. match. Results: 125- Zarth, Matt (Davidson College) For (Duke ) 0-0 133- Radsky, Alex (Davidson College) For (Duke ) 0-0 141- Radsky, Vitaly (Davidson College) DEC Mike Bell (Duke ) 12-6 149- Andrew Guardado (Duke ) TF5 Ray, William (Davidson College) 7:00 157- Ryan Harding (Duke ) SV Mowry, Brent (Davidson College) 8-6 165- Willy Mello (Duke ) SV Mullen, Tyler (Davidson College) 7-5 174- Bret Klopp (Duke ) MD Cirenza, Christopher (Davidson College) 10-0 184- Diego Bencomo (Duke ) MD Patrick, Donald (Davidson College) 23-9 197- Brian Self (Duke ) MD Crews, Ike (Davidson College) 12-1 285- Wolff, Charlie (Davidson College) TB-2 Andrew Fulk (Duke ) 4-3

Projected Matchups: 125: No. 2 Matt McDonough (Iowa) dec. No. 8 Jon Morrison (Oklahoma State), 7-3 133: No. 1 Jordan Oliver (Oklahoma State) dec. No. 11 Tyler Clark (Iowa), 11-4 141: No. 19 Mark Ballweg (Iowa) dec. No. 13 Josh Kindig (Oklahoma State), 8-3 149: No. 9 Jamal Parks (Oklahoma State) dec. Matt Ballweg (Iowa), 8-4 157: No. 15 Derek St. John (Iowa) dec. No. 16 Neil Erisman (Oklahoma State), 7-5 165: No. 13 Dallas Bailey (Oklahoma State) dec. No. 15 Aaron Janssen (Iowa), 6-2 174: No. 16 Ethen Lofthouse (Iowa) dec. No. 10 Mike Benefiel (Oklahoma State), 4-3 184: No. 14 Chris Perry (Oklahoma State) dec. No. 16 Grant Gambrall (Iowa), 2-0 197: No. 3 Clayton Foster (Oklahoma State) dec. No. 15 Luke Lofthouse (Iowa), 5-3 285: Blake Rasing (Iowa) dec. Blake Rosholt (Oklahoma State), 3-1 SV Iowa at Oklahoma State

2011 Lone Star Duals

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Hello Wrestling Fans! Scott Casber, Jeff Murphy, Steve Foster, Ryan Freeman, and Geoff Murtha will be back in TDR's home based Brute Adidas studios for another 2 hour show this week brought to you by Kemin Agrifoods. This week its the State of the State of Wrestling. Join us as we take the national Temperature of the sport through our guests opinions and observations. LIVE 9 AM to 11 AM its Takedown Wrestling Radio. Listen on radio, on computer, your Blackberry or iPhone with the iHeartRadio App. Our Guests Include: (All times Central) 9:01 Bob Selby- Wrestling radio analyst 9:20 Chad Wiltsey- The Wrestling Talk.com 9:40 Earl Smith- D1collegewrestling.net 10:01 Andy Hamilton- Iowa City Press-Citizen 10:20 Mike Finn- Editor, Writer with WIN Magazine 10:40 Troy Nickerson- Cornell University NCAA Champion 10:50 Maureen Roshar- Wildrose Resort

EDMOND -- Back-to-back upsets by Trison Graham and Ky Corley sparked No. 9-ranked Central Oklahoma to a hard-earned 20-15 victory over No. 15 Fort Hays State Thursday night at Hamilton Field House. The eighth-ranked Graham rallied from a 7-2 second-period deficit for a thrilling 11-9 overtime triumph over previously unbeaten and No. 4-rated Alton Isenberg at 133 pounds, while the unranked Corley knocked off No. 3 Andre Harrison at 141 as the Bronchos earned their fifth straight dual win in improving to 7-2. Those two early wins helped offset an FHSU fall at 149 and a Tiger upset at 165, with UCO getting consecutive major decisions from 174 Kelly Henderson and 184 Tanner Keck and a shutout from 197 Jarrett Edison in clinching the win before the final bout. “Trison had a tough, gutsy win and showed a lot of heart in coming back like he did,” UCO coach David James said. “That was obviously a big win for us and Ky came through with another one. He did a great job controlling that match, especially in the first two periods. “There were a lot of good things, but I also thought we did just enough to get by in some matches and we can’t keep doing that.” FHSU won the first match at 125 to take a 3-0 lead and Isenberg threw Graham to his back for a four-point move in the opening minute in their showdown before adding another near-fall early in the second period to grab a 7-2 lead. Graham got back in the match with an escape and takedown in the final minute of that period to make it 7-5 and he added two more takedowns in the final stanza – the final one with 13 seconds remaining – to force overtime. The sophomore lightweight completed the comeback with another single-leg takedown 18 seconds into the one-minute sudden-victory period. Corley was not to be outdone, getting the go-ahead takedown 54 seconds into his match with Harrison and then adding another early in the second period to take a 4-0 lead. Harrison escaped to make it 4-1, but neither wrestler scored in the final period and Corley added a riding time point to cap the upset and give the Bronchos a 6-3 lead. The Tigers came back with a first-period fall at 149 to go ahead 9-6 and then UCO’s Cory Dauphin tied it with an easy 9-2 decision at 157 as the seventh-ranked freshman had three takedowns and a reverse. FHSU went in front 12-9 when Travis Budke knocked off No. 4 Derrick Adkins 4-1 at 165, but the Bronchos won the next three weights to put the dual away. Henderson put UCO in front to stay with an 8-0 major decision at 174, scoring a takedown and two near-falls in opening up a 7-0 first-period lead en route to that rout, and Keck had three takedowns and a reverse in an 11-3 major decision at 184. Edison sealed the win with a 4-0 shutout at 197, getting a takedown at the second period buzzer to take a 3-0 lead before controlling Steven Kyler in the third period to add a riding time point. FHSU ended the dual with a win when Justin Glenn nipped Cody Dauphin 3-2 in the second tiebreaker. Dauphin rode Glenn in the first 30-second tiebreaker, but Glenn earned a two-point near-fall with 10 seconds left in the second tiebreaker to snap the 1-1 deadlock before giving up a late escape. The Bronchos return to action Saturday, going to Grand Prairie, Texas for four matches at the Lone Star Duals. Results: 125 – Rory Wilkerson, FHSU, dec. Zach Housley, 7-3. 133 – No. 8 Trison Graham, UCO, dec. No. 4 Aldon Isenberg, 11-9 (SV). 141 – Ky Corley, UCO, dec. No. 3 Andre Harrison, 5-1. 149 – No. 7 Mitchell Means, FHSU, pinned Michael Walkup, 1:45. 157 – No. 7 Cory Dauphin, UCO, dec. Derek Koehn, 9-2. 165 – Travis Budke, FHSU, dec. No. 4 Derrick Adkins, 4-1. 174 – Kelly Henderson, UCO, major dec. Aaron Berscheidt, 8-0. 184 – Tanner Keck, UCO, major dec. Chris Luna, 11-3. 197 – Jarrett Edison, UCO, dec. Steven Kyler, 4-0. 285 – Justin Glenn, FHSU, dec. Cody Dauphin 3-2 (TB2).

Tonight Minnesota hosts Indiana at the Sports Pavilion in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Gophers enter the dual meet with a record of 8-3 and are coming off a fourth-place finish at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals. The Hoosiers are 10-2 this season and are coming off a 3-0 performance at the IU Duals. The dual meet, which begins at 7 p.m. CST, will be streamed live on BigTenNetwork.com. Below is a weight-by-weight breakdown with predictions. 125: Justin Brooks (Indiana) vs. No. 5 Zach Sanders (Minnesota) Sanders, a two-time All-American, is off to a strong start in his junior season. He is currently 19-2 and has several wins over ranked opponents this season, including No. 10 Frank Perrelli of Cornell, No. 14 Ben Kjar of Utah Valley, No. 18 Alan Bartelli of Boise State, and No. 19 Trent Sprenkle of North Dakota State. Sanders was hammered by Anthony Robles, 20-2, in the NWCA All-Star Classic, but his only official losses this season have come to No. 4 James Nicholson of Old Dominion and No. 8 Jon Morrison of Oklahoma State. Brooks, a talented redshirt freshman, has started the season 12-11, but several of his losses have come to ranked opponents. He has already faced five of the nation's top 10 wrestlers at 125 pounds. Bottom Line: Sanders has put up bonus points against all but one unranked opponent this season. Brooks could keep it competitive early on, but look for Sanders to pull away after the first period. Prediction: Sanders (Minnesota) maj. dec. Brooks (Indiana) 133: Matt Ortega (Indiana) vs. David Thorn (Minnesota) Expectations are high at Minnesota for Thorn, a four-time state champion and Junior National freestyle champion. The redshirt freshman was sidelined in the early part of the season. His first major test came at the Southern Scuffle, where he went 3-2 and reached the round of 12. Thorn went 2-2 at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals, losing decisions to No. 2 Andrew Hochstrasser of Boise State and No. 3 Tyler Graff of Wisconsin. Ortega, a four-time New Mexico state champion, has been the starter in each of his first three seasons with Hoosiers. He went 23-13 two seasons ago as a freshman, but struggled with consistency last season, going 10-18. He has started this season 14-9. Bottom Line: This will mark the home debut for Thorn. The redshirt freshman raised some eyebrows by avoiding bonus points against All-Americans Hochstrasser and Graff. If Thorn pushes the pace, look for him to get bonus points against Ortega. Prediction: Thorn (Minnesota) maj. dec. Ortega (Indiana) 141: Mitchell Richey (Indiana) vs. No. 2 Mike Thorn (Minnesota) Thorn, a returning All-American, has sights on finishing at the top of the podium in Philadelphia. He admits that he is wrestling without any pressure in his senior season and is performing at a very high level. His only loss this season came in the finals of the Southern Scuffle to No. 1 Kellen Russell of Michigan. At the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals, Thorn went 4-0 with two pins and outscored his other two opponents 17-2. His pin over Levi Jones proved to be the difference in Minnesota's 18-17 victory over Boise State. Richey has gone through some growing pains in his true freshman season. He is coming off a 3-0 performance at the IU Duals, but dropped six straight matches prior to that performance. Bottom Line: Thorn seems to completely overwhelm virtually every unranked opponent he faces. Prediction: Thorn (Minnesota) pins Richey (Indiana) 149: No. 15 Kurt Kinser (Indiana) vs. Danny Zilverberg (Minnesota) Kinser, a senior, has been a staple in the Indiana lineup since his freshman season. He is a three-time NCAA qualifier who has amassed a career record of 99-41. He also has 40 career pins, which rankes third on Indiana's all-time list. He spent his sophomore and junior seasons at 157 pounds, but moved down to 149 pounds for his senior season. His results this season have been mixed. He has some nice wins, including two victories over No. 8 Brian Stephens of Virginia Tech, but also some head-scratching losses. He had a disappointing performance at the Southern Scuffle, where he failed to place, losing to two unranked opponents. Zilverberg, a redshirt freshman, brings a 12-7 mark into his match tonight against Kinser. He has dropped his last five matches, but three of those losses came at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals to wrestlers ranked in the top 10. Zilverberg won the FILA Junior Nationals in freestyle in last spring, which included victories over Penn State freshmen Andrew Alton and Dylan Alton. Bottom Line: Experience will be the difference in this match. Look for Kinser to control the match and pick up the 100th win of his career. Prediction: Kinser (Indiana) major dec. Zilverberg (Minnesota) 157: No. 6 Paul Young or Alex Warren (Indiana) vs. Joe Grygelko (Minnesota) Young, like Kinser, moved down a weight class for his senior season. The two-time NCAA qualifier is 20-4 this season. All four of his losses this season have come to wrestlers ranked in the top 10. Young was dinged up in his last competition at the IU Duals, so it remains to be seen if he even steps on the mat tonight. If he's not able to go, Warren, a natural 141-pounder, will take the mat for the Hoosiers. Grygelko has split time with Alec Ortiz in the lineup. He went 2-2 at the Southern Scuffle and 0-2 at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals. Bottom Line: If Young is in the lineup, look for Indiana to win and pick up bonus points. If Young is held out, the match should swing Minnesota's way. Prediction: Young (Indiana) maj. dec. Grygelko (Minnesota) 165: Ryan LeBlanc (Indiana) vs. No. 7 Cody Yohn (Minnesota) Yohn, an NCAA qualifier last season, has established himself as a legitimate All-American threat at 165 pounds. He reached the finals of the Southern Scuffle before losing to No. 3 Justin Kerber of Cornell, 6-4. He has a win this season over No. 11 P.J. Gillespie of Hofstra and split two matches with No. 13 Dallas Bailey of Hofstra. At the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals, Yohn went 2-2, losing only to No. 2 Andrew Howe of Wisconsin and No. 3 Kerber. Indiana has high hopes for the redshirt freshman LeBlanc. He was ranked as the No. 46 recruit by InterMat coming out of high school. LeBlanc went 20-2 last season as a redshirt. He comes into tonight's match with a 7-5 mark on the season and is still looking for his first win over a ranked opponent. Bottom Line: Yohn is the more established college wrestler, but LeBlanc certainly has the talent to make this match interesting. Prediction: Yohn (Minnesota) dec. LeBlanc (Indiana) 174: Nick Avery (Indiana) vs. No. 8 Scott Glasser (Minnesota) Glasser has been a steady performer this season for the Gophers. He is 21-5 this season, with four of his five losses coming to wrestlers ranked in the top 10. Glasser looked to be on track for All-American honors last season, but had a disappointing NCAAs, failing to place as the No. 5 seed. Avery, a senior, comes into tonight's match with a 9-11 record, but has only faced one wrestler currently ranked in the top 20. Bottom Line: Glasser should control the action in this match. Avery has only given up bonus points in one of his 11 losses this season, but don't be surprised to see him give up bonus points in this match. Prediction: Glasser (Minnesota) major dec. Avery (Indiana) 184: Eric Cameron (Indiana) vs. No. 8 Kevin Steinhaus (Minnesota) Steinhaus has been one of the most impressive freshmen in the country this season. He has wins this season over several ranked wrestlers. Steinhaus seems to be getting stronger with every match he wrestles. He proved that he compete with the top 184-pounders in the country at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals. Steinhaus took No. 1 Kirk Smith of Boise State to overtime, before losing 3-1. He also dropped close matches to No. 3 Steve Bosak of Cornell and No. 4 Travis Rutt of Wisconsin. Cameron is a two-time NCAA qualifier who started the season ranked 20th. He has struggled with consistency this season and comes into tonight's match with a 12-11 record. Bottom Line: Before the season, many would have predicted this to be a tossup match. But Steinhaus is clearly wrestling at a higher level right now than Cameron. Prediction: Steinhaus (Minnesota) dec. Cameron (Indiana) 197: No. 6 Matt Powless (Indiana) vs. Joe Nord (Minnesota) Powless has been one of the most improved wrestlers in the country this season. After going 30-15 last season, Powless has started his junior season 27-2, with both losses coming to No. 1 Cam Simaz of Cornell. He has wins over No. 7 Micah Burak of Penn, No. 12 Brent Haynes of Missouri, and No. 13 Anthony Biondo of Michigan. Nord has done an admirable job filling in for the injured Sonny Yohn. He won two matches at the NWCA/Cliff National Duals. Bottom Line: If Minnesota had Yohn in the lineup, it would have been the marquee matchup of the dual as it would pit No. 5 vs. No. 6. Powless is clearly not the same wrestler Minnesota saw last season when he lost 8-2 to Yohn. Prediction: Powless (Indiana) maj. dec. Nord (Minnesota) 285: No. 19 Ricky Alcala (Indiana) vs. No. 7 Tony Nelson (Minnesota) Nelson, like Steinhaus, has stepped into the Gopher lineup and made an immediate impact as a redshirt freshman. He is a big, strong, athletic heavyweight who competed at 215 pounds in high school, but has filled out nicely and should be in the mix for All-American honors this season. Nelson owns a record of 18-2 record and is coming off a 4-0 performance at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals. Alcala, a graduate student, transferred to Indiana this season after UC Davis' wrestling program was discontinued after last season. He is a strong heavyweight who keeps solid position and doesn't surrender many points. The two-time NCAA qualifier comes into tonight's match with a 21-6 record. Bottom Line: Nelson defeated Alcala, 2-0, at the Southern Scuffle. Look for a similar result tonight, with Nelson coming out on top again. Prediction: Nelson (Minnesota) dec. Alcala (Indiana) Dual Meet Prediction: Minnesota 27, Indiana 12

MORGANTOWN, W. Va. – West Virginia University wrestling coach Craig Turnbull today announced the signing of 157/165-pound wrestler Alex Meade, a former No. 1 recruit in the country. Meade, a Camden, Del., native, comes to WVU from Oklahoma State where he redshirted the 2008-09 season before competing last season at 165 pounds for the Cowboys. He will wrestle at 157 pounds for the Mountaineers and is eligible to compete immediately as a redshirt sophomore. “Out of high school, Alex was one of the top recruits in the country,” Turnbull says. “He visited many schools, including West Virginia, and received attention nationwide. He and his father felt that Coach (Greg) Jones would be an outstanding mentor both from a wrestling and personal perspective. They were very impressed with everything that they saw. Coach Jones and Alex share the same athletic background and style of wrestling.” At Caesar Rodney High, Meade compiled an impressive 125-4 record throughout his career, including 39-0 as a junior and 44-0 as a senior. A three-time state champion, Meade was also a member of the Junior World team, a two-time Beast of the East champion and two-time FILA cadet freestyle national champion. He was recruited by some of the nation's top programs, including offers from Iowa State, Ohio State and Nebraska. Last season at Oklahoma State, he earned a 29-10 record, including a 15-3 mark in dual meets. He defeated four eventual All-Americans during the year, including three wins over Oklahoma's Tyler Caldwell. He also defeated eventual NCAA champion Dustin Schlatter of Minnesota, No. 4 Ryan Morningstar of Iowa and Wyoming's No. 11 Shane Onufer. Meade placed fourth at the Big 12 Championships last year and earned a spot at the NCAA Championships. Before redshirting in 2008, he compiled a 19-2 record, which included a string of 12 straight victories. His 19 wins tied for the lead among OSU's redshirts. “He has tremendous potential and we hope to provide him with an environment that he can reach all of his goals and come out with a degree that's useful for him,” Turnbull says. The Mountaineers wrestle against Michigan State on Friday night at 7:30 p.m. at the Coliseum along with the schools' gymnastics teams in a "Beauty and the Beast" event. The dual meet is a “Dollar Night,” with all tickets, hotdogs, popcorn and Coca-Colas available for the purchase of $1.

Junior Joe Klinkel and freshman Matt Sefcik each posted key wins for Buena Vista, while the Beavers also used the benefit of three open weights, to top visiting Simpson College inside of Siebens Fieldhouse on Wednesday night, 28-23. The dual started at 157 pounds and the Beavers trailed 15-0 heading into Klinkel's 184-pound bout. He jumped out to a 10-2 lead after two periods and went on to give BVU key bonus points at the time with a 14-4 major decision over Tanner Erdman. After the Storm forfeited to sixth-ranked Brian Broll at 197 pounds to get the Beavers back within 15-10, it was Sefick, who made his debut this past Saturday, fighting off his back early in the second period with a reversal and a pin, giving BVU its first lead at 16-15. Following back-to-back forfeits by Simpson at 125 and 133 pounds, respectively, Buena Vista was able to secure the win. Buena Vista improves to 2-1 overall (1-1 IIAC) and will take the mat again on Saturday when it travels to Mt. Vernon, Iowa, to take part in the Cornell Matman Invite, beginning at 9:00am.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Olympic gold medalist, author and hometown hero Henry Cejudo hopes to add another gold medal to his remarkable life story by competing in the 2012 London Olympics. The 23 year-old wrestling powerhouse plans to return to competition as soon as possible. As a fierce competitor and uncompromising athlete, he has stayed loyal to an aggressive training regimen since winning the gold medal in 2008. The youngest gold medalist in United States wrestling history, Cejudo achieved his dream of becoming an Olympian at 21 years old. An improbable goal for an unlikely hero, his character and spirit were strengthened through a childhood spent fighting for survival on and off the mat. Cejudo is confident that the dedication, determination and desire that propelled him from adversity to Olympic gold will serve him again in 2012. “Winning another gold medal for my country would be an honor for me” stated Cejudo. “Training to perform at the Olympic level takes everything you have in your body, heart, mind and soul. I have always been committed to wrestling and the United States; I am ready to put everything I have behind that commitment again.” Cejudo plans to return to the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., where he trained for four years prior to winning the Olympic gold medal in Beijing. “Henry Cejudo is the reigning Olympic champion. Anytime you have an athlete of that caliber in your program is a huge lift,” said USA Wrestling Executive Director Rich Bender. “We are excited about his return and look forward to his quest for another Olympic title.” “Getting Henry back is exciting for American wrestling. It is always great for our program to have our Olympic champions on the mat,” said National Freestyle Coach Zeke Jones. “He has a lot of work to do. We will have a chance to evaluate where he is at, and set a training and competition schedule for him.” About Henry Cejudo Olympic gold medalist and author, Henry Cejudo, achieved his dream of becoming an Olympic gold medalist at just 21 years old. Henry made history by becoming the youngest American wrestler to bring home the gold. The American born son of undocumented immigrants from Mexico, Cejudo spent his early years in fear of his criminal father and immigration officials. He struggled to find consistency in his chaotic world as he fought for survival on and off the wrestling mat. His amazing story of determination and triumph has won the hearts of America. A story that was captured by Henry Cejudo and Bill Plaschke in a book titled “American Victory.” Henry continues to achieve his dreams with another book deal, adidas shoe endorsement and inspiring millions of young athletes and troubled youth through his work with numerous charities. Many have expressed that Cejudo represents everything that is right with this country and that his journey embodies the ethos of the American Dream.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Tommie Hooper of Southern Oregon has been named inaugural NAIA National Wrestler of the Week, the national office announced Wednesday. Hooper was selected based on his performances from Jan. 3 – 9. Hooper went 5-0 at 157 pounds for the Raiders at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Currently ranked third nationally in his weight class, the junior scored bonus points in four of his bouts via pins, including a 2:32 stick of then-No. 6 Michael Hader of Great Falls (Mont.). Hooper registered a 7-5 decision over then-No. 4 Josh Ballard of McKendree (Ill.) in the fifth-place dual. Southern Oregon finished the event with a 2-2 record and placed sixth as a team after suffering a 25-13 loss to McKendree. A native of Burns, Ore., Hooper is off to an 11-4 start in his junior campaign, with eight of his victories resulting in bonus points (seven pins, one major decision). Hooper has twice been named an All-America honorable mention. The next Wrestler of the Week announcement will be on Jan. 19. Nominees: Joshua Chappa, Cumberland (Tenn.); Chris Chionuma, Lindenwood (Mo.); Brad Cusatis, Hastings (Neb.); Derek Murdock, Cumberlands (Ky.); Drew Smith, Morningside (Iowa); Eric Gruis, Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.); Tommy Prettty, Campbellsville (Ky.); Andrew Sanchez, McKendree (Ill.). 2011 Composite Award Winners (Schedule) Week 1: Tommie Hooper, Southern Oregon

MOUNT PLEASANT -- Central Michigan sophomore 174-pounder Ben Bennett (Rockford, Mich./Rockford HS) has been named Mid-American Conference Wrestler of the Week. Bennett won all four of his matches last week as the Chippewas went 2-2 in four duals, including a 21-13 win at Northern Illinois in the MAC opener. He posted an 18-2 technical fall against NIU's Caleb Busson on Thursday, then swept his three matches at National Duals on Saturday. Among his three wins at National Duals were two decisions against nationally ranked opponents: No. 10 Luke Manuel (Purdue) and No. 20 Dorian Henderson (Missouri). Bennett, ranked fifth nationally at 174 pounds, improved to 19-4 overall including 8-1 in duals. He has won nine of his last 10 bouts and has not surrendered an offensive point in his nine victories. Bennett earns the conference's weekly honor for the second time this season and third time in his career. CMU, ranked 12th in this week's InterMat poll, hosts No. 18 Michigan on Sunday at 2 p.m. in the first wrestling match at McGuirk Arena.