InterMat Staff

RevWrestling.com is providing a running blog for Session 1 of the 2009 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships at the Scottrade Center. The most recent updates are listed at the top. 2:32 pm CT: Minnesota's Ben Berhow scored a mild upset, 7-4, over No. 10 Ryan Flores of Columbia. 2:20 pm CT: Another No. 1 almost went down as David Zabriskie of Iowa State needed overtime to beat Christopher Birchler of East Stroudsburg at heavyweight. 2:09 pm CT: Jon Oplinger of Drexel pulled an upset at 197, beating No. 5 Dallas Herbst of Wisconsin, 7-5, in overtime. 2:04 pm CT: Clayton Foster of Oklahoma State won a dramatic match, 8-5, over Iowa's Chad Beatty at 197. With the match tied 5-5, Foster scored the go ahead takedown with less than 20 seconds left, and added a riding-time point for the three-point victory. 2:02 pm CT:No. 3 Brent Chriswell of Boise State cruised to a 9-2 victory over Patrick Bond of Illinois at 197. 1:52 pm CT: Kirk Smith of Boise State, seeded No. 4, was pushed by Jerome Ward of Iowa State, but pulled out the 3-1 victory, picking a up a takedown with 10 seconds to go in the 184-pound match. 1:37 pm CT: Iowa's Phil Keddy, seeded No. 2, pinned Buffalo's Mickey Moran of Buffalo in the first period at 184. 1:37 pm CT: Iowa's Phil Keddy, seeded No. 2, pinned Buffalo's Mickey Moran of Buffalo in the first period at 184. 1:30 pm CT: No. 1 Jake Herbert of Northwestern overwhelmed John Barone of Duke, registering a pin in 53 seconds at 184. 1:26 pm CT: Freshman Quentin Wright of Penn State, seeded No. 11, picked up a pin in the first period over Byron Sigmon of UNC Greensboro at 174. 1:12 pm CT: In a battle of All-Americans, Dan Vallimont of Penn State defeated No. 9 Brandon Mason of Oklahoma State, 8-6, in overtime, at 165. 1:00 pm CT: The first No. 1 seed to go down was Mack Lewnes of Cornell, who looked lethargic, struggling to get off the bottom, in 5-3 loss to Ryan Patrovich of Hofstra at 165. 12:52 pm CT: Kurt Kinser of Indiana nearly upset No. 6 Michael Chandler of Missouri, but fell 4-3 at 157. 12:42 pm CT: No. 1 Jordan Burroughs was dominant in a 23-7 technical fall victory over Hadley Harrison of Clarion at 157. 12:27 pm CT: No. 4 Lance Palmer of Ohio State survived a scare 149, but hung on for the 4-3 victory over previously undefeated Matt Cathell of Delaware State. 12:23 pm CT: The I-S-U chant starts as Iowa State's Mitch Mueller tops talented true freshman Jason Chamberlain of Boise State at 149. 12:19 pm CT: Trent Washington of Northern Iowa scored a mild upset over No. 10 Mike Thorn of Minnesota, 5-2, at 141. 11:55 am CT: Alex Krom of Maryland shocked No. 4 Alex Tsirtsis of Iowa, 5-4, at 141. 11:55 am CT: Joe Caramanica of North Carolina State pinned No. 9 Corey Jantzen of Harvard in the first period at 141. Jantzen was injured and had to be helped off the mat. 11:49 am CT: No. 11 Mike Grey fell behind early against Brandon Low of UC-Davis, getting put to his back, but came back to win 10-8 at 133. 11:47 am CT: No. 2 Reece Humphrey of Ohio State wasted little time picking up a 12-second pin over Jimmy Conroy of Pittsburgh at 133. 11:45 am CT: It was a battle at 133 between No. 4 Dan Dennis of Iowa and Chris Notte of Oklahoma State. With the matched tied 4-4 in the third period, Notte was called for fleeing the mat, giving Dennis the 5-4 lead, which proved to be the difference as Dennis won 5-4. 11:34 am CT: No. 2 Troy Nickerson of Cornell picked up a third period fall over Michael Watts of Michigan at 125. Nickerson gave up a takedown early in the match, but was winning 8-3 at the time of the pin. 11:30 am CT: Thanks for joining us from St. Louis. Sorry that we are a few minutes late. We were having some technical difficulties. The biggest news of the tournament thus far is No. 3 Jimmy Kennedy losing in sudden victory, 7-5, to Bucknell's Dave Marable at 133.

The Brute Adidas Studios of Takedown Wrestling Radio will hit the road again this week to help draw the season to a close. America's Wrestling Radio heads to the Arch and St. Louis, Missouri for the NCAA D1 Championships of Collegiate Wrestling. After broadcasting over 1000 hours of wrestling radio again this year and hundreds of interviews we are fully prepared to give to you the best coverage of this momentous event. This truly world wide broadcast is available to all of our armed forces as well as you the wrestling fans here state side. We've assembled a great broadcast team again this year. Join TDR Found Scott Casber, Steve Foster, J. Carl Guymon, Adam Frey and Caleb Nemmers for our 12th annual salute to wrestling excellence. Tune in to Takedownradio.com, click the listen Live button, register for free at Livesportsvideo.com, sit back and enjoy. You won't need to send in $1.00 for any of the time you share listening. TDR's Broadcast Schedule- NCAA Championships: Thursday Session 1 10:30 AM Session 2 6:00 PM Friday Session 3 9:30 AM 4:00 PM Live on stage in the NCAA Fan Experience TDR's Scott Casber joins Wade Schalles and Ken Chertow for the NCAA Semi Finals Show. This program will be video taped for future airing. Session 4 5:30 PM Saturday Session 4 9:00 AM Radio and Internet Session 6 5:30 PM We don't take the opportunity to thank the fans of this sport enough. Simply put, Thank you for helping to make this, our 12th year a huge success. We enjoy what we do. We love this sport as much as you do and appreciate the unique opportunity we have as the Broadcast Leader to present it to you from all levels and from around the country. A special thanks to our sponsors including the St. Louis Sports Commission who help us keep our broadcasts free of charge.

Wrestling 411 has interviewed more than 150 people in the last 4 months, covered Duals, Tournaments, NCWA, NAIA, NJCAA, CCC, DIII, DII events and now is on the way to the DI Championship. The Championship Crusade and all that is associated building up to the finals is draining. YES, DRAINING. Wresting 411 wants to continue to bring you the best in wrestling -- we need the support of the community to make it happen -- we are in a tied match. Who is going to win, the people who care and want to change the future of wresting OR the people who complain about the lack of coverage? You make the call. It is simple Wrestling 411 is asking for A LITTLE FROM A LOT -- this is A LITTLE financial support from A LOT of people to continue to being you wrestling. When Wrestling 411 launched we had many programs, associations and camps committed to make tax-deductible donations. They backed out; the reason, "economic times and budget cuts." Many have walked away from their commitments, yet they continue to enjoy the show, want to be interviewed and have their athletes highlighted. A handful of wrestling angels stepped up but they feel it is wrong to lean on a few when Wrestling 411 effects so many. With your support Wrestling 411 has a reason to continue. The bottom line is Wrestling 411 needs your support NOW! Wrestling 411 has had more than 3 million viewers in the last 5 months – visit www.Wresling411.tv and make your tax-deductible donation to the NWCA for Wrestling 411 NOW to keep it a live. The alternative: the sport of wrestling will continue to die its slow death as nothing will change for man's oldest sport. Do you enjoy the updates and programming? Click on www.Wrestling411.tv and make a small tax-deductable donation -- it only takes A LITTLE FROM A LOT of people to keep wrestling alive.

HAMPTON, VA. -- It must be something with hometown advantage. After participating in the National Collegiate Wrestling Association National Championships for 11 years, the Apprentice School brought home its first-ever team national championship on Saturday night at Hampton University Convocation Center. The Builders amassed 118.5 points to outdistance three-time defending champion Grand Valley State who scored 109 points in the 84-team event. The national championship for the wrestling team marked the first ever team championship for the Builders who have now won seven individual national champions. "I thought we had potential with this young team," said Apprentice School Head Coach Bruce Shumaker. "Right now it's amazing, they did a tremendous job this weekend and we got a championship now." He was honored at the post-event banquet as the 2009 National Coach of the Year. What helped the Builders as they had four wrestlers wrestling for third place or higher, while the Lakers had four wrestlers wrestling for fifth place and one for a national championship. The advancement point victories helped the Builders clinch the national championship halfway through the final round. Senior Cecil Lee became the first individual champion for the Apprentice School as he won the 285 pound championship match with a 4-1 decision over Tim Rose of Amerhst College. Lee iced the championship with a two-point takedown with 1:25 left in the third period and held on for his school record 46th victory on the season. Earlier Saturday he defeated Chris DeScantis of Pittsburgh 1-0 to advance to the finals. His 46 wins set the school single-season victory record that was held by current assistant coach Micah Amrozowicz with 45. The last individual champion for the Builders was York High graduate Sinque Holmes who won the heavyweight championship in 2002. " To do this in our area is quite a way to finish my career," said Lee. "It felt like I was at home with all the fans cheering in the finals." Freshman Marcus Chevres fell behind early in his match with Steven West for the 133 pound championship and lost a 16-7 major decision. On the season he finished with a 26-17 record and went 4-1 in the tournament. Earlier on Saturday the Norfolk, Va. native advanced to the finals with a 10-5 win over Joey Heersche of Kansas State. Senior Ty Holley lost 5-1 for third place at 141 pounds to Mike Girodano of Northampton Community College. Giordano put Holley into the losers bracket on Friday in a 3-2 decision. Holley finished 23-16 on the year. Earlier on Saturday he scored a 15-5 major decision over Jason Mustall of Mott Community College and defeated Mark Burchardt by injury default from Hudson Valley Community College. Junior Matt Perry finished eighth at 149 pounds after having to take a default in his match against Lance Goodell of Mott Community College. He finished his season with a 22-18 record and earned his second All-American honor. In his first match on Saturday, the Chesapeake, Va. native lost a 6-5 decision to Jeffrey Slaughter of Louisiana State University. Sophomore Will Harcum won 9-3 over Steve Bauer of Mott Community College to take fifth place at 165 pounds. That win avenged an earlier loss to Bauer in the quarterfinals on Friday for the Williamsburg native. He opened with a flurry taking an early 4-1 advantage and won his 34th match of the season. Earlier Saturday he won by fall in 1:43 over Michael Wright of Delaware and then lost an 11-4 decision to Nick Newell of Kansas State University. Freshman Charles Mills lost 14-6 to Oscar Huntley from U.S. Naval Academy Prep for third place at 174 pounds. Mills, a freshman from Republic, Washington, finished the year 28-14 and went 4-2 in the event. Earlier Saturday he lost a 4-2 decision to Richard Doherty of Grand Valley State in the semifinals and scored a win in 5:56 over Michael Bard of Delaware in the consolation semifinals. The championship was the sixth for the Apprentice School as the women's basketball team won the U.S. Collegiate Athletic Association National Championship in 2000-01 and 2001-02, while the men's team won championships in 2001-02 and 2002-03. The baseball team won the U.S.C.A.A. national championship in 2008 in St. Petersburg, Florida.

HOUSTON -- The storybook of Brett Hunter's wrestling career just added another chapter, not to mention the perfect ending. Hunter, who is the school's all-time winningest wrestler with a 133-32 record, won his second national championship by claiming a 3-2 decision over Nebraska-Kearney's Marty Usman during the 174-pound finals of the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships. "It feels amazing to be on top of that podium again," Hunter, a senior from Rushville said. "This championship by far means so much more to me than the one two years ago because Usman beat me all year. And after not placing last year, I'm sure I had doubters. I knew if I got to the national championship, I'd wrestle my best and it was my time. "To say I ended my career at Chadron State with two titles is very special. There have been a lot of great wrestlers to come through this program and to be mentioned with them is an honor. Nineteen years of wrestling has paid off." The victory was especially sweet since Usman had defeated Hunter three times this season leading up to Saturday's match. In the finals, Hunter and Usman wrestled to a 0-0 tie after the first period, but Hunter got on the board with a takedown with 36 seconds remaining in the second period to take a 2-0 lead. Usman escaped seconds later and the period ended with Hunter leading, 2-1. In the third period, Usman chose bottom and Hunter gained over a minute of riding time before cutting Usman lose with 30 seconds to go. With less than six seconds to wrestle, Usman tried to takedown Hunter, but the shot fell short and Hunter claimed the 3-2 victory, thanks to the point for riding time. Hunter said a big key to the match was when he chose neutral at the beginning of the second period. "Usman has turned me every time this year he's been on top, so I went neutral and stayed low," he said. "I attacked and it worked because my gameplan was to get a lead on him and I was able to do that once I got a takedown out of neutral. From there I just got momentum and stayed in good position. "Late in the third period, I saw there was 52 seconds of riding time and so I knew I had to do whatever it took to ride him out for eight more seconds. I cut him after I got over a minute and I was able to hold on for the win." Earlier in the day, Hunter defeated Upper Iowa's Mitch Norton in the semifinals 5-3 to secure his spot in the finals. Chadron State's Josh Majerus also earned All-American honors during Saturday's championship by finishing in fourth place. For Majerus it was the third straight year he earned All-American status. Majerus, a national champion in 2007, won two matches on Saturday before falling to Nebraska-Kearney's Matt Ferrell in the third place match. He earned a 4-1 decision over Augustana's Tyler Copsey and a 15-0 technical fall over New Mexico Highlands' Luke McPeek. However, Farrell won the third place match by pinning Majerus in 4:50. Majerus is just the third CSC wrestler to garner All-American honors three times and he's the first to accomplish that feat while competing at the Division II level. Majerus ends his career with the second most wins in school history, posting a record of 117-43. The University of Nebraska-Omaha walked away with the team title, scoring an impressive 146.5 points. The national championship is the fifth for the Mavericks.

HOUSTON, Texas -- Doug Surra capped his stellar career by becoming the eighth national champion in West Liberty wrestling history here Saturday night. The Hilltoppers' three-time All-American scored a 5-3 victory against No. 1-ranked Raymond Dunning of Adams State (Colo.) to win the 141-pound championship in the NCAA Division II national tournament at the University of Houston. Mitch Smith also earned All-America honors for head coach Brian Davis on Saturday with a fourth-place finish at 157 pounds. Surra, who entered the tournament ranked No. 3 nationally at 141, had lost to Dunning in the finals of the Midwest Classic during the regular season but controlled Saturday's championship match from start to finish.

Kutztown University wrestler Joe Kemmerer (sr. Mountain Top/Crestwood) may have caught some luck two years ago, but now there is no doubt that he is truly a national champion. After defeating at two-time national champion and knocking off the wrestler who beat him in this year's regional, Kemmerer claimed his second NCAA Division II title at 133 pounds Saturday at the University of Houston. "This one is better," said Kemmerer, KU's only national champion in wrestling who also was awarded the Outstanding Wrestler Award. "This was a little vindication. The first time I won the title, there were two national champions in the bracket, but I missed them on my way to the title." He also avenged his Atlantic Regional loss to Pitt-Johnstown's Shane Valko by winning 2-1 in the NCAA final Saturday night. Coach Robert Fisher said he was confident that Kemmerer could overcome the loss, especially after what he saw in the championship quarterfinals Friday night. "His quarterfinal matchup against Cody Garcia was the greatest match of my coaching career," Fisher said. Garcia, a two-time national champion at 125 pounds from Nebraska-Omaha, fell 4-2 to Kemmerer. Both wrestlers were tied heading into the final period, but a takedown by Kemmerer was the difference. All four of Kemmerer's bouts at the national championships were close decisions, but that's just the way he wrestles. "They were all close," said Fisher, who is in his ninth year at KU. "Joe doesn't get himself in bad positions." Kemmerer opened the championships with a 3-0 decision over Mesa State College's Rhett Breed in the first round Friday morning. Kemmerer scored all three points in the third period, using an escape and a takedown to secure the win. On Saturday morning, Kemmerer won 1-0 in the second tiebreaker over Western State College Marques Bravo, recording an escape to advance to the championship final. In the championship final, Kemmerer and Valko each recorded an escape in the second period. In the first tiebreaker, Kemmerer picked up another escape, and in the second tiebreaker, he rode out Valko to win the title. "You know, it was just as sweet the second time," Fisher said. "We were a little more relaxed. Joe trained so hard these last two weeks to get himself into the position to win the title." Kemmerer set out at the beginning of the season with the goal of duplicating his 2006-07 national title, and after a few injuries throughout the season, he admitted that it was not looking so good. "I had some doubts with my injuries," he said, "but you just got to keep working. I never second guessed myself. I stayed focused on the goal the whole time." Now, Kemmerer will graduate from KU as one of the best wrestlers to have competed in the maroon and gold. The senior wrestler closes out his two-year career at KU with a 60-4 record, two national titles, one regional title and one Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference title. He is tied for 10th on KU's all-time wins list. Overall, Kemmerer, who transferred from Division I UNC-Greensboro, has a record of 91-11. "It's been a great time," Kemmerer said. "The coaches are great, my teammates have been awesome and it's been an amazing experience."

HOUSTON, Texas -- Newberry College has placed second in the Division II National Championships and the pair of Keeno Griffin and Cy Wainwright have become Newberry's first and second-ever NCAA National Champions. The scarlet and gray finished behind University of Nebraska-Omaha, who dominated the tournament finishing with 146.5 points as Newberry had 80.5 to finish as the runner-up. Finishing third was Minnesota State-Mankato with 71.5 points and fourth place was Nebraska-Kearney with 65. The runner-up placing was Newberry's first ever NCAA trophy and was the highest finish for the wrestling program in its short existence. The scarlet and gray had six All-Americans in total, a program record, with two national champions, a third place, one fourth place as well as a sixth and eighth. "It is a phenomenal accomplishment for these young men to come away with a national runner-up finish," head coach Jason Valek stated. "We look forward to continue in bettering ourselves so that we can also bring home a national title to Newberry, S.C." In the championship match at 197 lbs., Griffin scored a 3-2 decision over No. 5 Jacob Marrs of the University of Nebraska-Omaha. Griffin scored a takedown in the opening period to garner the lead. Griffin won the match as he had 1:12 of riding time to give him a bonus point. The victory gave Newberry its first individual national champion in any sport. The 2009 season ended for Griffin, a redshirt junior with a 33-2 record and 22 straight victories as he became a two-time All-American. "It feels great to become a national champion after four years of hard work at Newberry", Griffin stated. "It has been a great year for our team and for me personally so this validates everything we have so hard worked for." At heavyweight, No. 1 Wainwright took on No. 3 Dustin Finn of Central Oklahoma and came away with a 6-4 decision to cap his perfect season. Wainwright scored two takedowns in the opening period to take the lead. Finn tied the match in the third period, but Wainwright scored an escape and then an additional point for riding time. The victory gave Wainwright the national championship and Newberry's second ever individual national championship. "In order for me to win the national championship it took a lot of believing in myself and setting out to accomplish my goals," Wainwright declared. "Like Keeno, I wanted to be a national champ and now that I am it feels great." Wainwright finished the 2009 campaign with a perfect 36-0 record and a 38-match winning streak to go along with his second-straight All-American honor. Newberry finishes the season with a 23-2 record, which includes a 11-0 record against Super Region I opponents. The scarlet and gray racked up hardware from several tournaments, which includes the Cliff Keen/NWCA National Duals Runner-up, Midwest Classic Champions, Super Region I Champions, East Coast Duals Champions and 2009 NCAA Division II National Runner-ups.

Houston, Tex. -- Second-ranked sophomore 149-pounder Tommy Abbott (Willmington, Del.) became the 28th national champion to wear the Minnesota State singlet. Abbott won a 6-5 decision against fourth-ranked Christopher Freije of Western State University to claim his first national championship. Abbott's win helped the second-ranked Mavericks to a third-place finish at the 2009 NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships with 71.5 points. MSU has now finished in the top-5 the last five years and produced three national champions in the last two seasons. The University of Nebraska-Omaha were crowned national champions for the sixth time in its history with 146.5 points. "Our team goal will continue to be winning a national championship," said head coach Jim Makovsky. "I'm proud of our guys. We have a lot of new guys and at the beginning of the season it was a blank sheet of paper, but we ended up having a successful season. I'm proud of Tommy (Abbott). He's gone through a lot of adversity and he made a lot of improvements this season, both as a person and as a wrestler. He has a chance to do something that has never been done in school history - win three national championships." The championships were held at the NCAA Division II National Championships Festival on the campus of the University of Houston. Freije took a 2-0 lead at 1:33 with a takedown, but Abbott cut the deficit in half with a one-point escape. Abbott recorded a takedown of his own at 2:15 to take a 3-2 lead. Freije responded with an escape and the first period ended in a 3-3 tie. The only point of the second period came when Abbott earned a one-point escape just four seconds into the period at 3:04. Freije tied the match at 4-4 with an escape at 5:05. Abbott earned a takedown at 6:02 to take a 6-4 lead, which proved to be enough as he wrestled his way to the championship. Freije earned a one-point escape to make the score 6-5. "It feels great. I'm the first wrestler from Delaware to be a national champ," Abbott said. "I'm glad to support my home state of Delaware and my new hometown Mankato. I'm disappointed (about the team placing). I know we could have done better than that, but all-in-all we wrestled a pretty good tournament." Abbot finishes the season with a 30-6 overall record. Abbott won the NCAA Super Regional Three to qualify for his second national meet appearance. Abbott is now a two-time All-American. Abbott was an All-American in 2008, finishing fifth at 149. The Mavericks finish in the top-5 for the 20th time in program history. Finishing ahead of MSU was UNO and Newberry College (80.5 points). The University of Nebraska-Kearney (65.0) and Adams State (62.0 points) rounded out the top-5.

HOUSTON -- The University of Nebraska at Omaha wrestling team capped off an undefeated dual season with its sixth National Championship in school history, crowning one individual champion Saturday night. The win gives UNO NCAA II wrestling titles in 1991, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2009. The Mavericks also won the 1970 NAIA tournament championship. The Mavericks finished with a total of 146.5 points, shattering their previous high of 117 points set in 2006. UNO nearly doubled second place Newberry who finished with 80.5 points. Head coach Mike Denney was named the Coach of the Year, while Cody Garcia picked up the award for Most Falls in the Least Amount of Time. Todd Meneely became just the fourth wrestler in school history to win three or more titles and the first since JD Naig in 2007. The 157-pound Meneely also became the first wrestler to finish a season undefeated (27-0) since four-time National Champion Les Sigman finished his senior season 47-0 in 2006. The senior from Skutt Catholic recorded a first period takedown and an overtime takedown for the dramatic 4-2 decision against Travis Eggers (Upper Iowa). Meneely finishes his Maverick career with a record of 85-5. Aaron Denson came away with a runner-up finish at 165 pounds, falling 5-0 to the top-ranked wrestler Josh Shields of Mercyhurst. Denson finishes his sophomore campaign with a record of 30-8 and 11-2 in duals. Brent Pankoke finished second at 184 pounds, dropping a 6-4 decision to fifth-ranked Kyle Sand (Adams State). Pankoke finishes his senior season with a record of 16-2. At 197 pounds, three-time national qualifier Jacob Marrs claimed a second place finish, dropping a 3-2 decision to Newberry's fourth-ranked Keeno Griffin. The junior concludes the season with a record of 25-9. The Mavericks set a school record with nine wrestlers earning All-Americans honors, breaking the previous mark of eight set in the 2000 season. UNO's 2009 All-Americans: 133 – Cody Garcia, 3rd Place 141 – Mario Morgan, 3rd Place 149 – Esai Dominguez, 3rd Place 157 – Todd Meneely, 1st Place 165 – Aaron Denson, 2nd Place 174 – Ross Taplin, 3rd Place 184 – Brent Pankoke, 2nd Place 197 – Jacob Marrs, 2nd Place 285 – Tony Lewis, 7th Place

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Only a month after Headhunter Productions' inaugural event, The Patriot Act, the fight production company has announced plans to again bring world class mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters to Columbia, Mo. The Patriot Act II, which will be headlined by former UFC heavyweight contender Jeff Monson (27-8), will be held on April 25 at the Holiday Inn Select Executive Center. The event will showcase a combination of professional and amateur fighters, including the pro MMA debut of Brandon Barger at 170 lbs. Also fighting will be Ben Askren (1-0), who made his pro debut on Feb. 7th at Headhunter Productions' first event when he defeated opponent Josh Flowers via technical knockout. "The first Patriot Act was a lot of fun to plan and to fight in," said Askren, who is also one of the three founders of Headhunter Productions. "And each event will just continue to get better." The other founders are Jake Hecht, a standout professional fighter, and Wade Rome, a local businessman and founding member of the American Top Team. Rome has a long history of involvement in MMA, both in fighting and putting on events, and has recently focused his attention to bringing a new level of fighting to Columbia. Rome believes that his philosophy of putting on events that fighters want to fight in is the key to making Headhunter Productions a success. "As fighters ourselves, we understand the importance of treating each fighter, whether amateur or professional, as a valued and integral part of the event," said Rome. "In turn, they will perform optimally, and the fans and sponsors will benefit as well."

"This is his last shot." That's what Penn State assistant coach Mark Perry said of the Nittany Lions' senior starter at 133 pounds, Jake Strayer, in a published interview in The Daily Collegian -- the Penn State student paper -- at the end of the 2009 dual-meet season. A last shot for an elusive NCAA championship. Jake Strayer"People that have wrestled their whole life at this level understand how important it is to a kid like him," Perry said. "He has put in the time. He deserves to win it and he's got to go take it because it's not going to be given to him." One last shot -- because, according to Strayer, ranked ninth in a talent-rich 133 class by RevWrestling.com -- "This is my last hurrah in wrestling." No, he's not giving up the sport completely. The kinesiology major plans to go into teaching, and be a wrestling coach. But, right now, he's not setting his sights on international competition, or representing the U.S. at the 2012 London Olympics. "I love wrestling, but I'm ready to turn the page," says Strayer, who will be getting married in May to Michelle, who he's dated since high school. 2009 Big Ten battles The 2009 Big Ten championships were held this past weekend at Bryce Jordan Center at Penn State University. In this interview -- conducted just before the Big Tens -- Strayer cited that "home turf" advantage going into the conference championships: "It'll be great to sleep in my own bed, work out in familiar surroundings, have our friends and family here to support us." Jake Strayer (Photo/Tech-Fall.com)A 133-pound wrestler in the Big Ten could use any advantage available to him. Nationally, this weight class is loaded with talent … with a heavy concentration of top 133s competing at Big Ten schools, including No. 1 Franklin Gomez of Michigan State, No. 2 Reece Humphrey of Ohio State, No. 3 Jimmy Kennedy of Illinois, No. 4 Daniel Dennis of Iowa, and No. 6 Jayson Ness of Minnesota. For the Big Tens, Strayer was the sixth seed. He drew a bye in the first round. In his first match, he went up against Jimmy Kennedy, and scored something of an upset, getting a 3-2 decision over the third-seeded Illini wrestler. However, in the semifinals, Strayer fell to second-seeded Franklin Gomez, 9-5. (The Michigan State Spartan went on to win the 133 title.) Finding himself out of title contention, Jake Strayer's first opponent in the consolation bracket was Jayson Ness. The fourth-seeded Gopher pinned Strayer at 2:59, sending him to the match for fifth place against top-seeded Daniel Dennis (who had been upset by Reece Humphrey in the semis). Despite scoring the first takedown, and having a 4-1 lead at the end of the first period, Strayer lost to the Hawkeye, 11-7. By placing sixth, Jake Strayer qualified to compete at the 2009 NCAAs … and one last shot at a national title. K-12: A life on the mats Jake Strayer is about to put the wraps on a long wrestling career that started at age 5. "Dad wrestled. He got me started on it," says the native of South Fork, Pennsylvania. "I remember that first practice. I cried. Got beat bad the first couple matches. However, once I started winning some matches, I really came to like it." Jake Strayer compiled a high school record of 161-7 in high school before enrolling at Penn State (Photo/Penn State Sports Information)"The elementary program was big where I grew up. They had to have split shifts -- one set of kids would practice Mondays and Wednesdays, while the other group took Tuesdays and Thursdays." "I used to come up to State College for practices Wednesdays and Sundays," Strayer continues. "It was incredible. A lot of good partners from all over Pennsylvania." At Forest Hills High School, Jake Strayer built a 161-7 record. He was a four-time district champ, a four-time regional champ, and a two-time winner of outstanding wrestler honors at districts. As a freshman, he placed eighth at the Pennsylvania state championships. The following year -- 2002 -- he capped off a 40-1 season by winning the 103-pound title in what Strayer describes as a "main highlight" of his high school wrestling career. "I wasn't expected to win first at state that year. There were a couple older guys in the bracket who were expected to be going for the title." As a junior, Jake Strayer compiled a 45-1 record, with 25 of those wins by pin. But that second state title had to wait; Strayer placed third at the state tournament at 119 pounds. However, for Strayer, senior year was simply perfect -- 42-0 -- with a perfect ending: winning the 125-pound crown at the 2004 Pennsylvania state finals. He also earned a fourth-place ranking in the nation. Realizing his Rec Hall dream With those credentials, it's easy to imagine that Jake Strayer drew the interest of a number of top college programs. However, the two-time Pennsylvania state champ was focused on staying in the Keystone State … and wrestling at the school that was something of a second home for him. "I wanted to wrestle for Penn State," says Strayer, almost matter-of-factly. "As a little kid, I wanted to someday wrestle at Rec Hall. I'd come up here with my folks for dual meets. Afterwards, I'd get autographs from the wrestlers." "I got letters from other schools but I never really considered them." "I took one visit, and decided that this was the place." Jake Strayer was an All-American in 2007 (Photo/Penn State Sports Information)Jake Strayer got his wish, and, for the past four seasons, has worn the blue and white of Penn State, and wrestled home meets in venerable Rec Hall. After using his redshirt in the 2004-2005 season, Strayer compiled a 26-6 record in his first year wrestling for the Nittany Lions at 133, placing third at the 2006 Big Tens … but just missed placing at the NCAAs. Sophomore year, his record was 27-8, and placed fifth at the Big Tens. At the 2007 NCAAs, Strayer earned All-American honors with a seventh-place finish at 133. Jake Strayer moved up to 141 pounds his junior year. The 2007-2008 season started off strong, but, as Strayer describes it, "In the wrestle-offs in late January, I tore some cartilage in my ribs, and missed the rest of the season." "Sitting out was more painful than the injury. I wanted to be out helping the team." Strayer and Scott After Jake Strayer's injury, competing in his place at 141 last season was Garrett Scott, who wrestled at that weight for Penn State at the 2008 Big Tens and NCAAs. Garrett ScottThere's some history between Strayer and Scott that goes back a few years. "He used to come up here on Sundays, like I did," recalls Strayer, talking about those trips to State College in high school to work out with other Pennsylvania prep wrestlers. "We worked out together, got to know each other." "Junior year, in the district finals and the regional finals, I beat him." However, the eagerly anticipated rematch between Strayer and Scott for the 119-pound title at the 2003 PIAA state championships didn't happen. "He won the title that year. I got pinned in an earlier round." "The next year, he moved up to 130." When asked about their high school history -- and battles in the Penn State practice room -- Jake Strayer answers honestly: "It's tough. You develop a relationship with someone, then you go up against him. It's brutal." Now it's no longer an issue for Jake Strayer, as Garrett Scott is no longer a Nittany Lion. He now wrestles at Edinboro University after being dismissed from Penn State in May 2008 for violating team rules. In condition for a fantastic finish In his last year at Penn State, Jake Strayer is back to wrestling at 133. In the just-completed 2008-2009 dual-meet season, he compiled a 15-5 record, with four pins, two technical falls, and two major decisions. Four of the five losses were to top opponents: Ohio State's second-ranked Humphrey, Iowa's No. 4 Dennis, No. 5 Andrew Hochstrasser of Boise State, and Minnesota's No. 6 Ness (though Strayer avenged that loss a few weeks later). Ask Jake Strayer to describe his wrestling style, and he immediately responds, "I'm a goer." Then he explains, "I've been told my biggest strength is my conditioning. I might be down five points but when the other guy is tired, I have the energy to break him down." Jake Strayer is ranked No. 9 in the country by RevWrestling.com heading into the NCAA Championships (Photo/Penn State Sports Information)That conditioning may well be a product of Strayer's involvement in track and cross country in high school. "I started in cross country for endurance, was good at it, so I went out for track." Natural athletic ability is also part of the equation; before high school, Strayer participated in a wide range of sports, including football and baseball. Tenacity may be yet another factor. In a February 2009 Daily Collegian article, Penn State redshirt sophomore Mike Eagan says, "I love how he comes in here everyday with the same attitude. When I'm watching him wrestle, he just scraps hard. He never gives up on a situation. He doesn't give up just because it's in practice. He fights until the end for everything." In that same story, head coach Troy Sunderland is quoted as saying, "When another wrestler might think 'I'm sore, or I'm hurt,' Strayer goes above and beyond the things an average athlete would do." Looking back, looking forward … As Strayer wraps up his senior season, he looks back on his time at Penn State, starting with the transition from high school to college. "The first year was the toughest," Strayer discloses. "The wrestling was what I was expecting. The practices weren't shocking, though I got my butt kicked in the room plenty of times." "The biggest adjustment for me was the greater freedom, and the academic demands." "You have to balance classwork and wrestling," continues Strayer. "We had a class on things like time management … You have to make the right choices, set priorities." That philosophy seems to have worked for Jake Strayer, who has earned Academic All-American honors while at Penn State. Jake Strayer is looking to make the most of his last opportunity (Photo/Tech-Fall.com)When not in the practice room or the classroom, Jake Strayer can be found at one of a number of streams in the State College area, fishing for trout or small-mouth bass. "I've been fishing as long as I've been wrestling," says Strayer. "With wrestling, there's pressure and stress. Out on a stream, that all disappears, and I'm able to relax completely." As a key member of a wrestling program that just celebrated its centennial, Strayer also reflects on the Penn State wrestling legacy. "It's something that our coaches stress all the time," says the 133-pound starting senior. "In the locker room there's a photo of all of us (wrestlers) in a circle, with the quote, 'From the inside, you can't explain it; from the outside, you can't understand it.'" "All of us here -- wrestlers and coaches -- know why we're here." "Now that I'm in my last month, I probably won't remember specific matches, but the Penn State experience, being a member of the team, a part of the program." Jake Strayer is looking to end his career in the blue and white on a high note. In talking about his goals in post-season competition, the Penn State 133 starter simply says, "I plan to wrestle the best I can." Strayer adds, "I give a lot of credit to God. I owe everything to Him … I have to trust that everything will work out with Him."

This week we dedicate the show to the memory of MMA Mogul Charles "Mask" Lewis founder of Tapout who lost his life in a car accident a few days ago. Jeff Murphy joins me this week in the Brute Adidas studios to discuss college wrestling, The NCAA Championships, Wagner's decision to drop its wrestling program and much more. Join us each week for America's Wrestling Radio Talk Show 9 AM to 11 AM Saturday mornings. TDR is heard around the world at Takedownradio.com Our guests this week include: 9:05 Tom Jones- NFL Hall of Famer Joe Montana called him "..perhaps the greatest athlete I've ever met." Like our wrestlers, Tom Jones is an extreme athlete. He's run the length of California. He's run from California to New York in 120 days. He recently joined me on our tour of Iraq to visit our troops. Tom is a 7 time Pro Muay Thai Boxing Champion with 2 world titles, 3 U.S. titles Tom trains world class athletes in wrestling, boxing and other MMA sports and has invented a new machine to help our athletes get better. Its called The KROW: Kombat Related Optimum Workout. This multi function machine is fully sizable for any person and is a real enhancement for any room or gym. You can learn more about Tom at Tomejonestv.com Here is the updated KROW Sizzle video for you to check out. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-s_x7xO1G4M Tom's endeavors so extreme? Because, Tom has an extreme passion for troubled youth and environmental causes, and staging extreme events is his way of drawing attention to, and raising funds to eradicate the ne will literally do "whatever it takes," and his efforts have motivated tens of thousands of people to exit their comfort zones and become active in yo 9:20 Johnnie Johnson- High School Principle and Superintendent of West Central in Maynard, Iowa. Some might say Johnnie is one of the best wrestling photographers around and others might say he just one heck of a good educator. I say he's both. Johnnie wrestled at Iowa Central (1981) and then at Iowa State 82-84. Johnnie joins us for a look at the action Live From Houston Texas and the D2 National Championships. How will UNO, N-Kearney, MN State Mankato are odds on favorites to do well. We'll find out more. Johnnie's photos can be seen on line at TheGuillotine.com 9:40 Nick Gallo- Now the Boss at TW Promotions, Nick recently had his singlet retired as the only NCAA Champion to this day from Hofstra University. We'll talk about what's new at Asics and his look at the NCAA Championships. 10:05 Tim 'The Barbarian' Boetsch- Tim made his mark at Lock Haven University. After wrestling for the Haven Tim has continued to hunt, train and fight, IFL, UFC and this Light Heavy Weight now looks to open his own gym in western PA outfitted with Resilite Sports Surfaces. Why? tune in and find out his plans. 10:20 V-Tech's Kevin Dresser- A new era in Virginia Tech wrestling was kicked off on April 14, 2006, when Tech Director of Athletics Jim Weaver announced the hiring of former NCAA Champion Kevin Dresser as the Hokies' new head wrestling coach. Dresser became the 12th man to lead the Tech program since its inception in 1920 and has made an immediate impact on the program. Now in his third season and with recruiting starting to take off, Dresser and the Hokies are beginning to see positive results from a young squad and program. In each of his first two seasons, he's had a wrestler win an ACC title and named Most Outstanding Wrestler at the ACC Championships. In 2007, it was Jon Bonilla-Bowman who won the ACC title at 157 pounds and last year Matt Epperly came out of nowhere to win the 165-pound class and advance to the NCAA Championships.

INDIANAPOLIS -- The NCAA announced the 52 at-large selections for the 2009 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. These wrestlers, listed in alphabetical order by weight class, join the other 278 student-athletes that qualified automatically through their conference and regional qualifying tournaments. The at-large selections were made by the NCAA Division I Wrestling Committee using the selection criteria without priority order, which consists of head-to-head competition, qualifying event placement, quality wins, results against common opponents, winning percentage, rating percentage index, coaches ranking and number of matches contested at that weight class. 125: Prescott Garner -- Navy (EIWA) Anthony Mustari -- Northern Colorado (West Regional) Brian Owen -- Boise State (Pac-10) Nikko Triggas -- Ohio State (Big Ten) Mike Watts -- Michigan (Big Ten) 133: Matt Bonson -- Virginia (ACC) Tyler Dillashaw -- Cal State Fullerton (Pac-10) Kyle Hutter -- Old Dominion (CAA) Thomas Kimbrell -- Cal State Bakersfield (Pac-10) Brandon Low -- UC Davis (Pac-10) 141: Justin Accordino -- Hofstra (CAA) Cory Fish -- Boise State (Pac-10) Frank Molinaro -- Penn State (Big Ten) Richard Rappo -- Pennsylvania (EIWA) William Simpson -- Army (EIWA) 149: Torsten Gillespie -- Edinboro (EWL) Daniel Meagher -- Cornell (EIWA) Michael Roberts -- Boston U. (CAA) Robert Sanders -- Nebraska (Big 12) Peter Yates -- Virginia Tech (ACC) 157: Hadley Harrison -- Clarion (EWL) Jason Johnstone -- Ohio State (Big Ten) Thomas Scotton -- North Carolina (ACC) Chad Terry -- Oklahoma (Big 12) 165: Nick Amuchastegui -- Stanford (Pac-10) Keegan Davis -- Oregon State (Pac-10) Rex Kendle -- Michigan State (Big Ten) Ryan Patrovich -- Hofstra (CAA) Matt Pletcher -- Rutgers (EIWA) Rick Schmelyun -- Bloomsburg (EWL) 174: Duke Burk -- Iowa State (Big 12) Justin Herbert -- Franklin & Marshall (EIWA) Ian Hinton -- Michigan State (Big Ten) Jeff James -- Oklahoma (Big 12) Byron Sigmon -- North Carolina-Greensboro (Southern) Anthony Trongone -- Virginia Tech (ACC) 184: John Barone -- Duke (ACC) Kenneth Caldwell -- Navy (EIWA) Dorian Henderson -- Missouri (Big 12) A.J. Kissel -- Purdue (Big Ten) Riley Orozco -- Cal State Bakersfield (Pac-10) David Thompson -- Bucknell (EIWA) 197: Logan Brown -- Purdue (Big Ten) Eric Chine -- Kent State (MAC) Luke Feist -- Stanford (Pac-10) John Hall -- Boston U. (CAA) James Hamel -- Buffalo (MAC) Charles Silber -- American (EIWA) 285: Zach Hammond -- Cornell (EIWA) Clayton Jack -- Oregon State (Pac-10) Trey McLean -- Pennsylvania (EIWA) Corey Morrison -- Ohio State (Big Ten)

ESPNU, ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN360.com will combine for expanded live coverage of the 79th annual NCAA Div. I Wrestling Championships on Friday, March 20, and Saturday, March 21, from the Scottrade Center in St. Louis. For the first time, all 11 hours of coverage on ESPNU, ESPN and ESPN2 will be presented in high definition. Also for the first time, ESPN2 will telecast the semifinals along with ESPNU. The quarterfinals will air Friday, March 20, at 11 a.m. ET on ESPNU and ESPN360.com, and the semifinals at 7 p.m. on ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN360.com. For the third consecutive year, the semifinals will be telecast in a side-by-side format, allowing viewers to see both semifinal matches in each weight class at the same time, both on ESPNU and ESPN2. ESPNU will telecast the Championship Medal Round on Saturday, March 21, at 10:30 a.m., and the hunt for the Div. I title culminates with the Finals at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN. During the Finals, two referees per match each will wear a microphone, providing fans with even more access to and understanding of the action. ESPN360.com, ESPN's broadband sports television network, once again will complement the ESPNU HD, ESPN2 HD and ESPN HD telecasts with unparalleled access to all rounds of the championships. ESPN360.com will provide live coverage of all four mats during the quarterfinals and both mats in the semifinals, offering users the option to select the match they want to see. Dave Armstrong will serve as play-by-play announcer alongside analysts Tim Johnson and Olympic gold medalist Jeff Blatnick, with reporter Quint Kessenich, a former two-time county wrestling champion at New York's Lynnbrook High School. For ESPN360.com coverage, 1981 NCAA 134-pound champion wrestler Jim Gibbons, who coached the 1987 Iowa State Cyclones to the national title, returns as analyst and will be joined by play-by-play announcer Shawn Kenney. ESPN360.com is available at no cost to millions of U.S. college students and U.S.-based military personnel. Users accessing ESPN360.com from an on-campus ".edu" or ".mil" network domain in the United States receive free, seamless access to the NCAA Div. I Wrestling Championships and hundreds of other live college and professional sporting events each month. ESPN360.com is also available via affiliated ISPs nationwide, including AT&T, Verizon, RCN, Insight, Frontier, Cavalier, Charter, Mediacom, Conway, Grande Communications and many more. NCAA Div. I Wrestling Championships Schedule (Scottrade Center, St. Louis) Date/Time (ET)/Event/Networks: Friday, Mar 20 11 a.m. -- Quarterfinals -- Live on ESPNU HD / ESPN360.com 7 p.m. -- Semifinals -- Live on ESPNU HD / ESPN2 HD / ESPN360.com Saturday, Mar 21 10:30 a.m. -- Championship Medal Round -- Live ESPNU HD / ESPN360.com 6:30 p.m. -- Finals -- Live ESPN HD / ESPN360.com

YPSILANTI, Mich. -- Central Michigan claimed four individual titles on its way to its eighth consecutive Mid-American Conference Wrestling Championships team title Sunday afternoon. CMU finished with 111.5 team points. Kent State was the runner-up with 82.5 points, while Northern Illinois was third with 47.5. Winning individual titles for CMU were Scotti Sentes (125 pounds), Steve Brown (149), Trevor Stewart (165) and Mike Miller (174). All 10 Chippewas finished in the top three of their weight class. Finishing runner-up were Conor Beebe (133), Tony D'Alie (141), Tyler Grayson (157), Vince DiDona (184) and Jarod Trice (285). Eric Simaz placed third at 197 pounds. Eight Chippewas—Sentes, Beebe, D'Alie, Brown, Stewart, Miller, DiDona and Trice—have earned automatic bids to the NCAA Championships. CMU's eight-year winning streak at the conference tournament is the longest in MAC history. The 111.5 team points the Chippewas scored marks the fourth-highest total in MAC Championships history. CMU has won 13 conference tournament titles overall. CMU began Sunday's session with eight individuals in the finals of their respective weight classes. In the 125-pound final, Sentes led Kent State's Nic Bedelyon 4-0 after a takedown and two back points in the first period. Bedelyon drew within 5-2 with a third-period takedown, but a late takedown by Sentes provided the final margin. Brown, the conference's 157-pound champion in 2008, won the 149-pound title with a 6-1 decision over Buffalo's Desmond Green. Takedowns in both of the first two periods gave Brown a 4-1 advantage, and he added a third-period escape and riding time. Stewart won his second consecutive conference title at 165 pounds, pinning Kent State's Obie Simpson. Stewart took down and cradled Simpson midway through the first period and scored the fall at the 2:23 mark. Miller, the 2007 MAC champion at 165 pounds, won his first MAC title at 174 by pinning Buffalo's Nate Rock in the first period. The fall came at the 2:47 mark. Four other Chippewas were defeated in championship bouts. Beebe finished runner-up at 133 after placing third each of the last two seasons. He and Kent State's Danny Mitcheff were tied 2-2 entering the third period, but Mitcheff pulled away with an escape, takedown and riding time. D'Alie was the runner-up at 141 pounds in his first conference tournament appearance. Kent State's Drew Lashaway tallied two takedowns and three back points in the first period of the championship bout. DiDona also finished runner-up in his first conference tournament, falling to Kent State's Dustin Kilgore, 12-1, in the 184-pound final. DiDona rebounded to secure second place with a 5-2 decision over Buffalo's Mickey Moran in a true-second match. True freshman Jarod Trice finished second at heavyweight. He dropped a 6-2 decision to Kent State's Jermail Porter, who won his first individual MAC title. CMU's Tyler Grayson (157) and Eric Simaz (197) entered Sunday's action still alive in the consolation bracket. Grayson defeated Kent State's Ross Tice, 8-3, in the consolation final, then posted a 5-2 decision over Ohio's Clay Tucker in a true-second match. At 197, Eric Simaz clinched third place by pinning Kent State's Eric Chine at the 4:59 mark in the consolation finals. The 2008-09 wrestling season concludes with the NCAA Championships in St. Louis. The three-day tournament begins March 17.

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. -- The Big Red wrestling team won its third-straight EIWA tournament on Sunday evening and crowned four individual champions. Cornell automatically qualified seven wrestlers for the NCAA tournament and will wait for the results of the wild card bids that will be released later this week. Cornell saw Troy Nickerson (125), Jordan Leen (157), Mack Lewnes (165) and Cam Simaz (197) win individual titles. Nickerson won the Sheridan Award given to the wrestler that wins the most matches by fall in the fewest amount of time. Senior Steve Anceravage won the Fletcher Award for earning the most points during his career. In the final at 125 pounds, Nickerson grabbed the first takedown of the night midway through the first period and rode his opponent out for the remainder. In the second, Nickerson chose down and with 30 seconds left in the period flipped around for a reversal to go up, 4-0. Peterkin started down in the third and Nickerson was working from the opening whistle to tilt his opponent. Peterkin earned his first points with a reversal halfway through the period. Nickerson grabbed the last point of the bout with an escape. Riding time was not a factor, and Nickerson earned his second EIWA championship with a 5-2 decision over the Penn wrestler. Nickerson is now 20-0 for the season. Sophomore Mike Grey faced Navy's Joe Baker at 133 pounds. After a scoreless first period, Grey earned the first point of the match with an escape and earned a second point after Baker received his second stall warning. In the third period, Baker quickly escaped from his starting down position and took the lead with a takedown 20 seconds later. Grey tied the match back up with an escape. The two wrestlers were scrambling throughout the remainder of the match, and with 19 seconds left on the clock, Baker notched the championship winning takedown. Baker won a 5-3 decision. In the finals at 157 pounds, senior Jordan Leen looked to avenge his early season loss to JP O'Connor. Leen won an 8-2 decision (more information to follow) At 165 pounds, sophomore Mack Lewnes took a 2-0 lead with a takedown in the first period over Bucknell's Andy Rendos, and the Bucknell wrestler escaped. Rendos chose to start the second period down on the mat and tied the match with an escape. Lewnes started the third period down on the mat and flipped around for an immediate reversal. Rendos escaped and with 1:45 in riding time, Lewnes won a 5-3 decision. The title was Lewnes' second and qualifies him for his second NCAA tournament. The Big Red wrestler is undefeated and is a perfect 35-0 for the season. In the finals for 174 pounds, senior Steve Anceravage faced the undefeated No. 1 seed Mike Cannon of American. Anceravage had a few scoring opportunities in the first, but Cannon continuously countered his shots. In the second period, Cannon escaped from his opening down position. Anceravage immediately rolled out of his starting down position to tie the match at 1-1. The bout went to sudden victory. The two traded scoring opportunities throughout, but Cannon pulled through with a takedown with five seconds left on the clock to win the title. Anceravage has qualified for his fourth NCAA tournament. At 184 pounds, sophomore Justin Kerber faced No. 1 seeded David Craig of Lehigh. Craig took a 2-0 lead with a takedown in the first, and with a quick escape was up 3-0 after two. Kerber chose neutral in the third looking to score, but with 1:33 in riding time Craig won a 4-0 decision. At 197 pounds, freshman Cam Simaz won the title after his opponent Richard Starks of Army forfeited due to medical reasons. At 157, Leen squared off against Penn's Matt Dragon, the No. 3 seed. Leen took the lead with a takedown with a little less than a minute left on the clock. In the second period, Leen scored an acrobatic reversal to further his lead. Dragon earned his only point of the match with an escape. With 3:17 in riding time, Leen won a 5-1 decision to advance to the finals. In the semifinals at 165, Lewnes took on the No. 4 seed, Rutgers' Matt Pletcher. Lewnes took his opponent down less than a minute into the match and after racking up a minute of riding time, cut him loose looking to score more points. Lewnes quickly grabbed him again and turned him to his back. The Big Red grappler notched his second fall of the weekend, pinning Pletcher in 6:25. At 174, Steve Anceravage took on Penn's Scott Giffin in the semis. Anceravage notched a takedown 20 seconds in the first period. Giffin chose down to start the second period, and Anceravage cut him loose with a little more than a minute left. Anceravage quickly grabbed another takedown to go up, 4-1. The Big Red wrestler immediately escaped from his starting down position in the third and notched two more takedowns. Anceravage advanced to his fourth EIWA finals with a 10-2 major decision. In a highlighted semifinal match, No. 3 seeded Justin Kerber faced the No. 2 seed Louis Caputo of Harvard. After a scoreless first period, Caputo took a one point lead with an opening escape. The Harvard wrestler countered a shot by Kerber to take a 3-0 lead with a takedown and rode out the period. Caputo notched 1:12 in riding time through the period. In the third Kerber exploded out of his opening down position for his first point. The Big Red wrestler brought the Cornell fans to their feet with a takedown to tie the match at 3-3 and rode out the period to depleat the riding time. The match went into sudden victory and Kerber was on fire with offensive action. The sophomore powered his way to a 5-3 upset victory to move on to his first EIWA finals and qualify for the NCAA tournament. At 197 pounds, freshman Cam Simaz was in the semifinals against Penn's Thomas Shovlin. Simaz took a 2-0 lead with a takedown and was working to move his opponent on to his back. Shovlin took injury time and returned to the mat after his time ran out. Simaz was working to turn Shovlin to his back again, but the Penn wrestler had to call the match on account of injury. Simaz qualified for his first NCAA tournament and advanced to the finals. In the consolation rounds, at heavyweight, senior Zach Hammond opened with a 3-2 decision over Army's Michael Sprigg. Hammond was edged out by East Stroudsburg's Chris Birchler when the Warriors' wrestler scored the match-winning takedown with the last seconds ticking off the clock. In the match for fifth place, in the first period Hammond earned a takedown midway through the period against Penn's Trey McLean and grabbed another point for an illegal hold. Hammond turned his opponent onto his back and won by fall in 1:54. At 141 pounds, sophomore Corey Manson lost in the consolation rounds to American's Matt Mariacher, 9-7. At 149, DJ Meagher lost to Kevin LeValley of Bucknell, 9-4. Cornell will be off until the NCAA championships on March 19-21 which will be held in St. Louis.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- The team title might have been sewn up heading into the Sunday's finals of the 2009 Big Ten Championships at the Bryce Jordan Center on the campus of Penn State, but one would either have to be delusional or dead asleep to think that made the finals uneventful. The finals had it all: Exciting matches, dominating performances, and tactical matches. The finals saw a pin, three overtime matches, a true freshman winning a title, and seven repeat winners. Iowa's Brent Metcalf did what he always does. Dominate. The returning Big Ten and NCAA champion at 149 crushed Penn State's Bubba Jenkins, building a 9-1 lead before pinning the 2008 NCAA runner-up in the second period. For his efforts, Metcalf was named Most Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament. "I felt good and strong before this round, really recovered," said Metcalf, who improved his record to 33-0 on the season. "That's a testament to our coaches. That's a testament to this program and its philosophy of feeling best when you need to be at your best." Metcalf and Daniel Erekson (285) were the only champions for Iowa, but their points, along with the other seven place winners, were enough to give the Hawkeyes their second straight Big Ten crown. Iowa finished with 160 points, which was 27.5 points in front of second-place Illinois, who finished with 113.5 points. Michigan (92.5), Wisconsin (88), and Minnesota (86) rounded out the top five. "Here's the thing," said Iowa coach Tom Brands, who was tabbed Big Ten Coach of the Year for the second straight season. "Individuals are doing their job at a high level, the team race takes care of itself. And that's really what happened. We had two categories today. We had the category when we woke up where they wanted to be wrestling for the championship. We won two out of those four. And we had a category of five guys where they were wrestling for where they didn't want to be. You still have to perform. You still have to get up. You still have to do things that are right to make sure that you are basically giving yourself the best chance to advance as far as you can even after you don't get what you want." In addition to Metcalf repeating as a Big Ten champion, five other past Big Ten champions added titles to their collection: Angel Escobedo of Indiana (125), Franklin Gomez of Michigan State (133), Kellen Russell of Michigan (141), Mike Poeta of Illinois (157), Steve Luke of Michigan (174), and Jake Herbert of Northwestern (184). Escobedo, the defending NCAA champion 125, scored a first period takedown on No. 1-seeded Brandon Precin of Northwestern, which is all he needed in his 3-2 victory in the finals. "This year I'm a little bit overjoyed because it's kind of hard to come back and win two Big Ten titles," said Escobedo. Gomez, who placed third at the NCAAs last season, won an exciting 7-4 match in overtime against Reece Humphrey of Ohio State, a University World silver medalist in freestyle who came through the bracket as the No. 5 seed. With the victory, Gomez is expected to enter the NCAAs as the No. 1 seed at 133, since the top five wrestlers in the weight class come from the Big Ten. It will mark the second straight season in which Gomez has earned the top seed at the NCAAs. But according to Gomez, he doesn't care where he is placed in the bracket. "Eventually I'm going to have to wrestle tough people," said Gomez. "It doesn't matter where you put me. It's going to be sooner or later. So to me, it doesn't really matter." Russell defeated a fellow New Jersey native Zach Tanelli of Wisconsin, 6-4 in overtime, in the 141-pound finals. Last season, Russell, who was the Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 2008, failed to place at the NCAAs after winning the Big Ten title and entering the NCAAs as the No. 3 seed. He wants to make sure that doesn't happen again. "I think last year I got a little bit almost too excited about winning Big Tens," said Russell, who wrestled his prep career at Blair Academy in New Jersey. "I kind of lost a little bit of steam at Nationals. I didn't wrestle my best. I think this year I wanted to wrestle really good here, but I think I'm still peaking right now, and hopefully I'll be able to peak two weeks from now." Poeta, who was NCAA runner-up last season at 157, registered an 8-2 victory over freshman Jason Welch of Northwestern. Luke won his third Big Ten title with a 12-5 victory over hometown favorite Quentin Wright, a true freshman at Penn State. The Wolverine senior, who was the NCAA runner-up at 174, believes that the fact that he's a senior and will be done with his wrestling career in two weeks benefits him. "It really takes a lot of the stress away," said Luke, who will be attending pharmacy school next year. "It helps me relax. When I'm relaxed, I wrestle a lot better." Herbert, a Pennsylvania native, won his third Big Ten title and extended his winning streak in college to 60 matches with an 8-1 victory over Iowa's Phil Keddy. The Northwestern senior was also named Big Ten Wrestler of the Year. Wisconsin's Andrew Howe won the title at 165 over Iowa's Ryan Morningstar, 2-1 in the tiebreaker period, and became the first true freshman under head coach Barry Davis to win a Big Ten title. He was also named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year, becoming the first Badger since Jeff Walter in 1992 to accomplish the feat. Michigan had the most Big Ten champions with three. In addition to Russell and Luke winning titles for the Wolverines, 197-pounder Tyrel Todd won the title at 197 with a 5-4 victory over No. 1-seeded Dallas Herbst of Wisconsin. Sunday's attendance was 4,482. Related Content: Final Brackets Rev Audio: 2009 Big Ten Championships, Day 2 Pick 'Em Contest Results Big Ten Championships Day 1 Wrap Rev Audio: 2009 Big Ten Championships, Day 1

Click the links below to listen to interviews from Day 2 at the 2009 Big Ten Championships. Franklin Gomez (Michigan State) Kellen Russell (Michigan) Brent Metcalf (Iowa) Steve Luke (Michigan) Tom Brands (Iowa)

Click the links below to listen to interviews from Day 1 at the 2009 Big Ten Championships. Angel Escobedo (Indiana) Reece Humphrey (Ohio State) Zach Tanelli (Wisconsin) Bubba Jenkins (Penn State) Mike Poeta (Illinois) Andrew Howe (Wisconsin) Quentin Wright (Penn State)

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -- Jared Massey (JR, Circle Pines, Minn./Centennial HS) claimed the 44th individual national title in Augsburg College wrestling history, dominating in an 11-2, major-decision triumph over Ryan Malo of Williams (Mass.) in the 197-pound title match, as his Auggies finished second in the team race at the NCAA Division III national championships, completed on Saturday evening at the U.S. Cellular Center. Massey used three takedowns, a reversal and a two-point near-fall in a dominating performance, building 4:22 of riding time to cruise to the championship. The title is Augsburg's 44th in program history, including a record 40 in NCAA Division III action (1983-present). "It feels great. I came here to win. I expected to win the whole time. It feels great when you do," said Massey. "I went out there knowing what I was going to do. I just stuck to that and it turned out pretty good." In the semifinals on Saturday, Massey rode out the entire second period as part of a 2:13 riding-time effort, then scored an escape and takedown in the third period to claim a 4-1 win over Karl Voeck of Wisconsin-Whitewater. "It didn't surprise me, given how Jared trains," said Augsburg head coach Mark Matzek of Massey's championship effort. "I think he out-trained everyone in the nation, not ust the 197-pound weight class. No one trains harder than Jared Massey. People may train as hard as he does, but no one out-trains him." Massey is in his first season of collegiate wrestling after a four-year absence from the sport. A two-time Minnesota state high school champion (2002-03) at Centennial High School, he competed at Division I Wisconsin in the 2003-04 season. Massey finished 30-1 on the season with 16 pins and three major decisions. "It's a great feeling to come back and have the success that I've had this year. You can't really beat it," Massey said. As a team, Augsburg finished second for the ninth time in school history (eight in NCAA, one in NAIA) with 105.0 points, second to repeat national champion Wartburg (Iowa), which had 117.5 points. Wisconsin-La Crosse was third with 87.0 points and Coe (Iowa) was in fourth with 65.5 points. Augsburg claimed a top-two national finish for the 19th time in school history. Augsburg has finished as a team trophy-winner -- finishing in the top four in NCAA competition -- every season since 1989, a 21-year streak currently unmatched by any other NCAA wrestling program, regardless of division. Under 2005 Augsburg alumnus Matzek, a two-time national champion and three-time All-American in his first year as Augsburg's head coach, the Auggies claimed seven All-Americans, marking the 21st straight year that Augsburg has had at least five All-Americans in national competition -- every year since 1989. "It feels great, especially with how Jared did in the finals," Matzek said. "Obviously, we were shooting for the gold, to win the national championship. It was really close. It was within our grasp. But each guy in this program could honestly walk off the mat and say that they gave it all they had. And that's all I or anyone can ask of them." Jason Adams (JR, Coon Rapids, Minn.) finished third at 157 pounds for his second consecutive All-American finish, while Seth Flodeen (SR, Cannon Falls, Minn.) finished his collegiate career with his third All-American finish, placing fourth at 125 pounds. Flodeen also earned the "Most Falls in Least Time" award for the tournament, with four pins in 16:00. Augsburg had three fifth-place finishers -- 133-pounder Travis Lang (SR, Bismarck, N.D.), 149-pounder Willy Holst (SR, Prescott, Wis.) and heavyweight Andy Witzel (JR, Fulda, Minn.). Zach Molitor (SO, Cambridge, Minn./Cambridge-Isanti HS) finished sixth for the Auggies at 174 pounds. Among other Minnesota colleges, St. John's 141-pounder Minga Batsukh claimed a national title with a 5-2 win over Wartburg's Zach McKray, finishing 19-4 on the season. Concordia-Moorhead 184-pounder Phil Moenkedick. finished second in his weight class with a 15-1, major-decision loss to Michael Wilcox of Delaware Valley (Pa.) in the finals. St. John's, finished in 15th place with 26.0 points, also had another All-American, 184-pounder Dustin Baxter, who placed seventh on Saturday. Concordia finished in 18th place with 17.0 points.

LINCOLN, Neb. -- Iowa State's David Zabriskie had been here before, although this time no one told him the team scores. The Big 12 Conference title was on the line and it had come down to the heavyweight match to decide first place. Once again, ISU's "little" heavyweight proved why he is the No. 1-ranked wrestler in the country. Most importantly Saturday night, Zabriskie showed why he is a Big 12 champion. With the Cyclones' historic three-peat on the line, Zabriskie held off No. 2-ranked Mark Ellis of Missouri, 3-1. ISU finished tied for first with Nebraska with 70 points. Missouri finished third with 55 points. Coming in at fourth and fifth were Oklahoma State and Oklahoma, with 40 and 38.5 points, respectively. For the first time in school history, the Cyclones have won at least a share of three-straight conference team titles. Zabriskie beat Oklahoma State's Jared Rosholt to clinch to the 2007 team title for ISU. Going into that match, he knew he had to win his bout for team glory. But Saturday, as Zabriskie took the mat against Missouri's Mark Ellis, he didn't know going into his championship match, Iowa State trailed Nebraska, 73-70 in team scoring. "Two years ago there were scoreboards everywhere to tell you what the score was," Zabriskie said. "This time there was no score to see, and so I just went out there to wrestle." Sanderson said it was just as well. "Dave is really mentally tough," Sanderson said. "He is so undersized for the weight class and he wins match after match after match." ISU automatically qualified nine wrestlers for the NCAA Championships March 19-21 in St. Louis, Mo. The announcement of "at-large" qualifiers will be made by the NCAA March 11. Cyclone Nick Fanthorpe notched his second Big 12 133-pound title with his victory over Oklahoma State's Chris Notte. Fanthorpe kept the Cowboy's offense to a minimum as he controlled Notte for the decision, 5-1. Fanthorpe stands at 20-4 on his junior campaign, heading into the NCAA Championships. He battled injury earlier in the year but is on track. "I have been feeling better," Fanthorpe said. "It was just a matter of trusting the coaches and the trainers." Fanthorpe and Zabriskie join elite company for winning multiple Big 12 individual titles. Cael Sanderson (4), Joe Heskett (3), Nate Gallick (3), Dwight Hinson (2), Trent Paulson (2) and Kurt Backes (2) all accomplished the feat. "I can't say that we wrestled very well over all," Sanderson said. "We will be sharper at the NCAA meet. Junior Cyclone Nick Gallick was denied his second 141-pound league title by Missouri's Marcus Hoehn. Gallick fell in overtime to the Tiger, 2-1 (TB1). Gallick was ridden out in his 30-second portion of the tie-breaker period after being unable to kick free from Hoehn, who had Gallick by the ankles. Gallick, a Tucson, Ariz. native, falls to 27-4. ISU's 125-pounder Tyler Clark came up short in his first Big 12 finals appearance. The sophomore fell by decision to Oklahoma's Joey Fio, 5-3. Clark drops to 23-6. Redshirt freshman Cyclone Jerome Ward was turned away in his first attempt at a league title by Nebraska's Vince Jones by decision, 3-0. Ward eyes his first NCAA Championships experience with a 20-10 record. ISU junior and Iowa City native Mitch Mueller was turned away his second conference finals appearance by Oklahoma's Kyle Terry by decision, 3-0. Mueller currently sports a 20-7 record heading into his third trip to the NCAA Championships. ISU's Reader took third place at 165 pounds with a 3-2 decision of Oklahoma State's Brandon Mason. Reader had a riding time advantage of 1:03 for the deciding point in the match. ISU's Cyler Sanderson and Reader won their consolation matches en route to their third-place matches. Sanderson came up victorious against Oklahoma's Chad Terry by decision, 12-9. Reader blanked his own Sooner opponent, Ryan Smith, 9-0 for the major decision. ISU wrestles at the NCAA Championships in St. Louis, Mo. March 19-21. The Cyclones finished tied for fifth-place overall last season.

The Chattanooga wrestling teams continued to dominate the Southern Conference with its fifth consecutive title today. Six Mocs won individual championships, leading UTC to 104 points in the event. UNC Greensboro finished in second place with a total of 74 while Appalachian State rounded out the top half with 63 points. The Mocs brought one of the youngest teams in school history to the SoCon Championship meet. Chattanooga competed with six freshmen, a sophomore and just two juniors and a senior. Three of the six freshmen walked away with individual trophies while the six winners all earned automatic bids to the NCAA Championships. "The boys did a good job and I am very proud of them," stated head coach Chris Bono. "We dominated the conference and that was a goal of ours all season long. Now we have to move on and get ready for the NCAAs. Our goals are now all about making these guys All-Americans and NCAA Champions." Not only did UTC take the team title, the Mocs also swept the postseason awards. Bono was named the SoCon Coach of the Year. Junior Cody Cleveland earned the Wrestler of the Year and Jason McCroskey was tagged the Freshman of the Year. The Mocs scored a huge upset at 125 with freshman Demetrius Johnson taking the title as the No. 3 seed. Johnson was 3-1 in SoCon action during the regular season but was forced to fight his way out of the middle of the bracket today. He started off with a first round pin against Appalachian State's Austin Annas (4:31). He avenged his only conference loss when he defeated UNCG's Mitchell Johnson (14-12) in the semifinals. Johnson concluded his run with a 7-3 decision over top-seeded Tyler Sim from The Citadel in the finals. "We knew Demetrius had the talent, it was just a matter of keeping him healthy and keeping him on the mat," added Bono. "He was able to do that this last month and his talent came through." Chattanooga also had a surprise showing at 133 when sophomore Josh Statum advanced to the finals. Statum, also a No. 3 seed, started with a 4-3 decision over The Citadel's Richard Alarcon. He then upset second-seeded Casey Boyle of UNCG 9-5 in the semis. Appalachian State's Frank Celorrio won the title 7-1 in the finals. Cleveland dominated the 141 class, posting a major decision and a pin in the finals. He defeated ASU's Michael Kessler 11-1 in the semifinals and dropped UNCG's Chris Bencivenga at the 2:19 mark in the finals. Bencivenga and Cleveland shared the regular season wrestler of the year honors, despite the fact that Cleveland also won 13-6 in their other match this season. He made a statement today with his first period pin that he hopes to carry over to the NCAAs. "It was a statement for Cody and the second year in a row he has won with a pin in the finals," added Bono. He was by far class of the tournament." Freshman Dan Waddell was impressive in his run to the 149 title. He started off the day with a 5-4 decision in the semifinals over ASU's Savva Kostis. He scored the Mocs second pin in the finals when he put the Spartan's Ben Wilmore to the mat at the 5:54 mark. Junior Joey Knox came from the No. 2 spot to win the 157 title. He started with a 7-6 decision over Appalachian State's Wiliam Powell. He finished with a 7-1 decision over top-seeded Andrew Saunders from UNCG to earn his second straight trip to the NCAAs. Senior Seth Garvin became a two-time SoCon champion when he won the 165 title. He won the 157-pound class last season. Garvin posted a major decision over The Citadel's Derek Sickel in the semifinals. UTC's lone senior in the starting lineup all year and the top-seed at the SoCon Championships, Garvin pinned the Spartan's Edwin Hojilla at 6:51. The Mocs final title was delivered by McCroskey at 174. He pinned his second round opponent, VMI's Andrew Szymborski for the second time this season, at 5:30 in the semis. McCroskey went on to post a 6-0 shutout against The Citadel's J.C. Oddo in the finals. Freshman Ethan Winel finished third at the 197 to round out the Mocs' top-3 finishers. Chattanooga will now set its sights on the 2009 NCAA Championships in St. Louis, Mo., on March 19-21.

For the third-straight year, Liberty dominated the competition at the NCAA East Regional Qualifier, en route to the Flames' third team title at the event. All nine of Liberty's grapplers placed at the tournament, including four individual title winners. Liberty clearly outdistanced the remaining six teams in the field, scoring 101.5 team points, which was 36.5 points ahead of second-place Millersville, who ended the day with 65 points. The 36.5-point margin was Liberty's second largest in the last three Regional Qualifiers, ranking behind last year's 41-point victory over Gardner-Webb inside the Vines Center. Gardner-Webb, who hosted the event inside Paul Porter Arena, finished third with 54 points, just edging out Delaware State's 53.5 points by a half point. Campbell finished fifth during the Camels' first go around at the regional qualifier with 45 points, just ahead of sixth-place Duquesne with 43 points. Wagner rounded out the seven-team field with 3.5 points. Liberty, who only fielded competitors in nine of the 10 weight classes, had seven of its grapplers advance to the championship round. Of the seven, four claimed victory in their bouts, earning automatic berths into the 2009 NCAA National Wrestling Championship. Liberty's first winner of the day came at 133 pounds, as Christian Smith earned his fourth career trip to the national championship, when the senior clearly dominated his weight class. The Suffolk, Va., native quickly pinned his first-round opponent, Tyler Harmer, in 20 seconds to advance to a semifinal matchup, where he received a win by medical forfeit over Delaware State's Harry Broomall. In the title match, Smith made it two-for-two this year against Millersville's Sean Reed, but this time around he picked up his fifth win by fall on the season, pinning Reed 88 seconds into the bout to claim the individual title. Harner followed suit, as the Norristown, Pa., native will also be making his fourth trip to the national championship with a victorious run at 141 pounds. The senior received a first-round bye, before pinning Delaware State's Kelvin Walford at 2:25 in the semifinals. In the title bout, the senior continued to dominate the field, picking up his second win by fall on the season over Jayk Cobbs of Duquesne (4:56) and his team-leading 11th on the year to earn a return trip to the national championship, where he will look to improve on last year's round of 16 finish. The 157-pound weight class proved to be one of the most competitive of the day. Shaun Smith looked to avenge last year's championship round loss with this year's opportunity, and he needed more than seven minutes to do so in the title bout. After pinning Wagner's Nicholas Dalcero in the first round (1:55) and picking up a 4-2 decision over Duquesne's Nathan Reinhart, Liberty's junior found himself up against No. 1 seed Brandon Gardner from Delaware State. The Hornets' grappler came into the matchup with a 19-5 overall record, but Smith netted an escape in overtime to pick up his first career NCAA East Regional title and punch his first ticket to the NCAA National Championship with a 4-3 decision in the extra period. Liberty's final victor of the day came at 184 pounds, as Chris Daggett allowed his opponents just one point during three bouts on the day. The senior, who came into the event riding a seven-match winning streak, pushed his run to eight with a 3-1 decision over Duquesne's Scott Black to open the day. After netting a technical fall win over Campbell's Kyle Higgins, 16-0, the Williamstown, W.Va., native kept his next foe scoreless in a 2-0 decision win over hometown favorite Alex Piasecki, earning his second-straight national qualifier. The Flames also had three runner-up finishes on the day, as Frankie Gayeski (149 pounds), Brad Clark (165 pounds) and Julian Colon (174 pounds) each scored key points toward Liberty's team victory with second-place finishes. Gayeski and Clark both finished the day 1-1, with Clark coming the closest to an individual victory, as the redshirt freshman dropped a 1-0 decision to Millersville's Jeremy Brooks in the title bout. Colon won his first two matchups of the day, with a 2-1 decision over No. 3 seed Kyle Skinner of Delaware State, 2-1, and a 10-6 triumph over No. 2 seed Ryan Sula of Duquesne. However, the East Parkersburg, Pa., native couldn't make it three-for-three against seeded foes, as he fell in a 4-1 decision to No. 1 seed Shane Smith of Millersville. Liberty, who did not field a competitor at 125 pounds, also found a third-place finisher in Brandon Johnson at 197 pounds and a fourth-place finisher in Andrew Wilson at heavyweight. The Flames' four individual winners on the day will now be making the trek to St. Louis, Mo., for the 2009 NCAA National Wrestling Championship. The four victors gives Liberty 14 national qualifiers in the last three years, as the Flames also sent four to the national tournament in 2007 and a program-best six qualifiers to the year-end event last year. Daggett, Harner and the pair of Smiths will return to the mats in two weeks for Liberty, when the nation's best grapplers will battle it out inside the Scottrade Center on March 19-21, 2009, at this year's national championship event.

YPSILANTI, Mich. -- Central Michigan has advanced eight individuals to the finals of their respective weight classes at the Mid-American Conference Wrestling Championships. The Chippewas sit atop the team standings after the tournament's first day with 62.5 points. Kent State is second with 49.5 points, while Northern Illinois is third with 30.5. Six of Sunday's 10 championship bouts will feature matchups between Central Michigan and Kent State competitors. Advancing to the finals for CMU were Scotti Sentes (125), Conor Beebe (133), Tony D'Alie (141), Steve Brown (149), Trevor Stewart (165), Mike Miller (174), Vince DiDona (184) and Jarod Trice (285). Five of the eight are seeking their first conference championship, while Brown, Stewart and Miller are looking to capture their second career MAC title. Still alive in the consolation bracket are Tyler Grayson (157) and Eric Simaz (197). Both will wrestle for third place on Sunday. CMU began the tournament with first-round byes in six of the 10 weight classes, and another three individuals—Beebe, DiDona and Trice—all won first-round matches to give the Chippewas nine semifinalists. Scotti Sentes was the first Chippewa to advance to the finals, dispatching of Eastern Michigan's Chris Jenkins in just 1:53. Sentes scored a takedown 30 seconds into the match and cradled Jenkins before sticking the pin just more than halfway into the opening period. Conor Beebe advanced to the finals via a 5-2 decision over Buffalo's Kevin Smith. Beebe scored takedowns in both of the first two periods for the victory. An 8-3 decision by Tony D'Alie in the 141-pound semis was upheld after a protest. Tied 3-3 with Northern Illinois' Pat McLemore, D'Alie scored a takedown on the edge of the mat that gave him the lead for good. NIU's protest of the tie-breaking takedown was denied. Steve Brown followed with a convincing 9-0 major decision over Northern Illinois' Steve Zimmerman in the 149-pound semis. Brown led 5-0 after a first period in which he scored a takedown and three-point nearfall and built a riding time advantage of 2:44. Brown finished with a riding time edge of 4:27. Trevor Stewart advanced to the 165-pound finals with a 9-1 major decision over Buffalo's Ron Majerus. Stewart tallied three takedowns, a reversal and a 4:38 riding time advantage in the win. At 174, Mike Miller scored six back points in a 14-1 major decision over NIU's Derrick Yant. Miller broke the match open with two takedowns a two back points in the second period. He added a pair of two-point nearfalls in the third while building a riding time edge of 4:06. Vince DiDona advanced to the 184-pound finals thanks to a late flurry in his semifinal matchup with Ohio's Erik Schuth. Schuth rode out DiDona in the second period, then took a 1-0 lead with an escape in the third. A stalling penalty on Schuth midway through the period evened the score at 1-1. DiDona shot with 20 seconds remaining and scored a double-leg takedown and two back points to take a 5-1 lead. Schuth tacked on an escape in the closing seconds and riding time, but DiDona's four-point move put the match out of reach. Jarod Trice was the eighth Chippewa to advance to the finals, posting an 8-3 decision over Eastern Michigan's David Wade. Trice scored three takedowns in the win. Eric Simaz (197 pounds) was CMU's lone semifinalist not to advance to the finals. He dropped a 3-1 sudden victory decision to Buffalo's James Hamel in the semis. Both Simaz and Hamel scored escapes in regulation, and Hamel scored a takedown 51 seconds into the sudden victory period. Simaz advanced in the consolation bracket with a pin of Northern Illinois' Scott Penny in 2:41. Earlier Saturday, CMU was 3-1 in its four first-round matches. Beebe opened the tournament for CMU with a 6-2 decision over Tristen DeShazer (Northern Illinios) in the first round at 133 pounds. Beebe led 3-0 entering the third period, during which he and DeShazer traded reversals. Beebe added riding time for the final margin. DiDona and Trice also were victorious in the first round. DiDona scored a first-period takedown and built a riding time advantage of 4:12 in his 4-0 decision over Eastern Michigan's Derek Foore, while Trice took down Buffalo's Brett Correll five times in a 12-3 major decision. Tyler Grayson was the lone Chippewa not to advance in the championship bracket. He was pinned by Northern Illinois' Bryan Deutsch in the first round at 157 pounds, but rebounded to post a 14-6 major decision over Eastern Michigan's Josh Moulton in the wrestleback semis. Competition at the MAC Wrestling Championships resumes at 11 a.m. Sunday with the fifth-place matches. The championship finals are scheduled to begin at noon.