InterMat Staff

Tyrel Todd is one of the most successful wrestlers ever to strap on a singlet at the University of Michigan. The senior 197-pounder is a two-time All-American with a career record of 114-28. Last summer, Todd placed fourth in the challenge tournament at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in freestyle. Tyrel ToddTodd, a three-time Montana state champion, made the move up from 184 pounds to 197 pounds for his senior season. He owns a 18-1 record this season and is ranked No. 5 in the country heading into the Big Ten Championships this weekend. RevWrestling.com talked to Todd about his knee injury and how it has affected him, the move up to 197 pounds, how Andy Hrovat has helped him, what he needs to finish on top of the podium at 197, his future aspirations, and much more. Tyrel, you suffered a knee injury earlier this season at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. How has your knee injury affected your wresting? Todd: It changed the course of my season a lot. For a couple weeks, I was off the mat … trying to get the swelling out of it. Then getting used to wearing the brace has been a huge adjustment. I lost a match at the National Duals because I was trying a different style, avoiding my leg attacks, and really focusing on attacking the upper body, high-level attacks. I've been effective with them in the past, but I took an aspect of my game that I really need out of it … and I ended up losing the match due to that. I learned that I can't really change my style too much. I just need to keep attacking like I always have … using a single leg attack, constant pressure, moving forward, and really trying to smother my opponent with my offense. So I learned that I need to keep that style going despite not having the mobility that I would like to have. It has really come back, though. Toward the end of the Big Ten season, the last weekend, I wrestled without my brace and felt great. Unfortunately, at the beginning of this past week I had a setback. I was only able to get on the mat (Friday), actually, so I was just trying to get the swelling out of it again and control that. Once the swelling gets out of it, after a couple more days, I'll be good to go again. I'm looking to peak for the Big Tens and then be in the best position possible for Nationals. You moved up from 184 pounds to 197 pounds this season. What has been the biggest adjustment for you moving up to 197 this season? Tyrel Todd was an All-American at 184 pounds the past two seasons, but moved up to 197 pounds for his senior season (Photo/Michigan Sports Information)Todd: The biggest adjustment is the strength aspect. I had a lot of horsepower at 184. At 197, I would say that I definitely have a lot of strength. That hasn't been an issue for me with any of my opponents this season. I haven't faced the top guys yet due to our schedule. So I'm looking forward to doing that at Big Tens and Nationals. Thus far, strength really hasn't been an issue. So that would be the biggest thing. It's a little slower pace and more horse power. That is the biggest change that I have noticed. That has worked well into my style, especially being less mobile with my knee. And for weight purposes. I don't have to be busting my butt every week to get my weight down like I would be if I was at 184. That has been a blessing in disguise, really, making the move up. Last season, you were upset in the second round of the NCAA Championships. I heard you say in an interview that you really let the atmosphere get to you when you lost. How do you prevent that from happening again? Todd: It has a lot to do with having more experience and more confidence going in there. I definitely have a lot more confidence this year, even with the knee injury I have going into the tournament this year. Even though I haven't been able to do all the training that I would like to have done, just knowing that I have the tools to win that national title and put together a great tournament, the best tournament of my life, and beat all these opponents. I have wrestled many of the top guys. I beat Jake Varner two years ago at National Duals. I beat Max Askren in freestyle a couple times. So I've competed with many of the top guys. It's just a matter of being mentally in the game and really thinking about the right things. All about that positive reinforcement. Visualizing winning. Visualizing great attacks, great offense, and great scoring holds. That's what I'm trying to do now … and that's what I'll continue to do into the tournament. I think that will really help limit any other distractions. The tournament got to me a little bit last year, but more than anything last year, I made some errors in that match. When you make errors, you lose. That's what happens. I think it has more to do with the errors … because I was able to come back and win from there. So I'm not really worried about mental issues at this point, especially as my game has improved this year, if not physically, it has mentally for sure. Tyrel Todd works out regularly with 2008 Olympian Andy Hrovat (Photo/Michigan Sports Information)Andy Hrovat, a 2008 Olympian, is on staff. How has he helped you as a wrestler? Todd: Andy being on staff has been a huge benefit to me. Just being able to compete with one of the top guys not only in the United States, but in the world, everyday, has built my confidence. I know that if I can go with Andy, I should be dominating these guys that I'm wrestling in college. That has been a huge aspect … not only the physical challenge and the physical development that I've had, but mentally, too, just the confidence that I've built from working with Andy has been a huge advantage. You have two straight wins over Jake Herbert of Northwestern in freestyle. You have also defeated Mike Pucillo of Ohio State a couple times, once by pin. Both Herbert and Pucillo are NCAA champions. Do you ever feel like you should already be an NCAA champion because of some of the wrestlers you have beaten in your career? Or are those things you have just put in the past? Todd: Yeah, I have kind of put those things in the past. Both those guys are great wrestlers. They've had their day in the sun. There's no question. I don't really like to think about the could'ves, would'ves, and should'ves. The NCAA tournament is all about that weekend. It's just the event. Working out with Andy … there are days when I have really taken it to him. It just so happened that at the Olympic Trials he had his day and won the tournament. That's the art of wrestling, trying to come to that peak at the right time. I feel like Jake and Mike have done that in the past. I'm just doing everything I can to try to achieve that now. I was third last year, falling short of the national finals and winning that title. But that's in the past. Through the journey, I've learned so much that is going to help me in freestyle career and later in life. You compete at 84 kg/185 pounds in freestyle. Now that you're competing collegiately at 197 pounds, do you think it's going to be quite a bit tougher to get back down to 185 pounds for freestyle? Todd: I'm not too worried about. Naturally, I'm just a little over 200 pounds. When we're working hard, like right now, I'm having a hard time keeping my weight up to 197. I'm not too worried about coming back down. With surgery and everything, I'm going to be rehabbing and doing a lot of upper-body strength training, not trying to put on bulk, just trying to lean down, stay trim and strong. So I'm not too worried about that. It's day before weigh-ins. It's a different ballgame in freestyle. Freestyle is really my game. I love freestyle. That's what I've wrestled ever since I was a little guy. I love the game. And I'm really looking forward to taking my freestyle to the ultimate level, to the best level that I can possibly take it. Tyrel Todd has built a record of 18-1 this season and is ranked No. 5 in the country at 197 pounds (Michigan Sports Information)You placed fourth in the challenge tournament at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, losing twice to Bryce Hasseman. How important is it you to make the U.S. World Team this year? Todd: Well, this year it's not very important. I'm not even going to be competing this year. I'm getting knee surgery right after the season. I'm getting my ACL repaired. I feel that in order to really continue my career and have the success that I want, I need to have a sound knee and get this ACL repaired and rehabbed back. Unfortunately, that's a slow-coming-back surgery. It's six to nine months rehabbing and pretty rigorous. So that's what I'm going to be doing for the next six to nine months after the season. I'm taking some classes this spring. And I'm actually student teaching next fall, so it works out with my academic schedule because I'll be able to rehab while I'm student teaching. And then after that one semester, I'll be able to really wrap up my freestyle training before the U.S. Open and hopefully wrestle in the Dave Schultz tournament next year. I know you have talked about wanting to pursue a coaching career. Have you put a timetable on how long your plan to compete in freestyle? Or haven't you really put much thought into it? Todd: I have. I really want to focus on my training and be a World champion and then an Olympic champion in 2012. And then after that, I don't really have any guarantees. But I see myself moving toward teaching. I'm an education major. Or coaching at the college level. I'm going to cross that bridge when I get there. I'm really focusing on the 2012 Olympics. After I come back from this knee surgery, I'm really going to do everything I can possibly do, whether it be training at a university, moving to Colorado Springs, or whatever it may be, to make myself the best freestyle wrestler I can be. Being that you're a senior and two-time All-American, are you putting more pressure on yourself to win that NCAA title in your final season? Todd: Something that I've learned through the years is that you always have that pressure. But I would say that I'm not putting as much pressure on myself. I mean, the pressure is constant. My goals are set. My goals are to be a Big Ten champ and national champ. There is enough pressure as it is. My plan is to take it match by match and really focus my energy … and wrestle each match for what it is … and put everything I can into that match, avoid the positions I need to avoid, stay on my offense and do the things I want to do. And it will work itself out. I have found that when you start putting too much pressure … there is enough pressure as it is, especially in that atmosphere where there are so many people. It's all about pressure there. So I'm trying to limit that by taking it one match at a time and, like I said earlier, reinforcing the right type of thinking, focusing on winning, having success, and the right kind of thoughts going through your mind. Those negative thoughts pile up quickly if you let them. You have yet to face Jake Varner of Iowa State this season. How much are you looking forward to a potential matchup at the NCAA Championships with Varner? Todd: I really am. I really believe that he's going to have to wrestle really well to get to the national finals. There are a lot of guys at 197 that are close. He has lost to Dallas Herbst already this year. No one has really separated themselves at 197 this year. So he's going to have to wrestle hard. But absolutely, there's no question that I would love to wrestle with him in the finals … if it comes down to that. And who knows, it just may. But his style is hard. I've wrestled with him several times. He's real defensive. He's a hard individual to score on. I'm really looking forward to meeting up with him or whoever it may be through the course of the tournament. You and Steve Luke came to Michigan the same year and have been in the lineup together for four seasons. Describe your relationship with Steve and what it has been like having him as a teammate. Todd: He and I were roommates our freshman year. I wouldn't say we are the closest of friends, but we have a tremendous amount of mutual respect for each other. We share different interests. That guy spends a lot of time in the library, which is good. He should do that. He's not really into outdoor life. He doesn't really have too many outdoor hobbies, like I do. Interest-wise, we're a little bit different. But as far as wrestling goes, I mean, we both have a lot of respect for each other. I've learned a tremendous amount from him … and I would say that he's definitely learned some from me. There's a competition aspect between us too, coming in the same year, both of us having successful careers, and neither of us having achieved our goals of being national champs. The heat is on a little bit. It's a great relationship and we will be lifelong friends. There's no question. Steve Luke is going to be a national champ at 174 this year. You can quote me on that. Tyrel Todd will more than likely enter this weekend's Big Ten Championships as the No. 2 seed at 197 pounds behind Wisconsin's Dallas Herbst (Photo/Michigan Sports Information) You have been on a tear lately. You have pinned four of your last five opponents, with your only non-pin being a 17-5 major decision over a top 20 opponent. How are you feeling about the way you're performing heading into the post season? Todd: I feel great about it. I really feel like, despite the setback of my injury and the bumps in the road, I'm at the top of my game. Sometimes I even to think to myself, 'I shouldn't be having this much confidence because of what I have gone through.' I really believe it has a lot to do with my spiritual relationship with the Lord, just staying strong with that, and having confidence that even though I can't go through the training that I would have liked to, I'm going to be ready at that time, on that day, and I'm going to be a warrior and no one is going to compete with me at that time. I think that has really helped raise the level of my competition. It has helped me compete better through the Big Ten season. And I believe it will help me compete better in the Big Tens and Nationals.

FULLERTON, Calif. -- Boise State University has a commanding lead following the first day of competition at this year's Pac-10 Conference Championships as seven Bronco wrestlers advanced to Monday's (March 2) finals. Andrew Hochstrasser, Jason Chamberlain, Adam Hall, Tyler Sherfey, Nate Lee, Kirk Smith and Brent Chriswell will compete for individual titles Monday night after posting semifinal victories Sunday night on the Cal State Fullerton campus. Those seven, and three other Bronco wrestlers who are still alive in the consolation brackets, have helped Boise State to 138 points and a 29 point lead over second place Cal State Bakersfield. Competing at 133 pounds, Hochstrasser was the first Bronco to advance to the finals when he recorded a 9-4 decision over Filjia Novachokov of Cal Poly. He will face Kelly Kubec of Oregon State in the finals. Hochstrasser defeated Kubec 11-2 back in December in a dual match in Boise. Chamberlain, a true freshman, will go for his first Pac-10 title when he faces the top seed at 149 pounds in Heinrich Barnes of Oregon State. Chamberlain advanced to the finals with a 4-0 shutout of Teddy Astorga of Cal State Fullerton. Chamberlain will be looking for his first victory over Barnes this year following 12-4 and 7-4 losses earlier this season. After finishing second in his weight class (149 pounds) last year, Hall will be looking to become Pac-10 Champion at 157 pounds on Monday when he faces Chase Pami of Cal Poly. Hall and Pami have had two close matches this season with Hall coming out on top both times, 5-1 and 6-4. Hall advanced to the finals with 7-3 decision over Jonathan Brascetta of Oregon State. The only Bronco senior remaining among the seven who advanced to the finals, Sherfey recorded a 6-3 decision in the 165-pound weight class over Keegan Davis of Oregon State on Sunday night. Sherfey will try to close out his Pac-10 career with his first championship when he faces Nick Amuchastequi of Stanford. The two wrestlers have split their previous two meetings this season with Amuchastequi handing Sherfey a 4-2 loss in the finals of the Cowboy Open back in November, before Sherfey recorded a 3-2 decision early last month. Lee will be going for this second straight title at 174 pounds when he faces Eric Starks of Arizona State. Lee recorded a 10-1 major decision over Todd Noel of Cal State Fullerton in the semifinals. This will mark the first time this season Lee and Starks have wrestled each other. Smith had a tough semifinal match at 184 pounds before handing Jake Johnson of Stanford a 2-1 defeat. Smith, who is in his second straight Pac-10 finals, will face Riley Orozco of Cal State Bakersfield. Smith handed Orozco an 8-1 defeat in mid-January of this year. Chriswell, who defeated Smith in last year's Pac-10 final at 184 pounds when he wrestled for Arizona State, advanced to the finals of the 197-pound class when John Drake suffered an injury during their match and had to default. Transferring to Boise State this past summer, Chriswell will face Brandon Halsey of Cal State Bakersfield in Monday's finals. Chriswell has a 5-3 victory over Halsey this season. Boise State had only one semifinal loss on Sunday night when Cory Fish lost his 141-pound match to Elijha Nacita, 5-1. Fish is in the consolation semifinals along with Bronco teammates Brian Owen at 124 pounds and Sam Zylstra at heavyweight. Owen defeated Matt Sencenbaugh of Stanford 5-3, while Zylstra was an 8-5 winner over Kurt Klimek of Cal State Fullerton. The Broncos, who scored 152 points in winning last year's Pac-10 title, will be trying to the break the league record of 155 points held by Cal State Bakersfield. The consolation semifinals will begin at 3:00 p.m. (PT) on Monday with the championship and consolation finals beginning at 7:00 p.m. (PT) on the Cal State Fullerton campus.

Champaign, IL -- The Fellowship of Christian Athletes will hold their 16th Annual Banquet on Monday, March 9th at 6:30pm. The banquet will be held at the U of I Memorial Stadium Colonnades Club. The theme of the evening is "The Influence of a Coach". Comedian and author Kenn Kington will MC the event. This year's banquet will feature the presentation of the FCA Influence Award. FCA prides itself on its values of INTEGRITY, SERVING, TEAMWORK, and EXCELLENCE, and this award will honor an individual who exudes all of these qualities and more in both his coaching career, and his life. This individual is Illinois Wrestling Coach Mark Johnson. Prior to joining Illinois, Mark was an accomplished wrestler himself winning 2 NCAA championships. He also competed in the 1980 Olympics as a member of the USA Wrestling Team. Coach Johnson began his career at the University of Illinois in 1992, and in that time has led the Illinois wrestling program to more wins, NCAA championships, and All-Americans than any other coach. He has won the honor of Big Ten Coach of the Year both in 2001 and 2005, NWCA National Coach of the Year, and IWCOA (Illinois Wrestling Coaches & Officials Association) Man of the Year, among many others awards and distinctions. While all these awards are great honors, it's his positive influence on both his wrestlers and the community that earned him the FCA Influence Award. In addition to the presentation of the Influence Award, FCA is proud to have Les Steckel, former NFL head coach and current president and CEO of FCA as the evening's guest speaker. Les Steckel has been the president and CEO of FCA since March 2005. He attended his first FCA conference in 1972 as a college football coach. Since then he has served as a Huddle Leader, platform speaker, camp dean, football clinician at various FCA Camps across the nation and served regularly as a guest speaker for FCA events. Les and his wife, Chris, have both served on the FCA National Board of Trustees. Steckel's football coaching career spans over 32 years. With 23 years in the NFL, Les served as the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings and offensive coordinator the Tennessee Titans during their 2000 Super Bowl appearance and as offensive coach for the New England Patriots during their 1985 Super Bowl season. If you would like more information on how to attend this event, please contact Angela at the FCA Office at 217-378-4518.

The Western State College wrestling team claimed the third Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Championship/Division II West Regional at today's tournament in Kearney, Neb. The last time the Mountaineers won was in 1997 and 1991 and the first conference title for 12th year head coach Miles VanHee. After posting a 9-0 RMAC dual record and a 14-4 overall dual record, head coach VanHee was selected as the 2008-09 RMAC Coach of the Year. This honor is the VanHee's second RMAC Coach of the Year. VanHee lead his fourth-ranked Mountaineers to a first place finish with 121.5 points. Following behind Western was No. 12 Adams State (114) and No. 5 Nebraska-Kearney took third (104). The Mountaineers will send eight individuals to the NCAA Division II National Championships on March 13 and 14 in Houston, Texas. Those include Chris Freije (149), Donovan McMahill (197), Charlie Alexander (HWT), Marques Bravo (133), Skye Wells (165), Larry Wilbanks (184), Daren Hockett (141) and Nick Ross (174). The Mountaineers had three first place finishers, three runners up, two fourth place finishers and one fifth place finish to earn the title. Senior Chris Feije and sophomores Donovan McMahill and Charlie Alexander claimed their first-ever NCAA West Regional/RMAC Championships titles, while senior Marques Bravo and Larry Wilbanks and sophomore Skye Wells took second place in their respective weight classes. Also placing for the Mountaineers were Nick Ross (174 pounds, fourth place), Daren Hockett (141 pounds, fourth place) and Eddie Lopez (125 pounds, fifth place). Freije, ranked No. 6 at 149 pounds, swept through the competition. Freije scored a pin over Jake Lords of Chadron State in the opening round (1:38). From there he went on to earn decision victories over his opponents. He decisioned Adams State's Joey Deaguero (5-2) and then earned a 7-5 decision over Colorado School of Mines' Jesse Snider (7-5). In the Championship round, Freije defeated top ranked Ryan Etherton of Nebraska-Kearney, 4-2. McMahill, earned RMAC Wrestler of the Year, was impressive from the beginning. Claiming the top spot at 197 pounds, McMahill earned a bye in the first round, that he followed up with a pin over Ben Evans of Fort Hays State (2:07). In the third round, McMahill posted a 15-3 major decision over Luke McPeek of N.M. Highlands to continue his way to the Championship round. Facing against No. 2 Josh Majerus of Chadron State, McMahill was hoping for the same outcome as they first meeting between these two wrestlers. McMahill went on to man-handle defending national champion Majerus, to earn an 8-4 decision to claim his first ever RMAC Championship and Regional Title. Alexander, ranked No. 1 at heavyweight, posted three decision victories and his first RMAC/West Regional title. Alexander earned a 5-2 decision over Adams State's Jeff Schossow. He then posted a 6-4 decision over Nebraska-Kearney's Derek Ross to earn a trip to the Championship round. During the Championship round, Alexander decisioned No. 2 Steve Franklin of San Francisco State (5-4). Bravo started off strong with two technical falls. The first came against CSU-Pueblo's Joe Jones (16-0, 5:25) in the first round. He followed that up with his second one against Kellen Costelow from Colorado Mines (15-0, 6:25). His next dual, Bravo posted a 7-0 decision over ASC's Dominic Valencia to advance to the next round. Bravo came up short against San Francisco State's Naveed Bagheri, falling in a close 7-6 decision. Wilbanks, who was wrestling at 184 pounds for the first time this season, opened up with an 8-0 major decision over Chadron's Ty Brown. To advance to the Championship round, Wilbanks upset FHSU's Tyler Gonzales (3-2). The only loss for Wilbanks, came at his final match against ASC's Kyle Sand. Sand defeated Wilbanks, 5-1 to take the title. Wells, ranked No. 3 at 165 pounds and his first trip to Regional's, started off his day with a pin over SFSU's Zach Sesar (4:26). Wells then advanced to the Championship round, by defeating FHSU's Troy Lussenhop (10-6). But Nebraska-Kearney's Taylor May took the title from Wells, after earning a 6-3 decision victory. Hockett started off with an 8-1 decision over Jason Wenger (Mesa State) in the opening round, but then fell to Fort Hays State's James Annon 9-4. Hockett battled his way through the consolation bracket, earning three decision victories (3-2, 8-4, 4-3). But, in his final dual of the tournament, Hockett fell to SFSU's Ben Lockett in a 6-5 decision, resulting in a fourth place finish. Ross, who has been wrestling at 157, 174 and 184 pounds for the Mountaineers, was defeated by Jesse Feinsod (Fall, 0:56), but worked his way back into the National hunt throught the consolation bracket. Ross went on a 3-1 record to claim fourth place. He decisioned CSU-Pueblo's Jesse Grant 6-4 and squeaked past Grand Canyon's Daniel Garay (2-1). His next task was FHSU's Shawn Kuhlman. Ross posted a 6-3 decision on Kuhlman to advance to a match against Feinsod for third place. Feinsod pinned Ross at 2:25. Lopez, a senior, started off with a 7-5 decision over UNK's Michael Abril, before falling to Adam State's Arsenia Barksdale in a 6-3 decision. Lopez battled his way through the consolation bracket, but fell to Devlon Webb (4-3). Battling for fifth place, Lopez went on to earn an 8-4 decision over Abril.

ERIE, Pa. -- The Newberry College wrestling team took home their second straight Super Region I title by mounting 135.5 team points at the tournament. The scarlet and gray had three champions, one runner-up, two third place finishers, two fourth place finishers and one sixth place finisher. Head Coach Jason Valek was also named the Super Region I coach of the year as his team finished the season with a 23-2 record and went undefeated against region teams. Eight Newberry wrestlers qualified for the NCAA Division II tournament, which is the same amount that qualified last year when Newberry finished eighth. This year the tournament is being held in Houston, Texas. Coming in behind Newberry at second place was Pittsburgh-Johnstown with 108.5 points. West Liberty State took third place with 92 points and was followed by Gannon University (80.5) and Mercyhurst College (71). Claiming the first championship of the day for Newberry was Matt Oliver (Toms River, N.J.). Oliver won his semifinal match over No. 3 Scott Morgan of Pittsburgh-Johnstown with a 11-3 major decision and then won by medical forfeit over No. 5 Russell Weakley of UNC-Pembroke in the championship match. The championship was Oliver's first as he took second in last years regional. Oliver qualified for the national tournament for the second time in his career. Making his third straight trip to the national tournament at 133 lbs. is Andrew Young (Summerville, S.C.). Young went 2-1 on the day, but claimed third place in the tournament. In his semifinal match, Young lost to the eventual champion, Shane Valko of Pittsburgh-Johnstown by a 4-1 decision. However, Young battled back to win his next match over No. 4 Mike Nash of UNC-Pembroke by a 8-3 decision. In the third place match, Young defeated sixth-seeded Nick Wykoff of West Liberty State by a 5-2 decision. Young's season record now stands at 16-7. Tony Washington (Georgetown, S.C.) went 1-2 on the day to claim sixth place. Washington won his first match with a 8-2 decision over No. 7 Dallas Evans of Seton Hill, but lost in his following match to No. 5 Jeremy Parker of Limestone by a 2-1 decision. In the fifth place match, Washington lost his second straight match by a point to No. 2 AJ Milanak of Gannon by a 1-0 decision. Washington failed to qualify for the national tournament as his finished his season with a 23-10 mark. At 149 lbs., Latra Collick (Berlin, Md.) claimed his third-consecutive Super Region I Runner-up as he went 1-1 on the day. Collick defeated No. 5 Kayne Melko of West Liberty State in the semifinals with a 3-1 sudden victory, but then lost in the championship finals to No. 3 Kevin McElhaney of Gannon by a 7-3 decision. By claiming second place, Collick qualified for his third straight national tournament. His season record now stands at 26-8 after a 3-1 showing this weekend. Sean Byrnes (Jackson, N.J.) failed to place in the tournament as he lost to No. 2 Mike Rogers of Carson-Newman by a 10-3 decision. Byrnes went 2-2 in his first ever regional tournament as he finished his freshman campaign with a 18-12 record. At 165 lbs., Brandon Kelly (Fort Myers, Fla.) took home third place as he went 2-1 on the day to qualify for his first national tournament. Kelly lost to Pittsburgh-Johnstown's No. 3 Kyle Keane in the semifinals by a 5-3 decision, but won in his next match over Gannon's No. 4 Brett Terry with a 8-3 decision. In the third place match, Kelly defeated No. 6 Seth Phalen of West Liberty State by a 8-4 decision. Kelly's record improved to 28-8 as he held a 4-1 record at the region tournament. Also placing for Newberry was Josh Whitelock (Rhodesdale, Md.) at 174 lbs. Whitelock went 1-2 on the day to qualify for his first national tournament. In the championship semifinals, Whitelock lost by a narrow 5-4 decision to Belmont Abbey's No. 2 Adam Phillips. Whitelock responded with a 7-2 decision over Zach Lundgren of Pittsburgh-Johnstown. In the third place match, Whitelock was unable to defeat Joby Shreckhise of Limestone as he lost by a 5-1 decision. Competing in his first region tournament, Whitelock went 2-2 and improved his season record to 24-10. Top seed at 184 pounds, Bryant Blanton (Summerville, S.C.) took fourth place as he went 1-2 on the day. Blanton lost his semifinal match to No. 4 Mitch Knapp of West Liberty State in the second tiebreaker by a 4-2 score. However, Blanton rebounded with a 21-second pin of Shippensburg's Zach Hogentogler in the consolation semifinals. Blanton was unable to defeat Carson-Newman's No. 5 Landon Hall as he fell by a 4-3 decision. Despite the loss, Blanton still qualified for the national tournament, which will be his second appearance. Taking home the 197 pound crown was Keeno Griffin (Jacksonville, Fla.), who finished the tournament with a perfect 4-0 record. Griffin defeated No. 5 Zach Anderson of Anderson University by a 9-2 decision in the semifinals and then claimed a 6-2 decision over Kutztown's No. 3 Scott Snyder. Griffin's record now stands at 29-2 as the 2008 All-American will travel to nationals for the third straight year. Griffin's winning streak now stretches to 18 matches. In the heavyweight division, No. 1 Cy Wainwright (Green Cove Spring, Fla.) claimed his second straight region title as he finished the tournament with a 3-0 record. In the semifinals, Wainwright defeated UPJ's No. 5 Chris Dempsey by a pinfall at the 2:14 mark and then beat Gannon's No. 3 Frank McGrath by a 13-3 major decision. The 2008 All-American still holds a perfect record this season at 32-0 and has a winning streak of 34 matches. Wainwright will also make his third appearance at the national tournament. The Newberry College wrestling team will travel to Houston, Texas for the NCAA Division II Tournament, where they will be looking to improve upon last year's eighth place finish. Championship information can be found at the following link. More information about the Super Region I Tournament can be found on Mercyhurst's website.

Click on the links below to listen to audio interviews from the champions at the 2009 NJCAA Championships held at the UCR Sports Center in Rochester, Minnesota. Patrick Hunter (125) Billy Murphy (133) Jeremy McCoy (141) Ganbayar Sanjaa (149) Carrington Banks (157) Brad Lower (165) James Nakashima (174) Devin Clark (184) Phil Hawes (197) Tyrell Fortune (285) Luke Moffitt (Iowa Central Coach)

Audio Interviews Brackets/Results ROCHESTER, Minn. -- Simply put, it was a landslide victory for Iowa Central on Saturday night at the 2009 NJCAA Championships at the UCR Sports Center in Rochester, Minnesota. The Tritons, who won their fourth consecutive national title, crowned five individual national champions (half its lineup) and eight All-Americans en route to setting the all-time record for points scored in the NJCAA Championships with 161. Nassau finished a distant second (first in non-scholarship) with 91.5 points. North Idaho (89.5), Clackamas (87), and Colby (74.5) rounded out the top five. "I'm proud of these guys because they work hard," said Iowa Central coach Luke Moffitt. "They buy into the system as far as what we're trying to do from day one." Winning national titles for the Tritons were Patrick Hunter (125), Billy Murphy (133), Carrington Banks (157), Brad Lower (165), and Phil Hawes (197). Hunter, a New Jersey native who came into the tournament ranked No. 4 at 125, picked up a 7-4 victory over unranked Ricardo Gomez of Nassau. "I sucked it up and got the big one for myself," said Hunter, who lost to Brian Moreno of Iowa Lakes two weeks ago in the North Central District finals. "I've been doing the right things, staying out of trouble, hitting the books real hard, doing the things not for everybody else but for myself." Arguably the most dominating performance of the tournament was turned in by Murphy, who won by technical fall, 17-1, over Tim Thurston of Iowa Lakes in the 133-pound final, and earned Most Outstanding Wrestler honors for the tournament after registering two technical falls and two pins. "This is what I planned," said Murphy, a former blue chip recruit out of California who started his collegiate wrestling career at the University of Iowa (Click HERE to read a profile story on Billy Murphy). "I had these goals since I started. It's just a matter of I already had a goal to go DI again. It's just another step. I got this step out of the way. Now I just look to the next thing." Banks, who placed fourth at the 2008 NJCAA Championships, took home the title at 157 pounds with a hard-fought 8-6 victory over Bekzod Abdurakhmanov of Colby, the younger brother of former two-time NJCAA national champion and NCAA Division I All-American Muzaffar Abdurakhmanov. "It was a big relief," said Banks. "I was expecting to win it last year. I wasn't ranked No. 1, but I was expecting to win it, and then I didn't win it. So I came back this year, working hard, ranked No. 1, and I got it. It was a relief, a big relief." Lower, who was an NJCAA runner-up in 2008, won the 165-pound title over surprise finalist Steve Merth of Itasca, 8-3. "Last year, I pretty much had that match won," said Lower. "I made one big mistake, got put to my back. That might have been why I was out there … I was kind of hesitating on some stuff on top, but I guess it just made me more aware of keeping myself in safe position." Iowa Central's final national champion came at 197 where unranked Phil Hawes took home the title in impressive fashion, winning by a major decision in the finals, 15-6, over Parker Brand of Rochester. "It means so much," said Hawes. "I've been training non-stop this whole year, just focusing on wrestling. This is really big." At 141, Ellsworth's Jeremy McCoy was overcome with emotions after picking up a 5-3 victory over No. 1-ranked Aaron Senzee of Meramec. "I'm so proud of myself," said McCoy. "I mean, I've wanted this my whole entire life, to win something that actually means something to me. This is nothing that I've ever done in my whole entire life. This means more than anything, to my family, to me. I feel I can do anything now. That was a sign from God to tell me to never give up and keep going, Jeremy, you're going to make it. I've had a long, hard road. People who know me know that I've been through more than any kid out here … and it's just indescribable." Other national champions included Ganbayar Sanjaa of Colby (149), James Nakashima (174) of Lincoln (174), and Tyrell Fortune of Clackamas (285).

INDIANAPOLIS -- The NCAA has announced the qualifier allocations for the 2009 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships as listed in the chart below. Each qualifying tournament was awarded spots per weight class based on current year data. Each wrestler was measured on the following: Division I winning percentage; rating percentage index (RPI); and coaches ranking. A threshold of a 0.725 winning percentage, top 28 in the RPI and top 28 in the coaches ranking was established to allocate 278 of the 330 championships field positions. For each wrestler that reached the threshold in at least two of the three categories, his qualifying tournament was awarded a qualifying spot in that weight class. Each qualifying tournament was awarded a minimum of one wrestler per weight class, which will go to the tournament champion, even if they did not have any wrestlers reach at least two of the three thresholds. NCAA tournament spots for each qualifying event will be awarded at the tournament based solely on place-finish. After all of the qualifying events have concluded, the NCAA Division I Wrestling Committee will meet in-person to select the remaining 52 at-large qualifiers, which will be announced on March 11. All weight classes will consist of 33 wrestlers. The at-large selections will be made based on the following criteria: head-to-head competition; qualifying event placement; quality wins; results against common opponents; winning percentage; RPI; coaches ranking and the number of matches contested at that weight class. The complete listing of the 33 wrestlers in each weight class for the final coaches' panel rankings, as well as the second RPI for the 2008-09 season can be found by logging on to www.ncaa.com.

Des Moines, Iowa -- Hello Wrestling fans. Let me warn you that this is a long release but an important one given its content. Each year our friends at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater, OK decide on a special feature that we embrace and promote for the better health of wrestling. This years feature is- "Glory Beyond the Sport: Wrestling and the Military" As is now customary we also produce a Black History Month special each February. Why Not combine the two? This week we have a very special 3 Hour program from the Brute adidas Studios of TDR. The second 2 of the scheduled 3 Hour special will be our tribute to African Americans who have served our country and our wrestling community. We'll welcome back to the Brute adidas studios Coach Bobby Douglas and wrestling historian Mike Chapman. Our first hour featured guests include: Rollie Peterkin- U-Penn- 2007-08: 2008 NCAA Qualifier ... 2008 EIWA Champion at 125 pounds ... Finished season with a 31-5 record ...Advanced to the Round of 12 at the NCAA Championships with a 3-2 record ... Wrestled in every dual, going 15-2 and scoring 58 team points ... Five wins over ranked opponents ... 8-1 against EIWA opponents in regular season ... Went 4-0 at Keystone Classic (11/18) to win 125-pound title ... Went 5-1 at Cliff Keen Invitational in Las Vegas (11/30-12/2) to finish in third place ... Two falls in 07-08, with the fastest coming in 30 seconds against Grand Canyon's Tony Covert (1/6) ... Eight major decision victories to go with one tech fall ... Shut out his opponent five times Mike Clayton of the Stevens Institute Ducks- Clayton in his second season leading the Stevens Institute of Technology wrestling team after being named head coach in August of 2007. A former top assistant at the United States Military Academy and four-year letter winner and NCAA Division I Qualifier at the United States Naval Academy during the 1990's, Clayton led the Stevens wrestling program back to prominence in his first season, 2007-08, and was named the 2008 NWCA Division III Rookie Coach of the Year. To round out the first hour Mike, Bobby and I will have a lively discussion on the history of Black Americans who have served our nation. Our "African Americans in the Military" Black History Month Special Guests Include: Sergeant Iris Smith- 10 Year US Team Member at 72 Kilos, World Champion, U.S. Nationals Champion, 2000-2002 University Nationals Champion, President of the student council at her HS where she also competed on the men's varsity Team. Now a member of the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program CAREER NOTES: * 2005 World Champion * 2005 World Cup bronze medalist * Two-time U.S. World Team member (2000, 2005) * Four-time U.S. Nationals champion (2000-02, 2005) * Seventh in 2000 World Championships * Missed the 2001 World Championships to attend basic training with the U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Shon Lewis Head Coach for the Army World Class Athletic Program Wrestling Team, Greco, Freestyle Men's and Women's programs Sergeant DREMIEL BYERS CAREER NOTES: * 2002 World champion * 2007 World bronze medalist * Member of 2007 World Team Champions * Seventh in 2008 Olympic Games * 2005 CISM Military World Champion * 2001 World Cup gold medalist * Sixth in 1999 World Championships * Seven-time U.S. Nationals champion (1999, 2002-06, 2008) * 2004 U.S. Olympic Team Trials runner-up * Seven-time Armed Forces champion (1997, 1999, 2000, 2003-06) Harold Henson- Harold Henson: Two years after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier by being the first black to play in Major League Baseball, the first African-American competed at the national college wrestling championships, according to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. The man who made history at the 1949 NCAAs: Harold Henson of San Diego State University. (Note: The Hall of Fame had given the name of the first black wrestler at the NCAAs as being Harold Hanson, but, according to articles in the SDSU student newspaper and yearbook of that era, the wrestler's last name was Henson.) Until the Hall of Fame had disclosed that Henson was the first black to wrestle at an NCAA event, it was widely assumed that the first African-American college matmen made their appearance in the mid 1950s… pioneers such as Simon Roberts at the University of Iowa, Ellie Watkins for the Iowa State Cyclones, and Kent State's Clarence McNair. According to the San Diego State student newspaper, just before the 1949 NCAAs, Harold Henson won the 136-pound title at the CCAA conference championships, pinning his opponent in the finals. Then, he and his teammates piled into two cars -– a '49 Ford, and a '49 Mercury -- and made the trip to the national championships, hosted by Colorado State University in Ft. Collins. There were twelve men in the 136-pound weight class at the 1949 NCAAs; Harold Henson was unseeded, while 1947 champ Lowell Lange of Cornell College of Iowa was the top seed, and defending champ Dick Dickenson of Michigan State was seeded second. Henson drew a bye in the first round. In the second, he went up against Oklahoma State's Don Meeker, who was the fourth seed. The Cowboy got a 7-3 win over the Aztec grappler. That was Henson's first and last match in the tournament; back then, a wrestler who lost in the second round did not make it into the consolation bracket, so, Henson did not place. (Only the top four placers in each weight class earned All-American honors. In the 136-pound finals, Lange shut out Dickenson 6-0 to win his second title.) After competing at San Diego State, Harold Henson served in the U.S. Army for 26 years, retiring as a Colonel … then became a Senior Executive in Washington, D.C. government. He is now enjoying retirement. Bob Pickens, V P of the Board of Commissioners for the Chicago Park District. He was appointed by The HR Mayor Richard M. Daley in Feb 2000 to serve as a Comm until April 2009. The President of the Chicago Park District appointed Comm Pickens to the NE Illinois Planning Comm for a two-year term from 2005-2007. Pickens is fulfilling his lifetime commitment to leadership and civic engagement. Pickens currently owns Merrill Associates, Ltd., a contract labor, janitorial and maintenance company and is an independent Relocation Specialist with AKP Properties, LLC. He continues to be involved in manufacture trade investments with the Republic of China. Prior to retirement, Pickens worked at Sears for 18 years as the Toy Buyer and assistant to the Chairman, National Sales Manager. He began his career as Director of Diversity and Minority Outreach at Foote, Cone and Belding, advertising agency. Pickens 1958-1962 attended Evanston Township High School in Evanston, IL, an all-state offensive tackle in football, the 1961 Heavyweight State Champion in wrestling and the 1961 Suburban Shot Put and Discus Champion. While at the University of Wisconsin, Pickens was selected as the 1963 pre-season All-American and Big Ten Lineman of the Year during his sophomore term. In 1964, Pickens was selected for the Greco-Roman Wrestling Team representing the U.S. at the Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. He placed sixth in the world. In 1965, Pickens transferred to the University of Nebraska where he was selected as an All-American candidate, received All Big-Eight offensive tackle honors in football and finished second in the National AAU Wrestling Tournament Heavyweight Division. He was conferred his B.S. degree in Business Administration from the University of Nebraska. From 1967-1969, Commissioner Pickens was drafted to the NFL Chicago Bears, the Edmonton Eskimos in the Canadian Football League. Then served as an official for the Big 10 in 76 to 89. He has served as national steering committee President of the NFL Players Association and President of the NFL Retired Players Association, Chicago Chapter. Pickens volunteers for Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Better Boys Foundation, the Michael F. Sheahan Youth Foundation and Boundless Playgrounds for special needs children. He has been inducted into The History Makers Athletic Hall of Fame and The Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame. Pickens is married to Judith Jamison Pickens and has two children, Todd and Tori, and one grandson, Ameer. Sylvester Hodges "Airman 1st class" Born in Montrose, Alabama Hodges joined the U.S. Air Force in 1960 and was training as an Aircraft and Missile Elec. when he was recruited into the US Air Force Wrestling Team. He became the 1st Black on that team in our nations history. After winning numerous tournaments he qualified for the OTC but was prevented from training due to injury. Hodges went on after discharge from the U.S.A.F to graduate from the Merritt Community College with and A.A. Degree and was awarded the Athlete of the year award becoming the first Wrestler to receive that distinction. Hodges went on to continue his education at Cal State-Hayword where he was the Undefeated League Champion in 1969. He challenged the NCAA rules, He rose above the din and mediocrity to become one of the best. He co-founded the 1st African American Wrestling Team called Wan Tu Wazuri (Beautiful People). He has served as Past President of the Oakland School Board and is now retired. 1st Lt. Mike Van Arsdale (born June 20, 1965 in Waterloo, Iowa) UFC Vet and currently signed with the American Fight League.[1] He holds a professional record of eight wins and five losses and his last fight in the UFC was at UFC 57, where he lost to Renato Sobral via a RNC. His MMA debut came in 1998 when he traveled to Brazil to compete in the no-rules International Vale Tudo Championships, a tournament in which van Arsdale won three consecutive fights in one evening to claim the title. A decorated Hall of Fame high school and ISU collegiate wrestler Van Arsdale was 1988 NCAA Division 1 collegiate wrestling champion at 167 lb (76 kg), while competing for Iowa Sate University. He has been inducted into the Iowa HS Wrestling Hall of Fame and the in the Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame of Iowa, located in Waterloo. So friends as we celebrate our sport, diversity and the American way through wrestling I ask that you join us for America's Wrestling Radio program. TDR is Live each Saturday 9AM to 11 AM CST from our Clear Channel Studios of KXNO in Des Moines, Iowa. TDR is heard around the world each week and can be enjoyed through our archives and through Pod Casts as well.

Tickets for the 2009 U.S. Wrestling World Team Trials, presented by the U.S. Marines, will go on sale Friday, February 27 at 10 a.m. CST at all Ticketmaster locations. The event is scheduled for May 30-31 at the Mid-America Center in Council Bluffs, Iowa. To purchase tickets through Ticketmaster go to: http://www.ticketmaster.com or 1-800.745.3000 To purchase tickets through the Mid-America Center Box Office go to: http://www.midamericacenter.com or 712.326.2295. This event will feature Greco-Roman, Men's Freestyle, and Women's Freestyle athletes wrestling for the opportunity to represent the U.S. at the 2009 World Championships in Herning, Denmark. For tournament, ticket and hotel information visit: www.theworldteamtrials.com

Wrestling411 has already provided some of the best wrestling news and commentary in its first full production year. The twice-weekly radio show has featured interviews with over 30 college coaches, numerous NCAA and Olympic champions as well as some of the top names within college wrestling. We push forward this upcoming weekend with broadcast coverage of the NJCAA National Championships from University Center in Rochester, Minn., and live coverage in conjunction with NorthernSun.TV of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Championships from Marshall, Minn. Wrestling411 will hit the road for an NJCAA preview show live from Rochester on Thursday, Feb. 26 before providing updates, news and notes from the tournament's two days. Wrestling411 will air live the NJCAA finals (audio) and post tape-delay video of the finals of both events. That's where the fun only begins for the wrestling fan. In the next three weeks, Wrestling411's Jason Bryant and Kyle Klingman will pack up and journey across the country covering the NCAA Division III, II and I championships. A complete schedule of championship events is below, but in between championship weekends, stay dialed in to www.wrestling411.tv for exclusive interviews and road shows. We're also excited to partner with Web Stream Productions and NCAA.com for their web casts of the NCAA Division II and III Championships from Houston and Cedar Rapids. Jason Bryant's take on the trip I'm a big believer that wrestling needs to be represented in the national media at every level. We've had coaches on from every division and we're looking forward to providing live, on-site updates from four national championships, and getting live updates from a fifth, the NCWA Championships from Hampton, Va., with our own Wade Schalles. There are hundreds of wrestling programs which don't get coverage even from our own sport, we're going to be the ONLY national outlet which covers all three NCAA championships and the NJCAA Championships. I'm proud of what we've been able to accomplish in our first full year of production and am very pleased with the working relationships we've been able to initiate. This will be a win-win for us and the wrestling community as a whole. Kyle Klingman's take on the trip College wrestling deserves great comprehensive coverage – and Wrestling411 will provide that coverage. This is going to be a memorable trip. Wrestling411 Championship Travel Schedule: February 26 - NJCAA National Preview Show - Rochester, MN 27 - NJCAA National Championships Day 1 - Rochester, MN 28 - NJCAA National Championships Day 2 - Rochester, MN March 1 - Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Championships - Marshall, MN 2 - Travel Day - Arden Hills, MN 3 - Show Day - Arden Hills, MN 4 - Dan Gable International Wrestling Museum & Institute - Cedar Falls, IA 5 - NCAA Division III Preview Show - Cedar Rapids, IA 6 - NCAA Division III Championships Day 1 - Cedar Rapids, IA 7 - NCAA Division III Championships Day 2 - Cedar Rapids, IA 8 - Travel Day - Columbia, MO 9 - National Wrestling Hall of Fame - Stillwater, OK 10 - Travel Day - San Antonio, TX / Austin, TX 11 - Travel Day - Houston, TX 12 - NCAA Division II Preview Show - Houston, TX 13 - NCAA Division II Championships Day 2 - Houston, TX 14 - NCAA Division II Championships Day 2 - Houston, TX 15 - Travel Day - Little Rock, AR 16 - Travel Day - St.Louis, MO 17 - Show Day on Location - St. Louis, MO 18 - NCAA Division I Preview Show - St. Louis, MO 19 - NCAA Division I Championships Day 1 - St. Louis, MO 20 - NCAA Division I Championships Day 2 - St. Louis, MO 21 - NCAA Division I Championships Day 3 - St. Louis, MO

Terry Brands is one of the most successful U.S. freestyle wrestlers ever. Brands, who won two NCAA titles as a college competitor at Iowa, was a two-time World champion and Olympic bronze medalist. He won the World Cup twice and was also a Pan American Games champion. In 2006, Brands was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. Terry BrandsBrands started his college coaching experience as an assistant at Iowa (1992-2000) before moving on to Nebraska (2000-01), and then Montana State-Northern (2001-2002). He landed a head coaching job at Tennessee Chattanooga, where he coached from 2002-2005. In 2005, Brands took over as the USA Wrestling's National Freestyle Resident Coach. He was instrumental in the development of several successful U.S. freestyle wrestlers, including 2006 World champion Bill Zadick and 2008 Olympic gold medalist Henry Cejudo. Brands resigned as USA Wrestling's National Freestyle Resident Coach to come back to Iowa this season as an assistant coach and work under his brother, Tom Brands. RevWrestling.com recently caught up with Terry Brands and talked to him about a variety of different subjects, including his decision to leave USA Wrestling and come back to Iowa, whether he thinks Henry Cejudo will wrestle again, what it has been like reuniting with his brother, whether he has aspirations of becoming a head coach again, and much more. Terry, you came back to the University of Iowa this season after serving as the National Freestyle Resident Coach at USA Wrestling for three-and-a-half years. Why did you decide to make that move? Brands: I just felt like it was time to go. They saw things a little differently than I was anticipating. It was time to make the move. You served as a mentor and coach to Henry Cejudo. I know you are very close to him. Years of blood, sweat, and tears went into your training. Describe the emotions you felt when Henry won the Olympic gold medal in Beijing. Terry Brands coached Henry Cejudo to an Olympic gold medal at 55 kg in freestyle last summer in Beijing (Photo/Tech-Fall.com)Brands: I think it's gratifying anytime one of your student-athletes wins at the elite level. Mostly for them and very little, if any, of that joy is felt for me … because it's giving those guys the opportunity. And then watching them fulfill, follow through with that opportunity, and capture all aspects of it. Very gratifying. Henry hasn't competed since the Olympics. There has been talk of him possibly getting into MMA. As someone who is close to him and has spent a significant amount of time with him, do you personally think we'll see him wrestling competitively again? Brands: I don't know. He's bounced around. He has said some different things. He talks about it sometimes. And then sometimes he talks about maybe not wanting to. Part of the dangers of having success at that level is that you may not want to compete again. It's hard to say what he's going to do. I obviously am hoping he does compete. But if he doesn't, I'm going to wish him the best. Henry took the non-traditional route for his wrestling career, going straight from high school wrestling to international wrestling. Recently Jake Deitchler made the same decision. Do you think we'll start seeing more and more talented high school wrestlers go that route? Or do you think those two are exceptions? Brands: Well, right now they are the exception. I think you could see that. The way I know Brent Metcalf, it's hard to say he would have ever done it that way. It's funny to listen to some people who have never wrestled or won an NCAA championship talk about how easy it is to win an NCAA championship … or they call it the bush leagues or this or that … the guys who have international success that maybe never won an NCAA title. The one thing about the NCAAs that is unique is that hands down, no questions about it, it is the toughest tournament in the world from a grind point of view. You make weight three straight days. You wrestle five matches over three straight days. And they're seven-minute matches. It's a unique five-year training opportunity to hone your mind and body to the things that are necessary to become championship-minded. You can win on the international level going through an NCAA program. There's just no question about that. These critics that say that our NCAA rules and the way that FILA has moved from that … to say that we can't win, is just crazy. It's just crazy to me that we think that way. Would you like to see college wrestling changed from folkstyle to freestyle … or it least have the rules tweaked to be more like freestyle? And how much do you think it would help the U.S. succeed internationally in freestyle? Terry Brands, who won two World titles as a competitor, spent three-and-a-half years as USA Wrestling's National Freestyle Resident Coach (Photo/Tech-Fall.com)Brands: The last part of your question, again, I'm not going to make an excuse for our country not being good. We have talent here that can win on the international level … whether they change the rules or not. As far as the rules, yeah, it would be nice to maybe get some kind of a pushout rule. It would be nice to move a little bit towards some of the rules that make sense for international wrestling. To move completely to freestyle, that's like asking other cultures, like the Chinese, or the Mongolians, or the Siberians, to change to folkstyle wrestling. They're not going to change that style. That's their culture. That's what they feel like makes them competitive in the long run. It's kind of the same thing here. The NCAA tournament, and the rules that the collegiate and high school folkstyle compete under, is a very entertaining system and style to watch. So it's hard to say if we want to change completely over to freestyle, especially when FILA dictates and governs the rules. Now you're looking at a change every so many years. That's kind of what drives fans away … that they just don't understand the scoring and the rules of the sport. You have worked on the same coaching staff as your brother, Tom, in the past, when you were both assistant coaches at Iowa. But now you're an assistant coach and he's the head coach. What has this experience been like for you working as an assistant coach under Tom? Brands: It's been real good. The best thing about it is that it's compatible philosophies. So the discipline, accountability, and standards that I want to uphold as a coach, and hold my student-athletes accountable to, we think the same. So it's a no-brainer. I don't have to butt heads with him about so and so dropping classes or drinking whisky or whatever they are doing that maybe isn't conducive to winning Olympic, World, and NCAA championships. That's very, very gratifying to me. Terry Brands has been instrumental in Ryan Morningstar's development this season (Photo/Iowa Sports Information)You have kind of taken Ryan Morningstar under your wing since coming to Iowa. He's 25-4 and having the best season of his college wrestling career. What does he need to do to accomplish his goals this season? Brands: He needs to stay focused on the things that he can control. We all know what those are. He needs to be able to get those things under control and be able to execute. When he does that, he's a very, very dangerous competitor. When he doesn't, he could still win the NCAA tournament. I'm not saying he couldn't do that. But it's going to be very difficult to be consistent. Again, it doesn't mean he can't win. It just means that it's not a consistent route. Steve Mocco is back training in Iowa City. What kind of impact has he had on your program this season? Brands: Unfortunately, not a lot. With the NCAA rules the way they are … the way that you can use your club … and the way that you can use your past alumni are two or three different things. So with Mocco graduating from Oklahoma State, we have to train him at separate times. He's just not around a lot. He doesn't travel with us and things that could help us tremendously. But his presence … obviously the guys see him in the locker room. The guys see him working out when they come through in the morning when he's lifting. He's a very, very social person that they relate to immediately. From that end, it's been good. From the work and him being able to get in on the grind of it, it hasn't been any of that. It's great for him to be here. I think the environment is what he needs. I think he's very happy here with his family. It is working, even though it's tough to tweak his workouts around the college guys … and sometimes it gets to the point, especially this time of the year, where you kind of have to tell him that he can't come in at a certain time because we're doing something with the college team. But he understood before he even came here … that that was going to be the case … and he has thrived here. I know the goal of Iowa wrestling has always been domination. When you were the National Resident Coach for USA Wrestling, I heard you say in an interview that a wrestler can win a one-point match but still dominate that match. Do you think the same could be said about winning a one-point match in collegiate wrestling? Or is it different? Brands: I don't think it's different at all. I think that could certainly be the case. You have a kid who is a freshman or sophomore who is wrestling a three-time returning NCAA champion … and he's just all over him and the scores just aren't turning his way and he ends up winning 3-2 on a takedown, but was in on two or three shots and is trying to get better and finish those shots. That could be a dominating performance, even though it's too close because he slips on that wet spot, it could cost him the match the next time around. But because of his ability to dominate in those positions, the next time around it will widen the gap. Now that the regular season is over in college wrestling and you're preparing your team for the Big Tens and NCAAs, how does the training change? Brands: It doesn't. We continue to build on, speak about, and execute on the same things that we've been doing all year. The workouts become a little shorter and more intense. But for the most part, the training really doesn't change … because the training is psychological anyway. You have had experience as a Division I head coach at Tennessee Chattanooga. Wyoming made a play to hire you as its head coach last summer. How important is to you to become a Division I head coach again? Brands: From the outside, it seems to be fairly important. The NWCA called. They were pretty fired up that Wyoming was trying to get me to come. I was really fired up about that. There was one little hiccup that they had … and they wouldn't really change things around so that I could make a call that most head coaches would make. That's the only reason why I ended up not going. It was very, very hard to turn that down. Tom Burman was awesome. Great leader. Great AD. I think they did the right thing by moving on and getting Mark Branch in there. As far as becoming a head coach and whether that is something I have to be … I would say no. Opportunities that come and present themselves, there are a select few options that would even get my attention at this point. But that wouldn't mean that I would ever rule it out. Looking at the U.S. national rankings in freestyle, you have three of the top four wrestlers at 66 kg in your room: No. 1 Doug Schwab, No. 3 Jared Frayer, and No. 4 Brent Metcalf. All three are competing for the same spot on the U.S. World Team. What's the dynamic between those three? And do they wrestle against each other in practice? Wyoming made a play to hire Terry Brands last summer as its head coach (Photo/Tech-Fall.com)Brands: We have Schwab and Frayer wrestle quite often. Obviously they work out a lot in those club workouts. And then Schwab gets in and wrestles with Metcalf fairly regularly, too, because he's a coach. Frayer and Metcalf, because of the rules, can't, which is crazy, but I'll save that for another time. Between the three, they have a good bond and a strong relationship. I think being together is obviously going to help them sharpen themselves to rise to the occasion. We're looking for one of those guys to come to the forefront and contend for world championships and Olympic gold medals.

2009 Class 3A Iowa Iowa high school state champions Kyven Gadson (Waterloo East, 171 lbs) and Michael Kelly (Cedar Falls, 145 lbs) will be radio show guests this week "On the Mat" on Wednesday, February 25. Kyven Gadson dominated his weight class all season and finished with a perfect 38-0 record. Only a junior, he pinned over 80% of his opponents, including three first period falls at the state tournament. Gadson placed second at state last year at 145 pounds. He was one of five state place winners for the Waterloo East Trojans, which placed eighth in the Class 3A team race. Kyven is coached by his father, Willie Gadson, who was a two-time NJCAA champion for Nassau Community College (NY) and a two-time All-American at Iowa State University. Michael Kelly also had a terrific junior season with a record of 36-2 with 25 falls. Kelly placed fourth in the state last year at 145 pounds. He defeated Chad Lowman of Des Moines Roosevelt 7-1 in the championship match. Kelly is coached by Jay Llewellyn who was also a state champion for Cedar Falls High School at 167 pounds in 1979 and wrestled at the University of Northern Iowa. "On the Mat" can be heard live on the internet at www.kcnzam.com or locally in Northeast Iowa each Wednesday from 5:00 - 6:00 PM Central time on AM 1650, The Fan. Feel free to e-mail radio@wrestlingmuseum.org with any questions or comments about the show.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- University of Northern Iowa senior 197-pounder Andrew Anderson (Sioux City, Iowa/East HS) has been named the Western Wrestling Conference's Wrestler of the Week as announced by league officials. Anderson posted a mark of 2-0 on the week as he helped the Panthers to a pair of WWC dual wins. Anderson, who is ranked No. 14 by Intermat, scored a 6-5 victory over No. 13-ranked Tyler Sorenson of South Dakota State en route to the Panthers' 33-3 dual victory over the Jackrabbits. Anderson drew first blood by scoring a takedown on a low single-leg attack. Sorenson scored a pair of escapes to knot the match at 2-2 heading into the third period. Anderson started in the down position in the third period. Anderson netted a reversal to take a 4-2 lead in the final period with 1:30 left. Sorenson pulled to within 4-3 with an escape with just over a minute to go in the match. Sorenson was able to tie the score at 4-4 following a stalling call against Anderson. But Anderson refused to give in and scored a takedown on a high-crotch series to lead 6-4. Sorenson tallied a late escape to pull within one, but Anderson held on for the 6-5 triumph. On Sunday, Anderson dominated North Dakota State freshman Drew Ross and tallied a bonus point for the Panthers with a 14-5 major decision. Anderson's win put the Panthers on top for the first time in the dual, 18-17. UNI went on to defeat NDSU, 21-17. Anderson improved his season mark to 23-7 overall, including a team-best 12-4 mark in dual action. The Western Wrestling Conference is comprised of seven schools including the Air Force Academy, North Dakota State, Northern Colorado, Northern Iowa, South Dakota State, Utah Valley and Wyoming. Other nominees: North Dakota State - Ryan Adams, 149 lbs., Jr., Coon Rapids, Minn. (Coon Rapids HS) Utah Valley - Adam Fager, 197 lbs., Fr., Layton, Utah (Layton HS) Wyoming - Cole Dallaserra, 141 lbs, So., Butte, Mont. (Butte HS)

PARK RIDGE, IL -- Iowa 149-pound wrestler Brent Metcalf has been named Big Ten Wrestler of the Week. It is the third time the junior from Davison, MI, has earned the honor in his Hawkeye career. Metcalf picked up the final weekly honor of the 2008-09 season after extending his winning streak to 61 matches with two Big Ten road wins last weekend. The Hawkeye junior scored a 19-4 technical fall over Indiana's Nick Walpole Friday night and pinned Northwestern's Andrew Nadhir in 4:28 Sunday afternoon. His performances helped top-ranked Iowa post an undefeated 24-0 dual meet record for the first time since the 1999-2000 season. Metcalf also helped Iowa capture the 2009 Big Ten regular season title with a perfect 8-0 in conference record. He ends the regular season with a perfect 29-0 record. He has pinned 15 opponents and scored bonus points in 27 of his 29 bouts this season. Metcalf is the fourth Hawkeye to earn the honor this season. Senior Alex Tsirtsis (141) was named Dec. 9 after the Iowa-Iowa State dual, junior Dan Erekson (Hwt.) followed on Jan. 27 after wins against Wisconsin and Illinois, and junior Daniel Dennis (133) was honored on Feb. 10 after recording victories at Penn State and Michigan State. He and the Hawkeyes will look to defend their conference titles March 7-8 at the 2009 Big Ten Championships. All matches will be held at Penn State's Bryce Jordan Center at University Park, PA.

Charleston, S.C. -- The Citadel wrestling team dominated the grapplers from Gardner-Webb on Feb. 24 in the final dual match of the 2008-09 season. The Bulldogs started with an early 18-0 lead as the team from Gardner-Webb decided to forfeit three of the ten matches. In the 125-pound match Tyler Sim defeated Gardner-Webb's Cortney Roberts, 11-5, to earn three points for the team score. Fellow Bulldog Pierre Frazile won the 149-pound match over Austin Reece, 9-5. The Citadel wrestler Keith Koziel battled back and forth with Gardner-Webb's Thomas Knapp in the 157-pound match. Koziel came away with a 12-6 win. Bulldog grappler J.C. Oddo dominated in the 174-pound match-up pinning Blake Salyer in 1:59 making the team score 33-0 with three matches left in the meet. True Freshman Kelby Smith faced Gardner-Webb's Jonathon Velasquez in an exciting match at 184-pound. The match was tied 8-8 with less than thirty seconds on the clock. Smith earned a one point escape in the final seconds of the match winning, 9-8. The Citadel's 197-pound Odie Delaney used the team's momentum to dominate Gardner-Webb's Randall Herring pinning him in 1:01. Going into the final match of the night, The Citadel had a team score of 42-0. Red-shirt Senior Aaron Brown competed in his final dual match of his collegiate career to close out the competition. In the heavyweight match, Gardner-Webb's Dustin Porter was able to takedown Brown in overtime for a 3-1 decision. The Citadel was able to defeat Gardner-Webb in their final dual meet of the 2008-09 season, 42-3. The Citadel wrestling team will return to action on Mar. 7 as they host the 2009 Southern Conference Wrestling Championships in McAlister Field House. For complete results from the meet against Gardner-Webb and all news on The Citadel Wrestling and Bulldog Athletics visit www.CitadelSports.com.

Iowa State head wrestling coach Cael Sanderson will be the featured guest on Wrestling 411 Radio on Tuesday, Feb. 23. This Tuesday's edition of Wrestling 411 Radio will air at 7 p.m. CST. The show can be heard live by visiting www.wrestling411.tv and clicking on the "Listen Live" link. An archive of the broadcast will be available immediately following the show. Sanderson is in his third season as the head wrestling coach at Iowa State University. The Cyclones have placed second and fifth at the NCAA tournament during Sanderson's tenure. Iowa State (15-3) finished its dual meet season with a 30-10 win over conference rival Nebraska. Wrestling 411 Radio can be heard live by visiting www.wrestling411.tv. Questions for any of the guests are welcome. You may e-mail your questions to Kyle Klingman at kklingman@mediasportsproductions.com.

The Chattanooga wrestling team put on a dominating performance against VMI on Senior Night at MacLellan Gym tonight. The Mocs scored a 43-3 win over the Keydets to clinch the Southern Conference regular season title for the fifth year in a row and the ninth time in the last 12 years. "It was a good way to end the season in front of our home crowd," stated head coach Chris Bono. "I am proud of our seniors the way they went out. We scored bonus points in most of the matches. They did a lot of things technically right tonight. It is definitely something to build on heading into the conference." Freshman Ethan Winel started off the evening at 197 and made quick work of VMI's Curtis Moore. Winel pinned Moore just 34 seconds into the match to give the Mocs a quick 6-0 lead. Winel's victory snapped his four-match losing streak and was his fourth pin of the year. VMI came back with a win in the heavyweight match. Josh Wine scored a decision over Cody Sliger 7-2. It was the Keydets' only points of the evening. Freshman Demetrius Johnson scored a 12-2 major decision over Johnathan Pope at 125. Johnson is now 8-6 on the year and 3-1 in SoCon matches. Sophomore Josh Statum battled Tyler Hutchens to a 6-3 decision at 133, giving the Mocs a 13-3 advantage. Senior T.J. Hannah was inserted into the lineup at 141 and delivered a 9-7 decision over David Yost. Hannah scored a takedown and an escape early in the first period and stayed one step ahead of his opponent the entire match. It was Hannah's only dual meet action of the season. "T.J. doesn't get an opportunity much, be we gave him one tonight," said Bono. "We talk about it all the time, when you get your chance, you have to take it and run. He certainly did tonight and I couldn't be happier for him." The rout was on for the rest of the match, starting with a major decision (15-5) by freshman Dan Waddell over Joseph Munno at 149. Junior Joey Knox scored a technical fall (24-6, 5:19) over Joel Hutchens at 157. The Mocs ended the evening with three straight first period pins. Senior Seth Garvin made quick work of his last match at MacLellan, pinning Kyle Elgert in 1:24. Garvin leads the team with 21 wins and seven pins on the year. He also posted a perfect 5-0 mark in SoCon action. "Garvin was wrestling with a little bit of emotion tonight," added Bono. "He competed hard tonight and went out there and got the fall. It was very important for him to have a good performance going into the conference tournament and I am proud of him." Freshman Jason McCroskey pinned Andrew Szymborski at the 1:27 mark of the first period. He also posted a perfect 5-0 mark in league action and improves to 19-10 overall. Freshman Tyler Roberson scored his first period pin over Vincent Gallo 1:25 into the match. He also snapped a personal four-match losing streak for his first career fall. It was also the last home match for senior Kyle McKee. McKee was unable to compete tonight due to a season-ending neck injury he suffered earlier in the year. "It was sad the McKee had to have season-ending surgery on his neck injury, but the kid gave his all during his career," complimented Bono. "I am proud of him for his effort and dedication to the program throughout him time at UTC." Chattanooga finishes the year with a 5-0 record in SoCon action, extending their conference winning streak to 25 matches. The last loss to a SoCon opponent was a 13-27 setback at the Citadel on Feb. 14, 2004. Head coach Chris Bono, in his third season at UTC, is now 15-0 in SoCon matches in his career and 40-17 overall. The Mocs will now get ready for the Sothern Conference Tournament on March 7 in Charleston, S.C. The NCAA Championships are set for March 19-21 in St. Louis, Mo.

MEQUON, Wis. -- The Augsburg College wrestling team will advance nine wrestlers to the NCAA Division III national tournament, after winning the NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional on Saturday at Concordia University-Wisconsin. Augsburg, the top-ranked team in Division III wrestling, won the team title at the regional for the seventh straight year with 159 points, outdistancing second-place Concordia-Moorhead's 117.5 points. The Cobbers are ranked No. 8 nationally. No. 6-ranked North Central (Ill.) was third with 105, No. 17-ranked St. John's was fourth with 98.5, and No. 13-ranked Elmhurst (Ill.) was fifth with 95.5. Four Auggies won regional titles -- top-ranked 149-pounder Willy Holst (SR, Prescott, Wis.), No. 4-ranked 157-pounder Jason Adams (JR, Coon Rapids, Minn.), No. 7-ranked 174-pounder Zach Molitor (SO, Cambridge, Minn./Cambridge-Isanti HS) and No. 2-ranked 197-pounder Jared Massey (JR, Circle Pines, Minn./Centennial HS). Advancing to the national tournament as regional runners-up for Augsburg were No. 5-ranked 125-pounder Seth Flodeen (SR, Cannon Falls, Minn.), No. 1-ranked 133-pounder Travis Lang (SR, Bismarck, N.D.) and No. 7-ranked heavyweight Andy Witzel (JR, Fulda, Minn.). Augsburg No. 4-ranked 141-pounder Tony Valek (FY, Belle Plaine, Minn./Scott West) placed third, but qualified for nationals by winning a "true second" match, while Witzel also won a "true second" match to secure his nationals spot. Also advancing to the national tournament for the Auggies was 165-pounder Orlando Ponce (SO, Hialeah, Fla./Hialeah-Miami Lakes HS), who finished third in his weight class but qualified for nationals as a "wild card" entrant. The Division III national tournament will be held March 6-7 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Augsburg has won 10 national titles in the last 18 seasons.

COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- Looking to close out the regular season on a high note, the Maryland wrestling team scored four major decisions, including one in each of the last three individual matches, to take a 25-15 decision over Virginia. Tenth-ranked Hudson Taylor, Patrick Gilmore and Brendan Byrne each took major decisions in the final three matches to win. "I told these guys that every match we were going to see a trickle towards where we were going to be at the end of the year," head coach Kerry McCoy said. "Right now, at the end of the dual meet season, it's nice to be above .500...but in two weeks it's going to be all about ACCs and two weeks after that it's going to be all about NCAAs. But we all were aware of it to make sure that we finished on the positive side overall." Eleventh-ranked Steven Bell won his match at 133 pounds by forfeit, and No. 9 Alex Krom took an 11-2 major decision to give Maryland an early 10-0 lead. After senior Steve Fehnel, who was honored in Senior Day ceremonies before the dual, lost his match, Kyle John took on Jedd Moore in the 157 pound contest. John and Moore fought the match of the day, with both grapplers fighting for every advantage. As the crowd got more and more into the tightly-contested battle, John gained an upper hand late in the contest and looked close to earning a two-point takedown which would have given him a lead. Unfortunately, time ran out just before the referee awarded the points. The din of the crowd drowned out the buzzer, causing some question as to whether the points would be allowed, but after a short conference at the timing table, it was determined that time had expired. John fell, 6-5. Brian Letters helped Maryland bounce back when he won his match at 165 pounds, 5-3. Maryland lost its lead, though, when Virginia earned a decision at 174 pounds and a fall at 184. Entering the stretch run, tenth-ranked Hudson Taylor put Maryland back on top with his dominating 12-0 performance at 197 pounds. Taylor, who faced ranked opponents both against Virginia and against George Mason on Saturday, did not allow a point to either opponent on the weekend. When Patrick Gilmore pulled away to an 8-0 victory in the heavyweight spot, Maryland had all-but sealed the victory. Brendan Byrne made it official when he rolled to a 14-1 victory at 125 pounds. Maryland will now have two weeks off before returning to the mats at the ACC Tournament.

MORGANTOWN, WV -- Edinboro came away with its fourth straight Eastern Wrestling League dual meet title on Sunday afternoon, although its 19-19 tie with West Virginia halted the Fighting Scots' 24-match EWL winning streak. The Fighting Scots, ranked 13th in the latest USA Today/InterMat/NWCA Top 25, concludes the season with a 14-4-1 record and 5-0-1 in the EWL, while West Virginia finished at 8-4-2 and 4-0-2. The Mountaineers also tied Pittsburgh. Edinboro was seeking its fourth straight perfect 6-0 EWL campaign. The tie leaves the Scots 24-0-2 in their last 26 EWL bouts. Both ties are to the Mountaineers. After trailing 16-3 midway through the match. a pair of upsets allowed the Mountaineers to forge the tie. At 165 lbs., Donnie Jones improved to 9-2 with a 5-3 decision over 11th-ranked Jarrod King. King is still recovering from missing a month with a staph infection in his knee, and has only been training for two weeks. Jones registered a first period takedown, with King's escape making it 2-1 after one period. Jones made it 3-1 with a quick escape in the second period, then added a second takedown for a 5-1 lead. King's escape made it 5-2 at the end of the period. The lone scoring in the third period was a King escape. That leaves the Edinboro senior at 24-5. The Jones win pulled West Virginia to 16-6, and Kurt Brenner followed with a 15-5 major decision over John Foley at 174 lbs. Brenner, ranked 11th, kept Foley winless at 0-4 and tightened the match to 16-10. Chris Honeycutt boosted Edinboro's advantage to 19-10 with a 4-1 decision over Lance Bryson at 184 lbs. The sophomore, ranked 17th, is now 27-6. The Mountaineers picked up upset number two at 197 lbs., as Pat Bradshaw suffered a 5-4 loss to Matt Ryan, who is 3-1. Ryan would start the match with a takedown, but Bradshaw answered with a reversal for a 2-2 tie. Ryan then countered with a reversal, and after a Bradshaw escape, a wild first period ended at 4-3 for Ryan. Bradshaw tied the match at 4-4 with an escape in the second period, but Ryan escaped early in the third for the winning point. The loss dropped Bradshaw to 23-7. The highly-awaited heavyweight match between 13th-ranked Joey Fendone of WVU's Dustin Rogers, who is ranked 11th, never took place. Head coach Tim Flynn decided to forfeit the match with Fendone battling a minor injury. Flynn noted that Fendone could have wrestled if necessary. Edinboro got its own forfeit at 125 lbs., as top-ranked Paul Donahoe improved to 29-0. Ricky Deubel followed with a 4-1 decision over Grant Lowther at 133 lbs., giving the Scots a 9-0 lead. All of the scoring took place in the first period, with Deubel registering a pair of takedowns. Deuble, ranked 19th, is now 25-10 and picked up his 99th career win. Steve Waite, who transferred to Edinboro from West Virginia after the first semester, was unable to come up with a win in his return. The 141-pounder dropped a 6-3 decision to Colin Johnston to fall to 8-5. The sophomore wasn't able to rally after falling behind 4-0 after one period due to a Johnston takedown and two near-fall points. A Waite escape and takedown in the second period closed the match to 4-3, but Johnston added an escape to make it 5-3. He added another escape in the third period. Torsten Gillespie (left) came up with Edinboro's biggest win of the match with a 10-5 decision over 20th-ranked David Jauregui at 149 lbs. Gillespie jumped out to a quick 7-0 lead then held off Jauregui. He registered a first period takedown for the lone points of the period. In the second he added an escape and takedown. A Gillespie takedown in the third period made it 7-0, but Jauregui got on the board with an escape. The WVU senior added a takedown, with Gillespie's escape made it 8-3. Jauregui added another takedown, but Gillespie would escape again and owned a 3:51 advantage in riding time. Gregor Gillespie (above left) followed with a 14-0 major decision over Ryan Goodman at 157 lbs. The top-ranked wrestler at 157 lbs., the senior has now added the school record for career wins to his resume. Gillespie improved to 35-0 for the season and 146-10 for his career. That betters the record of 145 previously held by Jason Robison. Gillespie had two takedowns and turned Goodman three times for a total of nine near-fll points. Edinboro will next compete in the EWL Tournament on Saturday, March 7 at Lock Haven.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- No. 2 Mike Poeta and No. 8 John Wise finished their home dual careers with victories and freshman Jordan Blanton registered his eighth pin of the season as the ninth-ranked Fighting Illini smothered Michigan State, 26-12, in front of 1,127 fans at Huff Hall. Illinois finished the dual-meet season 13-2 overall and 6-2 in the Big Ten, with the 13 dual wins ranking as the fourth-most in Illinois history. "The thing that sticks out to me is our three seniors who wrestled today," Illinois head coach today. "Not only are they three very good wrestlers, they're also three young men who have tremendous character. It's bittersweet knowing this is the last time they'll wrestle at Huff Hall, but it was good to send them out with a win like this." With the match starting at 141 pounds, Collin Dozier came out of a scramble with a takedown and three near-fall points with 35 seconds left in the first, finishing the period with a 5-0 lead. Prater chose top in the second period and while he was trying to tilt Dozier, the Spartan gained control and got Prater on his back, pinning the Illini sophomore in 3:24 to give MSU an early 6-0 lead. Eric Terrazas got a takedown on the edge against David Cheza at 149 with 1:50 left in the first and rode hard for 1:21 before Cheza escaped with 29 seconds left. With no further scoring, Terrazas took a 2-1 lead into the second where Cheza started down. Terrazas continued to ride hard, turning Cheza for a two-point near-fall with 1:20 left then got another tilt with seven seconds left for another two back points before Cheza escaped, giving Terrazas a 6-2 lead after two periods. The pair started neutral in the third and Terrazas got the takedown with 59 seconds and cut Cheza loose with 44 seconds. But Terrazas shot and got an ankle before finishing another takedown on the edge for a 10-3 lead. Terrazas rode him out to get the riding time point and an 11-3 major decision, cutting MSU's lead to 6-4. At 157, No. 2 Mike Poeta countered a shot by Anthony Jones Jr. and turned the corner for the takedown with 49 seconds left. Poeta rode him out for a 2-0 lead after a period. Poeta started down in the second and escaped in three seconds. After a tie-up, Jones Jr. tried to scramble away but Poeta grabbed an ankle and got the takedown for a 5-0 lead with 1:52 of riding time advantage after five minutes. Jones Jr. started down in the third and escaped after Poeta tried to tilt him. Jones Jr. left a leg out and Poeta out-circled him for the takedown before cutting him loose with 1:04 left. Then Poeta overpowered the Spartan sophomore, lifting and planting him on his back for a takedown with 24 seconds left. Poeta rode him out for the 10-2 major decision, pushing Illinois ahead, 8-6. No. 15 Roger Smith-Bergsrud got in a tie-up with Rex Kendle then picked the Spartan's ankle for the takedown with 2:01 left at 165, but Kendle escaped at 1:16 after a drawn-out attempt for the reversal. With a 2-1 lead after the first period, Smith-Bergsrud started down in the second and gave up a three-point near-fall after nearly escaping off the whistle. After Kendle was allowed to hold Smith-Bergsrud in a near-pin position for most of the period, Kendle rode out the Illini senior and got his three back points for a 4-2 lead. Kendle started down in the third and Smith-Bergsrud cut him loose with 1:10 left after being unable to turn the Spartan. Smith-Bergsrud shot in and got the double-leg with 48 seconds left but Kendle reversed it with 35 seconds left to get a 7-4 lead. He rode out the Illini senior for the victory, giving MSU a 9-8 advantage. At 174, John Dergo got a leg and secured both ankles but Ian Hinton was able to grab a high crotch to avoid any scoring. But Dergo shot off a restart and got the takedown and rode out Hinton for the 2-0 lead with 1:02 of riding time. Dergo started down in the second and escaped in 15 seconds. After the pair broke a tie-up, Dergo shot in and got both ankles and finished the takedown on the edge for the 5-0 lead after two periods. Hinton started down in the third and Dergo cut him loose 25 seconds into the period. Dergo shot and got an ankle but Hinton held onto an ankle to avoid scoring. Hinton shot off a restart but Dergo fended it off with 29 seconds left. Dergo shot just before the horn sounded but couldn't secure both legs in time, taking the 6-1 win to push Illinois ahead 11-9. No. 12 Jordan Blanton got in on a leg against Eric Anderson at 184 and scrambled through for 45 seconds before getting the takedown at 1:28 and a three-point near-fall with 1:07 left for a 5-0 lead. Blanton locked in a cradle with 20 seconds left but couldn't turn Anderson, finishing the first period up five points. The pair started neutral in the second and Blanton got the takedown with 55 seconds left just before Anderson took injury time. Hinton escaped off the restart but Blanton got another takedown with 29 seconds left and began working on Anderson on top, turned the Spartan sophomore and stuck him with three seconds left in the period for his team-leading eighth fall of the season in 4:57. That pushed Illinois' lead to 17-9. At 197, Patrick Bond got a leg and flipped Tyler Dickinson to his back but Dickenson held onto a leg and the bout was stopped for a blood timeout. After no scoring in the first, Bond started down in the second and escaped in eight seconds. Dickenson started down in the third and escaped in 16 seconds to tie the bout at 1. But Bond was able to grab a leg near the edge and finish the takedown with 44 seconds for a 3-1 lead. Dickenson escaped with 31 seconds left and took a shot, but Bond blocked it and circled for the takedown with 20 seconds left to go up 5-2. Dickenson escaped with five seconds left but Bond fended off the late attack for the 5-3 win and a 20-9 lead for the Illini. Michigan State's Alan O'Donnell was hit with a stalling warning with 20 seconds left in the first period and he finished the first three minutes with No. 8 John Wise scoreless. Wise started down in the second and escaped off the whistle for a 1-0 lead. O'Donnell shot with 50 seconds left but Wise circled behind him, lifted him and dropped him to the mat for the takedown before riding him out for the 3-0 lead after two periods. O'Donnell started down in the third and escaped in 12 seconds to cut Wise's lead to 3-1. Wise was warned for stalling with 40 seconds left but then blocked another shot by O'Donnell, slid behind him and slammed him to the mat for the decisive takedown. After adding the riding time point, Wise took the 6-1 decision that sealed the team victory by putting Illinois ahead, 23-9. B.J. Futrell stacked up a double-leg on Eric Olanowski at 125 with 2:35 left then turned him on the edge of the mat for a three-point near-fall with 2:08 left. After a restart, Olanowski escaped and took a shot, but Futrell countered it, circled around and planted him for the takedown and a 7-1 lead. Olanowski took injury time after his head hit the mat and after Futrell was unable to turn him, the Illini freshman cut him loose with 34 seconds left in the period. Futrell shot in on a double-leg and finished it with 10 seconds left to take a 9-2 lead after three minutes. Olanowski started down in the second and escaped in eight seconds and eventually worked through a scramble to a takedown with 20 seconds left and rode out Futrell to cut the Illini's lead to 9-5 with 1:44 of riding time after two periods. The pair started neutral in the third and Olanowski blocked a shot by Futrell then spun behind him for the takedown with 18 seconds left to cut the Illini's lead to 9-7. But Futrell held on to win by that score and tack on to Illinois' lead, making it 26-9. In the day's marquee matchup at 133, No. 2 Jimmy Kennedy got a leg, stepped over and finished the takedown on the edge against No. 6 Franklin Gomez at 133. But Gomez escaped off a restart and shot through a double-leg for a takedown of his own and a 3-2 lead. Kennedy escaped as he went off the edge of the mat to tie the bout at 3 with 23 seconds left in the first and that's where the period ended. Kennedy started down in the second and escaped in 10 seconds for a 4-3 lead. But Gomez shot in on a double-leg and landed it with 20 seconds left then rode out Kennedy for a 5-4 lead with 40 seconds of riding time after two periods. Gomez started down in the third and Kennedy cut him loose off the whistle to give Gomez a 6-4 lead. Kennedy got in on a leg near the edge and Gomez fought him off, but the Illini junior switched to Gomez' other ankle and took him down on the edge to tie the bout at 6. Kennedy cut Gomez loose off the restart and Gomez blocked a shot by Kennedy and circled behind for the takedown. Kennedy escaped with 45 seconds left and blocked a shot by the Spartan with 25 seconds on the clock. Gomez had time to back away from Kennedy's shots and walk out with the 9-7 victory, making the final team score 26-12. The Fighting Illini have the next week off from competition but will be preparing for the Big Ten Championships on March 7-8 at the Bryce Jordan Center in University Park, Pa.

BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- No. 8 Lehigh set a new school record for dual victories in a season with a 24-12 win over No. 25 Penn Sunday afternoon inside Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall. The dual was tied at 12 after seven bouts before the Mountain Hawks captured the final three matches, as junior David Craig and freshman Joe Kennedy picked up wins by decision and freshman Zach Rey ended the dual with a first period pin. With the victory the Mountain Hawks complete the dual season at 23-1, including a perfect 9-0 mark versus EIWA opponents. "The wins from Craig and Kennedy were huge," said Lehigh head coach Pat Santoro. "Hitschler has a history of frustrating people, but David did really well to keep his composure and just go out there and wrestle. Santoro continued, "Joe's really starting to turn a corner. It's been a long freshman year but he's doing a nice job. He just goes out and wrestles hard every day." John McDonald fell behind early to Rollie Peterkin at 125, giving up seven points in the first period to the Penn Grappler. McDonald made several attempts at takedowns, but Peterkin quickly turned them all around for points as he rolled to the tech fall, by going up 17-0 at the 6:45 mark. No. 15 Matt Fisk jolted the Leeman-Turner Arena crowd to its feet with a sudden victory at 133. Fisk gave up his 1-0 lead in the third by allowing Bryan Ortenzio to earn a takedown with 1:30 left in the period, but the junior slipped away for the escape seconds later to knot the score at two. In overtime, Ortenzio came in for a shot attempt but Fisk began to slip behind him as the seconds ticked off the clock. The two wrestlers spun in a circle on the mat for nearly 20 seconds as Fisk fought for the points, eventually earning the takedown with just one second remaining in the overtime period. No. 19 Seth Ciasulli put Lehigh back on top with a 2-0 victory over Rick Rappo from Penn. Ciasulli and Rappo were even throughout the match, with only a two-point near fall from Ciasulli in the second leading to points. Ciasulli was on top to begin the second and flipped Rappo over for just long enough to earn two back points, and that was all he needed to secure the victory. Once again the Lehigh fans were on their feet after No. 15 Trevor Chinn earned a tight 3-1 victory over No. 11 Cesar Grajales at 149. Each wrestler earned an escape to start the second and third periods, and with less than one minute remaining the match appeared to be heading for overtime. With 40 seconds left, Chinn scored the only takedown of the bout, grabbing Grajales ankle at the edge of the mat and slipping around for the points as the grapplers went out of bounds. After Chinn held off a Grajales attempt at a reversal, the Leeman-Turner Arena crowd rose to give the senior a standing ovation as he walked off the mat for the final time in Grace Hall. No. 18 Matt Dragon was too much for Sean Bilodeau at 157, taking the freshman down three times and earning a two-point near fall. After riding time and a penalty point against Bilodeau, Dragon walked away with an 11-2 major decision to knot the team score at 9-9 heading into the intermission. At 165, No. 14 Mike Galante put Lehigh back on top with an 8-3 decision over Andrew Coles. Galante came out of the gate with a quick takedown as both wrestlers shot in at the same time, but Galante drove Coles into the matt, leading to an injury timeout. Galante would score two more takedowns in the match to earn the decision in convincing fashion. Penn evened the score again at 174 when Scott Giffin earned a close decision over No. 17 Alex Caruso. Trailing 3-0 in the third, Caruso turned the tide with a big reversal to cut the deficit to one. Giffin extended his lead with a big takedown late in the period, but a Caruso reversal brought him back within two points. But Caruso simply ran out of time to score one last takedown and suffered the 7-5 defeat. Craig had his hands full against Colin Hitschler at 184, but he pulled out the 7-2 decision to give Lehigh a lead which it would not relinquish. Hitschler had two illegal hold calls against him, resulting in two points for Craig. The Lehigh junior held a 2-1 lead in the third when Hitschler went in for a takedown, but Craig drove his body over his opponent and recorded a takedown of his own. After the second illegal hold call on Hitschler, Craig threw in one more takedown for good measure to pull out the 7-2 win. Kennedy gave Lehigh breathing room with a huge victory at 197 over Thomas Shovlin. Kennedy was leading 1-0 when Shovlin grabbed a single leg to try to score a takedown. He held Kennedy's leg in the air for several seconds as he tried to trip his other leg, but Kennedy slipped away and ended up on top for his own takedown. One more takedown in the third from Kennedy led to back points and the necessary insurance in an 8-2 decision, making the team score 18-12 heading into the final bout. All Rey had to do in the final bout was avoid being pinned for Lehigh to earn the win, but the freshman heavyweight was not ready to settle for that. Rey wasted no time scoring a single-leg takedown in the first and flipped Trey McLean over for the fall in just 2:50. "This was one of those duals where every match could have gone either way," said Santoro. "When two good teams go at it, every point counts." With the loss, Penn wraps up its dual season at 11-7. Next up for the Mountain Hawks is the EIWA Championships, which Penn will host at the Palestra beginning Saturday, March 7.

LINCOLN, Neb. -- Nick Fanthorpe is back and Iowa State's third-ranked wrestling team is clicking. Fanthorpe, a junior All-American 133-pounder, scored a major decision in his first match in nearly a month and the Cyclones dealt No. 4 Nebraska a 30-10 loss Sunday in the NU Coliseum. Iowa State's second straight win at Nebraska was its fourth straight overall in the series. The win closed out ISU's dual season with a 15-3 overall mark. Iowa State is the only Big 12 team to beat the Huskers for the second straight season. Nebraska finishes with a 17-3-1 dual record. The 20-point victory margin was the Cyclones' biggest win in Lincoln, Neb. since a 33-11 rout of the Huskers on Nov. 30 , 1984. The victory was Iowa State's biggest overall in the series since beating Nebraska, 31-11 in Ames on Dec. 12, 1991. Fanthorpe notched his 13th bonus-point victory of the season by dominating Nebraska's Matt Vacanti by major decision, 11-3. Fanthorpe improves his record to 18-4 in his junior campaign. He had not wrestled since injury defaulting his match vs. Oklahoma on Jan. 23. "We wanted to get Nick (Fanthorpe) a match before the conference meet," Sanderson said. "This was as good of a time as any and he went out there and wrestled tough for us." The Cyclones scored bonus points at 133, 141 and 174 pounds. NU forfeited the 125-pound match to ISU and the Huskers were without their No. 3 174-pounder Brandon Browne as he did not participate due to a death in the family. In the marquee match of the afternoon, top-ranked 197-pound Cyclone Jake Varner denied the Husker's second-ranked Craig Brester by decision, 3-2. Varner is now 24-1. Brester is 27-3 with two losses to Varner this season. "Jake was still looking for points at the end of the match with about 15 seconds left," head coach Cael Sanderson said. "He is tough and a competitor. Brester wrestled his strategy against Jake, but Jake is just a competitor." ISU's Jon Reader (165) scored the upset of fourth-ranked Stephen Dwyer of Nebraska. Reader, ranked seventh, used a reversal and two-point nearfall to come from behind in the third period to top Dwyer by decision, 7-4. Cyclone Nick Gallick (141) scored a major decision for the ISU effort by beating NU's Patrick Aleksanyan, 11-1. ISU's Duke Burk also tallied a major decision in his match at 174 pounds. The Peoria, Ill. native proved to be too much on his feet for Nebraska's Alex Ward, as Burk dominated the match, 19-7. Mitch Mueller (149) and David Zabriskie (HWT) scored decisions in their matches against the Husker wrestlers. Mueller controlled NU's Robert Sanders by a score of 10-3. Zabriskie held off the Huskers' Tucker Lane, 3-1. Zabriskie scored revenge against the Nebraska heavyweight after Lane came away with a 7-6 victory at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals. Iowa State won that match, 20-19 for third-place honors on Jan. 11 in Cedar Falls. The Cyclones head back to Lincoln, Neb., for the Big 12 Championships March 7 in pursuit of a third-straight conference title.

EVANSTON, IL -- For the first time since the 1999-2000 season, the top-ranked Iowa wrestling team has gone undefeated in dual competition. The Hawkeyes improved to 24-0 with a 34-13 win at #19 Northwestern (9-8-1, 2-5-1 Big Ten) Sunday afternoon. Iowa also clinched the 2009 Big Ten regular season title with a perfect 8-0 mark in conference competition. The Hawkeyes have posted 12 undefeated and untied seasons in school history, and the 2009 season has produced the most victories ever. "We are in the post-season now," said Hawkeye Head Coach Tom Brands. "We need to have everyone contributing in a dominating way. We've had some good performances, but I don't think we have all come together as a group during a meet yet. We need to put together a good string of wins. When that happens, good things will follow." Iowa went 7-3 at Northwestern, scoring bonus points in six matches, to score its 38th straight dual win. Juniors Brent Metcalf (149), Chad Beatty (197) and Dan Erekson (Hwt.) pinned their Wildcat opponents, junior Jay Borschel (174) scored a match-termination technical fall, and juniors Daniel Dennis (133) and Ryan Morningstar (165) posted major decisions. Metcalf extended his winning streak to 61 and ends the regular season with a perfect 29-0 record. Dennis and Morningstar both picked their 25th season victories, while Dennis extended his winning streak to nine. Erekson, who was making his first start since the beginning of the month due to injury, scored his 45th career victory and 10th season pin. Iowa's three losses were to higher ranked Wildcat opponents. At 125, #4 Brandon Precin caught Hawkeye senior Charlie Falck in a scramble situation, recording the pin in 4:19. Falck is ranked fifth in the country with a 19-3 record. Precin is now 25-2, winning 23 of his last 24 bouts. At 157, #14 Jason Welch scored an 11-3 major decision over unranked Hawkeye sophomore Matt Ballweg. At 184, third-ranked Phillip Keddy gave top-ranked and undefeated Jake Herbert a run for his money, but lost the bout, 3-2. It was the closest that any opponent has wrestled Herbert this season and showed improvement from the Hawkeye junior. Keddy's only other loss this season was a 15-1 major decision to Herbert at the Midlands finals in December. Iowa's next competition will be March 7-8 at the 2009 Big Ten Wrestling Championships. The event will be held by Penn State University at the Bryce Jordan Center at University Park, PA. The Hawkeyes, who are the defending team champion, will vy for the school's 33rd conference team title.