InterMat Staff

FARGO, N.D. -- The No. 21-ranked University of Northern Iowa Panther wrestling team dug a deep hole on Sunday but was able to rally by winning the final five matches and secured a 21-17 triumph over the North Dakota State University Bison. NDSU opened a 17-3 lead in the dual following a fall at 157 pounds from Vince Salminen over UNI's Tyson Reiner at the 5:48 mark of their match. The Panthers failed to give in and rallied for five straight victories to extend their Western Wrestling Conference dual streak to 12 in a row. UNI moved to 10-6 overall and 4-0 in the WWC this season. NDSU dropped to 5-10-1 overall and 2-4 in the WWC. UNI also clinched a share of its third straight WWC dual title with the victory. Wyoming can also grab a share of the league title with a win over Northern Colorado on Feb. 25 in Greeley, Colo. The Bison defended their home mat with a pair of wins to start the dual at 125 and 133 pounds. NDSU's Justin Solberg scored a 6-4 sudden victory over UNI's Cruse Aarhus at 125 pounds, while the Bison's Trent Sprenkle notched a major decision over Steven Fitzgerald at 133 pounds, 17-7. UNI's Trent Washington got the Panther son the board with a 6-4 victory over NDSU's Gabriel Mooney at 141 pounds. Washington opened up a 5-0 lead over Mooney before allowing the Bison grappler back in the match near the end of the third period. Washington's win pulled the Panthers to within 7-3 in the dual. At 149 pounds, NDSU's Ryan Adams notched an 11-3 major decision over UNI's Brett Robbins. Adams' victory gave the Bison an 11-3 lead in the dual as well. The Bison turned the tables on the Panthers at 157 pounds when Vince Salminen turned a 3-2 deficit to UNI's Tyson Reiner into a fall at the 5:48 mark of their match. Salminen's pin moved the Bison lead to 17-3 in the dual. UNI's Moza Fay did his best to get the Panthers going with a 21-6 technical fall over NDSU's Andrey Patselov at 165 pounds. The Panthers' Jarion Beets continued the Panther comeback with a 10-4 decision over NDSU's Adam Aho at 174 pounds. Beets' win pulled UNI to within 17-11 in the dual. Panther senior Alex Dolly took care of NDSU's Kenny Moenkedick by the count of 12-6 at 184 pounds to get the Panthers three points closer in the dual, 17-14. UNI senior Andrew Anderson dominated Bison 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. But the dual would come down to the final match at heavyweight between UNI's Dustin Bauman and NDSU's Tyler Hemmesch. The first period saw no score between the two competitors. Bauman scored the first point of the match with an escape in the second period to take a 1-0 lead. Hemmesch then chose the neutral position to begin the third period despite trailing, 1-0. Bauman was able to fend off shots from Hemmesch in the final two minutes and hung on for the 1-0 victory. Bauman's win clinched the dual for the Panthers, 21-17. UNI will now prepare for the NCAA West Regional slated for March 8 in Greeley, Colo.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- For the third time in four matches, sophomore Nikko Triggas recorded a crucial pin to lift the No. 6 Ohio State wrestling team to a 24-18 victory over No. 16 Wisconsin Sunday in the UW Field House in Madison. With Ohio State trailing the Badgers, 12-10, Triggas propelled the Buckeyes to a 16-12 advantage with three matches remaining. The Buckeye from Moraga, Calif., downed Drew Hammen in 2:22 for his team-leading 13th pin of the season at 125 pounds. Ohio State concludes the regular season with a 16-2 overall record, including a 7-1 mark in the Big Ten. Wisconsin falls to 9-8 overall and 3-5 in the conference. Ohio State won the next two matches, including a victory at 133 pounds that would seal the Buckeye win. Junior Reece Humphrey gave the Scarlet and Gray a 20-12 advantage and he almost had the team's second pin of the day, but settled for the 13-3 major decision over Tom Kelliher. Up 5-2 at the end of the first period and 7-3 following the second, the Buckeye from Indianapolis, Ind., accumulated back points in the third and riding time (2:09) for his 23rd win of the season. With the match beginning at 157 pounds, senior Jason Johnstone set the Buckeyes up with an early 3-0 lead on a 6-2 decision over Ben Jordan. The native of Massillon, Ohio, who his ranked 17th in the country, began the bout with a takedown at the 2:03 mark. Ending the first period with a 2-0 lead, Johnstone added an escape after choosing down to go up 3-0. He then recorded another takedown for a 5-0 advantage before relinquishing an escape to Jordan as time expired in the period. Jordan chose bottom to begin the final period and notched the early escape, but that was the final scoring in the match as Johnstone also accumulated a riding time of 2:20 for the extra point. The Badgers wasted little time in evening the score at 3-all when eighth-ranked Andrew Howe upset No. 2 Colt Sponseller, 3-2, at 165 pounds. The loss is Sponseller's first this season in Big Ten dual action as he concludes the conference regular season 7-1. After a scoreless first period, Sponseller quickly got on the board with an escape, but Howe answered with a takedown to take a 2-1 advantage. The Buckeye sophomore from Glenmont, Ohio, ended the period with an escape of his own to bring the bout to a 2-2 tie. With Howe choosing down, he managed the escape and held on the rest of the way for the win. Junior Dave Rella put the Scarlet and Gray back on top at 6-3 when he decisioned Travis Rutt, 5-3, in the 174-pound bout. Rella was down 2-1 at the end of the first and trailed 3-1 in the early moments of the second period, but a takedown moments later tied the affair at 3-3 at the end of the second period. With an escape to his credit, Rella, a native of Akron, Ohio, held Rutt scoreless the rest of the way for a 4-3 advantage. Also amassing a riding time of 1:01, Rella earned his 17th victory of the season. Second-ranked Mike Pucillo garnered bonus points for the Buckeyes with his 14-4 major decision over Eric Bugenhagen at 184 pounds. A native of Strongsville, Ohio, Pucillo owned a slim 2-0 lead at the end of the first period, but soon held a 9-2 lead at the end of the second courtesy of three takedowns and an escape. In the third stanza, the Buckeye junior added additional points with a pair of takedowns and a riding time of 2:47. Wisconsin pulled within one (10-9) at 197 pounds when third-ranked Dallas Herbst pinned Jason Cook, a junior from Dayton, Ohio, in 2:02. Ohio State trailed for the first time in the match (12-10) following the heavyweight bout. Junior Corey Morrison had his hands full with No. 18 Kyle Massey, who was a 2008 NWCA All-Star participant in November. Morrison, a native of Shaker Heights, Ohio, and Massey were held scoreless in the first, but Massey took a 3-0 lead after the second on a takedown and escape. Scoring a pair of takedowns, an escape and riding time (1:09), Massey secured the decision, 8-1. Following wins at 125 and 133 pounds, Ohio State owned a 20-12 lead and senior J Jaggers was the second Buckeye to score bonus points on the day with a 13-3 major decision against Erik Senescu at 141 pounds. Jaggers jumped out to a 6-1 lead at the end of the first period before leading 9-1 at the end of the second stanza in his 19th win of the season. Jaggers finishes the regular season 6-2 in the conference and 14-4 in dual action. Although Ohio State already had secured the team win, the Badgers were able to add six more points to their score after fourth-ranked Kyle Ruschell pinned Owen Schaefer in 4:29 in the 149-pound bout. Notes: The Big Ten Network aired the Buckeyes vs. Badgers match live. Replays of the match will air at 4 a.m. Monday (Feb. 23), 10 a.m. Monday (Feb. 23) and 1 p.m. Tuesday (Feb. 24). Ohio State finishes the regular season with seven league wins, a first since it went undefeated in the conference with seven victories in 1991-92. For the second-consecutive season, junior Mike Pucillo went undefeated in regular season Big Ten dual action with an 8-0 record. As a 2008 NCAA Champion, Pucillo compiled an overall record of 34-1, including a dual mark of 21-0. In 2008-09 Pucillo owns a 16-0 overall and dual ledger. With the win Sunday, senior Jason Johnstone earned his 20th victory of 2008-09, a career best. He also matched his career best in single-season Big Ten wins with three. The Buckeyes will have a week off from competition a s they will prepare for the 2009 Big Ten Championships at the Bryce Jordan Center March 7-8 in University Park, Pa.

Jayson Ness tied a 13-year-old school record with his 51st career victory by fall, pinning Matt Ortega at 133 pounds as the Gophers captured their final dual meet of the season by a 22-13 score over Indiana (15-7-1, 2-5-1). The Gophers (15-8, 5-3) were also buoyed by wins from Tyler Safratowich (157 pounds) and Gordon Bierschenk (197 pounds) who were both wrestling in their final home dual on Senior Day. After Minnesota dropped the first bout of the meet, Ness brought the crowd of 2,854 to its feet when he pinned Ortega in the waning seconds of the first period. The pin was Ness' 16th of the season and tied the school mark set by Billy Pierce (1992-96). Honored in a pre-meet ceremony for their contributions to Minnesota wrestling, both Safratowich and Bierschenk notched hard-fought wins by decision that helped the Gophers close out the dual season on a high note. Safratowich's victory came over the Hoosiers' 13th-ranked Kurt Kinser by a 5-1 score and Bierschenk's 10-5 win over Matt Powless at 197 pounds virtually put the meet out of reach for Indiana Mike Thorn, who had lost his previous three matches to top-five ranked opponents, bounced back with a decisive 7-3 win over Andrae Hernandez at 141 pounds. Hernandez, who had defeated Iowa's top-ranked Alex Tsirtsis in overtime on Friday, was forced to wrestle from behind throughout the match as Thorn recorded a takedown just four seconds into the bout. Following Safratowich's win at 157 pounds, the Hoosiers responded with wins in each of the next three bouts to claim a 13-12 lead. Minnesota redshirt freshman Sonny Yohn then regained the lead when his 11-0 major decision win over Eric Cameron gave his team a 16-13 lead it would not relinquish. Bierschenk's win pushed the lead to 19-13 and heavyweight Ben Berhow put a stamp on the dual win with a 5-3 win over Nate Everhart. Berhow's win gave the sophomore a perfect 8-0 record in Big Ten duals this season. Minnesota will be off for nearly two weeks as it prepares for the Big Ten Championships, which will be held March 7-8 at the Bryce Jordan Center in State College, Pa. For ticket information, visit gopsusports.cstv.com.

NEW YORK -- On February 23, 2009 Henry Cejudo, who during the 2008 Beijing Olympics became the youngest American ever to win a gold medal for Olympic wrestling, will conduct a free training clinic for New York City high school wrestlers on behalf of the Beat the Streets Wrestling Program. Cejudo's appearance will help students prepare for the New York State Public High School Athletic Association's State Wrestling Tournament taking place later that week on February 27 and 28, 2009 in Albany, New York. The 2009 state tournament will feature 480 participants hailing from the 11 NYSPHSAA sections, the New York City Public Schools Athletic League and the Catholic High School Athletic Association. Cejudo will conduct the February 23rd Beat the Streets clinic for 28 students who attend wrestling programs in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens and Staten Island high schools. "All the students who take part in Beat the Streets' programs, not just those who are going to the state tournament, should be commended for their hard work and commitment to the sport of wrestling and to improving their own lives through the valuable lessons and skills they learn from the sport," said Henry Cejudo. "Beat the Streets is an amazing organization that reaches students in New York City that need extra guidance, so I feel proud to conduct this clinic." "Henry Cejudo's story is not just a testament to how the sport of wrestling can play a part in uplifting a child's life, but also demonstrates how wrestling can help him or her achieve the most out of the sport and beyond," said Brian Giffin, President and Executive Director, Beat the Streets. "We are thrilled that the students in our program who have qualified for the state tournament will be able to train with him as they get ready for the most important matches of the year." Cejudo will conduct his clinic on February 23, 2009 at the Beat the Streets Wrestling Center located in lower Manhattan, which houses the organization's headquarters and student training center. The Beat the Streets Wrestling Program is a not-for-profit organization that creates opportunities for boys and girls from New York City schools to participate in after-school wrestling programs in safe and nurturing environments. Beat the Streets provides free coaching, gear and equipment; free access to afterschool training centers in all five boroughs; all-expenses paid trips to the most prestigious training camps in the country; and safe havens for students from the poorest urban neighborhoods seeking to improve their fitness and stay on the right path. Approximately 3,500 boys and girls from New York City schools currently participate in the organization's afterschool programs. Beat the Streets' work has effectively helped the sport of wrestling grow in New York City. In 2005, New York City's Public School Athletic League had 23 teams only in high schools and fewer than 300 kids enrolled. Now New York City has wrestling teams in 58 high schools and 54 middle schools with 3,500 enrollees.

EDINBORO, Pa. -– Edinboro celebrated Senior Night against Pittsburgh the way it has the previous 23 Eastern Wrestling League matches – with a win. The Fighting Scots, ranked 13th in the latest USA Today/InterMat/NWCA Division I Top 25, made it 24 straight EWL wins thanks to a 31-8 victory over the Panthers on Friday night. Edinboro is now 14-4 and 5-0 in the EWL, while Pittsburgh is 4-7-1 and 4-1-1. While the final score wasn't close, most of the matches were. Three went into sudden victory, with Edinboro winning each one. The Fighting Scots also picked up a pair of wins by fall. It was also a momentous evening for head coach Tim Flynn (below left) and wrestlers Gregor Gillespie (below right) and Joey Fendone (left). Flynn became Edinboro's all-time leader in wins as he picked up his 136th win as Edinboro's head coach. Now in his 12th season, Flynn has a 136-39-3 record, breaking the mark of 135 previously held by Fred Caro. Gillespie, one of eight seniors honored before the wrestling began, posted an 11-0 major decision over Phil Sorrentino at 157 lbs. to give him a 145-10 career record. That ties the career record for wins. Jason Robison also has 145 wins. Fendone, meanwhile, became the 21st Boro wrestler with 100 career wins, as he posted a mild upset over Zach Sheaffer at heavyweight, prevailing 4-2 in sudden victory. Fendone, another senior, is now 100-37 for his career. The Fendone-Sheaffer bout was the highlight of a tight evening of wrestling. Sheaffer came in ranked 12th, while Fendone was just a step behind at 13th. Following a scoreless first period, fendone rode out Scheaffer, with the Pitt senior picking up a stalling warning late in the period. Scheaffer chose neutral to start the third period and took a quick shot. He would finally complete the takedown with 1:24 remaining. He would ride Fendone until 11 seconds remained when there was a stoppage due to Fendone bleeding. Fendone would escape with six seconds to go, and quickly pressured Sheaffer. The Panther was called for a second stalling warning with a second to go, sending the match into overtime tied at 2-2. Fendone would come up with the winning takedown in a scramble with 11 seconds remaining in the overtime period. He is now 25-5, while Sheaffer falls to 17-7. Pittsburgh was penalized a point for unsportsmanlike conduct after the match. The evening got underway at 133 lbs., with Edinboro winning the first of several swing bouts. Ricky Deubel, ranked 19th, held on for a 4-3 win over 18th-ranked Jimmy Conroy. Deubel would lead 2-1 after one period thanks to a takedown and Conroy escape midway through the period. Conroy knotted the match with a quick escape to start the second, but Deubel's second takedown made it 4-2 with 1:36 left. Conroy again escaped and it was 4-3 entering the final period. Deubel chose neutral and there was no scoring. Deubel is now 24-10, while Conroy falls to 19-11. Pittsburgh grabbed a 6-3 lead when impressive redshirt freshman Tyler Nauman, ranked 12th, won by fall over Steve waite at 4;18 in the 141 lb. bout. There was no scoring in the first, but Nauman took a 2-0 lead with a reversal midway through the second period. Waite would have a quick escape, but Nauman's takedown left Waite cradled and the match was quickly over. Nauman improved to 25-7 while Waite is now 8-4. The Gillespie brothers then gave Edinboro a 13-6 lead with a pair of bonus point matches. Torsten Gillespie improved to 25-14 with a fall over mark Powell at 2:24. It was the sophomores fifth fall of the season, and his second in his last four bouts. Brother Gregor, ranked number one at 157 lbs., took the McComb Fieldhouse mat for the last time and won an 11-0 major decision over a game Phil Sorrentino. He took control immediately, with a takedown fuve seconds into the match, followed by three near-fall points at the 2:06 mark. He would add two more back points late in the period. Gillespie would tilt Sorrentino in the second period for a 10-0 lead, and he owned 4 minutes 55 seconds in riding time. Gillespie is now 34-0. In another of the swing bouts, Jarrod King saw Ethan Headlee rally to send their 165 lb. match into overtime, but then recorded the winning takedown with 28 seconds left in overtime for a 7-5 win. The senior led 4-2 after two periods thanks to a pair of takedowns. After a scoreless second period, Headlee would pull within 4-3 with an escape with 1:21 left. In a wild scramble, Headlee registered a takedown with three seconds to go for the 5-4 lead. King had 1:44 in riding time, tying the match at 5-5. In the overtime, King single-leg takedown attempt near the edge of the mat led to him pulling Headlee in and slamming him to the mat for the winning points. King, who is continuing his comeback after missing a month with a staph infection in his knee, is now 24-4. Headlee falls to 22-13. Karl DeCiantis would cut Edinboro's lead to 16-9 with a 16-9 decision over John Foley at 184 lbs. DeCiantis had six takedowns in the bout, but he was unable to come up with the major decision when Foley escaped at the buzzer. Foley, filling in for Phil Moricone and Paul Paddock, falls to 0-3. DeCiantis is 9-12. Chris Honeycutt, ranked 17th, picked up a hard-earned 4-1 decision over Zac Thomusseit at 184 lbs. The sophomore had four good shots in the first period alone, yet the period ended scoreless. Thomusseit's esacpe with 30 seconds left in the second period gave the freshman a 1-0 lead. Honeycutt knotted the score with an escape midway through the final period. He finally was able to finish a shot on Thomusseit with 42 seconds left and picked up a point for riding time. Honeycutt is now 26-6. The 197 lb. bout between Pat Bradshaw and Matt Wilps also went into overtime. Bradshaw recorded an escape in the second period, and Wilps did the same in the third. The Edinboro junior would come up with the winning takedown with 19 seconds remaining for a 3-1 win. Bradshaw is 23-6, with Wilps falling to 16-15. Top-ranked Paul Donahoe closed out the night with a fall over Chris Albright at 1:44. The senior totally dominated the match, holding a 14-2 lead when the end came. Donahoe is now 28-0 and goes to 114-18 for his career. Edinboro closes out its dual meet season on Sunday, February 22 at West Virginia. The Mountaineers defeated Cleveland State tonight, 41-0, setting up a showdown for the EWL regular season title. Edinboro is in search of its fourth straight EWL dual meet crown and fourth consecutive 6-0 season. The action gets underway at 1:00 p.m.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- In a match that featured three overtime bouts and five lead changes, it was a pair of Buckeye juniors who lifted the sixth-ranked Ohio State wrestling team to a 23-18 win over No. 19 Northwestern Friday night in Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, Ill. Trailing 18-13 with two matches remaining, the Buckeyes received wins from Mike Pucillo at 197 pounds and Corey Morrison in the heavyweight bout to propel the Scarlet and Gray to its 15th win of the season (15-2; 6-1 Big Ten). Northwestern falls to 9-7-1 overall and 2-4-1 in the league. Wrestling up a weight class, Pucillo faced John Schoen at 197 pounds. The Buckeye from Strongsville, Ohio, only had a 3-0 lead after two periods, but a three-point nearfall in the third turned into a pin at 6:41. Pucillo, ranked second in the nation at 184 pounds, improves his overall record to 15-0 including a 7-0 mark in the Big Ten. Morrison recorded his second major decision of the season following his 11-2 win over Paul Rands. After a scoreless first period for both wrestlers, Morrison quickly jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the second stanza. The native of Shaker Heights, Ohio, eventually tallied five more points on a two-point nearfall, takedown and a riding time of 2:41 to solidify the Buckeye victory. It was a rough start for the Buckeyes in the 125-pound bout. Northwestern quickly jumped out to a 5-0 lead on a 17-2 technical fall (6:21) by No. 4 Brandon Precin over Buckeye sophomore Nikko Triggas. Despite taking an early 2-0 lead in the first period on a takedown, Triggas was unable to mount any additional scoring on the 2008 All-American. However, the Scarlet and Gray would begin to shave points on the early Wildcat advantage, beginning with junior Reece Humphrey's 11-5 decision against Robert Joyce at 133 pounds. The Buckeye from Indianapolis, Ind., owned a slim 5-3 lead following the first period, but after choosing the bottom position entering the second stanza, he made his way out of Joyce's grip and recorded the escape. Humphrey, No. 3 in the nation, followed that act with a pair of takedowns compared to the Wildcat's lone escape of the period. Joyce tallied the only point in the third period, an escape after choosing bottom to begin the final period. Humphrey capped the match with a riding time of 1:03 for the extra point. At 141 pounds, the Buckeyes took a 6-5 lead following senior J Jaggers' 4-2 overtime victory against No. 15 Keith Sulzer. In the low scoring affair, Jaggers, a native of Northfield, Ohio, trailed Sulzer, 2-1, after the first period. Following a scoreless second period, Jaggers evened the score at 2-all when he escaped Sulzer's hold after choosing bottom. That would be the extent of the scoring in regulation. It was a takedown in the sudden victory overtime that propelled Jaggers, 13th in the country, to the win. Northwestern regained the lead (9-6) at 149 pounds when Andrew Nadhir major decisioned Owen Schaefer, 14-5. The Buckeye from Sandusky, Ohio, scored all of his five points on escapes in the first and second periods. What followed for the Buckeyes was a disappointing 9-7 sudden victory loss at 157 pounds as it faced its biggest deficit of the evening (12-6). Senior Jason Johnstone was up 4-2 against No. 14 Jason Welch after the first period and 6-4 after the second. Down 7-4 in the early moments of the third period, Welch rallied with a takedown and a riding time of 1:06 to send the match to overtime. The Wildcat then scored the match-deciding takedown in the sudden victory for the win. The Wildcats' lead was back at two (12-10) following No. 2 Colt Sponseller's 16-6 win over Dominic Marella in the 165-pound bout. Sponseller, who limited Marella to six escapes in the match, held just a 4-1 lead after the first period. However, Sponseller, a sophomore from Glenmont, Ohio, scored seven points in the second period to increase his lead to 11-3. Two more takedowns and a riding time of 1:53 lifted Sponseller to his 28th win of the season. Junior Dave Rella boosted the Scarlet and Gray to a one-point lead (13-12) after the third overtime match of the evening. At the end of regulation at 174 pounds, Rella and Robert Kellogg were tied, 5-5, and after a scoreless overtime session, the two battled through two tiebreakers. With each wrestler scoring an escape, Rella and Kellogg headed into a second sudden victory overtime, where Rella scored the winning takedown for the 8-6 triumph. With a shakeup in the OSU lineup, freshman TC Pendleton received the starting nod at 184 pounds against No. 1 Jake Herbert. A 2007 NCAA Champion at 184 pounds, Herbert pinned Pendleton, a native of Hoover, Ala., in 2:04 and Northwestern was back on top, 18-13. Notes: Ohio State remains in sole possession of second place in the Big Ten standings with a 6-1 record. Iowa remains a top of the league with a 7-0 record following a 24-12 win at Indiana Friday. The Buckeyes will conclude the regular season at 1 p.m. ET Sunday in Madison, Wis., against the No. 16 Badgers. The match will air live on the Big Ten Network. Tim Johnson will provide play-by-play analysis with Tim Gibbons serving as color commentary. Live stats of the Buckeyes vs. Badgers match will be available at www.uwbadgers.com. With the win Friday night, junior Reece Humphrey earned his third Big Ten victory, matching his career best from a year ago. He also surpassed his career total in pins with eight this season at Michigan Feb. 13. Senior Jason Johnstone surpassed his season-best 63 takedowns from a season ago with his 63rd, 64th and 65th Friday. With his win Friday, sophomore Colt Sponseller moved to 28-3 on the season, including a 15-2 dual record. He also is 7-0 in the Big Ten. With 132 takedowns to lead the team, Sponseller now has five major decisions, second-best on the squad. Solidifying the win for the Buckeyes, junior Corey Morrison has 19 wins on the season, a career best. His previous best was 13 in 2006-07. He also has tallied four Big Ten wins, which also stands as a personal high.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- No. 9 Illinois earned its first win against Michigan since 2000 with a 20-15 triumph over the No. 17 Wolverines in front of a season-high 1,409 fans at Huff Hall. No. 2 Jimmy Kennedy gave the Illini their first lead of the night with his major decision at 133, true-freshman Eric Terrazas earned his first Big Ten victory at 149, No. 3 Mike Poeta scored career win No. 97 and No. 8 John Wise secured the team win with his victory at heavyweight. Just 21 seconds into the bout, No. 18 Michael Watts executed a smooth hip-toss takedown on B.J. Futrell and quickly got a takedown and a three-point near-fall for a 5-0 lead. But Futrell worked into a reversal with 1:27 left after a restart. Watts escaped with 1:04 left, but Futrell got a leg and nearly finished it but Watts fought it into a stalemate and led 6-2 after a period. Watts started down in the second and escaped with 1:03 remaining. With no further scoring in the second, Futrell started down in the third and Watts rode him out for the 8-2 win after the riding time point, putting Michigan ahead, 3-0. At 133, No. 2 Jimmy Kennedy got an ankle and finished the takedown just 34 seconds into the bout before letting Zac Stevens go with 1:37 left in the period. Leading 2-1 after three minutes, Kennedy started down in the second and quickly escaped. Off a restart, Kennedy shot in on a double-leg and finished it on the edge for a takedown and a 5-1 lead. Kennedy cut Stevens loose off a restart then after another restart fired through a double-leg for the takedown with 16 seconds left for the 7-2 lead after two periods. Stevens started down in the third and Kennedy cut him loose off the whistle then blocked a shot by the Wolverine and circled around for the takedown. Kennedy cut him loose once again with 1:22 left, then got both ankles and finished the takedown on the edge for an 11-4 lead with riding time over a minute. Following an injury-time stoppage for Stevens, the Wolverine flipped over trying for the escape, but Kennedy controlled him and nearly got back points, earning the 12-4 major decision to put Illinois on top 4-3. Ryan Prater got the takedown with 2:34 left in the first against No. 3 Kellen Russell at 141 but Russell escaped 20 seconds later. Russell nearly got a takedown and back points on the edge but Prater kept hold of the Wolverine's right leg and a stalemate was called. But Russell gained control just before the horn sounded to take a 3-2 lead after a period. Russell started down in the second and got a reversal with a minute left plus three back points with 49 seconds left, but Prater scored a reversal with 45 seconds left. Russell escaped for a 9-4 lead after two periods and Prater started down in the third. Russell was warned for stalling with 1:34 left in the match and Prater escaped with 1:05 left to make it 9-5. Russell blocked a shot and fired through a double-leg with seven seconds left for the 11-5 decision to push Michigan ahead once again, 6-4. Click here to find out more! At 149, Eric Terrazas shot off the whistle and got the takedown nine seconds into the match. Terrazas was warned for stalling with 1:09 after riding Beaudry for nearly two minutes and the Wolverine escaped with 57 seconds left. After blocking three shots by Beaudry, Terrazas got a leg on the edge and eventually circled around for the takedown before riding out the Wolverine for a 4-1 lead with 2:07 of riding time after a period. Beaudry started down in the second and escaped in seven seconds. Beaudry got a leg on the edge but Terrazas fought him off after a drawn-out scramble and a stalemate was called. Terrazas executed a nice throw-by takedown but Beaudry rolled out for the escape. The Illini rookie got a leg on the edge and nearly got the second before both wrestlers went out of bounds and Terrazas took a 6-3 lead into the third. The Illini freshman started down in the third and Beaudry cut him loose off the whistle for a 7-3 lead. Terrazas shot in once again and got a leg, forced Beaudry into the splits then turned him and finished the takedown to go up 9-3. He cut the Wolverine loose then got a leg on the edge yet again before securing the takedown to go up 11-4 with riding time. After his second injury timeout, Terrazas was unable to ride out Beaudry but got a throw-by takedown on the edge for the 14-5 win, his first career Big Ten victory. No. 2 Mike Poeta scored a takedown on Aaron Hynes with 2:10 left in the first at 157 and let Hynes go with 1:26, then got a double-leg with 50 seconds left and rode him out for the 4-1 lead after three minutes. Hynes started down in the second and Poeta let him loose 16 seconds in. The Illini senior shot in, got a leg and finished the takedown on the edge with 1:22 left and Hynes escaped 14 seconds later to make it 6-3 in Poeta's favor after the second. Poeta started down in the third and Hynes rode him out as the Illini senior took a 6-3 win, pushing the Illini's lead to 11-6. No. 15 Roger Smith-Bergsrud fired through a double-leg with 1:29 left in the first period against Justin Zeerip at 165 and Zeerip escaped with 1:15. But Smith-Bergsrud shot through another double-leg takedown on the edge with 40 seconds left and let Zeerip go with 30 seconds left, then took down Zeerip once again with six seconds left for the 6-2 lead after the first. Zeerip started down in the second and escaped in 10 seconds but Smith-Bergsrud took him down six seconds later. The Wolverine escaped in nine seconds but Smith-Bergsrud got another takedown with 1:14 after Zeerip was warned for stalling five seconds earlier. Zeerip escaped with 59 seconds left to make Smith-Bergsrud's lead 10-5 after five minutes. The pair started neutral in the third and Zeerip was hit with another stalling warning, giving Smith-Bergsrud a point. The Illini senior got a leg with 17 seconds left but couldn't fight off Zeerip's whizzer and took the 12-5 win, improving Illinois' advantage to 14-6. At 174, No. 1 Steve Luke got a leg and finished the takedown on John Dergo with 1:31 left in the first but Dergo escaped 16 seconds later. Dergo got a leg with 58 seconds left but Luke fought him off and caused a stalemate. Luke got in on a leg and finished it to take a 4-1 lead after the first. Luke started down in the second and escaped in five seconds to go up 5-1. After no further scoring, Dergo started down in the third and kicked out in eight seconds. Dergo got in on a leg with a minute left but Luke bent Dergo's neck into a dangerous position and the hold was broken. Luke got in on a leg as time ran down but Dergo fended him off as the Wolverine took the 5-2 victory, bringing Michigan within 14-9. With 1:50 left, No. 13 Anthony Biondo shot in and got a leg before finished the takedown on No. 12 Jordan Blanton but Blanton escaped in 13 seconds. But Blanton got in on a double-leg near the edge for the takedown with 55 seconds to take a 3-2 lead. Biondo escaped with 31 seconds left to tie the bout at 3 after a period. Biondo started down in the second and escaped in 29 seconds. Blanton got a leg and nearly put Biondo on his back but couldn't keep control before he finally circled around and go the takedown with 57 seconds left for the 5-4 lead after the second. Blanton started down in the third and slipped out of Biondo's grasp for the reversal with 55 seconds left in the bout to go up 7-4. He rode out Biondo to secure the riding-time point and win, 8-4, pushing the Illini's lead to 17-9. At 197, No. 6 Tyrel Todd took down Patrick Bond with 50 seconds left then locked in an armbar and pinned the Illini in 2:48 to cut Illinois' lead to 17-15. No. 8 John Wise forced a stalling warning on Michigan's Eddie Phillips with 42 seconds left in the first period, then swooped in for a leg and tripped him for the takedown on the edge with 16 seconds remaining. Wise rode him out for the 2-0 lead after a period. Wise started down in the second and escaped in four seconds then got a leg, lifted it and tripped Phillips for another takedown on the edge with 31 seconds left. Wise rode him out once more to take a 5-1 lead with 43 seconds of riding time to the third. Phillips started down in the third and escaped off the whistle. Wise fended off late attacks from Phillips, countering a shot and circling for the takedown as the horn sounded for the 7-2 win that sealed the Illini's 20-15 victory. No. 9 Illinois returns to action Sunday against Michigan State. Admission is free to all fans for the 1 p.m. dual where the Fighting Illini will honor four seniors prior to the match.

Cambridge, MA -- Lou Ruggirello, Justin Accordino and Joe Fagiano each recorded victories by fall to lead the 23rd-ranked Hofstra Pride to a 31-11 victory over the Harvard Crimson at the Malkin Athletic Center Friday night. The Pride, who closed out their regular season dual match schedule, improved to 10-6 while Harvard falls to 4-11. The Pride jumped out to an 18-0 lead after three matches. Freshman Steve Bonanno (26-12), ranked 20th, won by forfeit at 125 pounds. Junior Lou Ruggirello (25-3), ranked eighth at 133 pounds, recorded his career-best 16th pin of the season with a victory by fall over Tommy Picarsic (7-4) in 1:08. It was Ruggirello's sixth straight win. Red-shirt freshman Justin Accordino (20-10) tallied his 20th win of the season and his 10th pin with a victory by fall over Jonny Motley (2-10) in 2:05. Harvard cut into the Pride's lead with a 17-0 tech fall victory by Walter Peppelman (19-10) over Pride sophomore Jeff Rotella (6-13) at 149 pounds, and fourth-ranked J.P. O'Connor's (25-2) 8-1 decision over freshman Fran O'Brien (0-5) at 157 pounds. But Hofstra sophomore Ryan Patrovich (18-6) ended Harvard's little run with a 17-6 major decision over Michael Sadler (1-16) at 165. It was Patrovich's fourth major of the season. Hofstra's 10th-ranked senior Alton Lucas (22-5) notched a 7-3 decision over Andy Olson (3-2) at 174 pounds to boost the Pride lead to 25-8. The Crimson's 10th-ranked Louis Caputo (25-4) recorded a 7-3 victory over Pride freshman Ben Clymer (18-11) before Hofstra sophomore Joe Fagiano (14-6) tallied his third victory by fall of the season with a pin of Patrick Ziemnik in 4:02 at 197 pounds. Both teams forfeited at 285 pounds leaving the final score at 31-11. The Pride will now prepare to defend their seven consecutive CAA Team Championships on March 6-7 at Oscar Smith High School in Chesapeake, Virginia.

IOWA CITY, IA -- The top-ranked Iowa wrestling team posted its 37th straight dual win Friday night with a 24-12 victory over #18 Indiana at Bloomington. The Hawkeyes improved to 23-0 (7-0 Big Ten), while handing the Hoosiers (15-6-1, 2-4-1 Big Ten) their sixth loss of the season. Iowa posted wins at the first two weights to take a 7-0 lead. Hawkeye senior Charlie Falck opened the dual for Iowa at 125 with a 3-1 upset in sudden victory over #3 Angel Escobedo. Falck, who is ranked fifth with a 19-2 record, handed the defending NCAA and Big Ten champ his third loss of the season and snapped his five-match winning streak. Iowa junior Daniel Dennis followed with a 16-4 major decision over Matt Ortega at 133, posting his ninth straight win. Indiana fought back with an upset of its own at 141 as unranked Andrae Hernandez scored two nearfall points in the second tiebreak period to beat Hawkeye senior Alex Tsirtsis, 3-1. Hernandez, who was one of Tsirtsis' teammates at Griffith High School in Griffith, IN, snapped the second-ranked Hawkeye senior's six-match winning streak. Hawkeye junior Brent Metcalf gave Iowa an 11-3 lead with a 19-4 techincal fall over Nick Walpole at 149. The top-ranked Hawkeye posted his 60th straight win with the victory, improving to 28-0 on the season. Indiana won its second match of the night when 157-pounder Kurt Kinser scored a 4-1 decision over Hawkeye sophomore Matt Ballweg. Hawkeye juniors posted wins at the next four weights to clinch the dual. Ryan Morningstar kicked off the run with a 7-5 win over Paul Young at 165. Jay Borschel followed at 174 with his sixth straight win and fourth straight major decision with a 10-2 victory over Trevor Perry. Phillip Keddy scored his 13th straight win to remain undefeated in dual competition (23-0) with an 11-5 win over Eric Cameron in 184. Chad Beatty scored an 8-5 win over Matt Powless at 197 for his sixth straight victory. Iowa closed out the dual by forfeiting the heavyweight match. The Hawkeyes will close out the 2008-09 dual meet season at #19 Northwestern (9-6-1, 2-3-1 Big Ten) Sunday at 2 p.m. (CT). The dual will be held at Welsh-Ryan Arena. The Wildcats hosted #6 Ohio State (14-2, 5-1 Big Ten) Friday night.

AMES, Iowa -- For the No. 3 Iowa State wrestlers is was a beauty. For No. 12 Minnesota, which managed six takedowns to ISU's 25, it was a beast. The Cyclones won all nine contested matches in a 29-6 win over the Gophers Friday in Hilton Coliseum. Iowa State forfeited at 133 pounds. The victory marked Iowa State's biggest win over Minnesota since a 39-2 rout of the Gophers on Feb. 10, 1985 in Minneapolis, Minn. The last time ISU won every contested match in the series was a 41-0 shutout of Minnesota, Jan. 30, 1981. Iowa State stands at 14-3 in duals. Minnesota falls to 14-8. ISU wrestles at No. 4 Nebraska Sunday at 2 p.m. in Lincoln, Neb. in the dual season finale. A crowd of 7,224 took in the Friday's simultaneous wrestling and gymnastics meet in a promotion dubbed "Beauty and the Beast." U.S. Olympic Gold Medalist Shawn Johnson was in attendance. The Iowa State gymnasts upheld their end of the affair, beating the Gophers 194.600-191.475. "The thing I liked most was that we came out and fought in every match and were still strong enough to keep up the offense late in the matches," Iowa State head coach Cael Sanderson said. "Minnesota is a good team and to beat them soundly you have to be at your best." The "Beast" portion of the event started at 125-pounds for the Cyclone wrestlers. No. 10-ranked Tyler Clark of Iowa State scored the upset, beating No. 7 ranked Zach Sanders of Minnesota, 3-2. The Bettendorf, Iowa native's decision came by way of a riding-time advantage of 1:31. Clark improves to 22-5 on his sophomore campaign. Sanders drops to 31-4. ISU's returning All-American at 165 pounds added bonus points to the ISU team score. Sophomore Jon Reader major decisioned Minnesota's Scott Glasser by a score of 12-3. Reader tallied four takedowns in the match. The No. 1-ranked Cyclone 197-pounder Jake Varner also got in on the bonus point action. Varner poured on the offense for a 14-4 major decision against Gordon Bierschenk of Minnesota. Varner tallied four takedowns over the match and improved his season record to 24-1. He is a perfect 16-0 in dual action this season. After surrendering the forfeiture points at 133 pounds, the Cyclones won the final eight matches of the dual, including decisions at 141, 149 and 157 pounds. ISU's Nick Gallick edged Minnesota's Mike Thorn 7-5 at 141 pounds. Iowa City native Mitch Mueller (149) cruised to a 10-4 decision over his Gopher opponent, Joe Grygelko. Eighth-ranked Cyler Sanderson beat 18th-ranked Tyler Safratowich of Minnesota by decision, 10-6 at 157. ISU's Duke Burk picked up a win at 174 pounds by controlling Minnesota's Matt Everson by decision, 10-6. Following Burk's win, redshirt freshman JeromeWard (184) grinded out a victory for the Cyclones against Minnesota's Sonny Yohn. Ward recorded a takedown at the 0:40 mark in the third period to secure the win. Top-ranked ISU heavyweight David Zabriskie finished the 9-0 sweep of the Gophers by handling 17th-ranked Minnesota heavyweight Ben Berhow by a score of 11-6. Zabriskie notched four takedowns in the match and improves his season record to 27-2.

Click links below to listen to audio interviews from the Minnesota-Iowa State dual meet on Friday in Ames, Iowa. Rev Audio: Cael Sanderson (ISU) Rev Audio: Cody Sanderson (ISU) Rev Audio: J Robinson (MN)

Takedown Radio is proud to announce a first in the world's oldest sport. Anna Cummings, a 19 year old Senior at Onondaga Central High School in Nedrow, NY has been named the February TDR National High School Wrestler of the Month. The 103 lb. Cummings is the first girl in the Section III category in New York to place in Sectionals, the first Section III girl to attain 100 wins, and the second in state history for wins by a girl. Anna has been Wrestling Team Captain for two years, as well Captain of the Soccer Team. She is the Student Representative for wrestling on the schools Athletic Club,committed to assisting fellow athletes, and volunteers in her community to help those less fortunate than her. She regularly provides instruction to other female wrestlers and provides significant time assisting in the local Pee Wee wrestling program. She's attended numerous wrestling camps and clinics for the past five years, and has traveled to Canada, Puerto Rico, and Germany on behalf of wrestling. A member of the Honor Roll, Anna's favorite subjects include Advanced Math and Independent Study in Technology. In addition to top academic performance, and an impressive athletic record, Anna is very visible in numerous civic endeavors. She has contributed to bettering the lives of others with the Salvation Army, a local food pantry, volunteer fire department, and was instrumental in raising money for a local wrestler that was temporarily paralyzed in a wrestling accident. "We're living in a time where anything is possible if you believe in yourself, and try hard enough", commented TDR host and founder Scott Casber. "Here's an athlete that continually faces great challenges, and usually comes out the winner. Anna is clearly someone who makes a difference in all aspects of her walk in life. We want to do what we can to let the world know", Casber concluded. The Takedown Radio High School Wrestler of the Month Award is presented by Resilite Sports Products, and is made possible by Brute adidas, Sunflower Wrestling Supply, W.I.N. Magazine, and intermat. Both the athlete and coach receive various award materials as well as media recognition as part of national competition.

Four of the Flames eight victories on the evening came from their honored seniors, as Liberty rolled to its third straight victory over VMI with a 38-9 dual wrestling win, Thursday evening, inside the Vines Center. With the victory, Liberty's fifth straight, which included a second straight Eastern Regional Dual title, the Flames up their season record to 11-9-1. The setback was VMI's 10th straight to drop the visiting Keydets to 0-10-0 and served as Liberty's second win of the year over an athletics department with full-fledged membership in the Big South Conference. Prior to the start of the dual, the Flames honored four members of their senior class – Chris Daggett, Tim Harner, Christian Smith and Patrick Walker. The quartet helped the Flames return to the wrestling mats after a 12-year hiatus for the 2006-07 season. Since donning Liberty singlets three seasons ago, the group has helped the Flames post a 37-29-1 dual meet record and back-to-back NCAA East Regional championships. Collectively, they have qualified for nine NCAA national championship appearances during their wrestling careers. Following the evening's opening festivities, the team score quickly moved to 6-6 with back-to-back forfeits. John Pope picked up an uncontested victory at 125 pounds for VMI, while Smith netted his 20th victory of the year without breaking a sweat with a forfeit win at 133 pounds. Liberty quickly pushed its lead to six points, 12-6, following Harner's win by fall at 4:06 in the senior's 141-pound bout. After scoring a quick two-point takedown in the first, the bout score remained the same until the second. After netting an escape point to open the middle period, Harner made a quick move on David Yost, taking the freshman down and pinning him to the mat for this 10th win by fall and team-leading 23rd win on the year. Frankie Gayeski's bout at 149 pounds almost was identical to Harner's opening victory. Gayeski, a transfer from Lehigh, scored a two-point takedown with 15 seconds left in the opening three minutes of action. A quick escape followed by the redshirt junior's second takedown of the bout, gave him position on Richard Crozier, leading to a win by fall at 4:04 to push Liberty's lead to 18-6. What started out as a relatively quiet bout at 157 pounds, turned into something interesting in the final two minutes of action between Shaun Smith and Michael Long. Smith led 5-0 after five minutes, thanks to a pair of takedowns and a second-period escape point. Long got on the scoreboard with an early escape to open the third, but Smith controlled the remainder of the final period, scoring a two-point takedown 20 seconds later which led to three near-fall points. After adding 3:20 minutes of riding time, Smith claimed the 11-1 major decision, giving the Flames a sizeable 22-6 lead with his fourth straight win. Brad Clark kept things rolling for Liberty at 165 pounds, opening the first with four points against Jon Horne. The redshirt freshman took down Horne 13 seconds into the bout and added two near-fall points with the move. After adding another takedown in the second, Clark recorded his third two-point move of the bout in the third which led to his first pin of his collegiate career, sticking Horne to the mats at 6:11 to widen Liberty's lead to 28-6 in the dual. In the closest of the first five weight class matchups, Aaron Kelley quickly gained control of Andrew Szymborski with a takedown 13 seconds after the opening whistle. After the Keydets' 174-pound freshman escaped twice and a second takedown by Kelley, the junior lead 4-2 after three minutes. A two-point reversal by Kelley and a third escape by Szymborski left the match with three after five minutes, 6-3. The Keydets grappler escaped for a fourth time after choosing down to open the third, but Kelley outlasted him and added 1:13 of riding time to net a 7-4 decision. The Flames then sent their second hottest wrestle out to the mats in Daggett at 184 pounds to take on Vinnie Gallo. And the senior didn't disappoint the hometown crown, controlling his matchup with the Keydets freshmen from the onset. Daggett rode two first-period takedowns to a 4-1 lead after three minutes, while widening his advantage to 9-2 after the second, thanks to an escape and another pair of takedowns. The senior opened the third with a two-point reversal, leading to three near-fall points to put the bout out of reach. After adding 2:24 of riding time, Daggett picked up his sixth straight victory and 21st of the season to push Liberty's lead to 31 points, 35-6. In the lowest scoring bout of the evening, the 197-pound matchup between Liberty's Brandon Johnson and VMI's Curtis Moore remained scoreless until the second. The Keydets' sophomore choose the down position to open the middle round and 25 seconds later escaped for the bout's lone point. After tacking on 1:33 worth of riding time, Moore netted the visitors second and final victory of the night to change the scoreboard to read 35-9 in Liberty's favor. The Flames' Walker and the Keydets' Josh Wine, two of the better heavyweights in the Commonwealth, concluded the evening against each other. Walker quickly opened up a lead with a two-point takedown at 1:15 in the first to open up an early 2-0 lead. The junior, opened the second with an escape followed by a second takedown during the period. Neither grapplers added points to the scoreboard during the third period aside from Walker's point for 3:33 worth of riding time, giving the junior his 11th win of the season and sealing the convincing win for the Flames for the third straight time over their in-state foe. Liberty truly dominated in the dual, winning eight of 10 weight class matchups and letting the Keydets only score on eight escapes, the forfeit at 125 pounds and Moore's riding time at 197 pounds. The Flames will return to action on Monday night when they welcome the Mountaineers of Appalachian State to the Vines Center. The opening whistle is set to sound at 7 p.m., in the contest that will mark the final regular-season dual for both squads.

NORFOLK, Va. -- The 20th ranked ODU Monarchs (16-6) won its first ever dual over a top fifteen team tonight, as it upended the 14th ranked Virginia Tech (20-2), 19-15. The Monarchs won six matches in the dual, handing the Hokies just their second loss of the season in front of the largest wrestling crowd ever at the Ted Constant Convocation Center. Drama surrounded the match, but the swing came at 174 lbs. With a modest 13-6 lead, the Monarchs looked to junior Eric Decker to face former teammate Anthony Trongone. The two battled in regulation and managed just escape points, tied at 1-1. In the sudden victory period, Decker took several shots early before finally landing one and scoring the huge win to give ODU a 10 point lead with three matches to go. Then, after a loss at 184 lbs, junior Jesse Strawn had the opportunity to seal the match. He seemed primed to do so, too, with a 6-0 lead in the third period, but Virginia Tech's D.J. Bruce managed to counter a shot late as Strawn was looking for a major decision. Bruce got Strawn on his back with plenty of time, over a minute, to work. Strawn kept his second shoulder up and finally managed to roll through and nearly reversed Bruce and scored the escape with 14 seconds remaining. He literally escaped with a 7-5 decision and sealed the big win for ODU. Old Dominion started the night with the 31st season win for redshirt sophomore James Nicholson at 125 lbs. He was charged with his eighth match against a nationally ranked opponent this season, facing #14 Jarrod Garnett. The 6th ranked Monarch led by as many as three early before Garnett scored a takedown late in the second period. After another escape point in the third for Garnett, Nicholson was able to avoid any more scoring and put ODU up 3-0. Kyle Hutter then gave ODU a bonus point victory at 133 lbs in dramatic fashion. Ahead of Tech's Brock LiVorio for most of the match, Hutter looked like he would have to settle for just a decision, but with less than five seconds remaining Hutter scored a takedown on the edge and got LiVorio on his back for points. Hutter actually would pin LiVorio, but it came after the buzzer sounded and would have to settle for a major decision and the seven point lead. Senior Ryan Williams, in the final home match of his career, also had to face a nationally ranked opponent, #17 Chris Diaz. Like the match at 125, it was a battle, but Williams was able to win his last home match at ODU, 3-2, and improved to 129-40 in his career, just six wins shy of the all-time lead. Virginia Tech followed with two four-point decisions at 149 and 157 to cut the lead to four. True freshmen Pete Yates and Jesse Dong won over Joey Metzler and Kaylen Baxter respectively. ODU junior Chris Brown got the momentum back in favor of the Monarchs with an 11-5 decision over familiar foe Matt Epperly (VT). The two have wrestled against eachother for over seven years as foes in high school and college. This time, Brown teetered toward a major decision, but was unable to score one more takedown late in the third and settled for the decision. ODU won its third over a nationally ranked team this season will wrap up the 2008-09 regular season this Saturday on the road against NC State (4-14-1) at 7:30 pm.

ELKHART, Ind. -- The Purdue wrestling team scored its first Big Ten Dual victory of the season on Thursday night, taking down Michigan State University (MSU), 19-17, in Northside Gymnasium. The Boilermakers improved to 12-6-1 overall and 1-5-1 in conference action with the win, while the Spartans dropped to 6-9 (1-6 Big Ten). The Boilermakers won five of 10 matches on the evening, highlighted by 14th-ranked 184-pound sophomore A.J. Kissel's team-best 16th fall of the season and No. 8 senior Jake Patacsil's 10-2 major decision at 149 pounds. Kissel is now tied for sixth in NCAA Division I this season in falls, and also owns the top-two single-season fall counts in Purdue's history, breaking his tie for second place with 2009 Purdue Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame inductee Dave Lilovich. Thursday night's action kicked off at 165 pounds where 16th-ranked Purdue sophomore Luke Manuel squared off with MSU senior Rex Kendle for the second time this season. The pair first met in the championship match at the season-opening Eastern Michigan Open, where Manuel posted a solid 5-1 decision. The Big Ten matchup went mostly the same as Manuel scored a takedown, two escapes, a stalling point and a riding time point to give the Boilermakers the early 3-0 edge. The 174-pound matchup of hometown heroes, and ended up being a marathon session as Purdue junior Nick Corpe and Spartan freshman Ian Hinton needed a second sudden victory period to decide the match. The pair traded escapes to end regulation in a 1-1 tie, and after a near-takedown by Corpe in the first overtime, they traded escapes in the tie-break period to head into the second sudden victory at 2-2. Corpe hit a low single midway through the one-minute frame, hoisting Hinton's right leg and trying to trip him for the takedown. However, Hinton managed to funk his way into a scramble on the mat and came out on top for the 4-2 win, evening the team score at 3-3. Kissel launched the Boilermakers into the lead, sticking MSU sophomore Eric Anderson in just 2:07. Kissel hit an immediate takedown after the opening whistle and went to work on Anderson's arms looking for the turn. The Purdue sophomore latched on to Anderson's left arm with just over a minute left in the frame in the center of the mat and proceeded to work in the half nelson and work the Spartan over to his shoulder blades for the fall. No. 17 sophomore Logan Brown followed up with a 6-0 decision over MSU senior John Murphy at 197 pounds, stretching Purdue's team advantage to 12-3. Brown scored takedowns in the first and third periods, working hard on top and nearly turning Murphy several times, but only added an escape and riding time point in the decision. Purdue junior Chris Kasten continued the run at heavyweight with a 2-0 decision over MSU freshman Steve Andrus. Kasten escaped to start the second period and rode Andrus through the entire third frame to seal the win. The Spartans started a run of their own capturing wins at 125, 133 and 141 pounds as MSU freshman Eric Olanowski earned an 11-7 win over Purdue sophomore Akif Eren at 125, sixth-ranked MSU junior Franklin Gomez notched a 17-2 technical fall over Boilermaker freshman Carson Beebe at 133, and rookie Collin Dozier used a riding time point to slide by Purdue sophomore Juan Archuleta, 6-5. The 11 team points pulled MSU within one team point, 15-14. Patacsil set the Boilermakers back on track at 149 pounds, using a dominant third period on top to seal up a 10-2 major decision over MSU freshman David Cheza. After surrendering a takedown to start the match, Patacsil quickly escaped and earned a takedown of his own to earn a 3-2 edge. After a scoreless second session, Patacsil took the top position in the third and went to work with his tilts. He tipped over the Spartan for a pair of three-point nearfalls and had more than two minutes of riding time to secure the bonus point and push the team score to 19-14 in Purdue's advantage. MSU closed out the match with a 7-5 decision for freshman Anthony Jones over Purdue junior Nick Bertucci at 157 pounds, but the three team points were not enough to close the gap. The Boilermakers close out their Big Ten Dual schedule on Saturday at 7 p.m. in Holloway Gymnasium against visiting 17th-ranked University of Michigan. The match will be broadcast live at Purdue All-Access and live results will be available via NWCA College Scorebook online.

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. -- A wise and successful coach once reminded a rival after a disappointing loss that "What was delayed was not to be denied." The title was certainly delayed, but Kent State was not to be denied. With Kent State clinging to a 15-14 lead going into the final match, they sent one of their best wrestlers to the mats at 285. The match went into overtime, but fifth-year senior Jermail Porter quickly sent CMU's Jarrod Trice to the mat as the Golden Flashes (13-4, 5-0) completed the Mid-American Conference regular season sweep. "It's really exciting," head coach Jim Andrassy told Ty Linder on the Kent State Sports Network afterward. "Our guys trained real hard and Jermail got it done for us at the end. It's a great win for our program." Starting the match at 125, sophomore Nic Bedelyon got the rematch he had been circling on his schedule since November: Central Michigan's Scotti Sentes. At the 125 championship bout at the Oklahoma Gold, Sentes caught Bedelyon for the pin in 13 seconds. This time, the match was all Bedelyon. Sentes looked as if he might record the early takedown, but Bedelyon held to the leg for dear life and he turned the tables on Sentes and Nic was off to the races. In the match, Bedelyon recorded three takedowns, two back points and added the riding point for the 9-3 lead. Kent State was on the board first 3-0. "I've definitely been gunning for this match," Bedelyon told Linder. "Coach just kept telling me to attack, attack, attack and I tried to keep pressuring him." The match was a little closer at 133, but Kent State's redshirt junior Danny Mitcheff came out on top. Mitcheff recorded the early takedown, but CMU's Conor Beebe escaped to cut the lead in half. The match was squared with Beebe's second period escape, but Mitcheff triumphed 3-2 with an escape of his own in the third for the win and the KSU 6-0 lead. Kent State continued to extend the three-match haymaker to begin the contest at 141. Lashaway got the takedown in the first but Central Michigan's Jeff Sutich tied it up with a pair of the escapes in the first and second. However, an escape, takedown and the riding point in the final period gave Lashaway the 6-2 triumph and the Golden Flashes a 9-0 lead. Central Michigan countered at 149 when Steven Brown defeated fifth-year senior Clint Sponseller 5-1, but the Chippewas lost a team point when Brown was called for unsportsmanlike for pushing Sposeller after the match. Kent State held on to the 9-2 lead. Having lost a critical team point, it did not take long for CMU to get the point right back. The match between redshirt freshman Ross Tice and CMU's Tyler Grayson was tied 2-2 after two, but the final stanza saw Grayson outscore Tice 10-2 for the 12-4 major decision. Kent State's lead was 9-6. The major parade for the Chippewas continued at 165 as CMU's Trevor Stewart defeated redshirt junior Obie Simpson 10-0. Central Michigan took the lead for the first time 10-9. The advantage went to 14-9 for CMU after 174 when redshirt sophomore Chris Estep lost 14-4. As he has been all season, redshirt freshman Dustin Kilgore was the streak breaker. Kilgore and CMU's Vince DiDonna were scoreless after one, but DiDonna took a 1-0 lead with the escape to start the second. Kilgore then responded by adding a takedown in the second and a takedown, escape and riding point in the third cut the Chippewas lead to 14-12 after eight bouts. The match was shaping to come down to the heavyweights, and fifth-year senior Eric Chine did his part at 197. Both wrestlers got the escape in the second and third with the match coming down to the final ticks. Chine looked to have a takedown near the scorers table, but it was waved off. In the final seconds, Chine got the takedown for the 3-1 win and gave Kent State the lead back 15-14. "It was a big win for us, but I didn't really feel any pressure," Chine explained. "It's my last chance against these guys, I'm a senior so I did what I expected myself to do." There was probably more than expected drama at 285. Porter got the early takedown, but CMU's Jarod Trice escaped. Both wrestlers traded escapes from the down position in the second and third, but Porter was called for fleeing and the match went to bonus wrestling tied 3-3. In the overtime, it took longer for the takedown call than head coach Jim Andrassy probably wanted, but it was two-pointer just the same as Kent State ended an 11 match losing streak to the Chippewas on their home mats. It was the first regular season title since the 2003 season and the first outright championship since 1990. Kent State will have a two-week break before their return to action at the MAC Championships at Eastern Michigan. "We are going to enjoy this, but we have to remember what it is. It's a dual meet win and we still have a bunch of goals left to accomplish. We'll enjoy the ride home but there's still work to be done," Andrassy added.

GOLDEN, Colo. -- Colorado School of Mines defeated Colorado State University – Pueblo by the score of 21-15 in a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) wrestling dual on Wednesday evening, February 18th, at Volk Gymnasium. The Orediggers (2-6-0 overall, 2-6-0 RMAC), who led throughout the dual, got victories from Jesse Snider (149 lbs.), Travis Wokasch (157 lbs.), Jordan Larsen (165 lbs.), Ryan Swanson (184 lbs.) and Bryan Stansbury (HWT). For Snider, who has not lost since December 13th, 2008, the victory was his 15th in a row. Lyle Evans (125 lbs.), Joe Jones (133 lbs.), Markus Portillos (141 lbs.), Kellen Desmond (184 lbs.) and Tony Chavarria (197 lbs.) all came away victorious for the ThunderWolves (2-14-0 overall, 0-9-0 RMAC), who won five of the last six individual contests.

Achieving balance between academics and extra-curricular activities is a challenge for any college student. Now, try balancing the academic rigors of being a pre-med student … and as a starter at the collegiate wrestling program that has won more national titles than any other school in any sport. Brandon MasonThat's Brandon Mason's daily balancing act. The 165-pound senior for Oklahoma State has had more than his fair share of challenges on and off the mat, some resulting in triumph, some ending in frustration and disappointment. Take the first few weeks of 2009, for example. Among the frustrations for Mason, ranked ninth by RevWrestling.com: Losing to five of the top six wrestlers in his weight class. Among the triumphs: Beating the second-ranked wrestler at 165 (at the time) … winning his 100th match as a Cowboy … and being accepted into medical school. Acceptance Brandon Mason recently learned he has been accepted into the Oklahoma State Medical School at Tulsa, realizing a long-time dream. "I've wanted to go into medicine since high school," says the graduate of Lewis Central High School in Iowa, where he was teammates with Trent and Travis Paulson, All-Americans at Iowa State. "I always did well in the sciences." "OSU-Tulsa was my first choice for med school," continues Mason. "I start classes in August, so there won't be much downtime after graduation here." While most of his fellow seniors at Oklahoma State are getting ready to say goodbye to a long succession of classes, late-night study sessions, term papers and tests, Brandon Mason's academic career is not just continuing, but about to shift into overdrive. "At med school, I'll have four more years of school, then two years of residency." When asked about the challenge of being a pre-med student and a starting wrestler on one of the all-time great college wrestling programs, Mason replies, "You've got to prioritize. It's all about time management. It's not easy; in fact, it's downright hard, but, if you want to do it, you can. Eric Tannenbaum did it. Other guys have done it." "It's critical to the rest of my life." In good company Brandon Mason mentions Eric Tannenbaum, a two-time Big Ten champ and four-time All-American for the Wolverines who graduated in 2008 with a degree in neuroscience, and is now enrolled at the University of Michigan's Medical School. Brandon Mason is ranked No. 9 in the country at 165 pounds by RevWrestling.com (Photo/Tech-Fall.com)Mason and Tannenbaum are not alone. Over the years, a number of top college wrestlers have been drawn to the medical profession. C.P. Schlatter, J.P. O'Connor, and Jordan Leen are recent examples. Among the mat greats of the past, there's "Big" Bill Miller, a graduate of the Ohio State veterinary school who found time to win two Big Ten heavyweight titles for the Buckeyes in the early 1950s, and, from Oklahoma State, Stanley Henson, a three-time NCAA champ in the late 1930s who became a prominent surgeon and an early pioneer in sports medicine. Along with Mason, others who are currently in pre-med programs include O'Connor, a biology major at Harvard who, according to a February 2008 Rev Gold profile for RevWrestling.com, plans to go into either orthopedics, or emergency medicine … and Leen, 2008 NCAA champ at 157 pounds who, according to his bio at the Cornell University Web site, is studying Nutritional Science at the College of Human Ecology. C.P. Schlatter, Big Ten champ and All-American for the University of Minnesota, graduated from the "U" in 2008 with a degree in nursing … and landed a well-paying, full-time position as a registered nurse at the University of Minnesota Medical Center-Fairview. Heavy class load In addition to sharing an ambition to go into medicine, like these wrestlers, Brandon Mason is also a high achiever in the classroom. This was evidenced back in high school, where he was a member of the National Honor Society. At Oklahoma State, Mason has been a repeat Academic All-American. As the biological science and nutrition and exercise major puts it, "You have to have a 3.6 GPA to get into med school." John SmithIn explaining the challenge of balancing a tough academic load with the demands of wrestling for the Cowboys, Mason says, "I've tried to train myself to studying smart. I strive to get eight hours of sleep each night … One hour before practice, I have an hour where I don't study, so I can clear my head and focus on wrestling." In an interview published in January 2009, Oklahoma State head coach John Smith said, "He's got some neat things that he's getting ready to move into his life, and I think the key for him is to not move to those things too fast because this is something he's going to remember." "I don't want any hangovers for him as he moves into his career after he finishes … He needs to hold onto his beliefs right now and be determined to stay focused on what he came here to accomplish." Triumph and frustration on the mat Brandon Mason has accomplished much in his five years as an Oklahoma State wrestler. His first year in Stillwater -- the 2004-2005 season -- he was 19-0 competing in open tournaments as a redshirt, snaring four tourney titles. He was unscored upon all season until his final tournament. The following season as a freshman, he posted a 24-13 record at 174 pounds, qualifying for the 2006 NCAAs as a Big 12 wild card selection, but did not place. As a sophomore, Mason had a 27-13 overall record, placing second at the 2007 Big 12 conference championships (losing in the 174 finals to Missouri's Ben Askren), and taking fifth place at the NCAAs, earning All-American honors. During the 2007-2008 season, Brandon Mason built up a 29-7 overall record at 174 pounds, was again runner-up in the Big 12 conference finals (losing to Nebraska's Brandon Browne in the last ten seconds). He qualified for the 2008 NCAAs, but was upset in the second round by Boise State's Nathan Lee, then, after winning two consolation bracket bouts, was eliminated by Cornell's Steve Anceravage. Brandon Mason was a 2007 All-American at 174 pounds (Photo/Tech-Fall.com)This year, as a senior, Brandon Mason dropped down to 165, after wrestling three varsity seasons at 174. At the beginning of the season, Oklahoma State coach John Smith said of the move, "He will be able to make the move to 165 pounds work. He's committed to going down a weight. He's responsible and weight melts off him during the season." As of this writing, Mason has compiled a 24-7 record, with five pins, five technical falls, and three major decisions. At the 2009 Virginia Duals in early January, the Iowa native notched his 100th college career win, joining an elite group of Cowboys such as Alan Fried, Johny Hendricks and Johnny Thompson who achieved this milestone under Coach Smith. Along with these accomplishments, Brandon Mason has suffered frustrating losses to top-ranked opponents, including a 4-3 loss No. 19 Mike Galante of Lehigh at the Northeast Duals, falling 4-2 to No. 15 Edinboro's Jarrod King at the Reno Tournament of Champions, and a 5-3 loss to No. 11 Trevor Stewart of Central Michigan at the Virginia Duals. The dual-meet season of the past month or so has posed even more problems for Mason. He lost to No. 3 Ryan Morningstar of Iowa, 3-1 … was pinned by Iowa State's Jon Reader (ranked sixth) at 2:28 … then, in one week, suffered back-to-back losses to Nebraska's No. 5 Stephen Dwyer, 3-1, and Missouri's No. 4 Nick Marable, 3-2. Among the bright spots: shutting out seventh-ranked Moza Fay of Northern Iowa in the Panthers' home gym, and this past weekend, pinning Binghamton's Ryan McGarity at 4:30, and scoring a 17-0 technical fall over Wyoming's Alex Rieder at 4:48 at Gallagher-Iba Arena. "I've been putting on that orange singlet since the beginning of college," says Brandon Mason. "Every day in the practice room, you see the photos of the guys who've gone before you, all-time greats, guys I admire and have come to know, like Mike Sheets and Chris Pendleton. You know the program's heritage, its legacy of winning." Considering that legacy, Oklahoma State's disappointing 14-7 dual-meet record, and setbacks in his own senior season, Mason says, "You can't help but feel the pressure." Then he quickly adds, "We will rise above it. We will surprise a lot of people at St Louis (for the 2009 NCAAs)." After the Cowboys' decisive February 15 wins over Binghamton and University of Wyoming, Brandon Mason reinforced that optimism with this statement at the Oklahoma State wrestling Web site: "We're right there where we can achieve greatness. We just have to go out there and take it. You can't really say we're on a roll now. We need to go and continue to perform against OU and at Big 12 and then at Nationals." From Council Bluffs to Stillwater, via Mongolia So, how did a guy who was born in Iowa City and won three Iowa high school state titles at Lewis Central in Council Bluffs, become an Oklahoma State Cowboy? By way of the Far East … "In high school, I was involved in Athletes in Action," says Brandon Mason. "We went to Mongolia after my sophomore year to compete. I met Kenny Monday and was very impressed with him in all aspects. He talked about how much he valued his career at Oklahoma State. (Monday was a three-time All-American, winning the 150-pound title for the Cowboys at the 1984 NCAAs. He later won the gold medal in freestyle at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, and silver at the 1992 Barcelona Games.) I came to Stillwater and really loved it from the start." Brandon Mason finished runner-up at this season's Reno Tournament of Champions to Edinboro's Jarrod King (Photo/Tech-Fall.com)"However, I didn't make up my mind until actual recruitment year," Mason continues. "There was tons of pressure to stay in Iowa, including from my family in Cedar Rapids." "I made the right decision. I have no regrets." "I really like the small-town feel of Stillwater," says Mason. "I can drive cross town in five minutes. You can be out fishing or enjoying the outdoors within three miles of town." "All that said, the reason I chose Oklahoma State was the depth of the coaching staff, coupled with the quality of the workout partners in the room." Before the Cowboys … Before coming to Stillwater -- and before winning those state titles in Iowa -- Brandon Mason got an early introduction to wrestling. "Dad took me to a tournament at age five. He grew up in Cedar Rapids, wrestled in junior high. He was friends with guys like Jeff Kerber and Randy Lewis." "I went out to wrestle in an old singlet and old tennis shoes. I liked it right from the start." At Lewis Central, Brandon Mason compiled a near-flawless 195-2 record, bringing home three Iowa high school state championships. Among his high school highlights: Named Iowa Wrestler of the Year in 2004, won the Cadet freestyle national championship and was runner-up in Cadet Greco-Roman competition at the same event, and was an AAU national champion. However, for Mason, the one event that sticks out as being the most special beyond the three state titles was a dual meet with Omaha Skutt High School, across the Missouri River from Council Bluffs. "Both programs were top-ranked; we were ranked fourth in the country at the time," Mason recalls. "I wrestled Mitch Waite. Beat him in overtime in front of a crowd of 5,000." Life off the mat Ask Brandon Mason to describe his wrestling style, and he says, "I'm a hard-nosed grinder." That tenacity seems to also be on display in the classroom, too, where he's earned multiple NWCA All-Academic and Big 12 first-team academic honors. Yet, Brandon Mason has a life beyond the demands of wrestling and pre-med coursework. He's married to the former Brittany Hill, who is a third-grade teacher in Stillwater. "She ran track and cross country. We met in the dorms, and got married in 2006," says the Iowa native. In his official Oklahoma State bio, Mason says his proudest moment so far is when he married Brittany. "Being married helps me focus on wrestling and my studies," Mason adds. "I'm a 23-year-old guy. I don't have to worry about finding a girlfriend or the other distractions of dating." Brandon Mason has been a repeat Academic All-American (Photo/Oklahoma State University Sports Information)Brandon Mason describes himself as a small-town guy who truly appreciates whatever time he can spend outdoors, even if it's simply walking his two dogs, a timberwolf, and a yellow lab. "I love fishing. I always have. Bass fishing. Trout fishing with Newly McSpadden (Oklahoma State 174-pound senior starter). There are great places to fish right outside Stillwater." "It's a great opportunity to get away, really relax." Another favorite activity is grilling out -- "steaks, brisket, mushrooms," according to Mason. "Our team gets together once a week in the off-season. We grill out, hang out, relax, listen to country music, go fishing." "It really helps strengthen the bonds with teammates." Seems like Brandon Mason has found the right prescription to balancing all the demands of a very demanding life.

Oklahoma State is a wrestling program with a long, rich history of excellence in terms of overall team performance, and the accomplishments of individual coaches and wrestlers. Jim GregsonYet there's a Cowboy wrestler of the 1940s and 50s that many diehard fans who bleed orange and black may not know. This wrestler was a two-time NCAA All-American, winning the 175-pound title at the 1949 NCAAs … then, was a finalist at 191 at the 1956 NCAAs. As a senior, he was co-captain of the team, sharing that honor with three-time NCAA champ and legendary Oklahoma State head coach, Myron Roderick. And, perhaps most incredible, he is the only college wrestler to have had more than one college match with Oklahoma's Dan Hodge and, not only avoided being pinned, but actually scored on the Sooner superstar. The Oklahoma State wrestler with these impressive credentials: Jim Gregson. A state champ for the Maroons … James Gregson grew up in the Oklahoma wrestling hotbed of Blackwell, located just south of the Kansas border, between Oklahoma City and Wichita. Blackwell has turned out more than its fair share of Oklahoma high school wrestling state champs who then became college mat stars. Among the Blackwell Maroons who earned state titles and then became NCAA champs for Oklahoma State: Charles Hetrick (1949 NCAA champ)… Ted Ellis (1959 national champ) … and Jack Brisco (1965 titlewinner). Jim Gregson also belongs that that elite group. He won the 165-pound Oklahoma high school wrestling title in 1946, helping to propel Blackwell to yet another team title as well. … joins the legacy of the Orange and Black After graduating from Blackwell High School in 1946, Gregson headed approximately 50 miles southeast to Stillwater, to enroll at what was then called Oklahoma Agricultural & Mechanical College (Oklahoma A&M), since renamed Oklahoma State University. Art Griffith was Jim Gregson's college wrestling coach (Photo/1947 Redskin)By the mid-1940s, the Cowboys had established themselves as THE college wrestling program in the U.S., first under revered coach Ed Gallagher, then, upon Gallagher's passing in 1940, Art Griffith took the helm. Under the leadership of Gallagher and Griffith, the Orange and Black had earned fourteen national team titles, and won an incredible 47 individual titles between 1928 (the first NCAAs) through 1946. Throughout his career at Oklahoma State, Jim Gregson's coach was Art Griffith. A native of Oklahoma, Griffith wrestled for Gallagher at Oklahoma State in the 1920s. After graduation, Griffith became coach at Central High School in Tulsa. In his fifteen seasons as the Braves coach, Griffith built a powerful dynasty; his teams won 94 of 100 matches (including a 50-meet win streak), and claimed ten Oklahoma state team titles. Art Griffith's success fostered as a high school coach continued when he made the move to Oklahoma State in the fall of 1940. In the Cowboys' first season under Griffith, the team continued Gallagher's winning legacy, with a 6-0 dual-meet record, four individual NCAA champs, and the NCAA team title. Griffith's second season -- 1941-42 -- was almost a carbon copy of the first: 5-0 record, four individual champs, another team title. Wrestling was suspended at Oklahoma State from 1942-1945 because of World War II; when it resumed in early 1946, the Cowboys picked up where they had left off, winning their two dual meets (in an abbreviated schedule), crowning two champs at the 1946 NCAAs, and winning yet another team championship. Freshman Gregson makes his presence known Jim Gregson found himself to be an important player in the continued success of the Oklahoma State wrestling program as a freshman during the 1946-47 school year. Through much of the history of collegiate wrestling from the late 1920s through much of the 1960s, freshmen were not allowed to wrestle in varsity competition. However, for a brief period immediately after World War II, the NCAA relaxed these restrictions, and first-year student-athletes were able to compete as starters on the varsity team. Jim Gregson was one of a number of athletes who benefited from this temporary rule-change. According to his individual record posted at the Web site WrestlingStats.com, Jim Gregson wrestled his first varsity match as a freshman on February 7, 1947 at home at Gallagher Hall. In the 175-pound match, Gregson faced off against Charles Lyons of Kansas State … getting a 12-6 victory. In the rest of February, Gregson then wrestled three additional matches -- one at heavyweight, the rest at 175 -- winning all of them … two by falls. Jim Gregson's opponent in the 1949 NCAA finals was Joe Scarpello, a three-time Big Ten champ at the time who won his fourth conference title in 1950, the first University of Iowa wrestler to do this (Photo/1947 Hawkeye Yearbook)Jim Gregson wrestled at 175 for Oklahoma State at the 1947 NCAAs at the University of Illinois. How did the freshman from Blackwell earn a trip to the Nationals, and not the defending champ at 175, teammate George Dorsch? According to The Cornellian, the student newspaper at Cornell College (Iowa), Gregson had defeated Dorsch in a wrestle-off before the national championships. At the 1947 NCAAs, Gregson wrestled the Fighting Illini's guy at 175, Norman Anthonisen, and lost, 5-3. It was Gregson's first and last match at the Nationals. Jim Gregson's sophomore season was even shorter. He wrestled in just two dual meets in January 1948, winning both matches … but did not compete at the 1948 NCAAs. Later that summer, Gregson wrestled at the U.S. Olympic Trials, and defeated Joe Scarpello of the University of Iowa on a split decision … but lost to Glen Brand of Iowa State, who went on to win the gold medal at the 1948 London Olympics. For Jim Gregson, it was a matter of "wait until next year …" That championship season As a junior, Jim Gregson wrestled in just three dual meets in February and March 1949, winning all three matches. (Earlier-season bouts were wrestled by teammates Rod Baker and Melbourne Flesner.) Despite that limited number of matches, Gregson was Oklahoma State's 175-pounder at the 1949 NCAAs, held at Colorado State University in Fort Collins. The event was historic for two reasons: At the time, it was the most westerly site for the national championships… and the first time an African-American -- Harold Henson of San Diego State -- wrestled at any NCAA championship. There were eighteen men in the 175-pound bracket. Gregson was seeded second, behind Iowa's Joe Scarpello. (Also wrestling 175 in 1949: Bob Siddens of Iowa State Teachers College, who went on to be an NCAA referee and long-time coach at Waterloo West High in Iowa, where, among others, he coached Dan Gable in the mid 1960s.) In his opening-round match, Jim Gregson shut out 1947 NCAA All-American Fred Dexter of Cornell of Iowa, 3-0. In his second bout, Gregson got a decisive 9-3 victory over William Vohaska of the University of Illinois. The quarterfinals round saw Gregson defeat G.J. Roush of Amherst, 4-2 … while, in the semifinals, the second-seeded Cowboy shut out third-seeded Herb Reese of the University of Nebraska, 7-0, to find himself in the finals. The 175-pound title match at the 1949 NCAAs was a battle of the two top seeds: No. 1 Joe Scarpello vs. No. 2 Gregson. A native of Omaha, Scarpello brought an impressive wrestling resume to the '49 nationals: three Nebraska high school state titles, three Big Ten crowns, and the 175 championship at the 1947 NCAAs. However, in the NCAA finals at Fort Collins, Gregson scored a second-period takedown that ultimately made the difference, earning a 3-1 decision over Scarpello to win the national title. Jim Gregson wasn't the only Cowboy champ crowned at the 1949 NCAAs; teammate Charles Hetrick won the 128-pound title, and was voted Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament. A total of seven Oklahoma State wrestlers (out of eight weight classes) earned All-American honors. These outstanding individual performances put the Cowboys in first place in the team standings. Away for six years, then back senior season Jim Gregson (Photo/1956 Redskin)After winning the national title his junior year, Jim Gregson left Oklahoma State to serve in the military. He returned to the Stillwater campus in the fall of 1955 to complete his college education, and wrestle one last year for the Cowboys. Much had changed in the intervening six seasons. The 175-pound weight class had become 177. Gregson found a whole new set of teammates … and opponents. However, some things remained reliably the same. Art Griffith was still head coach at Oklahoma State, and the Cowboys were still a force to be reckoned with in college wrestling, having compiled a 5-0-2 dual meet record the year before he returned, and winning the 1955 NCAA team title with two individual champs. As a senior, Jim Gregson was named co-captain of the 1955-56 Cowboys, along with fellow senior Myron Roderick, who had won two NCAA titles the previous two seasons (137 pounds in 1954; 130 in 1955). Despite the long layoff, Gregson was back in championship form. In dual-meet competition, Gregson scored five victories and suffered only two defeats … both of those losses to cross-state rival, Dan Hodge of the Oklahoma Sooners. Taking on "Homicide" Hodge -- twice Over the years, Daniel Allen Hodge has earned almost mythic status in the world of collegiate wrestling that goes beyond his three NCAA titles, two NCAA Outstanding Wrestler awards, and a silver medal earned at the 1956 Olympics. He's the only amateur wrestler to ever be featured as an amateur wrestler on the cover of Sports Illustrated. The annual Hodge Trophy is synonymous with excellence in college wrestling. Even in his seventies, Hodge still possesses incredible grip strength that can turn apples into applesauce, pliers into scrap. Jim Gregson wrestled Dan Hodge twice in 1956 … with Hodge winning both meetings (Photo/Amateur Wrestling News)In the winter of 1956, Dan Hodge was a junior, coming off a perfect first season for the Sooners, winning the 1955 Big Seven and NCAA titles, having pinned ten of his sixteen opponents that sophomore season. Even back then, Hodge had already earned nicknames like "Dangerous Dan" and "Homicide." Dan Hodge was Jim Gregson's first opponent that season. The two men met on the mat for the first time at the first of two Bedlam Series duals that year, January 12, 1956 at Gallagher Hall at Oklahoma State. Neither man was a kid; Hodge was 23 (having served in the Navy after high school), while Gregson would have been 27. As the Oklahoma State student newpaper, The Daily O'Collegian, pointed out in its preview to the bout: "Jim Gregson, A&M's returning champion at 177 in 1949, couldn't have picked a more rigorous comeback test. His opponent, Dan Hodge, was on the 1952 Olympic team and was NCAA champion at 177." The next day, the "O'Colly" reported that the largest crowd ever to see a collegiate wrestling match at the time -- 8,200 fans, according to the 2008-09 Oklahoma State wrestling media guide -- packed Gallagher Hall to see the Cowboys vs. Sooners. One of the marquee match-ups was Gregson vs. Hodge. Yes, the Sooner superstar walked away the winner, but Gregson did something no other wrestler had done against Hodge in his three-year varsity career: He scored a point -– an escape -- against Hodge! The final score: 5-1 Hodge. At the end of the evening, the final team score was knotted 12-12. A month later, it was the 1956 Bedlam Series, Part 2. Jim Gregson and the Oklahoma State Cowboys traveled south to Norman to take on the Sooners. A crowd of 5,500 fans filled the OU Fieldhouse on February 10, 1956. In its follow-up report, The Daily O'Collegian said, "The Sooners' superb 177-pound national champion, Dan Hodge, once again decisioned easily A&M's Jim Gregson." This time, "Dangerous Dan" held his cross-state rival scoreless, 6-0. As with the January dual, the team score ended in a 12-12 tie. There's no shame in losing to Dan Hodge; after all, he won every one of his 36 college matches -- including an incredible 78% by pin. Among the top wrestlers Hodge defeated in college: 1953 and '54 NCAA champ Ned Blass of Oklahoma State … 1958 NCAA champ Gary Kurdelmeier of Iowa … and Pacific Coast Conference champ John Dustin of Oregon State. However, among wrestlers who went up against Hodge more than once, Jim Gregson is the only one who was not pinned by "Dangerous Dan"! At home at the 1956 NCAAs The 1956 NCAAs were held in familiar territory – Gallagher Hall at Oklahoma State. After competing all season at 177 pounds, Jim Gregson moved up to 191 -- a weight class normally not wrestled during the regular season. There were fifteen wrestlers in the bracket -- some former 177s, some who usually wrestled heavyweight. Gregson was seeded second; the top seed was Ken Leuer of the University of Iowa. Ken Maidlow of Michigan State was Jim Gregson's opponent in the opening round; the Cowboy defeated the Spartan, 10-7. In the next match, Gregson shut out Lock Haven's Elwood Reese, 6-0. In the semifinals, Gregson went up against the University of Pittsburgh's Ron Schirf … and got a 3-1 decision over the sixth-seeded Panther, making it to the finals for the second time in his college career. Jim Gregor lost to Ken Leuer in the 1956 NCAA finals (Photo/1956 Hawkeye Yearbook)There were some eerie similarities between Jim Gregson's finals match at the 1949 NCAAs, and the '56 nationals. In both title bouts, he was the second-seeded wrestler, going up against the top seed … both opponents were newly crowned Big Ten champs … and, in both cases, his opponents were from the University of Iowa. Wrestling Gregson for the 191-pound title: Ken Leuer, Iowa senior who, a couple weeks earlier, had won the 191 crown at the Big Ten conference championships. Like Gregson, Leuer -- a two-time state champ from Wayzata, Minnesota -- also had NCAA finals experience. In 1955, he was runner-up at 191, losing to Peter Steele Blair of the U.S. Naval Academy. Sadly, for Jim Gregson, the outcome of his 1956 NCAA finals match wasn't the same as back in 1949. The veteran Cowboy wrestler lost to Ken Leuer, 5-3. Despite the loss -- and having only one individual champ, Myron Roderick at 130 -- Oklahoma State won its nineteenth team title, this time in the friendly confines of Gallagher Hall. Jim Gregson completed his college wrestling career with a 21-4-0 overall record (13-2-0 in dual meets), with two pins. He was a two-time All-American who was a two-time NCAA finalist … winning the 175-pound title at the 1949 NCAAs. And he managed to go the full nine minutes in two separate matches with prodigious pinner Dan Hodge -- and, in fact, is the only wrestler to have scored on the Sooner in a regulation match. By all measures, Jim Gregson was the very embodiment of the Cowboy way. For photos of Jim Gregson and his opponents, check out this photo album at the Vintage Amateur Wrestling Yahoo group HERE.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Nikko Triggas, a sophomore on the Ohio State wrestling team, was named Big Ten wrestler of the week, the conference announced Tuesday. This is Triggas' first-career weekly laurel. The 125-pounder (19-12) was instrumental in helping the Buckeyes to a 2-0 record last weekend after recording two pins against No. 17 Michigan Feb. 13 and No. 8 Illinois Feb. 15. The back-to-back pins gave the native of Moraga, Calif., a team leading 12 falls on the season. Triggas needed just 5:38 seconds to down both his opponents. With the Buckeyes down, 11-14, against the Wolverines, Triggas pinned 17th-ranked Michael Watts in 2:02 to give Ohio State its first lead of the match. The Buckeyes would go on to win two of their next three matches in the 26-17 triumph. He followed that performance with another critical pin of B.J. Futrell of Illinois in the Buckeyes' home finale. Ohio State held a slim 14-10 lead after consecutive losses at 197 pounds and heavyweight and just three matches remaining. Triggas increased the Buckeye margin to 20-10 when he downed Futrell in 3:36 after finishing the first period against Futrell trailing, 4-2. With the pin, Triggas helped the Buckeyes post a 26-13 victory over eighth-ranked Illinois. For the season, Ohio State has collected five Big Ten wrestler of the week honors. Senior J Jaggers (141) was the last Buckeye recipient Jan. 13. Junior Mike Pucillo (184) won Jan. 6, while juniors Corey Morrison (HWT) and Reece Humphrey (133) won Dec. 16 and Nov. 14, respectively.

THIS WEEK The top-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes (22-0, 6-0 Big Ten) will close out the 2008-09 regular season with a Big Ten road trip. The Hawkeyes will wrestle at #18 Indiana (15-5-1, 2-3-1 Big Ten) Friday at 6 p.m. (CT) at University Gym. Iowa will then travel to #19 Nortwestern (9-6-1, 2-3-1 Big Ten) for its final dual of the season Sunday at 2 p.m. (CT). The dual will be held at Welsh-Ryan Arena. ON THE AIR Radio - Steven Grace and two-time Hawkeye NCAA champion and four-time all-American Mark Ironside will call the action live on AM-800, KXIC and www.hawkeyesports.com. Broadcasts are available using the Hawkeye All-Access subscription ($14.95 per month or $119.95 per year). Internet - Press releases, meet results and audio broadcasts are available on the University of Iowa's website, www.hawkeyesports.com. Current staff and student-athlete head shots can be found at pics.hawkeyesports.com.. HAWKEYES LOOK TO EXTEND STREAKS Iowa has won its last 36 duals, and its last 27 duals away from Iowa City. The school record for consecutive dual wins is 42 (1994-97), and for consecutive away dual wins is 31 (1994-97). Both current streaks rank second in school history. Junior Brent Metcalf (149) has a streak of his own, winning his last 58 bouts. Former Hawkeye Jim Zalesky (1981-84) holds the school record for consecutive wins with 89. Metcalf's streak ranks fourth in school history behind Zalesky, Iowa Head Coach Tom Brands (69) and former Hawkeye T.J. Williams (67). INDIANA HOOSIERS Indiana is 15-5-1 (2-3-1 in the Big Ten) and ranked 18th in the nation. The Hoosiers have wins over Wabash (49-0), Manchester (58-0), Ohio (38-3), South Dakota State (46-3), Rutgers (29-9), Liberty (29-3), Cumberlands (36-6), Eastern Michigan (31-6), Harper (50-3), Gardner-Webb (43-3), American (24-11), Clarion (49-0), Purdue (21-12) and Northwestern (23-11), losses to Iowa State (0-35), Wisconsin (15-19), Ohio State (16-18), Michigan (18-20) and Illinois (6-25), and a 17-17 tie with Penn State. Head Coach Duane Goldman is 216-114-5 in 17 seasons at Indiana. He was a four-time all-American, NCAA finalist and Big Ten champion at Iowa (1983-86), winning the 1986 NCAA title. Goldman is assisted by four-time Hawkeye all-American (1994-97) and 1995 Big Ten champion Mike Mena and Indiana alum Pat DeGain (2005). The Hoosiers are led by juniors Angel Escobedo (125) and Trevor Perry (174) and sophomore Kurt Kinser (157). Escobedo is ranked third in the nation with a 18-2 record, and has won his last five matches. He won the 2008 Big Ten and NCAA titles, and is a two-time all-American. Escobedo, his cousin Hoosier senior Andrae Hernandez (141) and Hawkeye senior Alex Tsirtsis (141) all wrestled at Griffith High School in Griffith, IN. Kinser is ranked 13th in the country with a 16-4 mark. Perry, who was a high school teammate of Hawkeye junior 149-pounder Brent Metcalf, is ranked 15th in the nation with a 24-11 record. NORTHWESTERN WILDCATS Northwestern is 9-6-1 (2-3-1 Big Ten) and ranked 19th in the nation. The Wildcats have wins over Eastern Michigan (23-13), Kent State (21-8), Tennessee-Chattanooga (30-12), Stanford (25-15), Northern Illinois (27-12), Pittsburgh (20-18), Clarion (29-3), Michigan State (31-6), Wisconsin (21-19), losses to UC Davis (15-23), Nebraska (18-19), Missouri (12-25), Illinois (13-22), Minnesota (16-18) and Indiana (11-23), and a 17-17 tie with Michigan. The Wildcats host Ohio State (14-2, 5-1 Big Ten) Friday at 7 p.m. (CT). Head Coach Tim Cysewski is 149-175-6 in 19 seasons at Northwestern. He was an all-American at 134 pounds for Iowa in 1976, and a four-time Hawkeye letterwinner (1973-76). He is assisted by Northwestern alum Drew Pariano (2000), Will Durkee (Virginia, 2006) and Ryan Bertin (Michigan, 2005). The Wildcats are led by senior Jake Herbert (184), junior Brandon Precin (125), sophomore Keith Sulzer (141) and freshman Jason Welch (157). Herbert is ranked first in the nation with a 24-0 record. A three-time all-American and two-time Big Ten champion, he won the 2007 NCAA title and took off the 2007-08 season to train for the Olympics. Precin is ranked fourth in the nation with a 23-2 mark and has won 21 of his last 22 bouts. Welch is ranked 14th in the nation with a 19-7 record, while Sulzer is 15th at 18-7. Redshirt freshman Robert Kellogg (174) is a Sioux City, IA, native. MARQUEE MATCH-UPS There are five marquee match-ups based on the probable starters for this weekend's duals. The individual rankings listed below are the most recent from the NWCA/Intermat/NWMA poll. Iowa vs. Indiana 125 - #5 Charlie Falck (Iowa) vs. #3 Angel Escobedo (Indiana) Falck is 2-2 against the defending NCAA and Big Ten champion. The Hawkeye junior won the first two meetings (2-1 at 2007 Big Ten Championships and 4-2 at 2008 dual), but Escobedo posted decisions at the 2008 Big Ten (6-3) and NCAA Championships (4-1). Falck is 18-2, ranked fifth in the nation and has won six of his last seven bouts. Escobedo is ranked third in the nation with a 18-2 record, and has won his last five matches. 174 - #4 Jay Borschel (Iowa) vs. #15 Trevor Perry (Indiana) Borschel is 2-0 against the Hoosier junior, posting an 8-2 win at the 2007 Midlands and a 11-3 major decision at the 2008 dual. Fourth-ranked Borschel is 21-2 and 4-0 in Big Ten duals. He made his return to the Hawkeye lineup last week against Purdue and Minnesota after sitting out three duals due to injury. He has won his last six matches. Perry is ranked 15th in the nation with a 24-11 record. Iowa vs. Northwestern 125 - #5 Charlie Falck (Iowa) vs. #4 Brandon Precin (Northwestern) Falck is 2-1 against Precin, winning the last two meetings (5-2 at 2007 dual and 5-3 at 2008 dual). Precin won the first meeting (pin in 3:20) at the 2007 National Duals. Precin is ranked fourth in the nation with a 23-2 mark and has won 21 of his last 22 bouts. His two season losses were both in overtime to Escobedo (3-1) and Edinboro's Paul Donahoe (4-1). 141 - #2 Alex Tsirtsis (Iowa) vs. #15 Keith Sulzer (Northwestern) This will be the first meeting between Tsirtsis and Sulzer. The Hawkeye senior is ranked second in the nation and boasts a 22-2 season record and six-match winning streak. Sulzer is ranked 15th in the nation with an 18-7 mark. 184 - #3 Phillip Keddy (Iowa) vs. #1 Jake Herbert (Northwestern) Third-ranked Keddy hits the road with a 12-match winning streak and a 25-1 season record, while top-ranked Herbert is waiting with a perfect 24-0 mark. Keddy's lone loss was a 15-1 major decision to Herbert in the 2008 Midlands finals. Herbert won the other meeting between the two (pin in 3:44) at the 2007 National Duals. Keddy will have his hands full with the two-time Big Ten champion and 2007 NCAA champion. Herbert has scored team bonus points in all but one match this season. HAVEN'T WE MET? Following are past results between the Hawkeyes and their probable weekend opponents that were not mentioned previously in the release. Iowa vs. Indiana 141 - Alex Tsirtsis (Iowa) vs. Scott Kelly (Indiana), 1-0 Tsirtsis dec. Kelly, 2-0 - at 2008 Midlands 157 - Matt Ballweg (Iowa) vs. Kurt Kinser (Indiana), 0-1 Kinser pinned Ballweg, 0:50 - at 2007 Midlands 165 - Ryan Morningstar (Iowa) vs. Paul Young (Indiana), 1-0 Morningstar dec. Young, 4-0 - at 2008 Midlands Iowa vs. Northwestern 149 - Brent Metcalf (Iowa) vs. Andrew Nadhir (Northwestern), 1-0 Metcalf pinned Nadhir, 6:50 - at 2008 Midlands 165 - Ryan Morningstar (Iowa) vs. Dominic Marella (Northwestern), 2-0 Morningstar maj. dec. Marella, 18-5 - at 2007 National Duals Morningstar dec. Marella, 8-3 - at 2007 dual THE SERIES Indiana - Iowa leads the series, 32-4-3, and is 15-1-2 in Bloomington. The Hawkeyes have won the last 17 meetings - including a 28-7 victory last season. Indiana's last win in the series was 19-13 in 1968. Iowa Head Coach Tom Brands is 1-1 against Indiana. The loss (13-40) came at the 2006 Virginia Duals when Brands was the head coach at Virginia Tech. Hoosier Head Coach Duane Goldman is 0-8 against his alma mater. Northwestern - Iowa leads the series, 64-7-1, and is 30-4-1 in Evanston. Iowa has won the last four meetings - including the 22-13 decision last season. Northwestern's last win in the series was 22-19 in 2005. Brands is 3-0 against Northwestern, while Cysewski is 1-19 against his alma mater. LAST MEETING - HAWKEYES HOLD OFF NORTHWESTERN, 22-13 The top-ranked Hawkeyes won their seventh straight dual, defeating #10 Northwestern, 22-13, Jan. 27, 2008, in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Iowa won six bouts, but trailed the first half of the dual against an aggressive Wildcat squad. The win was the 160th for Iowa in Carver-Hawkeye Arena and the 45th career victory for Hawkeye Head Coach Tom Brands. Iowa improved to 14-1 (3-0 Big Ten), while the Wildcats fell to 5-5 (0-1). Northwestern jumped out to a 7-0 lead with wins at the first two weights. Senior Mike Tamillow opened the dual at 197 with a 12-3 major decision over Iowa sophomore Chad Beatty. Top-ranked senior heavyweight Dustin Fox used 1:07 of riding time to defeat #6 Matt Fields, 2-1. The Hawkeyes bounced back with #3 Charlie Falck scoring his 20th season victory with a 5-3 win over #5 Brandon Precin at 125. Sophomore Joe Slaton followed at 133 with an 11-6 win over unranked Eric Metzler. Northwestern responded with an upset at 141 as unranked freshman Keith Sulzer defeated #9 Dan LeClere, 9-3. Trailing 10-6, Iowa won four of the last five bouts to remain undefeated in the Big Ten. Sophomores Brent Metcalf (149), Ryan Morningstar (157), Jay Borschel (174) and Phillip Keddy (184) each picked up wins for the Hawkeyes. Top-ranked Metcalf dominated #4 Ryan Lang, scoring a 12-3 major decision. Keddy brought the crowd of 5,837 to its feet with his 1:58 pin over Adil Kolovic to end the dual and clinch the win for Iowa. Iowa 22, Northwestern 13 197 - Mike Tamillow (N) maj. dec. Chad Beatty (I), 12-3 Hwt. - Dustin Fox (N) dec. Matt Fields (I), 2-1 125 - Charlie Falck (I) dec. Brandon Precin (N), 5-3 133 - Joe Slaton (I) dec. Eric Metzler (N), 11-6 141 - Keith Sulzer (N) dec. Dan LeClere (I), 9-3 149 - Brent Metcalf (I) maj. dec. Ryan Lang (N), 12-3 157 - Ryan Morningstar (I) dec. Andrew Nadhir (N), 6-4 165 - Dominic Marella (N) dec. Aaron Janssen (I), 7-5 174 - Jay Borschel (I) dec. Nick Hayes (N), 3-1 184 - Phillip Keddy (I) pinned Adil Kolovic (N), 1:58 LAST MEETING - HAWKEYES BEAT INDIANA, 28-7 The top-ranked Hawkeyes posted their 12th straight win with a 28-7 victory over #21 Indiana Feb. 15, 2008, in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes improved to 19-1 with the win. Head Coach Tom Brands picked up his 50th career win, as Iowa won eight bouts and scored bonus points in four. Indiana fell to 12-7, 1-5 in the Big Ten. The Hawkeyes jumped out to a 14-0 lead with wins at the first four bouts. Hawkeye junior Charlie Falck brought the crowd of 6,116 to its feet when he upset #2 Angel Escobedo, 4-2, at 125. Falck, who is ranked third in the nation, handed Escobedo (24-1) his first loss of the season. Sophomore Joe Slaton won his 10th straight match with a 3-2 decision over Andre Hernandez at 133. Sophomore Dan LeClere scored 19 points in the last two periods of his 141-pound match to post a 23-8 technical fall over Scott Kelly. At 149, sophomore Brent Metcalf won his 21st straight match with a 19-6 major decision over Kurt Kinser. Indiana put points on the board with wins at 157 and 165, but the Hawkeyes shut the Hoosiers out in the final four matches. Sophomore Jay Borschel extended his winning streak to 12 with an 11-3 major decision over Trevor Perry at 174. Sophomore Phillip Keddy followed with a 17-5 major decision over Marc Bennett at 184. At 197, sophomore Chad Beatty scored a takedown with 30 seconds left in the match to beat Joe Fagiano, 9-7. Senior heavyweight Matt Fields closed out the dual with a 7-3 victory over Nate Everhart. Iowa 28, Indiana 7 125 - Charlie Falck (I) dec. Angel Escobedo (IND), 4-2 133 - Joe Slaton (I) dec. Andre Hernandez (IND), 3-2 141 - Dan LeClere (I) tech. fall Scott Kelly (IND), 23-8 149 - Brent Metcalf (I) maj. dec. Kurt Kinser (IND), 19-6 157 - B. Becker (IND) maj. dec. Ryan Morningstar (I), 9-0 165 - Matt Coughlin (IND) dec. Jake Kerr (I), 7-4 174 - Jay Borschel (I) maj. dec. Trevor Perry (IND), 11-3 184 - Phillip Keddy (I) maj. dec. Marc Bennett (IND), 17-5 197 - Chad Beatty (I) dec. Joe Fagiano (IND), 9-7 Hwt. - Matt Fields (I) dec. Nate Everhart (IND), 7-3 HAWKEYES GO 2-0 IN FINAL SEASON HOME STAND The top-ranked Hawkeyes recorded wins over #25 Purdue (38-0) and #11/#13 Minnesota (25-9) last weekend to finish the 2008-09 regular season undefeated at home (10-0). It was Iowa's 17th undefeated season in Carver-Hawkeye Arena (7-0) as the first three home duals were held at the University of Iowa Field House. It was also the first time Iowa stayed perfect at home since the 2002-03 season. The Hawkeyes improved to 22-0 (6-0 Big Ten) with the wins, while Purdue fell to 11-5-1 (0-4-1) and Minnesota dropped to 14-7 (4-3). Despite adverse weather conditions, 5,709 fans turned out for the Iowa-Purdue dual on Friday the 13th. It was the first time Iowa shut out an opponent since beating Binghamton (48-0) on Nov. 29 at the Journeymen Duals in Troy, NY. It was also the first time that the Hawkeyes held a Big Ten opponent scoreless since beating Purdue (42-0) in 2000. Iowa dominated the dual, scoring 36 takedowns while holding Purdue to two. The Hawkeyes got technical falls from junior Daniel Dennis (133) and senior Alex Tsirtsis (141), as well as major decisions from senior Charlie Falck (125) and juniors Brent Metcalf (149), Jay Borschel (174) and Phillip Keddy (184). Tsirtsis picked up his 90th career victory and his 20th win in Carver-Hawkeye with the win. Metcalf posted a 14-4 victory over #8 Jake Patascil to record his 57th straight win. Morningstar tallied his 70th career win, and Borschel posted his 20th season win in first apperance since the end of January due to injury. Beatty scored an escape in the tiebreak period to upset #13 Logan Brown, 2-1. The Hawkeyes celebrated senior day with 10,095 fans and their second win of the season over Minnesota. Hawkeye seniors Derek Coorough (149), Falck, Tsirtsis, and T.H. Leet (165) were honored before the dual. Minnesota started the dual with an upset at 125 pounds, as freshman Zach Sanders scored a takedown with eight seconds left to beat Falck. Sanders, who is ranked eighth in the nation, snapped Falck's six-match winning streak and handed the fourth-ranked Hawkeye his first dual loss of the season. The Hawkeyes responded with top-ranked Dennis scoring a 9-7 victory over #5 Jayson Ness to tie the team score at 3-3. Dennis, who posted a 6-4 win over Ness when Iowa beat Minnesota 27-7 in the second round of the 2009 Cliff Keen/NWCA National Duals in Cedar Falls last month, remains 6-0 in Big Ten duals and has won his last eight bouts. Iowa posted wins at the next two weights as Tsirtsis and junior Brent Metcalf (149) extended their own winning streaks. Tsirtsis, who is ranked second in the nation, posted a 2-1 decision over #8 Mike Thorn at 141 to score his sixth-straight win. Metcalf stuck Joe Grygelko in 4:38 to post his 59th straight win and his 14th pin of the season. The top-ranked Hawkeye junior is now 27-0 on the season. The Hawkeyes responded after the break with four straight wins to clinch the team victory. Junior Ryan Morningstar kicked the run off with a 9-4 decision over Scott Glasser at 165. Hawkeye 174-pounder junior Jay Borschel followed with an 11-3 major decision over Kaleb Young. Borschel scored all 11 points in the third period - including 10 in the last minute.Junior Phillip Keddy posted his 25th season and 12th straight victory, beating Sonny Yohn, 10-6, at 184. Hawkeye junior Chad Beatty scored Iowa's final win of the dual with a 5-4 victory over Gordon Bierschenk at 197. Beatty and Borschel have won their last five matches. Minnesota closed out the dual with a victory at heavyweight when Ben Berhow beat Iowa redshirt freshman Jordan Johnson, 12-9. Johnson was competing for injured Hawkeye starter Dan Erekson. WRESTLING SUMMER CAMPS For dates and more information about 2009 Iowa Wrestling Summer camps visit www.iowawrestlingcamps.com. HAWKEYES SET ATTENDANCE RECORD Iowa set the national collegiate dual meet attendance record of 15,955 when it hosted #2 Iowa State Dec. 6 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The previous record of 15,646 was set Feb. 1, 2002, when Minnesota hosted Iowa at the Target Center in Minneapolis. The Hawkeyes won the Iowa State dual, 20-15. HAWKEYE WRESTLING HISTORY Iowa's overall dual meet record is 850-215-30 (.790) in 97 seasons. The Hawkeyes have won 21 national titles and 32 Big Ten titles. Iowa's 49 NCAA champions have won a total of 76 NCAA individual titles, crowning six three-time and 14 two-time champions. The Hawkeyes' 101 Big Ten champions have won a total of 182 conference titles. There have been seven four-time, 18 three-time and 24 two-time Iowa winners. Iowa's 135 all-Americans have earned all-America status 273 times, including 17 four-time, 27 three-time and 33 two-time honorees. CHAMPIONSHIP EXPERIENCE The Hawkeye wrestling staff of Tom Brands, Terry Brands, Doug Schwab, Mike Zadick and Jared Frayer earned a total of one Olympic gold medal, one Olympic bronze medal, six NCAA titles, 11 conference titles and 15 all-America honors. Their combined college career wrestling record is 487-83-2 (.858). BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS TICKETS ON SALE Penn State University will host of the 2009 Big Ten Wrestling Championships at the Bryce Jordan Center at University Park, PA, March 7-8. Action begins on March 7 with two sessions, one at 10 a.m. (CT) and a second at 5 p.m. (CT). The March 8 session, which features the placing bouts and championships, begins at 11 a.m. (CT). The championship finals will be aired live on the Big Ten Network at 1 p.m. (CT). All-session tickets are $30 for adults and $15 for students/youth. Fans can purchase tickets from the Bryce Jordan Center ticket office at 814-865-5555. NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS SET FOR ST. LOUIS The 2009 NCAA Wrestling Championships are scheduled for March 19-21 at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, MO. The Scottrade Center was the site for the national wrestling tournament in 2000, 2004, 2005 and 2008. The NCAA, University of Missouri and the St. Louis Sports Commission will co-host the event. Sessions one (11 a.m.) and two (6:30 p.m.) will be held Mar. 19, sessions three (10 a.m.) and four (6 p.m.) will be Mar. 20, and session five (9:30 a.m.) and the championship finals (5:30 p.m.) are set for Mar. 21. Sessions three and five will be aired live on ESPNU, session four will be shown live on ESPN2 and ESPNU and the championship finals will be aired live on ESPN. ESPN360.com will air a live simulcast for sessions three, five and the championship finals. Tickets to the event are available at (800) 745-3000, (314) 241-1888 or ticketmaster.com. All-session tickets are priced based on seat location. The price breakdown is as follows: Plaza - $150, Mezzanine Center & Mezzanine Corner (1st 2 rows) - $120, Mezzanine Corner & Mezzanine End (1st 2 rows) - $95, Mezzanine End - $60. UP NEXT The top-ranked Hawkeyes will vy for their 33rd conference team title at the 2009 Big Ten Wrestling Championships. The event will be held by Penn State University, March 7-8, at the Bryce Jordan Center at University Park, PA.

DECORAH, IOWA -- Wartburg College crowned five individual champions en route to its 17th consecutive Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) Wrestling Championship Tuesday at Luther College. The Knights amassed 187 points as they collected their 27th title overall. Luther edged Coe, 138-137, in a close battle for second place. Coe kicked off the championship session on a strong note with titles from sophomores Clayton Rush at 125 and Brandon Ball at 133. After crowning only four champions in their first ten years in the Iowa Conference, the Kohawks have crowned two champions in each of the last two championship meets. Wartburg won the next three titles as No. 1 seeds Zach McKray (141), Jacob Naig (149), and Aaron Wernimont (157) claimed victories before Dubuque's Josh Terrell picked up a win by default over Wartburg's Justin Hanson at 165. Terrell captured the first title by a University of Dubuque wrestler since Troy Armstrong captured the 134-pound title in 1990 and only the school's 20th individual title since 1960. The Spartans' fifth-place finish is their best since placing fourth in 1987. Dubuque's bid for champions at consecutive weights as Cornell senior Kyle Kehrli became the school's second champion in as many years with a 4-1 decision over Evan Brown at 174. Wartburg took two of the last three titles as senior Romeo Djoumessi pinned Luther's Nic Barclay for the title at 184 and sophomore John Helgerson held off Luther's Allyn Plattner by a 5-4 score at heavyweight. The Norse clinched second place when senior Alec Bonander scored a 5-0 decision over Dubuque's Matt Wonderlin for the 197 title. Bonander was Luther's only champion. It was his first IIAC title after posting runner-up finishes each of the past two years. Wernimont won his third consecutive individual title at 157 pounds and was named the Dick Walker Outstanding Wrestler. Wernimont, who improved to 40-0 and extended his winning streak to 76 matches with his title, pinned Dubuque's Nathan Harm in the quarterfinals and Cornell's Aron Kindelsperger in the semifinals before registering a 16-5 major decision over Loras' Erik Hanson in the championship match. Wernimont is the 12th Wartburg wrestler to be named the IIAC's outstanding wrestler, accounting for 15 total honors. Titles by Wartburg seniors Naig (149 pounds), Wernimont (157) and Djoumessi (184) increased the number of wrestlers with at least three Iowa Conference titles to 40 and the number to accomplish the feat at the same weight class to 24. The trio also raised the number of Wartburg wrestlers with at least three titles to 15. It was the third consecutive title for Wernimont and Djoumessi, while Naig captured titles in 2006 and 2008 prior to this season. Miller Named Coach of the Year: Wartburg's Jim Miller was named Iowa Coach of the Year for the ninth time in his career and the first time since 2006. The Knights' 49-point margin-of-victory was their largest since besting the field by a record 77 points in 2006.

Weigh-ins will take place on Friday, Oct. 21, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. CDT at the Kahler Grand Hotel in Rochester, Minn. The new high school weight classes approved by the National Federation of State High School Association's rules committee in 2011 will be used. Those weight classes are 106, 113, 120, 126, 132, 138, 145, 152, 160, 170, 182, 195, 220, and 285. There will be no weight allowance.

Join the voice of Kent State Ty Linder for the action and play by play as the Golden Flashes visit the Chippewa of Central Michigan. Fresh off a victory 21-13 over the Eastern Michigan Eagles the Flashes look to repeat against another Michigan College. Coach Borrelli and his Chippewa squad upset Missouri last Friday and look to continue their winning ways. This broadcast is set to get underway at around 6:30 PM Eastern at TakedownRadio.com. our congratulations go to the senior class of the Golden Flashes on their tremendous season!

For the second straight year, the Flames' dual with the Patriots came down to the final weight class. However, unlike last year, Liberty came out on top of George Mason as senior Chris Daggett pinned Zach Ulm in the first period to give the visitors a 23-19 victory, Tuesday evening, inside the Field House. Last year, Cayle Byers scored a major decision for the Patriots, with the 197-pounder's 19-5 win over Nick Knowles sealing a come-from-behind 19-18 for George Mason inside the Vines Center on Feb. 5, 2008. This go around, George Mason sent their nationally ranked grappler out to the mats to open this year's dual. And the No. 9 ranked sophomore came through, carding a 15-3 decision over Brandon Johnson to give the homestanding Patriots the early 4-0 lead. However, Liberty came roaring back. Junior heavyweight Patrick Walker picked up his 10th victory on the season, blanking Hunter Manspile in a 14-0 major decision to knot the overall dual score at 4-4. After surrendering six team points by forfeiting the 125-pound bout, Liberty captured the next three weight class matchups to jump out to a 17-10 lead. Christian Smith opened the trio of consecutive victories for the Flames by recording his team-leading fifth victory by major decision, holding Denny Herndon scoreless in a 9-0 bout at 133 pounds. Liberty kept things rolling at 141 pounds, as Tim Harner stuck John Delgado to the mats with 24 seconds remaining the first period. The senior's team-leading ninth win by fall on the year ran the Norristown, Pa., native's record to 21-8 on the year and 9-1 in bouts decided by fall. Leading for the first time on the evening, the Flames widened their advantage at 149 pounds, as Frankie Gayeski recorded his third straight win in a narrow 3-2 decision over Brandon Bucher, giving the visitors a 17-10 lead. The Patriots countered Liberty's three consecutive wins with a trio of victories of their own, beginning with a Frankie McLaughlin IV 10-4 decision over Julian Colon at 157 pounds. George Mason followed with a second straight decision, as Jimmy Kaden recorded a 7-2 decision over Brad Clark at 165 pounds to pull within a point, 17-16. Having won three out of his last four bouts, Aaron Kelley took to the mats for Liberty, looking to halt George Mason's momentum following back-to-back decisions. The junior's 174-pound matchup with Mendbagana Tovuujav was knotted at three point apiece heading into the final two minutes. However, the Patriot's freshman, who was ranked No. 20 in his weight class to open the month, outscored Kelley 5-2 during the final 120 seconds, giving the rookie his 19th victory of the year in a 9-5 decision, which placed George Mason ahead at 19-17. But the lead was short-lived for the home squad, as Daggett took control of his bout with Ulm from the onset. The victory by fall at 1:37 gave the senior his 20th win of the year, extending a personal five bout winning streak to steal the overall bout for Liberty. The victory, Liberty's first in eighth tries in dual matchups with George Mason, pushes the Flames overall record to 10-9-1. The loss, the Patriots' fourth in their last five duals, drops George Mason's season record to 5-9-1. The Flames, who have now won four straight, will look to extend their streak to five when they welcome in-state rival VMI to the Vines Center on Thursday. Liberty's first home event since a season-opening 43-6 victory over Gardner-Webb on Nov. 11 is slated to begin a 7 p.m. Prior to the opening whistle, the Flames will honor their trio of seniors, as the match marks Senior Night for the program. During the pre-match ceremony, Liberty will honor Smith, Harner and Daggett.