InterMat Staff

PHILADELPHIA -- Penn upped its Ivy League record to 3-0 on Saturday with a pair of wins over Harvard (35-12) and Brown (34-6) in The Palestra. On Senior Day, graduating wrestler Andrew Coles made the most of his final home dual bouts in The Palestra with a pair of pins. He needed 2:10 to lock Bryan Panzano of Harvard's shoulders the mat. In his second bout against Bran Crudden of Brown, Coles registered the pin in 4:20. "I have been lucky to have the chance to wrestle this year," Coles said. "I have tried to take advantage of that and to come away with two pins in my final home meets is special." Penn had a total of four pins over the two meets. Trey McLean pinned Harvard's Spencer DeSena at 2:41 and Thomas Shovlin added a pin over Brown's Branden Stearns at 4:27. After a forfeit at 125 gave Penn a quick 6-0 lead against Harvard with a 5-3 decision over Thomas Picarsic at 133 pounds. Neither man scored in the first period and Picarsic scored first with a reversal midway through the second period. Ortenzio countered with a reversal of his own with 45 seconds left in the second frame, but Picarsic took a 3-2 lead with an escape before the whistle. Ortenzio evened the score with a quick escape in the third period and the two spent the rest of the period shooting for two points in hopes of avoiding overtime. It was Ortenzio who earned the hard-fought deuce with a shot at the end of the period, locking in two points with one second left. Zack Kemmerer defeated Johnny Motley at 141 pounds via technical fall, 19-3.Kemmerer scored backpoints in each period, with the two he earned in the final period after a takedown securing the bonus points for Penn. Walter Peppelman got Harvard on the board with an 8-4 win over Brett McCurdy at 149 pounds. Up next was the dual's marquee matchup between No. 18 Matt Dragon and No. 4 J.P. O'Connor at 157 pounds. Dragon had the chance for first scoring, shooting to the leg early on, but O'Connor was able to pull away before Dragon could lockup both legs. Dragon was again close on the edge of the mat near the scorers table, but could once again not control enough for two points and the two went to the second period scoreless. In the second, O'Connor chose bottom and scored the first point of the match on a technical violation to Dragon for fleeing the mat. O'Connor followed with two more on a reversal. Dragon got a point back with an escape near the end of the period and headed to the third down by two. Dragon chose bottom and was almost turned by O'Connor, but regained his position avoiding the nearfall. O'Connor rode tough for the rest of the period and his riding time advantage gave him the 4-1 decision, cutting Penn's lead to 14-6. After the first of Coles' two pins on the day at 165, Scott Giffin added more bonus points for Penn at 174 with a major decision over Andy Olsen, 15-6. No. 10 Louis Caputo won via disqualification over Colin Hitschler at 184 pounds, adding six more points to Harvard's score. Hitschler was DQ'd at the 6:59 mark of the match after his fourth penalty point of the match. Hitschler was penalized for unnecessary roughness in the first period followed by an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty – the first two points of the match for either man. Caputo scored a point of his own at the start of the second period with an escape for a 3-0 lead. Hitschler then was hit with his second stalling warning which resulted in two points for Caputo. Hitschler managed an escape in the third period, but a second unnecessary roughness was enough for the disqualification right before the final buzzer. Thomas Shovlin ensured no momentum was carried over at 197 with a technical fall over Sean Murphy. Shovlin had a seven-point first period with a takedown and two nearfalls. He allowed Murphy to only score via escapes on his way to the 19-4 win. McLean closed out the match with his first-period pinfall over DeSena. McLean was up 5-1 at the time of the fall. After a ceremony honoring the nine seniors who will graduate from Penn in May, the Quakers again needed only three bouts to take a double-digit lead over its opponent, earning bonus points with major decisions from Ortenzio and Kemmerer to go with a decision win from Mark Rappo at 125. After those three bouts, Penn had an 11-0 lead. After Ricky Bailey got three back for Brown with a decision at 149, Penn won the next three bouts by a combined score of 13-0 to take a commanding 24-3 lead. Dragon defeated Bryan Tracy, 4-0, followed by Dragon's second fall of the day at 165. Giffin the put up his second major of the day with a 14-2 win at 174 over Bran Crudder. Hitschler took Matt Gevelinger to overtime, but could not complete the win at 184, falling, 6-4, in sudden victory. After Shovlin's fall at 197, McLean finished off another win with a 17-4 major over Zach Zdrada. Penn, 10-5, is back in action next weekend with a pair of Ivy matches in New York – against Columbia on Saturday and No. 3 Cornell on Sunday.

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. -- Facing a four-point deficit heading into the final bout of the night, Rutgers relied on heavyweight D.J. Russo (Netcong, N.J.) and the sophomore delivered, pinning Quinton Pruett to give the Scarlet Knights wrestling team a 19-17 come-from-behind victory over No. 21 American at the College Avenue Gymnasium Saturday evening. Russo's takedown in 3:06 ignited a celebration on the Scarlet Knights' bench and in the crowd of nearly 1,000 inside the gym. "D.J. has been doing great things for us all year and he came through again," said Rutgers head wrestling coach Scott Goodale. "It doesn't get any better than that when a heavyweight earns a pin to win the match. I was proud the way the guys hung tough and battled back. Anytime you can get a win against a strong program like American, that is special." The victory extends RU's school-record victory total to 19 as the Scarlet Knights improved to 19-5 on the season and 7-1 in the EIWA. Rutgers also handed American its first loss in the conference as the Eagles fell to 10-4 overall and 4-1 in the EIWA. The Scarlet Knights posted their eighth victory in their past nine dual meets and handed the Eagles their first loss in five matches. Down 17-13 entering the evening's final bout at heavyweight, Russo jumped out on top early and pinned Pruett in 3:06 to give the Scarlet Knights' their first lead of the evening and the lead at the end. American jumped out to an early 6-0 lead with victories in the first two bouts at 125 and 133 pounds. American's Thomas Williams escaped with a 6-4 decision over RU's Matt Fusco (Belleville, N.J.) at 125 pounds before American's Jasen Borshoff posted an 8-2 decision over Rutgers' Mike DeMarco (Lyndhurst, N.J.) at 133 pounds. Freshman Trevor Melde (Hewitt, N.J.) picked up the Scarlet Knights' first victory of the match, earning a 10-5 decision over American's Matt Mariacher at 141 pounds to cut the lead in half. Rutgers and American traded major decisions at 149 and 157 with a pair of nationally-ranked wrestlers on the winning end. At 149 pounds, American's Kyle Borshoff, ranked 12th nationally, posted an 11-0 major decision over RU's Kellen Bradley (Newton, N.J.). The Scarlet Knights got those four points right back at 157 pounds when freshman Scott Winston (Jackson, N.J.), ranked 11th nationally, used a two-point takedown as time expired in the bout to earn a 9-1 major decision over Patrick Graham to cut the Eagles' lead back to three points. Winston added to his team-leading victory total with his 33rd win of the season – one of the best in the nation. RU continued its momentum in the next bout with senior Matt Pletcher (Eastampton, N.J.) earning a 6-3 decision over American's Christopher Stout at 165 pounds to tie the match up at 10-10 through six bouts. Pletcher's win was the 71st of his career, moving him into a tie a tie for 23rd place on the Rutgers all-time wins chart. He is 71-43 in his career. The Eagles' Mike Cannon, ranked second in the nation, put American back on top with a 14-2 major decision at 174 pounds. The Scarlet Knights came right back with a 4-1 decision by McPaul Ogbonna (East Hanover, N.J.) over American's Andy Semple at 184 pounds to draw within one point at 14-13. American built a four-point lead as Andrew Silber earned a 7-2 decision over Mahmoud at 197 pounds prior to set up the final-bout dramatics. Prior to the match, the Scarlet Knights honored their three seniors – Karim Mahmoud (Wallington, N.J.), Matt Pletcher (Eastampton, N.J.) and Mike Whalen (Lake Hiawatha, N.J.) – in a special ceremony. The Scarlet Knights will travel to Annapolis, Md. next Friday to face Navy at 7:00 p.m.

LEXINGTON, Va. -- Title wins by seniors Joe Baker (Poway, Calif.) and Casey Caldwell (Liberty, Ind.), along with rookie Luke Rebertus (Elkton, Md.) helped lead the Navy wrestling team to the 2009 USAA All-Academy Championship team title Saturday evening at Cocke Hall in Lexington, Va. It's the eighth time Navy has claimed the team crown in the 15-year history of the tournament and the fifth time in the last six years. Navy, who placed nine of its 10 competitors, finished the tournament with a 15-point advantage over second-place Army, who a year ago snapped the Mids' four-year All-Academy winning streak. Army, who led all teams with five individual champions, earned 90 points, better than 20 points more than The Citadel, who finished third with 69.5 points. Navy has won 53 individual crowns in All-Academy Championship history, including 27 of the 60 titles over the last five years. The Mids won the team title in 1995, `97, `99, `04, `05, `06, `07 and `09, while they have claimed five or more individual titles in 1997, `99, `04, `05, `07 and in `08. "Overall I thought it was a balanced effort by our wrestlers," said ninth-year Navy head coach Bruce Burnett. "We struggled a little bit against Army head-to-head, so we've got our work cut out for us in preparing for that dual in a few weeks. But it was a great opportunity for us to get back out there on the mat and find some success as we close in on the conference and national tournaments." Baker, who is ranked 10th in the nation at 133 pounds, dominated the competition from start to finish, as he became only the fifth Navy wrestler to win three or more individual titles at the All-Academy championship, joining the likes of Greg Gingeleskie (1997-98-99), Mark Conley (2000-01-02), Tanner Garrett (2004-05-06) and Matt Stolpinski (2005-06-07-08). The 2008 All-American turned in back-to-back technical falls against Air Force's Derek Gillespie and The Citadel's Phil Greene before pinning third-seeded Phil Greene of the Merchant Marine Academy at 3:43 in the title bout. Baker also won tournament titles in 2006 and `08. "Joe looked really good today," said Burnett, who has seen Baker's career ravaged by injuries. "He was clearly the better wrestler in each of his bouts and continues to battle his way back." Rebertus, meanwhile, became one of only a handful of Navy wrestlers to win an All-Academy title in his freshman season. As the tournament's top seed at 174 pounds, Rebertus pinned the Coast Guard's Kevin Robinson in the opening round and followed up by posting a 16-2 major decision over fourth-seeded Erik Schott of the Merchant Marine Academy. Not only did the Navy rookie pick up a 10-2 major decision over No. 2 seed J.C. Oddo of The Citadel in the championship match, he joined an elite group of Navy freshmen who have reached 30 wins. He is now one of only four Navy freshman to achieve 30 wins, joining John Reich (30 in 1979-80), Tyrone Neal (37 in 1998-99) and teammate Bryce Saddoris who picked up 35 wins a year ago. Rebertus, who is 20th in the country in his weight class, also extended Navy's stronghold at the 174-pound weight class, as Stolpinski won four consecutive titles from 2005-08. "I was happy for Luke to win as a freshman," said Burnett. "I think he's finally getting back into competition shape after tweaking his knee a few weeks ago." Earning his first All-Academy title was Caldwell at 184 pounds, who has produced a 27-11 record in his final season at the Academy. The top-seeded wrestler in the weight class, Caldwell earned back-to-back bonus point wins to reach the finals. He opened with a 21-6 win over Norwich's Jordan Ferguson and continued on by defeating Brian Hurley of The Citadel, 12-4. After Air Force's unseeded Brett Boyce knocked off second-seeded Jon Drew of Army in the semis, Caldwell dismissed Boyce in the finals, 7-3, to claim his first collegiate title. "It was a workman's effort by Casey today," added Burnett. "Casey isn't a flashy wrestler, he just continues to come back at you. He looked solid in all of his matches." An additional four wrestlers earned appearances in championship bouts, but came up just short of winning the title. Rookie Prescott Garner (West Linn, Ore.) squeezed past VMI's Johnathan Pope in the opening round, 9-8, before flattening Air Force's Andrew Zwirlein's shoulders to the mat and picking up his 13th pin of the season. With the pin, Garner moves into sole possession of ninth on the Mids' single-season falls list, the most by a lightweight wrestler in school history. Garner, who was the top-seeded wrestler heading into the competition, was edged in the finals by third-seeded Tyler Sim of The Citadel by a 7-5 count. Junior 141-pounder Matt Pagan (Carteret, N.J.) also lost a heartbreaker, falling to Army's Casey Thome, 3-1, in the championship. Pagan, who has gained the confidence of Burnett in recent weeks, earned an 11-3 major decision over VMI's David Yost in the opener and moved into the finals after handing third-seeded James Beshada a 6-1 loss in the semis. In perhaps the most exciting match of the evening, Army's Matt Kyler managed to upset Navy sophomore Bryce Saddoris (Spring Creek, Nev.) at 149 pounds. Saddoris, ranked sixth in the country, easily made his way to the finals after posting a 19-1 technical fall over Air Force's Alec Williams followed by a pin against No. 4 seed Pierre Frazile of The Citadel. Kyler, meanwhile, found his way to the finals by way of back-to-back falls. The aggressor throughout the match, Saddoris was turned on a counter-offense move, giving Kyler, ranked 11th nationally, the extra points needed to win his second straight All-Academy title. With his pair of wins at the tournament, Saddoris has matched his win total from a year ago, and with 35 victories, he stands tied for 12th on the Mids' single-season wins list. Senior Philip Neese (Lexington, S.C.) fought his way to a second-place finish at 197 pounds and put up a solid performance in the championship bout. Neese turned back VMI's Ronnie Ellsworth in the opening round, 8-2, and followed up with a semifinal victory over Air Force's James Ciccone, who had upset the third seed in the preliminaries. Neese, though, could not get ahead in the finals, as 20th-ranked Richard Starks of Army picked up his second consecutive All-Academy crown. Earning a third-place finish at 165 pounds was second-year standout Matt DeMichiel (Whitesboro, N.Y.), who finished the day with a 3-1 record. DeMichiel opened the day on a positive note with an 11-3 victory over VMI's Matthew Brock. However, top-seeded Steve Crozier of Air Force was able to slip past his Navy foe, 8-6, sending DeMichiel to the consolation bracket. DeMichiel pinned Army's Mike Gorman to earn an opportunity to face The Citadel's Derek Sickel in the third-place bout. It was a rematch of the Dec. 18 match at the Reno Tournament of Champions where Sickel absolutely man-handled DeMichiel en route to a 14-3 major decision. This time around, it was DeMichiel who owned Sickel, winning the match, 5-1. "I was really proud of Matt and how he battled back after losing what was a good match against a quality wrestler," said Burnett. "He lost to Sickel pretty badly earlier this year and he could have easily packed it in. He responded exactly how you'd hope a wrestler would and challenged himself to go right after the win." Finally, Navy senior heavyweight Tyler Moyer (Bremerton, Wash.) placed fourth after dropping a heartbreaker to The Citadel's Aaron Brown in sudden victory (3-1). The only weight class the Mids did not place in was at 157 pounds, where senior Joel Ahern (Herkimer, N.Y.) was forced to withdraw after suffering a concussion in his semifinal match against fourth-seeded Connor Keating of Norwich. Navy's seniors will wrestle for the final time in their careers at Halsey Field House when the Midshipmen play host to EIWA foe Rutgers on Friday evening. Action is set for 7:00 pm at Halsey Field House

BUFFALO -- Before the match, the Alumni Arena was filled with the sound of Guns and Roses "Welcome to the Jungle." Less than nine minutes later, Buffalo probably wanted to rethink their song choice. Kent State won eight of 10 matches, including bonus points at 133,184 and 285-pound weight classes in a 31-7 win over the Bulls Saturday night in New York Starting at 125, sophomore Nic Bedelyon got the Golden Flashes rolling with a 6-3 decision over Dan Bishop. Bedelyon recorded the first period takedown and rode Bishop out to end the period. In the second, he chose down and Bishop drained Bedelyon's advantage and even tied the score with two back points. However, Bedelyon took the lead for good with a reversal and a third-period takedown. Before the match, head coach Jim Andrassy warned about Buffalo trying to slow the match down. At 133, junior redshirt Danny Mitcheff would take the fight to UB's Taylor Golba. Recording the takedown seconds into the match, Mitcheff added two three-point near falls before recording the fall 2:39 into the match. KSU led 9-0. The match at 141 remained scoreless after one, but fifth-year senior Drew Lashaway got the takedown in the second and quickly over-matched freshman Mark Lewandowski. Lashaway started on defense in the second and quickly opened a 5-0 lead with an escape and takedown. In the third, Lewandoski started down and escaped to prevent the goose-egg, but Lashway won 6-1 on more than two-minutes of riding time. Buffalo ended the three-match skid at 149 when redshirt junior Jeremy Depoy fell 16-5 to 21st-ranked Desi Green. The Golden Flashes maintained the 12-4 advantage. The match was scoreless after one period at 157, but redshirt freshman Ross Tice quickly exerted his dominance in the second. Starting on offense, Tice rode Buffalo's John Martin-Cannon the whole time and added a cradle to for a 3-0 lead into the third. Cannon added a late takedown, but it was too little too late as Tice tallied two escapes in the final stanza and added the riding point for the 6-2 decision. Two third-period takedowns by redshirt junior Obie Simpson proved to be the difference at 165. Buffalo's Ron Majerus rode Simpson the entire second period and essentially went up 2-0 after an escape to begin the third. Simpson tied the match with a takedown but Majerus quickly escaped to take a 3-2 lead with the riding point intact. Majerus looked as if he would win with riding, but Simpson had other plans. With less than 10 seconds remaining, Majerus backed up and Simpson completed his shot for the 4-3 win. Kent State led 18-4. It took three extra periods at 174, but Buffalo's Nate Rock got the winnng takedown for the 4-2 (TB) win. Redshirt freshman and 5th-ranked Dustin Kilgore clinched the match with a dominating 11-1 win at 184. Kilgore fought for three takedowns and added an escape to race out to a 7-1 lead. He clinched the major with a cradle and three back points in the final 10 seconds to get the 11-1 major over 27th-ranked Micky Moran of Buffalo. Kent State led 22-7. The heavyweights for Kent State put an exclamation point on the match. Fifth-year senior Eric Chine won 5-1 with a takedown in the first period and in the match clincher in the closing seconds. Fellow fifth-year senior Jermail Porter wasted no time at 285, pinning UB's Brett Correll in 1:31. In open action at the Edinboro Open, freshman Mallie Shuster claimed the title at 157 pounds with a 5-0 record. In the semis, he beat Sean Nemec of Ohio State before defeating Alex Munoz of Pitt 6-2. Kent State returns to action Friday night (Feb. 13), when they host Ohio in the final home match for six seniors, which made up Andrassy's first recruiting class.

PITTSBURGH -- The University of Pittsburgh wrestling team honor seniors Brad Gentzle and Zach Sheaffer before hosting border rival West Virginia in the 54th installment of the Backyard Brawl on the mat. The Panthers and Mountaineers battled to a 15-15 draw, with each team taking five matches on the night. Pitt (3-6-1, 3-0-1 EWL) and West Virginia (6-4, 3-0-1 EWL) both remain unbeaten and tied atop the EWL rankings along with Edinboro. Chris Albright was the first of three straight matches won by Pitt wrestlers to open the night. Albright totaled two escapes and a takedown in the second period to pull away from Kyle Turnbull, tacking on a late third period takedown for the 7-2 decision. Junior Jimmy Conroy entered this weekend's match as the 17th ranked wrestler in the nation at 133 pounds and proved why is considered among the best. Conroy opened the match with a takedown less than 20 seconds into the first period and jumped out to a 6-2 lead with nearly two minutes of riding time before the opening stanza came to a close. With the match coming to a close and Conroy ahead 9-2 with riding time in his favor, a major decision seemed certain. However, Grant Lowther was able to secure a takedown in the closing seconds to keep Pitt from gaining any bonus points. After wrestling to a 3-3 draw after one period, redshirt freshman Tyler Nauman turned the heat up, with an escape and takedown in the second period to go ahead 6-3 over Colin Johnson in the 141-pound matchup. Johnson would get within two at 7-5, but Nauman was able to hold off the late shots and give Pitt a 9-0 advantage through three matches. WVU quickly silenced the crowd and gained momentum with four straight decisions. At 149 pounds, 19th ranked David Jauregui was an 8-6 winner over redshirt senior Mark Powell, closing the gap to 9-3. Ryan Goodman followed suit in the 157-pound match with a 2-1 decision over redshirt freshman Phil Sorrentino. West Virginia knotted the match at 9-9 with Donnie Jones' 4-2 decision over sophomore Ethan Headlee and took its first lead of the night when 12th ranked Kurt Brenner handed redshirt junior David Sullivan a 10-5 defeat at 174 pounds. Freshman Zac Thomusseit stopped the downward spiral with a 3-2 win at 184. Thomusseit and Lance Bryson were tied at 1-1 with the third period coming to a close before the Panther freshman was able to secure a takedown on the edge of the mat for the win. Junior A.J. Hunte wouldn't be outdone in the 197-pound match. With just 15 seconds on the clock in the third period and tied 2-2 with Matt Ryan, Hunte put Pitt ahead 15-12 with a takedown which secured the match. Sheaffer, the 8th ranked heavyweight in the country and Dustin Rogers, the 18th ranked heavyweight battled for nearly seven minutes with neither wrestler able to score a takedown. With under 10 seconds left on the clock and in a flurry of action, Rogers drew the only takedown of the match, going up 3-1. Sheaffer escaped, but was unsuccessful in his ensuing shots to close out the third period. The Panthers continue EWL action next Friday, Feb. 13 as they hit the road for a dual with Clarion University. Match time is set for 7 p.m.

Stillwater, Okla. -- Completing its sweep of Big 12 schools in the state of Oklahoma, fifth-ranked Missouri trumped No. 15 Oklahoma State (12-7, 0-4), 27-9, to improve to 17-3 on the season and 2-1 in the Big 12. Missouri's second ever road win against the Cowboys, it also marks the second time in program history that the Tigers beat both Oklahoma and Oklahoma State in their respective home facilities. Missouri's win drops OSU to 0-4 in the league, marking the first time in Big 12 history the Cowboys failed to collect a conference win. Missouri earned wins in eight of the 10 contested matches, with three decided in sudden victory. The third sudden victory win of the night, and most anticipated match of the dual, came at heavyweight where Missouri's Mark Ellis (Peculiar, Mo.) held true to his No. 1 ranking with a 5-3 win over third ranked Jake Rosholt. The grapplers were tied at three at the end of regulation and Ellis scored the takedown in 16 seconds for the two-point win, his 20th consecutive win of the season. The win is Ellis' first ever over Rosholt. The two have met six times throughout Ellis' collegiate career. Senior Marcus Hoehn (Farmington, Mo.) started Missouri on its eight match win streak with his 3-1 win in sudden victory over 15th-ranked Jamal Parks. Eighteenth-ranked Hoehn and Parks were scoreless through the first period and Hoehn chose down to start the second. Escaping in 12 seconds, the two were on their feet for the remainder of the period. Parks chose down to start the third and escaped in 20 seconds tying the dual at 1-1. In Missouri's first sudden victory match in eight duals, Hoehn came through with a takedown in 24 seconds for the win. Missouri's second sudden victory match of the day came at 149 pounds with senior Andrew Sherry (Sewickley, Pa.) earning an 8-6 win by decision of Cowboy Luke Silver. Sherry trailed the first two periods but tied the match at six with two reversals. All six of Sherry's regulation match points were scored by reversal. With one minute put on the clock for sudden victory and the wrestlers starting neutral, Sherry took Silver down in just 15 seconds for the win. Collecting a third straight Missouri win, senior Michael Chandler (High Ridge, Mo.) won his bout at 157 pounds, 7-5, over Neil Erisman. Chandler, ranked eighth, took a two point lead in the second period over 10th-ranked Erisman with two reversals and a two-point nearfall at the buzzer. Erisman started down for the third and Chandler held him down for the win, falling just shy of the one minute needed for riding time. Junior All-American, fifth-ranked Nicholas Marable (Collierville, Tenn.) gave the Tigers their first lead of the night with his 3-2 win over No. 10 Brandon Mason. A low scoring bout, neither grappler was credited with a point in the first, with Marable earning one in the second for his escape from the down position. Marable allowed Mason the third period escape in 10 seconds after taking the Cowboy wrestler's riding time below the one minute mark. A takedown by Marable with 12 seconds left in the bout secured the win and Mason was only able to manage an escape with three seconds left. Fifth-ranked senior Raymond Jordan (New Bern, N.C.) held off No. 14 Newly McSpadden, 4-1 for the Missouri win at 174 pounds. His ninth consecutive win of the campaign, Jordan's match was the fifth of the dual in which the grapplers were scoreless through the first two minutes of action. Jordan, who chose down to start the second, escaped in four seconds and McSpadden was unable to capitalize on any of his attempted shots. McSpadden escaped from bottom in the third, but Jordan was quick to return him to the mat and tack on 1:09 of riding time for the win. Redshirt freshman Dorian Henderson (Columbus, Ga.) shocked OSU fans with his fall, the first of his career, in 6:45 over Cody Hill at 184 pounds. Henderson trailed 1-0 entering the third period and escaped in one second. Henderson lifted Hill and returned him to the matt, sticking the Cowboy with 15 seconds left in the bout. The Tigers will return home to host Central Michigan and Iowa State in their final two duals of the season. First up, Missouri will square off with No. 10 Central Michigan beginning at 7 p.m. (CT) Friday, Feb. 13, in the Hearnes Center. The evening dual is part of the third annual Beauty and the Beast event which also features Missouri's top-ranked gymnastics squad in a competition with border opponent Illinois. Tickets for the event are $5 for adults and $3 for youth and can be purchased in advance of the meet by calling 1-800-CAT-PAWS. Missouri's seniors will wrestle their final dual in the Hearnes Center on Sunday, Feb. 15, when the Tigers take on second-ranked Iowa State beginning at 2 p.m. (CT). Prior to the dual, the University will recognize the six senior members of he 2008-09 squad.

St. Cloud, Minn. -- #11 St. Cloud State (6-3, 3-0 NSIC) fended off a late #13 Augustana (6-7, 1-2 NSIC) rally to pick up a narrow 17-16 NSIC dual victory Friday evening at the Ronken Center. Josh Williams (Banks, Ore.), Gabe Suarez (Las Vegas), John Sundgren (Blaine), Tad Merritt (Canby) and Derek Skala (Owatonna) all recorded victories in a dual that was split 5-5 in matches, and was decided by a Sundgren major decision. The Huskies controlled the middle weights after losing the opening bout. Five of the next six matches went SCSU's way as they held on after Augustana took the last three matches by decision. SCSU will be in action tomorrow, when they travel to Marshall, Minn. to take on Southwest Minnesota State for a 2:00 bout. Augie will be in Bismarck, N.D. next Friday for a 7:00 p.m. dual with Mary.

BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- Bucknell gave No. 7 Lehigh all it could handle Friday night, but junior David Craig's win by major decision over David Thompson at 184 broke a 12-12 tie and led the Mountain Hawks to a 28-12 win over the Bison Friday night inside Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall. Lehigh won six bouts, including wins by fall for junior Seth Ciasulli and freshman Joe Kennedy to pick up its 20th win of the dual season, as the Mountain Hawks improve to 20-1 overall and 6-0 against EIWA opponents. Craig avenged a 7-5 loss to Thompson earlier in the season by scoring a quick first period takedown and adding a three-point near fall at the end of the first period. Lehigh's ninth-ranked junior added a second period reversal a third period takedown and riding time to notch his 18th victory of the season, which put the Brown and White up 16-12 with two bouts remaining. "He did a great job," Lehigh head coach Pat Santoro said of Craig. "He's really been wrestling well for the last month and a half. To come back against a guy who beat you before and beat him in that fashion. It was a really good win for David." Kennedy then clinched the win for the home team with a third period pin of Rob Waltko at 197. Leading in the third period, Kennedy was on his way to scoring near fall points with a tilt, but was able to maneuver both of Waltko's shoulders to the mat to earn his third pin of the season. The dual began at 125 where freshman John McDonald returned to action for the first time in over a month. McDonald scored the first takedown against Derek Reber, but Reber picked up reversals in the first and third periods and benefitted from a four-point move in the second. Looking for a major decision, McDonald mustered a late third period takedown, to keep the margin to a regular decision, but Reber prevailed 8-6. Lehigh captured the next three bouts to take a 12-3 lead after four. In a match-up of ranked wrestlers at 133, No. 15 Matt Fisk scored a first period takedown and added two more in the third in an 8-3 win over No. 20 David Marble. At 141, Ciasulli picked up his team-best sixth fall of the season, pinning Adam Healey in just 1:02. Ciasulli scored early on a shrug move then turned Healey with a half nelson to secure the fall. Senior Trevor Chinn capped the run with a 5-3 decision over Kevin LeValley at 149. The Bison began to turn the tides with three straight wins from 157-174. In the first of the three, Lehigh freshman Sean Bilodeau converted an early takedown and racked up over two minutes of riding time to grab an early lead, but Scott Sechler picked up a reversal and two takedowns in the third period to force overtime and then the winning score in sudden victory to prevail 10-8. The match immediately following intermission was another matchup of ranked opponents as Lehigh's 12th ranked junior Mike Galante faced Bucknell's 14th ranked Andy Rendos. Galante scored the only takedown of regulation in the first period, and entered the third tied 2-2 after a pair of Rendos escapes. In the third period, Galante escaped late, but not until Rendos had earned riding time. In the second straight sudden victory match, it was Galante who took the initial shot, but after a scramble, Rendos ended up with the winning takedown in a 5-3 victory. At 174, the Mountain Hawks chose to rest Alex Caruso, who was not at full strength and in his place junior Manuel Schubert saw his first action of the season. Bucknell's Shane Riccio used a first period takedown and riding time to earn a 4-2 decision, which tied the match at 12 heading into 184. The loss drops Bucknell to 9-9 overall and 3-3 within the EIWA. The Mountain Hawks will return to the mats next Saturday when they host a pair of duals against EIWA foes Army and Franklin & Marshall. Lehigh will open the day against Army at 1 p.m. with the match with Franklin & Marshall to follow at 3 p.m. Tickets can be purchased by calling 610-7LU-GAME or by visiting the Lehigh ticket office, located in Grace Hall. Bonus Points… A replay of the match can be seen Saturday afternoon on Service Electric 2 Sports beginning at 4:30 p.m. … With 20 dual wins, this year's team becomes the third Mountain Hawk squad to win 20 duals in a season (2004, 2005)… Lehigh moves to 6-0 all-time versus Bucknell in wrestling.

PORTLAND, Ore. -- The University of Wyoming wrestling team defeated the Portland State Vikings by a score of 31-6 on Friday night in Portland, Ore., at the Stott Center. The Cowboys won eight of ten matches competed, five of those by major decision and one by technical fall. It was Wyoming's seventh straight dual win and their season record is now 11-2 overall, 2-0 in the Western Wrestling Conference. After losing the 149-pound match and falling behind early, 3-0, the Cowboys would rattle off wins at five weight classes to give themselves a comfortable 18-3 advantage. UW also lost a decision at heavyweight, but won the final three match-ups to make-up the 31-6 final score. Michael Martinez had the largest margin of victory for the `Pokes at 125 pounds, winning 23-7 by technical fall over Kevin Martinez. UW's Martinez has now won 11 straight matches and has a season record of 31-7. Wyoming's Tyler Davis (157), Joe LeBlanc (184), Alfonso Hernandez (197), Cory VomBaur (133) and Cole Dallaserra (141) each won by eight points or more and recorded major decision victories. No.7-ranked LeBlanc now has a season mark of 34-5, with 12 of those wins coming by way of major decision. Cowboy Dallas Hintz won by decision at 165 pounds, as did No. 19-ranked Shane Onufer at 174 pounds. Onufer's win came in overtime and he improved his season record to 35-8. The Cowboys travel to Orem, Utah, next Friday, Feb. 13, for a WWC match-up with Utah Valley at 4 p.m. UW then immediately heads southeast to Stillwater, Okla., for two duals on Sun., Feb. 15. Wyoming will wrestle No. 15-ranked Oklahoma State at 3 p.m. and Binghamton (N.Y.) at 5 p.m.

MANKATO, Minn. -- The top-ranked University of Nebraska at Omaha wrestling team posted its tenth win of the 2008-09 season with a 17-15 victory over No. 3 Minnesota State, Mankato Friday night at the Taylor Center. The dual opened with Mankato's No. 8 Andy Forstner scoring a 7-6 decision against UNO's Matt Rein. Two-time National Champion No. 2 Cody Garcia gave UNO a 4-3 lead in the dual when he recorded a 9-1 major decision against Tim Haneberg at 133 pounds. MSU answered back and won the next two bouts at 141 and 149 pounds, giving Mankato a 9-4 lead. John Putman, the fourth-ranked wrestler at 141 pounds, upset the Mavericks' No. 2 Mario Morgan, 5-3. No. 2 Tommy Abbott followed that up with an 8-5 decision against Esai Dominguez. The UNO Mavericks fought back and won four of the next five matches. At 157 pounds, Todd Meneely remained undefeated, scoring UNO's second major decision, 24-13, against No. 7 Travis Elg. The senior is now 19-0 and has a career mark of 77-5. UNO's second-ranked wrestler at 165, Aaron Denson, continued the momentum as he recorded a 13-7 decision over MSU's Tim Matheson. After Mankato's Ben Becker defeated Ryan Pankoke, 5-4 at 174 pounds, UNO won the next two. Ross Taplin, wrestling at 184 pounds, tallied a 7-4 decision against Aaron Norgen and Brent Pankoke followed that up when he earned a 3-1 decision over No. 6 Pat Mahan, giving UNO a 17-12 lead heading into the final bout. MSU's No. 2 Brady Wilson won the final match at 285 pounds, 3-1, against UNO's fourth-ranked wrestler Tony Lewis, but it wasn't enough as UNO was able to hang on for the two-point dual win. The Mavericks will be idle until Sunday, Feb. 15 when they participate in the MIAA Duals in Warrensburg, Mo. The other schools competing in the dual include Central Missouri, Fort Hays State and Truman State.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- No. 9 Illinois used wins by No. 2 Mike Poeta, No. 15 Roger Smith-Bergsrud, John Dergo, No. 12 Jordan Blanton and No. 10 John Wise to overcome a 9-4 deficit and defeat 16th-ranked Northwestern, 22-13, in front of 1,070 fans at Huff Hall. Blanton topped John Schoen at 197, while filling in for Patrick Bond who is suffering from flu-like symptoms, and Wise scored a 15-0 technical fall on Paul Rands in the second period to seal the win. "I always kind of complain to the guys that I have to wait so long to wrestle," Wise said. "But when I can come out here and dominate and put the cap on a win like that, I can't complain. I knew I couldn't overlook him because anybody in the Big Ten is capable of beating anybody else, so I just wrestled as hard as I could and I was able to come out with the tech fall." The Illini didn't let Northwestern's advantage in the lighter weights get to them, as B.J. Futrell put forth a valiant effort to not allow bonus points to No. 3 Brandon Precin, falling 6-0 at 125, and Ryan Prater dropped a 4-1 heartbreaker in which the Wildcats' Keith Sulzer scored all four of his points in the final 20 seconds. But Poeta started the comeback before the 12-minute intermission for the Big Ten Network and Smith-Bergsrud picked up where his teammate left off, thrilling the crowd with his last-second winning takedown against Dominic Marella to come out on top, 3-1. "Our guys did a terrific job of competing," Illinois head coach Mark Johnson said. "We knew it would be a pretty even match, so it was important for some of our guys who had bad matchups not to give up a lot of bonus points and we were able to find some bonus points at different spots. And it was really nice to see John Wise go out and dominate like we all know he can." Starting at 125, No. 3 Brandon Precin got in on a leg early, but B.J. Futrell fought him off. After a restart, though, Precin got in on a leg and nearly finished it for a takedown on the edge of the mat, even getting the takedown points. But after a referee's conference, the points were cleared away and the wrestlers started neutral. Futrell was given a stalling warning and after a restart, Precin got a leg, but Futrell was able to ward off the takedown as time ran out. Precin started down in the second and got a quick reversal for a 2-0 lead. Futrell attempted to sit out, but Precin hooked him in for a two-point near-fall for a 4-0 lead with 1:29 of riding time after the second. Futrell started down in the third and once again attempted to sit out, but Precin rode hard before getting a stalling warning of his own. With 30 seconds left, Futrell gave up a stalling point and Precin won, 6-0 with riding time. No. 3 Jimmy Kennedy got a leg early on Eric Metzler at 133 and got a takedown. Metzler escaped after a restart but Kennedy got a nice slide-by takedown for a 4-0 lead. He managed to tilt Metzler for a two-point near-fall before the Wildcat escaped, giving Kennedy a 6-2 lead after three minutes. Metzler started down in the second and Kennedy let him up before working for a takedown. Metzler escaped to make it 8-4 in Kennedy's favor and Metzler was warned for stalling with three seconds left in the period. Kennedy started down in the third and, after Metzler put up a tough ride, Kennedy got out with just over a minute of riding time left and a minute left in the match. Looking for a takedown to secure the major decision, Kennedy shot and got a leg but the pair went out of bounds before control was established. Kennedy was able to throw the head and get a takedown to win by a 12-4 major decision after riding time was added. At 141, Ryan Prater and No. 16 Keith Sulzer got in a mad scramble at the edge of the mat and Prater nearly got control, but Sulzer kept hold of a leg and a stalemate was called. Another wild scramble took up the final 40 seconds of the period, but neither wrestler was able to score in the first three minutes. Sulzer started down in the second and nearly got a reversal, but the hold was deemed potentially dangerous and broken. After another scramble, Prater regained definite control and rode out Sulzer the rest of the period. Prater started down in the third and got out with 54 seconds left in the bout. Sulzer shot quickly and got a leg, but Prater fought valiantly as time wound down. But Sulzer finally secured the takedown and added two late near-fall points for the 4-1 win. Off a restart with 1:50 left in the first period at 149, Eric Terrazas got a leg, but Northwestern's Andrew Nadhir got a stalemate before points were scored. Nadhir shot off a restart and secured the takedown at the edge of the mat, but Terrazas escaped with 30 seconds left in the period. After no further scoring, Nadhir started down in the second with a 2-1 lead. Terrazas got a quick tilt for two near-fall points and a 3-2 lead before Nadhir escaped to tie it at 3. Terrazas got an ankle on the edge of the mat but couldn't secure the second one as time ran out. The Illini rookie started down in the third period and Nadhir let him go. Terrazas got a leg early in the period but the hold became dangerous and was broken. Off the restart, Nadhir shot and got the takedown, nearly scoring back points. Terrazas escaped to tie the bout at 5 then shot off a restart. After another stalemate, Nadhir got a slide-by takedown and rode him out for the 7-5 win. At 157, neither No. 2 Mike Poeta nor No. 14 Jason Welch was able to mount any offense in the first period. Poeta started down in the second and Poeta escaped quickly for a 1-0 lead. Poeta got a leg with 1:20 left in the period and managed to turn the corner for the takedown. After a restart, Poeta was called for stalling and Welch escaped. With Poeta leading 3-1, Welch started down in the third and quickly escaped. Poeta quickly got in on a leg and worked around into control for the takedown. Welch escaped and Poeta got another takedown off a sloppy shot by Welch for a 7-3 lead with 40 seconds left. Welch escaped after a restart, but Poeta shot in, got a leg and turned the corner for a takedown with five seconds for the 9-4 win, which brought Illinois within 9-7 at the intermission. Following the break, No. 15 Roger Smith-Bergsrud and Dominic Marella fought through a scoreless first period. Marella started down in the second and quickly escaped, and Smith-Bergsrud got both ankles as Marella returned to the center, but the Wildcat wriggled away to avoid any scoring the rest of the period. Smith-Bergsrud started down in the third and quickly escaped to tie the bout at 1. With 20 seconds left, Marella shot and Smith-Bergsrud threw him by before grabbing both ankles for the winning takedown and a final score of 3-1. At 174, John Dergo picked up where he left off last week at Purdue, getting a leg early against Robert Kellogg, but Kellogg went out of bounds before any scoring. Kellogg shot off a restart and allowed Dergo to get a leg, which he eventually worked into a takedown. Kellogg was warned for stalling with 45 seconds left in the period and was able to escape and Dergo worked for a tilt. Dergo countered one of Kellogg's shots and got in on a leg before scoring for a 4-1 lead after three minutes. Dergo started down in the second and escaped in 10 seconds for a 5-1 margin. Dergo shot soon after and got the takedown before working his ride once again. Kellogg was called for stalling once again, making the score 8-1 in Dergo's favor and the Illini rode him out for 2:04 of riding time heading into the third. Kellogg started down in the final period and Dergo let him up. Dergo shot off a restart and worked into a takedown after Kellogg nearly fought it off. Kellogg escaped, but Dergo added riding time for the 11-3 major decision, extending Illinois' lead to 14-9. Ben Friedl stepped in at 184 against top-ranked Jake Herbert and the Wildcat got a pair of early takedowns sandwiched around an escape. Friedl escaped again but Herbert shot in and got another takedown on the edge of the mat for a 6-2 lead after a period. Herbert started down and got a reversal before Friedl escaped. Herbert got another takedown and a stalling point for an 11-3 lead. He added another takedown for a 13-4 lead after two periods. Friedl started down in the third and escaped quickly. Herbert got three more takedowns and another stalling point for a 20-8 lead. He added a late takedown and riding time, but Friedl escaped with one second left to avoid the technical fall with a 23-9 final score, which cut Illinois' lead to 14-13. At 197, Jordan Blanton, ranked 12th at 184, stepped on the mat against John Schoen. Blanton got a leg with 1:16 left and worked Schoen's head over for the takedown. After 25 seconds, Schoen escaped and the period ended with Blanton leading 2-1. Schoen started down and escaped in the second to tie the bout at 2. Off a restart, Blanton got a leg and worked it into a takedown with 17 seconds left, then rode out Schoen for a 4-2 lead. Blanton started down in the third and escaped in 24 seconds for a 5-2 lead. Schoen got in on a leg but Blanton fought him off with just over a minute left. Schoen shot off a restart, but Blanton blocked it and turned the corner for the takedown. Blanton let him up to make the score 7-3, then got a takedown on the edge of the mat with 24 seconds left. He once again let Schoen up and quickly got the takedown, nearly sticking Schoen on his back but finishing with an 11-4 win and pushing the Illini up 17-13. In the evening's final bout, No. 10 John Wise shot off the whistle, which Paul Rands blocked, but Wise kept after it and eventually got control for a takedown just 14 seconds into the match. Wise began to ride him hard, looking for the turn, which he got in the form of a three-point near-fall with 1:17 left in the period. Rands got hit with his second stalling warning with 13 seconds left, giving Wise a point, and the Illini senior turned the Wildcat once again for three more back points and a 9-0 lead after the first period. Wise started down in the second and quickly escaped, then got the takedown and put Rands on his back for three more near-fall points and the 15-0 technical fall in 4:05. That was the icing on the cake of Illinois' 22-13 comeback victory over the Wildcats. No. 9 Illinois returns to action on Sunday at No. 17 Wisconsin at 1 p.m. The Badgers had the night off on Friday.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The Indiana-Purdue rivalry hit the wrestling mats Friday night inside University Gym where the Hoosiers (14-4-1) came out on top with a 21-12 victory over the Boilermakers (11-3-1). Indiana won six of 10 individual bouts on the night. Click here for the complete play-by-play and statistics. "It's nice to get a big win, and for it to be over Purdue is always good," said Head Coach Duane Goldman. "No matter what the rankings are, it's that inter-state rival which is always big. " Both teams entered the contest ranked nationally with IU at #18 and Purdue ranked 25th in the country. Defending 125-lbs. national champion and fifth-ranked Angel Escobedo started the night off in a big way for Indiana, notching a first-period pin in the opening match. Escobedo's cousin, Andrae Hernandez added three more points to the team total at 141-lbs., picking up a 7-3 decision. Hernandez trailed in the early goings after giving up an early takedown, but battled back for the win. At 149-lbs., Nick Walpole came within seconds of upending No. 7 Jake Patacsil. Walpole battled him tough throughout the match, holding a lead for some time before the riding time point proved to be the difference in the 5-4 triumph for Patacsil. Indiana's other two nationally-ranked grapplers, Kurt Kinser and Trevor Perry, also added tallies in the win column for the Cream and Crimson. Kinser and Perry's wins bookended a victory for Purdue in the 165 pounds match to create a 15-9 IU advantage heading into the eighth bout of the match. Purdue's A.J. Kissel narrowed the gap there with his major decision. However, the Boilermakers were deducted one-point from the team score during the 184-lbs. match because of an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the Purdue head coach. The biggest match of the day came at 197 pounds though, when redshirt freshman Matt Powless upset Purdue's Logan Brown, the 13th ranked wrestler in nation at 197-lbs. Powless, a native of Newburgh, Ind., was stuck in a 1-1 stalemate until a lightning-quick shot resulted in a takedown for the Hoosier with just three seconds left in regulation, sealing a 3-1 decision. Powless's decision pushed IU ahead 18-12 on the team scoreboard, nearly assuring a Hoosier victory as long as Nate Everhart didn't get pinned in the heavyweight match. Everhart would have none of that anyways as he too picked up a win, defeating Chris Kasten, 3-1. "Powless came through with the big win," said Goldman. "He is one of the hardest working guys on the team and he really deserved it. It was nice to see his hard work pay off."

Stanford, Calif. -- After claiming the first win in school history over powerhouse Arizona State a year ago, the Stanford wrestling team (7-12-1, 2-4 Pac-10) repeated the feat tonight in Burnham Pavilion. Despite forfeiting a weight class, the Cardinal climbed back from a 16-3 deficit and secured a 20-19 win. Arizona State falls to 5-6 overall and 3-2 in Pac-10 duals. Stanford has now won three consecutive matches, including two against Pac-10 competition. Junior Tyler Parker (2-2) highlighted the night with a thrilling 4-3 overtime victory at 149 pounds. Parker scored a takedown with less than 10 seconds remaining in regulation to tie the bout at three, then recorded an escape in the tiebreaker to claim what proved to be a pivotal victory. It was Stanford's only senior, Luke Feist (18-10), who came through under pressure for Stanford, however. With Stanford down 19-17 heading into the final bout, the Cardinal 197-pounder earned a 5-0 decision to secure the team win. The night began at heavyweight, where Stanford was forced to forfeit and thus start the dual at a 6-0 disadvantage. At 125 pounds, the hole only got deeper when sophomore Austin Quarles (3-6) was pinned by 12th-ranked Anthony Robles. Now down 12-0, sophomore Porfirio Madrigal (15-8) stepped up and put Stanford on the board. Madrigal bested David Prado at 133 pounds with a 5-1 decision to nab his 15th win of the year. At 141 pounds, sophomore Cameron Teitelman (12-15) lost by major decision to the Sun Devils' other ranked wrestler, No. 6 Chris Drouin. After Teitelman's loss, Arizona State took its largest lead of the night, 16-3. The Stanford comeback was about to begin, however. Parker began the rally with his takedown with time winding down in regulation. His exciting overtime win over Vincente Varela then spurred a string of three consecutive Cardinal wins. Sophomore Lucas Espericueta (25-11) nabbed his 50th career win in the next bout, dominating Te Edwards for a 20-3 technical fall. Espericueta joins teammates Jake Johnson, Zack Giesen and Feist as current wrestlers who have hit the notable career milestone. Redshirt freshman Nick Amuchastegui (25-4) followed with his 12th consecutive win, defeating Kyle DeBerry, 10-5. Amuchastegui continued to build on his impressive dual point total, increasing it to 72 on the year. The rookie is now tied with Espericueta (2007-08) as the fourth-winningest freshman in school history. In the next bout, freshman Victor Haug (8-19) suffered a 10-4 loss to ASU's Eric Starks. Stanford wasn't fazed, however, and its upperclassmen stepped up in must-win bouts to propel Stanford forward. At 184 pounds, Johnson (27-13) nabbed a 5-0 win over Jake Meredith and pulled Stanford within two, 19-17. Johnson's win was his career-best 27th of the year. With the dual in his hands, Feist came through. The two-time NCAA qualifier bested Jake Cranford, 5-0, in the 197-pound bout and clinched Stanford's second Pac-10 win in a row. Stanford is back on the mat on Sunday, heading to Idaho to wrestle defending Pac-10 champion Boise State in another conference dual. Action is set to begin at 1 p.m. (MT) Sunday afternoon.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State rebounded nicely from a stunning defeat to Minnesota five days ago by winning eight of 10 matches, including three by pin, and defeating Penn State by a 33-7 score Friday in State College, Pa. The win improved Ohio State's records to 11-2 overall and to 2-1 in the Big Ten Conference. Penn State falls to 7-9-2 overall and 0-3-2 in the Big Ten. Last Sunday against Minnesota, Ohio State let a 16-6 lead after the first six matches slip away by dropping the final four bouts to lose, 18-16. After the match, coach Tom Ryan challenged some of his weight classes to practice to the point where you "get yourself to a completely uncomfortable state and be able to manage that." Not sure if that's the way the team practiced this week or not, but the results suggest that something certainly did click this week in practice. Ohio State fought to two victories to lead off the match. No. 17 Jason Johnstone decisioned Tim Darling, 9-4, in the opening match of the evening at 157 pounds and then in a battle of two ranked wrestlers, No. 2 Colt Sponseller decisioned No. 20 Dan Vallimont, 8-3, at 165 pounds for an early 6-0 Ohio State lead. Penn State's nationally ranked Quentin Wright (No. 16 at 174 pounds), had to battle right to the very end against Dave Rella before escaping and riding to a 3-2 victory to close the gap to 6-3. In a matter of moments, though, the Buckeyes took control of the match. First, No. 2 Mike Pucillo needed just 1:35 to pin Matt Dodds at 184 pounds and, perhaps stoked by Pucillo's dominance, Buckeye Cody Gardner secured a 6-3 decision over Jack Decker at 197 to give the team four wins before the break. Then coming out of the break, Corey Morrison won another close decision, 6-4 over Stefan Tighe, in the heavyweight match to give the Buckeyes considerable confidence heading into the last four matches. Although Nikko Triggos lost in a major decision to No. 13 Brad Patsky at 125 pounds, the Buckeyes were still in good shape with three stalwarts – Reese Humphrey, J Jaggers and Lance Palmer at 133, 141 and 149 pounds, respectively – in line to wrestle. That trio dominated to close out the match. Humphrey, ranked No. 2, decisioned No. 9 Jake Strayer, 8-3. No. 14 Jaggers pinned Frank Molinaro at 3:38 of the second period. And Palmer, ranked No. 4, pinned Colby Pisani, wrestling in place of the injured and unbeaten No. 2 wrestler Bubba Jenkins, at 2:56 of the first period. The Buckeyes have now won three consecutive matches over Penn State to close a Penn State series lead to 13-10 all-time. The Buckeyes return from State College to host the Purdue Boilermakers at 5 p.m. Sunday at St. John Arena.

EAST LANSING, MI -- Unranked Michigan State put up a fight, but the top-ranked Hawkeye wrestling team held off the Spartans to post a 22-15 victory Friday night at Jenison Field House in East Lansing, MI. Iowa (19-0, 3-0 Big Ten) went 6-4 on the night to keep its 33-match winning streak alive. Michigan State fell to 6-4 (1-3 Big Ten) in front of 1,103 fans. The Hawkeyes jumped out to a 16-0 lead with wins at the first four weights. Iowa senior Charlie Falck posted his 85th career win with a 25-13 major decision over Eric Olanowski at 125 to start the dual. In the night's marquee match between two top-ranked wrestlers, Hawkeye junior Daniel Dennis handed Franklin Gomez his second loss of the season with a 3-2 victory at 133. Gomez, who is ranked first in the nation by W.I.N. Magazine and Amateur Wrestling News, is the defending Big Ten champion with a 13-2 record. Dennis, who is ranked first in the nation by Intermat/NWCA/NWMA, improved to 20-2 on the season and has won his last five matches. Hawkeye senior Alex Tsirtsis kept the Iowa streak going with a 6-2 win over Collin Dozier at 141. Davison, MI, native Brent Metcalf celebrated his homecoming by sticking David Cheza in 4:41 at 149. The top-ranked Hawkeye junior is 24-0 and on a 56-match winning streak - pinning his last four opponents. Michigan State posted three straight one-point wins at 157, 165 and 174 to make the team score 16-9. Sophomore Colby Covington was wrestling for injured Hawkeye starter Jay Borschel at 174. Hawkeye juniors Phillip Keddy (184) and Chad Beatty (197) both posted decisions to seal the team victory. Keddy remains undefeated at 19-0 in dual competition, while Beatty picked up his 25th career victory. Hawkeye junior heavyweight Dan Erekson sustained an injury to his right leg in the first period of his match and could not continue - defaulting to Alan O'Donnell to end the dual. Iowa will take its 33-match winning streak to University Park, PA, when it faces #22/#17 Penn State (7-9-2, 0-3-2 Big Ten) Sunday at 1 p.m. (CT). The Nittany Lions lost a 33-7 decision to #6/#5 Ohio State earlier Friday night.

Norman, Okla. -- The fifth-ranked Missouri wrestling team used its 11th come from behind effort of the season to hold off No. 14 Oklahoma, 18-12, in the Howard McCasland Field House in Norman, Okla. Improving to 16-3 on the season and 1-1 in the Big 12, Missouri's win dropped Oklahoma to 15-2 and 0-2. Missouri's 16th victory ties for the second most wins in program history. "I give credit to Oklahoma tonight," Missouri Head Coach Brian Smith said. "They battled tough. They're a very tough team. We lost a tough one early at 133 pounds but showed good composure by getting the win at 157 pounds." Senior 141 pounder Marcus Hoehn (Farmington, Mo.) scored Missouri's first points of the dual with his 8-2 win by decision over Seth Vernon. Hoehn's victory marked the sixth time of the season in which the 18th-ranked grappler was the first Tiger of the dual to record a win. Hoehn held a 5-1 advantage heading into the third period and added a takedown and 1:28 of riding time to make the final score, 8-2. Wrestling to the sounds of the third fire alarm of the night, senior 157-pounder Michael Chandler (High Ridge, Mo.) snapped a two dual losing streak and earned his first Big 12 win of the season by way of a 6-2 decision over Will Rowe. Chandler scored the first takedown of the match with 1:17 remaining in the first period, allowing Rowe only an escape. The two stood tied at two entering the third period and Chandler started down for the final two minutes of action. Escaping in six seconds, Chandler shot and scored a takedown with 26 left, holding on for 1:09 of riding time and Missouri's second win of the night. Junior All-American, Nicholas Marable (Collierville, Tenn.) recorded his fifth one point win of the season, 3-2, over Oklahoma's Ryan Smith, bringing Missouri even with OU at nine points. Marable, ranked as high as fifth in the nation at 165 pounds, went yet another match in which he refused to give up the takedown, allowing Smith an escape in the first and third periods for his Sooner opponents' only two points of the bout. Giving the Tigers their first lead of the night, fifth-ranked senior Raymond Jordan (New Bern, N.C.) held on for a 6-4 win over seventh-ranked Jeff James at 174 pounds. Jordan was down 2-1 at the close of the first period, but tied the bout in the second with a takedown. Jordan chose down to start the third, escaped in five seconds and tacked on a takedown with 51 left in the match. Jordan, is now one of four MU grapplers with a 2-0 Big 12 record. Breaking the 12-12 tie that came after a Missouri loss at 184 pounds, junior All-American Maxwell Askren (Hartland, Wis.) outscored 11th-ranked Eric Lapotsky, 11-4, for the Tiger win. The most point scored in any of the 10 bouts, Askren tallied three takedowns in the first period and toughed out a second period reversal for the six point lead. Askren allowed Lapotsky the escape to start the third period but returned him to the mat. With 3:07 of riding time, Askren improves to 21-3 on the season. "I think this has to be the best match I've seen Max wrestle all season." Smith said. "He looked solid and did a tremendous job for us." Making his return to the mat after a four dual absence, No.1 ranked Mark Ellis (Peculiar, Mo.) fought hard for his 5-3 win over 16th-ranked Nathan Fernandez at heavyweight. Ellis and Fernandez scrambled and exchanged a flury of shots throughout the seven minute match, but Ellis maintained his lead throughout the bout, scoring a takedown and escape in the first, and escape in the second and adding one point for 1:25 of riding time. With the win, Ellis extends his win streak to 19 matches. The Tigers will continue their swing through the state of Oklahoma with a Saturday, Feb. 7, dual against the 15th-ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys beginning at 7 p.m. (CT) in Gallagher Iba Arena. The Cowboys stand at 12-6 on the season and 0-2 in Big 12 action.

AMES, Iowa -- The second-ranked Iowa State Cyclone wrestlers turned away No. 21 Northern Iowa Friday night at Hilton Coliseum by a score of 26-9. ISU did not compete at the 133-pound spot and gave up six forfeiture points to the visiting Panthers. The Cyclones were paced by bonus-point victories by Cyler Sanderson at 157 pounds and Jake Varner at 197 pounds. ISU stayed stout on the feet in the dual, allowing one takedown while scoring 21. "We were going for the right ties tonight and scoring 2-on-1 off those moves," Sanderson said. "We've been working really hard in the room and I think it showed tonight, especially in the longer matches. I think we could have had a couple more bonus decisions and we talked about that in the locker room." The marquee match of the night was at 165 pounds between natives of Michigan and Iowa. The Cyclone from Michigan was victorious. No. 7-ranked Cyclone Jon Reader, a sophomore from Davison, Mich. and fourth-ranked Northern Iowan senior Moza Fay of Anamosa, Iowa duked it out in a top-10 165-pound bout. Reader topped his higher-ranked opponent by decision, 4-2. Reader used a reversal and takedown in the third period to better the Panther. Iowa State's Varner, the top-ranked 197-pounder in the nation, continued his winning ways against UNI's Andrew Anderson. ISU's two-time NCAA finalist scored a major decision against the Sioux City native, 9-1, to improve to 21-1 on the year. Varner is a perfect 13-0 in dual action. The ISU 141-pounder is on a winning streak. Nick Gallick extended his string of wins to 18 with his decision of Northern Iowa's Trent Washington, 9-2. The Tucson, Ariz. native is ranked third in the country and sits at 24-2 in his junior season. ISU's David Zabriskie needed all the time possible to wear down UNI's redshirt freshman Christian Brantley. The Cyclone heavyweight went into quadruple overtime with the Panther. He won by riding time in the final top/bottom period with an advantage of 14 seconds. "We go 30 to 40 minutes in the practice room, so an 11-minute match is really not as tough as those long practice sessions," Zabriskie said. "Even when I didn't get to finish the takedown in regulation, I didn't panic because I've been in a lot of overtimes the last three years." The explosive offense coming from ISU's 157-pounder was on its mark again Friday night. Sanderson major decisioned UNI's Tyson Reiner 14-4 with four takedowns, three of which that came in the third period. With the victory, the Cyclones took a 13-6 lead into the intermission. Cyclones Tyler Clark (125), Mitch Mueller (149) and Duke Burk (174) all won by decision. Clark beat UNI's Cruse Aarhus 10-4 and Mueller decisioned Panther Brett Robbins, 7-3. Burk was victorious over Scott Hazen of Northern Iowa by decision, 8-2. ISU returns to action against Tennessee-Chattanooga in Hilton Coliseum Friday at 7 p.m.

Rev Audio: Joe McFarland (Michigan) Rev Audio: Steve Luke (Michigan) Rev Audio: J Robinson (Minnesota) Rev Audio: Jayson Ness (Minnesota)

The No. 18-ranked University of Michigan wrestling team used a late surge at the upperweights and bonus points from its senior captains to knock off eighth-ranked Minnesota, 17-16, on Friday evening (Feb. 6) at the Gophers' Sports Pavilion. The two teams split matches 5-5, but back-to-back Wolverine major decisions at 174 and 184 pounds proved the deciding factor as U-M handed Minnesota its first Big Ten loss. Michigan claimed three of the final four matches to complete its second straight comeback win. With U-M down 13-6, Fifth-year senior Steve Luke (Massillon, Ohio/Perry HS), the nation's top-ranked 174-pounder, kicked off the Wolverine surge and improved his season record to 19-0 with a 12-4 major decision against the Gophers' Kaleb Young. The Wolverine captain scored five takedowns, including three in the first period to set the early tone. With the extra point within reach midway through the final frame, Luke struck deep on a single leg and used his 2:01 in riding-time advantage to secure his 12th bonus win of the season. In the subsequent bout at 184 pounds, junior/sophomore Anthony Biondo (Clinton Twp., Mich./Chippewa Valley HS) similarly gained the only advantage he needed in the opening period, converting on an immediate single-leg shot against Sonny Yohn before riding out the remainder of the frame. Biondo, ranked 13th in the latest NWCA/InterMat poll, stayed on top for most of the second period as well and countered a Yohn shot in the closing seconds to add an additional takedown. The Gopher wrestler rode out the entirety of the third period, but Biondo finished the bout with 2:12 time advantage to wrap up a 5-2 decision and even the dual score. Fifth-year senior captain Tyrel Todd (Bozeman, Mont./Bozeman HS), ranked fifth nationally, gave the Wolverines their first advantage of the meet, putting on a takedown clinic en route to a 16-5 major decision against Chris McPhail at 197 pounds. Todd converted on seven takedowns, including four in the middle frame, using a combination of single legs, double legs, throw bys and counters to highlight a game of catch and release. The Wolverine captain added 2:31 in riding-time advantage to pick up his ninth bonus win of the season and improve to 13-1. Minnesota still had to pull out the dual with a big win in the final match, but junior/sophomore heavyweight Eddie Phillips (Woodland, Mich./Lakewood HS) kept the score close, losing a 5-2 decision against Ben Berhow to maintain his team's advantage. Berhow struck on takedowns in the first and second periods and, with Phillips pressing late, locked down to hang on. The Gophers' gauntlet of nationally-ranked lowerweights proved less effective than Michigan's gauntlet at the upperweights but provided Minnesota a seven-point lead after back-to-back wins in the opening two bouts. The Wolverines responded with back-to-back wins of their own to keep pace. Sophomore Kellen Russell (High Bridge, N.J./Blair Academy) used a strong start -- a pair of first-period takedowns -- to battle to a 6-4 decision against eighth-ranked Mike Thorn at 141 pounds. Russell, ranked fifth nationally, converted on a single leg late in the frame and, after picking up about 30 seconds of riding time, came out on top of scramble in the final 10 seconds to add another late takedown. Thorn cut the gap with a single leg of his own in the second, but Russell, despite being unable to score on several opportunities, controlled the pace in the third to hold on for his 13th straight win. The Wolverine sophomore has not lost a match in exactly two months. Junior/sophomore Mark Beaudry (Pueblo, Colo./South HS) followed suit with a decision victory in a pivotal swing match at 149 pounds, using a first-period takedown and dominant riding to roll past Joe Grygelko, 4-0. Beaudry finished on a quick low single leg on the mat and, with a cross-body ride, rode out the remainder of the period. He added a quick escape in the second and again used a cross-body ride to control the entirety of the third, earning 4:21 in time advantage in his second dual victory of the season. Minnesota continued the theme of trading back-to-back wins, claiming decisions at 157 and 165 pounds to reestablished its seven-point advantage and set up the Wolverines' comeback. Junior/sophomore Aaron Hynes (Mt. Morris, Mich./Flint Kearsley HS) nearly pulled off an upset in the former bout but lost 7-6 on riding time to the Gophers' Tyler Safratowich. After falling behind early, Hynes controlled the tempo in the final half of the bout, converting on a late takedown in the second and adding a reversal in the third but could not overcome the deficit. Michigan will close out the weekend roadswing on Sunday (Feb. 8) with match against intrastate rival Michigan State in East Lansing, Mich. The dual is slated for a 1 p.m. at Jenison Field House and will be aired live on the Big Ten Network.

BLOOMSBURG, Pa. -- The Edinboro wrestling team won seven of ten matches on Thursday night to record its 22nd straight Eastern Wrestling League win, a 25-12 triumph at Bloomsburg. The 12th-ranked Fighting Scots improve to 10-4 overall and 3-0 in EWL action. Bloomsburg is now 7-7 and 2-3, respectively. Edinboro is now 23-0-1 in its last 24 EWL matches. The Fighting Scots won four of the first five bouts, then closed with three straight wins, including Joey Fendone's third straight win by fall. Paul Donahoe, ranked number one at 125 lbs., opened with an 8-2 decision over Ian Moser. Following a scoreless first period, Donahoe registered an escape and takedown in the second period for a 3-0 lead. He added a takedown and two near-fall points in the third period. Donahoe is now 24-0 on the season and 110-18 for his career. Edinboro went ahead 6-0 as Rocky Deubel picked up his tenth win in his last eleven matches at 133 lbs. The senior, who came in ranked 18th by InterMat, won a 4-1 decision over Jason Guffey. Deubel snapped a scoreless match in the second period, tilting Guffey for three near-fall points. Guffey would escape, but Deubel added a third period escape for the win. Deubel is now 21-9 and improves to 95-47 for his career. Steve Waite, who earlier in the week took over as the starter at 141 lbs. after he defeated Joel Webster in a wrestleoff, won an 11-1 major decision over Darren Kern to give the Scots a 10-0 lead. That gives the sophomore, who transferred to Edinboro from West Virginia at mid-year, a 6-2 record. Waite led 4-0 after one period thanks to a takedown and two near-fall points. He made it 8-0 with his second takedown and two more near-fall points. He added a third takedown in the third period. Bloomsburg got on the board when George Hickman won a rematch of the PSAC title match at 149 lbs. over Torsten Gillepsie. Gillespie had won the PSAC match with a last-second score for a 9-8 win. This time Hickman defeated the sophomore, 7-3. Gillespie grabbed an early lead with a first period takedown, but Hickman would tie the score on a reversal. Gillespie took the lead with an escape. Following a scoreless second period, Hickman used an escape to tie the score and then won the match with a takedown. Gillespie falls to 22-13 with the loss. In the feature match of the evening, a pair of top ten grapplers paired off at 157 lbs., with top-ranked Gregor Gillespie (above) defeating ninth-ranked Matt Moley for the third time this year. The final score was 6-0, as Gillespie remained perfect at 30-0 and is now 141-10 for his career. That leaves him four wins shy of the school record of 145 career wins held by Jason Robison. Following a scoreless first period, Gillespie received a pair of points for Moley stalling in the second period. He added a takedown in the third period, giving Edinboro a 13-3 lead. Ricky Schmelyun, ranked 19th by InterMat at 165 lbs., pulled the Huskies within 13-9 as he won by fall over Chris Hrunka in 54 seconds. Hrunka, filling in for injured starter Jarrod King, is now 4-9. The Huskies made it 13-12 when Nate Graham edged Paul Paddock, 2-0, at 174 lbs. That was the same score Graham defeated Paddock by in the first round of the PSAC Championships. Graham recorded the only scoring with a reversal in the second period. Paddock falls to 9-14 with the loss. Chris Honeycutt started a string of three straight wins by the Scots to put the match away. The sophomore, who is ranked 17th by InterMat at 184 lbs., won a 6-1 decision over Brian Shaw. He used a first period takedown and a second period escape for a 3-0 lead after two periods. In the third he added a second takedown. Honeycutt is now 22-6. Pat Bradshaw closed out the match with a 3-0 decision over Jesse Hasseman, giving the Scots a 19-12 lead. The junior used a takedown in the first and a second period escape for the only scoring. Bradshaw improves to 20-5, giving Edinboro seven wrestlers with 20 wins. Fendone, ranked 13th, closed out the night with a fall over Zac Walsh at 4:37. The senior is now 21-5 and moved closer to 100 career wins at 96-37. He also jumped into a tie for fourth place in career falls with 40. Edinboro returns to action on Friday night, hosting Cleveland State in another EWL match. It gets underway at 7 p.m. at McComb Fieldhouse.

EAST STROUDSBURG -- Kyle Bilquist pinned Chris Birchler 17 seconds into the second period of their heavyweight match to cap Delaware Valley College's 24-16, come-from-behind victory over Division I East Stroudsburg University. With the victory, the third-ranked Aggies improved to 19-1-2 in dual meets, including a perfect 3-0 against Division I programs (they defeated Davidson and Delaware State at home in December). In the process, they also the school's single-season record for wins, topping the previous mark of set by the 1988-89 squad when they went a perfect 18-0, reached the number one ranking in the country during the year and eventually finished as the Division III runner-up at the NCAA Championships. East Stroudsburg, which was home for the first time all season, fell to 4-12 in dual meets. Delaware Valley trailed 16-9 with four matches remaining, but its upperweight lineup features three nationally-ranked wrestlers and one on the cusp of the top 10. Rocky Mantella, ranked fifth in Division III at 174 pounds, began the Aggies' late run with a 10-3 decision over Jeff Jacobs to remain undefeated at 22-0. Mike Wilcox, last year's Division III runner-up at 184 pounds, made it a 16-15 match with a 4-2 decision over Ed Ebewo. Wilcox, who is expected to move into the top spot in the next rankings following his pin of defending champion Romeo Djoumessi last Saturday, is now 27-2 on the year. Jeff Siciliano followed with a 4-2 victory of his own over Shane Mallory at 197 pounds. The triumph was Siciliano's 18th in 24 matches this season and it gave Delaware Valley an 18-16 lead heading into heavyweight. With the match on the line, Bilquist scored the lone points of the opening period thanks to a takedown with six seconds to go. The second-ranked heavyweight in Division III began the second period on top and needed just 17 seconds to turn Chris Birchler on his back for the pin and the Aggie victory. Bilquist, who may also move into the top spot in next week rankings (the top-ranked wrestler lost by decision to an unranked opponent last week) is now 23-3 on the year. Delaware Valley jumped out to a 9-0 lead as nationally-ranked wrestlers Chris Sheetz and Brandon Clemmer opened the evening with wins by fall and decision respectively. Sheetz, ranked fourth in Division III, stopped David Luthy exactly one minute into their 125-pound contest to up his mark to 29-4 (14 pins). Clemmer, ranked sixth at 133 pounds, edged Matt Swallow, 2-1, for his 24th win in 30 tries. East Stroudsburg took the next four weight classes as Matthew Rizzo earned a pin at 141, Scott Heckman and Ken Monarque had decisions at 149 and 157 pounds respectively, and Thad Frick notched a major decision at 165 pounds. Those triumphs gave the Warriors a 16-9 advantage, setting the stage for the Delaware Valley upperweights to shine in the comeback victory.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- The University of Nebraska at Omaha wrestling team improved to 9-0 in duals this season with a 28-9 win against No. 13 Augustana College Thursday night at the Elmen Center. The Mavericks won eight of ten bouts, including a pin by Todd Meneely and a major decision by Mario Morgan. Matt Rein put the Mavericks on top early, scoring an 8-5 decision over the Vikings' Alex Meger at 125 pounds to start the rout. The sophomore recorded an escape, a takedown and a near fall in the third period for the come-from-behind win. Second-ranked wrestlers Cody Garcia and Morgan followed that up with wins of their own. Garcia scored two takedowns, a near fall, an escape and 2:21 riding time for the 9-3 decision. At 141 pounds, Morgan scored UNO's only major decision in the dual, defeating AC's Jay Sherer, 15-6. The sophomore is now 23-11 on year. The Vikings scored their first points of the dual at 149 pounds where AC's Mike Long upset the Mavericks' No. 3 Esai Dominguez. The redshirt freshman took a 5-2 lead into the third period, but Long scored a takedown with just 38 seconds remaining to come away with the 6-5 decision. UNO won five of the final six matches. Meneely, the top-ranked wrestler at 157 pounds, pinned Kyle Svendsen in 4:10 to give UNO a 16-3 advantage. The Skutt Catholic product scored 11 takedowns before pinning Svendsen in the second period. Ryan Pankoke became the second Maverick wrestler to reach the 30-win plateau this season joining teammate Ross Taplin (31-7) with a 2-0 decision at 165 pounds. Pankoke scored an escape in the third period and 1:28 riding time to come away with the win. The match at 174 pounds pitted No. 2 Taplin against Vikings' Brian Schultz. The two-time All-American from Abilene, Kan. scored two takedowns and an escape to come away with with a 5-2 decision. Brent Pankoke made it four straight wins for UNO when he came away with a 9-2 decision against Nick Henning. Pankoke, the second-ranked wrestler at 184 pounds, tallied three takedowns, two escapes and 1:33 riding time to improve to 6-1. After forfeiting the match at 197 pounds, Tony Lewis put the finishing touches on the Vikings, scoring a 4-3 decision. Lewis, ranked No. 3 at 285 pounds, scored a three-point near fall in the third period to win the match. UNO will be back in action tomorrow night with a 7:00 p.m. road dual scheduled against last year's NCAA II national runner-up, No. 3 Minnesota State, Mankato. MSU has an overall record of 9-3 and have six wrestling ranked in their respective weight class.

Lexington, Va. -- The Citadel wrestling team defeated the grapplers from VMI 21-9 in a dual meet held in Lexington, Va. Feb. 5. Sophomore Bulldog 165-pound Derek Sickel fought back from an early deficit to score a 10-4 win to start the Bulldog's momentum. Fellow Bulldog J.C. Oddo followed Sickel with a 4-0 decision over the Keydet's Andrew Szymborski. 197-pound grappler Odie Delaney was the next Bulldog to earn a victory over Ronald Ellsworth 7-4. At 125, Bulldog junior Tyler Sim was victorious with a 4-2 decision over VMI's John Pope. The Bulldogs weren't finished there. 141-pound Derek Royster claimed a 10-6 win over David Yost. Following Royster was teammate Pierre Frazile at 149, who fought a tough battle and scored a late escape to capture another win for the Bulldogs 7-5. In the final match of the night sophomore Keith Koziel walked away with a 10-4 decision over Keydet Joel Hutchens. Koziel was announced SoCon wrestler of the week Feb. 4. The Bulldogs had a dominating performance against the Keydets. The Bulldogs as well as VMI will return to action on Saturday, participating in the 15th Annual All-Academy Championships, being hosted at VMI's Thunderdome. For complete results from the meet against VMI and all news on The Citadel wrestling team and Bulldog athletics visit www.CitadelSports.com.

LINCOLN -- Jordan Burroughs and Vince Jones notched major decisions against No. 15 Oklahoma State to help the fourth-ranked Nebraska wrestling team claim a historic 17-16 dual victory over the Cowboys in front of more than 2,800 fans at the Bob Devaney Sports Center on Thursday. The win was NU's first home victory over OSU since the 1921-22 season, and gave the Huskers back-to-back dual wins over the Cowboys for the first time ever. Nebraska improved to 14-2-1 overall and 2-0 in the Big 12, while Oklahoma State dropped to 12-6 and 0-3 in the conference. The contest came down to bonus points, as each team claimed five bouts on the night, and Burroughs and Jones, both natives of Sicklerville, N.J., scraped NU by with their two wins. In one of three matches featuring two wrestlers ranked in the top 10, third-ranked Burroughs used 10 takedowns, including four in the final period, to post a 21-9 major decision over No. 10 Neil Erisman of OSU at 157 pounds. The win was the junior's seventh of the year against top-10 opponents, and kept his perfect season alive at 24-0 and 15-0 in duals. Jones, ranked 11th in the nation at 184 pounds, used two takedowns in the first two periods to amass an early lead, but posted a six-point third period to earn an 11-2 major decision over Oklahoma State's Cody Hill. Jones posted a takedown with a minute left and quickly cut Hill, looking for the bonus-point win. Hill put up a fight, but Jones scored his final takedown with two seconds left for the nine-point margin. The senior now has a team-leading 25 wins on the season with his 25-6 overall mark, and is 11-4 in duals. The dual started at 133 pounds, with Oklahoma State picking up decisions at the first two weights. Senior Rob Sanders got NU on the board with a 6-3 decision over Luke Ashmore at 149 pounds. Sanders surrendered an early takedown, but rebounded with a takedown of his own in the first period and escaped easily in the second frame. Ashmore earned an escape in the third period to pull within one, but Sanders sealed the match with a takedown with seven seconds left. Burroughs posted his major decision to give NU their first lead of the night, as junior Stephen Dwyer and senior Brandon Browne followed with decisions. No. 10 Brandon Mason held sixth-ranked Dwyer scoreless in the first period, but Dwyer earned a reversal 32 seconds into the second period and rode Mason out in the third for a 3-1 victory at 165. On a night when Browne was honored as a Hometown Husker, the Plattsmouth-native did not disappoint. The senior posted three takedowns against No. 14 Newly McSpadden at 174, before the Cowboy claimed a late takedown to lose 7-5. Browne's 15-2 dual mark ties him for the team lead with Burroughs. Jones' major decision at 184 put NU up 17-6, but No. 8 Clayton Foster upset second-ranked Craig Brester at 197 with a 5-2 decision and No. 3 Jared Rosholt posted a 2-0 decision over NU's Tucker Lane at heavyweight to pull the Cowboys within five at 17-12. OSU's Obe Blanc needed a technical fall to tie the match or a pin to win, but NU's Andy Pokorny held him to a 12-3 major decision at 125 to give the Huskers the victory. Nebraska continues its conference schedule with a 2 p.m. dual against No. 14 Oklahoma at McCasland Field House in Norman on Sunday.

Minnesota State-Mankato head wrestling coach Jim Makovsky and W.I.N. Magazine editor Mike Finn will be the featured guests on Wrestling 411 Radio on Thursday, Feb. 5. This Thursday's edition of Wrestling 411 Radio will air at 7 p.m. CST. The show can be heard live by visiting www.wrestling411.tv and clicking on the "Listen Live" link. An archive of the broadcast will be available immediately following the show. Makovsky is in his 16th season as the head wrestling coach at Minnesota State-Mankato. His teams have placed in the top ten at the NCAA Division II tournament 11 times, including a runner-up finish at last year's tournament. Minnesota State-Mankato, currently ranked third, will host top-ranked Nebraska-Omaha at Bresnan Arena on Friday, Feb. 6. Finn is the editor of Wrestling Insider Newsmagazine. Considered one of the sport's top journalists, Finn was named wrestling journalist of the year by the National Wrestling Media Association in 2006. Wrestling 411 Radio can be heard live by visiting www.wrestling411.tv. Questions for any of the guests are welcome. You may e-mail your questions to Kyle Klingman at kklingman@mediasportsproductions.com.