InterMat Staff

Senior Trey Moss (Lexington, S.C.), the seventh ranked heavyweight in the nation, won his 100th career match on Saturday in the Domino's Pizza East Coast Duals Wrestling Tournament hosted by St. Andrews Presbyterian College. He is the first wrestler in the program's brief history to win 100 matches. Moss' achievement came in dramatic fashion in the final match against 18th ranked Kutztown. Winning in 1:35, Moss pinned opponent Kevin Bolinsky, improving his overall record to 20-3, with eight pins. In the 2008-09 season, Moss has won a title at the UNC-Pembroke Open and has taken second in both the Ohio Northern Tournament and the Midwest Classic. "I am very excited and proud of Trey. He works extremely hard day in and day out to be a force at heavyweight and a leader on our team," commented Head Coach Trent Goodale. "Being a member of the original team here at Limestone, he has played a big part in creating a strong program and setting the standards higher for years to come." Moss qualified for nationals as a redshirt sophomore in 2006-07, but was bested in the All-American round. He would avenge that loss in 2007-08 when he defeated the University of Indianapolis' Lynn Panko 3-2, becoming Limestone's third ever All-American, completing the season ranked of eighth nationally.

Virginia Tech head wrestling coach Kevin will be the featured guests on Wrestling 411 Radio on Tuesday, January 27. This Tuesday's edition of Wrestling 411 Radio will air at 7 p.m. CST. The show can be heard live by visiting www.wrestling411.tv and clicking on the "Listen Live" link. An archive of the broadcast will be available immediately following the show. Dresser is in his third year as the head wrestling coach at Virginia Tech. His team is currently 15-1 with wins over 17th ranked Michigan and sixth ranked Central Michigan this past weekend. A native of Humboldt, Iowa, Dresser was an NCAA champion for the University of Iowa in 1986. 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.

Delaware Valley College head wrestling coach Brandon Totten and Newberry College head wrestling coach Jason Valek will be guests this week 'On the Mat.' 7th year head coach Brandon Totten currently has his Delaware Valley College (PA) Aggies ranked third in the nation in Division III with a dual meet record of 15-1-1. A national power in Division III, four of Totten's first six teams have finished in the top 10 at the NCAA tournament and he has coached 14 All-Americans, including national champion Jamall Johnson at 197 pounds in 2006. Delaware Valley recently placed third at the NWCA National Duals in Cedar Falls, IA, on January 10-11 with a 22-15 victory over Coe College in the third place match. Totten was a two-time NCAA champion at Delaware Valley at 158 pounds, winning titles in 1995 and 1996. He also won a school record 50 matches as a senior in 1996. Totten will be bringing his talented team back to Iowa this weekend for duals with perennial powers Coe College, Luther College and Wartburg College. Jason Valek has done a terrific job putting his Newberry College (SC) wrestling program amongst the elite Division II teams and is currently ranked second in the nation with a dual record of 19-2. Valek has been the head coach at Newberry since its first season of wrestling in 2004-2005 and recently placed second at the National Duals, losing 23-19 to top ranked Nebraska-Omaha. Last season Newberry qualified eight wrestlers for the NCAA tournament, had four All-Americans and finished in eighth place. Valek served as Newberry High School's (SC) head coach for two years prior to moving the collegiate level. "On the Mat" can be heard live on the internet at www.kcnzam.com or locally in Northeast Iowa each Wednesday from 5:00 - 6:00 PM Central time on AM 1650, The Fan. Feel free to e-mail radio@wrestlingmuseum.org with any questions or comments about the show.

LEWISBURG, Pa. -- The 18th ranked ODU wrestling team (13-5) added a seventh to its win streak with a 21-9 win over the Bucknell Bison (8-7). Defending the highest national ranking the program has ever had, Old Dominion won seven weights including an upset at 165 lbs as junior #15 Chris Brown (Chesapeake, Va.) beat #12 Andy Rendos, 4-3. The win was his fourth against a nationally ranked opponent this season. The Monarchs won the first weight behind team statistical leader and top ten 125-pounder James Nicholson, with a 7-1 decision over Derek Reber. The Bison bounced back as David Marble, in his first week unranked all year, upset ODU's #19 Kyle Hutter, 4-2. Hutter had beaten Marble twice before in his career, and was leading against the Bison grappler today, but Marble had an escape late in the second and another in the third for the win. Senior Ryan Williams posted the 125th win of his career and 27th of the season as he grabbed a 10-5 decision over Adam Healey at 141 lbs, but Bucknell answered to tie the score at six with a win at 149 lbs. Kevin LeValley and ODU's Joey Metzler battled in an overtime thriller, but it was LeValley that escaped and recorded a takedown in the tiebreaker for the win. The Monarchs pulled away with three straight decisions at 157, 165 and 174, including the upset win for Brown. Kaylen Baxter continued to improve at 157, with a 7-2 win over John Regan, and Eric Decker won at 174 lbs over Shane Riccio, 5-4. It was the win by Brown, though, that gave ODU the edge the rest of the way. Brown had a quick lead on Rendos, but the score remained tied at two apiece late in the third. With just 28 seconds remaining, the Monarch wrestler scored a takedown to go up 4-2. Rendos would escape, but Brown held on for the victory. The three wins at the middle weights gave ODU a nine-point cushion headed into the last three. Rookie Joe Budi went down 5-0 to David Thompson at 184 lbs, but battled back and cut the lead to two in the third period. He was unable to score again, though, and added the riding time advantage point for the 5-4 final. Old Dominion closed out the match with victories at 197 lbs and the heavyweight class behind #15 Jesse Strawn and the CAA's #2 HWT, Roy Dragon III. Strawn fell just one point shy of a major decision, winning 8-1 over Nathan Jones and Dragon posted a 4-1 decision against Jay Hahn. The win was the seventh straight for the Monarch wrestlers, improving to 13-5 overall this season. It was the second straight victory against Bucknell, evening the all-time series at two wins apiece. Old Dominion will be on the road again next weekend as they head to #6 Central Michigan. The Monarchs and Chippewas matched up at the Virginia Duals earlier this month with CMU winning 24-12. It will be the eighth dual against nationally ranked competition this season, with ODU posting a 2-5 record so far. CMU is coming off a tie with #4 Nebraska and a loss to unranked Virginia Tech today, and will host ODU at 2:00 pm on Sunday, February 1.

WEST POINT, N.Y. -- The Army wrestling team picked up a pair of wins over visiting Brown and Harvard this afternoon in a pair of dual meets at Gillis Field House. The Black Knights (10-4-1) spotted Brown a 13-0 lead before taking six of the final seven bouts en route to the 21-16 victory in the opener, and then took care of business during a 30-11 win over Harvard. Army juniors Matt Kyler (149) and Richard Starks (197), along with senior Michael Sprigg (285) and sophomore Casey Thome (141) all picked up two victories on the day. "We had a lot of new faces in the lineup today and that can sometimes be a lot of pressure," said Army head coach Chuck Barbee. "We knew we would be outmanned at a couple weights, but our guys did what they had to do to help us win." Brown used three-straight wins, including a pin by Bran Crudden over Army sophomore Dean Gaier at 174, and a 14-6 major decision by Matt Gevelinger over senior John Drew at 184, to take the early lead. Starks, ranked 18th in this week's national poll, got the Black Knights rolling at 197 with a 7-0 shutout of Branden Steams, before Sprigg followed with an 11-3 major over Zach Zdrada at heavyweight. Junior Lance Penhale made it three in a row after holding on for a 4-3 decision opposite Greg Einfrank at 125 to cut the deficit to three, 13-10. The Bears made it a 16-10 edge after Ross Baldwin took a 7-2 decision from sophomore Josh Sandhaus at 133, but it was all Army from there. Thome took a 2-0 decision from Steve Delorenzo at 141 and Kyler, ranked 12th at 149, turned in a 16-1 technical fall over Dave Foxen to put the Black Knights up, 18-10, with one bout remaining. Sophomore Rudy Chelednik sealed the victory with a hard-fought 2-1 decision over Bryan Tracy at 157 that came down to a 1:57 advantage in riding time. "When you draw the names out of the hat, you never know who is going to have to close the deal," added Barbee. "Rudy was the guy that got called on to do it today and he did a really great job in a clutch situation and got a big win for us against Brown." Against the Crimson, the Black Knights were awarded victories in five of the first six bouts to open a 20-3 that proved insurmountable. Freshman Mike Gorman started the match off with a 7-4 decision over Mike Sandler at 165, before Harvard's Bryan Panzano evened the score with a 7-2 win over Gaier at 174. Sophomore Jake Vetter earned a 6-3 decision over Pat Ziemnik at 184, before Starks earned a 21-5 technical fall over Sean Murphy and Sprigg picked up a 7-3 decision over Spencer DeSena to make the score, 14-3. Following a Harvard forfeit at 125, Tom Picarsic earned a 12-2 major over Sandhaus, but a pin by Thome over Fermin Mendez and an 11-0 major by Kyler over Walter Peppleman sealed the Black Knight victory. Kyler improved his record to 30-4 this winter, including a spotless 15-0 mark in dual meet competition. Starks' record currently stands at 24-6 with a 12-3 dual ledger, while Thome's mark is 20-10 with an 11-4 dual total and Sprigg's record is 24-9 and 12-3 to lead Army. "Matt and Richard keep rolling along and seem to keep getting better every week. They just keep building in confidence and intensity and continue to wrestle with a lot of aggression. Casey hasn't had too many breaks during the season and has been going up against some super-tough competition all year. It was good to see him step it up and tough out some big wins for us," continued Barbee. The Black Knights will return to action on Saturday, Feb. 7, when they looks to defend their team title at the All-Academy Championships, hosted by VMI in Lexington, Va.

PHILADELPHIA -- Trey McLean's weekend of revenge ended perfectly, as he upset the No.6 heavyweight wrestler in the country, Zach Sheaffer, on Sunday. The win helped Penn defeat No. 24 Pitt, 20-16, in The Palestra, breaking a three-match slide for the Quakers. McLean had two chances this weekend to gain retribution for pinfall losses earlier in the season. He accomplished step one on Friday night, defeating Nebraska's No. 16 Tucker Lane and came through on the second step with his 5-2 defeat of Sheaffer on Sunday. "At the beginning of the year, I was trying really hard to get in my grove," McLean said. "I was a little overanxious and put myself in bad positions. The last couple of weeks, I have stayed in my position and proved to myself that I can compete with the best in the country." Penn's senior heavyweight was aggressive from the start, taking the majority of the shots in the first period. None were able to score, however, and McLean entered the second period with the score at 0-0. In the second, McLean started on top and scored immediately with a two-point nearfall. He turned Sheaffer with a crossface cradle, almost earning a pin before Sheaffer rolled over. Sheaffer managed an escape in the second to bring the gap to 2-1 entering the final period. In the third, starting from bottom, McLean escaped with 1:07 to go in the bout. He then shot one more time, rounding to Sheaffers back for two points. Sheaffer did escape with 33 ticks on the clock, but his comeback stalled at that point, securing the win for the McLean. Gabriel Burak added another solid win for Penn, earning a major decision victory over Phil Sorrentino at 157 pounds. Filling in for injured Matt Dragon, Burak scored an early takedown and then three backpoints for a 5-0 lead after one. Starting neutral in period two, Burak again scored with a takedown, extending his lead. A takedown to start the third period added to Burak's lead and a late reversal from Sorrentino was too late to stop the major as Burak had 3:50 in riding time. No. 10 Cesar Grajales started the dual, defeating Mark Powell at 149 pounds, 8-3. After Burak's win at 157 gave Penn a 7-0 lead, Ethan Headlee got Pitt on the board with a 6-1 decision over Andrew Coles at 165. Scott Giffin then won a major decision of his own at 174 pounds for Penn, defeating Karl Deciantis, 11-2. At 184, Cory Beaver moved up a weight for Penn, but could not hold off Zac Thomusseit, falling via a major, 11-1. At 197, Thomas Shovlin needed riding time to defeat Matt Wilps, 5-4. A late second stalling call on Shovlin tied the match, but his 2:20 of advantage time proved the difference. After McLean's win put Penn in control of the dual, No. 12 Rollie Peterkin iced the win for Penn with a 2-0 victory in a tiebreaker over Chris Albright. The match was an exciting one, with the lightweights shooting and defending throughout regulation and sudden victory. Peterkin managed a reversal in the second tiebreaker for the win. With the Quakers up by 13 with two bouts to go, Pitts wins from No. 17 Jimmy Conroy (4-1 over Bryan Ortenzio at 133) and No. 10 Tyler Naumann (Fall over Kack Kemmerer at 6:50 at 141) only served to close the gap. Penn is back in action on Jan. 31 against Hofstra at 1 p.m. in The Palestra.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- The No. 13 Oklahoma State wrestling team had no problems in wiping out No. 22 Northern Iowa, 31-3, Sunday at the McLeod Center. The Cowboys improved to 12-5 overall with the win. Cowboy senior 165-pounder Brandon Mason picked up the biggest win of the night when he pitched a 5-0 shutout against No. 2 Moza Fay to start the dual. Fay is the highest-ranked opponent Mason has ever beaten. "Brandon got a takedown and a hard ride and it came down to the end, which it usually does, and he got another takedown. That's what it's going to take," Coach John Smith said. "He'll need to get more than one takedown to win these big matches." OSU sophomore 184-pounder Cody Hill was also a big winner, claiming an 8-6 victory over No. 13 Alex Dolly for his first-ever win over a ranked opponent. Heavyweight Jared Rosholt pinned No. 15 Christian Brantley in 2:17 and 125-pounder Obenson Blanc added a 12-4 major decision over Cruse Aarhus to round out the highlights for the Cowboys. "I thought we wrestled well in 7 or 8 of our matches. I was glad we came back and wrestled better and showed we had a little bit of spark," Smith said. "I thought they had four or five good kids, but for the most part we won those tough matches." The Cowboys take a short break from competition before returning to live action when they travel to Lincoln to face Nebraska at 7 p.m. on Feb. 5. Bout Summaries 165: No. 11 Brandon Mason (OSU) dec. No. 2 Moza Fay (UNI); 5-0 In the feature bout of the dual, which also happened to be the first bout of the dual, No. 11 Brandon Mason was a 5-0 upset winner over No. 2 Moza Fay. Mason scored the first takedown just 30 seconds in when he got in on a single leg and finished the takedown to go up, 2-0. Mason rode Fay out for the remaining 2:29 of the period but lost his riding time advantage when Fay rode him out for the entire second period. Fay chose a neutral start for the third period, but Mason took him down with another single leg effort and rode him out to regain his riding time point and win, 5-0. Ranked No. 2 in the nation entering the bout, Fay becomes the highest-ranked opponent Mason has beaten as a Cowboy. 174: Newly McSpadden (OSU) dec. Scott Hazen (UNI); 8-2 Newly McSpadden had little difficulty in his 8-2 win over Scott Hazen. McSpadden scored a pair of first-period takedowns and cut Hazen loose both times, then rode the Panther for the entire second period to build up a riding time advantage of more than two minutes and 30 seconds. McSpadden escaped to start the third period, then bagged a third takedown for good measure. When his riding time point was added, McSpadden was an 8-2 winner. 184: Cody Hill (OSU) dec. No. 13 Alex Dolly (UNI); 8-6 Cody Hill picked up the most impressive win of his career to date with an 8-6 victory over No. 13 Alex Dolly. Hill blitzed Dolly early with three takedowns in the first two minutes of the bout. He cut Dolly loose after each takedown and held a 6-3 lead after the first period. Dolly escaped for the only point of the second period, but Hill rode him long enough to push his riding time to over one minute. Hill escaped immediately to start the third period, but Dolly rallied by scoring a takedown and riding Hill long enough to erase his riding time advantage before cutting Hill loose. Hill was able to fend off Dolly for the rest of the way to claim his first career win over a ranked opponent. 197: No. 9 Clayton Foster (OSU) dec. No. 14 Andrew Anderson (UNI); 9-4 Clayton Foster's ability to counter was too much for No. 14 Andrew Anderson to handle in Foster's 9-4 win. Foster was taken down quickly to start the bout, but escaped and responded with a takedown of his own when he caught Anderson attempting a lateral drop and nearly turned him to his back to take a 3-2 lead. Foster escaped to start the second period, then scored a second takedown to open his lead to 6-2. Anderson escaped to start the third period, but not after Foster built his riding time advantage to over one minute. Foster took Anderson down again when he caught Anderson while he was attempting a shot of his own and added 1:25 of riding time to win, 9-4. 285: No. 1 Jared Rosholt (OSU) fall No. 15 Christian Brantley (UNI); 2:17 Jared Rosholt was dominant over 15th-ranked Christian Brantley in pinning the Panther in 2:17. Rosholt took Brantley down, then took control of his head and got the Panther redshirt freshman on his back and flattened him on the mat for the fall. 125: No. 16 Obenson Blanc (OSU) maj. dec. Cruse Aarhus (UNI); 12-4 Obenson Blanc stormed to a dominant 12-4 major decision win over Cruse Aarhus that didn't feel that close. Blanc attacked Aarhus from the start but had only one first-period takedown to show for his efforts. The Cowboy senior escaped to start the second period and take a 3-0 lead. He added a second takedown to open up a 5-0 lead going into the third period. Blanc cut Aarhus loose with an optional freestyle start to the third period, then bagged another takedown to go up, 7-1. Smelling an opportunity for bonus points, Blanc let Aarhus free again, then took him down two more times and added a riding time point to put a cap on his major decision victory. 133: No. 15 Chris Notte (OSU) dec. Steven Fitzgerald (UNI); 6-2 Chris Notte controlled Steven Fitzgerald throughout their bout in claiming a 6-2 win. Notte got on the board first with a duck-under into a takedown in the waning moments of the first period. He expanded his lead to 5-0 after escaping to start the second period and following that up with a takedown shortly thereafter. A pair of Fitzgerald escapes – one to end the second period and one to start the third – brought the score to 5-2, but Notte added 1:08 of riding time to cap his 6-2 win. 141: No. 17 Jamal Parks (OSU) dec. Trent Washington (UNI); 5-2 Jamal Parks scored a pair of takedowns in his 5-2 win over Trent Washington. After a scoreless first period, Washington got on the board first with an escape to start the second period. Parks scored the first takedown when he got in on a single-leg and locked both of Washington's ankles together to secure the takedown and take a 2-1 lead. Parks let Washington loose to tie the score at two through two periods. Parks took a 3-2 lead after escaping to start the third period, the put the bout away for good by catching Washington in a desperation move and bagging a takedown in the waning moments. 149: Brett Robbins (UNI) dec. Luke Silver (OSU); 6-5 Time ran out on Luke Silver as he nearly scored a dramatic takedown in the final five seconds of his 6-5 loss to Brett Robbins. Silver attempted a fireman's carry early in the bout, but was unsuccessful and Robbins was able to turn that into a takedown of his own. The bout was stopped shortly thereafter when Silver needed to take a timeout due to an injured shoulder. Silver recovered to escape after the restart, then shot right in for what eventually became a takedown to go up, 3-2. Robbins evened the score when he escaped for the only point of the second period. Silver was slapped with a technical violation while trying to escape in the third period and fell behind, 4-3. A Silver escape deadlocked the score at 4-4, but Robbins swooped in for winning takedown with about 40 seconds left. Silver escaped with 20 seconds left to bring the score to 6-5, but was unable to cash in with a takedown of his own to steal victory. 157: No. 11 Neil Erisman (OSU) dec. Tyson Reiner (UNI); 4-2 Neil Erisman put a cap on the Cowboys' 31-3 win in the dual with a 4-2 victory over Tyson Reiner. Erisman hit an early takedown and built up a riding time advantage in the first period before Reiner was able to get loose for the escape to go into the second period down, 2-1. Erisman escaped early in the second period to go up, 3-1. An escape to start the third period was all Reiner had left in him, and when Erisman's 1:06 riding time advantage was added in, the Cowboy sophomore was a 4-2 winner.

MOUNT PLEASANT -- Sixth-ranked Central Michigan saw its 15-match home unbeaten streak come to an end Sunday afternoon, as the Chippewas tied fourth-ranked Nebraska, 17-17, and fell to Virginia Tech, 19-12. The Chippewas (12-2-1 overall) had won 11 straight matches entering Sunday's action. CMU's last loss at Rose Arena had been a 31-9 decision to then No. 2 Missouri in 2006. Nebraska began the day by topping Virginia Tech, 26-11. Following a 15-minute break, Nebraska (12-2-1 overall) returned to the mat and promptly fell behind the host Chippewas, 14-0. CMU did not allow a takedown in winning each of the first four bouts. Tony D'Alie and Steve Brown scored bonus points at 141 and 149 pounds, respectively, as the Chippewas built their 14-0 lead. Scotti Sentes opened the match with his 19th win of the season at 125 pounds, and Conor Beebe posted a 3-1 decision at 133 pounds. Beebe scored the decisive takedown with just two seconds remaining in the third period of his match. D'Alie and Brown then followed with major decisions. Jordan Burroughs' major decision at 157 pounds got Nebraska on the scoreboard, and the Cornhuskers drew within 14-10 with wins in matches featuring ranked opponents at 165 and 174 pounds. Fifth-ranked Stephen Dwyer defeated 10th-ranked Trevor Stewart at 165 pounds, 7-2, and second-ranked Brandon Browne defeated seventh-ranked Mike Miller at 174 pounds, 6-4. Vince DiDona then energized the Rose Arena crowd with an 8-6 decision over Vince Jones at 184 pounds. DiDona tallied two takedowns in the first period and another in the second to take a 6-4 lead into the final period. Jones tied the score with a takedown in the third, but allowed an escape with DiDona having riding time secured. Jones shot in the closing seconds of the match, but DiDona avoided the takedown on the edge of the mat and CMU's lead extended to 17-10. Nebraska earned the stalemate with victories in each of the final two bouts. Second-ranked Craig Brester claimed a 16-6 major decision at 197 pounds, and 16th-ranked Tucker Lane was a 5-4 victor at heavyweight. Lane and Trice were tied at 2-2 entering the third period, but Lane took a 5-2 lead with an escape and takedown. Trice escaped to pull within 5-3, but could only add to his total when he was awarded a penalty point for Lane's stalling late in the final period. The tie was CMU's first since an 18-18 draw against then No. 3 Hofstra in Rose Arena two years ago. Jarrod Garnett opened the nightcap for Virginia Tech with a major decision against Sentes at 125 pounds. Beebe won again for CMU at 133, but the Hokies strung together four consecutive victories, including two in overtime, to build a 16-3 lead. Miller (174), DiDona (184) and Trice (285) won down the stretch for CMU, but D.J. Bruce's decision at 197 secured the win for Virginia Tech. The Hokies, competing in their fourth dual in 24 hours, improved to 15-1 overall with the victory. Virginia Tech defeated Binghamton and No. 17 Michigan in Ann Arbor on Saturday. CMU is back in action next weekend, hosting duals Saturday and Sunday. The Chippewas face Buffalo in a Mid-American Conference dual Saturday at 2 p.m., then host Old Dominion in a nonconference dual Sunday at 2 p.m.

IOWA CITY, IA -- The top-ranked Iowa wrestling team extended its dual match winning streak to 31 with its 32-4 win over previously unbeaten Illinois Sunday evening at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City. A crowd of 6,946 saw Iowa go 9-1 in the dual, giving up only nine takedowns. Iowa remains undefeated at 17-0 (2-0 Big Ten) while handing Illinois (7-1, 0-1 Big Ten) its first dual loss of the season. "We made progress tonight. I'll give our guys credit," said Hawkeye Head Coach Tom Brands. "But we have to be ready every match in order to keep making that progress." Iowa jumped out to a 16-0 lead with wins at the first four weights. Hawkeye senior Charlie Falck opened the dual at 125 with an 11-5 win over B.J. Futrell to remain undefeated (12-0) in dual competition. Iowa junior Daniel Dennis won one of the night's highlighted match-ups when he blanked Jimmy Kennedy, 5-0, at 133. Dennis, who was a high school teammate of Kennedy's and handed the Illinois junior his only other loss of the season in the Midlands finals, took Kennedy down with 1:20 left in the second period and rode him for the rest of the match. Hawkeye senior Alex Tsirtsis posted an 11-3 major decision over Ryan Prater at 141 before junior Brent Metcalf scored his 54th straight win with a pin in 3:52 over Eric Terrazas at 149. Metcalf, who is the nation's top-ranked 149-pounder is 22-0 this season, and leads the team with 10 pins. Top-ranked Mike Poeta of Illinois scored the Illini's only team points of the dual with his 15-5 major decision over Hawkeye sophomore Matt Ballweg at 157. Hawkeye junior Ryan Morningstar led Iowa out of the intermission with a 3-0 win over Roger Smith-Bergsrud at 165. Iowa junior Jay Borschel followed at 174 with an 10-1 major decision over John Dergo. Iowa 184-pounder Phillip Keddy posted his seventh straight win and his 20th season victory with an 11-4 decision over Jordan Blanton. The Hawkeye junior remains 16-0 in dual competition. Iowa junior Chad Beatty followed up with a 2-1 victory over Patrick Bond at 197, and junior Dan Erekson closed out the dual with a hard-fought 9-8 win over John Wise at heavyweight. Iowa's next meet will be Jan. 30 when it hosts Bucknell (8-7, 2-2 EIWA) at 7 p.m. in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

FAIRFAX, Va. -- The Columbia wrestling team came from behind to defeat George Mason, 21-16. Earlier in the day, the Lions fell 28-16 to American University on January 25. Sophomore heavyweight Ryan Flores picked up his 10th and 11th pins of the season, improving to 20-3 overall this year. Derek Sickles, Eren Civan, and Kenji Porter also finished the day 2-0 for the Lions. "We looked flat in our first match against American," said Brendan Buckley, the Andrew F. Barth Head Coach of Wrestling, "but we did look better in our second match today against George Mason." Trailing 16-15 entering the heavyweight bout, Flores needed just 1:17 to pin Mike Peterson and clinch the win for the Lions, 21-16. The pin was the second of the day for the sophomore and his 11th this season. Columbia took a 3-0 lead to start the dual when Kyle Gilchrist decisioned Brian Wright, 4-1, at 125 pounds. The Patriots won the next two matches with a decision of their own at 133 and a forfeit at 141. However, Columbia responded with three consecutive wins by Matt Dunn, Sickles, and Civan. Dunn defeated Brandon Bucher, 12-5, after exploding for nine points in the final period, cutting George Masons lead to three. Columbia evened the score with a 4-3 decision by Sickles over Frankie McLaughlin IV, before reclaiming the lead when Civan defeated Jimmy Kaden, 6-2. But Columbia's lead was short lived, as George Mason regained a one point advantage on a major decision by Mendbagana Tovuujav over Mike Wolfer at 174 pounds. Tovuujav is currently ranked 19th in the country according to Amateur Wrestling News. Porter put Columbia ahead by defeating Jimmy Webb, 1-0, but the lead changed hands once again as #8 Cayle Byers narrowly edged Lou Miller 3-2 at 197 pounds to give the Patriots a 16-15 advantage entering the final bout. Earlier in the day Columbia dropped its first match against American in Washington, D.C. Sickles, Civan, Porter and Flores all picked up wins for the Lions. The Eagles won the first four matches of the dual, including a forfeit at 141 pounds, to take an early lead. The Lions clawed their way back but were unable to overcome the early deficit. Columbia used back-to-back wins at 157 and 165 pounds to cut the Eagles' lead to 12. Sickles got the Lions on the board with a 4-1 decision over Patrick Graham before Civan earned a major decision at 165 pounds, defeating Christopher Stout, 15-6. American's Mike Cannon, currently ranked third in the country, improved to 20-0 this season by pinning Mike Wolfer at 174 pounds. Porter then faced Andy Semple at 184 pounds, picking up a 6-1 victory. Next to the mat for the Lions was Lou Miller who fought hard against Andrew Silber. After a scoreless first period, Silber chose to start down in the second period and managed to escape to take a 1-0 lead. Miller scored a takedown to lead 2-1, but Silber was able to escape once again to even the score at 2-2. Miller reclaimed the lead once again by escaping early in the third, but with just under 20 seconds remaining, Miller was hit with a stalling call, tying the match at three and forcing overtime. Silber used a takedown midway through the extra period to defeat Miller, 5-3. Columbia won the final bout as #14 Flores pinned Quinton Pruett in 3:34, bringing the final score to 28-16. "We still have more work to do," explained Buckley. "We need to step up and elevate our game if we are going to beat the better teams on our schedule." Columbia (2-8) returns to the mat on January 25 when it travels to Lewisburg, Pa. to face Bucknell at 1 p.m.

MINNEAPOLIS -- Winning seven of 10 bouts, including two pins and two major decisions, the Augsburg College wrestling team, ranked No. 1 in the NCAA Division III national rankings, scored a 29-12 victory over the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, ranked No. 11 in Division III, in a dual meet on Sunday afternoon at Augsburg's Si Melby Hall. Tony Valek (FY, Belle Plaine, Minn./Scott West), ranked No. 7 at 141 pounds, and Zach Molitor (SO, Cambridge, Minn./Cambridge-Isanti HS), ranked No. 7 at 184, both claimed pins for Augsburg (8-2 overall), with Molitor recording a first-period pin (1:41) to improve to 21-6 overall, and Valek claiming a second-period pin (4:16) to improve to 23-7 on the season. The victory is the latest in a stretch of matches against higher-division and nationally ranked opponents for the Auggies. Nine of Augsburg's final 11 dual meets are against nationally-ranked opponents in Divisions II and III. In its three remaining duals, Augsburg will have a rematch with No. 2-ranked Wartburg (Iowa) this Friday (1/30) at 7:30 p.m. at Si Melby Hall; a meet at Minnesota State Moorhead, the No. 19-ranked team in Division II, on Feb. 1; and a meet with Wisconsin-Stevens Point, the No. 8-ranked team in Division III, on Feb. 13. Augsburg has won all four dual meets in its history with Wisconsin-La Crosse (17-6 overall), dating to the 2003-04 season. Augsburg is now 235-21 against Divisions II and III teams since the 1989-90 season, losing just 16 matches to non-Division I opponents since the 1995-96 season. Against strictly Division III opponents, Augsburg is 240-23 since the 1979-80 season and 164-13 since the 1989-90 season. After an opening loss at 125, the Auggies claimed wins in six straight bouts to take a commanding 26-4 lead over the Eagles. At 133-pounds, Augsburg's top-ranked Travis Lang (SR, Bismarck, N.D.) remained unbeaten at 27-0 with his 24th bonus-point victory, a 21-10, major-decision win over Pat Parrillo (SR, Naperville, Ill./North HS), building a 15-2 lead after two periods and surviving a wild third period of action. This season, Lang now has 16 pins, three technical falls, four major decisions and a forfeit. In a battle of two top-five-rated wrestlers, Augsburg's top-ranked 149-pounder, Willy Holst (SR, Prescott, Wis.), rallied from a 1-0 second-period deficit with an escape, takedown and 1:46 of riding time to score a 4-2 victory over Matt Mauseth (SO, Rochester, Minn./Mayo HS), ranked No. 4 nationally. Holst is now 14-1 on the season, while Mauseth is now 15-4. Jason Adams (SO, Plymouth, Minn./Wayzata HS), ranked No. 5 nationally at 157, took adavantage of three takedowns, a reversal and a three-point near-fall to claim a 13-5, major-decision win over Ryan Farwell (SO, Plattsburg, Mo.), to improve to 26-4 on the season. Beau Hansen (SO, Albert Lea, Minn.) claimed a 3-0 decision victory for the Auggies at 165, and in another battle of ranked wrestlers, Augsburg's No. 2-rated 197-pounder, Jared Massey (JR, Circle Pines, Minn./Centennial HS), improved to 16-1 on the season with an 8-2 win over No. 7-ranked Andy Moore (Jr, Delafield, Wis./Heritage Christian HS). All three of Wisconsin-La Crosse's victories came via major decisions, including a win in a battle of ranked wrestlers at heavyweight, where No. 7-ranked Dan Laurent (JR, Mishicot, Wis.) scored a 9-1 win over Augsburg's No. 4-ranked Andy Witzel (JR, Fulda, Minn.). No. 7-ranked Josh Zabel (SR, Rochester, Minn./Mayo HS) scored a 12-2 win over Augsburg's Brad Baus (FY, Mukwonago, Wis.) at 184, and at 125, Jonny Brennan (FY, Mt. Prospect, Ill./Prospect HS) claimed a 22-8 win over Freddie Vigil (JR, Bakersfield, Calif./South HS).

AMES, Iowa -- Iowa State All-American 133-pounder Nick Fanthorpe did not wrestle Sunday against No. 13 Oklahoma State and ISU forfeited that weight class. Cyclones Jon Reader (165), Jerome Ward (184) and heavyweight Dave Zabriskie made sure the six forfeited points didn't matter as No. 3 ISU turned back the Cowboys, 24-12 in Hilton Coliseum. A crowd of 3,177 saw the Cyclones improve to 11-2 overall and 2-0 in Big 12 competition. ISU won seven of the 10 contested weights and recorded 12 takedowns to OSU's five. ISU has won two straight duals against the Cowboys at Hilton. The Cyclones have taken three of the last four duals against OSU. Fanthorpe missed the match after injury defaulting in the Cyclones' 23-15 win over No. 11 Oklahoma Friday. "We wrestled well today," Iowa State head coach Cael Sanderson said. "Zabriskie and (Oklahoma State heavyweight Jared Rosholt) have a real thing going. You could very well see those two in the Big 12 final and late in the champ bracket at the NCAA meet. This was a good day for Jerome. He recovered after almost being pinned and came back and got takedowns and stalling calls against his opponent." The marquee matchup was at heavyweight. Prior to the match, ISU's David Zabriskie was 4-2 all-time against previously undefeated No. 1-ranked Cowboy Jared Rosholt, but had dropped the last two matches in the rivalry. The third-ranked Cyclone went toe-to-toe with Rosholt for three periods but the score remained knotted at 1-1. In the sudden victory period, Zabriskie found himself almost in scoring position on the OSU wrestler but was being countered. With time ticking away in the first period of overtime, Zabriskie broke Rosholt's grasp at the 0:14 mark and turned into the Cowboy to score the takedown and the victory. Zabriskie now sits at 23-2 this season. Rosholt falls to 24-1. "He beat me in the Big 12 meet and at the NCAA meet last year and those are both big meets," Zabriskie said. "I almost had him at the start of the (Sunday's) match. In overtime, I heard my coaches telling me to keep going through with the scramble and I did. It helps that every day I practice against (ISU All-American) Jake Varner and Cael Sanderson because they both are really good scramblers." The day's action got underway at 165 pounds. Cyclone All-American Jon Reader got Iowa State going with a bang, by pinning OSU's Brandon Mason in 2:24. Reader used a first-period takedown and the ensuing advantage to work the Cowboy over for the fall. Ward continued his first weekend of Big 12 Conference dual competition with a strong come-from-behind effort against Oklahoma State's Cody Hill. Ward gave up five points quickly to the Cowboy but was able to inch his way back into the match and took control in the third period with a takedown at the 0:51 mark. Ward hung on to edge Hill, 8-7. "I got caught in the first period on a sloppy shot," Ward said. "I didn't want to panic and just kept the pressure on (Hill)." Varner, ranked No. 1, improved to 20-1 with his victory 9-2 victory over OSU's Clayton Foster, the ninth-ranked wrestler at the weight. Varner tallied three takedowns while amassing nearly four minutes of riding time. ISU's Nick Gallick (141), Mitch Mueller (149) and Cyler Sanderson (157) added victories by decision to round out the dual victory for the Cyclones. Gallick shut out OSU's Jamal Parks, 4-0. Mueller edged the Cowboys' Luke Silver 5-3 and Sanderson recorded three takedowns on his way to a 10-4 decision of Oklahoma State's Neil Erisman. Iowa State hits the mat again for a Feb. 6 dual with Northern Iowa in Hilton Coliseum at 7 p.m.

In a matchup of nationally ranked wrestling programs, No. 5 Ohio State defeated No. 20 Hofstra, 19-13, Sunday at the David S. Mack Sports Complex in Hempstead, N.Y. The win, in front of 2,118 fans, improved Ohio State's record to 9-1 on the season while Hofstra drops to 7-3. The match was close the entire way on a day that was as intriguing as it was thrilling. This was Ohio State coach Tom Ryan's first visit back to the school he coached for 11 years and helped put on the wrestling map. Coupled with both teams being ranked among the Top 20 teams in the country and with Ryan speaking at a $100 a plate pre-match brunch to raise funds for a new Hofstra wrestling facility to be named after his late son, Teague, the atmosphere was super-charged with the home-standing Pride seeking a major upset on their home floor. The teams traded leads throughout the first five matches with Ohio State holding a 10-7 lead at the break on the strength of a major decision by NCAA champion and two-time All-American Mike Pucillo in the last match of the first half. Pucillo powered his way to an 8-2 first period lead against Anthony Tortora in the 184-pound weight class, increased the lead to 11-3 after two periods and then registered a 16-4 major decision that put the Buckeyes back in the lead at 10-7. Pucillo's win came after Hofstra had taken a 7-6 lead in the fourth match of the afternoon, the 174-pound match between the Buckeyes' Dave Rella and Alton Lucas that Lucas won by decision, 6-2. The first three matches were won by Ohio State's No. 4-ranked Lance Palmer at 149 pounds and No. 4-ranked Colt Sponseller at 165 pounds. The wins were sandwiched around a major decision by Hofstra's Jonny Bonilla-Bowman over No. 15 Jason Johnstone. At the start of the second five matches, Hofstra tied the score at 10-all behind a win at 197 pounds from Ben Clymer over Ohio State's Cody Gardner. Ohio State regained the lead – Corey Morrison picked up a heavyweight win, 6-5, over Jordan Enck – but Hofstra came right back with a confidence-building win at 125 pounds to tie the match once again, at 13-apiece. No. 17 Steve Bonanno decisioned Nikko Triggas, 5-3, coming back from a 2-0 deficit in the third period to secure the win. That match set the stage for the key match of the match: the 133-pound class battle between unbeaten OSU junior Reese Humphrey (18-0 entering the match), ranked second in both the InterMat and W.I.N. Magazine polls, and Hofstra junior Lou Ruggirello, who came in ranked ninth and 11th, respectively, and with his own impressive record of 19-2. Humphrey came back in the third period to post a 7-4 decision that gave Ohio State a 16-13 lead. Defending NCAA champion J Jaggers then clinched the match for the Buckeyes with a decision over Hofstra freshman Justin Accordino, 5-2. Ryan coached at Hofstra for 11 years between 1995-2006 prior to taking over the Ohio State position following the 2006 season. He posted a 109-83-1 record and led the Pride to six consecutive Colonial Athletic Conference championships between 2001-06. His teams finished in the Top 25 at the NCAA championships six times, including an 11th-place showing in 2006. Before the wrestling match, Ryan was a guest speaker at the "Hofstra Wrestling Brunch," which served as a kickoff fundraising event for a new Hofstra wrestling facility on Long Island. The facility will be named The Teague Ryan Wrestling Complex, in honor of Tom and Lynette Ryan's youngest son, Teague, who passed away suddenly in 2004. Huge Big Ten Weekend Up Next Ohio State returns home to host two Big Ten Conference dual matches next weekend. At 7 p.m. Friday at St. John Arena Ohio State hosts No. 21 Indiana. The first 1,000 fans will receive free rally towels courtesy of Nationwide. At 11 a.m. Sunday No. 9 Minnesota and Ohio State will grapple across the river at Value City Arena. Fans are encouraged to wear white to "White Out" the Golden Gophers.

EVANSTON, Ill. -- No. 19 Northwestern scored victories in five weight classes and picked up an invaluable six points on a pin by redshirt freshman Robert Kellogg en route to a 21-19 victory against No. 15 Wisconsin at Welsh-Ryan Arena Sunday. With the win, NU sits at 2-0 in conference action heading into Saturday's match at Michigan. Sunday's match had all the makings of one that would come down to the final bout, even after Northwestern leapt out to a 7-0 lead thanks to wins by Brandon Precin at 125 and Eric Metzler at 133. Third-ranked Precin (20-1) coasted to a 12-0 major decision against the Badgers' Drew Hammen on the strength of a near-fall in the first period that gave him a 5-0 advantage. It marked the 90th career victory for Precin, who has not lost a match since Nov. 9. Metzler bounced back from a loss Friday to top-ranked Franklin Gomez of Michigan State by handling Wisconsin's Kyle Reeve, 12-6. No. 16 Keith Sulzer limited fifth-ranked Zach Tanelli to just three points but couldn't get on the scoreboard in his 3-0 defeat. Tanelli, a two-time NCAA qualifier who was named the Champion of Champions at the 2008 Midlands Championships in Evanston, outlasted Sulzer to earn his 17th win of the season. After Wisconsin's Kyle Ruschell reduced NU's lead to 7-6 with a win at 149, freshman No. 17 Jason Welch righted the ship for Northwestern (9-3, 2-0) with a 6-0 victory over Ben Jordan. It was the second consecutive 6-0 win for Welch, who improves to 9-1 in dual competition this season. A major decision at 165 by the Badgers' Andrew Howe evened the team score at 10 apiece, setting the stage for Kellogg's bout at 174 against Travis Rutt, who entered the match with an 8-6 season record. Rutt started the match with a quick two points in the first period and opened his lead to 4-0 in the second before Kellogg scored on an escape. That remained the score into the third frame when Kellogg seized momentum, getting Howe to his back and keeping him there with a pin at the 6:19 mark, sending the NU crowd on hand at Welsh-Ryan Arena into a frenzy and putting the 'Cats up 16-10. At 184, senior Jake Herbert had no difficulty scoring on Wisconsin's Eric Bugenhagen but was unable to turn his opponent on his back more than once. Bugenhagen did well to keep a point on Wisconsin's side as the match ended in a 22-7 tech fall, giving Herbert his 20th victory of the year. Wisconsin (6-4, 0-2) would not go down without a fight as one of the nation's top 197-pounders, Dallas Herbst, came through with a much-needed pin for the Badgers in 4:42 against NU's John Schoen, pulling UW to within five. Northwestern's redshirt freshman Ben Kuhar squared off with No. 7 Kyle Massey, with Kuhar taking a 1-0 lead on an escape to start the second session. Massey responded with a takedown and had Kuhar in a headlock in an effort to turn him on his back, but time ran out in the second period. Massey went on to build a 5-1 lead but could not get the necessary pin or tech fall as the match ended 21-19 in Northwestern's favor. Northwestern avenged its 21-19 loss to the Badgers a year ago in Madison, Wis. Head coach Tim Cysewski takes his squad to four consecutive road bouts before NU's next home match, beginning at Michigan on Saturday, Jan. 31.

Ithaca, N.Y. -- The 12th-ranked Missouri wrestling team (15-2) came from behind winning the five final bouts of the afternoon dual to upset second-ranked Cornell (5-2), 18-14, in Newman Arena of Ithaca, N.Y. Two of Missouri's redshirt freshmen pulled off upsets of their own at 184 pounds and heavyweight. Both unranked grapplers, Dorian Henderson and Dominique Bradley, respectively, knocked off their top-ranked opponents by one point decisions. With the victory, Missouri is credited with its 15th win of the season, marking the first time in three years that the Tigers have tallied 15 or more wins. "Dorian and Dom had big wins for us today," Missouri Head Coach Brian Smith said. "It was good to see so many of our wrestlers step up and compete in such an exciting dual. This win was a confidence booster for us. We were wrestling in a tough environment and it's nice to come out of it with the victory." Missouri, now 3-1 in duals with Cornell, suffered back-to-back losses at 125 and 133 pounds, finding themselves down, 8-0, early in the battle with the Big Red. Twelfth ranked senior Marcus Hoehn (Farmington, Mo.) came up with the Tigers' first win of the dual earning a 6-4 decision over Corey Manson at 141 pounds. Hoehn's victory marks the fifth time of the campaign in which he was first to put points on the board for Missouri and snaps a three bout losing streak for the Tiger middleweight wrestler. Hoehn led Manson the entire match and was awarded one point for riding time after accumulating over two minutes. Senior Andrew Sherry (Sewickley, Pa.) went back and forth with his opponent, DJ Meagher, at 149 pounds. Sherry suffered a loss by one point, one of eight bouts on the day that were determined by two or fewer points. Ninth-ranked senior Michael Chandler (High Ridge, Mo.) went head-to-head with fifth-ranked Jordan Leen. Leen, the 2008 NCAA Champion at 157 pounds, scored first in the match, managing a takedown with 17 seconds left in the first period. The two were scoreless through the second, but Leen took a 3-0 lead after choosing down in the third and escaping. Chandler's takedown cut Leen's lead to one, but his escape with 22 seconds left in the bout secured Corrnell's fourth and final win of he day. For the ninth time of the campaign, the Tigers collected five consecutive wins at 165, 174, 184, 197 pounds and heavyweight. Leading off at 165 pounds, seventh-ranked Nicholas Marable (Collierville, Tenn.) recorded a 4-1 win over John Basting. Marable scored all four of his points in the third period, escaping from the down position, earning a point for Basting's stalling, and two points for his takedown with five seconds left in the match. The second match of the day to feature two top-10 ranked opponents pit No. 6 Raymond Jordan (New Bern, N.C.) against fifth-ranked Steve Anceravage of Cornell. Jordan won the bout, 10-5, his 24th win of the campaign and fourth against a top-10 opponent. The Tiger All-American managed a reversal in the second and third periods and back points in the second. A redshirt freshman from Columbus, Ga., Henderson won his second match of the season over a ranked opponent, upsetting No. 16 Justin Kerber, 3-2, at 184 pounds. The two grapplers were scoreless in the first period and Henderson managed the only point of the second period with an escape four seconds in. Kerber escaped in the third period tying the match at one but was quickly returned to the mat on a Henderson takedown with 15 seconds left. Kerber was quick to escape but was unable to connect on a final shot, allowing Henderson the win. "Dorian stuck with what he knew," Smith said. "He wasn't thinking, he was out on the mat just wrestling. He wrestled hard and confident and found a way to win a big match." "I think I wrestled a smart match," Henderson said. "Kerber was real aggressive, but I got that takedown at the end of the period which secured the win. I think the win will help build our momentum going into the Big 12 part of our schedule." Wrestling at 197 pounds, No. 4 Maxwell Askren (Hartland, Wis.) held off No. 18 Cam Simaz, 4-3, improving to 14-0 in duals. Missouri held a one point, 15-14, lead heading into the heavyweight bout which paired Bradley of Blue Springs, Mo., against No. 13 Zach Hammond. Bradley's 1-0 win in which the Tiger scored the sole point on an escape in the third period, secured Missouri's 15th win of the year. "I never think of Dom as an underdog," Smith said. "He's beaten some tough wrestlers this year and I know how talented he is." Missouri's upset of No. 2 Cornell, while impressive, is not the highest ranked opponent the Tigers have ever beaten. In 2003, Missouri knocked off then No. 1 Oklahoma State, 21-17. Tiger fans will have a chance to see their squad in action when they open the Big 12 portion of their schedule, Saturday, Jan. 31, against No. 5 Nebraska at 7:30 p.m. (CT) in the Hearnes Center.

Related Content: Rev Audio: Minnesota-Michigan State Minnesota-Michigan State Match Breakdown (Wrestling 411) Minnesota-Michigan State Photo Gallery (The Guillotine) All-American Jayson Ness won the feature match of the afternoon over top-ranked Franklin Gomez at 133 pounds, and the Gophers (11-4, 1-0) cruised to a win in their Big Ten opener over Michigan State (5-4, 0-2) at the Sports Pavilion on Sunday. Ness and Gomez traded reversals in the opening period before the Minnesota junior secured his win over previously unbeaten Gomez with a third period escape to secure the 6-5 decision victory. Ness' win over Gomez improved his all-time record in Big Ten duals to a perfect 17-0. Mike Thorn recorded his tenth pin of the season at 141 pounds and No. 9 Minnesota got major decision wins from Zach Sanders (125 pounds), Gordon Bierschenk (197 pounds) and Ben Berhow (Hwt) to stretch the final margin to 30-6. Sanders opened the meet with a dominating 15-5 win over the Spartans' Eric Olanowski at 125 pounds. The win was a team-leading 27th of the season for the Wabasha, Minn. native and was his sixth by major decision. The redshirt freshman is now a perfect 15-0 in Minnesota dual meets this season. Following the big win by Ness, Thorn's second period pin over the Spartans' Collin Dozier pushed the Minnesota lead to 13-0. Michigan State was able to narrow their deficit to within 13-6 through the 157-pound match, but the Gophers won the final five bouts to stretch their lead to the final 24-point margin. No. 16 Scott Glasser got the ball rolling for the Gophers with his 8-4 decision win over Rex Kindle at 165 pounds. Glasser's win in his Big Ten dual debut improved his 2008-09 record to 17-9. At 174 pounds, junior Matt Everson cranked out a narrow 4-3 victory over the Spartans' Ian Hinton. Redshirt freshman Sonny Yohn followed with another close win at 184 pounds - a 6-3 triumph over Nick Palmieri. The Gophers will hit the road to take on Penn State and Ohio State next weekend before returning to the Twin Cities to host Michigan (Feb. 6) and Northwestern (Feb. 8) in two weeks at the Sports Pavilion. Tickets for both duals are still available and can be purchased by calling 1-800-U-GOPHER or by contacting the Gopher Ticket Office at 612-624-8080.

Click links below to listen to audio interviews from the Minnesota-Michigan State dual meet on Sunday in Minneapolis. Jayson Ness (MN) J Robinson (MN) Franklin Gomez (MSU) Tom Minkel (MSU)

WENDELL, N.C. -- The University of North Carolina wrestling squad wrapped up an unbeaten week and extended its current dual match win streak to six with a 25-9 victory over Navy Saturday at East Wake High School. With the score knotted at six, sophomore 133-pounder Mike Rappo opened a five-match win streak for the Tar Heels (10-6) with a technical fall to propel UNC to victory. The teams split the first four bouts before Rappo staked the Tar Heels to an 11-6 lead with a technical fall of Austin Close. Rappo, a Holland, Pa., native, racked up six takedowns and a pair of three-point near falls to close the match with a 21-6 lead at the 6:11 mark. Rappo's tech fall gave Carolina a lead it would not relinquish. With the Tar Heels holding the 11-6 lead, No. 18 Vincent Ramirez used three takedowns to claim a 9-3 decision over Austin Clouse at 141, and No. 15 Nick Stabile followed with a 10-0 major over Kyle O'Neill at 149. Stabile, who moved to 21-8 with the win, secured the major with a reversal and a three-point near fall in the third. Ramirez improved his record to 25-6 with his victory. Sophomore Thomas Scotton then locked things up for Carolina with a 5-3 decision over Joel Ahern at 157. Scotton, now 17-9 on the year, dropped Ahern with a takedown in the final 10 seconds on the match to claim the win and put things out of reach for Navy. No. 16 Keegan Mueller picked up Carolina's fifth straight victory with an 8-0 major decision over Jason Coyne at 165. Mueller used a third-period takedown and three-point near fall, as well as over four minutes of riding time to secure the major. Mueller owns a team-best 26 victories on the season. Navy's Mike Billings closed the afternoon with a 3-2 win over Robert McCarthy at 174 pounds. The Midshipmen (5-6) opened the match with a 7-2 win for Casey Caldwell at 184, but Carolina came right back with wins from 197-pounder Dennis Drury and heavyweight Justin Dobies to take its first lead of the day. The 17th-ranked Drury, now 22-6, scored a 6-2 decision over Phillip Neese after falling behind early and rallying for the victory. Dobies scored a first-period takedown and went on to post a 5-1 decision against Tyler Moyer for a 6-3 UNC lead and a 22-7 record on the season. Navy tied the score at six thanks to a 10-6 win at 125 by Allan Stein before UNC peeled off the five straight wins to cruise to the victory. The Tar Heels return to Atlantic Coast Conference action Sunday, Feb. 1 against Virginia Tech at Fetzer Gymnasium on the UNC campus.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- The Rutgers wrestling team (18-5) picked up its school-record 18th victory in front of 4,067 fans at the Louis Brown Athletic Center, defeating Rider (4-6) 18-16 on Saturday evening. The Scarlet Knights broke the mark for wins that was set in 1991-92. "It was fun, it was a neat atmosphere," said head coach Scott Goodale. "I would like to have seen some more wrestling, but I think because of the atmosphere, this was the first time that a lot of our guys were wrestling in front of a crowd like that, which is why we have to continue to compete in these situations. I knew they would be tight, both teams wrestled tight, so it made for kind of a boring match, but the bottom line is a win is a win and we are certainly on our way to building something." Seniors Matt Pletcher (Eastampton, N.J.) and Mike Whalen (Lake Hiawatha, N.J.) both moved up in the RU record books with victories. Whalen picked up his 71st career victory to pull into a tie for 23rd place, while Pletcher is in 26th-place with 70 career wins. Freshman Scott Winston (Jackson, N.J.) picked up his team-leading 32nd win of the season. RU opened the match with six quick points, as Rider forfeited at 125. The two teams went back and forth in the next three bouts, as sophomore Mike Demarco (Lyndhurst, N.J.) fell at 133, 1-0, freshman Trevor Melde (Hewitt, N.J.) won at 141 by a final score of 3-0 and junior Kellen Bradley (Newton, N.J.), in his first dual action of the season, fell 3-2 at 149. But RU won the next three matches, as Winston pulled out a 3-2 victory at 157, Pletcher earned a 3-2 come-from-behind overtime win at 165 and Whalen won decisively at 174, 8-3. Trailing 18-6, Rider fought back, winning the last three contests. Sophomore McPaul Ogbonna (East Hanover, N.J.) fought hard against the No. 6 ranked 184-pounder, Doug Umbehauer, but fell 20-7. Redshirt junior Karim Mahmoud (Wallington, N.J.) fell 7-5 in overtime at 197 and redshirt sophomore DJ Russo (Netcong, N.J.) lost in the heavyweight bout, 6-2. "For Ogbonna not to get pinned against the No. 6 ranked wrestler was huge for us," said Goodale. "It was about saving points. Even Russo took one from the team, not going on the bottom where he's good on the mat, but his opponent is very good on top and we did not want to give him a chance on top. It was four or five minutes of boring wrestling on their feet, and DJ didn't win the bout, but he stayed off his back and those are the little things you have to do when you are in a close dual meet." The 4,067 fans is a program-record for the Scarlet Knights, who last wrestled at the RAC during the 2001 season, falling to Oklahoma 38-3. The win is the first for RU wrestling at the Louis Brown Athletic Center. "When you have 4,000 fans behind you it makes it a lot easier to wrestle," said Winston. "They are getting after the other guy and rooting you on and it just makes you want to wrestle that much harder." "It was great, there were lot of alumni here and the fans were into it," said Goodale. "It was neat to see. It was great to see them come out, we just have to get more comfortable wrestling in this type of situation, and the better we get at it the more open we'll be and the harder we'll wrestle when we do compete in front of crowds like that." Rutgers picked up its third all-time victory over Rider, beating the Broncs for the first time since the 2002-03 season. With the victory, RU ended a five-match losing streak against its in-state rival. RU returns to action on Saturday, Feb. 7, when it faces American at the College Ave. Gym at 5:00 p.m. Four of the top high schools in New Jersey (Jackson Memorial, Brearley, Brick Memorial and Eastern Regional) will wrestle prior to RU-AU bout.

LEWISBURG, Pa. -- David Marble (Harpursville, N.Y./Harpursville Central) and David Thompson (West Liberty, Ohio/Graham Local) each recorded pins and Bucknell earned victories in seven of the eight individual bouts contested as the Bison wrestling team easily defeated Liberty 37-12 Saturday afternoon inside Davis Gym. It was the seventh victory in the last nine matches for Bucknell, which improved to 8-6. Thanks to six consecutive victories, the Bison turned an early 12-6 lead into a 37-6 advantage before Liberty (5-7-1) earned a forfeit victory at heavyweight. Bucknell went up 12-0 thanks to a forfeit win at 125 for Derek Reber (Lewisburg, Pa./Lewisburg Area) and a pin by Marble at 133. It took Marble just 1:42 to pick up his team-high seventh pin of the season. After a loss at 141 by Adam Healey (Wilkes Barre, Pa./Wyoming Seminary), Kevin LeValley (Hugo, Colo./Limon) got the six-bout winning streak started with the most competitive match of the afternoon. Liberty's Frankie Gayeski jumped out to a 4-2 lead on LeValley at the end of the first period and still held onto a 4-3 advantage in the final seconds of the third period. However, he was whistled for a stall with two seconds remaining in regulation to knot the score at 4-all. LeValley earned the winning point for riding time advantage and took home his 21st victory of the season. Tyler Riccio (Warren, N.J./Bridgewater-Raritan Regional) followed at 157 with a 7-2 decision over Julian Colon. Riccio led by as much as 6-0 into the third period. Back-to-back technical fall victories by No. 12 Andy Rendos (Brockway, Pa./Brockway Area) at 165 and Shane Riccio (Warren, N.J./Watchung Hills) at 174 gave Bucknell an insurmountable 28-6 lead. Riccio has now won eight consecutive matches overall and nine consecutive in dual meets. Thompson continued the Bison success as he earned his second pin of the year over Chris Daggett. The referee awarded the pin as the horn sounded to end the second period. Nathan Jones (Sidney, Ohio/Troy Christian) wrapped up the match with a 7-4 decision over Brandon Johnson at 197. It was Jones' first victory since he finished sixth at the Navy Classic in November, and it broke a personal 12-match losing streak. Saturday's match marked the first of two consecutive home duals for Bucknell, which is 4-2 at home this season. The Bison will host No. 18 Old Dominion Sunday (Jan. 25) afternoon at 1 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- The Virginia wrestling team rebounded from a tough Friday loss to dominate in a 32-9 victory over Campbell Saturday afternoon in Buies Creek, N.C. The Cavaliers won eight of the 10 weight classes, with six of the eight wins coming by major decision or technical falls. UVa (8-8) won at every class except 125 pounds – an 8-3 Campbell decision – and 141, where UVa forfeited because of an injury to Nick Nelson (So., Pittsburgh, Pa.) in the Friday match at North Carolina. Nelson is ranked 19th nationally in the latest InterMat individual national rankings. Matt Bonson (So., Lewistown, Pa.) and No. 17 Rocco Caponi (Sr., Uniontown, Ohio) posted tech falls at 125 and 184 pounds, respectively. Caponi won his fifth straight bout and earned his 104th career win – third in school history. Peter Ferrara (Sr., Doylestown, Pa.), Mike Sewell (Sr., Bothell, Wash.), No. 10 Chris Henrich (So., Lansdale, Pa.) and No. 20 Brent Jones (Jr., Burke, Va.) recorded major decisions at 149, 165, 174 and 197 pounds, respectively. Henrich notched his team-best eighth major of the year in running his record to 28-1 this year. No. 20 Jedd Moore (Fr., Mount Vernon, Ohio) recorded an 8-2 decision over Jake Fose at 157 pounds to improve to 23-9 this year, while Calvin Cardillo (Jr., Alexandria, Va.) blanked Khiry Reid, 4-0, in the heavyweight class. Campbell falls to 2-8 in dual matches this season. Virginia competes twice next weekend in the Richmond area. Friday, the Cavaliers take on George Mason at 7 p.m. at Hopewell High School. Saturday, UVa battles Virginia Tech at 1 p.m. in the Rumble on the River at Deep Run High School.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team, ranked No. 14 in the nation, entered its dual Friday night down three starters. By the time the Hoosier dual ended, Penn State lost two more starters for its battle at No. 25 Purdue. Less than 24 hours after tying No. 21 Indiana, head coach Troy Sunderland's short-handed crew fought its way to a 19-19 tie against the Boilermakers, posting its second tie in less than 24 hours as the squad opened up action in the conference with two straight road duals. Purdue opened up with a major at 197 and a win at heavyweight to take an early 7-0 lead. Penn State then stormed back, beginning with a major from sophomore Brad Pataky (Clearfield, Pa.) at 125 and a technical fall from All-American Jake Strayer (South Fork, Pa.) at 133. Frank Molinaro followed with a major decision at 141 and Penn State bolted to a 13-7 lead. With All-American Bubba Jenkins (Virginia Beach, Va.) out of the line-up, Purdue picked up a technical fall at 149 as Nittany Lion 133-pound reserve Adam Lynch (Mifflinburg, Pa.) put up a tough effort against a ranked Purdue opponent. Purdue also picked up a win at 157 where 141-pounder Colby Pisani (Ridgway, Pa.) moved up two weight classes and gave his Boilermaker foe all he could handle in dropping a tough major decision. Purdue took a 16-13 lead with the major with only three bouts left. Nittany Lion All-American Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.), moving up to 165, rode the energy supplied by Pisani's strong effort to a thrilling 6-4 win over Purdue's Luke Manuel, ranked No. 9 at 165. Red-shirt freshman Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.) then got a sudden victory win at 174 to give the Nittany Lions a 19-16 lead. Senior Jack Decker (Roseland, N.J.), who posted a superb technical fall the night before in Indiana, faced No. 14 A.J. Kissel of Purdue in the dual's final bout. Decker gave the ranked Kissel all he could handle in a 2-1 loss, but the Purdue decision allowed the Boilermakers to tie the bout 19-19. Penn State is now 7-6-2 on the year, 0-0-2 in conference duals. Purdue is now 11-1-1, 0-0-1 in the conference. Penn State returns to action at home on Friday, Jan. 30, when Minnesota comes to town for a 7 p.m. dual in Rec Hall. Single event tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for youth. Penn State students get in FREE with a Penn State ID. All Penn State dual meets and post-season action can be heard live in the Centre Region on WRSC (1390 AM State College), WHUN (1150 AM Huntingdon) and live at www.GoPSUsports.com as part of the All-Access package.

BLOOMSBURG, Pa. -- The West Virginia University wrestling team earned 16 straight team points to earn a 19-16 come-from-behind victory against Bloomsburg on Friday night at Nelson Field House. WVU won the final five bouts, starting at 165 pounds, to improve to 4-4 overall, while earning its first league victory, jumping to 1-0 in EWL action. "We knew they were going to come out and battle real hard," Coach Craig Turnbull said. "Every point was going to be important. We saved one point at 125, one point at 157 and Donnie (Jones) scored a major at 165. Three points was the difference of the match. We came down to several overtime matches. "I felt good about how (David) Jauregui wrestled and how competitive we stayed through, even in losses. We battled to try and save points for the team. Even in a loss, Colin (Johnston) was able to figure out a fifth-year senior (Ricky Donald). He battled to put himself in a position to win, but it just didn't happen. I think all the way through, we responded well." The Mountaineers earned their first three points of the night when 19th-ranked Jauregui recorded a 4-2 victory in the second sudden victory period at 149 pounds. Because of his endurance, the Santa Ana, Calif., native was able to compete at full strength, even wrestling into the fourth overtime session. Wearing down his opponent, George Hickman, Jauregui's takedown in the fourth extra session earned him the win, improving to 7-0 in dual meets. After a loss at 157 pounds, the Mountaineers began the comeback. Redshirt-junior Jones, slated to take on No. 17-ranked Ricky Schmelyun at 165 pounds, began the streak despite the difficult task at-hand. Jones, who prevented Schmelyun from earning any offensive points, registered the first takedown in the first period. In the second session, Jones continued to dominate. Electing to choose neutral, Jones earned his second takedown just moments into the second period. After conceding an escape point, Jones shot at Schmelyun's right leg for his third takedown of the match to lead 6-2 after two periods. After getting a reversal and another point with more than four minutes of riding time, Jones took the 9-1 major decision to bring WVU within nine, still down 16-7. Ranked No. 13 nationally at 174 pounds, fifth-year senior Kurt Brenner continued WVU's battle from behind. Through the first three periods, Brenner was knotted with Nate Graham at one apiece. After neither wrestler scored in the first overtime session, Brenner earned a stalling point for the 2-1 decision. The momentum continued with 184-pounder Lance Bryson. With 17 seconds remaining in the first period, Bryson earned the first offensive points of the bout with a two-point takedown. Bryson earned another takedown close to the end of the period, this one coming with 15 seconds left in the period. Bryson scored three more points in the final period for the 7-3 decision over Bloomsburg's Brian Shaw. Now down just three team points, 16-13, the Mountaineers relied on sophomore 197-pounder Kyle Rooney's match against Jesse Hasseman. Despite Hasseman getting the first takedown, Rooney earned an escape and went on a tear. The Cincinnati, Ohio native countered with a takedown of his own and then nearly pinned Hasseman, but was able to earn three near fall points and accumulated 1:18 worth of riding time in the first period alone. Rooney's first period alone was too much as he went on to take a 9-6 decision, tying the team score at 16 apiece. The deciding factor now rested on the shoulders of fifth-year senior heavyweight Dustin Rogers and he knew he needed to win. Rogers jumped ahead 2-0 and never looked back. After earning the entire two minutes worth of riding time in the second period and five points in the third period, Rogers took the 8-1 decision, giving WVU the 19-16 victory. "We seem to be young enough that we're a little inconsistent with our performances," Turnbull added. "Some days, I feel real good about them, then other days I don't. We're learning. Guys are competing hard. It was a very good win for us." WVU returns to the mat on Saturday, Jan. 24, to face EWL-foe Clarion at 7 p.m. at W.S Tippin Gymnasium.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- North Carolina came out of the gates with four consecutive victories and never looked back to claim a 23-9 victory over Virginia Friday at Fetzer Gymnasium. The Tar Heels (9-6, 3-0 ACC) captured their fifth straight dual and improved to 3-0 in the Atlantic Coast Conference for the first time since the 2001-02 season with the win over the Cavaliers (7-8, 0-1 ACC). Senior Vincent Ramirez and junior Dennis Drury keyed UNC's effort with wins over nationally-ranked opponents. The 18th-ranked Ramirez scored a 9-3 win over No. 19 Nick Nelson at 141 pounds, while Drury, ranked 17th, secured the team victory with a 10-1 major decision over No. 20 Brent Jones at 197. The Tar Heels have won seven of their last eight duals since falling to No. 11 Oklahoma at the Lone Star Duals earlier this month. In the first match of the night, freshman 125-pounder Nick Shields won his third straight to claim the first of four bouts for Carolina to open the match. He scored all the points he would need on a first period takedown and added a point for riding time for a 3-0 decision over Wyatt Anderson. At 133, sophomore Mike Rappo earned his second consecutive major to ACC action to boost the UNC lead to 7-0. He notched three takedowns and a pair of two-point near falls to score a 14-2 victory over Matt Bonson. The win was the 20th of the season for Rappo, who sports a 20-8 mark. In the first of two meetings of top-20 wrestlers on the night, Ramirez rallied from a three-point deficit with a takedown and a three-point near fall in the second period. The Durham product took over from there to cruise to a 9-3 decision over Nelson. Ramirez improved to 24-6 on the year with his second victory over a ranked opponent. No. 15 Nick Stabile continued the run for the Tar Heels with a 7-1 decision over Peter Ferrara at 141. Stabile, who also earned his 20th win of the season, sandwiched a pair of takedowns around a reversal and picked up the riding time point for the six-point victory. Trailing 13-0, Virginia got on the board with an overtime win by No. 20 Jedd Moore over Thomas Scotton at 157. The score was knotted at four after regulation before Moore scored a sudden-victory takedown to earn the decision. No. 16 Keegan Mueller put the Tar Heels back in the win column with a 4-1 decision over Mike Sewell at 165. Holding a 2-0 lead, Mueller put the match away with a third-period takedown to claim his sixth straight victory and improve to a team-best 25-6 this season. Virginia got back in the match with back-to-back victories at 174 and 184 to trim the UNC lead to 16-9. No. 10 Chris Henrich topped Ben Fiacco for an 8-3 decision at 174, and No. 17 Rocco Caponi edged Daniel Llamas 3-1 at 184. Drury then secured the match for the Tar Heels with his major decision over Jones at 197. The Jenkintown, Pa., native racked up three takedowns to grab a 7-1 lead before closing the match with a fourth takedown late in third to wrap up the major and give Carolina an 11-point lead with just one bout to go. Drury moved to 21-6 with the win, which was his fourth over a ranked foe and 13th in his last 15 matches. Heavyweight Justin Dobies closed the match with a 9-4 decision over Calvin Cardillo for the 23-9 final margin. Dobies scored three takedowns and a reversal to move to 21-7 on the season with his eighth win in a row. Carolina is back in action against Navy Saturday at East Wake High School at 1 p.m.

In his West Coast debut Thursday night at the Palace Fighting Championships in Lemore, CA, Phil Davis improved his professional MMA record to 2-0 winning by TKO over Josh Green at 1:50 into the first round. In his six fights, including 4 amateur and 2 professional, Davis has yet to go to the third round with any opponent and continues an impressive start to his MMA career. "Phil Davis is the real deal. He looked great in his PFC debut and is an explosive, exciting MMA athlete. We were really glad to have him on the card and he put on an impressive show for our fans. We look forward to his return to the PFC as soon as possible." -Rich Goodman, Palace Fighting Championships. The next scheduled fight for Phil is back on the East Coast at the Ultimate Warrior Challenge on Saturday, Feb. 21st in Fairfax, VA. Phil will face Cody Donovan. Ticket information and details can be found at: www.uwcmma.com