InterMat Staff

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- Virginia's Matt Bonson (Fr., Lewistown, Pa.) has been named the ACC Wrestler of the Week after racking up three wins last weekend at the Virginia Duals. It marks Bonson's first career conference wrestler of the week honor and the third for UVa grapplers this season. Chris Henrich (So., Lansdale, Pa.) earned the honor Nov. 18 and Jedd Moore (Fr., Mount Vernon, Ohio) took home the distinction Nov. 25. Competing at 133 pounds, Bonson won two matches Friday at the Virginia Duals. He opened with a 6-3 decision over Aaron Kalil of Navy and then pinned Clarion's Zach Oberlander in just 1:52. Saturday, Bonson recorded a 10-7 upset of 11th-ranked Dan Mitcheff of Kent State, pushing his record to 11-4 in 2008-09. It marked his second win over a nationally-ranked wrestler this season, as he defeated then-No. 11 Tyler Shinn of Oklahoma State by major decision on Nov. 29. Of Bonson's 11 wins this year, all but two have resulted in bonus points (seven falls, one tech fall, one major decision). Bonson and the Cavaliers return home this weekend at Memorial Gymnasium, playing host to a three-team round robin Saturday with UNC Greensboro and Rutgers and a Sunday dual with Appalachian State. Saturday, UNCG and Rutgers will square off at 11 a.m., followed by Virginia against UNCG at 1 p.m. The Cavaliers and Scarlet Knights then wrestle at 3 p.m. On Sunday, Virginia matches up with Appalachian State at 2 p.m. Admission is free to all matches.

Trevor Franklin, a redshirt freshman from South New Berlin, New York, has been named the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) Wrestler of the Week for the second week of 2009. This honor is the eighth NSIC Player of the Week award earned by an Upper Iowa student-athlete this year and the second time a UIU wrestler has earned the award this season. Franklin registered a 5-0 record at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals. His wins included a fall, a technical fall and three decisions by a combined 20 points. The final victory, a 10-3 decision, came over Michael Baxter of Mercyhurst, who is ranked #5 in the nation. Franklin now has a 19-4 record and is currently carrying a 10-match win streak. During the winning streak, Franklin has posted wins by fall in five of the matches. Upper Iowa finished in seventh place at the National Duals this past weekend. Franklin and the UIU wrestling team will take a short break from competition until the end of this month. The # 8 Peacocks will travel to face the #4 Mavericks of Minnesota State University, Mankato on Jan. 28th. The dual will open the Northern Sun Conference schedule for UIU, while MSU will be going into their fourth conference dual. The match up of national powers will began at 7 pm.

Rashard Goff has been named Eastern Wrestling League wrestler of the week for his dominating performance last week (1/4-1/11). The senior heavyweight has hammered out a perfect 10-0 dual meet record this season, raising his career record to 96-53. This past weekend at the Eastern Michigan Duals, Goff posted a perfect 2-0 record, improving his season record to 24-5. In the first match Goff defeated Ashland's Jacob Southwick by a score of 7-1 and in his second match defeated Eastern Michigan's Wes Schroeder 6-2, his second victory over Schroder this season (6-1 win at Michigan State Open (11/9/08). Goff began his Viking career by being named to the 2005-06 Amateur Wrestling News All-Rookie Third Team. He has won at least 20 matches each season and has reached the NCAA tournament three consecutive seasons. This year Goff has placed at each tournament he has wrestled, including a first place finish at the Michigan State Open, two second place finishes at the Eastern Michigan Open and the Nittany Lion Open. Goff also finished sixth at the Midlands Invitational with a win over then fourth ranked Kyle Massey of Wisconsin. Goff becomes the first Cleveland State wrestler to win the award since Ryan Hurley won the award in January of 2007. The Vikings will be back in action on Saturday night when they host 24th-ranked Kent State. Action is set to begin at 7:00 p.m. in the Woodling Gymnasium.

Nebraska heavyweight Tucker Lane was selected as the Big 12 Wrestler of the Week, the conference announced Tuesday. Lane, a redshirt freshman from Redvale, Colo., shares the weekly honor with Iowa State's Jake Varner. Lane was a key component in the Huskers fourth-place finish at the NWCA National Duals, finishing last weekend with a 3-1 record. He posted an 8-5 decision over Ben Kuhar to give the Huskers a 19-18 victory over No. 20 Northwestern in the opening round, and followed with a 4-2 decision over Cameron Wade to solidify a come-from-behind 20-16 win versus No. 14 Penn State. Against No. 2 Iowa State, Lane scored an early takedown over No. 3 Dave Zabriskie and added a three-point nearfall in the second period to take a 7-6 victory and nearly lead the Huskers to an upset of the Cyclones. Currently the highest ranked freshman heavyweight in the nation at No. 17, Lane is 19-5 on the season, including 8-2 in duals, with three pins. This is his first career honor, and he is the second Husker to earn recognition from the Big 12 this season.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- The Western Wrestling Conference announced South Dakota State's Jason Stripling and Wyoming's Michael Martinez as Co-Wrestlers of the Week for their efforts from Jan. 5-11. Stripling, a senior heavyweight from Minneota, Minn. (Minnesota HS), posted a 5-0 record or the Jackrabbits during an east coast road-trip last week. Stripling's 5-0 record, including four by fall, led SDSU to five team wins on the weekend over Delaware St., VMI, Franklin & Marshall, American International and Sacred Heart. In action on Wednesday, Stripling posted a 2-0 record with wins over Leon Barrow by fall at 4:52 and Jamar Beckett at 3:59. At the Franklin & Marshall quadrangular on Saturday, Stripling went 3-0 in as many matches including two by fall. His first win came by decision over Nicolas Somers, 3-0. He then went on two win two in a row by fall over Kelvin Valencia at 5:47 and Bill Beirmeister at 3:27. Stripling improves to 22-8 on the season including a perfect 10-0 in duals with five wins by fall. The Jacks, winners of five straight, improve to 6-3-1. Martinez, a redshirt freshman 125-pounder from Pagosa Springs, Colo. (Pagosa Springs HS), went 3-0 for Wyoming during this past weekend's National Wrestling Coaches Association/Cliff Keen National Duals in Cedar Falls, Iowa. His season record is now 24-7. Against No. 1 Iowa and in front of a pro-Hawkeye crowd, the Cowboy redshirt freshman came from behind after giving up an early takedown and earned a 6-4 win against the Hawkeyes' J.J. Krutsinger. Then versus Buffalo, he got his second win of the day, a 10-1 major decision over Dan Bishop. Martinez saved his best for last and won his third match against No. 16 Boise State, a 5-3 upset victory over No. 18 Brian Owen. The Western Wrestling Conference is comprised of seven schools including the Air Force Academy, North Dakota State, Northern Colorado, Northern Iowa, South Dakota State, Utah Valley and Wyoming. Other nominees: Air Force - Stephen Crozier, 165 lbs., Sr., Monona, Iowa (MFL Mar Mac HS) Northern Colorado - Mitchell Polkowske, Fr., 149 pounds, LaJara, Colo. (Centennial) UNI - Christian Brantley, HWT, R-Fr., Homewood, Ill. (Mount Carmel HS) Utah Valley - Adam Fager, 197 lbs., Fr., Layton, Utah (Layton HS) North Dakota State - Adam Aho, Senior, Frazee, Minn., 165 lbs.

Des Moines, Iowa. -- Friday January 16th Takedown Wrestling Radio will take their Brute adidas studios to Norman, Oklahoma as OU Head Coach Jack Spates and his undefeated Sooners welcome the Terrapins of Maryland. The broadcast is scheduled to get underway at 6:30 PM CST and can be heard on Takedownradio.com through the services of LiveSportsVideo.com courtesy of the Oklahoma Sooners. This is going to be an exciting meet. Coach Spates has his squad firing on all cylinders and his boys will look to defend their home mat. The Sooners are fresh off a road battle posting a 23-14 win over the Mocs of University of Tennessee and will look to continue their winning ways. Ranked Maryland wrestlers Steven Bell, Alex Krom and Hudson Taylor all emerged victorious this last Sunday, but the Terrapins lost their ACC opener to the North Carolina Tar Heels, 19-15, ending the Terps' 10-match winning streak in ACC duals, dating back to 2006. Again, It's The Terrapins Vs. The Sooners this Friday night on Takedownradio.com at 6:30 PM CST, click the listen live button, sit back and enjoy the dual.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- 2000 Olympic champion Brandon Slay of Dallas, Texas has been named as the Assistant National Freestyle Coach and National Freestyle Resident Coach by USA Wrestling, the national governing body for amateur wrestling in the United States. Brandon Slay, who won an Olympic gold medal in 2000, has been named as the Assistant National Freestyle Coach and National Freestyle Resident Coach by USA Wrestling. Slay, a Texas native, wrestled collegiately at the University of PennsylvaniaSlay will be responsible for assisting in all facets of the National Freestyle Team program, with his primary focus on managing the U.S. Olympic Training Center (USOTC) resident program in Colorado Springs. He will manage the daily operations, recruiting and training of full-time resident athletes in the program and also train those who attend on a short term basis. "We are excited to take another step in building America's freestyle wrestling team," said National Freestyle Coach Zeke Jones. "Brandon is an Olympic champion and has all the things we are looking for as a National Coach. He has character, passion and a strong work ethic. Brandon will be a great leader of the program and the athletes will enjoy working with him. As a former resident athlete, he understands the structure, demands, benefits and environment at the U.S. Olympic Training Center. He exemplifies the holistic approach, which includes winning gold medals and representing our nation with dignity and excellence." Slay won a gold medal at 76 kg/167.5 lbs. at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. He upset Olympic and World Champion Bouvaisa Saitiev of Russia in the pool competition in Sydney. Saitiev has gone on to win three Olympic gold medals. Slay won the 2000 U.S. National Championships in Las Vegas, Nev., and claimed the 2000 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, held in his native Dallas, Texas. He was a U.S. Olympic Training Center resident athlete for two full seasons when he became an Olympic gold medalist. Among the international competitions that Slay won included the test event for the 2000 Olympics, the 1999 Five Continents Cup in Sydney, Australia. He won two University Nationals titles, and was also a champion at the Dave Schulz Memorial International. Slay won two Cadet World medals in Greco-Roman and also competed on a U.S. Junior World Team in freestyle. He was a two-time NCAA runner-up competing for the Univ. of Pennsylvania, where he received a degree from the Wharton School of Business. Originally from Amarillo, Texas, Slay won three state titles for Tascosa High School, and was an all-district football player. After the Olympics, Slay started an organization called Greater Gold, which assists youth in reach their full academic and athletic potential while planting Biblical seeds of truth. He is a board member and on the staff of the Dallas Dynamite, a non-profit wrestling organization in Dallas that trains and mentors young athletes. Slay is also a nationally respected public speaker and wrestling clinician. Slay currently serves as the Director of Young Adult Community at the Watermark Community Church in Dallas. He previously worked with Stream Realty Partners, a commercial real estate firm. "I am really excited about the opportunity to work with Zeke Jones, Bill Zadick and the new developmental coach to be hired as a team to develop the vision that will lead to success in 2012 at the London Olympics," said Slay. "I look forward to creating the coaching synergy to train U.S. freestyle wrestlers to win many more World and Olympic medals." Slay's background as a past USOTC resident athlete will help him in his new position. "I have a passion for the U.S. Olympic Training Center because I went through it as an athlete," said Slay. "I believe one of the main reasons I attained my goals was that I left the college environment for the USOTC. I was a 100% freestyle wrestler with 100% professional freestyle coaches. I know that the USOTC is not the only place where a wrestler can train to be an Olympic champion. Athletes can excel in other training situations. However, I do believe it is one of the ideal locations to develop champions."

Southern Oregon head coach Mike Ritchey will be the featured guest on Wrestling 411 Radio on Tuesday, January 13. 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. Ritchey is in his 14th season as the head coach at Southern Oregon University, an NAIA school located in Ashland. Ritchie has compiled a 118-52 career dual meet record, including a 12-1 so far this season. Southern Oregon recently won the NWCA National Duals with a win over top ranked Lindenwood in the finals. The dual meet was tied 16-16 after the heavyweight match, and the tie was eventually broken on the sixth tiebreaker: most nearfall points in the dual. The only nearfall points came in the heavyweight bout, giving Southern Oregon a 17-16 victory. 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.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The No. 6-ranked Ohio State wrestling team (8-1; 0-0 Big Ten) wrestled back to a fifth-place finish Sunday at the 2009 National Duals, defeating No. 11 Minnesota, 25-12, at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa. After falling to No. 3 in Cornell in the quarterfinals Saturday, the Buckeyes recorded victories against No. 5 Missouri, No. 16 Boise State and Minnesota to earn fifth-place. Wrestling at 174 pounds, junior Dave Rella scored Ohio State's biggest win with a 13-3 major decision over Golden Gopher Kaleb Young. In three periods of work, Rella, a Youngstown, Ohio, native recorded five takedowns. The Scarlet and Gray also received wins from No. 8-ranked Reece Humphrey, No. 14 J Jaggers, No. 4 Lance Palmer, No. 4 Colt Sponseller and No. 2 Mike Pucillo. At 133, Humphrey earned a close 5-4 decision to upset Minnesota's fourth-ranked Jayson Ness to put Ohio State on the board after sophomore Nikko Triggas dropped an 8-3 decision to No. 8 Zach Sanders at 125. Jaggers followed with a 7-2 decision at 141 pounds. To secure the win, the senior tallied one take down, two escapes and a three-point nearfall in the upset over the Gopher's No. 8-ranked Mike Thorn. The winning continued for the Buckeyes with Palmer pinned Minnesota's Joe Grygelko in 2:35. The Gophers earned a win of their own when Tyler Safratowich decided Buckeye Jason Johnstone in a close 6-4 match. Sophomore Sponseller would put Ohio State right back in the meet defeating 18th-ranked Scott Glasser in a 4-0 decision. Pucillo earned the final points for the Scarlet and Gray, pinning Brent Eidenschink in 4:33.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- No. 2 Iowa State held on late against No. 4 Nebraska to seal a third-place finish at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals at the UNI Dome Sunday afternoon. The Cyclones and the Huskers split the 10 contested weights. The deciding point was earned from strong bonus-point performances by Tyler Clark (125), Nick Fanthorpe (133) and Nick Gallick (141). The third-place team finish marks the Cyclones best National Duals performance since winning the title in 2000. "We are close," Iowa State head coach Cael Sanderson. "I know how we are progressing and it is not an observation that you make in one day. I am with (his wrestlers) every day and over a period of years with most of them. There are definitely things to work on and will we be addressing those." In a marquee matchup between Nebraska's No. 1-ranked Craig Brester and ISU's third-ranked Jake Varner, the Cyclone was successful with the win by decision, 10-3. Varner added a cushion to his lead late in the third by scoring a three-point nearfall. ISU's Tyler Clark put the Cyclones up 6-0 early in the team score by pinning Nebraska's Andrew Pokorny in 3:58. Clark held a 5-0 advantage heading into the second period. Following the pin, Cyclone 133-pounder Nick Fanthorpe recorded a major decision over Matt Vacanti of Nebraska, 12-4. At 141 pounds, second-ranked Nick Gallick major decisioned NU's Curtis Salazar, 11-2. At 149 pounds, Iowa Stater Mitch Mueller won by decision, 7-5, against NU's Robert Sanders. No. 2 Iowa State fell at the hands of No. 3 Cornell 22-15 in the semifinal round of the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals.

HAMPTON, Va. -- The No. 13 Oklahoma State wrestling team split its two matches at the Virginia Duals Saturday to finish third at the event. The Cowboys (11-3 overall) lost to No. 12 Central Michigan, 17-14 in the semifinals Saturday afternoon, but bounced back to hand No. 15 Edinboro a 24-12 defeat in the third-place dual Saturday night. A trio of Cowboys finished the weekend with perfect 4-0 records, as 133-pounder Chris Notte picked up two wins over ranked opponents along the way, with 197-pounder Clayton Foster and heavyweight Jared Rosholt dominating each of their four opponents. Against Edinboro, Chris Notte picked up a big win for the Cowboys at 133 pounds when he scored a 6-4 victory over No. 16 Ricky Duble. Deadlocked at 4-4 at the end of three periods and through the first sudden victory period, Notte and Duble went into a tie-break period, where Notte was able to turn Duble to his back for a two-point nearfall and secure the win to cap a very productive weekend. Luke Silver was also an upset winner for the Pokes against Edinboro, emerging victorious from a 7-6 dogfight with No. 16 Torsten Gillespie at 149 pounds. After bagging a key takedown as time expired in the second period to take a 5-3 lead into the third, Silver gave up the escape to start the period. Silver scored another takedown to take a 7-4 lead, but was slapped with a penalty point for locking his hands to bring the score to 7-5. Silver cut Gillespie loose to bring the score to 7-6, but Gillespie was unable to solve Silver with short time remaining. OSU 165-pounder Brandon Mason erased any hope the Fighting Scots may have had when he pinned Chris Harunka at the 2:39 mark to claim his third win by fall in four bouts during the weekend. Mason scored an early takedown, then turned Harunka to his back for four separate three-point nearfalls to open up a 14-0 first-period lead. Mason turned him to his back a fifth time and would have won by technical fall, but he was able to flatten Harunka completely to win by a dominating fall. Against 12th-ranked Central Michigan in the semifinals earlier in the day, the Cowboys got a pair of major decision wins from Clayton Foster and Jared Rosholt and a 5-3 sudden victory upset win from Notte over No. 13 Conor Beebe, but it was not enough to beat the Chippewas. The key to the dual was the fact that the Cowboys were unable to win enough of the swing matches that could have gone either way, as Obenson Blanc lost a 3-1 decision in the tie-break period to No. 9 Scotti Sentes, Jamal Parks lost a 7-6 decision at the hands of Tony D'Alie, Brandon Mason lost a 5-3 decision and Jared Shelton dropped a 6-4 decision to Vince DiDona. After Neil Erisman claimed a 6-5 win over Tyler Grayson at 157 pounds, the Cowboys trailed in the dual, 9-6, to set the stage for the three key bouts of the dual. Oklahoma State ran a trio of seniors to the mat at 165, 174 and 184 pounds, but none of the three were able to claim victory, as Central Michigan won all three bouts by two points, respectively. Blanc, Parks and Shelton all held leads in the third period of their respective bouts, but saw their leads slip away in the final period. The Chippewas went on to beat No. 8 Lehigh, 21-12 in the championship finals to win the Virginia Duals title. The Cowboys return to action when they host No. 1 Iowa at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 18. Tickets are available for the dual, which will not be televised.

PITTSBURGH -- No. 7 Illinois dominated No. 25 Pittsburgh, 26-10, as the Fighting Illini won seven of 10 bouts at Fitzgerald Field House to improve to 7-0 in dual matches this season. B.J. Futrell started the dual with a pin in 4:43, No. 3 Jimmy Kennedy and Mike Poeta notched major decisions, and all four Illini from 174-heavyweight earned victories as the Illini defeated their first ranked foe of the season. "Tonight was probably the best we've wrestled all year," Illinois head coach Mark Johnson said. "It was just a great team performance and John Wise's win over one of the top guys in the nation topped it all off." At 125, Futrell scored a takedown with 11 seconds left in the first period and led 2-0 after three minutes. Chris Albright started down in the second and escaped, but Futrell scored a takedown and got Albright on his back for the pin in 4:43. Next up, Kennedy scored a pair of takedowns in the first period for a 4-1 lead after a period. Kennedy started down in the second and got a reversal 42 seconds later, and No. 14 Jimmy Conroy escaped to give Kennedy a 6-2 lead after five minutes. In the third, Conroy started down and escaped, but Kennedy notched three takedowns and got the riding time point for the 13-5 major decision. At 141, No. 11 Tyler Nauman got a takedown with 1:12 left in the first and rode out Illinois' Ryan Prater for a 2-0 lead. Nauman started down in the second and Prater rode him the entire period, then the pair started neutral in the third. After no further scoring, Nauman walked away with a 2-0 win. As he did on Friday, true-freshman Eric Terrazas hung tough with Pitt's Mark Powell, trailing 4-0 after two periods. But Terrazas started down in the third, gave up a stalling point, a two-point near fall and a riding time point as Powell earned an 8-0 major decision. Poeta continued to show no ill effects in his return as he recorded a 17-5 major decision over Phil Sorrentino. He jumped out to an early lead with a takedown 20 seconds into the bout and a three-point near fall. After Sorrentino escaped, Poeta scored a takedown with six seconds left. In the second, Poeta started down and escaped four seconds in. Sorrentino gave up a stalling point to give Poeta a 9-1 lead after five minutes. Sorrentino started down in the third and escaped. After he gave up another stalling point, Poeta scored three more takedowns and added the riding time point for the win. At 165, No. 11 Roger Smith-Bergsrud gave up a takedown to Pitt's Ethan Headlee with 2:15 left in the first and Headlee rode him out. After a scoreless second period, Headlee started down in the third and escaped for a 3-0 lead. Smith-Bergsrud scored a takedown but Headlee escaped for a 4-2 lead with 1:22 left. Headlee gave up a stalling point to bring the Illini within a point, but Smith-Bergsrud couldn't connect on any late offense as he fell, 5-3. Click Here But John Dergo restarted the Illini momentum with his 6-2 win at 174. Dergo scored two takedowns in the first for a 4-1 lead after three minutes, and the only scoring in the second was an escape by Pitt's Dave Sullivan. Dergo started down in the third and escaped, then added a riding time point for the 6-2 win. At 184, No. 15 Jordan Blanton took care of Zac Thomusseit for the second time this season, with a 6-2 decision. After a scoreless first period, Blanton started down in the second and escaped. He notched a takedown with 1:49 left in the period and rode out Thomusseit for the 3-0 lead. Thomusseit started down in the third and Blanton scored a two-point near fall before giving up a point for an illegal hold and allowing Thomusseit to escape. But Blanton tacked on the riding time point for the 6-2 win. Patrick Bond continued his resurgence with a 5-1 win. He scored a first-period takedown, then started down in the second and escaped for a 3-0 lead. Matt Wilps started down and escaped in the third, but Bond notched another takedown for the final 5-1 margin. With the dual already decided, the tenth-ranked Wise scored a takedown on Pitt's fourth-ranked Zach Sheaffer, the first time the Panther had been taken down this season. Wise rode him out, then started down in the second and escaped for the 3-0 lead. Sheaffer scored a takedown with 49 seconds left in the period to cut Wise's lead to 3-2 after five minutes. Following a neutral start to the third, Wise got another takedown with 26 seconds left and added the riding time point for the 6-2 win, handing Sheaffer just his third loss of the season. Illinois has the next two weeks off from competition before traveling to Iowa City on Jan. 25 to face the top-ranked Hawkeyes. The dual will begin at 5 p.m. and will be televised live on the Big Ten Network.

Hempstead, NY -- Sophomore Ryan Patrovich recorded a tech fall and freshmen Steve Bonanno and Ben Clymer posted major decisions to lead the 18th-ranked Pride of Hofstra to a 31-6 victory over the North Carolina Wolfpack at the David S. Mack Sports Complex Sunday afternoon. The Pride improved to 4-1 on the year while the Wolfpack slipped to 3-5. The Pride jumped out to a quick 6-0 lead as North Carolina State forfeited the opening match to Hofstra senior Anthony Tortora at 197 pounds. At 285, Pride freshman Jordan Enck (13-9) took a 4-2 lead after the first period on the way to a 6-2 decision over senior Bobby Isola (2-8). Hofstra freshman Steve Bonanno, ranked 16th by W.I.N. Magazine, improved to 19-8 on the season with a 9-1 major decision over red-shirt freshman Mike Moreno (5-6). After a scoreless first period, Bonanno tallied 6-0 points in the second to take a commanding lead. At 133, Hofstra's 10th-ranked junior Lou Ruggirello cruised to an 11-4 victory over sophomore Dariuss Little (10-9) to give the Pride a 16-0 advantage in the match. North Carolina State's 12th-ranked 141-pounder, senior Joe Caramanica snapped Hofstra's winning streak with a 6-0 victory over Pride red-shirt freshman Justin Accordino (12-7) to improve to 8-0 on the season. Another Hofstra red-shirt freshman, P.J. Gillespie, was put in the unenviable position of facing the third-ranked 149-pound wrestler in the country in junior Darrion Caldwell. The Wolfpack junior improved to 23-0 with a 10-7 victory but not before Gillespie pulled a late three-point near-fall in the final 30 seconds to tighten up the score. In the most exciting match of the day, Hofstra junior Jonny Bonilla-Bowman recorded an escape and a takedown in the final minute, including the latter with two seconds remaining, to post a 10-9 victory over senior Kody Hamrah (18-6). Bonilla-Bowman improved to 11-6 on the year and gave Hofstra a 19-6 advantage in the match. At 165, Hofstra's 20th-ranked sophomore Ryan Patrovich cruised to a 15-0 tech fall victory over Wolfpack freshman Quinton Godley (9-13). Patrovich, who returned to action after a leg injury sidelined him for the Southern Scuffle, improved to 10-3 on the season. Pride senior Alton Lucas, ranked 11th at 174 pounds this week, faced a stiff challenge from freshman Jake Burge (10-6) before pulling out a 6-3 victory. Lucas boosted his season record to 12-4. In the final match of the day, Pride freshman Ben Clymer posted his eighth victory in his last 11 outings with a 10-0 major decision over senior Mark Jahad (1-4). Clymer improved to 12-6 on the year.

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- The 10th-ranked Sooner wrestling team was in for a battle from the start on the road Sunday in Tennessee versus the Chattanooga Mocs, as it trailed 8-3 after three bouts. After bouncing back to take the lead, the Sooners took a forfeit at 165 pounds due to illness, forcing them to climb from behind once again. The Sooners answered. Oklahoma took the final four matches, all by decisions, to fend off the Mocs by a 23-14 final tally and remain undefeated on the season. Its 12-0 start is the best in 24 years, equaling Stan Abel's squad in 1985. Trailing 10-14 heading into the 174 pound match, Jeff James got the ball rolling for OU with his 14th consecutive win this season, recording a 7-5 decision over William Garvin. Sooner wins by 184-pound Pat Flynn over Jason McCroskey and Eric Lapotsky over Ethan Winel at 197 pounds gave Oklahoma a 19-14 advantage. Heavyweight Nathan Fernandez closed out the victory for Oklahoma by posting a 16-4 major decision over Cody Sliger. "Our guys faced some adversity on the road today and I am pleased with the way most of them responded," head coach Jack Spates said. "We had several guys battling sickness and it is times like this when you have to dig deep and fight back." Joey Fio at 125 pounds picked up a 4-1 decision over Paul Garza to give Oklahoma a 3-0 lead to begin the match. Losses at 133 pounds and 141 pounds for the Sooners followed, before the Terry twins, Kyle (149 pounds) and Chad (157 pounds), recorded back-to-back victories. Kyle defeated Daniel Waddell by a 14-3 major decision and Chad upset No. 19 Joe Knox, 6-0. Oklahoma was forced to give up six points at 165 pounds after Ryan Smith was unable to compete due to illness, giving the Mocs a 10-14 team lead. "There were some stellar performances today, including both Chad and Kyle Terry and Nathan Fernandez," Spates said. "Eric Lapotsky also looked really good today." The Sooners return to action next Friday, Jan. 16, when they host the Maryland Terrapins at the McCasland Field House in Norman at 7 p.m. The dual will be showcased to a national radio audience by Takedown Radio hosted by Scott Casber. "Our team is looking forward to a home match for the first time in over a month," Spates said. "We are going to continue to work and improve and look forward to a great crowd on Friday night."

COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- The UNC Tar Heels improved to 5-6 in dual meets with a 19-15 victory over Maryland in their first ACC match. Carolina won six of the 10 weight classes in Sunday's match, led by 17th ranked Keegan Mueller's win in the 165 pound weight class. Mueller improved to 23-6 with the win. Justin Dobies recorded the Tar Heels' first victory of the match over Patrick Gilmore, improving to 17-7 overall. Maryland then followed with three straight wins to take a 12-3 lead going into middleweights. The Tar Heels then reeled off five wins in a row to clinch the match. After Daniel Llamas' win in the 184 pound class, the Tar Heels 19-12 lead assured them of a win. UNC's next appearance will be a doubleheader on January 17, with matches against Belmont Abbey and Davidson.

BINGHAMTON, NY -- The Bloomsburg University wrestling team won the final nine bouts of the evening to post a 33-3 win over Binghamton University on Sunday night. After dropping the first match of the night at 184 pounds, the Huskies won the next three matches by decision from Jesse Hasseman (Franklin, IN/Franklin), Zac Walsh (Denville, NJ/Morris Knolls) and Ian Moser (Dover, DE/Caesar Rodney) to take a 9-3 lead. Bloomsburg got major decision victories in the next two matches from Jason Guffey (Muncy/Warrior Run) and Ricky Donald (Millville/Millville) to go in front 17-3. At 149 pounds George Hickman (Castle Hayne, NC/Riverside) then posted a win by fall in 6:26 followed by a 4-0 win for ninth-ranked Matt Moley (Phoenixville/Spring-Ford). At 165 pounds Ricky Schmelyun (New Oxford/Bermudian Springs) won by major decision with Nate Graham (Selkirk, NY/Ravena) finishing the night with a 6-0 win at 174 pounds. Bloomsburg, 5-4, hosts Central Michigan on Saturday at 2 p.m.

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. -- The Rutgers wrestling team (15-4, 5-1 EIWA) went 3-0 in a home quad-meet, including a 20-18 come-from-behind victory over conference foe Army (5-4-1, 2-1 EIWA), RU's first victory over the Black Knights since Feb. 14, 2004. Freshman Scott Winston (Jackson, N.J.) and senior Mike Whalen (Lake Hiawatha, N.J.) both went 3-0 on the day to lead the Scarlet Knights. RU opened the day with a 39-0 shutout over US Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA). Redshirt heavyweight sophomore DJ Russo (Netong, N.J.), freshman 141-pounder Trevor Melde (Hewitt, N.J.) and redshirt sophomore David Greenwald (Union, N.J.) at 149 all picked up falls for Rutgers, while freshman Matt Fusco (Belleville, N.J.) at 125, redshirt freshman Brian Bollette (Newton, N.J.) at 133, Winston at 157, senior Matt Pletcher (Eastampton, N.J.) at 165, Whalen at 174 and sophomore McPaul Ogbonna (East Hanover, N.J.) at 184 all won by decision. RU's next opponent was Army, which coming in had won six of the last seven matches in the series, including the previous four. The Black Knights jumped out to an early 6-0 lead before Fusco put RU on the board with a decision at 125. But Army rattled off three consecutive victories, including No. 12 Matt Kyler's pin of Greenwald at 149. Trailing 18-3, RU mounted an impressive comeback, starting with Winston's technical fall over Rudy Chelednik. Pletcher followed that with a pin of Michael Gorman to bring Rutgers within four, at 18-14. Whalen came through with a huge victory at 174, defeating Erik Schott 7-1, putting the Scarlet Knights in position to win. After getting an early takedown and an early lead, Ogbonna held off a furious attack from Army's Jacob Vetter to win 3-2 and give RU the 20-18 victory. In RU's final match of the night, the Scarlet Knights dropped the first bout, but won the rest, winning easily 44-3. Russo, Bollette, Melde, Greenwald, Winston and Orzechowski all picked up extra-point victories while sophomore Mike Demarco (Lyndhurst, N.J.) at 125, junior Matt Rigoglioso (Wayne, N.J.) at 165 and Whalen also won for Rutgers. Army defeated BU 28-15 and USMMA 31-9 to finish 2-1 on the day. Boston defeated the Merchant Marines 20-18 to round out the wrestling action. Rutgers returns to action on Saturday, Jan. 17, when it faces Virginia and UNC-Greensboro in Charlottesville, Va., before taking on Virginia Tech and VMI on Sunday, Jan. 18, in Blacksburg, Va. PACK THE RAC: On Jan. 24, Rutgers will face Rider at the Louis Brown Athletic Center. Tickets for that match are on sale now. Fans can log on to www.ScarletKnights.com or call the Rutgers Ticket Office at 866-445-GORU. Reserved seating is 12 dollars, general admission is seven dollars and children under 12 and seniors are five dollars. Rutgers students enter free with their RU ID. Four of the top high school teams in the state (Queen of Peace, Howell, High Point and Long Branch) will wrestle at 3:00 p.m., followed by RU vs. Rider at 6:00 p.m.

Ypsilanti, Michigan -- Rashard Goff snatched his 95th career victory as the Vikings rolled over Ashland University, 24-15, on Sunday at the Bowen Fieldhouse on the campus of Eastern Michigan University. With the win, Cleveland State improves to 4-5 overall, already surpassing last seasons win total. "We wrestled this match very well," head coach Ben Stehura said. "Our guys knew what they needed to do and went out and performed." Jordan Keller got the Vikings out to an early 5-0 by collecting a 16-1 tech fall over Brandon Davis. Keller jumped out to an early 5-0 lead in the first period after scoring a two-point takedown and following it up with a two point near pin fall. Going into the third period, Keller added two additional near falls to take a 6-0 lead. Keller continued his onslaught over Davis in the final period scoring 10 more points. Starting the period on the bottom position, Keller got a two-point reversal along with three near fall points. After allowing Davis to escape, Keller once again too him down and put him on his back gaining three more near fall points and one point riding time for his 16th victory of the season. With the team score tied at five, Lawrence Cavello once again stepped up his performance and gave the Vikings as 8-5 lead. After a scoreless first period, Cavello started the second period on the top position and battled for position for most of the period before finally earning three near fall points. Cavello continued the pressure scoring another takedown and with one riding point, secured a 6-1 decision. The Vikings were able to pull away with a trio of victories from Antonio Nicholson, Corey Carlo and Rob Michaels. Nicholson came out with an aggressive game plan, scoring four points off a takedown and a reversal in the first two periods. In the final period, he added an escape point and a point for riding time in a 6-5 victory over Thomas Ganszl. Carlo came out strong, scoring two takedowns and a reversal, on his way to a 6-2 win over Joshua Swanson. Michaels tallied the fifth Viking victory of the afternoon, with a 13-3 major decision over Anthony Bradberry. After notching two takedowns, Michaels led 4-0 after one. Beginning the second period on the bottom position, Michaels was able to quickly get a reversal and turned that into a near fall giving him five points and a 9-0 lead going into the final period. Michaels went on to score one final takedown and with riding time earned a 10-point victory. Cleveland State went on to win their final two matches from JT Miller and Rashard Goff securing a 24-15 Viking win. Miller was able to grab a first period takedown and gain control of the match up against Thomas Kerrington. Goff scored via two takedowns, along with a two-point reversal to start the second period on his way to a 7-1 victory over Jacob Southwick. "This was a big win for us as we prepare for the upcoming EWL schedule," Stehura said. "We are starting to get some guys healthy again and performing at their peak levels." The Vikings will be back in action on Saturday (1/17) when they host Kent State. Action is scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m. in the Woodling Gymnasium.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- Winning matches over the No. 3- and No. 1-ranked teams in succession, the Augsburg College wrestling team claimed its fourth National Wrestling Coaches Association/Cliff Keen Division III National Duals championship on Sunday at the University of Northern Iowa's UNI Dome. Augsburg (5-1 overall), ranked No. 2 in the latest Division III national poll, won six of 10 matches, including two by fall, in topping No. 3-ranked Delaware Valley (Pa.) 25-17 in Sunday's semifinals. Then, behind the strength of two key pins late in the match, the Auggies defeated top-ranked and defending national champion Wartburg (Iowa) 21-20 in the championship match. "We wrestled with purpose. We had a goal to be Division III national dual meet champions, and we weren't going to be denied," said Augsburg head coach Mark Matzek. "Each and every kid stepped up in their own way in each dual meet, and in that last dual, we wrestled hard." Augsburg claimed its fourth NWCA Division III National Duals championship in the eight years that the tournament has been in its current format, where teams from all three NCAA divisions, the NAIA, junior college and women's wrestling compete at one site. Augsburg previously won National Duals titles in 2002, 2005 and 2007, while Wartburg won National Duals titles in 2003, 2004, 2006 and 2008. In a match which featured two ties and three lead changes, Augsburg clinched the victory over Wartburg when the Auggies' Jared Massey (JR, Circle Pines, Minn./Centennial HS), ranked No. 2 at 197 pounds, pinned Wartburg's No. 7-ranked Nick Shandri in 2:14, giving the Auggies a 21-17 advantage going into the final bout of the day. Massey, now 13-0 on the season with seven pins, earned the Division III National Duals Outstanding Wrestler award. A transfer from Division I Wisconsin, Massey is in his first season with the Auggies after a four-year absence from collegiate wrestling (he competed at Wisconsin in the 2003-04 season). "He had two pins and a decision on the weekend. He was very deserving," Matzek said of Massey's weekend performance. "He expects big things of himself, and we expect big things of him. He is the type of wrestler that can get in a zone, and he'll get the points that are asked of him." Augsburg won four of the six meetings of ranked wrestlers in the dual against Wartburg, including a 6-3 victory by No. 2-ranked Willy Holst (SR, Prescott, Wis.) over top-ranked Jacob Naig of Wartburg at 149 pounds. Holst is now 12-0 on the season. Top-ranked Seth Flodeen (SR, Cannon Falls, Minn.) bounced back from an upset loss in the semifinals with a 6-5 win over Wartburg's No. 7-ranked Mark Kist. Top-ranked 133-pounder Travis Lang (SR, Bismarck, N.D.) improved to 24-0 on the season with a first-period pin of Delaware Valley's No. 10-ranked Brandon Clemmer in the opening match, and a 5-4 win over No. 2-ranked Matt Kelly of Wartburg in the finals. Of his 24 wins this season, 21 have been by bonus points -- 16 pins, two technical falls, two major decisions and a forfeit. Another key win for the Auggies against the Knights came at 174 pounds, as Zach Molitor (SO, Cambridge, Minn./Cambridge-Isanti HS), a transfer from Division I North Dakota State, scored a 6:23 pin over Wartburg's No. 5-ranked Grant Jenkins. Molitor is now 17-5 on the season with five pins. The Auggies are now 12-9 in the all-time series against Wartburg, breaking a two-match losing streak to the Knights. Augsburg is now 233-20 against Divisions II and III teams since the 1989-90 season, losing just 15 matches to non-Division I opponents since the 1995-96 season. Against strictly Division III opponents, Augsburg is 239-23 since the 1979-80 season and 163-13 since the 1989-90 season. Augsburg and Wartburg will meet again in a dual meet on Jan. 30 at Augsburg's Si Melby Hall in Minneapolis. In the victory over Delaware Valley, pins by Lang and 141-pounder Tony Valek (FY, Belle Plaine, Minn./Scott West), along with a major-decision win by Holst and decisions by Massey, No. 3-ranked heavyweight Andy Witzel (JR, Fulda, Minn.) and No. 5-ranked 157-pounder Jason Adams (JR, Coon Rapids, Minn.) provided the difference in the match. Among other Minnesota teams at the National Duals, No. 22-ranked Concordia-Moorhead placed fifth in the Division III field with a 24-15 win over No. 11-ranked Cornell (Iowa). In Division II, Minnesota State Mankato placed third, while in Division I, Minnesota placed sixth.

HAMPTON, Va. -- Central Michigan defeated No. 8-ranked Lehigh, 21-12, in the championship match to claim the 2009 Virginia Duals title Saturday night. The 12th-ranked Chippewas emerged as the lone unbeaten team from a bracket that included seven teams ranked in the top 25 nationally. CMU also defeated No. 23 Old Dominion and No. 13 Oklahoma State in the tournament before knocking off previously unbeaten Lehigh, which entered the championship match 15-0. CMU (9-1 overall) extended its dual winning streak to eight with the win in the tournament final. The Chippewas have won 17 of their last 18 duals dating back to last season. CMU also improved to 4-1 against ranked opponents this season. The Chippewas are 10-3 against ranked foes since the start of last season. The Chippewas were making just their second appearance all-time at the Virginia Duals. CMU finished runner-up at the event during the 2000-01 season. Scotti Sentes, who was 4-0 at the tournament, staked the Chippewas to an early 6-0 lead against Lehigh with a first-period pin of Mitch Berger at 125 pounds. He would be the only individual to score bonus points in the championship match. CMU swept the three bouts between ranked competitors against the Mountain Hawks. Eighth-ranked Steve Brown earned a 5-3 decision over No. 14 Trevor Chinn at 149 pounds, No. 10 Trevor Stewart was a 9-2 winner over No. 16 Mike Galante at 165 and No. 7 Mike Miller posted a 2-0 decision over No. 15 Alex Caruso at 174. CMU also added decisions by Tony D'Alie at 141 and Eric Simaz at 197. The Chippewas advanced to the finals via a tightly contested 17-14 win over No. 13 Oklahoma State in Saturday afternoon's semifinals. CMU won six of the first eight individual bouts against the Cowboys, including consecutive victories at 165, 174 and 184 pounds that stretched a 9-6 lead to 18-6. Seven of those first eight bouts were decided by two points or less, including overtime matches at 125 and 133 pounds. Sentes opened the dual with a 3-1 tiebreaker victory over No. 15 Obenson Blanc. Chris Notte tied the score for Oklahoma State with a 5-3 sudden-victory decision over 13th-ranked Conor Beebe at 133. Back-to-back decisions by D'Alie and Brown at 141 and 149 pounds extended CMU's lead to 9-3, but it was consecutive wins by Stewart (165), Miller (174) and Vince DiDona (184) that put the match out of reach. Stewart's 5-3 decision over 12th-ranked Brandon Mason at 165 gave the Chippewas wins in both of the bouts featuring a pair of ranked individuals. The win was CMU's first against Oklahoma State and evened the all-time series at 1-1. The Chippewas are back on the road next weekend, visiting Bloomsburg and Pittsburgh on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.

It went to the sixth tiebreaker, but in the end the second-ranked Southern Oregon wrestling team are the National Dual Meet Champions. The Raiders need six tiebreakers to defeat top-ranked Lindenwood 17-16 in the finals of the NWCA National Dual Meet Championships in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Southern Oregon defeated McKendree 33-13 in the semifinals. In the finals, the two team were tied at 16-16 after the heavyweight match. The tie was not broken until the sixth tiebreaker when the Raiders had more near falls in the dual to come away with the 17-16 victory. "As a program we pride ourselves in being a great dual meet team and this National Championship proves it," Southern Oregon head coach Mike Ritchey said. "This is a big step in the right direction as we head down the stretch run." The top two teams in the NAIA battled neck-and-neck in the final. Lindenwood won by decision at 125 pounds and 133, while Southern Oregon won by decision at 141, 149 and 157 to take a 9-6 lead after five matches. Chris Chionuma scored a major decision victory at 165 to give Lindenwood a 10-9 lead and the lead grew to 16-12 heading into the heavyweight match. At heavyweight, SOU's John Bates scored 12-4 major decision victory to tie the dual and send officials going through the tiebreaker criteria. "That was an incredible thing for Bates to do on a bad knee," Ritchey said. "It was epic. He found a way." Southern Oregon rolled into the finals with an impressive victory over sixth-ranked McKendree in the semis. Mitchell Lofstedt (125), Trevor Lofstedt (133), Barry Johnson (141), Seth Roy (149), Tommie Hooper (157) and Austin Vanderford (165) all were victorious as SOU won the first six matches to put the dual away after the 165 match. Southern Oregon is now 12-1 in duals on the season and faces Montana State-Northern Thursday night at West Linn High School.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- The No. 1 ranked University of Nebraska at Omaha wrestling team edged No. 2 Newberry (S.C.) College, 23-19, to claim the 2009 NWCA National Duals title at the UNI Dome on the campus of the University of Northern Iowa Sunday night. After dropping the first match, UNO won six straight, including a pin by Todd Meneely (157), who was named the Division II Most Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament. The win marks the fourth National Dual title for UNO. The Mavericks won the dual in 1997 as well as back-to-back titles in 2005 and 2006. The dual began with NC No. 6 Matt Oliver recording a 10-0 major decision over Matt Rein at 125. Second-ranked Cody Garcia answered back at 133 with a major decision (9-0) over Sheridan Moran to tie the dual at four. No. 6 Mario Morgan gave the Mavericks the lead for good when he tallied a 5-4 decision against Andrew Young at 141. Easi Dominquez, ranked No. 6 at 149, followed that up with a convincing 15-6 major decision over seventh-ranked Latra Collick. The top-ranked wrestler at 157, Meneely recorded his second pin of the day as he defeated NC's Sean Byrnes in 4:20. No. 3 Aaron Denson (165) and No. 1 Ross Taplin (174) each won decisions in their respective matches. Denson defeated Brandon Kelly, 6-0, and Taplin topped Josh Whitelock, 7-2. NC won the final three matches of the championship dual. Brent Pankoke was pinned by Bryant Blanton in 2:35 at 184; Sixth-ranked Keeno Griffin claimed a 2-1 decision upset over the Mavericks' No. 3 Jacob Marrs at 197; and No. 2 at 285, Cy Wainwright, defeated fourth-ranked Tony Lewis on an injury default. The Mavericks return to action on Saturday, Jan. 17 when they host the Brand Open beginning at 9 a.m. at the Sapp Fieldhouse.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- Rob Koll's program has come a long way during his tenure at Cornell. "When I first started coaching at Cornell 20 years ago, we got beat by Wilkes-Barre," Koll said with a smile. "To be here, wrestling in front of this crowd, is exciting. But obviously you don't want to be satisfied with how it ended." Koll's third-ranked program nearly made it to the top of the Division I ladder on Sunday afternoon. But in the end, No. 1 Iowa showed the grit and resolve that has put it on top of the college wrestling world the past two seasons. Iowa rallied from deficits of 6-0 and 13-8 to post a 23-13 victory over Cornell to win the Cliff Keen/NWCA National Duals before 8,236 fans at the UNI-Dome. Iowa led 17-13 before heavyweight Dan Erekson iced the win by pinning Taylor Moore in the first period. "When you lose the first two matches of the dual, you've got a lot of work to do," Iowa coach Tom Brands said. "But we were able to battle out of that hole. We have guys who are going out there and battling. Now we need to make sure we are building on leads and keeping the pressure on. We need to wrestle complete matches, from start to finish." Erekson's dramatic fall sent Iowa, wrestling without injured All-American Charlie Falck (125), to its 28th straight dual meet victory. It was Cornell's first appearance in the finals of the National Duals. Iowa won back-to-back National Duals titles for the first time since 1995 and 1996. ESPNU will air a taped-delay broadcast of the championship finals on Jan. 15 at 4 p.m. Eastern Time. Cornell grabbed its early lead when two-time All-American Troy Nickeson capped an unbeaten weekend by scoring a 4-0 win over Iowa's J.J. Krutsinger at 125. Cornell All-American Mike Grey delivered a key early win at 133, taking down Daniel Dennis with three seconds left en route to a 4-3 win. Dennis had been on a recent tear after winning the Midlands and beating NCAA runner-up Jayson Ness of Minnesota earlier in this event. "That kid is a bear, he really took Mike out of his game," Koll said of Dennis. "Mike's a great competitor, and he took advantage of the opportunity at the end of the match." Iowa's Alex Tsirtsis followed with a major decision at 141. Hodge Trophy winner and NCAA champion Brent Metcalf also won by major for the Hawkeyes at 149. Metcalf has won 51 straight matches. "Tsirtsis getting the major decision to get us right back in it was huge," Brands said. "And then Metcalf got a major decision. That's two bonus points right there." NCAA champion Jordan Leen of Cornell came back to win by major decision at 157 before All-American and top-ranked Mack Lewnes edged No. 3 Ryan Morningstar of Iowa 3-2 at 165. Cornell took a 13-8 lead, but then Iowa took command. Hawkeye All-American and fifth-ranked Jay Borschel scored a pivotal 7-3 win over No. 3 Steve Anceravage at 174. "174 was really a key match," Koll said. "Steve got in on the guy a number of times, but (Borschel) is just so flexible. Borschel did a great job and kind of wore Steve down a little bit. That hurt obviously." Iowa All-American Phil Keddy followed by downing Iowa native Justin Kerber 6-2 at 184. Iowa's Chad Beatty then outlasted Cameron Simaz 4-3 at 197. That gave Iowa a 17-13 edge entering the final bout at heavyweight. "197, we needed to win that one," Koll said. "Cam got banged up a little bit. He's really a 184-pounder wrestling 197, and he got in a situation where he maybe could've scored a couple of back points late in the match." Erekson quickly ended all the suspense in the final bout, cranking Moore to his back for a fall in just 1 minute, 46 seconds. That set off a huge roar from the pro-Hawkeye crowd. "Our team got behind early, but that's what our coaches preach – you've got to wrestle through adversity," Erekson said. "In my match, I saw an opening to turn him with that bar arm and I smelled blood. I knew when I got in the top position I had to really keep the pressure on. I stayed focused and I knew we needed the win. It feels great to finish it off." Ohio State's Reece Humphrey (133) was named Outstanding Wrestler. He capped the tournament with a 5-4 win over Ness. Humphrey also beat Cornell's Grey on Saturday. The Buckeyes finished fifth. The remaining team champions crowned on Sunday included Nebraska-Omaha (Division II), Augsburg (Division III), Iowa Central (Junior College), Southern Oregon (NAIA) and Oklahoma City (Women). In a rematch of last year's finals, Iowa downed No. 4 Nebraska 22-11 in one semifinal on Sunday. The Hawkeyes broke out to a 13-0 lead by winning the first four weight classes against the Huskers. Krustsinger fought back from an early 4-0 deficit to beat NU's Andy Pokorny 7-4 at 125. Krutsinger was filling in for Falck, who suffered a sprained ankle at the Midlands Championships. Morningstar pulled out a 3-2 win over Nebraska All-American Stephen Dwyer at 165. Husker Brandon Browne scored a pair of late takedowns to rally past Borschel 5-4 at 174. Borschel beat Browne in the third-place match at the 2008 NCAA tournament. Third-ranked Cornell knocked off No. 2 Iowa State 22-15 in the other semifinal. Cornell won featured bouts at 133 and 165 against the Cyclones. Grey downed ISU's Nick Fanthorpe 7-5 in overtime in a battle of All-Americans at 133. Lewnes beat Jon Reader 6-5 in another matchup of All-Americans at 165. Leen came out aggressively in a punishing 13-5 major decision over Iowa State's Cyler Sanderson at 157. Sanderson is a returning All-American. In the third-place dual, Iowa State held off Big 12 rival Nebraska 20-19. Nebraska fell behind 17-0 before rattling off four straight wins to close within 17-16. But third-ranked Jake Varner earned a 10-3 win over No. 1 Craig Brester to give the Cyclones a 20-16 lead. Varner led 4-3 late in the match before scoring a takedown and then cradling Brester to his back for a near fall. He added a point of riding time in the win. Nebraska nearly won the dual when freshman heavyweight Tucker Lane caught ISU All-American David Zabriskie on his back in the second period. Zabriskie broke free and closed the gap in the third period before Lane pulled out a 7-6 win. Related Content: Individual Results (Day 2)

Click link to listen to audio interview from Day 1 at the 2009 NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals. Mark Manning (Nebraska) Dan Dennis (Iowa) Mike Denney (Nebraska Omaha) Jim Miller (Wartburg) John Oostendorp (Coe)

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- Here is a look at Day 1 at the 2009 NWCA Cliff Keen National Duals in Division II, Division III, NAIA, and NJCAA. Division II: No. 1-seeded Nebraska Omaha advances to semifinals, Taplin loses Top-seeded Nebraska Omaha cruised through the first day. The Mavericks blasted Limestone College, 42-9, in the opening round before taking out Mercyhurst, 31-7, in the quarterfinals. "This is our first duals so kind of just getting into this dual thing," said Nebraska Omaha coach Mike Denney. We've been wrestling all open tournaments. This is always our first duals. The duals are completely different than the open concept. It seems like it takes us a little while … but I felt a little better about this match (against Mercyhurst). We wrestled a little better. We showed some grit there in a couple matches. They have a nice little team, but our guys kind of got on a roll. We're pleased with our performance." No. 1-ranked 174-pounder Ross Taplin of Nebraska Omaha was upset in his first match Joby Shreckhise of Limestone, but bounced back in his second match to pin Pat Carter in 2:10. "He just didn't feel like he performed like he should have in the first match," said Denney. Defending NCAA champion Todd Meneely has been sidelined the majority of the season because of an injury and is competing in only his second competition of the season. Meneely, who moved up from 149 to 157 this season, picked up a pin in 2:10 in his first match against Bryce Sopko of Limestone, but was then pushed hard in a 4-3 win over Andy Lamancusa of Mercyhurst "He is just not in match shape yet," Denney said of Meneely. "So to wrestle a good, tough match like that is the best thing we could ask for. It's just the best thing because it deepens you. It gets you in match shape. Wrestling is kind of an unforgiving sport. You can't jump over matches in competition. You can't jump over practices. You just can't. It's unforgiving. It doesn't forgive you when you do that." No. 3-ranked Aaron Denson of Nebraska Omaha upset No. 2-ranked Josh Shields, 5-2, at 165 pounds. Two-time NCAA champion Cody Garcia won by technical fall (17-1) over No. 5 Michael Baxter. This marks the seventh straight season that Nebraska Omaha has reached the semifinals of the National Duals. The Mavericks will now face … the Mavericks. The Minnesota State Mankato Mavericks, that is, who advanced to the semifinals with victories over Findlay (26-15) and Central Oklahoma (27-14). The other semifinal match in Division II will pit No. 2-seeded Newberry against No. 3-seeded Newberry. Division III: Wartburg dominates Day 1, set to face conference rival Coe in semifinals Defending National Duals champion Wartburg completely dominated its competiton on Day 1, outscoring the opposition by a combined score of 86-3. The Knights opened the day by shutting out Wabash, 46-0, and then won 39-3 over Luther in the quarterfinals. "I thought overall we did pretty well," said Wartburg coach Jim Miller. "Obviously, tomorrow is going to be a tougher day and we know that. But we're excited about it." The Knights will now face conference rival Coe in the quarterfinals. The Kohawks defeated Concordia, 25-12, in the opening round before handling Wisconsin La Crosse, 31-7, in the quarterfinals. "I thought we came out flat in the first dual," said Coe coach John Oostendorp. "Maybe we had some guys looking ahead a little bit. I was pretty pleased with that last one. I thought our guys really came out and competed. What we're really looking for … really wrestling with that extra gear, on the attack, attacking in all positions." So what will Coe have to do to unseat defending National Duals (and NCAA) champion Wartburg? "You've got to go out and win the tough matches," said Oostendorp. "Matches where we've given up some bonus points before, you can't give up bonus points. NAIA: Top-seeded Lindenwood survives quarterfinal scare No. 1 seeded Lindenwood took care of Oklahoma City, 38-9, in the opening round before hanging on to beat Notre Dame by a score of 22-16. The Lindenwood-Notre Dame match came down to the final match of the dual. Lindwood led 19-16 before Jeremiah Fennell sealed the deal for the Lions with a 5-3 victory over Notre Dame's Don Stocum at heavyweight. The Lions will now face No. 4-seeded Dickinson State in the semifinals. The other NAIA semifinal match will pit No. 2-seeded Southern Oregon against No. 3-seeded UGF. NJCAA: Top-seeded Iowa Central cruises through Day 1 No. 1-seeded Iowa Central handled Neosho, 43-3, and will now face Labette in the semifinals. Labette defeated Colby in the quarterfinals. No. 2-seeded Meramac will face North Iowa Area Community College in the other semifinal matchup. Related: Rev Audio: Day 1