InterMat Staff

Champaign, Ill. -- The Minnesota Wrestling team won their fifth straight tonight (Feb. 5), taking seven-of-ten matches - including six straight at one point - on their way to an impressive 27-13 win over host Illinois. No. 5 Minnesota (10-4, 5-0) was facing their third straight ranked opponent in No. 21 Illinois (7-6, 2-3), part of a grueling stretch through the bulk of the Big Ten season. The Gophers were up to the task tonight, though, scoring bonus points and winning the big matches, including three of the four where each wrestler was ranked. After an opening match forfeit, the Gophers did not allow a takedown until the eighth match of the night, when the win was already all-but-assured. Zach Sanders (Wabasha, Minn.) was out of the line-up tonight, but Jayson Ness (Bloomington, Minn.) was back in. After forfeiting six points at 125 to open the match, Ness quickly got them back. Ness had been out of the line-up since the National Duals, but he showed little rust after his month away. Matched up with Daryl Thomas, Ness proved he was worthy of his new No. 1 ranking, with his 15th fall of the season, and his 10th in the first period. A takedown just 26 seconds into the match had Thomas on his back, with the fall not long after at the 1:44 mark. The top-ranked Ness improves to 20-0 on the season, and has won 22 straight. The win at 133 started a stretch of six straight wins that gave the Gophers a 24-6 lead after the 174-pound match. Scott Glasser (Bismarck, N.D.) capped the run with a hard earned 3-2 decision at 174. No. 8 Glasser scored a first period takedown to go up 2-0 and led the rest of the match. He led 3-1 entering the third period and fought off the best efforts of his No. 14 ranked opponent Jordan Blanton, and was able to hold on to the lead long enough as time expired on the 3-2 win. The Gophers took their first led at 141, in the night's first match-up of ranked opponents as No. 6 Mike Thorn (St. Michael, Minn.) of Minnesota and No. 14 Ryan Prater of Illinois squared off. Coming off a disappointing loss in his last match, Thorn made sure to avoid disappointment tonight, scoring early and often in his seventh major decision of the season. The win was Thorn's 19th on the season against just for losses, and marks the highest ranked opponent he has beaten this year. Mario Mason (Moorestown, N.J.) scored a hard earned decision at 149, beating his first ranked opponent of the season in No. 19 Eric Terrazas. No. 18 Mason used a takedown with four seconds left in the second period to take the lead, then rode out the clock for the win. Also winning in the stretch were Dustin Schlatter (Massillion, Ohio) and Cody Yohn (Alamosa, Colo.), who each notched major decisions and look to have settled nicely into their new weight classes. Already ranked No. 2 in just his third match at 157, Schlatter won 11-2 over Clint Arlis, winning his 11th straight on the season, to move to 3-0 at 157, after starting 8-1 at 165. Likewise, Yohn won 9-1 over Conrad Polz to score his second straight major and improve to 3-2 at 165, since dropping down from 174. Ben Berhow (Hayward, Minn.) closed the match with a 10-3 decision at heavyweight, to win his fifth straight and join Glasser as the only Gophers to sit 5-0 in the Big Ten. Berhow's first points came early in the first period and he controlled the entire match. The Gophers now must turn around and travel to a 14th ranked Indiana squad tomorrow (Feb. 6) for a 6:30 contest. The Hoosiers boast five ranked wrestlers and have opened the Big Ten season 2-2. Results: 125: John Deneen (ILL) For / 6-0 133: Jayson Ness (MINN) fall Daryl Thomas (ILL); 1:44 / 6-6 141: #6 Mike Thorn (MINN) maj. #14 Ryan Prater (ILL); 10-1 / 6-10 149: #18 Mario Mason (MINN) dec. #19 Eric Terrazas (ILL); 3-1 / 6-13 157: #2 Dustin Schlatter (MINN) maj. Clint Arlis (ILL); 11-2 / 6-17 165: Cody Yohn (MINN) maj. Conrad Polz (ILL); 9-1 / 6-21 174: #8 Scott Glasser (MINN) dec. #14 Jordan Blanton (ILL); 3-2 / 6-24 184: #2 John Dergo (ILL) maj. Kaleb Young (MINN); 18-6 / 10-24 197: #14 Patrick Bond (ILL) dec. #10 Sonny Yohn (MINN); 9-4 / 13-24 HWT: Ben Berhow (MINN) dec. Marty Smith (ILL); 10-3 / 13-27

Event: UFC 109: Relentless Venue: Mandalay Bay, (Las Vegas, NV) Date: February 6, 2010 The UFC Monster is in Las Vegas and will be in attendance for this epic event, as two UFC Hall-of-Fame light heavyweights, Randy Couture (17-10) and Mark Coleman (16-9), both on the downside of their careers, finally take to the Octagon in a fight that was originally scheduled for UFC 17!!! This three round main event pits two of wrestling's legendary warriors. Coleman is the Godfather of “ground-and-pound," while Couture has defied the aging process, remaining competitive against many athletes younger, quicker, stronger, and more diverse than his skill set. But Randy has made a career of outwrestling and outworking his opponents, controlling their bodies and taking them out of their game. With extremely strong takedown defense, Couture prefers to implement his “dirty boxing” against the cage, wearing down his opponents. This match features a relentless cardio machine against a historic gasser, whose tank often runs on empty as the fight wears on. Similar styles, and an interesting match-up, but the heavy favorite, Couture, should win this by a convincing decision. Lay the -400. Only a stunning knockout will save Coleman, and that's not going to happen! Nate “The Great” Marquardt (32-8-2) is on a mission to get another title shot at middleweight Anderson Silva with a win here against another strong wrestler, Chael Sonnen (25-10-1). Marquardt is coming off a stunning first round KO of Damien Maia, and has looked better with each fight he takes. Sonnen is a master of takedowns, but that will be easier said than done against Marquardt. With a deep set of tools, there are many ways for Marquardt to win this fight, and few for Sonnen. After a tentative feeling out process in the first round, I expect Nate to impose his will on Sonnen and win with a second round submission. Again, lay the big number (-375) and head to the winner's window to cash! There is not a better jui-jitsu expert in the middleweight division than Damien Maia (11-1). His world class jits is far superior to his opponent tonight, Dan Miller (11-2). Opening at a bargain price of -220, Maia has been bet strongly by the public, driving the line to over -500 in most sportsbooks. I bet him early and again at -340 this week at the Venetian in Las Vegas. Only a knockout will save Miller in this battle. And, while that may happen, I think it more likely that Maia will take this to the ground, where he will quickly submit Miller with a triangle choke in the very first round. For those who haven't watched Maia fight, it is worth your effort to do so. Miller will be game, but overmatched here. Lay the juice. In yet another battle of grizzled veterans, Matt "The Terror” Serra (16-6, with a win over GSP!), takes on Frank “Twinkle Toes” Trigg (19-7) in an interesting matchup of welterweights. Serra is short and compact, with the ability to tumble on the mat with transitioning moves, while Trigg is strong on his feet and has ample wrestling and submission skills to make this a close fight. I think it will go to the judge's scorecards, with Serra -135 winning a split decision. That would leave Trigg at 0-2 in his UFC return. Three strikes and you're out in Dana White's world. Mike “Quick” Swick (14-3) is a substitute for his injured training partner, Josh Koschek, who was hoping for revenge against Brazilian Paulo Thiago (12-1) in yet another welterweight fight. Thiago is coming off a win against Jacob Volkmann, while Swick was shocked and beaten by British bully Dan Hardy, whose reward is a title shot against Georges St. Pierre. Swick likes to make quick work of his opponents by stunning knockouts with his long range missiles. Thiago is a strong submitter, who baits his opponents to the ground with enough of a standing game to make it interesting. In an interesting betting pattern, Swick opened as an over-priced -360 favorite, but now offers value at -200. I like his focus, and expect a knockout to end this one. Swick makes it a clean sweep of favorites to close out the main card. On the undercard, there are six fights, including two on Spike TV. Let's see if we can find a few underdogs somewhere? Mac Danzig (19-7) is a lightweight who once was considered the next best thing on the MMA scene. Unfortunately, he has struggled to match his reputation, and finds himself battling for his UFC career here. He knows it ... and capable Justin Buchholz (9-4) could provide his salvation. Not that Buchholz isn't dangerous, but Danzig has much to prove here, but at -360, I'll pass. Lightweight Melvin “The Young Assassin” Guillard (41-9-3 with I no contest) is no longer young. But his well-built physique is enough to grab your attention. His opponent is relatively unknown Rony's Torres (14-1). At +110 Torres has a decent chance of winning this by late round submission. I'll call it a rear-naked choke in the third round that ends Guillard's night. In another lightweight match-up, highly touted Phillipe “The Filipino Assassin”Nover (6-2-1) will try to show-off his jiu-jitsu submission skills as he takes on journeyman slugger, Rob “The Saint” Emerson (10-8). I'm not sure why Emerson gets so many UFC fights with a barely .500 record, but I know Nover will have to win this one or he will be sent packing. Late money is coming in on him, but slight underdog odds of +105 are still available in cyberspace. I'll give Nover another try based on the odds, and his need to win. A second round triangle choke will end this one. Light heavyweight and ex-Marine Brian Stann (8-2) likes to stand and bang. A vicious puncher, he will take on relative newcomer, and former NCAA wrestling champion Phil Davis (4-0) from Penn State. Despite his inexperience, Davis has been made the -190 (or more) favorite here. Why? Because oddsmakers think that his wrestling skills will allow him to avoid the knockout and take it to the mat for a submission. I'll bite. I like this role playing, wrestler against puncher. I'll follow Davis to the winner's window. Two big heavyweights, Tim “The Thrashing Machine” Hague (10-2) and Chris “The Crowbar” Tuchscherer (17-2 with one no contest), are on the card to go toe-to-toe until one drops. UFC fans love this type of action. Either one could land the blow that ends it, but my money will be on Tuchscherer at a reasonable -170. The growth of MMA fighting is in part due to the Brazilian influence of the Gracie clan. Tonight we get to see a large Gracie (Rolles 3-0) fight a late sub Joey Beltran, who replaces Mostapha Al Turk. Gracie=submission, but at -600 there is no way to play this one. I'll pass and watch with interest instead. Okay, now let's see what we can do with our fictitious $1000 bankroll. Let's lay $200 to win $50 on Randy to dominate Coleman. Let's lay $222 to win $60 on Nate the Great. Spider's next. Let's lay $170 to win $50 on Damien Maia's submission skills. Let's lay $80 to win $40 on “Quick” Swick. Let's lay $67 to win $50 on Matt “Terror”Serra. Let's lay $40 to win $44 on Torres. Let's lay $60 to win $63 on Phillipe Nover. Let's lay $95 to win $50 on Phil Davis. Let's lay $68 to win $40 on Tushcherer's KO power. Let's pass on Danzig/Buchholz and Gracie/Beltran. In total we are risking $1002 to win $447. We need favorites to perform and with very few upsets. Don't forget to support your local youth wrestling programs where tomorrow's champions are born! Enjoy the fights. I know I will.

Fourth-ranked Ohio State is set to host Michigan tonight at 7 p.m. EST at St. John Arena in Columbus, Ohio. The dual meet will be broadcast on a same day delay at 11 p.m. EST tonight on the Big Ten Network. The Buckeyes are 14-1 in dual meets this season and a perfect 3-0 in Big Ten action. The Wolverines are 4-10 overall and 0-3 in the Big Ten. Below is a weight-by-weight breakdown of tonight's dual meet. 125: Sean Boyle (Michigan) vs. No. 20 Nikko Triggas (Ohio State) Triggas, a two-time NCAA qualifier, has been erratic this season. He started the season slowly, went through a stretch in November and December where he won nine of 10, but has struggled mightily of late. He has lost five straight matches with all of those losses coming by five or more points. Boyle, a true freshman from Blair Academy, struggled out of the gate, but seems to be coming into his own as he has won 12 of his last 18 matches. Bottom Line: It seems as though Triggas is losing confidence with every match, while Boyle is gaining confidence with every match. This would be a big win for Boyle if he can on the road and beat a two-time NCAA qualifier and nationally-ranked wrestler. The Buckeyes need Triggas to step up and show that can be key contributor in March. He has gone through a rough stretch, but will now face two freshmen this weekend and is expected to win both matches. Prediction: Triggas (Ohio State) dec. Boyle (Michigan) 133: Zac Stevens (Michigan) vs. Ian Paddock (Ohio State) Paddock has stepped into the Buckeye lineup as a true freshman and made an immediate impact. The three-time New York state champion has started the Big Ten dual season 3-0. He is 18-6 overall this season. Stevens, who is in his second season as a starter for the Wolverines, comes into tonight with an 18-12 record, but has gone 0-3 in Big Ten dual action. Bottom Line: Paddock is wrestling with a lot of confidence right now. He has not lost to an unranked opponent since early December and should defeat Stevens. Prediction: Paddock (Ohio State) dec. Stevens (Michigan) 141: Mark Weber (Michigan) vs. No. 2 Reece Humphrey (Ohio State) Humphrey, an NCAA runner-up last season at 133 pounds, was pushed last weekend by Purdue's Juan Aruchuleta, who took him into sudden victory before the Buckeye senior prevailed. Humphrey is never one to make excuses, but he was battling an injury when he suffered two losses at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals. He has since reeled off straight victories. He brings a 23-2 record into tonight. Weber wrestled last season as a true freshman at 149 pounds, but moved down to 141 pounds this season due to two-time Big Ten champion Kellen Russell redshirting. He is 13-20 on the season, but 1-13 in dual meet competition. Bottom Line: Humphrey should dominate Weber and pick up bonus points for the Buckeyes. Prediction: Humphrey (Ohio State) major dec. Weber (Michigan) 149: Mark Boyer (Michigan) vs. No. 2 Lance Palmer (Ohio State) Palmer, a three-time All-American, has been on a roll. His only loss this season came to Wisconsin's Kyle Ruschell in the finals of the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational in early December. He has dominated his competition since then, picking up bonus points in all but three matches. Last weekend, Palmer registered two major decisions, with one of those being an 11-0 shutout over 2007 All-American Matt Coughlin of Indiana. Boyer, a redshirt freshman, has been struggling this season. He is 3-10 this season and has dropped his lost his last nine matches. Bottom Line: Look for Palmer to dominate and it could be a fast match. Prediction: Palmer (Ohio State) pins Boyer (Michigan) 157: Dave Johnson (Michigan) vs. Tony Jameson (Ohio State) Jameson, a four-time Ohio state champion, comes in with a 4-3 mark on the season. Last Friday, Jameson defeated two-time NCAA qualifier Colton Salazar of Purdue. Johnson has gone 2-1 in Big Ten dual action and is 16-14 overall this season. He has won seven of his last 11 matches. Bottom Line: Jameson should control Johnson and win this match. Prediction: Jameson (Ohio State) dec. Johnson (Michigan) 165: Aaron Hynes (Michigan) vs. No. 6 Colt Sponseller (Ohio State) Sponseller, who is ranked No. 6, is 20-3 this season, but his three losses have come to the top three wrestlers in the country. He is coming off a 5-1 victory over No. 12 Paul Young of Indiana. Hynes has been up and down this season. He broke into the rankings one week this season, but has not been able to get back there. He has lost four of his last five matches … with three of those losses coming to unranked opponents. Bottom Line: Sponseller is wrestling at a high level right now, while Hynes has been struggling with consistency. Prediction: Sponseller (Ohio State) major dec. Hynes (Michigan) 174: Justin Zeerip (Michigan) vs. No. 12 Dave Rella (Ohio State) Rella has been consistent all season for the Buckeyes, going 18-6 and earning a No. 12 ranking. He has not lost since the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals. Zeerip, an NCAA qualifier last season at 165 pounds, has been in and out of the rankings all season. He has hit a bit of a rough stretch having lost his last four matches. However, three of those four losses came to wrestlers ranked in the top eight. Bottom Line: The two met earlier this season at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational with Zeerip winning that meeting by a score of 2-1. Expect another tight match. Prediction: Zeerip (Michigan) dec. Rella (Ohio State) 184: Hunter Collins/Erich Smith (Michigan) vs. No. 7 Mike Pucillo/T.C. Pendleton (Ohio State) Pucillo stepped on the mat last weekend for the first time since the NWCA/Cliff Keen Nationals … and was firing on all cylinders, picking up a major decision and a technical fall to improve to 15-4 on the season. There is a chance the Buckeyes could give Pucillo the night off and send out Pendleton, who is 2-3 in official matches this season. The Wolverines are listing both Collins and Smith as potential starters. Collins, a redshirt freshman, is 15-10 this season, while Smith is 3-13. Bottom Line: With both teams listing two potential starters, it remains to be seen who will step on mat tonight. Prediction: Pucillo (Ohio State) major dec. Collins (Michigan) 197: No. 9 Anthony Biondo (Michigan) vs. C.J. Magrum (Ohio State) Biondo has been one of the bright spots for the Wolverines in an otherwise disappointing season. He has compiled a 26-3 record after a season in which he went 23-13. Last weekend, Biondo defeated No. 10 Sonny Yohn of Minnesota for the second time this season. Magrum is 13-10, but has been struggling lately. Bottom Line: Biondo should win this one. Bonus points aren't out of the question. Prediction: Biondo (Michigan) dec. Magrum (Ohio State) 285: Ben Apland/Eddie Phillips (Michigan) vs. Corey Morrison (Ohio State) Morrison has gone 2-2 to start the Big Ten dual season. He is coming off a close loss (2-0) to No. 2 Nathan Everhart of Indiana. Morrison, an NCAA qualifier last season, is 14-9 overall this season and has been in and out of the rankings all season. Apland, a redshirt freshman, has gone 10-12 this season, while Phillips, a junior is 7-6. Bottom Line: Morrison seems to beat the wrestlers he should and lose to the wrestlers he should. He has not lost to an unranked opponent this season. Prediction: Morrison (Ohio State) dec. Apland (Michigan) Dual Meet Prediction: Ohio State 30, Michigan 6

WAVERLY, Iowa -- For the second straight time in a wrestling battle between the top two teams in NCAA Division III wrestling, Augsburg College's Zach Molitor (JR, Cambridge, Minn./Cambridge-Isanti HS) came through big again. Molitor's 11-2, major-decision victory at 174 pounds proved to be the difference in the match, as top-ranked Augsburg scored a 16-15, dual-meet win over No. 2-ranked Wartburg College at Wartburg's Levick Arena on Thursday night. Tied at 2-2 late in the second period, Molitor countered a shot by Wartburg's Dylan Azinger (JR, DeWitt, Iowa/Central HS) and claimed a takedown, quickly converting it to a three-point near-fall, which put him ahead 7-2. An escape, takedown and riding-time point gave Molitor, the No. 3-ranked wrestler nationally in his weight class, the 11-2 major decision and bonus-point victory for his team. With the win, the No. 1-ranked Auggies improved to 11-0 in dual meets this season, while Wartburg dropped to 15-2 in dual meets -- the Knights' only dual losses this season coming to the Auggies. With its fourth straight dual victory over the Knights, Augsburg improved to 15-9 in the all-time series between the two small-college wrestling powers. The close meeting was similar to the last time the teams met, in the finals of the National Wrestling Coaches Association Division III National Duals on Jan. 10 in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Like Thursday's match, both teams won five bouts, but Molitor proved to be the difference in both duals. In the Jan. 10 dual, it was a 3:52 pin of Azinger that gave the Auggies an 18-15 team win, while the major-decision was enough for Molitor and the Auggies in the 16-15 win on Thursday. Thursday's dual marked the eighth time that Augsburg and Wartburg have met twice in dual meets in a single season, with Augsburg claiming a sweep for the fourth time (2001-02, 2004-05, 2008-09, 2009-10). Wartburg has swept the series three times (2002-03, 2003-04, 2005-06), with the teams splitting the series in the 2006-07 season. Since 1989-90, the Auggies are now 249-21 against opponents from Divisions II and III, losing just 16 matches to non-Division I teams since the 1995-96 campaign. Against strictly Division III opponents, Augsburg is now 250-23 since the 1979-80 season and 174-13 since the 1989-90 season. The two teams have dominated NCAA Division III wrestling over the last two decades. Augsburg has won 10 national championships in the last 19 seasons, while Wartburg has won seven national titles. The teams have held possession of the Division III national crown every year since 1995. The Auggies' Jared Massey (JR, Circle Pines, Minn./Centennial HS) improved to 17-0 on the season with a 5-3 win over the Knights' Byron Tate (SO, Clinton, Iowa) at 197. The defending national champion and top-ranked wrestler at 197, Massey scored two takedowns in the final 51 seconds to break a 1-1 tie and eventually score the victory. In his two seasons at Augsburg, Massey is now 47-1, and is 52-3 in his collegiate career. Augsburg scored three wins in the first four matches to build a 9-3 lead. At 133, No. 4-ranked Paul Bjorkstrand (SR, Burnsville, Minn.), ranked No. 4 nationally, claimed a 5-2 win over Sean White (SR, Grand Junction, Colo./Central HS) to improve to 27-7 on the season. At 141, Jafari Vanier (SR, Minneapolis, Minn./Bloomington Kennedy HS), the No. 5-ranked wrestler nationally, used three takedowns to hold off Matt Kelly (SR, Dubuque, Iowa/Hempstead HS), the No. 8 wrestler at 133, 6-5. Vanier is now 8-4 on the season. At 149, No. 2-ranked Tony Valek (SO, Belle Plaine, Minn./Scott West) returned to the Auggie lineup and scored a 7-2 win over No. 6-ranked Jacob Groth (JR, Marshalltown, Iowa), scoring reversals in both the second and third periods to pull away. Valek is now 23-4 on the season. Wartburg scored the other two meetings of ranked wrestlers. At 157, No. 9-ranked Adam Weber (JR, Gilbertville, Iowa/Don Bosco HS) scored an 8-6 win over Augsburg's No. 6-ranked Jason Adams (SR, Coon Rapids, Minn.), and at 165, top-ranked Carrington Banks (JR, Stockbridge, Ga.) scored a 4-1 win over Augsburg's No. 6-ranked Orlando Ponce (JR, Hialeah, Fla./Hialeah-Miami Lakes HS). The Knights' No. 2-ranked Mark Kist (JR, Eagle Grove, Iowa) scored a 3-1 win over Augsburg's Josh Roberts (FY, Grand Forks, N.D./Central HS) at 125; No. 7 Todd Becker (JR, Gilbertville, Iowa/Don Bosco HS) scored a 3-1 win over Augsburg's Brad Baus (SO, Mukwonago, Wis.); and at heavyweight, Wartburg's David Wyper (SR, Perrysburg, Ohio) scored a 6-1 win over Augsburg's No. 8-ranked Andy Witzel (SR, Fulda, Minn.). Augsburg returns to action on Saturday (2/8) at 9 a.m. at the Wisconsin-Eau Claire Invitational. Results: 125 -- No. 2 Mark Kist (WAR, 16-2) dec. Josh Roberts (AUG, 16-9) 3-1 (Wartburg 3-0). 133 -- No. 4 Paul Bjorkstrand (AUG, 27-7) dec. Sean White (WAR, 25-7) 5-2 (TIED 3-3). 141 -- No. 5 Jafari Vanier (AUG, 8-4) dec. No. 8 (133) Matt Kelly (WAR, 9-4) 6-5 (Augsburg 6-3). 149 -- No. 2 Tony Valek (AUG, 23-4) dec. No. 6 Jacob Groth (WAR, 18-7) 7-2 (Augsburg 9-3). 157 -- No. 9 Adam Weber (WAR, 23-7) dec. No. 6 Jason Adams (AUG, 34-4) 8-6 (Augsburg 9-6). 165 -- No. 1 Carrington Banks (WAR, 19-2) dec. No. 6 Orlando Ponce (AUG, 23-10) 4-1 (TIED 9-9). 174 -- No. 3 Zach Molitor (AUG, 22-3) maj. dec. Dylan Azinger (WAR, 28-8) 11-2 (Augsburg 13-9). 184 -- No. 7 Todd Becker (WAR, 23-8) dec. Brad Baus (AUG, 16-13) 3-1 (Augsburg 13-12). 197 -- No. 1 Jared Massey (AUG, 17-0) dec. No. 4 Byron Tate (WAR, 1-6) 5-3 (Augsburg 16-12). HWT -- David Wyper (WAR, 20-9) dec. No. 7 Andy Witzel (AUG, 18-8) 6-1 (Augsburg 16-15).

Tonight No. 5 Minnesota heads to Champaign, Illinois to take on No. 22 Illinois. The dual meet will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network at 7 p.m. CST. The J Robinson-led Gophers are 9-4 overall this season and 4-0 in the Big Ten. The Illini, under the direction of first-year head coach Jim Heffernan, come in with an overall mark of 7-5 and a 2-2 Big Ten record. Below is a weight-by-weight breakdown of tonight's dual meet. 125: No. 6 Zach Sanders (Minnesota) vs. John Deenan (Illinois) Sanders has been impressive the past two weekends, going 4-0 to start the Big Ten season. He was pushed in his last match by talented true freshman Cashe Quiroga of Purdue, but Sanders prevailed 10-6. He was hurt at the end of that match, but indications are that he is healthy and ready to go tonight. Deenan, who is 7-9 on the season, is coming off a rough weekend, losing by technical fall to No. 1 Angel Escobedo of Indiana and then was shut out, 3-0, against Levi Mele of Northwestern, a wrestler he defeated 13-0 earlier this season. Bottom Line: For Sanders, this is merely tune-up match for his big test on Saturday against Escobedo. Look for Sanders to put a lot of points on the scoreboard and dominate Deenan. Prediction: Sanders (Minnesota) technical fall Deenan (Illinois) 133: No. 1 Jayson Ness/Thane Antczak (Minnesota) vs. Daryl Thomas (Illinois) Minnesota is listing both Ness and Antczak as potential starters. Ness, who moved to the top of the rankings this week after Michigan State's Franklin Gomez lost, has been sidelined because of an injury since the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals. Antcazak has done an admirable job filling in for Ness. He has gone 1-3 to start the Big Ten season, but in his defense he has faced some very tough competitors in Gomez and No. 8 Tyler Graff of Wisconsin … and the other loss came in sudden victory against Purdue's Akif Eren on Sunday. Thomas, a redshirt freshman, is 13-12 on the season, but has dropped four of his last five matches, with three of those losses being to unranked wrestlers. However, he did win his last match over a quality opponent in Eric Metzler of Northwestern. Bottom Line: If Ness takes the mat, it will likely be six points for the Gophers. He has pinned 14 of 19 opponents this season. If Antczak gets the call, it should be a very competitive match. Prediction: Antczak (Minnesota) dec. Thomas (Illinois) 141: No. 6 Mike Thorn (Minnesota) vs. No. 14 Ryan Prater (Illinois) Thorn has put together a nice season thus far, going 18-4 and establishing himself as a threat to contend for an NCAA title in a wide open weight class. He has close losses to the No. 1 (Kyle Dake of Cornell) and No. 2 (Reece Humphrey of Ohio State) wrestlers in the country and has several quality wins. He is coming off a sudden victory loss on Sunday to the quickly-improving Juan Archuleta of Purdue. Prater, a returning NCAA qualifier, is a very talented and dangerous wrestler, but has struggled with consistency over the past two seasons. The biggest win of his young career came at the NCAA Championships last season in the second round when he pinned No. 1 seed Kellen Russell of Michigan. He comes into tonight's match with an 11-5 mark on the season. He has yet to face a ranked opponent in conference dual action this season. Bottom Line: This is a very intriguing matchup. Both Thorn and Prater like to create action and are not afraid to take risks. It's difficult to predict what will happen in this match. Thorn has put together a better, more consistent season. However, Prater hammered Thorn, 11-0, last season at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational in early December. Both have made big strides since that match. Prediction: Thorn (Minnesota) dec. Prater (Illinois) 149: No. 18 Mario Mason (Minnesota) vs. No. 19 Eric Terrazas (Illinois) Expectations have been extremely high for Mason, a Blair Academy product, ever since he stepped foot on the campus at the University of Minnesota. His results this season have been mixed. He comes in with a 13-6 record, but is still looking for his victory against a ranked opponent. He battled All-American Kyle Ruschell of Wisconsin tough through two periods last Friday, but let the match get away from him at the end and lost 11-3. Terrazas, like Mason, is still looking for that first victory over a ranked opponent. Last Friday, Terrazas edged 2007 All-American Matt Coughlin of Indiana before losing in sudden victory, 8-6, to Andrew Nadir of Northwestern on Sunday. Bottom Line: One of the two wrestlers will pick up his first win over a ranked opponent this season. On paper, it's virtually a tossup. Both have close losses to Nadir and No. 12 David Cheza of Michigan State. Prediction: Mason (Minnesota) dec. Terrazas (Illinois) 157: No. 2 Dustin Schlatter (Minnesota) vs. Clint Arlis (Illinois) Schlatter wrestled the first half of the season at 165 pounds before making the move down to 157 pounds last weekend. Schlatter's wrestling resume speaks for itself … NCAA champion, three-time All-American, and U.S. World Team member. Last weekend, Schlatter looked very sharp in his first two matches at 157 pounds, winning both by major decision, outscoring his opponents 23-4. Arlis has a nice record, 10-2, but has not seen the stiffest of competition this season. His most notable win this season came against freshman Patrick Wright of Missouri, who was ranked for much of the first half of the season. Bottom Line: There is no reason to believe Schlatter won't do to Arlis what he did to his two opponents last weekend. Prediction: Schlatter (Minnesota) major dec. Arlis (Illinois) 165: Cody Yohn (Minnesota) vs. Conrad Polz (Illinois) Both these wrestlers have shifted weight classes throughout the season. Yohn wrestled the first half of the season at 174 pounds (with one match at 184 pounds) before moving down to 165 pounds after the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals. He comes into tonight's match with an 18-8 record on the season. Polz, a three-time Illinois state champion, started the season at 165 pounds, moved down to 157 pounds midway through the season, and is now back up at 165 pounds where he has shown more consistency. Bottom Line: Both Yohn and Polz are redshirt freshmen who are expected to be key contributors for their respective programs in the coming seasons. Whether they can qualify for the NCAAs and contribute in March this season remains to be seen. Expect this to be a competitive match. Prediction: Polz (Illinois) dec. Yohn (Minnesota) 174: No. 8 Scott Glasser (Minnesota) vs. No. 14 Jordan Blanton (Illinois) Interestingly, these two wrestlers competed two weight classes apart last season. Glasser competed at 165 pounds, while Blanton was at 184 pounds. Glasser has been of the nation's most improved wrestlers this season, going 25-4 after going 19-17 last season. He is currently ranked No. 8 in the country and has not lost since the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals, where he dropped a match to No. 2 Jay Borschel of Iowa. Blanton, an NCAA qualifier last season, has gone 20-3 this season and has won his last six matches. His most notable win came against Missouri's 15th-ranked Dorian Henderson, a wrestler Glasser also defeated. Bottom Line: This is a big match for seeding purposes at the Big Ten Championships. Both are on a roll right now and wrestling with a lot of confidence. Prediction: Glasser (Minnesota) dec. Blanton (Illinois) 184: Kaleb Young (Minnesota) vs. No. 2 John Dergo (Illinois) Dergo has established himself a serious threat to win an NCAA title in final campaign as an Illini. After failing to earn All-American honors at 174 pounds the past two seasons, Dergo made the move up to 184 pounds, where he competed as a freshman in 2006-07. He has had a stellar season. He was runner-up at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational and won the Midlands in a very deep weight class. He is currently 24-2 on the season and ranked No. 2. Young, who competed at 174 pounds last season, has emerged as the starter at 184 pounds after Sonny Yohn moved up to 197 pounds. He is 7-10 overall this season and 1-3 in conference dual action. Bottom Line: Dergo has rolled through his last three opponents, picking up a technical fall, major decision, and pin. Young has only given up bonus points once this season (to Missouri's Max Askren), but it will likely be twice after tonight. Prediction: Dergo (Illinois) major dec. Young (Minnesota) 197: No. 10 Sonny Yohn (Minnesota) vs. No. 14 Patrick Bond (Illinois) Yohn has put together a solid season, going 19-8, but has gone through a tough stretch over the past two weekends. In his last three matches, he has faced No. 8 Trevor Brandvold of Wisconsin, No. 9 Anthony Biondo of Michigan, and No. 11 Logan Brown of Purdue. He lost to Brandvold and Biondo, but defeated Brown on Sunday. Bond, a senior, came out of the nationally-renowned Great Bridge wrestling program in Virginia, where he was a four-time state champion and one of the nation's top recruits. He has had a solid career, qualifying for the NCAA Championships three times, but has gone 1-2 in each of his NCAA appearances. Bond comes into tonight's match with a 17-9 record. Bottom Line: Much like many of the matchups in this dual meet, this one is important for Big Ten seeding purposes. Seven of the nation's top 14 197-pounders come from the Big Ten. This match should be very competitive. Prediction: Yohn (Minnesota) dec. Bond (Illinois) 285: Ben Berhow (Minnesota) vs. Martin Smith (Illinois) Berhow, an NCAA qualifier last season, spent most of the first half of the season ranked, but fell out of the rankings after a disappointing Southern Scuffle, where he failed to place. He has faced many of the nation's top heavyweights this season and has been very competitive with them. He dropped one-point matches to No. 1 Jared Rosholt of Oklahoma State and No. 3 Jarod Trice of Central Michigan. Berhow is 15-8 on the season, but 4-0 in Big Ten dual action. Smith, who competed mostly at 197 pounds last season, has gone 11-11 this season. He has dropped three of his last four matches, but won his last time out against Marcus Shrewsbury of Northwestern on Sunday. Bottom Line: Berhow is wrestling well and should be able to handle Smith. On Saturday, Berhow will see undefeated and second-ranked Nathan Everhart of Indiana, a wrestler he defeated three times last season. Prediction: Berhow (Minnesota) dec. Smith (Illinois) Dual Meet Prediction: Minnesota 27, Illinois 7

LARAMIE, Wyo. -- Utah Valley junior 125-pounder Ben Kjar (Centerville, Utah/Viewmont HS) has been named the Western Wrestling Conference's Wrestler of the Week as announced today by the league. Kjar helped Utah Valley begin its conference season with a 2-1 record last week as the No. 13 ranked (InterMat) 125-pounder went 3-0 in his three conference duals. His biggest victory came via 5-3 decision over Wyoming's higher-ranked (No. 11) Michael Martinez. Kjar's other two dual wins came by major decision victories over Northern Iowa's Caleb Flores (12-4) and Air Force's Andrew Zwirlein (21-11). In Kjar's match against the Falcon's Zwirlein, he scored 10 takedowns and picked up another point from riding time to tally his 21 points. Kjar's major over UNI's Flores also helped UVU beat the West Regional power Panthers for the first-time in school history. Kjar is now 24-6 on the year and 8-1 in duals. This is the third time during the 2009-10 season that Kjar has won the WWC weekly award, the fourth for Utah Valley as a program. 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 - Cole VonOhlen, Fr., 141 pounds, Jackson, Minn. (Jackson County Central HS) North Dakota State - Tyler Johnson, So., 165 pounds, Bismarck, N.D. (Bismarck HS) Northern Colorado - Justin Gonzales, Fr., 149 pounds, Greeley, Colo. (Northridge HS) Northern Iowa - Charlie Ettelson, Sr., 141 pounds, Hudson, Iowa (Hudson HS) Wyoming – Jimmy Belleville, Fr., 157 pounds, Tumwater, Wash. (Black Hills HS)

ERIE, Pa. -- The fifth-ranked Gannon wrestling team beat Waynesburg 39-3 Wednesday night at the Hammermill Center. A.J. Milanak (Apollo, Pa./Kiski Area), Tony Petrella (Reynoldsburg, Ohio/Bishop Hartley), and Chris Daniels (Erie, Pa./Harbor Creek) each recorded pinfalls for the Golden Knights. John Fleming (Bethel Park, Pa./Lakeview) started the night with a 2-0 decision win in the 125-pound contest. Corey Bowers (Pasadena, Md./Chesapeake) took a forfeit as Waynesburg did not have a 133-pound entry. Milanak then pinned Abdul Yusuff at the 1:54 mark of their 141-pound bout to put GU ahead 15-0. Ted Hoag (Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park), Zack McKendree (Vandergrift, Pa./Kiski Area), and Bret Terry (Canal Winchester, Ohio/New Albany) strung together three straight wins to clinch the dual for the Knights. Petrella pinned Robert Schultz in their 184-pound match and Daniels took a pinfall victory over Matt Zimmerman in the 197-pound bout. Heavyweight Frank McGrath (Hammonton, N.J./St. Augustine’s Prep) finished the event with a 12-7 decision win. GU is now 5-3 in dual action, while Waynesburg dropped to 6-9. Gannon travels to Ashland (Ohio) University for a tri-meet Saturday, February 6. The Knights face East Stroudsburg at 10 a.m. and then take on Ashland at noon.

GETTYSBURG, Pa. -- Joe Camlin (Westminster, Md./Winters Mill) recorded a third-period fall to seal a Centennial Conference (CC) wrestling win for McDaniel at Gettysburg on Wednesday. A Brock Glotfelty (Grantsville, Md./Northern Garrett) first-period pin wrapped up a 29-12 victory for the Green Terror (7-6, 4-1 CC), who won six of the 10 bouts. The Bullets (3-11, 2-3 CC) recorded wins by decision in all four of their victories. Abe Evans staked Gettysburg to an early 3-0 lead with a 4-0 win at 125 before Tommy Goretsas (Hampstead, Md./North Carroll) won by forfeit to give McDaniel the lead for good. Mike Tancredi (Wall, N.J./Wall Twp.) extended the lead to 9-3 with a 7-3 victory at 1441 and Brent Lowe (Dumfries, Va./Forest Park) added a 17-2 technical fall early in the second period to stretch the advantage to 14-3. Joe Fiore (157), Tim Zielinski (165) and DJ Neri pulled the hosts within two with a pair of two-point wins and a Neri 12-5 decision. Will Yeo (Lexington Park, Md./Great Mills) stretched the lead back to five with an 8-4 win at 184 before Camlin notched his fall in 6:03 and Glotfelty recorded a pin in 1:21. McDaniel returns to action in a CC tri-meet at Muhlenberg with Ursinus on Saturday. Action begins at 10 a.m. Results: 125: Abe Evans (G) dec. Earl Eppard 4-0 133: Tommy Goretsas (M) won by forfeit 141: Mike Tancredi (M) dec. Matt Danielson 7-3 149: Brent Lowe (M) tech. fell Michael Slabinski 17-2 (3:50) 157: Joe Fiore (G) dec. Matt Peters 6-4 165: Tim Zielinski (G) dec. Tony Vorndran 4-2 174: DJ Neri (G) dec. Scott Forrester 12-5 184: Will Yeo (M) dec. Luke Mitchell 8-4 197: Joe Camlin (M) pinned Marshall Puls 6:03 HWT: Brock Glotfelty (M) pinned Kevin Poplaski 1:21

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. -- The No. 23 Rutgers wrestling team’s redshirt junior Dominick Russo (Netcong, N.J.) was named the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association Wrestler of the Week, the organization announced Wednesday. The announcement marks the second time Russo has won the accolade, as he also received the honor on Feb. 8, 2009. Russo, who is listed as the ninth-best heavyweight in the country, helped the Scarlet Knights (16-4-1) extend the squad’s unbeaten streak to a school-record 12 by capturing wins in the team’s upset against No. 23 Virginia, 25-12, last Friday night and Navy, 23-10, Saturday night. Against Virginia, Russo capped off the exciting victory with a 7-3 decision over Jack Danilkkowicz. Russo picked up one of the biggest wins of his career last Saturday by outlasting No. 6 Scott Steele of Navy by a 7-6 score. Russo leads Rutgers with 25 victories, against only four losses, and has won 18 of his 19 dual bouts. The RU heavyweight is currently on a 11-match win streak and leads the conference with 15 pin fall victories. Russo’s pin total ranks 12th in the country. Rutgers and the rest of the Scarlet Knights travel to Bethlehem, Pa. to face EIWA foe and seventh-ranked Lehigh on Saturday at 1 p.m.

Gabriel BirdGabriel Bird, a senior at Osceola High School in Florida, has verbally committed to attend and compete at Liberty University for Coach Jesse Castro beginning in the fall. Bird, a four-time Florida state placewinner and 2008 USA Wrestling Junior National freestyle All-American, made the decision after his recent recruiting visit to Liberty. Bird finished fifth at the Super 32 in October and won the POWERade Christmas Tournament this past December. He is currenlty 45-0 at 145 pounds. He is a 3.5/4.0 student and looks forward to the Christian-based education he will receive at Liberty. He is projected at 149 or 157 pounds in college.

Jack Spates

Bruce Burnett

Sandy Stevens

Pat Santoro

Mark DiSalvo

P.J. Gillespie

Enrique Montiel

On January 25, Duquesne University announced that will discontinue its wrestling program after this season. The coach and wrestlers react to the news. John Hartupee Joshua Pascazi Tony Lascari Ryan Sula Billy Chamberlain Seth Csaszar Jayk Cobbs

If you haven't heard much about Wyoming Seminary yet, chances are you will soon. Upon hearing the name, one probably conjures up images of a theological school for priests or ministers in some rural Wyoming enclave, not the fastest rising prep wrestling program in the country. John GordonBut that's exactly what Coach John Gordon has built over the past nine years. A challenger that has steadily risen up the national rankings and become a serious threat for national supremacy to schools like Graham (OH), Blair Academy (NJ), Apple Valley (MN), St. Edward (OH), and Brandon (FL). And even though vaunted Blair Academy is still firmly entrenched at the top, the Blue Knights continue to move steadily up the national ladder toward them. Wrestling fosters a pretty tight-knit community, so secrets usually don't stay that way for long. And those who are still unaware of Coach Gordon's emerging force (commonly referred to as "Sem") quickly learn to recognize. Longtime St. Ed's Coach Greg Urbas found that out when he hosted the Blue Knights as part of a quad last season. "I was not aware of Wyoming Seminary, but some coach put me on to them and that's why I made the phone call," said Urbas, whose team lost the dual to Sem. "They're hard-nosed, they wrestle like a college team ... they're tougher than heck." Simon Kitzis was a Beast of the East champion and Walsh Ironman runner-up this season (Photo/BuckeyeWrestling.com)Now in his 26th year of coaching, Gordon has developed something of a reputation for restoring and rebuilding programs that have fallen by the wayside. The native New Englander won a couple regional titles at Fryeburg Academy in Maine, then moved a little west to the New Hampton School. There, he led the Wolverines to consecutive top 12 finishes at National Preps. He wasn't necessarily looking to leave at that time, but the opportunity at Wyoming Seminary provided a better fit for his family. It had both an upper and a lower school, so his young children could attend the same school where he was a teacher and coach. Plus, they could grow up playing in the sports hotbed of Northeast Pennsylvania. "Sem had a good tradition in wrestling, but it had really lapsed," Gordon recalls. "[The move] gave me the opportunity to continue to coach a sport I love in a place that embraced the idea of building a nationally-prominent program." Nine years later, it appears the administration picked the right man for the job. It took a couple of years, but Gordon has had the Blue Knights in the national rankings since 2007, when they got as high at 22nd. After finishing in 27th place at National Preps in 2005, they have since finished eighth (2006), second (2007), third (2008) and second (2009). Those second place finishes were to Blair, a program that every powerhouse prep wrestling team aspires to emulate -- and perhaps one day, beat. "Blair should be a model to look at in terms of training and competition, and caring for kids – particularly if you're an independent boarding school like we are," Gordon says. "I won't claim to be operating at their level, but I think Coach Buxton's one of the more creative, hard-working teaching coaches in the country. Any ambitious program should be chasing them -- and we think of them as a model program that we would like to emulate in terms of performance." Wyoming Seminary coaches celebrate after heavyweight Mike McMullan wins the Walsh Ironman (Photo/BuckeyeWrestling.com)Of course, the school administration's support has also been critical Sem's success. To wrestle a schedule as ambitious as theirs has been this season -- the Blue Knights have already competed at Walsh Ironman, Beast of the East, The Cheesehead Invitational, and Escape the Rock -- requires both time off from school and sponsorship money. To help offset costs, Gordon and the Blue Knights rely on fundraising and the booster program that he created called Friends of Wyoming Seminary Wrestling. In return, the wrestlers help spread the name of a small boarding school just outside of Wilkes-Barre. "I [believe] the administration [feels] that as long as our guys are good ambassadors of the school," Gordon says. "if they compete hard and conduct themselves as gentlemen and the coaches do the same, they see this as a benefit for Wyoming Seminary from a visibility standpoint." That increased visibility has allowed Gordon to cull some of the wrestling-rich state's young talent to Kingston. Nearly a third of the kids are local, most of the team is from PA and entered the program as freshman. By shunning postgraduates and recruiting eighth graders, Gordon has been able to foster a very tight-knit team. Northwestern recruit Mike McMullan is the nation's No. 1 heavyweight (Photo/BuckeyeWrestling.com)"Six years ago, people needed to take a leap of faith," Gordon says. "We could talk about a vision, but we couldn't talk about results at that point. And so I needed some families to take a leap of faith. Now for those guys to come in, have a good experience, grow as wrestlers and succeed in big events, we can point to their success. They [end up] going to some really good colleges. And that same motto can work with your sons." One of those families that bought in early was the McMullans. They've sent two sons through the program; Joe is a freshman at Bucknell, and Mike is the nation's top-ranked heavyweight and headed to Northwestern next year. "We're in the national spotlight right now, our program is at its peak," Mike McMullan says. "Every time someone seems a kid in a blue Sem singlet, they think, 'Oh, this kid might be pretty tough.' If you're at that point, I think that's pretty impressive." To be sure, parents often send their kids to expensive independent boarding schools as a means to an end: a college scholarship to a quality institution. Even youngsters like talented freshman Eric Morris recognize the reality of the situation. "It's a college prep school, and we go there to get ready for school," Morris says. "That's the main goal, and going to Sem really gets you prepared for that [college environment]." A total of 24 Sem alumni have gone on to wrestle in college over the past six years. The Blue Knights feature eight Division I recruits on this year's team, with commitments to a variety of schools such as Northwestern, Missouri, North Carolina, and Navy. Ultimately, the architect of the Blue Knights can look at the current construction of his program and be proud of it's progress, while still hungry for more. "I am proud of the reality that we took a wrestling program that finished in 127th place at the National Prep tournament in 2001," Gordon says, "and created one that is currently ranked fifth nationally, and has been nationally ranked since 2007. The progression has been exciting."

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- For a fifth consecutive week, Notre Dame College (Ohio) tops the NAIA Wrestling Coaches' Top 20 Poll, the NAIA announced Tuesday. The Falcons continue to have 12 ranked individuals among their respective weight classes to total 144.5 points. Great Falls' (Mont.) 10 ranked grapplers earned the Argos 93 points to hold steady at No. 2. With two top-ranked and nine other wrestlers listed, Missouri Valley is a tight third with 92.5 points. Lindenwood (Mo.) is fourth with 84 points, followed by McKendree (Ill.) at No. 5 with 81 points. Notre Dame in 8-1 in dual meet action and since losing to Ohio State 37-3 on Nov. 22, the Falcons have decimated seven straight foes by a combined score of 223-31. Most recently, Notre Dame pounded NCAA Division II Seaton Hill (Pa.) 41-9. Seven of the 10 contested weights resulted in bonus points for the Falcons, including five falls. Top-ranked 197 pounder Derek Foore is 19-0 in his junior campaign. Notre Dame has at least one individual ranked at all weights, except 133 pounds. Second-ranked Great Falls has the nation's top 184-pound grappler in Michael French. The Argos, like Notre Dame, are visible in nine weight classes, absent only from 141 pounds. Great Falls' dual record stands at 12-3. Missouri Valley is the only team in this week's poll to have multiple top-ranked individuals, Colin Pierce took over 133 pounds after spending the last poll at No. 2 and 157-pounder Joseph Cornejo held on to his No. 1 ranking. Cumberland's (Tenn.) Michael Davis moved to No. 1 at 141 pounds, pushing the defending national champion Adam Koballa of Notre Dame back to second. Mitchell Lofstedt of Southern Oregon (125), Lindenwood's Samuel Schmitz (149), Brad Lower of Grand View (Iowa) (165), Enock Francois of California Baptist (174) and Simon Fraser's (B.C.) Arjan Bhullar (HWT) all retained their No. 1 ranking at their respective weight class. The poll was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the groupings. The final poll of the 2009-10 season will be announced on Feb. 16. Team Ratings Rank School Total Team Points Group 1 Notre Dame (Ohio) 144.5 East Group 2 Great Falls (Mont.) 93 West Group 3 Missouri Valley (Mo.) 92.5 Central Group 4 Lindenwood (Mo.) 84 East Group 5 McKendree (Ill.) 81 East Group 6 Southern Oregon (Ore.) 71 West Group 7 California Baptist (Calif.) 69 West Group 8 Dana (Neb.) 52.5 North Group 9 Grand View (Iowa) 41 Central Group 10 Simon Fraser (B.C.) 32.5 West Group 11 Dickinson State (N.D.) 30 North Group 11 Cumberland (Tenn.) 30 East Group 13 Oklahoma City (Okla.) 24.5 Central Group 14 Montana State-Northern (Mont.) 22.5 West Group 15 Missouri Baptist (Mo.) 22 East Group 16 Campbellsville (Ky.) 20 East Group 17 Morningside (Iowa) 17 North Group 17 Jamestown (N.D.) 17 North Group 19 Northwestern (Iowa) 15.5 North Group 19 Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) 15.5 West Group Others receiving points: Hastings College (Neb.) 9; Menlo (Calif.) 7.5; Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) 6.5; William Penn (Iowa) 5.5; Waldorf (Iowa) 3.5. Individual Ratings Wt Rank First Name Last Name Points School Group 125 1 Mitchell Lofstedt 80 Southern Oregon (Ore.) West Group 125 2 Tyler Savage 64 Notre Dame (Ohio) East Group 125 3 Dante Rini 54 Notre Dame (Ohio) East Group 125 4 Paul Hansen 50 Missouri Valley (Mo.) Central Group 125 5 Angel Olea 39 Dickinson State (N.D.) North Group 125 6 Zach Muery 32 Missouri Baptist (Mo.) East Group 125 7 Jason Moorhouse 23.5 Menlo (Calif.) West Group 125 8 Matt Chustz 19.5 William Penn (Iowa) Central Group 125 9 Aaron Wilcox 13 Dana (Neb.) North Group 125 10 Akmal Adilov 12 Great Falls (Mont.) West Group 125 11 Samuel Fragoza 7 California Baptist (Calif.) West Group 125 12 Sean Blumhardt 3.5 Jamestown (N.D.) North Group 133 1 Colin Pierce 60.5 Missouri Valley (Mo.) Central Group 133 2 Joseph Michel 57.5 Jamestown (N.D.) North Group 133 3 Wade Lowe 56.5 McKendree (Ill.) East Group 133 4 Chauncey Philipps 52 California Baptist (Calif.) West Group 133 5 Tommy Pretty 46.5 Campbellsville (Ky.) East Group 133 6 Myles Mazurkiewicz 44 Great Falls (Mont.) West Group 133 7 Brian Jacob 29.5 Southern Oregon (Ore.) West Group 133 8 Cameron Ream 16.5 Oklahoma City (Okla.) Central Group 133 9 Matthew Jacobson 12 Dana (Neb.) North Group 133 10 Anton Prater 11.5 Missouri Baptist (Mo.) East Group 133 11 Aaron Ely 4.5 Dana (Neb.) North Group 133 12 Jesse Knott 3.5 Missouri Valley (Mo.) Central Group 141 1 Michael Davis 80 Cumberland (Tenn.) East Group 141 2 Adam Koballa 64 Notre Dame (Ohio) East Group 141 3 Andrew Carrillo 53 Dana (Neb.) North Group 141 4 Drew Smith 47.5 Morningside (Iowa) North Group 141 5 Ian Millan 38 California Baptist (Calif.) West Group 141 6 Kyle Wirkuty 31 Southern Oregon (Ore.) West Group 141 7 Jordan Harer 23.5 Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) North Group 141 8 Barry Johnson 20 Southern Oregon (Ore.) West Group 141 9 Jacob Murton 19.5 Campbellsville (Ky.) East Group 141 10 Nick Coffman 7.5 Grand View (Iowa) Central Group 141 11 Neil Birt 5.5 Cumberland (Tenn.) East Group 141 12 Adam Manz 4.5 Dana (Neb.) North Group 149 1 Samuel Schmitz 80 Lindenwood (Mo.) East Group 149 2 Jeffrey Pelton 64 Notre Dame (Ohio) East Group 149 3 Byron Kuylen 54 Great Falls (Mont.) West Group 149 4 Benjamin Garcia 50 California Baptist (Calif.) West Group 149 5 Brian Graham 36.5 Missouri Valley (Mo.) Central Group 149 6 Ryan Jahn 29 McKendree (Ill.) East Group 149 7 Levi Price 27 Northwestern (Iowa) North Group 149 8 Eddie McCray 18 Dana (Neb.) North Group 149 9 Jeff Marval 15.5 Waldorf (Iowa) Central Group 149 10 Trace Billet 11 Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) West Group 149 11 Ashtin Primus 7.5 Notre Dame (Ohio) East Group 149 12 Jimmy Eggemeyer 4 Southern Oregon (Ore.) West Group 157 1 Joseph Cornejo 76 Missouri Valley (Mo.) Central Group 157 2 Thomas Straughn 61.5 Notre Dame (Ohio) East Group 157 3 Tyler Chang 59.5 Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) West Group 157 4 Jake Johnson 47.5 Lindenwood (Mo.) East Group 157 5 Nikolas Turner 42.5 Oklahoma City (Okla.) Central Group 157 6 Brian Oeschner 32 Lindenwood (Mo.) East Group 157 7 Tommie Norton/Hooper 26 Southern Oregon (Ore.) West Group 157 8 James Casadaban 17 Cumberland (Tenn.) East Group 157 9 Robert Carothers 15 Dickinson State (N.D.) North Group 157 10 Ross Mosher 8.5 Great Falls (Mont.) West Group 157 11 Isaiah Gonzalez 6.5 McKendree (Ill.) East Group 157 12 Josh Emmett 3.5 Menlo (Calif.) West Group 165 1 Brad Lower 76 Grand View (Iowa) Central Group 165 2 Chris Chionuma 63 Lindenwood (Mo.) East Group 165 3 Kevin Hardy 49.5 Notre Dame (Ohio) East Group 165 4 Ryan Tuzon 47.5 Dana (Neb.) North Group 165 4 Lamar Reed 47.5 California Baptist (Calif.) West Group 165 6 Aaron Winning 38 McKendree (Ill.) East Group 165 7 John Murray 24.5 Lindenwood (Mo.) East Group 165 8 Michael Hader 23 Great Falls (Mont.) West Group 165 9 Noah Hatton 10.5 Great Falls (Mont.) West Group 165 10 David Dwyer 8.5 McKendree (Ill.) East Group 165 11 Damon Jackson 6 Missouri Valley (Mo.) Central Group 165 12 Joe Sievert 2.5 Morningside (Iowa) North Group 174 1 Enock Francois 80 California Baptist (Calif.) West Group 174 2 Glenn Rhees 60.5 Grand View (Iowa) Central Group 174 3 Brendon DeCock 56.5 Great Falls (Mont.) West Group 174 4 Jon Bittenger 51 Notre Dame (Ohio) East Group 174 5 Josh Bryant 40 McKendree (Ill.) East Group 174 6 Jameon Rush 31 Hastings College (Neb.) North Group 174 7 Preston McKinney 27 Missouri Valley (Mo.) Central Group 174 8 Brandon Sitch 23 Southern Oregon (Ore.) West Group 174 9 Austin Vanderford 13 Southern Oregon (Ore.) West Group 174 10 Bryan Wells 8 Campbellsville (Ky.) East Group 174 11 Kurt Wolff 6 Notre Dame (Ohio) East Group 174 12 Jacob Guernsey 2 Missouri Valley (Mo.) Central Group 184 1 Michael French 80 Great Falls (Mont.) West Group 184 2 Evan Hinebaugh 61.5 Montana State-Northern (Mont.) West Group 184 3 Mark Peiffer 56.5 Dana (Neb.) North Group 184 4 Clete Hanson 44 Simon Fraser (B.C.) West Group 184 5 Tanner Wolk 43 McKendree (Ill.) East Group 184 6 Chad Williams 29 Missouri Valley (Mo.) Central Group 184 7 Chris Platt 22.5 Southern Oregon (Ore.) West Group 184 8 Spencer Adams 22 Campbellsville (Ky.) East Group 184 9 Brett Owen 20 Dickinson State (N.D.) North Group 184 10 Alex Denman 11.5 Notre Dame (Ohio) East Group 184 11 Jordaryl Logan 3.5 Grand View (Iowa) Central Group 184 11 Brian Block 3.5 Morningside (Iowa) North Group 197 1 Derek Foore 80 Notre Dame (Ohio) East Group 197 2 Andrew Sanchez 64 McKendree (Ill.) East Group 197 3 Jake Kallestad 54 Dickinson State (N.D.) North Group 197 4 Alex Calvi 47.5 Great Falls (Mont.) West Group 197 5 Ike Okenwa 41.5 Missouri Baptist (Mo.) East Group 197 6 Nicholas Leither 37 Northwestern (Iowa) North Group 197 7 Evan Mattingly 25 Montana State-Northern (Mont.) West Group 197 8 Charlie Gibbs 15.5 Missouri Valley (Mo.) Central Group 197 9 Ronald Lee 13 Southern Oregon (Ore.) West Group 197 10 Joseph Lockett 11.5 Morningside (Iowa) North Group 197 11 Justin Rau 6 Grand View (Iowa) Central Group 197 12 Eric Metzler 2.5 Cumberland (Tenn.) East Group 197 12 Jeff Roman 2.5 Waldorf (Iowa) Central Group 285 1 Arjan Bhullar 80 Simon Fraser (B.C.) West Group 285 2 Orlando Scales 64 Notre Dame (Ohio) East Group 285 3 Willie Wiggins 54 Lindenwood (Mo.) East Group 285 4 Eric Hinebauch 44 Great Falls (Mont.) West Group 285 5 Cedric Powell 42.5 McKendree (Ill.) East Group 285 6 Corey Johnson 37 Oklahoma City (Okla.) Central Group 285 7 Tyler Porras 24.5 Lindenwood (Mo.) East Group 285 8 John Bates 14.5 Southern Oregon (Ore.) West Group 285 8 Travis Ewart 14.5 Missouri Valley (Mo.) Central Group 285 10 Byron Stewart 10.5 Cumberland (Tenn.) East Group 285 11 Frank Lopez 6.5 Dickinson State (N.D.) North Group 285 12 Michael Wakim 4.5 Missouri Baptist (Mo.) East Group

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The event schedule has been finalized for the 2010 U.S. Open Wrestling Championships and the Men’s FILA Junior National Championships, set for Cleveland, Ohio, April 22-25. This year’s event will be held at the Wolstein Center at Cleveland State University. The local host for the event is the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission. The U.S. Open Wrestling Championships are the annual national championships for Senior-level athletes in the three Olympic styles of wrestling: men’s freestyle, women’s freestyle and Greco-Roman. The nation’s best international wrestlers will be showcased. USA Wrestling is once again calling the event by the name it has been commonly referred to for decades, the U.S. Open. The Senior competition format has been changed, with all three styles competing over two days, Friday, April 23 and Saturday, April 24. On Friday, the men’s freestyle Qualification Tournament will be held, along with the preliminaries in the U.S. Open in women’s freestyle and Greco-Roman. On Saturday morning, the U.S. Open for men’s freestyle will begin. All three styles at the U.S. Open will be completed on Saturday. The format has been changed so that all of the gold-medal championship matches in all three styles will be held in one session, at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday evening. The Men’s FILA Junior National Championships feature the nation’s top 17-20 year-old wrestlers competing in Greco-Roman and freestyle. The FILA Junior Greco-Roman Championships will be held on Thursday, April 22. The FILA Junior Freestyle Championships will be held on Sunday, April 25. The top seven athletes in each weight class at the U.S. Open Wrestling Championships qualify to compete at the 2010 U.S. Senior World Team Trials in Council Bluffs, Iowa, June 10-12. The Men’s FILA Junior National Championships is a qualifying event for the FILA Junior World Team Trials in Colorado Springs, Colo., May 21-22. The Cleveland Local Organizing Committee will include the following organizations: • USA Wrestling – Ohio • Greater Cleveland Wrestling Coaches & Officials Association • Cleveland State University • Mid-American Conference • City of Cleveland • Greater Cleveland Sports Commission • Convention & Visitors Bureau of Greater Cleveland Information on purchasing tickets and hotel reservations will be announced in mid-February. Visit TheMat.com or USOpenCleveland.com for more details. View complete schedule.

Author Sam Sheridan and Mark Branch, head wrestling coach at the University of Wyoming, will go "On the Mat" this Wednesday, February 3. "On the Mat" is a presentation of the Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum. The show can be heard live on the Internet at www.kcnzam.com or locally in Northeast Iowa each Wednesday from 5:05-6:00 p.m. CST on AM 1650, The Fan. E-mail radio@wrestlingmuseum.org with any questions or comments about the show. Sheridan is the author of two books: "A Fighter's Heart" and "The Fighter's Mind." "The Fighter's Mind" was released on Feb. 2 and includes chapters on wrestlers Dan Gable and Randy Couture. Branch is the head wrestling coach at Wyoming and a former two-time NCAA champion for Oklahoma State. His team has an overall record of 8-3 and leads the Western Wrestling Conference with a 3-0 record.

Justin Decker is gaining some attention as he completes his college wrestling career. The 157-pounder for Upper Iowa University was the subject of a three-minute sports story on the ABC-TV affiliate in Cedar Rapids, Iowa ... and a video for the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier Web site. He's the subject of discussions on online amateur wrestling forums. Publications outside the world of wrestling are writing about him. Why all the attention? Right now, Decker has a 14-5 record this season, including five falls ... and his team, the UIU Peacocks, have jumped to sixth place in the January 22 NCAA Division II rankings from the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA). But there's so much more to the story. Justin Decker is a dairy farmer, a husband, father of two (with a third on the way) ... and, now, at age 33, he's wrestling for Upper Iowa. Not a mat neophyte Just to be clear, Justin Decker is not a thirtysomething guy who recently decided to take up wrestling on a dare ... or as an item to cross off a bucket list. Justin DeckerDecker wrestled at West Central High in Maynard, Iowa, compiling a 150-7 record. He was a four-time state qualifier, winning the Iowa high school state championship twice. With those credentials, Decker then continued his wrestling career at the University of Iowa in the late 1990s, and was, in fact, the 158-pound starter for a time. Among his teammates: Joe Williams, Bill Zadick, Lincoln McIlravy, Jeff McGinness, Wes Hand, and Lee Fullhart. ("Some of the all-time Hawkeye greats," as Decker described them.) Justin Decker left the Hawkeyes after nearly three years. "I was cutting a lot of weight, close to thirty pounds. I was doing a lot of extra-curricular activities -- too much partying. My grades suffered. I didn't have my priorities straight." Decker returned home to northeastern Iowa, to his family's huge dairy farm, which has 600 cows and over 1,800 acres. He went to work at the farm with his dad and two of his brothers, and had nothing to do with wrestling for an entire year. However, Justin Decker couldn't stay away from the sport he had been involved with since age 5. He got back into wrestling as a coach ... first, as head coach at his high school alma mater, West Central, for two years, then as an assistant coach at North Fayette High in West Union, Iowa for five seasons. Then, as Upper Iowa University head coach Heath Grimm put it, "We kept nibbling at him, and he eventually came here as an assistant coach for two years." Then, with the encouragement of the Peacock coaches and wrestlers, Decker decided to step back onto the mat as a wrestler for the 2009-2010 season at age 33. What brought him back to the mat So, how can a guy in his early thirties get back into collegiate wrestling? There are multiple aspects of that question. First, there's the issue of eligibility. "In Division II, an athlete is eligible for four seasons of competition, for a total of ten semesters," according to Heath Grimm, who has coached the UIU Peacocks for a decade. "However, unlike D1, the semesters do not have to be consecutive ... Justin had one semester of eligibility left from his time at Iowa." What sparked the dairy farmer/father/assistant coach to put on a singlet and enter intercollegiate competition for the first time in over a decade? Heath Grimm"He was more than holding his own with the senior class wrestlers in practice," said Grimm. "He has a strong bond with the team, especially with the seniors. They respect him a lot as a wrestling coach, and, now as a teammate. He's right there in terms of training." Coach Grimm disclosed one issue: "(Decker) has taken someone's spot -- a senior who was the starter at 157 -- but everyone on the team knows we always put our ten best out there." "This was not a quick decision," Grimm continued. "He had talked about this four or five years ago, but the time seemed right, now." "(Decker) talked about it last year, and announced it at our spring awards banquet. He did road work and some wrestling in the summer. Got in three to four months training before the season." When asked what brought him back to being a wrestler, Justin Decker replied, "It was always in the back of my mind, but, for the longest time, I couldn't see myself wrestling anywhere other than at Iowa." However, as an assistant coach at Upper Iowa, Decker started to see things differently. "I had been training in the room with middleweights. I remembered that I had some eligibility left ..." "I love Upper Iowa. I think we have one of the top D2 programs in the country, and wanted to help contribute to our program's success." (The Peacocks placed fifth at the 2010 NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals. As of this writing, the team has a 9-1-0 record, the only loss being to Gannon at the National Duals.) Head coach Heath Grimm concurred with that sentiment: "With our goal of being among the top four teams in Division II, he decided he wanted to step back onto the mat." Another motivating factor for Justin Decker came from another former Iowa Hawkeye, Randy Lewis. In separate interviews, Decker and coach Grimm each mentioned that the 33-year-old dairy farmer/wrestler had attended the Northern Plains regional tournament -- a qualifying event for the U.S. World Team Trials -- in Waterloo last May. Lewis, a two-time NCAA champ at Iowa and 1984 U.S. Olympic gold medalist, competed in the 163-pound freestyle bracket at that regional, about a month before his 50th birthday. "It was cool to see Lewis do so well, after not having wrestled in years," said Decker. "He got so much attention, especially in his (semifinals) match against (Northern Iowa wrestler Moza) Fay. All action stopped on the other mats. Everyone had to see how Lewis would do." Physical and mental aspects When a wrestler returns to the mat after a long layoff -- whether it's Randy Lewis (who hadn't competed since the early 1990s), or Justin Decker -- questions arise. How can an athlete in his thirties or forties do well, especially in a tough sport such as wrestling? Both coach Grimm and Justin Decker mentioned that, especially in international competition, wrestlers can continue to win titles well into their thirties, specifically citing Bruce Baumgartner and Alexander Karelin as prime examples. "He's very resilient," said Grimm. "He's been wrestling with injuries, and still having success ... He has a 14-5 record right now, with two of those losses to D1 opponents. I think every one of his losses was attainable." (Justin Decker's two Division I losses occurred at the 2009 Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, vs. Thomas Scotton of the University of North Carolina, 3-2, and West Virginia's Ryan Goodman, 3-1.) "As a former coach, (Decker) brings maturity to his wrestling. Mentally, he's stronger than ever. The anxieties of being a competitor have left ... During the season, there are highs and lows that can mess with the mental aspect for a young wrestler. He sees losses as building blocks." "Physically, he looks great." Justin Decker weighed in: "At my age, I have to be smart about it. I can't go through the grind a typical 22-year-old can." "Realize too that I didn't train at all for 12 years. That makes things harder for me." At this point of the interview, Decker described the differences in the two college programs where he's wrestled. "At Iowa, you beat your body every day. You go at it with intensity, no let up ... At Upper Iowa, we train hard a couple days a week, mixing in a couple lighter days. It's still very demanding, but it works better for me where I am right now." "There are some advantages for me mentally. I have more mental toughness. I'm less likely to beat myself up mentally, more able to put things in perspective. See the positives that can come from a loss." "Wrestling is a series of highs and lows. With my experience, I'm more easily able to get through all that." Decker also seems to take strength from his teammates. "I've become something of a mentor to this team. Most of the guys have been jacked up about me being on the team ... I continue to learn something every day." Now or never, no regrets At this point of the conversation, Justin Decker became even more philosophical. "It takes a bit of a toll on me -- class work, wrestling, my family, running the farm. Mentally, it has been tougher for me than I thought ... I'm glad that it is for just one semester." "I count the days to the national tournament." Then, Decker mentioned the challenges faced by significant others in his life. "I've lost two best friends -- one in a plane crash, one in a car wreck. Dad has cancer ... I feel as motivated as ever. I want to make a difference. I don't want to have any regrets." "I've gotten lots of support from guys in their thirties and forties, especially from guys who may have regrets, who may be wondering, ‘what if?'" "I step out onto the mat to win," Decker continued. "I feel as if I'm in a position to win. I realize that if I don't bring it, I can get beat. There are no slouches in D2." As Justin Decker told KCRG-TV sportscaster John Sears in an interview for the ABC affiliate in Cedar Rapids, "You only live once. I'm 33 years old. I'm in an ideal situation. I just want to go through life without any regrets I guess." Decker also told Sears that, for the first time in his life, wrestling is fun, and he still feels he can compete with the best in the country. Don't bet against Decker. After all, another dairy farmer -- Rulon Gardner -- overcame considerable odds to beat Russia's Alexander Karelin at the 2000 Sydney Olympics to win the gold medal in Greco-Roman wrestling. Once he completes his on-the-mat career, Justin Decker plans to continue his coursework and eventually graduate ... and hopes to return to coaching, where he can provide a fresh perspective as a recent wrestler.

All-Star meet upset specials This past Sunday was the 10th annual New Jersey All-Star Invitational, an exhibition held to benefit the state wrestling coaches' association scholarship funds. Brick Memorial is the annual host of the event, which had more than 2,000 in attendance to watch some of the Garden State's best battle it out. Two of the bouts featured a pair of nationally-ranked wrestlers doing battle. At 171 pounds, state runner-up Ryan Callahan (Walkill Valley) defeated defending state champion Nick Visicaro (Long Branch) 5-3. Visicaro, ranked sixth at 160 pounds, bumped up one weight to meet the seventh ranked wrestler in the nation at 171 pounds. Both these wrestlers could easily find themselves on top of the podium in Atlantic City come March. The other matchup came at 189 pounds, one that could serve as a state finals preview this coming year -- as third-ranked Andrew Campolattano (Bound Brook) defeated 13th ranked Billy George (Long Branch), 6-2. Campolattano is seeking a third state title in this his junior season. The four other nationally-ranked wrestlers competing in this exhibition showcase split their matches. Tyler Fraley (Colts Neck) -- ranked second at 103 -- bumped up to 112 pounds and suffered a 15-3 defeat against Dante Porazzo (DePaul Catholic). Likewise, Vinny Fava (Elmwood Park) -- ranked seventh nationally -- suffered a 5-4 setback against BJ Young (Jackson Memorial) at 135 pounds. Ryan Dunphy (Passaic Valley) -- ranked 14th at 140 -- wrestled in the 145-pound weight class, winning an 8-4 decision over Connor Brennan (Brick Memorial). Jimmy Lawson (Manchester), ranked second nationally, won a 10-2 major decision against Brandon DiDonato (Robbinsville). The remaining match results were as follows: 103 -- Kyle McNulty (Toms River North) dec. Kevin Corrigan (Toms River South) 3-1 125 -- Zach DiPini (Walkill Valley) major dec. DJ Santos (Brick Memorial) 16-6 125 -- Connor Melde (Bergen Catholic) dec. Heriberto Quintana (Perth Amboy) 5-3 130 -- Tyler Scotton (Willingboro) dec. Johnny Short (Matawan) 3-2 140 -- James Green (Willingboro) dec. Scott Festejo (Long Branch) 11-9 152 -- Devin Biscaha (Jackson Memorial) dec. CJ Cobb (Williamstown) 4-2 160 -- Eric Torres (Elmwood Park) dec. Dallas Winston (Jackson Memorial) 5-2 215 -- AJ Mott (DePaul Catholic) dec. Mike Case (Southern Regional) 10-3 Roseburg establishes Oregon supremacy With a championship at the Resers Tournament of Champions -- the best high school tournament within the state of Oregon -- Roseburg established itself as the best team in the state. Ranked 23rd by AWN, the squad was dominant with eight wrestlers finishing inside the top three. Dan Faas (112), Drew Van Anrooy (125), and Seth Thomas (145) were weight class champions; Sam Meacham (140), as well as Dylan (160) and Devan Fors (189) took second; and two other wrestlers took third place. The Indians scored 223-1/2 points to secure a margin of victory of almost 50 points. Second place went to 34th ranked Hermiston, who scored 176-1/2 points with three champions and two wrestlers taking third place. Champions for Hermiston were Joey Delgado (119), Abraham Rodriguez (135), and Bryce McMahon (189). Right behind in third place was Newberg with 162-1/2 points, and the same total of three champions with two others taking third place. Champions for Newberg were Tommy Siciliano (130), Joey Chandler (160), and Rory Oliver (189). Rounding out the weight class champions were McKennan Buckner (103) from Crook County, Alex Elder (140) and Scott Kryskalla (189) from West Salem, Brandon Griffin (171) from Sprague, and Robert Ross (285) from North Medford. Three-peat on the Shore For a third consecutive year -- Long Branch, NJ came home with the Shore Conference Tournament championship this past Saturday at Southern Regional high School. The tournament format had the top four seeds hosting four teams in dual meet competition on Wednesday evening with the champion from each group (semifinal and final match) meeting in the semifinal round Saturday afternoon. Advancing out of competition Wednesday evening were the four host teams -- Long Branch NJ, Jackson Memorial, NJ; Howell, NJ; and Southern Regional NJ. Of the eight dual meets that the top seeds wrestled on Wednesday, only one was truly close. That was the matchup placing fourth-seed Southern Regional against fifth-seed Brick Memorial, NJ; a match that Southern Regional won 27-22. The top-seed Long Branch, ranked 36th by Amateur Wrestling News defeated Southern Regional 38-19 in the semifinal round by taking nine of fourteen matches. Likewise, 40th ranked Jackson Memorial upended Howell 33-18 by taking nine of fourteen. Key to the Jaguars semifinal victory was wins in six of the seven matches decided by two points or less, including both matches that went to the tiebreaker. It all started in the opening bout of the afternoon at 171 pounds, when Dallas Winston got Jackson Memorial on the board with a 3-1 victory over Jesse Holzhauer. After a 9-2 decision from Joe Melon for Howell tied the match at 3-3 - Drew Murphy won 5-3 at 215 pounds, and Joe Nolan won 2-1 in the tiebreaker at 285 to give the Jaguars a 9-3 lead heading to the turn. Also winning narrow victories for Jackson Memorial were Mike Shupin at 112, Devin Biscaha at 140, and James Kelly at 152; Spencer Young lost a 3-1 decision at 119 pounds. However, the finals match with Long Branch got off to an unfavorable start as Max Sunder lost a 2-1 decision at 189 pounds to Paul Tracey from Long Branch. This was one of four matches decided by two points or less in the dual meet, all of which went in favor of the Wave. After a 13-4 major decision from Billy George -- ranked 13th nationally at 189 pounds -- Jackson Memorial won four consecutive matches to open up a 15-7 lead. With each team getting wins by major decision at 125 and 130 pounds -- Andrew Cornell for Long Branch at 125, and BJ Young at 130 for Jackson Memorial -- the dual meet score was 19-11. Consecutive two-point wins for Long Branch would narrow the deficit to 19-17. Absolutely huge was the latter of those two wins by Scott Festejo at 140 pounds. Trailing 3-0 late in the third period against Devin Biscaha, Festejo hit a five-point move to secure the victory. James Kelly came up with the last Jaguar win of the day, a 10-2 major decision over Nick George at 145 pounds to extend the lead to 23-17 heading to 152 pounds. In that bout, Doug Cornell defeated Doug Hamann 4-3, given Long Branch the significant advantage heading into the last two matches -- where it would have state champion Nick Visicaro and state placer Omar Akel taking to the mats. After a first period fall by Visicaro, Akel would seal the 29-23 victory with an 8-1 decision over Dallas Winston at 171 pounds. The time is coming but not yet There has been a major buzz in both the Illinois and national wrestling community this year about a fledgling, young squad from the west suburbs of Chicago. That noise you hear is coming from Marmion Academy, the parochial school which freshman sensation Ben Whitford -- currently ranked eighth nationally at 119 pounds -- enrolled after leaving the state of Michigan. In addition the squad features dynamic young talent in sophomores Eddie Greco (112) and Angelo Silvestro (130), who are both ranked third in their division (Class 2A) by Illinois’ Best Weekly. Multiple elite wrestlers are also expected to enroll next fall as freshmen. Also making the buzz occur has been their performance this year, which started with a win at the season opening Conant Invitational. They followed that up with dual meet victories over No. 7 Plainfield Central, 32-27; No. 5 Mount Carmel, 38-22; and No. 1 Minooka, 27-24. Those rankings are from Illinois’ Best Weekly for teams in Class 3A. All of this came to a head this past Saturday at the Suburban Christian Conference Duals hosted by Montini Catholic. The Broncos are ranked first in Class 2A in the state of Illinois, and are considered by most to be the best team regardless of classification in the state of Illinois for a third consecutive year. The team of the present would do battle with the team of the future. The dual meet was the second of five matches for each team on Saturday, and the random draw dictated that the meet would start at 130 pounds. For Montini that mean senior Colton Rasche, ranked 20th nationally, would take to the mat against the sophomore Silvestro. In this opening match, it was the senior Rasche taking it to Silvestro in a 10-2 major decision to catalyze the Broncos into their lineup’s strong point -- middleweights. The Broncos would take the next five matches as well from the Cadets to open up an insurmountable lead. Eric Powell won by decision at 135 pounds, Stephen Robertson came up with a first period fall at 140 pounds, Frank Baer defeated Pat Greco in overtime at 145 pounds, Brandon McBride came through at 152 pounds, and Dimitri Willis closed out the run with victory at 160 pounds. Marmion would counter with victories in the next three matches -- a 9-3 decision by senior Nico Jimenez at 171, followed by wins from David Niels and Connor English at 189 and 215 pounds respectively. However, Montini came through with wins in the next three matches prior to the appearance of Ben Whitford into the fray. Presuming the two teams advance into the dual meet state series through performance in the individual regional, and advance through team sectional, they would meet in the state quarterfinals. A new national No. 1? Let the debate begin! Graham, OH defeated Blair Academy, NJ by a 36-21 score to establish significant controversy at the top of the national team rankings. Blair was the defending national champions and consensus number one team after titles at the Ironman and Beast of the East earlier in the season. However, they traveled to St. Paris, OH and lost nine of the 14 contested matches on Saturday night. Also with a significant argument will be Apple Valley, MN -- the team that was considered second in the nation (Blair first and Graham third) through the course of the season. The Eagles have titles at the Minnesota Christmas Tournament, Cheesehead, and The Clash National Duals to their credit. There will be more to come on that discussion next week. This week ahead … *Friday evening (2-5): No. 8 Wadsworth, OH travels to No. 3 Graham, OH for a dual meet. *Saturday (2-6): No. 10 St Edward, OH and No. 5 Wyoming Seminary, PA travel to No. 1 Blair Academy, NJ for dual meet competition. InterMat staff writer Bill Hupp will be providing coverage of that event. *District Dual Meet Championships across Pennsylvania. Throughout the week, each of the districts in the Keystone State will be holding competitions to determine which teams qualify for the State Dual Championships next weekend in Hershey, PA. Some teams will also have to compete in play-in matches earlier in that week.

STILLWATER, Okla. -- Oklahoma State junior 184-pounder Clayton Foster was recognized as Big 12 wrestler of the week, it was announced today by the conference office. This is the first such honor of Foster's career and marks the third time this season that a Cowboy has been singled out as Big 12 wrestler of the week. Foster knocked off No. 6 Joe LeBlanc of Wyoming by a 10-5 score when he connected on a five-point move in sudden victory as part of OSU's 31-3 win over UW in Laramie last Friday. With a No. 6 national ranking, LeBlanc is the second-highest ranked opponent Foster has beaten in his career. With Foster holding a 2-0 lead and in the top position to start the third period, LeBlanc scored a reversal to tie the score at two. Foster escaped to go up, 3-2 and then things got wild. LeBlanc took Foster down to take a 4-3 lead and after Foster was slapped with a stalling point, LeBlanc held a 5-3 edge. With two seconds left, Foster escaped and his riding time point brought the score to 5-5 and sent the bout into overtime. LeBlanc went after Foster in the sudden victory period, but Foster worked and scored a takedown of his own and turned it into a five-point move with a three-point nearfall to claim victory. Earlier in the day, Foster pinned Northern Colorado's Patrick Prentice at the 3:28 mark of their bout. Foster punished Prentice from the start, using three takedowns, a two-point nearfall and a pair of three-point nearfalls to race to a 14-2 lead in the first period alone. He added another takedown early in the second period, then took control of Prentice's head, locked up the cradle and got the fall. Foster owns a 13-2 record on the year after missing a chunk of the season due to injury. He has added bonus points in nine of his 13 wins.