InterMat Staff

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Illinois assistant wrestling coach and former three-time All-American Mike Poeta defeated 2009 World Team member Trent Paulson 3-0, 5-2 at the U.S. World Cup Wrestle-Offs at the U.S. Olympic Training Center on Jan. 22. Poeta likely will face Paulson’s brother, Travis, on Feb. 17 for the spot on the U.S. World Cup team at 74 kg/163 lbs. “Wrestling in the World Cup will be a huge accomplishment for me, right up there with anything I’ve done,” Poeta said. “Whether or not I have to wrestle Travis, I have to earn my way onto the team.” Poeta will compete in the Cerro Pelado Granma international freestyle tournament in Havana, Cuba, on Feb. 19. Should he make the U.S. World Cup team, the World Cup for freestyle is March 6-7 in Mahachkala, Russia.

Simley High School (MN) wrestler Dylan Wright, the son of Donovan and Renee Wright, verbally committed to Division II Saint Cloud State University, following his upcoming senior season. SCSU is coached by Steve Costanzo and Matt Lowers. The SCSU Husky’s compete in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference with Upper Iowa, Augustana, Minnesota State, Northern State, MSU Moorhead, Southwest Minnesota State and Mary. He is projected to wrestle at the 125-pound weight classes. Wright wrestled his junior year for Simley High School where he helped lead the Simley Spartans to their sixth team state title, becoming a MSHSL 2009 State finalist at the 112-pound weight class. He placed third at the prestigious Minnesota Christmas Tournament, in addition he earned all-conference honors including winning the 2009 Classic Suburban Conference. He had the most Simley dual team escapes with 23 and the most overall escapes with 40. He finished his junior year with a 33-8 record with 14 pins and three tech falls. Due to Military obligations, the Wright family moved in 2007/2008, where Dylan wrestled his sophomore year for Poway, Ca. under legendary coach Wayne Branstetter, whose team recently won the Reno Tournament of Champions in Las Vegas and the 2009 California State Team title. Dylan finished third in the prestigious Frosh/Soph. 2008 California State Tournament where they had over 150 participants at the 103-pound weight class at Selland Arena in Fresno, California. They combined two 64-man brackets which had several pigtails making it one of the largest tournaments Dylan has ever participated in. Wright enters his senior season leading the Simley Spartans, being the highest state placer on the team with a Simley career record of 51-10. The Simley Spartans are currently ranked No. 1 in AA and looking to challenge for their seventh state team title in school history. The Spartans are coached by Jim Short and Will Short. Dylan is off to a great start winning the 2009 Minnesota Christmas Tournament, which is nationally recognized by many as one of the top five toughest high school tournaments in the country. He is looking to finish his senior year by challenging for his own individual state title and helping Simley win their 7th team state title. Nationally, Dylan was a 2009 USA Wrestling Junior Folk style All-American and a 2008 USA Wrestling Cadet Folk style All-American. Wright has also won Minnesota USA and AAU state titles in Folk style, along with consistently placing in freestyle state tournaments. Wright is currently ranked 19th by Wrestling USA Magazine’s rankings of the Nation’s Best 2009-10 High School Seniors at 119lbs as of 1-24-10.

NORFOLK, Va. -- No. 7 Central Michigan scored bonus points in three of its six individual victories in a 23-14 nonconference win at No. 25 Old Dominion on Sunday. The win was CMU's fourth straight and improved the Chippewas' dual record to 12-2 overall. Old Dominion fell to 8-4-1 overall. The Chippewas improved to 5-2 against top-25 opponents this season with the victory. The dual opened at 125 pounds, the first of three overtime bouts in the dual, where seventh-ranked James Nicholson won a tightly contested 3-1 decision over No. 9 Matt Steintrager. Both individuals recorded an escape in regulation and went scoreless in the sudden victory period. Nicholson reversed Steintrager in the first 30-second tiebreaker, then rode him out in the second tiebreaker to earn the decision. CMU won each of the next four bouts, however, to build a 14-3 lead midway through the match. Ninth-ranked Scotti Sentes was dominant in his 12-0 major decision over Justin LaValle at 133 pounds. Sentes scored a takedown and two back points in the first period, a reversal and three back points in the second period and another takedown in the third period. He built a riding time advantage of 5:37 in the victory. Conor Beebe scored late in sudden victory for a 7-3 decision at 141 pounds. Beebe rode ODU's Craig Wilson for the first 1:58 of the third period before surrendering an escape that sent the match to overtime. With less than 10 seconds remaining in the sudden victory period, Beebe took Wilson to the mat and scored two back points for the victory. At 149 pounds, No. 11 Tony D'Alie scored five takedowns in a 13-4 major decision over Cam Watkins. Donnie Corby continued the Chippewas' winning streak with a 7-1 decision at 157 pounds. Corby did most of his scoring early in the first period, scoring a takedown and three back points in the opening minute of the match. The night's second bout between ranked opponents saw ODU's No. 14 Chris Brown record a 3-1 overtime decision against CMU's No. 17 Tyler Grayson at 165 pounds. Both Brown and Grayson scored escapes in regulation, and Brown tallied the decisive takedown with 13 seconds left in sudden victory. Tenth-ranked Ben Bennett stretched CMU's lead to 20-6 with a fall at 174 pounds. After a scoreless first period, Bennett escaped to open the second period before pinning Eric Decker at the 4:06 mark. Old Dominion drew within 20-14 with major decisions at both 184 and 197 pounds, but No. 3 Jarod Trice capped CMU's victory with an 11-4 decision at heavyweight. Trice took down ODU's Grant Chapman twice in the first period and once in both of the final two periods. The Chippewas return home Friday, when they host Michigan State at 7:30 p.m. in their final nonconference dual of the season. Results: 125: No. 7 James Nicholson (ODU) dec. No. 9 Matt Steintrager, 3-1 TB1 133: No. 9 Scotti Sentes (CMU) maj. dec. Justin LaValle, 12-0 141: Conor Beebe (CMU) dec. Craig Wilson, 7-3 SV1 149: No. 11 Tony D'Alie (CMU) maj. dec. Cam Watkins, 13-4 157: Donnie Corby (CMU) dec. Joey Sheridan, 7-1 165: No. 14 Chris Brown (ODU) dec. No. 17 Tyler Grayson, 3-1 SV1 174: No. 10 Ben Bennett (CMU) pin Eric Decker, 4:06 184: Joe Budi (ODU) maj. dec. Dillon Kern, 9-0 197: No. 13 Jesse Strawn (ODU) maj. dec. Eric Simaz, 8-0 285: No. 3 Jarod Trice (CMU) dec. Grant Chapman, 11-4

Tempe, Ariz. -- Ninth-ranked junior Colby Covington (Springfield, Ore.) and redshirt freshman Mike Mangrum (Auburn, Wash.) both recorded falls to lead the No. 21 Oregon State wrestling team to a 35-5 victory over No. 24 Arizona State on Sunday afternoon in Wells Fargo Arena in front of a crowd of 546. Covington tallied his 14th fall of the season, fifth in his last seven matches, over Eric Starks at 174 pounds. Covington held an 11-4 advantage before pinning Starks to the floor at the 5:45 mark to extend his winning streak to eight. Mangrum chalked up his first win over a ranked opponent at 141 pounds, pinning No. 13 Chris Drouin to the ground in 5:41. After a scoreless first period, Mangrum took a 4-2 lead in the second period. Drouin chose the bottom to start the final period, opening up the opportunity for Mangrum to earn his 25th victory of the season, third fall. Sixteenth-ranked sophomore Kelly Kubec (Lake Stevens, Wash.) started off the meet on the right foot for the Beavers, shutting out Ben Ashmore at 133 pounds, 11-0. Mangrum followed before No. 17 freshman RJ Pena (Salem, Ore.) picked up the 10-6 decision over Vicente Varela at 149 pounds to give Oregon State the 13-0 lead after three. Senior Keegan Davis (Salem, Ore.), ranked 12th, earned his 31st win of the season in the form of a 10-6 decision over Te Edwards at 157 pounds before the other senior in the lineup, Dan Brascetta (Aurora, Colo.), followed suit with a 10-4 decision over Kyle DeBerry. Covington boosted the Beavers to a 25-0 advantage over the Sun Devils with his fall before redshirt freshman Ty Vinson (Great Falls, Mont.) added more with a 7-2 decision over Jake Meredith at 184 pounds. Coming in on a two-match losing streak, sophomore Chad Hanke (Dayton, Ore.) easily rebounded with a bonus point victory in a 16-5 major decision win over Michael Hawkins at 197 pounds. Ranked 14th, sophomore heavyweight Clayton Jack (Vacaville, Calif.) put the Beavers ahead 35-0 through nine bouts with a 7-1 decision over No. 17 Eric Nye. Nye had defeated Jack 3-2 in Las Vegas earlier this season. Third-ranked Anthony Robles was the lone Sun Devil to record a win for Arizona State with a technical fall at 125 pounds to wrap up the meet. Oregon State improves to 16-1, 4-1 Pac-10, while Arizona State falls to 8-5, 3-1 Pac-10. Oregon State continues its time on the road at Cal State Fullerton on Friday at 7:00 p.m. before facing No. 16 Cal Poly on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. Results: 133 Pounds – No. 16 Kelly Kubec (OSU) major decision over Ben Ashmore (ASU), 11-0 4 0 141 Pounds – Mike Mangrum (OSU) fall over No. 13 Chris Drouin (ASU), 5:41 10 0 149 Pounds – No. 17 RJ Pena (OSU) decision over Vicente Varela (ASU), 5-2 13 0 157 Pounds – No. 12 Keegan Davis (OSU) decision over Te Edwards (ASU), 10-6 16 0 165 Pounds – Dan Brascetta (OSU) decision over Kyle DeBerry (ASU), 10-4 19 0 174 Pounds – No. 9 Colby Covington (OSU) fall over Eric Starks (ASU), 5:45 25 0 184 Pounds – Ty Vinson (OSU) decision over Jake Meredith (ASU), 7-2 28 0 197 Pounds – Chad Hanke (OSU) major decision over Michael Hawkins (ASU), 16-5 32 0 Heavyweight – No. 14 Clayton Jack (OSU) decision over No. 17 Eric Nye (ASU), 7-1 35 0 125 Pounds – No. 3 Anthony Robles (ASU) tech fall No. 15 Jason Lara (OSU), 17-0 (6:19) 35 5

IOWA CITY, IA -- Led by two pins and an upset at 133 pounds, the top-ranked University of Iowa wrestling team blanked its sixth opponent of the 2009-10 season Sunday night, beating Michigan State, 37-0, at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The six dual season shut-outs is an Iowa school record, beating the previous record of five set in the 1980-81, 1989-90, 1990-91 and 2008-09 seasons. The Hawkeyes also picked up their 56th straight dual win and their 23rd straight win at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, while remaining undefeated at 18-0 (4-0 Big Ten) this season. Iowa held Michigan State (7-4-1, 1-3 Big Ten) to one takedown on the night. Hawkeye senior Daniel Dennis won the evening's marquee match-up, scoring a 3-2 win in the first tiebreak period over defending NCAA and Big Ten champion Franklin Gomez at 133. Gomez, a senior who was ranked first in the nation, entered the dual on a 29-match winning streak. Dennis, who was ranked fourth in the country, was the last collegiate wrestler to beat Gomez, scoring a 3-2 decision at the dual in East Lansing last season. After a scoreless first period, Gomez scored a quick escape in the second to take a 1-0 lead. Dennis started down in the third period and scored a reversal to take a 2-1 lead. Gomez escaped with 13 seconds left in regulation to tie the score at 2-2. Dennis had only accumulated 59 seconds of riding time when Gomez escaped, so the match was forced to overtime. Neither wrestler scored in the one minute sudden victory period. Dennis started down in the first 30-second tiebreak period, escaping with 16 seconds left to take a 3-2 lead. Gomez needed an escape in the second 30-second tiebreak to force the match to a second sudden victory period, but Dennis rode him out to hold on for the 3-2 win. "You win close matches against tough opponents, and sometimes you have to eek them out," said Hawkeye Head Coach Tom Brands, who picked up his 25th Big Ten victory Sunday night. "I think we've lost our last three overtime matches, so we stopped that roll which is a good thing. It was a good win for Dennis." Picking up extra team points for the Hawkeyes were seniors Brent Metcalf (149) and Jay Borschel (174) and redshirt freshman Matt McDonough (125). All three remain undefeated on the season with their wins. McDonough opened the dual by pinning Spartan freshman Brennan Lyon in 2:52. McDonough scored two takedowns in the first period before scoring the pin, improving to 24-0. Metcalf picked up his 24th season win, pinning Michigan State sophomore David Cheza in 3:37. The Hawkeye senior led the bout 7-2 before scoring his 13th pin of the season and the 44th of his Hawkeye career. He now ranks ninth on Iowa's all-time career pins list. Borschel improved to 23-0 with an 8-0 major decision over Spartan sophomore Ian Hinton, picking up his eighth major decision of the season. Also scoring decisions for the Hawkeyes were seniors Ryan Morningstar (165), Phillip Keddy (184) and Dan Erekson (Hwt), juniors Aaron Janssen (157) and Luke Lofthouse (197) and sophomore Montell Marion (141). Marion (6-0), Janssen (1-0) and Morningstar (3-0) held their Spartan opponents scoreless, while Keddy, Lofthouse and Erekson only allowed a combined total of 10 Michigan State points in their matches. Marion picked up his 25th career victory and 15th season with his 6-0 win over Spartan freshman Dan Osterman. Up next for Iowa is a trip West to face Utah Valley (7-2, 2-1 WWC) Saturday, February 6 at 8 p.m. (CT) in Hawkeye senior Phillip Keddy's hometown of Vernal, UT. Iowa will wrestle the Wolverines at the Uintah High School Gymnasium. Hawkeye junior Luke Lofthouse and true freshman Ethen Lofthouse are also Utah natives, graduating from Mountain Crest High School in Avon. Results: 133 - Daniel Dennis (I) dec. Franklin Gomez (MSU), 3-2 TB-1 141 - Montell Marion (I) dec. Dan Osterman (MSU), 6-0 149 - Brent Metcalf (I) pinned David Cheza (MSU), 3:37 157 - Aaron Janssen (I) dec. Anthony Jones (MSU), 1-0 165 - Ryan Morningstar (I) dec. Kyle Bounds (MSU), 3-0 174 - Jay Borschel (I) maj. dec. Ian Hinton (MSU), 8-0 184 - Phillip Keddy (I) dec. Nick Palmieri (MSU), 8-1 197 - Luke Lofthouse (I) dec. Tyler Dickenson (MSU), 10-7 Hwt. - Dan Erekson (I) dec. Alan O'Donnell (MSU), 8-2

After a tough test against Wisconsin two nights ago, the University of Minnesota wrestling team was challenged with another top-25 opponent in Purdue. Today (Jan. 31) was also the Minnesota Wrestling Endowment Meet meaning all ticket revenue from the 3,107 fans that packet the Sports Pavilion stands will go directly to Golden Gopher Wrestling Scholarships. The fans who came out in support of the team and the program were treated to a dominating 30-9 win, with Minnesota (9-4, 4-0) opening up a 14-0 lead before Purdue (10-7, 1-3) won their first match. On the way to the 14-0 lead, the Gophers started the match with wins at 157 and 165, before a forfeit at 174. Dustin Schlatter (Massillion, Ohio) and Cody Yohn (Alamosa, Colo.) started the meet with back-to-back 11-1 major decisions. For Schlatter it was his second match at 157 and for Yohn, his fourth at 165. In similar matches all-around, each scored early with first period takedowns and near falls. Schlatter improves to 10-1 on the season, and has won 10 straight. After the Gophers first loss at 184, Sonny Yohn (Alamosa, Colo.) bounced back after a heartbreaking loss on Friday versus against Wisconsin to defeat No. 11 ranked Logan Brown. No. 14 ranked Yohn, led the close match 4-1 entering the third period, but a Brown takedown cut the lead to 4-3. Yohn was able to recover and score an escape for the 5-3 final. In the shortest match of the night, heavyweight Ben Berhow (Hayward, Minn.) notched a first period fall. Before the two minute mark in the first period Berhow pinned Purdue's Adam Walls for his first fall since the Southern Scuffle. It was his second fasted pin of the season for Berhow, who won his third straight. After Berhow's match, the Gophers held a 23-3 advantage. After a tough takedown late in the match, sixth-ranked Zach Sanders (Wabasha, Minn.) fought through pain to earn a 10-6 decision at 125. Sanders went down 4-2 in the second period, before coming back to take an 8-4 lead on his way to the win. Sanders has now won four straight and six of his last seven. With the match in hand late for the Gophers, Purdue scored wins at 133 and 141. Each win came in overtime against Thane Antczak (Prairie Farm, Wis.) and Mike Thorn (St. Michael, Minn.) respectively. Thorn led most of his match, but a pair of late takedowns allowed the 5-3 upset. In the night's final match, Mario Mason put the stamp on a dominating team effort with an equally impressive 16-4 major decision against Nick Bertucci. No. 18 Mason used back-to-back near falls in the second period to blow open the match. With the victory, the Gophers closed their Endowment Meet win 30-9. At 4-0 in the Big Ten, the Gophers find themselves in a place they have not been since 2006-07. They will look to stay undefeated next weekend, but must hit the road to Illinois and Indiana to do so. The Gophers face Illinois at 6:30 pm on Feb. 5 and Indiana at 7:00 pm on Feb. 6. Results: 157 Dustin Schlatter (MINN) maj. Colton Salazar (PUR) 11-1 4-0 165 Cody Yohn (MINN) maj. Jason Martin (PUR) 11-1 8-0 174 #8 Scott Glasser (MINN) For - - 14-0 184 Nick Corpe (PUR) dec. Kaleb Young (MINN) 3-2 14-3 197 #14 Sonny Yohn (MINN) dec. #11 Logan Brown (PUR) 5-3 17-3 HWT Ben Berhow (MINN) fall Adam Walls (PUR) 1:59 23-3 125 #6 Zach Sanders (MINN) dec. Cashe Quiroga (PUR) 10-6 26-3 133 Akif Eren (PUR) dec. Thane Antczak (MINN) 2-1SV2 26-6 141 Juan Archuleta (PUR) dec. #4 Mike Thorn (MINN) 5-3SV 26-9 149 #18 Mario Mason (MINN) maj. Nick Bertucci (PUR) 16-4 30-9

ITHACA, N.Y. -- The second-ranked Iowa State wrestling team made its weekend journey to New York into a successful business trip, beating No. 6 Cornell by taking seven of 10 matches for a 24-13 victory before more than 4,000 Big Red fans in Newman Arena. The Cyclones improve their dual record to 10-2 in its 2009-10 campaign. The dual victory was the 999th in program history. Cornell falls to 3-4-1. ISU head coach Kevin Jackson saw the dual victory as excellent preparation for his squad. “It is exciting to come out of here with a win,” Jackson said. “Cornell is a very strong team. To win seven matches to three losses is huge and we’ll take that moving forward. We won the tight matches and that is important.” Iowa State’s Jake Varner (21-0), the top-ranked 197-pounder in the country, proved to be too much for fifth-ranked Cam Simaz of Cornell. Varner rolled up the points quickly against Simaz, holding a 14-1 advantage heading into the final period. ISU’s three-time NCAA finalist went to work, trying to add a pin to the Cyclone team effort, but ended the match with a technical fall by a score of 19-1 (6:56). Two-time All-American Jon Reader put bonus points on the scoreboard for the Cyclones with a 14-4 major decision of Cornell’s Justin Kerber at 165 pounds. Reader (18-3) scored six takedowns and didn’t allow an offensive point in the victory. Five Cyclones won matches by decision. Iowa Stater Nick Fanthorpe (11-6) helped put his squad back on track after the early 6-0 deficit with an upset victory at 133 pounds. The senior All-American, ranked 13th, used an early spurt of points to hold off Cornell’s seventh-ranked Mike Grey, 6-3. Cyclone teammate Andrew Sorenon (21-6) was victorious by an identical score at 157 pounds, winning 6-3 over John Basting of Cornell. ISU’s Mitch Mueller (21-7), ranked 10th at 149 pounds, won by decision over CU’s Corey Manson, 6-2. At 184 pounds, Cyclone Jerome Ward held off Cornell’s Steve Bosak by a score of 3-2. To conclude the ISU dual victory, heavyweight David Zabriskie (16-2) picked up a 3-1 win over the Big Red’s Josh Arnone. The ISU-CU dual began at 125 pounds. ISU sophomore Andrew Long (21-4) couldn’t overcome the weight’s returning NCAA champion, Troy Nickerson of Cornell. An early Big Red takedown put the Cyclone grappler in dangerous position before Nickerson secured the pin at the 2:03 mark. The Cyclones will continue to be road warriors as they take on Arizona State in Tempe, Ariz., Feb. 7. Competition begins at 3 p.m. CST. Results: 125 pounds – No. 2 Troy Nickerson (CU) pinned No. 5 Andrew Long (ISU), 2:03 133 pounds – No. 13 Nick Fanthorpe (ISU) dec. No. 7 Mike Grey (CU), 6-3 141 pounds – No. 1 Kyle Dake (CU) dec. Dalton Jensen (ISU), 7-1 149 pounds – No. 10 Mitch Mueller (ISU) dec. Corey Manson (CU), 6-2 157 pounds – Andrew Sorenson (ISU) dec. John Basting (CU), 6-3 165 pounds – No. 3 Jon Reader (ISU) major dec. Justin Kerber (CU), 14-4 174 pounds – No. 1 Mack Lewnes (CU) dec. Chris Spangler (ISU), 11-2 184 pounds – No. 11 Jerome Ward (ISU) dec. No. 17 Steve Bosak (CU), 3-2 197 pounds – No. 1 Jake Varner (ISU) tech. fall No. 5 Cam Simaz (CU), 19-1 (6:53) HWT – No. 4 David Zabriskie (ISU) dec. Josh Arnone (CU), 3-1

EVANSTON, Ill. -- No. 20 Illinois won eight of 10 bouts and No. 2 John Dergo added the exclamation point with a pin in 1:15 in the day’s final bout as the Illini pounded Northwestern, 30-6, at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Dergo won his 13th-straight match and improved to 24-2 on the season, and the Illini won the last four bouts to seal the win as they move to 7-5 overall, 2-2 in the Big Ten. "We were solid if not spectacular today," Illinois head coach Jim Heffernan said. "Daryl Thomas got a nice win at 133 and Dergo looked really good. For the most part, we took care of business today." No. 9 Patrick Bond started off the dual for the Illini against Northwestern’s John Schoen and Bond had a few shots in the first period but wasn’t able to land any as the pair went scoreless to the second period. Bond started down in the second and got up and out quickly off the whistle for a 1-0 lead. With 30 seconds left in the second, Bond picked Schoen’s ankle, lifted it and tripped the Wildcat on the edge of the mat, earning the takedown before the pair fell out of bounds for a 3-0 lead. Bond was hit with a stalling warning for not trying to move up from Schoen’s leg while riding him and the period ended. Schoen started down in the third and got out quickly to cut Bond’s lead to 3-1 but Bond shot and got a leg on the edge. Schoen was able to sprawl his right leg off the mat and avoid the takedown, though. But Bond kept after it, getting a leg on the edge and finishing the takedown to go up 5-1. Bond cut Schoen loose then got to a leg and finished the takedown with 15 seconds left to go up 7-3. Bond got in on a leg with three seconds left but wasn’t able to tack on two more, winning by that 7-3 score to take a 3-0 team lead. Marty Smith was clearly the aggressor in the first period against Marcus Shrewsbury but wasn’t able to connect on any offense as the two were scoreless after three minutes. Smith started down in the second and got out quickly for a 1-0 lead. Smith the locked up Shrewsbury and passed by his elbow before grabbing a leg, but Shrewsbury managed to keep his balance and work out of it. Shrewsbury was hit with a stalling warning as the two went out of bounds with 1:07 left in the period but Shrewsbury got in on a double-leg and finished it for a takedown. Smith escaped to tie it 2-2 with 40 seconds left in the second period then passed by once again and got an ankle. Shrewsbury danced at the edge of the mat for nearly 15 seconds but Smith upset his balance with one second left for the takedown and a 4-2 lead. Shrewsbury started down in the third and got out, cutting Smith’s lead to 4-3. Smith got a leg and worked it into a double-leg for the takedown on the edge with 28 seconds left and a 6-3 lead. Shrewsbury escaped quickly, then took a good shot with 10 seconds left but Smith was able to sprawl out and seal the 6-4 win, pushing Illinois’ team lead to 6-0. At 125, John Deneen squared off with Levi Mele and Mele got in on a double-leg with 1:40 left, but he got Deneen on his shoulders and lifted him up before the referee broke the hold. Mele got in on another double-leg, which Deneen fought off and nearly turned for a takedown of his own, but Mele fought him off and worked to a stalemate after a nice scramble. Mele tossed Deneen and got behind him for a takedown at the buzzer and a 2-0 lead. Mele started down in the second and Deneen rode him for nearly a minute before getting hit with a stalling warning before a stalemate. Deneen continued to ride hard and look for a tilt but Mele got out with 31 seconds left in the period. Mele took a shot on the edge and got in on a leg but Deneen kept his waistlock and fended off the scoring opportunity, heading into the third period down 3-0 but with 1:29 of riding time. Deneen started down in the third and Mele rode him out for the 3-0 win, cutting Illinois’ lead to 6-3. Daryl Thomas got a leg early against Eric Metzler at 133 and finished the shot for the takedown with 2:12 left. But Metzler reversed him off a restart to tie the bout 2-2. Thomas escaped quickly and fended off a shot and went to the second period with a 3-2 lead. Thomas started down in the second and got out with 1:05 left in the period to go up 4-2. Thomas got in on a shot with 15 seconds left and got a leg but Metzler kept a high crotch and worked to a stalemate to end the period neutral. Metzler started down in the third and got out quickly to cut Thomas’ lead to 4-3. Metzler was warned for stalling as he dodged a shot by Thomas with 1:39 left, then the Wildcat took a shot of a restart that Thomas worked out of. Thomas Sprawled away from another Metzler shot to earn a stalemate with 59 seconds left and the pair repeated the same maneuver with 32 seconds left. Thomas was warned for stalling with 12 seconds left and the pair had a restart with six seconds left but Thomas fended off the last shot by Metzler for the 4-3 win and a 9-3 team lead. Vince Vercelli accepted the forfeit win at 141 and the Illini went into intermission with a 15-3 team advantage. In the day’s marquee match, No. 20 Eric Terrazas took on Northwestern’s No. 14 Andrew Nadhir at 149. After a good deal of hand-fighting, Terrazas blocked a shot by Nadhir and passed him by for the takedown with 30 seconds left. Terrazas rode him out for a 2-0 lead after a period. Nadhir started down in the second and Terrazas rode him for 42 seconds, getting his advantage up to 1:13, before Nadhir escaped. Nadhir popped Terrazas in the forehead, leading to an injury timeout, and Terrazas shot off the restart but Nadhir fended him off to keep the Illini sophomore’s lead at 2-1 heading into the third. Terrazas started down in the period and escaped in 15 seconds to go up 3-1, but Nadhir got the Illini’s ridign time down to 56 seconds, negating any advantage. Terrazas got a leg once again and Nadhir sprawled out, but Terrazas pulled him back in and Nadhir gave up his right ankle, allowing the Illini to score the takedown on the edge for a 5-1 lead. Terrazas got his riding time up to 1:05 before Nadhir escaped to cut his lead to 5-2 and Nadhir finally connected on a shot and got a takedown, cutting his lead to 5-4. Terrazas got out after a restart but gave up a quick takedown, which tied the bout 6-6 and wiped out Terrazas’ riding time advantage, sending the bout to sudden-victory time, where Nadhir took a shot off the whistle and finished the shot just six seconds into overtime for the 8-6 overtime win, bringing the Wildcats within 15-6. Clint Arlis and Kevin Bialka started off with a couple of scrambles at 157 before Arlis locked up a takedown for an early 2-0 lead. Arlis rode him for over a minute before the pair got into another scramble that the referee broke for a potentially dangerous hold. Arlis rode him out for the 2-0 lead with 2:19 of riding time after the first period. He started down in the second and scrambled through for a reversal before Bialka needed injury time. Arlis kept riding him hard and rode him out for a 4-0 advantage with 3:51 of riding time after five minutes. Bialka started down in the third and Arlis cut him loose after 24 seconds but the Illini senior got a leg and tripped Bialka at the edge for a takedown and a 6-1 margin. Arlis let him up again and got a takedown with five seconds left before adding the riding-time point for the 9-2 win and an extension of Illinois’ team lead to 18-6. In his first match at 165 since Dec. 12, Conrad Polz got a takedown against Robert Kellogg with 2:05 left and rode him for 54 seconds before cutting him loose. Polz got a leg and took down Kellogg before letting him up again with 40 seconds left in the period. The two ended the first three minutes neutral with Polz leading 4-2 with 56 seconds of riding time. Polz started down and escaped quickly before blocking a shot by Kellogg and spinning behind him for a takedown. He cut Kellogg loose again before getting in on a leg and taking him down for a 9-3 lead at the end of the period. Kellogg started down in the third and Polz cut him loose 30 seconds in. The two ended the bout neutral with Polz taking the 10-4 win and increasing the Illini’s lead to 21-6. Blanton got a leg early against Brian Roddy at 174 and tripped him on the edge of the mat for a takedown. He cut Roddy loose and Roddy got in on a shot and Blanton nearly fended it off, but Roddy tripped him on the edge for a takedown and a 3-2 lead. Blanton got out quickly Blanton got a leg and worked into a takedown at the horn for a 5-3 lead after the first. Roddy started down in the second and escaped in 16 seconds. Blanton got a leg and tripped Roddy, but the Wildcat sprawled out on the edge, forcing Blanton to drag him back in and cover for the takedown and a 7-4 lead. Roddy escaped after a restart but Blanton nearly locked a cradle near the edge, scoring the takedown instead for a 9-5 lead with 16 seconds left. Roddy escaped after a restart and hustled around the corner for a takedown at the horn to cut Blanton’s lead to 9-8 after to periods. Blanton started down in the third and Roddy cut him loose to go up 10-8 with 53 seconds of riding time. Blanton blocked a shot attempt and grabbed Roddy’s ankle before getting his head and pulling him to the mat for the deciding takedown. Roddy reversed him on the edge with two seconds left but Blanton added riding time for a 13-10 win, moving Illinois’ lead to 24-6. At 184, No. 2 John Dergo took down Aaron Jones quickly and got him on his back, earning the fall in 1:15 to put an exclamation mark on Illinois’ 30-6 win. The Illini return home to face two ranked foes next weekend as they welcome No. 5 Minnesota to Huff Hall in a match that will be televised live by the Big Ten Network Friday at 7 p.m. before hosting No. 12 Wisconsin Sunday at 1 p.m. Results: 197: No. 9 Patrick Bond (ILL) dec. John Schoen (NU), 7-3 (3-0) HWT: Marty Smith (ILL) dec. Marcus Shrewsbury (NU), 6-4 (6-0) 125: Levi Mele (NU) dec. John Deenen (ILL), 3-0 (6-3) 133: Daryl Thomas (ILL) dec. Eric Metzler (NU), 4-3 (9-3) 141: Vince Vercelli (NU) wins by forfeit (15-3) 149: No. 14 Andrew Nadhir (NU) dec. No. 20 Eric Terrazas (ILL), 8-6 SV1 (15-6) 157: Clint Arlis (ILL) dec. Kevin Bialka (NU), 9-2 (18-6) 165: Conrad Polz (ILL) dec. Robert Kellogg (NU), 10-4 (21-6) 174: No. 14 Jordan Blanton (ILL) dec. Brian Roddy (NU), 13-10 (24-6) 184: No. 2 John Dergo (ILL) pinned Aaron Jones (NU), 1:15 (30-6)

Lincoln -- Pins from senior Stephen Dywer (174) and sophomore Tucker Lane (285) propelled the Nebraska wrestling team to nine victories as the Huskers easily defeated Northern Colorado, 37-9, in the non-conference finale Sunday afternoon at the NU Coliseum. Dwyer picked up where he left off two days ago, pinning his second straight opponent with a fall in 1 minute, 43 seconds over Patrick Prentice. The senior controlled Prentice from the opening whistle with three near falls and a takedown in the first 68 seconds before nailing down his eighth pin of the season, including his sixth in the first period. Lane followed Dwyer’s lead with a quick pin of his own in 2 minutes, 4 seconds over Justin Tuell to give Nebraska a 27-3 lead after six matches. Due to injuries on both squads, only seven matches were contested. Northern Colorado forfeited two bouts (184 and 197), while Nebraska gave up six points at 149 pounds. Freshman David Klingsheim (125) turned in possibly the most satisfying victory of the day when he defeated three-time NCAA qualifier Tony Mustari by a 6-1 decision. The two fought to a scoreless first period until Klingsheim produced a two-point near fall midway through the second frame and added four points in the final period to come away with his second straight dual win. Following Klingsheim’s win, freshman C.J. Napier (133) exploded with a five-point third period for a 10-2 major decision over Casey Cruz. Both Klingsheim and Napier have won back-to-back matches after each losing their previous four. The lightweight duo also led four Husker newcomers to victories on Sunday. Redshirt freshman Tyler Koehn (157) opened the dual with a 10-3 decision over Rocco DePaolo, while junior college transfer Mike Koehnlein (141) capped the match in a 6-2 decision against Kenny Hashimoto. The match will be a “Pepsi Pack the House” night, with all general admission tickets and 24-ounce Pepsi products just $1. It will also mark Senior Night for the Huskers, recognizing Craig Brester, Stephen Dwyer and Levi Wofford in their final home competition. Results: 157-Tyler Koehn (NU) wins by decision over Rocco DePaolo (UNC), 10-3 (NU 3, UNC 0) 165-Kevin O'Brien (UNC) wins by decision over James Nakashima (NU), 6-3 (NU 3, UNC 3) 174-#4 Stephen Dwyer (NU) wins by fall over Patrick Prentice (UNC), 1:43 (NU 9, UNC 3) 184-Josh Ihnen (NU) wins by forfeit (NU 15, UNC 3) 197-#2 Craig Brester (NU) wins by forfeit (NU 21, UNC 3) 285-#19 Tucker Lane (NU) wins by fall over Justin Tuell (UNC), 2:04 (NU 27, UNC 3) 125-David Klingsheim (NU) wins by decision over Tony Mustari (UNC), 6-1 (NU 30, UNC 3) 133-C.J. Napier (NU) wins by major decision over Casey Cruz (UNC), 10-2 (NU 34, UNC 3) 141-Mike Koehnlein (NU) wins by decision over Kenny Hashimoto (UNC), 6-2 (NU 37, UNC 3) 149-Justin Gonzales (UNC) wins by forfeit (NU 37, UNC 9)

Photo/Kevin Schlosser/BuckeyeWrestling.com)ST. PARIS, Ohio -- In what was one of the most anticipated duals in years and the mythical national title on the line, No. 3 Graham, OH did not disappoint the packed home crowd where it was standing-room only. The Falcons ran away with a 36-21 victory over No. 1 Blair Academy, NJ in a scene that could only be described as something out of Hoosiers as the tiny rural town watched the hometown team steamroll the defending national champions. Blair undoubtedly was the team of the decade for the first part of the 2000s. The question now is will Graham be the new team of the decade as they only have three seniors on this team and many more studs still in the pipeline. Graham jumped out early in at 103 with a come from behind victory as Ryan Taylor defeated Max Hvlobeck, 7-3. Hvlobeck got on the scoreboard first with a quick takedown, but that was all he was able to do from there as Taylor was able to get a takedown and two back points in the second period to take the lead from there. Graham jumped out to the quick 3-0 lead and never looked back. Blair then sent out the backup 112 to wrestle Connor Cassidy in hopes of getting on the board but it wasn't meant to be as Cassidy comes through with probably the biggest victory of the night, winning 5-2. Graham's Nick Brascetta came up with a crucial victory at 119 pounds over Blair's Evan Silver (Photo/Kevin Schlosser/BuckeyeWrestling.com)Blair then bumped up No. 1 at 112 Evan Silver to wrestle No. 4 Nick Brascetta at 119 in hopes of scoring the victory here. They were tied 1-1 going late into the third until Brascetta hit a beautiful single leg and finished right on the edge to win 3-1 as the clock ran out. Mike Grey finally got on the board over unheralded Sheldon Kegley at 125 but not before it went into overtime. Both wrestlers had scoring opportunities but both fought out tremendously each time until Grey hit a beautiful double leg to win the match. At 130, sensational freshman Bo Jordan did not disappoint the home crowd as he came out fast and strong with two quick takedowns over Russ Parsons. Then he hit him with a nasty half nelson and pinned him in the first as Graham continued to pile it on Blair leading now at this point 15-3. Not to be outdone by his cousin Bo, Isaac Jordan went out and then dismantled Todd Preston with an array of single leg takedowns to win 15-5 in a match that saw Jordan break Preston in the third period. Graham's Felipe Martinez put Blair's Austin Ormsbee on his back en route to a 10-3 victory at 140 pounds (Photo/Kevin Schlosser/BuckeyeWrestling.com)Buxton's plan of bumping up his better wrestlers truly backfired as No. 3 at 135 Austin Ormsbee faced off against No. 7 Felipe Martinez. Martinez struck first with a quick takedown but it was his gator roll that deflated Blair's chances of winning this match as he got five points off his patented move to take the lead from there and never look back. Ormsbee fought out of it with a neck bridge, but it still wasn't able to get any offensive points as he fell 10-3. At this point the dual was 21-3 after the match as Graham was deducted a team point for excessive celebration. Chris Villalonga finally got Blair going again with an 11-5 decision over Matt Stephens at 145. Blair looked like maybe they could get a rally going as Jesse Shannaman pinned the freshman Mannier as they closed the gap to 21-12 after 152. However, that was as close it as it got as Kyle Ryan ended the short lived rally with a 17-7 major decision over Brad Bishop. Huston Evans then followed it up with a 23-8 technical fall over Mario Orlandi at 171 to pretty much seal the fate of Blair as they trailed 30-12. Graham celebrates after a 36-21 victory over Blair (Photo/Kevin Schlosser/BuckeyeWrestling.com)In the match of the night No. 2 Mike Evans prevailed over No. 5 Max Thomusseit, 4-2, in overtime. The match was hotly contested as Thomusseit struck with a first period takedown off an ensuing scramble but Evans was able to escape. Evans was able to ride out Thomusseit in the third period to force overtime and was finally able to finish a shot on the massive Thomusseit at the edge for the victory. However, it was a bittersweet win for Evans because this officially clinched the win for Graham. Graham, however, wasn't done as Mark Meyer was able to get a pin to send the coaches up in the air as they added the points for good measure. Blair was able to get a pin at heavy as Brooks Black overpowered Lucas Williams but the point was moot, Graham had officially dethroned Blair Academy. Final score: St. Paris Graham 36, Blair Academy 21 Results: 103: Ryan Taylor (G) dec. Max Hvolbeck, 7-3 112: Connor Casady (G) dec. Kyle Taylor, 5-2 119: Nick Brascetta (G) dec. Evan Silver, 3-1 125: Mark Grey (B) dec. Sheldon Kegley, 3-1 OT 130: Bo Jordan (G) pinned Mark Stillman, 1:28 135: Issac Jordan (G) major dec. Todd Preston, 15-5 140: Felipe Martinez (G) dec. Austin Ormsbee, 10-3 145: Chris Villalonga (B) dec. Matt Stephens, 11-5 152: Jesse Shanaman (B) pin Robert Mannier, 3:15 160: Kyle Ryan (G) major dec. Brad Bishop, 17-7 171: Huston Evans (G) technical fall Marco Orlandi, 23-8 189: Michael Evans (B) dec. Max Thomusseit, 4-2 OT 215: Mark Meyer (G) pin Dillon Hoffman, 3:59 285: Brooks Black (B) pinned Lucas Williams, :57 Related Content: Photos (BuckeyeWrestling.com) Videos (Gohiocasts)

Kevin Dresser

Scott Hinkel

Brad Penrith

Today at 2 p.m. CST, No. 24 Illinois will face Northwestern at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston Illinois. The dual meet will be broadcast today on the Big Ten Network (same day tape delay) at 6 p.m. CST. Illinois comes in with a 6-5 dual meet record, while Northwestern is 5-7-1. Both teams are coming off losses to No. 14 Indiana. Indiana topped Northwestern, 31-9, on January 24, and defeated Illinois, 22-13, on Friday. Below is a weight-by-weight breakdown of the dual meet. 125: John Deenen (Illinois) vs. Levi Mele (Northwestern) Deenan, a junior, has compiled a 7-8 record in his first season as a starter. He has been competitive with some ranked wrestlers this season, but has been completely dominated when he has faced opponents ranked in the top five. He lost one-point matches to No. 11 Michael Martinez of Wyoming and No. 17 Jasen Borshoff of American, but suffered technical fall losses to No. 1 Angel Escobedo of Indiana and No. 5 Andrew Long of Iowa State. Mele, a freshman who joined the Northwestern program after a two-year Mormon mission, is 7-6 on the season. However, only one of Mele's victories this season came against a Division I opponent. Bottom Line: Deenan dominated Mele, 13-0, last month at the Midlands. Look for Deenan to get bonus points for the Illini. Prediction: Deenan (Illinois) major dec. Mele (Northwestern) 133: Daryl Thomas (Illinois) vs. Eric Metzler (Northwestern) Metzler has been a four-year starter for the Wildcats, but has struggled at the Big Ten Championships, going 0-2 each of the past three seasons. He comes into Sunday's dual meet with a 9-6 record and has won his last three matches. Thomas, a redshirt freshman, is 12-12 on the season, but has dropped his last four matches. Bottom Line: Metzler is the more proven wrestler and should win this match. Prediction: Metzler (Northwestern) dec. Thomas (Illinois) 141: No. 15 Ryan Prater (Illinois) vs. Bobby Joyce (Northwestern) Prater, a returning NCAA qualifier, has been up and down this season. He was fifth at the Midlands and has quality wins this season over No. 5 Montell Marion of Iowa, NCAA qualifier Dan LeClere of Iowa, and No. 19 Todd Schavrien of Missouri. He brings an 11-5 record into Sunday's match, but was pinned in three of his losses and lost by technical fall in another. Joyce, a junior, has struggled this season, compiling a record of 1-12. Bottom Line: Prater should win this match handily and pick up bonus points. Prediction: Prater (Illinois) major dec. Joyce (Northwestern) 149: No. 20 Eric Terrazas (Illinois) vs. No. 14 Andrew Nadhir (Northwestern) This is the marquee matchup of the dual meet as it is the only matchup that pits two ranked wrestlers against each other. Nadhir is coming off a season in which he went 14-12 and placed sixth at the Big Ten Championships. His biggest win last season came in the second round of the Big Ten Championships when he upset three-time All-American Lance Palmer of Ohio State, 9-8. He has put together a nice junior campaign thus far, compiling a record of 18-4 and earning a No. 14 ranking. Terrazas started the season 11-0. He dropped matches last weekend to No. 5 Frank Molinaro of Penn State and No. 13 David Cheza of Michigan State, but bounced back on Friday to edge 2007 All-American Matt Coughlin of Indiana. Bottom Line: Expect this to be a competitive match that could go either way. Nadhir won the meeting last season, 7-5, on February 6, 2009. Both are ranked in the top 20, but only Nadhir has a win over a ranked opponent. Prediction: Nadhir (Northwestern) dec. Terrazas (Illinois) 157: Conrad Polz (Illinois) vs. Kevin Bialka (Northwestern) Polz, a redshirt freshman, started the season at 165 pounds before making the move down to 157 pounds at the Midlands. While wrestling at 165, Polz, a three-time Illinois state champion, showed promise, beating two-time NCAA qualifier Donnie Jones of West Virginia and wrestling No. 6 Nick Marable of Missouri to a one-point match. Polz had a disappointing Midlands wrestling at 157 pounds, going 1-2 and failing to place. He has gone 2-3 since the Midlands and carries an overall record of 13-11. Bialka, a true freshman, is 9-10 on the season. Bottom Line: This is a battle of two freshmen who are both Illinois natives. Polz may be a slight favorite, but expect it to be a competitive match. Prediction: Polz (Illinois) dec. Bialka (Northwestern) 165: Joe Barczak (Illinois) vs. Robert Kellogg (Northwestern) Barczak started his college career playing football at Monmouth College before transferring to Illinois to wrestle. The junior is 11-8 this season and has faced four wrestlers ranked in the top 10. Kellogg moved down to 165 pounds this season after being the starter as a freshman for the Wildcats last season at 174 pounds. He was 12-14 last season and comes into today's match with an 8-11 season mark. Bottom Line: This match is virtually a tossup. Prediction: Barczak (Illinois) dec. Kellogg (Northwestern) 174: No. 14 Jordan Blanton (Illinois) vs. Brian Roddy (Northwestern) Blanton was an NCAA qualifier last season at 184 pounds, but made the move down to 174 pounds this season. He is 15-3 on the season, but has only beaten one ranked opponent this season (No. 15 Dorian Henderson of Missouri). Although he failed to place at the Midlands, both of his losses were one-point losses to multiple-time NCAA qualifiers (No. 6 Luke Manuel of Purdue and Duke Burk of Iowa State). He is coming off a victory over Indiana's Trevor Perry. Roddy suffered a leg injury at the Eastern Michigan Open on November 7, which kept him out of the lineup for a month and a half. He has won five of his last six matches as the dual meet starter. His most notable wins this season have come against two-time NCAA qualifier Marcus Effner of Cleveland State and Perry, a three-time NCAA qualifier. Bottom Line: This should be a great match as both are wrestling well right now. Prediction: Blanton (Illinois) dec. Roddy (Northwestern) 184: No. 2 John Dergo (Illinois) vs. Aaron Jones (Northwestern) Dergo is ranked No. 2 for a reason ... He has been impressive all season. He is currently 23-2 on the season and captured a Midlands title as the fifth seed in one of the deepest weight classes. His only losses have come to No. 1 Kirk Smith of Boise State (6-4 SV) and No. 3 Max Askren of Missouri. He avenged the loss to Askren in the semifinals of the Midlands. Jones has faced the difficult task of stepping into a spot vacated by the program's most accomplished wrestler ever, two-time NCAA champion Jake Herbert. Jones is 8-10 on the season. His most impressive match this season may have been his two-point loss to 2009 NCAA runner-up Mike Miller of Central Michigan at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals. Bottom Line: Dergo has become a serious threat to win an NCAA title in his senior season after coming up short of All-American honors the past three seasons. Look for Dergo to get bonus points against Jones. Prediction: Dergo (Illinois) major dec. Jones (Northwestern) 197: No. 9 Patrick Bond (Illinois) vs. John Schoen (Northwestern) Bond has been one of the most inconsistent performers in the country throughout his career. The three-time NCAA qualifier has beaten several highly-ranked opponents throughout his career, but he also has his fair share of head-scratching losses. He started his Big Ten dual meet season with two victories last weekend, but dropped a match on Friday to unranked Matt Powless of Indiana. Bond placed sixth at the Midlands last month. Schoen is in his second season as a starter for the Wildcats after going 6-20 last season as a freshman. He comes into today's match with an 11-8 record, but he has dropped three of his last four matches. His most notable victory came against Missouri's Brent Haynes, a talented freshman was ranked for the first half of the season. Bottom Line: Bond should win this match, but look Schoen to battle him tough. Prediction: Bond (Illinois) dec. Schoen (Northwestern) 285: Pat Walker (Illinois) vs. Marcus Shrewsbury (Northwestern) Walker, a redshirt freshman, has gone 10-12 this season after a redshirt campaign that saw him go 11-6. Walker is an athletic big man who competed at 215 pounds in high school. He was a three-time Illinois state placewinner and also a two-time All-State performer in football. Shrewsbury, a true freshman, started the season at 184 pounds, but moved up to heavyweight after the Midlands. He has gone 1-3 since moving up to heavyweight and has an overall season record of 4-8. Bottom Line: Walker has had a better season and has a size advantage, which makes him the favorite in this match. Prediction: Walker (Illinois) dec. Shrewsbury (Northwestern) Dual Meet Prediction: Illinois 27, Northwestern 6

The University of Minnesota wrestling team notched a well deserved win this evening (Jan. 29), with a 20-18 victory over Wisconsin. Fifth-ranked Minnesota (8-4, 3-0) entered the match fresh off two wins in the first weekend of Big Ten action, and were at home for the first time since Jan. 3. Wisconsin (5-7, 1-1), meanwhile, came into the match with a No. 12 national ranking and won 21-18 over Indiana in their last outing. The 10 individual matches were split by the Gophers and Badgers, with the first six decisions alternating between teams. The dual meet started at 141, and Wisconsin was the first to win back-to-back matches at 184 and 197. Minnesota, though, answered with wins at 125 and heavyweight to all but seal the match. After their wins at 184 and 197, the Badgers took their first, and only, lead of the night at 14-13, with just three matches to go. With Wisconsin holding the momentum, the Gophers' Ben Berhow (Hayward, Minn.) took the mat at heavyweight against Eric Bungenhagen. A close match saw Bungenhagen hold a 3-1 lead entering the third period. An escape by Berhow brought him within before a stalling call on Bungenhagen tied the match at 3-3. A raucus crowd cheered as Berhow then scored a takedown late in the match for the win, also giving his team the lead for good at 16-14. With the lead back in hand, the Gophers' Zach Sanders (Wabasha, Minn.) put the match all but out of reach for the Badgers. A tech fall for Sanders would have sealed the win with a match left, but he got the next best thing with a major decision to put Minnesota up 20-14 with one to go. A pair of near falls blew the match open for Sanders in his way to a 17-3 win. Mike Thorn (St. Michael, Minn.) opened the match with a quick tech fall at 141, scoring a 19-4 win over Wisconsin's Cole Schmitt with nine seconds left in the second period. Thorn nearly had the pin, but a near fall before time expired was enough to end the match and give the Gophers a 5-0 lead out of the gate. At 157 came the much anticipated return of Dustin Schlatter (Massillion, Ohio) as well as his debut at a new weight class. With a No. 2 national ranking and an 8-1 record at 165, Schlatter garnered similar results with his first match at 157. Schlatter rang up 12 points in a 12-3 victory over Greg Burke to win his ninth straight. Scott Glasser (Bismarck, N.D.) was the final Gopher to crack the win column this evening and his 14-5 major decision over Jimmy Duffy at 174 gave Minnesota a 13-8 lead heading into the intermission. Glosser notched six takedowns in his match, while surrendering none, on his way to the win. The Gophers now open Big Ten action 3-0 for the second straight season, while also avenging their 2009 loss to the Badgers. Minnesota returns to action on Sunday, Jan. 31 for a 2:00 p.m. tilt with Purdue in the Sports Pavilion. A win on Sunday would give the Gophers their first 4-0 start since 2006-07 when they went undefeated through the Big Ten season. When the Gophers host the Boilermakers on Sunday, it will be the Minnesota Wrestling Endowment Meet, and all ticket proceeds from the match will go directly to the Gopher Wrestling Scholarship fund. As a century of excellence is celebrated, this the a chance for Wrestling fans to ensure the next 100 years of Golden Gopher Wrestling and directly impact the career of the student athletes. For tickets just visit www.GopherSports.com or call 1-800-U-GOPHER Results: 141: #4 Mike Thorn (MINN) tech. Cole Schmitt (WIS), 19-4;4:51 / 5-0 149: #2 Kyle Ruschell (WIS) maj. #18 Mario Mason (MINN), 11-3 / 5-4 157: Dustin Schlatter (MINN) maj. Greg Burke (WIS), 12-3 / 9-4 165: #1 Andrew Howe (WIS) maj. Cody Yohn (MINN), 15-5 / 9-8 174: #8 Scott Glasser (MINN) maj. Jimmy Duffy (WIS), 14-5 / 13-8 184: #16 Travis Rutt (WIS) dec. Kaleb Young (MINN), 5-3 / 13-11 197: #8 Trevor Brandvold (WIS) dec. #14 Sonny Yohn (MINN), 4-2 / 13-14 HWT: Ben Berhow (MINN) dec. Eric Bugenhagen (WIS), 5-4 / 16-14 125: #6 Zach Sanders (MINN) maj. Drew Hammen (WIS), 17-3 / 20-14 133: #8 Tyler Graff (WIS) tech. Thane Antczak (MINN), 29-14 / 20-18

FAIRFAX, Va. -- The 10th-ranked University of Maryland wrestling team earned its 16th win of the season Friday night, dominating George Mason by winning nine of 10 matches en route to a 35-6 victory. Maryland won the first six matches of the meet to take a 21-0 lead before George Mason was able to get on the board, as the Terps cruised to their seventh win in the last eight tries. At 16-4 on the season, Maryland is one victory shy of tying the school record for wins in a season. The Terps went 17-6 in 1990 and 17-5 in 2007. "I feel good about how the guys wrestled and the results we got," said head coach Kerry McCoy. "They didn't make it easy for us, but what I'm really happy about is our guys scored a lot of points and really fought hard. We want guys to push the pace and score a lot of points and that's what they did." Pat Strizki got Maryland out to a good start, taking an 8-4 decision over Brian Wright at 125 pounds. The Terps then got major decisions in the next two matches. No. 11 Steven Bell got a 12-4 major decision over Denny Herndon and Matt Bogusz took a 12-3 major over Jaaziah Bethea at 141 pounds, as Maryland took an 11-0 lead. George Mason looked like they would win the match at 149 pounds as Brandon Bucher took a 7-0 lead over Jon Kohler with just over a minute left in the first period. But Kohler fought all the way back and won the match 11-9. "We're never out of a match," said McCoy. "Jon could have rolled over, but he kept fighting and got the win, and that was a real spark for us. That's exactly the type of effort I'm looking for." Kyle John kept the Terps rolling with an 11-5 decision over Aaron Keeton at 157 pounds, and No. 15 Josh Asper increased Maryland's lead to 21-0 with a 15-4 major decision at 165 pounds. Owen Smith fell to Mendbagana Tovuujav at 174 pounds, but the Terps won the final three matches in a contest that was never in doubt. Corey Peltier took a 10-3 decision at 184 pounds, No. 3 Hudson Taylor won by forfeit and Patrick Gilmore capped off the evening with a 15-0 technical fall in the heavyweight match. Maryland returns home on Saturday, Feb. 6, to take on No. 19 Virginia Tech at 7 p.m., the first of three straight home matches. The Terps also host American on Feb. 12 at 7 p.m. before finishing their home schedule against Hofstra on Feb. 14 at 1 p.m. Results: 125 - Pat Strizki (Maryland) dec. Brian Wright, 8-4 (3-0) 133 - No. 11 Steven Bell (Maryland) major dec. Denny Herndon, 12-4 (7-0) 141 - Matt Bogusz (Maryland) major dec. Jaaziah Bethea, 12-3 (11-0) 149 - Jon Kohler (Maryland) dec. Brandon Bucher, 11-9 (14-0) 157 - Kyle John (Maryland) dec. Aaron Keeton, 11-5 (17-0) 165 - No. 15 Josh Asper (Maryland) major dec. Ty Knepp, 15-4 (21-0) 174 - Mendbagana Tovuujav (Mason) fall Owen Smith, 4:30 (21-6) 184 - Corey Peltier (Maryland) dec. Andrew Rock, 10-3 (24-6) 197 - No. 3 Hudson Taylor (Maryland) wins by forfeit (30-6) 285 - Patrick Gilmore (Maryland) tech. fall Hunter Manspile, 15-0, 5:58 (35-6)

IOWA CITY, IA -- The top-ranked University of Iowa wrestling team used wins at eight weights to beat #13 Penn State, 29-6, Friday night at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in front of 8,923 fans. Iowa (17-0, 3-0 Big Ten) held Penn State (9-5-1, 1-2 Big Ten) to its lowest team point total of the season, while picking up its 55th straight dual win. Iowa jumped out to a 7-0 lead with wins from redshirt freshman Matt McDonough (125) and senior Daniel Dennis (133). McDonough, who is ranked fourth in the country, improved to 23-0 with a 7-2 decision over Penn State junior Brad Pataky. McDonough scored three takedowns and rode #11 Pataky the entire third period for the win. Dennis, who is ranked between fourth and ninth in the nation, followed with a 17-7 major decision over unranked Nittany Lion freshman Bryan Pearsall. The Hawkeye senior snatched seven takedowns while allowing none, improving to 11-1 this season. Unranked senior Adam Lynch scored Penn State's first takedowns of the night and the first upset of the dual when he defeated fifth-ranked Hawkeye sophomore Montell Marion, 8-6, in sudden victory at 141. Marion trailed 5-2 early in the third period, but scored two takedowns in less than one minute to force the match into sudden victory. Lynch scored a takedown off a scramble in sudden victory for the win. The Hawkeyes rolled off wins at the next four weights - including an upset at 157 pounds - to build a 23-3 lead. Top-ranked senior Brent Metcalf picked up his 95th career victory and 12th pin of the season when he stuck fifth-ranked Penn State sophomore Frank Molinaro in 3:59. Metcalf, who remains undefeated at 23-0, led 12-4 before taking Molinaro to his back and scoring his 43rd career pin. Unranked Hawkeye junior Jake Kerr got the nod at 157, pulling off a 4-2 upset over Penn State senior Cyler Sanderson, who is ranked between third and fifth in the nation. Sanderson led 1-0 after the first two periods, but Kerr scored a reversal and two nearfall points to take a 4-1 lead. Sanderson escaped with 1:30 left in the match, but neither wrestler scored again despite several scrambles. Iowa junior Ryan Morningstar, who is ranked fifth or sixth in the country, used an escape and riding time point to defeat #8 Dan Vallimont, 2-0 at 165. Morningstar is 18-3 on the season. Hawkeye senior Jay Borschel, who is ranked first or second in the nation, improved to 22-0 with a 14-2 major decision over Penn State freshman Justin Ortega at 174. Borschel scored four takedowns and four nearfall points in the match. The Nittany Lions posted their second and final win of the night at 184 when senior David Erwin, who is ranked between #11-#13 in the nation scored a 6-4 upset over Iowa senior Phillip Keddy, who is ranked seventh or eighth. Keddy scored the bout's first takedown to take a 2-0 lead, but Erwin escaped and scored a takedown of his own to lead 3-2. Keddy escaped to tie the score at 3-3 at the end of the first period. Erwin's second-period escape gave him a 4-3 lead, but Keddy escaped early in the third period to tie the score at 4-4. Erwin scored a takedown with less than a minute left to take a 6-4 lead, and held on for the win. Iowa closed out the dual with wins at the last two weights. Hawkeye junior Luke Lofthouse picked up his 25th career victory with a 5-2 decision over Penn State sophomore Clay Steadman at 197. Lofthouse scored the bout's only takedown, and added an escape and two stalling points for the win. Iowa senior heavyweight Dan Erekson ended the dual with a 6-1 decision over #11 Cameron Wade of Penn State, collecting his 55th career win. Erekson, who was wrestling his first match of the season at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, scored two first-period takedowns and added another in the second for the win. Up next for Iowa is Sunday evening's dual with Big Ten foe Michigan State (7-3-1, 1-2 Big Ten) at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Match time is set for 6 p.m. (CT). The Spartans posted a close 17-15 victory over intra-state rival Michigan Friday night at Ann Arbor. The Iowa-Michigan State dual will be streamed live on www.bigtennetwork.com at a cost of $2.99. Tickets purchased in advance are $10 for adults, and $5 for youth, while tickets purchased at the dual are $12 for adults and $6 for youth. UI students and children ages five and under will be admitted free. A family four pack ticket promotion is also available, where fans can purchase four tickets to the dual, and four hot dogs and four sodas from the Carver-Hawkeye Arena concession stands for $35. Fans are encouraged to purchase the family four pack in advance from the UI Athletic Ticket Office (1-800-464-2957, 319-335-9327 or www.hawkeyesports.com). Results: 125 - Matt McDonough (I) dec. Brad Pataky (PSU), 7-2 133 - Daniel Dennis (I) maj. dec. Bryan Pearsall (PSU), 17-7 141 - Adam Lynch (PSU) dec. Montell Marion (I), 8-6 SV 149 - Brent Metcalf (I) pinned Frank Molinaro (PSU), 3:56 157 - Jake Kerr (I) dec. Cyler Sanderson (PSU), 4-2 165 - Ryan Morningstar (I) dec. Dan Vallimont (PSU), 2-0 174 - Jay Borschel (I) maj. dec. Justin Ortega (PSU), 14-2 184 - David Erwin (PSU) dec. Phillip Keddy (I), 6-4 197 - Luke Lofthouse (I) dec. Clay Steadman (PSU), 5-2 Hwt. - Dan Erekson (I) dec. Cameron Wade (PSU), 6-1

LARAMIE, Wyo. -- The fourth-ranked Oklahoma State wrestling team made it a Rocky Mountain sweep by picking up a 31-3 win over Wyoming Friday night at Wyoming's Arena Auditorium. Earlier in the day, the Pokes were 41-3 winners at Northern Colorado. With its two wins Friday, Oklahoma State improved to 10-2-1 on the year. Wyoming fell to 6-3 overall. For the most part, the dual was close, with six bouts decided by four points or less. In the one weight class where Wyoming was favored going into the dual, OSU 184-pounder Clayton Foster was a 10-5 winner over sixth-ranked and returning All-American Joe LeBlanc in sudden victory. 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 initiated the action 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 his most impressive win of the year. Ninth-ranked Cowboy Chris Notte opened the dual with a tough 3-2 win over 10th-ranked Michael Martinez of Wyoming in one of the dual's featured bouts. Friday's dual marked the third time this season that the two faced each other this season, as Notte claimed a 13-3 major decision win over Martinez in the third round of the Reno Tournament of Champions in December, then came back to pin Martinez in 3:20 in the third-place bout at that same event. It was a lot closer score Friday, but the end result was the same. In another of the other anticipated bouts of the dual, OSU's Alex Meade picked up an 8-6 win over No. 11 Shane Onufer. Meade raced out to a 7-2 lead and fought Onufer off the rest of the way to claim his win. Friday night's dual was a matchup of teacher vs. apprentice, with OSU coach John Smith pitting his team against that of former Cowboy champion Mark Branch. In Wyoming's previous time out, Branch's bunch knocked off reigning Big 12 co-champion Nebraska by a comfortable 29-10 margin. Oklahoma State returns to action when it hosts Northern Iowa at 7:30 p.m. on Thurs., Feb. 4 in Gallagher-Iba Arena. No. 4 Oklahoma State 31, Wyoming 3 125: No. 9 Chris Notte (OSU) dec. No. 10 Michael Martinez (UW); 3-2 133: No. 6 Jordan Oliver (OSU) dec. Cory VomBaur (UW); 4-3 141: No. 8 Jamal Parks (OSU) dec. Chase Smith (UW); 8-1 149: Cole Dallaserra (UW) dec. Luke Silver (OSU); 3-0 157: No. 13 Neil Erisman (OSU) MD Jimmy Belleville (UW); 13-0 165: No. 9 Alex Meade (OSU) dec. No. 11 Shane Onufer (UW); 8-6 174: No. 10 Mike Benefiel (OSU) dec. Brock Smith (UW); 7-3 184: No. 12 Clayton Foster (OSU) dec. No. 6 Joe LeBlanc (UW); 10-5 SV 197: No. 6 Alan Gelogaev (OSU) dec. Alfonso Hernandez (UW); 3-2 285: No. 1 Jared Rosholt (OSU) fall L.J. Helbig (UW); 2:31 125: Ninth-ranked Cowboy Chris Notte opened the dual with a tough 3-2 win over 10th-ranked Michael Martinez of Wyoming in one of the dual's featured bouts. Martinez stalked Notte throughout the first period, but didn't generate any real offense and was unable to muster any points. Notte opened the scoring with an escape early in the second period. Notte was slapped with a stalling call midway through the second period to even the score at one point apiece. Martinez took the down position to start the third period and Notte was able to get a two-point nearfall before Martinez got free for an escape. Neither wrestler was able to score again and riding time was no factor in Notte's 3-2 win. 133: In a matchup of an OSU freshman vs. a Wyoming senior, youth was served with Jordan Oliver scoring a 4-3 win over Cory VomBaur. Oliver scored a quick takedown in the first period, but VomBaur escaped, then opened the second period with an escape to tie the score at two. Oliver took the down position to start the third period and wasn't able to do anything of note from the down position until he scored the key move of the bout with a reversal at the 13-second mark. VomBaur's riding time point capped the scoring. 141: Tulsa Union HS graduate Jamal Parks was dominant in his 8-1 win over Wyoming's Chase Smith. Parks scored an early takedown and didn't let Smith out for the remainder of the first period, building up 2:15 of riding time in the process. Parks took the down position to open the second period and broke free immediately to take a 3-0 lead. He extended his lead to 5-0 when he converted a single-leg shot into a takedown. Smith elected the top position to start the third period and Parks made him pay for that decision by scoring a quick reversal to extend his lead to 7-0. A Smith escape and Parks' 3:10 riding time advantage brought the final score to 8-1. 149: Seeing his first varsity action of the year, OSU's Luke Silver lost a 3-0 decision to Cole Dallaserra. Last year's starter at 149 pounds, Silver has been plagued by injuries this year. After an uneventful first period, Dallaserra slapped a hard ride on Silver for the duration of the second period. With Silver on top to start the third, Dallaserra hit a switch and scored a reversal to go up, 2-0. Dallaserra suffocated Silver for the remainder of the bout and when his 2:50 riding time advantage was factored in, Dallaserra was a 3-0 winner. 157: Facing a dangerous freshman, OSU's Neil Erisman was a 13-0 major decision winner over Jimmy Belleville. Erisman opened the scoring with a quick takedown, then turned it into a four-point move when he scored a two-point nearfall. Erisman then hit a cheap tilt and got another two-point nearfall just before the buzzer sounded to end the first period. In the down position to start the second, Erisman added to his lead when he connected on a switch to get a reversal and go up, 8-0. Belleville tried to roll out of Erisman's control, but Erisman caught him and scored another two-point nearfall to extend his lead to 10-0 after two periods. With a neutral start to the third, Erisman scored another takedown to take a 12-0 advantage. When Erisman's 4:34 riding time advantage was added, he was a 13-0 winner. 165: In one of the most anticipated bouts of the dual, OSU's Alex Meade picked up an 8-6 win over No. 11 Shane Onufer. After a slow start, Meade got a hold on Onufer's leg, then grabbed the second leg to finish his takedown and go up, 2-1. Onufer escaped quickly on the restart, but was taken down again by Meade before the end of the first. Meade took the down position to start the second stanza and escaped quickly to go up, 5-1. The third period started with Onufer in the down position and he escaped to bring the score to 5-2. Meade then separated the score with another takedown, but after Onufer escaped, Meade was slapped with a stalling point and Onufer bagged a takedown of his own, Meade's advantage dwindled to 7-6. Onufer cut Meade loose, but was unable to muster any more offense, with Meade leaving as the 8-6 winner. 174: After being taken down early in the bout, OSU's Mike Benefiel regrouped to claim a 7-3 win over Brock Smith. Benefiel escaped quickly, then hit a takedown of his own and added over 1:40 of riding time in the first period to take a 3-2 lead into the second. Benefiel broke free for an early escape to start the second period and extend his lead to 4-2. Neither wrestler had any real offense for the remainder of the period. Smith took the down position to start the third stanza and got loose to get the escape and trim Benefiel's lead to 4-3. Benefiel crushed Smith's chances with a third period takedown that brought the score to 6-3 and when his 3:04 of riding time was added, Benefiel was a 7-3 winner. 184: In the one weight class where Wyoming was favored going into the dual, OSU's Clayton Foster was a 10-5 winner over sixth-ranked and returning All-American Joe LeBlanc in sudden victory. Foster tweaked his already-injured shoulder early in the bout and required injury time. From that point on, he fought off takedown attempt after takedown attempt from LeBlanc for the rest of the first period. Despite the fact that LeBlanc was the aggressor, Foster was able to pitch a first-period shutout. Foster took the down position to start the second period and hit a switch move to score a reversal and go up, 2-0. Foster rode LeBlanc out for the remainder of the period. With Foster on top to start the third, LeBlanc failed in his attempt for a defensive fall, but was able to score 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 initiated the action 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 his most impressive win of the year. 197: In one of the more uneventful bouts of the dual, Alan Gelogaev claimed a 3-2 win over Alfonso Hernandez. Gelogaev scored the lone takedown of the bout in the first period and surrendered an escape to cap the first period scoring at 2-1. The two wrestlers traded escapes to open the second and third periods respectively, and that was it in terms of scoring. Hernandez had his chances to score in the third, but Gelogaev kept him at bay to seal his victory. 285: Top-ranked Jared Rosholt pinned converted 184-pounder L.J. Helbig in 2:31 for his second first-period pin of the day. Rosholt snapped Helbig down in the first period and worked for the fall before eventually securing a full-body press to have the official slap the mat.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The fourth-ranked Ohio State wrestling team won eight matches en route to a 35-6 win over Purdue Friday night at Holloway Gymnasium in West Lafayette, Ind. The Buckeyes recorded a pin, technical fall and three major decisions to collect eight bonus points plus three because of a Boilermaker forfeit at 174 pounds. The match will air on the Big Ten Network at 11 p.m. ET Friday night. Ohio State moves to 13-1 overall and 2-0 in the Big Ten and Purdue is now 10-6 and 1-2 in the conference. Seven consecutive wins from 133-184 pounds appeared to be the main storyline of the night - starting with freshman Ian Paddock's 8-0 shutout over Akif Eren to senior tri-captain Mike Pucillo's 13-1 major decision over Nick Corpe at 184 pounds. Paddock, a native of Warsaw, N.Y., accumulated most of his points in the second period after a scoreless opening round. Paddock used an escape, takedown and a 2-point nearfall to take a five-point lead into the third period. He then sealed the victory with another takedown and a riding time of 1:36. With the Buckeyes up 4-3, Reece Humphrey, also a senior tri-captain, had his hands full with Juan Archuleta at 141 pounds. Entering the match fourth on the team in wins with 22, Archuleta took Humphrey to sudden victory after both grapplers managed an escape a piece in regulation. However, Humphrey, a Lawrence North High School product out of Indianapolis, Ind., scored a takedown in sudden victory for his team-leading 22nd win of the year. Lance Palmer, who is riding a 10-match win streak, beat Sam Patacsil, 10-1, at 149 pounds. The Buckeye senior tri-captain from Columbia Station, Ohio, jumped out to a 4-1 advantage after the first period. No scoring in the second period ensued, but Palmer scored a takedown, 3-point nearfall and compiled a riding time of 4:58 in the victory. At 157 pounds, Tony Jameson secured his first-career Big Ten win against Colton Salazar, 5-2. Jameson, who hails from Youngstown, Ohio, was down, 2-1, entering the third period. A reversal in the final frame put the Buckeye up 3-2 and he never looked back. Two stalling calls on Salazar gave Jameson a point, coupled with a 2:52 riding time. It was all Colt Sponseller vs. Jason Martin at 165 pounds as the Buckeye from Glenmont, Ohio, amassed eight takedowns, a 2-point nearfall, an escape and a riding time of 2:08 in the win. Sponseller also was awarded a point based on two Purdue stalls. Purdue forfeited the 174-pound bout and Ohio State owned a 25-3 lead with three matches remaining. At 184 pounds, Pucillo relinquished just an escape to Corpe in his 13-1 victory. In addition to collecting 3:33 of riding time, Pucillo, who hails from Strongsville, Ohio, recorded the following: four takedowns, 3-point nearfall and escape. After a Boilermaker win at 197 pounds, senior heavyweight Corey Morrison ended the evening on a high note courtesy of his 5:20 pin of Adam Walls. The Buckeye from Shaker Heights, Ohio, owned a 9-2 lead on a pair of takedowns and escapes, as well as a 3-point nearfall, before the pin. Junior 125-pounder Nikko Triggas dropped a 7-1 decision to Cashé Quiroga and C.J. Magrum suffered a 4-0 setback to No. 10 Logan Brown at 197 pounds. The Buckeyes will now make the trip to Bloomington, Ind., where they will face No. 14 Indiana at 2 p.m. in University Gymnasium. The Hoosiers defeated No. 24 Illinois Friday night, 22-13, in Bloomington. Live updates of the Buckeyes' match vs. the Hoosiers will be available at www.iuhoosiers.com Results: 125 Cashé Quiroga (Purdue) dec. No. 18 Nikko Triggas (Ohio State), 7-1 133 Ian Paddock (Ohio State) mdec. Akif Eren (Purdue), 8-0 141 No. 2 Reece Humphrey (Ohio State) dec. Juan Archuleta (Purdue), 3-1sv 149 No. 3 Lance Palmer (Ohio State) mdec. Sam Patacsil (Purdue), 10-1 157 Tony Jameson (Ohio State) dec. Colton Salazar (Purdue), 5-2 165 No. 7 Colt Sponseller (Ohio State) techfall. Jason Martin (Purdue), 21-6 (7:00) 174 Purdue Forfeit 184 No. 9 Mike Pucillo (Ohio State) mdec. Nicholas Corpe (Purdue), 13-1 197 No. 10 Logan Brown (Purdue) dec. C.J. Magrum (Ohio State), 4-0 285 Corey Morrison (Ohio State) pinned Adam Walls (Purdue),5:20

PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- The Rutgers wrestling team pushed its unbeaten streak to 11 by knocking off No. 23 Virginia, 25-12, in dramatic fashion Friday night in front of 1,655 fans at the Louis Brown Athletic Center. The Scarlet Knights (15-4-1) claimed seven wins against the Cavaliers (13-5). The victory improves RU’s all-time record over VU to a 3-2 advantage. The 11-match unbeaten streak is the longest for RU since it went the same distance in the 1992-93 season from late November to late January. “Great win for this school and our program,” said Rutgers head coach Scott Goodale. “Wins like this, and this environment is what I envisioned when I came here. It was exciting. The fans were great and the atmosphere is what college wrestling is all about.” 26th-ranked Joseph Langel (Howell, N.J.) opened Friday’s contest by pushing his winning to 13 by claiming an 8-4 decision over 22nd-ranked Ross Gitomer. The redshirt freshman owns a 22-5 record, including a 10-2 mark in dual action. No. 16 Billy Ashnault (South Plainfield, N.J.) extended Rutgers lead to 6-0 by defeating Matt Snyder by a 6-4 decision. The RU newcomer now owns a 20-8 record, including a 14-4 record in dual competition. The Cavaliers got on the scoreboard at 141 when 27th-ranked Derek Valenti picked up a 6:39 pin fall over 22nd-ranked Trevor Melde (Hewitt, N.J.) to knot the score at 6-6. Melde was leading 6-4 before the pin. The loss snapped an eight match winning streak for the RU sophomore. At 149, redshirt junior David Greenwald (Union, N.J.) regained the lead for the Scarlet Knights by earning a 10-1 major decision over David Ebbott. The major decision is only the second of the season for Greenwald. 157-pounder Daryl Cocozzo (Malvern, Pa.) continues to dominate in dual action, as he put the crowd on their feet heading into intermission by dropping Dan Gonsor with a 4:39 pin fall to give RU a 16-6 advantage at the midway point. Following the intermission, sophomore Gregory Zannetti (Edison, N.J.) continued the RU momentum by claiming a 2-0 victory over Pat Riley to balloon the squad’s lead to 19-6. No. 28 Daniel Rinaldi (Lodi, N.J.) held his own against fourth-ranked Chris Henrich in the 174 match, but Henrich won by a 7-1 decision to trim RU’s lead to 19-12. The biggest match of the night came at 197 when 18th-ranked redshirt senior Lamar Brown (Red Bank, N.J.) went up against 17th-ranked redshirt senior Brent Jones. The two fifth-year warriors battled back and forth and the match went to four overtimes before Brown captured the 14-8 record to seal the victory for RU. Redshirt junior and 10th-ranked Dominick Russo (Netcong, N.J.) capped off the exciting victory with a 7-3 decision over Jack Danilkkowicz to give Rutgers the 25-12 victory.Russo leads Rutgers with 24 wins. Rutgers will have little time to celebrate as the team is back on the mat Saturday night when it returns to College Ave Gym to host Navy for a 6 p.m. match. Results: 125 #26 Joseph Langel (RU) dec. #22 Ross Gitomer (VU), 8-4 3-0 133 #16 Billy Ashnault (RU) dec. Matt Snyder (VU) 6-4 6-0 141 #27 Derek Valenti (VU) pins #22 Trevor Melde (RU) 6:39 6-6 149 David Greenwald (RU) major. dec. David Ebbott (VU) 10-1 10-6 157 Daryl Cocozzo (RU) pins Dan Gonsor (VU) 4:39 16-6 165 Gregory Zannetti (RU) dec. Pat Riley (VU) 2-0 19-6 174 #4 Chris Henrich (VU) dec. #28 Daniel Rinaldi (RU) 7-1 19-9 184 #20 Mike Salopek (VU) dec. Daniel Seidenberg (RU) 6-3 19-12 197 #18 Lamar Brown (RU) dec. #17 Brent Jones (VU)14-8 (4ot) 22-12 285 #10 Dominick Russo (RU) dec. Jack Danilkowicz (VU) 7-3 25-12

Lincoln, Neb. -- The Missouri wrestling team (7-4, 1-0 Big 12) opened its Big 12 season with a hard fought win over the Huskers (8-8, 0-1 Big 12), 22-16. This marks the first dual victory for the Tigers in Lincoln since a 24-16 win in 2001. Missouri improves to 7-4, notching their first conference win of the season. Missouri took home six of the ten matches on the night as sophomore Patrick Wright (Grand Ledge, Mich.) started the night off with a 4-0 decision for the Tigers, to open up a 3-0 Missouri lead. No. 6 Nicholas Marable (Collierville, Tenn.) was the next Tiger to record a win at 165 pounds, posting a 14-5 major decision over James Nakashima. The victory put Missouri ahead, 7-0, after the first two matches. No. 3 Maxwell Askren (Hartland, Wisc.) used four takedowns and a reversal to help record a 13-7 decision over the Huskers' Josh Ihnen at 184 pounds, and No. 8 Mark Ellis (Peculiar, Mo.) took the victory at HWT with a 7-2 decision over No. 19 Tucker Lane. As the match returned to the top of the lineup, the Huskers slowly began to close in on Missouri's 13-10 lead. After an 11-6 loss by freshman Eric Wilson (Centennial, Colo.) at 125 pounds, the Tigers found themselves tied at 13 entering the last three matches of the night. With a narrow victory at 133 pounds, the Huskers pulled ahead by three and took their first lead of the night. Todd Schavrien (Poway, Calif.) put the Tigers back in position to win, getting just one takedown to claim the match 3-1 over Nebraska's Mike Koehnlein, and tie the team score at 16. Nebraska forfeited the final match of the night at 149 pounds, giving the Tigers six points and a 22-16 victory. Missouri will return home for competition next weekend for the first time since November to take on Big 12 opponent No. 9 Oklahoma in the fourth annual Beauty and the Beast meet. Wrestling will begin at 7 p.m., with eleventh-ranked Missouri women's gymnastics competing simultaneously on the Hearnes Center floor beginning at 6:30 p.m. Results: 125: David Klingsheim (NU) decision Eric Wilson (MU), 11-6 133: C.J. Napier (NU) decision Nathan McCormick (MU) 4-3 141: Todd Schavrien (MU) decision Mike Koehnlein (NU) 3-1 149: Scott O'Donnell (MU) win by forfeit 157: Patrick Wright (MU) decision Tyler Koehn (NU), 4-0 165: No. 6 Nicholas Marable (MU) major decision James Nakashima (NU), 14-5 174: No. 4 Stephen Dwyer (NU) fall No. 15 Dorian Henderson (MU), 2:10 184: No. 3 Maxwell Askren (MU) decision Josh Ihnen (NU), 13-7 197: No. 2 Craig Brester (NU) major decision. No. 15 Brent Haynes, 14-4 HWT: No. 8 Mark Ellis (MU) decision No. 19 Tucker Lane (NU), 7-2

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The #14 Indiana University wrestling team (13-1, 2-1) defeated #24 Illinois (6-5, 1-2), 22-13, Friday night inside University Gym. The Hoosiers won six of 10 bouts on the night, including Matt Powless's 4-2 decision over #9 Patrick Bond at 197 pounds. Indiana never trailed in the match as top-ranked Angel Escobedo pushed the Cream and Crimson ahead 5-0 right from the get-go with a 22-6 technical fall of John Deenen in the 125-lbs. opening bout. Escobedo improves to 25-0 overall and 3-0 in Big Ten action with the win. Matt Ortega then added to the IU lead in the subsequent match-up, avenging a loss earlier this season to Illinois' Daryl Thomas. The second time around, Ortega came away with the `W' in a 7-4 decision to put the Hoosiers up 8-0. The Fighting Illini bounced back immediately by taking the next two bouts, including a sudden victory in the 149-pound match. Both Illinois wins were via decision, cutting the IU lead to 8-6 heading into the 157-lbs. scuffle. Back-to-back victories by Bloomington High School South grads, #6 Kurt Kinser and #13 Paul Young, resulted in a nine-point lead at 15-6. Young picked up bonus points with his 11-2 major decision over Joe Barczak. The two-match swings continued at 174- and 184-lbs. as Illinois snagged those two weight classes. U of I closed the gap to 15-13 with a pair of matches left. The trend continued, however, and the Hoosiers sealed the deal by taking the final two bouts. It was déjà vu for Hoosier wrestling fans during the 197-lbs. match as Matt Powless found himself tied up with a nationally-ranked wrestler with just seconds remaining. Last season against Purdue, Powless' takedown of then-#13 Logan Brown with just two seconds remaining not only gave him the win, but also virtually clinched the team victory by putting Indiana ahead by six points with one match remaining. He one-upped himself this year, taking down #9 Patrick Bond with a lone tick left on the clock, breaking a 2-2 stalemate and giving his Hoosiers an 18-13 edge with second-ranked and still undefeated heavyweight Nate Everhart waiting on deck. Everhart then capped off the night by remaining unbeaten at 26-0, picking up his seventh major decision of the season. Results: 125 lbs.- #1 Angel Escobedo (IU) tech falls John Deenen (ILL), 22-6 (Team Score: 5-0) 133 lbs.- Matt Ortega (IU) dec. over Daryl Thomas (ILL), 7-4 (8-0) 141 lbs.- #15 Ryan Prater (ILL) dec. over Danny Monaco (IU), 7-2 (8-3) 149 lbs.- #20 Eric Terrrazas (ILL) dec. over Matt Coughlin (IU), 3-1 SV (8-6) 157 lbs.- #6 Kurt Kinser (IU) dec. over Conrad Polz (ILL), 4-0 (11-6) 165 lbs.- #13 Paul Young (IU) maj. dec. over Joe Barczak (ILL), 11-2 (15-6) 174 lbs.- #14 Jordan Blanton (ILL) dec. over Trevor Perry (IU), 7-3 (15-9) 184 lbs.- #2 John Dergo (ILL) maj. dec. Eric Cameron (IU), 15-6 (15-13) 197 lbs. - Matt Powless (IU) dec. over #9 Patrick Bond (ILL), 4-2 (18-13) 285 lbs.- #2 Nate Everhart (IU) maj. dec. over Pat Walker (ILL), 11-2 (22-13)

BLACKSBURG -- No. 7 Central Michigan scored bonus points in the final two bouts to rally past No. 15 Virginia Tech, 21-17, in a nonconference dual Friday night. The victory was CMU's third straight and improved the Chippewas' overall record to 11-2. Virginia Tech falls to 14-3 overall. The Hokies posted five victories in a span of six bouts to take a 17-11 lead into the 197-pound matchup between CMU's Eric Simaz and Virginia Tech's Chris Penny. Simaz scored an 8-0 major decision to draw the Chippewas within 17-15, and Virginia Tech's void at heavyweight allowed CMU to complete the comeback. CMU took an early 7-0 lead with victories at 125 and 133 pounds. No. 9 Matt Steintrager scored takedowns in both of the first two periods in a 7-4 decision over No. 14 Jarrod Garnett at 125 pounds. It was Steintrager's second victory over Garnett this season. Ninth-ranked Scotti Sentes followed Steintrager with a 13-0 major decision over Brock LiVorio at 133 pounds. Tenth-ranked Chris Diaz's 7-4 decision over Conor Beebe at 141 pounds was the first of four straight victories for the Hokies that gave the hosts a 13-7 lead. Included in the run were a pair of upsets: unranked Brian Stephens scored a pair of takedowns and three back points in the third period of a 12-7 decision over No. 11 Tony D'Alie at 149 pounds, and unranked Matt Epperly was a 6-3 winner over No. 17 Tyler Grayson at 165 pounds. CMU and Virginia Tech traded major decisions at 174 and 184 pounds, with CMU's 10th-ranked Ben Bennett (174) and the Hokies' 19th-ranked Tommy Spellman (184) earning victories. That set the stage for Simaz, who posted his second major decision in his last three matches. The Chippewas are back in action Sunday, visiting No. 25 Old Dominion at 5:30 p.m. Results: 125: No. 9 Matt Steintrager (CMU) dec. No. 14 Jarrod Garnett, 7-4 133: No. 9 Scotti Sentes (CMU) maj. dec. Brock LiVorio, 13-0 141: No. 10 Chris Diaz (VT) dec. Conor Beebe, 7-4 149: Brian Stephens (VT) dec. No. 11 Tony D'Alie, 12-7 157: No. 4 Jesse Dong (VT) maj. dec. Donnie Corby, 10-0 165: Matt Epperly (VT) dec. No. 17 Tyler Grayson, 6-3 174: No. 10 Ben Bennett (CMU) maj. dec. Taylor Knapp, 10-0 184: No. 19 Tommy Spellman (VT) maj. dec. Dillon Kern, 13-2 197: Eric Simaz (CMU) maj. dec. Chris Penny, 8-0 285: No. 3 Jarod Trice (CMU) wins by forfeit

Tonight No. 5 Minnesota hosts No. 13 Wisconsin at Williams Arena in Minneapolis at 7 p.m. CST. The dual meet will be streamed live on BigTenNetwork.com. The Gophers come into tonight with a dual meet record of 7-4, while the Badgers are 5-6. The two programs split duals last season. The Gophers won the first meeting at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals, 22-15, but the Badgers came back to win the second meeting, 19-15, in Madison, Wisconsin. Below is a weight-by-weight breakdown of tonight's dual meet. 125: Drew Hammen (Wisconsin) vs. No. 6 Zach Sanders (Minnesota) Sanders, who is ranked No. 6, is coming off two dominant wins last weekend against Michigan State and Michigan. He comes in with an 18-3 mark. Hammen has been struggling. He is currently 5-13 on the season, but has lost his last seven matches. Bottom Line: Sanders defeated Hammen, 10-4, last season. This time Sanders should get bonus points against the struggling Hammen. Prediction: Sanders (Minnesota) major dec. Hammen (Wisconsin) 133: No. 8 Tyler Graff (Wisconsin) vs. Thane Antczak (Minnesota) Graff, a redshirt freshman, made his Big Ten dual season debut last weekend with a 25-10 technical fall against Matt Ortega of Indiana. Last month, Graff accomplished the rare feat of winning a prestigious Midlands title as a freshman. He comes into the match with a record of 18-4. With three-time All-American Jayson Ness still sidelined because of an injury, Antczak gets the start. He was dominated by No. 1 Franklin Gomez, 12-2, last Friday, but bounced back the next day to beat Michigan's Zach Stevens, 11-5. Bottom Line: Graff has completely dominated every unranked opponent he has faced this season, so there is no reason to believe he won't pick up bonus points against Antczak. Prediction: Graff (Wisconsin) technical fall Antczak (Minnesota) 141: No. 20 Cole Schmitt (Wisconsin) vs. No. 4 Mike Thorn (Minnesota) Thorn has been one of the most consistent performers this season in a weight class filled with inconsistent wrestlers. He is 17-3 on the season with his losses coming to No. 1 Kyle Dake of Cornell, No. 2 Reece Humphrey of Ohio State, and No. 8 Jamal Parks of Oklahoma State. Schmitt, a redshirt freshman, is starting to come into his own after a bit of a shaky start to a season that saw him lose four of his first eight matches. He broke into the rankings last week for the first time this season. His most notable wins came at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals when he knocked off returning All-Americans Chris Drouin of Arizona State and Alex Krom of Maryland. Bottom Line: Both Thorn and Schmitt are wrestling with a lot of confidence right now, which makes for an intriguing matchup. Thorn has been dominating opponents ranked outside the top 10 all season, including major decisions over No. 12 Elijah Nacita of Cal State Bakersfield, No. 14 Dalton Jensen of Iowa State, and No. 16 Cole VonOhlen of Air Force. A Thorn major decision would not be earth shattering, but Schmitt is wrestling well and the gut feeling is that he keeps it competitive. Prediction: Thorn (Minnesota) dec. Schmitt (Wisconsin) 149: No. 2 Kyle Ruschell (Wisconsin) vs. No. 18 Mario Mason (Minnesota) Ruschell has beaten every wrestler he has faced this season with the exception of Iowa's Brent Metcalf, who defeated him in the finals of the Midlands. He is currently 20-1 on the season. Mason, a Blair Academy product, is still trying to find his way in Division I college wrestling. His age group wrestling resume is littered with impressive victories, including a win over current No. 1 at 141 Kyle Dake at the FILA Junior Nationals last April. Mason has a solid record of 12-5, but he has not yet defeated a ranked opponent. He looked lethargic through the first two periods against Michigan State's 13th-ranked David Cheza last Friday, but stormed back in the third period, using some slick takedowns, and nearly pulled out the victory. Bottom Line: Ruschell is wrestling at a very high level right now. He beat Lance Palmer of Ohio State in the finals of the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. Palmer defeated Mason, 7-1, at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals. Ruschell isn't known for picking up a lot of bonus points. He usually wins his matches with workman-like efforts. Mason certainly possesses the tools to keep this match competitive, but whether he does keep it competitive remains to be seen. Prediction: Ruschell (Wisconsin) dec. Mason (Minnesota) 157: Greg Burke (Wisconsin) vs. No. 2 Dustin Schlatter (Minnesota) Schlatter, a three-time All-American, NCAA champion, and U.S. World Team member, is expected to make his 157-pound season debut tonight after wrestling the first half of the season at 165 pounds. He has been sidelined due to injury since his victory over Jon Reader of Iowa State on January 3. Burke is 4-13 on the season and has lost his last four matches, giving up bonus points in his last three matches. Bottom Line: Schlatter is one of the nation's elite wrestlers. He is technically sound and very difficult to score on, but the knock on him since he won an NCAA title as a true freshman has been his lack of offense at times against top competition. Look for Schlatter to overwhelm Burke tonight and put a lot of points on the scoreboard. Prediction: Schlatter (Minnesota) technical fall Burke (Wisconsin) 165: No. 1 Andrew Howe (Wisconsin) vs. Cody Yohn (Minnesota) Howe, an NCAA runner-up last season as a true freshman, has compiled a perfect 21-0 record this season. He won both the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational and the Midlands. Yohn wrestled at 174 pounds (and 184 pounds once) through the first two months of the season. He made his debut at 165 last weekend and split matches against Michigan State and Michigan. He comes into tonight's match with a record of 17-8. Bottom Line: Howe, who is ranked No. 1 in the country, has his sights set on winning an NCAA title after reaching the NCAA finals last season. The jury is still out on Yohn. His results at 174 pounds were respectable and obviously the Minnesota coaching believes in him enough to ask Schlatter to move down a weight class. Tonight will be a good gauge for the freshman Yohn. Prediction: Howe (Wisconsin) major dec. Yohn (Minnesota) 174: Jimmy Duffy (Wisconsin) vs. No. 8 Scott Glasser (Minnesota) Glasser has been one of the biggest surprises in college wrestling this season. Last season, while competing at 165 pounds, he struggled with injuries, lost 15 of his last 19 matches, and went 0-2 at the Big Ten Championships. He moved up to 174 pounds this season and finally appears to be healthy. After knocking off ranked opponent after ranked opponent, Glasser has climbed to No. 8 in the rankings and carries a record of 23-4. Duffy has an overall record of 3-15 on the season and has lost his last six matches. Bottom Line: This is a matchup of two wrestlers going in opposite directions. Glasser is one of the nation's hottest wrestlers, winning 14 of his last 15 matches, while Duffy has struggled mightily. Look for Glasser to come out and dominate in this one. Prediction: Glasser (Minnesota) major dec. Duffy (Wisconsin) 184: No. 16 Travis Rutt (Wisconsin) vs. Kaleb Young (Minnesota) Rutt, a Minnesota native, will be returning to his home state to take on follow Minnesotan Young. Rutt made the Junior World Team in Greco-Roman this past summer. He wrestled as a true freshman last season for the Badgers, going 9-15 at 174 pounds. Moving up to 184 pounds this season, Rutt lost three of his first four matches to begin this season. But the true sophomore has been gaining confidence. He has won five of his last six matches ... with the only loss during that stretch coming to No. 1 Kirk Smith of Boise State. He is currently 9-5 on the season and ranked No. 16. Young is 7-8 on the season, but is coming off a victory over Michigan's Hunter Collins. Bottom Line: These two Minnesota natives met twice last season with Rutt winning both matches by decision. The second match came down to sudden victory. This one should be competitive, but Rutt is certainly the favorite based on his head-to-head wins and higher ranking. Prediction: Rutt (Wisconsin) dec. Young (Minnesota) 197: No. 8 Trevor Brandvold (Wisconsin) vs. No. 14 Sonny Yohn (Minnesota) Brandvold looked great in his Big Ten dual meet opener last Friday, winning 10-1 over Indiana's Matt Powless. He missed the first month and a half of the season due to injury, but has been wrestling well this season. He dropped his first match at the Midlands, but came back to win six matches in the consolation bracket and place fourth. He comes into tonight's match with a 10-3 mark and No. 8 ranking. Yohn has been up and down this season, but has been ranked in the top 20 most of the season. He lost to No. 11 Anthony Biondo of Michigan for the second time this season last weekend. Bottom Line: This is a match that Wisconsin will likely need to win in order to have a chance to win this dual meet. At the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals, Brandvold defeated Eric Simaz of Central Michigan, who defeated Yohn at the same event. For Brandvold, it's a match he is expected win. For Yohn, it would be a big confidence booster if he can beat a wrestler ranked in the top 10. Prediction: Brandvold (Wisconsin) dec. Yohn (Minnesota) 285: Eric Bugenhagen (Wisconsin) vs. Ben Berhow (Minnesota) Berhow, a returning NCAA qualifier, is coming off a weekend in which he won two matches convincingly against Michigan State and Michigan. He was ranked in the top 20 this season until his disappointing performance at the Southern Scuffle, where he lost 10-3 to Eloheim Palma of North Carolina State and was pinned by Michigan's Ben Apland. (He avenged the loss to Apland last Saturday.) He then dropped three matches at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals. Bugenhagen moved up two weight classes this season and has been a serviceable heavyweight for the Badgers, compiling a season record of 10-13. However, he has lost six of his last seven matches. Bottom Line: Berhow should handle the struggling Bugenhagen. Prediction: Berhow (Minnesota) dec. Bugenhagen (Wisconsin) Dual Meet Prediction: Minnesota 19, Wisconsin 18

On Friday, No. 4 Ohio State will travel to West Lafayette, Indiana and wrestle its first Big Ten Conference road dual meet of the season against Purdue at 7 p.m. EST. The event will be broadcast on tape delay on the Big Ten Network on Friday at 11 p.m. EST. The Buckeyes come in with a 12-1 dual meet record, while the Boilermakers are 10-5. Below is a weight-by-weight breakdown of Friday night's dual meet. 125: No. 18 Nikko Triggas (Ohio State) vs. Cashé Quiroga (Purdue) Last Sunday, Triggas showed marked improvement from last season against Penn State's Brad Pataky, losing a hard-fought 9-7 battle. Pataky thumped Triggas, 14-3, last season. Triggas has done well against unranked opponents this season and has struggled with ranked opponents. Quiroga may be an unranked true freshman, but he is certainly a formidable opponent. This past summer, Quiroga captured a prestigious Junior Nationals freestyle title in Fargo. He comes into this match with a 19-7 mark. He has yet to beat a ranked opponent, but he has been competitive with some. He lost by one point to No. 8 Eric Morrill of Edinboro and two points to No. 14 Jarrod Garnett of Virginia Tech. Bottom Line: This is an intriguing match. For Triggas, it's an opportunity to gain some momentum and begin to separate himself from the middle tier of 125-pounder in the conference. For Quiroga, it's an opportunity to pick up his first conference victory and knock off his first ranked opponent in the process. Prediction: Triggas (Ohio State) dec. Quiroga (Purdue) 133: Ian Paddock (Ohio State) vs. Akif Eren (Purdue) Paddock was dominant in his victory over Penn State's Bryan Pearsall on Sunday, winning by major decision, 13-2. Efren, on the other hand, was dominated in his last outing, losing 15-6 to Iowa's sixth-ranked Dan Dennis. Paddock has won seven of his last nine, while Efren has lost four of his last five. Bottom Line: This will be a good test for the true freshman Paddock. Efren is an experienced competitor who has shown that he can battle with highly-ranked opponents. Both Paddock and Efren had similar results against No. 10 Danny Mitcheff of Kent State. Paddock lost by three points to Mitcheff, while Efren lost by four. On paper, this match is virtually a tossup at this point. Prediction: Paddock (Ohio State) dec. Efren (Purdue) 141: No. 2 Reece Humphrey (Ohio State) vs. Juan Archuleta (Purdue) Humphrey, who is 21-2 on the season, looked great in his last match, scoring early and often, winning by technical fall, 22-7, over Penn State's Adam Lynch. He suffered a back injury at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals, but is now healthy and wrestling with a lot of confidence. Archuleta has been knocking on the rankings door for most of the season. He broke into the rankings once this season, coming in at No. 20 on December 8, but he has not been able to get back in the rankings. He has wins this season over No. 12 Elijah Nacita of Cal State Bakersfield, No. 17 Seth Ciasulli of Lehigh, and No. 19 Todd Schavrien of Missouri. Bottom Line: With the way Humphrey is wrestling right now, it would be difficult to envision him losing this match. Archuleta has only given up bonus points once this season, which occurred Sunday when he was pinned by Iowa's fifth-ranked Montell Marion. Humphrey is the obvious pick, but expect Archuleta to be game. Prediction: Humphrey (Ohio State) dec. Archuleta (Purdue) 149: No. 3 Lance Palmer (Ohio State) vs. Sam Patacsil (Purdue) Palmer, a three-time All-American, is coming off a 5-3 victory over No. 5 Frank Molinaro of Penn State. He has won nine straight matches ... with his last (and only) official loss coming on December 4 to Wisconsin's second-ranked Kyle Ruschell in the finals of the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. Patacsil comes from perhaps the most famous wrestling family in Purdue history. His father, brother, uncle, and grandfather all wrestled for the Boilermakers. He comes in with an 18-10 mark on the season, but he has yet to beat a ranked opponent. Interestingly, Patacsil has a victory this season over Lance Palmer's younger brother, Collin, at the Cleveland State Open, while Lance had two victories over Patacsil's older brother, Jake, last season. Bottom Line: Palmer has his sights set on winning a national title this season, while Patacsil will be looking to qualify for his first NCAAs in his final campaign. Patacsil avoided bonus points against second-ranked Ruschell, so it is certainly not out of the question for him to avoid giving up bonus points against Palmer. Prediction: Palmer (Ohio State) major dec. Patacsil (Purdue) 157: Tony Jameson (Ohio State) vs. Colton Salazar (Purdue) You would be hard-pressed to find a more inconsistent wrestler in the country this season than Salazar. A quick glance at his notable wins this season might have you scratching your head as to why he is not ranked ... that is, until you look at his losses. He has wins over No. 6 Kurt Kinser of Indiana and No. 7 Bryce Saddoris of Navy, but eight losses, with three of those being major decision losses to unranked opponents. Jameson, a redshirt freshman, is 3-3 and coming off a 10-2 loss to No. 5 Cyler Sanderson of Penn State. Bottom Line: Salazar, a two-time NCAA qualifier, is certainly the favorite in this match. But which Salazer will show up? The one who beat Kinser and Saddoris? Or the one who was thumped by Derek St. John of Iowa and Mallie Shuster of Kent State? Prediction: Salazar (Purdue) dec. Jameson (Ohio State) 165: No. 7 Colt Sponseller (Ohio State) vs. Jason Martin (Purdue) Sponseller is coming off a win over No. 8 Dan Vallimont of Penn State, a wrestler who defeated him at the Big Ten Championships last season. He is 18-3 on the season and wrestling well. Martin comes in with a 6-12 record, but has been competitive with several ranked wrestlers. Of the five ranked wrestlers Martin has faced, only one has been able to score bonus points against him. He is coming off a 10-4 loss to No. 5 Ryan Morningstar of Iowa. Bottom Line: Sponseller is known for pushing the pace and wearing out his opponents with his superior conditioning. Look for him to push the pace in this match while looking for bonus points. Prediction: Sponseller (Ohio State) major dec. Martin (Purdue) 174: No. 12 Dave Rella (Ohio State) vs. No. 6 Luke Manuel (Purdue) This is perhaps the most anticipated individual matchup in the dual meet. Manuel, a two-time NCAA qualifier, has built a very impressive 32-2 record this season. He sat out last weekend's dual against Iowa with a knee injury, but indications are that he will wrestle on Friday night. His only losses this season have come to No. 4 Stephen Dwyer of Nebraska and No. 9 Colby Covington of Oregon State. However, he avenged the loss to Covington the very next day. Manuel has won his last 11 matches. Rella is having the most consistent season of his career. He has beaten several ranked opponents this season, including Covington, who he beat 11-4. When he gets to his offense, he is tough to beat. Bottom Line: Expect a tight battle that could be decided by a takedown. Prediction: Manuel (Purdue) dec. Rella (Ohio State) 184: No. 9 Mike Pucillo (Ohio State) vs. Nick Corpe (Purdue) Pucillo, who comes in with a 13-4 record and No. 9 ranking, was held out of last weekend's dual against Penn State because of a skin infection. He is expected to go on Friday night. Corpe is 15-12 on the season, but he has lost four of his last five matches. He lost 13-4 to No. 5 Dustin Kilgore of Kent State at the Wendy's Duals on January 17, and then was hammered by No. 7 Phil Keddy of Iowa, 11-1, last weekend. Bottom Line: Puccillo should handle Corpe. Prediction: Pucillo (Ohio State) major dec. Corpe (Purdue) 197: C.J. Magrum (Ohio State) vs. No. 10 Logan Brown (Purdue) Brown, a two-time NCAA qualifier, has wrestled a brutal schedule this season, facing many of the nation's top 197-pounders, including No. 2 Craig Brester of Nebraska and No. 3 Hudson Taylor of Maryland twice. He is 26-6 on the season. Brown placed fifth at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, but failed to place at the Midlands Championships. Last weekend, Brown defeated Iowa's Luke Lofthouse in sudden victory, 3-1. Magrum, a redshirt freshman, picked up a win last weekend against Penn State in his first Big Ten dual meet. He is currently 13-8 on the season and has quality wins over No. 17 Joe Kennedy of Lehigh and two-time NCAA qualifier Riley Orozco of Cal State Bakersfield. Bottom Line: Brown is the more accomplished and battle-tested wrestler, which makes him the favorite in this match. But Magrum certainly has the tools to battle with Brown. Prediction: Brown (Purdue) dec. Magrum (Ohio State) 285: Corey Morrison (Ohio State) vs. Adam Walls/Roger Vukobratovich (Purdue) Morrison, a returning NCAA qualifier, has bounced in and out of the rankings all season. He has some quality wins over ranked wrestlers ... and all eight of his losses have come against ranked wrestlers. He is coming off a 10-4 loss to No. 11 Cameron Wade of Penn State. Walls, a redshirt freshman, is 11-18 on the season, while Vukobratovich, a junior, is 2-2 and has not competed since the Eastern Michigan Open in early November. Bottom Line: Morrison should dominate whoever Purdue puts out on the mat. Prediction: Morrison (Ohio State) major dec. Walls (Purdue) Dual Meet Prediction: Ohio State 25, Purdue 9