InterMat Staff

LINCOLN -- The Big 12 Conference announced Monday that Husker junior Brandon Browne has been named the Big 12 Wrestler of the Week for his performances in competitions from Jan. 14-20. Browne defeated second-ranked Brandon Mason of Oklahoma State 2-1 last Sunday as the Huskers topped the Cowboys 22-13 in Oklahoma City, Okla. Browne, a native of Plattsmouth, Neb., is currently ranked sixth at 174 pounds. Browne felt out Mason in the first period until he capitalized on an opening and scored a takedown with eight seconds left. Mason chose down in the second and scored an escape 25 seconds in. Browne chose the neutral position in the third, but neither was able to score a point as Browne held on for the 2-1 decision. Browne's win broke a 10-10 tie as the Huskers never relinquished the lead after Browne's win. Browne improves to 24-2 on the year, including 9-1 in duals. Browne has scored 35 dual points for NU while allowing just three. He is second on the squad in bonus-point wins with seven major decisions, four technical falls and two pins. Browne and the Huskers resume action on Feb. 2 as NU host No. 11 Missouri for Alumni Night at 7 p.m. in the NU Coliseum.

FAIRFAX, VA -- The 12th-ranked Hofstra Wrestling team captured three more conference victories Saturday to sweep through the 2008 CAA Duals at the George Mason University Field House. The Pride defeated Boston University, 38-7, George Mason, 28-9, and Old Dominion, 22-19 to boost their season record to 10-6 overall and 5-0 in the CAA. Hofstra also extended its conference dual match undefeated streak to 59 matches, and its conference dual match winning streak to 56. In the first match of the day, Hofstra won eight of 10 matches including wins by fall by seniors Charles Griffin and Tom Daddino, as the Pride downed the Terriers of Boston University, 38-7. The sixth-ranked Griffin pinned Alex Cournoyer in 5:45 of the 141-pound match while Daddino pinned James Connors in 1:08 in the heavyweight match. The Pride jumped out to a 14-0 lead behind the "big little three" combination of Dave Tomasette, Lou Ruggirello and Charles Griffin. Tomasette received a forfeit win at 125, Ruggirello had a tech fall over Ryan Goddu and Griffin's pin. Boston University closed the gap with a major victory by Mike Roberts over Jeff Rotella at 149, and a 7-5 sudden victory decision by Carlo Ferrandin over Anthony Tortora at 157. But the Pride swept the next five matches including a tech fall by Joe Rovelli at 197 and a major decision by Alton Lucas at 174. In the second match of the day, the Pride also won eight of the 10 matches to down the host Patriots of George Mason, 28-9. Four Hofstra wrestlers posted major decisions as Dave Tomasette, Lou Ruggirello, Charles Griffin and Jonny Bonilla-Bowman tallied four-point victories. The Patriots were only able to muster victories at 149 and at heavyweight, where Harry Zander notched a win by fall. The Pride led 12-0 on major decisions by Tomasette, Ruggirello and Griffin before GMU's Aaron Keeton closed the gap with a 10-3 decision at 149. But Bonilla-Bowman's 18-8 major decision over James Kaden at 157 started the Pride's five match run that put Hofstra up 28-3 heading into the heavyweight match. The final match of the day turned out, as expected, to be the Pride's closest conference contest since a 25-24 win at James Madison during the 2001-02 season. Like that match six years ago, the Pride went into the match missing two starters with Mitch Smith out at 149 with a groin injury suffered in the National Duals last week, and Ryan Patrovich, who gamely wrestled in only two matches this weekend, with an ankle sprain, out at 165. The ODU match did not start off as usual for the Pride as #16 James Nicholson handed Hofstra's 10th-ranked Dave Tomasette his first loss of the CAA Duals with an 8-6 decision in sudden victory. But Ruggirello pinned ODU's Kyle Hutter in 1:15 at 133 pounds, and Griffin majored #13 Ryan Williams, 13-4, to take a 10-3 lead. The Monarch's #17 Kaylen Baxter posted a victory by fall over Hofstra reserve Jeff Rotella in 2:10 to close the deficit to 10-9. But the Pride continued to use bonus point victories beginning with Bonilla-Bowman, who notched a 20-7 win over Dan Rivera at 157. Anthony Tortora battled ODU's Chris Brown at 165 before dropping a 6-4 decision but Hofstra's Alton Lucas recorded an 18-5 major decision over Nick Pullano to boost the lead to 18-12. Jesse Strawn then majored Hofstra freshman Justin Danz, 12-0, at 184 pounds to close to 18-16. Hofstra senior Joe Rovelli's 8-0 major decision over David Mendoza at 197 gave the Pride a 22-16 lead which required a ODU victory by fall in the heavyweight match to tie the match. In that contest, Hofstra's Tom Daddino, giving up 50 pounds to his opponent, Andrew Tortusek, battled him to a 2-2 tie after three periods. After a scoreless sudden victory period, Totusek was able to post an escape in the tie-breaker for a 3-2 win.

WEST POINT, N.Y. -- The Army wrestling team finished first out of 18 teams at the 39th-Annual New York State Intercollegiate Wrestling Championships, Saturday as two Black Knights won individual championships and three others finished runner-up. The title was Army's first since winning back-to-back titles in 2004 and 2005. Senior captain Fernando Martinez won his second-straight 125-pound championship, while sophomore Matthew Kyler swept four matches en route to his second-consecutive 141-pound crown. Junior Whitt Dunning (133 pounds), freshman Sean Joyce (157) and sophomore Ryan Mergen (174) all wrestled to second-place finishes, while senior heavyweight Nathan Thobaben finished third and freshman Casey Thome (149) finished fourth. Sophomore Richard Starks (197) and freshman Patrick Smith (184) also scored for Army, each notching sixth-place efforts. "I thought this was a really good team performance," said head coach Chuck Barbee. "We battled some injuries and really had to work our tails off to hold off a tough Buffalo team so I'm real proud of our team. Coming in, we certainly weren't the favorite to win, but the guys really stepped it up and made it happen. The five guys in the finals all wrestled very well." Martinez, seeded first in the weight class, started the tournament off with a 16-0 tech fall over NYU's Kyle Christensen (3:00) on Friday night, before earning a 8-5 decision over Cornell's Frankd Perrelli and a 5-0 decision against Buffalo's Dan Bishop. Ranked 15th in this week's W.I.N. Magazine national poll, and 19th in the Intermat/NWCA poll, Martinez improved his record to 24-3 this season and picked up his 60th career victory for a 61-23 collegiate record. Kyler, also the top-seed in his division, opened the championship on Friday night by pinning Niagara County C.C.'s Mike Tiller (2:58) and Oneonta State's Michael Gregg (4:57), before picking up a 14-3 major decision opposite Buffalo's Andrew Stella in the semifinals, and downing NYU's Stephen Hult, 11-6, in the championship bout. Ranked in three national polls, including 17th in the Intermat/NWCA, Kyler's season record is now a team-best 27-5, including a squad-best 13 pins and 16 bonus-point victories. After picking up a 19-2 tech fall (7:00) over Oneonta's Walter Moore and a 4-0 decision from Columbia's Jerome Greco on Friday, Dunning advanced to the championship match with a 4-3 decision over Cortland's Dave Colagiovanni. Nassau C.C.'s Chris Notte earned a 3-1 decision over Dunning in the final. Dunning's season record stands at 21-12. Fourth-seeded Joyce picked up a 6-2 decision over Wagner's Sean Quinn on Friday, before opening the second day of action with a 6-3 decision over top-seeded John Cummings from Buffalo. His championship bid came up short after a tough 2-0 loss to Columbia's Matt Dunn in the final. Mergen, seeded third, pinned Nassau C.C.'s Eric Roering (4:50) and picked up a 13-4 major decision over Oneonta State's Josh Wake on Friday. Following a slim 1-0 decision over Buffalo's Mike Ragusa, Mergen fell, 6-1 in the final to top-seeded Joey Hooker of Cornell. Thobaben, seeded second, picked up decisions over Columbia's Jed Wade (4-1) and Nassau C.C.'s Brandon Williamson (10-3) to start the tournament off, before losing a 7-4 decision to Cornell's Maliej Jochym in the semifinals on Saturday. He bounced back with a 57-second pin of Columbia's Jed Wade in the consolation bracket, before beating Buffalo's Jeff Parker, 6-1, in the third-place match. After hosting Sacred Heart this Wednesday (Jan. 23) at 7:30 p.m. in Gillis Field House, Army will travel to New England on Saturday (Jan. 26) and make stops at Brown (11:00 p.m.) and Harvard (5:00 p.m.) for two separate dual meets.

ASHLAND, Ohio -- No. 15 Illinois rolled through its three duals at the Wendy's Duals at Kates Gymnasium, defeating Cleveland State, 37-0, Liberty, 40-0, and the host Ashland, 46-0. As a team, the Illini racked up seven pins, two technical falls and five major decisions in their final tune-up heading into Big Ten dual action on Feb. 1. "Our guys did some good things," Illinois assistant coach Carl Perry said. "It was good to have a chance to work on some different areas to get ready for Big Tens." No. 13 Gabe Flores (125) started Illinois on the right foot against CSU with a 10-1 major decision, and No. 9 Jimmy Kennedy (133) pinned Josh Palivoda in 1:57 for an early 10-0 Illini lead. Consecutive decisions by No. 19 Ryan Prater (141) and Grant Paswall (149) were follwed by No. 1 Mike Poeta's technical fall at 157, pushing Illinois' lead to 21-0. Roger Smith-Bergsrud (165), No. 17 John Dergo (174) and Dave Gleissner (184), No. 13 Patrick Bond (197) and No. 19 John Wise (HWT) all recorded decisions to finish off the 37-0 win. Against Liberty, Flores started with a pin in just 33 seconds, followed by back-to-back decisions by Kennedy and Prater. Paswall then pinned Sam Walters in 43 seconds, putting the Illini ahead 18-0. Poeta and Smith-Bergsrud each recorded decisions, followed by a 13-2 major decision for Dergo. Gleissner earned a decision, Bond got a pin in 4:41 and Wise notched a 15-3 major decision to ice the 41-0 victory. In the final match of the day, against the host Ashland Eagles, Flores notched a 20-2 technical fall and Kennedy recorded his second pin of the day, this time in 1:20. Prater and Paswall each earned decisions and Poeta recorded his second pin of the year. Smith-Bergsrud followed with a pin and Dergo got a 14-5 major decision to put Illinois up 33-0. Ben Friedl (184) notched a 9-3 decision, Bond got a win by injury default and Wise earned a 13-5 major decision to ice a 46-0 Illini victory. "Kennedy had two falls," Perry said. "He's really starting to get in a groove. He's right on track. And Mike Poeta had a great week of practice and continues to put himself among the best in the country." Illinois will take a week off from competition before beginning the Big Ten dual season Friday, Feb. 1, at Michigan. The match will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network, starting at 5 p.m. (CT).

The No. 13 Wisconsin wrestling team closed out the non-conference schedule Sunday with an exciting 18-15 win over No. 18 Oklahoma at the ESPNU Invitational in Oklahoma City. With the win, Wisconsin head coach Barry Davis earned his 150th career win and became the second coach in UW history to do so. The Badgers won six bouts to improve to 9-2-1 overall (0-1-0 Big Ten Conference) while the Sooners drop to 11-2 on the season. The Badgers got out to a strong start and won their first three matches to go up 9-0. The dual began at 125 lbs. and No. 18 senior Collin Cudd scored three takedowns and had a point of riding time to earn a 7-4 victory over Oklahoma's Joey Fio. UW junior Zach Tanelli, ranked No. 12, added to the lead with a 10-5 win over John Starzyk at 133 lbs. Wisconsin's No. 8 sophomore Kyle Ruschell had a tough bout against Oklahoma's No. 11 Zack Bailey at 141 lbs. After a scoreless first period, Ruschell scored a takedown with 39 seconds remaining in the second while Bailey had an escape with 24 seconds left in the period. In the third, Ruschell secured the victory with an escape at 1:25 and hung on for the 3-1 win. The Sooners then got on the board with a major decision victory at 149 lbs. Wisconsin freshman Kendall Vogel met No. 9 Will Rowe and fell, 19-6 to put the score at 9-4. Wisconsin rebounded though with a win at 157 lbs. Senior Craig Henning, ranked No. 2, held Oklahoma's Chad Terry scoreless in a 4-0 win. Henning had a takedown in the first period, an escape in the third and one point of riding time for the victory that put the Badgers up 12-4. At 165 lbs. senior Jake Donar met OU's Shane Vernon and wrestled a close match. Donar had a 5-4 lead heading into the third period but a two-point reversal for Vernon gave the OU grappler a 6-5 advantage with 1:36 left. Donar had a reversal of his own to re-gain the lead at 7-6 but Vernon would score a final reversal with just 16 seconds left to win the bout, 8-7 and put the team score at 12-7. Oklahoma then pulled within one after a major decision win at 174 lbs and took the lead with another major decision win at 184 lbs. Badger junior Justin Peterson faced OU's Jeff James and fell, 10-1 in the 174 lbs. bout. At 184 lbs., No. 14 sophomore Trevor Brandvold scored the first two points of the match with a takedown in the first period, but Oklahoma's No. 7 Josh Weitzel came back for the 11-2 win and put the Sooners up, 15-12. Down three, the Badgers had another tough bout at 197 lbs., which pinned Wisconsin's No. 6 Dallas Herbst against Oklahoma's undefeated No. 3 Joel Flaggert. In the first period, Flaggert took a 2-0 lead with a takedown. After a scoreless second period, Herbst then evened the score at two with a nearfall with 32 seconds remaining in the third. With neither wrestler securing riding time, the bout went into a sudden victory period. After a scoreless minute, the match then moved on to a tiebreaker. In the first tiebreaker, Herbst did not allow Flaggert to score and rode out the 30-second period. In the second overtime, Herbst scored a reversal to put the score at 4-2 and maintained his riding time to give Flaggert his first loss of the season and tie the score at 15. With the match on the line, UW junior Kyle Massey met OU's Nathan Fernandez in the heavyweight bout. Fernandez struck first with an escape in the second period to put the score at 1-0. Massey then responded in the third with an escape of his own and a takedown to go up 3-1. Fernandez scored one more escape but it was not enough as Massey won the bout 4-2 with 1:13 riding time and secured the Badger victory. The Badgers will now look to the Big Ten schedule as they travel to Bloomington, Ind. to face Indiana Friday. Match time is set for 4 p.m. (CT) and will broadcast on the Big Ten Network.

Oklahoma City, Okla. -- The No. 3 Nebraska wrestling team won six matches, including two bonus-point wins, en route to a 22-13 upset of No. 2 Oklahoma State in front of 2, 496 fans at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City, Okla. The Huskers' win snapped a 14-dual losing streak to the Cowboys as the Huskers improved to 10-2 on the year. Nebraska was led by junior Vince Jones and sophomore Jordan Burroughs, who both scored bonus-point wins. Jones pinned OSU's Jack Jensen in 1:48 at 184 pounds to put the Huskers up 19-10 with two matches left. Jones earned his seventh pin of the year in high fashion to quiet the crowd. Jones took Jensen down halfway into the first period and caught him a cradle seconds later to earn the fall. Jones improves to 16-7 on the season and 8-2 in duals. Burroughs scored 11 takedowns, including five in the first period, to score a 25-11 major decision over OSU's Quinten Fuentes at 149 pounds. The win is Burroughs' ninth major decision of the year as he leads the Huskers in bonus-point wins. Junior Paul Donahoe rebounded from a 2-2 weekend at National Duals with an 8-6 decision over OSU's Tyler Shinn at 125 pounds. Donahoe was down 5-4 in the third period, but scored an escape and a takedown to earn the come-from-behind victory. Fellow junior Chris Oliver also went 2-2 last weekend and also earned a big win against the Cowboys. Oliver racked up 2:23 of riding time to win a close 3-2 decision over No. 15 Newly McSpadden at 157 pounds. Junior Brandon Browne defeated second-ranked Brandon Mason at 174 to improve to 24-2, and Craig Brester won 6-3 over No. 20 Clayton Foster at 197 as the Huskers won three of the final four matches. The Huskers' last win against OSU came 39-12 in Stillwater in 1993. The victory is just Nebraska's third all-time against the Cowboys. Nebraska resumes action on Feb. 2 as the Huskers host No. 11 Missouri for Alumni Night at 7 p.m. in the NU Coliseum.

The defending national champion and fifth-ranked Minnesota Golden Gopher wrestling team made quick work of the South Dakota State Jackrabbits Sunday at the Sports Pavilion, winning the afternoon dual meet by a score of 34-9. A Minnesota lineup that featured just four regulars won seven of 10 matches, including the 24th consecutive victory of the season for top-ranked sophomore Jayson Ness. Fresh off a weekend in which they wrestled four times at the NWCA National Duals, the Gopher coaching staff elected to rest a number of starters – regulars Mack Reiter, Manuel Rivera, Dustin Schlatter, Scott Glasser, Gabe Dretsch and Roger Kish were all held out of the lineup for various reasons. Ness (wrestling for the first time in his collegiate career at 133 pounds), No. 7 C.P. Schlatter (157 pounds) and returning NCAA qualifier Tyler Safratowich (165 pounds) highlighted the Gophers' revised lineup, which featured four wrestlers making just their first, second or third dual meet appearances of the season. Ness took part in the only 133-pound match of his short career. By dominating Nick Kulseth of South Dakota State, Ness moved to 24-0 overall on the season and 12-0 in dual meets. Seeking his NCAA-leading 17th pin of the season, Ness held Kulseth in a half nelson for the majority of the first period, but was unable to run the hold and gain the pin. After hooking the Jackrabbit and gaining three back points on the near fall, Ness took advantage and gained another three points to run the score to 10-0 in the second period. With only 20 seconds left in the frame, Kulseth escaped to gain his first point of the match and ended the period trailing 10-1. Following a takedown by Ness and a technical point for stalling against Kulseth, Ness was appeared in position to earn a tech fall victory. But on a failed headlock, Kulseth gave the Gopher faithful a scare by reversing Ness and turning him to his back. Ness was able to fight off the nearfall and finish with a 14-5 major decision victory, putting Minnesota ahead 21-6 for the dual at the time. Another highlight of the afternoon included Jeremy Larson's quick pin over Justin Retallic to start the meet at 174 pounds. Competing in only his second dual meet of the season, Larson was able to finish off the Jackrabbit in only 1:39 and gave his fans something to cheer about on Jeremy Larson Community Day at the Sports Pavilion. Displaying the aggressiveness that has earned him the seventh spot in the nation, C. P. Schlatter was able to pin SDSU's Marc Wermerson in only 39 seconds at 157 pounds, helping to cap off a day that saw Minnesota lead the entire meet. Schlatter moved to 19-2 overall on the season, with a 7-2 record in dual meets. It was the fourth pin of the season for Schlatter, a new career high. Gaining another big victory for Minnesota was senior Justin Bronson at 197 pounds. The Gopher scored first against Jeremy Swier with a takedown and then proceeded to rack up point after point on first period nearfall by keeping the Jackrabbit locked up. Eventually scoring 15 straight back points, Bronson won by tech fall 17-0 in 2:51. Competing in his first dual meet since his sophomore season, fifth-year senior Dan Jackson got a shot in the spot normally reserved for Ness. Competing against Alan Marvin of SDSU proved to be more than the Gopher could handle – ultimately the SDSU wrestler pulled out an 8-4 win, one of only three Jackrabbit victories on the day. Luke Mellmer gave Minnesota a hard-fought won his first dual meet decision of the season in seven tries, filling in for the injured Dustin Schlatter at 149 pounds. After a scoreless first period, it was Mellmer who struck first against Jeff Cooley, shooting in on Cooley's legs and taking him down for the 2-0 advantage. Cooley struck back with an escape and a takedown of his own to take the lead at 3-2 going into the third period. A standup by Cooley then brought the score to 4-2. Firing back with a minute left in the match, Mellmer bridged a failed double leg into a successful and acrobatic takedown to tie the score at four apiece. After the takedown, Mellmer was able to ride out the remainder or the period giving him the point advantage and the victory 5-4. The Gophers other victories came from Safratowich, a 10-1 major decision to close out the meet at 165 pounds, and Malamura, who won by forfeit at heavyweight. Other Gophers competing included Jake Mellmer (141 pounds) and Brandon Sitch (184 pounds). Sundays' dual meet lasted just one hour and 23 minutes. The announced attendance was 1,604. The two-time defending Big Ten champion Gophers will open conference dual meet competition this Friday night when they travel to Michigan State. The Gophers have lost just one time to the Spartans in their past 13 meetings dating back to 1996. Minnesota will then go to Ann Arbor for a showdown with the No. 4 Wolverines. Michigan topped the Gophers in the third-place meet at last weekend's National Duals. The Gophers have lost just one Big Ten dual meet in the past two seasons. Minnesota's next home competition promises to be one of the biggest match-ups of the entire collegiate wrestling season, as the defending national champs host the top-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes on Feb. 1 at 7:30 p.m. at Williams Arena. The Hawkeyes, ranked first nationally for the first time since the 2000 season,

IOWA CITY, IA -- The top-ranked University of Iowa wrestling team extended its winning streak to six matches with a 27-13 win over #7 Penn State (8-3, 0-1 Big Ten) Sunday afternoon in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes (13-1, 2-0 Big Ten) snapped Penn State's two-match win streak in the series, taking seven of the 10 bouts. A crowd of 7,525 gathered to watch Iowa win its 820th dual win in school history. The dual started at 174 pounds, and Iowa jumped out to an 8-0 lead on wins by two Hawkeye sophomores. Jay Borschel (174) posted an 11-5 decision over Mark Friend and Phillip Keddy (184) scored a 19-3 technical fall in 6:35 over Philip Bomberger. Penn State answered at 197 when #2 Philip Davis pinned sophomore Chad Beatty in 4:57, to tighten the team score at 8-6. Iowa rolled off five straight wins and 19 unanswered team points to guarantee the win. Senior Matt Fields started the run with his 80th career win - a 7-3 decision over John Laboranti at heavyweight. Junior Charlie Falck followed with a 2-0 win over Mark McKnight at 125, extending his winning streak to 11 matches and remaining undefeated in duals (14-0). Sophomore Joe Slaton picked up extra team points at 133 with his 14-6 major decision over Tim Haas. At 141, sophomore Dan LeClere scored a late takedown to defeat Garrett Scott, 4-3. Sophomore Brent Metcalf fought off his back and rebounded from a 6-1 first-period deficit at 149, pinning Bubba Jenkins in 5:33. The win was Metcalf's 15th straight as he improved to 18-1, 13-1 in duals. The Nittany Lions closed out the dual with wins at 157 and 165. Sophomore Ryan Morningstar (157) dropped a 6-2 decision to Dan Vallimont and redshirt freshman Aaron Janssen (165) lost an 11-3 major decision to Dave Rella. Janssen was competing for senior injured starter Mark Perry. Iowa will host Northwestern (5-4, 0-0 Big Ten) in its next dual. The match will be held Sunday, January 27 at 7 p.m. in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

MOUNT PLEASANT -- Ninth-ranked Central Michigan topped No. 4 Michigan, 21-13, in front of a raucous, Rose Arena record-crowd of 4,273 Sunday afternoon. The fourth-ranked Wolverines (13-3 overall) are the highest ranked opponent CMU has defeated since a 19-15 victory over No. 3 Oklahoma at National Duals in 2006. The Chippewas (9-2 overall) have now defeated Michigan each of the last two seasons. The Chippewas (9-2 overall) won six of the 10 individual bouts on Sunday, tallying bonus points in two of the six victories. Luke Smith staked the Chippewas to an early 5-0 lead with a technical fall at 125 pounds, but the Wolverines would post victories at 141, 149 and 157 pounds to build a 10-8 lead. CMU answered with back-to-back victories at 165 and 174 pounds to take the lead for good. Eleventh-ranked Trevor Stewart posted arguably the biggest win of his career at 165 pounds, upsetting No. 2 Eric Tannenbaum, 5-3. Tannenbaum scored an early takedown and led 2-1 after one period, but Stewart rode Tannenbaum for the entire second period. Stewart started in the down position to begin the third, and Tannenbaum allowed an uncontested escape to even the score at 2-2. Stewart took advantage, scoring a takedown later in the period to take a 4-2 lead. Tannenbaum would escape, but Stewart's 2:06 riding time advantage was the difference in the 5-3 decision His victory put the Chippewas in front, 11-10. The 174-pound match featured seventh-ranked Brandon Sinnott and fourth-ranked Steve Luke. Sinnott scored a takedown in the second period to take a 2-0 lead, but escapes by Luke later in the second period and early in the third evened the score at 2-2. After a scoreless first sudden victory period, both Sinnott and Luke tallied an escape in the first tiebreaker to knot the score at 3-3. The pair again went scoreless in the second sudden victory period. Luke began the second tiebreaker in the down position and scored an escape to take a 4-3 lead. Sinnott tallied an escape in the second half of the tiebreaker to draw even at 4-4. Neither wrestler would score again, but Sinnott's nine-second riding time advantage in the overtime periods served as the tiebreaker in a 5-4 victory. Michigan drew back within a point, 14-13, when No. 2-ranked Tyrel Todd claimed a 6-4 decision over No. 4-ranked Christian Sinnott at 184 pounds. A 9-1 major decision by No. 5 Wynn Michalak at 197 pounds and a 6-1 decision by No. 8 Bubba Gritter at heavyweight, however, put the match out of reach. Michalak's victory moved him into sole possession of fifth on CMU's career victories list; he is now 116-33 in his career. Smith's 19-3 technical fall, which saw him score a takedown and two nearfall points just 20 seconds into the match, and a 5-2 decision by Conor Beebe at 133 pounds gave the Chippewas an early 8-0 lead. Both Smith and Beebe amassed more than three minutes of riding time in their respective victories. Third-ranked Kellen Russell opened the scoring for Michigan with a 3-0 decision over No. 12 Eric Kruger at 141 pounds. The match was scoreless through two periods before Russell scored an escape and a takedown in third. Michigan's eighth-ranked Josh Churella followed Russell with a 14-6 major decision over Nathaniel Holt at 149 pounds. Churella won on the strength of six takedowns, the final of which came just before the final buzzer to secure the major decision. Jeff Marsh's 3-2 decision over Tyler Grayson at 157 pounds gave the Wolverines their only lead. After a scoreless first period, Marsh opened the second period with an escape to take a 1-0 lead. Grayson countered with a takedown, but Marsh evened the score at 2-2 with another escape later in the period. Marsh started in the top position to open the third period and eventually won the match via riding time. From there, CMU would win four of the final five bouts, including Stewart and Brandon Sinnott's victories at 165 and 174 pounds, respectively, that had the near-sellout crowd on its feet. The win was CMU's 36th in 41 home duals dating back to the start of the 2000-01 season; the Chippewas have won their last nine home duals. CMU returns to action Saturday, opening the Mid-American Conference portion of the schedule at Eastern Michigan. The dual begins at 6 p.m. CMU's next appearance at Rose Arena is Feb. 7 against Northern Illinois.

Columbia, Mo. -- The 11th-ranked Missouri wrestling team (6-2-1) recorded its 14th tie in program history, ending the day knotted with second-ranked Oklahoma State (10-1-1), 16-16. Both teams won five bouts a piece, with Missouri winning three of the last five matches on the day. "We won a lot of tight matches today," Head Coach Brian Smith said. "We outwrestled Oklahoma State in the third period and I was pleased with how our team came out and performed. It's not a win, so we can't be happy with that. But, our guys really showed a lot of improvement from last week's performance." Opening the dual at 184 pounds, fourth-ranked Raymond Jordan (New Bern, N.C.) helped Missouri take a 3-0 lead while earning his 80th career victory. Outwrestling Jack Jensen, 8-2, Jordan scored on a double leg takedown 1:24 into the bout. Tacking on three additional points in the second period, a takedown at the third period buzzer, and after accumulating 1:16 of riding time, Jordan walked away the winner. The victory was Jordan's 18th of the season and ninth consecutive win. Big 12 Wrestler of the Week, sophomore Maxwell Askren (Hartland, Wis.), earned his seventh career Big 12 victory after besting No. 20 Clayton Foster, 18-8. Askren moved to No. 4 in the nation after upsetting Northwestern's Mike Tammillow at the National Duals. Scoring first in today's bout, Askren ended the first period with a 5-3 lead. Foster chose down to start the second period and was quickly turned giving Askren three back points and an 8-4 advantage. Askren scored seven points in the third period and rode out Foster for the major decision. After suffering four straight losses, Missouri found itself down to OSU, 13-7, heading into the 149 pound bout. Missouri's 15th-ranked Josh Wagner (Milton, Wis.) snapped a three-match losing streak with a 10-6 win by decision over Ryan Freeman. The win also set the Tigers on a three-bout win streak that would put Missouri ahead of the Cowboys by three points heading into the final, 174 pound match. Junior Michael Chandler (High Ridge, Mo.) and Oklahoma State grappler Newly McSpadden met for the third time of their career. With Chandler holding a 2-0 advantage over McSpadden, he proved worthy of his higher ranking, shutting out the Cowboy, 4-0. The shutout was just the third of the season for Chandler, who scored a takedown and two escapes for the win. Chandler now stands at 18-2 on the season. Possibly the most exciting match for the 1,470 fans in the stands came at 165 pounds. Pitting third-ranked sophomore Nicholas Marable (Collierville, Tenn.) against No. 5 Jake Dieffenbach, the competition between the top-five wrestlers proved intense. Forced into overtime after finishing regulation tied at one, the one minute sudden-victory win was awarded to Marable, who lifted Dieffenbach on the edge of the mat and took him down for the 3-1 lead. "I knew I had to do something to win," Marable said. "We were on the edge of the mat and I just reacted. Jake's a good wrestler and that was a tough match." Missouri's Brock Wittmeyer (Platte City, Mo.) did just enough to keep his loss to a mere decision at 174 pounds. Battling with second-ranked Brandon Mason, Wittmeyer suffered a 4-0 loss, but allowed Oklahoma State the minimum in team scoring, three points, to create a tie. Missouri will host its third home dual of the season when they take on No. 19 Cornell, Sunday, Jan. 27, at 1 p.m. (CT) in the Hearnes Center.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- The University of Northern Iowa wrestling team scored its first shutout since the 2003 season with a 40-0 win over the Wyoming Cowboys in a Western Wrestling Conference dual on Friday night in the McLeod Center. UNI head coach Brad Penrith said there were a lot of positives tonight for the Panthers. "We did a good job of getting to our feet and getting off bottom," Penrith said. "We struggled with that in the bigger duals. We had a lot of first moves off the whistle." The Panthers began the dual with an offensive assault by tallying a pair of falls at 197 pounds and heavyweight. Junior Andrew Anderson led his 197-pound match with Dan Barrone, 9-3, in the closing seconds before he put Barrone on his back and got the fall at 6:49. Redshirt freshman Dustin Bauman gave the Panthers a 12-0 lead with a pin over Wyoming's Jason Still at the 5:38 mark of their heavyweight tilt. Redshirt freshman Caleb Flores hung on for a 3-2 win over Wyoming's Cody Grant at 125 pounds, while junio Josh Baldridge tallied a 4-1 triumph over Cory VomBaur at 133 pounds. The Ettelson brothers kept the momentum going with a pair of dominating efforts at 141 and 149 pounds. Senior C.J. Ettelson earned a 16-0 technical fall over Brandon Gifford, and sophomore Charlie Ettelson netted a major decision over Cody Chipperfield, 12-4. "I was extremely happy with Charlie's adjustments in the middle of his match so he could end up with a major decision," Penrith said. Sophomore Tyson Reiner scored a hard-fought 8-1 victory over Wyoming's Dane Fuhrman at 157 pounds, and junior 165-pounder Moza Fay was awarded a major decision over Wyoming's Eric Coxbill, 11-3. Senior Alex Dolly then secured a 2-1 victory at 174 pounds against Wyoming's Kyle Morrow. Redshirt freshman Andy O'Loughlin put together a comeback victory at 184 pounds when he took on Wyoming's Mikel Hoopes. Hoopes took a 6-1 lead in the match, but O'Loughlin battled back and tied the match at 9-9 in the closing seconds of the third period. O'Loughlin then won the match 19 seconds into sudden victory with a takedown near the edge of the mat. "I liked the way Andy finished the match, but not how he started," Penrith said. The Panthers last shutout prior to tonight came against Eastern Illinois in the 2003 season, when UNI notched a 39-0 victory. UNI will take on Northern Colorado tomorrow at 1 p.m. in the McLeod Center.

COLUMBUS, OH -- The top-ranked Iowa wrestling team opened the 2007-08 Big Ten season with 24-10 win over #6 Ohio State at St. John Arena in Columbus, OH, Friday night. The victory is Iowa's fifth straight and extended Iowa's winning streak in the series with the Buckeyes to 32 matches. The Hawkeyes improved to 12-1 overall, 1-0 in the Big Ten, while Ohio State fell to 13-3, 0-1. Iowa jumped out to a 12-0 lead with decisions in the first four matches by a quartet of Hawkeye sophomores. Joe Slaton improved to 16-2 with a 6-2 win over Reece Humphrey at 133 to open the dual. Dan LeClere (141) and Brent Metcalf (149) followed with identical 5-3 wins over their Ohio State opponents. LeClere is now 14-4 this season, while Metcalf is 17-1 in collegiate matches and 12-1 in duals. Metcalf, who was named Wrestler of the Week by the Big Ten and TheMat.com, extended his winning streak to 14 matches. The Hawkeyes and Buckeyes traded wins at the last five weights. Ohio State put its first points on the board at 165 when Colt Sponseller scored a 22-11 major decision over redshirt freshman Jake Kerr. Kerr was filling in for senior Mark Perry, who injured his knee last week at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals. Iowa sophomore Jay Borschel (174) responded after the intermission, pinning Alex Picazo in 3:43, but #3 Mike Pucillo of Ohio State scored a 3-2 win over Phillip Keddy at 184 to keep the Buckeyes alive. Hawkeye sophomore Chad Beatty scored a hard-fought 3-2 win the second tiebreak period over John Weakley at 197. Beatty, who has wrestled at 174, 184 and 197 this season, notched six seconds of riding time in the overtime to post his second dual win at 197 and seal the team victory for Iowa. Ohio State's second-ranked heavyweight J.D. Bergman scored the final Buckeye win of the night (4-2), handing Hawkeye senior Matt Fields his first dual loss of the season. Iowa junior Charlie Falck ended the dual with a 9-3 win over Nikko Triggas at 125. Falck remains undefeated (13-0) in dual matches and is 21-1 in collegiate competition. Iowa (12-1, 1-0 Big Ten) will host #7 Penn State (8-2, 0-0 Big Ten) Sunday at 2 p.m. in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. There will be a free youth wrestling clinic at noon, in Carver-Hawkeye, prior to the dual. Children from kindergarten through eighth grade can join members of the Iowa coaching staff on the mat to learn some fundamental techniques.

AMES, Iowa -- Bonus points by Mitch Mueller (149), Jon Reader (165) and Jake Varner (184) lifted No. 8 Iowa State past No. 13 Wisconsin 24-18 Friday night in Hilton Coliseum. The Cyclones won six bouts on the night and overpowered the Badgers with 21 takedowns. Wisconsin was only able to take the Cyclones down on two occasions. The win tonight gives the Cyclones a 34-8-1 all-time series lead and pushes ISU's season record to 11-3 heading into Big 12 Conference action. The Badgers slip to 8-2-1. "I think we wrestled extremely well up until those last two weights," head coach Cael Sanderson said. "Everybody is stepping it up, but when you're getting pinned that just means we need to spend some time on the mat with those guys. That's an easy thing to correct. Overall, I'm happy with the way things are going. We just have to keep on moving." Mueller notched his second win via technical fall with a 20-5 (7:00) victory over Kendall Vogel at 149 pounds. The nation's 13th-ranked grappler used seven takedowns, three of which came in the third period, and a three-point near fall on the Badger. The sophomore hailing from Iowa City improves his record to 16-8. "He's (Vogel) a pretty strong kid," Mueller said. "It was good to go out there and wrestle and have some fun. I got to the point where I was trying to control the tie-ups. You just have to go out there, wrestle hard the whole time, and do what we've been working on in practice." After Wisconsin took a close match at 157 pounds, Reader brought his own version of Hilton magic at 165 pounds by pinning Dan Clum in 1:13. Clum was able to score a takedown in the bout's opening 30 seconds, but Reader responded with a reversal and the pin. The redshirt freshman has registered two consecutive dual falls and has five on the year. Currently the nation's sixth-ranked wrestler at 165 pounds, Reader now leads the Cyclone squad in victories with 22. "We've been working on that situation a lot when guys are backing up like that and not letting you wrestle," the Davison, Mich., native said. "You want to get in their face and that aggressive style that will get you sometimes. You have to relax. I think I came after him a little too hard, but I got the job done after that." Varner, the nation's top-ranked grappler at 184 pounds, used two takedowns in the first and second periods en route to a 14-2 major decision over No. 13 Trevor Brandvold. It took less than 20 seconds before the sophomore All-American registered his first takedown on the edge of the mat, nearly pinning the Badger. Varner has yet to be defeated this season, carrying a 17-0 mark. True freshman Tyler Clark opened the dual by making his Hilton Coliseum debut with a 7-6 decision over three-time NCAA qualifier Collin Cudd at 125 pounds. Nick Fanthorpe, ranked seventh nationally, improved to 21-3 on the year with an 11-4 decision of No. 12 Zach Tanelli at 133 pounds. Senior Aron Scott (6-8) defeated Justin Peterson with a 7-3 decision at 174 pounds. Iowa State will open Big 12 competition on the road Jan. 25 against Oklahoma at 7 p.m. in Howard McCasland Field House. The Cyclones will then travel to Stillwater Jan. 27 to face Oklahoma State at 6 p.m. in Gallagher-Iba Arena. Live stats for both duals will be available on cyclones.com.

Columbia, Mo. -- After suffering back-to-back losses at the National Duals last weekend, the 11th-ranked Missouri wrestling team looks to return to its winning ways in the Saturday, Jan. 19, dual against second-ranked Oklahoma State beginning at 1 p.m. (CT) in the Hearnes Center. Tickets for the Big 12 season-opener are $5 for adults and $3 for students. Missouri, now 6-2 on the season, looks to hand the Cowboys, 10-1, their second loss of the year. Earlier in the campaign, Oklahoma State suffered a 21-18 loss to then-No. 5 Penn State. Since Jan. 5, the Cowboys have won five straight duals and captured the Virginia Duals Championship Title on Jan. 12. This marks the 36th meeting between the two programs. While Oklahoma State holds the 32-3 advantage, it's Missouri's that has won two of the last three contests. Most recently, the Tigers held off the Cowboys, 17-15, in Gallagher Iba Arena (Stillwater, Okla.) last season. In the 11 years of the Big 12 Conference, Missouri has won only three league openers, with two of the three wins coming over Oklahoma State (2003-04, 2006-07). Missouri's first Big 12 opening win came at Nebraska, 24-16, during the 2001-02 season. One of the key matchups of the afternoon can be found at 165 pounds. Missouri's Nicholas Marable (Collierville, Tenn.) ranked as high as third in the nation, will take on fifth-ranked Jake Diffenbach. The two have never met, but both have impressive records. Marable owns a 15-3 record in his sophomore season with his three losses coming to then-No. 1 Eric Tannenbaum, No. 1 Keith Gavin (at 174 pounds) and current No. 1 Mark Perry. Marable's recent bout with Perry was sent into overtime where he suffered a 3-2 loss. Despite the loss, Marable's two points came by way of takedown, while Perry was only able to manage three escapes for the win. Dieffenbach, at 13-1, lost his only bout to then-No. 14 Mack Lewnes of Cornell at the Reno Tournament. Big 12 Wrestler of the Week Maxwell Askren (Hartland, Wis.) climbed to No. 4 in the nation at 197 pounds after a 3-0 run at the National Duals. Askren upset Northwestern's Mike Tammilow in Missouri's final dual of the day, 5-2. Askren opened the tournament with a 12-1 win by major decision over Joe Fagiano of Indiana and followed with a fall in 3:34 over Iowa's Rick Loera. Looking for his ninth straight win of the season, and 19th of the year, junior Raymond Jordan (New Bern, N.C.) is set to take on Jack Jensen or Cody Hill. Jordan collected his 80th career victory in Missouri's meet with Northwestern. Pairing with Adil Kolovic, Jordan won a 15-5 major decision. To date, only eight of Jordan's 18 bouts have been decided by decision. The rest have been won by major decision, technical fall or fall. Fans attending the afternoon dual will have the opportunity to pick up the second of five unique wrestling programs. Each program this season will feature a specific Missouri grappler.

UFC 80: RAPID FIRE 1/19/08, Metro Radio Arena, England The featured match at UFC 80 is a lightweight championship (155 pounds) with legendary BJ "The Prodigy" PENN (12-4-1) against Joe "Daddy" STEVENSON (33-7). On the surface it may look like Stevenson is the more experienced fighter with twice as many MMA fights. Forget it. BJ has fought and beaten the sport's best. His often soft-looking body disguises his rubber-band like flexibility that allows him to sustain himself on the ground while working to submit his opponent. In fact, NOBODY has ever submitted BJ. And, it isn't going to be Joe Stevenson either! Stevenson has a deadly guillotine choke hold and prefers the ground game. But, that's not where you want to be with BJ. And from the training clips I've been watching, BJ is adding power to his punches, and looks as fit as I've ever seen him! Lay the big number with BJ (-285). BJ PENN wins with second round rear-naked choke submission. Gabriel GONZAGA (8-2) made a name for himself in the UFC when he unloaded a devastating, high leg kick that crumpled Mirko Cro-Cop into a folded heap on the mat. But, his invincibility was soon destroyed by underdog Randy Couture, who has since vacated the heavyweight belt and refuses to fight anybody but the world-renown Fedor. The winner of this fight will be in line to fight the winner of next month's Tim Silvia/Antonio Nogeira fight for that heavyweight belt. Fabricio WERDUM (9-3-1) has already beaten Gonzaga once, five years ago, but now finds himself as the posted underdog! Strangely, Werdum beat Gonzaga by TKO, which is Gonzaga's game, while Werdum is really more of a Brazilian jiu-jitsu fighter. In an upset, history repeats, but WERDUM (+210) wins on his terms this time, by second round submission by rear-naked choke. Marcus "The Irish Hand Grenade" DAVIS (18-4) is a welterweight with strong ground skills that are complimented with some lethal punching power. His opponent, Jess "The Joker" LAUDIN (12-8) has won 8 of his 12 wins by submission. Both fighters have two common opponents, Shonie Carter, and Paul Taylor, who's on this card. Davis beat them both, while Laudin lost to both! Enough said. Take DAVIS �345 to beat Laudin by unanimous decision. In a very interesting match-up, we have ground-and-pound specialist, Jason "The Punisher" LAMBERT (23-6) taking on the submission skills of Wilson GOUVEIA (9-4). Almost 3/4 of UFC website voters think Lambert will win, yet the oddsmakers makes him the underdog! Why? Gouveia is the last man to have beaten Jon Fitch, five years ago! But, Lambert is short and stock, very muscular, and willing to go toe-to-toe, yet not afraid of ground contact, as well. Gouveia will most likely try to stand up and not be forced to defend himself on the ground against the relentless strikes of Lambert. Once there, his only hope will be a submission. The last one there with Lambert was Babalu Sobral, who ended up a bloody mess. Take LAMBERT +120 to beat Gouveia with a referee's stoppage of the brutal ground-and-pound late in the second round. Kendall "Da Spyder" GROVE (10-4) is a long and lanky (6'6") middleweight with superb punching power and deceptive submission techniques. His unique style will be put to the test, however, by seasoned veteran, Jorge "El Conquistador" RIVERA (14-6), who every once in awhile pulls a stunning upset. The Big Dog is a +300 underdog in this one! I see too much value there to take a pass. Rivera hasn't fought since he was knocked out by Terry Martin in 14 seconds at UFC 67, a fight I was in attendance. But 9 of his 14 wins have been by knockout and Kendall Grove has been KO'd three times. I'll take my underdog odds on RIVERA +300 with a third round KO. The UFC Monster at Xtreme CoutureOther fights on the undercard: Antonio HARDONK (5-4) @ �335, gets back in the win column with a major decision over Colin ROBINSON (9-3). Englishman Paul "Relentless" TAYLOR (8-2-1) @ -220, pleases his hometown crown with a stunning third round KO by kick over Paul KELLY (7-0). Alessio "Legionarius" SAKARA (15-6-1) @ -160 wins by 2nd round KO over James LEE (25-2). … and Sam "Hands of Stone" STOUT (13-3-1) @ -320 ends the hopes of Per EKLUND (14-2-1), the first Swede to fight in the UFC, with a vicious TKO barrage of flying fists in the very first round. So now let's put the UFC Monster's hard-earned $1000 bankroll to the test. Let's lay: $285 to win $100 on BJ Penn. $ 50 to win $105 on Fabricio Werdum $138 to win $ 40 on Marcus Davis. $ 60 to win $ 72 on Jason Lambert. $ 50 to win $150 on Jorge Rivera. $ 67 to win $ 20 on Antoni Hardonk. $110 to win $ 50 on Paul Taylor. $ 80 to win $ 50 on Alessio Sakara. $160 to win $ 50 on Sam Stout. In summary, the UFC Monster is risking $1000 to win $637. More on how that turns out later … Good luck and enjoy the fights! The UFC Monster

The Stanford wrestling team will begin its conference schedule this week, taking on the Boise State Broncos and the UC Davis Aggies at The Pavilion in Davis on Friday. Led by defending conference champion Tanner Gardner, the Cardinal will look to start the Pac-10 season with wins over two of the conference's toughest squads. The Cardinal enters the Pac-10 season with one of its best preseason records in program history (6-1), and is coming off of its first shutout win in recent years. Gardner, a two-time All-American and the nation's sixth-ranked 125-pounder, leads the team with a 25-1 record, 40 dual points and 13 pins. Senior All-American Josh Zupancic is ranked 13th nationally at 157 pounds, and boasts a 23-5 record on the year. A group of young wrestlers have also stepped up with impressive performances this year. Zack Giesen, the 2007 Pac-10 Freshman of the Year, has notched a 16-5 record this season, while freshman 149-pounder Lucas Espericueta (17-7) and sophomore 197-pounder Jake Johnson (17-7) have already tallied 17 wins apiece. The Cardinal will begin the night with a 5 p.m. dual against Boise State (4-1, 2-1 Pac-10). The Broncos finished ninth in the conference last season, but the team is considered to be one of the strongest in the league this year. Five Broncos are ranked among the top three in the conference, two are returning NCAA qualifiers and four are among the nation's current top-20. The dual will be highlighted by the 157-pound bout, where two of the nation's best wrestlers will square off. Bronco junior Tyler Sherfey (18-5) is ranked No. 10 nationally and holds the No. 1 spot in the conference, while Zupancic is ranked 13th with the No. 3 spot in the league. Zupancic and Sherfey split a pair of decisions last December, and finished second and third, respectively, in the conference last season. Sherfey went 2-1 at the NCAA Championships, while Zupancic went 4-2 to earn his first career All-America honor. The 174-pound bout will also be a showdown between 2007 NCAA qualifiers, as Stanford's Luke Feist (5-6) will meet Boise State's Nate Lee (7-3). Lee, who is currently top-ranked in the Pac-10, won two close decisions over Feist last year, including a 6-5 victory in the Pac-10 third place match. In addition to Sherfey, three other Broncos are ranked nationally. The trio of newcomers includes No. 12 Adam Hall (18-5) at 149 pounds, No. 18 Kirk Swratz (18-6) at 165 pounds and No. 9 Kirk Smith (15-1) at 184 pounds. The night will continue with a 7 p.m. dual between Stanford and UC Davis. The Aggies (3-1, 1-1 Pac-10) took third in the Pac-10 last year and return two of their five 2007 NCAA qualifiers. At 125 pounds, Gardner will battle the Broncos' Marcos Orozco (18-7), who finished third in the conference last year and went 1-2 at the NCAA Championships. Gardner bested Orozco in both meetings last season. At 141 pounds, Stanford's Max Rosefigura (9-5) or Matt Kim (5-7) will have their hands full with junior Nexi Delgado, who already has 15 wins on the year. Stanford will be looking to avenge a pair of 2006-07 losses to the two opponents, as Stanford fell 29-12 to UC Davis last Jan. 5, and 22-15 to Boise State last Feb. 9.

Keep track with OhioStateBuckeyes.com of the sixth-ranked wrestling Buckeyes' matchup against No. 1 Iowa beginning at 7 p.m. Friday. Updated results will occur at the conclusion of each bout. Probable matchups: No. 6 Ohio State vs. No. 1 Iowa 125: Nikko Triggas (13-8) vs. No. 3 Charlie Falck (21-1) 133: No. 14 Reece Humphrey (18-4) vs. No. 4 Joe Slaton (20-2)/ Daniel Dennis (0-0) 141: No. 9 J Jaggers (15-4) vs. No. 10 Dan LeClere (17-5) 149: No. 5 Lance Palmer (16-4) vs. No. 3 Brent Metcalf (20-1) 157: Jason Johnstone (12-8) vs. No. 16 Ryan Morningstar (13-5) 165: No. 13 Colt Sponseller (10-0) vs. No. 1 Mark Perry (18-2)/ Aaron Janssen (6-2) 174: Alex Picazo (11-8) vs. No. 3 Jay Borschel (19-4) 184: No. 3 Mike Pucillo (18-1) vs. No. 8 Phillip Keddy (17-5) 197: John Weakley (6-10) vs. Chad Beatty (6-5)/ Rick Loera (7-8) 285: No. 2 J.D. Bergman (19-1) vs. No. 6 Matt Fields (20-3)

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga wrestling team faces its third consecutive nationally-ranked opponent Friday when it faces No. 17 Oklahoma. The dual begins at 8 p.m. ET on the Norman, Okla., campus of the University of Oklahoma. The Mocs, 5-4 and ranked No. 19, took on No. 1 Penn State and No. 9 Northwestern at last week's National Duals. Chattanooga has lost three matches in a row, dropping the two at the National Duals and falling to Northern Iowa Jan. 6. The Sooners bring a 10-1 record into the match and have won six straight duals. Their only loss of the season is a 21-9 defeat at Oklahoma State. "We need to get back on track," UTC Head Coach Chris Bono said. "We have wrestled some tough wrestlers and some difficult teams. And Oklahoma will be no different. But we need to dig down and find a way to come home with a win. It won't be easy, but I am confident we can compete at this level." Both teams have at least six ranked wrestlers that could potentially be on the mat for their respective teams. The Mocs will send senior Javier Maldonado at 125, sophomores Cody Cleveland and Joey Knox at 141 and 149 respectively, junior Nick Davis at 165, seniors Seth Garvin (157), Lloyd Davis (174), Josh Edmondson (184) and Matt Koz (197) and freshman Matt Lettner at 285. Maldonado is ranked as high as No. 9, Cleveland as high as No. 19, Knox and Garvin No. 20, Rogers and Koz at No. 14 and Edmondson 19th. Bono has a decision to make at the 133-pound match. Senior starter Steve Hromada suffered an injury at the Midlands Championships Dec. 30 despite earning a seventh-place finish at the event. He has been unable to compete for the Mocs in the last three duals and is questionable for Friday's match, although he is in the lineup. Junior Shawn Cordell, who decided to leave the program a few months ago, rejoined the team prior to last weeks National Duals. Cordell injured his knee in the first period of his opening match against Penn State and could not finish the match. The Mocs also had to forfeit at 133 against Northwestern the same day. Bono is bringing true freshman Demetrius Johnson on the trip and will weigh him in along with Hromada for the 133 match. Johnson is a native of Memphis, Tenn., and a graduate of Brighton High School. Ranked wrestlers for the Sooners include Brian Shelton, 13th at 133, Zach Bailey, 11th at 141, Will Rowe, ninth at 149, Max Dean, 20th at 165, Josh Weitzel, No. 7 at 184 and Joel Flaggart, third at 197. The Sooners finished 22nd at last year's NCAA Championships while Chattanooga placed 21st.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Paced by a pin from Durham native Vincent Ramirez and five major decisions, North Carolina registered a 32-6 victory over rival Duke Thursday in Atlantic Coast Conference wrestling action at Fetzer Gymnasium. The Tar Heels (5-3, 1-1 ACC) have now won 32 of their last 33 meetings with the Blue Devils (6-6, 0-2 ACC). The victory also extended UNC's lead in the race for the Carlyle Cup, the all-sports competition between Carolina and Duke, to 9-2. Ramirez's pin at 149 pounds gave the Tar Heels a 10-point lead that they would only build on throughout the night. Following the first major decision for UNC, a 12-1 win by redshirt freshman Nick Stabile (15-3) at 141, Ramirez (11-7) needed just 57 seconds to pin Duke's Mike Bell to push the Tar Heel advantage to 13-3. Twelfth-ranked Keegan Muller followed two bouts later with his third straight dominating performance at 165, a 15-1 major decision over Aaron Glover at 165. The Dallas native improved his record to 18-3 and has outscored his last three opponents by a 43-1 margin. True freshman Kyle Kiss (14-8) tacked on the Tar Heels' second straight major decision with a 12-1 defeat of Duke's Ben Wales at 174. After a Duke win at 184, sophomore Dennis Drury and junior Justin Dobies closed the match with back-to-back major decisions at 197 and heavyweight, respectively. Drury (11-9) scored an 8-0 shutout of Duke's Dan Tulley, while the 18th-ranked Dobies (19-5) posted a 13-4 major against Mike Tunick in the final bout of the night. Also picking up wins for the Tar Heels were senior Drew Forshey (12-6) at 125 and redshirt freshman Thomas Scotton (12-4) at 157. Forshey got Carolina on the board in the first match with a 9-2 decision over Chapel Hill native Kellan McKeon, while Scotton contributed to UNC's run of five straight victories with a 7-3 decision over Voris Tejada, who entered the match with a 25-9 record, at 157. Duke claimed wins from Bryan Gibson at 133 and John Barone at 184 for its six points. The Tar Heels are back in action Jan. 25-26 at Virginia and Virginia Tech.

PITTSBURGH -- The No. 20 Pitt wrestling team was without one of its three nationally-ranked grapplers tonight at Fitzgerald Field House, as the nation's No. 11-ranked heavyweight Zach Sheaffer sat on the sidelines and watched the Panthers (9-2, 2-0 EWL) take down Lock Haven, 24-13, and go 2-0 in conference action for the first time since 2004-05. Sheaffer (Carlisle, Pa./Cumberland Valley), who was a bit under the weather earlier in the week, saw his replacement, sophomore Ryan Tomei, pounce on Lock Haven's Dan Craig from the bout's opening whistle and earn a major decision victory by a count of 8-0. Tomei (Irwin, Pa./Penn-Trafford) used a trio of takedowns and an escape over six minutes of action to hold a 7-0 lead as time ticked down in the third. He added a point for riding time to lock up the major decision and set the match's final score. "He did a great job tonight," said head coach Rande Stottlemyer of Tomei. "We asked him to step in tonight and he was terrific. His technique was solid and he remained poised throughout the entire match." Sophomore Jimmy Conroy got the Panthers on the scoreboard with a 6-1 decision over Billy Ashnault. Conroy (South Plainfield, N.J./South Plainfield) controlled the match from the onset, posting five points in the first frame. He then held off Ashnault's offensive advances and coasted to the five-point victory in the match up at 133 pounds. Dave Sullivan also turned in a solid performance tonight and topped Lock Haven's Tom Kocher in the match's 184-pound bout. Sullivan (Dingmans Ferry, Pa./Delaware Valley/East Stroudsburg) jumped on Kocher with a takedown in the first and, after a scoreless second period, added three more to his total in the third and a point for riding time to win by a count of 6-0. Pitt's three All-Americans, Drew Headlee, Matt Kocher and Keith Gavin, were also victorious tonight and accounted for nearly 60 percent of the Panther's point production. "It was just a typical performance from those three tonight," Stottlemyer remarked about the Panther trio. "They're a big reason why we are where we are as far as our national ranking. They really carry our team." Headlee (Waynesburg, Pa./Waynesburg) took to the mat against a fired up Clint Shirk in the bout at 141. Shirk's fire was dowsed early on as Headlee took him down in the first period en route to a 12-0 major decision, in which Headlee was awarded a point due to stalling violations on two separate occasions. Kocher (State College, Pa./State College) also claimed a major decision against a Bald Eagle grappler. The nation's No. 5-ranked 157-pounder pummeled Lock Haven's John Mangini, allowing him only five points on escapes, and masterfully executed an offensive attack that included four takedowns, two near falls, a reversal and well over a minute of riding time. Gavin's bout proved to be arguably the most important of the night. Pitt held a slim 11-10 advantage on the scoreboard when the nation's top wrestler locked up with Mike Metzger. Gavin (Factoryville, Pa./Lackawanna Trail), like Headlee and Kocher, surged out to a sizable lead, but refused to relent and put Metzger on his back with just 29 seconds to go in the bout. "A lot of guys would have been happy with the major decision," said Stottlemyer. "But Keith wanted more for himself and his team and he certainly came up big again for us tonight." The Panthers will travel to Cleveland State for another EWL battle with the Vikings on Friday, Jan. 25 at 7 p.m.

There will be no shortage of firepower on the mat for the second edition of the Chicago Cup. The 2007 World champion U.S. Greco-Roman team is scheduled to face a powerful team from Bulgaria that includes three individual World champions. Rosters have been finalized and tickets are now on sale for the Chicago Cup, set for Tuesday, Feb. 5 at 7 p.m. at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill. The inaugural event was a huge success with 7,000 fans packing Northwestern's Welsh-Ryan Arena in 2007. The star-studded Bulgarian team is led by Greco-Roman legend Armen Nazarian, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and three-time World champion. He competes at 60 kg/132 lbs. The Bulgarian team also features past World champions Yavor Yanakiev and Nikolay Gergov. Tickets for the event are now on sale. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students and youth under 18 years of age. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Tickets.com hotline at 800-511-1552. Any questions in regards to the event should be directed to 312-616-5450 or info@worldsportchicago.org The U.S. Greco-Roman team is led by World champion Dremiel Byers, World silver medalist Brad Vering, and World bronze medalists Lindsey Durlacher, Harry Lester and Justin Ruiz. Durlacher and past World Team member T.C. Dantzler both grew up in the Chicago metro area. Yanakiev will face Dantzler, who placed fifth in the World in 2006. Gergov will face Lester at 66 kg/145.5 lbs. Lester and Gergov both won bronze medals at the 2007 World Championships. Bulgaria's Venelin Venkov, who placed fifth in the World in 2006, is scheduled to meet Durlacher at 55 kg/121 lbs. Byers is slated to face Bulgaria's Ivan Ivanov at 120 kg/264.5 lbs. Byers beat Ivanov 1-1, 3-0, 3-0 in the second round of the 2007 World Championships. Northwestern standout Jake Herbert – a 2007 NCAA champion and 2008 Olympic hopeful – also is expected to compete in an exhibition match in men's freestyle. Herbert is taking an Olympic redshirt this season and is ranked third in the U.S. in freestyle at 84 kg/185 lbs. Herbert is scheduled to face Mihail Ganev of Bulgaria. The U.S. women's freestyle team also will battle a squad from Poland in the four Olympic weight classes for women. The U.S. women's squad will feature two-time World champion Kristie Marano, Olympic and World silver medalist Sara McMann, World silver medalist Stephanie Murata and 2007 World Team member Marcie Van Dusen. 2006 World Team member Mary Kelly, who wrestled in the 2007 World Cup, also is scheduled to compete in the Chicago Cup. Kelly is an Illinois native. The women's team from Poland also includes a number of wrestlers with strong credentials. Monika Rogien is a two-time World bronze medalist at 63 kg/138.75 lbs. and Iwona Sadowska is a past World bronze medalist at 48 kg/105.5 lbs. The Poland team also includes World fifth-place finisher Anna Zwirydowska at 55 kg/121 lbs. and World University bronze medalist Agnieszka Wieszczek at 72 kg/158.5 lbs. World Sport Chicago and USA Wrestling are joining forces to put this event on for the second straight year. 2008 CHICAGO CUP ROSTER U.S. GRECO-ROMAN ROSTER 55 kg/121 lbs. – Lindsey Durlacher, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC) 60 kg/132 lbs. – Joe Betterman, Chicago, Ill. (USOEC/New York AC) 66 kg/145.5 lbs. – Harry Lester, Marquette, Mich. (Gator WC) 74 kg/163 lbs. – T.C. Dantzler, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Gator WC) 84 kg/185 lbs. – Brad Vering, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC) 96 kg/211.5 lbs. – Justin Ruiz, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC) 120 kg/264.5 lbs. – Dremiel Byers, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army) Coaches – Steve Fraser, Colorado Springs, Colo.; Momir Petkovic, Colorado Springs, Colo. BULGARIA GRECO-ROMAN ROSTER 55 kg/121 lbs. – Armen Nazarian 60 kg/132 lbs. – Venelin Venkov 66 kg/145.5 lbs. – Nikolay Gergov 74 kg/163 lbs. – Yavor Yankiev 84 kg/185 lbs. – Hristo Marinov 96 kg/211.5 lbs. – Georgi Zlatanski 120 kg/264.5 lbs. – Ivan Ivanov Coach – Stoian Stoianov U.S. WOMEN'S FREESTYLE ROSTER 48 kg/105.5 lbs. – Stephanie Murata, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids) 48 kg/105.5 lbs. – Mary Kelly, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC) 55 kg/121 lbs. – Marcie Van Dusen, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids) 63 kg/138.75 lbs. – Sara McMann, Gaffney, S.C. (Sunkist Kids) 72 kg/158.5 lbs. – Kristie Marano, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC) Coach – Terry Steiner, Colorado Springs, Colo. POLAND WOMEN'S FREESTYLE ROSTER 48 kg/105.5 lbs. – Iwona Sadowska 55 kg/121 lbs. – Anna Zwirydowska 63 kg/138.75 lbs. – Monika Rogien 72 kg/158.5 lbs. – Agnieszka Wieszczek Coach – Jan Waldemar Godlewski MEN'S FREESTYLE EXHIBITION MATCHUP 84 kg/185 lbs. – Jake Herbert (USA) vs. Mihail Ganev (Bulgaria)

The mobile Brute Adidas studios of TDR are back on the road this Friday after the incredible NWCA National Duals this past weekend. What an event. Record crowd, our new relationship with Live Sports Video and the action was terrific. Enough said. Iowa has earned their #1 Ranking. I want to thank all of our broadcast announcers, Steve Foster, J. Carl Guymon, Caleb Nimmers, Grant Turner, Maury Adams, Nick Passolano. they did a great job. The new broadcast relationship with Live Sports Video will allow us to partner and deliver to you and the wrestling world the video component we've been missing all the time. I don't agree that TV validates what we do but it adds a different dimension for sure. Full entertainment options. Distribution through web casting is the future. I'm grateful for Michael Raite, the Feldmeier Family and LSV. 01-19-08 Reg. Live show From Missouri 9:06 AM CST 01-19-08 OK. St. V. Missouri at Columbia 12:30 PM CST Ben Askren joins Steve Foster 01-20-08 Throwdown Industries- Show Rampage Jackson Fantasy Camp Live from Las Vegas (possible LSV) 9:00 AM CST 01-25-08 ISU @ Oklahoma at Norman Dual 6:00 PM CST WWE's Jim Ross Joins the Broadcast 01-27-08 Cornell U. @. Missouri Columbia Dual 12:00 PM CST Ben Askren joins Steve Foster 02-09-08 Oregon State Team and Staff in Studio 9:05 AM CST First time in our history an entire team comes in the studio 02-10-08 Oregon St. Vs. Missouri 12:00 PM CST Ben Askren joins Steve Foster Check the broadcast times for each program. Our Guests will Include: Coaches, Wrestlers, fighters and other folks who'll join us throughout each of these special days. Takedownradio.com, KXNO.com, Matchannel.com, Mat-magazine.com are our web partners. Wrestlers and MMA competitors join us each and every week. You should too! TDR is available LIVE, Archived and Pod Cast as well. Visit Takedownradio.com for more details. Thanks for listening!

PARK RIDGE, IL -- Iowa wrestler Brent Metcalf has been named Big Ten Wrestler of the Week for the first time in his career. Metcalf, who is ranked first in the nation at 149 pounds by W.I.N. Magazine and second by Amateur Wrestling News and the NWCA/Intermat/NWMA, went 4-0 last weekend at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals in Cedar Falls. He helped Iowa win its first National Duals team title since 1996. The Hawkeye sophomore was named Division I Outstanding Wrestler of the event. Metcalf pinned Cornell's Adam Frey in 6:37 and scored a 12-4 major decision over #17 Josh Wagner of Missouri on Saturday. He then defeated #7 Josh Churella of Michigan (4-2) and #6 Jordan Burroughs of Nebraska (6-2) on Sunday. A native of Davison, MI, Metcalf is 16-1 in collegiate matches and 11-1 in duals. He is on a 13-match winning streak and leads Iowa with the most team points scored in dual competition (52). Metcalf is the third Hawkeye this season to earn the weekly conference honor. Sophomore Joe Slaton was honored Dec. 12 after upsetting Nick Fanthorpe of Iowa State, 6-5, at 133 pounds. Senior Mark Perry was named the following week (Dec. 19) for pinning #3 Moza Fay of Northern Iowa in 48 seconds and Cornell College's Christan Coffey in 4:17. Top-ranked Iowa (11-1, 0-0 Big Ten) will open the 2007-08 Big Ten dual season this weekend. The Hawkeyes travel to Ohio State (13-2, 1-0 Big Ten) Friday to face the #6 Buckeyes at 6 p.m. (CT) in St. John Arena. The Big Ten Network will air a taped-delay broadcast of the dual at 8:30 p.m. The Hawkeyes will then return home to host #7 Penn State (8-2, 0-0 Big Ten) Sunday at 2 p.m. in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

GREENSBORO, NC -- The UNC Greensboro wrestling squad defeated the Virginia Military Institute Keydets, 33-12, Wednesday night at Fleming Gymnasium. Seven Spartans came away victorious with one earning a win by forfeit. UNCG began the night with two easy wins. Sophomore Mitchell Johnson (7-10, 2-1 SoCon) took the 125-pound round with a VMI forfeit. Senior Jeff Hedges (14-9, 3-0 SoCon) nabbed his fourth win in a row with an 18-2 major decision over VMI's 133-pounder, Ryan Goodsell (7-13, 0-1 SoCon). The Spartans went into the 141-pound round with an 11-point lead, but the Keydets' Tyler Anthony (13-7, 1-0 SoCon) put up three with a 7-1 decision over senior Ben Wilmore (2-8, 1-2 SoCon). In the 149-pound bout, junior Marcus Hannah (8-4, 2-1 SoCon) pushed the Spartan's lead up to 11 with an impressive 8-6 overtime victory against David Metzler (15-11, 0-1 SoCon). With less than 10 seconds left in regulation, Hannah scored a takedown to tie the match at 6-6 and send it into an extra time. Shortly after the whistle, Hannah scored another takedown for the win, 8-6. Freshman Andrew Saunders (9-9, 1-0 SoCon) recorded his third fall victory as a Spartan with a 5:40 pin over VMI's Vince Cole (3-13, 0-1 SoCon) in the 157-pound bout. The Keydets came back with a fall of their own as Jayme Gordon (7-8, 1-0 SoCon) pinned sophomore Byron Sigmon (9-9, 2-1 SoCon) in 1:14. The victory at the 165-pound bout brought the team scores to UNCG 20, VMI 9. VMI continued to breathe down the Spartans' back with a close win in the 174-pound weight class. Dustin McCabe 11-12, 1-0 SoCon) nabbed the win with a 5-2 decision over freshman Mikal McKee (9-10, 1-2 SoCon). With UNCG at a 20-12 advantage, sophomore Nick Clark (3-9, 1-2 SoCon) tallied his first major decision of the season with a 17-4 victory over the Keydets' Curtis Moore (8-10, 0-1 SoCon) in the 184-pound weight class. At 197-pounds, senior Daren Burns (23-3, 3-0 SoCon) tabbed his 95th career victory and his seventh fall of the season as he pinned VMI's Ronnie Ellsworth (3-12, 0-1 SoCon) in two minutes, 33 seconds. Junior Ryan Hsu (14-8, 3-0 SoCon) closed out the evening's matches with a 3-2 decision over Leon Barrow (7-5, 0-1 SoCon) to bring the final score to UNCG 33, VMI 12. The Spartans are now 4-4 on the season with a 2-1 conference dual record. With the loss, VMI drops its first Southern Conference dual and falls to 4-3 overall, 0-1 in the conference. UNCG continues their home stand with a UNCG/Davidson/Virginia triangular on Sunday, January 20 at Fleming Gymnasium. UNCG will take on the Wildcats at 1pm and will follow-up with a 5pm match-up against the Cavaliers. For more news on UNCG wrestling, ticket prices, a complete season schedule, and all other Spartan athletic information log onto www.UNCGSpartans.com.

Cornell College (6-7, 1-0 IIAC) defeated Simpson College (3-6, 0-3 IIAC) 26-17 in Iowa Conference wrestling action Jan. 16 in Indianola. The Rams took a 12-0 lead after Simpson forfeited at 125 and 133 pounds. Caleb Brus (Fr., Creston, Iowa, Creston H.S.) got the Storm on the board with a 10-4 victory over Mitchell Forness at 141 pounds. Curtis Barber (So., Winterset, Iowa, Winterset H.S.) made it 12-8 when he recorded a 19-2 technical fall over Alex Riniker in their 149-pound matchup. Ben Hektoen (Jr., Birmingham, Iowa, Fairfield H.S.) got the Storm to withing one when he defeated Aron Kindelsperger 11-4 at 157. Pat McAuley won the Rams' first match when he defeated Geoff Murtha (Sr., West Des Moines, Iowa, Valley H.S.) by technical fall, 16-1 at 165. Sam Thielen (Fr., Lee's Summitt, Mo., North H.S.) tied the score at 17 when he was awarded a forfeit victory at 174 pounds. Carmen Sacco used a riding time advantage of over 2:00 to defeat Jordy Ammons (Fr., Knoxville, Iowa, Knoxville H.S.) at 184 pounds. Robert Widmer won 8-3 over Garett Kiley (Sr., Eagle Grove, Iowa, Eagle Grove H.S.) in their 197-pound match. Josiah Payne defeated Caleb Shaeffer (Sr., Huxley, Iowa, Ballard H.S.) 2-0 at heavyweight to end the night.