InterMat Staff

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.

The University of Iowa's 133-pound starter Joe Slaton has gone the distance to wrestle for Tom Brands … in more ways than one. Joe SlatonThe Cedar Rapids native journeyed hundreds of miles from home to compete for Brands when he was head wrestling coach at Virginia Tech. When the head coaching job at the University of Iowa opened up at the end of the 2006 season, Tom Brands -- a three-time NCAA champ for the Hawkeyes in the early 1990s -- accepted the position. Understandably, a number of his Hokie wrestlers originally from the state of Iowa wanted to follow coach Brands back home. Joe Slaton was one of them. After months of legal wrangling and spending an entire season (2006-07) not being able to compete for the Iowa Hawkeyes, Joe Slaton has covered considerable ground. In his first official season wearing the black and gold, Joe has been ranked in the top five at 133 pounds for most of the season, having compiled a 20-2 record, claiming individual championships at the Kaufman-Brand Open and the Midlands, and winning Big Ten Wrestler of the Week honors in December. Getting started in Cedar Rapids When asked how he got started in wrestling, Joe Slaton replies, "My parents wanted me to get into an activity. I was four, going on five, and wrestling was the only thing I could get into that young." "I got involved in the Jefferson Bad Boys Club. We practiced at Jefferson High in Cedar Rapids … I started going to tournaments, then competing in AAU." "When I was 10, I joined the Hawkeye Kids wrestling program. That's when I met up with guys like (Mitch) Mueller, (Ryan) Morningstar, (Kyle) Anson … I was going to 4-5 practices a week, with tournaments once a week." Joe Slaton"My dad was pushing me to get better but I didn't get burned out." At Cedar Rapids Kennedy High School, Joe Slaton's wrestling career continued its ascent. "It was a great program," says Joe. "Brent Paulson became head coach my junior and senior year. I got to work out with Brent, Lance and Zack Paulson -- great workout partners." While in high school, Joe Slaton crafted an incredible wrestling resume. At Kennedy, he was 165-11, with 75 pins. He was a four-time Iowa state finalist, winning the state title his junior and senior years. In fact, he was undefeated his senior year (with a 43-0 record), and was named the school's Most Outstanding Athlete. He graduated having set school records for career takedowns (437), career near-falls (179), career escapes, and career wins. "I had a great experience in high school -- coaches who pushed me every day, helping me get to the next level." Joe's desire to take his mat skills even further didn't stop when the traditional high school wrestling season ended. In the summer, Joe worked out with Iowa wrestling great Mark Ironside and guys that would eventually become college teammates at Iowa, including Dan LeClere, Ryan Morningstar, and Jay Borschel. Joe Slaton's prep honors -- and reputation -- extended far beyond eastern Iowa. In 2003, he was a runner-up at the FILA Cadet Freestyle Nationals; the year before, he placed sixth. Joe was a NHSCA Senior Nationals runner-up, a 2005 USA Wrestling and Asics honorable mention All-American, and a Wrestling USA Scholastic All-American. Off to Virginia Tech Here's how Joe Slaton described his college selection process: "I went on four recruiting trips -- Iowa State, Iowa, Northern Iowa and Virginia Tech. I didn't know where I was going to school ‘til I went to Virginia Tech." "I knew Tom Brands could take me to the next level." "It was tough being more than a thousand miles from my parents," says Joe about being at Virginia Tech. "It made me tougher … the coaches took good care of us." "I made a family with my teammates Borschel, LeClere, (Brent) Metcalf, and (T.H.) Leet." When asked if there had been a pact between him and these Iowans to become Hokies, Joe replied, "We wanted to stick together but we really didn't talk about it. Each of us was looking out for ourselves." The first year at Virginia Tech, Joe Slaton and the other Iowa high school stars took a redshirt. Joe wrestled in open tournaments, with his dad making the trip to see his son in action whenever possible. Black days at Blacksburg Then seismic changes in the wrestling world emanating from Iowa reverberated across the country, shaking the Virginia Tech wrestling program to the core … arguably with the biggest impact on Joe Slaton and his native Iowa teammates. At the end of the 2006 wrestling season, it was announced that Jim Zalesky would no longer be head coach of the Iowa Hawkeyes. Joe Slaton"When the Iowa job opened up, we didn't know what would happen, but immediately thought it was possible Coach Brands would take the job," says Joe. "When he took the job, I didn't think twice. I was going with him." "Sitting in the (Virginia Tech) AD's (Athletic Director's) office on my recruiting trip, we asked if we ever got homesick or if Brands left, could we leave and he said, 'No problem,'" according to Joe. "We each had interviews with Faculty Court (at Virginia Tech) and the AD didn't remember us ever being in his office." "Right after Brands left, the Virginia Tech wrestling team had a meeting with the assistant AD and the AD. Half the team said they'd transfer out." "It went to court. I let my dad take are of things," continues Joe. "T.H. Leet's dad was a lawyer." After months of legal proceedings, in the end, it was decided that Joe Slaton and the other Hokies from Iowa could transfer out … but they had to sit out from official competition for the entire next season, per NCAA transfer rules. The Cedar Rapids native says, "It hurt us as wrestlers, but Virginia Tech didn't really gain anything, either." "I basically got another redshirt year out of it. Stayed in shape, got stronger." Back on the mats, back home in Iowa During the 2006-2007 "transfer sit-out" season, Joe Slaton competed unattached, posting an 18-4 record wrestling at 133 and 141 pounds. Among the high points of that season: winning titles at the Cleveland State, Harold Nichols and Glen Brand Opens, and placing fourth at the Kaufman-Brand and Northern Iowa Opens. Just as significant, Joe wrestled in dominating style, earning four major decisions, two technical falls, and one pin. In the first half of the 2007-2008 season -- his first official season wrestling for the University of Iowa -- Joe Slaton has compiled an impressive 20-2 record. He opened the season by winning the 133-pound title at the 2007 Kaufman-Brand Open with a powerful statement; of his five matches in the tournament, Joe won two by major decision and two by fall. In dual-meet competition so far, Joe has racked up a pin, two tech falls, and four major decisions. Arguably one of Joe's more significant victories in a dual was his 6-5 win over Nick Fanthorpe of Iowa State at Hilton Coliseum. The third-ranked Cyclone 133-pounder scored a takedown with 31 seconds left in the second period, but Joe recovered with what the Hawkeye described as "a perfect reversal." Joe held off a last-second takedown attempt and won the match based on 1:03 riding time. Joe Slaton's win on the Cyclones' home mat helped fuel the Hawkeyes' team victory over their cross-state rival. When asked in the interview for this story about the significance of Iowa topping then top-ranked Iowa State in their early December dual, Joe Slaton says, "I grew up with the rivalry. It's especially great when you can come in and take away something from the home team." In a published interview written immediately after the Iowa vs. Iowa State dual, Tom Brands said, "Someone mentioned Joe Slaton and how he was going to hold up. Joe Slaton thrives on this, as do all the newcomers. These guys have been getting ready for big matches their entire careers. We believe in them." Midlands magic … and beyond Another achievement for Joe Slaton was claiming the 133-pound crown at the 2007 Midlands, the prestigious tournament held at Northwestern University the week after Christmas. The Cedar Rapids-born sophomore won his first three matches handily, scoring major decisions over Missouri's KC Pescaglia (12-4) and Tennessee-Chattanooga's Steve Hromada (15-5) before getting a decisive 12-6 win over Pat Castillo of Northern Illinois in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, Joe Slaton shut out Jimmy Kennedy of Illinois 6-0… then, in the finals, defeated Franklin Gomez of Michigan State 6-2. Joe Slaton's individual championship was one of four for the Hawkeyes, and helped propel Iowa to the 2007 Midlands team title. As of this writing (immediately after the 2008 NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals), Joe Slaton has had only two losses this season: an 8-6 loss to top-ranked Coleman Scott of Oklahoma State in front of more than 14,000 fans at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on January 5, 2008 … and, the following weekend, losing to Mike Grey of Cornell University 10-3 at the National Duals at the UNI-Dome at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls. In its report on the Hawkeye vs. Cowboy dual, the Oklahoma State wrestling program's official press release described the Slaton vs. Scott bout as "the most intense match of the evening." Coleman Scott had built up a 7-1 lead … but Joe battled back, scoring all but one of his points in the third period. "As a kid, I grew up wanting to wrestle at Carver-Hawkeye in front of the home crowd," said Joe Slaton. "I knew it was worth it to go through everything we did … Realizing that goal of wearing the black and gold." Wrestler and coach weigh in on each other In commenting on the head coach that led him to Virginia Tech -- the coach he then followed the University of Iowa, despite having to sit out an entire season -- Joe Slaton says, "Brands works every day to take you to the next level -- to an NCAA title, to the Olympics. He's a great motivator. Whenever you're down, he picks you up." Asked about his own relentless, attacking style, Joe says, "I grew up with the Iowa mentality. I learned it directly from Mark Ironside, who was coached by (Dan) Gable and Brands." In a mid-December profile of Joe Slaton in The Daily Iowan student paper, coach Tom Brands said, "The one thing about Joe Slaton is that he's cleaned up his life a lot. I'm not saying he was off the deep end, but weight control, academics are coming around -- and you are seeing that intangibly on the mat." "Academically, he seems to get it more," Brands said in the same article. "He's never not been capable, it's just become more of a priority for him. You like to see that. One of the philosophies of the program is that getting stronger in one area makes you stronger in another area. A better student makes a better wrestler." "He's been very impressive, and we recruited him because we knew he was a gamer and because we know that he's ready when competition counts," says the second-year Iowa head coach in The Daily Iowan profile. Goal-setting What's Joe Slaton's top goal? "To be a national champ. I think that's everybody's goal. I have three years to do that." Joe Slaton"Right now I'm focused on college, but I have wrestled freestyle since freshman year in high school, and would like to get back to that down the road." As for a possible career after graduation? The Health and Sports Studies major says, "I'd think about being a coach. I've thought about it a lot. I took a coaching course and enjoyed it." A coaching career may be a few years in the future. In the meantime, wrestlers in the 133-pound weight class have to wonder whether they can go the distance with Iowa's Joe Slaton.

MASON CITY -- Third-rated freshman DaVaughn Perkins beat the top-ranked 157-pounder in the NJCAA and top-rated 149-pounder Albert White won his match with a pin, but the North Iowa Area Community College wrestling team lost a 27-12 dual meet to visiting Labette Community College of Kansas Monday night at NIACC's gymnasium. NIACC, tied for seventh in the most recent NJCAA poll, heads to Grand Rapids, MN, for a quadrangular meet at Itasca Community College on Saturday. The Trojans are 3-3 in duals this season. Labette, rated third in the NJCAA, won seven of the 10 matches, three of them by four points or less, in Monday's dual meet. Perkins, fresh off winning the Central College Open 157-pound title last Saturday, edged Labette's Joe Cornejo 2-1 in one of a handful of close matches. White dominated Aaron Hynick from the start, winning by fall in just 39 seconds. Glenn Rhees, NIACC's seventh-rated 174-pounder, used a strong third period to beat sixth-rated Joe Yust 10-4 for the Trojans' other win. Labette helped its cause with a pair of narrow wins at the lower weights. Scott Berens beat NIACC's Cody Hogan 5-3 at 133 pounds and Derek Ward edged NIACC freshman T.J. Moen 9-8 in a battle of the fourth- and fifth-rated 141-pound wrestlers in the NJCAA. The Berens-Hogan matchup was tied at 3-all midway through the third period while Ward trailed 8-7 before scoring the final two points of his match with Moen. Two other NIACC wrestlers competed well in a losing cause. At 165 pounds, Aaron Hancock battled closely with third-rated Mikey Morgan of Labette in a 12-7 match. At 197 pounds, Brad Theilen, who has only been out for the team since December, was edged 9-5 by nationally-rated Chance Rencountre of the Cardinals.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- The University of Northern Colorado's Daniel Prater has been named the Western Wrestling Conference's Wrestler of the Week as announced by league officials. Prater, a 149-pounder from Pratt, Kan., posted a perfect 6-0 record last week. He began the trip to the Northwest with a fall in 6:10 over Portland State's Alan Dickey. Against Oregon, he won a 2-0 decision over Jeremy McLaughlin to help the Bears defeat the Ducks 18-16. At the Oregon Classic, he won the 149-pound division, winning his opening bout with a pin in just 2:47 over Mike Sandoe. He then posted decisions in the quarterfinals and semifinals over wrestlers from Simon Fraser before winning by major decision in the finals, 13-2 over Norman Richmond. Prater is now 15-8 on the season and 3-4 in dual action. The Western Wrestling Conference is comprised of seven schools including the Air Force Academy, North Dakota State, Northern Colorado, Northern Iowa, South Dakota State, Utah Valley State and Wyoming. Others nominated: Air Force: Anthony Stegeman North Dakota State - Eric Sanders UNI - Dustin Bauman Utah Valley State - Ben Kjar

This week's edition of "On the Mat" will feature Mark Manning and Jim Makovsky. "On the Mat" is a weekly wrestling radio program that airs every Wednesday night. This week's broadcast can be heard live from 6-7 p.m. Central Standard Time. The Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum in Waterloo, Iowa, hosts the show. Manning is the current head wrestling coach at the University of Nebraska. This past weekend, the unseeded Cornhuskers placed second at the NWCA National Duals. It was only the second time in the history of the event that an unseeded team reached the finals of this event. Prior to his tenure at Nebraska, Manning was the head coach at Northern Iowa from 1997 to 2000. Makovsky is in his 15th season as the head wrestling coach at Minnesota State University. His Maverick squad won the Division II portion of the NWCA National Duals with a dramatic win over Nebraska-Omaha in the finals. "On the Mat" can be heard live on the Internet at www.kcnzam.com or locally in Northeast Iowa on 1650, The Fan. Feel free to e-mail radio@wrestlingmuseum.org with questions or comments about the show.

LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ -- Hofstra sophomore wrestler Lou Ruggirello, who posted a 3-0 record at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals last Saturday, has been named the Colonial Athletic Association Wrestler of the Week for all competition between January 8 and 14. Ruggirello, a native of Walden, New York, was perfect in three dual matches at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The eighth-ranked wrestler in the country at 133 pounds in the most recent Intermat/NWMA poll, Ruggirello recorded a win by fall in 1:32 over fourth-ranked Nick Fanthorpe from Iowa State that led the Pride to a 19-18 victory over the Cyclones in the first round of the National Duals. He also defeated unranked Chris Diehl from Michigan, 8-0, and downed #14 Reece Humphrey from Ohio State, 7-4. The Valley Central High School graduate has now won six consecutive matches to boost his record to 22-4 on the season including an 11-0 mark in dual matches. Ruggirello shares the CAA Wrestler of the Week honor with Ryan Hluschak from Drexel, who also posted a 3-0 record last weekend at the Virginia Duals. Dan Rivera, a freshman 157-pounder from Old Dominion, was named the CAA Rookie of the Week. He went 5-1 last week, with his only loss coming against Mike Poeta from Illinois, the top-ranked wrestler in the country, 14-6. Rivera led ODU to a third place finish at the Virginia Duals.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) announced today that an independent arbitrator from the American Arbitration Association (AAA)/North American Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has ruled that Joe Warren of Colorado Springs, an athlete in the sport of Greco-Roman wrestling, committed a second anti-doping rule violation. Warren received a two-year suspension. Warren, 31, tested positive for metabolites of cannabis or tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) at the Senior World Team Trials on June 10, 2007. Cannabinoids are listed as "specified substances" and are prohibited under the USADA Protocol and the rules of the Federation Internationale des Luttes Associees (FILA), both of which have adopted the World Anti-Doping Code and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited List. Cannabinoids are listed as "specified substances" because they are less likely to be abused as doping agents. Joe Warren (Photo/John Sachs)Warren's two-year period of ineligibility begins July 23, 2007, the date of his acceptance of a provisional suspension. As a result of the doping violation, Warren has been disqualified from his event results at the Senior World Team Trials, including his first-place finish in the Seniors 60 kg division. USA Wrestling, the governing body for the sport in the United States, will carry out the sanction. The AAA/CAS decision can be found on USADA's Web site HERE. USADA is responsible for the testing and results management process for athletes in the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Movement. USADA is equally dedicated to preserving the integrity of sport through research initiatives and educational programs.

Fullerton, Calif. -- Heavyweight Wade Sauer and 141-pounder Teddy Astorga registered pins Sunday afternoon to lead Cal State Fullerton to a 26-18 Pac-10 wrestling victory over Arizona State. The Titans improved to 7-5 overall and 5-1 in Pac-10 duals with their first home win ever over ASU while the Sun Devils lost their third consecutive Pac-10 match to fall to 2-3 and 8-3 overall. Fullerton got major decisions from Morgan Atkinson at 149 pounds and Devin Velasquez at 157 as well as decisions from Todd Noel at 174 and Ian Murphy at 184. ASU got a pin at 125 from Anthony Robles and a major decision from Todd Schavrien at 133. Thor Moen picked up ASU's final 6 points when Fullerton's John Drake defaulted in the final seconds of the 197-pound bout while losing, 1-0. The most entertaining bouts came at 165 and 184. In the former, ASU's Pat Pitsch dominated the first period and nearly pinned Teddy Bristol. But the Titans' freshman fought back to within 6-3 in the second period before Pitsch, the Pac-10's top-ranked 165-pounder, regained control and won, 9-3. At 184, Murphy was losing to Brent Chriswell, 4-3, with about 20 seconds remaining. Murphy escaped and then scored a takedown with 15 seconds left and Chriswell could manage only an escape in a 6-5 loss. ASU is idle until Jan. 25 when it hosts Oregon State. Fullerton is off until the Jan. 26 San Francisco State Open.

The Lindenwood wrestling team repeated as NAIA National Dual Champions on Sunday. The first-ranked Lions defeated seventh-ranked Dickinson State by a 26-15 score in the semifinals, and then edged second-ranked Great Falls by a 19-18 margin in the championship match. The Lions lightweights led the team to their third all-time dual title. In Sunday's matches, Lindenwood won the first four weight classes to jump out to a big lead, and then it held on late for the wins. Against Dickinson State, Ryan Moyer pinned his opponent at 149 pounds to open up an 18-0 lead. Other wins in that span came from Richey Zuniga, Ray Stephens and John Lloyd. Matt Cauley added a major decision at 165 pounds and Lance Shunia iced the match with a major decision at the heavyweight position. In the championship match, both Lindenwood and Great Falls won five matches, including one by a pin. The difference was a major decision that Cauley earned by one point. The Lions pin came from Stephens, and the other decision wins were from Zuniga, Lloyd and Moyer. Zuniga, Stephens, Moyer and Cauley all finished the tournament with 4-0 records. Cauley was especially dominant with two technical fall victories and two major decisions wins. Moyer had two pins, and Zuniga and Stephens each had one pin on the weekend. Lindenwood hopes the national dual championship foreshadows another repeat title in March. The previous two times the Lions won the duals title, they also won the NAIA National Championship.

CEDAR FALLS -- The setting was the same, but the participants changed to some extent in the Sunday, Jan. 13 championship round of the NWCA/Cliff Keen Division III National Duals. Top-ranked Wartburg, competing in front of a large crowd inside the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls for the third straight year of the tournament, earned its seventh straight visit to the finals of the tournament after a 35-3 win over No. 4-ranked Delaware Valley College of Pennsylvania. However, a seventh consecutive showdown with perennial rival Augsburg College of Minneapolis, Minn., for the title was washed away after third-ranked UW-La Crosse stopped the Auggies 22-12 in the other semifinal. Head coach Jim Miller's program recorded its fourth Division III National Duals title in seven years with a 25-8 win over the Eagles. "Any time you win a national championship of any kind, it's a special deal," he said. "We needed to have this kind of weekend. You never want to take a step back at this time of the year. "While the dual scores were impressive, we weren't perfect," he added. "Every guy who wrestled this weekend has something they need to work on. It will just continue to get tougher from here on out. We expect that." The lower weights got the championship match started on the right foot. Senior Robert Struthers of Emmetsburg, senior 133-pounder Jacob Helvey of Mitchellville, junior 141-pounder Zach McKray of Iowa City, junior 149-pounder Jacob Naig of Emmetsburg, and junior 157-pounder Aaron Wernimont of Pocahontas each recorded decisions for a 15-0 lead. UW-La Crosse rallied back within 15-8 after top-ranked 165-pounder Tim Palmer and top-ranked 174-pounder Josh Chelf reeled off successive major decisions. Wartburg, upping its record to 14-0 and running its consecutive dual win streak to 22, rebounded with a decision from junior 184-pounder Romeo Djoumessi of Waverly, a major decision from senior 197-pounder T.J. Miller of Cedar Falls, and a decision from senior heavyweight Brian Borchers of Holstein. Sunday's competition opened with much of the same results for the Orange and Black. The Knights dropped the opening match against fourth-ranked Delaware Valley but roared back with four bonus-point wins, including falls from sophomore 174-pounder Dustin Jaeger of Manchester and Borchers. Saturday Wartburg blanked the opposition on day one of the 2008 NWCA/Cliff Keen Division III National Duals Jan. 12. The Knights, behind six pins, upended UW-Oshkosh 52-0 in the opening round and came right back with a resounding 47-0 win over Olivet College of Michigan in the quarterfinals. Head coach Jim Miller's team added four falls against the Comets. Wartburg resumes its IIAC dual schedule Thursday, Jan. 17, with a 7 p.m. dual at Central College in Pella. The Knights return to Levick Arena in the Wartburg-Waverly Sports and Wellness Center for a 7 p.m. start against perennial league rival Luther Saturday, Jan. 19.

Cedar Falls, Iowa --- The fourth-ranked Minnesota State wrestling squad defeated North Central Conference rival Nebraska-Omaha in the finals of the NWCA National duals Sunday, 19-17, to claim the NWCA National Duals Championships. The Mavericks defeated two of the nation's top-four teams en route to the title. In the championship match, MSU won the first three weight classes and jumped out to a 13-0 lead as sixth-ranked Nick Smith (Yankton, S.D.)won by a 9-3 decision over Matt Rein at 125-pounds, John Putman (Oak Lawn, Ill.) pulled at 10-2 major decision win over Mario Morgan and seventh-ranked Travis Elg (Mountain Lake, Minn.) upset fifth-ranked Yasjim Bribieseca with a pin at the 4:04 mark. Nebraska-Omaha, ranked second nationally, mounted a comeback by winning five of six matches between 149 and 197 pounds and held a 17-16 lead going into the final match between heavyweights second-ranked Brady Wilson (Faribault, Minn.) and seventh-ranked Tony Lewis. The match was forced into a overtime period as the two battled to a 1-1 tie at the end of regulation. Wilson earned a takedown in the overtime period to propel the MSU the championship. In the championship semifinals, MSU jumped out early against the top-ranked team in the nation as Nick Smith gave the Mavericks a 6-0 lead with an early pin over Mike Abril in the first period at the 1:59 mark. Nebraska-Kearney answered back with nine straight points to grab the a 9-6 lead but freshman 149-pounder Tommy Abbott (Wilmington, Del.) answered back with a decision win over eighth-ranked Ryan Etherton to tie the match at 9-9 going into two key matchups between ranked opponents. At 157-pounds, the Mavericks top-ranked senior Jason Rhoten grabbed the lead back for the Mavericks which they would not relinquish as he defeated second-ranked Joe Ellenberger, 4-3. At 165 pounds second-ranked Andy Pickar added to the lead with a hard-earned 2-1 decision win over fourth-ranked Taylor May. The Mavericks would hold on for a 25-15 win to move to the finals. In the second round, the Mavericks were able to defeat #6 Pittsburgh-Johnstown, 24-13, with two wins in the match were Maverick wrestlers were able to win matches over higher-ranked opponents. At 125-pounds sixth-ranked Nick Smith (Yankton, S.D.) was able to defeat third-ranked Derrick Bosso by a major decision and seventh-ranked Travis Elg (Mountain Lake, Minn.) won by decision over sixth-ranked Shane Valko. In the opening round the Mavericks squared up against #12 Chadron State and were able to win eight of ten matches on the way to a 34-9 win. Only loses came in the 197-pound match as top-ranked Josh Majerus was able to pin Tom Block and Willy Jones was able to upset third-ranked Tim Matheson, 9-2. Minnesota State (10-0-1)returns to action Friday when it hosts the University of Mary at 7 p.m.