InterMat Staff

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- The Big Red won its fourth Ivy match of the season, when it defeated Harvard, 34-9, on Friday evening. Cornell will look to win its fifth-straight Ivy title outright tomorrow afternoon when it faces Brown in Providence, R.I. The Big Red won seven of the night's contests, with Nick Bridge, Joey Hooker, and Zach Hammond winning by pin. The match started at 133 pounds where Bridge faced the Crimson's Simon Orozco. Bridge put Cornell up 6-0 after the first match by pinning his opponent. Freshman Corey Manson faced off against Max Meltzer at 141 pounds. Manson lost a 4-3 decision to the No. 16 ranked wrestler taking the team score to 6-3 in favor of the Big Red. No. 4 ranked Jordan Leen met No. 6 J.P. O'Connor at 149 pounds. Leen took a 5-3 decision. At 157, Drake Hovis lost a 6-4 decision to the Crimson's Bobby Latessa. Steve Anceravage, who is ranked No. 11 at 165 pounds, faced Frankie Colletta. The two wrestlers were tied after seven minutes of regulation time. Anceravage won a 6-4 decision in overtime. Hooker climbed his way back into the national rankings this week after defeating No. 10 Matt Harrington last weekend in the Big Red's win over Penn. Ranked No. 18, Hooker grabbed another six points for the Big Red when he pinned Harvard's Fred Rowsey in the second period putting Cornell ahead, 18-6. Senior Luke Hogle faced No. 15 Louis Caputo at 184 pounds. Caputo won Harvard's last bout of the match by a 6-1 decision. At 197 pounds, No. 3 Jerry Rinaldi won by technical fall, 17-1, in the third period over Jon Butler. Hammond pinned Andrew Knapp in the second period of his heavyweight match. In the last contest of the night at 125 pounds, the Big Red's Mike Rodriguez won by tech fall, 22-5, over Ryan Fitzgerald. Cornell wrestles Brown Saturday afternoon at 12 p.m. and will also face Delaware State later in the day.

The 19th-ranked Nebraska wrestling team won five of the first six matches and never looked back on its way to a 27-15 win over No. 23 Lehigh Friday in Bethlehem, Pa. The win clinches at least a .500 season, the fifth straight for Nebraska and the 17th in the last 18 years. After a fall at 133 pounds gave NU a six-point deficit, Nebraska reeled off five straight wins, starting with Dominick Moyer's 9-2 victory at 141 pounds over Matt Ciasulli in the night's only match featuring a pair of ranked wrestlers. Moyer has stepped up to the challenge of facing ranked opposition of late, winning four of his last five matches against ranked foes. At 149 pounds, Jordan Burroughs put the Huskers in front with a 19-3 win by technical fall over Jeff Santo. The technical fall was just the fifth for Nebraska in dual competition this year and the first since the Nebraska Duals on Dec. 16. Chris Oliver continued his recent strong wrestling with a 15-5 major decision triumph over Dave Nakasone at 157 pounds. Oliver has won three matches in row, including a pair against ranked opponents. Stephen Dwyer followed at 165 pounds with a 5-1 win over Manuel Schubert. Marc Harwood continued the run at 174 pounds, defeating Dave Helfrich, 7-4. Harwood clinched the dual with a three-point near fall late in the third period to break a 4-4 tie. The win by Harwood gave Nebraska an 18-6 lead with four matches remaining. After a setback at 184 pounds, Craig Brester clinched the dual for Nebraska with his pin of Matt Cassidy 1:10 into their match at 197 pounds. The pin gave the Huskers a 24-10 lead with just two matches to go. With the dual decided, a loss by technical fall at heavyweight cut Nebraska's lead to 24-15 with one match left, before Paul Donahoe finished the dual with a thrilling 10-8 win over Matt Fisk at 125 pounds. With the dual tied 8-8 late in the third period, Donahoe scored the decisive takedown to clinch the triumph. Nebraska (9-7) closes its regular season tomorrow with a pair of duals in Philadelphia. The Huskers take on Drexel at 11 a.m. before moving on to face No. 20 Penn at 1 p.m. With one win tomorrow, Nebraska can clinch double-digit dual victories for the fifth straight season and the 18th time in the last 19 years.

LANCASTER, Pa. -- A seven hour bus ride didn't slow down Binghamton's wrestling team as it took a 24-15 win at Franklin & Marshall Friday evening. The late arrival did bump the start time back, and resulted in matches being wrestled in a non-linear fashion with the 141, 171, and 184-pound bouts closing the meet. Stacked in correct order, the Bearcats (10-9) won five bouts in the middle of the lineup, one by way of forfeit. The Diplomats (7-7) were winners in five of the nine contested bouts, but three decisive Binghamton victories, including a pair by brothers Nate and Josh Patterson, conspired with the forfeit to leave F&M on the wrong side of the scoreboard. The Bearcats' Kyle Fried (11-6) rolled to a 14-2 major decision to give Binghamton it's first points of the night. Nate Patterson (14-5) followed that with a second period pin of Andrew Smith (9-10) to make it 10-6 in favor of the guests. It was Patterson's eighth win by fall this season. His brother, Josh (16-3), added a 20-3, third period technical fall at 174, winning 20-3 over James Schulz (4-5) Sam Sirota (9-9) continued Binghamton's run on the scoreboard in the most intriguing bout of the night, an 8-6 sudden victory over Justin Herbert (5-7) at 165. Herbert trailed 4-3 after two periods, but an escape and takedown in the last minute gave him a 6-4 lead. Sirota reversed control with 40 ticks, and managed a takedown early in the overtime period. The night started with a pair of decisions for the Diplomats with Jake Bucha (10-4) using five takedowns at 125 for a 10-3 decision. Austin Reed (8-2) followed that performance by building a 4-1 lead through two periods. He hung on for an 8-5 decision. Al Gianforti, Shawn Logue and Nico Somers each picked up decisions for the Diplomats. Somers improved to a team best 18-3. Logue is now 8-4 at 197, and Ginaforti 17-7 at 141. The loss drops F&M to .500 at 7-7. Binghamton climbed back above .500 at 10-9. Franklin & Marshall closes out the dual meet portion of its schedule next Friday night at Millersville.

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Behind pins by Jake Herbert (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny), Ryan Lang (North Royalton, Ohio/St. Edward) and Dustin Fox (Galion, Ohio/Galion), the 14th-ranked Wildcats cruised past the Purdue Boilermakers Friday night, 31-13. Lang and Herbert remain undefeated heading into Sunday's match against Michigan -- the last of the dual season. The win improves the Wildcats to 12-8 overall, 2-5 in the Big Ten. The loss drops Purdue to 10-8 overall, 0-8 in conference. Greg Hagel (Linwood, N.J./Blair Academy) started the dual against Justin Fraga at 165 lbs. and surrendered three takedowns in the first period, but notched two escapes and trailed 6-2 heading into the second. Hagel closed to 6-3 with an escape early in the second and went into the third facing a three-point deficit. Fraga scored an escape in the third and eased to a 7-3 decision to give the Boilermakers a 3-0 lead. NU would notch 31-straight points starting with Nick Hayes (Council Bluffs, Iowa/Lewis Central) at 174 lbs. Hayes took on Jason Martin at 174 lbs. and after the Boilermaker picked up and early point, Hayes came back with a two-point takedown to make the 2-1. Martin scored a takedown, but a swift escape by Hayes made the score 3-3 heading into the second period. The junior faced a 7-5 deficit heading into the third period and Martin escaped early to pull ahead 8-5. A two-point takedown by Hayes made the score 8-7. The Boilermaker escaped, but Hayes quickly took him back down to tie the score at 9-9. A Martin escape put him ahead, 10-9, but Hayes came right back with another takedown and took an 11-10 lead. Hayes rode Martin for the rest of the match and took a 12-10 decision to tie the team score at 3-3. Herbert, the nation's top-ranked 184-pounder, needed 15 seconds to score his first points on Nick Skinner at 184 lbs. with a takedown in the first. Skinner escaped twice, but Herbert scored two more takedowns to take a 6-2 lead. The junior gave up another escape to go neutral with Skinner and then swiftly notched his fourth takedown of the first period. Herbert's fifth takedown in the first gave him a 10-4 lead heading into the second. A reversal by Herbert gave him a 12-4 lead in the opening seconds of the second period and he used another takedown to extend his lead to 14-5. Herbert finally ended the match with a pin in the closing seconds of the period for six team points to give NU the 9-3 advantage. The fall was Herbert's team-leading ninth of the season. Seventh-ranked Mike Tamillow (Oak Park, Ill./Fenwick) returned after missing the Indiana dual to face 14th-ranked Nathan Moore at 197 lbs and notched a quick two-point takedown in the first. He rode Moore for the rest of the frame and maintained a 2-0 lead going into the second period. The junior escaped early and added another takedown late in the second to take a 5-0 lead going to the third. Tamillow rode another takedown and riding time to an 8-0 major decision to extend Northwestern's overall lead to 13-3. Tamillow improved his season mark to 29-3. Fox, the nation's fourth-ranked heavyweight, came next against David Pisarcik and quickly got on the board with a two-point takedown. Fox notched a total of four takedowns in the first to take an 8-3 lead heading into the second stanza. Fox finally pinned Pisarcik with 35 seconds left in the second to give NU a 19-3 lead heading back down to the lower weights. The pin was only Fox's second of the season. Brandon Precin (Orland, Park, Ill./Carl Sandburg), ranked 18th, took on Brandon Tucker at 125 lbs. and the two battled to a scoreless first period. The freshman registered an escape early in the second to take a 1-0 lead and rode Tucker for the entire third period to capture the 2-0 decision. The win was Precin's 29th of the season. Eric Metzler (Luxemburg, Wis./Luxemburg-Casco) took to the mat next at 133 lbs. against Purdue's Sean Schmaltz. The Boilermaker quickly went up 2-0 with a two-point takedown. Metzler escaped to close to 2-1 midway through the opening stanza. No more points were scored in the period. The Wildcat started down in the second and quickly escaped to tie the score at 2-2 and he broke through with a takedown in the closing seconds of the frame to lead 4-2 heading into the third. Schmaltz closed to 4-3 with an escape midway through the final period, but he could not get closer as Metzler took his second win in a Big Ten dual with a 4-3 decision. NU led 25-3 heading into the final three matches. Lang, ranked No. 1 at 141 lbs., battled Nick Bertucci at in only his second match back from injury. He scored an early takedown and near-fall to take a 5-0 lead less than halfway through the opening frame and maintained the five-point advantage heading to the second. Lang escaped to start the second to extend his lead to 6-0 and used a takedown to make the score 8-0 going to the third. After multiple takedowns in the third, Lang scored NU's third pin of the dual to make the overall score 31-3. Marty Gould (Lincolnwood, Ill./Niles West) was pinned by ninth-ranked Jake Patacsill at 149 lbs. and Dominic Marella (Roselle, Ill./Conant) fell to Jake Murphy at 157 lbs. to close out the match with NU coming out on top, 31-13. The 'Cats host Michigan in their dual finale at 7 p.m. Sunday evening at Welsh-Ryan Arena.

The top-ranked University of Minnesota wrestling team (19-1, 7-0) wrapped up the Big Ten regular season crown with a convincing 28-12 victory over Wisconsin on Friday night in Madison. The Golden Gophers won seven of 10 matches on the nigh to remain unbeaten in conference action and extend their winning streak to 19 consecutive matches overall. Top-ranked heavyweight Cole Konrad and No. 4 Jayson Ness both picked up pins to lead the Gophers to victory. With his win, Konrad extended his winning streak to 66 consecutive matches and moved within four of the school record for pins in a career. Ness earned bonus points for the 10th time during his current 14-match winning streak. Roger Kish improved to 28-1 on the season by scoring a career-high 24 points to earn a tech fall at 184 pounds, and second-ranked Manuel Rivera remained unbeaten at 34-0 with a come-from-behind victory at 141. In the marquee match of the night at 157 pounds, sixth-ranked C.P. Schlatter fell to No. 5 Craig Henning after three controversial stall warning penalties in the third period. The dual meet started at 174 pounds, where No. 14 Gabriel Dretsch defeated Matt Maciag, 4-1. Dretsch scored a takedown midway through the first period, which was all he would need to get the decision. Dretsch got a quick escape after starting down in the second and rode Maciag out in the third to get the bonus point for riding time. Kish followed with a dominating performance over Justin Peterson at 184, earning a four-point tech fall with a 24-9 victory. Kish went after Peterson from the opening whistle, scoring five takedowns in the first period to build a 10-4 lead. Much of the same followed, as Kish continually took Peterson down and allowed him to escape as he went after bonus points. With the bonus point for riding time, Kish earned the tech fall with the 15-point advantage, but he did not get the back points necessary to put five team points on the board for the Gophers. Wisconsin cut Minnesota's lead to 7-3 with a decision at 197, as No. 13 Dallas Herbst defeated Yura Malamura, 9-2. Malamura wrestled a tough match, but Herbst was able to take him down to his back as the first period came to a close to take a 4-0 lead. Leading 4-1 entering the third, Herbst went in search of bonus points in the final stanza, but Malamura was able to hold him off to keep the damage to a minimum. Back-to-back pins by Konrad and Ness gave the Gophers a commanding 19-3 lead. In his match against Wisconsin redshirt freshman Jordan Hein, Konrad nearly got the pin early in the first period when he rolled Hein over with a high arm bar, but the Badger wrestler was able to scramble out of it. It only delayed the inevitable, however, as Konrad later used the same move to put Hein on his back and get the fall at 1:41. Following intermission, Ness scored an early takedown just 10 seconds into his match against Drew Hammen and rode him the remainder of the period. After starting down in the second, Ness got a quick reversal and then used his signature high half series to roll Hammen to his back and get the pin at 3:47. No. 9 Mack Reiter put Minnesota up 22-3 with a convincing 9-3 decision over No. 14 Zach Tannelli at 133. Reiter avoided danger in the first period when Tannelli attempted a quick shot after a restart and countered by scoring the first takedown of the match moments later. Reiter built his lead with three back points in the second period and a takedown midway through the third, adding the bonus point for riding time. At 141, Rivera faced a 3-0 deficit early in the second period against No. 15 Kyle Ruschell but cut the deficit to 3-2 before the start of the third. From there, Rivera wore Ruschell down and scored three takedowns in an entertaining final period to earn the 8-6 decision. Minnesota forfeited at 149 pounds, setting up the most anticipated match-up of the night between Schlatter and Henning. The outcome was taken out of the wrestlers hands, however, as Schlatter was called for three controversial stall warnings in the final period. Facing a 1-0 deficit heading into the third, Henning was awarded a point after Schlatter's second stall warning of the match early in the period. Schlatter responded to tie the score at two apiece with a takedown with a minute remaining but was called for stalling two more times after dropping to Henning's ankle on two proceeding restarts, giving Henning the 5-3 decision. In the final match of the night, Tyler Safratowich remained unbeaten in Big Ten dual meets with his fifth straight win since earning the starting spot at 165. Saftratowich countered a shot by Wisconsin's Jake Donar to get a takedown and three-point near fall near the end of the first period to take a 5-0 lead, which proved to be the difference in his 6-3 decision, which made the final score in the dual 28-12. Minnesota will look to wrap up Head Coach J Robinson's fifth 20-win season and his fourth unbeaten Big Ten dual meet record when they travel to Iowa City on Sunday to face the 10th-ranked Hawkeyes at 6 p.m. Live results will be available on Gophersports.com via Hawkeyesports.com.

BLOOMSBURG -- Dennis Bermudez's (Saugerties, NY/Saugerties) sudden overtime victory against ninth-ranked Seth Martin propelled the Bloomsburg University wrestling team to a 24-9 win over Lock Haven in Friday night Eastern Wrestling League (EWL) action at the Nelson Field House. The win came on Senior Night for the Huskies. In a rematch of the 125-pound Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Championship bout, #10 Mike Sees (Northumberland/Shikellamy) fell to #12 Obeson Blanc of Lock Haven. Sees fell behind 5-0 on a takedown and a nearfall in the closing seconds of first period and only managed two escape points over the remaining periods to fall 8-2. With the win, Lock Haven jumped out to a 3-0 team lead. At 133 pounds, Bloomsburg tied the match 3-3 with a 5-2 win from Ricky Donald (Millville/Bloomsburg) over Lock Haven's Nick Hyatt. With the match tied 2-2 after the first period, Donald recorded a takedown to gain a 4-2 advantage in the second and added a point from riding time to take the match 5-2. The Huskies took their first lead of the night in the 141-pound match when Darren Kern (Pennsburg/Upper Perkioman) defeated Lock Haven's Zach Kell. After jumping out to a 5-0 lead on a takedown and a nearfall in the first period, Kern held on for a 6-4 win. At 149 pounds, Matt Moley (Phoenixville/Spring-Ford) earned a 7-0 decision over Lock Haven's Donnie Ament. Moley took a 2-0 lead in the first period on a takedown. In the second, he extended his lead to 6-0 and then finished the match with a point from riding time to take the match 7-0 and give Bloomsburg a 9-3 lead. In the most exciting match of the night, Bermudez upset the ninth-ranked Martin to earn a 9-7 sudden overtime victory at 157 pounds. Martin scored first in the match on a takedown but Bermudez countered with a takedown of his own to tie the match 2-2. Later in the first, Martin added an escape and a takedown to push his lead to 5-2 but Bermudez recorded an escape in the closing seconds of the period to bring the score to 5-3. Each wrestler added two points in the second to set the score to 7-5. In the third period, Bermudez scored on an escape and added a point from riding time to send the match into overtime where he won on a takedown. In the 165-pound match, Ricky Schmelyun (New Oxford/Bermudian Springs) fell to the Bald Eagles' Landis Wright by a score of 8-4. Schmelyun took a 4-2 lead in the first period, but Wright scored on two takedowns in the second to gain the 6-4 advantage. Wright added another takedown in the third period to win the bout and close the Bloomsburg lead to 12-6. At 174 pounds, Andrew Jordan (Newark, DE/St. Marks) defeated Michael Metzger of Lock Haven to extend the Bloomsburg lead to 15-6. Jordan took a 5-1 lead in the first period and held on to earn a 9-6 victory. Nate Shirk (Middleburg/Middleburg) recorded a 7-4 win over Tom Kocher of Lock Haven at 184 pounds to push the Bloomsburg lead to 18-6. Shirk held a 2-1 advantage after the first period and then extended his lead to 5-2 in the second. In the third, Kocher pulled to within one point (5-4) on an escape and a stall point before Shirk closed out the period with a takedown to earn the 7-4 decision. At 197 pounds, Lock Haven's Jeremie Cook came back from a 5-0 first period deficit to earn a 9-7 sudden overtime win over P.J. DiStefano (Whitehall/Whitehall-Coplay). Cook started his comeback in the second, closing the score to 6-2 before tying it up 7-7 in the third and earning the 9-7 win in overtime. The Lock Haven victory cut the Bloomsburg lead to 18-9. In the final match of the night, 11th ranked heavyweight Mike Spaid (Perkiomenville/Boyertown) pinned Ben Hepburn of Lock Haven 1:38 into the bout. The pin was the 13th of the year for Spaid and it gave the Huskies a 24-9 win over the Bald Eagles. With the loss, Lock Haven drops to 7-6, 1-4 EWL while the Huskies improved to 11-9 on the year, 4-2 in the EWL. Bloomsburg will be back in action on Sunday at 1:00 when the Huskies travel to East Stroudsburg for their last dual match of the season.

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- The Indiana wrestling team scored its third straight victory with a 23-15 triumph over Big Ten foe Michigan State on Friday, Feb. 16. In the most anticipated matchup of the night, No. 9 Angel Escobedo scored a late comeback to score an 11-7 victory over No. 7 Franklin Gomez at 125 pounds. The Hoosiers are now 13-4 with a 4-3 record in the Big Ten, clinching their second season of .500 or better in the conference in the last three years. MSU moved to 3-9 (2-5) on the season. IU won six of the 10 individual matchups on the night. The match started at 197 pounds, and true freshman Nathan Everhart held a late 2-0 lead, but MSU's Nick Palmieri picked up a point on stalling, then added a takedown in the final 10 seconds to take a 3-2 victory and earn the Spartans three points. Josh Buuck followed by posting a major decision over MSU's Alan O'Donnell with a 13-3 victory. Buuck allowed only three escapes to his opponent in posting three takedowns. The Hoosiers entered the most anticipated match of the night up 4-3, as Escobedo squared off with Gomez at 125. Gomez scored a takedown in the final seconds of the first period to go up 2-0. Escobedo started on top in the second, but Gomez scored a reversal 30 seconds in. Escobedo scored an escape of his own, but Gomez escaped to enter the third up 5-2. Then in the third, Escobedo started down and scored a reversal and a two-point near fall. After Gomez scored a reversal of his own to go up 7-6, Escobedo posted a reversal and a three-point near fall in the final 10 seconds to notch an 11-7 victory for the Hoosiers. At 133, No. 20 Andrae Hernandez squared off with Clint Frutiger, who started in place of top-ranked Nick Simmons. Hernandez notched a 16-1 technical fall using three near falls to put the Hoosiers up 12-3. Simmons moved up to 141 in place of his injured brother, Andy, and earned the Spartans six points after Scott Kelly was disqualified for stalling to make the score 12-9 heading into the break. At 149, Matt Coughlin scored a 3-1 victory over Tim Hammer with a third-period takedown to push the Hoosier edge to six points. Brandon Becker followed by jumping out to a 5-0 lead in the first period and never looking back in a 10-1 major decision to make the score 19-9 heading into the 165-pound match. Max Dean clinched the victory for the Hoosiers with a major decision over Rocky Cozart at 165. Dean scored a third-period near fall to clinch the major. Following the match, Michigan State was penalized one point for unsportsmanlike conduct, making the score 23-8. At 174, John Murphy handed Trevor Perry his first Big Ten loss with an 8-4 decision. Perry scored the first points of the match with a first-period takedown, but Murphy escaped and scored a takedown of his own, then rode Perry for all of the second to put himself in position for the victory. Perry is now 6-1 in conference action on the year. At 184, Nick Avery wrestled in place of No. 11 Marc Bennett for his first career Big Ten action. No. 10 Joe Williams scored the victory for the Spartans, knocking off the true freshman with an 18-6 major decision to make the final score 23-15 in favor of the visitors. Indiana returns to action on Sunday, Feb. 18, at No. 7 Wisconsin at 2 p.m. in Madison, Wis. It will be the final dual meet for the season for the Hoosiers, who are seeking their best Big Ten record in 11 years.

Darren Cotton will tell you that back in high school he could have been described as "some weird wrestler guy." That is not the case anymore. Nowadays, Cotton is one of the most recognized faces on the William Penn campus with his southern charm and outgoing personality. Darren CottonCotton is a senior majoring in communications with an emphasis in public relations and a minor in business management. At Penn, he is involved in University Fishing Organization (UFO), Delta Beta Phi fraternity, InterVarsity, wrestling, intramurals and the Communications Club. He was recruited by Head Wrestling Coach Gary Garvis to come to Penn on a wrestling scholarship and has proven his weight in gold as a letterwinner holding the school records for career wins at 118 and season wins at 41. Cotton has also been named as an All-American three times and won the NAIA Champions of Character in 2006. Cotton's many accomplishments are something he can be proud of for a long time and he credits Garvis for the opportunities he has had here. "A lot came from my first conversation with Garvis and if I had known back then what I would accomplish, I probably would have been too scared to accomplish it," Cotton said. Garvis can tell many stories about the fine examples of leadership Cotton has demonstrated across the country, including the NAIA 2005 national finals where after losing a match in front of thousands of people, Cotton helped raise the victor's arm. "Cotton has been a great ambassador for William Penn throughout the nation. He is known and respected from coast to coast," Garvis said. "Coaches and leaders from universities throughout the country have made positive comments about him, and as a result, about Penn." His leadership is not just in athletics. Cotton is also known for his spiritual leadership. He has been invited to pray at several NAIA tournaments and events, and is involved with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship on campus. His close relationship with God developed during his senior year of high school, which led him to a realization of his purpose in the world. "I know where God wants to lead me," Cotton said. "My theory is if God put me there, no one can remove me." While he hopes to continue in roles of leadership, it has not always been easy for Cotton. A learning disability has caused him some struggle in pursuing his education, but it is something he has worked hard to overcome through reading. Specifically, reading spiritual and inspirational books. Cotton holds a great amount of respect for Dr. Lonny Wilson, business administration division chair, who has played an influential role in Cotton's education. "Dr. Wilson's class was awesome," Cotton said. "His teaching helped me build a foundation in my life. I have a lot of respect for him." Dr. Wilson describes Cotton as an outgoing, pleasant young man and appreciated Cotton's contributions in his class. "He was determined to succeed, even in a challenging environment," Dr. Wilson said. "His participation in class was thoughtful and well-grounded in ethical consideration. He also displayed natural leadership traits such as assertiveness, emotional stability, and achievement orientation." As graduation approaches in May, Cotton describes his future as filled with many plans. He hopes to one day be financially secure with a good job, a family, and recognized as a noble leader. Wherever life's path may lead Cotton, it is unlikely he will ever forget his experience at Penn or the accomplishments he has achieved here. It is even more unlikely that the William Penn community will ever forget the beloved southern charm of Cotton.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -– The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team, ranked No. 11, grabbed an impressive 21-16 road win at No. 23 Michigan in UM's Cliff Keen Arena. Penn State won six of ten bouts in the dual and heads to Michigan State on Sunday for the regular season finale at 1 p.m. against the Spartans. The Big Ten dual began at heavyweight, where Penn State's Aaron Anspach (Columbia, Pa.) met Michigan's Casey White. Anspach, ranked No. 3 nationally, nearly got the first takedown of the bout just seconds in, but White did a fine job of fighting the move off. Still, the tone of the opener was set and Anspach kept up the offensive pressure throughout the first period. Anspach used a solid double-leg and trip combination to get the first takedown at the 1:22 mark to lead 2-1. After a reset, Anspach quickly added a second takedown and led 4-2 after allowing White up on a reset. The Nittany Lion senior carried that 4-2 lead into the second period. White chose down to start the middle stanza and Anspach proceeded to build up a 1:14 riding time edge before White escaped to a 4-3 deficit. Anspach countered a White shot, swung around behind the Wolverine sophomore, and got his third takedown to lead 6-4 with :30 left in the second period. He held that lead, plus a 1:18 time advantage, after two periods. Anspach chose neutral to begin the final period. With 1:00 left, Anspach added a fourth takedown by getting both White's ankles on the mat's edge. White escaped with :30 left, but Anspach guaranteed himself a riding time point. With :05 left, Anspach once again countered a White shot to get a final takedown and post an 11-5 win. The decision put Penn State up 3-0. Anspach improved to 15-2 with the win while White fell to 10-8. At 125, Nittany Lion Junior Mark McKnight (McDonald, Pa.) took on Michigan's Mike Watts. McKnight entered the bout ranked No. 10. McKnight nearly pinned Watts during an early scramble. While he didn't get the fall, he did get the takedown on the edge of the mat to lead 2-1 after a Watts escape. McKnight added another takedown, forcing Watts back on his heels and driving through his legs with under :30 left. He rode Watts out to lead 4-1 after a period with 1:10 in riding time. Watts chose down to begin the second period, but McKnight would not let up as he put together an outstanding ride and built up over two minutes in riding time before allowing Watts up to a 4-2 deficit. With just :11 left in the second, McKnight piled on a third takedown to lead 6-2 (with a 2:33 time advantage) after five minutes of wrestling. McKnight chose neutral to start the final period and quickly got another takedown just seconds into the period. Hoping for some bonus points, McKnight cut Watts loose after a reset and led by five, 8-3, with 1:15 to wrestle. With the riding time point assured, McKnight added another takedown to lead 10-4. Watts, however, nearly took McKnight down but the Lion junior fought off the move and forced a stalemate with :22 left. Seconds after the reset, McKnight got the takedown he needed to notch a 13-4 major decision and put Penn State up 7-0. McKnight improved to 18-5 on the year while Watts fell to 8-15. No. 11 Jake Strayer (South Fork, Pa.) met Michigan's Chris Diehl at 133. Diehl immediately wrapped Strayer's head and locked it into his shoulder, but Strayer, showing great strength, simply wrapped his arms around Diehl's chest and put the Michigan freshman to his back, nearly pinning him in one swift move. Diehl, however, fought off Strayer's pinning attempt for :47 seconds and eventually forced a reset. Still, the takedown and three-point near fall put Strayer up 5-0. Strayer maintained his top position for a full 2:00 of the first period to carry that lead and a big time advantage into the second period. He chose down to begin the second period and quickly escaped to a 6-0 lead. Once he had his escape, Strayer immediately added a second takedown to lead 8-0. After building up 2:49 in riding time, Strayer cut Diehl loose. With :20 left, Diehl once again got his arm around Strayer's head. This time, Strayer nearly gave up the takedown, but he gallantly fought off the effort and added a third takedown with just :02 left. Strayer led 10-1 with a big riding time edge heading into the final period. Diehl chose neutral to start the third period and got in on Strayer's right leg. Strayer forced a scramble and eventual stalemate to keep his nine point edge and guarantee the riding time point in the process. Strayer stepped back from a low Diehl shot, skipped around behind the Wolverine and got another takedown with :40 left to wrestle, upping his lead to 12-2. The Nittany Lion sophomore went on to post a 13-2 major decision to give Penn State an 11-0 lead. Strayer improved to 19-4 on the year while true freshman Diehl fell to 4-15. At 141, Nittany Lion senior Bryan Heller (Fair Haven, N.J.) met Michigan's Justin Chrzanowski. Chrzanowski got the first takedown of the bout, finishing off a frantic scramble by gaining control of Heller at the 2:15 mark. The Nittany Lion senior could not break free of the Wolverine freshman for the remainder of the period and trailed 2-0 after one. Chrzanowski, with 2:15 in riding time on top of his two point lead, chose down to begin the second period. Heller took his turn at controlling the action, keeping his advantage for a minute before Chrzanowski worked his way to a reversal to lead 4-0. Heller, however, quickly answered with his own reversal and cut the lead to 4-2 after two periods. Down by two and facing 1:19 in time, Heller chose neutral to start the final period. Heller got in on a high double-leg at the 1:32 mark, but Chrzanowski countered the move and, after a lengthy scramble, got a takedown to lead 6-2 with just :55 left. Chrzanowski kept control of Heller for the rest of the period and posted a 7-2 upset win. The victory cut Penn State's lead to 11-3 and dropped Heller to 16-8. Chrzanowski picked up his second win of the year and moved to 2-8. Nittany Lion freshman Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.) met Michigan's Josh Churella in one of two bouts featuring two ranked grapplers. Vallimont entered the bout ranked No. 16 while Churella, a returning All-American, was ranked No. 3. Churella quickly got out to a 2-0 lead with a takedown at the 2:30 mark and led 2-1 after Vallimont escaped with half the period left. Heller nearly took the lead with a quick shot and takedown at the :20 mark, but Churella used his speed to step out of the move and the Wolverine led 2-1 after one period with :54 in time. Churella chose down to start the middle stanza and escaped to a 3-1 lead with 1:43 to wrestle. The Wolverine junior used a high double leg for his second takedown and a 4-1 lead. Vallimont escaped with :34 left in the second, cutting the lead to 5-2 but facing 1:26 in riding time. The Lion freshman nearly got his takedown as the period wound down, but the clock hit zeros to send the hotly contested bout to the third period with Vallimont trailing 5-2. Vallimont chose down to start the third and escaped to a 5-3 deficit. Churella iced the bout with a takedown with just :35 left to wrestle and would maintain his top position for the remainder of the bout to notch an 8-3 win. The victory, Michigan's second straight, cut the Lion lead to 11-6. Churella moved to 23-3 with the victory and Vallimont fell to 15-8. Another Penn State freshman took the mat at 157 as Bubba Jenkins (Virginia Beach, Va.) met Michigan's Jeff Marsh. A bout that opened with plenty of hand-fighting went scoreless throughout the first period. Marsh, a junior, chose down to begin the second period and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead with 1:44 to wrestle in the middle stanza. Each wrestler continued to work the upper body until Jenkins got in on Marsh's left thigh and nearly got the bout's first takedown with 1:20 left. But Marsh held off long enough to force a stalemate and keep his slim 1-0 lead. Jenkins once again shot at Marsh's left leg, gut Marsh stepped away and fought through the move. After a reset, Jenkins wrapped his arms around Marsh's chest and began working the Wolverine junior to the mat. But Marsh fought off the move just long enough and the second period ended with Jenkins just missing out on the takedown call. Down 1-0, the Nittany Lion freshman chose down to start the final period and, instead of just getting an escape to tie the bout, worked his way to a reversal and a 2-1 lead with 1:25 to go in the bout. Jenkins, holding on to Marsh's foot, maintained his control but got hit with a stall warning. The Lion freshman allowed Marsh up at the reset and the bout was tied 2-2 with :35 left to wrestle. Riding time was not an issue. With :20 left, Jenkins used a quick high single leg to get in on Marsh's left leg and finished the move with a key two point takedown with just :12 left. The takedown was enough to give Jenkins an outstanding 4-2 win and put Penn State up 14-6. He improved to 18-7 with the win while Marsh fell to10-11. Nittany Lion true freshman Dave Rella (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio) met Michigan All-American Eric Tannenbaum at 165. Tannenbaum carried a No. 2 national ranking with him into the bout. Tannenbaum got the first takedown of the bout at the 2:26 mark and led 2-1 after a Rella escape. The Wolverine All-American added a second takedown with :25 left in the period and rode Rella out for the remainder of the period to lead 4-1 with :51 in riding time after three minutes. Tannenbaum chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 5-1 lead. With 1:00 to go in the second, Tannenbaum added a second takedown, let Rella up, and added another before the period ended to lead 9-2 after two with 1:22 in time. Rella chose down to start the final period and escaped to cut the lead to 9-3. With Tannenbaum looking for a major, Rella stepped up his offensive pressure and began dictating action at the start of the third. But Tannenbaum deftly countered a Rella shot to get fifth takedown with :30 left to up his lead to 11-3 and clinch a riding time point. Tannenbaum maintained control for the rest of the period and posted an impressive 12-3 major decision. The win, the 100th of Tannenbaum's career, cut the Lion lead to 14-10 and gave the UM All-American a 20-0 record. Rella fell to 19-10. At 174, Nittany Lion All-American James Yonushonis (Philipsburg, Pa.) met Michigan's Jordan Sherrod. Yonushonis, ranked No. 5 nationally, got the first takedown of the bout with a solid single leg at the 1:10 mark and began to build up a riding time point edge. Sherrod escaped to a 2-1 deficit with :25 left, only to nearly give up a last second takedown to the Lion All-American. But time ran out on Yonushonis' attempt and the Penn State senior led 2-1 (with :35 in time) after one. Sherrod chose down to begin the middle period and was allowed up by Yonushonis, tying the score at 2-2. The Nittany Lion co-captain quickly added a second takedown to up his lead to 4-2. Yonushonis put together a strong ride and nearly turned Sherrod to his back. But the Wolverine freshman managed to stay off his back and the second period ended with Yonushonis leading 4-2 with more than 2:00 of riding time. Yonushonis chose down to start the final period and quickly escaped to a 5-2 lead. He used a fast double-leg to up his lead to 7-3 after letting Sherrod up. With 1:00 left, began working towards a major decision. With a riding time point assured, the Lion senior got his fourth takedown at the :30 mark. Letting Sherrod up and needing one more two-point move to get the bonus point, Yonushonis turned the trick with a takedown at the :18 second mark. Yonushonis rode Sherrod out and, with the time advantage, posted a 12-4 major decision. The win put Penn State up 18-10 and improved Yonushonis to 26-3 on the year. Sherrod fell to 3-8. Penn State sophomore Phil Bomberger (Port Royal, Pa.) took on Michigan's Tyrel Todd at 184. Todd carried a No. 4 national ranking with him into the bout. Todd quickly got out on top with a takedown less than :30 into the bout. After half a minute, Bomberger escaped but Sherrod quickly took the Lion sophomore down to lead 4-2 after a Bomberger escape. The No. 4 ranked Wolverine put together four takedowns before Bomberger nearly added one of his own. Action moved off the mat, however, and Sherrod led 8-4 with :30 left. After a reset, Sherrod added another takedown and led 10-4 with 1:19 in time after one period. Bomberger chose down to begin the second period. Sherrod would dominate from the top position and eventually pin Bomberger at the 4:38 mark. The six team points cut Penn State's lead to 18-16 and moved Todd to 20-4 on the year. Bomberger fell to 8-11. With the dual on the line, Nittany Lion junior Phil Davis (Harrisburg, Pa.), the nation's top-ranked 197-pounder, met Michigan's Nick Roy. Roy was ranked No. 20. Davis wasted no time, getting a takedown at the 2:17 mark and going up 2-1 after a Roy escape. Davis added another takedown at the 1:00 mark and began working for back points on top. While not managing to turn Roy to his back, Davis worked up a 1:14 riding time edge to go along with his 4-1 lead after one period. Davis chose down to start the second and quickly escaped to a 5-1 lead. Davis continued to apply the pressure but could not break through Roy's defense. Roy, down 5-1 and facing 1:05 in time, chose neutral to begin the third period. Right off the final stanza's opening whistle, Roy got in on Davis' ankle but the Lion All-American fought the move off and forced a reset with 1:20 left. No more scoring took place over the course of the last minute and Davis posted a hard-fought 5-1 win. The win clinched the Nittany Lion victory by a 21-16 score. Davis moved to 21-1 on the year while Roy fell to 16-8. Penn State won six of the dual's ten bouts. The Wolverines notched four bonus points to Penn State's three but the Nittany Lions owned a 22-15 edge in takedowns. Penn State's win broke a three-dual slide against the Wolverines and gave Penn State its first win over UM since 2003-04 Head coach Troy Sunderland's Nittany Lions, now 13-5 overall and 4-3 in the Big Ten, will head to East Lansing for a Sunday dual with the Spartans. Action begins at 1 p.m. in the final dual match of the season for the Penn State. Michigan falls to 2-9-1, 1-6 in conference duals.

Columbia, Mo. -– The third-ranked Missouri wrestling team will host Tennessee-Chattanooga in a 1 p.m. (CT) dual Sunday, Feb. 18, in the Hearnes Center. Admission is free to the public and the first 400 children ages 12 and under will receive a free Truman the wrestling tiger bobble head. Be sure to arrive early as Missouri pays special tribute to its departing senior class in its final dual of the season. Seniors Ben Askren (Hartland, Wis.) and Matt Pell (Luxemburg, Wis.) will be honored prior to the start of the afternoon dual. Missouri's first wrestling national champion, Askren is a three-time All-American at 174 pounds and owns a perfect 32-0 record this season. Pell, a co-captain alongside Askren, became Missouri's 24th grappler to earn All-America honors after finishing seventh at 184 pounds in 2005. Pell enters Sunday's dual ranked seventh in the nation at 165 pounds. With several members of Missouri's starting lineup plagued with the flu, the Tiger roster may look slightly different this Sunday. Sunday's dual will showcase Missouri's rising talent in a few select weight classes. Currently, eight members of Missouri's squad are ranked among the top-20 in the nation of their respective weight class. Askren, ranked No. 1 in the nation at 174 pounds, owns the highest ranking with younger brother Maxwell Askren ranked second at 197 pounds. The Mocs are expected to bring six ranked wrestles into the Hearnes Center. Matt Keller and Aaron Martin own the highest team ranking at seventh in the nation at 133 and 149 pounds, respectively. Under the direction of first year head coach Chris Bono, Chattanooga is 15-1 overall and 5-0 in the Southern Conference. Chattanooga's only loss of the season came to then seventh-ranked Central Michigan, 21-13. Bono's team owns a four dual winning streak that dates back to the Jan. 27, 24-18 victory over UNC-Greensboro. Fans should make plans now to attend the 11th annual Big 12 Wrestling Championships held in the Hearnes Center, Saturday, March 3. Tickets are available at the Mizzou Arena box office or can be purchased by calling 1-800-CAT-PAWS. The Big 12 Championships will showcase several of the nation's best talent in the sport of wrestling and tickets are going fast!

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- The West Virginia University wrestling fell just short of its upset bid against No. 6-ranked Edinboro, 21-15, on Thursday, Feb. 15, at the WVU Coliseum. The Mountaineers (4-5, 3-2 EWL) were hampered once again by missing All-American Brandon Rader (141) in the line-up. Taking away the six points given up by the forfeit would have knotted the score at 15 apiece. "With Rader in the line-up we probably walk away with the win tonight," said head coach Craig Turnbull after the match. "Overall though, I thought our effort was tremendous though." WVU put together its finest wrestling of the year in the loss as three wrestlers upset Edinboro (16-1, 5-0 EWL) grapplers that came into the evening ranking in the top 20 of their respective weight classes. "We had some great wins tonight," said Turnbull. "Before the match we talked about using the quality of our opponents to rise to our best efforts of the year and I think our guys were able to do just that." After dropping the first three bouts of the night, 149-pounder David Jauregui got the Mountaineers on track by upsetting No.5-ranked Gregor Gillespie, 10-9. The Santa Ana, Calif., native used a critical second period in which he outscored Gillespie 5-4 to keep the deficit at one heading into the final two minutes. Jauregui picked up a takedown and a stalling point, while Gillespie could just muster a point for an escape. Junior Zac Fryling followed that performance up with an exciting 3-1 triple overtime victory against No. 10-ranked Matt Hill, 3-2. The two wrestlers could only come up with an escape each through two overtimes, but Fryling kept enough in his tank to record another escape for the win. In the waning seconds of the period both grapplers picked up a point for unnecessary roughness. Rounding out the upsets was Kurt Brenner, who upended No. 18 Phil Moricone. The bout was tied at 3-3 heading into the third period with the Freedom, Pa., native beginning on the bottom. Brenner escaped Moricone's clutches and then fended him off for the remaining time. No. 13-Jared Villers kept his seven-match winning streak alive as he defeated Jim Gibson by a score of 3-1 on a takedown and escape. Heavyweight Dustin Rogers supplied the most convincing win of the night by majoring Edinboro's Joe Fendone, 12-4.The dozen points scored by the Corning, Calif., native marked a career-high at WVU. West Virginia returns to action on Sunday, Feb. 18, when it hosts Cleveland State in its final dual meet of the season at 1 p.m. The dual should determine which team finishes second in the EWL in 2007.

The #7 Peacocks traveled to MSU Moorhead with the Northern Sun Crown on the line. The Peacocks and Dragons were the only two unbeaten teams remaining in the conference. Upper Iowa won seven of the ten matches to win 27-10 and earn the victory to move to 3-0 in the NSIC. Moorhead finishes the conference season with a 3-1 record. UIU finishes their NSIC season this Saturday at Southwest Minnesota State at 2 p.m. If the Peacocks defeat the Mustangs, they will claim their first ever Northern Sun Conference Championship. Featured wins included Tyler Mumbulo (win by pin), Tee Adams (win by major decision), and Ryan Phillips (win by technical fall).

St. Cloud, Minn. -- The fourth-ranked MSU wrestling squad lost only one match to improve to 15-3 on the season and complete the sweep over NCC opponents (3-0) as they defeated St. Cloud State, 38-3, on Thursday, Feb. 15. Senior Brandon Girtz (Forrest Lake, Minn.) and Sophomore Tim Matheson (Circle Pines, Minn.) led the way for MSU with pinfall wins as Girtz stuck Adam Minnette at 4:18 and Matheson pinned Neil Russel at 5:52 to give the Mavericks a 29-0 lead. Senior Jeff Pfaffinger (Blue Earth, Minn.) and junior Willy Mekeel (Sterling, Ill.) both pulled major-decision wins. The Next action for the Mavericks is tomorrow night as they finish out their regular season scedule in a non-conference match-up against Southwest Minnesota State at the Taylor Center with a 7 p.m. start.

DURHAM, N.C. -- Duke's wrestling team (7-8, 0-5 ACC) will take on UNC Greensboro (8-4, 4-1 SoCon) in the Blue Devils final meet of the regular season on Saturday night. The contest is set for a 7 p.m. start, and will feature three seniors in their last home meet at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Blue Devils: Duke is 7-8 overall this season and already finished the ACC portion of their schedule at 0-5. The Blue Devils have lost five straight meets, but three of their eight total losses have come by a margin of three points or less. Duke features four wrestlers who have excelled this season at their respective weight classes. Junior Wes Kuser is 15-11 on the year at 141 pounds, and has won five matches by pinning his opponent. Freshman Voris Tejada has competed at 149 and 157 pounds this season, and has accumulated a team-best 19-8 record with two falls and a 4-1 dual meet record. At 165 pounds, redshirt sophomore Aaron Glover has gone 17-12 with three pins and a 10-4 mark in duals. Redshirt freshman John Barone at 174 pounds has been arguably the most consistent wrestler for the Blue Devils this season. Barone leads the team in wins with 21 and in falls with six, and also holds team best records in dual meets at 11-4 and in ACC matchups at 4-1. The Opponent: UNC Greensboro is 8-4 in 2006-07 and 4-1 in the Southern Conference. The Spartans have been led by four wrestlers throughout the season. At 125 pounds, junior Jeff Hedges is 20-5 this season with three falls and an 11-1 dual meet record. Junior Chris Bencivenga has put together a 21-5 record and five falls while going 12-0 in dual matches at 141 pounds. Senior Joe Lowe has identical overall and dual meet records as Bencivenga, and four pins at 174 pounds. As a heavyweight, junior Joe Sheffield is 24-11 for the year with a 10-2 showing in duals and four falls. Most Recent Meeting: Duke and UNC Greensboro last met on Jan. 25, 2006 in Greensboro, N.C. The Spartans defeated the Blue Devils 23-9. Last Time Out: Duke's last meet was on Feb. 10 at Virginia Tech. The Hokies handed the Blue Devils their 11th straight ACC dual meet defeat by a score of 28-12. Junior Kellan McKeon, Kuser, and Barone picked up victories for Duke. UNC Greensboro last faced N.C. State on Thursday night at home. The Wolfpack edged out the Spartans 21-18. The meet came down to the last match of the evening at the heavyweight class, in which nationally ranked Jainor Palma won a 3-2 decision over Sheffield to take the meet. Common Opponents: Duke and UNC Greensboro have faced seven common opponents this season and both competed in one common tournament. Duke and UNCG both defeated Campbell and Gardner-Webb, and both teams also were defeated by Virginia and N.C. State. While the Blue Devils lost to Davidson, Virginia Tech, and The Citadel, the Spartans soundly beat all three of those schools. In the Southern Scuffle on Dec. 29-30 in Greensboro, UNCG finished 21st and Duke placed 26th. Senior Night: Three Duke seniors will wrestle for the last time at home this weekend. Patrick Keenum will hit the mats at 197 pounds, Daniel Shvartsman will compete in the 149 pound match, and Philip Wightman may get the nod at 141 pounds. All three will be honored in a pre-meet ceremony. Shvartsman Shimmying Up The Wins List: Shvartsman continues to move up on the Blue Devils' career wins list. He currently ranks 10th with 83 career victories. Shvartsman is two wins behind Jake Cecere in ninth place and five wins behind Michael Mitchell and Tommy Hoang in seventh place. A Look Ahead: Duke will compete in the ACC Tournament in Raleigh, N.C. on Saturday, March 3 at 10 a.m. N.C. State is the host school and the meet will take place at Reynolds Coliseum.

In another milestone for Liberty during its return season to the mats, the Flames capped off their 2006-07 home schedule with a 30-13 victory over VMI, Thursday evening, in the Vines Center to finish the year undefeated at home with a 5-0 record on the Mountain. With the victory, the Flames raise their dual match record to 16-7 in their first season back in action since 1994 as the program was reinstated after a 12-year hiatus. The loss drops the Keydets dual record to 5-7 on the year. The night was a special evening for all as the Founders' Circle was honored before the match. The group played an instrumental part in the return of wrestling to Liberty and several donors to the cause were recognized for their financial support in helping bring back a program which excelled for 20 seasons. From 1974-94, the wrestling program was one of the premier athletics programs at Liberty as the Flames' grapplers excelled at all levels. Liberty won five-straight NCCAA national championships (1977-81) and was one of the first athletics teams to compete at the NCAA Division I level. In total, the Flames finished a 20-year span of wrestling with a cumulative 180-101-6 record and had 42 athletes earn All-America honors at various levels, including 22 NCCAA All-Americans, four NAIA All-Americans and 16 NCAA Division II All-Americans. Following the pre-match presentation, the excitement continued for the Flames on the mats as well as Christian Smith opened up with a 13-8 decision over Jonathan Page at 125 pounds. Sam Walters kept things going for Liberty with the first of two-consecutive first-period pins as Walters pinned Lance Long (1:35) at 133 pounds. Tim Harner tied for team-high honors on the year by picking up his 12th win by fall at 2:05 over Brandon Franklin at 141 pounds, giving Liberty a 15-0 lead. VMI finally found its way onto the scoreboard as Sam Alvarenga scored four of his seven points in the first and took advantage of some riding time to pick up a 7-4 decision over Aaron Kelley at 149 pounds. Shaun Smith gained control of the match at 157 pounds early, leading 4-1 after the first and then ended the match in the second, picking up Liberty third and final win by fall (5:26) over Vince Cole. The Keydets were unable to field a competitor at 165 pounds, giving Liberty's Chad Porter the win by forfeit and the Flames a sizeable 27-3 edge. VMI attempted to get back into the match by winning the next three weight classes, starting with a 12-9 decision win in favor of John Burton over Joseph Son at 174 pounds. Corry Murrary kept things going for the Keydets at 184 pounds, picking up an 11-2 major decision win over Chris Daggett, while Kyle Elgert used three points late in the match to hold off Rory Bosek at 197 pounds for a 6-2 decision, narrowing the margin to 14, 27-13. However, Patrick Walker closed out the night by thrilling the crowd of 892 as a two-point takedown with 50 second left in the match, enabled him to gain a hard-fought 3-1 decision over Leon Barrow at heavyweight and end the evening's match. Three Flames extended personal winning streaks on the evening as Harner's fall gave him his 11th-straight win. Walker's 3-1 decision pushed his personal winning streak to nine straight, while Smith's match-opening 13-8 victory gave the junior his seventh-consecutive victory. The Flames will close out their regular-season schedule next Wednesday when they travel to Greensboro, N.C., to squad off against the Spartans of UNC Greensboro. Match time is set for 7 p.m.

NORMAN, Okla. -- The No. 11/15 Oklahoma Sooners (9-7, 0-5 Big 12) host the No. 6/8 Hofstra Pride (17-3-2, 7-0 CAA) Saturday night at 7 p.m. in the Howard McCasland Field House. "Hofstra comes in with a great team and they are the only team to beat top-ranked Minnesota," head coach Jack Spates said. Hofstra enters the match with nine of its 10 starters ranked in the top 20 of their individual weight classes. The Sooners come in with five wrestlers ranked in the top 20 of their respective weight classes. Last season Oklahoma defeated Hofstra at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City, 26-15. The premier matches of the evening will pit No. 2 Matt Storniolo and No. 15 Mitch Smith at 149 pounds, No. 13 Will Rowe and No. 2 James Strouse at 157 pounds, No. 18 Shane Seibert and No. 6 Mike Patrovich at 165 pounds and No. 5 Joel Flaggert and No. 11 Chris Weidman at 197 pounds. "It is going to be a great meet because there are so many ranked wrestlers. The key for us will be surviving out of the gate because we don't want to give up bonus points and we need to win the close matches," Spates continued. Sam Hazewinkel and Matt Storniolo will be honored during a pre-match ceremony as part of Senior Night ceremonies. And at halftime the Oklahoma wrestling program will honor John Kading, Michael Lightner and Teyon Ware for their selection to the Big 12 Wrestling 10th Anniversary Team. The Sooners next travel to East Lansing, Mich,, on Friday, Feb. 23, as they close out the regular season when they tangle with the Michigan State Spartans at 7 p.m.

DAVIS Calif -- The Mustang wrestling team won its final dual of the 2006-07 season, 21-18, over UC Davis Thursday night in Hickey Gymnasium. The win puts the Mustangs' overall record to 7-9 and 5-4 in the Pac-10 conference. The Mustangs won six of nine bouts wrestled Thursday evening. The Mustangs won the last four bouts in the dual starting with senior, No. 5 Darrell Vasquez's 7-2 decision over UC Davis' Omar Gaitan in the 133 pound match. Sophomore David Christian stepped into the Mustang's line up in place of Dave Roberts and picked up a 13-6 decision over Shawn Brendle at 141 pounds. The Mustangs trailed 18-12 in the team score with two matches remaining. Eric Maldonado at 149 pounds won in an overtime sudden victory match over the Aggies' Shawn Haratani, 6-4 to put the team score at 18-15. In the final match of the evening at 157 pounds, Mustang sophomore Chase Pami, needing a major decision or a fall for the Mustangs to win the dual, pinned UC Davis' Haseeb Sadat with six second remaining in the first round. Also, Mustang senior Cody Parker defeated Broc Maffia at heavyweight, 8-4 and Junior Yuri Kalika logged a win at the 184 pound class, 8-3 over Jeff Prentice. Cal Poly forfeited the 197 pound weight class. The Mustangs will now get ready for the Pac-10 Tournament, Feb. 24-25 at Cal State Bakersfield.

To all Nebraska and Iowa High School wrestling fans! The best of the best seniors from the Husker state will take on the best of the best seniors from the Hawkeye state in the 2nd Annual Border Brawl! The Border Brawl will be held on the campus of Dana College in Blair, Neb., on Friday, March 9, 2007. The top seniors from both states will be invited to defend their state pride in a dual of all duals! Two coaches from each state will be selected to coach their respective states as well. The Border Brawl will follow IAHSAA and NSAA rules. To reserve your tickets today, complete the online reservation form below and payment form on the confirmation page. Tickets purchased in advance are $8. Tickets purchased at the door are $10. Reserved tickets will be held in your name at the "will call" window. For more information, call Tyler Mohr at 402-426-7290. Click here for the flyer.

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Looking to build momentum heading into the Big Ten Championships, the Wildcats (11-8, 1-5) welcome Purdue and Michigan to Welsh-Ryan Arena to close out the conference slate. The 14th-ranked 'Cats host the Boiliermakers (10-7, 0-7) at 7 p.m. Friday and Michigan (2-8-1, 1-5) in their Big Ten finale at 7 p.m. Sunday evening. Live Video on NUsports.com All-Access Northwestern's remaining two duals will be available to watch on NUsports.com All-Access by Clicking Here. Last Time Out Top-ranked Ryan Lang (North Royalton, Ohio/St. Edward) scored a decision in his first action since Dec. 30 and top-ranked Jake Herbert (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny) registered the 'Cats' first Big Ten fall of the season, but the Wildcats fell to the Indiana Hoosiers Sunday, 28-11. Lang scored a 9-4 decision in his return to the mat against Scott Kelly at 141 lbs. and Herbert registered his eighth fall -- NU's first in Big Ten duals -- over 11th-ranked Marc Bennett. Quoting Coach Cysewski "Purdue is very dangerous," head coach Tim Cysewski said. "They have some great performers and they have been within one match of winning several duals this year." "Michigan is capable of doing very well at the Big Ten and NCAA Championships," Cysewski said. "They have outstanding individuals and in some ways are very similar to us." Scouting the Boilermakers The Boilermakers are 0-7 in the Big Ten and are coming off a 29-7 loss to Illinois in West Lafayette. Their closest Big Ten contest was a 21-14 defeat against Michigan State on 2/4. They have two ranked wrestlers in No. 9 Jake Patascil at 149 lbs. and 14th-ranked Nathan Moore at 197. Keep Your Eye On 125: #19 Precin (NU) vs. Tucker (PU) 133: Metzler (NU) vs. Schmaltz (PU) 197: #7 Tamillow (NU) vs. #14 Moore (PU) Scouting the Wolverines The Wolverines enter the weekend 1-5 in the Big Ten with their one win coming over Ohio State last weekend. They tied then third-ranked Hofstra on 1/6 and topped a ranked Lehigh squad in their first dual of the year. They are led by second-ranked Mike Tannenbaum at 165 lbs. and fourth-ranked Ty Todd at 184. 184: #1 Herbert (NU) vs. #4 Todd (UM) 197: #7 Tamillow (NU) vs. # 20 Roy (UM)

This week TDR is on location with the Des Moines Sportshow. A week out of the Iowa HS Championships. Other states will be holding their state championships this week and next. Let me be the first to congratulate all of our young wrestlers for a job well done. What you do Matters. It will all count in the end. Give it your best shot. Leave nothing behind. Listen to your coaches. They know what you are going through and want to see you do your best. Parents, brothers and sisters, these athletes have come a long way to get to this point. They need your support now more than ever. Understand the mood swings and the determination it takes to be champion. Thank you for understanding. Your boys are and will continue to be great members of society for having taken part in this incredible sport. Fans: Remember when you are cheering on your athlete to do so loudly and while doing so remember the young man that did not get his hand raised. Please be kind and supportive to all of our young athletes and coaches. They did not set their mind on being second best. Let's help them see the positive side and be good sports. This week we'll take a look at the conference championships that are around the country in our Kemin TDR Top 20 report with Jeff Murphy. Lots of surprises. We'll catch up with Iowa Athlete Luke Eustice. See what he's doing with the Hawkeye Wrestling Club, We'll check in with Detroit Metro Sports Association Director Dave Beachnau on the preparations for the 07 National Championships. Haven't got your tickets? Better hurry. University of Dubuque Head Coach John McGovern will join us to talk about the season and the post season events he's planning. I hope you take time to join us. Our goal each and every week is to promote this sport and the people in using their words and actions. Listen in live Saturday's at 9 to 11 AM CST at Takedownradio.com around the world and throughout the state of Iowa on AM 1460 KXNO and and KXNO.Com as well. Thanks to you for listening!

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Oklahoma City University President Tom McDaniel announced today that the university has added women's wrestling to its athletics roster. Oklahoma City University is the first university in Oklahoma to create a women's wrestling program and one of only six nationwide. Other women's wrestling programs are at Cumberland (Ky.), Menlo, Missouri Valley, Northern Michigan, Pacific and Trinity (Conn.) Several universities field club teams. McDaniel said the program opens new doors for Oklahoma students. "We want to provide opportunities for young men and women in Oklahoma to have sports that they do not have," he said. OCU Head Wrestling Coach Archie Randall and his staff have sent 350 letters to prospective student athletes. Randall expects to have 30 women on the team by next year. His recruiting could last until July. "One of our goals is to allow them the opportunity to pursue their Olympic goal," Randall said. He said he will recruit from across the United States. States with strong recruiting bases include Texas, California, Oregon, Washington and Hawaii. Randall expects to bring about 30 women into the program. The women's college wrestling season runs from January through June. Some 5,000 girls wrestle in the nation with 2,500 girls wrestling at 180 schools in Texas. "I know beyond a shadow of a doubt we'll be at the forefront of women's wrestling," OCU athletic director Jim Abbott said. "I'm absolutely certain we have the right guy to lead this program," he said of Randall. In 2006, Oklahoma City University added women's volleyball and men's wrestling to its roster.

No. 3 ranked UNO used a pair of first period pins by Todd Meneely and Austin Boehm to defeat No. 14 ranked Augustana, 30-7, Wednesday night in front of 850 fans at Lee & Helene Sapp Fieldhouse. The Mavericks ended a three-match losing streak in their final home appearance to improve to 6-5 in duals, while Augustana fell to 8-6. UNO's next action will be in the NCAA II North Regional at Moorhead, Minn., Feb. 25. After the Vikings' Chad Trampe scored a 9-3 decision over Jimmy Ball in the evening's opening bout at 125 pounds, the Mavericks came back to win seven straight matches. Meneely, the top-ranked 149-pounder in NCAA II, had three takedowns before pinning Brandon Kruger in 1:48 to put UNO up, 12-3. Boehm, an unranked freshman at 184, was down 3-2 when he got a reversal against Beau Severtson and then a fall at 2:10 for the deciding win to put the Mavs up 27-3. In a matchup of the two highest-ranked opponents, Augustana's No. 3 ranked Nate Buys defeated No. 2 ranked Maverick redshirt freshman Jacob Marrs at 197, 13-2.

The Chadron State College wrestling team closed out its regular season Wednesday night with a 37-6 victory over the Colorado School of Mines in Golden. The triumph leaves the Eagles with a 11-8-1 dual record. CSC received two forfeits and won all but one of the remaining eight matches. A highlight occurred at 157 pounds, where senior Jared Webster had to go 3½ extra minutes before posting a reversal and a three-point near fall to defeat Nathan Pilcher 6-1. The win was Webster's 27th this year and the 97th of his career. Another close match was at 174, where Brett Hunter edged Zac Cornett 8-7. Hunter moved up from 165 to take over the weight class normally filled by Matt Weingart, who twisted a knee in practice this week and did not make the trip to Colorado. Coach Scottt Ritzen said Weingart will be ready for the West Regional Tournament at Colorado Mines on Sunday, Feb. 25. Those winning bonus points for CSC were Willy Jones, who took a 16-0 technical fall at 184 pounds, and 149-pounder Mark Pfeifer and heavyweight Shaine Odell, who posted major decisions.

Stanford, Calif. -- The Stanford wrestling team (8-7, 5-3 Pac-10) will conclude the regular-season on Friday, taking on the defending conference champion Arizona State Sun Devils (7-11, 4-2 Pac-10) at the Ford Center. The Cardinal will get a final tune-up before heading to the Pac-10 Championships in Bakersfield, Calif. next week. Friday night's dual begins at 7 p.m. and will be the final home contest for Stanford senior Brian Perry. The Cardinal has five wrestlers ranked in conference and two ranked nationally. At 125 pounds, Tanner Gardner is No. 3 nationally and No. 1 in the Pac-10. He boasts a 33-3 overall record, leads the team with 12 pins and has won 11-straight bouts. At 157 pounds, Josh Zupancic is No. 15 in the nation and third in the Pac-10 with a record of 31-8, while Perry is 25-12 at 165 pounds and third in the Pac-10. Luke Feist stands fourth in the conference at 174 pounds with a 22-15 record, and freshman Zack Giesen is third at 184 pounds with a 27-12 record. The rookie, who currently stands third on the all-time freshman win chart, will be looking for his 13th-straight win on Friday. Arizona State also has five wrestlers ranked in conference, including the top-ranked wrestlers at 157 pounds, 165 pounds and 184 pounds. Zupancic will meet No. 4 Brian Stith, the conference's top-ranked wrestler at 157 pounds, and look to avenge a 6-1 loss on Dec. 1. Perry will have a chance to upset No. 14 Patrick Pitsch at 165 pounds, another one of the conference's top-ranked wrestlers, while Giesen will try to oust the Pac-10's top-ranked Greg Gifford at 184 pounds. Gardner will meet his closest conference challenger in John Espinoza and Jared Boyer will look for an upset of the conference's fourth-ranked Jason Trulson at 197 pounds. Stanford and Arizona State wrestlers have met 12 times this season, and the Cardinal has come out on top in eight of the meetings. Last season, Stanford fell to Arizona State on the road, 30-15. "ASU is one of the best teams in the conference and in the nation every year," said Head Coach Kerry McCoy. "This will be a great test for us and great preparation for the Pac-10s next week. Our guys have been working hard and smart, so we will see what happens."

Stanford, Calif. -- Stanford Head Wrestling Coach Kerry McCoy has been named a coach for the U.S. Freestyle World Team announced USA Wrestling earlier this month. McCoy, along with Kevin Jackson and Lou Rosselli, will coach at the World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 17-23. McCoy was a member of the coaching staff for the 2006 U.S. Freestyle World Team, which placed third in the World Championships in Guangzhou, China. He has served as a coach at the U.S. World Team Training Camps for the last two years. McCoy was also a member of the 2000 and 2004 U.S. Olympic freestyle wrestling teams, placing fifth at the 2000 Games in Sydney, Australia and seventh at the 2004 Games in Athens, Greece. He was a 2003 World silver medalist, and placed fourth at the 1998 and 2001 World meets. McCoy won gold medals at the 2003 Pan American Games and won the World Cup four times. He won the U.S. National championships five straight years (2000-2004) and was a 1992 Junior World champion. McCoy won two NCAA titles for Penn State University. "I am really excited," said McCoy. "I have a strong connection with many of the athletes who are competing. Some were teammates, and I built strong relationships. I am very excited about some of the new wrestlers. My commitment, both as an athlete and a coach, is for the United States to be the best country in wrestling. Now, I have an opportunity to continue on that path. I am honored that the Coach Selection Committee chose me and I will do what I can to get the U.S. on the top of the world, and to stay there for the next few years."