InterMat Staff

THIS WEEK: North Dakota State University hosts the NCAA West Regional wrestling tournament Saturday, March 8, at the Bison Sports Arena (6,000) in Fargo. It's the first NCAA championship event hosted by North Dakota State since the school's move to Division I in 2004-05. Action begins at 10 a.m. with the finals slated for 4 p.m. TEAMS AND QUALIFIERS: The six-team West Regional tournament will qualify 10 champions and 10 at-large wrestlers for the NCAA national championships to be held March 20-22 in St. Louis, Mo. Participating teams are Western Wrestling Conference members Air Force, North Dakota State, Northern Colorado, Northern Iowa, South Dakota State and Wyoming. TIME SCHEDULE: First-round action begins at 10 a.m. with the semifinals coming at 11:30 a.m. Consolation semifinals begin at 2 p.m. followed by the final round and consolation finals at 4 p.m. True second-place matches will be held after the championship round if necessary, but there are no automatic qualifiers beyond the champion in each weight class. The 10 at-large entries will be determined by the coaches following the tournament. TICKET INFO: Tickets to the NCAA West Regional are available from the Bison Ticket Office by calling toll free (888) 231-NDSU or online at GoBison.com/tickets. General admission seats are $12 for adults and $6 for youth 17-and-under. Children 2-and-under are free with the purchase of an adult ticket. THE FACILITY: The Bison Sports Arena has been the site of five NCAA Division II national wrestling championships in 1971, 1976, 1983, 1991 and 1997. It is a 6,000-seat multipurpose building that is home to NDSU's men's and women's basketball teams and hosts indoor track and field meets. The last NCAA qualifying tournament at the BSA was the 2003 North Central Conference tournament, won by Nebraska-Omaha. NORTHERN IOWA IS KING: The Northern Iowa Panthers will be seeking their 23rd straight West Region wrestling crown Saturday. UNI has won 22 straight tournaments since 1986. The Panthers went 4-0 in the Western Wrestling Conference this year, winning the four duals by a combined score of 162-15. WESTERN WRESTLING CONFERENCE: North Dakota State finished in a tie for second with a 4-2-0 record in its second year in the Western Wrestling Conference. The Bison were fourth with a 3-2-1 record in their inaugural season. The wrestling-only conference is comprised of seven schools spread across six states, including Air Force, Northern Colorado, Northern Iowa, South Dakota State, Utah Valley and Wyoming. The West Regional serves as the NCAA qualifying tournament for the conference. LAST YEAR'S REGIONAL: North Dakota State scored 42 points to finish fourth in last year's West Regional at Northern Iowa. UNI won with 96 points, Northern Colorado was second with 73.5, Wyoming was third with 56, South Dakota State was fifth with 37, Air Force sixth with 32.5, and Eastern Illinois seventh with 28 points. NDSU qualified three wrestlers for the national tournament. Eric Hoffman won the 125-pound title, Ryan Adams was an at-large pick after winning the true-second match at 149, and Jacob Bryce was a at-large qualifier after placing third at 197. 125 POUNDS - Eric Hoffman, Sr., Davenport, Iowa...12-3 overall...4-1 in region...Pinned UNI's Caleb Flores, Wyoming's Cody Grant and SDSU's Alan Marvin...Majored AF's Zach Valdez, 9-0...Lost at UNC to Tony Mustari, 5-3...Wrestled 8th-ranked Rollie Peterkin of Penn at the Virginia Duals, losing 6-1...Ineligible for the first semester but compiled a 7-4 record in open competition wrestling unattached...Won last year's West Region title at 125 pounds but went 0-2 at nationals. 133 POUNDS: Eric Sanders, Sr., Wabasha, Minn...21-11 overall...5-1 in region plus a win by forfeit...Pinned AF's Samuel Sheppard in 1:56...Has three one-point decisions over Wyoming's Cory VomBaur (1-0), UNC's Blayze Bahe (6-5) and SDSU's Derek Pirner (5-4 in overtime)...Won 10 straight in duals before ending season with 14-5 loss at UNI to Josh Baldridge...0-3 vs. Top 20 wrestlers...Lost 18-4 to No. 10 Pat Castillo of Northern Illinois....Lost 14-4 to No. 2 Mack Reiter of Minnesota...Lost 6-5 to No. 16 T.J. Dillashaw of Cal State Fullerton. 141 POUNDS: Gabriel Mooney, Jr., Greenbush, Minn...22-9 overall...4-1 in region...Tech falls over UNC's Rocco DePaolo (16-0) and Wyoming's Brandon Gifford (15-0)...Decisions over SDSU's Jeff Cooley (6-3), UNC's Richard Lohr (6-4)...Lost 4-2 to AF's Jake Kriegbaum. 149 POUNDS: Ryan Adams, So., Coon Rapids, Minn...9-2 overall...1-1 in region...Won 9-4 over AF's Chris Szabolcs and lost 15-0 at UNI to Nick Pickerell...Sidelined by injury most of the year...True second place winner and at-large national qualifier last year...Went 1-2 at nationals with a 6-4 consolation win over VMI's Sam Alvarenga. 157 POUNDS: Adam Aho, Jr., Frazee, Minn...23-6 overall...4-2 in region...Decisions over UNC's Justin Gaethje (5-2) and Rocco DePaulo (8-2)...Beat Wyoming's Dane Fuhrman 4-2 and tech falled SDSU's Nick Genereux 18-2...Lost to AF's Tony Dorward 4-3 in overtime...Lost 6-4 at UNI to Tyson Reiner...Wrestled No. 4 C.P. Schlatter of Minnesota, losing by fall at 4:47...Won the NDSU Open and MSU Moorhead Open. 165 POUNDS: Vince Salminen, RFr., Billings, Mont...2-3 record at 165 pounds and 12-13 overall...Wrestled at 149 through mid-January...1-3 in the region...Edged UNC's Daniel Prather 6-5 at 149 pounds at the Minnesota Quadrangular...Pinned by UNC's Devan Lewis (2:10), majored by AF's Stephen Crozier (17-6) and pinned by UNI's Moza Fay (1:33). 174 POUNDS: Shannon Fettig, Fr., Kintyre, N.D...2-6 at 174 pounds and 7-10 overall...Also won an eighth match by medical forfeit over a junior college wrestler...Wrestled at 165 in the first two open tournaments...1-4 in region...Beat Wyoming's Kyle Morrow (4-2)...Lost to SDSU's Justin Retallic (4-2) and UNC's Ryan Johnson (11-3)...Pinned by UNI's Alex Dolly. 184 POUNDS: Kenny Moenkedick, RFr., Perham, Minn...5-3 at 184 pounds and 14-12 overall...Also won two tournament matches over junior college wrestlers...Wrestled at 174 pounds through mid-January...4-1 in region...Beat UNC's Ryan Johnson 6-5 at 174 pounds in the Minnesota Quadrangular...Lost 7-5 in overtime to SDSU's Tyler Sorenson at 184 before pinning UNC's Ed Matthews (2:09) and defeating Wyoming's Dan Barrone (6-4) and AF's Jacob Devlin (6-5). 197 POUNDS: Jacob Bryce, Jr., Glenwood, Minn...12-9 at 197 pounds, plus a 7-4 win over Northern Illinois heavyweight David Benner...5-1 in region...Beat UNC's Patrick Carey (8-5), pinned SDSU's Jeremy Swier (4:06), and beat UNC's Patrick Carey (6-1)...Majored AF's James Ciccone (19-9)...Pinned by UNI's Andrew Anderson (1:40)...Won by forfeit against Wyoming. HEAVYWEIGHT: Tyler Hemmesch, Fr., Elk River, Minn...13-13 overall...Also has a 5-1 record with four pins over junior college wrestlers...1-4 in region with the only win by forfeit against SDSU...Lost by tech fall to UNC's Reese Hopkin (15-0), decisions to Wyoming's Jason Still (7-2) and AF's Anthony Stegeman (7-4), and a major decision loss to UNI's Dustin Bauman (10-0)...Wrestled No. 6 Wade Sauer of Cal State Fullerton at the Lone Star Duals, a 6-0 loss. THE COACHES: Legendary head coach Bucky Maughan is in his 44th season at the helm of the Bison wrestling program. The three-time national coach of the year has compiled an impressive 443-136-12 record (.760) at NDSU and has led North Dakota State to four NCAA Division II national championships. Maughan has coached 30 individual NCAA champions and more than 170 All-Americans, and was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2003. Assistant coaches are Bret Maughan (7th season) and Kris Nelson (8th season), both All-Americans at North Dakota State, and the volunteer coach is Tommy Davis, a two-time ACC champion and four-time NCAA qualifier at North Carolina State.

EDMOND, Okla. -- Minnesota State-Mankato regained the No. 1 ranking in the final NCAA Division II Wrestling Coaches' Association poll that was released Tuesday and will take the favorite's role into next week's national tournament. The Mavericks earned their first-ever Division II No. 1 ranking in the Feb. 6 poll only to lose it two weeks later after a dual loss to Nebraska-Omaha, but MSU-Mankato jumped back on top after winning its second straight North Region title over UNO. MSU-Mankato was the unanimous No. 1 pick, receiving all eight first-place votes cast in balloting of coaches from around the country in finishing with 160 points. UNO fell to second with 149 points, while West Region champion Nebraska-Kearney was third with 147. Western State (Colo.) came in fourth in the voting, followed by Adams State (Colo.), East Region champion Newberry (S.C.), Midwest Region winner and defending national champion Central Oklahoma, Pittsburgh-Johnstown (Pa.) and tournament host Upper Iowa. UNO and UNK have the most national tournament qualifiers with nine, while MSU-Mankato, WSC, Newberry and Central Missouri have eight. The NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships are set for March 14-15 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The top 20 poll, with points and their last ranking: Rank School (State) Points Last Ranking 1. Minnesota State-Mankato 160 2nd 2. Nebraska-Omaha 149 1st 3. Nebraska-Kearney 147 5th 4. Western State (Colo.) 133 4th 5. Adams State (Colo.) 126 3rd 6. Newberry (S.C.) 119 7th 7. Central Oklahoma 118 6th 8. Pittsburgh-Johnstown (Pa.) 103 8th 9. Upper Iowa 92 11th T10. Ashland (Ohio) 79 9th T10. St. Cloud State (Minn.) 79 10th 12. Mercyhurst (Pa.) 68 14th 13. Chadron State (Neb.) 50 17th 14. Gannon (Pa.) 49 12th 15. Central Missouri 47 20 16. Indianapolis (Ind.) 46 16th 17. Findlay (Ohio) 35 13th 18. Wisconsin-Parkside 32 18th 19. West Liberty State (W.Va.) 22 NR 20. Augustana (S.D.) 20 NR Others receiving votes: Fort Hays State (Kan.), Limestone (S.C.). NCAA Division II Individual Rankings 125 Pounds 1. Cody Garcia, Nebraska-Omaha 2. Tyler Mumbulo, Upper Iowa 3. Nick Smith, Minnesota State-Mankato 4. Arsenia Barksdale, Adams State (Colo.) 5. Curtis Schurkamp, San Francisco State 6. Joe Mavins, North Carolina-Pembroke 7. Devlon Webb, Chadron State (Neb.) 8. Eddie Lopez, Western State (Colo.) 133 Pounds 1. Brandon Reasy, Pittsburgh-Johnstown (Pa.) 2. Shane Perkey, Indianapolis (Ind.) 3. Brett Allgood, Nebraska-Kearney 4. Jesse Cruz, Western State (Colo.) 5. Raymond Dunning, Adams State (Colo.) 6. Tim Elliott, Central Oklahoma 7. Craig DeGreef, Wisconsin-Parkside 8. John Putnam, Minnesota State-Mankato 141 Pounds 1. Kyle Evans, Central Oklahoma 2. Steven Fittery, Shippensburg (Pa.) 3. Jeff Rutledge, Nebraska-Kearney 4. Travis Elg, Minnesota State-Mankato 5. Tony Washington, Newberry (S.C.) 6. Doug Surra, West Liberty State (W. Va.) 7. Josh Hensley, Adams State (Colo.) 8. Gabe Suarez, St. Cloud State (Minn.) 149 Pounds 1. Todd Meneely, Nebraska-Omaha 2. Camille DuPont, Western State (Colo.) 3. Brian Pogel, Mercyhurst (Pa.) 4. Tommy Abbott, Minnesota State-Mankato 5. Tee Adams, Upper Iowa 6. Ryan Etherton, Nebraska-Kearney 7. Marcus Gordon, Ashland (Ohio) 8. Colby Robinson, Central Oklahoma 157 Pounds 1. Jason Rhoten, Minnesota State-Mankato 2. Joe Ellenberger, Nebraska-Kearney 3. Noomis Jones, Adams State (Colo.) 4. Antonio Guerra, Findlay (Ohio) 5. Andy Lamancusa, Mercyhurst (Pa.) 6. Muhammad Abdur-Rahman, Ashland (Ohio) 7. Travis Eggers, Upper Iowa 8. John Sundgren, St. Cloud State (Minn.) 165 Pounds 1. Zach Lee, Western State (Colo.) 2. Brett Hunter, Chadron State (Neb.) 3. Andy Pickar, Minnesota State-Mankato 4. Aaron Denson, Nebraska-Omaha 5. Kyle Becker, Wisconsin-Parkside 6. Mitch Norton, Upper Iowa 7. Keenan McCurdy, Nebraska-Kearney 8., Kyle Keane, Pittsburgh-Johnstown (Pa.) 174 Pounds 1. Marty Usman, Nebraska-Kearney 2. Ross Taplin, Nebraska-Omaha 3. Evan Copeland, Adams State (Colo.) 4. Cory VanGroll, Wisconsin-Parkside 5. Tyler Tubbs, Minnesota State-Moorhead 6. Albert Miles, Pittsburgh-Johnstown (Pa.) 7. Tim Matheson, Minnesota State-Mankato 8. Blake Malloy, Fort Hays State (Kan.) 
184 Pounds 1. Jared Deaguero, Adams State (Colo.) 2. Dan Scanlan, Limestone (S.C.) 3. Mike Corcetti, Pittsburgh-Johnstown (Pa.) 4. Keeno Griffin, Newberry (S.C.) 5. Heath Jolley, Central Oklahoma 6. Brad Padgett, St. Cloud State (Minn.) 7. Paul Sutton, Nebraska-Kearney 8. Lars Lueders, Western State (Colo.) 197 Pounds 1. Josh Majerus, Chadron State (Neb.) 2. Josh Ohl, Ashland (Ohio) 3. Ty Copsey, Augustana (S.D.) 4. Donavan McMahill, Western State (Colo.) 5. Kelly Anundson, Newberry (S.C.) 6. Matt Norton, Upper Iowa 7. Pat Walsh, Pittsburgh-Johnstown (Pa.) 8. Nick Wilkes, St. Cloud State (Minn.) 285 Pounds 1. Tervel Dlagnev, Nebraska-Kearney 2. Brady Wilson, Minnesota State-Mankato 3. Cy Wainwright, Newberry (S.C.) 4. Dustin Finn, Central Oklahoma 5. Dan Goodson, Upper Iowa 6. Zach Majocha, Pittsburgh-Johnstown (Pa.) 7. Jesse Laber, Mary (N.D.) 8. Tony Lewis, Nebraska-Omaha

Scott, Smith preview Big 12 Championships Oklahoma State University Sports Information Oklahoma State senior wrestler Coleman Scott and coach John Smith met with members of the media Monday in Gallagher-Iba Arena to preview Saturday's Big 12 Championship in Stillwater. Here are some of the highlights of what they had to say: Coleman Scott Regarding post-season competition: "I've been there before. A couple of the guys have. We need to wrestle like we know how to win and the title will take care of itself. I think we can definitely blow some people out of the water when we start wrestling well and they realize what big strides we've made the last couple of weeks." Regarding the importance of bonus points at the Big 12 Championship: "That's one thing we've excelled at when we were winning titles we were always getting bonus points whether it's a major, tech or a pin. You just have to keep going and extending your leads and breaking people. That's what we seem to do, peaking at the right time and doing that to guys at the end of the year." Regarding wrestling the Big 12 Championship at home in Stillwater: "It's a good feeling especially since we don't have to travel anywhere. I can't wait for it to be here. It hasn't been here since I've been here. It will be a good feeling being in front of our own fans. Hopefully we give them a good show." "I definitely like staying at home. It keeps my training schedule on. I know where I can eat and what I like to eat and stuff like that. I don't have to adjust for anything. I get to sleep in my own bed, which is nice." Regarding the team's preparation for the Big 12 Championship: "It's good. Everyone is excited. We're still making strides. We still have four or five days of practice. Everyone is really looking forward to that, and focusing on getting better these next couple of days and then focusing on the Big 12 come Saturday." Regarding what legacy he and Nathan Morgan will leave: "I think we both feel that we haven't done anything yet. Until we get that title, we want to solidify this year. Once both of us get that title we'll feel better about what we've done in our careers here." John Smith Regarding the Big 12 Championship: "We closed the gap in the Big 12. We have an opportunity. That's all you hope from this team right now. It's a tough tournament. When there's only five teams you don't get a lot of help. With this situation we have to focus on closing that gap and the only way to do that is win matches. It takes 10 guys participating. If you're going to win the tournament you can't have five guys taking fifth. It's just the opposite in the next tournament. If you have five guys doing great things there's a good chance you're going to get what you want." Regarding the importance of scoring bonus points at the Big 12 Championship: "If it's any indication from last year it's going to be pretty important. They always seem to be. I'm not sure we're in a position to score a lot. I think we are in the position to get some upsets. For us that's going to be important for us." "I've got four guys ranked fifth. Am I going to get bonus points? That's going to be hard to do. Jared Rosholt two against three. Shinn against Fio. Coleman Scott likely against McCormick which have been one point matches. I think we have the opportunity but if we are it's going to be in the third period." Regarding Nathan Morgan's knee injury: "He's bounced off that knee fine and been training well. He seems to be as good as he's looked at this later part of the season." Regarding wrestling the Big 12 Championship at home in Stillwater: "I think when you're at home if you get on a roll I think some magical things can happen. I don't know if needs to come down to one match. I know we're positioned pretty well. 125, 133, 141 are in pretty good position. We're in a good position at 57 if we're going to pull upsets. Sixty five with Dieffenbach. Heavyweight. If you're pushing those guys into the finals, you're going to be in good shape." Regarding Jake Dieffenbach in the 165-pound bracket: "It's very tough. 65 has a lot of balance there. There are several good kids. I think the conference has four solid wrestlers in there with him, with the fifth one showing some signs of being tough. It's a tough weight. It takes tough people to win it. I like the way Jake's wrestled the last couple of outings. It seemed like he struggled a little bit in January and I think a lot of that is based on the NAIA season which is very short. The longevity of the season got to him a little bit but he's refocused and I think his best wrestling is still ahead of him." Regarding how the team's preseason conditioning comes into play late in the season: "My conditioning program helps everyone who lets the negativity go. A lot of our matches we're training through them. We're not taking three days off and trying to peak for the match. Oklahoma, we trained right through it. That was probably a little bit of a mistake on my part." Regarding the wild card meeting following the Big 12 Championship: "It's probably the worst part of my job. They've never been very enjoyable. People have left upset and angry. They implemented some rules last year where it became a little more civil. The wild card is you're fighting for your kid. Everyone thinks they have an athlete who can make a difference and help at the NCAA Championships. It's like having your own child. Every one of these men wrestle hard for you and you want them to get that opportunity. One thing we've gotten away from is we need to help teams that can win championships. A championship in our conference helps all of us. Does it mean we need to take someone over someone who earned it more? You get into a point where the last four or five are real close and it's hard to distinguish a difference then we should award the spots to teams that have a chance to win championships. It's going to be tough this year." "Every time I leave I feel abused. Any coach can say that. It becomes personal in the wild card. You're telling me my kid isn't any good, that he hasn't done anything. It's just a fight. We're not holding hands and sharing a meal together." General thoughts on the Big 12 Championship: "I don't like the fact we're an underdog. I'm excited because of what I see in my guys and the way they're responding to our training and the attitude in the room. I've seen some things I really like. It doesn't mean anything if we don't execute on the mat." Brands, Iowa ready for Big Ten Championships University of Iowa Sports Information By Tom Brand's demeanor Tuesday, the Big Ten Conference wrestling championship couldn't come soon enough. Brands swayed, rocked and fidgeted during a 20-minute press conference inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. If focus and anxiousness had a face, Brands would be the obvious poster child. The No. 1-ranked Hawkeyes have two top seeds and six others seeded in the top four for the league tournament March 8-9 at Williams Arena in Minneapolis "I've been saying all year that we have a group of guys who love to compete and this is the best time of year to love to compete," Brands said. "We have a good group of guys." Iowa's top seeds are sophomore Brent Metcalf at 149 pounds and senior Mark Perry at 165. Junior Charlie Falck (125), sophomore Joe Slaton (133) and sophomore Jay Borschel (174) are all two-seeds. Sophomore Phillip Keddy is third at 184, senior Matt Fields (285) and sophomore Dan LeClere (141) are seeded fourth. Sophomore Ryan Morningstar is seventh at 157 and sophomore Chad Beatty is tied for seventh at 197. "It's important to have 10 weight classes representing themselves to the best of their ability and beyond that," Brands said. "That means wrestling above your seeds and if you're the No. 1 seed, doing it in dominating fashion. When you have 10 weight classes doing that, the team title takes care of itself." Minnesota has won six of the last nine Big Ten championships, including the last two. Iowa's last win came in 2004, but the Hawkeyes have won the last two times the tournament has been held in Minneapolis (1986, '97). Brands enjoys competing in hostile environments like the one the Hawkeyes will face this weekend. "Williams Arena is a great place to wrestle," Brands said. "They have good fans there. We'll have a good following there. Enemy arenas have always been attractive in my way of thinking when you're invading someone." Perry (18-2) received the top seed at 165 even though he has not competed since a 4-1 victory against Michigan's Eric Tannenbaum on Jan. 13. Perry is recovering from knee surgery and Brands says he is "100 percent." "The fur's been flying in our room with Mark Perry," Brands said. "He's been wrestling hard. He's been preparing his whole life for this, so down time doesn't concern me when you have a mindset like that and when you have an attitude like that." Perry is the defending conference and national champion at 165. Other Big Ten placewinners for the Hawkeyes last season were Falck (second), Fields (fourth), Morningstar (fifth) and Keddy (seventh). There are five Iowa wrestlers who will be competing in their first league tournament. One of those rookies is Metcalf (30-1), who has won 23 consecutive matches and is 9-0 against other Big Ten competitors at 149. Brands was asked what he thought of the 149-pound weight class, which features one of the marquee brackets in the tournament. "Balanced and tough," Brands said. "A lot of guys hoping and one guy that knows he can continue his rampage. I like our guy. I like him because of how his approach is and how his impact on his team is." Because of so many high seeds, there isn't a lot of opportunity for many of the Iowa wrestlers to have a break-through weekend. One is Morningstar, who is in a loaded 157 class. During his career, Morningstar is 5-12 against the rest of the field, 2-6 in dual conference dual action this season. "It's a new season for me," Morningstar said. "I have some overdue wins that need to come out and now's the time. Brands knows how to get us ready and we believe in what he's doing and what he's teaching. He'll have us ready no matter what, so that's a good feeling to have." The first session begins at 11 a.m. on Saturday, March 8. "When they get ready to wrestle, it's a great group to watch and they are confident," Brands said. "All I know is that our guys, when they get ready to go, they're pretty doggone tough and they're fun to watch because they attack. They do it the right way."

The Dana College wrestling team will be sending 12 wrestlers to the 51st NAIA Wrestling Championships in Sioux City, Iowa, beginning on March 6. The tournament will be spread out over three days at the Tyson Event Center. There will be 272 wrestlers from 30 different teams participating in the event. Representing the Vikings are: Kevin Gray (16-11, SR, Topeka, Kan.) at 125 pounds, Burke Barnes (14-3, SR, Lake Stevens, Wash.) at 133 pounds, Matt Jacobson (7-18, JR, Craig, Neb.) at 133 pounds, Adam Manz (17-12, SO, Council Bluffs, Iowa) at 141 pounds, Ty Costa (9-14, FR, Turlock, Calif.) at 141 pounds, Jason Bilinski (30-6, SR, Pittsgrove, N.J.) at 157 pounds, Dan Pray (16-13, SR, St. George, Kan.) at 157 pounds, Ryan Tuzon (27-10, JR, Maui, Hawaii) at 165 pounds, Tony Ponce (20-17, SR, Derby, Kan.) at 174 pounds, Josh Ghobadpoor (8-6, SO, Dahlonega, Ga.) at 174 pounds, Ross Milam (24-19, JR, Omaha, Neb.) at 197 pounds, and Wade Jordan (29-8, SR, Coulee City, Wash.) at heavyweight. Dana College finished 8-4 in duals this year and 5-1 in Great Plains Athletic Conference duals. The Vikings won the GPAC tournament for the second straight season and crowned five individual champions. Dana College is coached by Beau Vest who is in his first season.

This week's edition of "On the Mat" will feature Mike Finn and Troy Sunderland. "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. W.I.N. Magazine editor Mike Finn will be on the program for his monthly segment. Finn will provide a preview of the upcoming conference tournaments and an overview of the dual meet season. Sunderland is the head wrestling coach at Pennsylvania State University. His Nittany Lion team is currently ranked sixth nationally. Penn State finished the dual meet season with a 14-5 overall record and a 5-3 Big Ten Conference record. As a wrestler, Sunderland was a three-time All-American and a two-time NCAA runner-up for Penn State from 1988-1993. "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.

THIS WEEK IN PANTHER WRESTLING Sat., March 8 at NCAA West Regional (Fargo, N.D. - 10 a.m.) The University of Northern Iowa Panthers' wrestling team will travel to Fargo, N.D., for the 2008 NCAA West Regional on Sat., March 8. The 20 individual qualifiers will advance to St. Louis, Mo., and the Scottrade Center for the 2008 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships March 20-22. UNI PANTHERS (7-5-1) Wt. Name Year Hometown 07-08 Record 125 Caleb Flores R-Fr. Rosemead, Calif. 6-13 133 Josh Baldridge Jr. Haysville, Kan. 5-5 141 C.J. Ettelson Sr. Hudson, Iowa 12-8 149 Nick Pickerell R-Fr. Albia, Iowa 18-7 157 Tyson Reiner So. Mitchell, S.D. 3-6 165 Moza Fay Jr. Anamosa, Iowa 18-6 174 Alex Dolly Sr. Mishawaka, Ind. 14-9 184 Andy O'Loughlin R-Fr. Independence, Iowa 10-14 197 Andrew Anderson Jr. Sioux City, Iowa 17-9 285 Dustin Bauman R-Fr. Stratford, Wis. 11-12 PANTHER POINTS NCAA WEST REGIONAL INFORMATION The NCAA has allocated 20 individual qualifying spots for the 2008 West Regional. The Panthers will join the host school North Dakota State along with Air Force, Northern Colorado, South Dakota State and Wyoming at the NCAA West Regional. Round one action will begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday in the Bison Sports Arena. The semifinals will begin at 11:30 a.m., followed by the consolation semifinals at 2 p.m. The finals and consolation finals will begin at 4 p.m. The "True Second" matches will take place following the finals, if necessary. Immediately following the final wrestling action of the evening the coaches will take part in the Wild Card Meeting to determine all 20 qualifiers for the NCAA Championships. Ticket prices for the NCAA West Regional are $12 for adults and $6 for 17-under. Children 2-under are free with paid adult admission. To order tickets call the NDSU ticket office at (888) 231-NDSU or order online at GoBison.com/tickets. PANTHERS AIMING FOR 23RD STRAIGHT REGIONAL TITLE The Panthers will be looking for their 23rd straight West Regional championship on March 8. UNI has won the past 22 regional team titles it has entered. The last time UNI did not win the regional title came in 1985 when Louisiana State secured the team title. UNI'S NATIONAL QUALIFIERS UNDER PENRITH Head coach Brad Penrith and the Panthers' goal each year is to qualify all 10 wrestlers for the NCAA Championships. UNI qualified as many as nine under Penrith's tutelage at the 2003 West Regional. In 1986, UNI qualified all 10 of its wrestlers to the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. It is the only time in the Division I era that UNI has qualified all 10 wrestlers to the national meet. According to wrestling records kept by Jay Hammond, 66 teams have qualified 10 individuals in a single season to the national meet since 1973, including all 10 last season by Iowa State University. Year-by-Year Qualifiers to NCAAs under Penrith 2001 - 8 qualifiers 2002 - 8 qualifiers 2003 - 9 qualifiers 2004 - 7 qualifiers 2005 - 7 qualifiers 2006 - 8 qualifiers 2007 - 6 qualifiers Caleb Flores - 125 lbs. Redshirt freshman Caleb Flores (Rosemead, Calif.) will be making his first appearance at the NCAA West Regional. Flores went 2-2 against his regional opponents in 2007-08. He tallied six wins on the season, including four in dual competition. Josh Baldridge - 133 lbs. Junior Josh Baldridge (Haysville, Kan.) will be making his regional debut after transferring to UNI from Labette Community College at the beginning of the spring semester. Bahe has posted an overall mark of 5-5 since joining the Panthers. Baldridge is a perfect 4-0 against West Regional opponents this season with wins over Wyoming's Cory VomBaur (4-1), UNC's Blayze Bahe (5-2), SDSU's Nick Kulseth (9-1) and NDSU's Eric Sanders (14-5. C.J. Ettelson - 141 lbs. Senior C.J. Ettelson (Hudson, Iowa) is a three-time national qualifer and a two-time West Regional champion. Ettelson is 12-8 this season and has not lost to a West Regional opponent this season in four matches. Ettelson scored wins over Wyoming's Brandon Gifford (16-0), UNC's Richard Lohr (Fall, 0:54), SDSU's Jeff Cooley (5-0) and NDSU's Geoff Martin (Fall, 5:17). Ettelson owns victories this season over then No. 1-ranked Kellen Russell (Michigan), 9-3. Russell is currently ranked No. 6 in the nation at 141 pounds. Ettelson also tallied a 6-0 victory over No. 12-ranked Cody Cleveland (Chattanooga). Nick Pickerell - 149 lbs. Redshirt freshman Nick Pickerell (Albia, Iowa) will be making his NCAA West Regional debut as well. Pickerell is 18-7 overall this season, which includes a 3-2 mark in dual competition. Pickerell is 2-0 against West Regional opponents this season with wins over UNC's Daniel Prater (16-7) and NDSU's Ryan Adams (15-0). Pickerell picked up first-place honors in the 149-pound weight class at the Jim Fox Open on Dec. 8 and the Flash Flanagan Open on Jan. 5. Tyson Reiner - 157 lbs. Sophomore Tyson Reiner (Mitchell, S.D.) had been limited by injuries early in the season and posted three wins in his last five bouts this season. Reiner is 2-0 vs. NCAA West Regional opponents with victories over Wyoming's Dane Fuhrman (8-1) and NDSU's Adam Aho (6-4). Moza Fay - 165 lbs. Junior Moza Fay (Anamosa, Iowa) will be looking to qualify to the national tournament for the second consecutive season. Fay captured the 157-pound regional title in 2007. Fay reached the Round of 12 at last year's NCAA Championships in the 157-pound weight class. Fay is ranked No. 10 in the nation in the latest InterMat rankings. Fay is 18-7 this season including a perfect 4-0 against NCAA West Regional opponents. Fay has wins over Wyoming's Eric Coxbill (11-3), UNC's Devan Lewis (17-5), Air Force's Stephen Crozier (13-2) and NDSU's Vince Salminen (Fall, 1:33). Fay has split two matches this season with No. 7-ranked Jon Reader (Iowa State). Fay scored a 9-6 win on Dec. 16, while Reader tallied a 13-5 win on Jan. 12. Fay won the 165-pound title at the Loras Open on Nov. 10 and placed second at the Kaufman-Brand Open on Nov. 17. Alex Dolly - 174 lbs. Senior Alex Dolly (Mishawaka, Ind.) will attempt to earn his third trip to the NCAA Championships. Dolly won the 184-pound title at the 2005 West Regional. He then placed second at the 2007 West Regional and earned a wild card into the NCAA Championships. Dolly has posted a mark of 14-9 this season, which includes seven dual wins. Dolly is also 4-0 against West Regional opponents this season with wins over Wyoming's Kyle Morrow (2-1), UNC's Ryan Johnson (20-10), SDSU's Justin Retallic (Fall, 5:24) and NDSU's Shannon Fettig (Fall, 2:17). Dolly placed first at the Loras Open on Nov. 10 and placed second at the Kaufman-Brand Open on Nov. 17. Andy O'Loughlin - 184 lbs. Redshirt freshman Andy O'Loughlin (Independence, Iowa) will be making his first appearance at the NCAA West Regional. O'Loughlin has 10 victories on the season, including four in dual action. O'Loughlin posted a 2-1 mark against West Regional opponents with wins over Wyoming's Mikel Hoopes (11-9) and SDSU's Matt Wetterling (17-6). Andrew Anderson - 197 lbs. Junior Andrew Anderson (Sioux City, Iowa) will be looking for his third trip to the national tournament in as many years. Anderson has been a wild card selection in each of the two previous years. Anderson has posted an overall record of 17-9 this season, including an 8-5 mark in dual action. Anderson finished the regular season strong with six wins in his last seven matches. The 197-pounder is 4-0 against West Regional competition this season with wins over Wyoming's Dan Barrone (Fall, 6:49), UNC's Patrick Carey (Fall, 1:22) and NDSU's Jacob Bryce (Fall, 1:40). Anderson also received a forfeit dual win against South Dakota State. Anderson tallied wins over Wisconsin's No. 8-ranked Dallas Herbst (4-3) and Chattanooga's No. 17-ranked Matt Koz (6-1). He placed sixth at the Midlands tournament on Dec. 30, marking the third time in as many years he has placed in the top six at one of the nation's most prestigious open tournaments. Anderson also tallied first-place honors at the Loras Open on Nov. 10 and placed second at the Kaufman-Brand Open on Nov. 17. Dustin Bauman - 285 lbs. Redshirt freshman Dustin Bauman (Stratford, Wis.) will be making his NCAA West Regional debut after posting 11 wins this season at heavyweight for the Panthers. Bauman also notched seven dual wins. Bauman is 2-1 against West Regional opponents this season with victories over SDSU's Jeremy Swier (15-0) and NDSU's Tyler Hemmesch (10-0). WEST REGIONAL ON THE RADIO UNI Panther wrestling fans can follow the NCAA West Regional in the Cedar Valley by tuning in to 99.3-FM (KWAY) for all the action. Benjamin Hupke (play-by-play) and Benji Dolly (analyst) will have the call. UNI WINS SECOND STRAIGHT WWC REGULAR SEASON TITLE The Panthers secured its second straight Western Wrestling Conference regular season title with a 44-6 dual victory over North Dakota State on Feb. 24. UNI finished the 2007-08 conference dual season with a perfect 4-0 mark. UNI won the 2006-07 WWC title with an identical 4-0 league record. UNI DOMINATES WWC DUALS Not only did the UNI wrestling team capture its second straight Western Wrestling Conference title, the Panthers did so in dominating fashion. UNI outscored its WWC opponents by the count of 162-15. The Panthers lost only four bouts in league action this season. ANDERSON NAMED WWC WRESTLER OF THE WEEK University of Northern Iowa 197-pound junior Andrew Anderson has been named the Western Wrestling Conference's Wrestler of the Week as announced by league officials. Anderson (Sioux City, Iowa/East HS) posted a perfect 2-0 mark this past week to improve to 17-9 on the season. Anderson scored a 6-5 victory over Jacob Marrs (Nebraska-Omaha), who is ranked No. 2 in NCAA Division II at 197 pounds. Anderson then added a first-period fall at the 1:40 mark of his match with NDSU's Jacob Bryce, who was a national qualifier in 2007. Anderson has won four matches in a row to end the dual portion of the season. It marks the second time this season that Anderson has earned the league's top weekly honor (Jan. 23 & Feb. 27). UNI's Moza Fay has also been named the WWC Wrestler of the Week twice this season (Nov. 21 & Jan. 8). PANTHERS BLAST BISON, 44-6 The University of Northern Iowa wrestling team clinched its second straight Western Wrestling Conference regular season title championship with a 44-6 victory over the North Dakota State University Bison on Feb. 24 in the McLeod Center. The Panthers won nine of the 10 matches contested. UNI also tallied four falls and won the takedown battle, 21-5. "It's probably the best we've wrestled to date," UNI head coach Brad Penrith said. "We are a good team and we proved that today. NDSU is a good team too, but we controlled all facets of the game today. We just took them out of their game plan. We have two weeks to get ready for regionals. We are all on the same page now." PANTHERS TOPPLE D-II POWER NEBRASKA-OMAHA The University of Northern Iowa wrestling team secured a 22-15 dual win over Nebraska-Omaha, the nation's top-ranked NCAA Division II team. UNI won six of the 10 bouts against UNO on Thursday night in the Sapp Fieldhouse. UNI improved to 6-5-1 on the season, while Nebraska-Omaha dropped to 8-3 on the year. "I thought we wrestled pretty solid," UNI head coach Brad Penrith said. "We made a mistake at 149, when we were in control of the match, but other than that we put up a strong effort. Now we are gearing up for North Dakota State on Sunday." The Panthers now hold a 14-4 all-time series lead against the UNO Mavericks. THREE PANTHERS ON THE DEAN'S LIST Student-athletes at the University of Northern Iowa posted a 2.98 grade point average for the fall 2007 semester. In addition, the more than 400 student-athletes competing at UNI hold a cumulative GPA of 2.96. Of the 96 student-athletes named to the Dean's List were three members of the UNI wrestling team. Junior Andrew Anderson (Sioux City, Iowa), sophomore Charlie Ettelson (Hudson, Iowa) and sophomore Scott Hazen (Underwood, Iowa) were the three Panther wrestlers named to the Dean's List. "Our student-athletes' performance in the classroom equals their success on the field, court and pool," assistant athletics director for compliance Steve Schofield said. "They truly are students first and athletes second, and deserve a ton of credit for their hard work in the classroom. In addition, our coaching staffs have done a great job recruiting quality students to UNI, and emphasizing academics with their respective squads. Jennie Sell, athletics academic advisor, should also be recognized for the countless hours she works to help us achieve this level of success." A total of 96 student-athletes made the dean's list this past fall (GPA 3.5 or better), or nearly 25 percent. These student-athletes, listed below, have majors spread across all disciplines, in five separate colleges: Business Administration, Education, Humanities and Fine Arts, Natural Sciences and Social and Behavioral Sciences. Perhaps even more impressively, more than 50 percent of UNI's student-athletes recorded a grade point average of at least 3.0. UNI's student-athletes also had the same cumulative GPA (2.98) for the fall 2007 semester as UNI's general student population. MOZA PINS TO WIN Junior 165-pounder Moza Fay (Anamosa, Iowa) leads the squad this season with seven falls. Fay tallied his team-leading seventh fall of the season with a first-period fall over North Dakota State's Vincent Salminen at the 1:33 mark. Fay's fall helped UNI to a 44-6 dual win over NDSU. Fay reached the Round of 12 at last year's NCAA Championship and will be looking to make his second trip to nationals this season. C.J. JOINS TOP-20 WIN LIST Senior 141-pounder C.J. Ettelson upped is career win total to 92 with a pin win over NDSU's Geoff Martin. Ettelson is tied with Efonda Sproles (1979-82) for the No. 20 spot on the Panthers' all-time win list. Kirk Myers (1978-82) and Rich Powers (1988-92) are tied at the top of the list with 134 wins apiece. Ettelson is 92-45 overall in his career and 29-19 in duals. ETTELSON MOVES TO #7 ON UNI'S ALL-TIME FALLS LIST Ettelson moved to No. 7 on the Panthers' all-time pin list. He is tied with Joel Greenlee (1985-89) with 29 falls apiece. With one more fall, Ettelson would move into a tie for fifth with Dion Cobb (1979-84) and Dan Kjeldgaard (1993-97). Kirk Myers (1978-82) holds the Panthers' record for career pins with 61. KITTLESON LEADS TEAM IN WINS Redshirt freshman 149-pounder Trevor Kittleson (St. Ansgar, Iowa) leads the Panthers in wins this season with 21. Kittleson has posted a mark of 21-9 this season, including an impressive 5-1 record in matches ending in a major decision. Kittleson won his first-ever collegiate dual match with a hard fought 2-0 decision over SDSU's Weston Blasius. Kittleson has placed in the top six in five tournaments, including a championship in the Duhawk Open on Feb. 2. PLEDGES FOR PINS The 2007-08 wrestling season is well underway, but it's still not too late to participate in our second "Pledges for Pins" drive. Let's look at what is being accomplished with pledges for last year's team total of 48 pins that brought in nearly $25,000. A complete makeover of both sides of the West gym's north hallway, including action shots of all UNI national champions. (View the plans at www.thesignpeople.net; click on "Artwork," then enter "wrestling" as the "magic word.") Coach Brad Penrith's former office now serves as a wrestlers' study and video room and contains a desk for assistant Tolly Thompson. The room's new doors now open into the assistant coaches' office. A former athletic trainer's room was updated for the first time in about 30 years to become Brad's office. Exposed plumbing was covered in a tiny custodial office now used for wrestling supplies. Why is a Pledges for Pins drive necessary? Panther wrestlers compete in the first-rate McLeod center but sorely lack updated facilities in the West gym, which remains their home. This site pales in comparison to that of nearly every other Division I university, a definite recruiting disadvantage for the Panthers. In recent years, rising costs and lower state funds have combined to severely limit help from the university itself, so those of us who care about returning the UNI program to its stature as one of the top in the nation are lending our support. Any pledge amount, from $1 up, is welcome. Donors may specify a maximum number of pins for their contribution; for example, $20 for a maximum 50 pins ($1,000). Outright donations are also welcome, but PLEASE specify to the UNI Foundation that these are for the Pledges for Pins project. Contributors will be sent a statement at the end of the season, and all contributions are tax-deductible. Pledges and donations should be sent to Pledges for Pins, UNI Foundation Accounting, 1221 W. 23rd St, Cedar Falls, IA 50614 -0239. Last year, Panther wrestlers built an elementary school playground, moved a hospital daycare center's playground equipment, donated money for Christmas gifts for a classroom of low-income children (and sang them carols), read to children at area schools, and served as Safe Date escorts during Homecoming Week. And they did all this while posting the fifth-highest GPA in the nation, behind Duke, Stanford, Brown and Princeton! Now we can show them our spirit and concern. NCAA DIVISION I WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS IN ST. LOUIS The 78th Annual NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships take place March 20-22, 2008, at Scottrade Center in St. Louis. The Gateway City will once again host the tournament for two years as it heads back to the Arch in March. For tickets to the 2008 championships, visit Ticketmaster.com or charge by phone at 314/ 421-1888 or 866/ 646-8849 (toll free). For more information about the 2008 Wrestling Championships visit www.NCAAsports.com or www.stlsports.org/wrestling. Good seats are still available for the 2008 NCAA Wrestling Championships. Fans can order tickets by calling 866/ 646-8849 or logging on to Ticketmaster.com. Tickets start as low as $60. Groups of fifteen or more can call 314/ 206-7388 for great ticket discounts and special packages. THE Brad Penrith SHOW The Brad Penrith Show will be broadcast each Wednesday on KWAY (99.3-FM) from 7 p.m. - 8 p.m. Benjamin Hupke will serve as the show's host. BOOSTER CLUB MEETINGS The UNI wrestling Booster Club meetings are held the first Wednesday of every month at Biemann's Chuck Wagon on 2627 Center Street in North Cedar Falls (old 218). WEEKLY PRESS LUNCHEONS The UNI head coach Brad Penrith or a member of his coaching staff will be available at the weekly Press Luncheons held each Monday beginning at 12 noon in the back room of Pepper's Grill and Sports Pub located at 620 East 18th Street in Cedar Falls.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Tommy Rowlands, assistant coach for the Ohio State wrestling team, continued his bid for a spot on the U.S. Olympic Team after winning the gold medal at the 2008 Pan American Championships Sunday in Colorado Springs, Colo. Competing at 120kg/264.5 pounds at the Olympic Training Center, Rowlands shut out Brazil's Antoine Jaoude, 2-0, 4-0, in the gold-medal match. En route to the final, Rowlands, a 2007 U.S. World Team member, pinned world champion Alexis Rodriguez of Cuba in 1:54 in the opening match earlier Sunday. "That was a big win for me," Rowlands said. "He (Rodriguez) is a seven-time world medalist. This doesn't put me on the Olympic Team. It's definitely a nice steppingstone for me and one that I am proud of." After downing Rodriguez, Rowlands held Canada's Arjan Bhullar scoreless to win, 3-0, 2-0, in the semifinals, setting up the gold-medal match against Jaoude. Rowlands' gold medal helped the United States win the Pan Am championships with 64 points, edging Cuba for the title, which compiled 59 points. In his quest to compete at the Olympic Games in Beijing, Rowlands will participate at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials June 13-15 in Las Vegas.

Former Stanford wrestler and current volunteer assistant coach Matt Gentry has earned a spot at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. The 74 kg freestyle wrestler, who qualified for the Canadian Olympic Team in December, earned himself a spot in the Olympics yesterday, taking third at the Pan Am Championships in Colorado Springs. Gentry, a dual citizen of the United States and Canada, won a 7-0, 5-0 decision over Felipe Arangure of Mexico in his opening match and pinned Panama's Leonardo Gonzalez 27 seconds into his second match. Gentry then lost a close decision to the wrestler from Cuba, but bested Columbia's Wilson Medina (5-0, 10-3) in the bronze medal match. In the wrestle-off for true third to go to the Olympics, he pinned Puerto Rican Jaime Espinal in 1:45. As the highest finisher not already qualified, Gentry earned himself a spot in this summer's Olympic Games. Gentry has been competing internationally since graduating from Stanford in 2005. He won his first major international medal, a bronze, at the Pan Am Games last July. Gentry is Stanford's only NCAA Champion, having won the 157-pound title in 2004. He qualified for the Olympics on the same day his career win record was broken by current senior Tanner Gardner.

TEMPE, Ariz. -- The 2008 Pac-10 Wrestling Championships came to a close Monday night at McArthur Court in Eugene, Ore., where the Arizona State University wrestling team placed fourth overall on the strength of two individual champions and five Top 2 placements. Boise State won the team title with 152.5 points while Stanford was second at 106.5 and was followed by Oregon State (106), ASU (103) and CS Fullerton (101.5) in the Top 5. Individual championships were secured by Patrick Pitsch at 165 pounds, his third in a row, and at 184 pounds by Brent Chriswell. The title for Pitsch makes him the first wrestler in Pac-10 history to win the 165-pound title three times and just the third wrestler since weight classes were reorganized in 1998-98 to win the same weight three times in a career joining former Sun Devil Ryan Bader (197) and BSU's Scott Jorgenson (133). The finals opened with second-seeded and 17th-ranked Anthony Robles putting on a stellar performance at 125 pounds before falling just shy of an upset bid of sixth-ranked Tanner Gardner by dropping a 7-6 decision. Two bouts later, sixth-seeded Chris Drouin also came close to a huge upset, falling to undefeated and No. 1 Chad Mendes, 6-4, in the 141 bout. Pitsch, the top-seed in his weight class, was the first victorious Sun Devil in the finals, despite surrendering an early takedown. Trailing 2-0, Pitsch fought back to take a 6-4 upset victory over second-seeded and 17th-ranked Kurt Swartz (BSU) for his third crown. Two weight classes later, third-seeded and 15th-ranked Brent Chriswell pulled off a big upset of his own as he scored a 10-7 defeat of top-seeded and eighth-ranked Kirk Smith, a fellow freshmen. The final Sun Devil in the finals was one bout later where top-seeded Jason Trulson dropped a 3-1 overtime decision to Kyle Bressler (Oregon State) at 197 pounds. Three others ASU wrestlers competed in the medal rounds on the day as well, including Quinton Pruett, who placed fifth at heavyweight. Pruett, unseeded in the tournament, opened the day with a close 3-2 loss to third-seeded Charlie Alexander of Oregon. In the fifth-place bout, Pruett faced sixth-seeded Ricardo Alcala (UC Davis) and exacted revenge for an opening round loss with a 6-1 victory. Orlando Jimenez was pinned in 4:24 of the seventh-place bout at 149 pounds to earn eighth place while Todd Schavrien accepted eighth-place at 133 pounds after medically forfeiting his bout. Next up for those Sun Devils that have qualified will be the NCAA Wrestling Championships, set for March 20-22 in St. Louis.

Eugene, Ore. -- In a season already marked by impressive milestones, the 2007-08 Stanford wrestling team rallied today to hit its biggest one yet. The Cardinal won a tight race at the 2008 Pac-10 Championships, taking second place to record the highest Pac-10 finish in school history. The Cardinal entered the day in sixth, but won five consolation semifinal matches this afternoon to get its day two rally started. In the nightcap, senior Josh Zupancic and junior Luke Feist earned crucial bonus points in third place matches, and senior Tanner Gardner captured his second consecutive Pac-10 title. The three performances helped carry Stanford to its first-ever Pac-10 runner-up finish, with 106.5 team points. Gardner, Stanford's new all-time win leader, was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Wrestler, after pinning two opponents and defeating a top-20 wrestler in the championship bout. Gardner (38-1) started the evening session with a win in the 125-pound championship. With the decision, the two-time All-American became the first Cardinal wrestler in more than two decades to win back-to-back titles. Wrestling Arizona State's Anthony Robles, the nation's 17th-ranked 125-pounder, Gardner battled back from a deficit and earned a 7-5 decision. After a scoreless first period, Gardner was taken down and turned to fall behind 4-1. Within seconds, however, Gardner reversed Robles and put him on his back for a three-point nearfall, earning what proved to be the decisive points in the match. Gardner will compete at the NCAA Championships, Mar. 20-22, looking to become Stanford's first three-time All-American and second NCAA Champion. At 149 pounds, redshirt freshman Lucas Espericueta (25-12) fell to Oregon State's Kyle Larson in the third place bout, 8-3. Espericueta upset third-seeded Larson in the opening round of the tournament, but was unable to repeat the upset. Espericueta finished fourth and was one of eight wild cards selected for the NCAA Championships by conference coaches. At 157 pounds, Zupancic (36-6) won a decisive third-place match to secure his second straight trip to the NCAA Championships. The Cardinal All-American demolished unseeded Tim Patrick of Oregon State, earning a key bonus point with a 14-3 major decision. At 165 pounds, true freshman Kyle Barrett (7-6) was defeated by No. 4 Daniel Atondo of Cal State Bakersfield for third place. The unseeded Cardinal freshman, who had wrestled in just eight collegiate matches prior to the championship, posted a Cinderella run during the tournament, defeating three seeded opponents on his way to a fourth place finish. Feist (16-10) battled back with a vengeance in the 174-pound bout. In a rematch with his first round opponent, Todd Noel of Cal State Fullerton, the Stanford junior got revenge, earning a critical team bonus point with an 8-0 major decision. Feist will head back to the NCAA Championships for the second straight year, looking to earn his first career All-America honor. At 184 pounds, Zack Giesen (24-10) was caught on his back by tenth-ranked Ian Murphy of Cal State Fullerton, and lost by fall (0:58) for just the third time this season. Along with teammate Espericueta, Giesen earned one of eight NCAA wild card spots and will head to his second NCAA Championships later this month. The NCAA Championships will be held at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Mar. 20-22. For the second straight year, Stanford will send five wrestlers to the event, one of the highest totals in program history. Gardner, Zupancic, Feist and Giesen will be making repeat appearances at the championships, while Espericueta, a redshirt freshman, will be making his NCAA debut. Stanford's highest Pac-10 finish prior to tonight was third place in 1985 and 1986. The Cardinal's only other second place finish came more than 40 years ago (1965), when the squad was part of the Athletic Association of Western Universities. Boise State captured the team title with 152.5 points, and Stanford edged defending conference champion Oregon State for second place, 106.5 to 106. Arizona State took fourth with 103 points, and Cal State Fullerton rounded out the top five with 101.5 points.

EUGENE, Ore. -- The Boise State University wrestling team captured the Pacific-10 Wrestling Championships in Eugene, Ore., with 152.5 points. "It was an awesome performance all weekend by all 10 of our wrestlers," said head coach Greg Randall. "We had only one goal coming here and that was the championship and nothing else." Cory Fish captured the first individual Pac-10 Championship of his career as he defeated hometown hero Ryan Dunn of Oregon 3-1. Fish recorded a two point takedown at the 0:51 mark in the in the first period and never relinquished the lead. He gave up an escape point in the first period as Dunn narrowed the lead to 2-1 but Fish responded with an escape of his own at the 0:03 mark in the second period and held on for his first conference championship. This was the first conference title for a Boise State wrestler since Ben Cherrington captured the 157-pound title in 2006. "This is the first title I have ever won in college," Fish said. "It feels great to win the one that really counts." Nate Lee, at 174-pounds, earned the Broncos second individual title of the Pac-10 Championships as he defeated the No. 3 seed Tyler Bernacchi of UC Davis 4-3. The match was tied at 2-2 entering the third period before Lee gave up an escape to go down one. The two wrestlers grappled until the 1:03 mark in the when Lee shot for the leg and connected on a two point takedown to take the 4-3 advantage. Lee was able to thwart Bernacchi's final attempts to score and held on for the victory. This was the first conference championship for Lee who took third place at in last year's conference championship. "I knew I was going to have a battle on my hands," said Lee. "I knew my game plan, he knew his game plan, you can't get shaken when points are scored against you, you just have to keep wrestling. The way our team has been training the past three weeks I knew I would last longer than him. Our whole team knew they were ready for this tournament and it has shown." At 157 pounds, Tyler Sherfey battled No. 1 seed Chase Pami of Cal Poly to overtime but fell in the first overtime period 3-1. Sherfey, the No. 3 seed, knocked off No. 2 seed Josh Zupancic of Stanford in the semi-finals to earn spot in the finals. Sherfey earned a trip to the NCAA Championships with his second place finish. This is the second consecutive season Sherfey has finished in the top three at the Pac-10 Championships at 157-pounds, he took third in 2007. Freshman and No. 2 seed Kurt Swartz reached the finals of the Pac-10 Championships at 165 pounds where he fell to Patrick Pitsch of Arizona State 6-4. Even with the loss, Swartz captured second place at 165 pounds and a trip to the NCAA Wrestling Championships in St. Louis, Mo., Mar. 20-22. Adam Hall finished second in the 149 pound weight class. Hall won two matches Sunday, Mar. 2, to earn a trip to the finals. Hall had already earned a place at the NCAA Wrestling Championships and decided forfeited to Morgan Atkinson to prepare for the national championships. Levi Jones captured the third place title at 141-pounds as he beat Nexi Delgado of UC Davis 8-5. Jones posted a 3-1 record at the conference championships to earn his third place finish. Matt Casperson finished third at 197-pounds as he outscored Riley Orozco of Bakersfield 4-2. Casperson fell behind 0-1 before rattling off three straight points to take a 3-1 lead which he would not relinquish. The final victory of the championships for the Broncos came at the heavyweight division where Nick Smith defeated Charlie Alexander of Oregon 5-2 to capture third place. Freshman Allen Bartelli won two matches at the Pac-10 Championships to earn a seventh place finish in the 125 pound weight class. He defeated Andre Gonzalez 8-3 for his first victory and then dropped Joseph Lucas of Oregon 2-1 in the seventh place match. "Winning the Pac-10 Championship has been this team's goal all year," said Fish. "It has been a great year for Boise State athletics with the wrestling team capturing a conference title, the men's and women's basketball teams earning a share of the conference champions, the tennis teams having a great start to the year and all the success of the gymnastics team." The 152.5 points recorded by the Broncos are the third-most in Pac-10 history and completed the largest one-year turnaround in Pac-10 history. The Broncos made up eight places in the standing from their 2007 finish (ninth) and nearly tripled their team score of 58.5 points. This is fourth Pac-10 wrestling championship in Boise State history with all occurring since 2000. The Broncos also have fourth second place finishes in the same time period. In total Boise State wrestlers recorded two first place finishes, four second place finishes and three third place finishes en route to the Pac-10 title. The Broncos will send nine wrestlers to the NCAA Wrestling Championships Mar. 20-22, in St. Louis, Mo.

All 10 starters for the defending Big Ten and national champion Minnesota Golden Gopher wrestling team were pre-seeded in the top eight for the 2008 Big Ten Wrestling Championships, to be held this weekend (Saturday and Sunday) at the University of Minnesota's Williams Arena. Undefeated (33-0) and top-ranked sophomore Jayson Ness earned the number one at 125 pounds, the only Golden Gopher to do so. Ness won his first career Big Ten championship last season as the number one seed. Minnesota had four top seeds last year en route to their second consecutive conference championship. Four other Minnesota wrestlers were pre-seeded in the top three for this year's event – junior Dustin Schlatter (No. 3 at 149 pounds), junior Tyler Safratowich (No. 3 at 165 pounds) and senior Gabriel Dretsch (No. 3 at 174 pounds). Also pre-seeded for Minnesota were seniors Mack Reiter (fifth at 133 pounds), Manuel Rivera (sixth at 141 pounds), C.P. Schlatter (No. 4 at 157), Roger Kish (fourth at 184), Justin Bronson (No. 6 at 197) and redshirt freshman Ben Berhow (No. 8 at heavyweight). The two-time defending conference champion Gophers boast one of the most experienced starting lineups in the Big Ten. Minnesota's starters have participated in a combined 17 Big Ten Wrestling Championships and won seven individual conference titles. The Big Ten pre-seeds are determined by a vote amongst the conference's head wrestling coaches after consideration of regular season results. The official Big Ten Championships bracket will be set on Friday, March 7. Tickets are still available for this weekend's tournament, which will be held at Williams Arena for the first time since 1997, and may be purchased via www.gophersports.com or by calling 1-800-UGOPHER or 612-624-8080.

PARK RIDGE, Ill. -- Conference officials announced the preliminary seeds for the 2008 Big Ten Wrestling Championships today. The pre-seeds are determined by a vote amongst the conference's head wrestling coaches after consideration of regular-season results. This year's Big Ten Wrestling Championships will take place on the campus of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minn. at Williams Arena on March 8-9. The official Big Ten Championships bracket will be set on Friday, March 7. Six different schools are represented as No. 1 seeds in the 10 weight classes. Illinois, Iowa, Michigan and Ohio State all lead the way with the most top seeds at two each. Illinois' James Kennedy (25-4 at 133) and Mike Poeta (26-2 at 157) represent the Illini as top pre-seeds for this year's event. Kennedy is currently ranked No. 3 nationally at 133, and Poeta is No. 2 at 157, which is best in the conference in both classes. Brent Metcalf (30-1 at 149) and Mark Perry (18-2 at 165) earned top-billing for Iowa. The Hawkeyes were Big Ten regular season dual champions and are currently the No. 1 nationally-ranked team. Metcalf is the top-ranked wrestler in the land at 149. Perry is the defending Big Ten champion at 165 after defeating this year's No. 2 seed Eric Tannenbaum of Michigan in the 2007 finale. Perry is also ranked No. 1 in the nation at 165. Michigan's top seeds consist of Kellen Russell (26-5 at 141) and Steve Luke (27-3 at 174). Russell is ranked fourth in the country and finished with a 9-1 record in Big Ten matches. Luke will defend his 174 lbs. title this year after winning the Big Ten crown with a 5-2 decision over Penn State's James Yonushonis in last year's championship bout. Mike Pucillo (25-1 at 184) and J.D. Bergman (27-1 at Hwt.) represent Ohio State as No. 1 pre-seeds. The Buckeyes finished second in the Big Ten regular season dual standings this year. Pucillo's only loss this season came to Michigan's Tyrel Todd. Todd was voted as the No. 2 pre-seed for this year's event. Bergman's lone loss also came to the No. 2 seed at Hwt. in Northwestern's Dustin Fox. Rounding out the top seeds are Minnesota's Jayson Ness (33-0 at 125) and Northwestern's Mike Tamillow (27-2 at 197). Ness hopes to lead the Golden Gophers to their third consecutive Big Ten Championship and repeat as individual champion at 125. Tamillow is in search of his second consecutive 197 lbs. title after winning at last year's competition. Last year Minnesota won the conference championship with a score of 156 points and had four wrestlers win individual titles. Wisconsin (100.5) placed second and Iowa (91), Penn State (90.5) and Indiana (85) rounded out the top five. The complete list of pre-seeds follows: 2008 BIG TEN WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS PRELIMINARY SEEDS 125 lbs. 1. Jayson Ness, Minnesota 2. Charlie Falck, Iowa 3. Angel Escobedo, Indiana 4. Brandon Precin, Northwestern 5. Gabriel Flores, Illinois 6. Mark McKnight, Penn State 7. Nikko Triggas, Ohio State 8. Collin Cudd, Wisconsin 133 lbs. 1. James Kennedy, Illinois 2. Joe Slaton, Iowa 3. Franklin Gomez, Michigan State 4. Zach Tanelli, Wisconsin 5. Mack Reiter, Minnesota 6. Andrae Hernandez, Indiana 7. Reece Humphrey, Ohio State 8. Tim Haas, Penn State 141 lbs. 1. Kellen Russell, Michigan 2. Kyle Ruschell, Wisconsin 3. J Jaggers, Ohio State 4. Dan LeClere, Iowa 5. Garrett Scott, Penn State 6. Manuel Rivera, Minnesota 7. Keith Sulzer, Northwestern 8. Ryan Prater, Illinois 149 lbs. 1. Brent Metcalf, Iowa 2. Joshua Churella, Michigan 3. Dustin Schlatter, Minnesota 4. Bubba Jenkins, Penn State 5. Lance Palmer, Ohio State 6. Jake Patascil, Purdue 7. Ryan Lang, Northwestern 8. Grant Paswell, Illinois 157 lbs. 1. Michael Poeta, Illinois 2. Dan Vallimont, Penn State 3. Brandon Becker, Indiana 4. C.P. Schlatter, Minnesota 5. Craig Henning, Wisconsin 6. Jeff Marsh, Michigan 7. Ryan Morningstar, Iowa 8. John Fulger, Michigan State 165 lbs. 1. Mark Perry, Iowa 2. Eric Tannenbaum, Michigan 3. Tyler Safratowich, Minnesota 4. Colt Sponseller, Ohio State 5. Roger Smith-Bergsrud, Illinois 6. Matt Coughlin, Indiana 7. Dave Rella, Penn State 8. Rex Kendle, Michigan State 174 lbs. 1. Steve Luke, Michigan 2. Jay Borschel, Iowa 3. Gabriel Drestch, Minnesota 4. Nick Hayes, Northwestern 5. John Dergo, Illinois 6. David Erwin, Penn State 7. Nick Corpe, Purdue 8. Dan Clum, Wisconsin 184 lbs. 1. Mike Pucillo, Ohio State 2. Tyrel Todd, Michigan 3. Phil Keddy, Iowa 4. Roger Kish, Minnesota 5. Phil Bomberger, Penn State 6. Marc Bennett, Indiana 7. Ben Friedl, Illinois 8. A.J. Kissel, Purdue 197 lbs. 1. Mike Tamillow, Northwestern 2. Phil Davis, Penn State 3. Patrick Bond, Illinois 4. Dallas Herbst, Wisconsin 5. Joe Williams, Michigan State 6. Justin Bronson, Minnesota T7. Chad Beatty, Iowa T7. Anthony Biondo, Michigan HWT 1. J.D. Bergman, Ohio State 2. Dustin Fox, Northwestern 3. Kyle Massey, Wisconsin 4. Matt Fields, Iowa 5. John Wise, Illinois 6. Chris Kasten, Purdue 7. John Laboranti, Penn State 8. Ben Berhow, Minnesota

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Future Wildcats Jason Welch (Walnut Creek, Calif./Las Lomas) and Brian Roddy (Highland Heights, Ohio/St. Edward) both dominated the competition en route to state titles in California and Ohio, respectively. Welch, the nation's top-ranked recruit captured his third championship while Roddy earned his second. Currently, Northwestern's 2008 recruiting class has garnered seven state championships and 11 state medals in 12 attempts. Welch, who is expected to compete at 157/165 for the Wildcats next year, etched his name into state wrestling history. The 18-year old is just the 14th three-time champion in California history. Welch became the sixth wrestler to reach the finals in all four years in high school, joining such venerable names as Bakersfield's Darrell Vasquez (1999-02) and current Oklahoma State wrestler Nathan Morgan (2001-04). In addition to winning his third state title, Welch was voted most valuable wrestler by his fellow CIF state champions. The Dave Schultz Champion of Champions award is the most prestigious award given out at the event. Welch won the championship with an 18-8 victory in the finals. "California is very deep in wrestling talent and Jason is widely known as the most talented of the group," assistant coach Andrew Pariano said. "We know that we have a great wrestling coming to Evanston next fall, and more importantly, we know that we have a great person." Welch finished the season with an unblemished 49-0 record and is now an impressive 196-4 during his career. Brian Roddy became a two-time Ohio State Tournament champion on Saturday evening. His final match was a dominating 21-6 technical fall, earning him a second consecutive title at the 171 weight class. Roddy is now a three-time Ohio State finalist and four-time medalist at 171 lbs. "Very few athletes are able to excel at this weight during their freshman and sophomore campaigns and yet Brian found a way to get the job done," head coach Tim Cysewski said. "We can't say enough about his character and attitude. He is a great young man and will be an outstanding addition to Northwestern Wrestling." Throughout the tournament, Roddy posted three falls (1:19, 2:53, 0:56) and earned a technical fall in the finals at 5:02. During the sectionals, districts and states, only one match went into the third period and no matches went the full six minutes. Earlier this month, Eric Galka (Hobart, Ind./Hobart) earned his third trip to the state title match at the Indiana State Wrestling Championships.

Single-session tickets for the 2008 Big Ten Wrestling Championships, to be held at the University of Minnesota's Williams Arena, March 8-9, will go on sale Monday March 3, athletics department officials announced today. Single-session tickets for Saturday's two sessions (11 a.m. and 6 p.m.) will be $15 for lower level reserved seats and $10 for upper level general admission seats. Groups of 15 or more may purchase Session 1 or 2 general admission seats for $5 each. Williams Arena will be cleared between Saturday's two sessions, and separate admission will be required for both. Reserved single-session tickets for Sunday's championship session (scheduled to begin at noon) are priced at $20, with general admission seats costing $15. Groups of 15 or more may purchase Sunday tickets for $10 each. The championship round of Sunday's finals is scheduled to begin at approximately 2 p.m. Fans interested in purchasing all-session tickets may continue to do so. All-session packages are priced at just $30 and include admission to both days (and all three sessions) of the championship. Tickets may be purchased online through www.gophersports.com, in person at the athletics ticket office in Mariucci Arena or by calling 1-800-U-GOPHER or 612-624-8080. The J Robinson-led Minnesota Golden Gopher wrestlers are the two-time defending Big Ten champions and have won more Big Ten individual titles (29) than any other school in the conference since 1997. The Gophers have placed in the top two at the Big Ten Championships 10 times since 1997, which was also the last time that Williams Arena hosted the event. TICKET PRICES: All Session $30.00 Session 1 or 2 Reserved $15.00 Session 1 or 2 General Admission $10.00 Session 1 or 2 Group (GA � 15 or more) $ 5.00 Session 3 Reserved $20.00 Session 3 General Admission $15.00 Session 3 Group (GA � 15 or more) $10.00

EUGENE, Ore. -- Six Boise State University wrestlers advanced to the finals of the Pacific-10 Championships Sunday, Mar. 2, 2008, in Eugene, Ore., as the Broncos continue to lead the conference championships with 128 points. Cory Fish was the first Bronco to advance to the finals when he defeated Thomas Kimbrell of Cal State Bakersfield 3-0 at 133 pounds. The victory was the second of the season for the No. 2 seed Fish over Kimbrell. He will face No. 4 seed Ryan Dunn of Oregon in the finals Monday, Mar. 3. Fish recorded a 9-3 victory over Dunn in their only meeting of the season Jan. 25, at Boise, Idaho. Freshman Adam Hall defeated Lucas Espericueta of Stanford 9-6 to earn his place in the finals at 149 pounds. He will face Morgan Atkinson of Cal State Fullerton in the final. Hall fell to Atkinson 7-4 in their only meeting of the season Jan. 11 at Fullerton, Calif., for his only loss in Pac-10 competition. Tyler Sherfey earned his third victory of the day at 157-pounds as he upset the No. 2 seed from Stanford Josh Zupancic 3-2. Sherfey opened the match with a two-point takedown eight seconds in and never relinquished the lead to advance to the finals. Sherfey lost to Zupancic 3-1 in their only meeting this season. Sherfey, who is seeded No. 3 in the Pac-10 and 12th in the country, will face Cal Poly's Chase Pami, No.1 seed and 10th in the nation, for the Pac-10 Championship Monday, Mar. 3. Kurt Swartz advanced to the finals of the conference championship with a 4-3 victory over Keegan Davis of Oregon State. Swartz will face No. 1 seeded Patrick Pitsch of Arizona State in the finals. Swartz lost to Pitsch 6-3 at the Las Vegas Invitational in their only career meeting. Swartz carries an 11-match winning streak and a perfect 8-0 Pac-10 record into the conference finals. At 174 pounds, the No. 1 seed Nate Lee collected his second victory of the day as he advanced to the conference championship. Lee defeated Dale Seley of Portland State 8-4 to earn his first career trip to the conference finals. Lee will face No. 3 Tyler Bernacchi of UC Davis in the finals. Lee defeated Bernacchi 4-3 in their only meeting of the season. This was the 14th consecutive Pac-10 conference victory for Lee who won third place at 174 pounds at the 2007 Pac-10 Wrestling Championships. Kirk Smith needed three overtimes to defeat Zack Giesen of Stanford and earn his place in the conference finals. The match was tied 1-1 entering the third overtime and Smith chose to start down. Smith struggled to break free of Giesen's grasp for the first 24 seconds of the third overtime but Smith executed a reverse with six seconds left in overtime to claim the 3-1 victory and an appearance in the conference finals. Levi Jones will compete for third place at 141-pounds. He fell in the semi-finals to No. 1 seed Chad Mendes of Cal Poly and will now face No. 3 seed Elijah Nacita of Cal State Bakersfield in the semi-finals of the consolation bracket. Matt Casperson, Boise State's 197-pounder was disqualified in his semi-final match against the No. 1 seed Jason Trulson of Arizona State but will return to action Monday, Mar. 3, to face Jake Johnson of Stanford. On the day, the Broncos posted a 17-5 record with two pins and seven major decisions. Session Three of the Pac-10 Championships, which includes the conference finals, will begin Monday, Mar. 3, at 3:00 p.m.

Date: March 1, 2008 Venue: Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio The UFC has now added a match to each of their cards, going from nine to ten. And, this card has as many interesting fights as any I've seen! So, let's get started trying to find a weakness in the betting line, shopping for fighters with "value", and see if we can repeat the UFC Monster's winning performance (+ $ 345), as posted right here on this website, prior to UFC 80. The undercard in UFC 82 may be better than some of the main cards in previous UFCs! What a show! Jorge GURGEL (11-3) is a -200 favorite to defeat John HALVERSON (16-5). Gurgel has 9 submission wins in his 11 victories. Halverson's last lost was a 19 second KO from former Augsburg wrestler, Roger Huerta! Not a lot of value here, but we will force a small play on Gurgel. He wins by second round submission. Luke COMMO (9-4) takes on Luigi FIORAVANTI (12-3) in a battle that could go either way. Commo is coming off two KO victories, while Fioravanti has lost two of his last three (Forrest Petz/Jon Fitch, who has won 18 in a row). As both fighters go toe-to-toe, I'll go with the modest underdog, Fioravanti @ +135, to have his hand raised at the end. He wins by third round KO. Diego "Nightmare" SANCHEZ (19-2) takes on unknown David BIELHEDEN (12-5), a rare Swedish fighter trying the UFC. Are you kidding me? The Nightmare's only losses have been his last two fights! Think he's hungry? Bielheden won't know what hit him! I see Sanchez exploding early and overwhelming his opponent. The Nightmare is back with a first round KO using ground-and-pound elbows! Lay the lumber with Sanchez @ -450. He's a beast! In a very interesting match-up, red-hot Dustin HAZELETT (12-3) brings his lanky body and unorthodox submission arsenal into the octagon to take on former NCAA wrestling champion, Josh KOSCHECK (11-2). Koscheck's only losses have been to Jon Fitch and Georges St. Pierre. Hazelett will be game and may catch an overzealous Koscheck in a submission hold (armbar or chokehold), but I see a similar result as the Sanchez's fight, with Koscheck @ -450, overwhelming his opponent early, getting ground control with his superior wrestling skills, and reigning much pain onto his opponent, in route to a first round TKO by ground-and-pound. Koscheck's tough. Undefeated Jake O'BRIEN (10-0) takes on former UFC heavyweight champion, Andre ARLOVSKI (13-5). How can this be an undercard fight? Man, that's deep … Despite being an awesome wrestler, O'Brien has won 8 of his 10 fights by KO. And, Arlovski loves to stand and punch. But four of his five losses have come by way of KO. I see great value in O'Brien here. I believe he will be able to control Arlovski with his superior wrestling skills and he, too, will mount and pound out a stunning upset victory over a bewildered former champ! Take the Irishman and get +285. It doesn't get any better than that, an undefeated fighter as a big �dog. … and now onto the main card: Is there a hotter MMA fighter anywhere than Jon FITCH (20-2), who has won 19 in a row? His opponent tonight is Chris WILSON (11-3-1), an under-rated fighter with little chance here, based on a UFC poll showing only 3% of fans polled give him a chance to win. Fitch has been a beast, demonstrating ground skills and punching power that seem to show no weaknesses. Is GSP (Georges St. Pierre) in his future? Could be. Take Fitch and bridge jump on the �550. He wins by first round triangle choke. No problem. How about Evan TANNER (34-6)? Thirty-seven (37) years old and he's still fighting on the main card of a UFC event! Good for him. His opponent is the awesome Yushin OKAMI (22-4) whose impressive resume includes victories over Alan Belcher, mike Swick, Jason MacDonald, Nick "the Goat" Thompson, and yes, Anderson Silva, the last to do so! My head tells me Okami, but my heart puts me on the underdog, Evan Tanner. Tanner has fought them all in his decade plus of MMA fights. He has knocked out Phil Baroni in the first round. He's KO'd Robbie Lawler and beaten David Terrell. But, despite his awesome knees and elbows, somehow Tanner usually wins by submission. Very few of his fights go the distance. I see great toe-to-toe action here, with each trying to put the other guy out. Whoever strikes the decisive blow will finish the job in the full mount position, battering his helpless opponent. I'm hoping Tanner @ +195 has one more great fight left in him. If so, he wins by third round TKO, using bruising elbows to open up vicious cuts. This one gets bloody and a seasoned veteran puts another notch in his belt. Chris "the Crippler" LEBEN (17-4) is a psycho who likes to rock your world with flurries of hard-hitting sledgehammer-like blasts. He is relentless and not afraid to trade blows with anyone. But, he has eaten some knees from Anderson Silva (who hasn't?) and Alessio SAKARA (16-6-1) is just the guy who can throw them. He loves to stand and punch and this one may not survive the first round. Leben is the favorite, but I see it an even battle, so I see the value with Sakara @ +135. He wins by first round KO, knees followed by a crushing right that sends Leben into la-la-land. In another slugfest of big punchers, Heath "the Texas Crazy Horse" HERRING (27-13-1) brings his Pride experience into the UFC again, this time taking on tough Frenchman, Cheick KONGO (21-3-1), who loves to kick and kick and kick. If this one goes to the mat, Herring will win. Unless Kongo has improved his ground game dramatically, he needs to stay standing and kicking. He will. And that may be enough to get it done with Herring. He has not looked good in the UFC. I don't look for that to change here. Take Kongo �165 to move up the ladder of heavyweight contenders. He wins by second round KO. … and in the featured match, we have the middleweight championship between the incomparable Anderson "the Spider" SILVA (20-4), who is destroying his competition these days, and Dan HENDERSON (22-6), former light-heavyweight Pride champion, who is cutting weight to get down to the middleweight division. Silva has never faced the power of a Henderson, and NOBODY has been able to knockout Hendo, arguably one of the world's top three Greco-Roman wrestlers (Randy Couture and Matt Lindland, the others). Like Tanner, he is another 37-year old who has been fighting MMA for over a decade. He will have no fear of the Spider. Henderson's strategy will be a page out of Randy Couture's book of "dirty boxing". While nobody wants to be in the clinch with Silva, Henderson will welcome the opportunity. Unfortunately, that will soon become his problem as Anderson Silva will again apply his Muay Thai head clamp and start to unload those vicious weapons some call his knees. This one ends with a page in history, my friends. Dan Henderson gets rocked and the Spider's growing legend continues … you either bet with the Spider or you don't bet the fight at all. That's my opinion. Silva -140 wins by third round TKO, another Silva beating that is becoming his carefree, guitar-playing trademark. So, in summary with our "fictitious" $1000 bankroll let's see how we will do against the bookmakers: Let's lay $ 60 to win $ 30 on Gurgel. Let's lay $ 40 to win $ 54 on Fioravanti. Let's lay $135 to win $30 on Sanchez (warning: bridge-jumping). Let's lay $135 to win $30 on Koscheck (warning: bridge-jumping). Let's lay $165 to win $30 on Fitch (warning: severe bridge-jumping). Let's lay $ 70 to win $ $199.50 on O'Brien (big underdog!). Let's lay $ 50 to win $ 97.50 on Tanner (a "value" bet from the heart). Let's lay $ 70 to win $ 94.5 on Sakara (mild underdog). Let's lay $ 99 to win $ 60 on Cheick Kongo. …..and, let's lay $ 175 to win $125 on the Spiderman. In all we are laying $999 to try and win $750.50. The extra buck goes to the cocktail waitress. Enjoy the fights. I know I will. More later. The UFC Monster

Boiling Springs, N.C. -- The Bulldogs took home their third win in the past four matches as they downed Gardner-Webb 29-12 in the final dual of the season. The Cadets won six of the ten matches, accumulating 11 bonus points. The win improves The Citadel to 7-8 (2-3 SoCon) overall in dual meet action. Sophomore Tyler Sim got the match started at 125 pounds as he faced off against Gardner-Webb's Tommy Bennett. Sim paced the match scoring two takedowns in the first period and adding on four more points in the second. With the addition of over two and a half minutes riding time, Sim secured the 13-3 major decision to put The Citadel up 4-0. Anthony Easter took a forfeit at the 133-pound weight class, adding six more team points to the board for the Cadets. Gardner-Webb then took the next two duals to bring the match down to a four point deficit. The 157-pound bout was dominated by true freshman Keith Koziel. He came out firing with a quick takedown and nearfall to go up by five on Gardner-Webb's Joshua Lowe. Koziel chose to start the second period in the down position, where the advantage changed hands three times before the Cadet recorded his fourth fall of the season at the 4:31 mark. Brendan Prince followed Koziel's lead with an exciting match of his own at the 165-pound weight class. The true freshman was the first to score as he notched the first of three takedowns. Prince improved his record to 19-17 (8-7 in dual meet action) overall as he accumulated more than four minutes of riding time in his 11-4 victory over Gardner-Webb's Brendan Couture. After a tough loss in the 174-pound bout Darius Caldwell came back to give The Citadel an insurmountable lead with his major decision over Matthias Piasecki of Gardner-Webbin the 184-pound match-up. The redshirt senior recorded three takedowns in the first period and two more in the third, accumulating over two minutes in riding time to secure his sixth major decision of the season. The 12-4 victory put The Citadel up 23-9 going into the final two matches. Redshirt Junior Aaron Brown wasted little time in his heavyweight match against Windell Wilson of Gardner-Webb. Brown recorded his seventh fall of the season as he pinned Wilson at the 2:17 mark. The victory improved Brown to 19-14 (10-5 in dual meet action) overall and added six more points to the Cadet's team score, giving The Citadel the 29-12 win. The Bulldogs will next travel to Chattanooga, Tenn. on Mar. 8, for the Mat Jam Southern Conference Championships. For complete coverage of Bulldog Wrestling, visit the official home of The Citadel Athletics at www.CitadelSports.com.

SPARTANBURG, SC -- UNC Greensboro's Daren Burns was named the Southern Conference Wrestler of the Week following a 1:20 fall victory over UT-Chattanooga's Kyle McKee. On Saturday afternoon the 197-pound senior from Catawba, NC recorded his quickest fall of the season and put up his 102nd career win. This marked his eighth fall of the season and the 25th in his career. Thus far, he has also tallied 11 decisions, five major decisions, and two technical falls. The win moved Burns' record up to 30-6. He is one of three athletes on the team who will go into the Southern Conference Wrestling Tournament with an unblemished 5-0 league record. Earlier this year, Burns became the winningest Spartan in wrestling history and the first to reach the century mark in wins. On January 23, he tied the university record with a 6-2 decision over Virginia Tech's D.J. Bruce. Six days later, Liberty handed him the new record with a forfeit in the 197-pound bout. Burns captured No. 100 on February 13 with a 1-0 victory over NC State's Mark Jahad. The previous record of 98-25 was set by Joe Stanton during the 1993-1997 seasons. The Spartans have just 11 more days to prepare for the 2008 Mat Jam/Southern Conference Championships on March 8. This year's tournament is hosted by the University of Chattanooga Mocs in Chattanooga, TN. Tickets are still available and can be purchased online. Click here for more information. For more news on UNCG wrestling, ticket prices, a complete season schedule, and all other Spartan athletic information log onto www.UNCGSpartans.com.

Wrestling has earned a reputation among its participants and fans as being the sport that demands the most of its athletes, mentally and physically. J.P. O'ConnorNow, imagine being a Division I wrestler at an Ivy League school. In pre-med. J.P. O'Connor doesn't have to imagine it. He lives that life as Harvard University's starter at 149 pounds, concentrating in biology with the goal of one day being a physician. The sophomore is 22-1 this season, his only loss being to Darrion Caldwell of North Carolina State. Last year, J.P. created something of a sensation, wrapping up his freshman year by placing fifth at the 2007 NCAAs, becoming the first freshman All-American in the long history of Harvard's wrestling program. Coach Weiss weighs in "(J.P. O'Connor) successfully balances academic, athletic and social aspects of his life," according to Harvard head coach Jay Weiss. "That demonstrates his incredible work ethic." "His academic load is incredible. At the NCAAs, he would spend evenings in this quiet room off the hotel lobby, studying until midnight. We'd have to tell him, 'You need to go to bed.'" "We've battled injuries this year, with eight starters out, and both captains out," continues Coach Weiss. "J.P. has stepped up into the leadership role." "He's an unbelievable young man. He was a leader as a freshman." "He's not just focused on himself, but on the big picture." Coach Weiss sums up his praise of his second-year 145-pounder: "He's one of those guys who comes along only once in 10-15 years." Little wonder that J.P. O'Connor was the top recruit in his weight class out of high school. Back to the beginning Ask J.P. O'Connor how he got started in wrestling, and he responds, "I was a second grader. My primary school gym teacher was also the high school wrestling coach. He asked if I would like to be the team manager, with the idea that I'd come to practice, see what the sport was all about, and take it up." "It's interesting, because no one in my family was a wrestler. My dad played basketball." "I loved it from the start." "As I got progressively better, my folks started backing me more, and my passion for wrestling grew." High school superstar As a student at Oxford Academy -- a public school in the town of Oxford, in upstate New York -- J.P. O'Connor wrote an incredible wrestling resume. In high school, his overall record was 238-12. He was a five-time sectional champion (starting in seventh grade -- he placed third in eighth grade), and first-team all-conference section from 2001 through 2006. Perhaps most notably, he won four New York state championships … only the third wrestler in state history to do so (the others being Cornell's Troy Nickerson and Harvard grad Jesse Jantzen). (To read a RevWrestling profile of Jesse Jantzen, click HERE.) When asked about winning four state titles, J.P. responds, "The competition was pretty intense, with new challenges every year." "I have good feelings about all four titles … The one title that stands out the most for me was the last. The respect that was shown to me, the appreciation demonstrated for what I had accomplished, that really stays with me." "I went into every title quest one step at a time." "I was blessed to have a great high school coach, Scott Green. He really emphasized that I could be successful if I stuck to the plan. He was also my coach at the Shamrock Club, which I'd like to think is the best freestyle and Greco club in New York State." Goal! J.P. O'Connor had started in freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling about five years into his mat career. However, while still in grade school, he stepped back from freestyle and Greco wrestling for a while to participate in baseball and soccer. "Along about seventh and eighth grade, I took up freestyle and Greco again." "I think I was a better soccer player than wrestler up to my freshman year (in high school)," claims J.P. "Soccer did great things for my stamina and athleticism." The captain of both his soccer and wrestling teams, J.P. speaks fondly of both sports: "Soccer and wrestling both let a guy my size excel in a sport, letting me use my God-given gifts." In high school, J.P. O'Connor demonstrated that his gifts extend far beyond the soccer field or wrestling mat. He was a member of the National Honor Society, a recipient of the U.S. Army scholar-athlete award, and the RIT (Rochester Institute of Technology) Computing medal. The rigors of recruitment With his considerable athletic and academic credentials, it's little wonder that J.P. O'Connor was heavily recruited while still in high school. J.P. O'Connor gets advice from Harvard coach Jay Weiss"Interestingly, no Midwest schools banged on my door," says the Harvard sophomore. "The schools of the Ivy League and EIWA approached me." "I knew that I wanted to go a school with great academics. In the grand scheme of things, you have to look out for the rest of your life." "I grew up about one hour from Ithaca (New York). Some folks expected me to go to Cornell (University)," discloses J.P. "I went on the recruiting trip to Harvard, and was very impressed with what I'd call the 'family atmosphere.' It was very much a team, everyone working together for common goals." "A big part of it was Coach Weiss' influence, too." "It was a great experience but I'm glad I don't have to go through it again," continues J.P. "You build these warm relationships with various coaches, and then, eventually, you have to make a decision." "I'm extremely happy to have chosen Harvard." "Integrity is so important here. The goal is to help you grow as a person." When asked if it was pure coincidence that he followed in the footsteps of the first four-time New York state champ, Jesse Jantzen, in selecting Harvard, J.P. O'Connor replies, "I know Jesse, but I actually know Corey Jantzen even better, from our trips to Fargo. There may have been some motivation to follow in Jesse's footsteps. I'd like to be like him, to win a national title, and be successful in international competition, too." A fantastic first year at Harvard Ask J.P. O'Connor to describe his freshman year at Harvard, and he immediately responded, "Awesome!" J.P. O'Connor"I had a couple losses at East Stroudsburg (tournament). At the beginning, finding my confidence was a challenge." "I benefited so much from working with Jesse Jantzen and Jamil Kelly, two great coaches. I learned so much from them, improved all year long." In his first year at the Cambridge, Massachusetts school, J.P. achieved great things. He compiled a 37-8 record � the most wins by a freshman in the history of the program. He was a finalist at the 2007 EIWA conference championships, losing to Cornell's Jordan Leen … but placing second automatically qualified him for the NCAAs. Motown memories The first-year Crimson 149-pound starter from Oxford, New York made the trip to the Palace of Auburn Hills outside Detroit for the 2007 NCAA Division I wrestling championships… and came home with incredible memories, and All-American honors. "We had a post-NCAA meeting, to tell the rest of the team what it was like," says J.P. O'Connor, who was seeded sixth. "Words failed me. Nothing could compare to the raw emotion and intensity of the experience." "The first time I went into the arena to work out, to see how everything was set up -- to be on the mats, in the same place where guys I respect were also working out -� it was one of the most incredible experiences of my life." "The weight of the whole event really hits you. One mistake can seal your fate, or, on the other hand, one great move can put you in the history books." "I feel like I peaked at the right time." In his first match at the 2007 NCAAs, J.P. O'Connor shut out Wyoming's unseeded Carter Dowling, 5-0. In his next bout, the Harvard frosh took on Iowa State's Cyler Sanderson, seeded eleventh, and beat the Cyclone 4-2 in overtime. In the quarterfinals, J.P. wrestled home-crowd hero Josh Churella … and lost to the third-seeded Michigan Wolverine, 8-5. That sent the New York native into the consolation bracket. "I remember the Round of 12 most clearly -- win the match, and get All-American. I looked into my opponent's eyes and realized that he's going for the same goal." The opponent was Aaron Martin of the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga, who J.P. had wrestled before -- and defeated -- at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. The Harvard frosh got a 6-3 win over the eighth-seeded UTC wrestler to assure himself of All-American honors. J.P. then edged Indiana's Matt Coughlin, 4-3 TB … but lost to top-seeded Dustin Schlatter of Minnesota, 5-4. In the match for fifth place, J.P. defeated Wisconsin's Tyler Turner, 6-4, and became the first Harvard wrestler to achieve All-American status as a first-year student. For all these accomplishments, J.P. O'Connor was named second-team All-Ivy, and earned Co-Ivy League Rookie of the Year and EIWA Freshman of the Year honors. Where things stand today As a sophomore, J.P. O'Connor says things are a lot different now. "My role on the team is different now. I feel the guys are looking to me as a quiet leader. I like that feeling." "Right now, I'm focused on the conference tournament and the NCAAs. It's crunch time." From head coach Jay Weiss' perspective, J.P. is equipped to handle the crunch. When asked to comment on his 149-pounder's style, he fired off a string of positives: "Tenacious. Hard to score on. So good on top." "Last year, he never doubted our direction. He was always open to us, which makes him a coach's dream" The toughest challenge "It's an absolute challenge to balance academics and wrestling," according to J.P. O'Connor. "My days are filled -- morning workout, classes, afternoon workout, studying. But the sacrifices I make now should pay off later." "I'm not a genius but I have a real strong work ethic, and I'm incredibly focused." J.P. O'ConnorWhen asked about his career path, the biology major says, "Right now, I could see myself doing one of two things. I like orthopedics, being a team doctor for a college program or pro athletes. I could relate well to athletes. The other option is emergency medicine. I like the high-intensity atmosphere, and that every day is unique." "As a high school senior, I was in a program called New Visions, where I spent a half-day in a hospital, doing 2-3 week rotations. I've seen autopsies, surgeries. The program really helped me to focus on a medical career." "I'd like to think that my education and my personality will help me be a compassionate doctor." In the meantime, J.P. O'Connor continues to make a name for himself in arguably the toughest academic program at one of the nation's top universities … while successfully competing in the toughest sport -- wrestling.

JOHNSTOWN, PA -- The University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown will host the 2008 NCAA Division II East Regional Wrestling Tournament on Friday, February 29 and Saturday, March 1 in the Sports Center. Thirteen teams and 130 wrestlers are scheduled to participate, with the top four wrestlers in each of the 10 weight classes advancing to the NCAA Division II National Tournament hosted by Upper Iowa University in Cedar Rapids, IA on March 14-15. All Results will be posted after each of the four sessions at www.upj.pitt.edu/Athletics This year's East Regional Tournament will feature several of the nation's top-ranked teams, including #7 Newberry (S.C.) College, #8 Pitt Johnstown, #12 Gannon University, #14 Mercyhurst College and #19 Limestone (S.C.) College. Also competing are American International (MA) College, Anderson (S.C.) University, Belmont Abbey (N.C.) College, Kutztown University, University of North Carolina-Pembroke, Shippensburg University, St. Andrews Presbyterian (N.C.) College and West Liberty State (WV) College. In addition, 15 of the nation's top-ranked individuals will be battling for a spot in the national tournament, including Brandon Reasy (Pitt Johnstown), the nation's #1-ranked wrestler at 133 lbs. and Steve Fittery (Shippensburg) is ranked #2 at 141 lbs. Brian Pogel (Mercyhurst) (149 lbs.), Dan Scanlan (Limestone) (184 lbs.) and Cy Wainwright (Newberry) (HWT.) are all ranked #3, while Keeno Griffin (Newberry) (184 lbs.), Andy Lamancuso (Mercyhurst) (157 lbs.) and Mike Corcetti (Pitt Johnstown) (184 lbs.) are fifth in their respective weight classes. Joe Mavins (UNC-Pembroke) (125 lbs.), Tony Washington (Newberry (141 lbs.) Hudson Harrison (Mercyhurst) (165 lbs.) and Patrick Walsh (Pitt Johnstown) (197 lbs.) are all ranked #6, and Lucas Huffman (West Liberty State) (125 lbs.), Doug Surra (West Liberty State) (141 lbs.) and Zach Majocha (Pitt Johnstown) (HWT.) all hold the #7 ranking in their weight classes. Overall, Pitt Johnstown, winners of the last five East Regional Tournaments, boasts four wrestlers nationally-ranked, while Mercyhurst and Newberry each have three wrestlers ranked. West Liberty State brings a pair of ranked wrestlers to the tournament. Limestone, UNC-Pembroke and Shippensburg each has one wrestler ranked. Sessions one and two of wrestling will begin on Friday at 4:00 p.m. and will consist of the Preliminaries, Quarterfinals and the first and second rounds of the Consolations. (Tournament Outline) On Saturday, Session III will begin at 10:00 a.m. with the Semifinals and the Consolation Quarterfinals, followed by the Consolation Semifinals at approximately 12:30 p.m. The final session will start at 2:30 p.m., featuring the Finals, Consolation Finals, 5th-6th Place Matches and True-Fourth Matches. Tickets are $5.00 for adults per session and $2.00 for children under 12 years of age per session. Tickets will only be sold by the session. All-Tournament passes and complimentary tickets will not be available. Brackets for this year's tournament will be released following a coaches' meeting on February 29. Results will be updated on this site following each session.

MADISON, Wis. -- After upsetting the No. 1 wrestler in the country last Friday, Wisconsin junior Kyle Massey was named Big Ten Wrestler of the Week, the conference announced Wednesday. This is the final wrestler of the week award for the 2007-08 season and the fourth time a Wisconsin wrestler has been recognized this season. This is Massey's first Big Ten Wrestler of the Week award. Last Friday, Massey, then ranked No. 4 at the time, faced Dustin Fox from Northwestern and prior to Friday's bout, Fox had a 17-0 record and a No. 1 ranking. The Badgers trailed the Wildcats 19-18 heading into the final bout, which was at heavyweight. Both wrestlers were scoreless in the first period but in the second, Massey struck first with a two-point reversal. Fox earned a point of his own off an escape but Massey still led 2-1 heading into the third period. In the third, Fox evened the score with an early escape but Massey scored another takedown with just 46 seconds remaining and had a point of riding time in the 5-3 victory. The win was Massey's 11th-straight and the third time in as many duals that the heavyweight scored the winning points for Wisconsin. With the win, Massey moved up to No. 2 in the latest USA Today/InterMat/NWCA poll. This is the highest ranking of his career. Massey has not lost since Dec. 10, 2007, which was against J.D. Bergman from Ohio State. Bergman now occupies the top spot at heavyweight. The Badgers broke a few records with the conference's weekly award this season. It was the first time in school history that three different Badgers have earned the award. It is also the first time Wisconsin has earned four weekly awards in one season and is the first time UW wrestlers have earned back-to-back honors. Last week junior Zach Tanelli was the co-wrestler of the week. Massey and the rest of the Badgers are preparing for the 2008 Big Ten Championships which span from March 8-9 in Minneapolis, Minn.

This week Takedown Wrestling Radio heads back to the Brute Adidas studios in Des Moines after enjoying the freezing temps surrounding Lambeau Field. Lambeau Field What was Curly Lambeau thinking? Even the cold is cold. On the other hand the people are just great. We really do enjoy our journeys to Wisconsin. Lots of good wrestling folks there for sure. Thanks to all of our hosts and friends in Green Bay. This is the week of the "Quiet before the Storm". We'll take a good hard look at the season from hell as many coaches are calling it. Now that's not a bad thing, well maybe for coaches, but not for fans. This is the most exciting season we've enjoyed for many years. We've had 5 different number 1 teams, each deserved their spot in the sun at the time. We had a tremendous NWCA National Duals in Cedar Falls. The other events we covered so far this year have given me great hope for this sport and its people. I've said it before and will do so again, I'm lucky! I get to work with the greatest hero's a guy like me could ever have. Each of you, fans included, continue to inspire me to be a better person, to do a better job at telling your stories. Thanks for giving me the insight, the time and sense of belonging to a very special fraternity, Wrestling! Join Scott Casber, Steve Foster and Jeff Murphy as we welcome- Tony Ersland- Nebraska's Assistant Head Coach will join us to discuss the Big 12's, the recent drop to ISU and prepping a team for the run on the NCAA's. Tony's not just a good coach but a great guy. I'm happy to have him back on the show. Dan Kilgore- Director of New Product Development for Brute Adidas joins us to discuss what's new on the wrestling equipment front. Yes there is new product out there and there have been some recent innovations with current products that make them last longer and make them better values. Nick Simmons- The East Lansing Strangler makes his triumphant return to TDR. Nick is a favorite of TDR not just as a wrestler but as a person. He's having fun with his career and he's just fun to talk to. We'll discuss his recent successful run over seas and what he's doing to prepare for the Olympic Team Trials. Nick was one of the most successful wrestlers to ever compete for Tom Minkle and Michigan State. Rich Fergola- Head Coach of NIACC in Mason City, Iowa. This young head coach was able to crown 3 NJCAA champions the Trojans finished fourth as a team at the 2008 National Junior College Athletic Association Wrestling Championships held in Rochester, MN last weekend. Fergola's team had six wrestlers earn All-American (top eight) status during the two-day tournament, the first the Trojans had participated in since the program disbanded in 1976. NIACC's wrestling program was officially reinstated in November 2006 and Fergola was hired as head coach in March 2007. NIACC was among 36 schools represented at nationals and the team's 109 points trailed only Iowa Central Community College (138), St. Louis-Meramac in Missouri (117.5) and Labette Community College of Kansas (111). Mike McClintock- Owner of Sunflower Wrestling Supply. Mike's interest in wrestling is more than just sales. He understands the wrestling mind set. He knows that the last thing that needs to be on a wrestlers mind is equipment. He has aligned himself with the best brands and people in the sport today. He recently signed Cael Sanderson to a spokesperson role for Sunflower Wrestling Supply. A major pick up indeed. Round Table Discussion with WIN Magazine's Editor Mike Finn, USA Wrestling's communications manager Dr. Craig Sesker, Intern Jeff Murphy, Nurse Steve Foster and Scott Casber make up this round table. We'll take a look at the Big 10's, the Big 12's, the PAC and other conferences as well. Seeding's for the NCAA's are on the line and we'll talk about that too. So there you go. Another good show planned. I can't get enough. Join us LIVE Saturday mornings at 9:06 AM at KXNO.com, Takedownradio.com for America's Wrestling Radio Talk show. We don't have a dog in the hunt. We just love this sport as much as you do. Thanks to all of our great sponsors for helping to make this show a reality every week of the year.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- University of Northern Iowa 197-pound junior Andrew Anderson has been named the Western Wrestling Conference's Wrestler of the Week as announced by league officials. Anderson (Sioux City, Iowa/East HS) posted a perfect 2-0 mark this past week to improve to 17-9 on the season. Anderson scored a 6-5 victory over Jacob Marrs (Nebraska-Omaha), who is ranked No. 2 in NCAA Division II at 197 pounds. Anderson then added a first-period fall at the 1:40 mark of his match with NDSU's Jacob Bryce, who was a national qualifier in 2007. Anderson has won four matches in a row to end the dual portion of the season. It marks the second time this season that Anderson has earned the league's top weekly honor (Jan. 23 & Feb. 27). UNI's Moza Fay has also been named the WWC Wrestler of the Week twice this season (Nov. 21 & Jan. 8). 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 - Tyler French Utah Valley State - Marc Fenwick Wyoming - Eric Coxbill 2007-08 WWC Wrestlers of the Week Nov. 14 - Adam Aho (NDSU) Nov. 21 - Moza Fay (UNI) Nov. 28 - Reece Hopkin (UNC) Dec. 5 - Stephen Crozier (Air Force) Dec. 12 - Gabriel Mooney (NDSU) Jan. 8 - Moza Fay (UNI) Jan. 15 - Daniel Prater (UNC) Jan. 23 - Andrew Anderson (UNI) Jan. 30 - Ben Kjar (Utah Valley) Feb. 6 - Stephen Crozier (Air Force) Feb. 13 - Devan Lewis (UNC) Feb. 20 - Jake Kriegbaum (Air Force) Feb. 27 - Andrew Anderson (UNI)

St. Cloud State University freshman Gabe Suarez (Las Vegas, Nev.) was the third Husky wrestler in the last four weeks to be named North Central Conference Wrestler of the Week it was announced today, February 26. Suarez defeated fourth-ranked Travis Elg of Minnesota State-Mankato 4-3 in the last regular season dual for the Huskies last Friday. With the victory, Suarez avenged an earlier loss to Elg at the Husky Open in St. Cloud back in December. The victory moved Suarez to a perfect 15-0 in duals and extended his winning streak to 13 matches. He has won 20 of his last 21 matches to finish the regular season with a 30-3 mark. The #10 St. Cloud State (13-2) wrestling team is off until Sunday, March 2, when the Huskies head to the NCAA Division II North Region Championships in Mankato. The top four finishers in each weight class will earn a trip to the NCAA Division II National Tournament in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, which will take place March 14-15.