InterMat Staff

It was 1996 when University of the Cumberlands (formerly Cumberland College) President James Taylor announced the hiring of Jess Wilder as the new men's wrestling coach. The men's wrestling team was built from the bottom up and each year worked its way to the top. Three national champions, forty-one All-Americans and many national qualifiers later, University of the Cumberlands men's wrestling team continues to make history. Former coach Jess Wilder left the program in 2005 with a career record of 93-25, a third place finish in the 2005 NAIA national tournament, the highest Patriot finish yet recorded, and six All-Americans. After building a strong well-balanced team, Coach Wilder turned the program over to one of his formal wrestlers and 2001 national championship, Andy Medders. Coach Medders took the position with strong expectations. After a 2nd place finish at the Keen Cliffs national dual in Cedar Falls, IA in 2006, the highest national dual finish for the program, Coach Medders has made a second historical finish already for the men's wrestling team in the same season. Tuesday night as the University of the Cumberlands men's wrestling team pounded the Tigers of Campbellsville University; the team also captured their 100th career win. Coach Medders had this to say, "What better way to capture our 100th career win then at home in front of our supporters. The guys wrestled well and I am happy to be part of this historic moment."

This week we salute the career of one of the great ones, Randy Couture. Randy recently announced his retirement from the UFC competition after many successful years of active competition. Want to let him hear your voice? Call us in the Takedown Radio Studios 866-333-5966 between 10AM and 11:00AM CST this Saturday February 11th. Joining Steve Foster, Tony Wenck, Ross Peterson and I in studio will be Jeff Murphy of the Cyclone Wrestling Club 10:05: Randy Couture Former UFC HVY Weight and UFC Lite Heavy Weight Champ, World Team member, OK State 10:10: Joe Seay Head Coach U Tenn Chat. Then Head Coach OK State first saw Randy about late 1988 10:15: Bruce Burnett Head Coach Navy- while at OK St.Bruce recruited Randy from the 1988 Olympic Trials in Florida 10:20: Matt "The Law" Lindland- Great Wrestler Randy's friend and business partner 10:30: Dana White CEO UFC 11:05: Tim Brassfield Oklahoma All Sports Association 11:25: Pat Miletich- One of the TOP MMA Coaches in the World 11:40: CAA Wrestler of the week -- Adam Wright a senior at 197 (Old Dominion U) from Dayton, Virginia (Turner Ashby), won both of his matches last week, including a 5-2 upset victory over the 18th ranked wrestler in the nation, Daren Burns of UNC-Greensboro. Currently ranked 19th in the nation and first in the CAA, Wright improved to 14-0 in duals and 25-4 overall with a 20-9 major decision over Virginia's Brent Jones. This is the 3rd time this season Adam Wright has been named the CAA Wrestler of the week. Career record 112-28, He has a shot to set the school record with wins. Buddy Lee currently holds it with 122 wins.

The Lock Haven University wrestling dual with West Virginia University is now Sunday, Feb. 12 at 1 p.m. (orginally Saturday, Feb. 11 at 7:30 p.m.)

AMES, Iowa -- Iowa State's seventh-ranked wrestling team (11-5, 1-1) resumes Big 12 conference action Sunday at 2 p.m. in Hilton Coliseum, playing host to Missouri (9-4, 1-2). The two teams met in January at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals, with the Tigers picking up a 21-18 win. The Cyclones defeated Missouri last year in Columbia via Kurt Backes' major decision of Matt Pell. ISU owns the all-time series, 42-3. "This is the best Missouri team that we've ever faced," head coach Bobby Douglas said. "Ben Askren is one of the best wrestlers in the country and we'll have to fight at every weight class." Iowa State comes into the dual after downing Penn State last weekend, 20-18. At 141-pounds, No. 1 Nate Gallick became the 29th Cyclone to reach 100 career wins with a 17-6 major decision over No. 10 DeWitt Driscoll. ISU pulled upsets against the Nittany Lions at 149 and 184 pounds. Jason Knipp upset 11th-ranked James Woodall, 6-4, and No. 9 Kurt Backes recorded a 10-2 major decision against the nations top-ranked 184-pound wrestler, Eric Bradley. Coming off a 17-16 upset victory over Oklahoma, No. 10 Missouri travels north to wrestle Iowa State and Northern Iowa this weekend. Junior 174-pounder, Ben Askren, became the fastest Tiger grappler to obtain 100 career victories. A two-time All-American, Askren has won 34 consecutive matches, which is currently, the longest winning streak in the nation and has 21 wins by fall. MU is paced by Askren and All-American Matt Pell (165). The Tigers boast seven ranked wrestlers and four freshmen in their projected line-up. Iowa State will wrap up regular season action on Feb. 19 hosting Nebraska at 2 p.m. in Hilton Coliseum as part of the Cyclone "Beauty and the Beast" competition with wrestling and gymnastics competitions between the two schools going on simultaneously.

ATHENS, Ohio -- If Ohio head wrestling coach Joel Greenlee is going to win his 100th career dual meet Friday night against West Virginia, he is going to need a total team effort, a strong showing against four nationally ranked Mountaineers and a boisterous home crowd to motivate his Bobcats. Ohio (10-9) will compete in the friendly confines of the Convocation Center for just the third time this season beginning at 7 p.m. on Friday. West Virginia (4-4) is led by senior Matt Lebe, who is ranked second in the nation at 157 pounds with a 26-2 record this year. The Mountaineers also feature seventh-ranked Brandon Rader at 141 pounds, 11th-ranked David Jauregui at 149 and 13th-ranked Kurt Brenner at 174. "West Virginia was expected to be really good this year but we haven't seen them enough to know much about them," said Greenlee, whose career coaching record stands at 99-69-4 in nine seasons at Ohio. "Usually we see them at three or four tournaments but this has been a weird year where we really haven't seen them at all." Junior 184-pounder Brian Cesear (Amherst, Ohio) leads the Bobcats with a 20-12 record this year. Not far behind are 125-pound sophomore Caleb Metcalf (Waterville, Ohio) at 18-13 and 174-pound sophomore Ryan Knapp (McConnelsville, Ohio) at 18-15. Knapp and junior 197-pounder Nick Terbay (Dayton, Ohio) currently hold the team's longest win streaks at four apiece while Metcalf has won six of his last seven matches. Friday night's meet begins a special weekend for the Bobcats. A reception honoring former national champion and long-time Ohio head coach Harry Houska will be held Saturday evening at the Ohio University Inn Banquet Room. The free event will begin at 8 p.m. and is open to the public. The Bobcats will then host Kent State at 2 p.m. Sunday in their home finale. At the meet's midway point, Houska will be presented with a plaque honoring the wrestling room's Harry Houska Wall of Champions, which recognizes all NCAA and Mid-American Conference champions from Ohio University. "What Harry accomplished at Ohio University is pretty phenomenal because his teams dominated the MAC and did really well in the NCAA Tournament," Greenlee said about his predecessor. "Well over 50 former Bobcat wrestlers are coming back to honor him. Harry really drilled his guys about getting their names on the wall because it meant they were a champion and that became a huge motivation for them." Admission to both of this weekend's home wrestling duals is free. Live results of both meets will be posted at ohiobobcats.com as they happen. Tentative lineup for Friday night's dual: 125 - Ohio's Caleb Metcalf (18-13) vs. Scott Stuart (2-10) 133 - Ohio's Terry Jackson (12-8) vs. Seth Lisa (10-7) 141 - Ohio's Albert Madsen (8-9) vs. #7 Brandon Rader (19-3) 149 - Ohio's Aaron Gomoll (13-16) vs. #11 David Jauregui (18-5) 157 - Ohio's Jake Frerichs (13-5) vs. #2 Matt Lebe (26-2) 165 - Ohio's Kent Smith (5-17) vs. Larry Hall (7-3) 174 - Ohio's Ryan Knapp (18-15) vs. #13 Kurt Brenner (17-5) 184 - Ohio's Brian Cesear (20-12) vs. Chance Litton (6-9) 197 - Ohio's Nick Terbay (15-9) or Larry Reichard (10-7) vs. Jared Villers (14-9) HWT - Ohio's Marcus Adelman (9-9) vs. Matt Holsopple (3-9)

Newberry, SC -- The Indians recorded five pins, two major decisions, and two decisions in route to a 44-6 victory over the Braves. With nine solid performances, Newberry dominated the home dual meet against fellow East Regional opponent UNC Pembroke. Coming off a great win at West Liberty State, Alonso Azumendi (165) kept the momentum going as he faced Cedric Turner of UNC Pembroke. A solid takedown and two-point nearfall pushed Azumendi to a 4-1 lead starting the second period. The Indian grappler continued to initiate most of the action in the last two periods scoring three more takedowns along with a reversal and three-point nearfall, winning the match 17-5 A takedown right off the whistle set the pace for Quinn Tolbert's match against Richard Ahlstrom at 174 pounds. Tolbert used his quickness to get in on four more takedowns throughout the match and come away with a 14-6 major decision. Leighton Ellis (184) started his match off strong against the Braves' Derek Garris. Dominating the Pembroke wrestler in the first period led to an early second period fall for the Indian grappler at the 3:31 mark. This added six more team points to Newberry's score raising their lead to 14. After being taken down early in the first period, 197-pound grappler Dave Bush was able to score a reversal against the Braves' Matthew Dunn. That was the only lead that Dunn would have as Bush turned him three separate times to finish out the first period. In the second period Bush was able to deplete Dunn's advantage that he accumulated in the first as he showed great control over the Pembroke wrestler. Bush went on to turn Dunn two more times in the third period before pinning him at the 5:58 mark. The heavyweight match-up brought six more team points to the board for Newberry as Kelly Anundson dominated the Braves' James Dingle. Anundson wasted no time as he took down Dingle early in the first period. Dingle scored a quick escape though and the heavyweights were back to their feet. Anundson was quick in his shots and kept the action going with another takedown and two sets of nearfall points before entering the second period. Up 8-1, Anundson chose bottom and got an early escape which he followed by a solid takedown to set up a fall 34 seconds into the period. Adam Clayton sealed the win for the Indians as he pinned Matthew Schoffner in the first period making the team score 32-0. Quick with his shots, Clayton was able to get in on one after a couple good scrambles with the Braves' wrestler. Turning Schoffner to his back, Clayton recorded the fall in 2:41. This was Clayton's first varsity win for the Indians. In his second action of the season 133-pound Indian grappler Andrew Young picked up his first win in a tough match against Pembroke's Kevin Jones. Scoreless until the third period, the two wrestlers got into a couple great scrambles and took many shots, but neither was able to finish one. Young chose the down position in the third period and scored promptly with an escape. The intense action stayed neutral through the rest of the third period, with Young coming out victorious with a 1-0 final score. Dominating his Pembroke opponent, Taylor Gilstrap repeated his teammates actions and pinned Adam Deadmon to gain six team points. After a quick takedown in the first, Gilstrap maintained control to end the period. The Newberry grappler governed the action in the second with a reversal and takedown which led to the fall at the 4:25 mark. Matt Black wrestled a solid match at 149 pounds. The close match was scoreless going into the second period where Black earned three nearfall points by turning the Braves' Eddo Hojilla. Black initiated most of the action in the match and received one point for it. With the stalling point, advantage time, and a third period takedown, Black defeated Hojilla 7-1 in the final action of the night. The Braves next are in action on Saturday, February 11, as they travel to the Ed South Wrestling Tournament. Newberry 44, UNC-Pembroke 6 125: Adam Clayton (NC) pin. Matthew Schoffner (UNCP); fall 2:41 133: Andrew Young (NC) def. Kevin Jones (UNCP); 1-0 141: Taylor Gilstrap (NC) pin. Adam Dedmon (UNCP); fall 4:25 149: Matt Black (NC) def. Eddo Hojilla (UNCP); 7-1 157: Bryan Howington (UNCP); win by forfeit 165: Alonso Azumendi (NC) def. Cedric Turner (UNCP); M.dec 17-5 174: Quinn Tolbert (NC) def. Richard Ahlstrom (UNCP); M.dec 14-6 184: Leighton Ellis (NC) pin. Derek Garris (UNCP); fall 3:31 197: Dave Bush (NC) pin. Matthew Dunn (UNCP); fall 5:58 HWT: Kelly Anundson (NC) pin. James Dingle (UNCP); fall 3:34

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- After wrestling to a 16-16 tie Jan. 20, North Carolina and NC State square off for a second time this season at 7 p.m. Saturday at Reynolds Coliseum. The Tar Heels, who defeated Duke and Virginia Tech last week, hope to close out the Atlantic Coast Conference stretch of their dual schedule with a third straight victory. In the earlier meeting, Carolina (14-8-1, 2-2-1 ACC) rallied from a 12-point deficit with wins in the last four bouts to force the draw with State. Junior Spencer Nadolsky notched a 3-1 win over Jainor Palma at heavyweight in the final match to secure the tie. Nadolsky, who is ranked 12th nationally in his class, leads the Tar Heels with 36 victories against just four losses. He is 20-2 in duals and also has a team-best 11 pins. Carolina redshirt freshman Vincent Ramirez is coming off his second ACC Wrestler of the Week honor and brings a 33-6 record Saturday's match. He has won 12 straight bouts and is a perfect 5-0 in ACC action. He scored a 9-0 major decision over the Pack's Jalil Dozier earlier this season. Alex Maciag (21-13), Justin Dobies (26-12) and David Dashiell (29-9) were also victorious against NC State in the January meeting. The Wolfpack (9-4-1, 1-1-1 ACC) is led by Palma (22-6) and freshman Joe Carmanica, who is 20-6 at 149. Redshirt freshman Ryan Goodman is 16-3 at 197 and is ranked No. 13 nationally. Following Saturday's action, the Tar Heels close out the dual match portion of the schedule against Old Dominion Feb. 19 at Carmichael Auditorium.

The Eagles of Eastern Michigan bested the Golden Eagles of Clarion 29-16 in Ypsilanti Friday. EMU was led by pins from captains Phillip Plowman (133) and Chad Roush (165) and a tech fall from Jermaine Thompson (149). After Clarion forfeited the 125 pound match to #14 Sean Clair at 125, Plowman (Sr/Jr Sunfield, MI) took only 1:39 to dispatch freshman Rob Labrake to give Eastern a 12-0 lead in the meet. In the 141 pound match, junior Nick Conklin (Milton, WI) lost a close 3-2 decision to Clarion freshman Greg Lewis. Thompson (Jr/So Akron, OH) then put on a clinic at 149 when he scored a second period 17-2 technical fall over Clarion's Derrick Smith. After Lucas Christopher of Clarion edged Quinn Guernsey at 157, Roush (Sr/Sr Davison, MI) took down Chris Goings and quickly turned him to his back for a first period fall. The 184 pound match went to Clarion when Dominic Ross scored 5 points in the last 30 seconds in a comeback victory over John McClure. Tony Lyssiotis (Jr/Jr Oxford, MI) then won by forfeit at 197 to complete the EMU scoring. The heavyweight match was a close battle between two freshmen with Clarion's A. J. Brooks taking a 5-4 win over EMU's Jake Wood (Miamisburg, OH). For complete results and more pictures.go to the EMU web site at http://www.emich.edu/public/wrestling/windex.html .

LINCOLN, Neb. -- The No. 11/11 Oklahoma Sooners (9-5-1, 1-3) upset the No. 3/3 Nebraska Cornhuskers (11-5, 1-2) 19-16 Friday night before a crowd of 1,517 inside the NU Coliseum. "I am very pleased and proud of our team for a hard fought victory," said head coach Jack Spates. "We came in and dug ourselves a big hole to start with but our boys battled back and came up with a big win." OU last defeated the Cornhuskers, 20-15, in Norman in 2003. No. 5 Joel Flaggert pulled off the night's biggest upset in the 197 pound match, defeating No. 2 B.J. Padden by a decision of 6-2. Flaggert dominated the entire match only allowing two escapes to Padden. Another upset came in the 157 pound match with Will Rowe upsetting No. 15 Chris Oliver by a major decision of 15-6. Oliver led the match 5-0 only :38 seconds into the match before Rowe fought back to claim the victory. At 141 pounds No. 2 Teyon Ware defeated No. 19 Dominick Moyer by a decision of 6-2. At 125 pounds No. 2 Sam Hazewinkel claimed his 99th collegiate victory by defeating No. 9 Paul Donahoe by a decision of 3-0. Also scoring decisions for the Sooners were No. 5 Jake Hager at heavyweight and No. 7 Matt Storniolo at 149 pounds. Hager defeated No. 19 Jon May, 2-1, in their heavyweight match. Storniolo defeated Robert Sanders by a decision of 7-2. "Joel (Flaggert) dominated the No. 2 (Padden) wrestler in the country, and Will (Rowe) fought hard and came up with a big major decision" continued Spates. "We're happy to get a win tonight but we need to re-focus and prepare ourselves for a big dual on Sunday with a very talented Hofstra squad." The Sooners are set to grapple Hofstra on Sunday inside the Ford Center in Oklahoma City as part of the ESPNU Double Dual Invitational.

Upper Iowa won nine of the 10 matches in dominating St. Cloud State 48-3 in Halenbeck Hall in St. Cloud, Minn., Friday night. Upper Iowa, ranked 17th in the recent NCAA Division II coaches poll, won five matches via pinfall to improve to 6-3-1 in dual meets this season. Seventh-ranked Tyler Mumbulo started the dual with an 18-3 tech. fall win over Nick Wasche at 125 pounds. Eighth-ranked 133-pounder Ralph Acosta followed by pinning Brent Johnson in 36 seconds. Acosta's victory was the first of three straight Peacock wins by fall. Jacob Pedersen took down Shad Tappe in 2:30 at 141 pounds and Cory Schmitz won at 149 pounds in 1:28 over Tom Messerli. Brandon Heying won by forfeit to give Upper Iowa a 29-0 lead after the first five matches. The Peacocks did not let up. Brady Hakeman earned a 6-3 decision over Tom Anderson at 165 pounds. St. Cloud State (0-6) finally got on the board as Jason Moore defeated Dano Grayson 12-5 at 174 pounds. UIU closed the dual with three decisive wins, which included two more first period falls. Tony Gehling's 14-6 major decision over Neil Russell at 184 pounds upped the Peacock advantage to 36-3. Jase Clark defeated Jairo Sandoval in 38 seconds at 197 pounds and heavyweight Tyson Brown pinned Brad Nowak in 1:47. Upper Iowa hosts Truman State next Friday at 7 p.m. #17 Upper Iowa 48, St. Cloud State 3 125 – #7 Tyler Mumbulo (UIU) def. Nick Wasche, tech fall 18-3 133 – #8 Ralph Acosta (UIU) pinned Brent Johnson, 0:36 141 – Jacob Pedersen (UIU) pinned Shad Tappe, 2:30 149 – Cory Schmitz (UIU) pinned Tom Messerli, 1:28 157 – Brandon Heying (UIU) won by forfeit 165 – Brady Hakeman (UIU) def. Tom Anderson, 6-3 174 – Jason Moore (SCSU) def. Dano Grayson, 12-5 184 – Tony Gehling (UIU) def. Neil Russell, maj. dec. 14-6 197 – Jase Clark (UIU) pinned Jairo Sandoval, 0:38 285 – Tyson Brown (UIU) pinned Brad Nowak, 1:47

ATHENS, Ohio -- In a closely contested dual meet, the Ohio wrestling team defeated West Virginia 18-16 Friday night at the Convocation Center, giving Bobcat head coach Joel Greenlee his 100th career coaching win. Ohio (11-9) earned half its points in the first two matches with a pin at 125 pounds and an overtime decision at 133. Just a little over a minute into the opening match, Caleb Metcalf scored a takedown against WVU's Scott Stuart and 11 seconds later got a two-point near fall. Leading 5-1 in the second period, the sophomore from Waterville, Ohio, registered another takedown and this time produced a pin with 21 seconds remaining in the period. "Right when I took him down the first time, I knew that I was going to win," said Metcalf about his fourth pin and seventh victory in his last eight matches. "He was leading his right leg and was really heavy on it so I hit an ankle pick and he went down. Then I just worked hard on top and got an arm bar to work for me to pin him." Redshirt freshman Terry Jackson followed that up with a 4-2 sudden-victory decision in the next match. After giving up a takedown just 20 seconds into the bout, the Uhrichsville, Ohio, native shut out Mountaineer 133-pounder Seth Lisa the rest of the way. Jackson, who has won five of his last six contests, scored escapes in both the first and second periods before winning the match on a takedown with just 12 seconds remaining in the first overtime period. "I was kind of slow at the beginning because my legs weren't feeling that great so he got a quick takedown," Jackson said. "From there on out, I knew it was going to be a battle and I just had to keep my head in it. The coaches kept telling me that my single-leg would be there so I just needed to set it up and hit it because one shot was going to win it." Ohio's run was halted at 141 pounds, though, as seventh-ranked Brandon Rader recorded a 15-5 major decision over Albert Madsen, a redshirt freshman from Strongsville, Ohio. Madsen's only points came on two illegal hold calls and three escapes. The Bobcats bounced back, however, when junior co-captain Aaron Gomoll recorded a 9-5 decision over Teddy Adams at 149 pounds. The Bay Village, Ohio, product scored an early takedown and then hit a single-leg takedown midway through the second period for a 4-2 lead. Gomoll then registered two more takedowns in the third to add to his 3:09 in riding time. "I think Aaron is finally getting on a roll after slumping a little bit," said Greenlee, who improved his career coaching record to 100-69-4 in nine seasons at Ohio. "The wins at 125, 133 and 149 were all really huge for us." At 157 pounds, Bobcat redshirt freshman Jake Frerichs gave second-ranked Matt Lebe a run for his money. After allowing a first-period takedown, the Uniontown, Ohio, native escaped twice to even the score at 2-2 heading into the third period. Frerichs allowed another takedown with 42 seconds left in the match but escaped with 26 second remaining and was on the attack when he was awarded a stalling point with just five ticks left. Although the match was tied 4-4 when the clock expired, Lebe won with 1:25 in riding time. West Virginia (4-5) then got on a roll by winning the next two matches as well. Larry Hall managed a 6-1 decision over Ohio freshman Kent Smith (Bowling Green, Ohio) at 165 pounds and 13th-ranked Kurt Brenner pulled out a wild 14-7 victory over Ryan Knapp (McConnelsville, Ohio) at 174 to give the Mountaineers a 13-12 edge with three matches remaining. When it was time for Ohio's other co-captain - Brian Cesear - to step up, he did. The 184-pound junior from Amherst, Ohio, used a single-leg and back trip to record a first-period score and then got another takedown in the second period. After an early escape in the third gave him a 5-0 lead, he responded to a Chance Litton takedown with an escape and takedown of his own to seal the match with 11 seconds to go. With 1:53 in riding time, he pulled out a 9-3 victory. After a 2-0 decision by WVU's Jared Villers over Bobcat junior Nick Terbay (Dayton, Ohio) at 197 pounds gave the Mountaineers a 16-15 lead, it came down to the final match of the night to decided the outcome. In Ohio's last dual meet, junior heavyweight Marcus Adelman lost a 3-2 decision with the outcome on the line and the Bobcats suffered an 18-15 loss at Virginia. This time, the Alliance, Ohio, native delivered a 5-3 decision over WVU's Matt Holsopple. After trailing early, Adelman took a 3-2 lead with a takedown late in the first period. He extended his lead to 4-2 with an early escape in the second and managed to stay on top in the third until there were just three seconds remaining. His final point was awarded for 1:52 in riding time. "You could see Marcus gain some confidence and really feel good about himself," Greenlee said about his heavyweight. "He needs to just keep getting in better shape because those six weeks off with the ankle injury really hurt him. He's getting there and hopefully in two weeks we'll get him to where he needs to be." Friday night's win kicked off a weekend of special activities for the Ohio wrestling program. A reception honoring former national champion and long-time Ohio head coach Harry Houska will be held Saturday evening at the Ohio University Inn Banquet Room. The free event will begin at 8 p.m. and is open to the public. The Bobcats will then host Kent State at 2 p.m. Sunday in their home finale. At the meet's midway point, Houska will be presented with a mantle clock made of maple trees from the Ohio University campus to announce the wrestling room's Harry Houska Wall of Champions, which recognizes all NCAA and Mid-American Conference champions from Ohio University. "What Harry accomplished at Ohio University is pretty phenomenal because his teams dominated the MAC and did really well in the NCAA Tournament," Greenlee said about his predecessor. "Over 80 former Bobcat wrestlers are coming back to honor him. Harry really drilled his guys about getting their names on the wall because it meant they were a champion and that became a huge motivation for them." Admission is free to Sunday's home wrestling dual at the Convocation Center. Live results will be posted at ohiobobcats.com as they happen. Ohio 18, West Virginia 16 125 - Caleb Metcalf (Ohio) fall Scott Stuart, 4:39 133 - Terry Jackson (Ohio) dec. Seth Lisa, 4-2 SV 141 - #7 Brandon Rader (WVU) major dec. Albert Madsen, 15-5 149 - Aaron Gomoll (Ohio) dec. Teddy Adams, 9-5 157 - #2 Matt Lebe (WVU) dec. Jake Frerichs, 5-4 165 - Larry Hall (WVU) dec. Kent Smith, 6-1 174 - #13 Kurt Brenner (WVU) dec. Ryan Knapp, 14-7 184 - Brian Cesear (Ohio) dec. Chance Litton, 9-3 197 - Jared Villers (WVU) dec. Nick Terbay, 2-0 HWT - Marcus Adelman (Ohio) dec. Matt Holsopple, 5-3

LEXINGTON, Va. -- The wrestling team won eight of 10 matches Saturday and recorded a pin, a technical fall and three major decisions en route to a 32-6 Southern Conference victory over VMI. The Keydets opened the dual with an 8-5 victory by Sam Alvarenga over Aaron Martin at 149 pounds. The Mocs took the next five matches to virtually clinch the match. The string included major decisions by Jake Yost at 157, Daniel Peterson at 165 and Lloyd Rogers at 197 and a pin for T.J. Sayers at 174. Peterson's 14-6 win over Chris Hardy gave UTC an 8-3 lead, and the Mocs piled on the points from there. Scott Buhman claimed VMI's only other win, a 3-1 decision over Israel Silva in the heavyweight class. The Mocs closed out the match with a 19-4 technical fall at 125 by Javier Maldonado over Lam Ly, a 7-2 decision by seventh-rated Matt Keller over Tyler Anthony at 133 and Michael Keefe's 11-8 win over David Metzler at 141. Keller's win was his 13th consecutive victory, and Keefe recorded his team-high 31st victory of the season. UTC's Justin Otis pinned Adam Underwood in a 165-pound exhibition match. The Mocs, who improve to 14-7-1 overall and 3-0 in the SoCon, remain on the road and take on Davidson Saturday at 3 p.m. in Davidson, N.C. Chattanooga 32, VMI 6 Feb. 10, Lexington, Va. 149 – Sam Alvarenga (VMI) dec. Aaron Martin (UTC), 8-5 0-3 157 – Jake Yost (UTC) maj. dec. Tommy Cunningham (VMI), 11-2 4-3 165 – Daniel Peterson (UTC) maj. dec. Chris Hardy (VMI), 14-6 8-3 174 – T.J. Sayers (UTC) pinned Dustin McCabe (VMI), 4:27 14-3 184 – John Davis (UTC) dec. Corry Murray (VMI), 8-4 17-3 197 – Lloyd Rogers (UTC) maj. dec. Kyle Elgert (VMI), 21-7 21-3 285 – Scott Buhman (VMI) dec. Israel Silva (UTC), 3-1 21-6 125 – Javier Maldonado (UTC) tech. fall Lam Ly (VMI), 19-4 26-6 133 – No. 7 Matt Keller (UTC) dec. Tyler Anthony (VMI), 7-2 29-6 141 – Michael Keefe (UTC) dec. David Metzler (VMI), 11-8 32-6 Exhibition: 165 – Justin Otis (UTC) pinned Adam Underwood (VMI), 2:16 Team records: UTC (14-7-1, 3-0); VMI (1-8-1, 0-3-1)

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- After being honored before their final home dual of their careers, three Purdue seniors paced the Boilermakers to their first Big Ten dual victory of the season, driving through Ohio State 19-15 in the Intercollegiate Athletic Facility on Friday evening. Chris Fleeger (Trout Run, Pa.), Doug Withstandley (Jackson, N.J.) and Ben Wissel (Richmond, Ind.) were credited with wins in their final match in front of the home crowd in West Lafayette. A fourth senior, Barry Jackson (Indianapolis, Ind.), was also honored before the dual, but was not in the starting lineup. The dual began with the big boys, and OSU's Kirk Nail came away with a 9-4 decision over Aaron Keough. That match was followed by a heart-breaking loss for the Boilermakers at 125 when the Buckeyes' Anner Arroyo reversed Jeff Price with four seconds remaining in the match to post a 9-8 win. Purdue's first senior took the mat at 133, but no opponent was there for OSU as Fleeger was awarded the win by forfeit, tying the dual at 6-6. The Buckeyes regained the lead with an 8-3 decision at 141 by T.J. Enright over Jason Cook. That lead was short-lived as Purdue came right back at 149. In what was billed as the "Match of the Day", Withstandley scored two takedowns and a reversal in a defeat over J Jaggers, 8-4. Withstandley, ranked eighth in the nation, dominated the majority of the match with the 11th-ranked Jaggers, building a riding time advantage of 1:27 and claiming his 21st win of the season. The trading of matches continued as Steve Sommer of OSU defeated Jake Murphy 6-3 to give the Buckeyes a 12-9 lead. However, the Boilermakers came right back with a surprise win at 165. Dan Bedoy snapped through out of a six-match losing streak with his first win of the season, a 7-3 defeat of Nathaniel Augustson. A scoreless first period led into Bedoy's first takedown of the match just past the four-minute mark. Two escapes in the second by the Buckeye sent the match into the final period tied 2-2. An escape by Bedoy gave the Boilermaker the lead, and then the match was put away in the final 20 seconds as Bedoy took Augustson down to his back, scoring the takedown and two back points. A 3-2 win by OSU's Blake Maurer over Nick Corpe gave the Buckeyes a 15-12 lead, setting up the final two matches of the evening. Purdue grabbed its first lead with a 19-9 major decision by No. 2 Wissel over Alex Picazo, the fifth bonus-point win in seven Big Ten dual matches for the Boilermaker 184-pounder. Two takedowns in the first period followed by one in the second and four in the final two minutes continued Wissel's dominance over his opponents this season, as the senior now has a 31-2 record with 161 takedowns. Wissel is just 21 takedowns behind the single-season record of 182 established by two-time Big Ten champion Ryan Lange in 2003. The Boilermakers finished their first dual victory in the conference season with an 8-2 decision by Nathan Moore over James Aston. One takedown in each period by the Purdue 197-pounder was all that was needed to secure the individual and team victory. Purdue is now 9-9 overall and 1-6 in the Big Ten, while Ohio State dips to 5-11 on the season and 0-6 in conference action. The Boilermakers' final dual of the season is slated for Sunday, Feb. 19, vs. Penn State. The dual, which will begin at noon, will take place in Conseco Field House in Indianapolis.

STILLWATER, Okla. -- Oklahoma State had little trouble with Hofstra winning eight of the 10 bouts en route to a convincing 34-9 victory over the Pride inside Gallagher-Iba Arena on Friday night. Sophomore Coleman Scott got the excitement started for the OSU seniors recording a fall in 1:36. Cowboy seniors Zack Esposito, Kevin Ward, Rusty Blackmon, Jake Rosholt and Steve Mocco all earned victories in their final match in Gallagher-Iba Arena. Esposito defeated fourth-ranked Jon Masa with an 8-2 decision. Kevin Ward defeated No. 20 James Strouse with a 3-1 decision. The match of the night came at 184. Joe Rovelli, ranked 19th in the country by Amateur Wrestling News, jumped out to a 7-0 lead over Blackmon. Blackmon came storming back getting a pair of reversals to trail 7-4. In the third period, Blackmon was forced to cut Rovelli and promptly scored a takedown. Rovelli received his second stalling warning with 10 seconds left in the match to force overtime. In overtime Blackmon was the aggressor taking a pair of shots and finally getting credited with a takedown with just eight seconds left in the period to win the match. It was Blackmon's second straight victory over a ranked opponent. "I was thinking get to the leg the whole time," Blackmon said about the overtime period. "It did not work out that way. I thought I had the takedown but I did not get the two. I did not see the next shot, but it was there so I took it." There was little drama left for the final two seniors. Rosholt went out and recorded a major decision, while Mocco pinned his opponent with 13 seconds left in the first period. The victory sets the stage for the rematch with top-ranked Minnesota at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City on Sunday. Minnesota won the first dual, 21-14, in the finals of the National Duals. The Cowboys and Gophers will meet at 2 p.m. on ESPNU following a dual with Oklahoma and Hofstra. No. 2 Oklahoma State 34, No. 21 Hofstra, 9 Gallagher-Iba Arena * Stillwater, Okla. Attendance: 2,866 125- Coleman Scott (OSU) Fall Jon Fennell (HU), 1:36 133- Nathan Morgan (OSU) WBF 141- Charles Griffin (HU) Fall Ethan Kyle (OSU), 4:00 149- Zack Esposito (OSU) Dec. Jon Masa (HU), 9-2 157- Kevin Ward (OSU) Dec. James Strouse (HU), 3-1 165- Johny Hendricks (OSU) vs. Chris Vondruska (HU), 9-3 174- Mike Patrovich (HU) Dec. Brandon Mason (OSU), 6-3 184- Rusty Blackmon (OSU) Dec. Joe Rovelli (HU), 10-8 SV 197- Jake Rosholt (OSU) MD Chris Weidman (HU), 12-3 285- Steve Mocco (OSU) Fall Jon Andriac (HU), 2:47

Iowa City, Iowa -- The sixth ranked Illinois wrestling team finished their Big Ten road schedule Friday night as they defeated the Iowa Hawkeyes 24-13. The Illini ended their losing streak at two. In front of 3,352 fans at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, the Illini won their first dual at Iowa in head coach Mark Johnson's 14-year career at Illinois. The win also marks the first time the Illini have posted back-to-back victories against the Hawkeyes since the 1949-50 and 1950-51 seasons. The Illini improve to 9-2 overall and 4-2 in the Big Ten. The match started at 197 and No. 8 Tyrone Byrd (Clinton, Ill.) outlasted Dan Erekson, 4-3. A late takedown by Byrd was the only scoring in the first period. In the third, with Byrd leading 3-0, a stalling point awarded to Erekson cut into the lead. Later in the period, another stall call was awarded to Erekson who then followed it up with an escape to tie the match at 3-3. With 1:42 of riding time, Byrd came out with the victory and gave the Illini an early 3-0 lead in the dual. The dual continued at heavyweight and saw Matt Weight (Batavia, Ill.) fall to No. 19 Ryan Fuller, 4-3. Fuller took the early lead with a takedown but Weight countered with an escape to close the first period. An escape by fuller extended his lead to 3-1 in the second period. In the third, Weight narrowed the lead by scoring an escape. A late stalling point awarded to Weight was not enough to overcome the riding time posted by the Fuller. Weight has now lost four matches in a row. The dual was now tied, 3-3. Kyle Ott, (Huber Heights, Ohio) pinned Trent Goodale at 3:30. Ott was looking to bounce back from last week's surprising pin he suffered at Northwestern. With a 2-0 lead in the second period, Ott scored another two points on a reversal, then quickly moved in for the pin. At 133, Gabe Flores (Madera, Calif.) defeated Daniel Dennis, 10-8. Flores came out firing in the first period on a takedown and a three-point nearfall. Dennis countered, however, by scoring a reversal to end the period. In the second, Flores added another three-point nearfall to extend his lead to 8-2. Flores started the third with an escape point and never let the Iowa freshman into the match. After the two big wins, the Illini had a 13-3 lead. After winning two out of their first three matches, the Illini dropped three in a row. At 141, Cassio Pero (Chicago Heights, Ill.) fell to No. 14 Alex Tsirtsis, 6-2. Pero took an early lead on a takedown, but the Hawkeye sophomore countered with an escape. In the second, Tsirtsis found himself in the lead as Pero was twice called for stalling. In the third, Tsirtsis extended his lead by scoring on a reversal and riding the Illini junior until the time expired. The dual picked up at 149 and saw Troy Tirapelle (Clovis, Calif.) fall to Alex Grunder, 9-4. Grunder, who was a late replacement for No. 2 Ty Eustice, scored a takedown and a three-point nearfall to open the first period. Tirapelle answered with a reversal and a takedown to close the period. In the third, Grunder added to his lead by scoring an escape then a takedown. Iowa closed the Illini gap in the dual, 13-9. At 157, Dan Zeman (LaGrange, Ill.) fell to No. 7 Joe Johnston, 14-6. Zeman was a late replacement for top-ranked Alex Tirapelle who couldn't compete due to injury. Zeman jumped out to a 4-0 lead on a takedown and a two-point nearfall, but Johnston countered with an escape, a takedown, and a three-point nearfall to end the first period. In the second, Zeman cut into the lead with an escape but Johnston countered right back with a takedown. Johnston added two more takedowns in the third to overwhelm the normally 149-pound Illini sophomore. The dual was now tied, 13-13. The Illini then turned the match around by winning the next three matches. At 165, No. 7 Mike Poeta (Highwood, Ill.) won a major decision over Eric Luedke, 10-2. Poeta jumped to a big 8-2 lead in the first period by scoring three takedowns and a two-point nearfall. In the third, with Poeta up 9-2, he added an escape point to come away with the 10-2 major decision and give the Illini a 17-13 lead in the dual. At 174, No. 16 Donny Reynolds (Frankfort, Ill.) won a major decsion over Ben Stedman, 8-0. The only scoring in the first period was a takedown by Reynolds. In the second, Reynolds took control of the match by scoring an escape and a takedown. Reynolds added another takedown to start the third and was awarded another point on a stalling call en-route to the major decision. The win gave the Illini a 21-13 lead and also guaranteed the Illini the victory over the Hawkeyes. At 184, No. 6 Pete Friedl defeated #7 Paul Bradley, 4-2. The two met earlier this season at the All-Star Dual with the Illini All-American taking the decision. Friedl took an early lead in the first period with a takedown. A point was added to Friedl when Bradley was called for an illegal hold. In the third, with Friedl up 4-1, Bradley narrowed the lead with an escape, but that's all he could do before time expired. The Illini head home to host No. 18 Michigan State on Sunday at Huff Gym. Mat time is scheduled for 1 p.m. #6 Illinois 24, #9 Iowa 13 Attendance: 3,532 197: #8 Tyrone Byrd (ILL) vs. Dan Erekson (IOWA), 4-3 3-0 Hwt: #19 Ryan Fuller (IOWA) dec. Matt Weight (ILL), 4-3 3-3 125: #6 Kyle Ott (ILL) pinned Trent Goodale (IOWA), 3:30 9-0 133: Gabe Flores (ILL) maj. dec. Daniel Dennis (IOWA), 10-2 13-3 141: #14 Alex Tsirtsis (IOWA) dec. Cassio Pero (ILL), 6-2 13-6 149: Alex Grunder (IOWA) dec. Troy Tirapelle (ILL), 9-4 13-9 157: #7 Joe Johnston (IOWA) maj. dec. Dan Zeman (ILL), 14-6 13-13 165: #7 Mike Poeta (ILL) maj. dec. Eric Luedke (IOWA), 10-2 17-13 174: #16 Donny Reynolds (ILL) maj. dec. Ben Stedman (IOWA), 9-0 21-13 184: #6 Pete Friedl (ILL) dec. #7 Paul Bradley (IOWA), 4-2 24-13

PITTSBURGH -- The Panthers certainly had the fans on their side as Spirit Night got heated up in a dual match that came down to the final bout. Going back and forth all evening, both Pitt and Lock Haven found themselves leading at times, but with a victory in the heavyweight match, the Panthers were able to come out on top with a 17-15 win for their second league victory of the season. Pitt has now advanced to a 4-8 record overall while moving to 2-3 in the EWL (Eastern Wrestling League). "We wrestled really hard tonight," said Head Coach Rande Stottlemyer. "We were definitely the underdog going into this, and our swing match was [Nick] Padezan. He really wrestled hard and turned things around for us. You also have to give a lot of credit to Lou [Thomas]. That's always tough to have the match come down to you. He did a great job of stepping up to the challenge." At 125 pounds, Pitt's Brad Gentzle (Easton, Pa./Easton) faced Lock Haven's No. 18 Obenson Blanc. In the first period, Blanc was the first to score with two points on a takedown, but Gentzle responded with an escape, making the score 2-1 entering the second period. Gentzle was the first to score in the second with an escape, but Blanc came back with a takedown. An escape from Gentzle put the score at 4-3 going into the final period. With three takedowns in the third period, Blanc won a 12-7 decision to put the Bald Eagles in the lead, 3-0. Pitt was able to even up the score in the 133-pound match between Mike Ciotti (Latrobe, Pa./Greater Latrobe) and Lock Haven's Casey Moore. The two wrestlers went scoreless in the first period, but Ciotti was able to come back and score on an escape in the second. With a point for riding time, Ciotti won the 2-0 decision to tie the team score at three. Ronald Tarquinio (McDonald, Pa./West Allegheny), ranked seventh nationally, earned bonus points for the Panthers in the 141-pound bout against Lock Haven's Brian Ellis. Tarquinio got off to a strong start, scoring on three takedowns in the first period to gain a 6-1 advantage. Tarquinio maintained the lead in the second, advancing to 9-1 with three points from a near fall. In the final period, he scored on two reversals and a takedown, winning a 16-3 major decision. The Panthers moved into the lead 7-3. The match at 149 pounds was named one of the bouts to watch, and it was a close one for Pitt's Joey Ecklof (Northampton, Pa./Northampton) and Lock Haven's No. 17 Josh Medina. In the first period, Medina got to an early 2-1 lead, scoring on a takedown. Ecklof fought back in the second, scoring a point on an escape, but Medina scored on a takedown to move the score to 4-1 entering the final period. Ecklof was able to earn points for Medina stalling in the third, but Medina scored on an escape, giving him the one point he needed for a 5-4 decision. The Bald Eagles moved to six points, but Pitt still maintained the lead at seven. Lock Haven was able to gain the lead with the 157-pound match between Pitt's Sean Richmond (Emmaus, Pa./Easton) and No. 17 Seth Martin of the Bald Eagles. Martin took a 2-0 lead in the first period with a takedown. He was able to stay ahead with an escape, takedown and a point for stalling on Pitt in the second. In the third period, Richmond got on the board with two escapes, but Martin took the match, 9-2. The Bald Eagles moved ahead to 9-7. The Panthers moved back into the lead with the 165-pound match as No. 20 Justin Nestor (Transfer, Pa./Reynolds) took on Lock Haven's Rory McCoy. Nestor earned a 2-0 lead in the first period on a takedown. A reversal and takedown in the second, pushed him to 6-1. In the final period, Nestsor kept going with two more takedowns to gain an 11-3 major decision. Pitt moved back into the lead, 11-9. The match heated up with the 174-pound match between Pitt's Nick Padezan (Irwin, Pa./Penn Trafford) and Lock Haven's Carlos Ponce. The match was tied at three in the first period with each wrestler scoring for a takedown and an escape. In the second period, Padezan moved ahead to 6-4 after earning three points for a near fall. In the final period, Padezan scored on an escape and a point for riding time to gain an 8-5 victory over Ponce. Pitt increased the lead to 14-9. "It always feels good to get a win for the team. I think I can beat any if I wrestle like I can," Padezan said of his victory over the NCAA qualifier. "You really have to stick with your offense, and you can't be afraid of anybody." At 184 pounds, Pitt's Kyle Deliere (Cecil, Pa./Canon-McMillan) faced Lock Haven's Derrick Morgan. Deliere gained a point from an escape in the first period, but Morgan was able to score on a takedown for a 2-1 lead. A point for stalling by Pitt in the second period moved Morgan's lead to 3-1. In the final period, Deliere scored on an escape, but Morgan had gained momentum to get a 9-2 decision. The Bald Eagles' narrowed the gap, but Pitt stayed in the lead 14-12. Wrestling at 197 pounds, Pitt's Mike Heist (Orefield, Pa./Parkland) took on Lock Haven's Tom Kocher. In an aggressive first period, Heist score two points from a takedown while Kocher scored one on an escape. Heist kept the lead in the second, scoring on an escape for a score of 3-1 going into the final period. The match turned in Kocher's favor in the final period, as he earned four more points en route to a 7-4 decision. The Bald Eagles moved back into the lead, 15-14. With the Pitt vs. Lock Haven match up coming down to the final bout at heavyweight, Pitt's Lou Thomas (Parkersburg, W.Va./Parkersburg) and Lock Haven's Tim Meyers had to battle it out for the team victory. Thomas gained the early lead with two points in the first period on a takedown. Meyers scored one on an escape. Thomas was the only one to score in the second, getting a point on an escape. Meyers came back in the third to score on an escape, but it wouldn't be enough giving Thomas the 3-2 victory and the Panthers the dual match win. Pitt has one more league match up this season when they host Edinboro next Friday at 7:30 p.m. It will be senior night for the team as they recognize Ciotti, Tarquinio and Nestor in their final Pitt matches. 125: Obenson Blanc (LH) dec. Brad Gentzle (Pitt), 12-7 [3-0, Lock Haven] 133: Mike Ciotti (Pitt) dec. Casey Moore (LH), 2-0 [3-3] 141: Ronald Tarquinio (Pitt) maj. dec. Brian Ellis (LH), 16-3 [7-3, Pitt] 149: Josh Medina (LH) dec. Joey Ecklof (Pitt), 5-4 [7-6, Pitt] 157: Seth Martin (LH) dec. Sean Richmond (Pitt), 9-2 [9-7, Lock Haven] 165: Justin Nestor (Pitt) maj. dec. Rory McCoy (LH), 11-3 [11-9, Pitt] 174: Nick Padezan (Pitt) dec. Carlos Ponce (LH), 8-5 [14-9, Pitt] 184: Derrick Morgan (LH) dec. Kyle Deliere (Pitt), 9-2 [14-12, Pitt] 197: Tom Kocher (LH) dec. Mike Heist (Pitt), 7-4 [15-14, Lock Haven] 285: Lou Thomas (Pitt) dec. Tim Meyers (LH), 3-2 [17-15, Pitt]

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. -- The Big Red wrestling team put itself in the driver's seat in the race for the Ivy League title this afternoon when it beat the 22nd-ranked Penn Quakers 20-12 at the Palestra in Philadelphia, Pa. Cornell won six of the 10 bouts, including a technical fall by senior tri-captain Dustin Manotti at 157 pounds. The Big Red is now 6-4 overall and 2-0 in the Ivy League, while Penn falls to 9-4 overall and 2-1 in the league. The match started at 125 where freshman Troy Nickerson squeezed out a tough 8-7 win over No. 18 Mike Silengo. Down 6-5 heading into the third, Nickerson chose down to start the final period and quickly scored a reversal. He was then hit with a penalty point, evening the match at 7-7 as time expired. With over one minute of riding time, Nickerson took the 8-7 win. The Quakers then claimed the lead as No. 10 Matt Valenti defeated No. 14 Mike Mormile, 4-0, at 133 pounds and Cesar Grajales held off Matt Easter, 6-4 at 141 pounds. Penn's Matt Dragon extended the Quaker advantage when he recorded a 6-2 decision over Keith Dickey in the 149 pound bout. At 157 pounds, senior tri-captain Dustin Manotti, ranked No. 5, got the Big Red back on the winning track, dominating No. 20 Gene Zanetti for a 21-6 technical fall. Manotti went up 6-2 after one period with three takedowns. The second period continued Manotti's assault, with two takedowns and a three-point near fall. Manotti chose down to start the third, escaped and finished off the technical fall. No. 13 Steve Anceravage continued Cornell's winning ways at 165 pounds as he defeated Lior Zamir, 8-3. Leading 3-1 to start the third period, the Cornell junior scored a takedown and a two-point near fall in the third. After the near fall, Anceravage accrued 1:13 of riding time, making the final 8-3. At 174 pounds, senior Dan Miracola dropped a tough 6-5 decision to No. 20 Matt Herrington. Starting the third up 4-3 and in the top position, Miracola gave up an escape to Herrington to even the match and then was taken down. He then escaped to pull within one point and took multiple shots in the final 20 seconds of the match but was unable to score the takedown. Senior Joe Mazzurco, ranked No. 3, took the 184 pound match, 3-2 over a tough Dustin Wiles. A first period takedown and a second period escape proved to be the difference in the match for Mazzurco. Junior Jerry Rinaldi (No. 7) followed that up with a 4-1 win over Paul Veleki. Starting the third period scoreless, Rinaldi chose down and escaped to take the 1-0 lead and then scored a takedown to go up 3-0. Veleki escaped with 19 seconds to go, but could not score again, as Rinaldi got the riding time point, winning 4-1. Heavyweight Zach Hammond finished out the match with a big 10-3 win over Jayson Bowlsby. Hammond had a 5-2 lead after two periods and had two takedowns and the riding time point to push the final to 10-3. The Big Red will be in action again tomorrow when it takes on Princeton at 1 p.m., and Rider at 5 p.m. No. 14 Cornell at No. 22 Penn 125: No. 5 Troy Nickerson (C) dec. No. 18 Mike Silengo (P), 8-7 133: No. 10 Matt Valenti (P) dec. No. 14 Mike Mormile (C), 4-0 141: Cesar Grajales (P) dec. Matt Easter (C), 6-4 149: Matt Dragon (P) dec. Keith Dickey (C), 6-2 157: No. 5 Dustin Manotti (C) dec. No. 20 Gene Zanetti (P), TF: 21-6 165: No. 13 Steve Anceravage (C) dec. Lior Zamir (P), 8-3 174: No. 20 Matt Herrington (P) dec. Dan Miracola (C), 6-5 184: No. 3 Joe Mazzurco (C) dec. Dustin Wiles (P), 3-2 197: No. 7 Jerry Rinaldi (C) dec. Paul Veleki (P), 4-1 285: Zach Hammond (C) dec. Jack Sullivan (P), 10-3

State College, Pa. -- The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team, ranked No. 8 in the country, won eight of ten bouts to handle No. 16 Indiana 27-8 in a Big Ten road dual. Head coach Troy Sunderland's Lions grabbed their sixth road win of the year and posted their eight win against a ranked opponent. The match began at 174, where a Penn State reserve set the tone for the dual. Freshman Phil Bomberger (Port Royal, Pa.) stepped in for No. 10 James Yonushonis (Philipsburg, Pa.), who was nursing a slight injury from last Sunday's match at Iowa State. Bomberger faced Indiana sophomore Mark Bennett. The red-shirt freshman had two early scoring opportunities in the first period but could not score on Bennett until time wound down. Bennett nearly scored with :15 left, but Bomberger reversed the effort and threw Bennett to the mat, getting the take down and two back points. Bennett, down 4-0, chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped. The Hoosier sophomore quickly took Bomberger down and trailed 5-3 after a Bomberger escape. The second period continued with each wrestler having scoring opportunities turned back by good defense on the part of the other man. Bomberger, up 5-3, chose down to begin the third period and was cut loose to a 6-3 lead. The Nittany Lion sophomore continued to set the tone offensively, taking shot after shot, but being held at bay by Bennett. With :20 left, Bennett nearly scored, only to be fought off and nearly scored upon by Bomberger as time wound down. Neither wrestler scored again. Bomberger posted an impressive 6-3 win to give the Nittany Lions an early 3-0 lead. He improved to 8-6 overall and got his first career dual match win in three tries. Bennett fell to 12-12. Fresh off an upset loss last Sunday, returning All-American Eric Bradley (Plaistow, N.H.), who dropped to No. 4 at 184, met Indiana sophomore Justin Curran. Bradley got on top early, with a workmanlike take down :30 into the opening period. After working up over :30 of riding time, Bradley cut Curran and maintained a 2-1 lead. The Lion senior added another take down as the period ended to enter the second up 4-1 with a 1:06 riding time edge. Curran chose down to begin the second and was cut early to a 4-2 deficit. Dominating the dual, Bradley added a third take down halfway through the second. Bradley rode Curran out and led 6-2 with a 2:10 RT edge after two. Bradley chose down to begin the third and escaped to a 7-2 lead. A fourth take down less than a minute in had Bradley cutting Curran loose to work for bonus points. The Nittany Lion senior added a fifth take down plus the riding time point for a 12-4 major. The win put the Lions up 7-0 and improved Bradley's mark to 7-1. Curran fell to a respectable 20-10 on the year. Returning All-American Phil Davis (Harrisburg, Pa.) met IU senior Brady Richardson in the marquee match-up of the evening. Davis, a sophomore, entered the dual ranked No. 6 and 14-3 overall while Richardson entered ranked No. 8 and 24-4. The two national powers traded offensive shots early in the bout, with neither wrestler finishing. An even first period ended scoreless. Davis chose down to begin the second and escaped quickly to a 1-0 lead. The Nittany Lion sophomore had his best scoring chance :50 into the second and finished Richardson off, taking the Hoosier senior to the mat for a 3-0 lead. Continuing to build up riding time, Davis nearly came through on a couple cradles during the tie-up, but could not finish the move as Richardson fought off his attempts at a scoring combination. Still, Davis rode Richardson out and led 3-0 with nearly a minute's worth of riding time heading into the third. Richardson chose neutral to start the third, only to have Davis quickly get in on a single leg, lift Richardson's leg high in the air and tripping him to the mat for a 5-0 lead with 1:35 left. With his riding time edge well over a minute, Davis continued to work patiently for a cradle but could not finish. The red-shirt sophomore continued to dominate Richardson from the top position, not allowing Richardson up. Davis posted a 6-0 win (after the riding time point), putting Penn State up 10-0 with the impressive victory. He improved to 15-3 overall while Richardson fell to 24-5. At heavyweight, Penn State senior Joel Edwards (Upper Darby, Pa.), ranked No. 18, met Indiana sophomore Dave Herman. Edwards got in on five first period single legs, but Herman held Edwards off every time and kept Edwards from completing any of the take downs. The first period ended scoreless. Herman chose down to begin the second and escaped to a 1-0 lead :30 in. Edwards finally got his take down in the center of the mat with a driving take down with :20 remaining in the middle stanza. Edwards, in critical fashion, rode Herman out to maintain a 2-1 lead entering the final period. The Nittany Lion senior chose down to begin the third and, after a bit of work, scored a reversal with 1:15 left. Herman escaped to cut the lead to 4-2 with :50 left. Edwards maintained his edge for the remainder of the bout and claimed an important 4-2 win. He improved his record to 12-4 while Herman fell to 23-11. Edwards gave Penn State its fourth straight win to start the dual and put the Lions up 13-0. Sophomore Tim Haas (Camp Hill, Pa.) faced No. 1 Joe Dubuque, Indiana's stand-out senior at 125. Dubuque, a two-time All-American and the defending national champion, entered the match with a perfect 17-0 mark. He got the first take down quickly. Haas escaped to a 2-1 deficit, only to be taken down again by Dubuque. Dubuque rode Haas out and led 4-1 with over a minute's worth of riding time after one. Dubuque chose down to begin the second and quickly escaped to a 5-1 lead. The Hoosier senior added two more take downs before rolling Haas to his back as the period closed to an end. Still, Dubuque opened up a 12-2 lead heading into the final period. Haas chose down to start the third. The Lion sophomore escaped after a minute but still trailed 12-3 with a minute left to wrestle. Dubuque continued to dominate the bout, however, and rolled to an impressive 19-3 technical fall at the 7:00 mark. Haas fell to 14-7 while Dubuque improved to 18-0. The Hoosier's win cut Penn State's lead to 13-5. Nittany Lion freshman Jake Strayer (South Fork, Pa.), ranked No. 9 nationally, faced fellow freshman Andrae Hernandez, ranked No. 18 and undefeated in five Big Ten duals, in one of three battles between nationally ranked grapplers. Strayer had three solid scoring chances in the first, but Hernandez fought him off. The hard-fought bout was scoreless after one. Strayer chose down to begin the middle period and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. From the neutral position, Strayer pushed the pace, forcing the offensive issue and nearly scoring once again midway through the second. Strayer continued to be the aggressor in the bout but could not score again and carried a 1-0 lead into the third. Hernandez chose down to start the final stanza, but Strayer maintained solid control for the better part of the period and worked up a minute-plus riding time edge. After a Hernandez escape with :30 left, Strayer quickly got in on a single leg as time wound down. While he didn't finish the shot, his riding time edge gave him an impressive 2-1 win and put Penn State up 16-5. The win improved Strayer's mark to 18-2 while Hernandez fell to 24-6. The Big Ten loss was the first of the year for Hernandez, who was 5-0 in conference action entering the bout. Senior DeWitt Driscoll (Connellsville, Pa.), No. 10 at 141, faced Hoosier freshman Scott Kelley, up from 133. Driscoll dominated the first period, notching three easy take downs to build up a strong and impressive 6-1 lead heading into the second period with 2:16 of riding time. Kelley chose down to begin the second period, but Driscoll continued to hammer Kelley from the top position. The Nittany Lion senior added five back points, one three-point near fall and one two-point near fall, to lead 11-1 heading into the third. Driscoll chose down to begin the third and quickly reversed the Hoosier freshman to go up 13-1. A stall warning on Kelley put Driscoll up 14-1 and a technical fall was within reach for Driscoll, who had the riding time point assured. He cut Kelley loose with :40 seconds left and with :10 left, got the take down. Driscoll rode Kelley out and, with the riding time point, posted an impressive 17-2 technical fall at the 7:00 mark. Driscoll improved to 12-7 with the win while Kelley fell to 5-13. The five points put the Nittany Lions up 21-5. At 149, co-captain James Woodall (Dupont, Pa.) looked to get back on track and clinch the team dual against Indiana junior Matt Cooper. Woodall entered the bout ranked No. 14 nationally. Woodall got the bout's first take down and led 2-1 after a Cooper escape with 1:00 left in the first. Cooper nearly scored on Woodall, but the Nittany Lion senior countered and almost scored himself before a stalemate was called. A number of good scoring chances in the last :30 still resulted in no points and Woodall led 2-1 after one. Cooper chose down to begin the second and quickly tied the bout with an escape. As time wound down, however, Woodall notched an impressive four point throw (two for the take down and two near fall points) and led 6-2 with the final period looming. Woodall chose down and quickly escaped to a 7-2 lead as the third period got underway. Woodall dominated the third period, although he did not score anymore, posted the 7-2 win. The victory clinched the dual for Penn State, putting the Lions up 24-5. Woodall improved to 7-5 on the year while Cooper fell to 11-9. In a battle between ranked grapplers at 157, Nittany Lion junior Nathan Galloway (State College, Pa.) put his No. 13 ranking on the line against IU sophomore Brandon Becker, ranked No. 8. Each wrestler spent the first period looking for an opening and an offensive chance, but neither could manage any real threats and the period ended scoreless. Becker chose down to begin the second period and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. Tying up in the center of mat, the battle continued well into the second period with neither wrestler scoring. Galloway was hit with his first stall warning a minute into the second but with :20 left, Galloway got in and nearly scored as the period closed down but could not finish as time ran out. Trailing 1-0 with two minutes to wrestle, Galloway chose down to begin the third. Becker continued to hold Galloway down, holding on from the left side and working towards a riding time edge. Becker got hit with his first stall warning, but Becker got his 1:00 riding time edge. Still down after a reset, Galloway escaped with :22 second left, tying the match at 1-1 but knowing that he'd give up the riding time point. Galloway nearly scored on two late bout shots, but could not finish as Becker fought off both shots. The 1:28 riding time gave Becker a 2-1 win and cut the Penn State lead to 24-8. Galloway fell to 10-11 on the year while Becker improved to 17-6. In the night's final dual, Penn State true freshman David Erwin (Urbana, Ohio), ranked No. 12, met Indiana sophomore Max Dean at 165. Erwin set the tone offensively, maintaining the dual's trend of Penn State as aggressor. He notched the first take down for a 2-1 lead with :34 left in the first period and carried that lead into the second period. Dean chose down to begin the second period and notched a reversal to go up 3-2. While trying to maintain his top position, Dean got hit with a locked hands call that tied the score at 3-3. Erwin could not escape, however, and the period ended tied 3-3. Erwin chose down to begin the final period, looking to get the lead back. The Nittany Lion freshman finally got the 4-3 lead after a late escape, but Dean held a 1:03 riding time advantage with under a minute to wrestle. Neither wrestler scored over the remainder of the period, sending the match to overtime tied 4-4 (after Dean got the riding time point). The first sudden victory period began neutral but :18 second in, Erwin turned it on and scored in decisive fashion to post an important 6-4 sudden victory win. The three points gave Penn State an impressive 27-8 win and pushed Erwin's record to 21-6. Dean fell to 21-10. "I was pleased with the effort the kids gave. We really dominated the attack on our feat with a lot of shots and a lot of offense," Sunderland said. "To Indiana's credit, they didn't fold, but our guys rose above that and continued to push the offense. It was a total team effort, top to bottom. I give the guys a lot of credit for a good week of practice after the disappointment of last weekend and for coming out here tonight and really being aggressive." Penn State improved to 11-4 with the victory, 3-3 in Big Ten action. Indiana, on the other hand, fell to 11-4, 2-4. Penn State is now 6-1 on the road and improved to 8-4 vs. teams ranked in the top 25. The Lions have five road wins vs. ranked opponents. The Nittany Lions will close out the regular season next weekend with duals at Ohio State and Purdue. The Lions will tangle with the Buckeyes on Friday, Feb. 17, at 7 p.m. and then face Purdue on Sunday at noon in Indianapolis' Conseco Fieldhouse. #8 Penn State 27, #16 Indiana 8 Bloomington, Ind., University Gymnasium 174: Phil Bomberger PSU dec. Marc Bennett IU, 6-3 3-0 184: #4 Eric Bradley PSU maj. dec. Justin Curran IU, 12-4 7-0 197: #6 Phil Davis PSU dec. #8 Brady Richardson IU, 6-0 10-0 HWT: #18 Joel Edwards PSU dec. Dave Herman IU, 4-2 13-0 125: #1 Joe Dubuque IU tech. fall Tim Haas, PSU, 19-3 (7:00) 13-5 133: #9 Jake Strayer PSU dec. #18 Andrae Hernandez IU, 2-1 16-5 141: #10 DeWitt Driscoll PSU tech. fall Scott Kelley IU, 17-2 (7:00) 21-5 149: #14 James Woodall PSU dec. Matt Cooper IU, 7-2 24-5 157: #8 Brandon Becker IU dec. #13 Nathan Galloway PSU, 2-1 24-8 165: #12 David Erwin PSU dec. Max Dean IU, 6-4 SV 27-8 Records: Penn State 11-4, 3-3 Big Ten; Indiana 11-4, 2-4 Big Ten Up Next for PSU: At Ohio State, Friday, Feb. 17, 7 p.m.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Navy won six of 10 matches, including key extra-margin victories from Spencer Manley and Chris Pogue, to give the Midshipmen a 23-13 victory over a strong American team on Friday night. With the victory, Navy improves to 12-2 overall, while American drops to 9-6. Navy will round out the regular-season next weekend with its annual Star Match against Army on Saturday night in Alumni Hall. After American won the opening match at 125 pounds to gain a 3-0 advantage, Navy freshman Joe Baker (Poway, Calif.) scored a 7-5 decision over American freshman Jordan Lipp. Spencer Manley (Ooltewah, Tenn.) then scored a key fall at 141 pounds over Jordan Zipkin in 2:27 to run his record to 13-12 and give Navy a 9-3 advantage. American crawled back into the match at 149 pounds when Tom Kniezewski scored a 3-2 decision over Matt Gulosh (Stow, Ohio). Gulosh was wrestling in his first action in almost two months after Navy starter John Cox (Grand Haven, Mich.) injured his knee in last week's All-Academy finals. Navy's John Jarred (Kansas City, Mo.) stopped the American momentum with a hard-fought 8-4 victory over Christopher Stout. Jarred led just 4-3 late in the second period, but scored two key takedowns late in the third period to push his record to 32-8 and give Navy a 12-6 cushion heading into intermission. At 165 pounds, Navy's Craig Dziewiatkowski (Aurora, Ill.) scored a late takedown in the second period to overcome an early deficit and then rode out Rudy Rueda for a 6-2 victory over American's Rudy Rueda. The win gave Dziewiatkowski a 16-8 mark and increased Navy's lead to 15-6. In the 174-pound match, American head coach Mark Cody decided to wrestle up the nation's No. 4-ranked 165-pounder, Muzaffar Abdurakhmanov, to wrestle Navy's Matt Stolpinski (Westfield, Mass.). Abdurakhmanov improved to 18-0 with a 10-7 victory over Stolpinski. Abdurakhmanov scored four takedowns in the match's first 75 seconds of the match to take control early and then needed to hold off a Stolpinski charge in the second and third periods for the victory. At 184 pounds, Navy's Matthew Parsons (Owings, Md.) matched up against the nation's No. 1-ranked wrestler, Josh Glenn. Glenn scored an early takedown and controlled Parsons for the remainder of the match for an 11-0 major-decision victory. In the 197-pound match, Navy's Chris Pogue (Chesapeake, Va.) scored a big win over American's Tyler Flatt to put the match out of reach, earning a tech fall over Flatt, 18-2, in the second period. The win moves Pogue's record to 24-8 overall and his dual-meet record to 9-0. In the featured match of the night, two top-ten heavyweights rounded out the action as Navy's Tanner Garrett (Tulsa, Okla.), ranked No. 6 in the country battled American's 10th-ranked heavyweight, Adam LoPiccolo. Garrett broke the match open with a pair of takedowns midway through the second period and breezed to a 10-3 victory over the American sophomore. The win pushed Garrett's record to 38-2 on the season. The 38 wins lead the country this year and are tied for the fourth most in school history. The win also pushed Garrett's dual-meet record to 14-0 and increased his dual-match winning streak to 35 matches. #19 NAVY 23, AMERICAN 13 125 -- Morkel (A) dec. Usztics, 5-3 133 -- Baker (N) dec. Lipp, 7-5 141 -- Manley (N) pinned Zipkin, 2:27 149 -- Kniezewski (A) dec. Gulosh, 3-2 157 -- Jarred (N) dec. Stout, 8-4 165 -- Dziewiatkowski (N) dec. Rueda, 6-2 174 -- #4 Abdurakhmanov (A) dec. Stolpinski, 10-7 184 -- #1 Glenn (A) major dec. Parsons, 11-0 197 -- Pogue (N) tech fall Flatt, 18-2 HWT -- #6 Garrett (N) dec. #10 LoPiccolo, 10-3

New York, NY. -- Mike Pattanite (Tabernacle, NJ/Holy Cross) and Josh Kaplan (Canton, CT/Canton) were both victorious as Gettysburg fell to New York University (NYU) 32-6 in wrestling action on Friday. The Violets produced three falls and one technical fall en route to the win. With the victory, NYU improves their record to 14-2-2, while Gettysburg falls to 1-12 on the season. For the Bullets, Pattanite, a heavyweight, won a 9-2 decision over James Layman. He improved his season record 19-11. Kaplan, wrestling at 165, defeated Vinnie Russo 6-4. Gettysburg returns to action on Feb. 18 at the Centennial Conference Championships hosted by Johns Hopkins. The match begins at 10 a.m. Results NYU 32 Gettysburg 6 125 – No match 133 – Joseph Ranzenbach (N) pinned Richard Masella (G), 2:13 141 – Chris Darrow (N) tech. fall Alex Emmer (G), 17-1 149 – Stephen Hult (N) dec. Andrew Goldstein (G), 4-1 157 – Takafumi Hashimoto (N) dec. Caleb Seufert (G), 10-8 165 – Josh Kaplan (G) dec. Vinnie Russo (N), 6-4 174 – Ryan Cooley (N) pinned Aaron Fuchs (G), 1:18 184 – Nick Coleman (N) pinned Dean Staley (G), 4:16 197 – Lee Dugan (N) dec. Jeff Morgan (G), 9-5 285 – Mike Pattanite (G) dec. James Layman (N), 9-2

The U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) will celebrate the "Road to Beijing" with a special day for those who support the Olympic dream with The Drive and Night of Champions at the fabulous Hamilton Farm Golf Club in Gladstone, N.J., May 8. Proceeds from this event benefit USA Wrestling along with U.S. Olympic and Paralympic programs. This day-long celebration of excellence will include two different activities, the Drive of Champions, which features a putting contest, brunch, round of championship golf and a cocktail reception during the day. In the evening, the Night of Champions will feature and Awards Banquet, Roast and Auction, with celebrity guest Rulon Gardner, the 2000 Olympic gold medalist in Greco-Roman wrestling who shocked the sports world with his victory over previously unbeaten superstar and three-time Olympic champion Alexander Kareline of Russia in Sydney, Australia. Hamilton Farm is a new private golf club situation on an elegant, historic country estate. The club was born in the spirit of the world's great golf courses, and is designed to set new standards for quality, service and enjoyment of the golf experience. Hamilton Farm Golf Club was selected to host the 2005 HSB Women's World Match Play Championships, which provides the highest check to the winner in the history of the LPGA. Part of the Night of Champions celebration will be a Roast of two-time Olympic medalist Rulon Gardner by many of his friends and colleagues. In addition to his Olympic title, Gardner won a World gold medal in 2001, making him the only U.S. Greco-Roman wrestler with both a World and Olympic title. He survived an evening lost in the bitter cold of the Wyoming mountains in 2002, fighting for his life, and ultimately lost a toe to frostbite. After a long rehabilitation, Gardner returned to the mats and went on to win an Olympic bronze medal in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. Rulon's coach, Olympic gold medalist Steve Fraser, who was America's first Greco-Roman Olympic champion in 1984, will participate in the Roast, as will USOC CEO Jim Scherr, a member of the 1988 U.S. Olympic team. Award-winning actor William Baldwin, a former wrestler, will also be among the speakers. It is destined to be a tremendous night of fun, as Rulon's peers roast their friend for the amusement of all. A special achievement award will be given to Jeff Buxton, the longtime head wrestling coach at Blair Academy in Blairstown, N.J. Buxton has coached Blair for two decades, developing the nation's most successful high school wrestling program. Buxton's team has been declared national champions among high school teams numerous times, and many of his student-athletes have gone on to become champions and all-Americans in college. Buxton is active in the state association, New Jersey USA Wrestling, serving as a coach for the Cadet and Junior National Teams, and serving on its Coaches Council. There are numerous partnership levels where corporations and individuals can participate in the Night and Drive of Champions, with gold, silver and bronze levels of support. In addition, there are opportunities for groups or individuals to only attend the Night of Champions and participate in the festivities that evening. There is limited space in the golf tournament portion of the day, and those who are interested are encouraged to sign up right away. For information on the Drive and Night of Champions, contact Larry Nugent of USA Wrestling at 719-598-8181 or via e-mail at lnugent@usawrestling.org or Steven John Jastrabek at 973-769-1135 or via e-mail at stevenjohnsalons@yahoo.com This promises to be one of the most spectacular events held to celebrate the sport of wrestling and the Olympic movement, and all are encouraged to be a part of this historic day.

If I had to pick one word to describe a Division I wrestling season it would be "grinding" -- both physically and mentally. November to March is a long time to be banging heads, making weight, and staying healthy while doing so. And because the season is so extensive, it's perfectly understandable for a wrestler not to compete in every single event on a team's schedule. Wrestlers and coaches agree that it's better to "play it safe" when recovering from injuries and addressing health issues since the important thing is just to be one-hundred percent at the end of the season. We've seen a good number of examples this season of wrestlers taking a break to let injuries heal and to err on the side of caution, health-wise. • Penn State's highly-ranked Eric Bradley sustained an injury during a wrestle-off. Perhaps he could have come back sooner, but he only resumed competition recently. • 2004 NCAA champion Troy Letters of Lehigh probably could have returned to the mat last week, but took an extra week off and will return to the lineup this weekend. • Two-time NCAA finalist Kyle Ott, who's had numerous injuries and knee surgeries over the years, wrestled only one match in the first semester, skipped the Midlands, and began his season in earnest with Illinois' Big Ten schedule. • The one-hundred percent healthy Muzaffar Abdurakhmanov sat out the Midlands as well since American University head coach Mark Cody felt he should skip the event. Abdurakhmanov was injured at Midlands last year and Cody didn't want to put him through the intense, two-day tourney again. Also, when a team can afford to, it's not unheard of for wrestlers to skip meets to reduce the wear and tear on their bodies from making weight. In his final two seasons at the University of Minnesota, 141-pounder Chad Erikson (who cut a fair amount of weight) sat out a good number of Big Ten duals in order to be fresh for the postseason. It's tough to argue against the strategy as he became an All American in both of those seasons. However, the act of withholding a wrestler from competition is not limited to injuries and health. There's increasing scrutiny over the act of seemingly-healthy wrestlers skipping competition for post-season advantages. The most criticized reason is seeding -- when a wrestler that would currently get a higher seed than his opponent, doesn't compete in order to not risk losing the seed. Did Iowa State coach Bobby Douglas purposely sit out David Bertolino against Oklahoma State to protect his seed for the Big 12 Championships? Not likely.A recent accusation of this practice came at the end of January during the Oklahoma State/Iowa State dual. At 174 pounds, Iowa State sent out Grant Turner instead of starter David Bertolino to face OSU's Brandon Mason. ISU coach Bobby Douglas said Bertolino was sick, but many fans were suspect of the statement and smelled a seeding based decision. Although Mason and Bertolino are 1-1 on the season (Mason winning the later bout), Bertolino beat Oklahoma's Wes Roberts the night before and Roberts has defeated Mason. Therefore, by holding out Bertolino, it's possible that Douglas was trying to secure the No. 3 seed in the Big 12 Championships for Bertolino. This would place his wrestler on the opposite side of the bracket from Missouri's Ben Askren, the most dominating college wrestler this season. Personally, I'm not sure what to make of the accusation. I think it's an awfully big deal to not take Bobby Douglas at his word -- that Bertolino got sick the night before after the dual with Oklahoma. Moreover, if it was for seeding purposes, it's an awfully risky move considering that much of the Big 12 dual meet schedule had yet to be wrestled. In fact, if a seeding advantage was the reason, the ploy has backfired completely since Mason went on to upset then-No. 2-ranked Jacob Klein of Nebraska and still has a rematch with Wes Roberts on his schedule. I'm not saying that seeding-related withholdings don't happen (or that they definitely didn't happen in this case), but rather, if a coach is going to do it, that it's more prudent to wait until the last dual meets of the season, where seeding variables become much more finite. And while I believe that healthy wrestlers sit out for post-season advantages, I kind of think it has to do with not wanting to let opponents get a "free" match with them and then be able to come up with an intelligent game plan for a rematch. Seeding only means so much, but the ability of Division I college wrestlers to make adjustments is huge, and the ability to neutralize previously-effective offense is getting better all the time. One of my favorite examples of how fragile rematches can be is from the 1998 season, where Minnesota beat Iowa in the National Duals finals -- and then wrestled them in a dual meet five days later. Here are the results. Jan. 18, 1998: Minnesota 18, Iowa 17 118 -- Eric Juergens (Iowa) maj. dec. Brett Lawrence (MN), 14-5 126 -- Doug Schwab (Iowa) dec. Pat Connors (MN), 9-5 134 -- Mark Ironside (Iowa) maj. dec. Troy Marr (MN), 20-7 142 -- Jason Davis (MN) dec. Jeff McGinness (Iowa), 3-1 (OT). 150 -- Chad Kraft (MN) dec. Kasey Gilliss (Iowa), 8-3 158 -- Josh Holiday (MN) dec. Ben Uker (Iowa), 9-7 167 -- Joe Williams (Iowa) dec. Zac Taylor (MN), 5-3 177 -- Brandon Eggum (MN) dec. Paul Jenn (Iowa), 7-3 190 -- Lee Fullhart (Iowa) dec. Tim Hartung (MN), 7-6 (2 OT) Hwt -- Shelton Benjamin (MN) pinned Wes Hand (Iowa), 2:16 Jan. 23, 1998: Iowa 20, Minnesota 12 118 -- Eric Juergens (Iowa) maj. dec. Brett Lawrence (MN), 18-4 126 -- Pat Connors (MN) dec. Doug Schwab (Iowa), 6-3 134 -- Mark Ironside (Iowa) maj. dec. Troy Marr (MN), 17-6 142 -- Jeff McGinness (Iowa) dec. Jason Davids (MN), 6-2 150 -- Chad Kraft (MN) dec. Jamie Heidt (Iowa), 4-0 158 -- Josh Holiday (MN) dec. Ben Uker (Iowa), 9-3 167 -- Joe Williams (Iowa) dec Zac Taylor (MN), 6-5 177 -- Paul Jenn (Iowa) dec. Brandon Eggum (MN), 8-7 190 -- Tim Hartung (MN) dec Lee Fullhart (Iowa), 6-1 Hwt -- Wes Hand (Iowa) dec. Shelton Benjamin (MN), 7-3 That's right. FIVE different kids got their hands raised! I tend to think that the "free look" risk is why so many wrestlers used to decline invitations to the All-Star Classic when it was in the middle of the season -- a factor that's been mostly neutralized by moving it to November. Because it's now so far away from March (when wrestlers should be peaking), I think more wrestlers take a "why not?" approach to an invite these days. A "free look" isn't as big a deal since they're not the wrestler they're going to be in March. The question isn't if withholding wrestlers from competition for postseason advantages happens. It probably does, particularly at the end of the season. The real issue is whether it hurts the team, the school, and even the sport? Probably -- at least in the short term -- but the tricky part is that the downside is very easy to measure while any benefits are very difficult to measure. When highly-ranked athletes don't face each other in dual meets, it denies local fans the opportunity to see potential marquee match-ups. This obviously damages the promotion of wrestling and doesn't encourage larger attendance numbers. While many people in college wrestling say "Only March matters" -- that isn't to say that the rest of the season doesn't. I think that teams want to win dual meets and do what they can to get the W. But it's not uncommon for a team to be out of a meet before it's over or, on paper at least, before it begins. When coaches hold athletes for postseason advantages, I think it's when the team has already lost (or won) and they are looking out for the individual. If Travis Paulson had upset Johny Hendricks in the recent OSU/ISU dual then might we have seen Bertolino take the mat? Maybe -- even if he was sick -- the risk might have been taken for the sake of the dual. But as things actually went down, the Cyclones only had two wins going into 174 and the Cowboys had two national champs closing out the show. At the 2000 National Duals, Brandon Eggum lost to Daniel Cormier, which placed him on the same side of the bracket as No. 1 seed Cael Sanderson at the NCAA Championships (Photo courtesy of TheGuillotine.com).When a dual is still on the line and the team needs them, it's important to note how quickly post-season advantages for an individual can go out the window. At the 2000 National Duals, Brandon Eggum of Minnesota was injured, but for the semifinal against Oklahoma State, Minnesota needed him to perform. This was a decision that would prove costly to Minnesota for seeding purposes. The injured Eggum lost to OSU's Daniel Cormier, 3-1, in overtime, but the Gophers won the dual, 17-16. This head-to-head match gave Cormier the No. 3 seed at the NCAA's and Eggum the No. 4 seed, which placed him on the same side of the bracket as No. 1 Cael Sanderson. Had Eggum sat out, being a returning NCAA finalist, he could very well have been moved to the bottom of the bracket. As I mentioned before, the real problem with all this is that any postseason benefits from withholding wrestlers are difficult to measure and even more difficult to prove. One of the most attacked sit-outs of a seemingly-healthy wrestler occurred last season when the Indiana Hoosiers traveled Illinois to face the Fighting Illini. At 125 pounds, Indiana forfeited to then-No. 2 Kyle Ott, instead of sending out then-No. 5 Joe Dubuque. This infuriated some wrestling fans and cries of "seed protection" were all over Internet message boards. However, if it was about seeding, it's wasn't very sound since Ott earned a higher seed in both the Big Tens (No. 1 for Ott, No. 2 for Dubuque) and the NCAA's (No. 3 for Ott, No. 5 for Dubuque). However, the two wound up upsetting their way to the NCAA finals in what turned out to be their first match-up of the year. Dubuque won 2-0. Joe Dubuque defeated Kyle Ott to win the 2005 NCAA title at 125 pounds.If Indiana coach Duane Goldman's attitude about the dual was something like, "Hey, it's late in the season and we're not going to win as a team even if Joe does get a W here, so let's not give them a chance to figure us out until the post-season" it's kind of hard to argue with that. Indiana got shutout against Illinois, 37-0, and I've got to think an individual national championship goes a lot farther with recognition and recruiting than had that 2-0 bout with Ott taken place earlier and changed the dual score to 31-3. But with no crystal ball, who's to say that Dubuque couldn't have won BOTH matches. You look at rivalries like Hartung/Fullhart or Pendleton/Askren, where one wrestler kept winning close, hard-fought matches and you can see that wrestlers can win consistently even in long-term series. Again, even if holding wrestlers has any value, it's difficult to prove. The fact of the matter is wrestling is a sport that places its emphasis on March and any feelings we have of being short-changed before then are something we just have to live with. But if things go a wrestling fan's way in the postseason, it can be easy to forget any regular-season disappointment.

Augustana won eight out of 10 matches as the sixth-ranked Vikings defeated No. 15 Minnesota State-Moorhead 29-7 Wednesday night in Moorhead, Minn. The Vikings, who improved to 10-4 in duals this season, scored major decisions in five of their victories. Picking up major decisions were Andre VanderVelde (141 pounds), Ryan King (149 pounds), Cody Henriksen (165 pounds), Tim Boldt (197 pounds) and Cris Bietz (Hwt.). A key win was turned in by Bietz, who defeated Chris Tuchscherer 8-0. Tuchscherer was the runner-up at the 2005 NCAA Division II Championships. Also winning for Augustana were Chris Trampe (125 pounds), Dusty Wilking (174 pounds) and Nate Buys (184 pounds). Augustana 29, Minnesota State-Moorhead 7 125: Chris Trampe (AUG) dec. Dave Burgard (MSUM), 8-2 133: Troy MacFarland (MSUM) major dec. Adam Schlee (AUG), 9-0 141: Andre VanderVelde (AUG) major dec. Kelly Janke (MSUM), 14-6 149: Ryan King (AUG) major dec. Peter Hayes (MSUM), 12-2 157: Kyle Trout (MSUM) dec. Matt McDougall (AUG), 8-5 165: Cody Henriksen (AUG) major dec. Logan Lunde(MSUM), 15-3 174: Dusty Wilking (AUG) dec. Skip Toops (MSUM), 7-4 184: Nate Buys (AUG) dec. Bryan Cowdin (MSUM), 2-0 197: Tim Boldt (AUG) major dec. Joe Fachinni (MSUM), 14-4 HWT: Cris Bietz (AUG) major dec. Chris Tuchscherer (MSUM), 8-0

Columbia, Mo. -- Making its second appearance on live television this season, the No. 10 Missouri wrestling team's matchup against No. 7 Iowa State Sunday, Feb.12, will be broadcast live on Iowa Public Television (IPTV). Jim Gibbons and Dan Gable will provide the play-by-play and color accounts, respectively, of the dual meet, which begins at 2 p.m. CST. The Tigers and Cyclones have already faced off against each other this season, competing in the consolation bracket of the NWCA National Duals Jan. 14. Head Coach Brian Smith led the Tigers to an exciting 21-20 victory, moving redshirt freshman Raymond Jordan (New Bern, N.C.) from 184 pounds to 197 pounds, where his 13-5 major decision over Joe Curran sealed the victory for Missouri. Headlining the second meeting between the two teams is the 165-pound bout, in which No. 5 Matt Pell (Luxemburg, Wis.) will square off against No. 9 Travis Paulson. It will be the first matchup between the two wrestlers this season, as Paulson did not wrestle against Missouri at the National Duals. Pell, a junior, has compiled a 25-2 overall mark for the campaign, defeating 10 ranked wrestlers. The matchup with Iowa State is the first of two duals for the Tigers this weekend. After competing in Ames, Iowa on Sunday, Missouri travels to Cedar Falls, Iowa, Monday, Feb. 13, for a bout against Northern Iowa.

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- With two major decisions over Big Ten foes from Iowa and Purdue this past weekend, Michigan State senior captain R.J. Boudro was named Big Ten Wrestler of the Week. The Richmond, Mich., native defeated Purdue's Barry Jackson, 13-4, on Friday night, helping MSU claim its first Big Ten win of the season. Then on Sunday, Boudro won the deciding match for the Spartans against Iowa's Ben Stedman, 14-4, to upset the seventh-ranked Hawkeyes 19-17. Boudro is currently ranked fifth in the nation at 174 pounds with a record of 21-3 on the season. He has already surpassed last year's previous career high of 19 victories, and is second on the team in dual meet points with 30 and major decisions with eight. This is Boudro's second selection as Big Ten Wrestler of the Week. He also won the award the last week of the 2004-05 season.