InterMat Staff

INDIANAPOLIS -- Adams State College sophomore Raymond Dunning (Nashville, Tenn.) defeated defending NCAA Division II Champion Andy Uhl of Findlay (Ohio) en-route to the 133-pound title and Mike Horton Most Outstanding Wrestler honors at the Midwest Classic on Saturday in the University of Indianapolis' Nicoson Hall. Dunning's 4-2 semifinal win over Uhl, ranked first in the weight class, according to the latest NCAA Division II National Wrestling Coaches Poll, and his 7-4 championship victory over Manchester's (Ind.) John Sheets, were the unquestioned highlights of ASC's second day performance as the Grizzlies finished fourth amongst 20 teams in tournament. All told, ASC finished with seven placers but slipped one spot to fourth place in the team standings after Dunning was the lone Grizzly to escape the morning semifinals victorious. ASC, ranked eighth as a team in the NWCA poll, had qualified five men for the semifinals and stood in third place after Friday's action. Day 1 Leader Ashland (Ohio), ranked ninth, held on for a share of the team title with No. 17 Upper Iowa, which crowned a tournament-high three weight class champions. Both teams finished with 130.5 points. Wisconsin-Parkside, unranked but receiving votes in the national poll, ended up third with 116.5 points while ASC scored 108 thanks to Dunning, a third place finish from 141-pound junior Brian Pitts (Rio Rancho, N.M.), a fourth, two fifths and two sixths. Dunning, ranked sixth in the nation, improved to 12-5 on the year with his two wins. The returning All-American had defeated the nation's second ranked wrestler in Shane Perkey of Indianapolis to advance to the semifinal match-up with Uhl, a 2-time All-American. The tournament title was the first of Dunning's career. All five of his losses this year have come against NCAA Division I foes. He was only seeded fifth in this tournament and defeated three higher seeds to claim victory. Pitts, a 2002 All-American at 125 pounds, recorded bonus point wins in both of his 141-pound matches on Friday before suffering a 4-1 setback to Wisconsin-Parkside's Craig Becker in the semifinals. However, the sixth-seeded Grizzly came back with a 4-1 victory of his own in the consolation bracket before taking an 8-7 win over Upper Iowa's Kyle Burkle, the tournament's top seed, to claim his first tournament placing since finishing third at the 2002 NCAA Division II National Championships. Pitts is now 7-9 (NCAA Official) this year. Senior heavyweight Heath Soderstrom (Englewood, Colo.) finished fourth after advancing to the semifinals on Friday. Seeded fourth, Soderstrom dropped a 9-7 decision to top-seeded Brian Black of Upper Iowa in the semifinals before scoring a thrilling 5-4 sudden victory win over Joey Navarro of Indianapolis. Soderstrom then fell by a 5-3 count to second-seeded Josh Ohl of Ashland in the third place match. 125-pound senior Rob McCabe (Nucla, Colo.) and 197-pound junior Casey Woodall (Morenci, Ariz.) each finished their days on high notes claiming fifth place. Both had advanced to the semifinals before suffering two losses to start Saturday. McCabe, ranked fourth in the nation, has now finished fifth in all three career Midwest Classic appearances. Sophomore Evan Copeland (Las Cruces, N.M.), ranked second in the nation at 165 pounds, and junior James Reynolds (Monte Vista, Colo.), ranked seventh at 174, each finished in sixth place. Both were in the consolation bracket to begin the day and posted early victories to advance. Copeland then forfeited out of the tournament while Reynolds dropped a 5-3 decision to Ohio Northern's Timmy Miller before being pinned by Ashland's Clint Carmony with just over a minute remaining in the pair's fifth place match. Reynolds had also dropped a 7-5 tiebreaker decision to Carmony, ranked third in the nation, in the championship quarterfinals on Friday evening. The Grizzlies now turn their attention to the dual portion of the season and will face arch-rival Western State on Thursday in Gunnison before starting a mammoth-sized home stand next Saturday (Jan. 14) against Division I Air Force.

KENT, OHIO -- Two pins in the first three matches propelled Kent State to a 25-13 victory over Ohio State Saturday afternoon (Jan. 7) at the MAC Center. The Golden Flashes improved to 7-1 on the year and earned bragging rights as the top wrestling team in the state of Ohio. Junior Aaron Miller (Uniopolis, Ohio/Wapokoneta) put the Flashes on the board first in a big way at 174 pounds. Miller, who lost to Nathaniel Augustson in last season's dual with OSU, took complete control of Saturday's bout and capped it off with a third period pin. Miller (21-3) converted a second period takedown into a cradle to take a commanding 8-1 lead over Augustson heading into the third. With 30 seconds left in the match, Augustson's attempt of throwing Miller from the neutral position ended with Augustson on his back for Miller's second pin in three days at the 6:47 mark. Senior Alex Camargo (Brook Park, Ohio/Berea) continued the Flash flurry with a 15-9 win over Alex Picazo at 184. Camargo (20-2) ranked 11th at 184 pounds, moved into sole possession of second place among KSU's career win leaders with 111. KSU junior Ardian Ramadani (Garfield, NJ/Garfield) tossed Corey Morrison down to his back and stuck him there just 38 seconds into the match at 197. The first period pin brought the KSU crowd of 731 to its feet and gave the Golden Flashes a 15-0 lead. Kirk Nail put the Buckeyes on the board using riding time in the third period for a 2-1 decision over redshirt freshman Jermail Porter (Akron, Ohio/Firestone). Both heavyweights earned escapes but could not convert on a takedown. Junior transfer Chad Sportelli (Easton, Pa./Easton/Nebraska) nearly pinned Nathan Costello with an opening period cradle at 125 but settled for a 17-7 major decision. Sportelli has won seven of his last eight matches and improved to 17-6 on the year. Reece Humphrey started a Buckeye comeback with an 11-2 major decision over senior Drew Opfer (Sandusky/St. Mary's) at 133. T.J. Enright continued OSU's momentum with a 7-1 decision over sophomore Drew Lashaway (Bowling Green, Ohio/Bowling Green) at 141. At 149, J. Jaggers avoided several near takedowns by senior Jason Bake (Massillon, Ohio/Jackson) and pulled out a 6-2 decision. With two matches left, Ohio State remained within striking distance at 19-13. Sophomore Kurt Gross (North Royalton, Ohio/Padua Franciscan) lit up nationally ranked Steve Somer for five takedowns and clinched the KSU victory with a 12-5 decision at 157. Junior Jason McGee (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio/Cuyahoga Falls) notched three first period takedowns and never looked back in a 10-6 win over Charlie Clark at 165. McGee, Gross, Miller, Camargo and Sportelli all went 2-0 in a three-day span that included a 27-8 victory Thursday night over Cleveland State. "This win makes our guys believe that they belong with the top teams," said Head Coach Jim Anrdassy. "I think we dominated the match and it really wasn't as close as the score indicated. I told my guys- ‘Ohio State didn't recruit any of our kids.' These are kids that Big Ten programs didn't want, and they went out there and proved they belong. It also shows we're doing the right things here as a program" The Golden Flashes (7-1) will compete in the NWCA National Duals next weekend (Jan. 14-15) hosted by Northern Iowa. Pairings for the dual meet tournament will be announced Tuesday. Kent State: 25 Ohio State: 13 174: A. Miller (K) pinned Augustson (O), 6:47 184: Carmargo (K) dec. Picazo (O) 15-9 197: Ramadani (K) pinned Morrison (O), 0:38 285: Nail (O) dec. Porter (K), 2-1 125: Sportelli (K) maj. dec. Costello (O) 17-7 133: Humphrey (O) maj. dec. D. Opfer (K) 11-2 141: Enright (O) dec. Lashaway (K), 7-1 149: Jaggers (O) dec. Bake (K), 6-2 157: Gross (K) dec. Somer (O), 12-5 165: McGee (K) dec. Clark (O), 10-6

Columbia, Mo. -- Improving to 6-0 on the season, the No. 9 Missouri wrestling program won their second dual of the day 42-3 over Central Missouri State (CMSU). Reaching their highest point total of the season, eight Tiger wrestlers scored bonus points in their matches with a major decision, technical fall or fall. Opening the Tigers' second match with a victory at 125 pounds, senior Austin DeVoe (Columbus, Kan.) earned a 9-1 major decision over CMSU's Cory Bloodgood. Picking up a takedown early in each of the first two periods, DeVoe carried a 4-0 advantage into the third period. Taking advantage of a neutral start to open the final frame, DeVoe was able to score five points on a pair of takedowns and 3:34 of riding time to pick up one bonus point and give Missouri an early 4-0 lead. Continuing the Tigers' run with a major decision of his own No. 14 sophomore Tyler McCormick (Leawood, Kan.) pushed the lead to 8-0 with a 12-1 defeat of Michael Hansen. Dominating the match throughout, McCormick scored on two nearfalls and picked up 2:29 of riding time. Picking up his second victory of the day, redshirt freshman Marcus Hoehn (Farmington, Mo.) earned his biggest victory of the season over Keaton Baker, scoring 12 points in the first two periods and allowing just two to his opponent. Baker escaped to open the third and attempted a single-leg takedown of the Tigers grappler, but Hoehn countered the move and turned it into a takedown of his own, holding on for Missouri's third straight major decision, 15-6. Making his first start of the season at 149 pounds, sophomore Justin Cole (Gladstone, Mo.) stretched Missouri's lead to 18-0 with a pin at the end of the first period. Fending off multiple takedown attacks by CMSU's Seth Robison, Cole grappled his opponent to the floor and pinned him with 12 seconds left in the opening period. After a CMSU victory at 157 pounds, No. 4 Matt Pell (junior, Luxemburg, Wis.) shook hands at center circle with Travis Barbarick at 165 pounds, then exploded at the sound of the whistle with a takedown and two three-point nearfalls in the first 1:30 of the bout. After scoring on two more takedowns, Pell picked up his second fall of the day by pinning Barbarick with 35 seconds left in the first period. Following Pell's fall with one of his own, No. 1 Ben Askren (Hartland, Wis.) increased the Tiger lead to 27 points with a victory over Jesse Sheets in 2:10. The win gave the junior 20 falls for the season, tying the record he set in 2005-06, as well as his 26th consecutive triumph, also tying a record he set last year. Taking down Jeremy Hudson three times in the first period to wrestle to a 6-3 advantage, redshirt freshman Raymond Jordan (New Bern, N.C.) chose down to start the second period and promptly escaped and took down his opponent to enter the final period with a six point lead. Needing two points to score bonus points with a major decision, Jordan executed a single-leg takedown that with 1:15 of riding time gave him a 14-5 victory at 184 pounds. Taking down Dan McGee 1:50 into the match at 197 pounds, redshirt freshman Joey Garrity (Orion, Ill.) was able to score on a three-point nearfall with 4 seconds left in the opening frame. Garrity, a natural 174-pounder, kept the advantage with a reversal and his second three-point nearfall to open a 10-0 lead heading into the final period. Scoring six points in the third frame, Garrity added 2:50 of riding time to his 16-0 score for a technical fall in his first career victory as a starter. Finishing off the day with a victory, freshman Sean Connole (Erie, Penn.) scored on a reversal late in the second period and a takedown with 36 seconds left in the match to post a 4-1 victory. The Tigers make a trip to the National Duals in Cedar Falls, Iowa, Jan. 14-15, a tournament at which 9 of the top 10 teams in the nation will be present. Results 125 - # 16 Austin DeVoe (MU) maj. dec. Corey Bloodgood (CMSU), 9-1 133 - # 14 Tyler McCormick (MU) maj. dec. Michael Hansen (CMSU), 12-1 141 - Marcus Hoehn (MU) maj. dec. Keaton Baker (CMSU), 15-6 149 - Justin Cole (MU) pinned Seth Robison (CMSU), 2:48 157 - Vince Bertucci (CMSU) dec. John Andrews (MU), 6-4 165 - # 4 Matt Pell (MU) pinned Travis Barbarick (CMSU), 2:25 174 - # 1 Ben Askren (MU) pinned Jesse Sheets (CMSU), 2:10 184 - # 15 Raymond Jordan (MU) maj. dec. Jeremy Hudson (CMSU), 14-5 197 - Joey Garrity (MU) tech. fall. Dan McGee (CMSU), 17-0 HWT - Sean Connole (MU) dec. Danny Perez (CMSU), 4-1

PHILADELPHIA -- Five Quakers won their matches by bonus points as the No. 25 Penn wrestling team cruised to a 34-6 victory over visiting Maryland at The Palestra on Saturday afternoon. Junior Matt Valenti and senior Dustin Wiles pinned their Terrapin opponents, while fellow captain Paul Velekei won by technical fall. Juniors Gene Zannetti and Matt Herrington won their matches by major decision. The Red and Blue won eight of the matches overall to improve to 2-1 in dual action this season. Senior Mike Silengo started the meet off with a 5-1 victory over James Knox at 125 lbs. Valenti followed with a fall in 5:33 at 133 pounds to add six team points to the score. At 141 pounds, Cesar Grajales defeated Jason Gribschaw, 6-2, to give Penn a 12-0 lead. Freshman Matt Dragon put three more points on the board with a 6-1 win over Andrew Schlaffer. At 157 pounds, Zannetti used three nearfall points in the second period to put his match away and earned a 14-6 win over Adam James. Maryland won their first match of the afternoon at 165 pounds. Adam DeCosmo defeated Penn's Andrew Coles, 6-3, to make the score, 19-3. Herrington, competing for the Quakers for only the second time since the 2004 NCAA Championships, dominated his 174 pound match, defeating Dominic Buckman, 14-4. Wiles followed with a fall in 4:44 to put the Red and Blue up 29-3. Velekei earned three three-point nearfalls to win 18-3. Maryland earned their second victory of the day when Bryan Reiss defeated Jayson Bowlsby, 3-1, at heavyweight. Penn returns to action at the Virginia Duals next weekend at the Hampton Coliseum in Hampton, Va.

PISCATAWAY, NJ -- Coming off of its biggest and most emotional victory of the season on Friday evening against Princeton , the Rutgers wrestling team returned to the mat on Saturday afternoon and defeated Delaware State, EIWA foe Franklin & Marshall and Wagner at the College Avenue Gymnasium. In their first match of the afternoon, the Scarlet Knights earned 12 early points off of forfeits in the 125 and 133-pound weight classes. With the early advantage, the Scarlet Knights pulled away and pummeled the Delaware State Hornets, 39-6. In the second match of the day, the Scarlet Knights squared off against fellow EIWA team Franklin & Marshall, but it was clear from the beginning that the Scarlet Knights were prepared for everything F&M had to offer. RU won eight of the 10 matches, including major decisions by 141-pound junior Steve Adamcsik (Chester, NJ), 174-pound freshman Mike Whalen (Lake Hiawatha, NJ), 184-pound senior Rudy Medini (Colonia, NJ) and 197-pound freshman Lamar Brown (Red Bank, NJ). The Scarlet Knights beat the Diplomats running away, 36-9. In its final match of the day, the Rutgers wrestling team breezed past Wagner College by a 44-12 count, earning victories in eight of the 10 matches, including four by forfeit and two by way of major decisions. 125-pound sophomore Kyle Milanese (Delran, NJ) earned an 8-0 major decision by defeating Rich Englehardt and in the final match of the day, 157-pound sophomore Jamie Lijo (Hopatcong, NJ) tech-falled Justin Ensign of Wagner at 7:00. While the Scarlet Knights remain unbeaten in their last four matches, the story of the first half of the season revolves around Adamcsik. After losing his first two dual-meet matches of the season, Adamcsik has rebounded to win 11 straight matches, including five at the Wilkes Open on Dec. 28 and four with wins against Princeton, Wagner, Delaware State and Franklin & Marshall. Adamcsik is 16-3 on the season, including a 6-1 mark in dual meets. Head coach John Sacchi was pleased with the way his team performed after a mentally and physically strenuous match-up against Princeton on Friday evening. "The Princeton match was tough and I thought our guys would be a little drained, but they weren't," Sacchi said. "We came out strong today and we really got after it." As far as Adamcsik goes, Sacchi explained that the junior has improved by leaps and bounds over last season and he deserves all of the success he is currently experiencing. Adamcsik is well aware of his current streak and credits his hard work and conditioning to his early season success. "I have been making weight the right way and that has helped my conditioning," Adamcsik said. "I'm not getting gassed in the middle of matches and it shows. Credit has to go to coach Sacchi and the wrestling staff." The Scarlet Knights improved to 5-2 overall with their wins on Saturday and improved their EIWA record to 2-2. RU will continue its home-stand on Wednesday, Jan. 11 when it plays host to EIWA opponent East Stroudsburg University.

CORVALLIS, Ore. -- Oregon State ran its dual meet win streak to four on Friday, beating Nebraska-Kearney 27-9 and Wyoming 30-10 in non-league wrestling at Gill Coliseum. The Beavers (6-1-1 overall, 3-0 Pacific-10) got pins from four wrestlers on the evening: 165-pounder Anthony Weber against Nebraska-Kearney (4-1) and 125-pounder Eric Stevenson, 184-pounder Kyle Bressler and 197-pounder Dan Pitsch against Wyoming (2-4). OSU, which has wrestled tournaments or duals five of the last nine days and three of the last four, now gets a break until traveling to 19th-ranked Arizona State on Jan. 20 and Boise State on Jan. 22. The Beavers return home to face Cal State-Bakersfield on Jan. 27 and Fresno State and Northern Colorado on Jan. 28. "It was a very good week," said OSU head coach Joe Wells, whose team had won at Cal State-Fullerton on Tuesday and at 20th-ranked Cal Poly on Wednesday. "Right now we're tired, and we need a little breather. But we're excited about these two meets tonight. We got some pins and we got some bonus points, which make it exciting for the fans. And we had different people doing it, so it was exciting." Before a crowd of 714, Stevenson, Weber, 141-pounder Kyle Larson, 174-pounder Jeremy Larson and heavyweight Ty Watterson all won both their matches on the evening. Stevenson is now 20-6 with four pins this season, Kyle Larson is 15-4 with two pins, Jeremy Larson is 16-8,and Watterson is 19-6 with seven pins. UNK, ranked fourth nationally in NCAA Division II, featured a lineup with five wrestlers in the national rankings at that level. Against the Lopers, the Beavers got Weber's pin plus major decisions from Stevenson, Jeremy Larson and 149-pounder Orlando Perez. Against Wyoming, the Beavers found themselves trailing 12-10 at the meet's halfway point and then won the final five matches. The back-to-back pins by Bressler and Pitsch sealed the win. Watterson, ranked 16th nationally, got an 11-5 decision over UNK's Tervel Dlagnev, ranked third in Division II. Dlagnev had beaten Watterson 5-2 in the Las Vegas Collegiate in early December. "The first time I might have been a little timid against him," Watterson said. "This time, I knew what I needed to do to win and it was nice to go out there and do it and see it work." OSU 197-pounder Dan Pitsch returned to the lineup after missing the two meets earlier this week due to a minor injury suffered at the Southern Scuffle tournament in late December. He dropped a 7-6 decision to third-ranked Jeff Sylvester of Nebraska-Kearney after taking a disorienting knee to the head in the third period; he came back to pin Wyoming's Malcolm Havens in 5:55. "It wasn't anything too serious," Pitsch said of the knock on the noggin. "It phased me for a couple of seconds but I felt fine in the second match." Bressler ended a seven-match losing streak by pinning Wyoming's Preston Pavich in 18 seconds, not even recording a takedown en route to his first career pin. As the two jockeyed for advantage on the mat, Bressler simply found himself in position to roll Pavich's shoulders to the mat and calmly did just that. "Kyle had been close to winning in his earlier match and it was nice to see him go put on some pressure, then have the presence of mind to put him on his back," Wells said of the freshman. OSU 157-pounder Tony Hook, ranked 17th nationally, was upset in his second match of the evening. Dan Clum of Wyoming scored a pair of takedowns and a two-point near-fall in the first period and then held on for an 8-5 decision. Stevenson's pin was the 15th of his career, moving him into a tie for 42nd place on OSU's list of all-time leaders.

Philadelphia, Pa. -- Drexel won a hard-fought match against Bloomsburg, 18-17, at North Penn High School in non-conference action. Bloomsburg, who had beaten No. 20 Pittsburgh earlier in the season, dropped to 5-4 on the season. Senior captain Zach Makovsky won the final match of the meet, 6-5, to earn Drexel (10-4, 4-0 CAA) the victory. Freshman Scott Hunter stunned 15th-ranked Jim Bertulis with a pin with just 20 seconds remaining in the match to earn Drexel six important points. With the Huskies staked to a 8-3 match points lead against Drexel, it appeared that Bertulis was set to add to the Bloomsburg lead when he led Hunter 6-1 in the middle of the second period. Hunter fought back however to tie the match at seven but Bertulis was still in position to win the match because he had a riding time advantage. With under 30 seconds left, Hunter executed a takedown and was able to pin Bertulis to earn the Dragons six points. Instead of an 11-3 Bloomsburg lead, Hunter's pin made the score 9-8 in favor of Drexel, essentially a nine-point swing. Junior Nick Kozar followed Hunter's performance with win number 16 in earning a 2-1 decision over the Huskies' Frank Beasley at 174 pounds. Bloomsburg fought back by winning three of the next four matches putting the Huskies back in the lead at 17-15 with just one match remaining. Makovsky shot out to a 6-1 lead in the final match against Ricky Donald and held on for the 6-5 decision to earn Drexel the victory. Bloomsburg is back in action Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. hosting Rider University.

DeKALB, IL -- Unfortunately for the University at Buffalo wrestling team, senior Kyle Cerminara (Lewiston, NY/Lewiston-Porter) did not get his record-breaking pin until after the meet with 22nd-ranked Northern Illinois until after the meet had already been decided in the Huskies favor, as the Mid-American Conference foe snuck away from the Convocation Center with a 23-21 win in the conference opener Friday night. Cerminara pinned Dave Herrera in the meet's final match at 197 pounds to close the gap to two points, as the senior set the school-record for consecutive wins, breaking John Stutzman's mark of 24 consecutive wins, set in 1996-97. Cerminara has started the season 25-0, winning the Slippery Rock Open, Oklahoma Gold Classic, Mat Town USA Invitational, Las Vegas Invitational and UB Open along the way to breaking the school's career record for wins and dual meet takedowns, which was also held by Stutzman. This is the second year in a row Buffalo (5-2 overall, 0-1 MAC) has lost to Northern Illinois (4-2 overall, 1-0 MAC) in a manner where the outcome of one match could have led to a UB win, as it dropped a heartbreaking 20-15 decision on Jan. 8, 2005, after going into the final match down just one point at 16-15. The Bulls started off the match with the biggest upset of the meet, as senior Harold Sherrell (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool) put himself back on the national scene with his 23rd win of the year against the NWCA/InterMat/NWMA's 19th-ranked Joe Sapp. Sherrell fell behind 2-1 in the first period, but quickly turned the match around with five three-point near falls to take a 17-2 technical fall and give the Bulls a 5-0 lead. After a Huskies' pin at 125 pounds, junior Mark Budd (Orrville, OH/Orrville) posted a 17-7 major decision against Andy Hiatt, whose brother, Sam, beat Budd twice last season, once in the fateful match that decided the dual meet and once in the true second-place match at the MAC Championships, which earned Sam Hiatt an NCAA bid. Budd's win put UB up 9-6, but Northern Illinois' nationally-ranked mid-weight duo of Josh Wooten and Mike Grimes each came through with major decisions to give it a 14-9 lead. Junior John Cummings (Bay Shore, NY/Bay Shore/Nassau CC) earned his fifth straight NCAA win with a 5-1 decision against Aaron Owen at 157 pounds, closing the gap to 14-12. The match that turned the tide back in favor of the Huskies turned out to be at 165 pounds, as 2005 NCAA Qualifier Johnny Galloway earned an escape in the second sudden-victory overtime to clinch the win against W.I.N. Magazine's 18th-ranked sophomore Mickey Moran (Pittsburgh, PA/Shaler Area). In the next match, Danny Burk offered up a meet-clinching pin in the second period to give the Huskies a 23-12 lead, meaning Buffalo needed pins in the final two matches to provide the upset. The Bulls almost pulled off the feat, too, as senior Garrett Hicks (Chautauqua, NY/Chautauqua Lake) fell behind Nick McClone, 6-4, at the end of the second period, but turned the match around by earning a reversal and then almost pinning McClone in a three-point near fall to take the 10-6 win before Cerminara pinned Dave Herrera in 1:13 in the meet's finale. Buffalo returns to the mats after a nine-day layoff on Sunday, Jan. 15 with a dual meet against Southern Conference power North Carolina-Greensboro (5-0 overall) with a 1:00 pm dual meet. Head coach Tom Shifflet, now in his fourth year at UNC-Greensboro, is an Amherst native and Sweet Home High School graduate

Bethlehem, Pa. -- The 12th ranked Penn State Nittany Lion wrestlers drilled No. 11 Lehigh 24-12 in a battle of Eastern and Pennsylvania wrestling powers. Head coach Troy Sunderland's team won six of ten bouts and got all five of the night's bonus points in the impressive road win. The dual began at 149, where Nittany Lion senior James Woodall (St. Dupont, Pa.) pinned Lehigh's Trevor Chinn. Woodall, ranked No. 9 in the most recent NWCA Coaches Poll (1/3/06), was taken down twice in the first two minutes to fall behind 4-2. Woodall would quickly turn the match around with two fast takedowns near the end of the period and notched a pin at the 2:49 mark, putting Penn State up 6-0. Woodall improved to 4-2 with the win. Penn State's Nathan Galloway (State College, Pa.), ranked 15th, faced Lehigh's 13th ranked Derek Zinck at 157 in a battle of nationally ranked grapplers. The duo wrestled to a scoreless tie after one period with Galloway setting the early tempo offensively. Zinck chose down to begin the second period and quickly escaped for a 1-0 lead. Galloway was slowed with a cut over his right eye, resulting in a lengthy delay, and the second period ended with Zinck up 1-0. Galloway chose down to start the third and quickly escaped as well, knotting the score at 1-1 with 1:30 to go. Neither man could score in regulation, however, sending the bout to sudden victory (the duo wrestled to a TB in November with Zinck winning 10-6). After a scoreless 60 seconds, Galloway chose down to begin the first TB period. Zinck would hold Galloway down, forcing Galloway to have to hold his top position in the second TB. Zinck would reverse Galloway to take a 3-1 lead and hold the Nittany Lion junior down to close out the bout. Galloway fell to 8-6. True freshman David Erwin (Urbana, Ohio) majored Lehigh's Dave Nakasone at 165. Nakasone would score the first take down of the match to take a 2-1 lead after Erwin's escape. Erwin would answer with his own takedown and fight off a reversal attempt near the end of the period. Nakasone would not escape and Erwin took a 3-2 lead into the second. Erwin began the second period down and escaped quickly. Erwin notched another take down with :40 left in the period and would ride Nakasone until the buzzer to lead 6-2 heading into the third. Nakasone chose neutral to begin the third period but was quickly taken down by Erwin. Erwin was reversed, however, and the score stood at 8-4 with 1:46 to wrestle. Erwin would notch another escape and began cutting Nakasone loose in order to work towards an important team bonus point via a major decision. Erwin would turn the trick, posting a 14-5 major to put Penn State up 10-3. Erwin improved to 16-5 with the win. Junior James Yonushonis (Philipsburg, Pa.) carried his No. 12 national ranking into his bout with 20th ranked Travis Frick in one of the night's top bouts at 174. The duo met in November with Yonushonis grabbing a 6-4 SV win. Frick scored the first take down just :25 seconds into the bout. Yonushonis would escape in short order and battle Frick even for the remainder of the period, trailing 2-1 heading to the second. Frick chose down to begin the second and escaped to take a 3-1 lead, which is how the middle period ended. The third period began with the Nittany Lion junior down. Yonushonis would escape to cut the Frick lead to 3-2 with 1:40 to go in the bout. Yonushonis nearly got a take down with :30 left, but could not get the nod and Frick would post a hard-fought 3-2 win, cutting the Penn State lead to 10-6. Yonushonis fell to 11-3. For Nittany Lion fans, the most anticipated bout occurred at 184, where senior Eric Bradley (Plaistow, N.H.) made his 2006 debut against Lehigh's David Helfrich. Bradley, ranked No. 1 in the nation, missed the first semester with an injury. Forcing the tempo early, Bradley took the majority of the offensive shots, but Helfrich would hold the All-American off to send the bout to the second period as a scoreless tie. Bradley chose down to begin the second period and quickly escaped. Bradley again dictated action, nearly scoring a takedown but getting a point for an illegal/dangerous hold. Leading 2-0, the Nittany Lion continued to force the issue. He would take that 2-0 lead into the third. Helfrich, who had 17 bouts under his belt his year and a 13-4 record, chose down to begin the third and escaped to cut the lead to 2-1. Bradley would get the elusive takedown with 1:16 left to up his lead to 4-1. He would ride Helfrich long enough to get the riding time point and post a workmanlike 5-2 win. Penn State's lead improved to 13-6 while Bradley moved to 1-0 on the year. Sophomore Phil Davis (Harrisburg, Pa.) suffered a 3-2 upset loss to Lehigh's Matt Cassidy at 197. Davis, ranked No. 6 nationally, was taken down by Cassidy with :30 to go in the first but would escape in time to send the bout to the second period with Cassidy up 2-1. Davis chose down to start the second and would tie the score with an escape. He would nearly score a take down as the second period ended, but Cassidy fought him off to send the 2-2 tie to the third. Cassidy, down to begin the final period, escaped quickly to take a 3-2 lead with 1:50 left. Davis nearly scored a takedown on the edge of the mat to grab the win with :10 left, but the points were not awarded. Lehigh cut the Nittany Lion lead to 13-9 and Davis fell to 9-3 on the year. Cassidy improved to 15-4. Junior Aaron Anspach (Columbia, Pa.) would jump out early on Lehigh's Dan Murrer at HWT, scoring an early takedown to set the tempo. Anspach would take a 2-1 lead into the second period. He chose down to begin the second and quickly escaped to a 3-1 lead. Anspach posted two more take downs in the second period and rode Murrer out to lead 7-2 heading to the third. Murrer chose down to begin the final period. Anspach would pad his riding time cushion before the Lehigh sophomore was allowed out. The Nittany Lion heavyweight would continue to work towards a major decision, notching two more takedowns and riding Murrer out throughout the final :25 seconds. With the riding time point, Anspach would notch an impressive 12-4 major decision and push Penn State's lead to 17-9. He improved his record to 13-8 with the win. Sophomore Tim Haas (Camp Hill, Pa.) faced Lehigh's Matt Fisk at 125. Haas was the aggressor in the first period but the Lehigh freshman would hold him off for two minutes. Haas' relentless offense would lead to a take down with :34 left in the opening stanza. Leading 2-1, Haas chose down to begin the second period and escaped quickly to go up 3-1. Neither wrestler scored for the remainder of the period and Haas rode a 3-1 lead into the final two minutes. Fisk chose down to begin the final period only to be ridden for :45 seconds. But an escape with 1:15 to go would cut Haas' lead to 3-2. Haas, however, would maintain his offensive pressure and worked his way to an important 3-2 win. Haas improved to 13-3 with the victory and push the Lion lead to 20-9. Freshman Jake Strayer (South Fork, Pa.), ranked No. 13 in the country, majored Lehigh's John Stout at 133 to clinch the dual for the Nittany Loins. Strayer would dominate the action in the first period and manage a take down with :46 left. The red-shirt freshman would ride Stout out and lead 2-0 after one. Strayer chose down to begin the second. A quick escape was followed by a takedown and three back points, giving Strayer an 8-1 lead. Strayer would nab yet another take down as the second period wound down and had a comfortable 10-2 lead heading into the third. Stout chose down to begin the third, briefly cutting the lead to 10-3 before Strayer would take him down again. Strayer would continue to pour on the offense on his way to a 17-5 major. The win gave Penn State a 24-9 lead and clinched the dual victory. In another marquee match-up, Nittany Lion senior DeWitt Driscoll (Connellsville, Pa.), ranked 12th nationally, faced Lehigh's Cory Cooperman, ranked No. 3. Cooperman scored the first take down of the match just :20 into the bout. Driscoll quickly escaped to cut the Cooperman lead to 2-1. Looking to reverse the memory of a 9-1 defeat at the hands of Cooperman back in the November dual, Driscoll continued to battle the returning All-American throughout the first period. Cooperman, 10-1 heading into the bout, would notch another take down in the first period and take a 4-1 lead into the second period. Driscoll chose down to begin the second and quickly escaped to cut the lead to 4-2, which is how the second period would end. Cooperman chose down to begin the evening's final period and would score a reversal to lead 6-2. Driscoll escaped to cut the lead to 6-3. But Cooperman fought off every Driscoll scoring opportunity and posted an impressive 9-3 win, making the final score Penn State 24, Lehigh 12. Driscoll fell to 8-4. Penn State improves to 6-2 with the win while Lehigh falls to 5-3-1. The Lions also got their second dual victory over Lehigh this season. Penn State downed Lehigh 18-17 back on Nov. 13 to claim the Pa. Duals title in Rec Hall. The Nittany Lions have now won three duals in a row and improved their record vs. ranked teams to 4-2. Penn State will host No. 10 Cornell on Sunday in a 1 p.m. battle in Rec Hall. Single match tickets can be purchased by visiting the Bryce Jordan Center Ticket Center or by calling 814-865-5555 or 800-863-3336. Prices are $5 for adults and $3 for youth and senior citizens.

HEMPSTEAD, New York -- Pride sophomore Charles Griffin posted a 17-8 upset victory over #16 Brandon Rader at 141 pounds to lead #21 Hofstra (3-2-1) to a 28-14 victory over West Virginia (0-2) Friday night at the Hofstra Arena. Griffin's victory broke an 11-11 tie six matches into the contest as the sophomore improved to 13-3 on the season. Hofstra senior Jon Masa (16-4) boosted the Pride lead to 21-11 with a win by fall over Mountaineer freshman David Jauregui (12-5) in 1:18 at 149 pounds. West Virginia's third-ranked senior Matt Lebe (21-2) posted a 3-1 overtime victory over #18 junior James Strouse (15-6) at 157 to close the Mountaineer deficit to 21-14. But Hofstra closed out the match with two victories as junior Chris Vondruska (14-4) scored five points in the third period to record a 10-5 victory over senior Eric Mullen (7-9) at 165, and fourth-ranked senior Mike Patrovich improved to 14-1 on the year with a 15-7 major decision victory over sophomore Kurt Brenner (12-4) at 174 to close out the match. Starting the match at 184 pounds, the Pride opened the match with three straight victories as 20th-ranked sophomore Joe Rovelli (15-4) posted a 14-0 major decision over freshman Chance Litton (4-5). Junior Chris Weidman (8-1) rebounded from a 4-0 deficit to record a 16-4 major victory over Jared Villers (9-8) at 197. Junior heavyweight Jon Andriac improved to 12-8 on the year with a 10-5 victory over junior Matt Holsopple (2-5) to give Hofstra an 11-0 lead in the match. But West Virginia rallied behind a forfeit victory by sophomore Scott Stuart (1-5) at 125 pounds, and 16th-ranked senior Seth Lisa (7-4) won by tech fall 17-0 at 133 pounds to tie the match at 11. Hofstra returns to action next weekend at the Cliff Keen/NWCA National Duals in Cedar Falls, Iowa while the Mountaineers will compete in the Virginia Duals next Friday and Saturday in Virginia Beach. #21 Hofstra 28, West Virginia 14 184 - #20 Joe Rovelli (HU) maj. dec. Chance Litton (WVU) 14-0 197 * Chris Weidman (HU) maj. dec. Jared Villers (WVU) 16-4 285 * Jon Andriac (HU) dec. Matt Holsopple (WVU) 10-5 125 * Scott Stuart (WVU) win by forfeit 133 - #16 Seth Lisa (WVU) tech fall Jon Fennell (HU) 17-0 141 * Charles Griffin (HU) maj. dec. #16 Brandon Rader (WVU) 17-8 149 - #3 Jon Masa (HU) WBF David Jauregui (WVU) 1:18 157 - #3 Matt Lebe (WVU) dec. #18 James Strouse (HU) 3-1 in OT 165 * Chris Vondruska (HU) dec. Eric Mullen (WVU) 10-5 174 - #4 Mike Patrovich (HU) maj. dec. Kurt Brenner (WVU) 15-7

STILLWATER, Okla. -- Oklahoma State swept a pair of wrestling duals inside Gallagher-Iba Arena on Thursday night with a 42-0 triumph over Army and a 35-6 victory over No. 23 Northern Iowa. The Cowboys got off to a fast start against Army with major decisions by Coleman Scott and Nathan Morgan and a tech. fall by Daniel Frishkorn at 141 to take a commanding 13-0 dual lead after just three matches. Zack Esposito kept the string of bonus point victories alive with a major decision over Patrick Simpson. Kevin Ward recorded a major decision to give OSU a 21-0 lead halfway through the dual. The Cowboys continued to roll with a major decision by Brandon Mason as OSU won all 10 matches with nine of them being by bonus points. The Cowboys recorded 7 major decisions in the first dual of the evening, and they also saw a fall and a tech. fall in the dual. OSU kept it going against Northern Iowa winning the first three matches to go up 10-0. B.J. Jackson wrestled for OSU at 149 for Esposito, who suffered a minor injury in his first match. Jackson recorded three takedowns in his first dual match of the season to defeat Northern Iowa's Colby Goetsch. Moza Fay ended OSU's streak of 14 consecutive matches with a fall over Ward at 157. Ward was leading the dual 6-1 in the third period but Fay took him down to his back and tied the match. Fay continued to work from top and turned Ward over again and this time ended it with a fall. Hendricks got the Cowboys back on track with a decision over sixth-ranked Nick Baima. After a decision by Mason, Rusty Blackmon thrilled the crowd with a fall over the Panthers' De'Andre Nunn in 31 seconds. Jake Rosholt and Steve Mocco closed out the evening with a major decision and fall, respectively. Mocco pinned Tyler Rhodes in just 16 seconds. "I do not think we have fully recovered from our training over the holiday break," head coach John Smith said afterward. "I thought we looked a little flat footed even though we won 19 of the 20 matches. "I liked some situations in these dual meets. I liked Nathan Morgan coming back to score eight straight points after being down 2-1 after the first period. I liked the major decisions that we picked up as well. Overall, we had a good night and I am pleased with the effort we showed tonight." OSU won 19 of 20 matches on the evening and improved its record to 5-0. Head coach John Smith now has 225 wins for his career trailing Tommy Chesbro's school mark of 227. The Cowboys will return to action on Saturday night when they travel to Iowa City, Iowa to face the seventh-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes at 7:30 p.m. The dual will be broadcast live on 98.1 FM. Oklahoma State 42, Army 0 Gallagher-Iba Arena * Stillwater, Okla. Attendance: 3,251 125- Coleman Scott (OSU) MD William Simpson (Army), 9-1 133- Nathan Morgan (OSU) MD Whitt Dunning (Army), 16-5 141- Daniel Frishkorn (OSU) TF5 Tyler Howard (Army), 16-0 (5:37) 149- Zack Esposito (OSU) MD Patrick Simpson (Army), 20-9 157- Kevin Ward (OSU) MD Brandon Benson (Army), 13-1 165- Johny Hendricks (OSU) Dec. Chad Marzec (Army), 11-4 174- Brandon Mason (OSU) MD Brent Smith (Army), 14-0 184- Rusty Blackmon (OSU) MD Luke Calvert (Army), 10-1 197- Jake Rosholt (OSU) MD Todd Wisman (Army), 12-3 285- Steve Mocco (OSU) Fall Michael Sprigg (Army), 3:52 Oklahoma State 35, Northern Iowa 6 Gallagher-Iba Arena * Stillwater, Okla. Attendance: 3,251 125- Coleman Scott (OSU) MD Seth Wright (UNI), 10-2 133- Nathan Morgan (OSU) Dec. Chris Helgeson (UNI), 9-4 141- Daniel Frishkorn (OSU) Dec. C.J. Ettelson (UNI), 3-2 149- B.J. Jackson (OSU) Dec. Colby Goetsch (UNI), 8-5 157- Moza Fay (UNI) Fall Kevin Ward (OSU), 6:44 165- Johny Hendricks (OSU) Dec. Nick Baima (UNI), 5-2 174- Brandon Mason (OSU) Dec. Curt Zinnel (UNI), 3-1 184- Rusty Blackmon (OSU) Fall De'Andre Nunn (UNI), :31 197- Jake Rosholt (OSU) MD Jeff Knoll (UNI), 16-3 285- Steve Mocco (OSU) Fall Tyler Rhodes (UNI), :16

MINNEAPOLIS -- Winning six of 10 individual matches, including two by major decision and one pin, the Augsburg College wrestling team claimed a 23-14 triumph over Augustana College (S.D.) in a nonconference dual meet on Thursday night at Augsburg's Si Melby Hall. Augsburg, the defending NCAA Division III national champions and winners of nine of the last 15 national crowns, improved to 3-0 on the season in dual meets with the victory. Augsburg is currently ranked No. 3 in the latest Division III national poll. Augsburg is now 6-1 in its dual-meet history against Augustana, a series dating to the 1999-2000 season. Augsburg is now 202-13 in dual meets against teams from Divisions II and III since the 1989-90 season. Augsburg has lost just eight matches to non-Division I opponents since the 1995-96 season. Augustana, the defending NCAA Division II runner-up, dropped to 1-1 on the season in dual meets. Augustana is currently ranked No. 6 in the Division II national polls. After dropping the first two matches in the dual, Augsburg claimed two key victories to take the team lead, eventually winning six of the final eight bouts. A first-period pin by 133-pounder Paul Bjorkstrand (Fr., Burnsville, Minn.) and a 9-8 win by 141-pounder Josh Hansen (Jr., Albert Lea, Minn.) gave the Auggies the team lead, 9-6, after four matches. Bjorkstrand pinned Augustana's Adam Schlee (Fr., Grand Meadow, Minn.) in 2:15. Hansen led 6-0 in the first period over Augustana's Andre Vander Velde (Sr., Council Bluffs, Iowa), the No. 6-ranked wrestler in Division II at 141, but the Viking wrestler rallied to tie the match with 1:13 left in the third period. After a Hansen escape, VanderVelde recorded a takedown with 37 seconds left in the match, but Hansen scored a reversal to take the lead for good, 9-8, with 27 seconds left. The teams then exchanged major decisions in battles of ranked wrestlers. At 149 pounds, Augustana's No. 6-ranked Ryan King (Sr., LeRoy, Minn.) used seven takedowns and a three-point near-fall to claim an 18-7 triumph over Augsburg's Jared Evans (Jr., Blue Earth, Minn./Blue Earth Area HS), ranked No. 3 in Division III. At 157, Augsburg's Jeremy Anderson (So., Thief River Falls, Minn.), ranked No. 6 in Division III, remained unbeaten at 19-0 with a 12-3 win over Augustana's Austin Scarset (Sr., Westbrook, Minn.), ranked No. 5 in Division II. Anderson rallied from an early deficit to take a 7-3 lead on a takedown and three-point near-fall in the final 18 seconds of the first period, eventually generating 2:01 of riding time in the match victory. At 165, Augsburg's top-ranked Ryan Valek (Sr., Belle Plaine, Minn./Scott West) pulled away in the third period to improve to 16-2 on the season with a 7-1 triumph over Augustana's Cody Henriksen (Jr., Arlington, S.D.), ranked No. 5 in Division II. Robbie Gotreau (So., Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson HS), currently ranked No. 8 at 184 in Division III, moved to 174 pounds and improved to 19-1 on the season with a 15-3, major-decision win over Dusty Wilking (Sr., Lakefield, Minn.) of Augustana. Gotreau used six takedowns and built 3:55 of riding time in the win. Augsburg's Brad Tupa (Sr., Dundas, Minn./Faribault HS) scored a 9-6 win over Nate Buys (Jr., Hull, Iowa) at 184. The back-and-forth match was decided in the final minute, as Tupa used two takedowns and withstood an escape to record the win. In the final match of the evening, Augustana's Tim Boldt (Sr., Arlington, S.D.), the No. 2-ranked wrestler and defending national runner-up in Division II at 197, made his season debut with a 16-7, major-decision win over Augsburg's Wally O'Connor (So., Oshkosh, Wis./Oshkosh West HS), ranked No. in Division III. Boldt recorded seven takedowns and 3:13 of riding time in the triumph. Augustana opened the dual meet with two victories. At heavyweight, Cris Bietz (Sr., Rapid City, S.D.) claimed a 10-4 win over Augsburg's Andrew Neumann (Jr., Somerset, Wis.), and Chris Trampe (Jr., Ord, Neb.) pulled away with a reversal and two-point near-fall in the third period to score a 9-4 win over Seth Flodeen (Fr., Cannon Falls, Minn.) at 125. Augsburg returns to action on Saturday (1/7) at 9 a.m., competing at the Dickinson State (N.D.) Blue Hawk Classic. Augustana is in action on Friday (1/6) with a 6 p.m. North Central Conference dual meet at St. Cloud State. College Wrestling -- Augsburg (Minn., 3-0, No. 3 in Division III) 23, Augustana (S.D., 1-1, No. 6 in Division II) 14 January 5, 2006 -- Si Melby Hall, Minneapolis, Minn. Action begins at Heavyweight. Time of match: 1:40. Attendance: 241. Official: Rod Frost. HWT -- Cris Bietz (Augustana, 7-3) dec. Andrew Neumann (Augsburg, 14-2) 10-4 (Augustana 3-0). 125 -- Chris Trampe (Augustana, 10-6) dec. Seth Flodeen (Augsburg, 13-6) 9-4 (Augustana 6-0). 133 -- Paul Bjorkstrand (Augsburg, 12-6) pinned Adam Schlee (Augustana, 6-8) 2:15 (TIED 6-6). 141 -- Josh Hansen (Augsburg, 14-2) dec. No. 6 Andre VanderVelde (Augustana, 8-6) 9-8 (Augsburg 9-6). 149 -- No. 6 Ryan King (Augustana, 13-4) maj. dec. No. 3 Jared Evans (Augsburg, 13-3) 18-7 (Augustana 10-9). 157 -- No. 6 Jeremy Anderson (Augsburg, 19-0) maj. dec. No. 5 Austin Scarset (Augustana, 4-3) 12-3 (Augsburg 13-10). 165 -- No. 1 Ryan Valek (Augsburg, 17-2) vs. No. 5 Cody Henriksen (Augustana, 8-5) 7-1 (Augsburg 16-10). 174 -- No. 8 (at 184) Robbie Gotreau (Augsburg, 19-1) maj. dec. Dusty Wilking (Augustana, 6-5) 15-3 (Augsburg 20-10). 184 -- Brad Tupa (Augsburg, 8-0) dec. Nate Buys (Augustana, 15-5) 9-6 (Augsburg 23-10). 197 -- No. 2 Tim Boldt (Augustana, 1-0) maj. dec. No. 3 Wally O'Connor (Augsburg, 11-6) 16-7 (Augsburg 23-14).

AMES, Iowa -- The eighth-ranked Iowa State wrestlers improved to 5-2 on the season with a 32-11 victory over Virginia Tech (0-6, 0-0 ACC) Thursday night in Hilton Coliseum. The Cyclones earned bonus team points at 197, 141, 149 and 165 pounds by recording two technical falls, one major decision and a pin. ISU held a 29-9 takedown advantage over the Hokies. "We're getting good mat time. Those who wrestled tonight wrestled well. Overall, we had a good performance," head coach Bobby Douglas said. "Virginia Tech has great potential in the future and we're going to have to wrestle very well when we face them next." After opening the dual with a forfeit at 184 pounds, true freshman Joe Curran recorded his third pin in four appearances at Hilton Coliseum with a fall at the 4:11 mark over Tech's Matt Woods at 197 pounds. Curran improved to 5-1 in dual action and notched his fourth pin of the year. Aron Scott returned to action after taking a medical forfeit at Midlands by scoring a 22-4 technical fall in five minutes over Joe Thompson. Scott used two three-point near falls and one two-point near fall en route to the victory. "I feel good, real good. I went out there and worked my stuff," Scott said. "I had to wrestle my match and I came away with the win." Travis Paulson, a third-place finisher at Midlands, scored his third technical fall of the season, a 22-6 (6:38) victory against Mark Czarny at 165 pounds. Paulson registered eight takedowns and a three-point near fall. Two-time All-American Nate Gallick, picked up his fifth major decision of the season at 141 pounds. Gallick scored four takedowns against No. 8 David Hoffman in the final period to win the match, 19-6. Also picking up wins for the Cyclones were Jesse Sundell (133) and David Bertolino (174). The Cyclones will travel to Tempe, Ariz., on Jan. 8 to face UC Davis (2-1, 1-0 Pac-10) and Arizona State (3-3, 1-0 Pac-10) in the Sun Devil Duals. ISU downed ASU in their last meeting on Nov. 28, 2004, 22-16. It will be the first meeting between the Cyclones and the Aggies. Wrestling action will return to Ames on Sun., Feb. 5, at noon when Iowa State will play host to Penn State. The dual will take place at Ames High School due to a scheduling conflict in Hilton Coliseum.

Date: Saturday, Jan. 7 Time: 7:30 p.m. CST Location: Iowa City, Iowa (Carver-Hawkeye Arena) It's without question the greatest rivalry in NCAA wrestling history -- Iowa vs. Oklahoma State. Iowa comes into this dual with a 3-0 record and ranked fifth in the country. Top-ranked Oklahoma State comes in with a 5-0 mark. There are numerous storylines that make this year's dual one of the most anticipated in recent memory: Steve Mocco's first appearance in Iowa City since his departure in 2004, Mark Perry against his uncles (John and Pat Smith), Brandon Mason against the team he grew up admiring, No. 1 vs. No. 2 at 149, and Iowa's attempt to break the college wrestling dual meet attendance record set by Minnesota (against Iowa) in 2002. 125: Lucas Magnani (Iowa) vs. No. 7 Coleman Scott (Oklahoma State) Magnani enters the match with a 5-5 record. Last weekend, he reached the quarterfinals of the Midlands, but failed to place. Scott, a returning All-American, comes in with an 11-3 season mark. If Scott can get his offense going early, he could pick up a major decision here. But with the loud Hawkeye crown behind Magnani, it won't be an easy task. RevWrestling.com Prediction: Scott decision over Magnani (Oklahoma State +3) 133: Daniel Dennis (Iowa) vs. No. 9 Nathan Morgan (Oklahoma State) Nathan MorganDennis has done an admirable job stepping into the line-up as a true freshman for the Hawkeyes. His attacking style has already made him a fan favorite. The Illinois native comes into this match with a 10-5 season mark. Morgan is one of the most technically sound wrestlers in the country. He is 11-1 this season -- with his only loss coming to Matt Keller of Tennessee-Chattanooga in the finals of the Reno Tournament of Champions. If Morgan wrestles his match, and stays out of dangerous situations, he should win fairly easily. RevWrestling.com Prediction: Morgan major decision over Dennis (Oklahoma State +4) 141: No. 15 Alex Tsirtsis (Iowa) vs. No. 7 Daniel Frishkorn (Oklahoma State) Tsirtis comes into this match with an 8-4 record after a disappointing Midlands, where he failed to place. He's an extremely talented wrestler who has yet to reach his potential. He doesn't seem to be wrestling with the same confidence that once made him one of the sought after recruits in the country. Frishkorn, a returning All-American, is hot and cold wrestler. He's much better than his 11-6 season record indicates. He struggled in the early part of the season (losing three times at the Kaufman-Brand Open), but has picked up steam, and recently won the Reno Tournament of Champions. Expect this to be a tight, low scoring, tactical match. RevWrestling.com Prediction: Frishkorn decision over Tsirtsis (Oklahoma State +3) 149: No. 2 Ty Eustice (Iowa) vs. No. 1 Zack Esposito (Oklahoma State) Eustice, who placed fifth at the 2005 NCAA Championships, is 8-0 this season. He won the Kaufman-Brand Open, which included a win over highly touted Brent Metcalf of Virginia Tech, but he has yet to face a top opponent. He was recently held out of the Midlands because of the flu. Esposito, the returning NCAA champion at 149, is off to a 10-0 start this season. At times, he has looked like the best pound-for-pound wrestler in the country (dominating wins over Matt Storniolo of Oklahoma and Darren McKnight of Michigan State). While other times, he has looked vulnerable (NWCA All-Star Classic loss to Eric Tannenbaum of Michigan and one-point victory over Mark DiSalvo of Central Michigan). Eustice's conservative, defensive style has given Esposito trouble in the past. Last season, Esposito defeated Eustice, 2-1, in the tiebreaker period. Can Eustice beat Esposito? Certainly. But after Esposito put up 20 points against a quality opponent in Patrick Simpson of Army on Thursday night, it's hard to predict an upset. RevWrestling.com Prediction: Esposito decision over Eustice (Oklahoma State +3) 157: No. 3 Joe Johnston (Iowa) vs. No. 11 Kevin Ward (Oklahoma State) Johnston, the 2005 NCAA runner-up at 157, is 10-3 this season. Two of his losses have come to Trent Paulson of Iowa State, with the other coming last weekend at the Midlands to Alex Tirapelle of Illinois. He struggled a bit with his offense in the early part of the season, but now is putting more points on the scoreboard. Ward, much like Frishkorn, is a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde. You never know which Kevin Ward will show up. Will it be the one who beat Derek Zinck of Lehigh and C.P. Schlatter of Minnesota twice? Or the one who lost to Tony Greathouse of Michigan State and was pinned by Moza Fay of Northern Iowa? Johnston seems to have Ward's number. These two wrestled four times last season, with Johnston winning all four matches -- two by major decision (21-7 and 18-8), one by pin, and one by decision. RevWrestling.com Prediction: Johnston major decision over Ward (Iowa +4) 165: Cole Pape or Eric Luedke (Iowa) vs. No. 2 Johny Hendricks (Oklahoma State) Pape is off to a disappointing start in his senior campaign. He comes into this dual with a 7-6 record, but has struggled recently. At the Midlands, he won his opening round match against a Division II opponent, but was completely dominated in his next two. Luedke is a two-time junior college national champion who was expected to redshirt this season, but with Pape struggling, there is a chance that he could be inserted into the line-up for this dual. Hendricks, the defending NCAA champion at 165, is 9-1 this season. He has impressive wins over 2004 NCAA champion Troy Letters of Lehigh and Midlands champion Nick Baima, but disappointing losses to lesser-opponents in Matt Nagel of Minnesota (at NWCA All-Star Classic) and Joey Bracamonte of Oregon. Hendricks will win this match going away -- regardless of who Iowa sends out. RevWrestling.com Prediction: Hendricks decision over Pape (Oklahoma State +3) 174: No. 3 Mark Perry (Iowa) vs. No. 8 Brandon Mason (Oklahoma State) Mark PerryPerry is 7-1 this season, but is coming off what he calls the worst performance of his collegiate career. He finished runner-up at the Midlands, losing in the finals, 5-3, to Jake Herbert of Northwestern. Up until the semifinals of the Midlands (where he won 4-2 over Donny Reynolds of Illinois), Perry had dominated every one of his opponents this season. Mason, a native of Council Bluffs, Iowa, has started his freshman campaign wrestling well -- compiling a 13-4 mark. He's not great on his feet, but more than makes up for it on the mat, where he is an absolute beast. This is an intriguing match-up of two very talented wrestlers who could have easily reversed roles (Perry at Oklahoma State and Mason at Iowa) -- and probably should have. Perry, the nephew of Lee Roy, John, Pat, and Mark Smith, grew up bleeding Oklahoma State orange. Mason grew up a Hawkeye fan. Perry should win this match -- with the possibility of bonus points if he wrestles smart and stays out of dangerous situations. But if he somehow gets underneath Mason, there's no saying what could happen. RevWrestling.com Prediction: Perry major decision over Mason (Iowa +4) 184: No. 4 Paul Bradley (Iowa) vs. Rusty Blackmon or Clay Kehrer (Oklahoma State) Bradley, a two-time All-American, has wrestled only two matches this season because of a hamstring injury (three if you count his NWCA All-Star Classic loss to Pete Friedl of Illinois). He was impressive in both wins, though. He thumped Jason Trulson of Arizona State, 17-5, and defeated rival Kurt Backes of Iowa State, 8-5. Blackmon is 14-5 this season, while Kehrer is 10-3. It will be interesting to see who the Cowboys send out here. Blackmon wrestled both matches in a double dual (against Army and Northern Iowa), but Kehrer wrestled Bradley extremely tough last season (losing 6-4), which might make him the likely choice. RevWrestling.com Prediction: Bradley decision over Blackmon (Iowa +3) 197: No. 2 Jake Rosholt (Oklahoma State) vs. Adam Fellers (Iowa) Rosholt, a two-time NCAA champion, is 12-1 this season, with his only blemish coming when he was pinned in the finals of the Reno Tournament of Champions by Wynn Michalak of Central Michigan. Fellers is an undersized wrestler who competes with a lot of heart, but lacks the size and strength to be competitive in this weight class. He is 0-7 this season and seems to have lost confidence in his abilities. On paper, this is as a big a mismatch as possible. Rosholt won't be satisfied with anything but a pin here. RevWrestling.com Prediction: Rosholt pin over Fellers (Oklahoma State +6) Hwt: No. 2 Steve Mocco (Oklahoma State) vs. No. 10 Matt Fields (Iowa) Steve MoccoThis will mark Mocco's first appearance in Iowa City since his controversial departure from Iowa in 2004. Don't expect a warm welcome from the Hawkeye faithful. Mocco is 10-0 this season and has dominated virtually everyone, but did lose an exhibition match at the NWCA All-Star Classic to Cole Konrad of Minnesota. There was discussion about Fields possibly redshirting this season as he recovered from an injury (the Hawkeyes also had a serviceable starter in Ryan Fuller). But Fields adamantly expressed his desire not to redshirt, and wrestle in the line-up instead. According to the Iowa City Press-Citizen, Fields said he looked at redshirting this season as "a cop-out" with Mocco in his senior season. Fields believes he can beat Mocco, but his past history doesn't give any indication that he can. He is 0-3 against Mocco and has been shutout in every meeting (5-0, 4-0, and 4-0). RevWrestling.com Prediction: Mocco decision over Fields (Oklahoma State +3) Dual Meet Predicted Score: Oklahoma State 25, Iowa 11

YPSILANTI, Mich. -- The Ohio wrestling team started its Mid-American Conference season with a 19-12 victory at Eastern Michigan on Thursday. Trailing 12-9 after seven matches, the Bobcats (4-4, 1-0 MAC) claimed the final three contests to secure the victory. Sean Clair gave Eastern Michigan (1-5, 0-1 MAC) an early 3-0 lead in the dual meet with a 7-1 decision over Caleb Metcalf (Waterville, Ohio) at 125 pounds. Ohio answered with wins at 133 and 141, though, to take a 6-3 advantage. At 133, Bobcat redshirt freshman Terry Jackson (Uhrichsville, Ohio) scored a 2-0 decision over Chris Jenkins while sophomore Frank Brown (Westerville, Ohio) posted a 4-0 shutout of Nick Conklin in the 141 match. After Eastern Michigan wins at 149 and 157, the Eagles led 9-6 at the meet's halfway point. The turning point came in the next match, though, as Ohio true freshman Kent Smith shot out to a 10-1 lead in the opening period against EMU senior Chad Roush and then held on for a 10-4 victory. "The match that really swung the momentum for us was at 165," said Bobcat head coach Joel Greenlee. "Kent went out and got a big win for us." Even though Ohio sophomore Ryan Knapp (McConnelsville, Ohio) dropped a 10-7 decision to Josh Lewis at 174 pounds, the Bobcats regained the lead at 184 when junior Brian Cesear (Amherst, Ohio) recorded a 16-6 major decision over John McClure. The Ohio advantage went to 16-12 following a 3-0 decision by redshirt freshman Larry Reichard (New Albany, Ohio) over Tony Lyssiotis at 197 pounds. With the outcome of the meet still unresolved, the Bobcats got a boost in the final match by the return of heavyweight starter Marcus Adelman, who had not competed since suffering a leg injury on Nov. 26. The junior from Alliance, Ohio, delivered a 7-3 decision over Jake Wood to secure the victory for Ohio. "We went out there and won the ones we had to," said Greenlee. "It's great for our team to start the conference season on a positive note." The Bobcats now have nine full days to prepare for their first home meet of the season. Ohio will host North Carolina State (4-0) in the Convocation Center on Saturday, Jan. 14. Admission to the 7 p.m. dual meet is free. Ohio 19, Eastern Michigan 12 125 - Sean Clair (EMU) dec. Caleb Metcalf, 7-1 133 - Terry Jackson (Ohio) dec. Chris Jenkins, 2-0 141 - Frank Brown (Ohio) dec. Nick Conklin, 4-0 149 - Jermain Thompson (EMU) dec. Aaron Gomoll, 10-3 157 - Quinn Guernsey (EMU) dec. Mike Grandominico, 11-10 165 - Kent Smith (Ohio) dec. Chad Roush, 10-4 174 - Josh Lewis (EMU) dec. Ryan Knapp, 10-7 184 - Brian Cesear (Ohio) major dec. John McClure, 16-6 197 - Larry Reichard (Ohio) dec. Tony Lyssiotis, 3-0 HWT - Marcus Adelman (Ohio) dec. Jake Wood, 7-3

NEW YORK -- After successful Wilkes and Midlands appearances, the American University wrestling team returned to their dual meet schedule victoriously, sweeping Sacred Heart and host school Columbia Thursday night in New York City. Five Eagles won both of their matches on a day highlighted by American's upset of higher-ranked EIWA foe Columbia. Thanks to dominating wins by Matt Morkel (Omaha, Neb./Skutt) and Jordan Lipp (Beachwood, Oh./Beachwood), the Eagles got off to a fast start against fellow visitor Sacred Heart. After forfeiting 141, 2005 Wilkes Champion Tom Kniezewski (Boyertown, Pa./Boyertown) kept American ahead, winning by fall over Sean Eagan in just 1:11. Next up was newcomer and also fellow 2005 Wilkes Champion, Rudy Rueda (Waldorf, Md./DeMatha) who did not disappoint. The DeMatha High School product won a 5-2 decision in his first match since becoming eligible for the Eagles squad. No. 6 Muzaffar Abdurakmanov (Tashkent, Uzbekistan) kept his unbeaten streak alive with a 2:37 pin victory over Vince Contino. The Eagles lost their next two matches with Evan Murtaugh (Croton, N.Y./Briarcliff) and Dwayne Hash-Barberis (Scotia, N.Y./Scotia Glenville) succumbing to a fall and a tech fall respectively. With No. 4 Josh Glenn (Johnson City, N.Y./Johnson City) on deck and No. 14 Adam LoPiccolo (Glen Rock, Pa./Glen Rock) in the hole, American was poised for victory. Though LoPiccolo ended up losing a 4-1 decision to No. 11 Payam Zarrinpour, it did not affect the team's outcome as AU's victory was sealed a match earlier when Glenn notched his 11th pin of the year at the 1:37 mark over Michael Ames. The win set the stage for the night's main event against Columbia who finished two spots ahead of American at EIWAs and was pre-ranked fourth in the league. Morkel, the third-place finisher from the 2005 Wilkes Tournament, lost a 4-3 decision to 2004 NCAA qualifier Jeff Sato. Lipp showed that the month-long break from competing left no signs of rust on his 133 pound frame as he won his second match of the day, a close 3-2 decision over 2004 NCAA qualifier Matt DeLorenzo. After forfeiting at 141, the Eagles won six of the last seven matches of the match. Kniezewski, Rueda, Abdurakmanov and Glenn all took their second victories of the day capped by a LoPiccolo win by forfeit to put American as the 29-12 victors. The Eagles have over a week off before they take on Brown University on the road Jan. 14. American 31, Sacred Heart 20 125 - Matt Morkel (AU) def. Mike Arone (SH), 11-0 133 - Jordan Lipp (AU) def. Mike DelViscovo (SH), 10-2 141 - Chris Davis (SH) won via forfeit 149 - Tom Kniezewski (AU) won via fall over Sean Eagan (SH), 1:11 157 - Rudy Rueda (AU) def. Sherwood Fendryk (SH), 5-2 165 - Muzaffar Abdurakhanov (AU) won via fall over Vince Contino (SH), 2:37 174 - Kyle Coffman (SH) won via fall over Evan Murtaugh (AU), 0:34 184 - Andrew Silber (SH) won via technical fall over Dwayne Hash-Barberis (AU), 26-9 (6:21) 197 - Josh Glenn (AU) won via fall over Michael Ames (SH), 1:37 Hwt. - Payam Zarrinpour (SH) def. Adam LoPiccolo (AU), 4-1 American 29, Columbia 12 125 - Jeff Sato (C) def. Matt Morkel (AU), 4-3 133 - Jordan Lipp (AU) def. Matt DeLorenzo (C), 3-2 141- Dean Kinports (C) won via forfeit 149 - Tom Kniezewski (AU) won via fall over Derek Sickles (C), 6:59 157 - Christopher Stout (AU) def. Tyler Thurgood (C), 9-7 165 - Rudy Rueda (AU) def. Dustin Tillman (C), 18-9 174 - Muzaffar Abdurakhanov (AU) def. Kenji Porter (C), 21-7 184 - Josh Glenn (AU) def. Justin Barent (C), 6-0 197 - Orrin Klienhenz (C) def. Tyler Flatt (AU), 7-4 Hwt. - Adam LoPiccolo (AU) won via forfeit

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The Ohio State wrestling team (1-1; 0-0 Big Ten) won nine of its 10 matches en route to defeating Pittsburgh, 30-3, Thursday at St. John Arena. The Buckeyes extend their winning steak against the Panthers to three, after winning in 2005 (20-17) and 2001 (26-11). The meet opened at 197, with Corey Morrison (Fr., Shaker Heights, Ohio/Shaker Heights) defeating Michael Heist, 11-2. Morrison recorded three takedowns, including two in the first period, and a 3-point near-fall before benefiting from a riding time call. With two stalling warnings credited to Pittsburgh, Morrison earned the major decision. Heavyweight Kirk Nail (So., Hilliard, Ohio/Davidson) stepped up with a 4-1 decision over Lou Thomas to help the Buckeyes go up on the Panthers, 7-0. After ending the first period scoreless against Thomas, Nail recorded four points in the second period after notching an escape and a takedown with 15 seconds remaining. Nail also took advantage of two stalling warnings called on Pittsburgh. Wrestling at 125, Nathan Costello (Sr. Maple Heights, Ohio/Maple Heights) lost his match to Brad Gentzle, 11-5, giving the Panthers their lone win of the evening. Costello registered two escapes and a takedown, in addition to earning a point, courtesy of two Panther stalls. Reece Humphrey (Fr., Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence North) garnered a 5-0 decision over Mike Ciotti at 133. Humphrey went up 2-0 after scoring a takedown with eight seconds remaining in the first period. With no scoring in the second, Humphrey extended his lead to five with a takedown and a riding time point in the third period. At 141, T.J. Enright (So. Galloway, Ohio/Westland) scored a 7-2 decision over Joe Ciampoli, giving Ohio State a 13-3 edge. Enright recorded a takedown and a 3-point near-fall in the first period, before securing his win in the third with an escape and a riding time advantage. J Jaggers (Fr., Bedford, Ohio/St. Peter Chanel) clinched a close 9-8 victory over Joey Ecklof at 149. Down 8-7 with just 16 seconds remaining in the third period, Jaggers scored a crucial takedown to win at the final tally. For the match, Jaggers recorded two takedowns and five escapes. Wrestling at 157, Steve Sommer (Sr., West Carrollton, Ohio/Dayton Carroll) notched a technical fall vs. Sean Richmond with a 19-4 score. After recording a takedown in the first period, Sommer registered three takedowns and an escape in the second. Sommer then added to his lead in the third period, earning three more takedowns, in addition to a 3-point near-fall and a riding time advantage. Charlie Clark (Fr. Canton, N.Y./Blair Academy), who competed at 165, snagged a 2-0 overtime win against Justin Nestor. With both wrestlers scoreless following the third period, Clark scored a takedown, helping to increase the Buckeyes' lead, 24-3. Up next at 174 was Buckeye Nathaniel Augustson (Sr., Rio Rancho, N.M./Rio Rancho) and Panther Nick Padezan. Augustson beat Padezan, 4-2, notching a takedown and a reversal. Alex Picazo (Jr. Columbus, Ohio/Grandview) wrapped up the Buckeyes' 30-3 victory at 184, defeating Kyle Deliere, 10-3. Up 2-1 after two periods, Picazo solidified the win with three takedowns and an escape, before benefiting from a 1-point riding time call against Pittsburgh. Ohio State will compete in its second and third match in three days vs. Kent State and Cleveland State. The Buckeyes will face the Golden Flashes at 1 p.m. at the Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center in Kent, Ohio, before traveling to Cleveland, Ohio, to match-up against Cleveland State at 7 p.m. at the Woodling Gymnasium. Ohio State vs. Pittsburgh 197 - Corey Morrison(O) mdec Michael Heist(P),11-2 4 0 HWT - Kirk Nail (O) dec Lou Thomas (P), 4-1 7 0 125 - Brad Gentzle(P) dec Nathan Costello (O), 11-5 7 3 133 - Reece Humphrey (O) dec Mike Ciotti (P), 5-0 10 3 141 - T.J. Enright (O) dec Joe Ciampol (P), 7-2 13 3 149 - J Jaggers (O) dec Joey Ecklof (P), 9-8 16 3 157 - Steve Sommer (O) tfall Sean Richmond (P), 19-4 21 3 165 - Charlie Clark (O) dec Justin Nestor (P), 2-0 24 3 174 - Nathaniel Augustson(O) dec Nick Padezan(P), 4-2 27 3 184 - Alex Picazo (O) dec Kyle Deliere (P), 10-3 30 3

STILLWATER, Okla. -- Freshman Michael Sprigg's 3-2 decision in the heavyweight bout capped a stirring Army comeback as the Black Knights' wrestling team rallied from a 12-point deficit to produce a thrilling 19-19 tie versus 23rd-ranked Northern Iowa Thursday afternoon at Gallagher-Iba Arena. The Black Knights (2-0-2), who trailed 19-7 after seven bouts, ripped off three straight victories to end the match and lock up the tie. Senior Luke Calvert began the Black Knights' charge by pinning Dan Dunning in 3 minutes, 18 seconds in the 184-pound matchup. Senior Todd Wisman followed with a 4-3 decision over Andrew Anderson at 197 pounds. The Harrisonburg, Va., native fell behind 2-0 early in the first period before staging his own come-from-behind effort. Wisman used a pair of escapes to knot the score 2-2 after two periods. Anderson used an escape of his own early in the third period to grab a 3-2 lead, and he held that advantage until the waning seconds when Wisman earned the match-winning takedown with just seven seconds left on the clock. Wisman's remarkable triumph set the table for Sprigg's dramatics. The first-year grappler jumped ahead of Tyler Rhodes, 2-0, late in the first period on the strength of a takedown. After allowing a point to Rhodes on an escape just before the first period expired, Sprigg extended his lead to 3-1 when he escaped to open the second stanza. The plebe then held off Rhodes' challenge to claim the three-point decision and give Army its second tie of the young season. Freshman William Simpson began the contest with a 9-5 decision over Seth Wright at 125 pounds. The Nashville, Tenn., product jumped ahead of Wright 4-0 and coasted to the victory. Northern Iowa (2-3-1) won five of the next six bouts to assume a commanding 19-7 advantage through seven matches. Senior Patrick Simpson picked up Army's lone win during that span as the team captain took a 13-2 major decision verdict from Colby Goetsch at 149 pounds. The elder Simpson sports a team-best 15-3 record on the season. Earlier this year, Army tied then-No. 16 Hofstra, 19-19. It is the first time since the 1992-93 campaign that the Black Knights have tied two matches in a season. Army has never tied three matches in a single year. The all-time series between Army and Northern Iowa is now 1-0-1 in favor of the Panthers. Today's contest marked the first meeting between the schools since they met on Jan. 6, 1989. The Black Knights return to the mat tonight when they tangle with three-time defending NCAA national champion Oklahoma State at 7 p.m.

Columbia, Mo. -- A week after taking second place at the Southern Scuffle in Greensboro, N.C., the No. 9 Missouri Tigers return home to wrestle Eastern Illinois and Central Missouri State University (CMSU) back-to-back Jan. 7, with the first bout beginning at noon CST. The Missouri wrestling program is more than familiar with its upcoming opponents, having taken on Eastern Illinois 16 times in their history and grappling against the Mules of CMSU 41 times. Current Tigers Head Coach Brian Smith has never lost to either squad and carries a 6-0 record against each team during his tenure in Columbia, Mo. The last time Missouri and Eastern Illinois shook hands at center circle, the Tigers finished off the 2004-05 regular season with a 28-9 victory. CMSU faced off against the Tigers most recently in 2003-04, with Missouri coming out on top 48-0. Missouri is 10-6 all time against the Panthers and 35-6 versus the Mules. Three Missouri wrestlers have faced opponents they'll likely see again this weekend. Senior Chris McCormick (Leawood, Kan.), the No. 19 competitor in the nation at 141 pounds, beat CMSU's Wade Killgore, 2-0, at the CMSU Open Nov. 13. McCormick has also wrestled his likely Panther opponent, beating Casey Carrino 11-2, Nov. 20, on his way to a Missouri Open title. Freshman heavyweight Sean Connole (Erie, Penn.) has also faced each of the opponents he'll probably shake hands with in center circle on Saturday. In fact, the biggest member of Missouri's lineup has already seen CMSU's Dan Moore twice, beating Moore with a 4-3 decision, Oct. 29, in Connole's first action of the season, then losing to the Mules heavyweight, 5-2, at the CMSU Open. Connole fell to Eastern Illinois Danny Perez Nov. 13, in 1:20. Both heavyweight matchups look to be some of the most exciting bouts of the weekend. No. 1 junior Ben Askren (Hartland, Wis.), who competes at 174 pounds, will take on a familiar opponent in Eastern Illinois Kenny Robertson, ranked No. 13 in the country. The only ranked Division 1 wrestler the Tigers will face this weekend, Robertson was pinned by Askren in 2:20 at the CMSU Open Nov. 29, their only meeting of the season. The Tigers wrestle Eastern Illinois in the first dual at noon and take on Central Missouri State at approximately 2 p.m. CST.

Manheim, Pa. -- Wrestling fans can expect the best competition in the nation to take the 16 mats at the 2006 NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals presented by PayDay PROTM. Amongst the 80 college teams competing in the seven divisions of collegiate wrestling on January 14-15 at the University of Northern Iowa's UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa, will be the nation's top-ranked Division I team, Oklahoma State. Pairings for the annual event will be released on Tuesday, Jan. 10. The Cowboys have won the past three NCAA Division I team titles and return four NCAA individual national champions. In its history, Oklahoma State has won 33 national championships and is the defending champion of the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals. "We feel that this is going to be one of the best wrestling tournaments ever held in the United States," said NWCA Executive Director Mike Moyer. "You have representation from every level of collegiate wrestling, varsity and club, men and women all under one roof. This will be a fantastic event for the fans. Last season, the Cowboys beat Illinois to claim the team championship. Illinois and coach Mark Johnson won't return to the National Duals, but Minnesota, Oklahoma, Michigan, Central Michigan and Hofstra do. The 2006 Division I field will see fresh faces from some familiar programs. Coming back to the National Duals will be: Cornell, Iowa, Iowa State, Kent State, Northwestern, Missouri, Northern Illinois, Arizona State, Nebraska and host Northern Iowa. "Having all three Iowa Division I programs in the field will really make it exciting for the fans," Moyer said. "There are few places where the passion about collegiate wrestling is rivaled than the state of Iowa." Top-ranked Nebraska-Omaha will attempt to defend its 2005 National Duals title. The Mavericks also boast one of the nation's top heavyweights, in three-time NCAA Division II Champion Les Sigman. Traditional Division II powers from all around the nation will make the D-II tournament one of the most competitive of all the seven divisions competing. Minnesota State, Mankato, Pitt-Johnstown, Nebraska-Kearney, and Central Oklahoma are ranked behind Nebraska-Omaha in the latest NWCA Division II wrestling rankings and all are competing during the weekend. Upper Iowa is also in the field for the first-time as a member of Division II. Also joining the top five are: Ashland (Ohio), UNC Pembroke, Augustana (S.D.), Gannon (Pa.), Findlay (Ohio), Mercyhurst (Pa.), Shippensburg (Pa.), Central Missouri State, Fort Hays State (Kansas), and Minnesota State, Moorhead. Wartburg (Iowa) and Augsburg (Minn.) have been atop the Division III rankings for seemingly the past decade, but the Division III field at the National Duals will likely challenge Division III's top teams. Augsburg beat Wartburg in last year's Division III National Duals finals. Joining Wartburg and Augsburg are: Delaware Valley (Pa.), Ohio Northern, John Carroll (Ohio), Wisconsin-La Crosse, Luther (Iowa), Augustana (Ill.), Simpson (Iowa), McDaniel (Md.), Coe (Iowa), St. John's (Minn.), Wilmington (Ohio), Buena Vista (Iowa), Wisconsin-Steven's Point, and Cornell College (Iowa). The NAIA field has expanded to 16-teams and the ever-growing division that's comprised of many small, private colleges, heads away from the quad-meet format to a full, 16-team bracket. Top-ranked Lindenwood (Mo.) will be targeted by 16 of the top NAIA programs. Joining Lindenwood in the field are: Bacone (Okla.) College, University of Cumberlands (Ky.), Missouri Valley College, Campbellsville University (Ky.), Cumberland University (Tenn.), Dakota Wesleyan College, Dana (Neb.) College, Dickinson (S.D.) College, Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) Aeronautical, Jamestown (N.D.) College, McKendree (Ill.) College, King College (Tenn.), Southern Oregon University, Montana State-Northern, William Penn (Iowa). The Junior College tournament also expands from four to eight teams with the following schools wrestling in a bracketed format for the first time: Colby Community College, Ellsworth Community College, Itasca Community College, Labetter Community College, Lincoln College, Ridgewater College, Northwest College and William Rainey Harper College. Women's collegiate freestyle teams make their second appearance with the collegiate programs at Missouri Valley, the University of the Cumberlands and the University of Northern Michigan's U.S. Olympic Education Center coming back for a second-time. The National Collegiate Wrestling Association is also putting teams on the mat for the first time. The association which governs the national tournaments for unassociated college programs and wrestling club teams will see New Hampshire, Grand Valley State and Central Florida compete at the UNI-Dome. "The addition of the NCWA teams to the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals shows that the sport of wrestling is growing with interest," Moyer said. "These are athletes that want to wrestle because they love to wrestle." TICKET PRICES AND SCHEDULE UNI-Dome, University of Northern Iowa All Sessions Pass $25 All Sessions Senior/Student* $17 All Session Group Tickets(8+)** $17 Individual Session $12 Individual Session Senior/Student* $8 Individual Session Group Tickets(8+)** $8 Session I 9 AM - 3PM Saturday Session II 3 PM - 11PM Saturday Session III 9 AM - 5 PM Sunday

San Francisco, Calif. -- As announced by the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) office, San Francisco State University junior wrestler *Virgil Lockett (San Francisco, CA/Skyline College) has been named the RMAC Wrestler of the Week for the week of December 26-January 1. Lockett went 2-2 at the 43rd Annual Midlands Championships in Evanston, Ill., which was hosted by Northwestern University on December 29th and 30^th . He defeated both Josh Prichard and Mike Lopez of Luther (Iowa), but lost to the eventual individual champion Tommy Vargas of NCAA Division I Cal State Bakersfield. He was then eliminated by the No. 3 seed and seventh place finisher Andy Hiatt of Division I Northern Illinois University. With his 2-2 showing at the Midlands, Lockett improved to 9-6 this season and has the second-most victories in the RMAC for the 133-pound weight class. SF State will return to the mat this Sunday, January 8^th in Portland, Oregon, as the Gators participate in the Portland State University Open.

NORMAN, Okla. -- The No. 3 Oklahoma Sooners hit the road to begin 2006 when they travel to Grand Prairie, Texas, to compete in the Lonestar Duals. The Sooners are looking to get back on the winning track after finishing 2005 with a tie and a loss to Lehigh and Oklahoma State respectively. Oklahoma will be competing against Clarion, Utah Valley State and Cal-State Fullerton. The Sooners will take on Clarion in session two beginning at 10 a.m., Utah Valley State in session five at 4 p.m. and Cal-State Fullerton in session 7 beginning at 8 p.m. "We are looking forward to the Lonestar Duals after the grind of two-a-days during the break," said head coach Jack Spates. "We are very optimistic about this weekend. This year's Lonestar Duals will be very unique because we will be the only top 20 team competing. But were going to have a lot of competitive matches and it will be a challenge." The Sooners come into the Duals with eight wrestlers ranked in the top 20 of their respective weight classes. Following this weekend's action, the Sooners return to the mat when they travel to Cedar Falls, Iowa, to compete in the NWCA National Duals on Saturday, Jan. 14 and Sunday, Jan. 15.

A few weeks ago in my 'Wrestling Gumbo' column, I mentioned the need for better centralized record keeping in collegiate wrestling. I wrote the point after a search for Kaufman-Brand Open results online. As a result, I would like to spend some additional time digging into the existing situation and propose a high-level solution. Try This Go to Google and type in "Laurence Maroney Stats" (former University of Minnesota running back). Click on any of the top entries. See how many yards per carry he averaged for the last three seasons? How about the number of carries he had this year? Easy. Now try this: Go to ncaasports.com and look up the national leader for 'Aces' in Division 1 women's volleyball (here is the link: http://web1.ncaa.org/stats/StatsSrv/rankings?sportCode=WVB) … Mary Hock from Winthorp. And finally: Go to Google, ncaasports.com, the Iowa State team site or any other search engine and find returning All-American Nate Gallick's current record this year. Couldn't find it? Me either. The Current Results Situation 1. No Centralized and Searchable Results Take a look at the sports that have centralized results and searchable statistics on ncaasports.com. You tell me which of the groupings of college sports you think wrestling should be in? Searchable Results / Stats (The Haves)No Results / Stats (The Have Nots) Football Soccer (Men's and Women's) Volleyball (Women's Only) Basketball (Men's and Women's) Baseball Softball Lacrosse (Men's and Women's) Rowing (Standings Only)Wrestling Water Polo (Men's and Women's) Bowling Fencing Rifle Skiing Gymnastics (Men's and Women's) Track and Field Golf (Men's and Women's) Tennis Volleyball (Men's) 2. Wrestling Results Scattered Across the Web Wrestling results are sporadically scattered all over the internet -- some wrestling news sources (RevWrestling, Intermat, WrestlingMall, etc.) publish prominent results; college and university Web sites house their own results; and lastly tournament Web sites show results from their respective tournament (usually in bracket format). No single destination has a comprehensive view of NCAA wrestling results. The results are typically incomplete and frequently incorrect. It is very difficult to find a wrestlers match history and feel confident that it is correct. 3. Wrestling Results are Considered Proprietary Information This is wrong! The results are the results and they are the history of the sport. Results should not be used as a tool for profit. The results are records of events that should be shared across the wrestling community. Today, wrestling results and match histories are 'semi-owned' by media sources because overall, the wrestling community lacks the infrastructure and resources to keep accurate records in a centralized and shared manner. 4. Wrestling Results and Statistics are an Administrative Nightmare Anyone that has been involved in recording, compiling, and updating wrestling results will tell you that it is a tedious and thankless job with a high incidence of error. The mistakes and incomplete data add to the black box of collegiate wrestling results. Here are a few of the key players in the wrestling results game: a. The wrestling manager/statistician -- This person somehow manages the team scorebook while watching 3 matches simultaneously. If he/she misses a takedown, no big deal (or is it) as long as he/she gets the final score right. He/She will also be compiling all of the statistics for the team at the end of the day. These may or may not be made to the public via the team's website or paper stat sheets. b. The Tournament Director/Staff -- This person completes the bracket sheets ensuring that the correct wrestlers move forward in the championship and drop down into the wrestle backs. c. The College/University Sports Information Director (SID) -- This person summarizes the match or tournament results and sends them to the wrestling media outlets. The SID may also include a tournament bracket .pdf as supporting documentation. d. The Wrestling Media Outlet (RevWrestling, InterMat, WIN Magazine, etc.) -- The media gathers wrestling results from SIDs and other sources and either attaches the .pdf tournament results or re-enters the match results. Media outlets (i.e. The Wrestling Mall) trying to capture each individuals match history have an especially cumbersome administrative effort that is worth commending. 5. No Standardized Result Data What information (exactly) is required to be recorded across all collegiate matches to ensure accurate records are being kept? Just the match result? The win by wrestler A over Wrester B? The time of the fall? Number of takedowns? Choice of Wrestler A in the second period? Number of cautions? If there is a required set of data that needs to be captured for each match, I am unaware of it. 6. The Sport has No Leader Categories Basic leader categories are missing from the sport. In my opinion, this is a lost opportunity for creating additional buzz in the sport. At a minimum, wrestling fans should be able to know who the national leaders are in the following categories: Wins, Takedowns, Near Fall Points, Technical Falls, and Pins. For example -- who is leading the nation in pins this season? I am guessing Ben Askren, but how can I be sure? And if it is Ben Askren, how close is he going to come to the all-time record for pins in a season? The Idea Before I get drilled by some technical architect, database administrator, or some other technical guru, let me just start by saying I am NO expert. I am just trying to lay out a conceptual idea for the entry, storage, and retrieval of wrestling results. I am proposing that the wrestling community move to a centralized results repository that is open to all entities interested in wrestling results and match history. The repository would be administered by a non-profit organization whose goal is to promote the sport of collegiate wrestling. Here is a high-level diagram of the idea: The Results Entry No one has the bandwidth or resources to manually enter all wrestling results across the country. Everyone interested in wrestling results needs to be involved. In my opinion, the primary responsibility for updating results into the shared repository would be the Sports Information Director (SID) for the home college/university. Simple -- the match gets over and the college designee (intern, team manager, SID) enters the result. But at the end of the day, the SID is responsible for ensuring the entry happens. We also know that not all college SIDs/or college designees are going to ensure that the results are updated. We will need a back-up layer of resources for data entry. This is where the 'Super Fan' comes in. The 'Super Fan' is an approved entry point for statistics. He/She is someone who is a close follower of the sport who will take pride in ensuring that their favorite team and/or conference has the most up to date results. When they see missing results, they take the lead to enter them. For example, you can bet that I am going to be sure my former Wisconsin wrestling conference has their results updated. If they are not, I will take the lead to gather them, and get them updated into the shared repository. Why? Because it is good for the sport! As a third data entry point, I think that interfaces should be built that allow the tournament tracking software (Escape Sports, etc.) to update the results repository upon the completion of a tournament. This would save a significant amount of manual entry for everyone else. The Repository The database and data needs to be owned by an organization that is independent of the colleges, universities, and media outlets. Maybe the database is owned by the 'Super Fans' to ensure completeness and accuracy. The key point is that it needs to be independent to ensure it will always be shared and free from 'for profit' ideas. The Administrators of the database will be responsible for handling conflicting result entries, data clean-up, and general database administration functions. It will not be their job to gather and input the data. They keep and maintain the data and make it useable to fans, universities/colleges, and media. Back to my earlier point, the minimum fields that make up a wrestling result will need to be determined and used as a starting point for the data model. If I were putting it together today, I would require the following fields (at a minimum): -- Date -- Event (Dual Meet or Tournament) -- Winning Wrestler and Team -- Losing Wrester and Team -- Final Score -- Time of Fall (if occurred) Results Retrieval The entered results will be easily accessible to fans via standard reports such as "Current Win Leaders", or "Record for all Big Ten 125-pound wrestlers". Fans will also have the ability to query the database and perform searches specifically for the data they want to analyze. Another beauty of the shared results repository is that instead of trying to update every score, incur the cost of data entry, and deal with the administrative nightmare - a set of web services would be made available to university and media Web sites that would allow them to ask for and retrieve (in an automated fashion) the results data that they would like to display. The site that receives the data will only have to focus on what to display and how to display it. In Conclusion I have to say it one more time -- in my opinion, wrestling results should not be considered proprietary information! They need to be shared across the sport for the greater good of the sport. They need to be accurate, timely, and comprehensive. They also need to be searchable and provide the ability for "Leader" categories in the sport. The solution presented above is by no means cutting edge, or technically innovating, or even necessarily the right answer -- but we as a wrestling community have a real problem with our results and history that needs to be addressed. Anyone ready to take the lead!?!

First of all, let me say welcome back to everyone. I hope you all had a safe and fun Christmas break and a Happy New Year! If you were like us, your coach scheduled a real convenient practice early on January 1, just to keep everyone in line, which is probably good for all of us anyway. I'd tell you what my New Year's resolution is, but I made it last year after a disappointing national tournament, and I'm sure we all have the same one anyway. To me, January is when the real wrestling season starts. You get all the guys back in your line-up, your conference dual schedule goes into full swing, and the end is just around the corner, which can be good or bad depending on how you look at it … and how you finish. This last week has been a challenge for much of our team. Our coaching staff implemented some changes, and it has been interesting to say the least. One of the better policies they came up with is wearing only our wrestling gear to practices. Now, I am sure there are many teams across the nation that have this in place, but is was very interesting to see all stuff guys were wearing before this policy was implemented into our program, as I am sure you can imagine. Old high school shirts, soccer and softball tees, and basketball shorts (which I don't know how people wrestle in basketball shorts anyway, but they do) were just a few items we were seeing on a daily basis. I think that being in uniform as a team provides a strong sense of togetherness. We actually look like a team now, instead of a bunch of guys who came to Dana for a year-long camp or something. It was pretty hilarious though to see what some of the guys came up with who were first or second year members on the team and did not have a lot of gear. They were writing "DANA WRESTLING" on plain white and gray shirts, and even drawing our mascot on the back of them, or putting inspirational quotes on the back. Willie ParksSenior Willie Parks (184 pounds) jokes to all the guys that he will make anyone on the team a shirt for five bucks, so long as they provide the shirt. I think it has been a good thing to keep us all in a good mood and ready to get after it, which we have been doing overtime lately. We are getting geared up for National Duals, which will be a new experience for many of us. Dana has never been there before, and we hope to make an impact our first trip there. It is a good chance for us to wrestle many teams that we don't dual or even see all year long until nationals, and also a way to see where we are really at on the national scene. We have been having mandatory two-a-days this last week, which although I have been quite sore from their intensity, I think it is a good thing. Deepening your conditioning is never a bad thing, and it gives the younger guys a chance to see what it takes to really make an impact. I mean, many of the guys on our team are wondering why we have to have two workouts a day, and they don't understand the best guys never settle for less than two workouts a day, be it running, drilling, wrestling, lifting, or whatever. All I can say is that I am getting amped up about the next two months. Two months and many guys, including me, will be wrestling in their last collegiate tournament. I look forward to making the best out of the next two months, doing anything I can to make myself and my team better. Coach Costanzo told us the other day, "You have to know that you have gotten better today and done everything you can to get better before you go to bed. If you haven't, you better get your butt out of bed and go get it done." I am not looking forward to realizing I didn't do everything I could have that day and getting out of bed to go do it, but I know that is what it takes, and I will do it when the time comes. Remember, the only one you really have to blame is yourself. No one else. So get out of bed and go get it done. Until next time, keep getting better. Marshall Marquardt Past Entries: Entry 7 (12/28/05) Entry 6 (12/7/05) Entry 5 (11/23/05) Entry 4 (11/9/05) Entry 3 (10/26/05) Entry 2 (10/13/05) Entry 1 (10/1/05)

The Eagle wrestlers will open the Mid American Conference season against Ohio University tomorrow, January 4, at 7 p.m. at Bowen Field House. Eastern is 1-2 in the young season while Ohio is 3-4. Both teams have extremely young squads and this will should be a very evenly matched meet. Ohio's top wrestlers are in the upper weights led by Brian Cesear at 184, Ryan Knapp at 174 and Marcus Adelman at 285. Adelman has been out with an injury but may return for this meet. By contrast, the Eagles strength has been in the lower weights. They are led by freshman Sean Clair at 125 and junior Jermaine Thompson at 149. Clair is ranked 17th nationally this week by Amateur Wrestling News following a 4th place finish at the Southern Scuffle. Clair will face Ohio's highly regarded Caleb Metcalf. Thompson is currently ranked 18th by the Wrestling Report and will return to action following a layoff during the Southern Scuffle. Here are the projected line-ups: Eastern Michigan Eagles (1-2) Ohio University Bobcats (3-4) 125 #17 Sean Clair (19-8) Caleb Metcalf (10-9) 133 Phillip Plowman (0-0) or Chris Jenkins (6-8) Terry Jackson (4-4) 141 Nick Conklin (2-4) Frank Brown (3-5) 149 #18 Jermaine Thompson (6-2) Aaron Gomoll (9-8) 157 Chad Roush (7-5) or Quinn Guernsey (0-0) Mike Grandominico (1-5) 165 Don Funk (0-2) or Quinn Guernsey (0-0) Kent Smith (3-8) 174 Josh Lewis (3-9) Ryan Knapp (12-10) 184 John McClure (3-10) Brian Cesear (12-8) 197 Tony Lyssiotis (9-9) Larry Reichard (5-6) 285 Jake Wood (4-6) Dave Campbell (1-6) or Marcus Adelman (5-3)