InterMat Staff

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. -- Hofstra won eight of the nine contested matches and defeated Sacred Heart, 38-3, Saturday afternoon in an Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association match at the David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex. The match was the final regular season contest for the Pride, who finished the season with a record of 11-5 overall and a perfect 7-0 in the EIWA. The teams split the first two matches with Vinny Vespa winning an 8-6 decision over the Pioneers Gerard Daly. Nick Palumbo evened the match at 149 with a 6-2 decision over Reece Heller. Hofstra then reeled off wins in the next seven bouts that took place beginning with a win by first period fall from Holden Heller at 157 pounds over Shaun Williams. Ricky Stamm defeated Brandon Levesque at 165, 6-5, and Charles Small picked up a 7-5 sudden victory decision over Kyle Davis at 184. Davis is ranked 32nd in the nation by Wrestlestat. Trey Rogers scored a major decision at 197 over Nick Fierro, 22-11, while Zachary Knighton-Ward majored Dante DelBonis at 285, 11-3. Dylan Ryder closed things out on the mat with a first period fall on Sean Faraon at 125. Sacred Heart forfeited at 133 pounds. Sacred Heart fell to 8-5 overall and 3-5 in conference with the loss. Hofstra returns to action at the EIWA Championships in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, on March 6-7. Notes: -Hofstra is 12-0 all-time against Sacred Heart -Hofstra has won eight consecutive dual meets, its longest streak since the 2011-12 season. -Hofstra finished undefeated in EIWA play for the first time since joining the league in 2013-14 and for the first time in any conference since 2007-08 (CAA). -Ryder picked up his fifth win by fall of the season, which is third on the team. -Holden Heller earned his fourth win by fall. -Rogers major decision was his team-leading seventh of the year. -Ryder, Sage Heller, and Rogers enter the EIWA's on eight-match win streaks. Results: 141: Vinny Vespa (HOF) dec. Gerard Daly (SHU), 8-6 149: Nick Palumbo (SHU) dec. Reece Heller (HOF), 6-2 157: Holden Heller (HOF) wbf. Shaun William (SHU), 2:02 165: Ricky Stamm (HOF) dec. Brandon Levesque (SHU), 6-5 184: Charles Small (HOF) dec. Kyle Davis (SHU), 7-5 sv 197: Trey Rogers (HOF) maj. dec. Nick Fierro (SHU), 22-11 285: Zachary Knighton-Ward (HOF) maj. dec. Dante DelBonis (SHU), 11-3 125: Dylan Ryder (HOF) wbf. Sean Faraon (SHU), 2:38 133: Justin Hoyle wins by forfeit

NEW YORK -- The Bucknell wrestling team edged Columbia, 18-14, in its dual finale on Saturday at the University Gymnasium "Blue Gym." Brandon Stokes sealed the Bison's 10th dual victory of the season, edging Danny Conley by a 2-0 decision at heavyweight. Bucknell wrapped up its dual season with a 10-6 (9-3 EIWA) record. After falling in an early 9-0 hole by ceding three tight decisions at 125, 133 and 141 pounds, the Bison won the next four bouts to take a 12-9 lead. Matthew Kolonia (149) held off a furious Andrew Garr comeback bid to win by an 8-7 decision. Then, Jaden Fisher (157) rolled to an 8-2 decision over David Berkovich. The Hartman brothers followed with a pair of tight victories. Zach Hartman, Intermat's 15th-ranked wrestler at 165 pounds, was a 4-2 victor over Riley Jacops while Mitch Hartman (174) topped Lennox Wolak by a 5-3 decision. A tech fall at 184 pounds halted Bucknell's run and put Columbia up, 14-12. Drew Phipps (197) gave the Bison a 15-14 lead with his 5-1 decision over Sam Wustefeld, setting up Stokes's match-sealing heroics. After a scoreless first period, Stokes rode out Wustefeld for the entirety of the second period. A quick escape in the third period helped lock in the riding time point, propelling Stokes to his 2-0 decision. During 2019-20 dual action, Phipps (14-2), Z. Hartman (13-1), Kolonia (10-5) and Darren Miller (10-6) all reached the double digits in victories. Phipps's win was his team-leading 26th of the season, breaking his previous season best by one; he also won a team-best 10 EIWA dual bouts, finishing 10-2. The Bison next compete at the EIWA Championships in Bethlehem, Pa. on Friday, March 6 and Saturday, March 7. Results: 125: Joe Manchio (CU) dec. over Geo Barzona (BU) 3-1 (SV-1) 133: Angelo Rini (CU) dec. over Darren Miller (BU) 4-1 141: Matt Kazimir (CU) dec. over David Campbell (BU) 6-2 149: Matthew Kolonia (BU) dec. over Andrew Garr (CU) 8-7 157: Jaden Fisher (BU) dec. over David Berkovich (CU) 8-2 165: #15 Zach Hartman (BU) dec. over Riley Jacops (CU) 4-2 174: Mitch Hartman (BU) dec. over Lennox Wolak (CU) 5-3 184: Joe Franzese (CU) tech fall over Kyle Inlander (BU) 16-0 (3:00) 197: Drew Phipps (BU) dec. over Sam Wustefeld (CU) 5-1 285: Brandon Stokes (BU) dec. over Danny Conley (CU) 2-0

CHARLESTON and CLINTON, S.C. -- The VMI wrestling team swept two important Southern Conference road matches Saturday, a thrilling 20-19 win over The Citadel and a 34-10 win at Presbyterian College. With the victories, the Keydets move into fourth place in the eight-team conference. In a bout where every point mattered, The Citadel took a 16-6 lead with just four matches remaining. Red-shirt senior Neal Richards earned six points with a quick pin (1:06) at 174, followed by an 7-3 decision for Max Gallahan at 184 to make it a one-point match. Freshman Zach Brown picked up five points with an 18-0 tech fall victory to put The Keydets ahead 20-16 and Chris Beck lost a tight 3-2 decision at 285 to make the final score 20-19. Cliff Conway and Will Lawrence each won by decision at 133 and 157, respectively. Seven Keydets won their matches at Presbyterian later on Saturday. Conway earned his second victory of the day, 5-3 at 133. Noah Roulo pinned his foe at 141 as did Chris Beck at 285. Seth Fillers won by a major decision at 149 and Jon Hoover won as well at 165. Richards and Brown won via forfeit. VMI (6-12/3-3 SoCon) closes out the regular season Sunday at Appalachian State University at 3 p.m. VMI 20, The Citadel 19 125: Jordie White (CIT) over John McGarry (VMI) (FALL 1:20) 133: Clifton Conway (VMI) over Nathan Orosco (CIT) (Dec 9-6) 141: Jake Rotunda (CIT) over Noah Roulo (VMI) (Dec 19-13) 149: Selwyn Porter(CIT) over Seth Fillers (VMI) (Major Dec. 13-2) 157: William Lawrence (VMI) over Douglas Gudenburr (CIT) (Dec 6-3) 165: Dazjon Casto (CIT) over Jon Hoover (VMI) (Dec 8-3s) 174: Neal Richards (VMI) over Jared Zenie (CIT) (Fall 1:06) 184: Max Gallahan (VMI) over Kyle Kretzer (CIT) (Dec 7-3) 197: Zachary Brown over Houston Tywater (CIT) (Tech Fall 18-0) 285: Michael McAleavey (CIT) over Chris Beck (VMI) (Dec 3-2) VMI 34, Presbyterian 10 125: Jacob Brasseur (PC) def. John McGarry (VMI) MD 17-5 133: Cliff Conway (VMI) def. Khalid Brinkley (PC) Dec. 5-3 141: Noah Roulo (VMI) def. Justin Nobles (PC) Fall 2:13 149: Seth Fillers (VMI) def. Bryton Goering (PC) MD 15-7 157: Zachary Phillips (PC) def. Will Lawrence (VMI) TB-1 3-2 165: Jon Hoover (VMI) def. Parker Corwin (PC) Dec. 3-1 174: Neal Richards (VMI) wins by forfeit 184: Austin Stith (PC) def. Max Gallahan (VMI) Dec. 3-2 197: Zach Brown (VMI) wins by forfeit 285: Chris Beck (VMI) def. Imani Heslop (PC) Fall 3:34

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Junior Nino Bastianelli tallied his third pin of the season to propel Brown University wrestling to a 19-18 win over Harvard University in a tiebreaker on Saturday afternoon at the Pizzitola Sports Center. In their home and Ivy finale, the Bears (3-8, 3-7 EIWA, 1-4 Ivy) never trailed in the match and held a lead as large as eight points at 18-10 on their way to the win over the visiting Crimson (3-10, 3-7 EIWA, 1-4 Ivy) on tiebreaker criterion 3.21.B (greater number of falls, forfeits, defaults, and disqualifications). "All 10 of our guys competed hard today, and we needed all of them to get the win," Brown head coach Todd Beckerman said. "Everyone made contributions at key moments against a very tough Harvard team. It's great to be able to close out our home schedule with an Ivy win." Bastianelli (Marysville, Mich.) notched his 16th win of the season and his first-period fall at 197 pounds proved the difference in the contest. Seniors Trey Keeley (Washington, Ill.) and Jimmy Pawelski (Park Ridge, Ill.), sophomore Cade Wilson (Nazareth, Pa.), and freshman Ricky Cabanillas (Whippany, N.J.) all earned wins via decisions. Cabanillas tallied his team-high 21st win of the season, Pawelski notched his 14th win of the year – and fifth straight victory – and Keeley charted his 11th win of the year. Opening the dual at 174 pounds, Wilson registered a 4-2 win over Peter Ferraro. After Ferraro started the scoring with a takedown, Wilson shut him out the rest of the way, scoring an escape in the first, reversal in the second, and a point for riding time. Bastianelli recorded the Bears' next win, topping Evan Callahan with a fall in 1:17 at 197 pounds, giving Brown a 9-3 edge in the team score. At 125 pounds, Keeley kept Brown up 12-7 in the team score behind a 4-1 win over Beau Bayless. Keeley notched a takedown in the first period and a reversal in the second stanza en route to the win. After Harvard pulled within 12-10, Pawelski and Cabanillas earned back-to-back victories to extend Brown's lead to 18-10. Pawelski tallied a 4-0 shutout win at 141 pounds over Lukus Stricker with a takedown in the first, escape in the second, and point for riding time. Cabanillas followed with an 8-4 victory over Zeth Dean at 149 pounds, scoring a takedown in the first, reversal in the second, and four points in the third. Two Bears pushed their opponents to sudden victory before dropping decisions. Sophomore Brandon Kui (Wayne, N.J.) fell 3-1 at 184 pounds to Michael Doggett while junior Charlie Faber (Glen Ellyn, Ill.) fell 15-12 to Michael Jaffe at 133 pounds. Next, Brown concludes its regular season at Sacred Heart tomorrow – Sunday, Feb. 23 – at 4:30 p.m. before competing at the EIWA Championships from March 6-7. Results: 174: Cade Wilson (B) def. Peter Ferraro (H), Dec. 4-2 (Brown 3-0) 184: Michael Doggett (H) def. Brandon Kui (B), Dec. 3-1 SV-1 (Tied 3-3) 197: Nino Bastianelli (B) def. Evan Callahan (H), Fall 1:17 (Brown 9-3) 285: No. 10 Yaraslau Slavikouski (H) def. Thomas Mukai (B), MD 18-6 (Brown 9-7) 125: Trey Keeley (B) def. Beau Bayless (H), Dec. 4-1 (Brown 12-7) 133: Michael Jaffe (H) def. Charlie Faber (B), Dec. 14-12 SV-1 (Brown 12-10) 141: Jimmy Pawelski (B) def. Lukus Stricker (H), Dec. 4-0 (Brown 15-10) 149: Ricky Cabanillas (B) def. Zeth Dean (H), Dec. 8-4 (Brown 18-10) 157: Hunter Ladnier (H) def. Jack Bokina (B), MD 12-0 (Brown 18-14) 165: No. 19 Phil Conigliaro (H) def. Matt Lattanze (B), MD 12-3 (Tied 18-18) * Brown wins on tiebreaker criterion 3.21.B (Greater number of falls, forfeits, defaults, and disqualifications)

It was a rough night for former top-ranked amateur wrestlers, as Ed Ruth, Tyrell Fortune and Shawn Bunch all came out on the losing end of their bouts at Bellator 239 at WinStar World Casino and Resort in Thackerville, Okla. Friday night. One exception: former Oklahoma State mat star Kyle Crutchmer tallied another victory in his young pro mixed martial arts career via first-round submission Ruth loses unanimous decision to Amosov Here's how Sherdog.com opened its coverage of the main event at Bellator 239: "American Top Team's Yaroslav Amosov kept his perfect professional record intact and climbed yet another rung on the Bellator MMA ladder, as he notched a unanimous decision over three-time NCAA wrestling champion Ed Ruth in the Bellator 239 headliner." Ed Ruth and Yaroslav Amosov (Photo/Bellator)All three judges scored the welterweight (170-pound) bout 29-28 for Amosov. "In the main event, Ruth had a hard time getting anything going against the talented Ukrainian fighter as Amosov was able to stuff Ruth's takedowns, sometimes in truly impressive fashion," according to MMAFighting.com "Conversely, when he wasn't shucking off takedowns, Amosov was able to land decent punches and even scored takedowns of his own on the decorated collegiate wrestler. The fight ended up turning largely into a volume kickboxing match, with Amosov's punches outscoring Ruth's range kicking game." After the win, Yaroslav Amosov paid tribute to Ed Ruth. "It was a very, very tough fight," Amosov told MMA Junkie. "It was the most difficult fight of my life. But I always believe in myself. He was a very good wrestler, but I'm also a very good wrestler. "I'm fighting in a very tough division in Bellator. It's one of the toughest divisions in the world with a lot of wrestlers and strikers. I'm happy to be among these strong fighters." It was only the second loss of Ruth's pro MMA career which he launched in November 2016 with the Bellator organization. The former Penn State wrestling champ is now 8-2. Amosov remains perfect at 23-0 overall, and 4-0 in Bellator. Fortune suffers first loss of pro MMA career "In the surprise of the evening, veteran wrestler Tim Johnson shocked the Bellator universe by cold-cocking elite heavyweight prospect Tyrell Fortune in one of the biggest upsets of the year thus far," reported MMA Fighting.com. "Fortune entered the bout as a -800 favorite and was expected to keep his rise up the ranks moving right along but just 2 minutes and 35 seconds into the first round, Johnson pushed Fortune back up against the cage and unloaded a right hook perfectly on the button of Fortune that turned the lights out immediately and handed the former national champion wrestler his first loss in MMA." The Johnson-Fortune match had been previously booked for Bellator 233, only to have it fall through until it was added to the Bellator 239 card last month. With this first loss, Fortune, who started his MMA career in November 2016, is now 8-1 overall, with the same mark in Bellator competition. Johnson improves to 13-6 overall and is now 1-2 in Bellator bouts. The 30-year-old Fortune brought impressive amateur wrestling credentials to this weekend's match-up, as a two-time Oregon high school state champ, two-time national junior college champ at Clackamas Community College, and NCAA Division II heavyweight champ for the now-defunct mat program at Grand Canyon University. Crutchmer submits a win, while Bunch falls In other preliminary action, Kyle Crutchmer, two-time Big 12 champ and NCAA All-American for Oklahoma State, scored a first-round submission of Scott Futell in a 175-pound contract weight preliminary bout added to the Bellator 239 event just two weeks ago. The 26-year-old Crutchmer is now 6-0 in his professional mixed martial arts career launched in June 2018, and 2-0 within the Bellator organization. And, in a bantamweight (135-pound) preliminary card match, Shawn Bunch -- a two-time NCAA Division I All-American wrestler at Edinboro University -- came out on the losing end of a unanimous decision to Keith Lee. Judges scored it 30-26, 29-28, 29-27 for Lee. The 36-year-old Bunch is now 9-5 overall in an MMA career going back to 2012, and 2-2 in Bellator.

Dr. John Raber, former Georgia politician and professor who ran wrestling camps, served as a wrestling official, and received a lifetime service award from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, died Thursday, Feb. 20. He was 81. Dr. John Raber (Photo/Tom Reed)Known affectionately as "Doctor John," Raber refereed at a number of NCAA wrestling championships, and was founder and president of the All-South Officials Association. He also shared his knowledge and experience at his popular Doctor John Wrestling Camps in Georgia in the 1970s and 80s. For all these contributions to wrestling, Raber was honored with the Lifetime Service to Wrestling award by the Georgia Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2003. George McIntyre, long-time wrestling official who wrestled at Tennessee-Chattanooga in the 1970s, shared a number of amusing stories to InterMat about officiating with Raber ... then said, "John is the man who told a tournament director to give me an opportunity to officiate a national tournament after one year as a high school official. I looked up to him and learned so much." Beyond wrestling, Raber was a professor at University of Northern Georgia for 23 years, served two terms as mayor of Dahlonega, Ga., and was on the Lumpkin County Board of Commissioners for seven years. Dahlonega Mayor Sam Norton described Raber as a "real asset for the community" who would be missed, telling the Gainesville Times, "He was a public servant and made a huge impact in his many years of tenure." Funeral arrangements have yet to be announced.

Andy Hrovat wrestling Mo Lawal at the 2008 Olympic Team Trials (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Andy Hrovat, former University of Michigan NCAA All-American wrestler who also competed in international freestyle (including the 2008 Olympics), this week became the first Wolverine athlete to publicly reveal that he had been abused by a university doctor at the Ann Arbor school twenty years ago. Earlier this week, at least a half-dozen other former Michigan athletes stated that they had been abused by a school doctor, some cases going back more than a half-century. The doctor implicated in the reports, Robert E. Anderson, was a former director of the University Health Service at Michigan, spending years as a top physician for various Wolverine intercollegiate sports teams from 1968 until his retirement in 2003. He died in 2008. According to the Detroit News, the University of Michigan said it was first alerted to allegations against Anderson in July 2018, when a former student athlete wrote to Athletic Director Warde Manuel to detail abuse during medical exams by Anderson in the early 1970s. The school issued a press release calling for any victims of Anderson's alleged misconduct -- including sexual abuse, as well as unneeded or unwanted exams -- to contact the university. "I would like to let people know that it's OK to come out," Hrovat said in an interview from his attorney's office in Denver on Thursday, Feb. 20. "It's OK to let your voice be heard." Hrovat posted this plea on his Facebook page the same day: "If any of my fellow Michigan Wrestling alumni who saw Doc A and knew what he was doing wasn't right I have a friend who is taking clients for the case against the university. I told this lawyer years ago when the MSU [Michigan State] case [regarding Dr. Larry Nasser and women's gymnasts] opened that UM would eventually have this on their hands. "Contact me if you want his information. "When I was a freshman in 1998 it was common knowledge that Doc A was a creep and it was treated as a joke within the athletic department. Athletes who went in for sickness or injury the doc made you take your pants off to check your genitals. His excuse was that was his 'specialty.'" "This has nothing to do with your love for the University and the wrestling team or the great friends we made through the program. This is about a hypocritical university that sets one standard for student athletes and another set of standards for their own actions. "Already the administration is lying about when they knew about this. The deed as already been done and turning a blind eye to justice would show to the university that there are no consequences for their covering up of a creepy doctor." The allegations involving Anderson and student-athletes at University of Michigan from decades ago has parallels to what happened to the south at another Big Ten school, with Ohio State doctor Richard Strauss being accused of sexually abusing at least 177 student-athletes -- the largest group being Buckeye wrestlers -- from 1978 to 1998.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- Bonus points proved critical on Friday night (Feb. 21) as No. 8 North Carolina (14-2, 4-1 ACC) slipped past Virginia (8-6, 1-4 ACC) by a score of 19-18 in the regular-season finale at Memorial Gym. The Cavaliers and the Tar Heels each won five weight classes on the night, with each team getting two bonus-point wins. North Carolina got a major decision at 141 pounds from 12th-ranked Zach Sherman and a pin at 149 pounds from third-ranked Austin O'Connor, while Virginia got a 12-4 major decision from Michael Battista (Ashburn, Va.) at 184 pounds and a 19-1 tech fall from second-ranked Jack Mueller (Dallas, Texas) at 125 pounds. Virginia also got wins from Justin McCoy (New Paris, Pa.) at 157 pounds as he defeated No. 16 A.C. Headlee with a 3-2 decision, while Cam Coy picked up his first ACC win after returning to the mat following injury. Coy tallied a 6-3 decision over Sawyer Davidson. Jay Aiello (Chantilly, Va.), the eighth-ranked wrestler nationally at 197 pounds, picked up the fifth win for the Cavaliers with his 9-3 decision. The Cavaliers also recognized seven seniors prior to the match in Senior Night ceremonies. HEAD COACH STEVE GARLAND ON THE DUAL "It was a heck of a battle and a dual meet tonight. It was a great crowd with a lot of support. I want to thank everyone for coming out and packing the house tonight. It was as close as you can get, dropping it on one point (overall) with a bonus-point victory being the deciding factor – but we got some bonus-points as well. I'm really proud of our team." MATCH NOTES Jay Aiello improved to 25-4 on the season and went 5-0 in ACC duals for the second consecutive season. Jack Mueller closed out his regular season undefeated for the second straight year, this time going 12-0. He went 4-0 in ACC competition, going undefeated in ACC competition for the second straight year. Michael Battista picked up a major decision in his second consecutive dual match. Justin McCoy picked up his third win over a nationally-ranked foe with his win over No. 16 A.C. Headlee. UP NEXT FOR THE HOOS Virginia will send several wrestlers to the Mat Town Open II on Sunday (Feb. 23) to compete as individuals before heading to the ACC Championships on March 8. The ACC Championships are being hosted by Pittsburgh this season at the Petersen Events Center. Results: 141: No. 12 Zach Sherman (UNC) major dec. Brian Courtney, 11-3 – UNC 4, UVA 0 149: No. 3 Austin O'Connor (UNC) pinned Denton Spencer, 3:20 – UNC 10, UVA 0 157: Justin McCoy dec. No. 16 A.C. Headlee (UNC), 3-2 – UNC 10, UVA 3 165: Cam Coy dec. Sawyer Davidson (UNC), 6-3 – UNC 10, UVA 6 174: Clay Lautt (UNC) dec. Victor Marcelli, 3-1 – UNC 13, UVA 6 184: Michael Battista major dec. Joey Mazzara (UNC), 12-4 – UNC 13, UVA 10 197: No. 8 Jay Aiello dec. Brandon Whitman (UNC), 9-3 – UVA 13, UNC 13 HWT: Andrew Gunning (UNC) dec. Robert Scherer, 6-2 – UNC 16, UVA 13 125: No. 2 Jack Mueller tech fall Joey Melendez (UNC), 19-1 (4:30) – UVA 18, UNC 16 133: Jaime Hernandez (UNC) dec. Louie Hayes (UNC) , 8-5 – UNC 19, UVA 18

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- Redshirt freshman Chance Rich earned a pin to lead the CSU Bakersfield wrestling team past California Baptist on Friday night at the Icardo Center. The Roadrunners won secen of the duals' ten matches and routed the visiting Lancers by a score of 31-9. Duke forfeited bouts at 165 and 125 pounds spotting the `Runners a quick twelve points. CSUB added nineteen more points when it took six of the eight contested bouts versus the Lancers. Bakersfield took the first four weight classes starting at 149 pounds. Russell Rohlfing picked up a 4-0 decision over CBU's AJ Raya before Wyatt Gerl earned an 8-2 decision in the following bout at 157 lbs. Jacob Thalin won by forfeit at 165. Albert Urias tallied a major decision for CSUB at 174 with a ten-point win over Jacob Cooper. CBU would take the next three-straight bouts before Alejandro Hernandez-Figueroa won by forfeit at 125 pounds and Rich won by fall in four minutes over the Lancers' Christian Nunez for a twelve-point swing. Bakersfield had a 28-9 lead heading into the final bout of the dual. Senior Noah Blakely-Beanes was a late substitution in the `Runners starting lineup. Blakely-Beanes had CBU's Adam Velasquez tied in the third period with riding time advantage but was still able to will a takedown in the final seconds for the 7-4 decision. CSUB returns to action in two weeks when they travel for the Pac-12 Championships at Stanford. Results: 149: Russell Rohlfing (CSBA) over A J Raya (CBU) (Dec 4-0) 157: Wyatt Gerl (CSBA) over Zachary Rowe (CBU) (Dec 8-2) 165: Jacob Thalin (CSBA) over (CBU) (For.) 174: Albert Urias (CSBA) over Jacob Cooper (CBU) (MD 12-2) 184: Garrett Strang (CBU) over Josh Loomer (CSBA) (Dec 6-5) 197: Arick Lopez (CBU) over Josh Annis (CSBA) (Dec 5-1) 285: Zach Schrader (CBU) over Jarrod Snyder (CSBA) (Dec 8-3) 125: Alejandro Hernandez-Figueroa (CSBA) over (CBU) (For.) 133: Chance Rich (CSBA) over Christian Nunez (CBU) (Fall 4:00) 141: Noah Blakely-Beanes (CSBA) over Adam Velasquez (CBU) (Dec 7-4)

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. -- The fourth-ranked Nebraska wrestling team finished the regular season on a high note, winning seven of 10 bouts en route to a 29-12 victory over No. 13 Minnesota at the Maturi Pavilion in Minneapolis, Minn., on Friday night. With the win, the Huskers enter postseason competition having won each of their final six duals. No. 5 Isaiah White (165) got things started for the Huskers with a hard-fought decision over Bailee O'Reilly. White led 2-1 after Period 1 thanks to an early takedown and added an escape point to stretch his lead to 3-1 after two periods. White started Period 3 on top and O'Reilly escaped to pull within 3-2. White fended off repeated O'Reilly shots for the rest of the period and emerged with a one-point victory. A Top-10 matchup followed at 174 pounds between No. 6 Mikey Labriola and No. 8 Devin Skatzka. After a scorless first period, Skatzka scored an escape seconds into Period 2. Labriola responded with a takedown, but Skatzka escaped again to knot the score at two apiece. A late-period Skatzka shot led to a scramble, but neither grappler could secure the takedown and the score remained tied heading into Period 3. Skatzka started the period on top and rode Labriola hard, taking him to his back for four nearfall points. With a point for riding time, Skatzka, a senior, earned a 7-2 decision victory on Minnesota's Senior Night. No. 11 Taylor Venz (184) continued his streak of solid wrestling, scoring a 5-2 decision against Owen Webster. Venz was the aggressor throughout the match, shooting and scoring in Period 1, scoring a reversal in Period 2, and piling up over two minutes of riding time to run his winning streak to four consecutive matches. No. 4 Eric Schultz (197) continued to be a scoring machine for the Huskers, tallying five takedowns and four nearfall points en route to a 17-5 major decision over Garrett Joles. Schultz has now amassed 73 dual takedowns and has only been taken down five times by dual meet competition. The junior from Tinley Park, Ill., notched his team-leading 21st victory of the season. Minnesota's top-rated grappler Gable Steveson (HWT) continued his winning ways, using eight first period points and eleven points in the final period to defeat Christian Lance by major decision, 19-7. Steveson has now competed in 12 bouts this season and has won all 12, with 10 bonus point victories. Alex Thomsen (125) fought off a deep shot from Jake Gliva in Period 1 before taking Gliva to his back and netting two nearfall points in Period 2. The redshirt freshman from Neola, Iowa, added two takedowns in the third period and earned a point for riding time to win by major decision, 9-1. Minnesota's Boo Dyrden failed the pre-match skin check and Minnesota was forced to forfeit at 133 pounds, giving No. 14 Ridge Lovett his sixth straight dual meet victory to close out the regular season. A second Top 10 matchup followed at 141 pounds between No. 9 Chad Red Jr. and No. 6 Mitch McKee. The Golden Gopher grappler scored first on a takedown that was challenged by the Nebraska coaching staff but confirmed following an official's review. Red would get the last laugh, however, locking McKee up in a cradle and winning by pinfall less than one minute into the second period, his third consecutive victory via fall. Christian Miller got the call at 149 pounds on Friday and drew a tough assignment, squaring off against No. 7 Brayton Lee. Lee proved dominant in a 23-8 technical fall victory, scoring at least two takedowns in all three periods. In the final bout of the evening, it was Caleb Licking taking on Ryan Thomas at 157 pounds, as No. 19 Peyton Robb did not make weight. Licking did not yield a single point in his first dual meet action since the Nebraska Duals back on Nov. 7, winning 6-0 to put an exclamation point on the Husker victory. The Big Red will now have a little over two weeks off from competition before heading to New Jersey for the Big Ten Wrestling Championships. Session I begins at 9 a.m. (CT) on Sat., Mar. 7, and can be streamed online via BTN+ (subscription required). Results: 165: No. 5 Isaiah White (NEB) dec. Bailee O'Reilly (MINN), 3-2 (NEB 3, MINN 0) 174: No. 8 Devin Skatzka (MINN) dec. No. 6 Mikey Labriola (NEB), 7-2 (NEB 3, MINN 3) 184: No. 11 Taylor Venz (NEB) dec. No. 20 Owen Webester (MINN), 5-2 (NEB 6, MINN 3) 197: No. 4 Eric Schultz (NEB) major dec. Garrett Joles (MINN), 17-5 (NEB 10, MINN 3) HWT: No. 1 Gable Steveson (MINN) major dec. Christian Lance (NEB), 19-7 (NEB 10, MINN 7) 125: Alex Thomsen (NEB) major dec. Jake Gliva (MINN), 9-1 (NEB 14, MINN 7) 133: No. 14 Ridge Lovett (NEB) wins by forfeit (NEB 20, MINN 7) 141: No. 9 Chad Red Jr. (NEB) pinned No. 6 Mitch McKee (MINN), (3:53) (NEB 26, MINN 7) 149: No. 7 Brayton Lee (MINN) tech. fall Christian Miller (NEB), 23-8 (NEB 26, MINN 12) 157: Caleb Licking (NEB) dec. Ryan Thomas (MINN), 6-0 (NEB 29, MINN 12)

DEKALB, Ill. -- The Northern Illinois University wrestling team earned its 13th win of the season when it dispatched of Drexel, 35-3, on Senior Night in Victor E. Court Friday. It is the Huskies' (13-4, 7-2) first 13-win campaign since 2004-05 when NIU won 14 duals that season. NIU won nine of the 10 bouts on the evening, recording a pair of pins, two major decision wins and scored two wins in overtime. Bryce West improved to 20-9 on the season when he began the meet with a 7-4 victory at 125. His brother Drew, who was returning to the mat for the first time since Nov. 17, 2019, battled at 133, but fell 6-5. With the match tied, 3-3, Anthony Gibson put NIU up for good when recorded a fall victory in the first period at 141. Senior McCoy Kent posted an 11-3 maj. dec. win at 149. Mason Kauffman held off Parker Kropman, 5-3, at 157 just before intermission. Izzak Olejnik scored another bonus-point victory for the Huskies when he earned a 12-2 maj. dec. win over Michael Manley at 165. Kenny Moore outlasted Michael O'Malley at 174. The Huskie senior earned a 4-3 win with a takedown in the first tiebreaker. Brit Wilson posted a fall victory at 184 in the closing seconds of the first period before Gage Braun recorded a 6-4 win at 197. Max Ihry capped the evening off with a 3-1 overtime victory over Sean O'Malley at 285. "On a night honoring our seniors, who put so much into the program, it's good to see our guys step up and have a good performance," said NIU head coach Ryan Ludwig. "McCoy Kent did a good job putting bonus points up for us. Kenny Moore beat an opponent who's ranked in some polls. So that's a great win to build off going into the MAC Championships." The Huskies return to the mat Saturday, March 7 when NIU plays host to the 2020 Mid-American Conference Wrestling Championships at the Convocation Center March 7-8. Tickets are on sale now through Ticketmaster. There are also a limited number of exciting premium packages available to wrestling fans. For $175 fans will have access to the Nelson Club for the duration of the tournament. The price includes parking, a food buffet, water, soda, wine, beer and a cash bar. Fans interested in purchasing one of the 75 Nelson Club passes or one of the two suites available should call 815-753-7225. Results: 125: Bryce West (NIU) dec. Antonio Mininno (DU), 7-4 133: Chase Shields (DU) dec. Drew West (NIU), 6-5 141: Anthony Gibson (NIU) fall Tyler Williams (DU), 2:39 149: McCoy Kent (NIU) maj. dec. Vincent Foggia (DU), 11-3 157: Mason Kauffman (NIU) dec. Parker Kropman (DU), 5-3 165: Izzak Olejnik (NIU) maj. dec. Michael Manley (DU), 12-2 174: Kenny Moore (NIU) dec. Michael O`Malley (DU), 4-3 TB-1 184: Brit Wilson (NIU) fall Owen Brooks (DU), 2:54 197: Gage Braun (NIU) dec. Bryan McLaughlin (DU), 6-4 285: Max Ihry (NIU) dec. Sean O`Malley (DU), 3-1 SV-1

BROOKINGS, S.D. -- Heavyweight Brandon Metz won the final bout and North Dakota State claimed its seventh straight dual win defeating South Dakota State 19-18 in a Big 12 Conference dual on Friday, Feb. 21, in Frost Arena. NDSU (10-3, 6-1 #Big12WR) wrestles at No. 19-ranked Iowa State (9-4, 6-1 #Big12WR) at 7 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 23, in Hilton Coliseum. Iowa State travels to No. 24 Missouri on Saturday. South Dakota State (12-6, 6-3 #Big12WR) trailed 16-6 before reeling off three straight wins -- a major decision by Tanner Cook at 174 pounds, a tech fall from No. 15 Zach Carlson at 184 and slim 3-2 decision by No. 12 Tanner Cook -- to take an 18-16 heading into the final match of the evening. Enter Metz, a redshirt sophomore from West Fargo, N.D., who gained a first period takedown and an escape early in the third to hold off South Dakota State's Blake Wolters 3-2 to not only take the bout, but give the Bison the dual win and keep the Border Bell trophy. The No. 28-ranked Metz improved to 20-7 overall and 8-3 in duals. North Dakota State won four of the six matches. McGwire Midkiff used a third period escape to earn a topsy-turvy 8-7 decision over No. 17-ranked Daniel Vega. It was the second straight win over a nationally-ranked opponent for Midkiff (11-5, 6-3). No. 17-ranked 133 pounder Cam Sykora helped to extend the lead to 8-0 with his first tech fall since Jan. 2 at the Southern Scuffle by the score of 19-4 at 4:31. It was the sixth tech fall of the season for Sykora (13-4, 9-3). South Dakota State bounced back with wins by Clay Carlson and No. 10 Henry Pohlmeyer at 141 and 149 pounds to cut the deficit to 8-6. NDSU No. 13-ranked 157 pounder Jared Franek continued to make a statement with a convincing 18-3 tech fall at 7:00 over Garrett Jordan. It was ninth straight win and the third tech fall of the season for Franek, who pushed his record to 22-6 overall and 11-2 in duals. Andrew Fogarty (18-3, 11-1), who was ranked No. 8 at 165, fought off a late rally from Kenny O'Neil for a 9-3 decision. Results: 125: McGwire Midkiff (NDSU) dec #17 Daniel Vega (SDSU), 8-7 133: #17 Cam Sykora (NDSU) tech fall Zach Price (SDSU), TF 19-4 4:31 141: Clay Carlson (SDSU) dec Dylan Droegemueller (NDSU), 7-3 149: #10 Henry Pohlmeyer dec Jaden Van Maanen (NDSU), 3-0 157: #13 Jared Franek (NDSU) tech fall Garrett Jordan (SDSU), TF 18-3, 7:00 165: #8 Andrew Fogarty (NDSU) dec Kenny O'Neil (SDSU), 9-3 174: #23 (165) Tanner Cook major dec Luke Weber (NDSU), MD 17-8 184: #15 Zach Carlson tech fall Noah Cressell (NDSU), TF 16-1 7:00 197: #12 Tanner Sloan dec Cordell Eaton (NDSU), 3-2 285: #28 Brandon Metz (NDSU) dec Blake Wolters (SDSU), 3-2

ATHENS, Ohio -- The Ohio wrestling team (7-8, 4-4 MAC) edged Utah Valley (2-11) this evening at the Convocation Center, 18-17. "For the first part, I think we competed pretty hard," said 23rd-year head coach Joel Greenlee. "It was a good win for us. Our goal was to try to get three wins this weekend and end the season on a high note." The Bobcats overcame a 7-0 deficit after the Wolverines picked up a win by decision at 125 pounds and a major decision victory at 133. Redshirt senior Shakur Laney (Canal Winchester, Ohio) got Ohio on the board with a 16-1 win by technical fall over redshirt freshman Kainalu Estrella in 4:54 at 141. Laney has now picked up wins in seven of Ohio's last eight duals, including six in a row. "I think any time you're on a roll like that, you get more confident and more confident and more confident," said Greenlee of Laney's recent run. "I think right now he's wrestling the best that he's ever wrestled." Laney's win sparked a run of four-straight triumphs for the Bobcats. Redshirt sophomore Alec Hagan (Eureka, Mo.) logged an 8-2 win by decision at 149 over freshman Cameron Hunsaker, putting Ohio in front, 8-7. The Bobcats extended their lead to 12-7 thanks to a 13-5 major decision win for redshirt senior Zac Carson (Akron, Ohio) over redshirt sophomore Jed Loveless at 157, then redshirt junior Joe Terry (Pickerington, Ohio) made it an eight-point advantage for Ohio with a 7-4 win by decision over redshirt junior Koy Wilkinson at 165. Utah Valley trimmed Ohio's lead to five with a win by decision at 174, but senior Hunter Yeargan (Willard, Mo.) provided what proved to be the winning points for the Bobcats at 184 with a 6-3 win by decision over redshirt sophomore Ashton Seely. Redshirt senior Tanner Orndorff picked up a 5-4 win by decision at 197, and redshirt sophomore Tate Orndorff followed with an 11-1 major decision win at 285 to allow the Wolverines to close the dual with victories in back-to-back bouts, but the Bobcats were still one point better in the end. Ohio wraps up the 2019-20 regular season on Sunday (Feb. 22) as the Bobcats take on Mid-American Conference foe Buffalo (8-10, 3-6 MAC) at noon ET, then square off with Gardner-Webb (5-7) later in the afternoon. In between Ohio's two duals, Buffalo and Gardner-Webb will face off. All three duals involving Ohio will be broadcast live on ESPN+. Ohio will honor its alumni prior to Sunday's dual against Buffalo, then celebrate its six-member 2020 senior class prior to the dual against Gardner-Webb, with Carson, Kade Kowalski (Nashport, Ohio), Laney, Ben Schneider (Orland Park, Ill.), Terry and Yeargan set to be honored. Results: 125: Will Edelblute (Utah Valley) def. Trevor Giallombardo (Ohio), 6-0 dec. (0-3) 133: Taylor LaMont (Utah Valley) def. Giovanni DiSabato (Ohio), 10-1 maj. dec. (0-7) 141: Shakur Laney (Ohio) def. Kainalu Estrella (Utah Valley), 16-1 tech. fall, 4:54 (5-7) 149: Alec Hagan (Ohio) def. Cameron Hunsaker (Utah Valley), 8-2 dec. (8-7) 157: Zac Carson (Ohio) def. Jed Loveless (Utah Valley), 13-5 maj. dec. (12-7) 165: Joe Terry (Ohio) def. Koy Wilkinson (Utah Valley), 7-4 dec. (15-7) 174: Kimball Bastian (Utah Valley) def. Logan Stanley (Ohio), 8-2 dec. (15-10) 184: Hunter Yeargan (Ohio) def. Ashton Seely (Utah Valley), 6-3 dec. (18-10) 197: Tanner Orndorff (Utah Valley) def. Jake Walker (Ohio), 5-4 dec. (18-13) 285: Tate Orndorff (Utah Valley) def. Jordan Earnest (Ohio), 11-1 maj. dec. (18-17)

College Park, Md. -- Mason's final dual match of the season came down to the last match of the evening between the Patriots and Terps inside XFINITY Center Pavillion. With the Patriots down two points, 16-14, Alex Madrigal delivered Mason's only major decision tonight with a 9-0 win over Maryland's Hunter Baxter at 141 pounds to edge Maryland, 18-16. The Patriots finish the season 9-9, matching last season's win total. The Terps drop to 2-16. Mason's win broke Maryland's four-match win streak against the Patriots. The Green and Gold last defeated the Terps by a narrow margin, 17-16, at College Park on Nov. 9, 2014. Mason earned three straight decisions to jump ahead 9-0 in the match, which began at 149 pounds. Colston DiBlasi defeated the Terps' Ryan Garlitz, 5-0, to improve to 27-8 this season. Kolby Ho (157) matched his win total from last season with his 22nd win. At 165, Mason redshirt sophomore Neil Schuster notched his 20th win this season and is 4-0 since coming back from missing six weeks due to injury. Maryland took its' first lead, 11-8, after nationally-ranked Jaron smith earned a technical fall over the Patriots' Ramses Montalvo in the 197 match. The match was tied, 11-11, after the freshman Jake Slinger won the heavyweight match-up versus UM's Parker Robinson with a 6-1 decision. A win for Maryland at 125 dropped the Patriots back to a five-point deficit, 16-11. At 133, freshman Josh Jones cut the Terps' lead to 16-14 with a narrow 2-0 decision against King Sandoval. Jones Improved to 16-11. Up Next Several wrestlers will travel to Lock Haven to wrestle in the Mat-Town Open II Tournament on Sunday. Results: 125 | Brandon Cray (UM) fall over Talha Farooq (Mason), Fall (0:56), UM leads 16-11 133 | Josh Jones (Mason) over King Sandoval (UM), Dec. 2-0, UM leads 16-14 141 | #26 Alex Madrigal (Mason) major decision over Hunter Baxter (UM), 9-0; Mason wins 18-16 149 | #19 Colston DiBlasi (Mason) over Ryan Garlitz (UM), Dec., 5-0; Mason leads 3-0 157 | Kolby Ho (Mason) Lucas Cordio (UM), Dec., 11-7; Mason leads 6-0 165 | Neil Schuster (Mason) Kyle Cochran (UM), Dec., 2-1; Mason leads 9-0 174 | Josh Ugalde (UM) over Tony Lombardo (Mason), Dec., 8-3; Mason leads 8-3* 184 | Philip Spadafora (UM) over Paul Pierce (Mason), Dec., 4-2; Mason leads 8-6 197 | Jaron Smith (UM) technical fall over Ramses Montalvo (Mason), TF 23-7; UM leads 11-8 285 | Jake Slinger (Mason) over Parker Robinson (UM), Dec., 6-1; Match tied 11-11 *Point deducted for unsportsmanlike conduct

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga wrestling team scored a 26-10 win over Indiana in McKenzie Arena tonight. The Mocs earned wins in seven of the 10 matches to cap off Senior Night and the dual season. UTC improved to 7-9 overall, while the Hoosiers dropped to 2-10. Indiana came out with two early wins, including a bonus point at 133, to take a 7-0 lead. Chattanooga responded by taking the next six in a row. Sophomore Mason Wallace put UTC on the board with a decision at 141. He evened his record at 8-8 after cutting down from 149 midway through the season. Sophomore Tanner Smith put his No. 23 national ranking on the line against No. 14 Graham Rooks at 149. He improved to a team-best 23-7 with the 12-8 decision. Sophomore Tyler Shilson snapped a three-match slide with his win at 157. That was followed by sophomore Drew Nicholson posting a major decision at 165. Sophomore Hunter Fortner almost put the match out of reach with a pin at 174. It was his third pin of the year as has improved to 10-15 overall. Indiana closed the gap to 19-10 with a win at 184. Senior Rodney Jones clinched the team victory with his major decision at 197. It was Jones' fifth win in a row, upping his record to 17-9. Sophomore Grayson Walthall closed out the dual with a nice 6-3 decision over Rudy Streck at heavyweight. Up next for the Mocs is the Southern Conference Tournament. Action takes place on Sunday, March 8, in Boone, N.C. Results: 125: No. 22 Liam Cronin (INDI) over No. 16 Fabian Gutierrez (CHAT) (Dec 9-7) 133: Cayden Rooks (INDI) over Wade Cummings (CHAT) (MD 12-2) 141: Mason Wallace (CHAT) over Eddie Bolivar (INDI) (Dec 8-2) 149: No. 23 Tanner Smith (CHAT) over No. 14 Graham Rooks (INDI) (Dec 12-8) 157: Tyler Shilson (CHAT) over Fernie Silva (INDI) (Dec 11-5) 165: Andrew Nicholson (CHAT) over Dillon Hoey (INDI) (MD 11-3) 174: Hunter Fortner (CHAT) over Diego Lemley (INDI) (Fall 4:16) 184: Jake Hinz (INDI) over No. 13 Matthew Waddell (CHAT) (Dec 12-7) 197: Rodney Jones (CHAT) over Nick Willham (INDI) (MD 14-4) 285: Grayson Walthall (CHAT) over Rudy Streck (INDI) (Dec 6-3)

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. -- End of the season, and Central Michigan is wrestling well. End of a match, and the Chippewas, to a man, wrestled with energy. End of a career, and a big, big win for Logan Parks. The Central Michigan wrestling team won six matches including the final two on Friday as the Chippewas topped Michigan State, 21-15, in a nonconference dual before 1,015 at McGuirk Arena. It was CMU's sixth-consecutive dual victory as it finished 8-4. The Chippewas will now look ahead to the Mid-American Conference Championships on March 7-8 in DeKalb, Ill., and to the NCAA Championships in Minneapolis March 19-21. How It Happened The Chippewas got a pin from 125-pounder Drew Hildebrandt in the night's opening bout, and then won five more matches by decision. Those victories came from Drew Marten (133), Dresden Simon (141), Parks (157), Landon Pelham (197) and Matt Stencel (285). The meet was tied, 15-15, after Michigan State won three consecutive at 165, 174 and 184. Pelham put the Chippewas ahead, 18-15, with a dramatic 3-1 overtime win, and then the fourth-ranked Stencel closed it with a workmanlike 4-1 victory, his ninth straight as he improved to 26-4. Big Win for Parks Parks, the lone senior on the Chippewa roster, posted a 4-2 victory over 25th-ranked Jake Tucker. Parks, who is ranked 16th, had never beaten Tucker in three previous meetings. Down 1-0 entering the third period, Parks tied it with an escape and then scored a takedown with just under a minute remaining. It was Parks' fourth-consecutive victory and his ninth in his last 12 matches. He improved to 18-10. "It was big for the team, it was big for him," CMU coach Tom Borrelli said. "I could tell he was going to wrestle good tonight. "I think he was pretty emotional, but he handled it really well. He kept his composure, he stayed real basic in his match which is real important. The times he's been beaten by that kid the kid's outscrambled him and so we had to keep him real basic so he didn't get in any scrambles. He scored from a front headlock which is as basic as it gets." It was an inspiring victory for Parks, who has displayed a steady resolve throughout his five years at CMU. "He's been so steady, that's the biggest thing," Borrelli said. "His freshman year I think he lost 13 matches in a row or something like that. Just to fight through that and end up where he is right now – you appreciate that as a coach to see a kid fight through adversity and then become the leader of the team." Turning Point Pelham's win put the Chippewas in front for good, and it came after he fought off several attacks from May where the Spartan gained the advantage. But was never able to complete a takedown against the cagey Pelham, a junior who improved to 18-10. They went to overtime tied 1-1 and then Pelham scored a takedown 16 seconds in. "I watched a lot of film this week, 10-15 of (May's) matches, and I saw that once he gets tired he gets a little lazy on his feet and gets upright and he lost a couple times this year in overtime hitting that same move," Pelham said. "I knew once he was tired it would probably be there." Conditioning The Chippewas have long been known for their conditioning and it paid off in spades on Friday. In nearly every match, CMU appeared to have the fresher wrestler in the third period. Marten, for instance, did all of his scoring in the third period in his 7-2 win. "It's definitely something we talk about every day, all season long, (that) we're going to break guys," Pelham said. "It's what we're known for. I think we work harder than a lot of teams out there and a lot of teams know that. That's why a lot of kids don't come here because they can't handle it." Said Borrelli: "I think we're getting in good shape. Shape is kind of your mental attitude too and we've had success, that's our sixth win in a row. When you're confident in yourself, you can keep pushing and it's easier than when you're not so confident in yourself." Good Start, Again Hildebrandt's pin was his eighth of the year and he extended his win streak to nine matches. He has pinned five of his opponents in that stretch. Hildebrandt, who is ranked eighth nationally, leads the Chippewas with 28 wins (against three losses). He has scored bonus points – eight pins, six major decisions – in 14 of his victories. He is 12-0 in duals, an important statistic because most duals begin at 125 and he always gives CMU a shot of early momentum, which is critical in a dual meet. "It feels awesome when Drew goes out there and sticks guys," Pelham said. "We think Drew, he's the best 125-pounder in the country. It's not fair how much pressure we put on Drew, but we've come to expect a pin at 125 … He just keeps on going out there and doing it. It's huge." Results: 125: Drew Hildebrandt (C) pinned Logan Griffin, 5:30 133: Drew Marten (C) dec. Garrett Pepple, 7-2 141: Dresden Simon (C) dec. Matt Santos, 8-2 149: Alex Hrisopoulos (MSU) dec. Corbyn Munson, 6-5 157: Logan Parks (C) dec. Jake Tucker, 4-2 165: Drew Hughes (MSU) dec. Tracy Hubbard, 4-2, SV-1 174: Layne Malczewski (MSU) dec. Jake Lowell, 9-4 184: Cameron Caffey (MSU) pinned Ben Cushman, 2:01 197: Landon Pelham (C) dec. Nick May, 3-1, SV-1 285: Matt Stencel (C) dec. Christian Rebottaro, 4-1

BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- In front of a sellout crowd of 1,880 Friday night inside Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall, No. 11 Lehigh capped its dual meet season with a 19-14 win over No. 5 Arizona State. The Mountain Hawks started fast, winning the first four bouts of the evening and ended up winning six of 10 on the night to secure their 11th straight dual victory to close the regular season. "Everybody wrestled really well tonight," Lehigh head coach Pat Santoro said. "We came out with a lot more fire than we had in the last two duals. We needed to do that because Arizona State has a really nice team. A couple matches got away from us, which was tough to see because overall I thought we wrestled really well." Lehigh finishes the dual season at 12-3. The Mountain Hawks' victory snapped Arizona State's nine-dual winning streak. The Sun Devils fell to 14-2 with the loss. Lehigh has now won four duals over top five-ranked teams in the Pat Santoro era, with two of the four victories coming this season. Fifth-ranked junior Brandon Paetzell keyed Lehigh's fast start with a 6-1 decision over No. 9 Brandon Courtney in the opening bout at 125. Paetzell scored a first period takedown, rode out the second period and added an escape and takedown in the third to improve to 16-2 on the year. "He really set the tone," Santoro said of Paetzell. "He loves to compete. Just loves to wrestle. You can see it when he's out there." Sophomore Jaret Lane got the nod at 133 and defeated Josh Kramer 4-1. Lane broke a 1-1 tie with a third period takedown and then rode out to add the riding time point. Lehigh honored its nine-member senior class prior to the match, with three seniors seeing action Friday evening. At 141, Ryan Pomrinca scored on a single leg shot 17 seconds into sudden victory to defeat Cory Crooks 3-1. Sophomore Jimmy Hoffman capped the Lehigh run with a 5-4 victory over Josh Maruca at 149. Hoffman gave up the first takedown, but turned Maruca for a two point near fall early in the second period. A Maruca reversal and Hoffman escape tied the bout at 4-4 after two periods, but Hoffman escaped early in the third and held on from there to put Lehigh up 12-0. Arizona State picked up its first win at 157 as a late reversal lifted Jacori Teemer past sophomore Josh Humphreys 8-7. Humphreys used a first period takedown and a strong ride to lead 2-0 after one and then led 4-2 after two, but Teemer turned the tides with a takedown and two point near fall in the third. Humphreys reversed and was on the way to winning 7-6 on riding time when Teemer mustered a reversal to take the lead and kept Humphreys down to win. Seventh-ranked Josh Shields brought the Sun Devils within 12-8 with a 19-4 technical fall over freshman Brian Meyer in the first bout following intermission. The technical fall marked the first time this season Meyer gave up bonus points to his opponent. Fittingly, on senior night, senior Jordan Kutler helped right the ship, but it didn't come easy. The third-ranked Kutler was taken down almost immediately by a blast double leg from ninth-ranked Anthony Valencia. Kutler escaped and responded with a takedown of his own, then went to work with a strong ride from the top position to lead 3-2 after one. He added takedowns in each of the final two periods, plus a second period escape and riding time to win 9-4 and put Lehigh up 15-8. "They've wrestled a few times in freestyle," Santoro said. "We knew he had a double and it would probably come right off the whistle. He gets just about everybody with it. You just have to stay with it and just keep wrestling. Jordan has very good composure and just kept wrestling. That was a really good win for him." Junior Chris Weiler then followed with Lehigh's lone bonus point win of the night at 184. Weiler scored a takedown in each period, a second period escape and two penalty points for stalling, plus nearly six minutes of riding time as he spent most of the match trying to turn Cade Belshay. The final score, a 10-0 major decision, put Lehigh up 11 points with two bouts remaining. With a bit of cushion, Santoro sent out senior Chase Gallik up another weight at 197 to face Kordell Norfleet. Gallik did his job, keeping Norfleet to a 12-6 decision, which essentially sealed the dual for the Mountain Hawks. A top 10 battle at heavyweight between eighth-ranked junior Jordan Wood and No. 6 Tanner Hall went the Sun Devil's way by a 5-2 score. Hall scored on a shrug move in the second period and countered a Wood shot for the clinching takedown late in the third. The Mountain Hawks will now shift focus towards the 116th EIWA Championships, which Lehigh will host March 6-7 at Stabler Arena. Lehigh will be looking to win its third straight EIWA team title and 37th title all-time. Tickets can be purchased at LehighTickets.com or by calling 610-7LU-GAME during business hours. The 2019-20 Lehigh wrestling season is presented by the Historic Hotel Bethlehem. Results: 125 – Brandon Paetzell (Lehigh) dec. Brandon Courtney (ASU) 6-1 133 – Jaret Lane (Lehigh) dec. Josh Kramer (ASU) 4-1 141 – Ryan Pomrinca (Lehigh) dec. Cory Crooks (ASU) 3-1, sv 149 – Jimmy Hoffman (Lehigh) dec. Josh Maruca (ASU) 5-4 157 – Jacori Teemer (ASU) dec. Josh Humphreys (Lehigh) 8-7 165 – Josh Shields (ASU) tech fall Brian Meyer (Lehigh) 19-4, 7:00 174 – Jordan Kutler (Lehigh) dec. Anthony Valencia (ASU) 9-4 184 – Chris Weiler (Lehigh) major dec. Cade Belshay (ASU) 10-0 197 – Kordell Norfleet (ASU) dec. Chase Gallik (Lehigh) 12-6 285 – Tanner Hall (ASU) dec. Jordan Wood (Lehigh) 5-2 Attendance – 1,880

DURHAM, N.C. -- The second-ranked NC State wrestling team concluded an undefeated dual season with a 34-9 win at Duke Friday night. The Wolfpack (15-0, 5-0 ACC) won seven of the 10 matches, including six for bonus points. With the win, NC State finishes a perfect 5-0 in ACC action and wins the ACC regular-season title for the third straight season. It's the first time NC State has won three in a row since 2000-02. The Pack also finished the season a perfect 15-0 in duals, the first undefeated season in school history (the program started in 1925). The win was NC State's 27th consecutive dual win at Duke, dating back to 1967. The dual started at 125 pounds, and Duke forfeited that weight along with 141 pounds to spot the Pack 12 team points. The first bout was at 133 pounds, with R-Fr. Jarrett Trombley using a four-point near fall in both the second and the third periods and scored a 17-4 major decision. A.J. Leitten used a 10-point first period and scored a 14-0 major decision at 149 pounds. No. 2 Hayden Hidlay made quick work of the 157-pound bout, as he scored a takedown just 10 seconds in and turned into into a pin at the 1:32 mark. At the halfway point, NC State was up 26-0. Duke got on the board with back-to-back decisions at 165 and 174 pounds, to pull the score to 26-6 with three bouts left. More bonus for the Pack at 184 pounds, as No. 3 Trent Hidlay used a 10-point first period and a four-point near fall ended his 17-2 tech fall win. A Blue Devil decision at 197 pounds, was followed by So. Deonte Wilson claiming an 8-1 decision to close out the win. Up Next The defending ACC champions, the Wolfpack will be back in action March 8 at the 2020 ACC Championship which will be held in Pittsburgh, Pa. Results: 125: #19 Jakob Camacho (NCSU) forfeit – 6-0 133: Jarrett Trombley (NCSU) major dec. Harrison Campbell; 17-4 – 10-0 141: #11 Tariq Wilson (NCSU) forfeit – 16-0 149: A.J. Leitten (NCSU) major dec. Wade Unger; 14-0 – 20-0 157: #2 Hayden Hidlay (NCSU) WBF Eric Carter; 1:32 – 26-0 165: Ben Anderson (DU) dec. Matt Fields; 7-1 – 26-3 174: Mason Eaglin (DU) dec. Tyler Barnes; 6-2 – 26-6 184: #3 Trent Hidlay (NCSU) tech fall Kai Blake; 17-2 – 31-6 197: Vincent Baker (DU) dec. Tyrie Houghton; 7-6 – 31-9 285: Deonte Wilson (NCSU) dec. Jonah Niesenbaum; 8-1 – 34-9

EDINBORO, Pa. -- The No. 21-ranked University of Michigan wrestling team wrapped up its dual season in style, cruising to a dominant 33-5 win over Edinboro on Friday night (Feb. 21) at the Fighting Scots' McComb Fieldhouse. The Wolverines won eight bouts, including each of the first six and four with bonus points. Senior/junior Jack Medley, ranked 18th nationally at 125 pounds, set the tone in the first bout, scoring seven takedowns and eight back points en route to a dominant 23-4 technical fall against Lucas Rodriguez. Four of his takedowns came off a fireman's dump; he went feet-to-back with the move late in the second period to break the match open. Medley added another six-point move in the third, locking up a cradle for the takedown and another four-point near fall to end the bout at the 6:01 mark. After a forfeit win for fifth-year senior Austin Assad at 133 pounds, the Wolverines earned three straight decisions to build their lead to 20-0 at the intermission break. Freshman Cole Mattin used a second-period near fall to score the bulk of his points in a 6-0 decision against Nate Hagan at 141 pounds. Mattin rode out the frame, adding four points off a suck back and added an escape in the third and 1:33 in riding-time advantage. Senior/junior Kanen Storr, ranked ninth nationally at 149 pounds, earned a 6-2 decision against Tyler Vath in his return to the lineup, behind a first-period single leg, second-period ankle pick and 2:18 in riding-time advantage. Freshman Will Lewan, ranked ninth at 157 pounds, scored a takedown per period en route to an 8-1 decision over Peter Pappas, scoring on counter attacks in the first and second before adding a go behind in the this and 1:25 in riding time. Senior Tyler Meisinger carried the momentum into the second half of the dual, using a first-period pancake on the edge to pin Derek Ciavarro at the 1:44 mark -- his first fall of the season. The Fighting Scots earned razor-thin decision wins at 174 and 184 pounds. Sophomore/freshman Max Maylor nearly pulled off an upset against 16th-ranked Jacob Oliver in the former, giving up a locked-hands penalty and escape in the final 10 seconds of regulation to force overtime, where he fell 4-2. Junior/sophomore J.T. Correll could not quite overcome an early deficit -- and could not finish on a last-second leg attack -- in an 8-7 defeat to Cody Mulligan. Edinboro was deducted team point for unsportsmanlike conduct after the latter bout. Fifth-year senior Jackson Striggow did overcome a two-takedown deficit in the subsequent bout at 197 pounds, scoring takedowns in the second and third frames and riding for 2:28 advantage time to beat Dylan Reynolds, 8-6, in the final dual match of his collegiate career. Sophomore Mason Parris, ranked second at heavyweight, added the capper with another bonus win in the final bout, rolling to a 10-1 major decision against Jon Spaulding with four takedowns -- two in the first period -- and 2:37 riding-time advantage. He improved to 26-0 on the season and has earned bonus points in 17 matches. Michigan will have two weeks to prepare for the 2020 Big Ten Championships, slated for Saturday and Sunday, March 7-8, in Piscataway, New Jersey. Action will begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday and noon on Sunday at the Rutgers Athletic Center. Results: 125 -- #18 Jack Medley (U-M) tech. fall Lucas Rodriguez, 23-5 (6:01) -- U-M, 5-0 133 -- Austin Assad (U-M) win by forfeit -- U-M, 11-0 141 -- Cole Mattin (U-M) dec. Nate Hagan, 6-0 -- U-M, 14-0 149 -- #9 Kanen Storr (U-M) dec. Tyler Vath, 6-2 -- U-M, 17-0 157 -- #9 Will Lewan (U-M) dec. Peter Pappas, 8-1 -- U-M, 20-0 165 -- Tyler Meisinger (U-M) pinned Derek Ciavarro, 1:44 -- U-M, 26-0 174 -- #16 Jacob Oliver (EU) dec. Max Maylor, 4-2 SV -- U-M, 26-3 184 -- Cody Mulligan (EU) dec. J.T. Correll, 8-7 -- U-W, 26-5* 197 -- Jackson Striggow (U-M) dec. Dylan Reynolds, 9-7 -- U-M, 29-5 Hwt -- #2 Mason Parris (U-M) major dec. Jon Spaulding, 10-1 -- U-M, 33-5 * Edinboro deducted a team point for unsportsmanlike conduct

BUFFALO, NY -- The University at Buffalo wrestling team sent their seniors out with a win, defeating Binghamton, 20-15, on Senior Night at Alumni Arena on Friday night. The win snapped the Bulls' four-dual losing streak. After falling behind, 3-0, Derek Spann wrestled a strong match to upset eighth-ranked Zack Trampe, earning the 9-8 decision. Spann used a takedown, two-point nearfall and a reversal in the second period to build an 8-3 lead. Spann improved to 15-2 in duals with the win. John Arceri earned a 6-2 decision over Michael Zarif at 149 to tie the dual at 6-6. Arceri had two first-period takedowns and never looked back. The Bearcats had to forfeit the 157 bout, giving Michael Petite the win. Then at 165, Troy Keller, wrestling in his final home dual, earned a 16-0 technical fall over Dylan Wood. Keller needed only 5:41 to finish the job and put the Bulls ahead, 17-6. Sam Schuyler sealed the win for the Bulls with a 3-1 sudden victory over Sam DePrez at 197. The match was tied at 1-1 heading into overtime. It didn't take long for Schuyler to get a takedown in the overtime to earn the walk-off win. "We needed that. We were tight," head coach John Stutzman said. "Hopefully we can keep progressing. We just got keep getting better." The Bulls will conclude the regular season at Ohio on Sunday, wrestling the Bobcats as well as Gardner-Webb. Results: 125 – Tomassa Frezza (BING) won by decision over Jordan Reyes (UB), 9-8 133 - #20 Derek Spann (UB) won by decision #8 Zack Trampe (BING), 9-8 141 – Antony Sparacio (BING) won by decision over Marcus Robinson (UB), 3-2 149 – John Arceri (UB) won by decision over Michael Zarif (BING), 6-2 157 – Michael Petite (UB) won by forfeit 165 – Troy Keller (UB) won by technical fall over Dylan Wood (BING), 16-0 (5:41) 174 – Aidan Monteverdi (BING) won by decision over Bryson Alsteen (UB), 5-2 184 - #5 Lou DePerez (BING) won by decision over Pete Acciardi (UB), 12-6 197 – Sam Schuyler won by sudden victory over Sam DePrez, 3-1 285 – Joe Doyle (BING) won by decision over Nolan Terrance (UB), 4-0

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- No. 17 Illinois wrestling closed out the regular season with a 23-9 victory over Fresno State on Friday at Huff Hall. The Illini were led by redshirt senior Eric Barone's upset win over No. 14 Jacob Wright in the 157-pound match, which was the first of five consecutive bouts won by the Illini in the dual. Illinois also saw wins from redshirt freshman Justin Cardani (125), senior Travis Piotrowski (133), redshirt freshman Danny Braunagel (165), redshirt senior Joey Gunther (174), redshirt freshman Zac Braunagel (184) and redshirt sophomore Matt Wroblewski (197). The Illini close the 2019-20 dual schedule with a record of 10-4 overall, including 6-1 in duals at Huff Hall. "More than anything I thought we wrestled pretty well," said head coach Jim Heffernan. "We got slowed down a little bit like we did last week which concerns me, but I think our guys are ready for a couple days off and getting ready for the postseason now. The seniors did great and they've been great to our program." Redshirt freshman Justin Cardani started the day with a strong performance in the 125-pound bout against Jeremy Trinh. Cardani jumped out to the early lead with a takedown and later a four-point nearfall in the first period. He'd tack on two more with a reversal in the second. He earned the riding time point, and achieved a shutout, 11-0, major decision over Trinh. Cardani, ranked 19th nationally at 125, moves to 15-7 on the season and closes the dual schedule with a record of 11-3. Senior Travis Piotrowski made the last appearance of his career at Huff Hall on Friday. Taking on Lawrence Saenz in the 133-pound bout, the four-year starter Piotrowski opened his last home match with a quick takedown. He escaped twice, and added on another takedown in the third, defeating Saenz by decision, 6-4. Ranked seventh nationally at 133-pounds, Piotrowski is now 23-2 this year, and ends the dual season undefeated at 14-0. After Fresno State won the next two bouts, the Illini needed a win to stay in front. Redshirt senior Eric Barone attacked quickly against No. 14 Jacob Wright, going ahead early in the first with a takedown. With the match tied at 2-2 in the third, Barone escaped to re-take the lead at 3-2. Barone tacked on a takedown in the final seconds to put the finishing touches on a 6-2 upset decision win over Jacob Wright. Barone's win on Senior Day is his fourth straight victory. Redshirt freshman Danny Braunagel looked to keep the momentum going in the 165-pound match against Adam Kemp. After trailing early in the first, Braunagel responded with two takedowns later in the period and would take a 5-3 lead into the second. Braunagel did not allow a point the rest of the way, and would go on to defeat Kemp by decision, 8-3. Ranked No.12 nationally at 165. Braunagel is now 20-6 overall and finishes the dual schedule going 10-3 in those matchups. Redshirt senior Joey Gunther had solid third period to get a win in his final start at Huff Hall. Trailing Jackson Hemauer, 1-0, at the start of the third, Gunther escaped and recorded a takedown to take a 3-1 lead. Gunther added a second takedown in the period, and would go on to defeat Hemauer by decision, 5-3. Gunther, ranked 15th nationally at 174-pounds, moves to 15-6 on the season. Redshirt freshman Zac Braunagel had a dominant performance in his matchup with Hunter Cruz at 184-pounds. Ranked 15th nationally, Braunagel recorded eight takedowns against the No. 32-ranked Cruz en route to an 18-5 major decision. Braunagel is now 18-8 on the season. Redshirt sophomore Matt Wroblewski earned the final Illini victory of the dual. Taking on Dominic Kincaid, Wroblewski recorded two first period takedowns and ended the opening frame with a 4-3 lead. Wroblewski added a takedown in both the second and third periods, and would win the 197-pound bout in a 10-6 decision over Kincaid. With the regular season now wrapped up, Illinois wrestling will prepare for the 2020 Big Ten Championships, set for Saturday, March 7 and Sunday, March 8 at Rutgers. Results: 125: No. 19 Justin Cardani (ILL) major dec. Jeremy Trinh (FRES), 11-0 | ILL 4, FRES 0 133: No. 7 Travis Piotrowski (ILL) dec. Lawrence Saenz (FRES), 6-4 | ILL 7, FRES 0 141: No. 15 DJ Lloren (FRES) dec. No. 17 Dylan Duncan (ILL), 3-2 | ILL 7, FRES 3 149: Greg Gaxiola (FRES) dec. Mousa Jodeh (ILL), 4-3 | ILL 7, FRES 6 157: Eric Barone (ILL) dec. No. 14 Jacob Wright, 6-2 | ILL 10, FRES 6 165: No. 12 Danny Braunagel (ILL) dec. Adam Kemp (FRES), 8-3 | ILL 13, FRES 6 174: No. 15 Joey Gunther (ILL) dec. Jackson Hemauer (FRES), 5-3 | ILL 16, FRES 6 184: No. 15 Zac Braunagel (ILL) major dec. No. 32 Hunter Cruz (FRES), 18-5 | ILL 20, FRES 6 197: Matt Wroblewski (ILL) dec. Dominic Kincaid (FRES), 10-6 | ILL 23, FRES 6 285: No. 9 Josh Hokit (FRES) dec. No. 27 Luke Luffman (ILL), 8-2 | ILL 23, FRES 9

Nick Piccininni warms up at the Southern Scuffle (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) The most celebrated rivalry in college wrestling returns for yet another edition this Sunday. No. 10 Oklahoma State may have won last year's match by 15 points, but No. 1 Iowa comes into this match as a heavy favorite. The Cowboys would need a variety of upsets to happen to take this dual, but stranger things have happened. The following is a weight-by-weight preview of the match. 125: No. 1 Spencer Lee (Iowa) vs. No. 4 Nick Piccininni (Oklahoma State) These two have wrestled four times in their college careers. Lee has won three of those matches, but when they last met in a dual meet, Piccininni picked up a shocking first-period fall. The Oklahoma State wrestler not only handed Lee his only bonus point defeat in college, but it also fueled the Cowboys to a team victory in the dual. Of course, Lee went on to win the rematch at the NCAA tournament and become a champion for the second time. This year he has won all 10 of his matches and put up bonus points in all but one of those matches. He took time away from the season to get in some freestyle matches and won the 57-kilogram title at Senior Nationals. Lee holds victories this season over No. 18 Jack Medley (Michigan), No. 14 Alex Mackall (Iowa State) and No. 6 Devin Schroder (Purdue). Piccininni ended up finishing fifth at the NCAA tournament last year to become an All-American for the second time. This year he has built a gaudy and impressive regular season record once again. On the year, he is 23-1 with victories coming over No. 15 Danny Vega (South Dakota State), No. 13 Jacob Schwarm (Northern Iowa), No. 11 Patrick McKee (Minnesota), No. 5 Brandon Paetzell (Lehigh) and Mackall. Last weekend Piccininni appeared to be fading late in the Bedlam match against Christian Moody (Oklahoma). However, he turned things around in a hurry and scored a late fall. Piccininni showed in the dual meet match last year that he can certainly threaten Lee. However, in the rematch, Lee was able to control the match and win without being overly dominant from the top. Piccininni has to keep this match close in the first period, but that is easier said than done against Lee. Prediction: Lee (Iowa) major decision over Piccininni (Oklahoma State) 133: No. 3 Austin DeSanto (Iowa) vs. Reece Witcraft (Oklahoma State) DeSanto returned last weekend for the first time since suffering a knee injury and defaulting out of his bout against No. 2 Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State). He came out sporting a large brace, but he was still able to score a 24-8 technical fall over Boo Dryden (Minnesota). DeSanto's only other loss on the season came against No. 1 Seth Gross (Wisconsin). Other than those two defeats, he has won 13 matches and picked up six technical falls. Witcraft was pressed into the starting lineup early in his true freshman season. He has taken some losses along the way, but he has his fair share of impressive victories as well. His 16-7 season record includes victories over No. 16 Todd Small (Iowa State), No. 15 Anthony Madrigal (Oklahoma) and No. 12 Montorie Bridges (Wyoming). DeSanto looked more or less like himself in running over Dryden last weekend. However, Witcraft will be much more of a test. If the Iowa wrestler is still dealing with an injury, an upset is certainly possible. However, it is hard to see Witcraft escaping with the victory here. Prediction: DeSanto (Iowa) major decision over Witcraft (Oklahoma State) 141: No. 5 Max Murin (Iowa) vs. Dusty Hone (Oklahoma State) Murin had not wrestled in nearly a month prior to last weekend. If you believe his post-match interview, he did not even know he was returning to the mat until the intermission break. However, he certainly made the most of his return experience. He came out without a shoulder brace for the first time this season and defeated No. 6 Mitch McKee (Minnesota) in overtime. McKee defeated Murin twice last season. Murin missed a lot of tough opponents on the year, but he is 11-1 on the year with wins over No. 10 Josh Heil (Campbell) and No. 8 Tristan Moran (Wisconsin). Most people penciled Kaden Gfeller into the starting lineup at 141 pounds for this season. However, Hone got the shot early in the year and held onto the role the whole way. He has gone 18-7 during his redshirt freshman season. He entered last weekend's Bedlam match riding a four-match winning streak, but he dropped a 4-3 decision against No. 4 Dom Demas (Oklahoma). Murin had one of his best performances of the season last weekend against McKee. If he has gotten healthier, he should be a tough out for some of the title contenders when it comes time for the NCAA tournament. Hone has been a solid starter for the Cowboys, and he has kept it close against some of the weight's top wrestlers. However, he has never really been able to break through for wins on this level. Prediction: Murin (Iowa) decision over Hone (Oklahoma State) 149: No. 2 Pat Lugo (Iowa) vs. No. 6 Boo Lewallen (Oklahoma State) This will be the match of the dual. Both wrestlers have spent time in the No. 1 spot in the rankings this year, and this bout could easily be a preview of the NCAA finals at 149 pounds. Lugo has gone 17-1 on the season with his only defeat coming against No. 1 Sammy Sasso (Ohio State) in rideouts. He has won several matches extremely close, but he has passed the vast majority of tests so far. Lugo holds ranked wins over No. 17 Jarod Verkleeren (Penn State), No. 16 Collin Purinton (Nebraska), No. 15 Graham Rooks (Indiana), No. 11 Jarrett Degen (Iowa State), N0. 10 Max Thomsen (Northern Iowa), No. 9 Kanen Storr (Michigan), No. 7 Brayton Lee (Minnesota) and No. 3 Austin O'Connor (North Carolina). Lewallen has not faced nearly as many ranked wrestlers as Lugo has this season, but he has been able to build an 18-1 record. His lone defeat on the year came in sudden victory against No. 5 Brock Mauller (Missouri). Lewallen has gotten back on track with three straight major decisions wins since that defeat. This might be a popular upset pick, but the path to victory for Lewallen is not entirely clear. Lugo likes to play matches close against high-level opponents, but if he is able to get to his underhook, he should be able to control the neutral position. In the past, Lugo was simply a standup wrestler, but he has made strides on both top and bottom this season. It has become an underrated part of his game. Prediction: Lugo (Iowa) decision over Lewallen (Oklahoma State) 157: No. 5 Kaleb Young (Iowa) vs. Wyatt Sheets (Oklahoma State) At times this season, Young has reverted to his defensive style and engaged in low scoring matches. That was on display last weekend as he went to overtime before besting Ryan Thomas (Minnesota) via a 5-4 decision. Despite slowing the pace down in some matches, Young has been outstanding on the year. He holds a 15-2 record with his only losses coming against No. 3 David Carr (Iowa State) and No. 4 Quincy Monday (Princeton). Since dropping a one-point decision against Monday in early December, Young has won 13 straight matches. Sheets has been on the cusp of the rankings for most of the season. He has put together a 17-6 record and put a scare into many ranked wrestlers. Sheets is currently riding a five-match winning streak that has been him upset No. 14 Jarrett Jacques (Missouri) and No. 20 Justin Thomas (Oklahoma). This was a 9-5 match in the dual meet last year, and a similar score seems like the likely outcome. When Young has gotten to his offense, he has been able to extend the score, but he seems content to win close as well. Prediction: Young (Iowa) decision over Sheets (Oklahoma State) 165: No. 2 Alex Marinelli (iowa) vs. No. 6 Travis Wittlake (Oklahoma State) Outside of the rivalry match against No. 1 Vincenzo Joseph (Penn State), Marinelli has been perfect on the season. He has won his 16 other matches and put up bonus points in nine of those matches. Since the loss against Joseph, Marinelli has bounced back with a major decision over Reece Hughes (Michigan) and a technical fall over Kasper McIntosh (Minnesota). Wittlake was a blue-chip prospect coming out of high school. He took some questionable losses during his redshirt season, but he has looked beyond solid as a starter this season. Wittlake has put together a 25-1 record with his only defeat coming against No. 3 Shane Griffith (Stanford). His schedule has not been particularly tough, but he does hold ranked wins over No. 20 Ebed Jarrell (Drexel), No. 14 Jake Wentzel (Pittsburgh) and No. 9 Thomas Bullard (NC State). Since the Southern Scuffle, Wittlake has not had a lot of trouble getting to his offense. Over his last 10 matches he is averaging 13.1 points per match. With that being said, he will likely struggle to get out of the power ties of Marinelli. Not only does the Iowa wrestler do a great job of controlling the tie-ups, but he also wears on an opponent over time. This might be close early, but look for Marinelli to pull away late. Prediction: Marinelli (Iowa) decision over Wittlake (Oklahoma State) 174: No. 1 Michel Kemerer (Iowa) vs. No. 13 Joe Smith (Oklahoma State) These two wrestled twice back in 2017 when they were both 157-pounders. Kemerer won a one-point match in their first meeting and then scored a 7-1 victory via a six-point move in sudden victory at the NCAA tournament. After sitting out last year with an injury, Kemerer has moved up to 174 pounds and looked tremendous. In only 12 matches this year he has knocked off five of the top-eight wrestlers at this weight class. His most impressive victory came when he scored an 11-6 victory over No. 2 Mark Hall that propelled Iowa to a victory over Penn State. Smith got off to a late and slow start to the season. He made his season debut at the Southern Scuffle and then lost two of his first four matches. Smith then got it together and went on a five-match winning streak that saw him knock off No. 14 Sammy Colbray (Iowa State). However, last week in the Bedlam match, he was upset against Anthony Mantanona. Smith held a late lead but surrendered a six-point move in the final seconds to drop a 10-5 decision. Kemerer should be able to handle this match. He had the advantage when Smith seemed to be closer to his peak. On top of that, Kemerer's pace and persistence could easily give Smith a lot of problems. Prediction: Kemerer (Iowa) decision over Smith (Oklahoma State) 184: No. 9 Abe Assad (Iowa) vs. No. 14 Anthony Montalvo (Oklahoma State) Assad joined the starting lineup after an impressive runner-up performance at the Midlands. He won his first four matches as a starter, but he then dropped back-to-back bouts against Aaron Brooks (Penn State) and Cameron Caffey (Michigan State). Assad has been out of action since the Feb. 2 match against Caffey, but the reports are that he will return to the lineup for this dual. Montalvo has a 19-5 record on the season, but he has performed much better recently. Since the Southern Scuffle, he has put together a 9-1 run that has seen him only come up short against No. 4 Taylor Lujan (Northern Iowa). Montalvo also picked up ranked victories over No. 16 Zach Carlson (South Dakota State) and No. 7 Nino Bonaccorsi (Pittsburgh). Assad had a hot start to his run in the starting lineup, but he has certainly cooled off since. He will have to shake the rust off soon as he returns against a live opponent. Montalvo has certainly been playing with fire recently as some of his matches have been razor close. However, he comes into this match with the momentum and will likely be the one scoring the takedown in crunch time. Prediction: Montalvo (Oklahoma State) decision over Assad (Iowa) 197: No. 6 Jacob Warner (Iowa) vs. No. 16 Dakota Geer (Oklahoma State) Warner has wrestled his way to a 14-3 record on the season. Early in the year it looked like he was going to hold down one of the top spots in the rankings after winning his first four matches and knocking off No. 3 Patrick Brucki (Princeton). However, he has since dropped a rematch against Brucki as well as matches against No. 8 Jay Aiello (Virginia) and No. 4 Eric Schultz (Nebraska). Since losing to Schultz he has bounced back with four straight victories. Last weekend, he scored a major decision over Hunter Ritter (Wisconsin). Geer also had a solid start to the season, and he still holds an impressive 19-6 record. However, he enters this match with very little momentum. Geer has dropped back-to-back matches against Stephen Buchanan (Wyoming) and Jake Woodley (Oklahoma). In his first match against Woodley, he was able to score a 4-2 decision, but in the rematch the Sooner took home a 10-9 decision. So much of Warner's offense relies on his ability to counter an opponent's leg attacks. Geer is normally solid when he is able to lead in matches, and he should be prepared to avoid Warner's counters. This would be an upset, but Geer's style and length could give him the advantage. Prediction: Geer (Oklahoma State) decision over Warner (Iowa) 285: No. 3 Anthony Cassioppi (Iowa) vs. Austin Harris (Oklahoma State) Prior to the last two weekends, Cassioppi had an undefeated record. However, in consecutive weekends, he dropped matches against No. 2 Mason Parris (Michigan) and No. 1 Gable Steveson (Minnesota). Despite those losses, he has cemented himself as the No. 3-ranked wrestler with another 15 wins including victories over No. 17 Seth Nevills (Penn State), No. 16 Gary Traub (Ohio State), No. 14 Carter Isley (Northern Iowa), No. 13 Gannon Gremmel (Iowa State), No. 6 Trent Hillger (Wisconsin) and No. 4 Matt Stencel (Central Michigan). Harris has been undersized throughout the entire year, and he has taken some lumps on the way to a 5-9 record. However, in those nine losses he has only surrendered bonus points three times. He comes into this match with some momentum as he scored his first bonus point victory of the year. In the Bedlam dual, he took a major decision over Collin McCoy (Oklahoma). With that being said, Harris will really be up against it here. Cassioppi came into this season with the reputation of a pinner. He has scored five falls this year, but eight of his wins have been regular decisions. Harris has been sounded defensively in terms of giving up bonus, but it is hard to see him staying off his back here. Prediction: Cassioppi (Iowa) fall over Harris (Oklahoma State) Dual Meet Predicted Score: Iowa 29, Oklahoma State 6

Arizona State University announced Thursday that it has suspended two-time NCAA champion Zahid Valencia following a positive drug test. "Zahid Valencia has been suspended indefinitely from the ASU men's wrestling team," according to the statement released by the athletic department. There are no other details available at the time, but if true that he failed a drug test, Valencia would be done with this NCAA career and likely be ineligible to compete at the international level. The news comes on the heels of United World Wrestling announcing the reallocation of three Olympic licenses from anti-doping violations at the 2019 Wrestling World Championships in Nur-Sultan. And while I'm personally hopeful that this is the last of the news, I'm certain that with so many big tournaments on the horizon this won't be the last batch of cases to hit the news. Anti-doping is a vital part of ensuring a fair and competitive sports landscape. Rolling with jiu-jitsu against athletes on steroids is frustrating even for someone who does jiu-jitsu recreationally, I can only imagine the anger I'd feel if I were an Olympic wrestler and I knew my competitor was doped to the gills. But with money and the draw of an Olympic medal I suspect we will see more cases, not fewer. Sad day. To your questions … Princeton after clinching the Ivy League title (Photo/Beverly Schaefer) Q: Princeton is ranked fourth in the tournament rankings and got a boost when Matthew Kolodzik returned. Do you think Princeton will win a team trophy in Minneapolis? -- Mike C. Foley: I don't want to become locker room fodder for a bunch of really smart kids who can also double leg me through the earth, but I am highly suspicious of their ability to turn in a flawless performance at the NCAA tournament. But why must I start negative?! Look at that question … PRINCETON being discussed as potentially winning a team trophy at the NCAA Division I Championships in 2020? That's an unbelievable achievement in itself. Coach Ayers deserves a ton of credit for attracting alumni support, top recruits, and effective assistant coaches. He's also developed the talent pool with maximum efficacy and even picked an online fight with Coach Koll at Cornell. Things are coming up Tigers every day, so ya' know what? Sure. Princeton will win a team trophy this year in Minneapolis. Q: Where is the best place to bet on the NCAAs? -- Ian F. Foley: For many years, Sportsbook.com posted betting odds on the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. The odds were pretty easy to exploit in the early days of NCAA wrestling betting. When J Jaggers won his first NCAA title in 2008, he had odds of 22-1 before the tournament. As the years went on, the betting odds became tighter and harder to exploit. However, last year, Sportsbook.com did not post odds for the first time in a long time. BetDSI entered the wrestling betting market in the spring of 2018, first posting odds on the U.S. Open and then Final X. Last season, BetDSI posted odds on dual meets and NCAAs. However, after last year's NCAAs, BetDSI stopped posting wrestling odds. There have no odds for dual meets this season, and I would be surprised if BetDSI posts lines for the NCAAs. Unless something has changed, this could be the first year in a long time that no offshore sportsbook offers betting on the NCAAs. If anyone has any additional info on sites offering betting odds for this year's NCAAs, please share in the comments section. Q: What did you think of Tom Brands' comments on Austin DeSanto? -- Mike C. Foley: Tom Brands gets it. He knows that there can't be exceptions for poor behavior, no matter the wrestler or the time of year. Brands also recognizes that as of now the incidents haven't cost Iowa anything major, but that will soon change. "These guys know what is expected," he says early in the response. To me that signals that whatever he is sharing with the press the team is well aware of the same. Also, he's showing that there are clearly defined expectations and consequences for actions that are unbecoming a Hawkeye and/or those that cost the team points, or a chance at the NCAA title. And still he has DeSanto's back. His admiration for him and his support is plain to anyone, even repeating the line from Terry that DeSanto "[is] not a circus act," which I think is important to remember both as a former wrestler and member of the media. DeSanto is stressed and he doesn't handle stress especially well. Mocking him or putting him on an island won't solve anyone's problems and will only exacerbate any underlying issues. But I also like Coach Brands' last thoughts, where he explicitly reminds DeSanto publicly that "[the coaches] look bad because we can't get you under control." Which is just enough guilt to hopefully motivate DeSanto and remind the other guys on the team that its about buttoning up during the last month of the season. Don't make an unforced error, and when trouble is thrust on you, simply walk away. Overall, the video reminded me how much I like Tom Brands. MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME Tom Brands on Austin DeSanto Jacarra Winchester makes the cut to 53 kilograms and gives insight on the cut. Link: China to compete at relocated Asian Olympic Qualifier Q: How does Jacarra Winchester stack up against the world at 53 kilograms? Do you view her as a strong medal threat in Tokyo? -- Mike C. Foley: First of all, Jacarra needs to qualify the weight in Ottawa. If she does that then this discussion becomes more real and that Instagram post is going to start getting way more views from fans and media alike (Go get 'em, Jacarra). Assuming she qualifies the weight and secures the spot, I'd expect her to fall behind Yong mi Pak (North Korea), Mayu Mukaida (Japan), and Vinesh (India). Those are very strong opponents who could almost finish with three of the four medals 95% of the time you run this tournament. Quianyu Pang (China) is good, but I think Jacarra has way too much for her and can avoid big throws. The rest of the filed, truthfully, just isn't at her level. The Cuban and the Ecuadorian are very athletic and can cause Jacarra problems if she's not in good shape, but again her wrestling is much better than theirs as is her competitive on-the-mat strategies. Let's see how Jacarra performs in Ottawa, but I like her chances to qualify the weight and medal in Tokyo. Q: Nick Piccininni pinned Spencer Lee in the dual meet last year. Lee came back to beat him 11-4 at NCAAs. How do you see their match playing out Sunday night in Iowa City? -- Mike C. Foley: Spencer Lee by major decision. Think he's shown a separation in recent months and won't fall victim to the mental lapses like he did in last year's dual meet. Also, can I wish him to stay perfectly healthy? I like the idea of him wrestling for Team USA in Tokyo.

MADISON, Wisc. -- If you ask Isaiah Patton about his senior year, you would be hard-pressed to find much to be excited about, but that changed Thursday night when he picked up a 3-2 win the third tiebreaker period to lock up the 20-18 dual win for 17th-ranked UNI over No. 12 Wisconsin. The win was locked up with Patton's win at 197 but started with a first-period win by Jay Schwarm at 125. Schwarm picked up an early takedown, but his opponent Eric Barnett reversed him. Schwarm picked up a quick reversal of his own and rode Barnett for over a minute before locking him in a cradle and earning the pin with 43 seconds left in the first period. The pin was his 15th pin on the season and 14th over a Division I opponent. He moves into sole possession of the top spot in the NCAA for pin falls this season. After Schwarm's pin put the Panthers up 6-0, the Badgers responded with a 16-0 technical fall by defending national champion Seth Gross at 133. At 141, Michael Blockhus grabbed four takedowns and a ride time point to earn a 9-4 decision over No. 4 Tristan Moran to give UNI a 9-5 lead after three bouts. At 149, Triston Lara wrestled for Max Thomsen against No. 15 Cole Martin and battled from the opening whistle. Lara led 4-1 early and 4-2 heading into the third, but Martin battled back with two takedowns in the third to earn the 10-8 win. UNI held on to a 9-8 lead after two bouts. At 157, Drew Scharenbrock topped Derek Holschlag 7-2 to give Wisconsin an 11-9 lead heading into the break. No. 4 Evan Wick topped Austin Yant 16-4 at 165 to extend the Wisconsin lead 15-9, but the next three bouts would belong to the Panthers. Bryce Steiert earned a 9-1 major decision with three takedowns to cut the deficit to 15-13. Taylor Lujan grabbed a first-quarter takedown and four-point near-fall on the way to a 12-2 major decision. The win put UNI up 17-15 with two bouts to go. At 197, Patton entered the dual with a 0-5 record on the year and a 0-3 mark in duals, but his first win of the season may be arguably the biggest of his career. He met Taylor Watkins and the two wrestlers went through the first period without a score. Watkins got on the board first with an escape in the second, but Patton responded with an escape of his own in the third. In sudden victory, neither wrestler gained an advantage, sending the bout to a tiebreaker. Watkins didn't score in his choice of the first tiebreaker but got on the board with a penalty point in the second half of the tiebreaker. Patton earned an escape to send it to SV2. Another scoreless sudden victory session led to another tiebreaker session. Patton picked up an escape in TB3 and rode out Watkins in the second half of the final tiebreaker to pick up the win and give UNI the 20-15 lead. Carter Isley went toe-to-toe with No. 5 Trent Hilgar but fell 3-0 after making it through two periods with no score. The Badger win cut the final score to 20-18, but it wouldn't be enough to overcome the five-point deficit. The win gives UNI a final dual record of 8-4 on the year, the best record since going 11-3 in the 2016-17 season. Results: 125: JaySchwarm (UNI) over Eric Barnett (WISC) (Fall 2:19) 133: Seth Gross (WISC) over Jack Skudlarczyk (UNI) (TF 16-0 5:00) 141: Michael Blockhus (UNI) over Tristan Moran (WISC) (Dec 9-4) 149: Cole Martin (WISC) over Triston Lara (UNI) (Dec 10-8) 157: Drew Scharenbrock (WISC) over Derek Holschlag (UNI) (Dec 7-2) 165: Evan Wick (WISC) over Austin Yant (UNI) (MD 16-4) 174: Bryce Steiert (UNI) over Jared Krattiger (WISC) (MD 9-1) 184: Taylor Lujan (UNI) over Tyler Dow (WISC) (MD 12-2) 197: Isaiah Patton (UNI) over Taylor Watkins (WISC) (TB-3 3-2) 285: Trent Hillger (WISC) over Carter Isley (UNI) (Dec 3-0) UP NEXT The Panthers next head to the Big 12 Championship in Tulsa, Okla., March 7-8. Seven Panthers are now ranked in various polls and the Panthers will look to make some noise in Tulsa.

FAIRFAX, Va. -- Four straight wins in the latter half of the match fueled American University wrestling to an 18-14, come-from-behind win at George Mason in a road dual meet. The Eagles (4-7) twice scored bonus points while the Patriots (8-9) did so only once and also lost two team points for unsportsmanlike conduct. MATCH RECAP Sal Profaci (141) started off the meet with his eighth straight win and did so in shutout fashion, taking down ranked opponent Alex Madrigal by 10-0 major decision. In an upset between two more ranked opponents, Kizhan Clarke (149) suffered just his second loss of the dual season in a 4-1 decision against Colston DiBlasi. Three more AU losses followed, putting the Eagles down 13-4 halfway through the meet. Tanner Harvey (184) brought the momentum back in the Eagles' favor against Paul Pierce. He led 17-5 after two periods, and a takedown just 33 seconds into the 3rd period ended it with a tech fall victory, 20-5. Facing Ali Salem, AU's William Jarrell earned his first collegiate dual win by decision, 4-2 at 197 pounds. The run continued with a 4-2 decision for Niko Camacho at 285, and Gage Curry gave AU an 18-13 lead with a 3-1 decision at 125 pounds. The final match went to Mason at 133, but Joshua Vega did well to give up no bonus points for the Eagles, who won 18-14 after the two team points taken off George Mason's total. Results: 141 - Sal Profaci (AU) major dec. Alex Madrigal (GMU), 10-0 (AU 4-0) 149 - Colston DiBlasi (GMU) dec. Kizhan Clarke (AU), 4-1 (AU 4-3) 157 - Kolby Ho (GMU) dec. Ethan Karsten (AU), 11-5 (GMU 6-4) 165 - Neil Schuster (GMU) dec. Tim Fitzpatrick (AU), 7-4 (GMU 9-4) 174 - Anthony Lombardo (GMU) major dec. Anthony Wokasch (AU), 15-1 (GMU 13-4) 184 - Tanner Harvey (AU) tech. fall Paul Pierce (GMU), 20-5 (GMU 13-9) 197 - William Jarrell (AU) dec. Ali Salem (GMU), 4-2 (GMU 13-12) 285 - Niko Camacho (AU) dec. Jake Slinger (GMU), 4-2 (AU 15-13) 125 - Gage Curry (AU) dec. Talha Farooq (GMU), 3-1 (AU 18-13) 133 - Josh Jones (GMU) dec. Joshua Vega (AU), 9-3 (AU 18-16) George Mason mat control violation -2.0 (Final: AU 18-14) UP NEXT The final dual meet of the season will be the toughest yet for the Eagles, who travel to #2 Penn State on Sunday, Feb. 23 at noon.