InterMat Staff

PHILADELPHIA -- In its next-to-last action of the dual season, No. 11 Lehigh posted a convincing 35-9 victory over Penn Thursday night at the Palestra. The Mountain Hawks won six of the eight contested bouts, with four bonus point wins on the way to their 10th consecutive dual win. Junior Chris Weiler won by technical fall in his return to action, while sophomore Josh Humphreys freshman Brian Meyer and junior Jordan Wood posted wins by major decision, for the Mountain Hawks, who are now 11-3 on the dual season and 7-1 against EIWA foes. The dual began at 141, where Doug Zapf, the only ranked Quaker to compete Thursday, held off sophomore Dan Moran 3-1 behind a second period takedown. From there, Lehigh rolled off five consecutive victories to take control by a 19-3 margin. Sophomore Jimmy Hoffman gutted out a 2-1 decision over Lucas Revano at 149. Hoffman had to take an injury timeout after tweaking his knee on and Revano second period escape. Revano took bottom after the timeout and Hoffman rode out to build a large riding time advantage. Hoffman escaped early in the third and with strong defense prevailed 2-1 behind 1:50 of riding time. "You have to be good in all three positions and top is one of those," Lehigh head coach Pat Santoro said. "There are so many aspects to this sport that you better be good in all of them because you never know when you're going to need one of them." Humphreys put Lehigh in front for good with a 9-1 major decision over Jon Errico at 157. Humphreys had three takedowns and a reversal, and accumulated more than five minutes of riding time working to turn Errico. Meyer made it back-to-back major decisions with a 10-2 victory over Jack Conway at 165. Needing a takedown late with secure the major, Meyer scored a takedown with eight seconds remaining, his fourth takedown of the bout, to extend Lehigh's lead. "It was fun to see Brian go out and execute and get a lot of takedowns tonight," Santoro said. "I'm really happy for him. He is getting better every week and he has wrestled some studs this year. Senior Jordan Kutler put the Mountain Hawks up 14-3 at intermission with a 10-4 decision of Neil Antrassian at 174. After sitting out the Bucknell dual, Weiler came back with a vengeance, building a 9-0 lead after one period on the way to a 16-0 technical fall over John Stout at 184. Weiler scored a takedown and had a two point near fall, a four point near fall and a stalling point in the first period. He opened the second with an escape and then scored a takedown and four point near fall to end the bout at 4:16. "He did what he was supposed to do," Santoro said of Weiler. "It's great having Chris back in our lineup. We miss him when we don't have him. When he's in there he makes us a lot better." Penn's only other points came at 197 where Cole Urbas was a winner by injury default over junior Jake Jakobsen. Scoreless in the second period, Urbas returned Jakobsen to the mat and turned him for four near fall before action was stopped due to a Jakobsen injury. While Jakobsen attempted to talk his way into continuing, the Lehigh coaches erred on the side of caution with the 19-9 lead in the dual. Wood closed the evening out with a 14-3 major decision over Nate Hoagland at 285. Penn (6-9, 5-6 EIWA) then forfeited 125 and 133 to juniors Brandon Paetzell and Nick Farro, respectively. The Mountain Hawks will close out the dual meet season tomorrow when they host No. 5 Arizona State on Senior Night inside Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall. Lehigh will recognize its eight member senior class prior to the dual, which begins at 7 p.m. A very limited number of tickets still remain and can be purchased at LehighTickets.com or by calling 610-7LU-GAME during business hours. "You always want to be wrestling well at the end of the year," Santoro said. "Its that championship mindset right now. We're into that last stage so you have to be excited about tomorrow night and you have to be excited going into Easterns and NCAAs." The 2019-20 Lehigh wrestling season is presented by the Historic Hotel Bethlehem. Results: 141 – Doug Zapf (Penn) dec. Dan Moran (Lehigh) 3-1 149 – Jimmy Hoffman (Lehigh) dec. Lucas Revano (Penn) 2-1 157 – Josh Humphreys (Lehigh) major dec. Jon Errico (Penn) 9-1 165 – Brian Meyer (Lehigh) major dec. Jack Conway (Penn) 10-2 174 – Jordan Kutler (Lehigh) dec. Neil Antrassian (Penn) 10-4 184 – Chris Weiler (Lehigh) tech fall John Stout (Penn) 16-0, 4:16 197 – Cole Urbas (Penn) injury default Jake Jakobsen (Lehigh) 4:28 285 – Jordan Wood (Lehigh) major dec. Nate Hoagland (Penn) 14-3 125 – Brandon Paetzell (Lehigh) won by forfeit 133 – Nick Farro (Lehigh) won by forfeit

Zahid Valencia at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Two-time NCAA champion Zahid Valencia has been suspended indefinitely from Arizona State's wrestling team after a report surfaced that he failed a drug test. The failed drug test came at the Matteo Pellicone in Rome, Italy, on Jan. 18, according to the Arizona Republic. Valencia won a gold medal at the event competing at 86 kilograms. According to the report, the drug Valencia tested positive for was a recreational drug, not a performance enhancing drug. Valencia won NCAA titles the past two seasons at 174 pounds. He has compiled a 20-0 record this season and has been ranked No. 1 at 184 pounds all season.

HASTINGS, Neb. -- Hastings College Athletic Director B.J. Pumroy announced that Cara Romeike (Car-uh Rome-ike-uh) has been named head coach of the women's wrestling team. The team, announced last fall, will begin competing in the 2020-21 academic year. Cara RomeikeRomeike is currently head girls wrestling coach at Cyprus High School in South Jordan, Utah. She led her team to a 3rd place finish with one bracket champion and five place winners at the Utah Girls State Championship this season. A Texas native, Romeike wrestled collegiately at the University of Jamestown, which like Hastings College is in the Great Plains Athletic Conference. At Jamestown she was a three-time captain, two-time conference champion and NAIA National Runner-Up in 2019 at 130 lbs. "Coach Romeike has the enthusiasm, drive and leadership to build a successful program. She demonstrated this as a leader of her peers as a student athlete, and in her work in Utah," Pumroy said. "We are thrilled she's bringing the culture that both she and the campus expect from a new program." Romeike has already started recruiting students to apply to Hastings College and join the Broncos this fall. After completing the current school year, she will move to the area. "I could not be more excited to start the women's wrestling program at Hastings College," Romeike said. "I am extremely passionate about the sport of wrestling, as well as promoting the sport to women across the country. Hastings College has a lot to offer academically and has a wonderful sense of community. I could not be more grateful to work for such a fine institution." Romeike was a Dean's List student at the University of Jamestown and graduated with a biology degree. Beyond her high school coaching experience, she has served as a board member for USA Wrestling in Utah. She also has coached Team Utah and Team Texas in national women's wrestling competitions. In 2019 there were 20 schools who competed at the inaugural NAIA National Invitational Women's Wrestling Championship held in Jamestown, including two from Nebraska. There are 63 colleges and universities nationwide who sponsor women's wrestling. The Nebraska State Wrestling Coaches Association sponsored the inaugural Girls State Tournament in York, Nebraska, earlier this month, and 181 high school girls competed in the tournament. In the 2018-19 school year, Nebraska had the 20th most high school girls wrestling participation in the country. Hastings College is Nebraska's premier private college. A four-year residential college that focuses on student academic and extracurricular achievement, Hastings' student-centered initiatives include providing books, an iPad Pro and a two-week study abroad experience at no additional cost. A block-style semester schedule allows professors and students to focus on fewer classes at a time and promotes hands-on experiences. Discover more at hastings.edu.

ANGOLA, Ind. -- Trine University Assistant Vice President for Athletics Matt Land has named Amy Hildebrandt as the inaugural head coach of the Thunder women's wrestling team. "Amy is a great asset to Trine University and the sport of women's wrestling," said Land, "She is determined to grow women's wrestling. Her lifelong passion will serve Trine University well as we develop our program." Amy HildebrandtHildebrandt has served as the coach of the Penn High School girl's wrestling team for the past two years. While there she has led the team to two state championship titles while coaching four individual state champions. The team can trace its roots to Hildebrandt's time at Penn as a student when she was instrumental in starting the first Penn Girl's Wrestling Club which later became the full-fledged team when the IHSGW began sponsoring the sport statewide. "I am honored to be Trine University's first women's wrestling coach." said Hildebrandt, "Women's wrestling has always been my passion and I am excited to be a part of the sport's growth. I look forward to introducing the Trine community to women's wrestling and leading a new group of young women at the University." Hildebrandt has also served as coach of the Penn Wrestling Club for the past two years. The club works with elementary and middle school-aged athletes on the fundamentals of wrestling. For the past two years, she has also served as an assistant wrestling technician at the University of Michigan Women's Wrestling Camp. Currently, Hildebrandt is stationed at the United States Olympic Training in Colorado Springs, Colo. where she assisting her sister in preparations for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Trine University announced in January that it would begin sponsoring women's wrestling for the 2020-21 season. They will become the first NCAA institution to sponsor the sport in Indiana.

EMORY, Va. -- Director of Athletics Anne Crutchfield has announced the hiring of Pete Hansen as the inaugural men's and women's wrestling coach at Emory & Henry College. Hansen moves from his position as an assistant football coach with the Wasps, to lead the wrestling program as it prepares to compete in fall 2020. Pete Hansen"I am thrilled to have Pete launch our men's and women's wrestling programs," said Crutchfield. "His passion to mentor student-athletes on and off the playing field is a great match with the direction we want to go with wrestling. Pete has vast experience on the recruiting trail, and he is well-versed in what the Emory & Henry experience can be for prospective student-athletes." Hansen makes a move to head coach after a successful collegiate wrestling career at Southern Virginia University. In 2009, Hansen finished in fifth place at the National Collegiate Wrestling Association (NWCA) national championship - earning him All-American status for the season. He qualified for the NWCA national championship in three of his four years at SVU. Other career highlights include a first-place finish in the Mid-Atlantic Regional Tournament in 2008 and a third-place result at the same event the following year. "When I heard that E&H was going to start a wrestling program, my first thought was that we are going to be great because of the deep tradition of wrestling in the region," said Hansen. "The opportunity to build something from the ground up doesn't come around every day. As a coach, if that doesn't get your blood pumping, I don't know what does." Wrestling has become a growing sport in NCAA Division III for both men and women. However, Emory & Henry will be just the second school in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) to offer both men's and women's wrestling. Currently, only Ferrum College provides both. Washington and Lee University currently offers men's wrestling while Roanoke College and Shenandoah University have recently made announcements to add the sport. "Emory & Henry has tradition of excellence and an alumni base that is supportive like nowhere else," added Hansen. "This inaugural season will be something special, and I know that we are going to build this program into something that will make them proud. Our goal is to show the world how great Emory & Henry can be." The addition of men's and women's wrestling expands the College's varsity sports offerings to 26 with 22 NCAA Division III programs, IDA and IHSA equestrian teams and competitive cheer and dance squads.

As the second half of February is upon us, state championship season has begun in earnest. Highly notable state championships are being conducted this weekend -- most notably the National Preps at Lehigh University; both the dual team and individual state tournaments in Iowa; as well as individual bracket events in states such as Illinois, Indiana, and Missouri. 1. A Fab 50 national champion to be decided The top two teams in the country, Blair Academy (N.J.) and Wyoming Seminary (Pa.), both conclude their seasons this weekend with the National Prep Championships. Wyoming Seminary out-pointed Blair Academy to win the Walsh Jesuit Ironman in early December, while Blair Academy won the dual meet when the two squads met five weeks ago. As a result, this is the rubber match, where the rubber hits the road, and so forth. The current national No. 1 is Blair Academy. With that being said, they will enter this weekend as the underdog, since two of their elite wrestlers did not compete in their National Prep qualifier last weekend: Trevor (126) and Travis (152) Mastrogiovanni. That being said, the Buccaneers still have seven nationally ranked wrestlers, led by Marc-Anthony McGowan (106) and Shayne Van Ness (132), who are both ranked No. 1 in the country. they are joined by No. 10 Ryan Miller (120), No. 12 Lucas Chittum (132), No. 10 Rylan Rogers (182), No. 8 Peyton Craft (195), and No. 11 Noah Pettigrew (220). When Wyoming Seminary out-pointed Blair Academy to win the Walsh Ironman, the Buccaneers were absent a pair of nationally elite wrestlers at that point (Trevor Mastrogiovanni and Shayne Van Ness); in addition, the Buccaneers had Domonic Mata in the lineup at that point, but he has not competed for them since the Beast of the East. The Blue Knights are led by three national No. 1 ranked wrestlers of their own, Nic Bouzakis (126), Beau Bartlett (138), and Lachlan McNeil (145). Three other are ranked: No. 12 Drew Munch (132), No. 14 Gabriel Arnold (160), and No. 9 Kolby Franklin (220), while Brennan Cernus (113) is the first wrestler outside the rankings. While there is a certain vibe of it being just two teams and the field, there is reason to say that it isn't the case, as four additional nationally ranked teams are present in the field: No. 7 Malvern Prep (Pa.), No. 41 Mount St. Joseph's (Md.), No. 42 McDonogh School (Md.), and No. 48 Baylor School (Tenn.). 2. Class 1A rubber match at "The Well" Barring the unexpected, there is going to be a third dual meet matchup of the season between No. 46 Don Bosco (Iowa) and No. 47 Lisbon (Iowa) on Wednesday evening at 6:30 p.m. Central Time. Lisbon beat Don Bosco 34-32 in mid-December at the Battle of Waterloo, as the teams split the weight classes at seven-apiece, and Lisbon won two of three matches decided by two points. Then on the second to last day of January, Don Bosco made the trip to Lisbon and put a 37-21 hammering on the Lions; the Dons won nine of the fourteen bouts, made all the right lineup strategy adjustments, and won all three matches decided by two points or less. Don Bosco has won the last two dual team state titles, though they have faced Denver on both occasions in the final; Lisbon last won the dual team title in 2017 when they beat Don Bosco 45-26 in the final. On the traditional side of things, Lisbon won the title in 2017 (sweep) and 2018, while Don Bosco got the sweep last year; Don Bosco was runner-up in 2017 and 2018 with Lisbon finishing as runner-up last year. Lisbon is the second seed and draws Clarion-Goldfield-Dows before a semifinal against the winner of West Sioux vs. Denver; while top seed Don Bosco faces Woodbury Central before a semifinal date against either Lake Mills or Logan-Magnolia. The traditional tournament, which is in its 100th year overall in Iowa (though it's only the 95th sanctioned by the IHSAA) starts on Thursday and concludes with championship matches on Saturday evening. Don Bosco qualified ten to state, nine as district champions; while Lisbon will be working with two less wrestlers, with all eight reaching state as district champions. While both teams are supremely talented, it would be a significant surprise if they approached the 194 points that Don Bosco amassed in 2009, which serves as the Class 1A traditional state meet scoring record. Rankings from prior to the state series by The Predicament suggest that Don Bosco will have two state champions, Cade Tenold (160) and Thomas Even (182); while Lisbon is projected to have three in Robert Avila (132), Cael Happel (138), and Cole Clark (195). Dylan Ragusin and Jacob Rundell have split matches this season (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) 3. A Friday to pay attention to in Illinois It happens this year that there are multiple weight classes where the de facto finals match is arguably going to take place on Friday as opposed to in the final on Saturday, such is the nature of four sectionals qualifying four each feeding into 16-man state brackets that are seeded based on a point system for sectional champions. Certain circumstances occur where the point system is imperfect: impact freshmen, key wrestlers injured the previous year, upsets at the sectional tournaments. In the Class 3A 106-pound weight class, two contestants are ranked among the top ten in the country, No. 7 Charlie Farmer (Moline) and No. 9 William Baysinger (Prospect). Farmer is the top-ranked wrestles of the four sectional champions having placed fifth at state last year. Returning state qualifier Ben Aranda (DeKalb) and Junior National freestyle All-American Sammie Hayes (Carl Sandburg) are sectional champions in the bottom half. Undefeated freshman Baysinger, who has a head-on win during the season over Super 32 placer and 16U freestyle All-American Farmer is in the same half-bracket as Farmer. Also in the weight class is 16U nationals double All-American Joe Fernau (Montini Catholic), who is in the same quarter as Farmer, entering state off a 9-5 sectional semifinal loss to Fernau. A Friday night showdown between past state champions is likely at 126 pounds in Class 3A, as No. 5 Jacob Rundell (Oak Park River Forest) and No. 6 Dylan Ragusin (Montini Catholic) are both in the top half of the draw; returning state champion Ragusin is the top-ranked of the sectional champions, while Rundell is ranked fourth since he was unable to compete at the state tournament last year after winning a state title in 2018. These two wrestlers split bouts during January; Ragusin winning in the finals of the Doc Buchanan, while Rundell won at the Beat the Streets Duals. Sectional champions in the other half-bracket are three-time state qualifier Sam Spencer (Huntley), a 2018 state placer, and 2018 state qualifier Mikey Kaminski (Lockport); the senior Kaminski was also champion at the Preseason Nationals. What confuses me here is how Kaminski is ranked above Rundell given their career credentials. 2018 state qualifier Nick Minnito (Plainfield Central) is in the same quarter as Rundell, two-time state qualifier Reese Martin (Neuqua Valley) is with Ragusin and returning state qualifier Alex Lalezas (Chicago Mt. Carmel) is paired with Spencer in a potential quarterfinal bout. One massive upset at the sectional state in Class 3A at 195 has created an absolutely massive quarterfinal bout. Returning state medalist, and this year a Doc Buchanan runner-up, Daemyen Middlebrooks (Oak Park River Forest) lost 16-7 to sophomore Ghee Rachal (Marist) in the sectional semifinal this past week; that result dropped him four positions to No. 18 nationally. The weight class overall is anchored by two-time state medalist Nick Stemmet (Yorkville), who is undefeated on the season and ranked No. 10 nationally. Rachal would lose by injury default in the final to returning state qualifier Dzhabrail Khurshidov (West Aurora), which yielded Khurshidov the second ranking. As a result, Middlebrooks -- who was third at the sectional -- is relegated to one of the top two quarters of the draw, and it happens to be that Middlebrooks vs. Stemmet is a quarterfinal slated for Friday morning or early afternoon. Rachal is also in the top half bracket and finds himself in a quarter-bracket with sectional champion Isaiah Pettigrew (Fremd). The junior Khurshidov should go relatively un-challenged in his bottom half of the draw. 4. Battle for the crown in the Hoosier State No. 40 Indianapolis Cathedral has won the last two IHSAA state titles despite failing to win the IHSWCA State Dual Tournament on either occasion. This year, the Irish were champions in the state duals with a 32-26 win over now No. 39 Evansville Mater Dei. Two other Indiana teams have also spent some time in the national rankings during the course of the season, 2017 state champion Brownsburg and Crown Point. Mater Dei qualified the most individuals to the state tournament with nine, while Cathedral and Crown Point qualified eight each, and Brownsburg brings seven to Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Friday night; it should be noted that Chesterton also qualified eight wrestlers to state. With the Indiana state tournament being single elimination, except for an umbrella eight-person event on Saturday, wrestlers must win on Friday night in order to place; a Friday night loss equals no wrestling on Saturday. A couple notes of interest in looking at the field through the lens of the top five teams, there is only one weight (152) where none have a state qualifier, while two weighs (138 and 160) feature a wrestler from each of the top five teams. Crown Point leads the way with five wrestlers that won semi-state titles, which means that those wrestlers would not see the champion from another semi-state until the semifinal round; the other four teams in this conversation had three semi-state champions each. There is only one Friday night head-on bout involving the top five teams, and that comes at 170 pounds where Gavin Layman (Chesterton) faces Gabe Sollars (Evansville Mater Dei). In an interesting twist, the winner of that bout could be positioned to face semi-state champion Tyler Wagner (Indianapolis Cathedral) on Saturday morning with a spot in the state semis on the line. In the 138-pound bracket, where each of the top five teams has a state qualifier, there are two possible head-on quarterfinal bouts that could play key roles in the overall architecture of the team race. Assuming Friday night wins, the pairing would place 2018 state placer Logan Bailey (Indianapolis Cathedral) vs. three-time state placer Drake Campbell (Brownsburg), with Campbell having a career 0-3 mark in the state quarterfinals; while two-time state placer/returning state runner-up Blake Boarman (Evansville Mater Dei) would face semi-state champion Ethan Kaiser (Chesterton). There are five other potential quarterfinal matches involving top five teams that could happen on Saturday morning, if wrestlers win on Friday night: semi-state champion Logan Frazier (Crown Point) vs. now three-time state qualifier Cole Ross (Evansville Mater Dei) at 113; three-time state medalist (IN/MI) Riley Bettich (Crown Point) vs. returning state third place Alec Freeman (Evansville Mater Dei) at 120, though the reward for winning that bout is a likely semifinal against national No. 12 Zeke Seltzer (Indianapolis Cathedral); two-time state medalist Kysen Montgomery (Brownsburg) vs. returning sate medalist Stephen Robertson (Crown Point) at 126; semi-state champion Noah Hollendonner (Crown Point) against state placer Peyton Asbury (Brownsburg) at 160, though Asbury is likely to be eliminated on Friday night by returning state runner-up Cooper Noehre (Greenfield-Central); and state medalist Macartney Parkinson (Evansville Mater Dei) vs. Johnny Parker (Indianapolis Cathedral) at 182, though Parker is likely to be eliminated on Friday night by three-time state placer Mason Winner (Jay County).

Braxton Amos will represent Team USA at 220 pounds (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) On Tuesday afternoon, the organizing committee for the Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic announced the 13-member Team USA squad for the all-star event to be held on Saturday, March 14. The event in its 45th year is held at the Fitzgerald Field House on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh. This year's main event will happen at 6 p.m. and involve two matches at both the 138 and 195-pound weight classes, while absent matches at 113 and 195 pounds due to lack of likely available coverage for either Team USA or Pennsylvania seniors. The undercard bout will start at 4 p.m. and feature wrestlers from the WPIAL against those from Maryland. Selections for the WPIAL and Pennsylvania teams will come promptly after the PIAA state finals conclude on Saturday, March 7th. The Maryland team will be announced right around that time as their state tournament also takes place that weekend. Below is the Team USA squad, along with InterMat ranking as of Feb. 19. 120: No. 10 Ryan Miller (Blair Academy, N.J.) 126: No. 3 Eddie Ventresca (Pope John XXIII, N.J.) 132: No. 2 Dominick Serrano (Windsor, Colo.) 138: No. 3 Frankie Tal-Shahar (American Heritage, Fla.) and No. 5 Cael Happel (Lisbon, Iowa) 145: No. 3 Austin Boone (Lowell, Mich.) 152: No. 1 Chase Saldate (Gilroy, Calif.) 160: No. 1 Keegan O'Toole (Arrowhead, Wis.) 170: No. 5 (at 182) Gavin Kane (Cambridge, Ga.) 182: No. 3 John Poznanski (Colonia, N.J.) 195: No. 4 Silas Allred (Shenandoah, Ind.) and No. 5 Gabe Christenson (Southeast Polk, Iowa) 220: No. 1 Braxton Amos (Parkersburg South, W.Va.)

February 15 was one of the biggest nights of the season for college wrestling. This past Saturday night, two marquee Big Ten dual meets were held back-to-back. It was a memorable and magical night for the sport. Ohio State wrestled at Penn State in front of a sellout crowd of nearly 16,000 fans in State College. The Iowa-Minnesota dual followed before a huge crowd of more than 12,000 fans at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Both duals featured huge crowds and electric atmospheres. Not only that, both matches were televised live on the Big Ten Network. No doubt, the sport received plenty of exposure that night. There were a lot of people watching. With perennial powers Iowa and Oklahoma State set to meet this weekend, let's take a look at some of the best rivalries in college wrestling. Here is the list we came up with and it's in no particular order: Spencer Lee gets in on a shot against Oklahoma State's Nick Piccininni (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Iowa vs. Oklahoma State The Hawkeyes and Cowboys are the two winningest, by far, programs in college wrestling history. Oklahoma State has won 34 national titles and Iowa 23. The most recent meeting between the teams saw the Cowboys beat the visiting Hawkeyes last year before 13,000-plus fans in Stillwater. OSU's Nick Piccininni pinned national champion Spencer Lee in the marquee match of the dual. Piccininni and Lee are expected to meet again this weekend at 125 pounds. Top-ranked Iowa is heavily favored to win this year's dual with OSU, but it's always compelling when these power programs battle. Former Augsburg coach Jeff Swenson holds up the Swens/Milboy Belt in 2019 (Photo/David Peterson) Wartburg vs. Augsburg These schools don't offer athletic scholarships and compete at the NCAA Division III level, but no collegiate rivalry is better than the Battle of the Burgs. The teams have won every DIII national team title over the past quarter-century and both programs are still elite. Top-ranked Wartburg edged No. 2 Augsburg earlier this month before a boisterous sellout crowd in Waverly, Iowa. This rivalry continues to deliver with outstanding battles between the powerhouse small-college programs. Cornell vs. Lehigh This has been one of the best rivalries for more than half a century between Eastern programs with long and storied histories. Lehigh initially was the bigger power on the national stage, but Cornell has been a consistent title contender over the past decade with star wrestlers like Kyle Dake, Gabe Dean and Yianni Diakomihalis. The Cornell-Lehigh dual remains one of the very best with large crowds gathering each year when these two perennial powers meet. Cornell has dominated the series in recent years, but Lehigh has won the last two duals in the series. The Mountain Hawks prevailed 19-14 this season when Lehigh heavyweight Jordan Wood won the final match of the dual. Penn State vs. Iowa This has developed into a must-see match when these two teams meet. The Nittany Lions have developed a dynasty in the past decade by winning eight national titles. The Hawkeyes are ranked No. 1 this year, and won a close home dual over Penn State this year. The 165 battle between two-time national champion Vincenzo Joseph of PSU and two-time All-American Alex Marinelli of Iowa was worth the price of admission. Joseph prevailed after falling to Marinelli the previous two seasons. This year's Penn State-Iowa dual came down to heavyweight where Iowa's Tony Cassioppi prevailed as the Hawkeyes rallied for a 19-17 victory. Huge crowds and edge-of-your-seat drama have become the norm when these two super powers meet. Both teams have loaded rosters and this rivalry will continue to thrive over the next decade and beyond. Army vs. Navy This likely can apply for just about any sport when Army faces Navy, but it's always a fierce battle when the two service academies meet on the wrestling mat. The level of competition is typically high and it will be again when these teams meet this weekend in Annapolis. It should be another entertaining match to watch between these long-time athletic rivals. Virginia Tech vs. North Carolina State The Atlantic Coast Conference has become much more relevant in wrestling and these two programs are a big reason why. Both schools have won trophies with top-four finishes at the NCAA tournament. And they've had some excellent battles in dual meets, including this year. North Carolina State edged Virginia Tech 21-18 on Valentine's Day in Raleigh, N.C. Second-ranked Hunter Bolen of Virginia Tech topped No. 3 Trent Hidlay 3-1 in the featured bout at 184 pounds. Franklin & Marshall regained the Rupp Cup this year (Photo/Franklin & Marshall Athletics) Franklin & Marshall vs. Millersville This is a matchup not as many people know about, but the battle for the Rupp Cup is definitely a good one when these teams meet. Franklin & Marshall regained the Rupp Cup on its senior night after earning a 23-10 win over Millersville this past Thursday in Lancaster, Pa. The teams meet annually for the battle of the Rupp Cup in honor of Lancaster County wrestling patriarch Ted Rupp, a Franklin & Marshall alum who maintained strong ties to both his alma mater and Millersville University. In 1948-49, Rupp coached both Millersville and F&M, finishing with a 20-2 combined record. There is no love lost between Iowa and Iowa State (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Iowa vs. Iowa State Growing up as a wrestling fan in Iowa in the 1970s and 1980s, the Iowa-Iowa State dual was something you didn't want to miss. They used to dual each other twice a year and there were some epic battles. The big win by Iowa's Jim Zalesky after ISU's Nate Carr bumped up a weight class stands out as one of the most memorable. Zalesky and Carr each won three NCAA titles, but Carr's move up to face Zalesky at 158 didn't go well. Zalesky overpowered Carr by a 20-5 score in the 1982 dual at Hilton Coliseum. One of the more memorable wins for ISU came in 1981 when the No. 3 Cyclones upset No. 1 Iowa at Hilton Coliseum. Iowa State led 19-14 heading into the heavyweight bout. Iowa's Lou Banach needed to win by fall and was leading 9-0 when he tried to cradle Dave Osenbaugh to his back. But Osenbaugh countered and caught Banach on his back for a dramatic fall. Cyclone fans stormed the mat after the landmark win for Iowa State. Ohio vs. Kent State They call it the Grudge Match and it has lived up to its billing over the years. The Ohio-Kent State matches have been compelling and hard-fought, including the most recent dual this season. For the second straight time, Ohio claimed Grudge Match bragging rights this season after earning a 26-17 triumph over rival Kent State. You can't help but love rivalries like this. Especially ones with a cool name like they have. Penn State vs. Ohio State These Big Ten rivals have had many outstanding matchups over the past decade. The Buckeyes are the only other program to win NCAAs besides Penn State since 2011. The teams had another hard-fought battle last weekend with Penn State winning 20-16 before a crowd of 15,995 fans at home. Second-ranked Nick Lee of PSU rallied from an early deficit to defeat No. 1 Luke Pletcher 8-4 in the featured bout at 141 pounds. It was another entertaining dual to watch. National champion Mark Hall of Penn State showed off his explosive capability by recording an impressive early fall. North Dakota State vs. South Dakota State This rivalry goes back many years to when they battled in Division II as North Central Conference rivals. The 2001 DII nationals came down to the final match at heavyweight when the Bison and Jackrabbits met in the last match of the tournament to determine the team champion. NDSU prevailed to win the title. The teams now compete in Division I and both programs have enjoyed success at the top level. SDSU's Seth Gross won a DI national title in 2018 and the Jackrabbits have had a strong season during the 2019-20 campaign. The long-time border rivals are scheduled to meet again Friday night in Brookings, S.D. Iowa vs. Minnesota When Iowa assistant coach J Robinson left to take over as the head coach at Minnesota, it wasn't long before the Gophers became relevant on the national level. And it wasn't long before they developed a rivalry with the powerhouse program just to the south of them. Iowa and Minnesota have had many epic battles on the mat. The most memorable performance for Minnesota came at the 2001 NCAA tournament. The Gophers had a record 10 All-Americans while edging Iowa to win the national team title at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City. In the most recent meeting, No. 1 Iowa rolled past Minnesota 35-6 before 12,608 fans on Saturday night in Iowa City. Oklahoma State vs. Oklahoma This long-standing dual meet between traditional Big Eight/Big 12 rivals is known as Bedlam. These proud and powerful programs have had many epic battles over the years featuring standouts John and Pat Smith at Oklahoma State and Dave and Mark Schultz at Oklahoma. When you think of college wrestling, the state of Oklahoma is always one of the first areas of the country that comes to mind. This dual is always one that is worth the price of admission. It's one of the best rivalries in the sport. Craig Sesker has written about wrestling for more than three decades. He's covered three Olympic Games and is a two-time national wrestling writer of the year.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- As a nationally ranked program, the Johnson & Wales University wrestling team is very selective in its recruiting. Nine-year-old Daine Johnson's fight and determination caught the attention of JWU head coach Lonnie Morris and on Monday he was officially signed to the Wildcats through Team IMPACT. Daine JohnsonTeam IMPACT is a national nonprofit headquartered in Boston that connects children facing serious or chronic illnesses with college athletic teams, forming lifelong bonds and life-changing outcomes. Since 2011, Team IMPACT has matched more than 2,000 children with more than 700 colleges and universities in 48 states, reaching over 55,000 participating student-athletes. The child joins the athletic team and the student-athletes join the child's support team. Throughout the journey, the child gains strength, camaraderie and support while the student-athletes experience lessons of courage, resiliency and perspective they can't learn in a classroom. A native of North Providence, RI, Johnson is courageously batting Osteogenesis Imperfecta. Also known as brittle bone disease, Osteogensis Imperfecta is a genetic disorder that mainly affects the bones. It results in bones that break easily. The severity may be mild to severe. As a team member, Johnson attends JWU practices, meets, team dinners, events, and more. He's served as honorary captain at both Wildcat home meets this winter. Ranked ninth in the country, the Wildcats will go for their fourth-straight NCAA Northeast Regional championship, Feb. 29-March 1, at Rhode Island College.

Pat Downey at the 2019 World Championships (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Pat Downey, junior college wrestling champ, NCAA All-American and 2019 U.S. World Team member, will be participating in two top-of-the-card matches at the BJJ Fanatics Grand Prix on Saturday, Feb. 29. The Jiu Jitsu Times reported Sunday that Downey will face Gordon Ryan, ADCC Submission Fighting World Federation Champion, in two types of matches -- first, a Brazilian jiu jitsu match with no time limit, with winner to be determined by submission only … immediately followed by a freestyle wrestling match under international rules. The Ryan-Downey main event matches -- as well as the rest of the BJJ Fanatics Grand Prix -- will be streamed live on FiteTV. Both contestants shared news about their participation at the Feb. 29 Leap Day event on social media. Downey tweeted the following: Ryan, 24, is a two-time gold medalist at the 2017 and 2019 ADCC World Championships. The New Jersey native earned two gold medals (+ 97.5 kilograms/214 pounds; absolute) at the 2018 No-Gi World Championships, as well as two golds in the same categories at the 2018 No-Gi Pan American Championships. Downey brings an amateur wrestling background to the event. The 28-year-old Baltimore native won two Maryland high school state titles before heading west to Iowa, where he was a 2015 NCJAA national champion at Iowa Central Community College. As an Iowa State wrestler, Downey then earned NCAA Division I All-American honors by placing fifth in the 197-pound bracket at the 2016 NCAAs at Madison Square Garden in New York. Since being released from the Cyclones in Feb. 2017, Downey has concentrated on freestyle competition. At the 2019 World Championships, Downey placed ninth at 86 kilograms/189 pounds.

Loras after defeating Wartburg to claim the American Rivers Conference title (Photo/Julie Drewes, Wartburg College) It was a weekend that I was looking forward to. And one that exceeded my expectations. And then some. What an incredible weekend of wrestling it was. I wasn't covering a top-level Senior freestyle event or a big-time NCAA Division I dual meet. It didn't matter. The competition was fierce and the stakes were still high for a pair of top-notch competitions that I was asked to cover. Here's a look at the fun-filled, action-packed weekend of wrestling I witnessed on Friday and Saturday. Friday: Wartburg College (Waverly, Iowa) 5:52 p.m. It's more than an hour before the first whistle when I walk into beautiful Buzz Levick Arena on the intimate Wartburg campus. Fans are already filling the gymnasium seats. They want a prime seat for the much-anticipated dual meet between two NCAA Division III powers - No. 1 Wartburg and No. 3 Loras. The winner will take home the American Rivers Conference championship trophy. It's Valentine's Day, but that doesn't matter. Fans aren't going to miss this dual and every seat is filled before the match kicks off. I shake hands with Wartburg sports information guru Trent Jackson and he hooks me up with a matside seat and all of the materials I need to cover this match. No. 1 Kris Rumph of Wartburg earned a major decision at 133 pounds (Photo/Julie Drewes, Wartburg College) 7:29 p.m. Time is running out and top-ranked Kris Rumph of Wartburg is looking for bonus points. The explosive Rumph powers in on an attack and strikes for a four-point move, nearly recording a fall in the final seconds. The pro-Wartburg crowd erupts and comes to its feet as Rumph finishes an 11-3 major decision over Mason McMillen at 133 pounds. Rumph flexes and claps his hands as he receives a standing ovation. The Knights are up 7-0 and Levick Arena is rocking on a Friday night. Loras' Clint Lembeck knocked off Wartburg's Brady Fritz at 141 pounds (Photo/Julie Drewes, Wartburg College) 7:46 p.m. Just when Wartburg looks poised to win its third straight match to open the dual, the momentum shifts. Fourth-ranked Brady Fritz is seemingly in control of his 141-pound match against No. 6 Clint Lembeck of Loras. Fritz leads entering the final period, but then Lembeck takes control in the top position. Lembeck rides Fritz the entire third period, turning him twice. And the Loras fans, which make up about 25 percent of the crowd, go crazy. It sounds like a Duhawk home dual. Loras has battled back and sent a resounding message -- they are determined to knock off the powerful Knights. 8:31 p.m. Senior Guy Patron is one of the cornerstones of the Loras College program. And he's one of the reasons the Duhawks have become a national power in a short time. It's only fitting that Patron delivers in the biggest dual in Loras history. He takes the mat with his team leading 15-14 and two matches left in the dual. The top-ranked Patron headlocks No. 3 Kobe Woods and nearly pins him early in their 197-pound bout before prevailing 14-0. That essentially clinches the win as Loras prevails 19-17. When the dual ends, the Duhawk fans roar in approval as a wild celebration ensues. Loras snaps Wartburg's incredible 26-year, 220-match conference winning streak. And it is Loras coach T.J. Miller, whose father Jim started the streak at Wartburg, who leads his team to the historic win. T.J. Miller was a national champion for Wartburg who returned home to knock off his alma mater. 9:19 p.m. The dual has been over for 25 minutes and Eric Keller is still pacing. The Wartburg coach walks back and forth in the team's spacious wrestling room. His head is down and his hands are on his hips. It's been a tough night for the ultra-competitive Keller, who has done an excellent job taking over the program after Miller retired. Guys like Keller put so much time and effort into the sport, and setbacks like these take their toll. Kudos to Keller for eventually taking time to come out for an interview. He's a class act and an outstanding coach. The Knights will bounce back under his strong leadership. The long winning streak that Wartburg went on was nothing short of remarkable. The former Iowa Conference has been a tough league for many of those years. And for Wartburg to enjoy that long string of dominance is really impressive. It was a heck of a run, that's for sure. Crestwood won the Class 2A district title on Saturday at New Hampton High School (Photo/Crestwood wrestling) Saturday: New Hampton High School (New Hampton, Iowa) 11:14 a.m. Parking is at a premium when I roll into the lot just outside the gymnasium as I arrive for the 12-team, Class 2A wrestling district. This is wrestling country in the heart of northeast Iowa, where a number of programs feature long and storied traditions. I walk into the gymnasium and the arena is packed. Every seat is filled in New Hampton's sparkling new gymnasium. And it turns out there aren't enough seats to accommodate everyone. Fans end up standing in the open areas on each side of the gym. Kudos to New Hampton athletic director Bradley Schmitt for reserving a spot for me at one of the tables. He informs me that nine different stations are doing broadcasts of the dual, Yes, wrestling is a big deal in Iowa. It really matters. A lot. Everybody is packed in like sardines with wrestlers, coaches, cheerleaders, fans, media and workers all crammed into the New Hampton gym. But most fans understand. Gyms all across the Hawkeye state are always packed at this time of the year. 12:16 p.m. Don't look away when Crestwood sophomore standout Carter Fousek steps onto the mat. You might miss something spectacular. I received my first chance to watch the returning state champion and this kid is a stud. He recorded pins of 53 and 19 seconds to power his way back to state at 113. He did his best Spencer Lee impersonation by finishing his matches quickly on Saturday. This kid is something special. I'm looking forward to seeing how he fares this week in Des Moines. 2:49 p.m. A wrestler I won't name wins his finals match and then decides to take off like Olympic sprinter Usain Bolt after his hand is raised. My first instinct is to track him down, but I take two steps, stop and just shake my head. In my younger days, I would've given chase. But I'm 54 years old and my track days were decades ago. I wait and grab the kid for an interview later on after he receives his medal. Nobody needs to see me trying to run through a crowded high school gymnasium. 3:21 p.m. One wrestler who doesn't take off on a dead sprint Saturday is second-ranked Carson Babcock of New Hampton/Turkey Valley. Babcock shoots in to score the winning takedown in the closing seconds of a 3-2 win over No. 4 Matthew Doyle of Independence. It is an entertaining match to watch between two outstanding wrestlers. After the bout, I follow Babcock into a hallway, introduce myself and ask him if he can do an interview. I tell him to take a couple of minutes to catch his breath and he immediately flashes a smile. "I'm ready," he informs me. He has just walked off the mat, but he still gives an inciteful and articulate interview. And he is very polite and respectful. It's always enjoyable to talk with a mature young man like that. You can't help but root for a kid like Carson Babcock. 4:18 p.m. As it turns out, the best matches at this district tournament aren't the championship bouts. They are the battles for true second. The true second-place matches in New Hampton are epic. Waukon freshman Jakob Regan takes control in his match at 106, but his lead is shrinking and he is trying to make it to the finish line. Regan valiantly fights off a late takedown to prevail and punch his ticket to state. The look of relief on his face is priceless. He is headed to Des Moines for the big show. The biggest cheer of the day comes a few minutes later. Crestwood 132-pounder Chase Thomas is locked in a dogfight in his true second-place bout. Thomas trails 6-5 in the third period as his fans stand and cheer him on. Needing a win to keep his season alive, Thomas executes a textbook throw to record a dramatic fall. The Crestwood fans erupt in cheers and Thomas jumps to his feet and raises his arms in celebration. His teammates swarm him as he walks off the mat. That alone is worth the price of admission. Moments like that are what makes this sport so special. It was a perfect way to cap a memorable weekend of wrestling. The competition was exciting, the gyms were packed and the level of emotion was off the charts. That's why wrestling is such a great sport. And that's why this is the best time of the year. Craig Sesker has written about wrestling for more than three decades. He's covered three Olympic Games and is a two-time national wrestling writer of the year.

The South Dakota State wrestling team got off to a fast start and carried the momentum throughout, posting a 34-4 home victory over 21st-ranked Stanford Sunday evening before a crowd of 1,103 at Frost Arena. The Jackrabbits, who won the first nine matches in the contest, ran their dual winning streak to five, improving to 12-5 overall. Stanford, which was wrestling for the third time in four days, fell to 11-4 on the season after dropping its second dual in a row. With the match starting at 174 pounds, the Jackrabbits bumped up Tanner Cook a weight class. Cook scored on a takedown late in the first period against Gabe Dinette and added an escape right off of the second-period whistle for a 3-0 lead. Cook then rode out the entire third period to pick up the final point in a 4-0 decision. Zach Carlson, ranked 16th at 184 pounds, picked up the first of four bonus-point wins for the Jackrabbits with a 16-5 major decision over Jared Hill. Carlson has picked up bonus points in each of his last five dual matches - three technical falls and two major decisions - and has scored at least 16 points in all five bouts. In the lone matchup of the night between ranked wrestlers, No. 15 Tanner Sloan of SDSU got the best of seventh-ranked Nathan Traxler, 7-2. Sloan opened the scoring with a first-period takedown and took a 3-1 lead into the third period after the wrestlers traded escapes. In the final stanza, Sloan was awarded a point for stalling before sealing his 17th win of the season with a takedown and riding-time advantage. Blake Wolters and Danny Vega each added decisions before the Jackrabbits recorded three consecutive bonus-point wins to build their lead to 31-0. Zach Price started the streak with a 15-0 technical fall over Luciano Arroyo at 133 pounds, while Clay Carlson turned in a 10-2 major decision versus Fabian Santillan. Jackrabbit 149-pounder Henry Pohlmeyer was awarded a forfeit for the second night in a row. Backup Garrett Jordan notched the final win for the Jackrabbits with a 9-3 decision over Ethan Woods in the 157-pound matchup. Stanford ended the SDSU shutout bid in the final bout of the night as third-ranked Shane Griffith tallied a 16-5 major decision over Kenny O'Neil. As a team, the Cardinal were held without a takedown until Griffith's match as he remained undefeated on the season at 26-0. UP NEXT The Jackrabbits close out the dual season Friday (Feb. 21) by hosting North Dakota State. The Battle for the Border Bell begins at 7 p.m. at Frost Arena. Results: 174: Tanner Cook (SDSU) dec. Gabe Dinette (STAN), 4-0 184: #16 Zach Carlson (SDSU) major dec. Jared Hill (STAN), 16-5 197: #15 Tanner Sloan (SDSU) dec. #7 Nathan Traxler (STAN), 7-2 285: Blake Wolters (SDSU) dec. Trevor Rasmussen (STAN), 7-1 125: #14 Danny Vega (SDSU) dec. Jackson DiSario (STAN), 6-3 133: Zach Price (SDSU) tech. fall Luciano Arroyo (STAN), 15-0 [6:23] 141: Clay Carlson (SDSU) major dec. Fabian Santillan (STAN), 10-2 149: Henry Pohlmeyer (SDSU) won by forfeit 157: Garrett Jordan (SDSU) dec. Ethan Woods (STAN), 9-3 165: #3 Shane Griffith (STAN) major dec. Kenny O'Neil (SDSU), 16-5 NOTES The all-time series between SDSU and Stanford is tied at two wins apiece The Jackrabbits have outscored the opposition, 159-40, during their current five-match winning streak SDSU improved to 2-4 against ranked opponents this season Zach Carlson improved to a team-best 14-3 in duals Sloan and Vega each upped their dual records to 12-3 O'Neil wrestled for the first time in a dual since the Nov. 15 season opener against Binghamton

PHILADELPHIA -- The University of Pennsylvania wrestling team rebounded from a four-match losing streak with a dominating performance against Franklin & Marshall. The Quakers stormed in front, winning five of the first six duals and taking bonus points in three of those victories, and never looked back in a 27-18 victory. Penn led 27-6 after the 125-pound match, and elected to forfeit the final two bouts. A full recap will appear here later... Results: 149: Lucas Revano (Penn) pins Christiaan Dailey (F&M), 6:19; Penn leads 6-0 157: Jon Errico (Penn) dec. Noah Chan (F&M), 6-1; Penn leads 9-0 165: Emmett LiCastri (F&M) dec. Jacob Lizak (Penn), 10-5; Penn leads 9-3 174: Neil Antrassian (Penn) dec. Crew Fullerton (F&M), 8-5; Penn leads 12-3 184: Jalen Laughlin (Penn) pins James Stillerman (F&M), 4:42; Penn leads 18-3 197: Cole Urbas (Penn) tech. fall Ethan Seeley (F&M), 16-0 (3:16); Penn leads 23-3 285: Vincenso Pelusi (F&M) dec. Nate Hoaglund (Penn), 3-1 (SV-1); Penn leads 23-6 125: Michael Colaiocco (Penn) maj. dec. Jose Diaz (F&M), 10-1; Penn leads 27-6 133: Jack Bruce (F&M) wins by forfeit; Penn leads 27-12 141: Wil Gil (F&M) wins by forfeit; Penn leads 27-18

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- The No. 3 Sun Devil wrestling team (14-1, 5-0 Pac-12) rallied to win the final eight matches of the meet to pick up a 31-10 victory over Cal State Bakersfield on Sunday afternoon at the CSUB Soccer Field. ASU recorded victories in eight of 10 matches, including four bonus-point wins to end Pac-12 competition 5-0 and extend the team's match win-streak to nine. Redshirt sophomore Navonte Demison (141), a fellow Bakersfield native, started off the match falling to Angelo Martinoni in 16 seconds while Dillon Ulrey (149) also suffered a major decision loss as the Devils found themselves in a 10-0 hole early. Fresh off of winning his fifth straight match, Jacori Teemer (157) dealt another loss to his opposition on Sunday as he fended off Wyatt Gerl, 6-3 to put the Sun Devils on the board. Josh Shields (165) added his seventh major on the season with a win over Jacob Thalin 13-4, reducing the deficit to just 10-7. Momentum continued to carry through the back half of the lineup as Anthony Valencia (174) struck for another pin in under a minute (0:41). The pin is the second fall in back-to-back days under the 60-second mark for the redshirt junior, as he jumps to eleven bonus-point wins (fifth pin) this season, which is good enough for third-best on the team. After Austin Clayton notched a 2-0 weekend at 184, including a career first pin, Kordell Norfleet (197) would reach double-digit wins with his second career technical fall as the Devils now had some breathing room going into the heavyweight match. Tanner Hall (285) rounded out the back half of the lineup with a decision win over Jarrod Snyder, 6-2, clinching the team's sixth sweep from the back half this year. At 125, Brandon Courtney saw his name move up the ASU leaderboard for most major decisions in a single season after earning his ninth of the year on Sunday afternoon. He now sits tied for seventh amongst ASU greats – three shy of tying teammate Josh Shields for most all-time. The final Pac-12 match for ASU ended in Josh Kramer sealing an 8-3 decision over Chance Rich, solidifying ASU's biggest win over the Roadrunners since 2015. Next up, ASU will prepare for its final road trip of the regular season with a chance to avenge two losses from a season ago against Lehigh on Friday, February 21 (5 p.m. MST) and North Carolina on Sunday, February 23 (Noon MST). Results: 141: Angelo Martinoni (CSUB) Fall Navonte Demison (ASU), 0:16 149: Russell Rohlfing (CSUB) MD Dillon Ulrey (ASU), 12-1 157: #13 Jacori Teemer (ASU) Dec Wyatt Gerl (CSUB), 6-3 165: #6 Josh Shields (ASU) MD Jacob Thalin (CSUB), 13-4 174: #9 Anthony Valencia (ASU) Fall Albert Urias (CSUB), 0:41 184: Austin Clayton (ASU) Dec Josh Loomer (CSUB), 2-0 197: #13 Kordell Norfleet (ASU) TF Josh Annis (CSUB), 19-4 HWT: #4 Tanner Hall (ASU) Dec Jarrod Snyder (CSUB), 6-2 125: #8 Brandon Courtney (ASU) MD Alejandro Hernandez-Figueroa (CSUB), 14-6 133: Josh Kramer (ASU) Dec Chance Rich (CSUB), 8-3

LARAMIE, Wyo. -- The Wyoming wrestling team closed its 2020 home slate with a solid win Sunday afternoon, downing Northern Colorado 22-11 in the Pokes' final home dual of the season. The win also marked the 600th dual victory in Wyoming program history. "I'm happy to come out of here with a win, it was important," said Head Coach Mark Branch. "I'm disappointed a little in the way that we wrestled, we're still not doing some of the little things right. I thought Stephen (Buchanan) put together a good match. Montorie (Bridges) came out against a very good kid and opened up, separated himself and wrestled a solid match." Dewey Krueger at 157 pounds, wrestling in the final home match of his career, got the Pokes started with a 6-1 victory over Jimmy Fate. Krueger dug down deep for his win, tallying five points in the final period to take control and grab the win. Cole Moody was impressive at 165, earning a 13-3 major decision over Jordan Robison. Moody used the strength of three takedowns and a four-point nearfall early in the third to help power his way to victory. Moody also notched over three minutes of riding time in the win. The 174-pound match was maybe the most exciting of the day, as 11th-ranked Hayden Hastings had to rally from five points down to win 8-6 in Sudden Victory over Billy Higgins. Trailing 6-1 in the first, Hastings got a reversal in the last half-minute to begin his comeback charge. After tallying just an escape in the second, Hastings trailed 6-4 heading into the final period. In the third, Hastings was able to get a point from Higgins' second stall warning of the match and was able to ride-out Higgins the whole period, earning the Riding Time point to force overtime. In Sudden Victory, Hastings wasted little time, scoring a takedown with 34 seconds left in the extra frame. With the win, the Pokes led 10-0 after three matches. After the Bears got a win at 184 pounds, 19th-ranked Stephen Buchanan got the Cowboys back on track with another bonus-point victory as he registered a 12-3 major decision over Xavier Vasquez. After a scoreless first period, Buchanan got after things in the second, recording an escape to open the scoring and two takedowns later in the period to take a 5-1 lead into the third. In the third period, Buchanan got two more takedowns, a two-point nearfall and added the ride-time point to get the major and put UW up 14-3. Next, at heavyweight, No. 18 Brian Andrews kept the train rolling as he recorded a second period tech fall over Robert Winters, 19-0. Andrews was absolutely dominant, as he recorded an early takedown and then three four-point nearfalls to close the first period and grab a 14-0 lead. In the second, Andrews rode Winters out, recording over four minutes of riding time and then got a four-point nearfall to close the period and record the tech to push the Wyoming lead to 19-3. At 125, UNC got back on the board with a hard-fought 6-3 win as Jace Koelzer topped Jake Svihel to make the team score, 19-6. Montorie Bridges at 133 pounds got the marquee win of the dual, as they eighth-ranked Bridges bested No. 18 Mosha Schwartz, 9-3. The score was 2-1 in favor of Bridges after one thanks to a late takedown from Bridges. In the second, he was able to build his advantage to 4-1 thanks to Schwartz's second stalling warning and an escape early in the period. In the third, Bridges recorded two more takedowns and allowed Schwartz to escape to make the final 9-3. The Bears would win the final two bouts of the afternoon, winning 10-5 at 141 pounds and 9-4 at 149. UNC got an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after the 141-pound matchup and got a team point taken away, making the final score of the dual 22-11. Krueger, Mark McConnell and Doyle Trout were all recognized before Sunday's dual as the three seniors on the Cowboys' roster, wrestling in their final home appearances of their careers. Next up, the Cowboys close their dual season with a trip to West Virginia on Saturday, Feb. 22 at 3:30 p.m. MT in Morgantown. "We have one dual left, and then we need to be ready to be at our best. I'm not happy with the way that we wrestled today but I'm glad to get a win. Two of our seniors got to go out there and wrestle. Dewey had to suck it up there at the end and wrestle with heart and he did that at the end," said Branch. "We need to go out to West Virginia next week and try to go out on a high note and pick up a win there and then get our sites towards Tulsa." Results: 157: No. 33 Dewey Krueger (WYO) dec. Jimmy Fate (UNC) 6-1 165: Cole Moody (WYO) MD Jordan Robison (UNC) 13-3 174: No. 11 Hayden Hastings (WYO) dec. SV-1 Billy Higgins (UNC) 8-6 184: No. 30 Alan Clothier (UNC) dec. No. 31 Tate Samuelson (WYO) 6-2 197: No. 19 Stephen Buchanan (WYO) MD Xavier Vasquez (UNC) 12-3 HWT: No. 18 Brian Andrews (WYO) TF Robert Winters (UNC) 19-0 125: Jace Koelzer (UNC) dec. Jake Svihel (WYO) 6-3 133: No. 8 Montorie Bridges (WYO) dec. No. 18 Mosha Schwartz (UNC) 9-3 141: Chris Sandoval (UNC) dec. Mark McConnell (WYO) 10-5 149: No. 12 Andrew Alirez (UNC) dec. No. 33 Jaron Jensen (WYO) 9-4

MADISON, Wis. – The No. 4 Wisconsin wrestling team bounced back with a big win on Sunday in the UW Field House, beating No. 17 Michigan 20-12. Despite falling behind early with Michigan taking the decision at 125, redshirt senior Seth Gross brought the crowd back into it at 133 pounds. No. 1 Gross was relentless in his bout against Michigan's Austin Assad and did not give up any points to record an 18-0 technical fall. Cole Martin won in dramatic fashion against Ben Lamantia at 149 pounds. Martin fell behind early but rallied to take the match to overtime. In the second sudden victory period, Martin recorded an escape to win 9-8. Redshirt junior Evan Wick was strong for the Badgers once again. The nation's fourth-ranked 165 pounder got the job done against Michigan's Reece Hughes, recording the 9-5 decision. At 184 pounds, redshirt senior Johnny Sebastian prevailed in a tough match up. Sebastian took on No. 20 Jelani Embree and rode his way to a 5-2 decision for his second ranked win of the season. Straight from the mat "It feels a lot better sitting up here today than it did last week. They say during the course of the year you're going to hit a low point and last week was our low point. Today was great. They responded great. What I was real proud of, I just told the team was that even in the losses, they were all dog fights. In the wins, we had a dominant win in (Seth) Gross, Evan Wick had a great win. Our guys did what they were supposed to do. Cole Martin gutted one out in overtime and Tristan Moran gutted one out so I'm happy, I'm happy today." - Head coach Chris Bono " I knew that if I just kept him on my attacks and kept wearing on him, I'd be able to either pull it out in the third period or take it into overtime. A lot of it is just trusting my training and conditioning, and not counting myself out. I don't remember thinking anything, I just wrestled through all my positions. I didn't really know at the time when I got the reversal that they gave him the takedown. If I'm in a position like that, especially at the end of the match, I'm not going to just give up the takedown. It is something that, no matter what, I'm going to wrestle through until the whistle." - Redshirt senior Cole Martin "Going into this week, something that my coaches have talked to me about was I tend to control the matches a lot when I'm up and really trying to get my hands and feet moving early on in the first (period). I took a couple more attacks I would say in this match early in the first even though I didn't gut him. I was able to work through some positions and feel them out a little bit and in the second period opened it up a little bit." - Redshirt senior Johnny Sebastian Notables Tyler Dow recorded his first career home victory on Sunday against Michigan's Max Maylor at 174 pounds. Wisconsin drew a large crowd on Alumni Day with 2,214 people in attendance. Seth Gross remains undefeated at home and has won 17 straight matches Results: 125 -- #19 Jack Medley (U-M) dec. Eric Barnett, 8-3 -- U-M, 3-0 133 -- #1 Seth Gross (UW) tech fall. Austin Assad, 18-0 (6:16) -- UW, 5-3 141 -- #7 Tristan Moran (UW) dec. Cole Mattin, 5-4 -- UW, 8-3 149 -- Cole Martin (UW) dec. Ben Lamantia, 9-8 TB -- UW, 11-3 157 -- #9 Will Lewan (U-M) dec. Garrett Model, 5-3 -- UW, 11-6 165 -- #4 Evan Wick (UW) dec. Reece Hughes, 9-5 -- UW, 14-6 174 -- Tyler Dow (UW) dec. Max Maylor, 4-3 -- UW, 17-6 184 -- Johnny Sebastian (UW) dec. #20 Jelani Embree, 5-2 -- UW, 20-6 197 -- Jackson Striggow (U-M) dec. Taylor Watkins, 7-3 -- UW, 20-9 Hwt -- #2 Mason Parris (U-M) dec. #5 Trent Hillger, 3-1 -- UW, 20-12 Up next The No. 4 Badgers host No. 16 UNI in their final dual of the season. Wisconsin will honor seniors Michael Cullen, Seth Gross, Tristan Moran, Cole Martin, Johnny Sebastian and Taylor Watkins before the match.

STILLWATER -- The Oklahoma State Cowboys (13-2 overall; 8-1 Big 12) topped in-state rival Oklahoma on Sunday afternoon, 27-8, securing four bonus-point victories in the dual. With the win, OSU improved to 143-27-10 all-time in the Bedlam wrestling series and notched its 11th straight against the Sooners. In his Gallagher-Iba finale, Nick Piccininni sent the crowd into a frenzy one final time with a third-period fall over OU's Christian Moody. With a one-point lead and just over a minute left in the match, Piccininni locked up a cradle and got the pin to move to 23-1 on the season. "Always expect the unexpected, especially in Bedlam," Piccininni said. "Coach always preaches it to us. Fortunately for me, this was the first time I had to expect the unexpected in a Bedlam match. This was that time, but I got better today. This is going to prepare me for the weeks ahead." In the heavyweight match, Austin Harris picked up a much-needed 13-5 major decision to put the Pokes back on top following a pair of losses at 174 pounds and 197. Sixth-ranked Boo Lewallen also recorded a major decision for the Cowboys at 149 pounds, defeating Jacob Butler 14-1 for his team-leading ninth major decision of the season. Anthony Montalvo responded for the Pokes in the next bout, scrapping out a 4-0 decision over Darrien Roberts. Both teams were deducted a team point following that bout. Another exciting win for freshman Reece Witcraft came at 133 pounds when he topped Sooner Tommy Hoskins. Witcraft and Hoskins exchanged takedowns and four-point nearfalls in the first period before the Cowboy scored an escape and takedown to close out the final frame. Wyatt Sheets and Travis Wittlake closed out the dual with a pair of wins at 157 and 165 pounds. Unranked Sheets avenged an early-season loss to No. 20 Justin Thomas, 8-3. It marked Sheets' third ranked win on the season. Wittlake collected a 19-4 technical fall over OU's Elijah Joseph in 5:26. It's the redshirt freshman's four such win this season and his 15th dual victory. "It was a good win," coach John Smith said. "I thought we wrestled tight in some matches, but we found ways to win. In Bedlam you have to expect the unexpected, and hopefully it goes our way and I felt like it did today. It wasn't our best dual, but I like the way things played out and I think it will benefit us." The Cowboys return to action in a week at 7 p.m. against the top-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes in Iowa City. Results: 174: No. 17 Anthony Mantanona (OU) dec. No. 10 Joe Smith (OSU) 10-5 184: No. 15 Anthony Montalvo (OSU) dec. Darrien Roberts (OU) 4-0 197: No. 19 Jake Woodley (OU) dec. No. 14 Dakota Geer (OSU) 10-9 HWT: Austin Harris (OSU) MD Collin McCoy (OU) 13-5 125: No. 4 Nick Piccininni (OSU) Fall Christian Moody (OU) 5:54 133: Reece Witcraft (OSU) dec. Tommy Hoskins (OU) 11-7 141: Dom Demas (OU) dec. Dusty Hone (OSU) 4-3 149: No. 6 Boo Lewallen (OSU) MD Jacob Butler (OU) 14-1 157: Wyatt Sheets (OSU) dec. Justin Thomas (OU) 165: No. 7 Travis Wittlake (OSU) TF Elijah Joseph (OU) 19-4

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Northwestern wrestling closed out the Big Ten dual season in impressive fashion Sunday afternoon, cruising to a 37-9 victory over Maryland in the conference finale. The Wildcats were triumphant in eight of the 10 matches on the day, with three of those wins coming via fall. The final team total marked the most points in a match for NU since Nov. 12, 2017, in a 37-3 win over Gardner-Webb. The contest was highlighted by the return of No. 5 Sebastian Rivera, who made his first appearance since the Midlands Championships in December. Taking on King Sandoval at 133 pounds, Rivera wasted no time in picking up where he left off. The redshirt junior notched the first takedown of the match and turned it into a pin within seconds, winning by fall in the first period. The 'Cats also got wins from Jack Heyob, Michael DeAugustino, Alec McKenna, Yahya Thomas, Ryan Deakin, Shayne Oster and Jack Jessen in a contest they led 22-0 at the midway point. The action began at heavyweight, where Heyob took on Parker Robinson in the opening bout. The first year was aggressive from the first whistle, leading early and scoring throughout the match in a dominant performance. The 9-0 victory by major decision was the first Big Ten win of Heyob's young Northwestern career. At 125, DeAugustino followed suit by taking his opponent down early in the first period and maintaining his lead throughout the match. He came away with a 6-3 decision over Brandon Cray to stretch the visitors' lead to 7-0. After Rivera's pin at 133, McKenna took to the mat in his final Big Ten dual as a Wildcat. Facing off against Hunter Baxter at 141 pounds, the senior showed no interest in savoring the moment. He took Baxter to his back halfway through the first and got the pin in just 1:55, making it consecutive wins by fall for NU. In the final bout before intermission, Yahya Thomas was matched up with Ryan Garlitz at 149. Despite missing Friday evening's match against Rutgers, he showed no signs of rust, going on the attack while still holding his opponent scoreless in a 9-0 major decision. Thomas' performance put Northwestern up by a score of 22-0 at the break. As the second half of the dual got underway, No. 1 Deakin looked to continue the string of recent showings that have cemented his status as the best in his weight class. He did so quickly and convincingly, recording the team's third win by fall and second in under two minutes as he stuck Lucas Cordio in 1:58. The junior improved to a perfect 17-0 on the campaign. Oster was on next, coming in off the back of six-straight victories that have helped him climb to No. 13 in the nation. Wrestling against Kyle Cochran at 165, he showed the solid form that has made him tough to beat all season in a hard-fought match, pulling away late in a bout that he won via decision. The senior will look to finish off his last regular season with eight-straight wins in the 'Cats final match. At 184, Jessen was aggressive early against Kyle Jasenski, racing out to a 4-0 lead in the first minute and a half. After Jasenski suffered a leg injury and was unable to finish, Jessen's win by injury default ran NU's team score up another six points, putting the final at 37-9. Chicago's Big Ten Team will be back on the mat next weekend for the final dual meet of the 2019-20 regular season. The Wildcats will travel to face SIU-Edwardsville on Sunday, Feb. 23, with the action set to start at 2 p.m. CT. Results: HWT: Jack Heyob (NU) maj. dec. Parker Robinson (MD), 9-0 | NU 4, MD 0 125: Michael DeAugustino (NU) dec. Brandon Cray (MD), 6-3 | NU 7, MD 0 133: Sebastian Rivera (NU) Fall King Sandoval (MD), 2:41 | NU 13, MD 0 141: Alec McKenna (NU) Fall Hunter Baxter (MD), 1:55 | NU 19, MD 0 *Northwestern deducted one team point following the match at 141 149: Yahya Thomas (NU) maj. dec. Ryan Garlitz (MD), 9-0 | NU 22, MD 0 157: Ryan Deakin (NU) Fall Lucas Cordio (MD), 1:58 | NU 28, MD 0 165: Shayne Oster (NU) dec. Kyle Cochran (MD), 9-3 | NU 31, MD 0 174: Philip Spadafora (MD) dec. Ankhaa Enkhmandakh (NU), 4-0 | NU 31, MD 3 184: Jack Jessen (NU) inj. def. over Kyle Jasenski (MD), 1:18 | NU 37, MD 3 197: Jaron Smith (MD) Fall Lucas Davison (NU), 2:18 | NU 37, MD 9

FAIRFAX, Va. -- The Old Dominion wrestling team (9-9, 5-2 MAC) won seven out of 10 bouts and earned a 25-11 win over Mid-American Conference (MAC) foe George Mason (7-8, 2-5 MAC) in its final road contest of the regular season on Sunday afternoon. "We liked the effort that our team gave today," head coach Steve Martin said after the win. "The guys were having fun and wrestling in the moment, which is critical at the end of the year." In the one ranked match of the afternoon, No. 18 Sa'Derian Perry took on No. 32 Alex Madrigal in the 141-pound bout. Perry took down Madrigal early in the battle, riding him for two minutes and 10 seconds in the first period. Neither combatant could score any points in the final two rounds, so Perry's takedown, along with the riding time accumulated, held up to give him the 3-0 win by decision over the ranked Patriot. With the match starting at 157 pounds, No. 10 Larry Early served as the Old Dominion catalyst, earning an 8-3 win by decision to put ODU on the board first. Early earned three takedowns, two in the second period and rode Kolby Ho for one minute and seven seconds to earn the victory. GMU quickly tied the match at three apiece after Neil Schuster managed to take down Shane Jones in a sudden-victory period at 165 pounds. The two combatants were tied, 4-4 after the three regulation rounds, but halfway through the overtime period, Schuster managed to earn the two points to grab the 6-4 decision. At 174 pounds, Alex Cramer snapped a 10-bout losing streak in a big way, earning a 9-0 win by major decision over Anthony Lombardo. Cramer was in control the entire match, earning three takedowns and four minutes and 11 seconds of riding time. Cramer's four-point major decision win gave the Monarchs back the lead, one they would not relinquish again. Antonio Agee earned the hand-raise after a 6-3 win by decision over Paul Pierce. Agee earned three points in both the second and third frames to double-up the 184-pound Patriot. Senior Timothy Young, coming off of a victory over No. 25 Jacob Koser of Navy on Friday night, earned bonus points for ODU with a 16-5 major decision victory over Ramses Montalvo in the 197-pound bout. Young took down Montalvo seven times, which led to just under three minutes of riding time in the rout. George Mason's Jake Slinger ended the three-bout winning streak the Monarchs developed, beating freshman Jacob Bullock in the heavyweight matchup by a narrow margin, 8-7. Bullock held a 6-4 lead going into the third frame, but Slinger earned an escape point and an extra point due to stalling being called on Bullock for the second time in the match. With 38 seconds remaining, Slinger took down Bullock to take an 8-6 lead. Bullock escaped at the end, but it wasn't enough, bringing the score to 14-6 in favor of the Monarchs. At 125 pounds, No. 14 Killian Cardinale earned four takedowns and defeated Talha Farooq in a 10-4 decision. At 133 pounds, Josh Jones brought the Patriots to within five points with a 15-0 technical fall victory over Shannon Hanna II. Perry's ranked win over Madrigal clinched the victory for ODU, giving the Monarchs a commanding 20-11 lead. The final match of the dual came at 149 pounds, and Kenan Carter ended the day with a bang for ODU. While facing Justin Yorkdale, Carter earned a 16-0 technical fall victory to give the dual its final score of 25-11. Carter had three four-point near-falls in the dominating, including a takedown and a reversal to earn his 10th bonus-point result of the season. "We finish our dual season with senior day next Sunday at 1 p.m. against Bloomsburg," Martin said looking ahead. "We are looking forward to another opportunity to compete in front of our home crowd before we compete in at the National Qualifier in three weeks." Up Next The Monarchs wrap up their regular season this upcoming Sunday, February 23 against MAC foe Bloomsburg at 1 p.m. The dual is also Senior Day for the ODU wrestling program, as it will be celebrating the careers of the seven Monarch seniors on the team. Results: *157: #10 Larry Early (ODU) dec. over Kolby Ho (GMU) 8-3 165: Neil Schuster (GMU) dec. over Shane Jones (ODU) 6-4 (SV-1) 174: Alex Cramer (ODU) MD over Anthony Lombardo (GMU) 9-0 184: Antonio Agee (ODU) dec. over Paul Pierce (GMU) 6-3 197: Timothy Young (ODU) MD over Ramses Montalvo (GMU) 16-5 285: Jake Slinger (GMU) dec. over Jacob Bullock (ODU) 8-7 125: #14 Killian Cardinale (ODU) dec. over Talha Farooq (GMU) 10-4 133: Josh Jones (GMU) TF over Shannon Hanna II (ODU) 15-0 (4:33) 141: #18 Sa'Derian Perry (ODU) dec. over #32 Alex Madrigal (GMU) 3-0 149: Kenan Carter (ODU) TF over Justin Yorkdale (GMU) 16-0 (5:50)

FAIRFIELD, Conn. -- Looking to wrap up the 2019-20 road season with a solid result, Columbia Wrestling (8-5, 8-4 EIWA/2-3 IVY) stormed back over the final five matches to come away with a 28-16 Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Conference victory over Sacred Heart (7-4, 2-3 EIWA) on Sunday, Feb. 16 at the William H. Pitt Center. Sitting behind 12-6 after five matches, the Lions recorded wins from sophomores No. 29 Joe Manchio (125), No. 27 Matt Kazimir (141), along with first years Angelo Rini (133) and Kyle Mosher (157) to storm back thanks to all of those wins coming via either fall or technical fall. In the first five matches, Columbia got wins from first-year Lennox Wolak (174) and sophomore Sam Wustefeld (197) to place the Lions in position for the strong finish. "These guys have a lot of resilience and it showed today," said John Huemer Assistant Coach of Wrestling Kyle Massey. "With the schedule the way it is, with three matches in two days over the weekend, it could be easy for the guys to use that as an excuse, but our guys have done a really nice job adjusting to and handling those situations. "Right now, our guys are peaking, our practices have been great, and our guys are coming into the last weekend of the season at the right spot. It is just about time to start focusing on the EIWA Championships, and we can see them doing the right things in practice and I think it will get us to where we need to and want to be." HOW IT HAPPENED (SACRED HEART): The action got going at 165 pounds and sophomore Sam Webster took on Brandon Levesque, and even though Webster battled hard, he fell via a 2-0 decision to open the match. But Columbia bounced right back with a win at 174 pounds when Wolak held back Joe Accousti's attempts to steal the match by locking up riding time and taking his match via decision 3-2 to tie the match up at 3-3. Sacred Heart took back the lead when first-year Michael Baker dropped his match at 184 pounds via fall (2:22) to Kyle Davis, but Columbia again had an answer when at 197 pounds Wustefeld won his third straight match of the weekend with a 9-3 decision over Nick Fierro to put the score at 9-6. The Pioneers then took the match at 285 pounds, when sophomore Danny Conley fell via decision, 5-1, to Connor Fredericks, but with the score sitting at 12-6, Columbia begin to dig-in and begin the process of coming back. The comeback began at 125 pounds when Manchio calmly collected a 15-0 technical fall victory over Sean Faraon to get the ball rolling. The next two matches would be the deciders for Columbia, as both matches would not make it out of the first period. At 133 pounds, Rini came out on fire and before two minutes had elapsed Rini had stuck Kyle Randall to take the match via fall (1:56) to push the Lions in front. Next up was Kazimir, and he took Rini's idea of victory via fall and improved on it, locking up his match via fall within the first minute of his match against Gerard Daly at 141 pounds, sticking the pin at 0:48 to pad Columbia's lead and put the score at 23-12. Senior Val Miele took to that mat at 149 pounds, and he would fall via major decision, 10-1, to Nick Palumbo, and that match would be the last win for Sacred Heart on the day. Mosher, sitting at 157 pounds, put the final touches on Columbia's comeback, knocking off Shaun Williams via technical fall, 16-0, to lock up Columbia's 28-16 comeback win over Sacred Heart. Results: 165 | Brandon Levesque (Sacred Heart) def. Sam Webster (Columbia), dec. 2-0 174 | Lennox Wolak (Columbia) def. Joe Accousti (Sacred Heart), dec. 3-2 184 | Kyle Davis (Sacred Heart) def. Michael Baker (Columbia), fall (2:22) 197 | Sam Wustefeld (Columbia) def. Nick Fierro (Sacred Heart), dec. 9-3 285 | Connor Fredericks (Sacred Heart) def. Danny Conley (Columbia), dec. 5-1 125 | No. 29 Joe Manchio (Columbia) def. Sean Faraon (Sacred Heart), TF 15-0 133 | Angelo Rini (Columbia) def. Kyle Randall (Sacred Heart), fall (1:56) 141 | No. 27 Matt Kazimir (Columbia) def. Gerard Daly (Sacred Heart), fall (0:48) 149 | Nick Palumbo (Sacred Heart) def. Val Miele (Sacred Heart), maj. 10-1 157 | Kyle Mosher (Columbia) def. Shaun Williams (Sacred Heart), TF 16-0 UP NEXT: The Lions return home for the season finale when Columbia will honor its two seniors, Justin Choi and Miele with the Lions hosting Bucknell on Saturday, Feb. 22 with the senior day ceremonies beginning prior to the match which is scheduled to start at 2 p.m.

ITHACA, N.Y. --- Brandon Whitman's upset of No. 3 Ben Darmstadt at 197 pounds helped lead No. 8 North Carolina to a 21-13 win over No. 17 Cornell Sunday. Joey Melendez won via fall at 125 pounds late in the dual to secure the victory for the Tar Heels. With the dual starting at 149 pounds, No. 3 Austin O'Connor and No. 16 A.C. Headlee won with back-to-back decisions to kick off the afternoon for Carolina. Their wins were followed by Sawyer Davidson's 8-4 decision over Chris Schoenherr at 165 pounds, his second dual-meet win of the season to give UNC an early 9-0 lead. Clay Lautt blanked Andrew Berreyesa at 174 pounds, a 6-0 win to extend the team score to 12-0. After Cornell took the 184-pound match, sophomore Brandon Whitman put on one of the most impressive performances of the season against No. 3 Ben Darmstadt. He fired out of the gate with an early takedown and kept pace for a full seven minutes. He won a 6-2 decision to push the dual meet in UNC's direction. Cornell took a sudden victory match at heavyweight before Melendez's late-match heroics. Off of a scramble at the edge, Melendez locked up a cradle against Dom LaJoie late in the third period and finished a pin, securing the match for the Tar Heels. Cornell won the final two bouts of the night, but UNC's early dominance proved enough for a 21-13 win. The Tar Heels wrestle next against Virginia in Charlottesville next Friday, February 21st at 7:00 p.m. Results: 149: #3 Austin O'Connor (UNC) dec. Hunter Richard (CU), 10-3 – UNC leads, 3-0 157: #16 A.C. Headlee (UNC) dec. Adam Santoro (CU), 9-7 – UNC leads, 6-0 165: Sawyer Davidson (UNC) dec. Chris Schoenherr (CU), 8-4 – UNC leads, 9-0 174: Clay Lautt (UNC) dec. Andrew Berreyesa (CU), 6-0 – UNC leads, 12-0 184: Jonathan Loew (CU) maj. dec. Joey Mazzara (UNC), 12-3 – UNC leads, 12-4 197: Brandon Whitman (UNC) dec. #3 Ben Darmstadt (CU), 6-2 – UNC leads, 15-4 285: Brendan Furman (CU) dec. Andrew Gunning (UNC), 3-1 (SV1) – UNC leads, 15-7 125: Joey Melendez (UNC) pinned Dom LaJoie (CU), 6:31 – UNC leads, 21-7 133: #5 Chas Tucker (CU) dec. Jaime Hernandez (UNC), 4-1 – UNC leads, 21-10 141: Noah Baughman (CU) dec. #11 Zach Sherman (UNC), 3-1 (SV1) – UNC wins, 21-13

FARGO, N.D. -- North Dakota State won its sixth straight dual with a 31-6 victory over Air Force in a Big 12 Conference dual on Sunday, Feb. 16, on Senior Day before 447 spectators in SCHEELS Center. All four seniors in the NDSUd lineup posted wins NDSU (9-3, 5-1 #Big12WR) wrestles at South Dakota State (11-5, 6-2 #Big12WR) on Friday, Feb. 21, in Frost Arena. Half of North Dakota State's wins included four bonus points, but the Bison also earned a pair of one-pointers during the first three bouts. At 125 pounds, McGwire Midkiff (10-5, 4-3) rallied with a reversal and kept his riding time over a minute in the third period to defeat No. 14-ranked Sidney Flores 8-7. McGwire The first senior to take the floor was No. 17-ranked 133 pounder Cam Sykora, who flirted with his first tech fall since Jan. 2, but was all business in a 14-2 major decision over Jared Van Fleet. Sykora improved to 12-4 overall and 8-3 in duals. Dylan Droegemueller (12-7, 4-3) faced his second straight ranked opponent at 141 pounds, but this outcome had a better result. Droegemueller built his riding time with a reversal and takedown in the third period good for five points and another 8-7 finish over No. 33 Lenny Petersen. Jaden Van Maanen (11-12, 5-7) broke a 3-3 deadlock after two periods and made it a double-win weekend with his 8-4 decision at 149 pounds. No nonsense NDSU No. 16-ranked 157-pounder Jared Franek (22-6, 10-2) recorded his second tech fall of the season by the score of 16-0 at 3:58. That was followed by the sound of the team-leading eighth pin of the winter by No. 10-ranked 165 Andrew Fogarty (17-3, 10-1) to get back on track. The Bison won the first six to lead 24-0. Air Force (4-7, 1-6 #Big12) then picked up a pair of wins, Cody Surratt downed Luke Weber 10-4 at 174 pounds, while Jake Thompson outlasted Noah Cressell 3-2. North Dakota State closed strong with a pair of seniors. Four-year starter Cordell Eaton grinded out a 6-1 decision at 197 pounds, while Dan Stibral was solid in the 11-1 major decision. Results: 125: McGwire Midkiff (NDSU) dec #14 Sidney Flores (AFA), 8-7 133: #17 Cam Sykora (NDSU) major dec Jared Van Fleet (AFA), MD 14-2 141: Dylan Droegemueller (NDSU) dec #33 Lenny Petersen (AFA), 8-7 149: Jaden Van Maanen (NDSU) dec Dylan Martinez (AFA), 8-4 157: #16 Jared Franek (NDSU) tech fall Trey Brisker (AFA), TF 16-0 3:58 165: #10 Andrew Fogarty (NDSU) fall Vincent Dolce (AFA), 3:58 174: Cody Surratt (AFA) dec Luke Weber (NDSU), 10-4 184: Jake Thompson (AFA) dec Noah Cressell (NDSU), 3-2 197: Cordell Eaton (NDSU) dec Casey Jumps (AFA), 6-1 285: Dan Stibral (NDSU) major dec Kayne Hutchison (AFA), MD 11-1

AMES, Iowa – No. 19 Iowa State (9-4, 6-1 Big 12) came back in dramatic fashion to defeat No. 18 Northern Iowa (7-4, 6-2), 18-16, in wrestling action Sunday afternoon in Hilton Coliseum. Down 12-6 with five matches to go, the Cyclones won four of the last five bouts, including the decisive match at heavyweight to come out on top. Iowa State was down 16-15 heading into the final match at heavyweight, as No. 12 Gannon Gremmel was up against No. 13 Carter Isley. There was no scoring in the first period, but Gremmel took down Isley with :53 seconds left in period two and rode him out until the period ended. He then stayed on top in the final period to win the match (4-0) and give the Cyclones the victory. Iowa State, which won six of 10 matches, also scored a key victory at 174 pounds with Sam Colbray upsetting No. 5 Bryce Steiert, 7-6. How It Happened Todd Small won Iowa State's first match at 133 pounds, defeating Jack Skudlarczyk, 6-4. Small had two takedowns and a reversal in the match. Ian Parker then scored a 7-2 decision over Max Thomsen in the 149-pound bout. After no scoring in the first period, Parker tallied a takedown and reversal in the second period to take command of the match. Parker improved to 17-3 on the season. The Cyclones lost a close one at 149 pounds, as Max Thomsen edged Jarett Degen, 3-1 in sudden victory. Thomsen got the takedown with :33 seconds left to win the crucial match in the dual. Chase Straw kept the Cyclones chances alive with a victory at 165 pounds vs. Austin Yant. The score was 1-1 after regulation until Straw got the takedown to win the match with :15 seconds left in the first sudden victory. The big win for the Cyclones came at 174 pounds. Colbray fell down to Steiert, 6-3, and it looked bleak for the home team. Two escapes by Colbray trimmed the score to 6-5. Colbray then took down Steiert with :30 seconds left and was able to stay on top for the rest of the match in the 7-6 victory. Joel Shapiro set up Gremmel's chance to shine with another win for the Cyclones at 197 pounds. Shapiro had two takedowns in the 6-2 victory over Isaiah Patton. Next Up Iowa State travels to Missouri on Saturday (Feb. 22). The match is at 2 p.m. CT. Results: 125: Jay Schwarm (UNI) pinned Alex Mackall (ISU), 2:17 133: Todd Small (ISU) dec. Jack Skudlarczyk (UNI), 6-4 141: Ian Parker (ISU) dec. Michael Blockhus (UNI), 7-2 149: Max Thomsen (UNI) dec. Jarrett Degen (ISU), 3-1 (SV1) 157: Paden Moore (UNI) dec. Grant Stotts (ISU), 5-3 165: Chase Straw (ISU) dec. Austin Yant (UNI), 3-1 (SV1) 174: Sam Colbray (ISU) dec. Bryce Steiert (UNI), 7-6 184: Taylor Lujan (UNI), maj. dec. Marcus Coleman (ISU), 13-5 197: Joel Shapiro (ISU) dec. Isaiah Patton (UNI), 6-2 285: Gannon Gremmel (ISU) dec. Carter Isley (UNI), 4-0

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- The Purdue wrestling team put an exclamation mark on the end of its dual season, toppling No. 23 Illinois 18-14 at Huff Hall on Sunday. The Boilermakers finish their schedule at 12-5 overall and 5-4 in conference action, clinching their first winning Big Ten Dual record since 2013 and the best dual season under head coach Tony Ersland. Down a pair of starters due to injuries, the Boilermakers rallied with a pair of wins over ranked opponents and secured six of the 10 weights to top Illinois for the first time since 2010. "It was a great team win," said Ersland. "Our guys fought hard top-to-bottom in the lineup and they went out there and fought for each other. It was a great way to finish our dual season." Action started at 125 pounds Sunday and junior Devin Schroder continued his winning ways with his 26th victory of the season as he topped No. 21 Justin Cardani 3-0. After no scoring through two periods, as Cardani chose neutral in the second, Schroder took the lead with an escape and the outscrambled the Illini rookie for a takedown late to seal the win. Illinois answered with a win at 133 pounds, but the Boilermakers would take the next two as sophomore Parker Filius and junior Griffin Parriott came up with wins to take a 9-3 edge. Filius had a monster win, using a six-point move in the second period to record an 8-7 victory over No. 13 Dylan Duncan at 141 pounds. After scoring a takedown for an early lead, Filius gave up a takedown and trailed 3-2 going to the second. Duncan's lead grew to 4-2 with an escape in the second, but Filius caught the Illinois junior in a shot and whipped him to his back for six points and an 8-5 lead going to the third. Filius was hit for stalling twice in the third and surrendered a riding-time point, but still finished off win No. 17 on the season and his second over a ranked opponent. Parriott followed up with a workmanlike 6-2 decision at 149 pounds, scoring takedowns in the first and third periods to pick up his 14th win over the season. Illinois took the team lead at the next two weights, taking a 4-2 win at 157 pounds and an 18-2 technical fall at 165 to make it 11-9. Senior Dylan Lydy picked up his seventh overtime win of the season and 20th of his career as he went into the eighth minute before finishing a double-leg shot to secure a 3-1 win over No. 23 Joey Gunther. Lydy improved to 28-1 overall and earned his 108th career win, moving to within one of Logan Brown for 11th in program history, and regained the team lead 12-11. Junior Max Lyon continued the run at 184 pounds, picking up a signature win with a 6-2 decision over No. 14 Zac Braunagel. Lyon got to the Illinois rookie's legs continually through the match, managing to finish shots in the first and third periods as he pushed the Boilermakers' lead to 15-11 and earned his 16th win of the year. Illinois pulled within one with a 5-3 decision at 197 pounds, putting the dual on the line at heavyweight as Purdue freshman Thomas Penola faced Illini freshman Luke Luffman. Penola came out fast and furious, pummeling Luffman's head and then snaring an ankle-pick finish for the early lead. With things tied 2-2 going to the third, Penola escaped and then countered a Luffman shot for a finish to seal the team victory. The Boilermakers are now off until the Big Ten Championships, scheduled for March 7-8 at Rutgers. Tournament seeds and schedules will be available the week of the sold-out event, which will be held at the Rutgers Athletics Center in Piscataway, New Jersey. Results: 125: No. 6 Devin Schroder (PUR) def. No. 21 Justin Cardani (ILL), D 3-0 133: No. 7 Travis Piotrowski (ILL) def. Travis Ford-Melton (PUR), D 8-2 141: Parker Filius (PUR) def. No. 13 Dylan Duncan (ILL), D 8-7 149: No. 19 Griffin Parriott (PUR) def. Mousa Jodeh (ILL), D 6-2 157: Eric Barone (ILL) def. Nate Limmex (PUR), D 4-2 165: No. 15 Danny Braunagel (ILL) def. Tanner Webster (PUR), TF 18-2 (6:19) 174: No. 4 Dylan Lydy (PUR) def. No. 23 Joey Gunther (ILL), SV 3-1 184: Max Lyon (PUR) def. No. 14 Zac Braunagel (ILL), D 6-2 197: Matt Wroblewski (ILL) def. Jared Florell (PUR), D 5-3 285: No. 25 Thomas Penola (PUR) def. Luke Luffman (ILL), D 5-3

LEWISBURG, Pa. -- As they head down the final stretch of the regular season, the Army West Point wrestling team scored a 29-7 dual match win against EIWA foe Bucknell on Sunday. The Black Knights (9-3, 3-1 EIWA) won eight of their 10 matches against the Bison (9-6, 8-3 EIWA), including three bonus point victories. With the dual beginning at 184 pounds, Noah Stewart was able to set the tempo from the start. The Lewistown, Pa. native scored a fall victory at the buzzer of the second period to give the Black Knights an early 6-0 lead. After Bucknell was able to get on the board with a decision win at 197, Army rattled off wins in the next four matches to take control of the dual. In the heavyweight bout, Bobby Heald won a 4-1 decision over Brandon Stokes. At 125 pounds, Trey Chalifoux scored early and throughout, as he earned a 15-3 major decision over Geo Barzona. The 133 and 141 pound contents were tight affairs from start to finish. Andrew Wert Jr. (3-2 dec.) and Logan Brown (8-7 dec.) both were able to hang on to one-point wins to make it 19-3 in the team score after six matches. Matthew Kolonia won Bucknell's second match at 149 pounds -- a 15-3 major decision over Noah Hanau. The dual clincher for Army came at 157 pounds, with Markus Hartman winning an 8-2 decision. In a battle between two nationally ranked wrestlers at 165 pounds, Cael McCormick battled Zach Hartman for three periods, earning a 2-1 decision. The final bout of the day saw Ben Harvey with a dominant 12-3 major decision over Mitch Hartman to make it a 29-7 final. Results: #18 Army West Point 29 – Bucknell 7 184: #15 Noah Stewart (ARMY) fall over Kyle Inlander (BU) 5:00 197: Drew Phipps (BU) dec. over #22 J.T. Brown (ARMY) 6-4 285: Bobby Heald (ARMY) dec. over Brandon Stokes (BU) 4-1 125: #23 Trey Chalifoux (ARMY) maj. dec. over Geo Barzona (BU) 15-3 133: Andrew Wert Jr. (ARMY) dec. over Darren Miller (BU) 3-2 141: Logan Brown (ARMY) dec. over David Campbell (BU) 8-7 149: Matthew Kolonia (BU) maj. dec. over Noah Hanau (ARMY) 15-3 157: #10 Markus Hartman (ARMY) dec. over Jaden Fisher (BU) 8-2 165: #21 Cael McCormick (ARMY) dec. over #14 Zach Hartman (BU) 2-1 174: #17 Ben Harvey (ARMY) maj. dec. over Mitch Hartman (BU) 12-3 UP NEXT Army will travel to Annapolis, MD next Saturday for an EIWA dual against service-academy rival Navy at 7:30 pm.