InterMat Staff

Seth Gross, ranked No. 1, is expected to meet No. 2 Roman Bravo-Young on Friday night (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Last weekend's wild match between No. 1 Iowa and No. 3 Penn State showed off just how great the college wrestling dual season can be. This weekend there are several more top duals including No. 2 North Carolina State versus No. 9 North Carolina and No. 3 Penn State versus No. 8 Wisconsin. The following previews some of the top individual matches from this weekend. 125: No. 20 Nic Aguilar (Rutgers) vs. Jonathon Tropea (Rider) Aguilar is currently sitting right on the edge of the InterMat rankings. He has managed to hold on despite a three-match losing streak in the Big Ten. Even though he has struggled recently, he has had a solid redshirt freshman season. He has defeated the likes of Malik Heinselman (Ohio State), Joey Prata (Virginia Tech) and Gage Curry (American). Tropea got off to a hot start to the season. He won five of his first six matches and picked up a signature win over No. 13 Patrick McKee (Minnesota). Tropea has cooled off a little bit as the season has gone on. However, the redshirt junior still holds a 15-9 record and has been in and out of the rankings. A match like this could have an impact on qualification and allocations. Both wrestlers have shown that they have the potential to knock off top opposition, but they have struggled with consistency. The dual between Rutgers and Rider should be an interesting in-state clash, and this match is one of the many strong individual contests. Look for Tropea to get it done thanks to his experience. Prediction: Tropea (Rutgers) decision over Aguilar (Rutgers) 133: No. 1 Seth Gross (Wisconsin) vs. No. 2 Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State) After a December loss against No. 3 Austin DeSanto (Iowa), Gross has gotten back on track and gone on an extensive winning streak. At the Midlands, he got revenge over DeSanto and also knocked off No. 5 Sebastian Rivera (Northwestern). Since that tournament Gross has won all five of his matches with bonus points. In his last outing the Wisconsin wrestler needed only 1:12 to pin Travis Ford-Melton (Purdue). Bravo-Young defeated DeSanto last weekend via injury default. Regardless of how one feels about that victory, he has had a very impressive season. He holds a 15-0 record and has picked up bonus points in nine of those matches. Bravo-Young has also defeated the likes of No. 9 Sammny Alvarez (Rutgers) and No. 14 Ridge Lovett (Nebraska). In terms of traditional neutral wrestling, Bravo-Young may have the advantage. He has solid leg attacks and gets to them frequently. However, finishing against Gross is not an easy task. On top of that, Gross always has the opportunity to make a difference from the top position. This will be an interesting match that could have an impact on seeding at the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments. Prediction: Gross (Wisconsin) decision over Bravo-Young (Penn State) 141: No. 5 Dom Demas (Oklahoma) vs. No. 6 Ian Parker (Iowa State) Demas started the season as the No. 1-ranked wrestler at this weight class. He has dropped a few matches and now finds himself fifth. Two of his losses have come against No. 1 Luke Pletcher (Ohio State) and No. 4 Mitch McKee (Minnesota). His only real surprising loss came against unranked Caleb Rea (West Virginia) a few weeks back. Despite the losses Demas has gone 19-3 with wins over No. 20 Michael Blockhus (Northern Iowa), No. 19 Mitch Moore (Virginia Tech) and No. 8 Chad Red (Nebraska). Parker has held his own most of this season and built an impressive 15-2 record. Since the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, he has won eight straight matches. During the run, he has knocked off Moore, Dusty Hone (Oklahoma State) and No. 12 Josh Heil (Campbell). These two met back in December at the Cliff Keen Invitational. Demas surprisingly won the bout via technical fall. It was the third meeting between the two wrestlers and the previous matches were both decisions. Parker won the first in sudden victory. Demas won the second at the Big 12 tournament, 8-4. Was the technical fall victory a sign of the growing gap between the wrestlers or just an odd occurrence? Parker has the chance to answer that question here. Prediction: Demas (Oklahoma) decision over Parker (Iowa State) 149: No. 2 Pat Lugo (Iowa) vs. No. 9 Kanen Storr (Michigan) Lugo has bounced back from his first loss of the season with back-to-back decision victories over Jarod Verkleeren (Penn State) and Alex Hrisopoulos (Michigan State). While neither decision came with bonus points, neither match was particularly close either. Other than his lone loss against No. 1 Sammy Sasso (Ohio State), Lugo has been dominant and defeated the likes of No. 7 Jarrett Degen (Iowa State), No. 12 Max Thomsen (Northern Iowa) and No. 3 Austin O'Connor (North Carolina). Storr was originally set to redshirt this season, but he returned to the starting lineup following the first semester. Since the Midlands, he has gone on a six-match winning streak with his last three wins coming with bonus points. In his last match, Storr picked up a 17-1 technical fall over Gerard Angelo (Rutgers). The knock on Lugo is that he can be a bit too conservative at times. However, he has done a lot better working on top this year and riding. He may not be getting turns, but his riding ability has helped him build and hold leads. Storr is a tough out, but he will likely struggle to score against Lugo's noted defense. Prediction: Lugo (Iowa) decision over Storr (Michigan) 157: Jacori Teemer (Arizona State) vs. N0. 12 Jarrett Jacques (Missouri) Teemer had a tough start to his redshirt freshman season. He went 4-4 through his first eight bouts. However, Teemer has settled things down recently and won five of his last six matches. His only loss during the stretch came against No. 3 David Carr (Iowa State). In his last match, he put up 19 points against Tyler Eischens (Stanford) and won via technical fall. Jacques dropped from 10th to 12th in the rankings this week following an overtime loss against formerly unranked No. 20 Wyatt Sheets (Oklahoma State). Despite the loss, Jacques has put together a 21-5 record that includes a signature win over No. 10 Larry Early (Old Dominion). Prediction: Jacques (Missouri) decision over Teemer (Arizona State) 165: No. 16 Kennedy Monday (North Carolina) vs. No. 10 Thomas Bullard (NC State) The match between No. 9 North Carolina and No. 2 North Carolina State is perhaps the premier dual of the weekend. If North Carolina has any hope of pulling the upset, they will likely need points from Monday. The redshirt junior picked up his biggest win of the season two weeks ago when he scored a technical fall over No. 6 David McFadden (Virginia Tech). However, Monday then turned around and surrendered a fall against No. 15 Zach Hartman (Bucknell). Bullard has always been stout defensively and hard to score on. He had some impressive wins early this season over the likes of Ethan Smith (Ohio State) and Joe Lee (Penn State). However, he has wrestled only three times since the Southern Scuffle. Monday has the offense to get this victory. He will need to make sure to not give up points on counters. Bullard is tough to score on, but if Monday is intelligently persistent he can win the bout. Prediction: Monday (North Carolina) decision over Bullard (NC State) 174: No. 6 Michael Labriola (Nebraska) vs. No. 4 Dylan Lydy (Purdue) The series between Labriola and Lydy has been extensive and competitive. The two first met at the Midlands during the 2017-2018 season. They faced off twice in the tournament with Lydy taking a pair of decisions. Their third match came at the 2019 Big Ten tournament. This time Labriola scored a 4-3 overtime victory. Larbiola repeated that feat with another 4-3 victory at the NCAA tournament. Lydy got back in the win column in the rivalry this year as he scored a 3-1 sudden victory decision over the Nebraska wrestler at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. Labriola recently dropped a pair of matches against No. 1 Michael Kemerer (Iowa) and No. 2 Mark Hall (Penn State). However, he has gotten back on track with two victories. In his last match, he scored a 3-1 decision over No. 7 Kaleb Romero (Ohio State). Lydy has gone 26-1 on the season with his only loss coming against Kemerer. Since losing to the Iowa wrestler, he has won five straight matches. Lydy's strong defensive ability has been key to his success in this series. He holds position well and is extremely hard to score on. However, this year he has also turned on his offense. This will be a close match, but look for Lydy to do just enough to edge Labriola in their sixth collegiate match. Prediction: Lydy (Purdue) decision over Labriola (Nebraska) 184: No. 12 Billy Janzer (Rutgers) vs. No. 15 Zach Braunagel (Illinois) Janzer has gone 17-5 on the season and is currently riding a three-match winning streak. After falling against No. 7 Aaron Brooks (Penn State), Janzer defeated Jakob Hinz (Indiana), Max Lyon (Purdue) in over time and No. 20 Jelani Embree (Michigan). Braunagel has alternated wins and losses since the Midlands. He dropped a match against Brooks before recovering to tech Hinz. He then dropped a match against No. 14 Rocky Jordan (Ohio State) before bouncing back against Embree. Last weekend Braunagel lost to No. 8 Cam Caffey (Michigan State) on Friday and then beat Jack Jessen (Northwestern) on Sunday. While Braunagel has not been particularly consistent, he has shown that he can take out wrestlers at a certain level. When the competition has been overly tough he has struggled, but he should have enough offense to score a victory over Janzer. This match could have seeding and qualification implications come tournament time. Prediction: Braunagel (Illinois) decision over Janzer (Rutgers) 197: No. 3 Patrick Brucki (Princeton) vs. No. 4 Ben Darmstadt (Cornell) Brucki has gone 14-2 to start his junior season. One of those losses came against No. 6 Jacob Warner (Iowa), which he avenged at the Midlands. Since the Midlands, where Brucki finished third, he has won four straight matches including a victory over No. 20 Nick Reenan (NC State). Darmstadt took some losses early in the season after missing the entire previous year with injury. Following the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, he has started looking more and more like himself. He has won seven of his last eight matches with his only defeat coming via injury default. During the stretch he has also scored two falls and a technical fall. These two wrestled once before. During the 2017-2018 the two met in a dual meet match, and Darmstadt scored a 9-6 victory. Since then Brucki has worked to build himself into more of an offensive threat. However, Darmstadt's reach and length will continue to be a problem. If he is healthy, he should be able to take this one. Prediction: Darmstadt (Cornell) decision over Brucki (Princeton) 285: No. 2 Mason Parris (Michigan) vs. No. 3 Anthony Cassioppi (Iowa) For those that consider No. 1 Gable Steveson (Minnesota) to be the clear favorite at this weight, the match between Parris and Cassioppi is the battle for the clear No. 2. Both are undefeated and have picked up multiple ranked wins over the course of the season. Parris has started this season with a perfect 22-0 record. It includes eight victories via fall. He has already defeated No. 8 Demetrius Thomas (Pittsburgh), No. 4 Matt Stencel (Central Michigan) and No. 6 Tanner Hall (Arizona State). Cassioppi recently shut the door on Penn State with a match sealing win over No. 15 Seth Nevills (Penn State). Like Parris he holds an undefeated record, which currently stands at 15-0 with five falls. In addition to his win over Nevills, he has also bested Stencel, No. 14 Gannon Gremmel (Iowa State) and No. 5 Trent Hillger (Wisconsin). These two met in a match at Fargo in the summer of 2018. In the freestyle match, Cassioppi got off to a hot start with a takedown and two quick turns to take a 6-0 lead. Parris then got on the board with a sweep takedown. Cassioppi then scored another six points with a head pinch to win 12-2. On one hand, it was a first-period tech under freestyle rules. On the other hand, each wrestler only scored one takedown. Parris has clearly been developing and learning on the job. However, Cassioppi's ability to ride and scramble should help him pull off a slight upset. Prediction: Cassioppi (Iowa) decision over Parris (Michigan)

Wartburg after defeating Augsburg on Thursday night in Waverly, Iowa (Photo/Wartburg Athletics) WAVERLY, Iowa -- Wartburg and Augsburg. They are the two most dominant wrestling programs at the NCAA Division III level. Wartburg has captured 14 national titles and Augsburg 13. For the past quarter-century, no other team has won a DIII national title. That trend may continue this year with Wartburg ranked No. 1 and Augsburg No. 2. The powerhouse programs battled once again Thursday night with Wartburg earning a dramatic 19-14 win before a packed house of 1,800 fans at Levick Arena. The Knights also defeated the Auggies 24-15 last month at the National Duals After Thursday's dual, Wartburg leads the series with Augsburg 22-16. The Knights have won 10 of the last 11 meetings, including the last three. Here are my top takeaways from Thursday's dual meet: Final match decides it The hard-fought dual between elite programs came down to the final bout at 141 pounds. Wartburg held a 16-14 lead, meaning the winner of bout No. 10 would lead his team to victory. Wartburg's Brady Fritz scored a clutch single-leg takedown with 59 seconds left to down national champion David Flynn of Augsburg 3-2. Fritz held off Flynn in the closing seconds, raising his arms as the sellout crowd erupted in cheers. Fritz also defeated Flynn at the National Duals. Highlight reel move propels Rumph Top-ranked Kristian Rumph of Wartburg executed a spectacular four-point move early in the match on his way to downing No. 2 Victor Gliva 8-6 at 133. The hard-charging Gliva fought back and trailed 6-4 late in the bout before Rumph drove in on a textbook double-leg takedown with 40 seconds left. Rumph prevailed 8-6, waving his arms after time expired as the Wartburg fans stood and cheered. Auggies start fast Augsburg started the dual with a win at 149 pounds as No. 3 Aaron Wilson downed Nick Meling 7-3. Meling was down 7-0, but avoided giving up a major decision with an escape and takedown in the final period. Epps looks dominant Two-time national champion Ryan Epps scored an early takedown and near fall en route to scoring a 15-0 technical fall over Martine Sandoval at 157. Epps led 6-0 after one period and 13-0 after two. He's looking primed to end his career with a third national title. Jeske, Benick not in lineup The Auggies wrestled without two-time national champion Lucas Jeske (165) and national champion Lance Benick (197). Augsburg coach Jim Moulsoff said the wrestlers were held out of the dual because of injuries and illness. He said both wrestlers are expected back for the Auggies. No .1 Vassar edges No. 2 Briggs Top-ranked Tanner Vassar of Augsburg shot in on a double-leg attack and finished for a takedown to earn a 3-1 win over No. 2 Kyle Briggs of Wartburg at 184. Vassar broke a 1-1 tie with just over a minute left and then rode Briggs out to clinch the triumph. That gave the Auggies a commanding 14-3 lead at intermission. Woods delivers for Knights Trailing by double digits in the dual, fourth-ranked Kobe Woods delivered a much-needed spark for Wartburg at 197. Woods fired in on a leg attack for the first takedown and took control from there in downing Wyatt Richardson 8-2. Big boy battle The heavyweight battle at 285 featured No. 9 Jordan Brandon of Wartburg against Tyler Kim of Augsburg. Brandon spun behind Kim for a first-period takedown and that was the difference in his 3-2 victory. Forsyth earns tough win The much-anticipated matchup between Jeske and sixth-ranked Max Forsyth of Wartburg didn't happen. But Forsyth still had his hands full against Augsburg's Moses Madimba. Forsyth held off Madimba's takedown attempt in the final seconds to escape with a 1-0 win at 165. Nielsen gains command Fifth-ranked Solomon Nielsen of Augsburg struck for two first-period takedowns en route to a 6-2 triumph over Paul Calo at 174. That gave the Auggies an 11-3 lead through the dual's first four matches. Little guy comes up big Eighth-ranked Brady Kyner of Wartburg scored an early takedown and rideout to take charge in his 125-pound bout against Justin Stauffacher. Kyner struck again on a second-period leg attack to build a 4-1 lead. He added three takedowns in the third period to win by a 12-4 major decision. Final word The Knights won the final five matches of the dual to prevail, but the Auggies were missing two national champions. Augsburg returns 120 points from last year's national championship team, including four national champions. But Wartburg is determined to come back strong after a tough finish at the 2019 national tournament. No doubt, the DIII nationals will be fun to watch next month. And Wartburg and Augsburg figure to be right in the thick of it. 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.

Last weekend's Iowa-Penn State dual lived up to the billing, with the dual meet decided at heavyweight. Upsets, injuries, and gutsy performances abound -- much to the delight of fans, of which a whopping 340K were estimated to have watched the match live on BTN. Those are real numbers -- and real numbers drive advertising dollars, which (as has been discussed ad nauseum) helps wrestling keeps it position on college campuses. The long view is great, but the short view is better. For those optimistic enough to believe college wrestling could emerge from its self-limiting group think, there is clear evidence that a robust, consumer-focused dual meet national championship could draw huge national numbers. Those viewers are future wrestlers, donors, parents, alumni, and fans. It's not a lack of imagination that's holding our community back. It's not even the NCAA, per se. The real limitation is that NCAA Division I coaches have far too much influence on the long-term plans of the sport. While coaches are vital to keeping the rules fresh and providing day-to-day perspectives, they are paid to win within their contracted years and those with six-figure salaries aren't willing to play a parlor game with a 30-year mortgage and two kids in travel swimming. Think of how absurd it would be if Andy Reid were to choose the playoff format for the NFL. Maybe the Patriots do this, I don't follow much, but the point is that in most other sports leagues it's the politically appointed figures who are the drivers of fundamental changes. In wrestling and the NCAA there seems to be a lack of motivation from up top to enforce change, and such incredible resistance from successful teams as to make it intractable. What's our goal here, guys and gals? Are we OK for some throwaway national coverage during the NCAA Basketball Tournament, or do we want more? As a habit wrestlers are often satisfied, and in this case they (or we) shouldn't be complacent with some very middling numbers at the NCAAs when it's proven again and again that dual meets can sell vastly more tickets, earn more in TV revenue, and create many more storylines. We can do this, and I'm sure that when it's done we'll look back and think of how foolish it was to waster all this time, money, and opportunity on doing nothing. To your questions … Maryland wore their new two-piece uniforms for a dual meet against Pitt on Dec. 20 (Photo/Greg Fiume) Q: Do you like the two-piece uniforms Maryland has worn? Are you surprised more college wrestling teams aren't using two-piece uniforms? -- Mike C. Foley: The Maryland Terrapins looked great in their new uniforms. Coach Alex Clemsen mentioned in an interview that some guys were hesitant but that they grew to like them pretty quickly. I doubt that infers they will replace the team's singlet, but it's a fist step and opens the door for other programs (Hey, U.Va!) to implement their own two-piece, though to be fair it's tough to imagine getting those approved, paid for, and delivered for the end of this season. I think that we will see another half dozen use the two-piece next year, and double again every season after that. Once the high schoolers coming up prefer them to singlets (and they might) you'll see the opinion of the team influence the game day sartorial choices of the coach. Who amongst us wouldn't go out and buy a rash guard and shorts with a Pokémon-inspired Spencer Lee Iowa two-piece uniform? Q: Roman Bravo-Young will (potentially) get a crack at Seth Gross Friday. Do you think RBY can knock off Gross? And what are your thoughts on RBY's title chances in March? -- Mike C. Foley: First, I think that DeSanto was legitimately injured when RBY turned DeSanto's foot during the first exchange. Grabbing any part of the foot should be illegal (as in international) and action should be stopped when it happens. Now, I also think that RBY came out hotter than DeSanto, and I dare say that DeSanto looked flat on his feet to start the match. Given those small glimpses I think that RBY is the favorite in their next matchup and that he can (of course!) knock off Gross. While not all Penn State wrestlers improve, when they tend to start rolling like this they have a step improvement curve and typically find big results. Don't be surprised if RBY gets the win Friday, or if he's making the quick jog out to the center of the mat in Minnesota. He's ready. MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME I get that its harmless fun, but I'd rather see Jordan Burroughs or Adeline Gray on SportsCenter Link: Wrestlers get DQ'd Fun video from Italian wrestling federation to promote this week's European Championships Link: Wrestling takes Rome! Q: I came across a tweet of yours where you were talking about the Austin DeSanto vs. Roman Bravo-Young match. It made me stop and think about a few things. 1. How much does injury affect the outcome of the season? 2. Just how many top-quality wrestlers do we have not competing right now because of injury? 3. Is the sport of wrestling in its rules and design doing all it can to ensure the safety of its athletes? I can answer 1 and 2 myself. 1. A LOT! 2. More than most fans probably realize. 3. What do you think about it? -- Steve S. Foley: I want to think that the NCAA and high school associations have the best interest of the wrestlers in the forefront of their rules decisions, but I'm not that confident. I know that there are many, many well-intentioned men and women reviewing rules and spending their time in gyms refereeing matches and overseeing tournaments, but I'm often disappointed in the absolute stupidity we still seem to value on the mat. For example, the most common rebuttal to declaring a move should be reviewed because it's too violent or injurious is to hearken back to one's personal days competing. That whipsaw nostalgia defense will do nothing to protect athletes because it's an emotional response to an inquiry that can be discussed using sciences like physiology, biomechanics and statistics. Still, those arguments are drowned about by appeals for "toughness." What's tough about having your ACL torn? Or getting a concussion? Those injuries and recovery times are in no way indicative of one's ability to wrestle, nor is it a firm conclusion that your opponent who implemented a suspect move, is a better technician or competitor than you. It's lunacy to watch a kid with double grapevines in put their elbow in the back of a kid's neck and say, "Yeah, maybe stop the action." No. Kick that kid -- and every other kid -- out of the tournament. Same goes for a number of positions where I think the rules body and the referees left to interpret them have been given too much leeway and kids are being injured. The overriding question we have to ask ourselves in these meetings is how this impacts the health of the athlete. I think we are all OK with a half nelson, but less-so with cranking a knee against the joint. I hope that we find a new approach to these rules in the future and that we can work with more speed to correct errors in the rule book once they've been exposed. The NCAA currently reviews rules every two years, which means that it could be 20+ months between an obvious dangerous situation being exposed and there being a meaningful change implemented. That's far too long. Stanford's Real Woods is ranked No. 3 at 141 pounds (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Q: Stanford has a couple outstanding freshmen in Real Woods (141) and Shane Griffth (165). Woods has just one loss, which came to No. 1 Luke Pletcher in OT. Griffith is undefeated. Do you see either as a potential finalist in March? If so, who do you think has a better chance? -- Mike C. Foley: Whoa. Real Woods is very, very good at wrestling. To see what Pletcher has been doing to opponents this year and then balance that against how Woods fared in their early season dual meet I think he's the No. 2 wrestler in the country and likely to face Pletcher in the NCAA finals. Forgiving that he doesn't have the same level of opponents as many in the Big Ten, Big 12 and ACC I think his style is too difficult to digest on first take and that's exactly how most of his opponents will be coming at him in March. (Also, I know that Nick Lee is talented and well-coached, I just think Real Woods is next level.)

LARAMIE, Wyo. -- With the dual coming down to the final match, redshirt sophomore 165-pounder Adam Kemp came through in the clutch for the Bulldogs with a hard-fought 3-2 win to lift Fresno State past Wyoming, 22-19 at the UniWyo Sports Complex on Thursday evening. Despite forfeiting both 125 and 197 pounds, Fresno State (9-7, 4-1 B12) tallied six wins in the dual getting bonus points win from Brandon Martino at 174 pounds and DJ Lloren at 141 pounds. Martino got the dual started with his second major decision of the season while Lloren recorded his first career fall as a Bulldog. Kemp, Josh Hokit (Hwt.), Greg Gaxiola (149 lbs.) and Jacob Wright (157 lbs.) added wins by decision. How It Happened With the dual getting started at 174 pounds, Martino got the 'Dogs rolling with a 8-0 major decision over No. 11 Hayden Hastings. A takedown in each period along with an escape and riding time point were enough for the Clovis native's second-straight win over a top-12 opponent after defeating No. 11 Samuel Colbray from Iowa State at home last Friday. With Wyoming (7-8, 3-2 B12) getting on the board with a major decision at 184 pounds by No. 32 Tate Samuelson over Dominic Kincaid and receiving a forfeit at 197 pounds, the Cowboys took a 10-4 lead. Hokit cut Wyoming's lead in half with a 3-2 win over No. 18 Brian Andrews as the senior two-sport athlete saw his first action since Jan. 17 against Duke. A third-period takedown by Hokit proved to the difference as Andrews was limited to two escapes. With the Cowboys' taking a 16-7 lead after another forfeit by the 'Dogs at 125 pounds, the Cowboys took their largest lead of the match at 19-7 after a 4-0 win by No. 8 Montorie Bridges over Gary Joint. It was all Fresno State from their as the 'Dogs won the final four matches of the dual. Lloren got the Bulldogs' back on the winning track with a fall over redshirt freshman Trevor Jeffries in 4:29 to cut the Wyoming lead to 19-13. Gaxiola followed with a 4-1 win No. 26 Jaron Jensen as the redshirt junior used a first-period takedown and an escape in the third period along with 1:14 of riding time for his 14th win of the season. Wright tied the match at 19-19 with a 7-4 win over No. 33 Dewey Krueger as the redshirt sophomore broke a 3-3 tie in the third period with an escape, takedown and riding time point to send the dual to a winner-take-all final match. After a scoreless first period, Kemp chose bottom to start the second period, quickly escaped and added a takedown for a 3-0 lead. Facing redshirt freshman Cole Moody, the Cowboy wrestler was able to escape and added another escape in the third period, but Kemp held on for a 3-2 win. Notables Fresno State improves to 13-1 all-time against Wyoming. The Bulldogs move to 1-0 on the road this season. The 'Dogs improve to 4-1 in Big 12 duals. Fresno State has won nine of its last 12 duals. Lloren runs his record to 20-4 and notced his seventh win by bonus points. Attendance at the UniWyo Sports Complex on Thursday was 547. Up next Fresno State heads to North Dakota State (6-3, 3-1 B12) on Saturday for a Big 12 dual at 5 p.m. PT at the Scheels Center. Results: 174: No. -/-/20/- Brandon Martino (FS) maj. dec. No. 10/12/12/11 Hayden Hastings (WYO), 8-0 | FS 4, WYO 0 184: No. 32/-/-/32 Tate Samuelson (WYO) maj. dec. Dominic Kincaid (FS), 9-0 | FS 4, WYO 197: No. 26/24/-/27 Stephen Buchanan (WYO) won by forfeit | WYO 10, FS 4 HWT: No. 11/11/12/9 Josh Hokit (FS) dec. No. 18/21/-/26 Brian Andrews (WYO), 3-2 | WYO 10, FS 7 125: Jake Svihel (WYO) won by forfeit WYO 16, FS 7 133: No. 7/8/8/8 Montorie Bridges (WYO) dec. Gary Joint (FS), 4-0 | WYO 19, FS 7 141: No. 22/23/15/13 DJ Lloren (FS) won by fall over Trevor Jeffries (WYO), 4:29 | WYO 19, FS 13 149: No. -/-/-/29 Greg Gaxiola (FS) dec. No. 26/-/-/32 Jaron Jensen (WYO), 4-1 | WYO 19, FS 16 157: No. 18/-/17/14 Jacob Wright (FS) dec. No. 33/-/-/- Dewey Krueger (WYO), 7-4 | FS 19, WYO 19 165: Adam Kemp (FS) dec. Cole Moody (WYO), 3-2 | FS 22, WYO 19 - Rankings by NCAA Coaches Panel Ranking/FloWrestling/InterMat/Trackwrestling

WAVERLY, Iowa -- The No. 1-ranked Wartburg wrestling team earned a 19-14 comeback victory over No. 2 Augsburg University Thursday evening at Levick Arena in the Annual "Battle of the Burgs" dual match. Down 14-3 after the fifth bout, the Orange & Black closed out second half with victories, capped off by a Brady Fritz 3-2 decision over the Auggies' David Flynn to seal the five-point triumph. "I wanted the guys to understand that the score doesn't mean anything at that point," said head coach Eric Keller regarding his message to the team during the intermission following an Augsburg win at 184 lbs. "The only thing that mattered was the very next match. A lot of times these duals are back-and forth which carries its own emotions, but to be in that type of deficit and come back the way we did, that was special." Trailing by nine points, five-straight wins by Kobe Woods, Jordon Brandon, Brady Kyner, Kris Rumph, and Fritz guided the Knights to victory. A 12-4 major decision from Kyner put Wartburg in just a one-point deficit at 14-13 prior to Rumph and Fritz decisions. Results: 149 -- #3 Aaron Wilson (AUG) over Nick Meling (WAR) DEC 8-3 157 -- #2 Ryan Epps (AUG) over Martine Sandoval (WAR) TF 15-0 165 -- #6 Max Forsyth (WAR) over Moses Madimba (AUG) DEC 1-0 174 -- #5 Solomon Nielsen (AUG) over Paul Calo (WAR) DEC 6-2 184 -- #1 Tanner Vassar (AUG) over #2 Kyle Briggs (WAR) DEC 3-1 197 -- #4 Kobe Woods (WAR) over Wyatt Richardson (AUG) DEC 8-2 HWT -- #9 Jordon Brandon (WAR) over Tyler Kim (AUG) DEC 3-2 125 -- #8 Brady Kyner (WAR) over Justin Stauffacher (AUG) MD 12-4 133 -- #1 Kris Rumph (WAR) over #2 Victor Gliva (AUG) DEC 8-6 141 -- #4 Brady Fritz (WAR) over #5 David Flynn (AUG) DEC 3-2

LOCK HAVEN, Pa. -- The Lock Haven University wrestling team (7-5, 3-2 MAC East) got off to another quick start and recorded key bonus points as the Bald Eagles proved too strong for visiting Edinboro University (9-8, 1-4 MAC East), and won the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Eastern Division dual, 25-13. No. 32 Jared Siegrist (Manheim, Pa./Manheim Central) recorded a 33-second pin at 174, while No. 15 Luke Werner (Bethlehem, Pa./Liberty) and No. 20 Kyle Shoop (Boiling Springs, Pa./Boiling Springs) notched tech falls at 125 and 141, respectively. Overall, the Bald Eagles won six of 10 bouts in the big win over their longtime rivals. It marked LHU's second straight win over Edinboro in dual action. No. 28 DJ Fehlman (Warren, Pa./Warren), No. 29 Alex Klucker (Summerdale, Pa./East Pennsboro) and Austin Bell (Belle Vernon, Pa./Belle Vernon) all added wins for Lock Haven. Shoop's victory marked career-win No. 124, which ties him for second all-time in school history. Both Fehlman and Siegrist remained unbeaten in MAC dual action. Tonight's dual started at 285 pounds and Edinboro jumped out to a 3-0 lead despite an outstanding effort from Trey Hartsock (Lewistown, Pa./Mifflin County). No. 25 Jon Spaulding of Edinboro edged out Hartsock 9-3 for the win. The Bald Eagles then rattled off three straights wins at 125, 133 and 141, including first period tech falls from Werner and Shoop. Werner – ranked No. 15 - needed just 1:13 to take down Lucas Rodriguez 18-0 at 125. The win put Lock Haven on top 5-3. Fehlman – ranked No. 28 at 133 - grinded out a hard-fought 7-2 decision at 133. Leading 6-2 after two, Fehlman rode out the third period for the win and extended the LHU lead to 8-3. Shoop - the nation's No. 20th ranked 141 pounder - scored a quick takedown, and he never looked back on the way to the 16-0 (1:45) tech fall over Richie Gomez. Shoop's bonus points put the Bald Eagles up 13-3. At 149, Edinboro's Tyler Vath edged Brock Port (Bellefonte, Pa./Bellefonte), 6-1 and cut the LHU lead to 13-6. No. 29 Klucker won a thriller at 157. A third-period escape put the Bald Eagle up 4-3 and a late-bout takedown sealed the win as Klucker tallied the 6-4 decision. Klucker's win sparked another three-bout win streak for LHU. Bell dominated Derek Ciavarro at 165 on the way to a 6-0 win. After a scoreless opening period, Bell rode out the second period and scored four near-fall points midway through the second. Siegrist – ranked No. 32 – put on a show at 174. He earned a takedown at the opening whistle and led 4-1, before locking up the pin just 33 seconds in. The Bald Eagle wins at 157, 165 and the Siegrist-pin at 174 pushed LHU's lead to 25-5. Following the Lock Haven win in the 165-pound bout, Edinboro was deducted a team point. Edinboro picked up wins in the final two bouts, including a tech fall at 184. At 197, Dylan Reynolds edged out Parker McClellan (Altoona, Pa./Altoona), 8-4, but the Bald Eagles had already locked the team victory up. The Bald Eagles will get little time to rest as they will return to action tomorrow (Friday, Feb. 7) at 7 p.m. when they host Rider University in another important MAC East dual. Results: 285: #25 Jon Spaulding (EU) dec. Trey Hartsock (LHU) 9-3 / EU 3-0 125: #15 Luke Werner (LHU) tech fall Lucas Rodriguez (EU) 18-0 (1:13) / LHU 5-3 133: #28 DJ Fehlman (LHU) dec. Tye Varndell (EU) 7-2 / LHU 8-3 141: #20 Kyle Shoop (LHU) tech fall Richie Gomez (EU) 16-0 (1:45) / LHU 13-3 149: Tyler Vath (EU) dec. Brock Port (LHU) 6-1 / LHU 13-6 157: #29 Alex Klucker (LHU) dec. Peter Pappas (EU) 6-4 / LHU 16-6 165: Austin Bell (LHU) dec. Derek Ciavarro (EU) 6-0 / LHU 19-5* 174: #32 Jared Siegrist (LHU) pinned Anthony Chambers (EU) 0:33 / LHU 25-5 184: Cody Mulligan (EU) tech fall Ray Bernot (LHU) 18-1 (7:00) / LHU 25-10 197: Dylan Reynolds (EU) dec. Parker McClellan (LHU) 8-4 / FINAL, 25-13 *Edinboro deducted a team point after 165-pound bout Records: Edinboro (9-8, 1-4 MAC East) Lock Haven (7-5, 3-2 MAC East) Attendance – 523 LHU NOTES: Earlier today (Thurs, Feb. 6), the Mid-American Conference released its February weight class individual rankings and team rankings … As a team, the Bald Eagles are projected to finish third at the 2020 MAC Championships … Overall, five Bald Eagles were listed in the individual rankings, including Luke Werner and DJ Fehlman, who were ranked No. 2 at 125 and 133, respectively … Kyle Shoop was ranked No. 3 at 141 and both Jared Siegrist (174) and Corey Hazel (184) were ranked No. 4 … For full rankings, visit https://getsomemaction.com/ … This 2019-20 season marks Lock Haven's first as a member of the MAC … Last March (2019), it was announced that Lock Haven, along with the other members of the Eastern Wrestling League (EWL), would be joining the Mid-American Conference (MAC) for the sport of wrestling this season … It was a historic moment for college wrestling and one that made the MAC the second largest wrestling conference in the country … In the sport of wrestling, the MAC's Eastern Division is made up of Bloomsburg, Clarion, Edinboro, George Mason, Lock Haven, Rider and Old Dominion … The Western Division consists of Buffalo, Central Michigan, Cleveland State, Kent State, Missouri, Northern Illinois, Ohio and SIU-Edwardsville … The 2020 MAC Wrestling Championships will be held March 7-8 and will be hosted by Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Illinois.

Team captain Spencer Carey's win by fall in the third match of the night set the tone for the Navy wrestling team (7-4, 3-1 EIWA) and provided a lead the Mids would not relinquish en route to a 23-14 win over George Mason (7-6) Thursday evening at the Recreation Athletic Complex in Fairfax, Va. Navy fell behind 3-0 when GMU's Kolby Ho dealt Jack Stanton-Taddeo an 11-5 loss in the opening match of the evening at 157 pounds. The Mids answered a match later when freshman Brian Case earned one of the biggest wins of his career, beating redshirt senior Ryan Yorkdale in sudden victory, 3-1. Case scored his match-winning takedown just 13 seconds into the extra frame to level the match at three apiece. Carey stepped to the mat where he met a much taller Anthony Lombardo. Carey nearly had a pin early in the match, but came away with back points. He built a 9-2 advantage and with just eight seconds remaining, Carey scored the pin. The Carey win gave Navy a 9-3 advantage and the Mids would never trail again in the match. "I am most impressed with the continued growth that I am seeing week to week in the team," said sixth-year Navy head coach Joel Sharratt. "We have a fierce competitor as our team captain leading the way. Spencer's match tonight showed what it means to compete the entire bout. His fall was a great turnaround after a bit of a slow start in the first two matches. I thought the team rallied behind his fire tonight." The Highlights • The Midshipmen moved to 7-4 in dual competition this season, having earned wins in each of their last three duals. • Navy has wrestled four consecutive duals on the road - Lehigh (L, 23-9), American (W, 24-21), Drexel (W, 23-15) and George Mason (W, 23-14) - and will again be away from home on Sunday when it battles Duke. • Navy is now 11-0 all-time against the Patriots, including 4-0 at GMU's home venue. • Navy led by as many as 12 (20-8 and 23-11) and trailed by as many as 3 (0-3). There was just one tie in the match (3-3). • The Mids won 6 of the 10 matches, including bonus-point victories by Spencer Carey (174) and Jacob Koser (197). • Making just his third career dual appearance, freshman Brian Case (165) earned his first career dual victory with a 3-1 win in sudden victory over redshirt senior Ryan Yorkdale. He dropped a tough 8-6 decision in sudden victory just a week ago to American's Timothy Fitzpatrick. • Spencer Carey posted the 17th win by fall of his career, edging out the final buzzer by just eight seconds. Three of Carey's last four victories have come by fall (4:38 vs. Dominick Esposito at All-Academy Championship // 3:24 vs. Conner Allshouse in American dual // 6:52 vs. Anthony Lombardo in George Mason dual). in sudden victory. • Rookie Jacob Koser (197) won his eighth consecutive match with a dominant effort against Ram Montalvo. Koser, who held a 12-1 advantage after the first period, earned the 17-1 tech fall in just over four minutes and is now 5-0 in matches ending by tech falls. He improved to 17-5 overall and owns a team-best 9-2 mark in dual action. • John Birchmeier (285) pushed his dual mark to above .500 with a 7-4 win over Jake Slinger. Winner of five of his last six matches, Birchmeier stands 16-8 on the year and 6-5 in dual competition. • Logan Treaster (125) weathered a tough match against GMU's Talha Farooq (9-4) and is now just one win shy of the 20-win milestone (19-7, 8-3). • Cody Trybus (141) used patience in earning a 3-1 win over Alex Madrigal, the nation's leader in tech falls (10). The two met earlier this season with Madrigal taking a 5-2 decision at the Southern Scuffle. Trybus was the aggressor throughout Thursday's match and secured his 18th win over the season with the match-winning takedown with under 30 seconds remaining in the match. More From Coach Sharratt • Jacob Koser got the fans out of their seats with his aggressive leg attacks and dominant top game. He, too, is improving every week in multiple positions and has the mentality and drive to keep climbing through the end of March. • John Birchmeier had a physical match tonight and really showed where he is at as far as physical endurance to compete for seven minutes, as well as some very strong leg attacks. He competes like a 125-pound athlete and is very exciting. • Logan Treaster wrestled well and opened up scoring points in some positions that he has been unwilling to attack from earlier this season. He remains strong and steady in his improvement and adding new dimentions will certainly add to his game. • Cody Trybus wrestled the most solid "NAVY WAY" bout of the night. He brought the fight for all seven minutes against a secure ranked opponent. He attacked early and often and made his own luck in the third period with his composure and unwavering physical pace. Results: 157 | Kolby Ho dec Jack Stanton-Taddeo (NAVY), 11-5 // GM 3-0 165 | Brian Case (NAVY) dec Ryan Yorkdale, 3-1 SV // Tied 3-3 174 | Spencer Carey (NAVY) fall Anthony Lombardo, 6:52 // Navy 9-3 184 | Paul Pierce tech fall Andrew Buckley (NAVY), 20-5 (6:05) // Navy 9-8 197 | Jacob Koser (NAVY) tech fall Ram Montalvo, 17-1 (4:07) // Navy 14-8 285 | John Birchmeier (NAVY) dec Jake Slinger, 7-4 // Navy 17-8 125 | Logan Treaster (NAVY) dec Talha Farooq, 9-5 // Navy 20-8 133 | Josh Jones dec Casey Cobb (NAVY), 9-8 // Navy 20-11 141 | Cody Trybus (NAVY) dec Alex Madrigal, 3-1 // Navy 23-11 149 | Colston DiBlasi dec Val Park (NAVY), 5-2 // Navy 23-14 What's Ahead • Navy will make the drive to North Carolina on Sunday where it faces Duke (0-12, 0-2 ACC). Slated for 2:00 pm, the match will be held at Northwood High School in Pittsboro, N.C.

It's official: The Iowa Board of Regents has approved the University of Iowa's plans to build a new wrestling training facility for its storied Hawkeye mat program, one week after the Big Ten school first announced its intention to replace the existing wrestling room inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. On Wednesday, the Board of Regents for the State of Iowa granted approval for the university to begin planning for a new, separate structure for the wrestling program, to be located just south of Carver-Hawkeye, and connected to the iconic arena -- where the Hawkeyes will continue to host home dual meets -- by an underground tunnel. The new two-level, 37,000-square-foot facility will feature workout facilities, training areas, locker rooms, and office space, along with a Hall of Champions that will showcase the program's legendary history, including 23 NCAA team titles and 35 Big Ten Conference team titles ... along with 84 NCAA individual champs, and 335 NCAA All-American honors. According to a statement issued by the school, the wrestling program has already raised $9 million to construct the new wrestling training facility, which, according to initial reports, is expected to have a total price tag of $17-$20 million ... all to be paid for by gifts to the UI athletics department, which is self-sustaining, and separate from the university general fund. Here's how the University of Iowa explained its plan to generate gifts to construct the new Hawkeye wrestling training facility: "Carver Circle, the Iowa Wrestling facility campaign, will raise funds to meet the needs of one of the most successful athletic programs in the country. UI will now begin planning a new facility adjacent to Carver-Hawkeye Arena that supports Iowa Wrestling's championship standards and validates Iowa City's reputation as the greatest wrestling city in the world.” Those wishing to contribute to the construction of the new Hawkeye wrestling training facility may do so online.

Kyle Crutchmer weighing in at Bellator 233 (Photo/Bellator) Add former Oklahoma State wrestler Kyle Crutchmer to the card at Bellator 239. The two-time Big 12 mat champ and NCAA All-American for the Cowboys will take on Scott Futrell in a 175-pound contract weight preliminary bout at the Bellator event at WinStar World Casino and Resort in Thackervile, Okla. in two weeks -- Friday, Feb. 21, according to MMAjunkie.com and confirmed by Bellator. The 26-year-old Crutchmer brings a perfect 5-0 record in his professional mixed martial arts career launched in June 2018. His most recent bout was his debut in the promotion at Bellator 233 in November 2019, with a unanimous decision over Robert Gidron. Since turning pro after college, Crutchmer has trained at American Kickboxing Academy with fellow former Oklahoma State mat standout Daniel Cormier as his wrestling coach. Crutchmer's opponent, Scott Futrell, has a 9-8 pro MMA record in a career going back to 2014. The 28-year-old has suffered three consecutive losses. Crutchmer joins a wrestler-rich Bellator 239 event. At the top of the card is Ed Ruth, three-time NCAA champ for Penn State, in a welterweight (170-pound) match vs. Yaroslav Amosov… as well as Tyrell Fortune, twice a junior college national wrestling champion and a NCAA Division II titlewinner, who will be facing Tim Johnson in a heavyweight bout. In addition, in a 135-pound preliminary card match, Shawn Bunch, two-time NCAA All-American at Edinboro University, will go up against Keith Lee. This week has been one for Crutchmer to celebrate. In addition to being announced for Bellator 239, Kyle Crutchmer will be welcomed into the Union (High School) Athletic Hall of Fame -- along with his father Kevin Crutchmer, Kyle's high school wrestling coach -- this weekend in Oklahoma.

Kirk Douglas (second row, second from left) was a member of the St. Lawrence University wrestling team Kirk Douglas was a man of many achievements: a star of over 70 films, nine Broadway plays, and nearly a dozen TV programs ... as well as author, producer and 2011 recipient of an Oscar for Lifetime Achievement in film. However, few may know that the man who played a professional boxer and a Roman slave-turned-gladiator in movies was once a college wrestler who, decades later, was welcomed into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater, Okla. Douglas died Wednesday, Feb. 5 at age 103. Born Issur Danielovitch in Amsterdam, N.Y. in December 1916, the man who became Kirk Douglas was the only son of illiterate Russian immigrants. He discovered acting by performing in high school plays. He also found time to compete on his high school wrestling team. After graduating from high school, Douglas hitchhiked north to St. Lawrence University in Canton, N.Y., where he was admitted and given a college loan, according to his 2,000-word obituary in the New York Times which said "his rugged good looks and muscular intensity made him a commanding presence in films like 'Lust for Life,' 'Spartacus' and 'Paths of Glory.'" In a 2015 interview with what is now HuffPost, the actor said that "chutpah" and "$164 that I could put towards tuition" made it possible for him to enroll at the college in far northern New York State during the depths of the Great Depression. The future Hollywood icon wrestled as Isadore Demsky and worked as a janitor to meet school expenses. "He credits wrestling for the discipline and physical fitness necessary to perform his vigorous acting roles," according to Douglas' National Wrestling Hall of Fame biography. He was welcomed into the Stillwater, Okla. Hall as an Outstanding American in 1992. In 1980, Kirk Douglas was welcomed into the St. Lawrence University Athletics Hall of Fame. "An outstanding wrestler for four years as an undergraduate Kirk Douglas led an active campus life in addition to his athletic endeavors," according to his St. Lawrence Hall of Fame biography. He was also a member of the school's German Club, and, no surprise, participated in drama productions on campus. "Undefeated as a senior wrestler, he was president of Thelmo, Chairman of the Campus Council, Chairman of the Freshman Orientation Committee and listed in Who's Who Among American College Students as a senior." In addition, Douglas was elected president of the student body in his junior year, a first for the St. Lawrence campus. Douglas graduated from St. Lawrence with a bachelor's degree in English in 1939. The University also awarded him an honorary degree in 1958. Kirk Douglas' impact at his college alma mater is still felt decades after he arrived on campus. "Kirk Douglas has been transcendently generous to St. Lawrence University and remained committed to his alma mater and our students throughout the decades," said St. Lawrence University President William L. Fox upon learning of Douglas' death. "Kirk knew that diversity made St. Lawrence and the world stronger because of his own background and experiences. Every Laurentian can certainly say, 'I am Spartacus.'" In 1999, Kirk Douglas and his second wife Anne established the Kirk Douglas Scholarship at St. Lawrence University to help young people from backgrounds similar to Douglas' during the Great Depression. They increased the scholarship substantially as part of the Campaign for Every Laurentian with an additional donation, bringing the total to $7.5 million. According to the school, the Kirk Douglas Scholarship is specifically meant to promote diversity on campus by giving awards to underrepresented students who excel academically. Kirk Douglas' college alma mater had repaid his generosity. In 2014, St. Lawrence University named its newest building and residential facility Kirk Douglas Hall. Appropriately, the residence hall also includes the popular Spartacus Café.

Thomas Gilman (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Thomas Gilman's goal was launched when he was 6 years old. He wanted to be an Olympic gold medalist. Now two decades later, Gilman feels that goal is within reach. A world silver medalist in 2017 before finishing fifth in 2018, Gilman is back wrestling well again after a tough end to the 2019 season. He delivered a strong statement in winning last month's United World Wrestling rankings event in Rome, Italy. He defeated 2019 World Team member Daton Fix and 2018 world bronze medalist Joe Colon en route to capturing the title at 57 kilograms. "In Rome, I felt really good mentally and physically," Gilman said. "I've been working closely with my coach, Mark Perry, and we were on the same page. We have developed a good chemistry. We really clicked in Rome and we are thinking the same things." Thomas Gilman gets his hand raised after beating Joe Colon in Rome (Photo/Gabor Martin, United World Wrestling) Gilman said he took a different approach to that event. "I went out and didn't put much pressure on myself," he said. "I just went out and wrestled and let it fly. I wrestled in the moment. I wrestled smart and savvy, and didn't put myself in a position where I was compromised. I just have to wrestle one position at a time and I will be fine." Gilman is spending this week at a National Team Camp at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. Two years ago, he suffered a serious injury during another camp at the OTC. "I had a complete tear of my hamstring in January 2018," he said. "It was a bad deal. I was wrestling live in Colorado Springs against a bigger guy -- I took a bad shot and I heard it pop. I had so much adrenaline in my body that I didn't know right away I was injured. But when I stood up, I felt it." Gilman then had a difficult decision to make. "I talked to the doctors and they wanted to do surgery," he said. "I decided not to have surgery. I took some time off and I came back in April for the World Cup. I had only trained a couple of weeks before that event. Looking back, I don't know if it was the best decision to wrestle in the World Cup. But I wanted to wrestle in front of my fans in my home arena in Iowa City." Gilman's first match back was against Japan's Yuki Takahashi, the wrestler he had lost to in the finals of the 2017 World Championships. Gilman lost two matches at the World Cup, including a 4-1 setback to Takahashi, but he came back a couple of months later to make his second straight U.S. world team. Gilman reached the bronze-medal match at the 2018 World Championships before placing fifth. "I made the world team, but I was still dealing with the injury," he said. "I thought I could still be successful, but my style changed and I didn't really shoot at all. "I lost my swagger and mojo from being hurt. I did what I had to do in 2018, but my body wasn't healthy enough to do what I did the year before." Thomas Gilman gets in on a shot against Daton Fix at Final X (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Gilman said the struggles of 2018 carried over into 2019. He lost a hard-fought battle to Fix and fell just short of making his third straight world team. "I lost some of my edge and my mentality when I was injured, and it affected me and set me back," he said. "At the 2019 Final X, I got beat fair and square. I made a silly mistake that cost me. He capitalized on my stupidity and he beat me. "Last year, it was a good learning experience for me. I need to be stronger mentally. And I need to do a better job finishing my shots." Gilman has responded by starting strong during the 2020 Olympic year. "I'm feeling great with where I'm at right now - I just need to keep working and progressing," he said. "In 2017, I had the 'nobody can beat me' mentality. I'm starting to find that again." Gilman made the U.S. Cadet world team in 2011 before making back-to-back Junior world teams in 2013 and 2014. He won a Junior world bronze medal in 2014 before becoming a three-time All-American for the University of Iowa. He reached the NCAA finals as a junior in 2016. During his Hawkeye career, Gilman also trained with two-time world team member Tony Ramos and with Olympian Daniel Dennis in the loaded wrestling room at Iowa. Those battles against Ramos and Dennis set the stage for Gilman to excel in this four-year Olympic cycle. Four years ago, Gilman watched closely as Dennis defeated Ramos in Carver-Hawkeye Arena to land a spot on the 2016 U.S. Olympic team. "I worked out a lot in practice with Dennis, before and after he made the Olympic team," Gilman said. "I went toe-to-toe with Dennis and that really helped me. I learned so much. The next year I was second at the World Championships." The U.S. still needs to qualify Gilman's weight class of 57 kilos for the 2020 Olympics. The U.S. will likely send Fix, as the returning world team member, to compete at March's Pan American Olympic Qualifier in Ottawa, Canada. Gilman is ranked No. 2 behind Fix on the U.S. ladder at 57 kilograms. "I am training and getting ready for the qualifier, if I'm called upon," he said. "I'm ready if they decide to give me the opportunity." Once the weight class is qualified, the 25-year-old Gilman will turn his focus to April's Olympic Trials at Penn State. In addition to Fix and Colon, the loaded 57-kilogram weight class also includes two-time NCAA champion Spencer Lee of Iowa and NCAA champion Seth Gross of Wisconsin. "You always have to be ready," Gilman said, "for whoever steps out there against you." The winner of the Trials would represent the United States at the Olympic Games in early August in Tokyo, Japan. "For me, it's just a matter of putting all of the pieces together," Gilman said. "Ever since I knew what the Olympics were, that was my goal. It's not a dream anymore to wrestle in the Olympics - it's a realistic goal for me now. I've trained 20 years for this opportunity. Now is the time. I believe 100 percent that I can win an Olympic gold medal. I just need to go out there and do it." 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.

Mike Gillette, the a mind coach and author of Mind Boss, talks with Chad Dennis on Episode 46 of The MatBoss Podcast. Gillette explains his background and how he's taken his experiences and it plotted a course to help people with their own mental hurdles, challenges and improving their mental training. Gillette talks about his military background, his work in law enforcement and then worked that into training situations for major companies. What does that have to do with wrestling? Some of it came about from the University of Iowa. About MatBoss: Created by coaches for coaches, MatBoss for iPad® integrates wrestling stats directly into the video you record for each match, completely replacing the need for labor-intensive pencil and paper scoring systems. It's the wrestling stats app our sport has been waiting for. Focus on coaching, not busy work Improve through video analysis Make data an advantage Eliminate scoring errors Increase exposure Become a digital coach For more information, visit MatBossApp.com. Follow MatBoss on Twitter and subscribe to the show @MatBossApp | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Spreaker | Google Podcasts | RSS

A former part-time wrestling coach at nationally-ranked St. Edward High School was indicted Tuesday on charges of sexually assaulting two members of the team between June 2015 and July 2019. A Cuyahoga County grand jury handed up a 20-count indictment charging Daniel Gonsor, 30, of Avon, Ohio with rape, sexual battery, gross sexual imposition, felonious assault, corrupting another with drugs and other charges. A warrant was issued for Gonsor's arrest, who had been on the coaching staff of the St. Ed wrestling program ranked No. 4 in the nation by InterMat until he was suspended by the school last December. Gonsor is scheduled to be arraigned Feb. 19. St. Edward High School is a boys-only Roman Catholic school located in Lakewood, a suburb immediately west of downtown Cleveland. Established in 1949, St. Ed has an enrollment of approximately 1,000 students. St. Ed's wrestling is highly respected within the state of Ohio and across the nation. Since 1959, the school's mat program has earned 33 state team titles, most recently earlier this year.

The Women's Collegiate Wrestling Coalition (WCWC) is launching #ThankYouMonth today, Wednesday, February 5, 2020, on National Girls and Women in Sports Day (#NGWSD). This coalition of wrestling leaders, with input from the vast U.S. wrestling community, will be making phone calls, sending letters and creating social media posts, thanking all who have helped fuel the explosive growth of wrestling for girls and women. This effort is designed to show appreciation for those who have made decisions to help female wrestling to grow, and show appreciation for the expanded opportunity for girls and women to wrestle. It has been a great time for women's and girls wrestling. There are now 21 state high school associations which have approved official girls wrestling programs. The NAIA will be hosting its second NAIA National Invitational for women's college wrestling this year. The NCAA, at the Division II and Division III levels, have approved official Emerging Sport Status for women's college wrestling. Girls high school wrestling has grown for 30 straight years, with an amazing 27.5% growth last year. USA Wrestling's female membership has grown for 10 straight years, with tremendous 20.7% growth last year. College women's wrestling is comprised of over 70 programs and is growing all of the time. There is truly a lot to be thankful for. As part of this, the WCWA is calling upon all of those involved in women's wrestling to make a post on social media thanking individuals and/or organizations who have provided opportunities for them to participate. This thank you campaign can include athletes, coaches, parents, administrators, fans and others, both female and male, who want to publicly thank someone for helping build and expand wrestling for girls and women. Those who post on Wednesday are asked to include hashtags #NGWSD and #ThankYouMonth on their social media post. In addition, in order to increase visibility, people are asked to also include a graphic, photo or video of themselves participating in women's wrestling, to show the world what female wrestling looks like. The WCWC will be creating #ThankYou Month graphics which can be used by anyone in their #ThankYouMonth and #NGWSD posts. Organizations that could be thanked include the NCAA, the NAIA, the NJCAA, the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics, NCAA Div. II, NCAA Div. III, college conferences, the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), specific state high school associations, USA Wrestling state associations, the Women's Sports Foundation and many more groups. On a personal level, people can thank their parents, coaches, administrators, fans, friends, college, high school, club, sports league and more, those who gave them a chance to get involved in wrestling for girls and women. The Women's Collegiate Wrestling Coalition was created to bring the sport of Women's Wrestling through NCAA emerging sport status to become a fully-sanctioned NCAA championship sport. As stated in the WCWC vision, the organization is dedicated in the guidance, leadership and governance for the sport of women's wrestling at the collegiate level based on fair and safe competition, while adding competitive varsity opportunities for female student-athletes. For more information, visit its website at https://thewcwc.com/ Organizations represented on the WCWC include USA Wrestling, the National Wrestling Coaches Association, Wrestle Like A Girl, the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, the U.S. Olympic Committee, the National Collegiate Wrestling Association, along with representation from colleges, college conferences and active women wrestlers. GET INVOLVED!!! Post a thank you message for women's wrestling opportunity on National Girls and Women in Sports Day (#NGWSD), tomorrow, Wednesday, February 5, 2020.

Wayne Wells display at National Wrestling Hall of Fame (Photo/National Wrestling Hall of Fame) Being a Nike signature athlete is a unique honor/distinction bestowed on a select few sports stars. Among the honorees: Bo Jackson, John McEnroe, Sheryl Swoopes. However, sports fanatics may be surprised to learn that Wayne Wells -- 1972 Olympic gold medal-winning freestyle wrestler -- was not only a Nike signature athlete ... but the very first one. When the National Wrestling Hall of Fame brought this distinction to this writer's attention, I thought this story was too good NOT to share with the amateur wrestling community. What is a Nike signature athlete? Let's go to the source. Here's how Nike defines its signature athlete program at its website: "Becoming a signature athlete at Nike is an honor reserved for few. In the company's 42-year history, less than one percent of its endorsed athletes have been given a signature shoe. "As members in one of the most exclusive clubs in all of sport, Nike signature athletes take pride in representing the brand and the prestige that comes with having a shoe made just for them. Through a highly collaborative process, Nike designers create footwear that is engineered to the exact specifications of the athlete's physical needs and tailored to the demands of their specific sport. Fusing innovation with inspiration is essential." "Nike's first signature athlete was welterweight wrestler, Wayne Wells. The 5' 8" Texas native had an accomplished career, winning a gold medal in Munich in 1972 while working closely with Nike footwear designers on his signature, high-top wresting boot. The Wrestling Hall of Fame inductee's inner drive translated off the mat as well; he later became a practicing attorney." Wayne Wells (Photo/National Wrestling Hall of Fame) Meet Wayne Wells Born in Abilene, Texas in September 1946, Wayne Alton Wells moved to Oklahoma with his family as a kid. He was introduced to wrestling in junior high in Oklahoma City, then elevated his performance at John Marshall High School, wrestling for legendary coach Virgil Milliron. After high school, Wells then headed south to University of Oklahoma, where he was a three-time Big Eight conference champ (1966-1968) at 152 pounds ... and a two-time NCAA All-American, placing second at the Nationals in 1967, then winning the 152 title as a senior at the 1968 NCAAs. Beyond his collegiate mat career, Wells also made his presence felt in freestyle wrestling. He won two national freestyle titles and placed second in the Pan American Games. Wells represented the U.S. at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, placing fourth. He captured the silver medal in the 1969 World Championships, then won the gold medal at the Worlds the following year. Wells capped off his mat career by earning the gold medal in men's freestyle at the 1972 Munich Olympics at welterweight (163 pounds) ... the capstone to a year that saw him earn his law degree, pass the state bar exam, and serve as an assistant coach for the Oklahoma Sooners mat program. After hanging up his singlet, Wells has had a long and successful career as an attorney. One of his specialties: providing agent services to professional athletes. A decade after winning Olympic gold, Wells was welcomed into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member in 1982. The Nike/Wayne Wells partnership As the Nike website explains, the Oregon-based athletic shoe company targeted elite athletes that excelled at baseball, basketball, football, golf, running, soccer and tennis. However, in the first decade of Nike's existence, Wells remained the only athlete with a signature shoe. (Now there are more than 30 Nike signature athletes.) "I knew about the signature shoe program when I signed a contract with Nike in 1972," Wells told InterMat. "They were just getting started." "Back then, there were few athletic shoes available. Nike wanted to get into all sports, including wrestling shoes. Nike designed the Wells wrestling shoe, as well as the Wells training shoe, which was designed for doing roadwork. I had told Nike they needed to come up with the training shoe." "After I won gold -- the (Olympic) Games were over in September," Wells continued. "I came back to Oklahoma where I got a job to practice law. (Wells had earned his law degree from University of Oklahoma.) I was also doing wrestling camps in 1973. A Nike salesman contacted me. He was a wrestling coach, and invited me to L.A. to put on a camp." "He wanted me to meet Phil Knight, the founder of Nike." As Wells explained, "Phil Knight was a track guy connected with the University of Oregon. They were developing a new track shoe without cleats. It had a waffle-type sole that was really comfortable, super-light. In fact, Knight's wife used a waffle iron to make the first sole." "There hadn't been a shoe named for a wrestler. I got some money for the deal. I had retired from wrestling, so that was fine with me." Wells and wrestling as they once were, now on display Wayne Wells' status as Nike's first signature athlete is now a key part of an exhibit at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater, Okla. The display -- titled "Evolution of the Sport" -- features Wells' actual Nike shoes, the original Nike poster and a photo of Wayne Wells in action on the mat ... as well as other examples of wrestling gear, such as headgear and a previous-generation singlet worn by U.S. wrestlers in freestyle and Greco-Roman competition. Wells lived through the evolution of wrestling gear and equipment as displayed in the Stillwater Hall of Fame. He was part of the generation of wrestlers who experienced firsthand how innovations in the sport helped make him (and his fellow athletes) better on the mat. "We didn't always have Resilite-style mats," Wells told InterMat. "I remember wrestling on those old-fashioned horsehair-stuffed canvas mats in junior high. The Soviets and Eastern European wrestlers still competed on those old canvas mats into the late 1960s." Wells also made clear that until the 1970s, most wrestlers didn't have shoes designed specifically for the sport such as the Nike signature wrestling boot developed with his input. That said, not all changes Wells has witnessed in wrestling have made the sport better, in his opinion. Wells weighs in on the state of the sport today When at the Hall of Fame to see the "Evolution" display, Wells told Lee Roy Smith, Hall of Fame Executive Director (and himself a noted wrestler of the 1970s and early 80s) that he thought wrestlers of the past were better-known to the general public because overall media coverage was better in their native Oklahoma ... and throughout the nation. With that in mind, InterMat posed the question to Wayne Wells: "What can wrestling do to generate more media interest -- and become more popular with the general public -- as it appears to have been 30-50 years ago?" "For starters, I think they should stop fiddling with the rules," Wells said. "Rules have changed so much over the years, becoming more complicated for the fans." "Wrestling has become more of a 'technical' sport," the 1972 Olympic gold medalist continued. "Rule changes have been implemented to avoid injuries, but I think fans want to see more strength, more toughness, and see the wrestlers 'fight' harder." "Why do you think so many folks are now fans of MMA (mixed martial arts)?" Wells also suggested that wrestling could become more popular with the general public and mainstream media by offering longer matches in college as well as in freestyle and Greco ... resulting in more action, and more potential for come-from-behind victories. As Wells pointed out, "Back in the 1950s and 60s, college matches lasted nine minutes (compared to seven minutes now)." "Back when I wrestled at the Olympics, matches lasted 15 minutes -- three five-minute periods. Now Olympic matches are just six minutes. That's the same length as junior-high matches."

The Iowa-Penn State dual meet drew 14,905 fans and averaged 342,955 viewers on BTN (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) CHICAGO, Ill. -- On Jan. 31, No. 1 Iowa vs. No. 2 Penn State became the most-watched wrestling telecast in BTN history as well as the day's highest-rated college sporting event across all networks. The Big Ten dual averaged 342,955 viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research, which eclipsed the Ohio State vs. Penn State meet in 2018 (309,265 viewers) by +11%. The Hawkeyes and Nittany Lions broadcast capped a run of three consecutive nights in which BTN featured the highest-rated college sporting event across all television networks. On Wednesday night, Indiana vs. Penn State men's basketball averaged 325,205 viewers and earned the No. 1 distinction. On Thursday, Iowa vs. Maryland men's basketball averaged 455,490 viewers en route to the top spot. Digital consumption from the event featured an additional 802,574 minutes of streaming via the FOX Sports app and 2.2M minutes watched for social content across Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Through 12 broadcasts, BTN's average audience for wrestling telecasts this season is 116,043 viewers, an increase of +67% from the 2018-19 season. BTN's complete wrestling schedule for this weekend is below (all times ET):

The California Wrestling Hall of Fame has announced its Class of 2020 honorees. Eleven will be welcomed into the Hall of Fame, while ten others will be presented with the Lifetime Service Award at a ceremony this summer. The 2020 Hall of Fame inductees include: Matt Azevedo (Photo/Drexel Athletics)Matt Azevedo: Drexel University head wrestling coach Chris Sones: Big Ten champ for University of Iowa, and highly successful wrestling coach in Minnesota Arnold Alpert and Lyndon Campbell: co-head coaches of Temecula Valley High School Ben Ohai: Brigham Young University wrestler and successful California high school coach Valentin Kalika: 2016 USA Women's Wrestling Coach of the Year Randy Hartman: High school and college wrestling official for over 40 years who has officiated seven NCAA Division I tournaments Tony Leon: Successful coach at Brawley High School, where his teams have won 18 consecutive league championships Howard Lawson: a four-time league champion and two-time California state high school champ Tom McCann: coached 42 years at Kearney High School in Nebraska and has been a college official for over 40 years at NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) and NCAA competitions George Retzer (posthumously): a member of the 1912 U.S. Olympic Team and a long-time wrestling leader and official in southern California. Those individuals receiving the Lifetime Service Award in 2020 include: Steve Gardner, Dick Bailey, Andy Harris, Mark Black, Bob Irwin, Sam Cereceres and Wayne Partee. Oran Breeland and Mike Burley will be recognized posthumously. The 21st Annual California Wrestling Hall of Fame Banquet will be held Saturday, June 13 at the Laguna Hills Community Center, 25555 Alicia Pkwy. in Laguna Hills, Calif. Reception begins at 4:00 p.m., with dinner served at 6:00 p.m. Tickets are $70 per person, with a limit of 400 guests. Download a printable mail-in reservation form here. According to organization's official website, "The mission of the California Wrestling Hall of Fame shall be to recognize those individuals and groups who, because off their outstanding dedication, have contributed immeasurably to the establishment, maintenance and continuation of amateur wrestling in the Golden State.""

OREM, Utah -- Each team won five bouts, but three bonus point decisions helped North Dakota State grind out a 20-15 win over Utah Valley in a Big 12 Conference dual on Monday, Feb. 3, before 931 in Lockhart Arena. NDSU (6-3, 3-1 #Big12WR) is scheduled to host Fresno State (7-6, 2-1 #Big12WR) at 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 8, in Scheels Center. With the dual tied 3-3, the Bison gathered bonus points in three of the next four bouts to build a 17-6 lead. Dylan Droegemueller gained momentum for a 13-3 major decision at 141 pounds to improve to 10-6 overall, 2-2 in duals. NDSU No. 16-ranked 157-pounder Jared Franek (19-6, 7-2) continued to make a statement by thundering to a 16-1 tech fall in 2:52. It was back-to-back tech falls for the Bison as No. 10-ranked 165 Andrew Fogarty improved to 14-2 overall and 8-0 in duals with an 18-1 effort in 5:41. Fogarty has 12 bonus point wins this season. North Dakota State 125-pounder McGwire Midkiff (8-4, 3-2) opened the dual with a 7-5 decision over Josiah Nava, while Noah Cressell held off Ashton Seely 10-7 for the win at 184 pounds. Four nationally-ranked wrestlers picked up wins for Utah Valley (1-10, 0-7 #Big12WR), No. 14 133 Taylor LaMont edged No .10 Cam Sykora 2-1, No. 9 174 Kimball Bastian fought off Austin Brenner 5-4, No. 20 Tanner Orndorff won 7-4 over Cordell Eaton at 197, while No. 4 heavyweight Tate Orndorff outlasted No. 27 Brandon Metz 5-3 in sudden victory-1. Results: 125-- McGwire Midkiff (NDSU) dec Josiah Nava (UVU), 7-5 133-- #14 Taylor LaMont (UVU) dec #10 Cam Sykora (NDSU), 2-1 141-- Dylan Droegemueller (NDSU) major dec Isaiah Delgado (UVU), 13-3 149-- Cameron Hunsaker (UVU) dec Jaden Van Maanen (NDSU), 8-2 157-- #16 Jared Franek (NDSU) tech fall Jerry Rubio (UVU), TF 16-1 2:52 165-- #10 Andrew Fogarty (NDSU) tech fall Koy Wilkinson (UVU), TF 18-1 5:41 174-- #9 Kimball Bastian (UVU) dec Austin Brenner (NDSU), 5-4 184-- Noah Cressell (NDSU) dec Ashton Seely (UVU), 10-7 197-- #20 Tanner Orndorff (UVU) dec Cordell Eaton (NDSU), 7-4 285-- #4 Tate Orndorff (UVU) sudden victory-1 #27 Brandon Metz (NDSU), SV-1 5-3

Seth Gross and Austin DeSanto get in a scramble in the finals of the Midlands Championships (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) The biggest cartel in sport -- the NCAA -- just got nicer. Over the past decade, Mark Emmert and the NCAA have been taken to task in the media and in the courts -- having to defend business practices which are said to exploit student-athletes. In October 2018, when the transfer portal was introduced, athletes earned the right to free agency -- to come and go as they wish from school to school or town to town. This newfound luxury is arguably the biggest tangible advancement in student-athlete rights to date. Per the NCAA's website, the transfer portal was created as, "A compliance tool to systematically manage the transfer process from start to finish, add more transparency to the process among schools and empower student-athletes to make known their desire to consider other programs." While the original goal of the portal was rooted in creating a more efficient administrative process for compliance personnel, the results of the portal have extended far beyond. The impact of the transfer portal is nothing short of revolutionary for NCAA athletics -- especially those that are a part of Big Ten wrestling. "That's [assistant coach] Jake Varner's job, he checks the transfer portal every day," Penn State head coach Cael Sanderson told PennLive.com. "One of his jobs…that's not his only responsibility," he said with a chuckle. "But I mean that's just part of college wrestling now. And college athletics in general." The process is simple. First, the athlete goes to their current school's compliance department to tell them they want to be entered into the transfer portal. Then, within 48 hours the athlete is entered into the portal. Compliance and/or the coaching staff can't say no; they can only delay it for a day or two. In the end, the transfer request must be fulfilled. Already, within the first year-and-a-half since the portal's inception, we have seen the impact of such decisions play out on the mat. The recent dominance of Penn State grapplers has put them in rare air. Since 2011, the Nittany Lions have brought eight of the last nine team titles to State College and will contend for another one in 2020. In totality, 12 grapplers have brought 23 individual championships to Happy Valley since 2011. Penn State's achievements speak for themselves. They are a blue-chip program that has won convincingly over the last decade. That said, even they aren't immune to the frequent arrivals and departures of wrestlers thanks to the transfer portal -- they might even owe some of their success to the new portal. [We're] just kind of figuring out how it works and trying to be on top of it, but it's just kind of the way it is now," Sanderson said to Jim Carlson of PennLive.com. Sanderson doesn't expect occurrences such as these to stop, but rather continue indefinitely. In the last few weeks alone, Adam Busiello and Greg Kerkvliet have transferred into Penn State to don the Blue & White singlet while Brody Treske has transferred out, electing to continue a wrestling career closer to home at Northern Iowa. The 23-time national champion Iowa Hawkeyes -- who currently rank No. 1 in the latest InterMat rankings-- are no stranger to bringing in transfer grapplers either. Currently, 20% of the Hawks starting lineup are late additions to the program in Austin DeSanto and Pat Lugo. That percentage would be as high as 30% if former Missouri Tiger Jaydin Eierman, who is now in the Iowa wrestling room, wasn't taking advantage of an Olympic redshirt. Overall, more than three-fourths of the Big Ten's 14 member schools feature varsity wrestling rosters chalk-full of transfer athletes. For the schools that don't have a transfer on their active roster, they likely lost a student-athlete to transfer in recent years. Here are some of the more notable wrestling transfer storylines to hit Big Ten -- the NCAA's premier conference for college wrestling -- over the last handful of seasons: Illinois: Added two-time NCAA qualifier Joey Gunther and 2018 JUCO 141-pound runner-up and NJCAA All-American Christian Kanzler. Indiana: Added NCAA Division II All-American Fernando Silva. Lost two-time NCAA Qualifier Devin Skatzka. Iowa: Added All-Americans Austin DeSanto, Pat Lugo, Jaydin Eierman (Olympic redshirt) and prep standout Gavin Teasdale. Michigan: Added three-time All-American Stevan Micic. Minnesota: Added two-time- NCAA qualifier Devin Skatzka and two-time NCAA qualifier Hunter Ritter. Nebraska: Added All-American and 2015 125-pound runner-up Zeke Moisey and 165-pound Division II national champion Isiah White. Northwestern: Lost 2014 149-pound NCAA Champion Jason Tsirtsis and future three-time All-American Stevan Micic. Ohio State: Added All-American and 2019 141-pound runner-up Joey McKenna. Lost prep standout Greg Kerkvliet. Penn State: Lost reigning 133-pound NCAA champion Nick Suriano, 125-pound starter Brody Teske, and prep standout Gavin Teasdale. Added prep standout Greg Kerkvliet and All-American Kyle Conel. Purdue: Lost prep star Anthony Falbo. Rutgers: Added eventual 2019 133-pound NCAA champion Nick Suriano. Wisconsin: Added 2018 133-pound NCAA champion Seth Gross. Lost two-time NCAA qualifier Hunter Ritter. So, it doesn't matter whether you love, hate, or are indifferent to the NCAA's fancy new toy, one that draws its name from Star-Trekian origins, because the portal is here to stay and it will likely impact your wrestling program in one way or another. The portal has changed collegiate wrestling as we once knew it. It has not only enhanced the rights of student-athletes everywhere by creating an amateur free-agent marketplace, but also it has shown that -- with the help of a transfer -- a team can easily go from a "pretender" to a "contender" or even a national champion. The power of the transfer athlete is magnified even more in a sport like wrestling -- where there are just ten athletes in the starting lineup -- thus one wrestler can start to transform an entire program.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- The No. 4 Wisconsin wrestling team went undefeated on their Big Ten Conference tour of Indiana, besting No. 7 Purdue, 27-14, on Sunday afternoon. At 133 pounds, No. 1 Seth Gross got the first period fall over Travis Ford-Melton. Gross came out firing on all cylinders and recorded the pin in 1:12. This is Gross's fourth pin of the season. Evan Wick got his second fall of the weekend against Purdue. The No. 3 wrestler at 165 pounds recorded a pin against Purdue's Tanner Webster in just 2:49. On Friday night, Wick pinned Dillon Hooey from Indiana in 3:13. No. 12 Cole Martin bounced back from a tough loss on Friday night. At 149 pounds, Martin faced No. 15 Griffin Parriott. The Lancaster, Wisconsin, native bested the Boilermaker, 4-2. Wisconsin's 11th-ranked Johnny Sebastian won a tough battle on Sunday afternoon. Wisconsin's 184 pounder faced Max Lyon in a bout that was a low-scoring battle until the last period, ending in a 6-4 decision in Sebastian's favor. Tristan Moran saw his first action of the weekend against Purdue's Parker Filius. At 141 pounds, No. 4 Moran got the 6-2 decision over Filius. Straight from the mat "It was a great weekend for the team. Any time you go on the road and get two Big Ten wins it's a big deal. But what I liked today was that we had a lot of hustle and a lot of skill. We came close to upsetting a few guys. From where we are in the season, the guys look great. We've got to stay healthy and keep moving forward. We've got two big ones coming up this weekend in Madison so I'm excited to get back and focus on the next thing ahead of us." - Head coach Chris Bono "I felt good. I felt relaxed. I had the coaches with me in intermission. I usually get pretty anxious during intermission but I had a lot of people with me. I turned him a couple of times on top so I felt pretty confident after the first one or two turns. I felt comfortable taking more risks and went out there and tried to pin him. My forearms were killing me because I was locking up cradles and holding onto his wrists for so long. I get a lot of credit for using the cradle a lot but I don't really do it that much so to be able to do it this weekend, I'm really starting to feel it from the crossface position instead of just reaching over. It feels really good to go in there and stick two guys in the first period for both of them. That was awesome." - Redshirt junior Evan Wick "I've just been trying to get back to my thing, like getting the pace going early and getting into positions I know I'm good. That's been the goal and it's been a long season but I'm finally getting back to where I want to be. The more positions I put myself in, the more I can start pinning guys again. My goal is to get back to scoring bonus points in every match I wrestle and pinning guys because I haven't been putting many guys away this year. It was nice to go out there and do that and keep getting better." - Redshirt senior Seth Gross Results: 125 – No. 6 Devin Schroder (PU) over Eric Barnett (UW) by dec. 9-8 133 – No. 1 Seth Gross (UW) over Travis Ford-Melton (PU) by fall 1:12 141 – No. 4 Tristan Moran (UW) over Parker Filius (PU) by dec. 6-2 149 – No. 12 Cole Martin (UW) over No. 15 Griffin Parriott by dec. 4-2 157 – No. 8 Kendall Coleman (PU) over Drew Scharenbrock (UW) by tech. fall 26-11 165 – No. 3 Evan Wick (UW) over Tanner Webster (PU) by fall 2:49 174 – No. 4 Dylan Lydy (PU) over Jared Krattiger (UW) by dec. 5-2 184 – No. 11 Johnny Sebastian (UW) over Max Lyon (PU) by dec. 4-3 197 – Jared Florell (PU) over Taylor Watkins (UW) by SV-1 3-1 285 – No. 5 Trent Hillger (UW) over Thomas Penola (PU) by disqualification Up next Wisconsin hosts No. 2 Penn State on Friday night at 8 p.m. in the UW Field House. The match will be aired live on Big Ten Network and the Badgers will honor legendary Hall of Fame Coach and Olympian Bobby Douglas. Sunday, Michigan State comes to town for a Big Ten showdown at 3 p.m. Fans who attend the UW men's basketball game at noon in the Kohl Center will be given free admission to the match by presenting their basketball ticket at the door.

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- The CSU Bakersfield wrestling team put forth its most complete match of the season on Sunday, dominating the 25th-ranked Fresno State Bulldogs en route to a 26-10 win at the Save Mart Center in Fresno, Calif. The Roadrunners won seven of the dual's ten bouts, including major decision victories from Dominic Ducharme and Russell Rohlfing, to pick up their second consecutive win and even their overall record at 4-4. "Today we wrestled as well as well have all year," said CSUB Head Coach Manny Rivera. "We have been talking to our guys about how the most passionate and aggressive wrestler usually wins. They wrestled with a great attitude and a great approach today and got the result they deserved." The `Runners led by a score of 19-10 when Ducharme took the mat at 197, needing only a three-point win to ice the meet for Bakersfield. Ducharme left little doubt, racing out to a four-point first period lead. He added a reversal and four nearfall points in the second to set up an anti-climactic third and final frame. Ducharme's final margin of victory was 13-0 and included over three minutes of ride time. "That was Dom's best performance in close to a month," said Rivera. "He embraced the role of closer and put his match away quickly today. He dominated his guy and that is a great sign for us." Rohlfing, the #26 wrestler at 149 per TrackWrestling.com posted his second-straight major decision win. He scored a takedown in each period and jumped out to a commanding 7-0 lead, before allowing an escape due to an illegal hold midway through the final period to Fresno State's #30 Greg Gaxiola. Gaxiola's point snapped Rohlfing's run of eight straight periods without being scored upon. His last point against was on Jan. 2 at the Southern Scuffle in Chattanooga, Tenn. Alex Hernandez-Figueroa won by forfeit at 125, when the Bulldogs choose not to send a wrestler to the mat, and gave CSUB an early 6-0 lead. Fresno State would then win the first two contested bouts, taking 7-6 lead when Gary Joint beat #26 Chance Rich at 133 and Lawrence Saenz held on for a 6-3 decision over Angelo Martinoni at 141. Momentum swung in the Bakersfield's favor when Wyatt Gerl followed Rohlfing's dominating win with a hard-fought 3-2 decision over FSU's #17 Jacob Wright at 157. After a scoreless first, Gerl took control when, for the second-straight outing, he was able to ride his opponent for the entire middle stanza. His dominant ride proved critical when he found himself trailing midway through the third. Wright, hoping for a takedown to win and avoid overtime, allowed Gerl to escape and tie the score at 2-2. Wright's takedown would never come to fruition and the ride time point gave Gerl his first win over a ranked opponent in his Roadrunner career. "Wyatt's win was pivotal," Rivera said. "He stepped up and changed the momentum for us today against an opponent he knows well. He really wanted that win today and he went out there and took it." Jacob Thalin and Albert Urias then added consecutive wins to set the table for Ducharme's clinching win. Thalin fell behind early in the first when he conceded a takedown to Bulldog Ricky Padilla but was clean the rest of the match, adding four nearfall points and an escape to win 5-2 in the 165 lb bout. Urias scored three key escapes to outlast Fresno State's Adam Kemp at 174, 7-4. He held a narrow one-point lead in the third, before he simply wore down his Bulldog opponent shoving him to the mat for his second takedown. Jarrod Snyder collected CSUB's final victory, when he tossed FSU's Danny Salas to the ground with just three seconds remaining in the sudden victory period. It was the senior's second-straight overtime win and his third of the season. The win was CSUB's first win over a ranked opponent since last year's Feud on the Field, when they also knocked off the 25th-ranked Bulldogs. The `Runners return to action on Friday, Feb. 7 when they begin Pac-12 competition against Oregon State at 7 p.m. Results: 125: Alejx Hernandez-Figueroa (CSUB) over (Fre) (For.) 133: Gary Joint (Fre) over Chance Rich (CSUB) (MD 8-0) 141: Lawrence Saenz (Fre) over Angelo Martinoni (CSUB) (Dec 6-3) 149: Russell Rohlfing (CSUB) over Greg Gaxiola (Fre) (MD 10-2) 157: Wyatt Gerl (CSUB) over Jacob Wright (Fre) (Dec 3-2) 165: Jacob Thalin (CSUB) over Ricky Padilla (Fre) (Dec 5-2) 174: Albert Urias (CSUB) over Adam Kemp (Fre) (Dec 7-4) 184: Hunter Cruz (Fre) over Josh Loomer (CSUB) (Dec 2-1) 197: Dom Ducharme (CSUB) over Isaiah Perez (Fre) (MD 13-0) 285: Jarrod Snyder (CSUB) over Danny Salas (Fre) (SV-1 3-1)

STILLWATER -- The No. 11 Oklahoma State Cowboys (10-2 overall, 5-1 Big 12) picked up a gritty 26-6 win over 24th-ranked Missouri on Sunday, highlighted by an upset win from Wyatt Sheets and two overtime victories. The 157-pound sophomore took out No. 11 Jarrett Jacques in the first tiebreaker of the match. Down three late in the third, Sheets escaped, notched a takedown and rode out the period to eliminate the Tiger's riding time and send the bout to overtime. After a scoreless sudden victory, Jacques scored an escape. Sheets countered with an escape of his own and added a takedown to win the bout, 8-6. "It was a big win," coach John Smith said. "I thought Wyatt competed well. Sheets just kept coming, even when it looked like he was done, he would get an escape or a takedown. I love to see that. Everyone thinks we had just lost the match, and all of the sudden he's up and out and hits a beautiful duck under and finishes him off in the overtime. It is good to see him make that adjustment and not stop. Wyatt won on pure will today." Also collecting an overtime win for the Pokes was Cornelius Putnam. The heavyweight wrestler collected his first dual victory inside Gallagher-Iba over Jacob Bohlken in the second tiebreaker, 3-2. A rideout in overtime was the difference in the bout. "Coach Perry told me to ride them out and get tough," Putnam said. "When my mind goes blank and I don't know what to do, he always reels me back in. Wrestling is simple and winning is the fun part, and I forgot that for a minute until today. It feels good to win." Senior Nick Piccininni collected his second technical fall of the weekend with a 20-5 win over Mizzou's Cameron Valdiviez. The Poke rattled off four takedowns and a pair of nearfalls in the bout. No. 8 Travis Wittlake remained perfect in dual action with an 11-6 decision against Mizzou's Peyton Mocco. Dusty Hone also picked up dual win No. 2 this weekend. The Cowboy topped Missouri's Alex Butler 9-3. Following Hone's match, Boo Lewallen lost his first contest this season to No. 5 Brock Mauller, 5-3, in sudden victory. Freshman Reece Witcraft was the Cowboys' only other loss of the afternoon. He dropped a tough bout, 11-7, to Allan Hart. OSU took the bout at 174 pounds in a thriller between No. 11 Joe Smith and Connor Flynn. Flynn took Smith down and to his back early in the first, but the senior Cowboy fought him off collecting an escape, takedown and nearfall to round out the first period. Smith scored an escape in the second and closed out the match with a takedown and nearfall in the final seconds to win, 12-6. Dakota Geer (197) and Anthony Montalvo (184) took back-to-back decisions from Missouri. Montalvo earned his ninth dual win against Dylan Wisman, 9-5, and Geer nabbed a 10-5 decision from Wyatt Koelling. The Pokes head west next for contests with Air Force and Wyoming on Saturday, Jan. 8, the first beginning at noon CST and the finale in Laramie at 8 p.m. CST. Results: 125: No. 4 Nick Piccininni (OSU) TF Cameron Valdiviez (MU) 20-5, 7:00 133: Allan Hart (MU) dec. Reece Witcraft (OSU) 11-7 141: Dusty Hone (OSU) dec. Alex Butler (MU) 9-3 149: No. 5 Brock Mauller dec. No. 1 Boo Lewallen (OSU) 5-3 SV1 157: Wyatt Sheets (OSU) dec. No. 11 Jarrett Jacques (MU) 8-6 TB1 165: No. 8 Travis Wittlake (OSU) dec. Peyton Mocco (MU) 11-6 174: No. 11 Joe Smith (OSU) dec. Connor Flynn (MU) 12-6 184: Anthony Montalvo (OSU) dec. Dylan Wisman (MU) 9-5 197: No. 11 Dakota Geer (OSU) dec. Wyatt Koelling (MU) 10-5 HWT: Cornelius Putnam (OSU) dec. Jacob Bohlken (MU) 3-2 TB2

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- South Dakota State wrestlers won three matches by technical fall and another by pin in shutting out first-year program Little Rock, 42-0, in dual action Sunday afternoon at Jack Stephens Center. The Jackrabbits, who have now won seven of their last nine duals, improved to 8-5 overall. Sunday's dual marked SDSU's first shutout of a Division I opponent in 14 years. Little Rock dropped to 1-5 in its inaugural season. After Peyton Smith (157 pounds) and Tanner Cook (165) won back-to-back decisions to open the dual, the Jackrabbits began to assert their dominance in the upper weights. Freshman 174-pounder Cade King marked his return to the lineup with an 18-2 technical fall over Tristan Tadeo in a match that was stopped 25 seconds into the third period. Zach Carlson, ranked 16th at 184 pounds, needed only one period to post another 18-2 technical fall versus Matthew Muller. Carlson recorded three takedowns and added a trio of four-point near-falls in improving to 18-5 on the season. To close the first half of the dual, Kelby Hawkins moved up a couple weight classes to fill in for an injured Tanner Sloan at 197 pounds and came away with a 6-3 decision over James Johnson. Blake Wolters began the second half of the dual by receiving a forfeit that pushed the SDSU lead to 25-0. Danny Vega then came through with the third technical fall of the afternoon for the Jackrabbits, posting an 18-3 victory over Jayden Carson. Vega raced out to an 8-1 first-period lead before building the lead to 14-1 through two periods with a takedown and four-point near-fall in the second stanza. Following consecutive decisions by redshirt freshmen Zach Price (133) and Clay Carlson (141), 10th-ranked Henry Pohlmeyer put the exclamation point on the match with a pin in 36 seconds against Tyler Brennan in the 149-pound bout. Price's victory, a 10-7 decision, came against former North Dakota State wrestler Paul Bianchi. In sealing the shutout, Pohlmeyer's pin was his second of the season as he upped his record to 14-4 overall and 7-2 in duals. UP NEXT The Jackrabbits will embark on another two-dual weekend road trip next weekend, starting with a Big 12 Conference dual Friday at West Virginia. Action is set to begin at 7 p.m. Eastern (6 p.m. Central) at the WVU Coliseum. NOTES SDSU's last shutout win over a Division I opponent was a 44-0 victory over Delaware State at the Virginia Duals on Jan. 13, 2006 The last time SDSU shut out any dual opponent was a 49-0 victory over in-state Division II opponent Augustana at the Dakota Showcase in Spearfish on Dec. 3, 2017 Zach Carlson became the first Jackrabbit to reach the 10-win mark in duals this season, improving to 10-3 Vega notched his eighth dual win of the season, while Pohlmeyer, Cook and Clay Carlson each won for the seventh time in dual competition Results: 157: Peyton Smith (SDSU) dec. Thomas Lisher (LR), 2-0 165: Tanner Cook (SDSU) dec. William Edgar (LR), 10-7 174: Cade King (SDSU) tech. fall Tristan Tadeo (LR), 18-2 [5:25] 184: #16 Zach Carlson (SDSU) tech. fall Matthew Muller (LR), 18-2 [3:00] 197: Kelby Hawkins (SDSU) dec. James Johnson, 6-3 285: Blake Wolters (SDSU) won by forfeit 125: #25 Danny Vega (SDSU) tech. fall Jayden Carson (LR), 18-3 [7:00] 133: Zach Price (SDSU) dec. Paul Bianchi (LR), 10-7 141: Clay Carlson (SDSU) dec. Conner Ward (LR), 8-5 149: #10 Henry Pohlmeyer (SDSU) def. Tyler Brennan (LR), by fall 0:36

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The Penn State Nittany Lions (8-2, 5-1 B1G), ranked No. 2 in the latest InterMat Tournament Power Index, dominated visiting Maryland (2-13, 0-7) in sold out Rec Hall Sunday. The Nittany Lions won all but one bout and had a couple Lions pick up landmark victories in a 40-3 win over the Terrapins. Penn State used three technical falls, two pins and a major and got a couple 'firsts' along the way. Including tonight's dual, Penn State is in the midst of a run that four-of-five road duals in 16 days, including action at Nebraska, Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota with this home dual against Maryland on Sunday splitting the four road dates. All rankings listed are InterMat. The dual began at 125 where freshman Brandon Meredith (Limerick, Pa.) took on Brandon Cray. The duo gave the fans a back-and-forth affair that ended with a hard-fought 8-7 Cray victory. Sophomore Roman Bravo-Young (Tucson, Ariz.), ranked No. 3 at 133, then gave Penn State a lead it would not relinquish. Bravo-Young put on a takedown clinic to post a dominating 24-9 technical fall over King Sandoval, using 2:28 in riding time to get the tech at the 7:00 mark. The Lion sophomore had 11 takedowns in the bout. Junior Nick Lee (Evansville, Ind.), ranked No. 3 at 141, dominated Maryland's Hunter Baxter from the outset, rolling up a handful of takedowns and three near fall combos to post the lopsided 16-0 technical fall at the 5:52 mark. Lee's win put Penn State up 10-3. Sophomore Jarod Verkleeren (Greensburg, Pa.) kept Penn State rolling at 149, looking strong in a 9-0 major decision over Maryland's Ryan Garlitz. Junior Bo Pipher (Paonia, Colo.) battled Maryland veteran Jahi Jones at 157 and thrilled the Rec Hall faithful with a 3-0 win. The victory was Pipher's first Big Ten dual meet win and put Penn State up 17-3 at intermission. at halftime. Senior Vincenzo Joseph (Pittsburgh, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 165, made quick work of Maryland's Kyle Cochran to open up the second half. Joseph worked Cochran's shoulders to the mat, locked him up and rolled him over for the pin at the 4:01 mark. Senior Mark Hall (Apple Valley, Minn.), ranked No. 1 at 174, then made shorter work of Phillip Spadafora. Mirroring Joseph's move, Hall worked Spadafora to the mat, locked up control of his shoulders and turned him for the fast fall at 0:51. Hall's pin put Penn State up 29-3. Freshman Creighton Edsell (Wyalusing, Pa.) stepped in for No. 9 Aaron Brooks (Hagerstown, Md.) at 184 and kept the Nittany Lions rolling. Edsell used a first period takedown and 2:22 in riding time to roll to a 5-2 win over Kyle Jasenski. With No. 18 Shakur Rasheed (Coram, N.Y.) held out at 197, sophomore Austin Hoopes (Afton, Wyo.) got the nod at 197 and took advantage of the opportunity. Hoopes notched a late takedown to post a 3-2 victory over Maryland's Niko Cappello, grabbing his first dual meet win for Penn State. True freshman Seth Nevills (Clovis, Calif.), ranked No. 15 at 285, closed out the dual with Penn State's third tech fall of the day. Nevills rolled up eight takedowns on his way to a 21-6 technical fall over Parker Robinson, getting the tech at the 6:07 mark. Nevills' win locked in the final score at 40-3 for Penn State. Penn State worked its way to a 31-3 advantage in takedowns and totaled 13 bonus points off two pins (Joseph, Hall), three tech falls (Bravo-Young, Lee, Nevills) and a major (Verkleeren). Penn State is now 8-2 overall, 5-1 in the Big Ten. Maryland falls to 2-13, 0-6 in the Big Ten. Penn State closes out its road schedule next weekend with two tough Big Ten trips. The Lions are at Wisconsin on Friday, Feb. 7, at 9 p.m. Eastern / 8 p.m. Central. Two days later Penn State visits Minnesota on Sunday, Feb. 9, at 2 p.m. Eastern / 1 p.m. Central. Both duals are BTN national telecasts. Penn State Fans are encouraged to follow Penn State wrestling via twitter at @pennstateWREST, on Penn State Wrestling's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pennstatewrestling and on Instagram at www.instagram.com/pennstatewrest. This is PENN STATE. WRESTLING lives here. Results: 125: Brandon Cray MD dec. Brandon Meredith PSU, 8-7 0-3 133: #3 Roman Bravo-Young PSU tech fall King Sandoval MD, 24-9 (TF; 7:00) 5-3 141: #2 Nick Lee PSU tech fall Hunter Baxter MD, 16-0 (TF; 5:52) 10-3 149: Jarod Verkleeren PSU maj. dec. Ryan Garlitz MD, 9-0 14-3 157: Bo Pipher PSU dec. Jahi Jones MD, 3-0 17-3 165: #1 Vincenzo Joseph PSU pinned Kyle Cochran MD, WBF (4:01) 23-3 174: #1 Mark Hall PSU pinned Phillip Spadafora MD, WBF (0:51) 29-3 184: Creighton Edsell PSU dec. Kyle Jasenski MD, 5-2 32-3 197: Austin Hoopes PSU dec. Niko Cappello MD, 3-2 35-3 285: #15 Seth Nevills PSU tech fall Parker Robinson, 21-6 (TF; 6:07) 40-3 Attendance: 6,414 (54th straight sellout in Rec Hall, 59 of 61 overall w/ 5 of 7 in BJC) Records: Penn State (8-2, 5-1 B1G); Maryland (2-13, 0-7 B1G) Up Next for Penn State: at Wisconsin, Friday, Feb. 7, 9 p.m. Eastern / 8 p.m. Central (BTN) BOUT-BY-BOUT: 125: Freshman Brandon Meredith (Limerick, Pa.) faced off against junior Brandon Cray. Cray scored quickly, taking Meredith down in the opening seconds to take an early 2-0 lead. Meredith fought off a slight turn attempt and reversed Cray to tie the bout at 2-2 with 2:00 on the clock. Cray escaped on an ensuing scramble to lead by one. Meredith initiated a scramble that ended in a stalemate as the clock moved to 1:00. The Lion shot, Cray countered and Meredith scrambled through the counter for a takedown and a 4-3 lead with :35 on the clock. The Lion then controlled the action or the remainder of the period and carried the 4-3 lead into the second period. Meredith chose down to start the second period and escaped to a 5-3 lead. But Cray blew through a high shot for a takedown and two back points to take a 7-5 lead with 1:00 on the clock. Meredith, undaunted, muscled his way to a reversal to tie the bout at 7-7 with :25 on the clock. The Lion once again finished with a rideout and the bout moved to the third period tied 7-7. Cray chose down to start the third period. Meredith fought off a reversal attempt and locked hands was called. The match was stopped for an official review and the call was reversed. Cray escaped on the reset and led 8-7 at the :57 mark. Meredith took a high single and forced a scramble at the :40 mark but Cray was able to kill vital seconds and get a stalemate called with :27 on the clock. Cray forced a scramble and a stalemate once more with :07 on the clock and then Cray ran away from Meredith for the last seven seconds and got the 8-7 win. 133: Sophomore Roman Bravo-Young (Tucson, Ariz.), ranked No. 3 at 133, battled freshman King Sandoval. The Lion sophomore battled Sandoval evenly over the first minute-plus, working to find an opening in Sandoval's defense. Sandoval took a slight high single but Bravo-Young forced a stalemate with :54 on the clock. Bravo-Young zipped through a fast shot at the :35 mark and took a 2-0 lead. He finished the period on top and carried that lead into the second period. Bravo-Young chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 3-0 lead. He took Sandoval down, cut him loose and then went to work on offense again, leading 5-1. Bravo-Young picked up another quick takedown and led 7-2 after cutting the Terp loose again. He added three more takedowns and led 13-4 with 1:14 in time after two. Sandoval chose down to start the third period. Bravo-Young cut the Terrapin loose, then took him down again to lead 15-5 at the 1:15 mark. Bravo-Young, looking for a tech or more, added three more takedowns to lead 21-8 at the :20 mark. He added a final takedown and a rideout and, with 2:28 in riding time, posted the 24-9 technical fall at the 7:00 mark. 141: Junior Nick Lee (Evansville, Ind.), ranked No. 2 at 141, met Hunter Baxter. Lee scored quickly, taking Baxter down for an early 2-0 lead. He worked the top position, looking for a turning combination. After a few seconds of work, Lee turned Baxter for two nearfall points, reset and went back to work on top leading 4-0. The Lion junior then worked a cradle to turn Baxter once more. He settled for four nearfall points and n 8-0 lead with :21 on the clock. Lee rode Baxter out and led 8-0 with 2:35 in riding time after the opening period. Lee chose down to start the second period. Baxter was able to control Lee for a minute before the Lion rolled through for a reversal after a reset to take a 10-0 lead at the :35 mark. Lee finished the period with four more back points and led 14-0 after two. Baxter chose top to start the third period. Lee deftly worked his way into control on a reversal and ended the bout. Lee posted the 16-0 technical fall at the 5:52 mark. 149: Sophomore Jarod Verkleeren (Greensburg, Pa.) met Ryan Garlitz at 149. Verkleeren worked in on a high single and quickly took Garlitz down for an early 2-0 lead. The Nittany Lion sophomore then controlled the action from the top position, building up over 1:00 in riding time while looking for a chance to turn Garlitz. Verkleeren settled for a strong rideout and led 2-0 with 2:22 in riding time after the opening period. Verkleeren chose down to start the second period. The Lion sophomore escaped with 1:00 on the clock and then worked Garlitz's shoulders to the mat, forcing a stalemate and leading 3-0. Garlitz took a slight shot but Verkleeren countered the move and worked his way around for a takedown of his own to up his lead to 5-0. Trailing 5-0, Garlitz chose top to start the third period. Verkleeren worked his way to his feet and a 6-0 lead at the :55 mark. Looking for bonus points, Verkleeren quickly turned into Garlitz and took him down to up his lead to 8-0. With riding time over a minute, Verkleeren finished the bout on top and, with 1:31 in time, rolled to the 9-0 major decision. 157: Junior Bo Pipher (Paonia, Colo.) battled senior Jahi Jones. Pipher took an early high single that Jones was able to step away from. The Lion junior continued to move forward and press the action. Jones was able to defend Pipher over the first half of the opening period. With the clock moving below 1:00, Pipher took another high single that Jones was able to step away from. Jones tried to lock Pipher's shoulders but the action ended in a stalemate with :25 left in the period. Tied 0-0 after one, Pipher chose down to start the second period. The Lion worked his way into control of Jones' leg, then finished off the reversal to lead 2-0 with 1:40 on the clock. Pipher controlled the action on top as the clock slid below 1:00. Pipher broke Jones down once again after a reset, forcing the Terrapin's stomach back to the mat with :20 left in the period. He finished with a rideout and led 2-0 with 1:27 in riding time after two periods. Jones chose neutral to start the third period, trailing by two. Pipher fought off a strong Jones double leg, worked back to neutral and the clock dipped to the 1:15 mark. Jones dove forward again with :50 on the clock and Pipher easily locked him up to force another stalemate. Pipher got called for stalling with :22 on the clock. He finished the bout in neutral and, with 1:27 in riding time, posted a strong 3-0 victory. 165: Senior Vincenzo Joseph (Pittsburgh, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 165, met Kyle Cochran. Joseph worked the middle off the mat to start the bout and hit a high single to take Cochran down for an early 2-0 lead. He cut the Terp loose and went back to work on offense, picking up a second takedown to lead 4-1 at the 1:50 mark. Joseph cut Cochran loose on a reset, then quickly took him down a third time to lead 6-2. Cochran got called for stalling and then Joseph finished the period with a two point turn and led 8-2 with 2:16 in time after the opening stanza. Joseph chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 9-2 lead. Joseph turned a low single into a scramble but a stalemate was called with 1:17 on the clock. Joseph worked Cochran's shoulders to the mat, locked them up and quickly turned the Terrapin to his back. He set himself quickly and got the fall at the 4:01 mark. 174: Senior Mark Hall (Apple Valley, Minn.), ranked No. 1 at 174, faced off against Phillip Spadafora. Spadafora took the bout's first shot and Hall quickly stepped back from the move. Like Joseph moments before, Hall worked Spadafora's shoulders to the mat, locked up control and quickly rolled the Terrapin over for a fast fall. Hall got the pin at the 0:51 mark. 184: Freshman Creighton Edsell (Wyalusing, Pa.) stepped in for No. 9 Aaron Brooks (Hagerstown, Md.) at 197 and took on Kyle Jasenski. The duo battled evenly for the first minute-plus. Jasenski took a high single but Edsell scrambled his way into control of the Terrapin's legs. Jasenski countered the scramble in the middle of the mat but Edsell was steady. The Lion freshman finished off the takedown and led 2-0 with :35 left in the period. Edsell finished the period on top and carried the 2-0 lead into the second stanza. Jasenski chose down to start the second period but Edsell controlled things on offense. He built his riding time edge up over 1:00 with a strong ride. With the clock moving below 1:00, Edsell broke Jasenski down and finished the period on top. Leading n2-0 with 2:41 in time, Edsell chose down to start the third period and Jasenski cut him loose to a 3-0 score. Jasenski forced a scramble with a solid high single and finished off a takedown with :55 on the clock to cut the lead to 3-2. Edsell escaped to a 4-2 score and action resumed neutral with :35 left to wrestle. Edsell finished the bout on his feet and, with 2:22 in riding time, notched the 5-2 victory. 197: With No. 18 Shakur Rasheed (Coram, N.Y.) held out at 197, sophomore Austin Hoopes (Afton, Wyo.) tangled with junior Niko Cappello. The duo worked the middle off the mat for the first two minutes of the opening period. Cappello took a fast low single at the 1:00 mark but Hoopes was able to step out of trouble and the match continued in neutral tied 0-0. With the bout tied 0-0 after the opening three minutes, Hoopes chose down to start the second period. The Lion was able to work his way to his feet and took a 1-0 lead with an escape at the 1:30 mark. Hoopes took two high shots that Cappello stepped back from as the clock moved below 1:00. Trailing 1-0, Cappello chose down to start the final stanza and quickly escaped to a 1-1 tie. Hoopes took another high single that the Terrapin was able to defend and the bout moved down to the 1:10 mark. Cappello shot low but Hoopes countered, nearly taking the lead with a takedown. But Cappello scrambled out of trouble. Hoopes worked a counter move to a takedown to open up a 3-1 lead with :40 on the clock. Cappello quickly escaped to cut the lead to 3-2. Hoopes fought off a late Cappello shot and picked up his first Penn State dual victory with a 3-2 win. 285: True freshman Seth Nevills (Clovis, Calif.), ranked No. 15 at 285, met sophomore Parker Robinson. Nevills and Robinson worked the middle of the mat for the first minute of the period. Nevills was patient and took a 2-0 lead with a takedown at the 1:10 mark. He then went to work on top, building up over 1:00 in riding time as he looked to turn the Terrapin big man. Nevills' turned Robinson or two back points and, with a rideout, led 4-0 with 1:16 in time after one. Nevills chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 5-0 lead. He scored on a quick shot at the 1:20 mark and led 7-1 after cutting Robinson loose. Nevills added a counter takedown to open up a 9-1 lead, then tacked on one more takedown to lead 11-2. He turned the Terrapin for two more back points and led 13-2 with 2:14 in riding time after two periods. Robinson chose down to start the third period and Nevills cut him loose to a 13-3 score. Nevills picked up two more takedowns to lead 17-5 with 1:40 on the clock. He ended the bout with two more takedowns to roll to a 21-6 technical fall at the 6:07 mark.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- No. 15 Illinois wrestling edged past No. 21 Northwestern, 19-18, Sunday afternoon at Huff Hall. Trailing 18-15 heading into the final bout, freshman Luke Luffman came through with a 14-4 major decision over Jack Heyob in the heavyweight match to give the Illini the 19-18 dual win. Illinois also saw wins on Sunday from redshirt freshman Justin Cardani (125), senior Travis Piotrowski (133) redshirt junior Dylan Duncan (141) and redshirt freshman Zac Braunagel (184). The Illini are now 7-3 overall this season, 4-2 in Big Ten duals and 5-0 at Huff Hall. "We knew going into heavyweight just because of the way the other nine matches went that we weren't going to win on criteria and had to get at least a major decision to win the dual meet," said head coach Jim Heffernan. "I went and told Luke (Luffman) that. He did a great job. He hustled, he wrestled hard, he was awesome." Redshirt freshman Justin Cardani started the dual with an upset win over No. 9 Michael DeAugustino. Cardani got out to the early lead with a takedown in the first. He'd tack on a point for an escape plus the riding time point to take a 4-2 decision over DeAugustino. Cardani is now 12-6 on the season, 8-2 in dual matchups, and 5-1 in Big Ten bouts. Senior Travis Piotrowski kept his big season going with a dominant performance in the 133-pound bout. Going against Dylan Utterback, Piotrowski tallied five takedowns and two four-point nearfalls on his way to achieving a 20-3 tech. fall victory in the third period. Piotrowski, ranked seventh nationally at 133-pounds by FloWrestling, is now 19-2 on the season, and a perfect 10-0 in dual bouts. Redshirt junior Dylan Duncan was able to extend the Illinois lead with a win against Alec McKenna in the 141-pound matchup. Duncan got out to an early, 2-0, lead with a takedown late in the first. He scored two more with a reversal in the second. Duncan earned the riding time point, and won a 5-0 decision over McKenna to put the Illinois advantage at 11-0. Nationally ranked No. 12 at 141-pounds, Duncan is now 15-6 on the season and 4-2 in Big Ten duals. After dropping the next four bouts, Illinois needed a win at 184-pounds to get back on track. Redshirt freshman Zac Braunagel scored in the match with two takedowns, a reversal, a two-point nearfall a four-point nearfall and the riding time point, going on to win the bout by major decision over Jack Jessen, 13-2. Braunagel's major decision evened the dual score at 15-15. Ranked 13th nationally at 184-pounds, Braunagel moves to 15-7 on the season. After falling behind with a loss at 197-pounds, Illinois needed a bonus-points win at heavyweight to win the dual. Freshman Luke Luffman was able to deliver taking on Jack Heyob. Luffman tallied four takedowns en route to his 14-4 major decision victory over Heyob, which gave Illinois four team points to win the dual, 19-18. Luffman is now 13-7 on the season. Up next, the Illini head to the east coast for a pair of Big Ten duals next weekend. Illinois faces off against Rutgers on Friday, February 7 at 6 p.m. CT. The Illini will then travel to Maryland for a Sunday afternoon matchup with the Terrapins, scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. CT. Both duals can be streamed with a subscription to BTN +. Results: 125: Justin Cardani (ILL) dec. No. 9 Michael DeAugustino (NU), 4-2 | ILL 3, NU 0 133: No. 7 Travis Piotrowski (ILL) tech. fall Dylan Utterback (NU), 21-3 | ILL 8, NU 0 141: No. 12 Dylan Duncan (ILL) dec. Alec Mckenna (NU), 5-0 | ILL 11, NU 0 149: No. 16 Yahya Thomas (NU) dec. Mousa Jodeh (ILL), 2-1 | ILL 11, NU 3 157: No. 1 Ryan Deakin (NU) Fall Eric Barone (ILL), 5:38, | ILL 11, NU 9 165: No. 18 Shayne Oster (NU) dec. No. 15 Danny Braunagel (ILL), 7-6 | NU 12, ILL 11 174: Tyler Morland (NU) dec. No. 22 Joey Gunther (ILL), 2-0 | NU 15, ILL 11 184: No. 13 Zac Braunagel (ILL) major dec. Jack Jessen (NU), 13-2 | ILL 15, NU 15 197: No. 12 Lucas Davison (NU) dec. Matt Wroblewski (ILL), 5-0 | NU 18, ILL 15 285: Luke Luffman (ILL) major dec. Jack Heyob (NU), 14-4 | ILL 19, NU 18