InterMat Staff

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Victories by American University's three seniors - Brett Dempsey, Jeric Kasunic and Michael Eckhart - lifted the Eagles to a 20-12 dual-match wrestling win over Ohio University Saturday on Senior Night at Bender Arena. The Eagles ended the regular season with an 8-6 record overall, matching the highest number of wins in a season under head coach Teague Moore. It marks the third time the Eagles reached eight dual wins under Moore. The Bobcats fell to 4-7 overall. An 11-2 major decision by AU's Gage Curry in the opening bout gave the Eagles the early lead. Curry led 4-1 and 6-2 after the first two periods and earned the extra team point with a late takedown and riding time in the third. The Bobcats won the next two bouts, including a 9-3 win by 16th-ranked Cameron Kelly over No. 9 Josh Terao at 133, to take a 6-4 lead. Michael Sprague got a reversal in the third period and used a riding-time point for a 3-0 win at 149 to put the Eagles back ahead 7-6. Eric Hong then won the 157-pound matchup, getting a takedown with 10 seconds left for a 3-2 win. Ohio pulled back within 10-9 at 165 before Eckhart got a 7-2 win at 174. Eckhart led 2-0 and 3-2 after the first two periods, and put away the victory with a third-period takedown to win his third match in his last four outings. The Bobcats again pulled within a team point after a win at 184. But Kasunic used a six-point first period to earn an 11-2 major decision. He earned his 30th win of the season, extended his winning streak to 20 and came within three victories of becoming only the eighth Eagle ever to reach 100 career victories. Dempsey closed out the dual with a 3-1 win in the first overtime period, snaring a takedown at the edge of the mat with just seconds left to pick up his eighth straight victory. American will be off next weekend in preparation for the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association Championships, hosted by Hofstra on March 3 and 4. Results: 125: Gage Curry (AMER) over Trevor Giallombardo (OHIO) (MD 11-2) 133: Cameron Kelly (OHIO) over Josh Terao (AMER) (Dec 9-3) 141: Mario Guillen (OHIO) over Kizhan Clarke (AMER) (Dec 8-5) 149: Michael Sprague (AMER) over Kade Kowalski (OHIO) (Dec 3-0) 157: Eric Hong (AMER) over Cullen Cummings (OHIO) (Dec 3-2) 165: Joseph Terry (OHIO) over Anthony Wokasch (AMER) (Dec 8-5) 174: Michael Eckhart (AMER) over Ben Schneider (OHIO) (Dec 7-2) 184: Hunter Yeargan (OHIO) over Prince Hyeamang (AMER) (Dec 6-0) 197: Jeric Kasunic (AMER) over Aaron Naples (OHIO) (MD 11-2) 285: Brett Dempsey (AMER) over Zack Parker (OHIO) (SV-1 3-1)

Missouri's Grant Leeth defeated Max Thomsen 4-3 at 149 pounds (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- No. 3 Mizzou Wrestling (19-0, 7-0 MAC) closed the regular season portion of its schedule with a 23-9 road win over No. 13 Northern Iowa on Saturday afternoon at the West Gymnasium in Cedar Falls, Iowa. With the win, Mizzou finishes the regular season with a perfect 19-0 mark in duals, the second time in program history the Tigers have finished a season with a perfect record. Mizzou also posted a perfect season in 2014-15, when the Tigers went 24-0 en route to a NWCA National Duals title. Mizzou's win over the No. 13-ranked Panthers marked its eighth win over a ranked opponent this season, the most since the Tigers defeated nine ranked opponents in 2014-15. Four Tigers closed the season with a perfect record in dual competition. Redshirt junior 174-pounder Daniel Lewis (Blue Springs, Mo.) went 18-0 and redshirt senior 157-pounder Joey Lavallee (Reno, Nev.) went 17-0, while redshirt sophomore 141-pounder Jaydin Eierman (Columbia, Mo.) and redshirt junior 149-pounder Grant Leeth (Kearney, MO.) each went 16-0. DUAL RECAP After dropping the opening bout, Mizzou responded once again, winning six straight matches to open a 20-3 lead over the Panthers. Two Tigers - redshirt junior 133-pounder John Erneste (Kansas City, Mo.) and Lavallee - won matches by bonus points during the six-match win streak. Wrestling in his home state, redshirt senior 197-pounder Willie Miklus (Altoona, Iowa) closed out the winning for Mizzou, as the two-time All-American defeated No. 14-ranked Jacob Holschlag, 8-4. NOTABLE TIGERS Erneste provided perhaps the most impressive victory of the day, as the Tiger junior upended No. 9-ranked Josh Alber by a 10-1 major decision. With the win, Erneste improves to 8-2 against ranked opponents and 19-2 overall with nine wins coming by bonus points. Perhaps equally as impressive, Leeth scored a takedown with four seconds remaining in the match to beat No. 8-ranked Max Thomsen, 4-3. The victory was Leeth's 13 consecutive win, and his seventh over a ranked opponent this season. Overall, Leeth improves to 19-2 on the season and 16-0 in duals. At 157 pounds, Lavallee recorded his seventh major decision this season with a 10-1 win over Logan Ryan. The Tiger senior had a narrow 3-0 lead after two periods, but two sets of back-points swipes heled him secure the major decision. With the win, Lavallee improves to 25-1 on the season, with 18 wins coming by bonus points (seven major decisions, six technical falls and five falls). The major decision was Lavallee's 25th career major decision, which ranks tied-for-seventh all-time in program history. QUOTABLES Mizzou Head Coach Brian Smith On the perfect season… "It never gets old. Proud of each and every one of our guys. A look at guys like Willie (Miklus) and Joey (Lavallee), who have now been a part of two perfect seasons. They helped set a standard where we expect to win every match and every dual. We competed in a lot of tough environments this season, today included, and to go through a season with many injuries and sickness, it has not been easy. But these guys accomplished that perfect season, and I couldn't be more proud of them." UP NEXT Next, Mizzou defends its conference championship at the MAC Championships, March 4-5, in Mt. Pleasant, Mich. The Tigers, who already secured the 2018 MAC Dual title, have won six consecutive conference tournament championships dating back to 2012 (Big 12 in 2012, MAC in 2013-17). For all the latest on Mizzou Wrestling, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (MizzouWrestling). Results: 125: No. 19 Jay Schwarm (UNI) dec. No. 29 Barlow McGhee (MIZ) | MIZ 0, UNI 3 133: No. 8 John Erneste major dec. Jack Wagner (UNI): 13-3 | MIZ 4, UNI 3 141: No. 3 Jaydin Eierman dec. No. 9 Josh Alber (UNI): 12-6 | MIZ 7, UNI 3 149: No. 3 Grant Leeth (MIZ) dec. No. 8 Max Thomsen (UNI): 4-3 | MIZ 10, UNI 3 157: No. 4 Joey Lavallee (MIZ) major dec. Logan Ryan: 10-1 | MIZ 14, UNI 3 165: No. 24 Connor Flynn (MIZ) dec. Isaiah Patton (UNI): 8-4 | MIZ 17, UNI 3 174: No. 4 Daniel Lewis (MIZ) dec. No. 7 Taylor Lujan (UNI): 13-10 | MIZ 20, UNI 3 184: No. 10 Drew Foster (UNI) dec. No. 16 Canten Marriott (MIZ): 6-3 | MIZ 20, UNI 6 197: No. 7 Willie Miklus (MIZ) dec. No. 14 Jacob Holschlag (UNI): 8-4 | MIZ 23, UNI 6 HWT: Carter Isley (UNI) dec. Wyatt Koelling (MIZ): 8-3 | MIZ 23, UNI 9

EWISBURG, Pa. -- The Bloomsburg University wrestling team came back from a 20-13 deficit to upend Bucknell on their Senior Night at Sojka Pavilion Saturday night (Feb. 17). At the second Mat Town Open hosted by Lock Haven University, both Anthony Vetrano (Middletown, N.J./Middletown North) and Saul Wilkins IV (Wilkes-Barre, Pa./GAR Memorial) placed in their respective weight classes. Vetrano won the 174-pound weight class going 2-0 on the day, while Wilkins finished third in the 285-pound bracket going 3-1. Willy Girard (Williamstown, Pa/Williams Valley) got the Huskies off on the right foot in the dual match, winning by major decision 12-0 at 125 pounds over Mike Macklin. He scored six in the first period with a takedown and four nearfall points, before holding that same lead through two periods. He went on to score another six points in the third to notch the major decision. Andy Schutz (Exeter, Pa./Wyoming Area) extended the Huskies lead to 7-0 with a gritty 4-3 win at 133 pounds over David Campbell. After a scoreless first period, Schutz scored the first points with a reversal before Campbell would escape to cut the lead to one. Schutz would secure another takedown from the neutral position before Campbell would escape again, leaving the match at 4-2 headed to the third. Campbell was able to score one point by another escape in the third, but Schutz was able to hang on for the win. #14 Tyler Smith got the Bison on the board with a 25-11 major decision over Shawn Orem (Pasadena, Md./Mount Saint Joseph) at 141 pounds. Orem's extra effort spoiled a would-be technical fall and therefore an extra team point for Smith Bucknell. The Bison would take a 10-6 lead at 149 pounds when Joey Gould pinned Braden Stahlnecker (Hughesville, Pa./Hughesville) in 3:23, before Bloomsburg would re-gain its lead with a win by fall by Kevin Laubach Jr. (Berwick, Pa./Berwick) at 157 pounds. After a scoreless first period, a Laubach escape was the only scoring in the second. Laubach was able to catch Andrew Millsap leaning and get a clean shot. Off of that, Laubach got all of his momentum to one side and was able to turn Millsap to secure the fall at 6:28. The Bison would re-take their lead at the 165-pound bout when DJ Hollingshead defeated Nate Newberry (Biglerville, Pa./Biglerville) by 11-2 major decision. With the Bison leading 14-13, they would extend their lead to 20-13 with wins at 174 and 184. Nick Stephani scored a last-second 6-4 decision win over Kyle Murphy (Bridgewater, N.J./Bridgewater-Raritan) at 174, before Drew Phipps knocked off Trevor Allard (Mexico, N.Y./Mexico) by 7-4 decision at 184. In the 197-pound bout, Logan Womelsdorf (Benton, Pa./Northwest Area) would secure a 2-0 lead in the final seconds of the first with a takedown. Womelsdorf remained in control of Chad Reese for most of the second period, before using his momentum to push Reese to his back and get the fall at 4:08. The bonus-point win got the Huskies within 20-19 headed to the final bout. In the 285-pound bout, Bruce Graeber (Feasterville, Pa./Neshaminy) matched up with Brandon Stokes with the match on the line. Graeber led 1-0 after one on an infraction against Stokes, before a stall warning in the second sent the sophomore to the third up 2-0. Graeber did secure one escape in the third to get the 3-0 decision and secure the road win for the Huskies. The win improves the Huskies to 6-9 overall, while Bucknell drops to 3-14 overall with the loss. Vetrano began his day with a 6-4 decision over Frankie Guida of Bucknell (unattached), before defeating Guida by decision 5-2 to win the bracket. Wilkins's day started with a loss by fall (6:26) to Will Hilliard of Old Dominion (unattached), before rebounding to pin West Virginia's (unattached) Sean Mullican in 2:01. Wilkins advanced by way of medical forfeit over Seth Brennock of Ohio State (unattached), before getting revenge on Hilliard by winning a 5-2 decision. Bloomsburg will next compete in the EWL Championships on Mar. 3, hosted by Edinboro University. The action is set to begin at 10:00 a.m. Weight Summary BUCK BLOO 125 Willy Girard (Williamstown, Pa/Williams Valley) (Bloomsburg) over Mike Macklin (Bucknell) (MD 12-0) 0 4 133 Andy Schutz (Exeter, Pa./Wyoming Area) (Bloomsburg) over David Campbell (Bucknell) (Dec 4-3) 0 3 141 Tyler Smith (Bucknell) over Shawn Orem (Pasadena, Md./Mount Saint Joseph) (Bloomsburg) (MD 25-11) 4 0 149 Joey Gould (Bucknell) over Braden Stahlnecker (Hughesville, Pa./Hughesville) (Bloomsburg) (Fall 3:23) 6 0 157 Kevin Laubach (Bloomsburg) over Andrew Millsap (Bucknell) (Fall 6:28) 0 6 165 DJ Hollingshead (Bucknell) over Nate Newberry (Biglerville, Pa./Biglerville) (Bloomsburg) (MD 11-2) 4 0 174 Nick Stephani (Bucknell) over Kyle Murphy (Bridgewater, N.J./Bridgewater-Raritan) (Bloomsburg) (Dec 6-4) 3 0 184 Drew Phipps (Bucknell) over Trevor Allard (Mexico, N.Y./Mexico) (Bloomsburg) (Dec 7-4) 3 0 197 Logan Womelsdorf (Benton, Pa./Northwest Area) (Bloomsburg) over Chad Reese (Bucknell) (Fall 4:08) 0 6 285 Bruce Graeber (Feasterville, Pa./Neshaminy) (Bloomsburg) over Brandon Stokes (Bucknell) (Dec 3-0) 0 3 Team Score: 20 22

LANCASTER, Pa. -- With seven wins in 10 bouts, including three pins, Franklin & Marshall's wrestling team rolled to its third-straight dual win and first conference victory of the season with a dominant 37-11 decision against Sacred Heart on Saturday evening at the Mayser Center. The Diplomats improved to 4-11, 1-8 EIWA while the Pioneers fell to 2-10, 0-5 EIWA. Before the start of the match, F&M its four-member senior class of Sam Butler, Edgar Garcia, Dan Martoccio, and Josh Young. Six points went F&M's way right from the start when Sacred Heart forfeited the 125-pound matchup. Dan Martoccio (133 pounds) followed by delivering the Diplomats six points the traditional way, turning his opponent's shoulder on the mat with 49 seconds remaining in the second period for his fourth pin of the season. Brett Kulp followed with a dominant performance at 141, registering a takedown and eight nearfall point in the first period. The sophomore grappler rolled from there en route to a 16-1 tech. fall that put F&M ahead at 17-0. After two-straight Sacred Heart major decisions at 149 and 157 pounds, the Diplomat lead was nearly cut in half at 17-8. Jacob Conners snapped the streak at 165, utilizing a seven-point third period to roll to a 12-2 major decision. Josh Young kept the momentum going at 174 pounds with a 9-1 major decision win to extend the F&M lead to 25-8. The senior secured a pair of takedowns and a pair of nearfall points in the victory. A 7-3 decision win by the Pioneers at 184 pounds made it a 25-11 contest, but it was all F&M from there as the Diplomats closed out the competition with a pair of falls. Philip Robilotto was ahead by a 5-0 score in the second period of his 197-pound bout before turning his opponent at the 3:54 mark. Antonio Pelusi followed by putting the finishing touches on an impressive Diplomat win with a fall just 11 seconds into the 285-pound bout. The Diplomats return to the mat on March 3 for day one of the EIWA Championships, hosted by Hofstra. Session one is set for an 11:00 a.m. start. Results: 125: Edgar Garcia (F&M) over (SAHE) (For.) 133: Dan Martoccio (F&M) over Tim Johnson (SAHE) (Fall 4:11) 141: Brett Kulp (F&M) over Shaun Williams (SAHE) (TF 16-1 5:28) 149: Alex Harnsberger (SAHE) over Chris Martorello (F&M) (MD 15-7) 157: Paul Klee (SAHE) over Emmett LiCastri (F&M) (MD 13-3) 165: Jacob Conners (F&M) over William Schmidt (SAHE) (MD 12-2) 174: Josh Young (F&M) over Tom Grosso (SAHE) (MD 9-1) 184: Mark Boyle (SAHE) over Jimmy Stillerman (F&M) (Dec 7-3) 197: Philip Robilotto (F&M) over Joe Toci (SAHE) (Fall 3:54) 285: Antonio Pelusi (F&M) over John Hartnett (SAHE) (Fall 0:11)

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga wrestling team posted a dominant 27-6 win at Campbell in the final dual match of the season. The Mocs finish the year with an 8-7 overall record and 5-1 in SoCon action, while Campbell dropped to 8-8 and 5-2 in league duals. The opening match was supposed to put two of the top wrestlers at 125 in the SoCon against each other. However, Campbell freshman Korbin Meink (23-9, 4-0 SoCon) was out with an injury. UTC junior Alonzo Allen (18-8, 6-1 SoCon) took advantage and posted an 18-5 major decision over Aaron Burton. Junior Chris Debien really got the Mocs rolling with his win at 133. Campbell junior Nathan Boston came into the match ranked in the top-25 in some polls. Debien used an escape and a takedown in the third period for a 5-2 win. Debein enters the SoCon Tournament with an 11-12 overall mark, 5-1 in league duals. After senior Michael Pongracz scored a win at 141, Campbell got on the board with a victory at 149. Freshman Jake Adcock scored a big win for the Mocs with a 6-5 decision over Austin Kraisser. Kraisser came into the match with a 5-1 league mark, but Adcock scored an escape late in the third for the win. Senior Chad Pyke also got into the action with an outstanding performance at 165. He scored an 11-3 major decision over Quentin Perez. Perez was 22-5 overall and 5-0 in SoCon duals before Pyke got today's victory. Pyke is now 19-9 and 6-1 in league action. Seniors Justin Lampe, Bryce Carr and Scottie Boykin closed out the match for the Mocs. UTC has two weeks to prepare for the 2018 Southern Conference Tournament set for March 3 in Charleston, S.C. Results: 125: Alonzo Allen (CHAT) over Aaron Burton (CAMP) (MD 18-5) 133: Chris Debien (CHAT) over Nathan Boston (CAMP) (Dec 5-2) 141: Mike Pongracz (CHAT) over Jonathan Ryan (CAMP) (Dec 7-4) 149: Zachary Barnes (CAMP) over Roman Boylen (CHAT) (Dec 5-2) 157: Jake Adcock (CHAT) over Austin Kraisser (CAMP) (Dec 6-5) 165: Chad Pyke (CHAT) over Quentin Perez (CAMP) (MD 11-3) 174: Justin Lampe (CHAT) over Andrew Morgan (CAMP) (Dec 7-6) 184: Bryce Carr (CHAT) over Luke Funck (CAMP) (MD 18-8) 197: Scottie Boykin (CHAT) over Chris Kober (CAMP) (Dec 9-3) 285: Jere Heino (CAMP) over Connor Tolley (CHAT) (Dec 6-0)

DURHAM, N.C. -- Duke won five of the final six bouts to overcome a 10-point deficit and upend Old Dominion 19-16 on Senior Day in Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Blue Devils outscored the Monarchs 16-3 down the stretch to finish their dual season with a victory. Duke improves to 7-7 overall on the year, while Old Dominion falls to 9-9. The Blue Devils recognized their three seniors -- Thayer Atkins, Luke Farinaro and Jacob Kasper -- prior to the match. Old Dominion got off to a fast start out of the gates, jumping to a 13-3 lead after four matches. Josh Finesilver put the Blue Devils on the scoreboard with a 9-2 decision at 133 pounds. The rookie picked up his 20th win of the season, controlling the entire match against Caleb Richardson as he just missed earning the major decision. Leading 4-2 after two periods, Josh was outstanding in the third with five unanswered for the 9-2 victory. Mitch Finesilver added three more points to the scoreboard for Duke, notching a 9-3 decision over Larry Early. In a rematch of the Hokie Open final, Mitch scored first and built his lead to 6-2 after two periods. The redshirt junior scored another takedown in search of the major decision and came up just shy as Early defended well in the final seconds. The win was the 26th for Mitch this season. Duke's win by Mitch sparked the Blue Devils' three-match win streak that pulled the Blue Devils within two, 13-11 with three bouts remaining. The trio of Finesilvers - Mitch, Zach and Matt - wrestling at 157, 165 and 174 all emerged victorious. Zach followed Mitch with a strong performance at 165 with an 8-4 decision over Shane Jones. Leading 8-2 in the third period, Zach was looking for the major decision, but a late takedown from Jones kept Duke to just three points. At 174 pounds, Matt resumed his winning ways with a gutsy 4-3 victory over junior Seldon Wright. All even 2-2 after two periods, Matt got to his offense in the third and scored a takedown for the 4-2 lead. Wright escaped to pull within one, but couldn't get anything else going en route to his 23rd win of the year. Old Dominion, leading 13-11, extended its lead to five with a 3-1 decision at 184 pounds, but it was all Blue Devils in the final two bouts for the win. Alec Schenk sparked the final push at 197, with a 10-2 major decision over Noah Bushman. Scoreless after the first period, Schenk escaped and scored the takedown within seconds of each other for the 3-0 lead. He tacked on three more points to build a 6-1 lead after two and cruised through the third period for the four team points. Kasper left nothing in doubt with the dual on the line, capturing his 32nd victory of the season with a 14-2 major decision. The veteran heavyweight led 2-0 after the first period and proceeded to turn Ali Wahab multiple times to post his eighth major decision of the year. He is now five wins shy of breaking the Duke single-season mark and has 101 for his career. The Blue Devils will rejuvenate for a couple of weeks to prepare for the ACC Championships, March 3, at North Carolina. The action will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra. Results: 125 - Michael McGee (ODU) decision Thayer Atkins (Duke), 10-5 [ODU 3, Duke 0] 133 - Josh Finesilver (Duke) decision Caleb Richardson (ODU), 9-2 [ODU 3, Duke 0] 141 - Alex Madrigal (ODU) fall Josh Copeland (Duke), 2:02 [ODU 9, Duke 3] 149 - Kenan Carter (ODU) major decision Brandon Leynaud (Duke), 16-4 [ODU 13, Duke 3] 157 - No. 10 Mitch Finesilver (Duke) decision Larry Early (ODU), 9-3 [ODU 13, Duke 6] 165 - Zach Finesilver (Duke) decision Shane Jones (ODU), 8-4 [ODU 13, Duke 8]* 174 - No. 18 Matt Finesilver (Duke) decision Seldon Wright (ODU), 4-3 [ODU 13, Duke 11] 184 - Antonio Agee (ODU) decision Kaden Russell (Duke), 3-1 [ODU 16, Duke 11] 197 - Alec Schenk (Duke) major decision Noah Bushman (ODU), 10-2 [ODU 16, Duke 15] 285 - No. 3 Jacob Kasper (Duke) major decision Ali Wahab (ODU), 14-2 [ODU 16, Duke 19] *Duke docked a team point for mat control during 165-pound match

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Edinboro wrestling team wrapped up the regular season with a 33-11 win over Cleveland State on Saturday afternoon at Woodling Gymnasium to tie Rider for the EWL regular season championship. The Fighting Scots and Rider finished with identical 5-1 records in EWL duals. Edinboro finishes the year at 8-5, while Cleveland State is 3-10 and 1-5, respectively. Edinboro opened up a quick 10-0 with back-to-back technical falls from nationally-ranked lightweights Sean Russell and Korbin Myers. Russell, ranked tenth at 125 lbs. by InterMat, won a 21-6 technical fall at 4:24 over John Martin (1-9). The redshirt junior finished with eight takedowns while improving to 26-5. Myers followed with an 18-3 technical fall at 7:00 over Andrew Coghill (6-18) at 133 lbs. Ranked 17th, the redshirt sophomore led 4-1 after the first period, but dominated the rest of the way. He finished with six takedowns along with a pair of tilts good for six points. Myers is now 24-9. Cleveland State made things much more interesting with wins in three of the next four bouts. Evan Cheek (21-9) pinned Nate Hagan (10-18) at 2:42 in the 141 lb. match and Ryan Ford (10-15) followed with a 7-5 decision over Jensen Lorea (4-12) at 149 lbs. The Vikings closed to 10-9 after those two wins. Andrew Shomers boosted Edinboro's lead to 15-9 with the third technical fall of the day, this one coming via a 19-0 win at 7:00 over Ryan Montgomery at 157 lbs. Shomers, a redshirt sophomore, is now 27-5 after finishing strong with a pair of four-point near falls in the third period. CSU's George Poullas pulled the Vikings to within 15-12 with a 14-8 decision over Fritz Hoehn at 165 lbs. The freshman is now 10-12, with Hoehn at 13-13. Redshirt senior Ty Schoffstall (19-2) would claim a wild 18-12 decision over Gabe Stark (11-13) at 174 lbs., as the Fighting Scots won the last four matches. Schoffstall fell behind early on a Stark takedown, but would lead 8-4 after one period thanks to a takedown and four back points. It was 10-8 after two periods, and Schoffstall then closed out the win with three of his five takedowns in the third period. Cleveland State was then deducted one team point for unsportsmanlike conduct following the match, giving Edinboro a 21-11 lead. Freshman Zach Ancewicz came up with a big, and long, win at 184 lbs. He battled Nick Corba (22-9) into a second sudden victory session as the two wrestled for close to ten minutes. Ancewicz would prevail 4-2 thaks to a takedown with 37 seconds remaining. The two had previously exchanged escapes in the second and third periods, plus the first tiebreaker. Ancewicz is now 11-13. Dylan Reynolds picked up his second fall of the season to improve to 9-10 in his 197 lbs. bout. The redshirt sophomore pinned John Kelby (10-15) at 5:41. The match was tied at 4-4 early in the third period after two near fall points for Kelby, but Reynolds' reversal led to the winning pin. Jon Spaulding stepped in for starter Billy Miller at heavyweight and posted a 12-4 major decision over Collin Kelly (4-19) at heavyweight. The freshman improved to 11-12 as he recorded four takedowns. Edinboro now prepares to defend its EWL championship on Saturday, March 3. The Fighting Scots host the 2018 EWL Championships, with the wrestlers earning qualifying bids to the NCAA Division I National Championships. Results: 125 - #10 Sean Russell (EU) tech. fall John Martin (CSU), 21-6 (4:24) 133 - #17 Korbin Myers (EU) tech. fall Andrew Coghill (CSU), 18-3 (7:00) 141 – Evan Cheek (CSU) fall over Nate Hagan (EU), 2:42 149 – Ryan Ford (CSU) dec. Jensen Lorea (EU), 7-5 157 - Andrew Shomers (EU) tech. fall Ryan Montgomery (CSU), 19-0 (7:00) 165 – George Poullas (CSU) dec. Fritz Hoehn (EU), 14-6 174 - Ty Schoffstall (EU) dec. Gabe Stark (CSU), 18-12* 184 - Zach Ancewicz (EU) dec. Nick Corba (CSU), 4-2 sv2 197 – Dylan Reynolds (EU) fall over John Kelby (CSU), 5:41 Hwt – Jon Spaulding (EU) maj. dec. Collin Kelly (CSU), 12-4 * Cleveland State deducted one team point for unsportsmanlike conduct following 174 lbs. match

Senior Jordan Reich knew he had one match left in Dillon Gym, and he wanted to make it a memorable seven minutes. Instead, he made it an incredible 70 seconds. Reich ignited an impressive 28-15 win for Princeton in its 2018 Ivy League finale over Penn with a first-period fall, and his teammates followed his lead with one their most complete efforts of the season. A technical fall by Matthew Gancayco and a thrilling Top-20 win for freshman Patrick Brucki over the reigning EIWA champion were among the highlights for Princeton Saturday afternoon, a win that gave Princeton its third-straight second-place finish in the Ivy League. Reich started his final home weekend in style, as he put Thomas DiGiovanni to the mat seconds into their opening match at 141, and he followed with four quick back points to lead 6-0. Reich was determined for more, and he turned Thomas DiGiovanni again seconds later. This time, he kept pressure on the upper body until he earned the fall at the 1:10 mark. That fall was an ideal lead in to the power duo of 12th-ranked Matthew Kolodzik and 13th-ranked Mike D'Angelo, both of whom were in full control of their matches. Kolodzik topped Patrick Munn 12-3 for his 19th win of the year, while D'Angelo picked up the 19th of his season with an 11-1 victory over Joseph Velliquette. One of the featured matches of the afternoon lived up to the hype at 165, as 17th-ranked May Bethea of Penn took on Princeton's three-time NCAA qualifier Jonathan Schleifer. Bethea had early control with a six-point move, but Schleifer hit a four-point move of his own in the second period to get right back into the match. Schleifer added a pair of takedowns the rest of the way and a riding time point to make it all the way back to overtime, but Bethea had the final answer in OT for a 10-8 win. Gancayco made sure the momentum was short-lived for Penn, as he turned Quinton Hiles to his back multiple times in an 18-3 technical fall at 174. Gancayco actually trailed 2-0 early, but he turned it on from there to grab full control. Hiles tried to hold on for the major, but Gancayco hit a quick shot on a restart late in the third period to secure the five team points. Sophomore Kevin Parker followed with an aggressive performance against Penn veteran Joe Heyob. Parker hit the first takedown of the match and had another in the third period to get within one point, but Heyob was able to hold on for the 12-7 win. The second featured match of the day came at 197, and it also lived up to expectations. Brucki, who scored a number of early-period takedowns last weekend against 3rd-ranked Ben Darmstadt, did it again Saturday against 9th-ranked and reigning EIWA champion Frank Mattiace. Brucki got around the waist and was able to trip Mattiace just inside the edge of the mat for a 2-0 lead less than 20 seconds into the match. Mattiace got the escape and rode Brucki for more than a minute in the second period before the Princeton freshman escaped. That gave Brucki a 3-1 lead, but it also forced him to ride Mattiace long enough to get rid of the ride time point that could force overtime. Once again, Brucki was up for the challenge; he cut riding time to only 57 seconds before giving up the escape, and then he scrambled for the final minute with the Quaker veteran without allowing the go-ahead takedown. Tiger heavyweight Christian Araneo continued his return from a midseason injury and was able to grab an early lead over Penn's Tyler Hall, but Hall was able to get back points and riding time to pull out a 7-6 win. Princeton got a forfeit at 125, and Giovanni Ghione scored a fall at 6:09 in the finale at 133 to finish a 28-15 Princeton victory. The Tigers will wrestle in their 2017-18 regular season finale Sunday at 1 pm against Rutgers in Dillon Gym. The all-time series is fairly close (Rutgers leads 42-33-5), but the Scarlet Knights have dominated it in recent years. Rutgers has won the last 21 matchups, including the 2016 "Battle at the Birthplace" when the Scarlet Knights claimed a tight 19-16 win in front of more than 16,000 fans at High Point Solutions Stadium. The Scarlet Knights, who defeated Wisconsin 24-12 Friday, bring a 7-7 record into Jadwin and have a loaded starting lineup that has been tested by the gauntlet of a Big Ten schedule. Of course, Princeton can put its schedule up against any team in the country, as seven of its eight losses have come to Top-25 programs. Rutgers has five nationally ranked starters, including New Jersey native Nick Suriano, the Penn State transfer who is 20-0 on the season and ranked #1 at 125. #7 Richie Lewis is 12-3 at 165 and is set to face Schleifer, while 12th-ranked Nicholas Gravina is 12-3 at 184 and could be the opponent for Parker. The highlight match is expected to come at 149, as Princeton All-American Matthew Kolodzik (18-5) is ranked #12 nationally, one spot behind Rutgers senior Eleazar DeLuca (9-7). This will be the first collegiate meeting between the two. Sunday will also be Senior Day for Princeton, which will honor Trey Aslanian, Francesco Fabozzi, Michael Markulec, Jordan Reich, and Schleifer prior to the match. Fans will want to arrive early for more than just the Senior Day festivities, as the first 250 in attendance will receive a Princeton Wrestling bobblehead. Results: 141 – Jordan Reich (Pr) WBF Thomas DiGiovanni 1:10 149 – #12 Matthew Kolodzik (Pr) mdec. Patrick Munn 12-3 157 – #13 Mike D'Angelo (Pr) mdec. Joseph Velliquette 11-1 165 – #17 May Bethea dec. Jonathan Schleifer 10-8, sv-1 174 – Matthew Gancayco (Pr) TF Quinton Hiles 18-3 184 – Joe Heyob (Pe) dec. Kevin Parker 12-7 197 – #17 Patrick Brucki (Pr) dec. #9 Frank Mattiace 3-2 285 – Tyler Hall (Pe) dec. Christian Araneo 7-6 125 – Matteo DeVincenzo (Pr) wins by forfeit 133 – Giovanni Ghione (Pe) WBF Jonathan Gomez 6:09

OREM, UT -- Northern Colorado wrestling ended its losing streak on Friday night after defeating Utah Valley 22-20. The Bears were able get enough separation with the Wolverines when Rico Montoya delivered a major decision victory to put UNC up 22-13. The dual started in the 157 lb weight class with Tyler Kinn going against Raider Lofthouse. Kinn did not let the match go past the first period after pinning Lofthouse at 1:42. UNC opened up a 6-0 lead on Utah Valley. Keilan Torres won before ever stepping on the mat when the Wolverines forfeited in the 165 lb weight class. UNC found itself up 12-0 after only two matches. Now in the 174 lb weight class, Sethan Bogulski faced No. 17 Kimball Bastian. In the first period, Bastian managed two takedowns on Bogulski for a 4-1 lead. A reversal in the second period gave Bastian a 6-1 advantage going to the final period. Bastian put the match away in the third with two takedowns and added a riding time point for a 12-3 major decision win. Utah Valley was on the board, trailing 12-4. Dylan Gabel was on the mat in the 184 lb weight class and he went against Will Sumner. Gabel scored a takedown on Sumner, but was had a penalty go against him for a 2-1 lead after the first period. Gabel kept the pressure on in the second, adding an escape for a 3-1 lead over Sumner. Gabel pulled away in the third period with a takedown and reversal for a 6-1 decision win. UNC was back at a double-digit lead, 15-4. In the 197 lb weight class, Tanner Davis would meet Tanner Orndorff. Early in the first period, Orndorff scored a takedown and a two-point near fall, followed by another takedown for a 6-1 lead. Orndorff would score two more takedowns, before pinning Davis at 4:43. The lead for UNC was cut in half after the fall made it 15-10 going to the intermission. Out of the break, Robert Winters Jr. battled Dustin Dennison in the heavyweight class. Winters earned the lead when Dennison was hit with a penalty in the first period. An escape in the second period would give Winters a 2-0 advantage, but was hit with his own penalty for a 2-1 lead heading to the third. Dennison would get an escape in the third period to force an overtime period in the match with the score tied at two. A takedown on Winters would give Dennison the 4-2 sudden victory and UNC was down to 15-13. Sean Cannon faced off against Josh Jensen in the 125 lb weight class. Cannon and Jensem wrestled to a 4-4 tie after the first period, exchanging takedowns on each other. In the second period, Cannon pulled ahead with two takedowns and an escape for a 9-6 lead. Cannon would add a riding time point in the third period for a 10-7 decision win. UNC got some breathing room from Utah Valley with an 18-13 lead. Montoya went against Jarod Maynes in the 133 lb weight class. The match was scoreless after the first period, but Montoya would take the lead in the second with a takedown on Maynes. Montoya's offense exploded in the third period, with four takedowns and a two-point near fall. The riding time bonus would hand Montoya a 14-4 major decision victory and UNC had a 22-13 advantage over the Wolverines. There were still two matches left in the dual and Benjamin Polkowske was up in the 141 lb weight class against Matt Findlay. Findlay raced out to a 4-1 lead in the first period with a pair of takedowns on Polkowske. In the second period, Findlay would add another takedown and another in the third period, plus riding time to win 10-2 over Polkowske for a major decision. UNC still had a 22-17 lead over Utah Valley. The final match of the night had Jimmy Fate going up against Matthew Ontiveros in the 149 lb weight class. Neither Fate or Ontiverios managed to score anything in the first period and the two moved onto the second. Fate took the lead with a takedown on Ontiveros for a 2-1 advantage. In the final period, Ontiveros scored a two-point near fall and Fate was tagged with a penalty. Ontiveros added a riding time point to defeat Fate in a 5-2 decision. Northern Colorado hung on for the 22-20 dual victory and improved its record to 3-9 and 2-5 in conference play with one final dual this season against Air Force. Utah Valley fell to 8-6 overall and 4-4 in the Big 12. The Wolverines received votes in the coaches poll this week after falling out of the rankings last week. In their words "Tonight our guys wrestled hard in a tough environment against a very good Utah Valley team. Our team was able to win on bonus points. We had big wins from Tyler Kinn getting the major at 133. We have a quick turnaround before we dual Air Force on Sunday for our last dual of the season." -Troy Nickerson, Head Coach Up Next Northern Colorado hosts Air Force at Bank of Colorado Arena at 3 P.M. on Sunday, Feb. 18th for the final dual of the season. Tickets for the UNC-Air Force dual are $8 for adults and $5 for youth (fees apply). They can be purchased online by clicking here. All tickets originally purchased for the dual on Feb. 21st will be accepted at the door on Sunday, Feb. 18th. The Dual can be streamed live on the free PlutoTV app for any smart device and live stats are available through Trackwrestling.com. Follow the dual on Twitter for live updates and results with @UNCBearsWrestle. Results: 157: Tyler Kinn (NC) Fall Raider Lofthouse (UVU), 1:42 165: #17 Keilan Torres (NC) wins by Forfeit 174: #17 Kimball Bastian (UVU) Major Dec. Seth Bogulski (NC), 12-3 184: #19 Dylan Gabel (NC) Dec. Will Sumner (UVU), 6-1 197: #33 Tanner Orndorff (UVU) Fall Tanner Davis (NC), 4:43 285: #27 Dustin Dennison (UVU) Dec. Robert Winters Jr. (NC), 4-2 {SV-1} 125: Sean Cannon (NC) Dec. Josh Jensen (UVU), 10-7 133: #25 Rico Montoya (NC) Major Dec. Jarod Maynes (UVU), 14-4 141: Matt Findlay (UVU) Major Dec. Benjamin Polkowske (NC), 10-2 149: Matthew Ontiveros (UVU) Dec. Jimmy Fate (NC), 5-2

Stanford, Calif. -- Colton McCrystal (149) and Isaiah White (165) won bonus points for Nebraska in two of the first three matches, and the 14th-ranked Cornhuskers held off a late Stanford rally to win a 23-14 decision Friday at Maples Pavilion. Nebraska closes the dual season with a record of 10-4, as the Huskers reach double-digit wins in duals for the eighth-consecutive season and the 16th time in 18 seasons under Head Coach Mark Manning. Stanford falls to 7-5 on the year. Ninth-ranked McCrystal got the Huskers started with a pin in less than a minute, as he put Jake Barry on his back in 41 seconds for his quickest pin of the season. McCrystal improves to 17-3 overall and 10-2 in duals, as he earned his 30th-career win in dual meets on Saturday night. Tyler Berger continued the Husker momentum, as he rebounded from an early deficit for a 3-2 decision over All-American Paul Fox, aided by a second-period rideout. The 11th-ranked Berger has won eight of his last 10 duals and is 18-6 on the year and 9-4 in duals Isaiah White found bonus points for the Big Red, as he racked up seven takedowns and a pair of nearfalls to cruise to a 21-5 technical fall over Jared Hill in just 3:17. White has now accumulated 44 takedowns in dual meets, and has been taken down just twice as he improves to 11-2 in duals and 20-4 overall. Taylor Venz also joined the 20-win club on Friday, as he was tough on top in the third period to seal a 7-3 decision over Austin Flores. Venz scored a pair of takedowns and a reversal in the bout, and is now 20-5 on the year and 10-4 in duals. With Nebraska leading 17-5 at halftime, Eric Schultz picked up right where the Huskers left off, as the redshirt freshman won a 9-4 decision over Cole DePasquale to improve to 15-7 on the season and 10-4 in duals. Heading into the final bout of the night, NU clung to a 20-14 lead, but Chad Red Jr. stamped out Stanford's glimmer of hope with a 7-2 decision over Isaiah Locsin to clinch the dual for Nebraska. Stanford's two ranked wrestlers picked up wins Saturday, as ninth-ranked Keaton Subjeck of Stanford won an 18-3 technical fall over Eric Engler at 174 pounds, and eighth-ranked Nathan Butler defeated David Jensen by a 7-3 decision. The Cardinal won back-to-back bouts at 125 and 133 before Red clinched the dual. At 125 pounds, Stanford's Gabriel Townsell won a 10-4 decision over Mitchell Maginnis, while Mason Pengilly scored a takedown and a four-point nearfall in the first sudden-victory period for a 7-1 win over No. 19 Jason Renteria. Nebraska will have a week off from competition before the 2018 Big Ten Championships, held March 3-4 at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, Mich. Tickets for the championships are available at MSUSpartans.com. Results: 149: #9 Colton McCrystal (NEB) pin Jake Barry (STAN), 0:41 (NEB 6, STAN 0) 157: #11 Tyler Berger (NEB) dec. Paul Fox (STAN), 3-2 (NEB 9, STAN 0) 165: #10 Isaiah White (NEB) tech. fall Jared Hill (STAN), 21-5 (NEB 12, STAN 0) 174: #9 Keaton Subjeck (STAN) tech. fall Eric Engler (NEB), 18-3 (NEB 14, STAN 5) 184: #7 Taylor Venz (NEB) dec. Austin Flores (STAN), 7-3 (NEB 17, STAN 5) 197: Eric Schultz (NEB) dec. Cole DePasquale (STAN), 9-4 (NEB 20, STAN 5) HWT: #8 Nathan Butler (STAN) dec. David Jensen (NEB), 7-3 (NEB 20, STAN 8) 125: Gabriel Townsell (STAN) dec. Mitchell Maginnis (NEB), 10-4 (NEB 20, STAN 11) 133: Mason Pengilly (STAN) sv-1 #19 Jason Renteria (NEB), 7-1 (NEB 20, STAN 14) 141: #13 Chad Red Jr. (NEB) dec. Isaiah Locsin (STAN), 7-2 (NEB 23, STAN 14)

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- For the second time this season, the University of Wyoming (13-3, 7-2 Big 12) wrestling team won its sixth-consecutive dual after a dominating 37-3 victory at Air Force on Friday night. The win was the 100th for head coach Mark Branch, as he becomes the fourth coach in the history of Wyoming wrestling to win at least 100 duals at the helm of the program. "My confidence in this team is continuing to grow and it is certainly has been the last few duals," Branch said. "We have guys working every day, so to see Ben (Hornickle) go out there and start off the way he did was not really a surprise, but definitely a great way to get us going. With it being the 100th win as coach, it was exciting for me to be able to celebrate with this team. I'm certainly glad it happened at the end of this season and I know it's pretty special. Now we move on to the next thing, which is Big 12s. We'll have to stay healthy, clean up a few things and make adjustments with a few little details, but that is just a reminder that we need to be ready heading into the tournament." Wyoming earned its 13th dual victory of the year, which is tied for fourth most in a single season in Cowboy history. Additionally, Wyoming's .813 winning percentage is the sixth-best team-winning percentage in one season. In his first dual action of the season, sophomore Ben Hornickle put the Brown and Gold on the board almost immediately in the 149 bout. Hornickle impressively pinned Dane Robbins in just over 2:30 to give UW a 6-0 lead. It was Hornickle's fifth pin of the 2017-18 season. At 157 pounds, senior Archie Colgan was up next against Alex Mossing. It was the second time this season Colgan had faced Mossing, as Colgan earned a 3-2 decision at the Reno Tournament of Champions in December. The first period went scoreless but Colgan came alive in the second. Behind a takedown and four point nearfall, he jumped out to a 7-1 advantage to begin the final frame. Colgan made true to his No. 9 ranking and held on for an 8-3 decision for his fifth-straight win. Junior Branson Ashworth, the No. 13th ranked wrestler at 165 pounds, used a first-period takedown to jump out to a 2-0 lead against Alex Lopouchanski at 165 pounds. Ashworth tacked on another takedown late in the second to begin the final period in charge, 4-0. He would score on one more takedown, an escape and a stalling point for the 9-0 major. It was his 22nd bonus-point victory of the year. Senior Kyle Pope and Michael Billingsley gave the fans an exciting first period at 174 pounds. Both wrestlers would score a takedown and escape in the opening period. Pope broke the 3-3 tie in the second period with another escape. He would add to his lead in the third with two more takedowns before taking the bout with an 8-5 decision. After the first four matches, Wyoming had a 16-0 lead. Senior Chaz Polson picked up right where he left off from last weekend. Coming off the biggest win of his season against No. 18 Dylan Gabel of Northern Colorado, Polson made things look easy against Zen Ikehara at 184 pounds on Friday night. After a takedown and four point nearfall, Polson continued to control the entire match. The two began the third period with Polson out in front, 8-0. He cruised to a 13-0 victory to move UW's lead to 20-0 halfway through the dual. At 197 pounds, Luke Paine followed suit with a 10-1 major over Casey Jumps. The Billings, Mont., native picked up two takedowns in the first period and added another quickly in the second. Paine entered the final period with a 6-1 cushion and continued on the offensive. He would add an escape, takedown and riding time point to secure his third-straight victory. At heavyweight, junior Sam Eagan and Matt Wagner came down to the wire but Wagner held out for the 3-2 decision. At 125 pounds, sophomore Drake Foster used a first-period takedown for an early lead. He would add another plus an escape to further his lead in the second period. He held on for the 6-3 decision. His win gave UW a 27-3 lead with two bouts remaining. Redshirt freshman Montorie Bridges picked up a victory at 133 pounds after a forfeit from Air Force. Senior Bryce Meredith, No. 1 at 141 pounds, faced Alex Opal to close out the dual. Meredith and Opal each scored a takedown and an escape in the opening period. The top ranked wrestler used a takedown and four point nearfall to distance himself in the second period. Meredith held a 9-3 lead after two and went on to win with a 13-5 major. After tonight, both Bridges and Meredith will enter the Big 12 Championships with a perfect conference record. Meredith is 16-0, while Bridges has a 15-0 mark. The Pokes will next make their mark in Tulsa, Okla., for the Big 12 Championships. The event will take place from the BOK Center on March 3-4. UW Coaches with 100 Wins Everett Lantz (1936-43, '46-52, '53-65): 141-73-8 Steven Suder (1989-2008): 127-136-2 Joe Dowler (1973-87): 104-64-1 Mark Branch (2008-present): 100-49 Results: 149: Ben Hornickle fall Dane Robbins, 2:32 | UW 6, AF 0 157: Archie Colgan dec. Alex Mossing, 8-3 | UW 9, AF 0 165: Branson Ashworth major Alex Lopouchanski, 9-0 | UW 13, AF 0 174: Kyle Pope dec. Michael Billingsley, 8-5 | UW 16, AF 0 184: Chaz Polson major Zen Ikehara, 13-0 | UW 20, AF 0 197: Luke Paine major Casey Jumps, 10-1 | UW 24, AF 0 285: Matt Wagner dec. Sam Eagan, 3-2 | UW 24, AF 3 125: Drake Foster dec. Drew Romero, 6-3 | UW 27, AF 3 133: Montorie Bridges win via forfeit Air Force | UW 33, AF 3 141: Bryce Meredith major Alex Opal, 13-5 | UW 37, AF 3

MADISON, Wis. -- Wins from No. 11 Richie Lewis (165) No. 12 Nicholas Gravina (184) and John Van Brill (157), along with a pin from rookie Shane Metzler (125) propelled No. 21 Rutgers wrestling (7-7, 3-6) to a 24-12 win over No. 18 Wisconsin (7-4, 4-4) Friday night in Madison. The Scarlet Knights won seven of 10 bouts against the Badgers, as No. 20 Scott DelVecchio (133), No. 11 Eleazar DeLuca (149) and Razohnn Gross (HWT) all contributed to the final score. It marked the first win over Wisconsin in program history. "I'm super proud of these guys," said head coach Scott Goodale. "We have been battling hard all year competing against some great programs and facing some adversity. We had huge wins from John Van Brill, Nick Gravina, Richie Lewis and Shane Metzler. I feel good for our entire team staying the course, but we need to finish Sunday at Princeton." Metzler made a statement in his varsity debut for RU. Leading off the match against Johnny Jimenez and in an early 2-0 hole, Metzler landed a reversal with 2:20 remaining in the match. Metzler then got Jimenez on his back for the pin, giving Rutgers a 6-0 lead. Decisions from DelVecchio and DeLuca followed, as the Scarlet Knights sprung to a quick 12-3 lead after four bouts. DelVecchio produced two takedowns in his match with Jens Lantz for a 6-1 decision, while DeLuca worked a 6-2 result over former NCAA qualifier Cole Martin. With the commanding team lead, Van Brill contributed one of his best performances this season against No. 14 Andrew Crone. Crone landed a reversal in the closing seconds of period two to make it a 2-2 score, but Van Brill spun him around for the reversal of his own. Van Brill would tack on an escape and the riding time point for the 6-2 decision over Krone, giving Rutgers a 15-3 lead at intermission. Lewis continued the momentum for the Scarlet Knights with his bout against No. 11 Evan Wick. With just a 1-0 lead after two periods, Lewis erased Wick's riding time and road out Wick to put the point in his favor. The senior let Wick out in the closing seconds, but held on for the 2-1 decision. Lewis has now captured wins in eight of his last nine outings dating back to Midlands, which includes victories over five ranked foes. During that span, Lewis has outscored his opponents, 80-29, with three majors and a tech fall. After a tight 2-1 loss from Joseph Grello (174) to two-time NCAA qualifier Ryan Christensen, Gravina faced three-time NCAA qualifier and consensus No. 9 Ricky Robertson. With no scoring for the majority of the opening period, Gravina worked a takedown to make it a 2-1 score after one. After Robertson landed a reversal, Gravina was able to swing him around for a 4-3 lead. An escape from Gravina at the 1:10 mark in period three secured a 5-3 decision, his second win over a top-10 opponent in 2017-18. Gross closed out the match with a strong 5-3 decision over Ben Stone. After an early escape gave Gross a 3-2 lead at the start of the final period, Stone worked a shot on Gross at the 48-second mark in the period. Gross quickly fought Stone off, flipping around for two points and sending RU back to New Jersey with a 24-12 team win over Wisconsin. Rutgers closes out its dual season on Sunday with its match at Princeton at 1 p.m. Knight Notes • The win was the first over Wisconsin in program history. Rutgers is now 1-3 all-time against the Badgers. • The win also marked the 160th of Goodale's career at Rutgers. He now needs just seven more to surpass John Sacchi for the most in program history. • Gravina's 5-3 decision over No. 9 Ricky Robertson was his second top-10 victory over the season. Gravina also defeated then-No. 7 Tyler Venz of Nebraska by decision, 9-3, on Jan. 21 in Lincoln. • Lewis has now captured wins over five ranked foes since moving to 165 pounds. Lewis owns wins over No. 11 Evan Wick (Wisconsin), No. 8 Nick Wanzek (Minnesota), No. 11 Isaiah White (Nebraska), No. 11 Te'Shan Campbell (Ohio State) and No. 13 Anthony Valencia (Arizona State). • DelVecchio picked up his 80th-career varsity win, which makes him tied for 32nd in program history. • Van Brill now owns wins over four ranked foes this season, which includes victories over No. 14 Andrew Krone (Wisconsin), No. 11 Luke Zilverberg (South Dakota State) and No. 19 Larry Early (Old Dominion). Van Brill also has a medical forfeit over No. 1 Jason Nolf of Penn State, which counts as a win towards his overall record. Results: 125: Shane Metzler (RU) fall (0:59) Johnny Jimenez (UW) | RU 6, WISC 0 133: No. 20/16/17 Scott DelVecchio (RU) decision Jens Lantz (UW), 6-1 | RU 9, WISC 0 141: Eli Stickley (UW) decision Michael Van Brill (RU), 3-2 | RU 9, WISC 3 149: No. 11/11/9 Eleazar DeLuca (RU) decision Cole Martin (UW), 6-2 | RU 12, WISC 3 157: John Van Brill (RU) decision No. 14/15/8 Andrew Crone (UW), 6-2 | RU 15, WISC 3 165: No. 7/5/8 Richie Lewis (RU) decision No. 11/7/10 Evan Wick (UW), 2-1 | RU 18, WISC 3 174: Joe Grello (RU) decision Ryan Christensen (UW), 2-1 | RU 18, WISC 6 184:No. 12/13/12 Nicholas Gravina (RU) decision No. 9/9/9 Ricky Robertson (UW), 5-3 | RU 21, WISC 6 197: Hunter Ritter NR/NR/18 (UW) fall (2:53) Anthony Messner (RU)| RU 21, WISC 12 HWT: Razohnn Gross (RU) decision Ben Stone (UW), 5-3 | RU 24, WISC 12

Led by technical fall victories from two-time NCAA qualifiers David Kocer and Seth Gross, the South Dakota State wrestling team closed out the dual season with a 22-12 victory over rival North Dakota State before 2,324 fans Friday night at Frost Arena. In retaining the Border Bell traveling trophy, the 12th-ranked Jackrabbits ran their dual winning streak to 14 matches in improving to 14-2 overall. SDSU also finished undefeated in Big 12 Conference duals for the first time with an 8-0 record. NDSU dropped to 7-10 overall in duals and 1-7 in the Big 12. Trailing 6-0 through two matches, Kocer put the Jackrabbits on the board with a 16-1 technical fall over Dylan Urbach in the 174-pound match. Ranked 10th and a Wagner native, Kocer scored a two-point near-fall in the first period and added four more back points after his second takedown of the match in the second period for a 10-0 lead. Martin Mueller followed with an 11-5 decision over Charley Popp to give SDSU the lead for good. Nate Rotert, ranked 11th at 197 pounds, scored on a takedown in the closing seconds to edge Cordell Eaton, 3-1, to up the Jackrabbit lead to 11-6 at the halfway mark of the dual. After NDSU drew to within 11-9 on a win at heavyweight by Dan Stibral, the Jackrabbits put together another three-match winning streak in the lower weights to seal the dual. Connor Brown came through with an 11-5 decision over Paul Bianchi at 125 pounds, while Gross lived up to his top billing at 133 pounds with a 16-0 technical fall over Cam Sykora. Gross led 6-0 after one period with a takedown and four-point near-fall, then notched another takedown and pair of four-point near-falls to win in four minutes. Henry Pohlmeyer secured the victory with a dominant 5-0 blanking of McGwire Midkiff in the 141-pound match, racking up more than four and a half minutes of riding time. NDSU got out to its early lead by winning the lone match between ranked wrestlers. Eighth-ranked Clayton Ream outlasted 13th-ranked Luke Zilverberg, 7-5, with a takedown in the second sudden-victory overtime period. Andrew Fogarty followed with a 6-3 decision over Logan Peterson at 165 pounds, but the Bison could not come up with any bonus-point victories on the night. UP NEXT Both teams will be off from competition until the Big 12 Wrestling Championship March 3-4 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Results: 157: #8 Clayton Ream (NDSU) dec. #13 Luke Zilverberg (SDSU), 7-5 [SV-2] 165: Andrew Fogarty (NDSU) dec. Logan Peterson (SDSU), 6-3 174: #10 David Kocer (SDSU) tech. fall Dylan Urbach (NDSU), 16-1 [6:13] 184: Martin Mueller dec. Charley Popp (NDSU), 11-5 197: #11 Nate Rotert (SDSU) dec. Cordell Eaton (NDSU), 3-1 285: Dan Stibral (NDSU) dec. Alex Macki (SDSU), 5-0 125: Connor Brown (SDSU) dec. Paul Bianchi (NDSU), 11-5 133: #1 Seth Gross (SDSU) tech. fall Cam Sykora (NDSU), 16-0 [4:00] 141: Henry Pohlmeyer (SDSU) dec. McGwire Midkiff (NDSU), 5-0 149: Kyle Gliva (NDSU) dec. Colten Carlson (SDSU), 7-4 NOTES * NDSU leads the all-time series, 42-21-1, although the Jackrabbits have won the last four matchups * SDSU improved to 22-3 in duals against Big 12 Conference opponents since joining the league as an affiliate member at the start of the 2015-16 season * Kocer recorded his 101st career victory to tie Mike Engels (101-14-1 record from 1971-74) for 13th place on the SDSU career victories chart * Rotert moved into a tie with Zilverberg for 18th place on the Jackrabbit career wins list with 93 * Gross improved to 21-0 in 133-pound matches this season

DEKALB, Ill. -- Seven Golden Flashes had their hands raised Friday night in Kent State's decisive 24-9 win over Northern Illinois at Victor E. Court. Sophomore Tim Rooney set the tone early with a pin in just 20 seconds to start the dual off. Rooney slipped an underhook in and put Anthony Rubino on his back with a cow-catcher. With a quick 6-0 team lead, the Flashes never trailed throughout the dual. In his final career dual meet, senior Chance Driscoll filled in for a banged up Nick Monico at 149 and claimed a 7-1 decision. In the final 20 seconds of the first period, Driscoll turned a shot into leg turk for a takedown and two near fall. "Tim got us off to a really good start," Head Coach Jim Andrassy said. "And then Chance stepped in for us like he has a few other times this season and wrestled really well. When you go on the road, it really helps when you can jump out to a lead like that and those two got us going." In an unorthodox way to win, junior Isaac Bast stayed aggressive in overtime and earned a stalling point for a 4-3 victory. Redshirt freshman Dylan Barreiro extended the team lead to 15-3 with a 6-5 decision over veteran Quinton Rosser. Barreiro wasted no time getting an opening takedown in the first five seconds and converted on another single leg shot in the first. Junior Kyle Conel (197) stayed in control throughout his match, earning a 7-2 win. Conel countered a Max Ihry shot in the first with an underhook for a takedown. A double leg shot in the second led to another takedown. "Kyle's been wrestling well and I think he's done enough now to bring an NCAA qualifying spot to the MAC tournament," Andrassy said. Reigning MAC Wrestler of the Week Stephen Suglio (285) continued his roll with an 8-3 decision over Caleb Gossett. "Stephen's key as a lighter heavyweight is conditioning and he needs to continue to out-work guys like he did tonight," Andrassy said. Junior Anthony Tutolo closed out the night with yet another match-deciding takedown in the third period. Tutolo got in on single leg shot to make the difference in a 3-2 victory. With wins in their final two duals, the Flashes finish the regular season 13-9 overall. Kent State will be among eight teams at the Mid-American Conference Championships March 3-4 at Central Michigan. Results: 141 lbs | Tim Rooney (KSU) over Anthony Rubino (NIU) Pin 0:20 149 lbs | Chance Driscoll (KSU) over Nolan Baker (NIU) Dec. 7-1 157 lbs | Caden McWhirter (NIU) over Casey Sparkman (KSU) over Dec. 7-2 165 lbs | Isaac Bast (KSU) over Andrew Scott (NIU) Dec. 4-3 SV1 174 lbs | Dylan Barreiro (KSU) over Quinton Rosser (NIU) Dec. 6-5 184 lbs | Bryce Gorman (NIU) over Shane Mast (KSU) Dec. 4-3 197 lbs | Kyle Conel (KSU) over Max Ihry (NIU) Dec. 7-2 285 lbs | Stephen Suglio (KSU) over Caleb Gossett (NIU) Dec. 8-3 125 lbs | Brock Hudkins (NIU) over Jake Ferri (KSU) Dec. 7-2 133 lbs | Anthony Tutolo (KSU) over Alijah Jeffrey (NIU) Dec. 3-2

RALEIGH, N.C. -- On NC State's Senior Night, the 2018 ACC dual championship came down a battle of ranked heavyweights. NC State's No. 19 Sr. Michael Boykin scored the bout's lone takedown 20 seconds into OT and propelled the No. 6 Wolfpack (15-1, 5-0 ACC) to a 19-15 win over No. 8 Virginia Tech (14-3, 4-1) as the Pack claimed the 2018 ACC regular season title. NC State finished undefeated in ACC dual action for the first time since 2000, and claimed the ACC dual championship for the first time since 2004. The Wolfpack also snapped Virginia Tech's 19-match ACC winning streak which dates back to the 2014 season. The dual started at 125 pounds, and No. 5 R-Jr. Sean Fausz dominated and scored five team points with a 15-0 tech fall. Fausz scored a takedown and a four-point near fall in each of the first two periods, and his takedown eight seconds into the third end the match. Virginia Tech got on the board with a hotly contested battle between a pair of top-20 foes at 133 pounds, winning 9-7. The Pack scored its second tech fall of the night at 141 pounds, as No. 2 Kevin Jack pitched another 15-0 shutout. Jack scored a takedown and four-point near fall in both the second and third periods, and a third stall call ended it in the third. The win put NC State up 10-3. No. 13 R-Sr. Beau Donahue made it two in a row, as he scored a takedown 25 seconds into the OT period and came away with a 6-4 win over No. 16 Ryan Blees. No. 3 R-Fr. Hayden Hidlay made it three straight for the Pack as he scored an 8-4 decision over two-time All-American Solomon Chishko at 157 pounds. The Pack won four of the five before the break, and held a 16-3 lead. The Hokies claimed four straight decisions at 165, 174, 184, and 197 pounds to pull within 16-15 going into the final bout. Up Next: NC State will make a quick turnaround and host No. 2 Ohio State this Sunday at 4:30 p.m. in Reynolds Coliseum in the final dual of the season. Results: 125: #5 Sean Fausz (NCSU) tech fall Kyle Norstrem; 15-0 - 5-0 133: #18 Dennis Gustafson (VT) dec. #13 Tariq Wilson; 9-7 - 5-3 141: #2 Kevin Jack (NCSU) tech fall Brent Moore; 15-0 - 10-3 149: #13 Beau Donahue (NCSU) dec. #16 Ryan Blees; 6-4 (SV1) - 13-3 157: #3 Hayden Hidlay (NCSU) dec. Solomon Chishko; 8-4 - 16-3 165: #4 David McFadden (VT) dec. Brian Hamann; 6-2 - 16-6 174: #15 Hunter Bolen (VT) dec. Daniel Bullard; 5-3 - 16-9 184: #8 Zack Zavatsky (VT) dec. #3 Pete Renda; 3-2 - 16-12 197: #2 Jared Haught (VT) dec. #7 Michael Macchiavello; 2-1 - 16-15 285: #19 Michael Boykin (NCSU) dec. #18 Andrew Dunn; 3-1 (SV1) - 19-15

ANNAPOLIS, Md. --The Army West Point wrestling team picked up a thrilling 18-15 victory over service-academy rival Navy in the Star Match on Saturday evening at Alumni Hall. The Black Knights close out the regular season at 3-6 overall and 2-3 in EIWA matches, while the Midshipmen dropped to 8-3 overall and 3-2 in conference duals. Additionally, Army improved to 9-6-2 in the 2017-18 Star Series presented by USAA. Trey Chalifoux opened the match with a comeback 6-5 win at 125 pounds after trailing 3-1 at the start of the third period. The Mids won the next three matches, capped by a Corey Wilding pin at 149 pounds to send the home squad to a 12-3 advantage. The Cadets had the heart of their lineup show up in a major way at that point, pulling three upsets to draw even in the dual. Sophomore Lucas Weiland, who picked up his first-career dual win last week at Bucknell, earned a 5-1 upset victory over No. 26 Zack Davis at 157 pounds to get the rally started for Army. Senior co-captain Andrew Mendel followed that with a 6-3 win over 19th-ranked Drew Daniels at 165 to set up Ben Harvey for the match of the year. Harvey entered the 174-pound bout with Army trailing by three points, 12-9. On top of that, he had never beaten Navy's Jadaen Bernstein in their first four meetings. A scoreless first period preceded a scoring frenzy in the middle frame. The two wrestlers battled to a 5-5 tie heading into the third with Bernstein starting on bottom. The senior Navy grappler escaped to take a one-point advantage, forcing Harvey to go on the offensive. The sophomore from New Palestine, Ind., did just that, picking up the match-deciding take down with 16 seconds remaining. He rode out the eighth-ranked 174-pounder in the nation to once again bring the Black Knights even in the dual. The Black Knights were forced to win the final two matches after dropping a 4-0 decision at 184 pounds as the Mids recaptured the lead, 15-12. Rocco Caywood finessed his way to a 2-1 victory in the 197-pound bout by using the ride time point to force a winner-takes-all scenario at heavyweight. Rookie Bobby Heald versus senior Austin Faunce. The two were scoreless after the first period, with Heald escaping after being on bottom in the second period and Faunce doing the same in the third. With the score at 1-1, the Star would be decided in overtime. After neither was able to manage the match-winning take down in the first sudden victory period, the Mids heavyweight started on bottom for the first tiebreaker period. Faunce nearly escaped Heald's grasp multiple times, but was never able to get out from under his grasp. With the dual on the line, Heald fought his way out and escaped with 17 seconds and waited out the oncoming attacks to send the Black Knights home with a 2-1 win in his bout. ARMY HIGHLIGHTS AND GAME NOTES Army defeated Navy in back-to-back years for the first time since winning three straight from 1960-62. It was Army's second-ever dual win at Navy and first since 1961. Head coach Kevin Ward tied LeRoy Alitz for the most victories over Navy in program history with three. Ward became the first coach in program history to win three of his first four Star Matches. In all three of Army's dual wins this season, the Black Knights have erased a deficit of nine or more. Chalifoux recorded his 10th-career dual victory tonight. The Nashville, Tenn., native improved to 3-0 all-time in matches versus Navy wrestlers. Weiland won his second career dual match and has now won eight of his last nine bouts. The Barnhart, Mo., native notched his second victory over a ranked opponent in his first-career match against Navy. Mendel documented his 15th-career dual victory with his first win over a ranked opponent this season at 165 pounds. The senior co-captain orchestrated his fifth-career win over Navy and finished his career 3-0 in Star Matches. Harvey upset No. 8 Bernstein for the first time in his career. Harvey set a new personal best with his sixth dual victory. It was his 15th win of the season and third this season over a ranked opponent. The win over Bernstein was Harvey's second over a top-10 opponent this year. Caywood improved to 3-0 in his career against Navy wrestlers. Heald picked up his first-career win over a Navy wrestler to clinch the victory for the Black Knights. Results: 125: Trey Chalifoux dec. over Aslan Kilic, 6-5 (Army leads, 3-0) 133: Cody Trybus dec. over Lane Peters, 6-2 (Tied, 3-3) 141: #17 Nicholas Gil dec. over Austin Harry, 7-3 (Navy leads, 6-3) 149: #24 Corey Wilding pinned Will Lucie at 4:33 (Navy leads, 12-3) 157: Lucas Weiland dec. over #26 Zack Davis, 5-1 (Navy leads, 12-6) 165: Andrew Mendel dec. over #19 Drew Daniels, 6-3 (Navy leads, 12-9) 174: #27 Ben Harvey dec. over #8 Jadaen Bernstein, 7-6 (Tied, 12-12) 184: #17 Michael Coleman dec. over #30 Noah Stewart, 4-0 (Navy leads, 15-12) 197: #30 Rocco Caywood dec. over Steban Cervantes, 2-1 (Tied, 15-15) 285: Bobby Heald dec. over Austin Faunce, TB-2, 2-1 (Army leads, 18-15) COACHES CORNER Head Coach Kevin Ward – "I'm so proud of all of our guys. Weiland, Mendel and Harvey were all underdogs on paper and just went out on the mat believing they should win. This team shows the power of believing in yourself and respecting your abilities against any odds." "I can't say enough about how proud I am of the team. They are fighters and they had to fight like crazy to win this one. They broke a barrier for this program and should be very proud of themselves." UP NEXT The Black Knights will compete at the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) Championships at Hofstra on March 3-4.

The University of Minnesota (10-8, 4-5 Big Ten) finished the regular season on a high note with a 32-12 victory over Rider (12-5) on the road on Friday night in Lawrenceville, N.J. at Alumni Gymnasium. The Gophers picked up four bonus point wins, which included three pins from No. 12 Mitch McKee, Brandon Krone and Dylan Anderson. No. 6 Ethan Lizak also had his third straight tech fall victory at 125-pounds. “I was impressed with the intensity from the guys today,” head coach Brandon Eggum said after the victory. “The guys did good things in all three areas today, and I think our guys continued what they have done in the past few weeks, and that is to strike first.” The Gophers struck first at 125-pounds, with Ethan Lizak taking on J.R. Wert. Lizak and Wert. Lizak and Wert ended the first period scoreless, and Wert chose neutral to begin the second. Lizak would finally strike in the second, and started to pressure Wert while on top. Lizak collected one turn in the second, and chose top in the third and would turn Wert two more times to pick up the 15-0 tech fall. After the strong start from Lizak, McKee took the mat and kept the intensity high. McKee took just moments to earn a takedown in the opening period, and would proceed to get a tight grip around Anthony Cefelo, and would pick up his team-leading eighth pin of the season in the first period, giving the Gophers an 11-0 lead after two matches. After a loss at 141-pounds, Miles Patton took the mat at 149-pounds for the third time this season. Patton would be taken down first, but hung with it, earning a quick escape and would take the lead at the end of the first with a takedown of his own. Patton opened the second with an escape, and then took a big 6-3 lead after a second takedown. Patton would go on to earning another takedown, and winning his first career dual match, 10-6. “It feels really good to get that first win out of the way,” Patton said after the dual. “I think the biggest thing is that it gives me confidence going forward and I hope to build off that and continue to score points for this team in the future.” In a huge match at 157-pounds, No. 16 Jake Short took on B.J. Clagon, an All-American back in 2015. Short ran corner in the first period to earn a 2-0 lead after Clagon's takedown attempt was denied. In the second, Short stood to his feet with Clagon clinging to his side, and eventually was called for stalling. After the stall call, Short capitalized and picked up a reversal, taking a 4-0 lead in the second. With riding time on his side, Short continued to work Clagon. He cut him loose in the third, and earned a second takedown. Clagon was then called for stalling once again, and Short went on to pick up the decision, 8-2. “I was excited to go out and wrestle against a guy who beat me last year,” Short said. “I was confident in my conditioning, and I knew that if I pushed the pace and wrestled like I know I can, I would beat him. That's what I did, and it was a great team win overall today.” After a pair of tough losses at 165 and 174-pounds, the Gophers led just 17-12 against the Broncs. It was then Brandon Krone and Dylan Anderson time. With the match scoreless midway through the first period, it appeared as if Krone would attempt to do damage on top as he has for the past few duals for the Gophers. With a scramble at the end of the first though, Krone managed to put Michale Fagg-Daves on his back, and locked him down at 2:59 for his first career pin at 184-pounds. With a 23-12 lead after eight bouts, Dylan Anderson looked to put the dual away for the Maroon and Gold. Anderson wrestled Wayne Stinson to a scoreless first portion of the first period, but Anderson saw an opening. With short time in the period, Anderson would pick up his sixth pin of the season, and his first at 197-pounds for the Gophers, sealing the victory at 29-12. With the win in hand, the Gophers looked to Rylee Streifel to end the dual on a positive note. The redshirt sophomore not only started the first period with good pace, he ended the first with good pace. He would ride out Ryan Cloud, and put riding time at over one minute after the first period. In the second, Streifel escaped, and would earn a second takedown with a minute to go in the second to take a 5-0 lead. Streifel was hit with an illegal move in the second, but in the third he kept his aggressiveness. He sealed the win with a third takedown, and gave the Gophers their third largest dual victory of the season. The Gophers will take a weekend off and try to become as healthy as possible before the Big Ten Tournament in East Lansing, Mich. on March 3-4. Be sure to stay tuned for links, updates and more about the Big Ten Tournament as it quickly approaches. You can follow the Gopher Wrestling team on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram so you do not miss any postseason action. Results: 125: No. 6 Ethan Lizak tech fall J.R. Wert, 15-0 | Minnesota leads, 5-0 133: No. 11 Mitch McKee fall (2:11) Anthony Cefolo | Minnesota leads, 11-0 141: Tyson Dippery dec Ben Brancale, 6-2 | Minnesota leads, 11-3 149: Miles Patton dec. Jesse Rodgers, 10-6 | Minnesota leads, 14-3 157: No. 16 Jake Short dec B.J. Clagon, 8-2 | Minnesota leads, 17-3 165: No. 6 Chad Walsh fall (6:10) No. 7 Nick Wanzek | Minnesota leads, 17-9 174: Dean Sherry dec Chris Pfarr, 3-2 | Minnesota leads, 17-12 184: Brandon Krone fall (2:59) Michale Fagg-Daves | Minnesota leads, 23-12 197: Dylan Anderson fall (2:39) Wayne Stinson | Minnesota leads, 29-12 285: Rylee Streifel dec Ryan Cloud, 8-2 | Minnesota wins, 32-12

PITTSBURGH -- Seven Panthers earned victories en route to Pitt's dominant 28-9 win over Virginia Friday night at the Petersen Events Center. With the victory, the Panthers move to 4-10 on the season and 2-3 against ACC foes, while the Cavaliers drop to 4-10 overall and 0-5 in conference competition. Seven Pitt wrestlers recorded wins on the night in redshirt senior Ryan Solomon (285), senior Dom Forys (133), redshirt senior Nick Zanetta (141), junior Robert Lee (149), redshirt sophomore Taleb Rahmani (157), redshirt freshman Gregg Harvey (184) and redshirt sophomore Kellan Stout (197). The dual started at 285 pounds, where Solomon earned a win in his last home match for the Panthers, picking up an 8-0 major decision over Tyler Love. Solomon used two takedowns, an escape, two penalty points and a point for riding time to earn the bonus-point win. The victory gave the Panthers a 4-0 advantage to start the match. Next up was 125 pounds, where a contentious battle saw Virginia's No. 15 Louie Hayes win in a 5-1 decision over junior LJ Bentley in overtime. The two went into the second period scoreless before Hayes escaped. Bentley evened up the score in the third period with an escape of his own, sending the match into overtime. Hayes captured four points via takedown and two-point nearfall to earn the sudden victory decision. The loss brought the score to 4-3 in favor of the Panthers. Forys, ranked 11th in the nation, extended Pitt's lead to 9-3 with a dominating victory over Sam Brook. Forys earned a 22-5 technical fall over Book in just the second period. The Panthers continued their strong day in the 141 pound bout, where Zanetta earned a 3-1 decision against Virginia's Sam Martino. Martino took the first point in the match via an escape in the second period before Zanetta earned a takedown to go into the third period with a 2-1 advantage. Zanetta then earned another point off an escape from bottom in the third period to take the 3-1 decision and push the Panthers lead to 12-3. Lee continued Pitt's strong night with an 8-3 decision over Jake Keating. Lee's points in the match came from three takedowns, an escape and a riding time point. The victory increased Pitt's lead to 15-3. Next up was 157 pounds, where Rahmani pinned Virginia's Fred Green in 4:09 to give the Panthers a commanding 21-3 lead. Rahmani held a 6-2 advantage in the second period before completing the pin. The Cavaliers earned their second overtime victory of the night at 165 pounds. Andrew Atkinson took the 9-7 decision over redshirt freshman Jake Wentzel to move the score to 21-6 in Pitt's favor. Atkinson earned a takedown late in the third period to tie the score before completing another takedown in overtime for the sudden victory decision. Virginia earned its second consecutive victory at 174 pounds, after Will Schany won in a 7-2 decision over redshirt freshman Austin Bell, cutting Pitt's lead to 21-9. Harvey got the Panthers back on track after picking up an 11-3 major decision over Drew Peck, giving Pitt a 25-9 lead heading into the last match of the night. The Panthers finished the night strong at 197 pounds, where Stout earned a 6-1 decision over Virginia's Jay Aiello, giving Pitt the dominant 28-9 victory. Pitt resumes action Sunday, Feb. 18 at Lehigh. The final dual of the year is slated to begin at 2 p.m. Results: 285: Ryan Solomon (UP) major dec. Tyler Love (UVA), 8-0 – Pitt leads 4-0 125: No. 15 Louie Hayes (UVA) dec. LJ Bentley (UP), SV-1 5-1 – Pitt leads 4-3 133: No. 11 Dom Forys (UP) tech. fall Sam Book (UVA), 22-5 – Pitt leads 9-3 141: Nick Zanetta (UP) dec. Sam Martino (UVA), 3-1 – Pitt leads 12-3 149: Robert Lee (UP) dec. Jake Keating (UVA), 8-3 – Pitt leads 15-3 157: Taleb Rahmani (UP) pins Fred Green (UVA), 4:09 – Pitt leads 21-3 165: Andrew Atkinson (UVA) dec. Jake Wentzel (UP), SV-1 9-7 – Pitt leads 21-6 174: Will Schany (UVA) dec. Austin Bell (UP), 7-2 – Pitt leads 21-9 184: Gregg Harvey (UP) major dec. Drew Peck (UVA), 11-3 – Pitt leads 25-9 197: Kellan Stout (UP) dec. Jay Aiello (UVA), 6-1 – Pitt wins 28-9

BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- No. 9 Lehigh kicked off the final weekend of the dual season with a 31-4 win over Oklahoma Friday night inside Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall. The Mountain Hawks won nine of 10 bouts on the night, surviving several close calls in the first half of the dual before responding with five quality wins in the second half. Junior Ryan Preisch posted his first pin of the season at 184, while freshman heavyweight Jordan Wood closed the dual with a major decision win as Lehigh improves to 11-3 on the dual season. Oklahoma was wrestling its final dual of the season and sets its sights on the Big 12 Tournament after an 8-11 dual season. "In the first five we won the point battle but didn't win the fight battle," Lehigh head coach Pat Santoro said. "That's probably a little more important at this time of year, winning the fight battle. The second half guys wrestled really well, but overall, we'll need to be better on Sunday. Decisions from returning All-Americans Darian Cruz (125) and Scott Parker (133) staked the Mountain Hawks to an early 6-0 lead. Cruz struck late in the first period for a takedown and added four near fall points on a cradle to lead 6-0 against Christian Moody. A stalling point gave Cruz a 7-0 lead after two, but Moody opened the third with a surprising four point near fall off a tilt and eventually rode out the period while earning a stalling point of his own as Cruz settled for a 7-5 decision. The only points of Parker's 3-0 decision over Jacob Rubio came on a second period reversal and subsequent 1:37 ride out. Oklahoma's lone win came at 141 as Mike Longo upset 11th-ranked freshman Luke Karam with an 8-0 major decision. Longo escaped early in the second and then was awarded a takedown late in the second period off a scramble after implementation of the new "danger" rules. Longo was also able to ride out the third period, adding a four point near fall and riding time to complete the major. Junior Cortlandt Schuyler got Lehigh back on track and started a string of seven straight wins to close out the dual with an 8-7 decision over Davion Jeffries at 149. Jeffries scored the first takedown, but Schuyler responded with the next three, including a key score that beat the first period buzzer. Leading 8-4 in the third, Schuyler gave up a stalling point and a late takedown but held on for the one point victory. A 7-2 decision by junior Ian Brown over Justin Thomas at 157 put Lehigh up 12-4 at intermission. Brown scored takedowns in the first and second periods and held riding time advantage but gave up a third period takedown while bidding for a major decision. Junior Gordon Wolf opened the second half of the dual with a solid 5-1 decision over Dawaylon Barnes at 165. After a scoreless first period, Wolf scored a reversal and then a takedown in the second and added a penalty point for unnecessary roughness. "He always keeps wrestling," Santoro said of Wolf. "You never worry about him not wrestling hard. He was in control a little bit more. He didn't go near his back. He was pretty upset the last two weekends, but he made the adjustment tonight and that made the difference." The second of two bouts pitting top 20 wrestlers against one another came at 174 where fourth-ranked sophomore Jordan Kutler blanked No. 10 Yoanse Mejias 6-0. After a scoreless first period, Kutler scored an escape and takedown in the second and added an insurance takedown plus riding time in the third to secure his 19th victory of the season. "That was a battle," Santoro said. "Those two guys are really good. It was really good to see Jordan go out and get that win because Mejias is really talented. We knew that would be a tight match." Preisch made the most of his first Grace Hall appearance since November with his first period pin over Matt Waddell clinching the dual for the Brown and White. After a takedown, Preisch used a half nelson for four near fall points, then went back to the half late in the period, getting the fall at 2:54 to put Lehigh up 24-4 with two bouts remaining. "Any time he's been on the mat it's good for him to get back into it," Santoro said of Preisch. "He hit some new things tonight that he hasn't done in a while and was able to get the pin." At 197, freshman Chris Weiler edged Andrew Dixon 5-4, with Weiler scoring three escapes and a second period takedown to counter a pair of second period reversals by Dixon. Wood broke open a 4-2 match with a big third period that featured one escape, two stalling points and three takedowns to complete a 14-4 major decision over Connor Webb. The Mountain Hawks will close out the dual season on Sunday when they host Pitt on Senior Day with match time set for 2 p.m. from Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall. A tickets are still available and can be purchased online at LehighTickets.com. Results: 125 - Darian Cruz (Lehigh) dec. Christian Moody (OU) 7-5 133 - Scott Parker (Lehigh) dec. Jacob Rubio (OU) 3-0 141 - Mike Longo (OU) major dec. Luke Karam (Lehigh) 8-0 149 - Cortlandt Schuyler (Lehigh) dec. Davion Jeffries (OU) 8-7 157 - Ian Brown (Lehigh) dec. Justin Thomas (OU) 7-2 165 - Gordon Wolf (Lehigh) dec. Dawaylon Barnes (OU) 5-1 174 - Jordan Kutler (Lehigh) dec. Yoanse Mejias (OU) 6-0 184 - Ryan Preisch (Lehigh) Fall Matt Waddell (OU) 2:54 197 - Chris Weiler (Lehigh) dec. Andrew Dixon (OU) 5-4 285 - Jordan Wood (Lehigh) major dec. Connor Webb (OU) 14-4

BOILING SPRINGS -- Senior Night was a success for Gardner-Webb wrestling, as the Runnin' Bulldogs rolled to a 27-12 win over Davidson to wrap up the regular season. The Runnin' Bulldogs (3-10, 3-4 SoCon) put five seniors on the mat Friday, and got pins from Philip Anderson (133) and Brett Stein (165) to kick start the team win. Christian Maroni (174) and Cole Graves (184) also picked up emotional wins, as part of a five-match stretch that put the evening on ice for the home team. After Davidson (3-10, 1-6 SoCon) took an early 6-0 lead after a forfeit at 125 pounds, Anderson evened the match by pinning Zamir Ode late in the first period. The Wildcats surged in front 12-6 after a sudden victory win by Dustin Runzo (6-4) at 141 pounds and a narrow 5-4 decision by Aidan Conroy at 149 – but Gardner-Webb had its big rally in store. Tyler Marinelli handled Tony Palumbo for a 10-4 decision at 157 to cut the lead to 12-9 and Stein dominated from the first whistle at 165 pounds to swing momentum decisively in Gardner-Webb's favor. The Woodbridge, Va., senior pinned Tien Hunter early in the second period (3:29) to give Gardner-Webb a 15-12 lead. Maroni followed with a 7-6 decision at 174 and Graves pushed through for his 11-7 decision at 184 to put the match out of reach. Freshman Anthony Perrine took a 5-2 decision at 197 pounds to push the lead to 24-12 and Lathan Bumgarner picked up a takedown in the third period – and held a healthy riding time edge to secure a 6-3 decision to cap the match. Gardner-Webb will now turn its attention to the postseason, traveling to Charleston, S.C., for the 2018 Arby's Southern Conference Wrestling Championships on Saturday, March 3 at The Citadel. Results: 125: Michael McClelland (DAV) win by forfeit 133: Philip Anderson (GWU) pinned Zamir Ode (DAV); 2:30 141: Dustin Runzo (DAV) dec. Denton Spencer (GWU); 6-4 (SV-1) 149: Aidan Conroy (DAV) dec. Joby Armenta (GWU); 5-4 157: Tyler Marinelli (GWU) dec. Tony Palumbo (DAV); 10-4 165: Brett Stein (GWU) pinned Tien Hunter (DAV); 3:29 174: Christian Maroni (GWU) dec. Noah Satterfield (DAV); 7-6 184: Cole Graves (GWU) dec. Conor Fenn (DAV); 11-7 197: Anthony Perrine (GWU) dec. Konnor Pritchard (DAV); 5-2 285: Lathan Bumgarner (GWU) dec. Will Cooley (DAV); 6-3

ITHACA, N.Y. -- The Cornell wrestling team won all the close matches early and added some bonus points late to earn a 32-6 win over No. 24 North Carolina on Friday evening at a sold-out Friedman Wrestling Center. The Big Red closed out dual season with a 13-2 record, while the Tar Heels fell to 9-11. Cornell won three one-point decisions in the first four contested bouts after the home team gained a forfeit to begin the match at 125. The early lead wasn't necessary in the end, as Cornell won seven of the nine contests and earned bonus points in the final two to earn its ninth straight win. Results: 125: Noah Baughman (C) won by forfeit 133: Chaz Tucker (C) won by decision over Zach Sherman (UNC), 4-3 141: #4 Yianni Diakomihalis (C) won by decision over #19 A.C. Headlee (UNC), 7-6 149: #8 Troy Heilmann (UNC) won by decision over Will Koll (C), 10-7 157: Fredy Stroker (C) won by decision over #15 Kennedy Monday (UNC), 4-3 165: #18 Jon Jay Chavez (C) won by major decision over Clay Lautt (UNC), 10-1 174: #16 Ethan Ramos (UNC) won by decision over Brandon Womack (C), 6-3 184: #11 Max Dean (C) won by decision over #17 Chip Ness (UNC), 8-2 197: #3 Ben Darmstadt (C) won by fall over #15 Danny Chaid (UNC), 2:31 285: Jeramy Sweany (C) won by major decision over Andrew Gunning (UNC), 14-4

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- The Eastern Michigan University wrestling team went 1-1 as it wrapped up dual action with a tri-dual at Michigan State University Friday, Feb. 16. After coming up short, 18-12, against Clarion University, EMU (8-8, 3-4 MAC) spoiled Senior Day for MSU (6-11, 1-9 B1G) with a come-from-behind, 21-19, win. Redshirt sophomores Noah Gonser (Grand Blanc, Mich.-Grand Blanc), and Zac Carson (Akron, Ohio-Lake), and redshirt senior Gage Hutchison (Buchanan, Mich.-Buchanan) all had 2-0 days to lead Eastern, including pins from both Gonser and Carson in the MSU bout, which proved to be the difference maker in the final team score. Eastern Michigan 12, Clarion 18 Eastern Michigan began the afternoon with a tightly contested, 18-12, setback at the hands of Clarion (10-6, 4-2 EWL). EMU won four matches, as all 10 bouts resulted in decisions, including one sudden victory for CU. To start the dual, EMU dropped the 125 pounds match in a thrilling triple overtime bout. After going back-and-forth the entire match, Clarion's wrestler secured a decisive takedown in sudden victory number two. EMU answered back at 133 lbs. with Gonser. He led 2-0 after one with an early takedown. He picked up a stalling point into the third and held on in the neutral position in the third to get Eastern on the board with the 3-0 decision. Clarion retook the lead at 141 lbs. as their undefeated nationally ranked grappler won by 9-5 decision, putting it at 6-3 after three. The Eagles looked they were going to spring ahead at 149 lbs. as redshirt senior Kyle Springer (New Boston, Mich.-Davenport Assumption (Indiana)) put on another clinic, racking up the points on his way to a 16-6 lead into the third period. Clarion's wrestler battled back though, getting a bunch of near fall points in the third, to take the match, 22-17, and extend Clarion's lead to 9-3 in the dual. After a late takedown at 157 lbs. pushed Eastern Michigan's deficit to 12-3, Carson got the Eagles back on track. Using a pair of first-period takedowns and a third period escape, Carson won his fifth straight match with a 5-2 decision at 165 lbs. Clarion's lead grew to 15-6 with a back-and-forth 12-9 decision at 174 lbs, but redshirt junior Kayne MacCallum (Green Oaks, Ill.-Libertyville) bounced back with a win at 184 lbs. Fighting off shots, MacCallum made the most of his own, yielding just one escape en route to a 6-1 decision. A third-period rally by redshirt junior Derek Hillman (Woodhaven, Mich.-Woodhaven) fell short in the 197 lbs. match, putting the dual out of reach, 18-9, with the heavyweight bout to go. Redshirt senior and No. 21-ranked Gage Hutchison (Buchanan, Mich.-Buchanan) got to work quickly in the final bout, jumping out to a 7-2 lead as he overpowered Clarion true freshman Toby Cahill through the first two periods. Cahill worked for an escape in the third, but Hutchison responded with a takedown with 30 seconds remaining. Tacking on a riding point after having racked up nearly three minutes on top, Hutchison wrapped up a 10-3 decision as EMU dropped the dual, 18-12. Eastern Michigan 21, Michigan State 19 Eastern Michigan spoiled Senior Day for Michigan State, using a pair of pins to knock off the Spartans, 21-19. EMU and MSU split the bouts 5-5, but falls at 133 lbs. and 165 lbs. gave Eastern the win. Gonser picked up his second win of the day at 133 lbs. Controlling the match from the start, he turned what looked to be a decision into a pin in the third period, just his second of the season and first in dual action this year, to put EMU in front, 6-5. The win completed his dual record at 8-6 for the season. Michigan State reclaimed the lead with back-to-back decisions at 141 lbs. and 149 lbs. and a technical fall at 157 lbs., to make the score 16-6 with five bouts in the books. Eastern Michigan came out of the break with a bang as Carson registered his fourth fall of the season. After racking up near fall points, Carson flipped MSU's Austin Hiles to his back and held him for the pin at 165 lbs. The win cut Michigan State's lead to 16-12 heading into the 174 lbs. match. The win completed Carson's dual season at a sterling 12-4, as he moved to 19-10 on the season with his sixth straight victory. Redshirt sophomore Andrew McNally (Uniontown, Ohio-Lake) cut into the Spartans lead even more, using a two-point near fall in the second period to secure an 8-5 decision. McNally's 16th win of the season pulled EMU within one, 16-15, with three bouts to go. MSU regained control of the team score at 184 lbs., 19-15, but redshirt junior Derek Hillman (Woodhaven, Mich.-Woodhaven) battled at 197 lbs. to once again bring EMU within one, 19-18. Racking up riding time, Hillman took a 2-1 lead into the second period. Despite extending his lead in the second, a third-period rally by MSU's Nick May evened the score at five apiece. Ultimately, it was Hillman's early riding time that proved to be the difference, as he took the match by decision, 6-5. In the decisive match with the dual on the line, a stalling call gave Michigan State's Christian Rebottaro a 1-0 lead into the third. Beginning the final period in the down position with riding time in his favor, Hutchison escaped almost immediately to even the score at one. From there, the Buchanan, Mich. native fought off shot after shot to take the match, 2-1, and give EMU a 21-19 come-from-behind dual win. The win capped Hutchison's dual career, as he finished 17-6 (11-3) on the season, and his career dual mark at 39-21. With the dual season complete, Eastern Michigan turns its sights toward the Mid-American Conference Championships, March 3-4, in Mount Pleasant, Mich. Eastern Michigan 12, Clarion 18 125: Gavin Park (Clarion) over Tomas Gutierrez (EMU) (SV-2 8-6) 133: Noah Gonser (EMU) over Roshaun Cooley (Clarion) (Dec 3-0) 141: No. 5 Brock Zacherl (Clarion) over Sa'Derian Perry (EMU) (Dec 9-5) 149: Taylor Ortz (Clarion) over No. 29 Kyle Springer (EMU) (Dec 22-17) 157: Mac Tanner (Clarion) over J.J. Wolfe (EMU) (Dec 5-4) 165: Zac Carson (EMU) over Max Wohlabaugh (Clarion) (Dec 5-2) 174: Dom Rigous (Clarion) over Andrew McNally (EMU) (Dec 12-9) 184: Kayne MacCallum (EMU) dec. Taylor Cahill (Clarion) (Dec 6-1) 197: Dustin Conti (Clarion) over Derek Hillman (EMU) (Dec 9-5) HWT: No. 21 Gage Hutchison (EMU) over Toby Cahill (Clarion) (Dec 10-3) Eastern Michigan 21, Michigan State 19 125: No. 17 Rayvon Foley over Tomas Gutierrez (EMU) (TF 19-3) 133: Noah Gonser (EMU) over Logan Griffin (MSU) (Fall 6:45) 141: No. 23 Javier Gasca (MSU) over Sa'Derian Perry (EMU) (Dec 5-2) 149: Austin Eicher (MSU) over No. 29 Kyle Springer (EMU) (Dec 7-0) 157: Jake Tucker (MSU) over J.J. Wolfe (EMU) (TF 19-4) 165: Zac Carson (EMU) over Austin Hiles (MSU) (Fall 4:29) 174: Andrew McNally (EMU) over Logan Ritchie (MSU) (Dec 9-5) 184: Shwan Snadaia (MSU) over Kayne MacCallum (EMU) (Dec 13-8) 197: Derek Hillman (EMU) over Nick May (MSU) (Dec 6-5) HWT: No. 21 Gage Hutchison (EMU) over Christian Rebottaro (MSU) (Dec 2-1)

A popular wrestling coach originally from Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley was among the 17 individuals killed in a school shooting in southern Florida Wednesday. Chris HixonChris Hixon, mat coach and athletic director at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School was among those shot and killed in the mass shooting in Parkland, Fla. in Broward County just north of Miami. Hixon was confirmed dead early Thursday morning. The native of Easton, Pa. and Pleasant Valley High School alum was 49. Just last year Hixon had been named Broward County Athletic Association's athletic director of the year. Hixon was previously South Broward High's athletic director before taking over at Stoneman Douglas High School. In 2007, his stint with the Bulldogs was put on hold as he had been ordered for deployment to Iraq as a U.S. Naval Reservist. Stoneman Douglas head football coach Willis May said Hixon and assistant football coach Aaron Feis both served as school security guards. May labeled both coaches as heroes because they ran toward the scene to try to help others to safety, saying, "when something goes down, they are the first ones to rush in." Coaches and administrators from other nearby high schools offered praises for Chris Hixon. "Chris is such a great guy," Coral Springs High School athletic director Dan Jacob, who, like Hixon, is also the school's wrestling coach, told the Sun-Sentinel, a newspaper serving southern Florida. "Chris is probably the nicest guy I have ever met. He would give you the shirt off his back. He does so much. That is terrible that it would happen to anybody. It is so senseless." Allen Held, Cypress Bay wrestling coach when Hixon was AD at the school, said "Chris was a super human being. The kind of person who would do anything for anyone. "If you needed something he was the first one there. He would do anything as an athletic director to make your program better and he was a better person than athletic director. We used to talk wrestling all of the time and make fun of each other because that's what we do. To me, he was a great friend and a brother in life." Cypress Bay athletic director Scott Selvidge offered this perspective on working with Hixon: "As a younger athletic director, he always made himself available to answer my questions and help. He was well respected among his peers and always willing to go the extra mile. It is just devastating." A native of northeastern Pennsylvania, Chris Hixon last visited Easton in May 2016. He returned to his hometown to visit his dad Russ and spend time with his 92-year-old grandmother Florence. "We were up last night late," Dave Hixon told Easton Express-Times from his home on Centre Street on Easton's South Side, just one door away from his brother -- and Chris' dad -- Russ. "At 1:30 in morning, we found out he passed." Chris Hixon lived on South Ninth Street in Easton until his mid-teens, his uncle said. He went to elementary and middle school in the city before moving with his mother to Monroe County and playing sports at Pleasant Valley High School, Dave Hixon said. Chris joined the Navy after high school, Dave Hixon said. Chris then went into the Naval Reserve, and was sent to Iraq in 2007. Chris went to college after his first stint in the service and got into coaching and athletic administration in Florida, his uncle said. Although originally from the Lehigh Valley, Chris Hixon had strong roots within south Florida. Hixon's father was a wrestling coach at Boyd Anderson High School. Chris Hixon's career as an athletic director began at Blanche Ely High before going to South Broward, then Marjory Stoneman Douglas. Chris Hixon studied at Broward College, and was a member of a Roman Catholic church in Hollywood, Fla. He is survived by his wife Debra, and two children. Nikolas Cruz, a 19-year-old former student, is charged with killing 17 people, including Chris Hixon, on Wednesday afternoon in a mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, a four-year public high school in the Broward County school district. Established in 1990 and named after an Everglades environmentalist, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High has an enrollment of approximately 3,200 students. NOTE: A GoFundMe page has been set up for the Chris Hixon family.

Iran's Alireza Karimi-Machiani claimed a bronze medal at the 2015 Worlds (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland -- The United World Wrestling Disciplinary Chamber this week passed down its decision regarding freestyle wrestler Alireza KARIMACHIANI and coach Hamidreza JAMSHIDI following their actions at the U23 World Championships November 23, 2017 in Bydgoszcz, Poland. The chamber found that Karimachiani, on instruction of his coach Jamshidi, willfully lost his 1/8 finals match against Alikhan ZHABRILOV (RUS). Both wrestler and coach were found to have acted in direct violation of the International Wrestling Rules (Article 15) and the UWW Disciplinary Regulations (Articles 3, 7.2, 9.2). Karimachiani is banned from competition six months from the date of infraction and eligible to compete on May 23, 2018. Coach Jamshidi is banned for two years and eligible to coach on November 23, 2019.

The American wrestling community was shocked this week when Adam Coon defeated Olympic champion and two-time world champion Kyle Snyder 3-1 during a dual meet in Ann Arbor. Much was posted about the match and what the falling of Snyder meant for the NCAA team race, the abilities of Coon and the future of weight distribution at the NCAA level. There is no doubt that after their first encounter this season it'll be Coon who is the favorite heading into Big Tens, and a win there would make him the runaway favorite in Cleveland. Snyder, for better or worse, is now the underdog. But what does Snyder's loss mean to NCAA wrestling? Overall, not that much. Fans know that giving up 65 pounds is less than ideal, but most also recognize that adding another weight class is a nonsense response to a single wrestler's two-point loss. That said, there could be some discussion about moving 197 pounds up to something like 205 pounds, which would be more in line with international freestyle weight (213 pounds) and allow some more power in the penultimate division. Either way, the only weighty issue here is Snyder ceding the tonnage in protection of his international weight. Congrats to Coon, it'll be a difficult task to best Snyder twice and an even loftier achievement to beat him three times. To your questions … Q: Almost every year there seems to be a surprise wrestler who makes the finals at NCAAs? What's your out-on-a-limb prediction for such a wrestler at the NCAA finals? -- Ryan P. Ryan Deakin battling Zain Retherford at the Keystone Classic (Photo/Juan Garcia) Foley: Ryan Deakin. Q: How can you want so much importance placed on dual meets when no team has any depth? Penn State and Iowa don't even have decent backups when someone is hurt. There are only about ten teams that actually budget for wrestling in the country. Most don't care or if they do, don't have the finances. Look at Edinboro. -- Steve M. Foley: I'm not sure how you are qualifying "decent" backups? There are plenty of wrestlers on rosters who don't get the opportunity to compete because the starter takes all the action. That doesn't mean they're incapable or non-existent. Explain to me why it would it be detrimental to have a back-up wrestle? If Nick Foles can win a Super Bowl and Jesse Whitmer an NCAA title, I feel good about the backup 157-pound wrestler from N.C. State being a gap solider for The Skip during some parallel universe where duals matter to the NCAA title. The future is duals. Tournament formats are confusing for casual fans, and even diehards struggle with tight scheduling, which also hinders promotion. Those opposed should compare the recent gates (and levels of promotion) of recent Big Ten duals against that of Midlands and Southern Scuffle. No contest. Q: Missouri will likely finish the regular season with a dual meet record of 19-0. Do you think there is any chance the Tigers would beat Penn State in a dual meet? -- Mike C. Foley: No, I don't think that they match up well. But I also think your question illustrates the larger point, which is people are interested in meaningful team competitions, not just tournament scoring. Q: One of the criticisms of NCAA wrestling is that the dual meets don't really count. In fact, other than qualifying your spot, nothing really matters. The Ohio State-Penn State dual is exciting to many of us, but it's hard to draw in new fans when the narrative is "win or lose, so what until March?" I'm not sure how to fix this, but do know that the Freestyle World Cup will be in Iowa City in a couple of months, and having followed that the past few years, this format is exciting. I realize we're not long from wrestling fighting for its life in the Olympics, but what are your thoughts on the idea of an Olympic team competition? The Olympics are two weeks long, with the wrestling competition taking place near the end of the second week. My proposal would be to move the individual competition up close to the start of the Olympics, with a team tournament in week two. Take the top 8 ranked teams going in, so three duals on successive nights. Each team's alternates are eligible to compete, giving different wrestlers rests and chances, giving coaches a chance to play around with the lineup. You could combine the men's and women's teams into one dual squad. It may never happen, but I think it would be great to tell stories and create drama, and to sell the sport to new viewers. Your thoughts? -- Brennan B. Foley: Yes. The International Olympic Committee bids out the Games with a fixed number of entries. This helps organizers budget, and the IOC then has the ability to shift that number around as they see fit. Just yesterday it was announced that some established sports were going to be asked to cut the number of qualifiers in their events to help with the addition of more events. That doesn't impact your model directly, except to say that qualification spots are tight. Assuming you could get past that hurdle the obvious fix would be to have a mixed-gender team for the Olympics. Judo is already experimenting with the format at their World Championships and finding it to be wildly successful. Wrestling may want to do the same, but has more work to do in promoting women's wrestling in more countries. As of now freestyle teams would be limited to a select number of countries competitive in both styles: USA, Japan, Russia, Turkey, India, Canada, Mongolia, China, Nigeria, Belarus and even that list is thin. The World Cup is an incredible event and one that attracts a disproportionate number of casual fans. I'm guessing that the interest comes from the easy-to-sell storylines ripped from current events and longstanding geo-political strife, which helps propel the sport into the modern narrative. I also think that it's much easier to sell the nouns Iran and Russia than it is to sell Yazdanicharati and Gazimagomedov. Simple, but it plays a role. Overall, I'm hopeful for a team format in the coming years and would lobby hard to make it happen at the World Championships or elsewhere. But keep in mind that travel is also a big consideration when calculating the feasibility of any new plan. It's inexpensive to fly a team around the country, especially when compared to flying teams around the world (and acquiring passports, etc.). Q: NCAA RPI and Coaches rankings were released (Friday Feb. 9) and there were a lot of big names missing on the RPI list (no Vincenzo Joseph, Isaiah Martinez, Alex Marinelli, Logan Massa or Richie Lewis at 165 in the RPI). I understand that in order to be on the RPI list you must have wrestled 17 matches, but if a wrestler does not get 17 matches by the Feb. 22 list (that is the basis for allocations) does the conference/weight class miss out on an automatic qualification spot for the NCAA Championships? Example: Kyle Snyder will not reach 17 matches by Feb. 22. Will the Big Ten lose out on an allocation for heavyweight? I am sure this does not happen often, but with what seems to be a trend of guys getting less matches in a season due to international competition, unforeseen injuries and resting matches during conference duals, will it play a factor in where allocations go? -- Hylnder133 Foley: The automatic bid will be missing, though in the case of Big Ten wrestlers you might assume -- with some rationale -- the spot is being absorbed by another Big Ten wrestler otherwise nestled between 34-40 in the RPI. I don't think an adjustment should be made for the international competitors, or those missing out due to injury or sitting out. The system isn't asking too much with 17 matches and those who do miss the auto-qualification should find it very easy to qualify in the allotment of their conference. Certainly, a risk should they get injured in the tournament, but of no greater significance than the risk being taken by the wrestler who competed 17-plus times in a season. Q: Do you think we will ever see an NCAA Women's Wrestling Championships? -- Gregg Y. Foley: Yes. Because progress is human nature and female wrestlers are total bad asses. The only thing holding back the NCAA is conservative thought about the role of women. With that "skirt bias" disappearing women are finally getting their chance to show wrestling fans their sport. MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME Directed and produced this short film on Cuban wrestling. Be sure to give it a watch! Q: After Kyle Snyder's loss to Adam Coon I have seen a lot of people commenting that there should be another weight added between 197 and heavyweight. I understand that Snyder is giving up weight, but he gave up weight the last two years. Nick Gwiazdowski, David Zabriskie and Tony Nelson all gave up weight. Light heavyweights have been winning. The only recent full heavyweight to win was Zack Rey. Guys that wrestle at 230-250 are quicker than the big boys and that's part of the excitement. Why do we need a change? -- Ryan R. Foley: We don't. Q: Does UWW, USA wrestling or the NCAA release when they do drug testing? Seems after Yarygin a certain wrestler has not looked very good and I'm sorry to say in this day and age with Lance and MLB everyone is suspect. -- Steve M. Foley: I don't know which wrestler you are referring to, but all those bodies do some sort of drug testing both at tournaments and in-home. USA Wrestling tends to catch drug infractions before they happen at the international stage, much like universities screen athletes before the NCAA Championships. You should always be a little skeptical, but I think that in wake of the recent scandals we've seen -- at least in the short term -- a cleaning out of international sport. Q: Have you ever seen this before? What happened that the dual needed to be canceled? Old Dominion 13, Ohio 6 125: Michale Mcgee (ODU) maj. dec. Trevor Giallombardo (Ohio), 16-4 133: Caleb Richardson (ODU) dec. Cameron Kelly (Ohio), 5-2 141: Alex Madrigal (ODU) dec. Mario Guillen (Ohio), 6-2 149: Kade Kowalski (Ohio) dec. Kenan Carter (ODU), 5-1 157: Larry Early (ODU) dec. Cullen Cummings (Ohio), 4-1 165: Joe Terry (Ohio) dec. over Luke Drugac (ODU), 7-6 *The dual was canceled after an injury during the 174-pound match. -- Frank S. Foley: The 174-pound wrestler went unconscious during the match and had to be resuscitated by paramedics on the mat. Officials chose to cancel the rest of the dual. Q: What are the odds Jason Nolf is done for the season due to his knee injury? Last season Cael said Nick Suriano would be competing at Big Tens and NCAAs after his ankle injury and we saw that was not the case. We seem to be getting a similar message from Cael this time around with Nolf. -- Sammy T. Foley: I couldn't make odds, but I think you are on to something. While watching Penn State's post-dual celebration following their win over Ohio State I noticed that Nolf was on crutches. He is much younger than I am and a better athlete, but at no time in my life have I gone from crutches to mat-ready in a month. Limp to 50 percent? Maybe. But in seeing his crutches I lost some hope that we will have the full, if any, of the Jason Nolf experience. Q: Hope you had less of a miserable time traveling back from Africa than I have had in the past. Got a question for you. This weekend I coached a high school team in our section tournament and was consistently frustrated by the lack of consistency in calls (stalling, out of bounds, what is control, etc.). I'm not too far removed from college wrestling, so I may be biased towards more of the black/white rules the NCAA uses. While I agree the rules aren't perfect, I do think that regardless there should be some alignment between what is considered control/out of bounds. Do you think there should be alignment with high school and college rules? Just some I think contribute to better wrestling: College out of bounds No reaction time for takedowns **Both of these just make the refs job easier. When one wrestler goes out of bounds, it's a mandatory stalling call. I understand this inserts some subjectivity, but I really had some thought about this. As a wrestler if I got called for stalling I always blamed myself and couldn't rationalize getting worked up about it. However, if I felt I was doing all the work in the match and didn't get a stalling call, I'd be frustrated. For that reason, I think stalling calls should be more prevalent. Riding time I agree can be left out. Any others you think? (4-point nearfall, dropping to leg 5 counts?) -- CP Foley: I don't get to watch a lot of high school wrestling, but it's always surprised me that the same style of wrestling would have different rule interpretations. I get that a shorter period might be in effect, but what is the point in having variable rule sets? The fact that you don't earn riding time until college stands out as one of the oddest rule changes. The reason probably stems from quality control, and the inability for many schools to provide the right equipment to track riding time. But really, that's only a guess. One suggestion to make it easier for everyone … switch to freestyle! Q: Much will be written about Adam Coon upsetting Kyle Snyder, but I want to ask your thoughts on the most important and under-reported aspect: Coon unbuckles his headgear, spins it around sideways resting on his forehead and walks around the mat to get his hand raised. I have seen guys do that for years and think it looks totally ridiculous. Not illegal, not unsportsmanlike, just a cheesy habit that bugs me. It ruined the glory of the moment. What wrestling habit like that bugs you or readers of the mailbag? -- Dave B. Foley: If I'm being honest, I have to say that these exact words came out of my mouth. Not sure why I don't like the headgear turn -- and Coon has always done it -- but I've always found it off putting. I don't "care" per se, and I don't find it unsportsmanlike, I just don't find it aesthetically pleasing. Q: In a previous mailbag, you replied, "Lord, no" when asked if Adam Coon could beat Kyle Snyder. Now that it has happened, what are your thoughts? Do you see Coon beating Snyder in March? -- Mike C. Foley: Heckle me for a wrong call and then ask me to make two more … c'mon, man! Yes, I see Snyder winning any/both rematches. SIDENOTE OF THE WEEK It was reported this week that Martin Floreani has been asked to step aside from his role as CEO of FloSports. While no details were made public, it'll be interesting to see what, if any, impact the move will have on FloWrestling.