InterMat Staff

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- (National Qualifier Schedule/Results) The 2017 national championship season kicks off Saturday, as 180 automatic berths to the 2017 NAIA Wrestling National Championships, presented by USA Wrestling-Kansas, are on the line at six national qualifier events. The top three finishers in each of the area's 10 weight classes claim one of the available automatic berths to the national championships, which take place at the Kansas Expocentre in Topeka, Kan., March 3 - 4. The remainder of the 240-man field is filled with at-large individuals. Each of the six qualifying groups receive five wildcards, which are chosen by the coaches at the post-qualifier meeting. The remaining 30 wrestlers are determined by a national selection committee. Up to 15 nominations from each area are considered by the committee. Five-time defending national champion and top-ranked Grand View (Iowa) headlines the teams participating in the Central Qualifier. In the most recent national rankings on Feb. 8, 11 of the 12 ranked Vikings fall in the top four of their respective weight classes, including top ranked Jacob Colon (133 pounds), Grand Henderson (165 pounds), Lawton Benna (174 pounds) and Dean Broghammer (285 pounds). With the addition of Victor Hughes of Baker (Kan.) at 149 pounds, the Central Qualifier showcases five top-ranked individuals. Colon, Hughes and Broghammer are all defending national champions and have put together successful 2017 seasons so far. Hughes has won 14-straight matches en route to a 25-3 overall record this season to lead the Wildcats, while Colon is 23-4 and Broghammer is 18-3. No. 4 Campbellsville (Ky.) enters the East Qualifier as the highest ranked team out of the area. The Tigers are led by 125-pounder Adrian Camposano and Charles Sharon at 184 pounds, as both rank at the top of their respective weight classes. Campbellsville-rivals Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) and Cumberlands (Ky.) look to squash the Tiger's attempt at a second-consecutive East Qualifier team title. The Blue Raiders enter the event ranked tied for No. 5, while Cumberlands is No. 7. Cam Tessari of Lindsey Wilson at 157 pounds is another grappler to watch in the East Qualifier. Tessari, who has been ranked No. 1 nationally in every poll this season, is 31-2 on the year and has not lost since a 3-1 sudden victory defeat against Cody Law of NCAA Division II Pittsburgh-Johnstown (Pa.) on Dec. 18. Indiana Tech seems poised to defend its Midwest Qualifier title again this season. The Warriors have been ranked second nationally for six-straight polls and are highlighted by Mitch Pawlak at 133 pounds. Pawlak, who won the 125-pound championship last season, ranks No. 2 in the latest Coaches' Poll. The three-time All-American is the only national champion in program history. Led by No. 1 Tyler Fraley, Williams Baptist (Ark.) is the most likely challenger to Indiana Tech in the Midwest Qualifier. The Feehold, N.J., native is 17-1 on the year with his lone defeat coming against Nate Rodriguez of NCAA Division II Maryville (Mo.) on Nov. 19 - a match that was forfeited by Fraley. Last season, Fraley pinned his way into the Midwest Qualifier title match before downing Matt Miller of Indiana Tech, 4-0, to claim the crown. In the North Qualifier, No. 15 Concordia (Neb.) is seeking its third-straight team title at the event. The Bulldogs wrapped up the outright Great Plains Athletic Conference dual title last week with a dominant 28-6 victory over Hastings (Neb.). Oklahoma City is the favorite to claim the top prize out the South Qualifier, followed by Wayland Baptist (Texas). The Stars, who also won the team title last season, had seven ranked grapplers in the most recent Coaches' Poll, while Wayland Baptist had four. The North and South Qualifiers are the only two areas where there will not be at least one top-ranked wrestler competing. Last, but not least is the highly contested West Qualifier, which features four teams that rank among the top 10 nationally - No. 3 Menlo (Calif.), No. 5 Montana State-Northern, No. 8 Great Falls (Mont.) and No. 10 Southern Oregon. Menlo, which has finished no better than fourth in the team title race each of the last four seasons, brings seven guys to the event that have national distinction. No. 3 Troy Lakin at 125 pounds is the highest ranked of the group. The senior is the defending West Qualifier champion and has national title aspirations after finishing third last season. Matthew Nguyen of Eastern Oregon at 125 pounds is the West's only top-ranked individual entering the qualifier. He is 21-6 on the season, including a 12-10 sudden victory win over the aforementioned Lakin. For more information on the 2017 NAIA Wrestling National Championships, click here. Note -- all records from Trackwestling as of Feb. 16 with byes removed from overall mark

The NWCA National Duals Championship Series presented by Theraworx and the United States Marine Corps kicks off Friday, February 17 with three of the eight dual meets. Listed below is how you can follow along with all the action of the weekend. BATS-TOI will be the presenting media partner for television and web streaming. Complete results and live scoring can be found on Trackwrestling: http://bit.ly/NDCS2017 Note: All rankings from the USA Today/NWCA Division I Coaches Poll (2/13/17) Friday, February 17 WHAT: #16 Michigan (8-6) at #7 NC State (12-2) WHERE: Reynolds Coliseum, Raleigh, N.C. WHEN: 7 p.m. Eastern WATCH: ACC Network Extra WHAT: #12 Rutgers (12-4) at #11 Lehigh (9-4) WHERE: Grace Hall, Bethlehem, Pa. WHEN: 7 p.m. Eastern WATCH: Trackwrestling WHAT: Purdue (8-7) at #17 South Dakota State (13-4) WHERE: Frost Arena, Brookings, S.D. WHEN: 7 p.m. Central WATCH: Flowrestling Saturday, February 18 WHAT: #3 Iowa (12-2) at #23 Edinboro (8-5) WHERE: McComb Fieldhouse, Edinboro, Pa. WHEN: 7 p.m. Eastern WATCH: Flowrestling Sunday, February 19 WHAT: #4 Ohio State (11-2) at #8 Cornell (12-2) WHERE: Newman Arena, Ithaca, N.Y. WHEN: 1 p.m. Eastern WATCH: WATCH: Trackwrestling WHAT: Indiana (9-9) at #20 Appalachian State (13-2) WHERE: Varsity Gym, Boone, N.C. WHEN: 3 p.m. Eastern WATCH: Trackwrestling WHAT: #6 Nebraska (12-3) at #5 Virginia Tech (17-1) WHERE: Cassell Coliseum, Blacksburg, Va. WHEN: 6:30 p.m. Eastern WATCH: ACC Network Extra NWCA NATIONAL DUAL SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP WHAT: #2 Penn State (13-0) at #1 Oklahoma State (14-0) WHERE: Gallagher-Iba Arena, Stillwater, Okla. WHEN: 3 p.m. Central WATCH: Flowrestling Fans can also download the digital event program by clicking here. For more information about the NWCA Division I National Duals Championship Series please visit the NWCA website at www.nwcaonline.com. ABOUT THE MARINES The Marine Corps has been America's expeditionary force in readiness since 1775. Marines are forward deployed to respond swiftly and aggressively in times of crisis. They are soldiers of the sea, providing forces and detachments to naval ships and shore operations. They are global leaders, developing expeditionary doctrine and innovations that set the example, and leading other countries' forces and agencies in multinational military operations. These unique capabilities make us "First to Fight," and our nation's first line of defense. For more information, visit Marines.com. ABOUT BATS-TOI BATS-TOI (Bah'tua), is a sports technology company dedicated to improving athlete health and safety through the production of innovative consumer equipment such as the award-winning, state-of-the-art, protective wrestling helmet, The Mercado™. For more information or to purchase The Mercado™ please visit batstoi.com ABOUT THE NWCA The NWCA brings the wrestling coaching community together to advance the sport and ensure that current and future generations have the opportunity to engage in a safe and educationally based wrestling experience. This is primarily done by strengthening existing programs, creating new programs, and providing coaches with progressive educational opportunities. ABOUT THERAWORX Theraworx, a patented product of Avadim Technologies, Inc., is the official infection prevention partner of the NWCA. Theraworx is the clinical grade topical safeguard that cleans, restores and supports the wrestler's natural skin health. When clean is not enough, Theraworx optimizes the skin, reduces water loss and helps support the skin's natural eco-system to keep it performing at its peak physical levels. Theraworx is one of the most effective hygiene tools available for maintaining the health and welfare of your wrestling team. Options such as soaps, alcohol-based antiseptics, CHG-based products, etc. are harsh and dry out the skin, and are not safe for the face or damaged skin. Alternatively, Theraworx is total-body safe, clinically proven and used by top hospitals. Theraworx No-Rinse innovative technology quickly dries and remains on the skin and should be used before, during and after competition or practice. Theraworx is the essential hygiene tool now available for maintaining the health and welfare of your wrestling team. For more information on Theraworx®, visit www.theraworx.com.

KERMANSHAH, Iran -- The Imam Khomeini Sport Venue was at excess capacity on Friday evening as a wild Iranian crowd was treated to a whirlwind championship dual between the United States and Iran that came down to the final match. Unfortunately for the American side, a furious rally to come out of a 4-0 hole fell just short in a 5-3 loss to Iran who has now won six-straight Freestyle World Cup events. The penultimate match of the championships dual came at 125 kilograms/275 pounds with young American star Nick Gwiazdowski staring down two-time Olympic medalist Komeil Ghasemi. Gwiazdowski was unable to find his rhythm throughout the bout. Ghasemi held solid position to force a Gwiazdowski shot clock expiration in the early going. The Iranian proceeded to score two takedowns and clinch the World Cup title for Iran with a 5-0 decision. Although falling short of the World Cup crown, the U.S. team displayed tremendous heart to even force the heavyweight showdown. Read complete story on TheMat.com … Final Results 1st Place: Iran 2nd Place: United States 3rd Place: Azerbaijan 4th Place: Turkey 5th Place: Russia 6th Place: Mongolia 7th Place: Georgia 8th Place: India 1st Place Match Iran 5 (16) - United States 3 (13) 57 kg/125.5 lbs. - Hassan Rahimi (Iran) dec. Tony Ramos (United States), 6-0 61 kg/134 lbs. - Masoud Esmaeilpoorjouybari (Iran) dec. Logan Stieber (United States), 6-2 65 kg/143 lbs. - Meisam Nasiri (Iran) dec. Frank Molinaro (United States), 5-4 70 kg/154 lbs. - Mostafa Hosseinkhani (Iran) dec. James Green (United States), 2-0 74 kg/163 lbs. - Jordan Burroughs (United States) dec. Peyman Yarahmadi (Iran), 3-2 86 kg/189 lbs. - David Taylor (United States) fall Hassan Yazdanicharati (Iran), 5:05 97 kg/213 lbs. - Kyle Snyder (United States) dec. Amir Mohammadi (Iran), 6-0 125 kg/275 lbs. - Komeil Ghasemi (Iran) dec. Nick Gwiazdowski (United States), 5-0 3rd Place Match Azerbaijan 7 (27) - Turkey 1 (7) 57 kg/125.5 lbs. - Giorgi Edisherashvili (Azerbaijan) dec. Sezar Akgul (Turkey), 8-7 61 kg/134 lbs. - Ali Rahimzade (Azerbaijan) forfeit (Turkey) 65 kg/143 lbs. - Haji Aliyev (Azerbaijan) tech. fall Safa Aksoy (Turkey), 12-2 70 kg/154 lbs. - Yakup Gor (Turkey) dec. David Suynyuchkhanov (Azerbaijan), 10-2 74 kg/163 lbs. - Murad Suleymanov (Azerbaijan) dec. Islam Kilic (Turkey), 5-0 86 kg/189 lbs. - Sharif Sharifov (Azerbaijan) dec. Selim Yasar (Turkey), 2-1 97 kg/213 lbs. - Aslanbek Alborov (Azerbaijan) dec. Faruk Akkoyun (Turkey), 9-1 125 kg/275 lbs. - Jamaladdin Magomedov (Azerbaijan) fall Salim Ercan (Turkey), 0:48 5th Place Match Russia 7 (27) - Mongolia 1 (6) 57 kg/125.5 lbs. - Zelimkhan Abakarov (Russia) tech. fall Batbold Sodnomdash (Mongolia), 10-0 61 kg/134 lbs. - Dzhamal Otarsultanov (Russia) dec. Tulga Tumur-Ochir (Mongolia), 4-1 65 kg/143 lbs. - Alan Gogaev (Russia) dec. Batmagnai Batchuluun (Mongolia), 9-2 70 kg/154 lbs. - Mandakhnaran Ganzorig (Mongolia) dec. Magomedkhabib Kadimagomedov (Russia), 14-7 74 kg/163 lbs. - Atsamaz Sanakoev (Russia) tech. fall Ankhbayar Batchuluun (Mongolia), 12-1 86 kg/189 lbs. - Vladislav Valiev (Russia) tech. fall Unurbat Purevjav (Mongolia), 10-0 97 kg/213 lbs. - Rasul Magomedov (Russia) fall Batzul Ulziisaikhan (Mongolia), 5:36 125 kg/275 lbs. - Vladislav Baitcaev (Russia) dec. Zolboo Natsagsuren (Mongolia), 6-0 7th Place Match Georgia 6 (24) - India 1 (6) 57 kg/125.5 lbs. - Double Forfeit 61 kg/134 lbs. - Shota Phartenadze (Georgia) fall Harphool Harphool (India), 5:00 65 kg/143 lbs. - Bajrang Bajrang (India) tech. fall Iveriko Julakidze (Georgia), 16-6 70 kg/154 lbs. - Levan Kelekhsashvili (Georgia) dec. Amit Dhankhar (India), 7-6 74 kg/163 lbs. - Jakob Makarashvili (Georgia) dec. Jitender Jitender (India), 5-3 86 kg/189 lbs. - Dato Marsagishvili (Georgia) tech. fall Deepak Deepak, 10-0 97 kg/213 lbs. - Zviad Metreveli (Georgia) dec. Roublejit Rangi (India), 8-0 125 kg/275 lbs. - Geno Petriashvili (Georgia) forfeit (India)

KERMANSHAH, Iran -- As anticipated, the battle between the U.S. and Azerbaijan for first place in Group A at the Freestyle World Cup was hotly contested and wildly entertaining. Both teams won four matches in the dual, but it was bonus point performances that gave the American team the edge on criteria. Picking up crucial technical fall wins were 2015 World bronze medalist James Green at 70 kilograms/154 pounds, and 2013 University World bronze medalist David Taylor at 86 kilograms/189 pounds. Stepping on the mat with the team trailing 2-1, Green ignited a spark in the U.S. effort that changed the momentum of the dual. Green blasted David Suynyuchkhanov with a wide variety of offensive attacks to post a 10-0 first period technical fall. "I know these guys were trying to slow us down, stay close. It was going to be a close match throughout the lineup, so to go out there and get a tech was definitely big for Team USA," Green said. Taylor continued his impressive World Cup showing with a signature 12-2 victory over 2012 Olympic champion and 2016 Olympic bronze medalist Sharif Sharifov of Azerbaijan. Taylor notched five takedowns and a match ending exposure from a near-side cradle position in the winning effort. Taylor now owns wins over two past Olympic medalists at the World Cup this week. Read complete story on TheMat.com …

The United States rocketed off to an impressive 2-0 start yesterday at the 2017 Freestyle World Cup in Kermanshah, leading to a lot of positive vibes heading into this morning's matchup with Azerbaijan, who is also 2-0. The winner will face Iran in the gold-medal final. By the time you read this entry the United States will have already won or lost their match, but regardless of the outcome some real signposts for the future have been planted. The first major takeaway is that the team is well-coached. The American system for training can be a bit detached, with local coaches assuming much of the day-to-day training and the national team coaches left to prepare for individual matchups. The science of preparation for individual opponents seems to be at an all-time high with Coach Bill Zadick, a fact that either drives, or compliments the team's innate confidence. Down early? Down late? No problem, Team USA seems to always have an answer. Maybe this takeaway will be muted Friday, but when tallying these early Freestyle World Cup results with the performance at the 2016 World Championships, the future of USA Wrestling has never looked brighter. To your questions … David Taylor defeated Jake Herbert at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Q: David Taylor has looked awfully good at the Freestyle World Cup. Are you taking Taylor, J'den Cox or someone else as Team USA's representative at 86 kilograms at this year's World Championships? -- Mike C. Foley: Taylor had a tremendous opening day at the 2017 Freestyle World Cup. Without Kyle Dake in the 86-kilogram bracket I think that we could see a very real battle between Taylor and J'den Cox for the World Team spot (followed closely by Richard Perry). While Cox has been floating around the college scene all year it would be a mistake to look at DT's gains and not balance them with similar maturity on the part of Cox. He can wrestle anywhere and find his way to the podium and with only a handful of losses in his first season of senior level freestyle I still like Cox's chance to hold the spot. Proposal for NCAA rule changes By David F. This proposal is to make collegiate wrestling more exciting and align to Olympic/freestyle wrestling. Enforce out of bounds and the pushout rule If a wrestler walks backwards (intentionally or unintentionally) out of bounds, is pushed out of bounds or fleas the mat, then it is 1 point for the wrestler who stayed in bounds. Award back-exposure points in scramble positions I'm all for a good scrambles in college wrestling, but things are getting a bit out of hand, especially with how good these kids are getting at scrambling. If a wrestler in a scramble position exposes his/her back (intentionally or unintentionally) for longer than a referee three count, whether from neutral position or the starting referee position, then the other wrestler is awarded 2 points. Similar to exposure rules in freestyle wrestling. Break up the scoring and overall concept of riding time I'm guessing that not many like to watch the snore ride or the aggressive cuddling that has become riding time in college wrestling. To enhance our product we need wrestling to align with freestyle and have wrestlers trying to score from their feet or the top position. I propose that if a wrestler is taken down, then the top wrestler has 30 seconds to turn the bottom wrestler. If no exposure or pinning move is in effect at the end of 30 seconds, then the referee will stand both wrestlers back up, as if it was a stalemate. Logistically speaking the second referee would be in charge of clock awareness with the scorer's table. If the bottom wrestler is put on their back within the 30-second ride (by cradle, tilt, arm-bar, etc.) and gets back to his base (breaks the hold of the offensive wrestler, belly's out & is not pinned), then both wrestlers will be put back on their feet to continue from the neutral position. The bottom wrestler will still be awarded a 1-point escape if actively pursuing to get back to the neutral position and freeing themselves from top control within the 30-second rideouts. Also, reversal would still be 2 points, then that top wrestler would have 30 seconds to turn the bottom wrestler. The biggest change to riding time that I would make is if the top/offensive wrestler has two (full) 30-second rideouts, then they would be awarded a point. This would be the case for either wrestler that had top control for a full minute (two 30-second rideouts) and would rid the idea of "erasing" riding time and the technicalities of clock maintenance for riding time. Also, if a wrestler were to score two additional takedowns and another two (full) 30-second rideouts, after already being awarded 1 point, they would be given an additional point. Hence, every 1 minute of full riding = 1 point. I think these changes would bring more excitement to the college mat without completely altering the current product of college wrestling. Also, I believe these rules could be easier explained to the newcomer or casual fan of our sport (let's face it, it's never easy to explain riding time to a noob), as points are being awarded to the aggressor and it's a closer model to freestyle wrestling. Proposal for NWCA Division I National Duals By Mike M. A large part of the NCAA wrestling discussions this week surround the NWCA Division I National Duals matchups, what rules or lack of allowed those matchups and the format in general. I believe it's obvious the only way everyone is going to buy in currently is if it makes sense from a financial perspective. What would the magic number be for a minimal payout for a school to, for lack of a better term, be forced to participate? Here would be my proposal for a format change. But from a fiscal perspective, I don't know if there is enough incentive to get everyone to buy in with this type of format. Championship Committee handles team rankings. The rankings initial release is the first week of December and is updated weekly. Dual Championships will be held in one location on one day. Early session for Round 1 matches, late session for championship match. No third-place match. Dual Championship will be held on the last Saturday of January to give more of a buffer before conference tournaments. Four teams are invited based on the final rankings that will be posted two weeks prior to the National Duals date. No more than two teams from any one conference will be allowed to participate. At least three conferences must be represented. The initial seeding it based on ranking. If two teams from the same conference have wrestled each other already in the current season, they will not be matched up in the opening round regardless of seed. The only way two teams from the same conference would be matched up in the first round is if they haven't wrestled yet met in the current season and the other two teams have already wrestled each other in the current season. Participating schools will split a percentage of the gate, with the finalist receiving a slight bump (finalists 15% of gate, other two schools 10%). Possibly a percent of the sale of the TV rights as well. Host the NWCA open tournament with a Journeymen type round-robin format on the same day or prior/following day in a location at or near the venue hosting the National Duals. This will allow schools to leave that date open and have travel arrangements already in place. Q: I'm really interested in your thoughts on what that magic number is to make it financially worth it for a program to participate in the Division I National Duals. Until everyone participates the prestige of being crowned the champion isn't going to establish itself. Once the prestige establishes itself it would seem the financial incentive would be less of a deciding factor. -- David M. Foley: First I love the ideas here. It's the type of thinking the NCAA and NWCA could use, though I imagine politics would be played out behind the scenes. To financially incentivize you would need to move to a cash prize system, but based in the way that the NCAA operates a direct financial payout for a victory on the field would NEVER be kosher. In a parallel universe it would be $100,000, $50,000 and $25,000 for the top three teams. Maybe you could get a one-time TV and streaming deal, but I'd be interested to see how that was brokered. Q: I'm a little frustrated that we're not seeing Iowa and Virginia Tech wrestle at the NWCA Division I National Duals. It seems like Tom Brands wants nothing to do with wrestling Virginia Tech. I don't think Iowa is afraid of Virginia Tech, but it seems like it's related to what happened over a decade ago with Brent Metcalf, Jay Borschel and others. Any thoughts on this? -- Mike C. Foley: I don't think that Tom Brands and Kevin Dresser get along super well. I don't think there is significant incentive for Iowa to compete against Virginia Tech without at least a semblance of the national title at stake. I don't think Brands is scared of Virginia Tech. This is very clearly not a black and white matter of principle. This is a collection of matters that has built up over the years between the NWCA, NCAA and some personal gruff. The end result is that two teams -- who control their schedule -- are choosing to not wrestle. While I'd love to see these two take the mats against each other this season, I'm not super upset at Iowa for not taking the matchup. If you're an Iowa guy, where's the upside? Q: What's the latest with Aaron Pico? Will he be wrestling for a spot on the World Team? I thought I read somewhere that he will be making his Bellator debut this year, but I could be wrong. -- Mike C. Foley: You read correctly. He is expected to make his Bellator debut in July. Q: As it stands today, which teams do you think will produce the most All-Americans in St. Louis? Penn State and Oklahoma State will most likely have their fair share of NCAA placers, but what other teams do you think will have an impressive showing at the NCAAs? -- Sean M. Foley: Penn State with seven All-Americans. Oklahoma State and Virginia Tech each with six All-Americans. Iowa with five and Ohio State with four. Q: Johny Hendricks has had a successful MMA career, but has struggled a lot with his weight and is on the back side of his career. He fights Hector Lombard this weekend. Any predictions on that fight? -- Mike C. Foley: This is a fascinating matchup. Both men are large one-punch fighters with platinum grappling credentials. Johny will find Hector to be a handful on the cage, but if he can weather an early storm of haymakers and overhooks he can tire out the Cuban judoka-turned Aussie fighter. If he fails to prepare for Hector's right hand, or was deficient in his strength training leading up to this weight class move, then Johny could face a very short, very painful night in the Octagon. COMMENT OF THE WEEK By Joe S. Every season there is a lot of hand-wringing about the number of forfeits in dual meets, the ducking of opponents to protect seeds or to avoid additional opportunities for tactical adjustment, the scheduling of weak opponents, the skipping of tough tournaments, etc. It seems to me that these problems are really symptoms of a simple, core truth that isn't being addressed: wrestling is a physically demanding combat sport for which a heavy load of competitions is not in the best interest of the athlete. David Taylor candidly remarked recently that his current great form is the result of a training formula that is supplemented by about 25-30 matches annually, and of course in freestyle that might mean just one tournament every other month. To do more competitions has the negatives of greater risk of injury, fatigue, inability to peak, not to mention the problems of making weight more often. Maybe by accepting this fact and reconstructing the NCAA season accordingly we could have healthier participants and offer a better product of major and minor events (chosen during the season to meet the athlete's needs) culminating in the NCAA tournament.

U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo. -- Senior team captain Parker Hines led the Falcons to victory with a major decision in the final bout, lifting Air Force to a 20-15 win over Northern Colorado and their first Big 12 win at home. Michael Billingsley registered a major decision while four other Falcons tallied decision victories, including freshman Ricky Padilla's debut dual upset over No. 25 Keilan Torres, Thursday night, in Clune Arena. Northern Colorado opened the dual with strong presence, winning the first three bouts with a technical fall, a major decision and a decision win. Trey Andrews posted an 18-1 technical fall over Drew Romero at 125, followed by Rico Montoya's come-from-behind, 11-9, decision win over Dylan Hyder in overtime. Timmy Box extended the Bears' lead, 12-0, with bonus points from a major decision over John Twomey at 141. Senior team captain Jerry McGinty led the charge for the Air Force comeback, registering a 7-3 decision over Ben Polkowske at 149. The Colorado Springs, Colorado, native commanded the pace of battle, scoring two takedowns in the first period and adding a third takedown in the second period to seal the deal with riding time. At 157, Alex Mossing met with Jimmy Fate. Mossing exploded off the line, scoring a quick takedown and turning Fate to his back for six near fall points before riding him out for the remainder of the period. With an additional escape point tacked on inthe second period, Mossing fended off Fate's attack to seal the deal, 9-4, and narrow the Bears' lead, 12-6. In the following bout at 165, freshman Ricky Padilla made his dual meet debut against No. 25 Keilan Torres. Padilla, who won a title at the Rocky Mountain Open last weekend, mustered an explosive third period, scoring nine points from two takedowns, four near fall points and an escape in the final minute of the bout. The crowd erupted as Padilla upended the nationally ranked Torres, cutting the Bears lead down to three. With the Falcons firing on all cylinders, junior 174-pounder Michael Billingsley took the mats determined to win the equalizer. Billingsley fired off two successful takedowns in the first period met with two of Davis' escapes. Billingsley added two more takedowns to the scorecard in the second period, also met with two escapes from Davis. In the final period, Billingsley added another takedown, this time, riding Davis until the end of the period for an additional riding time point and a 12-4 major decision to give the Falcons their first lead of the night, 13-12. In the following match, No. 19 Dylan Gabel took the mats against Air Forces' junior 184-pounder Zen Ikehara, determined to quell the Falcons' rally. Gabel commanded the match, scoring two takedowns, an escape and an addition riding time point, while holding Ikehara scoreless, to regain the Bears' lead. With the team score at 15-13 in favor of the Bears, sophomore 197-pounder Anthony McLaughlin, who is undefeated in dual matches this season, took the mat against Jamarcus Grant. McLaughlin struck first with a takedown in the first period met with Grant's escape. McLaughlin rallied for another takedown and two more escapes by the final whistle, finalizing the 197 bout at 7-4, regaining the Falcons' lead, 16-15. In the final bout of the night, with the outcome of the dual dependent on the victor, senior team captain Parker Hines took the mat against Jack Kuck at 285. Hines worked into his rhythm grappling with Kuck, who outweighed him by 50 pounds. Hines found his opening for a shot and two points in the first period, met with Kuck's escape. In the second period, Hines registered a quick escape and continued the battle scoreless for the remainder of the period. From the down position, Kuck registered a quick escape of his own, narrowing Hines' lead 3-2. Undeterred, Hines fired off a double-leg shot and got the big man down for two more points. With the crowd roaring at his back, Hines worked himself into position to tilt Kuck for an additional four near fall points and a major decision victory at the final whistle. With Hines' major decision, Air Force finalized the score at 20-15. The victory marked Air Force's first Big 12 win of the season as well as their first home win. Air Force finalized its 2016-17 dual slate at 6-6, with a 1-4 mark in the Big 12. Air Force wrestlers return to action Sunday morning for the U.S. Western National Open, hosted in the center gym of Cadet Gymnasium, USAFA. Tournament bouts are slated to begin at 9:00 a.m. MT, and will be live streamed by FloWrestling. Following Sunday's action, Air Force heads to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to compete for titles at the Big 12 Conference Championships, March 4-5, in Tulsa's BOK Center. FloWrestling will be live streaming the tournament. Results: 125: Trey Andrews (UNC) def. Drew Romero (AFA) –TF (18-1), UNC 5-0 133: Rico Montoya (UNC) def. Dylan Hyder (AFA) –11-9 SV-1, UNC 8-0 141: #25 Timmy Box (UNC) def. John Twomey (AFA) –MD (12-1), UNC 12-0 149: Jerry McGinty (AFA) def. Ben Polkowske (UNC) –7-3, UNC 12-3 157: Alex Mossing (AFA) def. Jimmy Fate (UNC) –9-4, UNC 12-6 165: Ricky Padilla (AFA) def. #25 Keilan Torres (UNC) –10-3, UNC 12-9 174: Michael Billingsley (AFA) def. Tanner Davis (UNC) –MD (12-4), AFA 13-12 184: #19 Dylan Gabel (UNC) def. Zen Ikehara (AFA) –6-0, UNC 15-13 197: Anthony McLaughlin (AFA) def. Jamarcus Grant (UNC) –7-4, AFA 16-15 285: Parker Hines (AFA) def. Jack Kuck (UNC) –MD 10-2, AFA 20-15

The No. 1 St. Cloud State University wrestling team added another chapter to its legacy of success with its 30-6 victory at Augustana University in Sioux Falls, S.D. on Thursday, Feb. 16. The victory helped the Huskies claim the outright Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference championship for the sixth consecutive season with a perfect 8-0 record. The win also pushed SCSU's overall season record to 17-1, while Augustana falls to 12-7, 6-2 NSIC. The Huskies have now won NSIC titles in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017. The Huskies have won 52 consecutive NSIC dual matches and they have not lost a dual meet since a setback against Augustana during 2010-11 season. SCSU made a quick statement in its dual match at Augustana by winning the first seven matches of the night to gain the upper hand. At 125-pounds, No. 5 Brett Velasqez posted a 12-4 major decision win over AU's Brandon Caroll. The wins kept rolling in as SCSU's Mike Rhone scored a 2-1 win at 133 and Jarred Oftedahl scored an 8-2 win over Austin Jordan at 141 pounds. In action at 149-pounds, SCSU's No. 10 James Pleski scored a 10-2 major decision win over Bailey Neises of Augustana. At 157-pounds, No. 9 Larry Bomstad gained a 12-1 major decision over Augie's Tyler Nation. SCSU extended its leads with an 8-2 win by No. 10 Gabe Fogarty at 165-pounds and a 9-4 decision victory by No. 4 Clayton Jennissen at 174-pounds. The first setback of the evening for the Huskies was at 184-pounds, as Augustana's No. 5 Aero Amo scored a 6-4 win over SCSU's No. 6 Uthman Rabiu. At 197-pounds, AU's Ben Goodwin posted a 6-3 win over SCSU's No. 5 Vince Dietz. The Huskies got back into the win column at 285-pounds with a pin by No. 1 Austin Goergen at 2:24 against Augustana's Michael Lowman. This was Goergen's 14 pin of the season and his SCSU record 65th career pin. Goergen will enter the upcoming regional with a perfect 23-0 record this season for the Huskies. SCSU will continue its 2016-17 season with a trip to the NCAA Division II Super 3 Regional in Moorhead, Minn. on Feb. 24-25. This tournament serves as the qualifying meet for the upcoming 2017 NCAA Division II Championships. Complete results for the match at Augustana are listed below: Results: 125: #5 Brett Velasquez (SCS) over Brandon Carroll (AUSD) (MD 12-4) 133: Mike Rhone (SCS) over Brandon Charbonneau (AUSD) (TB-1 2-1) 141: Jarred Oftedahl (SCS) over Austin Jordan (AUSD) (Dec 8-2) 149: #10 James Pleski (SCS) over Bailey Neises (AUSD) (MD 10-2) 157: #9 Larry Bomstad (SCS) over Tyler Nation (AUSD) (MD 12-1) 165: #10 Gabe Fogarty (SCS) over Mitchell Rechtzigel (AUSD) (Dec 8-2) 174: #4 Clayton Jennissen (SCS) over Lukas Poloncic (AUSD) (Dec 9-4) 184: #5 Aero Amo (AUSD) over #6 Uthman Rabiu (SCS) (Dec 6-4) 197: Ben Goodwin (AUSD) over #5 Vince Dietz (SCS) (Dec 6-3) 285: #1 Austin Goergen (SCS) over Michael Lowman (AUSD) (Fall 2:24)

MILLERSVILLE, Pa. -- With wins in eight of the 10 bouts, including three-straight to open the match, Franklin & Marshall's wrestling team retained the Rupp Cup for the seventh consecutive year with a 31-9 win against Millersville on Thursday evening. The Diplomats improved to 4-8 on the year while the Marauders dropped to 2-8. F&M seized control early on with an 11-0 advantage after the opening three bouts. Edgar Garcia got the action started with a 5-1 decision at 125 before Dan Martoccio followed with a dominant 18-4 major at 133 to put the Diplomats out in front at 7-0. Paddy Quinlan stretched F&M's commanding advantage to 11-0 at 141 with an 18-6 major decision. Millersville climbed back into the match with two consecutive wins, including a pin at 157, which cut the Diplomats' lead to 11-9 heading into 165. Senior captain Robbie King broke the Millersville momentum with a clutch 16-0 tech. fall, securing the match in the final seconds of the first period to deliver five points to F&M. A Jimmy Stillerman reversal broke a 2-2 tie in the closing seconds of the second period at 174, before the Diplomats' freshman grappler controlled the third stanza en route to a 13-5 decision. Anthony Mancini entered the third period ahead by a 9-1 tally at 184 and closed the bout at 6:44 with the 19-1 tech. fall. Gordon Bolig continued the Diplomat win streak by securing the final three points in a 9-6 win at 197. Jack Argast garnered the first dual win of his career at 285, earning F&M's fifth straight win in the match with a thriller in the night's final bout. Trailing by an 8-6 tally with just seconds on the clock in the third, Argast recorded a takedown to force sudden victory. Argast worked his was around the back of Millersville's Zachary Yackenchick in the opening 10 seconds of the overtime frame to collect the takedown and put the finishing touches on the Diplomats' victory. Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) opponent Princeton heads to Mayser tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. for F&M's final dual meet competition of the 2016-17 season. Results: 125 –Edgar Garcia (F&M) over Austin Camacci (MILL) - 5-1 DEC, F&M leads 3-0 133 – Dan Martoccio (F&M )over Aaron Wildonger (MILL) - 18-4 MD, F&M leads 7-0 141 – Paddy Quinlan (F&M) over Kyle Loeb (MILL) - 18-6 MD, F&M leads 11-0 149 – David Charles (MILL) over Sam Butler (F&M) - 8-5 DEC, F&M leads 11-3 157 – Seth Decker (MILL) over Emmett LiCastri (F&M) by Fall (2:32), F&M leads 11-9 165 – Robbie King (F&M) over Shane Ruhnke (MILL) - 16-0 TF (2:57), F&M leads 16-9 174 – Jimmy Stillerman (F&M) over Trent Cook (MILL) - 13-5 DEC, F&M leads 20-9 184 – Anthony Mancini (F&M) over Evan Morrill - 19-1 TF (6:44) F&M leads 25-9 197 - Gordon Bolig (F&M) over Jared Fetterman (MILL) - 9-7 DEC, F&M leads 28-9 285 - Jack Argast (F&M) over Zachary Yackenchick (MILL) - 10-8 SV-1, F&M wins 31-9.

LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. -- The Rider University wrestling team looked dominant in a 25-11 victory over the crosstown rival Princeton Tigers. In Head Coach Gary Taylor's 441st career win, the Broncs took seven of 10 matches, including two bonus-point victories. The win pushed Taylor past former Minnesota Head Coach J Robinson for third all-time in NCAA Division I dual victories. The Broncs received bonus points from Chad Walsh (Cherry Hill, NJ/Camden Catholic) at 165 and Ryan Wolfe (New Castle, DE/Caravel Academy) at 197. Matches were also won by J.R. Wert (Christianburg, VA/Christianburg) at 125, Anthony Cefolo (Florham Park, NJ/Hanover Park Regional [South Dakota St.]) at 133, Evan Fidelibus (Easton, PA/Easton Area) at 141, B.J. Clagon (Toms River, NJ/Toms River South) at 157, and Wayne Stinson (Wrightstown, NJ/Northern Burlington Regional) at 184. "It's a tribute to both our coaching staff and our wrestlers," said Coach Taylor. "They went after something at the beginning of this year, and they worked hard to get it for me." The historic victory began with a match that needed extra time at 125, where Wert managed to kick the Broncs off on the right foot with a 3-1 overtime victory over Ty Agaisse. The Broncs would continue on to win the next two matches as well, with Cefolo defeating Pat D'Arcy 8-3 in a rematch of the 2015 New Jersey state finals at 126 pounds, which Cefolo lost. Fidelibus would defeat Jordan Reich 10-5 to push the Broncs lead to 9-0. The Broncs would suffer their first loss at 149, when 19th ranked Jordan Laster defeated Jesse Rodgers (Pittsburgh, PA/Northern Allegheny), 12-2 to bring the score to 9-4. The Rider wrestlers wouldn't let it stay close, winning another two-straight matches, including one by fall, to blow the match open. Clagon defeated Mike D'Angelo, 8-3, before Walsh pinned Matt Gancayco at 5:58 to make the dual score 18-4. At 174, Dean Sherry (Brick, NJ/Brick Township) suffered a tough 7-4 loss to Jonathan Schleifer. The Broncs would then win another back-to-back set of matches to clinch the victory, with Stinson defeating Ian Baker up a weight at 184 by an 8-5 score, and Wolfe just missing the technical fall with a 20-4 major decision of Troy Murtha. 285 pound wrestler Mauro Correnti (Delran, NJ/Holy Cross [Lock Haven]) would lose by the score of 12-0 to set the final score of 25-11. The Broncs next wrestle in their senior day match against the Terrapins of Maryland on Saturday, February 18th at 3pm in Alumni Gymnasium. Results: 125: J.R. Wert (RU) dec. Ty Agaisse (PU), 3-1 SV-1. RU Leads 3-0 133: Anthony Cefolo (RU) dec. Pat D'Arcy (PU), 8-3. RU Leads 6-0 141: Evan Fidelibus (RU) dec. Jordan Reich (PU), 10-5. RU Leads 9-0 149: Jordan Laster (PU) M. Dec. Jesse Rodgers (PU), 12-2. RU Leads 9-4 157: B.J. Clagon (RU) Dec. Mike D'Angelo (PU), 8-3. RU Leads 12-4 165: Chad Walsh (RU) WBF Matt Gancayco (PU), 5:58. RU Leads 18-4 174: Jonathan Schleifer (PU) Dec. Dean Sherry (RU), 7-4. RU Leads 18-7 184: Wayne Stinson (RU) Dec. Ian Baker (PU), 8-5. RU Leads 21-7 197: Ryan Wolfe (RU) M. Dec. Troy Murtha (PU), 20-6. RU Leads 25-7 285: Ray O'Donnell (PU) M. Dec. Mauro Correnti (RU), 11-0. RU Wins 25-11

KERMANSHAH, Iran -- Make it two-for-two for Team USA at the Freestyle World Cup after the talented American team soundly defeated Russia 6-2 as the first day of action concluded in Kermanshah, Iran. The United States-Russia dual featured several tight bouts and some serious cases of star power as the U.S. pulled away in the later stages. The featured match of the dual came early with 2016 World champion Logan Stieber squaring off against 2016 University World champion Viktor Rassadin at 61 kilograms/134 pounds. The two traded points throughout the bout, and it all came down to a challenge from the Russian corner with four second left in the match. With Stieber leading 4-4 on criteria, Rassadin attempted a low-level attack that was popped through by Stieber. The call of two points for Stieber was reviewed and confirmed, cementing the 7-4 win for the American. Read complete story on TheMat.com …

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- No. 10 Mizzou Wrestling closed out its regular season on a high note Wednesday evening, recording a 34-12 victory over Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville. The Tigers (11-4, 7-1 MAC) recorded two falls and a technical fall as a team to top the Cougars (4-12, 4-3 SoCon) for the 10th time in the Coach Smith era. In the victory, four seniors who wrestled their final match inside the Hearnes Center earned victories. Starting the dual for the second straight time, redshirt freshman heavyweight Austin Myers (Alexandria, Ky.) gave Mizzou an early lead after clinching a 3-1 decision over Jake McKierman in sudden victory. The match remained relatively even with each wrestler recording an escape, sending it to overtime. Just nine seconds into the period, Myers upended McKierman with a takedown and the victory for Mizzou. SIUE took the lead following a sudden victory at 125 pounds and a fall in the 133 pound bout, but Mizzou quickly tied the score up thanks to redshirt freshman 141-pounder Jaydin Eierman (Columbia, Mo.). Eierman tallied the Tigers second win of the day with his team-leading fifth dual fall over Angelo Silvestro. Eierman maintained control of the entire bout, recording 10 takedowns before getting Silvestro to his back for six points, tying the dual, 9-9. In his final match at the Hearnes, redshirt senior 149-pounder Lavion Mayes (Mascoutah, Ill.) propelled the Tigers into the lead with a 9-1 major decision over John Fahy. Mayes tabbed a takedown in the first and a pair of late-round takedowns in the third to give Mizzou the 13-9 advantage. With this major decision, Mayes now ties former Tiger All-American and current UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley for fourth in Mizzou history for career major decisions with 28. Making a spot start, redshirt senior 157-pounder Matt Manley (Perry, Okla.) took the mat for the Tigers looking to extend Mizzou's lead. After three grueling rounds, Manley and Tyshawn Williams moved to a sudden victory to decide the bout. Halfway into the round, Manley and Williams engaged in some punishing grappling on the mat. In a quick move, Manley toppled Williams to his back, earning his second fall of the season and putting Mizzou ahead, 19-9. Following Manley's win, the Tigers took a commanding 28-12 lead thanks to a major decision victory by redshirt sophomore 165-pounder Daniel Lewis (Blue Springs, Mo.) and a technical fall win by redshirt senior 184-pounder Matt Lemanowicz (Lee's Summit, Mo.). Lewis posted his 17th bonus point win this season, while Lemanowicz earned his first technical fall of the season. Mizzou capped the scoring at 34-12 following a win by forfeit for senior 197-pounder J'den Cox (Columbia, Mo.). Mizzou now enters postseason competition, beginning with the MAC Championships in Cedar Falls, Iowa, March 4-5, where The Tigers seek their fifth straight conference tournament title. For all the latest on Mizzou Wrestling, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (MizzouWrestling). Results: HWT: Austin Myers (MIZ) dec. Jake McKiernan (SIUE): SV-1, 3-1 125: No. 15 Freddie Rodriguez (SIUE) dec. Barlow McGhee (MIZ):SV-1, 12-6 133: John Muldoon (SIUE) fall Chase Brennan (MIZ): 5:56 141: No. 9 Jaydin Eierman (MIZ) fall Angelo Silvestro (SIUE): 5:44 149: No. 4 Lavion Mayes (MIZ) maj. dec. John Fahy (SIUE): 9-1 157: Matt Manley (MIZ) fall Tyshawn Williams (SIUE): 7:34 165: No. 5 Daniel Lewis (MIZ) maj. dec. Clayton Bass (SIUE): 16-2 174: Jake Residori (SIUE) dec. Dylan Wisman (MIZ): 5-2 184: Matt Lemanowicz (MIZ) tech. fall Jake Godinez (SIUE): 18-2 (5:52) 197: No. 1 J'den Cox (MIZ) win by forfeit

Individual bracket state tournaments take place in fifteen states this week, with this being the first week where state champions are being determined in what one would call "power states". Below are nine state tournament weight classes that merit watching from across the country for this weekend, each of them features a pair of nationally ranked wrestlers. 1. No. 2 Austin Gomez (Glenbard North) vs. No. 3 Jamie Hernandez (Oak Park River Forest) -- Illinois Class 3A 138 pounds Two-time state champion Gomez is undecided with his college commitment after Kevin Jackson resigned from Iowa State; while a state title is elusive for the North Carolina commit Hernandez, who has placed second and fourth the previous two seasons. This past weekend at the sectional tournament, Gomez beat former No. 2 Hernandez 3-1 in the semifinal to jump three spots in the rankings to No. 2. Each will likely have a very tough opponent in the quarterfinals. Gomez is likely to face two-time state placer Anthony Cheloni (Marmion Academy), who placed second at state two years ago in this weight class; while Hernandez is likely to face state placer Kendall Coleman (Chicago Mt. Carmel) should he clear returning state runner-up Donnell Washington (Marian Catholic) in the opening round. Due to the asinine "carry system" that Illinois still uses, it is very likely that the Coleman/Washington loser does not make it to the consolation bracket. It is likely that the Gomez/Cheloni quarterfinal winner will face two-time state placer Jimmy McAuliffe (Reavis) in the semifinal, while Hernandez would be positioned to face now three-time state qualifier Brandon Ramos (Lockport) in his semifinal. It should be noted that McAuliffe beat Cheloni in the sectional quarter before losing to Coleman in the final last week. 2. No. 7 Anthony Madrigal (Oak Park River Forest) vs. No. 8 Real Woods (Montini Catholic) -- Illinois Class 3A 126 pounds Madrigal, runner-up last year in this weight class to Austin Gomez, beat two-time state finalist Woods twice at the Walsh Jesuit Ironman (the 2015 state champ was upset last year in the final by Louie Hayes). The pair of elite juniors met in the quarterfinal and consolation final, with Madrigal winning 8-4 and then in overtime 5-3. Mercifully the IHSA does seed the sectional champions, and these two are in opposite halves the draw. Woods has a pretty clear path in his half-bracket, as the most notable wrestler is Kaleb Guzior (Chicago Mt. Carmel), a 2015 state placer that took fourth in his sectional this past weekend. For Madrigal a quarterfinal date with returning state placer Dylan Burnoski (Bolingbrook) is possible, and then a semifinal with 2015 state placer Zach Villarreal (Lyons Township). 3. No. 8 Rocky Lombardi (West Des Moines Valley) vs. No. 9 Wyatt Wriedt (North Scott) -- Iowa Class 3A 220 pounds The good news is that the bracket gods have put these two stars in opposite halves of the draw, as given the 8x2 structure of the state tournament, they could have been paired in the quarterfinal round. Last season, Lombardi beat Wriedt the three times they met in the regular season (including first period pins in the first and third of those bouts) before Wriedt got him 9-2 in the state semifinal; Wriedt would then upset Ethan Andersen to win the state title, while Lombardi bounced back to third. This season, the pair of wrestlers have split bouts. The Nebraska commit Wriedt won 2-1 in the tiebreaker in the final at the Keith Young Invitational during the season's opening weekend, while it was the future Michigan State quarterback Lombardi winning 3-1 in overtime during January in the finals of the Ed Winger Classic. On the season, Lombardi is 35-1 with 29 first period pins (31 in all). An interesting note is that their teams could face off in the dual team semifinal on Wednesday (today) afternoon, presuming each wins first round, though North Scott would have to beat No. 44 Fort Dodge to advance. 4. No. 16 Drew Bennett (Fort Dodge) vs. No. 17 Kyle Biscoglia (Waukee) -- Iowa Class 3A 113 pounds Want a silver lining to these two wrestlers being drawn to meet in a possible semifinal bout? Last year the pair met in the quarterfinal round, a match that was won 6-5 by Biscoglia in the tiebreaker; Biscoglia would go onto win the state title, while Bennett did bounce back to place third. The only other losses for Bennett in his sophomore season were 3-2 in the ultimate tiebreaker to Cade Devos in late January, and 1-1 in an ultimate tiebreaker against Biscoglia in mid-December; Biscoglia's lone loss last season was while up at 113 pounds, 13-9 to Brody Teske in late January. On the other hand, this season it's Bennett who is undefeated at 38-0, while Biscoglia enters the state tournament 42-2. The lone losses for Biscoglia came to Bennett, 3-2 in mid-December and 9-8 in late January; Bennett also has a 5-4 win from early January over No. 18 Aden Reeves (Albia), who competes in Class 1A. Bennett should clear easily to the semi, while Biscoglia does have a likely quarterfinal against returning state placer Kobey Pritchard (Independence). Returning state placer Jacob Schipper (North Scott) is the likely opponent for Bennett or Biscoglia in the state final. 5. No. 3 Mason Parris (Lawrenceburg) vs. No. 7 Gunnar Larson (Avon) -- Indiana 220 pounds These wrestlers met in last year's state final, Parris won on that occasion by 13-4 major decision. Neither wrestler has lost a match this season. However, the infinite wisdom of the Indiana state tournament has them paired to meet in the semifinal round. Parris draws returning state placer Clayton Scroggs (Martinsville) in the opening round, who placed fourth at semi-state, including a 9-1 major decision loss to Larson in the semifinal. Larson draws Cadet freestyle All-American Kyle Cornwell (Elwood) in the opening round; with a likely quarterfinal against Justin Akers (Crown Point), a 2015 state qualifier who was one match from placing at the Super 32 in the pre-season. The most likely semifinal in the top half would pit Cadet freestyle All-American Eli Pokorney (Chesterton) against the undefeated Corbin Maddox (Daleville). Travis Ford-Melton was a runner-up at the Minnesota Christmas Tournament (Photo/David Peterson, Minnesota/USA Wrestling) 6. No. 4 Travis Ford-Melton (Marian Catholic) vs. No. 13 Joey Melendez (Montini Catholic) -- Illinois Class 3A 113 pounds A pair of state champions from last year at 106 pounds are featured in this state tournament weight class, as Marian Catholic made the move up from 2A last year to 3A this year. The fact that Melendez was caught by Tommy Russell (St. Rita) in the third period of his sectional final distorted the bracket, and creates what is a potentially electric quarterfinal bout with Ford-Melton. The winner of that bout is most likely to face P.J. Ogunsanya (Oak Park River Forest), an excellent expected to finally place at the state tournament. The upper half of the draw is rather clear for returning state placer Dominic Zaccone (Stagg), who is undefeated on the season. His most likely path would involve a quarterfinal with Anthony Molton (Lockport), a Cadet Greco All-American, and then a semifinal against Noah Surtin (Edwardsville). 7. No. 5 Jack Jessen (Willowbrook) vs. No. 19 Kendall Norfleet (Marian Catholic) -- Illinois Class 3A 182 pounds The senior Norfleet is a two-time state finalist, winning a state title last season in Class 2A; while 2015 state runner-up Jessen placed third at state last year as a sophomore after losing 3-1 to Patrick Brucki in the semifinal, an opponent he had beaten the previous week in the sectional semifinal (Nathan Traxler won the sectional and state titles). Both nationally ranked wrestlers are undefeated this season. With the state title, Norfleet is the top seed, and would appear to have smooth sailing to the final. Jessen is in the lower half of the draw, and will most likely have to clear fellow undefeated wrestler D.J. Penick (Highland Park) in the semifinal round. 8. No. 8 Andrew Davison (Chesterton) vs. No. 17 Tristen Tonte (Warren Central) -- Indiana 195 pounds The Michigan signee Davison placed fifth at state as a sophomore, but absolutely gagged his first round match at state last year, which blocked the expected semifinal showdown against Blake Rypel. Davison is undefeated on this season after being a Junior freestyle All-American and Super 32 Challenge placer in the off-season. The bracket gods have provided him with a semifinal against either two-time state placer David Eli (Elkhart Memorial) or returning state third Ben Stewart (Indianapolis Cathedral); both wrestlers in this match have one loss, Eli's coming by 13-5 major decision to Davison in late December, while the Boston College football commit Stewart lost in the semi-state final. Beating Stewart at semi-state was two-time state runner-up Tonte, who did so by a 7-1 score. Tonte's path to the final most likely would involve a semifinal match against 2015 state placer Kyle Shaffer (South Putnam), whom is undefeated on the season. 9. No. 4 Michael McGee (Plainfield East) vs. No. 17 Robert Precin (Andrew) -- Illinois Class 3A 120 pounds Another bit of infinite bracket wisdom, even though Illinois does have a seeding process. Undefeated two-time state finalist McGee, a 2015 state champion, is in the same half bracket as 2015 state placer Precin whose only loss on the season was 7-4 to McGee. The sectional champions in the other half bracket are returning state placer Charles Faber (Glenbard West) and a 40-5 freshman in Fabian Lopez (DeKalb). In order to reach that marked semi, McGee is most likely going to have to clear returning state placer Josh Stenger (Huntley), who lost to Lopez in the sectional final; while it would be more of a surprise if Precin did not reach that point. Lopez is looking at a likely quarterfinal against 2015 state placer Isaac Jacquez (West Aurora); while things are more manageable for Faber.

Riley Lefever is the most dominant wrestler in Division III INDIANAPOLIS -- The NCAA has released the updated standings for the 2017 NCAA Wrestling Awards that will be awarded in March at the respective Division I, II and III Wrestling Championships. The inaugural NCAA Wrestling Awards were presented at the 2012 wrestling championships. The three awards, given in each division, honor the Most Dominant Wrestler as well as the student-athletes that have accumulated the most falls and the most technical falls throughout the course of the regular and postseasons. For falls and tech falls to be counted they must come against opponents in the same division. Ties in the two categories are broken based on the aggregate time. In Division I, Penn State 149-pounder Zain Retherford raised his top average to 5.61 team points per match in the race for the Most Dominant Wrestler. Three other wrestlers are also averaging over 5.25 team points per match with Nittany Lions' Jason Nolf (5.44) and Bo Nickal (5.29), along with the national leader in falls, Gabe Dean, of Cornell (5.43). Francis Mizia, of Mercyhurst, the 2015 champion for most technical falls, leads the Division II Most Dominant Wrestler standings with an average of 4.89 points at 165 pounds for a sliver of a lead of .01 over Wisconsin-Parkside 184-pounder Montrail Johnson. Three-time national champion and the 2016 Division III Most Dominant Wrestler Riley Lefever, of Wabash, is in position to win the award again with an average of 5.81 points. Wartburg heavyweight Lance Evans is second with an average of 5.28. The Most Dominant Wrestler standings are calculated by adding the total number of points awarded through match results and dividing that number by the total number of matches wrestled. Points per match are awarded as follows. Fall, forfeit, injury default or DQ = 6 points (-6 points for a loss) Tech falls = 5 points (-5 points for a loss) Major decision = 4 points (-4 points for a loss) Decision = 3 points (-3 points for a loss) This week's Most Dominant Wrestler standings are calculated with a 16-match minimum against wrestlers from the same division. Dean has 15 falls this season to lead Division I, while Retherford and Rider 165-pounder Chad Walsh have each tallied 13 falls. Western State 125-pounder Ronald Wardleigh has taken the lead in Division II with 13 falls to lead Tiffin heavyweight Garrett Gray with 12. Hunter Harris, of Messiah, has pulled ahead in Division III with 26 falls this season at 141 pounds, four more than his nearest competitor. True freshman Jack Mueller, of Virginia, leads Division I in tech falls with 10 this season at 125 pounds, but is only holding off two-time national champion Isaiah Martinez, of Illinois, by aggregate time. Mueller's 10 tech falls have come in 38:47, while Martinez has 10 in 53:24. Nic Goebel, of Findlay, has surged to the lead in Division II tech falls with 10 at 157 pounds, three ahead of Martin Ramirez, of Adams State, and Nicholas Fiegener, of California Baptist. Stephen Jarrell, of Johnson & Wales (Rhode Island), has 17 tech falls at 174 pounds to hold a lead of five over three wrestlers with 12.

As the middle of February comes upon us, some power state championship weekends are finally here on the individual bracket side. Fifteen states conduct their championship tournaments this week: Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia, and Washington. Iowa also has its dual team tournament today, with North Dakota having their tournament tomorrow. The following is a list of competitions for teams in the Fab 50 national team rankings. No. 1 Blair Academy, N.J. -- host National Prep regional qualifier on Saturday No. 2 Buchanan, Calif. -- compete in the Yosemite Valley regional championships (second layer state series) at East Bakersfield, Calif. on Friday and Saturday No. 4 Lake Highland Prep, Fla. -- host district tournament (first layer state series) on Saturday No. 5 St. Paris Graham, Ohio -- compete in the CBC tournament at Springfield (Ohio) Northwestern on Saturday No. 6 Malvern Prep, Pa. -- host the PAISAA state wrestling championships (National Prep qualifier) on Friday and Saturday No. 7 Clovis, Calif. -- compete in the Yosemite Valley regional championships (second layer state series) at East Bakersfield, Calif. on Friday and Saturday No. 8 Wyoming Seminary, Pa. -- compete in the PAISAA state wrestling championships (National Prep qualifier) at No. 6 Malvern Prep, Pa. on Friday and Saturday No. 11 Bergen Catholic, N.J. -- compete in the district tournament (first layer state series) at Lenape Valley, N.J. on Saturday No. 12 Poway, Calif. -- compete in the CIF tournament (first layer state series) at Del Norte, Calif. on Saturday No. 13 Tuttle, Okla. -- compete in the regional tournament (state qualification tournament) at Clinton, Okla. on Friday and Saturday No. 15 Detroit Catholic Central, Mich. -- compete in dual team regional tournament (state qualifier) at Salem, Mich. tonight; compete in regional tournament (state qualifier) at Saline, Mich. on Saturday No. 17 Allen, Texas -- host regional tournament (state qualifier) on Friday and Saturday No. 18 Olentangy Liberty, Ohio -- travel to Westerville (Ohio) North for dual meet tomorrow No. 19 Sand Springs, Okla. -- host regional tournament (state qualifier) on Saturday No. 20 Pomona, Colo. -- compete in the Class 5A state tournament at the Pepsi Center in Denver tomorrow through Saturday No. 21 Park Hill, Mo. -- compete in the Class 4 state tournament at Mizzou Arena in Columbia tomorrow through Saturday No. 22 Pueblo County, Colo. -- compete in the Class 4A state tournament at the Pepsi Center in Denver tomorrow through Saturday No. 24 Lockport, Ill. -- compete in the Class 3A state tournament at State Farm Center in Champaign-Urbana tomorrow through Saturday; compete in dual team state qualification match vs. Edwardsville, Ill. on Tuesday 2/21 at Oak Forest (Ill.) Mahomet No. 25 Montini Catholic, Ill. -- compete in the Class 3A state tournament at State Farm Center in Champaign-Urbana tomorrow through Saturday; compete in dual team state qualification match vs. No. 38 Chicago Mt. Carmel, Ill. on Tuesday 2/21 at Hinsdale (Ill.) Central No. 26 Kasson-Mantorville, Minn. -- compete in the section dual meet tournament tomorrow through Saturday at the Mayo Civic Center in Rochester, Minn. No. 27 Shakopee, Minn. -- compete in the section dual meet tournament on Friday at Rosemount, Minn. No. 28 Choctaw, Okla. -- compete in the regional tournament at Yukon, Okla. on Friday and Saturday No. 29 Southeast Polk, Iowa -- compete in the Class 3A state dual meet tournament today and the Class 3A state tournament tomorrow through Saturday, both events at the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines No. 30 Apple Valley, Minn. -- compete in the section dual meet tournament on Friday at Rosemount, Minn. No. 31 Oak Park River Forest, Ill. -- compete in the Class 3A state tournament at State Farm Center in Champaign-Urbana tomorrow through Saturday; compete in dual team state qualification match vs. No. 38 Chicago Mt. Carmel, Ill. on Tuesday 2/21 at Hinsdale (Ill.) Central No. 32 Wadsworth, Ohio -- host dual meet against Lake Catholic (Ohio) tomorrow No. 33 Mason, Ohio -- host dual meet against Delaware (Ohio) Hayes tonight No. 34 Staley, Mo. -- compete in the Class 4 state tournament at Mizzou Arena in Columbia tomorrow through Saturday No. 37 Broken Arrow, Okla. -- compete in regional tournament (state qualifier) at No. 19 Sand Springs, Okla. on Saturday No. 38 Chicago Mount Carmel, Ill. -- compete in the Class 3A state tournament at State Farm Center in Champaign-Urbana tomorrow through Saturday; compete in dual team state qualification match vs. St. Charles (Ill.) East on Tuesday 2/21 at Conant, Ill. No. 39 Brownsburg, Ind. -- compete in state tournament at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis No. 41 West Des Moines Valley, Iowa -- compete in the Class 3A state dual meet tournament today and the Class 3A state tournament tomorrow through Saturday, both events at the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines No. 42 Anoka, Minn. -- compete in the section dual meet tournament on Friday at Forest Lake, Minn. No. 43 Washington, Ill. -- compete in the Class 2A state tournament at State Farm Center in Champaign-Urbana tomorrow through Saturday; compete in dual team state qualification match vs. Ottawa Township, Ill. on Tuesday 2/1 at Rochelle, Ill. No. 44 Fort Dodge, Iowa -- compete in the Class 3A state dual meet tournament today and the Class 3A state tournament tomorrow through Saturday, both events at the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines No. 45 Roseburg, Ore. -- host special district tournament (state qualifier) on Friday and Saturday No. 46 New Hampton, Iowa -- compete in the Class 2A state dual meet tournament today and the Class 2A state tournament tomorrow through Saturday, both events at the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines No. 48 Goddard, Kansas -- host regional tournament (state qualifier) on Friday and Saturday No. 50 Reynolds, Pa. -- compete in sectional tournament on Friday and Saturday at Sharon, Pa. Season completed: No. 36 Camden County (Ga.) No competitions scheduled for this week: No. 3 St. Edward (Ohio), No. 9 Nazareth (Pa.), No. 10 Bethlehem Catholic (Pa.), No. 14 Elyria (Ohio), No. 16 Massillon Perry (Ohio), No. 23 Kiski Area (Pa.), No. 35 Brecksville (Ohio), No. 40 Long Beach (N.Y.), No. 47 Gilroy (Calif.), No. 49 Northampton (Pa.)

Bubba Jenkins compiled a record of 8-3 in Bellator (Photo/Bellator) Bubba Jenkins, 2011 NCAA wrestling champ, is no longer fighting in the Bellator MMA organization. As to who made the decision to part ways ... depends on who you ask. Multiple mixed martial arts websites are reporting that Bellator MMA severed the relationship with Jenkins ... while the former Arizona State and Penn State wrestler is saying the decision was his. "After having eleven fights in Bellator, featherweight Bubba Jenkins is now a free agent as the promotion has released him from his promotional agreement," according to the MMA Report, which added that Bellator released Jenkins from his contract on Tuesday. MMA website Sherdog.com reported that it had confirmed the news with a Bellator official on Tuesday. http://www.sherdog.com/news/news/Bellator-MMA-Releases-Former-Top-Prospect-Bubba-Jenkins-117349 However, late Tuesday afternoon, Jenkins provided a different version of things, tweeting, "Yes, the story is true. I have asked for my release from @BellatorMMA.People treat u how u allow them 2 treat u. Respect 4 urself is key." About one hour later, the former Sun Devil/Nittany Lion mat star added the following to his BubbaJenkinsMMA Twitter account : "Haha don't get it twisted folks. I don't get fired...I fire" At approximately 7 p.m. Eastern time, Jenkins posted this message on Facebook: "Bellator quick 2get out & tell lies... let's see if they can spin this...I fought Aug 26 and still haven't been paid all my money. #payme" Since signing with Bellator in 2013, Jenkins compiled an 8-3 record during his time with the promotion, competing at lightweight (155 pounds) in his first three Bellator bouts before dropping down to featherweight (145 pounds). In his last bout, Jenkins suffered a 53-second knockout loss against Georgi Karakhanyan at Bellator 160 on Aug. 26. It was Jenkins second loss to Karakhanyan, the first came via submission at Bellator 132 in Jan. 2015. Jenkins had announced his plans for a professional MMA career minutes after winning the 157-pound title for Arizona State at the 2011 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, having just pinned his former Penn State teammate David Taylor in the finals. Jenkins' first fight was in December of that year. In six years in MMA, Jenkins has compiled a record of 11-3.

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY -- United World Wrestling has announced a groundbreaking partnership with NBC Olympics and SportsEngine to televise and livestream more than two dozen wrestling events annually through 2020. As part of the agreement, NBC Sports Group will hold the exclusive television and streaming rights to the World Championships, Freestyle World Cup, Women's World Cup and Greco-Roman World Cup in the United States. The tournaments will be televised on NBCSN and live streamed on Trackwrestling, a division of SportsEngine. "Wrestling has been working hard to expand its worldwide reach and we think this new relationship helps bring our sport to the next level," added United World Wrestling president Nenad Lalovic. "Trackwrestling provides wrestling with a significant opportunity to grow our audience in North America and worldwide. NBC Sports and SportsEngine are valuable partners of the Olympic movement and we look forward to seeing how their expertise can help our sport grow.” “NBC Sports Group is thrilled to showcase more wrestling, one of the world's oldest, and best Olympic sports,” said Jim Bell, President, NBC Olympics Production and Programming. “This is great news for us and for wrestling fans alike, as more content will now be available on more platforms than ever before.” SportsEngine and Trackwrestling will livestream an additional 20+ events per year from tournaments around the world, including Continental championships, Junior and Cadet level World Championships and the 2020 Olympic Qualification tournaments. "Working with United World Wrestling and having the privilege to distribute live and on demand video associated with events at the pinnacle of our sport is an incredible milestone for Trackwrestling.” said Justin Tritz, general manager of Trackwrestling. “We have worked very hard to build a platform around presenting events of this caliber, and it is truly an honor for United World Wrestling to have chosen us as its partner. We look forward to many years of distributing this content through our platform for the wrestling world to enjoy." For wrestling fans in the United States who cannot view these events live, all telecasts will be available on-demand on Trackwrestling.com with a subscription to Trackcast. The events televised by NBCSN will be available on-demand on NBCSports.com.

Chance Marsteller battled Isaiah Martinez in the finals of University Nationals (Photo/Sam Janicki) A Pennsylvania judge has placed Chance Marsteller on probation rather than sentencing the four-time Pennsylvania state champ and former Oklahoma State wrestler to jail for an incident in August 2016. The 21-year-old Marsteller was placed on seven years' probation, fined $1,000 and ordered to perform 350 hours of community service by Clinton County Judge Michael Salisbury on Monday. Marsteller must report to his probation officer twice a week, and he will undergo drug and alcohol testing. In addition, his social media accounts and text messages will be monitored by the probation office, and a curfew of 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. will be implemented, the York Daily Record reported Monday. Marsteller was also fined $1,000. Furthermore, Marsteller will also be asked to pay about $720 for the medical bills incurred by one of the victims, police officer Bryan Burger, who underwent blood tests after being spat upon by Marsteller. The former Oklahoma State wrestler will submit letters of apology to four other Lock Haven police officers who were involved in the incident and to Lock Haven emergency room personnel. Burger was in the courtroom Monday but offered no objections to Marsteller's plea agreement, nor did any of the other six victims that night, according to District Attorney David Strouse. Salisbury told Marsteller, had there been objections, "you would have more than likely (been) looking at jail time." The judge said the plea agreement is a "one-time deal" and added that Marsteller will face significant jail time if he violates it. Each charge carries a maximum sentence of six-and-a-half to 13 years in jail. Marsteller read aloud a letter of apology to the victims in court Monday. "I wish I could take it back -- all of it," he said. "That's not the real me." As InterMat reported in January, Marsteller pled guilty to six criminal counts of simple assault and one count of open lewdness after the mat champ was presented with a plea agreement from Clinton County District Attorney David Strouse which served as the framework for Monday's sentencing. At the time, Marsteller said he had re-enrolled at Lock Haven University and was planning to rejoin the wrestling team this fall. Today's sentencing is the culmination of an incident Aug. 25 when Marsteller was accused of kicking, spitting and biting at police officers after they were called to an apartment complex near Lock Haven University, where he is a student. Marsteller had a blood alcohol content that was more than three times the legal limit for driving and also had marijuana and cocaine in his system, according to court documents. Marsteller had been banging on apartment doors while wearing only a towel, according to the Lock Haven Police Department. He was dismissed from the Lock Haven wrestling team as a result of the allegations. After the incident, Marsteller was charged with six counts of aggravated assault, disorderly conduct, disorderly conduct/fighting, six counts of recklessly endangering another, six counts of simple assault, one count of open lewdness and public intoxication. Within days of the incident, Marsteller posted $50,000 bail and returned to his parents' home.

Harvard NCAA champs Jesse Jantzen and John Harkness John Harkness, noted architect and first NCAA wrestling champ for Harvard University, died in late November 2016, just two days shy of his 100th birthday. The Boston Globe reported in January 2017 that Harkness died in his sleep in his home in Maine on the evening of Nov. 28, two days before he would have turned 100. Family and friends had gathered a couple of days earlier to celebrate his birthday. InterMat was alerted to Harkness' passing by Josh Henson, fellow Harvard graduate and former Crimson wrestler. Josh Henson is also a nephew of Stanley Henson, three-time NCAA champ for Oklahoma State in the late 1930s, who like Harkness had been born on November 30, 1916, making them the two oldest NCAA champs. Harkness won the 175-pound title at the 1938 NCAAs at Penn State, defeating Swede Olsen of Southwest Teachers College in Oklahoma in the finals. He remained the only Crimson national champ for 66 years until Jesse Jantzen won the 149-pound crown at the 2004 NCAAs. Harkness was in St. Louis to witness Jantzen winning the title. The same year Harkness won the national title, the Crimson captain also claimed the EIWA (Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association) title, and named the EIWA's Most Outstanding Wrestler at the 1938 championships. Harkness was welcomed into the EIWA Hall of Fame in 2009. Beyond wrestling, Harkness was a highly respected architect, the last surviving founder of The Architects Collaborative (TAC), a major architecture firm based in Cambridge, Mass. that designed significant structures around the world during its 50-year history immediately after World War II. Among their most famous works included the Pan Am Building (now MetLife) in midtown Manhattan, CIGNA insurance company headquarters in Connecticut, the John Fitzgerald Kennedy Federal Building in Boston, and the U.S. embassy in Athens, Greece. Although most of The Architects Collaborative work was in the northeast U.S., they also designed a number of school and university buildings throughout the world, including the Harvard Graduate School, Harvard's Museum of Comparative Zoology and the university's athletics facilities on Soldiers Field Road, as well as the University of Baghdad, and two school buildings in Columbus, Ind. The key word in the firm's name was collaborative. "That concept of collaboration, which was new in the profession, really was transporting," Howard Elkus of Elkus Manfredi Architects in Boston, who formerly worked at The Architects Collaborative, told the Boston Globe. "He was a monumental figure," said Michael Gebhart of Michael Francis Gebhart Architects, who also had worked at TAC. Collaboration wasn't confined to the office and spilled into lunches at the Casablanca restaurant in Cambridge, where Mr. Harkness might snatch a pencil from a dining companion and sketch ideas on a napkin or anything else handy, including the bottom of a plate. "If we disagreed on a design issue," Gebhart recalled, "we would fake arm wrestle and he would always win." Boston Globe architecture critic Robert Campbell wrote in 1995, when the firm closed after 50 years. "Numerous other firms were started by architects who'd learned the ropes at TAC." John Cheesman "Chip" Harkness was born in New York City on Nov. 30, 1916. His father, Albert, was an architect. Mr. Harkness was 4 when his mother, the former Sara Arden Cheesman, died while giving birth to his younger brother, Livingston, who died a few days later. John Harkness, his brother, Albert, and their father moved their all-male household to Providence, R.I. Harkness was introduced to wrestling at Milton Academy, and continued in the sport at Harvard when he wasn't studying architecture. He graduated with a bachelor's in the subject in 1938 and a master's in 1941. In 1942, Harkness received his draft notice to serve in World War II. Harkness registered as a conscientious objector and drove ambulances for the American Field Service, including during battles in Italy. "The main thing about him is that he was very competitive, but he was also a pacifist," his son Fred told the Boston Globe. Over the years there were reports that Harkness would make pilgrimages to the Harvard wrestling room. With Harkness' passing, Stanley Henson -- who won three consecutive NCAA titles in 1936-1938 -- is now the oldest living NCAA wrestling champ.

Oklahoma State and PSU will wrestle at Gallagher-Iba Arena for the National Duals title (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) MANHEIM, Pa. -- The National Wrestling Coaches Association and the National Duals Selection Committee is pleased to announce the matchups for the 2017 NWCA National Duals Championship Series presented by Theraworx and the United States Marine Corps. In the second year of this format, teams from the Big Ten Conference will face off with non-Big Ten teams in a showcase weekend of college wrestling dual meets. Last season, eight Big Ten teams hosted events around the country. In 2017, the Big Ten will be visiting college campuses in the ACC, Big 12, EIWA, EWL and Southern Conference. The showcase dual will be on February 19 in Stillwater, Oklahoma, as No. 1 Oklahoma State (14-0) will host No. 2 Penn State (13-0) in a battle of the last two unbeaten teams in Division I. The dual is a rematch of last year's National Duals championship match won by Penn State 29-18 in Penn State's sold-out Rec Hall. Oklahoma State holds a 13-7-1 all-time lead in the series, including an 8-2 mark at Gallagher-Iba Arena. "We're extremely excited to again see two of college wrestling's premier programs square off for a national dual meet championship," said NWCA Executive Director Mike Moyer. "Penn State's recent run has the college wrestling scene buzzing with their high-scoring style of wrestling. When you pair that with the storied program at Oklahoma State and legendary coach John Smith, we have the makings for an amazing finale to the dual meet season." Oklahoma State won the Big 12 regular season, going 6-0 in duals within the recently expanded conference. Penn State went 9-0 in the Big Ten to win the regular-season championship and earn the right to face the highest-ranked non-Big Ten team for the National Dual Series championship. The showdown in Stillwater will be one of eight featured duals on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. "The National Duals Selection Committee really should be commended after they faced numerous challenges," said Moyer. "When setting matchups, you had to be aware of the host institutions challenges with facilities and putting events on an open spot in the busy weekend calendar. You also had those concerns from visiting teams as it related to travel, missed class time, previously scheduled dual meets, and other challenges as it relates to preparing for the NCAA postseason. The committee worked through those challenges to accommodate the teams' needs as well as to pair teams up as competitively as possible." On Friday, No. 17 South Dakota State (13-4) will host Purdue (8-7) at Frost Arena. Earlier this season, South Dakota State set its school record for wrestling attendance with 4,087 fans coming to watch the Jackrabbits dual against Iowa. Coach Chris Bono's team is 0-2 against the Big Ten this season -- a 29-8 loss at home against Iowa and a controversial 18-17 loss at Minnesota back in November. South Dakota State finished the regular season second in the Big 12 with a 7-1 conference mark. Purdue was 10th in the 14-team Big Ten Conference. This will also be the first meeting between the two schools. The match will start at 7 p.m. Central and will be carried online at Flowrestling.org. Two familiar squads will renew their wrestling vows as No. 11 Lehigh (9-4) will host former EIWA foe and 12th-ranked Rutgers (12-4) at Grace Hall at 7 p.m. Eastern. Last season, Rutgers defeated Lehigh 18-15 in the NWCA National Duals Series at The RAC in Piscataway, N.J. Rutgers, in just its third year in the Big Ten, finished with a 6-3 conference record, good for fifth overall. Lehigh finished its season with a 7-1 record in the 16-team EIWA. The Mountain Hawks were also the top team from schools in the Patriot League all-sports conference. Traditionally, Lehigh's owned the series, holding a 42-3 all-time mark. Rutgers, however, has won two of the last three meetings. The match will be carried online by Trackwrestling.com. No. 7 NC State (12-2) will use newly renovated Reynolds Coliseum to host No. 16 Michigan (8-6) on Friday at 7 p.m. Eastern The Wolfpack were one of the big stories to emerge out of last year's National Duals Series as they traveled to Iowa and knocked off the Hawkeyes after finishing second in the ACC. The Wolfpack will now host a young but talented Wolverine squad coming off a 4-5 Big Ten conference record. In the only other meeting between the two schools, Michigan won a 27-16 dual in Ann Arbor in 1993. Fans can watch this match online with ACC Network Extra via ESPN3. "Friday night will be an exciting way to kick off the weekend," said Moyer. "The crowds and energy Coach Bono has been able to bring in at South Dakota State have been great for wrestling and exciting to watch. Lehigh and Rutgers came down to the wire last year and that's a great regional matchup and the job Pat Popolizio has done at NC State is amazing. We've seen how formidable his teams can be, putting solid dual meet teams on the mat the last two years. He's really got that Pack Mentality working down there in Raleigh." Saturday's only dual will see Eastern Wrestling League champion and 24th-ranked Edinboro (8-5) host third-ranked Iowa (12-2) at McComb Fieldhouse at 7 p.m. Eastern. The Fighting Scots went 6-0 in league competition, while the Hawkeyes were 8-1 in the Big Ten, finishing second behind regular-season champion Penn State. Iowa is 7-0 all-time against Edinboro. Flowrestling will carry the stream of this dual. "There's a lot of history between these two programs," said Moyer. "When Edinboro made its commitment to its wrestling program in the 1980s, there was a lot of Iowa influence there. It's also a great David and Goliath type of story with Iowa from the Big Ten and Edinboro, a small Division II school in Northwest Pennsylvania. Wrestling fans know Edinboro as a Division I force in wrestling, but for everything else, Edinboro is Division II. As far as the matchup goes, Edinboro had the opening for a Saturday dual and that's what Iowa was looking for and our committee, with all the moving parts with scheduling, felt this was the best way to accommodate." Sunday's finale features four big duals, highlighted by Penn State at Oklahoma State at 3 p.m. Central and streamed live on Flowrestling and aired on television tape-delay by Fox College Sports. Sunday's action will begin in Ithaca, New York, as No. 8 Cornell (12-2) comes out of the EIWA and the Ivy League to host No. 4 Ohio State (11-2) at 1 p.m. Eastern at the Friedman Center. The Buckeyes have been ranked in the top four all season long and finished third in the Big Ten during the regular season with a 7-2 conference record. Cornell dealt with a number lineup combinations this season and managed to carve out an 8-0 record in the EIWA. The Big Red also won their 15th straight Ivy League championship and have won 78 straight duals against Ivy opponents. After 13 prior meetings, the series is tied at 6-6-1. The dual will be streamed live by Trackwrestling.com Southern Conference regular-season champion and 20th-ranked Appalachian State (13-2) will have a rare opportunity to host a Big Ten school as the Mountaineers will face Indiana (9-9) at 3 p.m. Eastern Sunday at Varsity Gym in Boone, N.C. This is a rematch from last year's National Duals Series. Last year in Bloomington, Ind., Appalachian State came away with a 21-13 victory. While Indiana struggled with a 2-7 mark in the Big Ten, the Hoosiers were solid in non-conference competition, going 7-2. Coach JohnMark Bentley's squad has gone 25-6 in duals over the past two seasons. This will be the third meeting all-time between the two schools with each team winning once. This match will be streamed live by Trackwrestling.com The last dual to start on Sunday will be at Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg, Va., where fifth-ranked Virginia Tech (17-1) will host sixth-ranked Nebraska (12-3) at 7 p.m. Eastern. The Hokies captured the ACC regular-season championship with a 20-14 win over NC State on February 11. They also lead Division I with 17 dual meet victories this season. Nebraska comes in after losing its last two duals of the regular season to finish fourth overall in the Big Ten. The Huskers did go 6-0 in non-conference action. Virginia Tech has never beaten Nebraska in three tries.Fans can watch this match online with ACC Network Extra via ESPN3. The Pac-12 Conference opted not to participate for the second year in a row as its conference tournament is a week before the other Division I conference qualifiers. Stanford, Arizona State and Oregon State all finished 4-1 in conference. The Mid-American Conference will not be represented this season. Northern Iowa upset Missouri 25-10 on February 12 to claim the regular season MAC championship. Unfortunately, Northern Iowa is unable to participate due to unforeseen circumstances. NWCA National Duals Championship Series presented by Theraworx and the United States Marine Corps Event Information Friday, February 17 #12 Rutgers at #11 Lehigh, 7 p.m. Eastern #16 Michigan at #7 NC State, 7 p.m. Eastern Purdue at #17 South Dakota State, 7 p.m. Central Saturday, February 18 #3 Iowa at #24 Edinboro, 7 p.m. Eastern Sunday, February 19 #4 Ohio State at #8 Cornell, 1 p.m. Eastern #2 Penn State at #1 Oklahoma State, 3 p.m. Central Indiana at #20 Appalachian State, 3 p.m. Eastern #6 Nebraska at #5 Virginia Tech, 7 p.m. Eastern

CORVALLIS, Ore. -- The Oregon State wrestling team closed the home portion of its schedule in impressive fashion on Sunday night with a 32-9 victory over CSU Bakersfield in a Pac-12 dual at Gill Coliseum. Redshirt junior Jack Hathaway's 7-0 decision over No. 17 Russell Rohfling in the second match was key for the Beavers (6-7, 4-1 Pac-12). They won for the fourth time in their last five starts and completed a weekend sweep that started with a 25-10 win over Cal Poly on Friday afternoon. Seniors Joey Palmer, Joey Delgado and Ali Alshujery were honored before the match. Palmer then got the Beavers off to a great start with a 20-5 technical fall at 133, his eighth bonus-point win in his last 10 matches. Hathaway then built a 6-0 first-period lead over Rohfling with a takedown and a four-point near-fall and closed out his fourth victory in a row. He most likely cemented a No. 2 seed for the upcoming Pac-12 Championships, as he was No. 2 and Rohfling No. 3 in the most recent conference rankings. Bakersfield closed to within 11-9 after a pin at 165. However, Bob Coleman (174), Seth McLeod (184), Corey Griego (197), Cody Crawford (hwt.) and Kegan Calkins (125) won the final five matches for the Beavers, with Crawford and Calkins winning by authoritative first-period pins. "It was good to get some wins this weekend, and we are wrestling better," OSU coach Jim Zalesky said. "Jack had defeated Rohfling earlier this year, got that takedown and the lead. "Bob Coleman won a match; he's a freshman and hasn't won a lot so it was big for him. Seth McLoud won; those guys haven't really won much yet so it was good for them. "Griego got a quality win and then Cody and Kegan got those pins. That was a great way to finish the meet." The Beavers close the regular season at No. 15 Oklahoma on Friday. They are then idle until the Feb. 26 Pac-12 Championships at Stanford. OSU is the five-time defending Pac-12 champion. For more information on the Oregon State wrestling team, follow the club's official Twitter account at Twitter.com/Beaverwrestling, or by Facebook at Facebook.com/OregonStateWrestling. Results: 133: Joey Palmer (OSU) tech. fall Carlos Herrera (CSUB), 20-5 141: Jack Hathaway (OSU) dec. Russell Rohlfing (CSUB), 7-0 149: Coleman Hammond (CSUB) dec. Joey Delgado (OSU), 1-0 157: Abraham Rodriguez (OSU) dec. Jacob Thalin (CSUB), 9-6 165: Lorenzo De La Riva (CSUB) pinned Rodney Williams (OSU), 3:22 174: Bob Coleman (OSU) dec. Matt Penyacsek (CSUB), 10-8 184: Seth McLeod (OSU) dec. Ryan Battisto (CSUB), 10-7 197: Corey Griego (OSU) dec. Matt Williams (CSUB), 8-3 Hwt.: Cody Crawford (OSU) pinned Jacob Sieder (CSUB), 1:06 125: Kegan Calkins (OSU) pinned Sean Nickell (CSUB), 0:59

MINNEAPOLIS -- A pin by junior Bo Jordan at 174 pounds and major decision from Myles Martin at 184 pounds helped the Ohio State wrestling team erase a 20-14 deficit and post a 24-20 victory at No. 13 Minnesota on Sunday afternoon to close the Big Ten portion of its schedule. Winners of three straight, Ohio State is 11-2 overall, 7-2 in the Big Ten. Minnesota falls to 6-5, 5-4. No. 18 Jose Rodriguez knocked off No. 6 Ethan Lizak at 125 pounds (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine) THE STORT STORY the Gophers and Buckeyes split 10 matches, but two falls, a technical fall and major decision were the difference in the team score as four of Ohio State's five wins were via bonus points. The only non-bonus point win for the Buckeyes was a signature victory for No. 18 Jose Rodriguez at 125 pounds, as he knocked off sixth-ranked Ethan Lizak, 12-10, with a takedown in sudden victory. The Jordan bothers -- Bo and Micah -- had a technical fall and pin, respectively, while Nathan Tomasello also had a fall at 133 lbs. With the team score tied at 20-20, Martin stepped to the mat and racked up points early and often against Bobby Steveson in an 18-6 dual-clinching major decision. TOP FIVE MATCHUP AT 197 The dual started at 197 pounds with the feature matchup of the afternoon - second-ranked Brett Pfarr and fourth-ranked Kollin Moore. Moore, looking to avenge an earlier loss to Pfarr at the CKLV Invitational last December, fell behind early but eventually drew to within one, 6-5, in the third period. He couldn't, however, work for the tying takedown as Pfarr locked up riding time for the 7-5 decision. Minnesota would go ahead 8-0 after Michael Kroells' 20-5 technical fall over Josh Fox at heavyweight, but that set the stage for Rodriguez, who fell behind Lizak 6-0 in the first on a takedown and four-point nearfall. Rodriguez would battle back, scoring a second period reversal to make the score 6-2. In the third, he put on a takedown clinic - scoring five times and finishing off the final one in the waning seconds to tie the score at 10-10. His victory made the team score 8-3. In the first sudden victory period, Rodriguez completed him comeback with a takedown to make the team score 8-3 in favor of Minnesota. TOMASELLO MOVES TO 15-0 No. 1-ranked Tomasello needed just 2:52 to get a first-period fall against Mitch McKee that gave Ohio State its first lead of the day, 9-8. It was Tomasello's first fall of the year and ninth bonus point win. In the next bout at 141, No. 12 Tommy Thorn controlled No. 15 Luke Pletcher 7-2 to temporarily give the lead back to Minnesota, 11-9. JORDAN TECH FALL AT 149 Micah Jordan quickly swung the momentum back in the favor of the Buckeyes at 149 lbs. when he picked up his team-leading 24th win of the year. Jordan got things going in the second period, taking down Brandon Kingsley three times and then adding two more third-period takedowns to go along with two four-point near falls. The takedowns and back points added up to a 22-5 technical fall. MINNESOTA WINS THE NEXT TWO, JORDAN PINS AT 174 The Gophers got a pin at 157 and decision at 165 to push their lead to 20-14, but Bo Jordan gave Ohio State critical bonus points at 174 when he needed just 2:15 to pin Christopher Pfarr. The win was Jordan's 11th of the year and 10th by either major decision, technical fall or pin. With the dual hanging in the balance, Martin was in control of Robert Stevenson from the outset at 184, scoring eight first-period points (three takedowns, one two-point near fall) and four more in the second. His 18-6 major decision provided the decisive margin of victory. POST MATCH NOTES • Ohio State's win in Minneapolis was its first since February of 1993. • The Buckeyes closed out the Big Ten regular season with seven or more wins for the third consecutive season. • Ohio State has at least three bonus point wins in all 11 of its dual victories this season. NEXT UP The Buckeyes will compete next weekend in the NWCA Dual Championship Series at an opponent to be announced soon. Results: 197: No. 2 Brett Pfarr (MINN) decision over No. 4 Kollin Moore (OSU) 7-5 | MINN 3, OSU 0 285: No. 8 Michael Kroells (MINN) technical fall over Josh Fox (OSU), 20-5 | MINN 8, OSU 0 125: No. 18 Jose Rodriguez (OSU) decision over No. 6 Ethan Lizak (MINN), 12-10 | MINN 8, OSU 3 133: No. 1 Nathan Tomasello (OSU) fall (2:52) over No. 17 Mitch McKee (MINN) | OSU 9, MINN 8 141: No. 12 Tommy Thorn (MINN) decision over No. 15 Luke Pletcher (OSU), 7-2 | MINN 11, OSU 9 149: No. 5 Micah Jordan (OSU) technical fall over Brandon Kingsley (MINN), 22-5 | OSU 14, MINN 11 157: No. 8 Jake Short (MINN) fall (1:44) over Anthony DeCarlo (OSU) | MINN 17, OSU 14 165: No. 18 Nick Wanzek (MINN) dec Cody Burcher (OSU), 5-2 | MINN 20, OSU 14 174: No. 1 Bo Jordan (OSU) fall (2:14) over Chris Pfarr (MINN)| MINN 20, OSU 20 184: No. 10 Myles Martin (OSU) major decision over Bobby Steveson (MINN), 18-6 | OSU 24, MINN 20

BOISE, Idaho -- In a dual that featured all eight of the Sun Devils' wins by bonus points, Arizona State (10-4, 4-1 Pac-12) tallied their highest point total of the season as a team in a 39-6 victory at Boise State (2-9, 1-4 Pac-12) to cap the regular season. The Devils finish 4-1 in Pac-12 competition for the first time since 2013-14 and post a 10-win season for the second consecutive year (first back-to-back 10-win seasons since 2004-05 and 2005-06). "I think we're wrestling our best coming down to the end of the season," head coach Zeke Jones complimented his team following the match. "Lots of bonus points, taking care of small things on the mat, good focus and intensity, and aggressive wrestling - all the things you're supposed to do when competing at a high-level at the right time." Michael Nguyen saw his first action in nearly a month at 125 lbs, starting the dual on a high note pinning Will Bardezbain in 2:10, his second fastest pin of the season. Among Nguyen's six wins this season, four have been by fall. Nikko Villarreal earned a 13-5 major decision, his first bonus point win in spring duals, at 141 lbs. "It was good to see Nikko attacking and scoring points, but still needs work getting off the bottom. But the effort was good." Reigning Pac-12 Wrestler of the Week, Josh Maruca powered out to an early 8-1 lead in the opening period at 149 lbs. and would ultimately earn a 20-4 tech fall in just over six minutes. Josh Shields followed with a dominating 20-11 major decision with nearly three minutes of riding time accumulated, his third consecutive bonus point victory, pinning his opponent from Oregon State last weekend and earning a major decision vs. CSUB Thursday. Anthony Valencia, the nation's seventh-ranked wrestler at 165 lbs., pinned his second opponent in three matches for his 10th pin of the season. A. Valencia moves into a tie for seventh on the Sun Devils' all-time list with his 20th bonus point victory this year. Jacen Petersen improved to 3-0 in the last seven days with the Devils' fifth straight bonus point win, a 14-3 major decision at 174 lbs. "Jacen Petersen just stayed focused and stayed on the attack. He's getting better every match." Earning ASU's third pin of the match, Zahid Valencia improved to 31-0 on the season with his team-leading 11th fall of his freshman campaign, one away from finding a place on the single season pins list. Valencia's 21st bonus point victory of the season moves also him into sole possession of sixth place on the single season bonus point wins list. "Josh Maruca, Josh Shields, Anthony and Zahid Valencia, and Tanner Hall are all doing what they're supposed to do - score points. They're putting people on their backs. That's hard to beat when you do that." At heavyweight, Tanner Hall earned his fourth straight victory and third consecutive win by bonus points with the fourth major decision win of the contest. The Devils won eight of 10 bouts for the second time this season (also in 31-9 win vs North Carolina on Jan. 20) with Boise State's Josh Newburg (133) and Keavon Buckley (197) earning the Broncos' only wins, both decisions. All six Pac-12 wrestling teams - ASU, Oregon State, Stanford, Cal Poly, CSU Bakersfield, Boise State - head to the Pac-12 championships hosted on the campus of Stanford University in two weeks (Feb. 26). The Sun Devils have two weeks of preparation ahead before making the trip to California. Results: 125 - Michael Nguyen pins Will Bardezbain, 2:10 (ASU 6, BSU 0) 133 - Josh Newburg Dec. Ted Rico, 17-10 (RT: 1:54) (ASU 6, BSU 3) 141 - Nikko Villarreal MD Rami Haddadin, 13-5 (ASU 10, BSU 3) 149 - Josh Maruca TF Dakota Wall, 20-4 (6:01) (ASU 15, BSU 3) 157 - Josh Shields MD Fred Green (RT: 2:58), 20-11 (ASU 19, BSU 3) 165 - Anthony Valencia pins Demetrius Romero, 5:35 (ASU 25, BSU 3) 174 - Jacen Petersen MD Austin Dewey, 14-3 (ASU 29, BSU 3) 184 - Zahid Valencia pins Kadyn Del Toro, 2:48 (ASU 35, BSU 3) 197 - Keavon Buckley Dec. Austyn Harris, 9-3 (ASU 35, BSU 6) HWT - Tanner Hall MD Gabe Gonzalez, 16-5 (ASU 39, BSU 6)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Illinois wrestling sent off its seniors with a 28-9 victory on senior day against Indiana. Illini seniors Zane Richards and Zac Brunson both picked up victories in their final matches at Huff Hall. For Brunson, the victory marked the 100th of his career, joining Richards who reached the century mark on February 3 at Northwestern. "It was pretty cool," said Coach Heffernan on Brunson's 100th victory. "Just the timing of it; it's always hard on senior day. They're good people. Zac's in graduate school, Zane's really grown up and become a great leader himself. As these guys are progressing they've gotten better at wrestling, they've gotten to be better people. It's been great having them and we still have them for another five weeks so we need to see what we can do." Illinois finishes the 2016-17 home slate with a perfect 5-0 record, the first perfect season at Huff Hall since Mark Johnson's Illini went 6-0 in the 2008-09 season. Illinois concludes the season 9-3 overall in duals, 6-3 in the Big Ten. "The fans that come are truly Illini fans and they really appreciate the athletes, and let them know that they love all 10 starters after we go out there and compete," said Brunson. "It's truly something special here in Champaign that they have when it comes to supporting the wrestling team." Brunson capped off his senior day with a 7-4 decision against Devin Skatzka to earn his 100th career victory, becoming the 24th Illini wrestler to reach the century mark. Brunson used two early takedowns to gain control of the match, and then added a third in the second period. "Looking back now, this has been one of my dreams since I was a little kid," said Brunson following the victory. Back home, I watched college wrestling and always dreamed of getting to wrestle on this stage. Having done it, I'm extremely honored to get to have my last match at Huff Hall, and also be my 100th win, is truly special for me. I think it's still settling in. There's still one more goal and that's to win the NCAA tournament and I'm still looking forward to that" Like Brunson, Richards finished off his career at Huff Hall with a victory, overwhelming Garrett Pepple with a 21-6 technical fall. Richards used five takedowns coupled with eight back points to earn his 103rd victory of his career. The 103 wins tie him with former Illini Griff Powell for 21st on the Illinois all-time list. The Illini also earned bonus points at 165 pounds, as No. 1 Isaiah Martinez wrapped up a perfect regular season (23-0) with his 10th technical fall. Martinez needed just 4:03 to tally eight takedowns and a four-point near fall to dispatch of Bryce Martin. Illinois also received victories from Travis Piotrowski (14-11), No. 19 Eric Barone (9-6), No. 12 Kyle Langenderfer (21-5), Andre Lee (10-13) and No. 15 Brooks Black (11-5). A back-and-forth battle between Travis Piotrowski and Indiana's Elijah Oliver opened today's dual, as Oliver grabbed an early 2-0 lead before Piotrowski recovered to takedown Oliver for a 3-2 lead at the end of the first. Oliver leveled the match, 4-4, in the third period with a takedown, but chose to cut Piotrowski loose. However, the Hoosier's final attempts at a third takedown proved unsuccessful, as the Illini freshman prevailed, 5-4. At 149 pounds, a takedown by Barone 12 seconds into the match proved to be the difference as the Illini redshirt freshman defeated Chris Perez, 4-1. Barone racked up over two minutes of riding time, including the full two minutes of their third period. After having his eight-match winning streak snapped on Friday night, Langenderfer bounced back with a 9-2 decision against Jake Danishek at 157 pounds. Langenderfer used a takedown and four-point near fall at the end of the first period to take a commanding 6-0 lead, and then added a second takedown in the third period to put the match away. Andre Lee added a 5-2 victory at 197 pounds, defeating Indiana's Jacob Hinz. Trailing 1-0 in the third period, Lee earned an escape to tie the match and then got the go-ahead takedown with 1:08 left on the clock. Hinz closed the gap to 3-2 with an escape, but Lee kept the Hoosier at bay before adding a second takedown as time expired. Brooks Black closed out the Illinois victory by picking up his fifth in Big Ten duals. The Illini heavyweight used an escape in the second period along with 1:50 of riding time to shutout Fletcher Miller, 2-0. Indiana lone victories in the match came at 141 pounds and 184 pounds, as Cole Weaver pinned Mousa Jodeh (4:33) and No. 7 Nate Jackson defeated No. 12 Emery Parker by way of a 9-6 decision. With the regular season complete, the Orange and Blue will have two weeks off before traveling to Bloomington, Indiana for Big Ten Championships, March 4-5. Illini Notes: The 28-9 victory gives Illinois a perfect 5-0 record at Huff Hall this season. Illinois last went undefeated in 2008-09 when the Illini finished 6-0 at home. With a 7-4 victory today, Zac Brunson becomes the 24th Illini to reach 100 wins in his career. The Illini senior has compiled an overall record of 100-35 over his four seasons, including 25-6 this year. Zane Richards' 21-6 tech fall of Garrett Pepple moves him into a tie with Griff Powell for 21st on Illinois' all-time win list with 103 career victories. Richards also ranks ninth in Illinois history with a .824 career win percentage. Isaiah Martinez concludes the regular season 23-0, the second undefeated regular season of his career. Martinez started 2014-15 with a 25-0 record on his way to a 35-0 undefeated freshman season. Martinez's technical fall of Bryce Martin is his 10th of the season and 35th of his career. Results: 125: Travis Piotrowski (ILL) dec. Elijah Oliver (IND), 5-4 ILL 3, IND 0 133: #6 Zane Richards (ILL) tech fall Garrett Pepple (IND), 21-6 (6:07) ILL 8, IND 6 141: Cole Weaver (IND) fall Mousa Jodeh (ILL), 4:33 ILL 8, IND 6 149: #19 Eric Barone (ILL) dec. Chris Perez (IND), 4-1 ILL 11, IND 6 157: #12 Kyle Langenderfer (ILL) dec. Jake Danishek (IND), 9-2 ILL 14, IND 6 165: #1 Isaiah Martinez (ILL) tech fall Bryce Martin (IND), 24-7 (4:03) ILL 19, IND 6 174: #12 Zac Brunson (ILL) dec. Devin Skatzka (IND), 7-4 ILL 22, IND 6 184: #7 Nate Jackson (IND) dec. #12 Emery Parker (ILL), 9-6 ILL 22, IND 9 197: Andre Lee (ILL) dec. Jake Hinz (IND), 5-2 ILL 25, IND 9 HWT: #15 Brooks Black (ILL) dec. Fletcher Miller (IND), 2-0 ILL 28, IND 9

STILLWATER -- The top-ranked Oklahoma State wrestling team dominated No. 17 Oklahoma, 37-3, Sunday afternoon at Gallagher-Iba Arena to finish the regular season undefeated for the first time since 2005 and the 46th time in school history. The win also moved the Cowboys' record in the all-time Bedlam series to 139-27-10. Turning in their eighth 30-point dual win this season, the Cowboys (14-0, 6-0 Big 12) also extended their home dual winning streak against Oklahoma to 21. "I thought we had a good match," head coach John Smith said. "They were going deep into their reserves in some of the weights, but I liked what I saw from the standpoint of points scored and critical times to separate the match." A third-period fall from Chandler Rogers was perhaps the highlight of the day for Oklahoma State, to go along with a major decision from Anthony Collica and technical falls from Kaid Brock, Joe Smith and Nolan Boyd. Redshirt freshman Nick Piccininni started things off for the Cowboys with a 10-5 decision over Christian Moody at 125 pounds. Tied at two going into the third period, Piccininni made the most out of the final frame, scoring seven quick points with an escape followed by a takedown and nearfall to push his lead to 9-2. Moody, however, would score a takedown before the end of the period to avoid the major decision. Kaid Brock registered his first technical fall of his season at 133 pounds with a dominant, 18-3 victory over Jacob Rubio. Brock came out hot to lead 8-1 after one period with a couple of takedowns and a nearfall in the opening frame. From that point, the redshirt freshman scored four more takedowns to clinch the tech with riding time added and move to 22-1 for the season. Junior Dean Heil won his 32nd-straight match, and he handled Oklahoma's Mike Longo, 5-3. Heil and Longo were tied at two after the first two periods, but the Cowboy would escape and drop Longo for a takedown in the final frame to lock up the win. Collica led throughout his match, dropping No. 13 Davion Jeffries for his first takedown of the match with about a minute to go in the first before proceeding to record four more throughout the bout. With his Senior Day victory, Collica moved to 17-1 on the year. In his first match back in the lineup since the Cowboys wrestled Missouri on Jan. 27, sophomore Joe Smith piled on the points for a 17-1 technical fall over Oklahoma's Jared Schieber. Smith led 4-1 after one period and 9-1 after two before finishing off the match in 5:58 with a takedown and nearfall to highlight an eight-point final period. "It was good," John Smith said. "I thought he was a little slow in getting back into it, letting (Schieber) know that he can wrestle hard. When you have the injury he's had, you're a little bit timid because he's healed it up and it gets hurt again, he heals it up and it gets hurt again. It was good to see him break out of it and let it fly. His knee is in pretty good shape and we'll continue to protect it, but I'm pleased with him and it was a good tech fall for him." Rogers awakened the orange-clad Gallagher-Iba Arena crowd at 165 pounds with a fall of 10th-ranked Yoanse Mejias. Rogers controlled the match even before the pin, notching a pair of takedowns in the first two periods to lead 5-2 heading to the third. Rogers made his move in the third frame, attacking and converting on a third takedown before decking Mejias just seconds later. Senior Kyle Crutchmer grinded out a 4-2 decision over Matt Reed at 174 pounds to move to 15-4 on the season. Crutchmer used a third-period escape and the riding time point to separate himself from Reed and earn the win. Nolan Boyd continued his winning ways with a 16-0 tech over DaWaylon Barnes. Boyd scored four takedowns and a nearfall in the win. The senior has racked up eight-straight wins over the last month, with five of those victories coming by way of technical fall. Redshirt sophomore Preston Weigel used a third-period escape to clinch a 4-3 victory over Brad Johnson at 197 pounds. The win was Weigel's second of the weekend, and moved him to 15-4 this season. Cowboy Derek White got the start at heavyweight, moving up from 197 pounds. The Cowboy came up short, however, dropping an 8-0 major decision to No. 19 Ross Larson. Oklahoma State will play host to the NWCA National Duals final on Sunday, Feb. 19. The event serves as the dual national championship, and while the NWCA selection committee will make its official selection later Sunday night, Oklahoma State and Penn State are the top two teams ranked in the NWCA poll. To purchase tickets to the event online, visit https://oss.ticketmaster.com/aps/okstate/EN/buy/details/17NWCA. Results: 125: No. 11 Nick Piccininni (OSU) dec. Christian Moody (OU), 10-5 133: No. 3 Kaid Brock (OSU) TF Jacob Rubio (OU), 18-3 (7:00) 141: No. 1 Dean Heil (OSU) dec. Mike Longo (OU), 5-3 149: No. 3 Anthony Collica (OSU) MD No. 13 Davion Jeffries (OU), 12-3 157: No. 6 Joe Smith (OSU) TF Jared Schieber (OU), 18-1 (5:58) 165: No. 8 Chandler Rogers (OSU) fall No. 10 Yoanse Mejias (OU), 5:31 174: No. 9 Kyle Crutchmer (OSU) dec. Matt Reed (OU), 4-2 184: No. 6 Nolan Boyd (OSU) TF DaWaylon Barnes (OU), 17-0 (5:12) 197: No. 8 Preston Weigel (OSU) dec. Brad Johnson (OU), 4-3 HWT: No. 19 Ross Larson (OU) MD Derek White (OSU), 8-0

STANFORD, Calif. -- Highlighted by Peter Galli's fall on Senior Day, the No. 17 Stanford wrestling team defeated San Francisco State, 33-11, Sunday at Burnham Pavilion. The Cardinal closes out its dual season at 10-3 overall. Redshirt senior Zach Nevills started things off for the Cardinal with an 8-0 major decision over Mitchell Owens at 184 pounds. There was no score in the opening period between Nevills and Owens, who chose down to start the second. Nevills was strong on top, racking up 2:00 of riding time and tallying four near fall points in the period. The Clovis, California native added an escape, another takedown and the riding time point in the victory. It was his first major decision of the season. Redshirt senior Josh Marchok made it 7-0 Stanford with a 10-4 decision against Jonathon Costa at 197 pounds. Marchok recorded four takedowns, an escape and 1:22 of riding time in the win. He moves to 13-6 and 9-4 in duals this season. Redshirt freshman Trevor Rasmussen turned in a dominating 13-0 major decision over Ricardo Jaramillo at 285 pounds. Leading 6-0 after one, Rasmussen added an escape and a takedown in the second. He finished off Jaramillo with another takedown in the third along with a stalling point and 3:59 of riding time. Redshirt sophomore Brian Rossi pushed the dual score to 14-0 in favor of the Cardinal with an 8-3 decision over Matt Gamble at 125 pounds. It was Rossi's first dual win of the season. San Francisco State cut the Stanford lead to 14-11 as Nathan Cervantez earned a fall in 2:23 over Peter Russo at 133 pounds and Josh Villaflor posted a 16-0 technical fall in 4:52 over true freshman Brandon Kier at 141 pounds. At 149 pounds, redshirt sophomore Walker Dempsey used a takedown late in the third period to defeat Dylan Furtado for his first dual win of the year. Wrestling up a weight, redshirt junior Tommy Pawelski registered his first pin of the season, earning the fall in 2:29 over Landon Myers. Redshirt junior Keaton Subjeck also posted a dominating performance for Stanford, picking up a 16-3 major decision at 165 pounds. He improved to 19-6 overall and 10-2 in duals. Galli closed out the dual with a fall in 1:56 over Jesse Lyga at 174 pounds. It was the second consecutive pin for Gali and his seventh of the season. He finishes the regular season at 23-5 overall and 10-1 in duals. Up next, Stanford is set to host the 2017 Pac-12 Championships on Sunday, Feb. 26 at Maples Pavilion. Tickets are on-sale now. For more information visit gostanford.com/pac12wrestling. Results: 125 Brian Rossi (STAN) dec. Matt Gamble (SFSU) 8-3 133 Nathan Cervantez (SFSU) fall Peter Russo (STAN) F2:23 141 Josh Villaflor (SFSU) tech. fall Brandon Kier (STAN) 16-0 (4:52) 149 Walker Dempsey (STAN) dec. Dylan Furtado (SFSU) 7-6 157 Tommy Pawelski (STAN) fall Landon Myers (SFSU) F2:29 165 #19 Keaton Subjeck (STAN) maj. dec. Romeo Medina (SFSU) 16-3 174 #17 Peter Galli (STAN) fall Jesse Lyga (SFSU) F1:56 184 Zach Nevills (STAN) maj. dec. Mitchell Owens (SFSU) 8-0 197 #18 Josh Marchok (STAN) dec. Jonathon Costa (SFSU) 10-4 285 Trevor Rasmussen (STAN) maj. dec. Ricardo Jaramillo (SFSU) 13-0