InterMat Staff

There is no denying that wrestling talent at the high school level is better than ever. The U.S. has produced four Cadet or Junior World champions in men's freestyle since 2011. This year there were 12 freshman All-Americans at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in Oklahoma City. Two of those 12 freshmen, Jason Tsirtsis (Northwestern) and J'den Cox (Missouri), won NCAA titles. The wrestlers on this list might not be old enough to legally drink alcohol yet, but they are old enough to win NCAA titles and World gold medals. Here is a look at the 10 best 20-and-under wrestlers in the U.S. Aaron Pico Aaron Pico won a gold medal this past weekend in BulgariaPico, a high school sophomore, is the youngest wrestler on this list, but his wrestling resume is arguably the best on the list. Pico became a Cadet World champion last summer at 63 kilos after cruising through U.S. age group events. In November he dominated Russian Alibeggadzhi Emeev, who is ranked in the top 10 in the world, and this past weekend defeated Cadet World champion Abdulmuslim Mukhuddinov of Azerbaijan en route to winning the Petko Sirakov-Ivan Iliev Junior Wrestling Championships. His decision to forgo high school and college wrestling took many people by surprise, but Pico is a once in a generation type of talent who seems destined for international wrestling greatness and possibly MMA superstardom. Kyle Snyder Snyder, like Pico, became a World champion last summer. However, Snyder's World gold came at the Junior level, while Pico earned his at the Cadet level. Snyder became the youngest Junior World champion from the U.S. in 20 years. Named InterMat's High School Wrestler of the Year in 2013, Snyder has won virtually everything there is to win for a high school-age wrestler, including FILA Junior Nationals, Walsh Ironman, Super 32 Challenge, and Fargo titles. After going 179-0 as a high school wrestler in Maryland through his junior season, surrendering only one takedown in those three seasons, Snyder spent this past season at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. He will be heading to Columbus to wrestle for Ohio State and is expected to make an immediate impact for Tom Ryan's Buckeyes. Alex Dieringer Alex Dieringer defeated Dylan Ness to win an NCAA title (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine)Dieringer is the oldest wrestler grade-wise on this list, but doesn't turn 21 until this summer. He has been spectacular in two seasons in Oklahoma State's lineup, winning an NCAA title this season and finishing third last season as a redshirt freshman. His NCAA title this season came at 157 pounds, but he has already made it known that he will be moving up to 165 pounds next season with teammate Tyler Caldwell graduating. Dieringer, like many on this list, has been extremely successful in all three styles of wrestling. He was a nine-time All-American while in high school and multiple-time Fargo champion. This past summer he earned a silver medal at the Junior World Championships. Jason Tsirtsis Tsirtsis became Northwestern's first freshman NCAA champion when he claimed the title at 149 pounds this past Saturday. He has been an age group star on the national level since he was a little boy. In 2012 he was InterMat's High School Wrestler of the year, finishing his prep career with a 176-2 record and four state titles. As accomplished as Tsirtsis is in folkstyle, his best style -- and preferred style -- is freestyle. He had a win over Darrion Caldwell in freestyle while still in high school. Tsirtsis was a member of the U.S. Junior World Team this past summer and competed in the Junior World Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria. J'den Cox J'den Cox celebrates after winning his NCAA title in Oklahoma City (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)Cox's talents were on display this past week in Oklahoma City as he won the NCAA title at 197 pounds as a true freshman at Missouri. He finished the season with a 37-2 record and became just the 12th wrestler ever to win an NCAA title as a true freshman. As a high school wrestler, Cox was a four-time state champion in Missouri with a career record of 195-3. All three of his high school losses came as a freshman. Cox split matches with Kyle Snyder (also on this list) in Fargo in 2012, with Cox winning in freestyle and Snyder winning in Greco-Roman. Adam Coon It would be shortsighted to omit Coon from this list based strictly on his disappointing NCAA postseason performance. He absolutely belongs. He might not have found a spot on the NCAA podium this season as a true freshman, but he certainty established himself as one of the nation's elite NCAA heavyweights, beating three 2014 All-Americans, including NCAA champion Nick Gwiazdowski of North Carolina State and two-time NCAA champion Tony Nelson of Minnesota. Coon was a 2011 Cadet World champion in freestyle. With top training partners and coaches at his disposal in Ann Arbor, the future looks bright for Coon. Chance Marsteller Marsteller, a Pennsylvania native, was a household name in wrestling circles before he even stepped foot on a high school wrestling mat. He won a match at a college open tournament as an eighth-grader. Marsteller chose to stay at his hometown high school, Kennard-Dale, a non-traditional wrestling power, and put together one of the most dominant prep careers ever in wrestling-rich Pennsylvania. In mid-March, Marsteller capped off his high school wrestling career with a fourth state championship and finished with a perfect 166-0 record. He became only the sixth high school wrestler ever to finish undefeated in Pennsylvania and joined an elite group that includes Cary Kolat -- a wrestler Marsteller is most often compared to. He initially committed to Penn State, but changed his mind during the recruiting process and signed with Oklahoma State. Zain Retherford Zain Retherford defeated Joey Lazor in the NCAA quarters (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Retherford, a true freshman at Penn State, was a key component in the Nittany Lions' run to their fourth straight NCAA championship. He sent shock waves through the college wrestling world when he defeated Logan Stieber of Ohio State in a dual meet in December. Retherford came to State College with a strong wrestling pedigree (130-3 record, No. 3 overall recruit by InterMat) and was able to even exceed the lofty expectations placed on him. He ended the season with a fifth-place finish at the NCAAs, with his only losses this season coming to Stieber and Edinboro's Mitchell Port. A lot has been made of Retherford's top game in folkstyle -- and for good reason, but he is also a tremendous freestyle wrestler. He won a Cadet World title in 2012. Bo Jordan Jordan, a redshirt at Ohio State, comes from an impressive family lineage of wrestlers. His father Jeff is the head wrestling coach at St. Paris Graham and a two-time All-American. His uncle Jim Jordan was an NCAA champion, while his cousins Ben Jordan and Isaac Jordan have been All-Americans at Wisconsin. Bo's younger brother Micah won his fourth state championship this season, while his youngest brother Rocky is one of the nation's top middle school wrestlers. Bo finished his high school career in 2013 as a four-time state champion and the nation's No. 1 recruit by InterMat. This past season he was undefeated in open tournaments as a redshirt at Ohio State, finishing 23-0 with 11 pins, four technical falls, and five major decisions. Bo Jordan and Kyle Snyder will team with the Stieber bros. and help bolster a Buckeye lineup that is expected to challenge for an NCAA championship in 2015. Gabe Dean Gabe Dean reached the NCAA semis before losing to Ed Ruth (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine)Dean has had a meteoric rise as a wrestler. The Cornell freshman struggled in open tournament competition last season while grayshirting. He went 0-2 at the Buffalo Open and at one point even contemplated walking away from the sport. But with a tireless work ethic, stable of talented workout partners, and top-flight coaching at Cornell, Dean transformed himself into a contender for an NCAA title in his first season in the Big Red lineup. Like Retherford, Dean shocked the college wrestling world by defeating a college wrestling great. That signature win came over Ed Ruth in the finals of the Southern Scuffle, which snapped the Penn State wrestler's 84-match win streak. Ruth, though, would come back to defeat Dean in the NCAA semifinals, but the Cornell freshman wrestled back to third place. Though he has not competed in many USA Wrestling freestyle events, it's hard to envision him not being a successful freestyle wrestler if he chooses to go that route.

The National Wrestling Media Association, founded in 1989 as a member group of journalists, photographers and media specialists, announced its 2013-14 award winners at its annual meeting at the 2014 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in Oklahoma City, Okla. Here are this year's winners: Division I SID of the Year: Bryan Johnston, Virginia Tech Johnston, the Associate Director of Athletic Communications at Virginia Tech has been an active publicist for a number of Hokie sports, but he's been able to develop and promote wrestling through the last three head coaches via releases, social media and weekly press operations. Johnston, a graduate of the University of South Carolina, started with Virginia Tech in 1999 and has been the media contact for wrestling since 2000. Small College SID of the Year: Tom Nelson, St. Cloud State University Nelson has worked at St. Cloud State University since 1996 and has been one of the top media relations professionals for the Husky wrestling program. Combined with the school's social media resources, Nelson has provided fans and the media complete and quick information regarding wrestling. An active member of CoSIDA, Nelson sits on that group's Site Selection Committee. He has served as a media coordinator at numerous USA Hockey Player Development Camps and has been the media stewart for the MSHSL Class AA baseball tournament since 1997. Journalist of the Year: Joe Kania, The Star-Ledger/NJ.com Joe Kania is in his second year covering wrestling for The Star-Ledger in the ultra competitive high school wrestling beat in the Garden State. Kania, a graduate of Bloomsburg University, started Garden State Wrestling prior to working at The Star-Ledger. In addition to beat coverage, Kania does on-camera videos, broadcasting, rankings and video production. Kania is a native of Westfield, N.J. Broadcaster of the Year: Mark Bader, Flowrestling Originally starting with Flocasts under the PureFight brand, Missouri graduate Mark Bader has been actively working broadcasts nationwide since 2008. Bader wrestled at 125-pounds for the Tigers and provides an entertaining and excitable brand of commentary. He's traveled the nation and the world for Flo and is one of the most recognizable figures in the wrestling media. Photographer of the Year: Mark Beshey (The Guillotine) Long the source for wrestling news in Minnesota, The Guillotine also brings wrestling fans in the North Star State fantastic photos provided by Mark Beshey. Mark's brother Jeff owns the publication and Mark Beshey has been present at hundreds of college and high school wrestling events in Minnesota and nationwide. Publication of the Year: The Predicament (Iowa) Founded in 1970, The Predicament has been the source for wrestling news in Iowa at the college and high school level for over 40 years. Currently run by Jim Thompson and Wyatt Schultz, the print publication also supplements its content with online news as well as rankings, results and news for all levels of wrestling in Iowa, from kids tournaments to senior-level freestyle and Greco-Roman. This is the second time The Predicament has won the award. It previously won in 1998-99. Website of the Year: Trackwrestling.com One of the biggest innovations in wrestling in the last decade as been the implementation of Trackwrestling into the sport's landscape. Founded by Justin Tritz in Wisconsin as a means to simplify state tournament seeding, Trackwrestling has handled some of the biggest wrestling tournaments in the country and has even integrated matside electronic scoring, scoreclocks and seamless integration with live video streams to provide fans and the media up-to-the-second live updates on college wrestling events. Combined with the NWCA Scorebook, Trackwrestling has been utilized by the NCAA at the last several championships in all divisions as well as the official results software of USA Wrestling. New Media Specialist: Richard Immel, USA Wrestling A native of Oklahoma and a former Sooner wrestler, Richard Immel is in his second year at USA Wrestling and in his short time in Colorado Springs, Colo., he's continued to evalvate the company's social media reach as well as implemented weekly Google Hangouts with international and college teams and personalities. Immel also provides audio commentary and video streaming support for USA Wrestling events. In addition to the specialized awards, the NWMA also honored two of its members with the Jay Hammond Memorial Special Recognition Award. The award is named for the late Jay Hammond, who passed away earlier this year. The award is given for outstanding work in the effort to educate and enhance the sport of wrestling through media. This year's honorees are Tim "T.R." Foley and Jamie Moffatt. Both authored books in the past year detailing the fight for the inclusion of wrestling in the Olympic Games. Foley's book, Full Circle, is a photographic timeline of the events that started when the IOC announced wrestling would be dropped from the Olympic program. With photos from Foley and Tony Rotundo, this full-color book gives an illustrated path of wrestling's return to the Olympic Games. Moffatt's book, co-written by Craig Sesker of USA Wrestling was titled Saving Wrestling: The Inside Story of the Sport's Epic Fight, broke down some of the inner workings of FILA and detailed the power struggle at the top and what changes happened in order for wrestling to return to the Olympic Games. Filled with inside information, the book educated the wrestling community on what really went on behind closed doors and who the players were behind the sport's potential demise and it's rise back to the Olympic program.

125: 1st: Jesse Delgado (Illinois) dec. Nahshon Garrett (Cornell), 3-2 3rd: Nico Megaludis (Penn State) dec. Joey Dance (Virginia Tech), 6-1 5th: Cory Clark (Iowa) dec. Dylan Peters (Northern Iowa), 8-1 7th: Darian Cruz (Lehigh) dec. Earl Hall (Iowa State), 2-1 TB2 133: 1st: Tony Ramos (Iowa) dec. Tyler Graff (Wisconsin), 3-1 3rd: Joe Colon (Northern Iowa) dec. A.J. Schopp (Edinboro), 1-0 5th: David Thorn (Minnesota) dec. Mason Beckman (Lehigh), 5-3 7th: Joe Roth (Central Michigan) dec. Cody Brewer (Oklahoma), 8-6 141: 1st: Logan Stieber (Ohio State) maj. dec. Devin Carter (Virginia Tech), 10-1 3rd: Mitchell Port (Edinboro) maj. dec. Evan Henderson (North Carolina), 9-1 5th: Zain Retherford (Penn State) by medical forfeit over Joey Lazor (Northern Iowa) 7th: Steve Dutton (Michigan) dec. Richard Durso (Franklin & Marshall), 6-5 149: 1st: Jason Tsirtsis (Northwestern) dec. Josh Kindig (Oklahoma State), 3-1 SV 3rd: Eric Grajales (Michigan) dec. David Habat (Edinboro), 4-2 5th: Drake Houdashelt (Missouri) dec. Mitch Minotti (Lehigh), 3-0 7th: James English (Penn State) dec. Kendric Maple (Oklahoma), 2-1 TB 157: 1st: Alex Dieringer (Oklahoma State) maj. dec. Dylan Ness (Minnesota), 13-4 3rd: James Green (Nebraska) maj. dec. Ian Miller (Kent St.), 13-1 5th: Derek St. John (Iowa) by medical forfeit over Brian Realbuto (Cornell) 7th: Isaac Jordan (Wisconsin) dec. Anthony Perrotti (Rutgers), 2-0 165: 1st: David Taylor (Penn State) dec. Tyler Caldwell (Oklahoma State), 6-0 3rd: Steven Monk (North Dakota State) pinned Nick Sulzer (Virginia), 5:26 5th: Michael Moreno (Iowa State) dec. Turtogtokh Luvsandorj (Citadel), 9-3 7th: Danny Zilverberg (Minnesota) dec. Pierce Harger (Northwestern), 6-2 174: 1st: Chris Perry (Oklahoma State) dec. Andrew Howe (Oklahoma), 4-0 3rd: Logan Storley (Minnesota) dec. Robert Kokesh (Nebraska), 3-1 TB 5th: Matt Brown (Penn St.) dec. Michael Evans (Iowa), 6-3 7th: Tyler Wilps (Pittsburgh) dec. Bryce Hammond (CSU Bakersfield), 4-2 184: 1st: Ed Ruth (Penn State) dec. Jimmy Sheptock (Maryland), 7-2 3rd: Gabe Dean (Cornell) dec. Jack Dechow (Old Dominion), 5-4 5th: Kevin Steinhaus (Minnesota) tech. fall Lorenzo Thomas (Penn), 18-2 7th: Jake Swartz (Boise State) dec. Ophir Bernstein (Brown), 6-1 197: 1st: J'den Cox (Missouri) dec. Nick Heflin (Ohio State), 2-1 3rd: Scott Schiller (Minnesota) dec. Kyven Gadson (Iowa State), 9-6 5th: Conner Hartmann (Duke) by medical forfeit over Chris Penny (Virginia Tech) 7th: Morgan McIntosh (Penn State) dec. Nathan Burak (Iowa), 3-1 285: 1st: Nick Gwiazdowski (North Carolina State) dec. Tony Nelson (Minnesota), 4-2 3rd: Mike McMullan (Northwestern) dec. Bobby Telford (Iowa), 3-1 5th: Mike McClure (Michigan St.) dec. Adam Chalfant (Indiana), 3-2 7th: Jeremy Johnson (Ohio) dec. Austin Marsden (Oklahoma State), 4-2

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. -- Bryce Hammond (RSo., Bakersfield, Calif., Bakersfield HS) finished the NCAA Championships with an eighth place finish and All-American honors. Hammond won four consecutive matchups in the consolation bracket including wins against two ranked opponents. The redshirt sophomore eventually fell to the No. 5 ranked wrestler, Matt Brown of Penn State, and landed in the seventh place match against No. 7 Tyler Wilps of Pitt. Hammond came out of the gate with a quick takedown for a two-point lead, but an escape and two stall warnings tied the match at 2-2. Wilps got a takedown late in the match to take a 4-2 lead and he would hold on to it as Hammond could not mount a comeback. With the eighth place finish, Hammond earned All-American honors for himself and Bakersfield, the program's first since 2010.

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. -- Northwestern wrestler Jason Tsirtsis (Crown Point, Ind.) became the first freshman in school history to win an NCAA wrestling championship. Fittingly, it took three straight overtime victories to take home the crown. Tsirtsis (32-3) claimed NU’s first individual NCAA title since 2009 (Jake Herbert 184 lbs) with a 3-1 OT win over Oklahoma State No. 11 seed Joshua Kindig. He’s the Wildcats first national champion in the 149 lbs. weight class. Northwestern finished No. 9 in the nation with 46.0 points. It’s the Wildcats second top ten finish in the last three years under head coach Drew Pariano. The ‘Cats produced three All-Americans, with Pierce Harger (165 lbs.) and three-time NCAA finalist Mike McMullan (285) joining Tsirtsis. “I don't think it's hit me yet that I'm an NCAA champ. I get to keep that claim for the rest of my life. It's what you work for as a wrestler ever since you set your goals as a little kid,” Tsirtsis said. “So being out on that center stage, I don't think the big aspect of importance really hit me. I don't think it still has. But I think that's a good thing. I went out there, I was confident, and I wasn't worried about it being NCAA Finals. I was just focused on winning that match and wrestling tough.” Pariano has now coached three NCAA champions, while Tsirtsis is the first under Pariano’s tenure leading the program. As an assistant coach, Pariano was instrumental working and coaching with NCAA champs Dustin Fox (2008) and Jake Herbert (2007, 2009). With Tsirtsis winning the 149 lbs. title, heavyweight McMullan finished No. 3 and first time All-American Harger finished No. 8 at 165 lbs. The freshman’s win over Kindig (24-9) was Tsirtsis’ third straight decision he’d need to pull out in overtime. After a scoreless first period, Kindig scored first with an escape after starting down in the second period. Tsirtsis tied things up to start the third at 1-1. He held a small 0:36 riding time advantage, but the match reached overtime after a stalling warning. In the extra session, Tsirtsis controlled Kindig and was able to grab both of the Cowboy’s ankles to score a two-point takedown and secure the 3-1 OT win. Tsirtsis reached the NCAA Championship title bout after winning two consecutive overtime matches. He defeated top-seeded Drake Houdashelt of Missouri in the semifinals and No. 4 seed Kendric Maple of host school Oklahoma in the quarterfinals, both 2-1 decisions in overtime. “Jason is bar none the hardest working individual I’ve ever been around,” Wildcats three-time All-American and NCAA finalist Mike McMullan said during the NCAA Championships. “He’s never satisfied. He’s always the last one to leave the room, always putting in the extra work.”

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. -- Twelfth-seeded junior All-American wrestler Ophir Bernstein (Allen, Texas) finished in eighth place in the 184-pound weight class after falling 6-1 against sixth-seeded Jacob Swartz of Boise State at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships at Chesapeake Energy Arena on Saturday. Bernstein became the fourth All-American in Brown wrestling history and the first since Tivon Abel in 1998 when he went 1-2 yesterday. He finishes the season with 36 wins, just one win shy of the Brown single season record set by Steve Thoma in 1991-92. Swartz earned the only points of the first period on a takedown, spinning behind Bernstein to take a 2-0 lead. Bernstein battled Swartz's early underhook to a stalemate and then got in tight with scissors across the body, only to be met with a whistle and reset that led to a Swartz takedown. The Boise State All-American secured a tight armbar and Bernstein struggled to elevate his hips, leading to lots of riding time for Swartz and a late stalling call. Bernstein chose the bottom to start the second and separated the hands for an escape to make the score 2-1. He followed with a low single that Swartz blocked and countered with another spinning takedown similar to his first period shot. Swartz laid a knee into Bernstein's forearm and looked for the tilt, cashing in on a point from a stalling call to lead 5-1 after two periods. A neutral start to the third period allowed Swartz to wrestle conservatively and use his riding time for a final point in the 6-1 decision. Bernstein completes the season with a 36-11 record, while first-year Head Coach Todd Beckerman mentored an All-American in his inaugural season at the helm of the Bears.

Oklahoma City, Okla. -- Turtogtokh Luvsandorj closed out his illustrious Citadel wrestling career on Saturday by taking sixth place at 165 pounds to become the Bulldogs' fourth All-American in program history at the 2014 NCAA Championship held in the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Okla. Turtogtokh with Rob Hjerling The redshirt senior joins an elite group consisting of Ugi Khishignyam (2013 - Fourth Place), Odie Delaney (2013 – Seventh Place) and Dan Thompson (2006 - Seventh Place) as the only four Bulldogs to earn All-American status in the programs storied history. "I am very happy for Turtogtokh and I'm very proud of him as he has worked very hard and put in an indescribable amount of preparation," said Head Coach Rob Hjerling. "He gave himself an opportunity to win every match, and it was very nice to see all of the hard work pay off." The sixth-place finish is the second-best in Citadel history as the Mongolia native closed out his career with a school record 134 wins, including 39 this season. In his four seasons, Luvsandorj earned two Southern Conference titles, made four trips to the NCAA tournament and was tabbed as the league's wrestler of the year twice. "This was another historic weekend for The Citadel wrestling program, and Turtogtokh has been instrumental in setting a new standard for our program," added Hjerling. "Our guys come out here expecting to make things happen. They compete. They believe." Luvsandorj topped three seeded wrestlers en route to his sixth-place finish – No. 6 Corey Mock (Chattanooga), No. 7 Pierce Harger (Northwestern) and No. 9 Joseph Booth (Hofstra). Following exciting wins over Booth and Harger last night, Luvsandorj put himself in a position to finish as high as third place heading into the final day of the tournament. Luvsandorj opened the morning session with a hard-fought bout against No. 4 Steven Monk of North Dakota State, but was unable to come out on top as the Bison grappler earned the 5-3 win to drop Luvsandorj to the fifth place bout. In that match, the Bulldog wrestler was pitted against No. 8 Mike Moreno of Iowa State. Luvsandorj topped the Cyclone wrestler earlier this season in an overtime tilt at the Southern Scuffle, but was unable to do the same today. Down 2-1 in the second period, Moreno scored an escape followed by a takedown and three-point near fall to gain control of the match and collect a 9-3 decision. Aaron Walker, Matt Frisch and Marshall Haas are all expected to return next season, while Ugi Khishignyam finished his Bulldog career with 64 wins through two seasons and won two SoCon titles at 141 pounds. "The three younger guys learned a lot this weekend and they are leaving here as better wrestlers and are more prepared mentally for next season," said Hjerling. "Having two sophomores and a freshman out here getting that kind of experience is priceless. They have standards to live up to and records to shoot for and try to break. "This was a great team experience, not just some individual accomplishments. We have a great group of guys returning and there's no reason why we shouldn't raise our expectations for next year," finished Hjerling. QUOTES BY HEAD COACH ROB HJERLING ON UGI, FRISCH, HAAS and WALKER For Ugi: "It was a very tough tournament for Ugi, but nothing can take away from what he has done for our program. Our team was better this year because of the example he set in the room and in the way that he handled adversity." "When Ugi's tournament was over, he was there for the rest of the team helping them prepare for their competition." "Ugi has also been instrumental in taking this program to another level. He was the inspiration for Turtogtokh and the other national qualifiers." For Frisch: "Matt picked up a great win and gained some more invaluable experience. He improved from last season and from last year's NCAA tournament." "He is always working to get better and he should have a breakout season next year." For Walker: "Aaron also earned a good win out here. He got hurt. It happens. He toughed it out but it was a little too much." "This was a good season for Aaron and this tournament was a good experience for him. We could see him getting better all year long. He's real tough and I'm sure that he is already thinking about next year." For Haas: "Marshall might have gotten the most out of this experience because he stepped up huge at the Southern Conference, and was able to come out here and see what it takes to advance at the NCAA Championships. I know that Marshall will build on this."

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. -- Virginia Tech junior Devin Carter fell in the championship bout of the 2014 NCAA Wrestling Championships Saturday night inside Chesapeake Energy Arena, falling 10-1 to second-seeded and two-time national champion Logan Stieber of Ohio State University. Stieber controlled the pace of the match, getting four takedowns, an escape and a point for riding time to take the crown. “That’s a top-tier guy,” Carter said. “Even if you know what’s coming like I did, he hits it anyway. It’s just unfortunate.” Carter, the No. 4 seed at 141 pounds, won his first four matches of the tournament to reach the finals and become the first Virginia Tech wrestler in program history to advance to the championship bout. “Obviously, it’s disappointing to get to the NCAA Championships and then to the NCAA finals and to lose,” head coach Kevin Dresser said. “It’s a dream that every serious wrestler has and that’s Devin’s dream. Fortunately, he gets another crack at it when he can get the proper amount of training. We could have been in tip-top shape and maybe still lost that match. But it would have been a heck of a match and it would have been a war. Being the third day in a row of a tournament, he just didn’t have the training or the stamina to stay with the guy. That’s an elite level guy, not only in our country, but in the whole world. To try to compete with that guy with one-fifth of the training everybody else has had in the nation is pretty much a tall order, but Devin Carter keeps amazing us.” The Christiansburg, Va., native tore a hamstring in December and had surgery, but returned to the mat just three months later. He won an ACC title earlier in March and finished his season with a 18-1 record, earning his second All-America medal. “Just like anything else, it gets sore,” Carter said. “It’s gets sore a lot easier. It gets sensitive to the touch and stuff like that. Yesterday, I had to just push through it. Today it felt a lot better and I got to rest it all day. I just didn’t perform. I’m going to take a few weeks off and actually heal up to 100 percent. This will definitely fuel the fire.” “I know Devin is a really, really tough individual,” Stieber said. “I knew he had to be really tough to make it through that injury. So felt good to get through my offense and ride hard. And my defense was great, and I just kept getting after him.” Overall, Virginia Tech finished with 49.0 points and alone in eighth place for its second straight national top-10 finish. The points and placement are both program highs, topping last year’s 43.5 points and a tie for 10th place. Tech also crowned three All-Americans in Carter, Joey Dance and Chris Penn, giving the Hokies seven in the last two seasons. “Eight of the nine guys that qualified scored points for us this weekend to get us into eighth place,” Dresser said. “It’s a step for the program and it continues to be steps. I know we have a lot of hungry guys next year who sure want to be better than eighth. Right now, I take my hat off to these guys. They are the best team in Virginia Tech wrestling history and I told them that in the motel room before we came over.”

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. -- Edinboro wrapped up wrestling in the NCAA Division I National Championships at the Chesapeake Energy Arena on Saturday morning, with Mitchell Port taking third place at 141 lbs. and A.J. Schopp and Dave Habat finishing fourth at 133 and 149 lbs., respectively. It was another strong showing for the Fighting Scots, as the trio won four of six matches against some of the top wrestlers in the country. Dubbed Edinboro's Murderer's Row by the ESPN announcing crew, their strong showing likely has Edinboro finishing fifth at Nationals, the best showing in school history. The 1997 and 2009 teams finished sixth. Head coach Tim Flynn has now produced 33 All-Americans, with Port and Schopp joining the group of two-time All-Americans and Habat stepping on the stand for the first time. Mitchell Port defeated Zain Retherford on Saturday morning (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine)Port was the only Fighting Scot to win both of his matches on Saturday. The number one seed at 141 lbs., he took on third-seeded Zain Retherford of Penn State in his first match. Following a scoreless first period, Port grabbed the lead with an escape at 1:26 of the second, getting out against the PSU freshman who is already known as one of the best wrestlers in the top position. Retherford would knot the score at 1-1 with an escape at 1:21 of the third. The match would go through an overtime period and two 30-second tiebreaker periods without a score. Port almost tilted Retherford in the second 30-second period, then had to hold on Retherford nearly escaped. They went to a second one-minute overtime session, and Port came up with the winning takedown with 32 seconds remaining. He spun around a takedown attempt by Retherford for the 3-1 win in the second tiebreaker. That moved Port into the third place match and a rematch with North Carolina's Evan Henderson. The ninth seed had denied Port a shot at the national championship with a 5-3 upset in the quarterfinals, but this time it was all Port. He grabbed a 4-1 lead after one period, then reversed Henderson in the second period for a 6-1 advantage. In the third Port started with an escape and added another takedown for a 9-1 major decision. Port concludes his junior season with a 32-1 record and enters his final season with a 96-15 career ledger. He now has a second place finish in 2013 and a third in 2014 to his credit. Schopp faced Minnesota's David Thorn in his consolation semifinal match at 133 lbs. The redshirt junior dominated the seventh seed, posting a 12-4 major decision. He jumped out to fast start with a takedown with just over a minute left in the first period, tilting Thorn for two points and then three points at the end of the period for a 7-0 advantage. Schopp added three more back points in the second period after starting on top. Thorn would record a pair of takedowns in the third. The third place match turned out being what many thought would be tonight's championship bout, with the second-seeded Schopp squaring off against top-seeded Joe Colon of Northern Iowa. Colon had handed Schopp his lone loss prior to Nationals, winning 3-0 at the Midlands Championships. It turned out to be another low scoring affair, as the only point came in the second period. After Schopp chose the top, Colon would escape 12 seconds into the period in what would turn out to be the only point in a 1-0 decision. Colon chose neutral to start the third period and Schopp was unable to take him down. Schopp finishes his third season with a 35-3 record, with two losses to Colon and the third to Iowa's Tony Ramos, who will wrestle for the 133 lb. championship tonight after defeating Schopp in the semifinals. He enters his senior campaign with a 107-14 career record and has now finished fourth twice at Nationals. That is good for 20th in career victories. Habat made an impressive run as the eighth seed. After losing his second match to Michigan's Eric Grajales, he battled back to win five straight matches, including a 5-4 upset of top-seeded Drake Houdashelt of Missouri. The day before he won over the number two seed Nick Dardanes of Minnesota. Habat opened the scoring against Houdashelt with a takedown at the 2:22 mark, with an escape making it 2-1 after one period. The two traded reversals, with a stalling point against Habat making it 4-4 after two periods. Habat came up with the winning point with an escape with 1:28 left. He moved on to face Grajales in the third place match. After a wild 15-10 decision in the first meeting, Grajales ended up winning a 4-2 decision over Habat in the third place match. Habat fell behind 2-0 after one period, and the only point in the second period was a Grajales escape. Habat closed it to 3-2 with a reversal 40 seconds into the third period. He was unable to tilt Grajales and finally had to cut him with 38 seconds left. He came close to a takedown in the final ten seconds near the edge of the mat. Habat ends the year at 32-6 and now has a 98-24 career as a first-time All-American.

Anthony Perrotti became Scott Goodale's first All-American at Rutgers (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. -- Redshirt sophomore 157-pounder Anthony Perrotti (Roseland, N.J.) achieved All-America status Saturday to become the first Scarlet Knight to reach the NCAA Championships podium since 2002. He dropped his seventh place bout, 2-0, against No. 5 Isaac Jordan (Wisconsin), ending the tournament in eighth place. Following a scoreless first period, Jordan quickly escaped in the second to take a 1-0 lead. Perrotti looked for an escape in the third to tie things up, but Jordan rode him through the period to seal a 2-0 win with 1:45 of riding time. Despite the loss, Perrotti is the first All-American under head coach Scott Goodale and the 9th in Rutgers history. He achieved the 10th All-American status in school history with the win, as 142-pounder Anthony Surage (1980, 83) was a two-time All-American – the only grappler in RU history to achieve that feat.

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. -- Franklin & Marshall's No. 12 Richard Durso wrapped up his run at the NCAA D1 Wrestling Championships on Saturday afternoon with a 6-5 decision loss against Michigan's No. 13 Stephen Dutton III in the seventh-place title match. Durso finished the tournament in eighth-place, making him an All-American for the first time in his career and giving the program its first All-America honor since 1981. Richard Durso knocked off No. 5 Chris Mecate in the second round (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Durso (38-5) wrapped up action at the NCAA Tournament with a 3-3 record, beginning with a 5-2 decision victory over Maryland's Shyhiem Brown in the first round on Thursday. In the evening, Durso advanced to the quarterfinals for the second-straight year after pulling off an upset victory over the bracket's no. 5 seed, Old Dominion's Chris Mecate, with a narrow 3-2 decision in the second round. Virginia Tech's No. 4 Devin Carter slipped past Durso in the quarterfinals with a 4-3 decision after recording a takedown with less than 40 seconds remaining in the third, but Durso responded in resounding fashion in the wrestlebacks. Against No. 15 Anthony Collica of Oklahoma State in the fourth round of consolations, F&M's junior grappler dominated throughout for the 13-2 major decision to become the program's first All-American since Craig Blackman in 1981. In the battle for seventh place against Michigan's Dutton, F&M's junior 141-pounder opened with a takedown on the edge of the circle just 45 seconds into the first to take the 2-0 lead. Dutton countered with an escape nearly a minute later to pull within one, however Durso managed to enter the second with 1:10 of riding time. Durso chose down to start the second and quickly scored two off a reversal just 15 seconds in to capture the 4-1 lead. After riding out Dutton throughout the remainder of the period, Durso locked up the riding time point heading into the final stanza with his three-point lead. Michigan's grappler chose neutral to start the third and picked up a takedown 30 seconds in, before following up with three nearfall points to pull ahead by two at 6-4. With the riding time point in hand, Durso fought hard to register an escape, which would have tied the bout, but was unable to do so as Dutton held on for the 6-5 victory. Durso's 38 wins on the season place second on the program's all-time list, a record he currently holds after registering 39 during his sophomore campaign.

Related: Coverage Section OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. -- On Saturday night, David Taylor and Ed Ruth said their farewells to college wrestling, and did so grand fashion. The Penn State seniors both won NCAA titles and led the Nittany Lions to their fourth straight NCAA title at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in Oklahoma City, Okla. David Taylor celebrates after winning his second NCAA title (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)"Anyone that's watched David Taylor or Ed Ruth wrestle is an instant wrestling fan," said Penn State coach Cael Sanderson. "Those guys are fun to watch. Their motion, it's non-stop. They're fluid and they're tough. They wrestle with passion and fire. They're fun to watch. You need heroes and you guys like that to build the sport, and they've done that" Taylor and Ruth finished their college wrestling careers with a combined record of 270-6, five individual NCAA titles, and four NCAA team titles. Penn State trailed Minnesota by 2.5 points heading into the finals. Both teams had two finalists. The Nittany Lions, with Taylor and Ruth, won both their finals matches, while the Gophers lost both their finals matches, which gave Penn State the team title. The Nittany Lions finished with 109.5 points, 5.5 points in front of runner-up Minnesota. Oklahoma State finished third with 96.5 points. Iowa (78.5) and Edinboro (62) rounded out the top five teams. "Our kids really did a fantastic job today," said Sanderson. "We knew we had our hands full. Minnesota, they were killin' it. All of our All-Americans won their last match, and that's a big deal. It makes it easier as a coach when your guys win their last match." Ed Ruth gets his hand raised after defeating Jimmy Sheptock in the NCAA finals (Photo/Larry Slater)Ruth faced previously unbeaten Jimmy Sheptock of Maryland in the finals, and cruised to a 7-2 victory. He scored a takedown off a leg attack 15 seconds into the match and added another takedown late in the period to lead 4-1 heading into the second period. Sheptock chose down in the second period and was ridden out the entire period by Ruth. The Nittany Lion senior picked up a reversal in the third period and added a riding-time point to win by five. "I never really have a game plan," said Ruth of his mindset going into the match. "As soon as the guy steps on the line and I step on the line, the first thing I'm thinking about is taking 10, 20 shots until I get to his legs. In my head I don't like to believe people can fend me off." With the title, Ruth becomes the first three-time NCAA champion in Penn State wrestling history. "There's a lot of respected wrestlers who came through Penn State," said Ruth. "I see them every time they come through the room and I'm like, 'wow.' It makes me proud to be one of those guys." Taylor won his second NCAA title and became the first Penn State wrestler ever to make four NCAA finals appearances. He was also named Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament. Taylor controlled his finals opponent Tyler Caldwell of Oklahoma State from start to finish, winning 6-0. Taylor picked up a takedown in each of the first two periods, and added an escape and riding time point for the shutout victory. "I guess when I think about my Penn State career, I think tonight will be something I'll remember for a really long time," said Taylor. Taylor's focus will now shift from his college wrestling career to his international wrestling career. Last year Taylor finished runner-up at the U.S. Open to Olympic champion Jordan Burroughs, and earned a spot on the U.S. National Team after his performance at the U.S. World Team Trials last summer. "I can vividly remember telling my dad when I was 8 years old I wanted to be a four-time state champ, four-time national champ, and Olympic champion. I fell a little bit short of the second goal. The Olympic champion is something I'm looking forward to now." Ohio State's Logan Stieber (141) joined Ruth as a three-time NCAA champion, while two others wrestlers, Illinois' Jesse Delgado (125) and Chris Perry (174) joined Taylor in the club of two-time NCAA champions. Stieber dominated Virginia Tech's Devin Carter in the finals, 10-1. He had a takedown in the first period, added another takedown in the second period, and then blew the match up with two more takedowns in the final period. His first two NCAA titles came at 133 pounds before moving up to 141 pounds this season to claim his third NCAA title. With one season remaining at Ohio State, Stieber now has an opportunity to become just fourth four-time NCAA Division I champion, joining Pat Smith (Oklahoma State), Cael Sanderson (Iowa State), and Kyle Dake (Cornell). "I'll treat No. 4 training-wise like I treated No. 1, 2, and 3," said Stieber. "I'm always calm. I always try to be relaxed. My coaches will have me ready. I'll be ready to go when next season comes around." Stieber took a loss in mid-December to Penn State's Zain Retherford, but came back to defeat the Nittany Lion true freshman in the Big Ten finals and NCAA semifinals. It wasn't a loss he took lightly, but he gained something in the process. "I definitely learned a lot," said Stieber. "Losing sucks. I would never, ever want to lose, but it helped me out a lot. So the undefeated season and chance at the Hodge, that diminished, but who cares? At the end of the day I'm here right now and happy." Delgado edged Cornell's Nahshon Garrett, 3-2, to capture his second straight NCAA title at 125 pounds. The match was filled with action despite the low score. In the first period Garrett was in deep multiple times on leg attacks, but Delgado was able to scramble out of danger. Delgado took control of the match in second period, escaping and adding a takedown late in the period to lead 3-0. Garrett, with over a minute of riding time, chose neutral to start the third period. Delgado eventually gave up a stall point, but Garrett was unable to score offensively and would come up a point short after getting the additional point for riding. Jesse Delgado and Nahshon Garrett get into a scramble (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)"I think it's always hard repeating (as NCAA champion), but they both presented their challenges," Delgado said when comparing his two titles. "He threw me off in the match a little bit. He controlled the match again. (Nico) Megaludis controlled the match last year. But I came out with a win." Delgado has been coached by Mark Perry his entire wrestling. Perry, who serves as the associate head wrestling coach at Illinois, recruited Delgado to Cal Poly when he was coaching there. Delgado then followed Perry to Illinois when he joined the coaching staff in Champagne. It's a relationship that's deeper than athlete-coach. "He's like family," Delgado said of Perry. "He's changed my life completely. It's more than a coach. It's a mentor. It's a brother. It's a friend. It's someone I'm going to have the rest of my life. It's family." Interestingly, Mark's younger brother Chris Perry of Oklahoma State joined Delgado as a two-time NCAA champion on the same night. Chris Perry rides Andrew Howe (Photo/Larry Slater)Perry, one of four Oklahoma State wrestlers to reach the finals, topped Bedlam rival Andrew Howe of Oklahoma, 4-0. After a scoreless first period, Perry started in the second period in the down position and escaped within five seconds to go up 1-0. Then 50 seconds into the period Perry shot a high crotch and converted it for a takedown to go up 3-0. He then rode out Howe for the remainder of the period to gain over a minute of riding time. Howe elected to start in the neutral position in the third period, but neither wrestler was able to score and Perry finished with a shutout victory. "I haven't beaten a guy like an Andrew Howe quality in an NCAA finals or an NCAA tournament," said Perry. "That's the best guy I've ever wrestled in an NCAA tournament hand downs, one of the best competitors I've ever competed against, counting even guys overseas. He's a tough dude, man. I have so much respect for Andrew." Perry was one of two NCAA champions for Oklahoma State. The other was Alex Dieringer, who claimed his title with a 13-4 victory over three-time All-American Dylan Ness of Minnesota. Dieringer started quickly, picking up a takedown and a tilt for three nearfall points to go up 5-0 in the first period. He added another takedown in the second period and led 8-1 heading into the final period. Ness continued to battle, but Dieringer stayed solid and continued to add to his lead to pick up the major decision. "Winning on that big stage, there's really nothing better," said Dieringer. "I've been working so hard in the room doing extra works outs, all that. So to know it all paid off, it's a great feeling." Dieringer, only a sophomore, has two seasons remaining and says he has his sights set on winning three NCAA titles in his college wrestling career, but plans to change weight classes next season. "I'm a big 57-pounder," said Dieringer. "It's been hard on my body. I'm going to get big, real big, and I'm going to be 65 next year, so I'm excited." Two freshmen, Northwestern's Jason Tsirtsis (149) and Missouri's J'den Cox (197), captured NCAA titles. Tsirtsis, a Big Ten champion who entered the tournament seeded fifth, needed sudden victory to defeat surprise finalist Josh Kindig of Oklahoma State, 3-1. The wrestles traded escapes in the second and third periods, but neither wrestler was able to score offensively in regulation. Tsirtsis was able to score the only takedown of the match in the sudden victory period. He becomes Northwestern's first freshman NCAA champion ever. "I don't think it's hit me yet that I'm an NCAA champ," said Tsirtsis, who finished the season with a 34-3 record. "I get to keep that claim for the rest of my life. It's what you work for as a wrestler ever since you set your goals as a little kid." Tsirtsis' NCAA championship helped catapult Northwestern to ninth in the final team standings. J'den Cox became just the 14th true freshman to win an NCAA title (Photo/Larry Slater)Cox entered the tournament seeded No. 2 and battled No. 1 Nick Heflin of Ohio State in the finals. Cox had several scoring attempts in the first period, but was unable to score and the first period ended 0-0. The two wrestlers traded escapes in the final two periods to make the score 1-1 in the final period. With 30 seconds left, after repeated attempts from Cox, Heflin was called for stalling for the second time and the Missouri freshman was awarded a point. That point from to be the difference in the match as Cox held on for the one-point victory. "My goal is to be a four-time national champion, and this is the beginning," said Cox. "This was probably going to be one of the hardest ones just because it was trying to get the train started." Iowa senior Tony Ramos took another step up on the NCAA podium and won an NCAA title with a 3-1 tiebreaker victory over longtime Big Ten rival Tyler Graff of Wisconsin. Ramos was third as a sophomore and runner-up as a junior. Ramos and Graff traded escapes in the second and third periods, and the match went to sudden victory tied 1-1. Neither wrestler was able to score in the sudden victory. Ramos started the tiebreaker period in the down position, and Graff was able to ride out the Hawkeye senior for the entire 30 seconds. Then Ramos took the top position needing a rideout to stay alive. But Ramos wasn't looking to just stay alive. Instead he was able to score two nearfall points when Graff tried to roll, which won him the match. "I knew he liked to roll," said Ramos. "As soon as he hit that roll I was just finding some way to score." After the victory, Ramos ran off the mat and leaped into the stands to celebrate with his family. "I wanted to see them as quick as I could," said Ramos. Nick Gwiazdowski jumps into his coach Pat Popolizio's arms after winning the NCAA title (Photo/Larry Slater)North Carolina State's Nick Gwiazdowski won the NCAA title, knocking off two-time NCAA champion Tony Nelson of Minnesota, 4-2. The first period was scoreless. Gwiazdowski took the down position in the second period, and Nelson was able to ride him the entire period and gain two minutes of riding time. Gwiazdowski gave Nelson an escape in the third period to go down 1-0 on the scoreboard. The North Carolina State heavyweight then found his offense, scoring a takedown on Nelson 30 seconds into the period to go up 2-1, although Nelson had the riding time advantage. Nelson took an injury timeout after the takedown, which gave Gwiazdowski the choice of positions. He chose to resume the match in the neutral position, and secured another takedown off a leg attack with 20 seconds left to secure the win. "I knew I could get to that shot, I just didn't pull the trigger in the beginning periods," said Gwiazdowski. "I just went after it." The second-seeded Gwiazdowski was the lone non-Big Ten heavyweight seeded in the top seven of the tournament. He is NC State's sixth wrestler ever to win a national title. Gwiazdowski started his college career at Binghamton, where he earned All-American honors as a true freshman in 2012. After his coach at Binghamton Pat Popolizio was hired as North Carolina's State coach, Gwiazdowski followed him to Raleigh. He redshirted last season. "The people that cared about me when I left Binghamton, even at Binghamton other students and friends, they knew what I was going for. I was going to win a national title somewhere." Team Standings: 1. Penn State 109.5 2. Minnesota 104 3. Oklahoma State 96.5 4. Iowa 78.5 5. Edinboro 62 6. Ohio St. 57 7. Cornell 53 8. Virginia Tech 49 9. Northwestern 46 10. Oklahoma 45 Finals Results: 174: No. 1 Chris Perry (Oklahoma State) dec. No. 2 Andrew Howe (Oklahoma), 4-0 184: No. 2 Ed Ruth (Penn State) dec. No. 1 Jimmy Sheptock (Maryland), 7-2 197: No. 2 J'den Cox (Missouri) dec. No. 1 Nick Heflin (Ohio State), 2-1 285: No. 2 Nick Gwiazdowski (North Carolina State) dec. No. 1 Tony Nelson (Minnesota), 4-2 125: No. 1 Jesse Delgado (Illinois) dec. No. 2 Nahshon Garrett (Cornell), 3-2 133: No. 3 Tony Ramos (Iowa) dec. No. 5 Tyler Graff (Wisconsin), 3-1 141: No. 2 Logan Stieber (Ohio State) maj. dec. No. 4 Devin Carter (Virginia Tech), 10-1 149: No. 5 Jason Tsirtsis (Northwestern) dec. No. 11 Josh Kindig (Oklahoma State), 3-1 SV 157: No. 3 Alex Dieringer (Oklahoma State) maj. dec. No. 9 Dylan Ness (Minnesota), 13-4 165: No. 1 David Taylor (Penn State) dec. No. 2 Tyler Caldwell (Oklahoma State), 6-0

1. Penn St. 109.5 2. Minnesota 104.0 3. Oklahoma St. 96.5 4. Iowa 78.5 5. Edinboro 62.0 6. Ohio St. 57.0 7. Cornell 53.0 8. Virginia Tech 49.0 9. Northwestern 46.0 10. Oklahoma 45.0 11. Nebraska 43.5 12. Iowa St. 42.0 13. Illinois 41.0 14. Missouri 40.5 15. UNI 40.0 16. Wisconsin 36.0 17. Michigan 35.0 18. Lehigh 29.5 19. North Carolina St. 24.0 20. Maryland 21.0 21. North Dakota St. 20.5 22. Pittsburgh 20.0 23. Old Dominion 18.5 23. Virginia 18.5 25. Boise State 15.5 25. Indiana 15.5 25. North Carolina 15.5 28. Oregon St. 14.5 29. Duke 13.5 29. Kent St. 13.5 31. Citadel 13.0 32. Michigan St. 12.5 33. Central Mich. 12.0 34. Rutgers 11.5 35. Ohio 10.5 36. Penn 10.0 37. Rider 9.5 38. Bloomsburg 8.0 39. Purdue 7.5 40. Clarion 7.0 40. Hofstra 7.0 40. Navy 7.0 40. Stanford 7.0 44. Frank. & Marsh. 6.5 45. Boston U. 6.0 46. Brown 5.5 47. CSU Bakersfield 5.0 47. Eastern Mich. 5.0 49. Binghamton 4.5 50. Army 4.0 51. Chattanooga 3.5 51. Columbia 3.5 53. Bucknell 3.0 53. Northern Ill. 3.0 53. Wyoming 3.0 56. American 2.5 56. Lock Haven 2.5 58. Air Force 2.0 58. Arizona St. 2.0 58. Harvard 2.0 61. Gardner-Webb 1.5 61. West Virginia 1.5 63. Cal Poly 1.0 64. Princeton 0.5 64. Utah Valley 0.5 66. Appalachian St. 0.0 66. Buffalo 0.0 66. Campbell 0.0 66. Davidson 0.0 66. Drexel 0.0 66. SIU Edwardsville 0.0 66. South Dakota St. 0.0

174: No. 1 Chris Perry (Oklahoma State) dec. No. 2 Andrew Howe (Oklahoma), 4-0 184: No. 2 Ed Ruth (Penn State) dec. No. 1 Jimmy Sheptock (Maryland), 7-2 197: No. 2 J'den Cox (Missouri) dec. No. 1 Nick Heflin (Ohio State), 2-1 285: No. 2 Nick Gwiazdowski (North Carolina State) dec. No. 1 Tony Nelson (Minnesota), 4-2 125: No. 1 Jesse Delgado (Illinois) dec. No. 2 Nahshon Garrett (Cornell), 3-2 133: No. 3 Tony Ramos (Iowa) dec. No. 5 Tyler Graff (Wisconsin), 3-1 141: No. 2 Logan Stieber (Ohio State) maj. dec. No. 4 Devin Carter (Virginia Tech), 10-1 149: No. 5 Jason Tsirtsis (Northwestern) dec. No. 11 Josh Kindig (Oklahoma State), 3-1 SV 157: No. 3 Alex Dieringer (Oklahoma State) maj. dec. No. 9 Dylan Ness (Minnesota) , 13-4 165: No. 1 David Taylor (Penn State) dec. No. 2 Tyler Caldwell (Oklahoma State), 6-0

Logan Storley came back to finish third for Minnesota (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine) OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. -- Minnesota had a strong Session V performance on Saturday and surpassed Penn State for the team lead at the 2014 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. The Gophers lead the Nittany Lions by 2.5 points heading into tonight's finals. Two Gopher wrestlers, Logan Storley (174) and Scott Schiller (197), won two matches on Saturday to place third. Storley's third-place finish came over Robert Kokesh (Nebraska), a longtime friend from South Dakota. Schiller notched his second win over Kyven Gadson (Iowa State). David Thorn (133) and Kevin Steinhaus (184) both lost their consolation semifinal matches, but came back to finish fifth. Danny Zilverberg (165) claimed seventh place. "We come together as a team before every round, just like a dual," said Storley, a three-time All-American. "We can do great things as a dual team. Now we need to do it as a tournament team and score bonus." Two-time NCAA runner-up Nico Megaludis turned in a third-place performance with two wins on Saturday. Nittany Lion wrestlers Zain Retherford (141) and Matt Brown (174) finished fifth, while James English (149) and Morgan McIntosh (197) earned seventh-place finishes. English, a senior, stepped in Penn State's lineup for the first time in his career late this season after battling injuries throughout his college wresetling career. "It was great to go out with a win, my last match ever," said English. "I'm just glad I never stopped fighting, after six years I was finally able to make it here and just go out and score some points for my team there at the end." Oklahoma State remains in third place after Austin Marsden fell in the seventh-place match to Ohio's Jeremy Johnson, 4-2. The Cowboys are 16.5 points out of first place, but have four finalists. Iowa remains in fourth place. Edinboro jumped climbed a spot from sixth place to fifth place after a third-place finish from Mitchell Port (141), and fourth-place finishes from A.J. Schopp (133) and David Habat (149). The finals get underway at 7 p.m. CT. The finals will open with the match at 174 pounds between Oklahoma State's Chris Perry and Oklahoma's Andrew Howe, and close with the match at 165 pounds between Penn State's David Taylor and Oklahoma State's Tyler Caldwell. Team Standings (Top 10) 1. Minnesota 104 2. Penn State 101.5 3. Oklahoma St. 87.5 4. Iowa 74.5 5. Edinboro 62 6. Cornell 53 7. Ohio St. 52 8. Virginia Tech 49 9. Oklahoma 45 10. Nebraska 43.5 Medal Match Results 125: 3rd: Nico Megaludis (Penn State) dec. Joey Dance (Virginia Tech), 6-1 5th: Cory Clark (Iowa) dec. Dylan Peters (Northern Iowa), 8-1 7th: Darian Cruz (Lehigh) dec. Earl Hall (Iowa State), 2-1 TB2 133: 3rd: Joe Colon (Northern Iowa) dec. A.J. Schopp (Edinboro), 1-0 5th: David Thorn (Minnesota) dec. Mason Beckman (Lehigh), 5-3 7th: Joe Roth (Central Michigan) dec. Cody Brewer (Oklahoma), 8-6 141: 3rd: Mitchell Port (Edinboro) maj. dec. Evan Henderson (North Carolina), 9-1 5th: Zain Retherford (Penn State) by medical forfeit over Joey Lazor (Northern Iowa) 7th: Steve Dutton (Michigan) dec. Richard Durso (Franklin & Marshall), 6-5 149: 3rd: Eric Grajales (Michigan) dec. David Habat (Edinboro), 4-2 5th: Drake Houdashelt (Missouri) dec. Mitch Minotti (Lehigh), 3-0 7th: James English (Penn State) dec. Kendric Maple (Oklahoma), 2-1 TB 157: 3rd: James Green (Nebraska) maj. dec. Ian Miller (Kent St.), 13-1 5th: Derek St. John (Iowa) by medical forfeit over Brian Realbuto (Cornell) 7th: Isaac Jordan (Wisconsin) dec. Anthony Perrotti (Rutgers), 2-0 165: 3rd: Steven Monk (North Dakota State ) pinned Nick Sulzer (Virginia), 5:26 5th: Michael Moreno (Iowa State) dec. Turtogtokh Luvsandorj (Citadel), 9-3 7th: Danny Zilverberg (Minnesota) dec. Pierce Harger (Northwestern), 6-2 174: 3rd: Logan Storley (Minnesota) dec. Robert Kokesh (Nebraska), 3-1 TB 5th: Matt Brown (Penn St.) dec. Michael Evans (Iowa), 6-3 7th: Tyler Wilps (Pittsburgh) dec. Bryce Hammond (CSU Bakersfield), 4-2 184: 3rd: Gabe Dean (Cornell) dec. Jack Dechow (Old Dominion), 5-4 5th: Kevin Steinhaus (Minnesota) tech. fall Lorenzo Thomas (Penn), 18-2 7th: Jake Swartz (Boise State) dec. Ophir Bernstein (Brown), 6-1 197: 3rd: Scott Schiller (Minnesota) dec. Kyven Gadson (Iowa State), 9-6 5th: Conner Hartmann (Duke) by medical forfeit over Chris Penny (Virginia Tech) 7th: Morgan McIntosh (Penn State) dec. Nathan Burak (Iowa), 3-1 285: 3rd: Mike McMullan (Northwestern) dec. Bobby Telford (Iowa), 3-1 5th: Mike McClure (Michigan St.) dec. Adam Chalfant (Indiana), 3-2 7th:Jeremy Johnson (Ohio) dec. Austin Marsden (Oklahoma State), 4-2

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. -- In a Division I wrestling season filled with uncertainty, it's fitting that the final day of the season is filled with uncertainty. Three teams are separated by a mere 3.5 points and remain in the hunt for the national championship at the 2014 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in Oklahoma City, Okla. Three-time defending NCAA champion Penn State holds a half-point lead over Minnesota, 91 to 90.5. Both teams have two wrestlers in the finals and seven All-Americans. Oklahoma State sits in third place with 87. 5. The Cowboys have the most finalists, four, and five All-Americans total. Penn State seniors David Taylor (165) and Ed Ruth (184) both advanced to the finals. Taylor and Ruth have played integral parts in each of the Nittany Lions' three consecutive NCAA titles. Now the duo has a chance at both individual and team glory one last time on Saturday night. "They're clutch," Penn State coach Cael Sanderson said of Taylor and Ruth. "That's what they love to do. They want it. It's even more fun when the team race is a battle. Tomorrow will be a great opportunity for them to go out and do it again." David Taylor won by major decision over Steve Monk in the semifinals (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine)Taylor advanced to the finals with a 13-5 major decision victory over North Dakota State's Steve Monk. He opened up the scoring early with two first-period takedowns and two nearfall points. He added a reversal in the second period, and two more takedowns in the third period. Taylor will face a familiar opponent in the finals, Oklahoma State's Tyler Caldwell. The two wrestlers have met twice this season and once last season. Caldwell, a four-time All-American, is the only wrestler to avoid giving up bonus points against Taylor in a match this season. Taylor defeated Caldwell 5-2 in their last meeting on Feb. 16. "Tyler is obviously a very tough opponent," said Taylor, who is making his fourth NCAA finals appearance. "He's strong. He's hard to score on. He's done a pretty good job of limiting my offense. They have a good game plan. It comes down to me getting my offense going on my feet. He wants a close match. Obviously, I want a match that's not so close." Ed Ruth won the rubber meeting with Gabe Dean in the semifinals (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine)Ruth punched his ticket to the finals by defeating Cornell's Gabe Dean, 5-3, in the rubber match between the two wrestlers this season. Ruth jumped out early with a takedown and led 2-1 after one period. He was able to ride Dean the entire second period. Ruth earned an escape point early in the third period to go up 3-1. Dean added a late takedown, but Ruth held on for the 5-3 victory. "He's a solid wrestler on his feet," Ruth said of Dean. "He keeps pushing, attacking. Even when he's tired he's pushing into me. I'm not really used to that. When someone does that it makes the match more exciting for both of us. Ruth now has a chance to become Penn State's first-ever three-time NCAA champion if he can get past undefeated Jimmy Sheptock of Maryland in the finals. "I try not to think about that too much," said Ruth. "History writes itself as long as you keep doing what you're supposed to do." Minnesota's two finalists, Dylan Ness (157) and Tony Nelson (285), are making return trips to the finals. Ness was an NCAA runner-up two seasons ago as a freshman. Last season he finished fourth. Nelson is the two-time defending NCAA champion at heavyweight. Dylan Ness came from behind to defeat Ian Miller in the semifinals (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine)Ness entered the tournament seeded No. 9 after an up-and-down season. He pinned No. 1 James Green of Nebraska in the quarterfinals on Friday morning. In the semifinals he came from behind to defeat No. 4 Ian Miller of Kent State, 6-4. Ness trailed 4-3 in the final minute of the match before getting a late takedown and additional point for riding time to gain the victory. "He was in defensive mode," said Ness. "I think he was on his heels. He was just trying to run out the clock and maybe just not wrestling. I kept wrestling. I was able to hit that pick, drive forward, and get the takedown and win." Ness' finals opponent is Oklahoma's State Alex Dieringer, who advanced with a 7-4 victory over Cornell freshman Brian Realbuto. Ness and Dieringer have a history. They have faced each other in USA Wrestling national age group events, including Fargo, and in college. Dieringer defeated Ness in sudden victory earlier this season. "We have wrestled each other a lot and we know each other pretty well," said Ness. Tony Nelson topped Big Ten rival Bobby Telford in the semifinals (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine)Nelson topped Big Ten rival Bobby Telford of Iowa in the semifinals, 4-2. The match was scoreless after one period. Nelson picked up an escape and takedown in the second period to go up 3-0. Telford escaped in the third and added another point off a stalling call. But Nelson would tack on a riding time point to earn a two-point victory. Nelson will face No. 2 Nick Gwiazdowski of North Carolina State in the finals. The two have met several times in both college and freestyle. Nelson won their only meeting this season, but Gwiazdowski notched two wins over Nelson at the U.S. World Team Trials last summer in freestyle. "He's another one of those athletic and agile heavyweights," said Nelson. "He's going to look to score points. I've got to be ready for his leg attacks. If I'm able to counter those, or even get re-shots off those, that's going to be crucial to winning that match." Nelson, like Ruth, has a chance to become his program's first three-time NCAA champion. "Just to be able to have the opportunity to make history, it's something that you really can't say you've done much in your life," said Nelson. "I feel honored and grateful to be in this position." Two-time NCAA champion Logan Stieber of Ohio State defeated Penn State's Zain Retherford, 7-3, to advance to the finals. He picked up two first-period takedowns, added another takedown in the second period, and rode Retherford for most of the third period. Stieber was quick to give credit to his coaches and training partners for his success. "I have the best coaches and best training partners at Ohio State. I couldn't ask for a better situation. They're getting me better every day." His finals opponent is Virginia Tech's Devin Carter, who returned to competition at the ACC Championships after being out three months with a torn hamstring. Stieber is not surprised Carter was able to navigate his way to the finals. "He's a really tough kid, a really strong kid," said Stieber. "To see him do that is amazing. It doesn't really surprise me too much that he's in the finals." Top-seeded Jesse Delgado of Illinois is back in the NCAA finals at 125 pounds. The returning NCAA champion earned a 9-6 victory over Dylan Peters of Northern Iowa in the semifinals. He now faces Cornell's Nahshon Garrett for the second time this season. Delgado defeated Garrett 6-2 at the Grapple at the Garden in New York on Dec. 1. Chris Perry edged Mike Evans 3-2 in the semifinals (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine)The NCAA finals match at 174 pounds is a battle of NCAA champions and Bedlam rivals, Chris Perry of Oklahoma State and Andrew Howe of Oklahoma. Perry won a tight battle in the semifinals over Iowa's Mike Evans, 3-2, in tiebreaker. Howe controlled Minnesota's Logan Storley in a 6-3 victory. Howe and Perry have split matches this season, with Perry winning the most recent meeting two weeks ago in the finals of the Big 12 Championships. The most recent meeting was filled with controversy and Perry feels like he has something to prove on Saturday night despite winning the most recent meeting. "People believe this guy is way better than me," Perry said of Howe. "They think I stole one in Norman. I want to go out tomorrow and prove that I can beat him twice." Perry likes where the team stands heading into Saturday with four wrestling in the NCAA finals. "I want to win this team title," said Perry. "We came here believing we could." Perry's teammate Josh Kindig (149), seeded No. 11, is the lowest seeded wrestler to reach the NCAA finals. He upended Midlands champion Mitch Minotti of Lehigh, 5-2, in the semifinals. Kindig will face freshman Jason Tsirtsis of Northwestern in the finals. Freshman Jason Tsirtsis edged top-seeded Drake Houdashelt in the semifinals (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine)Tsirtsis, a Big Ten champion, has been on a roll. On Friday he knocked off NCAA champion Kendric Maple of Oklahoma in the quarterfinals before edging top-seeded Drake Houdashelt of Missouri in the semifinals. Tsirtsis is one of two freshmen in the NCAA finals, along with Missouri's J'den Cox at 197 pounds. The second-seeded Cox earned his spot in the finals with a 4-1 victory over Virginia Tech's Chris Penny. He will now face top-seeded Nick Heflin Ohio State. The NCAA finals match at 133 pounds is a classic Big Ten rivalry between Iowa's Tony Ramos and Wisconsin's Tyler Graff. Both reached the finals by defeating wrestlers seeded higher. Ramos used a five-point move late to win 5-1 over Edinboro's A.J. Schopp, avenging a loss from earlier in the season. Graff took out top-seeded Joe Colon of Northern Iowa, 6-4. Ramos and Graff have met several times throughout their careers, with Ramos having the upper hand in the rivalry. He edged Graff 2-1 in the Big Ten finals two weeks ago. "I'm ready Saturday night," said Ramos. "That's it. I've got one more match to go. I've been counting them down. I came here with five and now I have one left." Team Standings (Top 10) 1. Penn State 91 2. Minnesota 90.5 3. Oklahoma State 87.5 4. Iowa 67 5. Ohio State 52 6. Edinboro 48.5 7. Cornell 46.5 8. Virginia Tech 45.5 9. Oklahoma 45 10. Illinois 37 Semifinal Results 125: No. 1 Jesse Delgado (Illinois) dec. No. 5 Dylan Peters (Northern Iowa), 9-6 No. 2 Nahshon Garrett (Cornell) dec. No. 3 Nico Megaludis (Penn State), 6-4 133: No. 5 Tyler Graff (Wisconsin) dec. No. 1 Joe Colon (Northern Iowa), 6-4 No. 3 Tony Ramos (Iowa) dec. No. 2 A.J. Schopp (Edinboro), 5-1 141: No. 4 Devin Carter (Virginia Tech) maj. dec. No. 9 Evan Henderson (North Carolina), 12-3 No. 2 Logan Stieber (Ohio State) dec. No. 3 Zain Retherford (Penn State), 7-3 149: No. 5 Jason Tsirtsis (Northwestern) dec. No. 1 Drake Houdashelt (Missouri), 2-1 TB No. 11 Josh Kindig (Oklahoma State) dec. No. 15 Mitch Minotti (Lehigh), 5-2 157: No. 9 Dylan Ness (Minnesota) dec. No. 4 Ian Miller (Kent State), 6-4 No. 3 Alex Dieringer (Oklahoma State) dec. No. 7 Brian Realbuto (Cornell), 7-4 165: No. 1 David Taylor (Penn State) maj. dec. No. 4 Steve Monk (North Dakota State), 13-5 No. 2 Tyler Caldwell (Oklahoma State) dec. No. 3 Nick Sulzer (Virginia), 5-0 174: No. 1 Chris Perry (Oklahoma State) dec. No. 4 Mike Evans (Iowa), 3-2 TB No. 2 Andrew Howe (Oklahoma) dec. No. 6 Logan Storley (Minnesota), 6-3 184: No. 1 Jimmy Sheptock (Maryland) dec. No. 13 Jack Dechow (Old Dominion), 3-2 No. 2 Ed Ruth (Penn State) dec. No. 3 Gabe Dean (Cornell), 5-3 197: No. 1 Nick Heflin (Ohio State) dec. No. 4 Scott Schiller (Minnesota), 2-1 TB No. 2 J'den Cox (Missouri) dec. No. 14 Chris Penny (Virginia Tech), 4-1 285: No. 1 Tony Nelson (Minnesota) dec. No. 5 Bobby Telford (Iowa), 4-2 No. 2 Nick Gwiazdowski (North Carolina State) dec. No. 3 Adam Chalfant (Indiana), 5-4

Here's what to watch for in the NCAA finals: 125: No. 1 Jesse Delgado (Illinois) vs. No. 2 Nahshon Garrett (Cornell) No. 1 seed Jesse Delgado opened up a big lead, but faded some from late pressure. That won't be a problem in the finals since No. 2 Nahshon Garrett did the same against No. 3 Nico Megaludis (Penn State), putting on the brakes late and almost seeing his finals appearance disappear. Expect some early offense from Garrett, with Delgado creating scrambles and counter shots that can give him the edge he wants. 133: No. 2 Tony Ramos (Iowa) vs. No. 5 Tyler Graff (Wisconsin) Iowa's No. 3 Tony Ramos needed a last-second five-point move to beat No. 2 A.J. Schopp (Edinboro). He'll need that type of momentum to make it past No. 5 Tyler Graff (Wisconsin), who took down Joe Colon (Northern Iowa) three times and turned him once in the semifinals. This is as old a rivalry as there is in wrestling and the series favors Ramos. Ramos won the recent meeting in the Big Ten finals, 2-1. He also defeated Graff in both the Big Ten semifinals and NCAA semifinals last season. Graff defeated Ramos in the 2011 Big Tens. 141: No. 2 Logan Stieber (Ohio State) vs. No. 4 Devin Carter (Virginia Tech) Stieber is back on his own little planet and there is not much that anyone can do, but sit back and enjoy one of the sport's greatest competitors. However, if you were going to build an antidote to Stieber it might be Manimal Devin Carter. The first-ever NCAA finalist for Virginia Tech was likely created in a lab and is currently being held together by titanium screws and bad intentions. It's unclear if he'll be healthy, but we do know that he'll be huge. Can Stieber handle that strength? 149: No. 5 Jason Tsirtsis (Northwestern) vs. No. 11 Josh Kindig (Oklahoma State) Northwestern's Jason Tsirtsis came out of the gate battling hard against No. 1 Drake Houdashelt (Missouri). Neither was able to get their offense started, and against Kindig it's likely that Tsirtsis will work hard to slow him down early. The freshman is great at creating opportunities and finding the corner on his shots. Kindig is wrestling to his potential and should be able to create offense, but it might not be enough to stop the cool-headed Tsirtsis. 157: No. 3 Alex Dieringer (Oklahoma State) vs. No. 9 Dylan Ness (Minnesota) Although Dylan Ness was able to control his pin-or-be-pinned style in the semifinals, look for it to be back in tomorrow night's big stage. This family wins when it matters and will find that last moment. However, it's Dieringer who owns the win in the last match between the two, finding his way to a 4-2 win in sudden victory at their dual in Stillwater. Ness has that magic, but if Dierenger can slow the pace, avoid the chin lock and keep his hips low, he'll have the magic bullet. 165: No. 1 David Taylor (Penn State) vs. No. 2 Tyler Caldwell (Oklahoma State) This should be a five-point line heading into the finals. Caldwell can keep it close and Taylor is only 1-2 in NCAA finals (Emoji: Winky Face). How will Taylor respond to his final match? Nobody knows, but if Caldwell has a good night, he can hang with anyone, including Taylor. He'll just need to avoid back points and find a takedown, something that Taylor has given up a few times over the past several weeks. 174. No. 1 Chris Perry (Oklahoma State) vs. No. 2 Andrew Howe (Oklahoma) The rubber match is on, and it all comes down to Howe finding a takedown and not choosing bottom. Perry's double leg, rear-naked-choke isn't being called, and that leaves Howe with having to do the work from his feet. Perry needs to defend early and make sure that he gets out in under one minute. If he can do that then he has a decent chance of putting that match into overtime. If Perry gets ridden for more than a minute the match will open up in the third frame. 184: No. 1 Jimmy Sheptock (Maryland) vs. No. 2 Ed Ruth (Penn State) Bracket buster No. 13 Jack Dechow (Old Dominion) gave Jimmy Sheptock all he could handle in the semifinals, but the top-seeded wrestler found a one-point win. It's tough to know what Sheptock will do against Ruth, but he's brilliant at slowing down the pace of matchups. He finds re-shots in answering most attacks. That's maybe what you don't know, but what you do know is that Ed Ruth can scrap. This is a one-takedown match. If Sheptock finds one early and fights off future attacks, he can win. If Sheptock gives up an early takedown and is ridden for the period, he'll be in a hole that's likely too big to overcome. 197: No. 1 Nick Heflin (Ohio State) vs. No. 2 J'den Cox (Missouri) Thought Nick Heflin didn't do much in the way of creating offense, he did manage to secure a semifinal victory in the rideout. That's where he's best and that's where he's likely to try and get Cox. On their feet the match will favor Cox, but unless Heflin is dinged early there won't be much reason for him to match pace with Cox. The Mizzou wrestler will attack early and that means the possibility Heflin gets down and is forced to wrestle. That's nice, because though he doesn't show it all the time, Heflin can scrap. 285: No. 1 Tony Nelson (Minnesota) vs. No. 2 Nick Gwiazdowski (North Carolina State) Tony Nelson controls risk by dominating position and being a bull on the mat. If he can keep the match scoreless, Gwiz will need to consider how he plans to escape the big man. For his part Gwiz is fast enough on his feet to steal an angle, or do like Mike McMullan and find the low single. Nelson can go pound-for-pound with anyone, but can he control the speed and creativity of Gwiz? Maybe. Probably.

125: No. 1 Jesse Delgado (Illinois) dec. No. 5 Dylan Peters (Northern Iowa), 9-6 No. 2 Nahshon Garrett (Cornell) dec. No. 3 Nico Megaludis (Penn State), 6-4 133: No. 5 Tyler Graff (Wisconsin) dec. No. 1 Joe Colon (Northern Iowa), 6-4 No. 3 Tony Ramos (Iowa) dec. No. 2 A.J. Schopp (Edinboro), 5-1 141: No. 4 Devin Carter (Virginia Tech) dec. No. 9 Evan Henderson (North Carolina), 12-3 No. 2 Logan Stieber (Ohio State) dec. No. 3 Zain Retherford (Penn State), 7-3 149: No. 5 Jason Tsirtsis (Northwestern) dec. No. 1 Drake Houdashelt (Missouri), 2-1 TB No. 11 Josh Kindig (Oklahoma State) dec. No. 15 Mitch Minotti (Lehigh), 5-2 157: No. 9 Dylan Ness (Minnesota) dec. No. 4 Ian Miller (Kent State), 6-4 No. 3 Alex Dieringer (Oklahoma State) dec. No. 7 Brian Realbuto (Cornell), 7-4 165: No. 1 David Taylor (Penn State) maj. dec. No. 4 Steve Monk (North Dakota State), 13-5 No. 2 Tyler Caldwell (Oklahoma State) dec. No. 3 Nick Sulzer (Virginia), 5-0 174: No. 1 Chris Perry (Oklahoma State) dec. No. 4 Mike Evans (Iowa), 3-2 TB No. 2 Andrew Howe (Oklahoma) dec. No. 6 Logan Storley (Minnesota), 6-3 184: No. 1 Jimmy Sheptock (Maryland) dec. No. 13 Jack Dechow (Old Dominion), 3-2 No. 2 Ed Ruth (Penn State) dec. No. 3 Gabe Dean (Cornell), 5-3 197: No. 1 Nick Heflin (Ohio State) dec. No. 4 Scott Schiller (Minnesota), 2-1 TB No. 2 J'den Cox (Missouri) dec. No. 14 Chris Penny (Virginia Tech), 4-1 285: No. 1 Tony Nelson (Minnesota) dec. No. 5 Bobby Telford (Iowa), 4-2 No. 2 Nick Gwiazdowski (North Carolina State) dec. No. 3 Adam Chalfant (Indiana), 5-4

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. -- On Friday morning at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in Oklahoma City, Dylan Ness did what Dylan Ness does ... win big matches and entertain in the process. Minnesota's Dylan Ness celebrates after pinning No. 1 James Green of Nebraska in the quarterfinals (Photo/Larry Slater)The Minnesota junior electrified the crowd, pinning No. 1 James Green (Nebraska) in the second period (3:36) in a wild match at 157 pounds. Ness scored the first points of the match with a takedown in the closing seconds of the first period. In the second period Ness looked to be in danger, going to his back briefly, before using his elevator to put Green on his back and secure the pin. It was Ness' third pin in three matches this week. "I have a lot of confidence in that position, whether I'm on my back or not, I believe I can back out on top and win," said Ness. Ness was one of four Gopher wrestlers to win in Friday morning's quarterfinals, along with Logan Storley (174), Scott Schiller (197), and Tony Nelson (Minnesota). After a strong quarterfinal round, Minnesota has moved into second place in the team standings and trails Penn State by only two points halfway through the event. Storley punched his ticket to the semifinals by edging fellow South Dakotan and Big Ten rival Robert Kokesh (Nebraska), 6-4, in the second tiebreaker. Kokesh looked to have the match in hand with a riding time advantage. However, as the final seconds ticked away, Storley remained aggressive, while Kokesh ran to avoid contact. Eventually Storley tracked Kokesh down and scored a takedown on the edge of the mat with one second on the clock for the victory. The fourth-seeded Schiller topped No. 5 Kyven Gadson (Iowa State), 6-4. It was Schiller's third win in four matches this season against Gadson. Nelson, a two-time NCAA champion, wasted little time in his quarterfinal match, pinning Wisconsin's Connor Medbery in 1:26. Minnesota, Penn State, and Oklahoma State all have four semifinalists and are separated by only five points in the team standings. Penn State finished Session III with 61 points, Minnesota has 59 points, and Oklahoma State sits in third place with 56 points. Penn State went 4-1 in the quarterfinals, getting wins from Nico Megaludis (125), Zain Retherford (141), David Taylor (165), and Ed Ruth (184). Megaludis, a two-time NCAA runner-up, cruised to a 6-0 victory over Jarrod Patterson (Oklahoma). The true freshman Retherford defeated red-hot Joey Lazor (Northern Iowa), 5-2, to advance to the semifinals where he will face two-time NCAA champion Logan Stieber (Ohio State) for the third time this season. Taylor and Ruth both earned bonus points for the Nittany Lions in their semifinal victories. Taylor pinned Michael Moreno (Iowa State) at 3:19, while Ruth earned a 10-2 major decision victory over Kevin Steinhaus (Minnesota). Oklahoma State's four semifinalists are Josh Kindig (149), Alex Dieringer (157), Tyler Caldwell (165), and Chris Perry (174). Kindig has been one of the major surprises of this year's NCAAs. He entered the tournament as the No. 11 seed. His quarterfinal victory came over two-time All-American Scott Sakaguchi (Oregon State), 7-5. Dieringer, seeded third, won 18-11 over Nestor Taffur (Boston U.). Caldwell dominated Pierce Harger (Northwestern), 14-2, to secure his fourth All-American honor. Perry, a returning NCAA champion, blanked Elliot Riddick (Lehigh), 4-0, to advance to the semifinals where he will face Mike Evans (Iowa), who edged Matt Brown (Penn State) in tiebreaker, 5-4. The Hawkeyes are in fourth place with 42.5 points and have three semifinalists. Cornell sits in fifth place with 39.5 points and also has three semifinalists. All but two No. 1 seeds remain alive heading into tonight's semifinals. In addition to the aforementioned James Green (Nebraska) losing at 157 pounds, top-seeded 141-pounder Mitchell Port (Edinboro) lost for the time this season in the quarterfinals to Evan Henderson (North Carolina), 6-4. Session IV is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. CT. Team Standings 1. Penn St. 61 (4 semifinalists) 2. Minnesota 59 (4) 3. Oklahoma St. 56 (4) 4. Iowa 42.5 (3) 5. Cornell 39.5 (3) 6. Ohio St. 38 (2) 7. Edinboro 30.5 (1) 7. Virginia Tech 30.5 (2) 9. Illinois 30 (1) 9. Oklahoma 30 (1) Quarterfinal Results 125: No. 1 Jesse Delgado (Illinois) dec. No. 8 Cory Clark (Iowa), 10-5 No. 5 Dylan Peters (Northern Iowa) vs. Earl Hall (Iowa State), 4-2 SV No. 3 Nico Megaludis (Penn State) dec. No. 6 Jarrod Patterson (Oklahoma), 6-0 No. 2 Nahshon Garrett (Cornell) maj. dec. No. 10 David Terao (American), 11-0 133: No. 1 Joe Colon (Northern Iowa) maj. dec. No. 8 David Thorn (Minnesota), 19-9 No. 5 Tyler Graff (Wisconsin) dec. No. 13 Cody Brewer (Oklahoma), 9-6 No. 3 Tony Ramos (Iowa) dec. No. 6 Mason Beckman (Lehigh), 3-1 No. 2 A.J. Schopp (Edinboro) dec. No. 7 Cashe Quiroga (Purdue), 11-7 141: No. 9 Evan Henderson (North Carolina) dec. No. 1 Mitchell Port (Edinboro), 5-3 No. 4 Devin Carter (Virginia Tech) dec. No. 12 Richard Durso (Franklin & Marshall), 4-3 No. 3 Zain Retherford (Penn State) dec. No. 11 Joey Lazor (Northern Iowa), 5-2 No. 2 Logan Stieber (Ohio State) pinned No. 10 Todd Preston (Harvard), 1:29 149: No. 1 Drake Houdashelt (Missouri) dec. No. 9 Eric Grajales (Michigan), 3-1 No. 5 Jason Tsirtsis (Northwestern) dec. No. 4 Kendric Maple (Oklahoma), 2-1 TB No. 11 Josh Kindig (Oklahoma State) dec. No. 14 Scott Sakaguchi (Oregon State), 7-5 No. 15 Mitch Minotti (Lehigh) dec. No. 10 Zach Neibert (Virginia Tech), 4-3 157: No. 9 Dylan Ness (Minnesota) pinned No. 1 James Green (Nebraska), 3:36 No. 4 Ian Miller (Kent State) dec. Isaac Jordan (Wisconsin), 6-2 No. 3 Alex Dieringer (Oklahoma State) vs. No. 6 Nestor Taffur (Boston U.), 18-11 No. 7 Brian Realbuto (Cornell) dec. No. 2 Derek St. John (Iowa), 11-4 165: No. 1 David Taylor (Penn State) pinned No. 8 Mike Moreno (Iowa State), 3:19 No. 4 Steve Monk (North Dakota State) pinned Josh Veltre (Bloomsburg), 6:41 No. 3 Nick Sulzer (Virginia) dec. No. 11 Turtogtokh Luvansdorf (The Citadel), 4-3 TB No. 2 Tyler Caldwell (Oklahoma State) maj. dec. No. 7 Pierce Harger (Northwestern), 14-2 174: No. 1 Chris Perry (Oklahoma State) dec. No. 9 Elliot Riddick (Lehigh), 4-0 No. 4 Mike Evans (Iowa) dec. No. 5 Matt Brown (Penn State), 5-4 TB No. 6 Logan Storley (Minnesota) dec. No. 3 Robert Kokesh (Nebraska), 6-4 TB2 No. 2 Andrew Howe (Oklahoma) dec. No. 7 Tyler Wilps (Pitt), 5-2 184: No. 1 Jimmy Sheptock (Maryland) dec. Blake Stauffer (Arizona State), 6-2 No. 13 Jack Dechow (Old Dominion) dec. No. 12 Ophir Bernstein (Brown), 7-5 No. 3 Gabe Dean (Cornell) dec. No. 6 Jake Swartz (Boise State), 11-4 No. 2 Ed Ruth (Penn State) maj. dec. No. 7 Kevin Steinhaus (Minnesota), 10-2 197: No. 1 Nick Heflin (Ohio State) dec. Cody Reed (Binghamton), 8-1 No. 4 Scott Schiller (Minnesota) dec. No. 5 Kyven Gadson (Iowa State), 6-4 No. 14 Chris Penny (Virginia Tech) dec. No. 11 Nathan Burak (Iowa), 6-3 No. 2 J'den Cox (Missouri) dec. Connor Hartmann (Duke), 5-1 285: No. 1 Tony Nelson (Minnesota) pinned No. 9 Connor Medbery (Wisconsin), 1:26 No. 5 Bobby Telford (Iowa) dec. No. 4 Adam Coon (Michigan), 3-2 TB2 No. 3 Adam Chalfant (Indiana) dec. No. 11 Austin Marsden (Oklahoma State), 3-2 No. 2 Nick Gwiazdowski (North Carolina State) dec. No. 7 Mike McClure (Michigan State), 4-1

Here's what to watch for in Round IV: 125: No. 1 seed Jesse Delgado (Illinois) as in tournament shape in the quarterfinals, and has to be the heavy favorite against No. 5 seed Dylan Peters (Northern Iowa). Though he'd recently been hounded for a lack of offense, the defending NCAA champion has rediscovered his offense. His scrambling is also near perfect. On the other side, Penn State's No. 3 seed Nico Megaludis and No. 2 Nahshon Garrett (Cornell) are lining up for what should be an exciting match filled with twists, bends and tweaks. 133: Iowa's No. 3 Tony Ramos needed 6:30 to earn the takedown against No. 6 Mason Beckman (Lehigh) in the quarters. He'll be pushed to his limit against No. 2 A.J. Schopp who rode Cashe Quiroga (Purdue) for five minutes, though limped out fighting off successive attacks by the All-American. Wisconsin's Tyler Graff looked solid, though never pushed his pace en route to a convincing 9-6 win over Oklahoma's Cody Brewer. He'll need help against top-seeded Joe Colon (Northern Iowa), who looked dominant in a 19-9 quarterfinal win. 141: No. 2 Logan Stieber only needed 1:28 to pin Harvard's Todd Preston and will meet No. 3 Zain Retherford (PSU) in the bottom semifinals. Look for Retherford to have a better performance here than he did in the Big Ten finals. Better, but likely not enough. In a big upset, No. 9 Evan Henderson (UNC) beat No. 1 Mitchell Port (Edinboro) 5-3 which means he'll face ACC opponent No. 4 Devin Carter (Virginia Tech) in the semifinals. Carter will be the heavy favorite, though he was sluggish in his narrow 4-3 win over Richard Durso (Franklin & Marshall). 149: Northwestern's Jason Tsirtsis came out of the No. 5 seed to beat No. 4 Kendric Maple in sudden victory. He'll face No. 1 Drake Houdasheldt (Missouri) in the semifinals in a very even set match. On the other side No. 15 seed Mitch Minotti (Lehigh) earned a 4-3 decision, over Virginia Tech's Zach Neibert and will face an impressive Josh Kindig (Oklahoma State) for a spot in the NCAA finals. Expect to see Tsirtsis push Houdasheldt to the last frame, and for Kindig to have little issue with Minotti. 157: Dylan Ness (Minn) pinned James Green (Nebraska) and made it known that he the single most dangerous wrestler in the history of the NCAA. Absolutely unbelievable outlook on the sport that optimizes pinning first and always. He'll face Kent State's Ian Miller in the semifinals, but everyone can expect to see a lot more of what they saw against Green, with Ness searching for the fall. Miller did pin Ness at the Southern Scuffle, though. Alex Dieringer (Oklahoma State) got past No. 6 Nestor Taffur (Boston U.) in a match with 29 points. He'll face Brian Realbuto (Cornell) who had no trouble with St. John. It's as much a tossup as any match in the round, but it look like Realbuto has a favorable matchup on the mat. 165: No. 3 Nick Sulzer looked bad against No. 11 Turtogokh and needed tiebreaker rideout to squeak out the 4-3 win. He'll face Tyler Caldwell (Oklahoma State), but if he doesn't improve his attacks, Caldwell will enjoy the same type of dominance he put on in the quarterfinals. No. 1 David Taylor (Penn State) faces No. 4 seed Steven Monk of North Dakota State. Don't expect too many dramatics, though Monk is known to ride and turn. 174: No. 4 Mike Evans (Iowa) found an escape in tiebreaker to beat No. 5 Matt Brown (Penn State), but he'll need more than a nice ride to catch No. 1 Chris Perry was aggressive in the quarterfinals. Perry will ride Evans, and if he gets the takedown early it'll be too much for Evans to overcome. Finalist favorite No. 2 Andrew Howe looked crisp against Pitt's Tyler Wilps and will face No. 6 Logan Storley (Minnesota), who after putting the crowd to sleep in a double tiebreaker snoreride session, found the absolute last-second takedown against No. 3 Robert Kokesh (Nebraska). Howe is a heavy favorite, and fans are likely to see the rubber match everyone expected. Ed Ruth (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine)184: Bracket buster No. 13 Jack Dechow (Old Dominion) has made his way to the semifinals and has a matchup with No. 1 seed Jimmy Sheptock, who looked phenomenal in the quarterfinals. Anything can happen, so keep your eye on the early going on here. No. 2 Ed Ruth (Penn State) will face No. 3 Gabe Dean (Cornell) is what is the most anticipated match of the tournament. Ruth earned the quarterfinal major and Dean also cruised. No indication on how it'll play out, but I'd expect a more upset Ruth. Remember when he finally got his hands back on Nick Amuchastegui? 197: No. 1 Nick Heflin was offensive in his quarterfinal win and will face No. 4 Scott Schiller (Minnesota) in the semifinals, who pushed past No. 5 Kyven Gadson (Iowa State), 6-4. Heflin has the stuff to beat Schiller again and if he gets the early takedown it won't be easy for Schiller to find the escape. No. 13 seed Chris Penny will face No. 2 J'den Cox (Missouri), who has looked unbelievable in his first three matches. Expect Penny's run to end and Cox to make a statement. 285: He's not the biggest of heavyweights, but No. 3 Adam Chalfant (Indiana) looked incredible in his match against No. 11 Austin Marsden (Oklahoma State). He was active on his feet, which is something he'll need when facing NC State's Nick Gwiazdowski. Looking tough as well is No. 1 seed Tony Nelson (Minnesota), who found the quick fall over Spencer Myers (Maryland), which puts him on a collision course with No. 5 Bobby Telford (Iowa). Expect a fun heavyweight match if Telford can make it inside and find shots. If not, he'll be relegated to playing the edge with Nelson. Ahh, who are we kidding? #SNORERIDE

125: No. 1 Jesse Delgado (Illinois) dec. No. 8 Cory Clark (Iowa), 10-5 No. 5 Dylan Peters (Northern Iowa) vs. Earl Hall (Iowa State), 4-2 SV No. 3 Nico Megaludis (Penn State) dec. No. 6 Jarrod Patterson (Oklahoma), 6-0 No. 2 Nahshon Garrett (Cornell) maj. dec. No. 10 David Terao (American), 11-0 133: No. 1 Joe Colon (Northern Iowa) maj. dec. No. 8 David Thorn (Minnesota), 19-9 No. 5 Tyler Graff (Wisconsin) dec. No. 13 Cody Brewer (Oklahoma), 9-6 No. 3 Tony Ramos (Iowa) dec. No. 6 Mason Beckman (Lehigh), 3-1 No. 2 A.J. Schopp (Edinboro) dec. No. 7 Cashe Quiroga (Purdue), 11-7 141: No. 9 Evan Henderson (North Carolina) dec. No. 1 Mitchell Port (Edinboro), 5-3 No. 4 Devin Carter (Virginia Tech) dec. No. 12 Richard Durso (Franklin & Marshall), 4-3 No. 3 Zain Retherford (Penn State) dec. No. 11 Joey Lazor (Northern Iowa), 5-2 No. 2 Logan Stieber (Ohio State) pinned No. 10 Todd Preston (Harvard), 1:29 149: No. 1 Drake Houdashelt (Missouri) dec. No. 9 Eric Grajales (Michigan), 3-1 No. 5 Jason Tsirtsis (Northwestern) dec. No. 4 Kendric Maple (Oklahoma), 2-1 TB No. 11 Josh Kindig (Oklahoma State) dec. No. 14 Scott Sakaguchi (Oregon State), 7-5 No. 15 Mitch Minotti (Lehigh) dec. No. 10 Zach Neibert (Virginia Tech), 4-3 157: No. 9 Dylan Ness (Minnesota) pinned No. 1 James Green (Nebraska), 3:36 No. 4 Ian Miller (Kent State) dec. Isaac Jordan (Wisconsin), 6-2 No. 3 Alex Dieringer (Oklahoma State) vs. No. 6 Nestor Taffur (Boston U.), 18-11 No. 7 Brian Realbuto (Cornell) dec. No. 2 Derek St. John (Iowa), 11-4 165: No. 1 David Taylor (Penn State) pinned No. 8 Mike Moreno (Iowa State), 3:19 No. 4 Steve Monk (North Dakota State) pinned Josh Veltre (Bloomsburg), 6:41 No. 3 Nick Sulzer (Virginia) dec. No. 11 Turtogtokh Luvansdorf (The Citadel), 4-3 TB No. 2 Tyler Caldwell (Oklahoma State) maj. dec. No. 7 Pierce Harger (Northwestern), 14-2 174: No. 1 Chris Perry (Oklahoma State) dec. No. 9 Elliot Riddick (Lehigh), 4-0 No. 4 Mike Evans (Iowa) dec. No. 5 Matt Brown (Penn State), 5-4 TB No. 6 Logan Storley (Minnesota) dec. No. 3 Robert Kokesh (Nebraska), 6-4 TB2 No. 2 Andrew Howe (Oklahoma) dec. No. 7 Tyler Wilps (Pitt), 5-2 184: No. 1 Jimmy Sheptock (Maryland) dec. Blake Stauffer (Arizona State), 6-2 No. 13 Jack Dechow (Old Dominion) dec. No. 12 Ophir Bernstein (Brown), 7-5 No. 3 Gabe Dean (Cornell) dec. No. 6 Jake Swartz (Boise State), 11-4 No. 2 Ed Ruth (Penn State) maj. dec. No. 7 Kevin Steinhaus (Minnesota), 10-2 197: No. 1 Nick Heflin (Ohio State) dec. Cody Reed (Binghamton), 8-1 No. 4 Scott Schiller (Minnesota) dec. No. 5 Kyven Gadson (Iowa State), 6-4 No. 14 Chris Penny (Virginia Tech) dec. No. 11 Nathan Burak (Iowa), 6-3 No. 2 J'den Cox (Missouri) dec. Connor Hartmann (Duke), 5-1 285: No. 1 Tony Nelson (Minnesota) pinned No. 9 Connor Medbery (Wisconsin), 1:26 No. 5 Bobby Telford (Iowa) dec. No. 4 Adam Coon (Michigan), 3-2 TB2 No. 3 Adam Chalfant (Indiana) dec. No. 11 Austin Marsden (Oklahoma State), 3-2 No. 2 Nick Gwiazdowski (North Carolina State) dec. No. 7 Mike McClure (Michigan State), 4-1

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. -- Team USA had a dominant performance, sweeping all of the bouts on the way to a 6-0 win over India at the USA Wrestling freestyle dual meet, which is part of the NCAA Fan Festival on Thursday. The meet was held in front of a standing-room only crowd in the Cox Convention Center. This popular event was held after the first session of the NCAA Div. I Wrestling Championships and was free of charge to the fans. Right off the bat, Team USA came out strong. At 61 kilos/134 pounds, Illinois grad B.J. Futrell (Ann Arbor, Mich./Titan Mercury WC/Michigan RTC) locked up a cradle and pinned World bronze medalist Bajrang of India in 2:35. The match was close in the early going, with both athletes scoring takedowns, but Futrell used his favorite pinning technique to get the fall. Next at 65 kilos/143 pounds, Boise State grad Jason Chamberlain (Lincoln, Neb./Titan Mercury/Nebraska RTC) looked strong on both his feet and on the mat, scoring a 12-2 technical fall over Rajneesh in 3:31. Chamberlain secured an ankle lace turn early in the second period and turned Rajneesh a number of times to secure the technical fall. After trailing 2-3 after the first period, Northern Iowa grad Moza Fay (Colorado Springs, Colo./Army WCAP/USOTC) opened up his offense to score an impressive 11-2 win over Amit Kumar Dhankhar at 70 kilos/154 pounds Fay scored points with both takedowns and turns on the way to the win. Another comeback win for Team USA at 70 kilos/154 pounds came from Bucknell grad Kevin LeValley (Minneapolis, Minn./Minnesota Storm), who beat Parveen Rana, 9-2. LeValley had two two-point exposures on tilts in the second period to open up his lead The USA closed out the win with a pair of technical falls. Past NCAA champion from Iowa State Jon Reader (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids/USOTC) scored a quick takedown and a series of turns to put away Pawan Kumar, 10-0 in just 57 seconds. Kent State’s first NCAA champion Dustin Kilgore (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids/USOTC), followed with a technical fall of his own over Saywart Kadian, 11-1 in 4:08. He used an ankle lace for multiple turns in the second period to put the bout away. “The effort was good. They had a World medalist and a Dave Schultz champion in their lineup. We put out some guys who haven’t all had extensive international experience. They performed today.; It shows we have some great depth in this country,” said National Freestyle Coach Zeke Jones. USA 6, India 0 61 kilos/134 pounds: B.J. Futrell(USA) pin Bajrang (India), 2:35 65 kilos/143 pounds: Jason Chamberlain (USA) tech. fall Rajneesh (India), 12-2, 3:31 70 kilos/154 pounds: Moza Fay (USA) dec. Amit Kumar Dhankhar (India), 11-2 70 kilos/154 pounds: Kevin LeValley (USA) dec. Parveen Rana (India), 9-2 86 kilos/189 pounds: Jon Reader (USA) tech. fall, Pawan Kumar (India), 10-0, 0:57 97 kilos/213 pounds: Dustin Kilgore (USA) tech. fall Saywart Kadian, 11-1, 4:08

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. -- Session II on Thursday night at the 2014 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in Oklahoma City brought more fireworks as more top seeds from top programs fell. No. 3 Morgan McIntosh was upset in the second round (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)Three-time defending NCAA champion Penn State took a major hit at 197 pounds when Big Ten runner-up Morgan McIntosh, seeded third, was upset by ACC champion Chris Penny of Virginia Tech, 3-2. Oklahoma State had an up-and-down session as No. 4 Jon Morrison (133) was pinned and All-American Blake Rosholt (197) was knocked out of the competition, but two No. 11 seeds, Josh Kindig (149) and Austin Marsden (285), earned upset victories to advance to the quarterfinals. Two-time All-American Dylan Ness picked up a critical victory for Minnesota, avenging an earlier season loss with a pin over Oregon State's R.J. Pena, after teammate Chris Dardanes (141) was upset in the second round. Iowa rebounded from a tough opening session to go 6-1 in second-round matches. Hawkeye Nathan Burak (197) earned an upset victory, while Brody Grothus (149) suffered Iowa's lone loss in the second round, losing to NCAA champion Kendric Maple (Oklahoma). Minnesota's Dylan Ness pinned Oregon State's R.J. Pena at 157 pounds (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine)Penn State and Oklahoma State both have five wrestlers in the quarterfinals, while Minnesota and Iowa have the most with six. Heading into Session III, Penn State leads the team race with 26.5 points. Oklahoma State and Minnesota are tied for second with 21.5 points, followed by Iowa and Oklahoma with 20.5 points each. Five unseeded wrestles advanced to the quarterfinals: Earl Hall (Iowa State) at 125, Josh Veltre (Bloomsburg) at 165, Blake Stauffer (Arizona State) at 184, Cody Reed (Binghamton) at 197, and Connor Hartmann (Duke) at 197. Returning 141-pound All-American Undrakhbayar (The Citadel) went 0-2 and was eliminated from the competition after getting crushed by 2012 All-American Nick Lester (Oklahoma), 13-2. Below is a look at some of the notable results from Session II. 125: Six of the top eight seeds advanced to the quarterfinals. The biggest surprise in this weight class came when Earl Hall (Iowa State) took out No. 4 Josh Martinez (Air Force), 8-1. Martinez needed an at-large to get in the tournament after placing third at the West Regional. It was Hall second straight win over a seeded wrestler. He topped No. 13 Evan Silver (Stanford) in Session I. 133: No. 13 Cody Brewer (Oklahoma), a returning All-American, used a first-period cradle to pin Bedlam rival Jon Morrison (Oklahoma State) and bring the Sooner crowd to their feet. Morrison had won the three previous meetings this season, including in the Big 12 finals, 8-1. Morrison was the lone wrestler seeded in the top eight in this weight class who failed to advance to the quarterfinals. No. 3 Tony Ramos (Iowa) was pushed in his second-round match, but prevailed 6-4 in sudden victory over freshman Zane Richards (Illinois). 141: The No. 5, No. 6, and No. 8 seeds were upset in the second round at this weight class. Richard Durso (Franklin & Marshall), who reached the round of 12 in 2013, edged No. 5 Chris Mecate (Old Dominion), 3-2, to improve to 36-3 this season. Joey Lazor (Northern Iowa) scored a takedown with one second on the clock to upset No. 6 Chris Dardanes (Minnesota), 10-8. Lazor remains red-hot after winning a MAC title less than two weeks ago. No. 9 Evan Henderson (North Carolina), a returning All-American, pinned No. 8 Luke Vaith (Hofstra) at 4:03 to punch his ticket to the quarterfinals. 149: The bottom half of the bracket has been turned upside down in this weight class. After No. 2 Nick Dardanes (Minnesota) fell in Session I, No. 3, No. 6, and No. 7 lost in Session II. Two-time All-American Scott Sakaguchi (Oregon State), after a roller coaster season, shocked No. 3 Chris Villalonga (Cornell), winning with a defensive fall to advance to the quarterfinals. Josh Kindig (Oklahoma State) won a hard-fought victory over No. 6 Jake Sueflohn (Nebraska), 7-5. No. 9 Eric Grajales (Michigan) won a high-scoring affair, 15-10, over No. 8 David Habat (Edinboro). 157: No. 9 Dylan Ness (Minnesota), a two-time All-American, pinned No. 8 R.J. Pena (Oregon State), a returning All-American, avenging an earlier season loss at the Southern Scuffle. The top seven seeds won in the round of 16 to advance to the quarterfinals. No. 5 Isaac Jordan (Wisconsin) and No. 7 Brian Realbuto (Cornell) both needed a sudden victory period to secure their wins. 165: No. 1 David Taylor (Penn State) pinned No. 16 Jim Wilson (Stanford) at 6:55. It was Taylor's second pin in as many matches. Unseeded Josh Veltre (Bloomsburg) earned a spot in the quarterfinals with a 5-2 win over Ryan LeBlanc (Indiana). Veltre won earlier in the day over No. 5 Nick Moore (Iowa). No. 11 Turtogtokh Luvsandorj (The Citadel) topped SoCon rival Corey Mock (Chattanooga), 4-3, in the rubber match between the two this season. Mock had won the previous meeting 7-1 in the SoCon finals. 174: No. 9 Elliot Riddick (Lehigh) earned a 12-9 victory over Cody Caldwell (Northern Iowa), who had upset All-American Cody Walters (Ohio) earlier in the day. Riddick will be the lowest seeded wrestler in the quarterfinals in this weight class, as the top seven seeds won in the second round. The top three seeds, Chris Perry (Oklahoma State), Andrew Howe (Oklahoma), and Robert Kokesh (Nebraska) all earned bonus-point victories. 184: After No. 5 Ethen Lofthouse (Iowa) lost earlier in the day, the top half of the bracket at 184 pounds was blown even more wide open in Session II when No. 4 Max Thomusseit (Pittt) was upset in the second round by Jack Dechow (Old Dominion), 3-1, in sudden victory. No. 8 T.J. Dudley (Nebraska) was upset by Blake Stauffer (Arizona State), 7-2. The bottom half of the bracket played out according to seeds. No. 7 Kevin Steinhaus (Minnesota) found himself in trouble early after giving up three first-period takedowns in his match against No. 10 Kenny Courts (Ohio State). But the Gopher senior two-time All-American worked his way back into the match and eventually pulled away for a 13-8 victory. 197: On the bottom half of the bracket, No. 3, No. 6, and No. 7 lost in the second round, giving No. 2 J'den Cox (Missouri) what seems to be a clear path to the finals. No. 3 Morgan McIntosh (Penn State), as previously mentioned, dropped a 3-2 decision to No. 14 Chris Penny (Virginia Tech). No. 6 Richard Perry (Bloomsburg) suffered only his second loss of the season when he was edged by Nathan Burak (Iowa), 4-3. Burak scored the winning takedown with just one second remaining in the match. Two-time All-American Travis Rutt (Oklahoma), seeded seventh, was blanked by Connor Hartman (Duke), 6-0. On the top half of the bracket, No. 8 Phil Wellington (Ohio) was upset by Cody Reed (Binghamton), 4-0. It was Reed's second win over a seeded wrestler. Earlier in the competition he knocked off No. 9 Christian Boley (Maryland). 285: No. 11 Austin Marsden (Oklahoma State) pulled the second-round shocker at heavyweight when he defeated NCAA runner-up Mike McMullan (Northwestern), 3-2, to advance to the quarterfinals. Connor Medbery (Wisconsin) avenged an earlier season loss by pinning J.T. Felix (Boise State) in a battle of the No. 8 and No. 9 seeds.

Here's what to watch for in Session III on Friday: 125: Iowa's Cory Clark gets his shot at No. 1 seed Jesse Delgado who looked sluggish in getting a hard fought-win over Virginia Tech's Joey Dance. Penn State's No. 3 seed Nico Megaludis (Penn State) and No. 2 Nahshon Garrett (Cornell) are on a collision course facing Jarrod Patterson (Oklahoma) and David Terao (American) respectively. There won't be much issue with Garrett making it past the spirited Terao, but Megaludis will need his best stuff to keep Patterson from building a head of steam. Oklahoma is wrestling as well as any other team in the tournament. 133: Iowa's No. 3 Tony Ramos needed overtime to make it past No. 14 Zane Richards (Illinois). That makes two straight matches where the Hawkeye has struggled to separate and with No. 6 Mason Beckman (Lehigh) in the quarters he's likely to have trouble again, although he did notch a 3-1 win over the Lehigh wrestler earlier this season. Wisconsin's Tyler Graff looked susceptible in a 10-5 win over Joe Roth (CMU), but he's facing Cody Brewer (Oklahoma) who avenged his six straight losses to Jon Morrison (Oklahoma State) with a fall in 2:45. Expect fireworks in all four matches. 141: No. 4 Devin Carter (Virginia Tech) was sluggish in the second round and if Richard Durso (Franklin & Marshall) can keep up the pressure for seven minutes he'll be able to find points. Maybe not enough, but Carter needs to be on edge. There was plenty for No. 9 Evan Henderson (North Carolina) to cheer for after his fall of No. 8 Luke Vaith, and though Mitchell Port (Edinboro) should be able to manage the offense, it'll be closer than the Fighting Scots would like. 149: With No. 3 Chris Villalonga (Cornell) giving up a fall in the second round, the bottom side of the bracket is blow wide open. No. 7 Gus Sako (Virginia) and No. 10 Zach Neibert (Virginia Tech) battled to a 3-2 decision, with Neibert, the returning All-American, finding a late takedown for the win. If you like fun, then stay tuned for No. 9 Eric Grajales (Michigan) and No. 1 Drake Houdashelt (Mizzou). As everyone knows Grajales has been on the cusp for three years -- a fall, or five-point throw could be in the works. Josh Kindig (Oklahoma State) and Scott Sakaguchi will battle for a spot in the semifinals. 157: Best matchup of the day is always Dylan Ness (Minn) versus anyone, but the quarterfinals are even better as they pit Ness against top-seeded James Green (Nebraska). On the bottom side, Alex Dieringer (Oklahoma State) has been unbelievable in the opening rounds with a technical fall and a fall, but he'll meet emotional favorite No. 6 Nestor Taffur (Boston U.), who used 6:55 to find the fall against No. 11 Taylor Walsh (Indiana) -- his second for the day. Could be an entertaining back-and-forth between the heavy technical favorite and everyone's favorite emotional story. 165: No. 3 Nick Sulzer (Virginia) will face No. 11 Turtogokh (The Citadel) in what could be nice wrestling from neutral, but heavily favors Sulzer on the mat. No. 1 David Taylor (Penn State) should cruise past Iowa State All-American Mike Moreno. On the other side of the bracket No. 2 Tyler Caldwell (Oklahoma State) could be in for a dogfight with No. 7 Pierce Harger (Northwestern), who is looking career best on the mats and on his feet. 174: No. 3 Robert Kokesh (Nebraska) earned a 14-5 second-round win and should match up well with No. 6 Logan Storley (Minnesota). No. 4 Mike Evans (Iowa) and No. 5 Matt Brown (Penn State) will renew their rivalry in the quarterfinals, and in a match that has early national title implications. No. 2 Andrew Howe (Oklahoma) versus No. 7 Tyler Wilps (Pitt) should also be a good scrap. 184: Bracket buster Vic Avery (Edinboro) fell to No. 12 Ophir Bernstein (Brown). Bernstein will face the other bracket buster, No. 13 Jack Dechow (Old Dominion) for a place in the semifinals. Two lower seeded guys battling for a place on the podium will make for intense wrestling. No. 7 Kevin Steinhaus (Minnesota) will have No. 2 Ed Ruth, but it won't be much of a match, as Ruth is in overdrive and Steinhaus looked less impressive. 197: The only match that matters is No. 4 Scott Schiller (Minnesota) and No. 5 Kyven Gadson (Iowa State). Iowa's heart rests right now with No. 11 Nathan Burak (Iowa), who faces a very solid No. 14 seed Chris Penny who was comfortable in a 3-2 upset win over No. 3 Morgan McIntosh. No. 2 J'den Cox (Missouri) takes on unseeded Conner Hartman (Duke). 285: No. 1 seed Tony Nelson (Minnesota) and No. 5 Bobby Telford (Iowa) both advanced without issues and face Big Ten opponents before their expected semifinal showdown. On the bottom side, No. 11 Austin Marsden (Oklahoma State) upset No. 6 Mike McMullan (Northwestern) and will face No. 3 Adam Chalfant (Indiana), who is a fun heavyweight to wrestle and should give some indication about Oklahoma State's national championships hopes.

With two All-Americans dropping in the pigtail round, the NCAA is once again proving that anything is possible in March. There are always plenty of great matchups in the second round, but most fall with the No. 8 vs. No. 9 matchups, as well as the No. 7 vs. No. 10. Even when not listed, be sure to keep an eye on those matchups! Here's what to watch for in Session II: 125: On paper the highlight of the next round could be Penn State's No. 3 seed Nico Megaludis and No. 14 Eddie Klimara of Oklahoma State. It's a nice matchup, but as Mega was working hard for all seven minutes to find a technical fall, Klimara was ridden and limped his way into a 6-4 win. On the bottom side of the bracket, keep an eye on No. 15 Anthony Zanetta (Pitt) and No. 2 Nahshon Garrett (Cornell). The Big Red wrestler should be OK, but Zanetta can frustrate opponents on top. 133: Iowa's Tony Ramos struggled a bit with Pitt's Shelton Mack, but look for him to cruise past No. 14 Zane Rishards (Illinois). No. 6 Mason Beckman (Lehigh) and No. 11 Ryan Mango (Stanford) will battle for the right to meet Ramos in the quarterfinals, and should add form to an interesting half of the bracket. 141: Look for No. 9 Evan Henderson (UNC) and No. 8 Luke Vaith, (Hofstra) to put on a great second round matchup. The winner gets Port, and if that's 2013 NCAA All-American Henderson the matchup has upset potential. Also watch for No. 14 Edgar Bright (Pitt) to give No. 3 Zain Retherford some spats of difficulty. Also, returning All-Americans Undrakhbayar (Citadel) and Nick Lester (Oklahoma) meet in the pigtail wrestlebacks. 149: The most exciting match of the weight will almost certainly come from in-state rivals No. 7 Gus Sako (Virginia) and No. 10 Zach Neibert (Virginia Tech) -- they're both pinners and they love to scrap. Also look for No. 9 Eric Grajales (Michigan) and No. 8 David Habat (Edinboro) to light up the scoreboard. Pac-12 champion R.J. Pena battles Dylan Ness tonight (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)157: Not sure how No. 8 R.J. Pena (Oregon State) and No. 9 Dylan Ness (Minnesota) could wrestle and not provide fireworks. It'll be the match of the round, and one you won't want to miss it. Pena won by technical fall over Ness at the Southern Scuffle. I like Brain Realbuto of Cornell at the No. 7 seed to put on a nice performance against No. 10 Blaise Butler (Virginia) 165: Citadel's No. 11 seed Turtogtokh and Chattanooga No. 7 seed Corey Mock meet in a rubber match, with the winner looking to face No. 3 Nick Sulzer in the quarterfinals. Also watch for Dan Yates (Michigan) to wrestle well from the No. 13 seed and give No. 4 seed Steven Monk (NDSU) a tough matchup. 174: No. 3 Robert Kokesh (Nebraska) will face his first test in a run for the upset of No. 2 Andrew Howe (Oklahoma) when he faces upset-minded Conor Brennan of Rider. No. 10 Mike Otinger (Central Michigan) and No. 7 Tyler Wilps (Pitt) should also be a good scrap, with Wilps' work on his feet giving him an advantage on the way in. 184: Bracket buster Vic Avery (Edinboro) made his way past No. 5 Ethan Lofthouse and will now face a tough, but beatable No. 12 Ophir Bernstein (Brown). The winner of this match will likely face No. 4 Max Thommusseit (Pitt) in the quarterfinals. No. 7 Kevin Steinhaus (Minnesota) will be the tentative favorite against No. 10 Kenny Courts (Ohio State). 197: Tough luck No. 5 Kyven Gadson (Iowa State) has a match with scramble-ready No. 12 Taylor Meeks (Oregon State). Also, No. 6 Richard Perry (Bloomsburg) faces No. 11 Nathan Burak (Iowa) in a match that the Hawkeyes need to win in order to preserve their progression towards an NCAA title. 285: You have to keep an eye on the No. 1 seed Tony Nelson (Minnesota). He's always in a tight match, and after an up-and-down year it's possible that second round opponent Amarveer Dhesi (Oregon State) could give him a scare. At least it'll be a clue on what happens next. All-Americans No. 5 Bobby Telford (Iowa) and No. 12 Spencer Myers (Maryland) also meet up in the second round.