InterMat Staff

Related: Results NORMAN, Okla. -- The Oklahoma State wrestling team won its 12th Big 12 team championship and 48th conference title on Saturday at McCasland Field House in Norman, Okla. The day was highlighted by Chris Perry's 3-2 upset over top-ranked Andrew Howe of Oklahoma in the 174-pound finals. Six Cowboys took home individual titles, while three produced runner-up finishes and Blake Rosholt took home a third-place medal at 197 pounds. Perry was also named the tournament's Outstanding Wrestler. "Today was good from a standpoint of that first round kind of set the pace for us," Coach John Smith said. "Pushing nine of the 10 into the finals is always a good thing when you're in the Big 12 because you really position your team to win. The final round I thought was pretty good. I'm not mad, but there were a couple of things I would have liked to see differently, but overall it takes a team effort, and this team today definitely gave the effort." Eddie Klimara took to the mat for the Cowboys in the first championship bout of the night, facing All-American Jarrod Patterson of OU at 125 pounds. Klimara kept it a tight match but Patterson's 1:02 riding time advantage gave him the 4-3 victory over Klimara. Senior Jon Morrison finished his final conference tournament with his second-consecutive Big 12 crown. Morrison earned his sixth career win over OU's Cody Brewer with an 8-1 decision. Collica became the 19th freshman in school history to win a conference title. He defeated Iowa State's Gabe Moreno, 4-2, to earn his first Big 12 title at 141 pounds. "It was real cool winning my first Big 12 title," Collica said. "The matches today--I had some tough ones. I had to toughen up, rode hard in the third to win both, and just had to out-tough the other guy. That's what it's about." At 149 pounds, Josh Kindig, the No. 2 seed, took on top-seeded Kendric Maple from OU. The last time the two met in Norman, Kindig upset the 2013 national champion, 4-3; however, this time Kindig could not pull off another upset and dropped the match, 6-3. Sophomore Alex Dieringer took home his second conference title in just as many attempts at 157 pounds. Dieringer faced OU's Justin DeAngelis, whom he defeated with ease, 8-3. Senior and former Sooner Tyler Caldwell earned his second Big 12 title of his career--both during his time as a Cowboy--defeating ISU's Michael Moreno with a 12-1 major decision. The championship round skipped ahead to the 184-pound bout as the 174-pound championship was scheduled to be the night's finale. Redshirt freshman Nolan Boyd faced Lelund Weatherspoon of ISU. Boyd led the whole match, but a takedown by Weatherspoon with just seconds left in the match gave him the advantage and the 4-3 win over Boyd. Austin Marsden was the next finalist for the Pokes at heavyweight. The Crystal Lake, Ill., native took on WVU's A.J. Vizcarrondo, the tournament's No. 2 seed. Marsden won his first conference title with a 5-2 decision. The day's most awaited match was saved for last as Perry and Howe went head-to-head in the final bout of the night. Several controversial and reviewed calls created an intense atmosphere as the two battled it out to be the Big 12's best. Perry snagged two escapes, while Howe picked up the bout's only takedown, but it was Perry's riding time advantage that secured the Cowboy's fourth Big 12 title. "It's nice to win four. I really didn't pay much attention to it coming in," Perry said. "As a whole, I just felt relaxed. I just felt good all week, so to come in here and beat him was big for me. If I can beat him here, I know I can beat him anywhere. He'll be ready in Oklahoma City, and I'm not even thinking forward to if I wrestle him, unless it happens. I've been in tight matches with a lot of guys this year, and I've just got to focus and worry about myself and not worry about the other competitors. I've just got to come out and execute. I believe in myself. I love winning, and I believe March is my time every year." The Cowboys will be back in action in Oklahoma City on March 20-22 to compete in the NCAA wrestling championships. "We're behind from a standpoint of the top teams. We're going to have to close the gap," Smith said. "You've got several guys that have low rankings, and that doesn't put you in a very good position. But we closed the gap last year, and that's something we're going to have to do. We're going to have to wrestle above our seeds if we're going to do well." Team Standings: 1. Oklahoma State 98.5 points 2. Oklahoma 63.5 points 3. Iowa State 45.5 points 4. West Virginia 26 points Final Results: 125: No. 1 Jarrod Patterson (OU) dec. No. 2 Eddie Klimara (OSU), 4-3 133: No. 1 Jon Morrison (OSU) dec. No. 2 Cody Brewer (OU), 8-1 141: No. 2 Anthony Collica (OSU) dec. No. 4 Gabe Moreno (ISU), 4-2 149: No. 1 Kendric Maple (OU) dec. No. 2 Josh Kindig (OSU), 6-3 157: No. 1 Alex Dieringer (OSU) dec. No. 2 Justin DeAngelis (OU), 8-3 165: No. 1 Tyler Caldwell (OSU) MD No. 2 Michael Moreno (ISU), 12-1 174: No. 2 Chris Perry (OSU) dec. No. 1 Andrew Howe (OU), 3-2 184: No. 3 Lelund Weatherspoon (ISU) dec. No. 1 Nolan Boyd (OSU), 4-3 197: No. 1 Kyven Gadson (ISU) dec. No. 2 Travis Rutt (OU), 3-3 TB2 (on criteria) 285: No. 1 Austin Marsden (OSU) dec. No. 2 A.J. Vizcarrondo (WVU), 5-2

Related: Results The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga wrestling team won its 28th Southern Conference Tournament in Buies Creek, N.C., tonight. The Mocs had three individual champions led by junior Corey Mock’s victory at 165 pounds. Mock not only grabbed an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships, but he also took home the award for Most Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament. Chattanooga tallied 88.0 points on the day, the fewest for a championship team since UNCG won with 81.5 points in 2010. It was the Mocs fourth straight tournament title and eighth in the last nine years. The Citadel took the runner-up spot with 78.5 points. Campbell, which hosted the tournament, placed third with 54.0 points. Appalachian State finished fourth with 36.0 points, in front of Gardner-Webb (32.5), SIUE (30.5), Davidson (29.0) and VMI (13.5). Junior Nick Soto took home his third-straight conference championship and will make his third appearance at the NCAAs. The No. 1 seed at 133 pinned VMI’s Michael Flora in 2:54 to advance to the semifinals, where Davidson’s Anthony Elias medically forfeited. In the final, Soto handily defeated Campbell’s Drew Walker, 12-2, to up his overall record to 33-9. The match of the night came at 165 between Mock and The Citadel’s Turtogtokh Luvsandorj. Luvsandorj carried a No. 7 Coaches Panel ranking into the match, while Mock was right behind him at No. 8. Luvsandorj took the regular season meeting 4-3, but Mock dominated tonight’s rematch. He won the title bout 7-1 and did not give up a takedown in the tournament, improving to 30-3 overall. Junior Levi Clemons followed that with a win of his own at 174, registering two major decisions along the way. He took down VMI’s Derek Thurman, 13-5, before defeating Campbell’s Cody Ryba, 11-2 in the semifinals. Clemons met the second seed, Jake Residori from SIUE, in the championship bout, but Residori had to medically forfeit with Clemons up 2-0 in the first period. Clemons improves to 26-13 overall and earns his second trip to the NCAA Championships. He also was an at-large participant as a sophomore in 2012. Senior Alex Hudson also grabbed an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships, despite falling in the finals to The Citadel’s Aaron Walker. The Southern Conference was allocated 16 spots for the NCAA Championships, with three each at 149 pounds and 165 pounds, two each at 157 pounds and heavyweight and one each at the six other weights. UTC had a pair of true freshman finish second in their brackets. Michael Pongracz was runner-up at 141 while top-seeded Scottie Boykin lost in the finals at 197. Fellow freshman Dawson Peck placed fourth at heavyweight, along with sophomores John Lampe at 184 and Austin Sams at 149. UTC now turns its attention to the NCAA Championships on March 20-22. The Mocs could grab an at large bid at one or two more weights before competition begins in Oklahoma City, Okla.

Brackets | Team Scores TOPEKA, Kan. -- Grand View (Iowa) cruised to its third straight team championship after tying an NAIA record with 193 total team points -- an NAIA record 108.5 points more than the next team -- in the 2014 NAIA Wrestling National Champions at the Kansas Expocentre. Great Falls (Mont.) finished in second place with 84.5 points, edging third-place Montana State-Northern by one point. Grand View, which is the eight team in NAIA history to win at least three national titles, is the fourth program to win three-straight since Lindenwood (Mo.) claimed three-consecutive banners in 2007, 2008 and 2009. Additionally, the Vikings team total tied former member Dana’s (Neb.) 2006 point total, which previously stood as the national record. Grand View ended the event with four individual national champions, highlighted by three-time All-American Eric Thompson. The senior 285 pounder controlled the entire match against first-time All-American Courtney Freeman of Cumberlands (Ky.), eventually grinding out a 17-2 technical fall win. With the victory, Thompson becomes the first three-time national champion at the heavyweight division since Jeff Thue of Simon Fraser (B.C.) accomplished the feat in 1991, 1992 and 1993. Thompson ends his career with a 14-0 all-time record at the national championships. In addition to Thompson, Ryak Finch (125), Brandon Wright (141) and Chad Lowman (165) claimed national crowns, while Gustavo Martinez (141) and Dallas Houchins (157) finished runner-up after dropping a 2-1 and 5-3 decisions. Overall, Grand View had 11 of its 12 qualifiers earn All-America honors. Lowman, who was the fifth Viking to take the mat, won his second-straight national champion with a 7-5 victory over three-time All-American Ethan Hinebauch of Montana State-Northern. The 165-pound senior won his first national title last season at 157 pounds. Southern Oregon’s Brock Gutches, who won his third-straight title at 174 pounds with a 3-2 win over Jared Miller of Montana-State Northern, was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler for the 57th annual event. Similarly to Thompson, Gutches has never lost in three appearances at the national championships en route to becoming the first three-time national champion in NAIA history at 174 pounds. Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) was the only other program with multiple national champions, including Jameel Bryant at 184 pounds. Bryant, who is the fourth national champion in team history, won his second-straight banner with a 6-5 win over Cody Linton of Cumberland (Tenn.), while teammate Joe Cozart avenged his championship final loss last season with a 5-3 win against Dallas Houchins of Grand View. Bryant is the first 184 pounder to win two-straight national championships since Jeremy Engelhardt of Mary (N.D.) in 1999, 2000 and 2001. Six individuals earned their first national title – Finch, Bryce Shoemaker (133) of Baker (Kan.), Wright, Jake Williams (149) of Cumberland (Tenn.), Cozart and Jesse Hellinger of Dickinson State (N.D.). Shoemaker is the first-ever national champion for Baker. The freshman grappler won a 3-0 decision against Justin Brooks of Indiana Tech, who was also wrestling in his first title match.

Related: Results Regional team championship in school history on Saturday, March 8, inside the UCCU Center at Utah Valley University. The Bison claimed three individual titles on the way to the team title, defeating defending champion Wyoming by a score of 74-66. Wyoming had won the last four NCAA West Regional/Western Wrestling Conference Tournament team titles, including a close three-point margin over the Bison last season. Senior Steven Monk (165 pounds), sophomore Hayden Zillmer (174) and junior Evan Knutson (285) each won their respective weight classes to clinch spots in the NCAA Championships to be held March 20-22 in Oklahoma City, Okla. Monk won both of his matches by fall on Saturday, pinning Jesse Stafford of Air Force in the first period of the semifinal and pinning Wyoming’s Dakota Friesth at the 4:28 mark of the championship match. The West Regional title is the third of Monk’s career. Zillmer will make his first appearance at the NCAA Championships after registering a pair of decisions to take first on Saturday. The sophomore from Crosby, Minn., won 5-1 over Monte Schmalhaus of Utah Valley in the semifinals and 8-3 over John Nething II of South Dakota State in the finals. Knutson returns to the NCAA Championships for the second time after a 2-0 day at the West Regional. He pinned SDSU’s J.J. Everard in 2:20 in the semifinals and won by a 4-1 decision over Utah Valley’s Adam Fager in the finals. Monk was named the West Regional’s Most Outstanding Wrestler, and NDSU head coach Roger Kish earned the Coach of the Year award for the second straight season. Senior Justin LaValle (133), junior Kurtis Julson (184) and redshirt freshman Tyler Lehmann (197) all dropped decisions in the finals to finish with runner-up honors. Julson later wrestled a true second place match for a spot in the NCAA Championships and lost a 3-1 decision to Devin Hightower of Air Force. Redshirt freshman Clay Cathey and senior Tyler Diamond placed third at 141 and 149 pounds, respectively. After all the qualifying events have concluded, the NCAA DI Wrestling Committee will meet in-person to select the remaining 40 at-large qualifiers, which will be announced on March 12. All weight classes will consist of 33 wrestlers. Last year the WWC had three of its wrestlers receive at-large selections. Team Standings: 1. North Dakota State 74.0 2. Wyoming 66.0 3. Air Force 50.0 4. Utah Valley 49.5 5. South Dakota State 34.5 6. Northern Colorado 12.5 West Regional/WWC Automatic Qualifiers for the 2014 NCAA Championships (champions listed first) 125: Tyler Cox (Wyoming) 125: Jade Rauser (Utah Valley) 133: Greg Rinker (Air Force) 141: Avery Garner (Utah Valley) 149: Alex Kocer (South Dakota State) 157: Cody Pack (South Dakota State) 157: Josh Kreimier (Air Force) 165: Steven Monk (North Dakota State) 165: Dakota Friesth (Wyoming) 165: Curtis Abner Cook (Utah Valley) 174: Hayden Zillmer (North Dakota State) 184: Benjamin Stroh (Wyoming) 184: Devin Hightower (Air Force) 197: Shane Woods (Wyoming) 285: Evan Knutson (North Dakota State)

Head coach Cael Sanderson's Penn State wrestling squad finds itself in first place at the conclusion of day one at the 2014 Big Ten Wrestling Championships. The Nittany Lions, working for their fourth straight Big Ten crown, will have five wrestlers in the Championship Finals tomorrow afternoon. Penn State leads rival Iowa by a slim one point margin, 122.0 to 121.0, in the team race. Junior Nico Megaludis (Murrysville, Pa.), the No. 1 at 125, withstood a strong effort from fourth-seeded Ryan Taylor of Wisconsin. Megaludis battled his way to a 4-3 win on 1:45 in riding time to advance to tomorrow's Big Ten title bout against Illinois' Jesse Delgado. True freshman Zain Retherford (Benton, Pa.), the No. 1 seed at 141, dominated Michigan's Stephen Dutton in his semifinal bout, rolling to a 4-0 win with 1:15 riding time to advance to the finals tomorrow against Ohio State's Logan Stieber. Senior David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio), the No. 1 seed at 165, made short work of fifth-seed Jackson Morse of Illinois in the semifinals, gaining control of the Illini's shoulders, stepping over his chest and turning his shoulders flat to the mat for a pin in just 0:40. The pin was Taylor's 13th of the year and the 50th of his career, leaving him three shy of the Penn State record of 53. Taylor will take on Iowa's Nick Moore in the finals tomorrow. Senior Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.), the No. 1 seed at 184, took care of Michigan's Dom Abounader in the semifinals, rolling to a 9-1 major decision with over 3:00 in riding time (3:05). Ruth's impressive victory moves him into tomorrow's finals where he will face third-seed Ethan Lofthouse of Iowa. Sophomore Morgan McIntosh (Santa Ana, Calif.), the No. 1 seed at 197, used a late reversal in the tie breaker period to grab a 3-2 (tb) win over Iowa's Nathan Burak, the fifth-seed. Each wrestler had an escape in regulation and wrestled a minute of scoreless action in the sudden victory period. McIntosh rode Burak for all but a second of the opening tie-breaker stanza but the Hawkeye's late escape gave him a 2-1 lead. McIntosh was steady on bottom, however, deftly working his way into control of Burak with :07 left for a reversal. A short ride out gave the Lion sophomore the 3-2 (tb) win and moved him into the finals tomorrow where he will take on Nick Heflin of Ohio State. Junior Matt Brown (West Valley City, Utah), the No. 2 seed at 174, suffered a 3-2 upset at the hands of Iowa's Mike Evans, giving up a first period takedown that would prove to be the difference. Brown shifts down to the consolation semifinals tomorrow morning. Junior Jon Gingrich (Wingate, Pa.), the No. 8 seed at 285, could not follow up his upset of the tournament's top seed by defeating the defending NCAA Champion. Tony Nelson of Minnesota was able to pin Gingrich at the 1:58 mark and send the Lion junior into the consolation semifinals tomorrow morning. Red-shirt freshman Jimmy Gulibon (Latrobe, Pa.), the No. 7 seed at 133, punched his ticket to the NCAA Championships with a solid 9-4 win over Nebraska's Shawn Nagel in his first consolation bout. He then dropped a tough 6-1 decision to Ohio State's Johnni DiJulius in the conso quarters and will wrestle for seventh place tomorrow morning Senior James English (York, Pa.), the No. 7 seed at 149, picked up his first career win at the Big Ten Championships in the first round of consolation action, riding Purdue's Brandon Nelsen for the entire third period to post a 3-2 decision thanks to 1:23 in riding time. Needing one more win to move on to NCAAs, used a second period near fall and ride-out to post a 5-2 win over sixth-seed Ian Paddock of Ohio State, earning his first trip to the NCAA Championships, Penn State's 10th qualifier. Junior Dylan Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.), the No. 5 seed at 157, posted a hard-fought 2-1 win over Ohio State's Randy Languis in his first consolation bout, using a quick third period escape to secure 1:00 in riding time to post the critical point. The win moves Alton on to the NCAA Championships as well. In the consolation quarters, Michigan's Brian Murphy notched a late takedown to post a 3-1 win over Alton, sending Alton to the seventh place bout. The Nittany Lions went 9-3 in the second session, including a 5-2 mark in the semifinals and are now 23-7 overall. Penn State's bonus point tally stands at 15 off two pins, one default win, two techs and six majors. The event continues on Sunday with consolation and seventh place bouts at 12 p.m. Eastern (11 a.m. Central). The Championship Finals begin at 2 p.m. Eastern (1 p.m. Central) and air live on the Big Ten Network. Fans are encouraged to follow Penn State wrestling via twitter at www.twitter.com/pennstateWREST and on Penn State Wrestling's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pennstatewrestling. The 2013-14 Penn State Wrestling season is presented by The Family Clothesline. 2014 Big Ten Wrestling Championships - Team Standings After Session 2 Saturday, March 8, 2014 - Kohl Center, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Wis. 1: PENN STATE, 122.0 2: Iowa, 121.0 3: Minnesota, 86.0 4: Ohio State,73.5 5: Illinois, 69.5 6: Nebraska, 68.0 7: Wisconsin, 58.0 8: Michigan, 49.5 9: Northwestern, 44.0 10: Indiana, 34.0 11: Purdue, 30.0 12: Michigan State, 15.0

KENT, Ohio -- Five UNI wrestlers have punched their tickets to the NCAA Division I national tournament, and more will have the chance to secure a spot tomorrow at the Mid-American Conference Championships. Dylan Peters, Joe Colon, Joey Lazor, Cooper Moore and Ryan Loder are guaranteed spots at nationals and are vying for a championship spot at the Mid-American Conference Championships. UNI wrestling coach Doug Schwab preaches the importance of bonus points, and his team responded by earning them in nine matches to keep UNI in the lead for the team title at the MAC Championships. Five Panthers are in the hunt for a championship, which will be settled tomorrow. 125 – Peters will face Jared Germaine of Eastern Michigan for the title. 133 – Joe Colon is matched up with Joe Roth of Central Michigan. Colon beat Roth 7-2 earlier this season. 141 – Joey Lazor will get a rematch with Chris Mecate of ODU. Mecate is the only MAC dual opponent to beat Lazor. Mecate won 10-8 at the Panthers’ last dual. 165 – Cooper Moore and Harrison Hightower will meet. Moore pinned Hightower in 3 minutes, 39 seconds at their last dual meeting. 184 – Ryan Loder will get a shot to avenge a loss against the wrestler who tainted his perfect record. Loder hadn’t lost a dual since the 2011-12 season until Jack DeChow edged him out 5-4 in a dual. Three Panthers still have a shot at third. 174 – Cody Caldwell will face Mikey England of Missouri. Caldwell beat him 10-7 at home earlier in the season. 197 – Jared Bartel will face Shawn Scott of Northern Illinois. 285 – Blaize Cabell is matched up against Jared Torrence of Northern Illinois. QUALIFYING FOR THE NCAA TOURNEY The conference championships determine how many UNI wrestlers will compete at the NCAA national tournament. The MAC originally was allocated 41 spots that automatically qualify for nationals. However, a change at 184 pounds changed the seedings and removed two automatic bids for that weight class. The new seedings and number of wrestlers who automatically qualify by weight class: 125 – No. 1 Dylan Peters (4) 133 – No. 1 Joe Colon (5) 141 – No. 3 Joey Lazor (5) 149 – No. 6 Tyler Patten (4) 157 – No. 7 Jarrett Jensen (5) 165 – No. 1 Cooper Moore (3) 174 – No. 4 Cody Caldwell (5) 184 – No. 3 Ryan Loder (3) 197 – Jared Bartel (2) 285 – No. 4 Blaize Cabell (3) SUNDAY'S SCHEDULE 11 a.m. – Consolation semifinals (three mats) 12:20 p.m. – Championship, finals, third-place matches and fifth-place matches (three mats) NCAA qualifying spot matches to follow if necessary. UP NEXT The NCAA releases the remaining at-large selections March 12, which will set the final field for the NCAA Division I National Tournament set for March 20-22 at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Okla.

Related: Results BLACKSBURG, VA. -- Host Virginia Tech, led by junior Devin Carter who was named the ACC's Most Valuable Wrestler, won three of the first four championship bouts and went on to claim its second straight Atlantic Coast Conference Wrestling Championship Saturday night at Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg, Va. The Tournament was the 60th Annual Wrestling Championship held by the ACC. Before a crowd of over 2,344 fans at Tech's Cassell Coliseum, Virginia Tech scored 87 points to outdistance Pitt (67), Virginia (61.5), North Carolina (38.0), Maryland (37.5), NC State (33.5), and Duke (18). Tech, ranked 16th nationally, and coached by Kevin Dresser, received a boost in their lineup just before the Tournament as Carter, who is 14-0 on the year, was given medical clearance to wrestle after missing more than two months due to the hamstring injury. The Hokies used strong efforts in the consolation rounds to claim a 10-point lead In the Tournament heading into the championship round as Chris Moon (165), Nick Vetterlein (184) and Ty Walz (Hwt.) all earned third-place finishes. "Today, 10 guys came together and had an awesome day,” said Dresser . "It is all about how you finish in this sport and we finished the ACC season with an almost-perfect day. We're going to enjoy this one for a while and then head off to Oklahoma City. "But the future around here is extremely bright for Virginia Tech wrestling. This crowd today was awesome. They got into it and got loud. I told my guys for the last two weeks that they needed to show some emotion after matches. I needed to see some fist pumps and some flexing and some celebrating because wrestling is a long season and that's what the end of the season is all about. I knew having it in Cassell Coliseum that it would be extremely loud all day and the fans didn't disappoint.” Pitt, ranked 10th nationally in their first season under coach Jason Peters, placed five wrestlers in to the championship finals but failed to capitalize on that advantage as Carter and Zach Neibert at 149 claimed wins over Pitts Edgar Bright and Mikey Racciato, respectively. The Panthers, who were undefeated in six ACC dual meets to take the ACC regular season title, received only a win from Tyler Wilps (Oakdale, Pa.) at 174 pounds. North Carolina's Nathan Kraisser (Ellicott City, Md.) got Pitt off to a rough start by defeating Pitt's Anthony Zanetta with a 5-3 sudden win in overtime if the 125-pound championship match. Virginia Tech freshman Dennis Gustafson (Woodbridge, Va.) then set the tone for the Hokies with a dominating 11-0 major decision at 133 over Maryland's Tyler Goodwin. The Hokies' Carter (Christiansburg, Va.), in only his second match since suffering a major hamstring injury which required surgery, captured a hard-fought 6-1 win over Pitt's Edgar Bright. It was the third ACC title for Carter, a junior, who previously had won league crowns in 2011 and 2012 at 133 pounds. He becomes the 41st wrestler in league history to win three individual titles, the 21st to do so in more than one weight class. He was named the Tournament MVP in voting by the ACC head coaches. "It's a nice, sentimental award, but Dennis Gustafson deserves this as much as I do,” Carter said. "He's a true freshman who put up bonus points in all three matches and won 11-0 in the finals. Three weeks ago, I thought I'd be a spectactor along with everyone else at this event and to do all this, capped by the Outstanding Wrestler award, is just amazing.” He becomes the fifth Virginia Tech wrestler and third straight to be named the ACC's Wrestling Tournament MVP joining Jon Bonilla-Bowman (2007), Matt Epperly (2008), Pete Yates (2012) and Jarrod Garnett (2013). Virginia Tech's 149-pound senior Zach Neibert (Dayton, Ohio) kept the momentum going for the Hokies with a dramatic 3-1 sudden victory in overtime against Pitt's Mikey Racciato to put a strong hold on the championship. In all, Tech had four individual champions as senior Chris Penny (Virginia Beach, Va.) downed Virginia's Zach Nye, 10-6, at 197 pounds to join Gustafson, Carter and Neibert in the winners Virginia's Nick Sulzer (Cleveland, Ohio), the nation's No. 2-ranked wrestler at 165 pounds was one of two Cavaliers to claim titles. Sulzer improved to 32-1 on the year with a 7-1 decision over North Carolina sophomore John Michael Staudenmayer. Blaise Butler (Belvidere, Ill.) also captured the title at 157 by downing NC State's Thomas Gantt, 3-2. Maryland Jimmy Sheptock (Northhampton, Pa.), the nation's top-ranked wrestler at 184 pounds joined Carter in winning his third ACC wrestling title, when he took a 3-1 decision of Pitt's Max Thomusseit. Thomusseit entered the Tournament ranked fifth nationally. Sheptock captured the 174-pound conference title in 2012, then won in 2013 at 184. Sheptock improved to 27-0 on the year with the win, his second of the year against Thomusseit. He is the 42nd ACC wrestler to win three individual titles and the 22nd to do it in more than one weight class. NC State's Nick Gwiazdowski (Delanson, N.Y.), the nation's third-ranked heavyweight, continued his winning ways, downing two-time ACC champion Spencer Myers, 10-4, in the final match of the night. Gwiazdowksi is now 37-2 on the year. Both the ACC individual champions and runners-up were also named to the All-ACC wrestling team and a total of 34 ACC wrestlers earned automatic bids to this year's NCAA Championship, which will be held March 20-22 in Oklahoma City, Ok. Team Standings: 1. Virginia Tech 87 2. Pitt 67 3. Virginia 61.5 4. North Carolina 38 5. Maryland 37.5 6. NC State 33.5 7. Duke 18 Finals Results: 125: Nathan Kraisser (UNC) dec. Anthony Zanetta (Pitt), 5-3 SV 133: Dennis Gustafson (VT) maj. dec. over Tyler Goodwin (Md.), 11-0 141: Devin Carter (VT) dec. Edgar Bright (Pitt), 6-1 149: Zach Neibert (VT) dec. Mikey Racciato (Pitt), 3-1 SV 157: Blaise Butler (UVa) dec. Tommy Gantt (NCS), 3-2 165: Nick Sulzer (UVa) dec. John Staudenmayer (UNC), 7-1 174: Tyler Wilps (Pitt) dec. Stephen Doty (UVa), 7-2 184: Jimmy Sheptock (Md.) dec. Max Thomusseit (Pitt), 3-1 197: Chris Penny (VT) dec. Zach Nye (UVa), 10-6 285: Nick Gwiazdowski (NCS) dec. Spencer Myers (Md.), 10-4

Related: Results CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Edinboro wrestling team crowned five champions while winning the 39th Annual EWL Championships at Cleveland State's Woodling Gymnasium on Saturday. The Fighting Scots finished with 140.5 points to pace the seven-team field. Bloomsburg was second with 113 points, followed by Lock Haven with 87.5 points. In all, seven Fighting Scots qualified for the upcoming NCAA Division I National Championships. The EWL championship is Edinboro's 13th under head coach Tim Flynn and the first since 2010. Pittsburgh had won the last four EWL crowns before moving to the ACC this year. A.J. Schopp picked up his third straight EWL title at 133 lbs., while Mitchell Port and Dave Habat won for the second straight year at 141 and 149 lbs., respectively. Vic Avery picked up his first EWL title at 184 lbs., as dis Ernest James at heavyweight. Schopp was selected the Outstanding Wrestler, making it a clean sweep after he earlier was named the Outstanding Wrestler at the PSAC Championships. As usual, Schopp and Port were dominant. Schopp, ranked second at 133 lbs., boosted his record to 31-1 and improved to 103-12 with a pair of technical falls and a decision. He won by technical fall 18-0 (5:00) over Nick Wilcox of Bloomsburg in the finals. He led 5-0 after one period, then chose the top to start the second period and tilted Wilcox four times for three near-fall points each time. Port, meanwhile, kept his record spotless at 26-0 with a pair of wins, both by major decision. In a rematch of last year's finals, the top-ranked wrestler at 141 lbs. won a 12-2 major decision over Bloomsburg's Dan Neff. He posted a pair of takedowns in the first period for a 4-1 lead, boosted the margin to 9-1 after two periods with a takedown and three near-fall points, and registered another takedown in the third. Habat, ranked 15th by InterMat and 17th by TheOpenMat.com, improved to 26-4 with two wins. The junior has now won ten straight matches. He claimed a 6-0 decision over Bryce Busler of Bloomsburg, who came in ranked 18th by TheOpenMat.com. He had a takedown in the final seconds for a 2-0 lead after one period, added an escape in the second, and recorded a second takedown in the third period. Avery, who has battled injuries all year, posted an impressive 8-2 decision over Lock Haven's Fred Garcia in the finals at 184 lbs. Following a scoreless first period, Avery opened the second with an escape. He would add two takedowns in the period for a 5-1 advantage. Garcia started the third with an escape, but Avery recorded his third takedown of the match and owned riding time. Ranked 13th by TheOpenMat.com and 15th by InterMat, Avery boosted his record to 23-5 with three wins. He was second at 184 lbs. in 2012 before redshirting last year. James, a senior, ran his winning streak to 14 matches with three decisions. In the finals he squared off against rival Justin Grant of Bloomsburg, who came in ranked 14th by TheOpenMat.com and 18th by InterMat. The two exchanged escapes in regulation and headed into overtime, where James prevailed with a takedown with 35 seconds gone. James is now 27-5 and ranked 12th by TheopenMat.com and 16th by InterMat. His best previous finish was second in 2012. Kory Mines and Johnny Greisheimer also reached the finals but had to settle for second. Mines, ranked 18th by TheOpenMat.com and 19th by InterMat at 125 lbs., dropped a 2-1 decision to Rider's Robert Deutsch, who is ranked 12th and 14th, respectively. The difference came in riding time. Mines is now 22-9 and will make his first trip to Nationals. Greisheimer met Clarion's Austin Matthews in a rematch of the PSAC finals at 157 lbs., where he claimed a 9-8 decision over the freshman. He would lose a week later to Matthews in the dual, and suffered a 9-5 loss on Saturday. Matthews used a takedown and reversal in the first for a 4-3 lead. It was 6-5 after two periods, with Greisheimer's two escapes balancing a second Matthews' takedown. In the third Matthews would escape and add an insurance takedown with just over 22 seconds remaining. Despite the loss, Greisheimer will make his third trip to Nationals. He is 24-9 and ranked 15th. All ten Fighting Scots reached the semifinals. Vince Pickett followed up a 3-1 loss to Phil Sprenkle in the semi's to capture third place at 197 lbs. with a fall and a major decision in the wrestlebacks. With a 21-11 record, the sophomore will have to wait and see if he receives an at-large bid to Nationals. Patrick Jennings also brought home third place at 174 lbs., going 3-1 on the day. The redshirt sophomore won a grueling matchup with Clarion's Ryan Darch in the third place match, winning by fall at 9:15. He ends the year at 12-13. Kasey Burnett-Davis had hoped to parlay a strong showing at EWL's into a trip to Nationals at 165 lbs. the junior won his first match but proceeded to lose three straight matches to end the year at 18-12. He lost a tough 3-2 decision to Ramon Santiago of Rider in the semifinals.

125: No. 2 Nico Megaludis (Penn State) dec. No. 9 Ryan Taylor (Wisconsin), 4-3 No. 3 Jesse Delgado (Illinois) dec. No. 4 Cory Clark (Iowa), 4-3 133: No. 3 Tony Ramos (Iowa) dec. No. 10 Cashe Quiroga (Purdue), 7-6 No. 5 Tyler Graff (Wisconsin) dec. No. 7 David Thorn (Minnesota), 9-4 141: No. 2 Zain Retherford (Penn State) dec. No. 6 Steve Dutton (Michigan), 4-0 No. 3 Logan Stieber (Ohio State) maj. dec. No. 5 Chris Dardanes (Minnesota), 9-0 149: No. 6 Jake Sueflohn (Nebraska) dec. No. 8 Eric Grajales (Michigan), 8-6 No. 5 Jason Tsirtsis (Northwestern) dec. No. 2 Nick Dardanes (Minnesota), 4-2 157: No. 4 Derek St. John (Iowa) dec. No. 2 Isaac Jordan (Wisconsin), 4-3 TB No. 3 James Green (Nebraska) dec. No. 6 Dylan Ness (Minnesota), 7-3 165: No. 1 David Taylor (Penn State) pinned No. 13 Jackson Morse (Illinois), 0:40 No. 4 Nick Moore (Iowa) dec. No. 20 Danny Zilverberg (Minnesota), 8-5 174: No. 3 Robert Kokesh (Nebraska) dec. No. 6 Logan Storley (Minnesota), 3-2 No. 5 Mike Evans (Iowa) dec. No. 4 Matt Brown (Penn State), 3-2 184: No. 2 Ed Ruth (Penn State) maj. dec. No. 15 Domenic Abounader (Michigan), 9-1 No. 4 Ethen Lofthouse (Iowa) dec. No. 8 Kevin Steinhaus (Minnesota), 5-4 197: No. 3 Morgan McIntosh (Penn State) dec. No. 13 Nathan Burak (Iowa), 3-2 No. 4 Nick Heflin (Ohio State) dec. No. 5 Scott Schiller (Minnesota), 3-2 285: No. 6 Tony Nelson (Minnesota) pinned No. 14 Jon Gingrich (Penn State), 1:58 No. 2 Adam Chalfant (Indiana) dec. No. 4 Mike McMullan (Northwestern), 3-2

125: No. 2 Nico Megaludis (Penn State) vs. No. 9 Ryan Taylor (Wisconsin) No. 3 Jesse Delgado (Illinois) vs. No. 4 Cory Clark (Iowa) 133: No. 3 Tony Ramos (Iowa) vs. No. 10 Cashe Quiroga (Purdue) No. 5 Tyler Graff (Wisconsin) vs. No. 7 David Thorn (Minnesota) 141: No. 2 Zain Retherford (Penn State) vs. No. 6 Steve Dutton (Michigan) No. 3 Logan Stieber (Ohio State) vs. No. 5 Chris Dardanes (Minnesota) 149: No. 6 Jake Sueflohn (Nebraska) vs. No. 8 Eric Grajales (Michigan) No. 2 Nick Dardanes (Minnesota) vs. No. 5 Jason Tsirtsis (Northwestern) 157: No. 2 Isaac Jordan (Wisconsin) vs. No. 4 Derek St. John (Iowa) No. 3 James Green (Nebraska) vs. No. 6 Dylan Ness (Minnesota) 165: No. 1 David Taylor (Penn State) vs. No. 13 Jackson Morse (Illinois) No. 4 Nick Moore (Iowa) vs. No. 20 Danny Zilverberg (Minnesota) 174: No. 3 Robert Kokesh (Nebraska) vs. No. 6 Logan Storley (Minnesota) No. 4 Matt Brown (Penn State) vs. No. 5 Mike Evans (Iowa) 184: No. 2 Ed Ruth (Penn State) vs. No. 15 Domenic Abounader (Michigan) No. 4 Ethen Lofthouse (Iowa) vs. No. 8 Kevin Steinhaus (Minnesota) 197: No. 3 Morgan McIntosh (Penn State) vs. No. 13 Nathan Burak (Iowa) No. 4 Nick Heflin (Ohio State) vs. No. 5 Scott Schiller (Minnesota) 285: No. 6 Tony Nelson (Minnesota) vs. No. 14 Jon Gingrich (Penn State) No. 2 Adam Chalfant (Indiana) vs. No. 4 Mike McMullan (Northwestern)

125: No. 2 Nico Megaludis (Penn State) dec. Nick Roberts (Ohio State), 12-5 No. 9 Ryan Taylor (Wisconsin) dec. No. 15 Conor Youtsey (Michigan), 7-3 No. 4 Cory Clark (Iowa) maj. dec. No. 11 Tim Lambert (Nebraska), 10-2 No. 3 Jesse Delgado (Illinois) dec. Camden Eppert (Purdue), 9-2 133: No. 3 Tony Ramos (Iowa) pinned No. 19 Rossi Bruno (Michigan), 1:33 No. 10 Cashe Quiroga (Purdue) pinned No. 13 Zane Richards (Illinois), 6:53 No. 7 David Thorn (Minnesota) dec. No. 8 Johnni DiJulius (Ohio State), 5-3 No. 5 Tyler Graff (Wisconsin) dec. No. 15 Jimmy Gulibon (Penn State), 8-1 141: No. 2 Zain Retherford (Penn State) dec. Jessie Thielke (Wisconsin), 7-2 No. 6 Steve Dutton (Michigan) dec. No. 13 Josh Dziewa (Iowa), 7-0 No. 5 Chris Dardanes (Minnesota) dec. No. 19 Danny Sabatello (Purdue), 10-9 No. 3 Logan Stieber (Ohio State) tech. fall Steven Rodrigues (Illinois), 15-0 149: No. 6 Jake Sueflohn (Nebraska) maj. dec. Nick Trimble (Michigan State), 17-5 No. 8 Eric Grajales (Michigan) dec. No. 7 Brody Grothus (Iowa), 4-1 No. 5 Jason Tsirtsis (Northwestern) dec. No. 18 Ian Paddock (Ohio State), 3-2 No. 2 Nick Dardanes (Minnesota) dec. James English (Penn State), 3-2 157: No. 2 Isaac Jordan (Wisconsin) dec. No. 13 Brian Murphy (Michigan), 5-0 No. 4 Derek St. John (Iowa) dec. No. 7 Dylan Alton (Penn State), 4-1 No. 6 Dylan Ness (Minnesota) maj. dec. No. 8 Taylor Walsh (Indiana), 10-1 No. 3 James Green (Nebraska) pinned Zac Brunson (Illinois), 2:15 165: No. 1 David Taylor (Penn State) tech. fall Austin Wilson (Nebraska), 22-4 No. 13 Jackson Morse (Illinois) dec. No. 10 Dan Yates (Michigan), 8-5 No. 20 Danny Zilverberg (Minnesota) dec. No. 6 Pierce Harger (Northwestern), 7-1 No. 4 Nick Moore (Iowa) maj. dec. Ryan LeBlanc (Indiana), 16-5 174: No. 3 Robert Kokesh (Nebraska) pinned Collin Zeerip (Michigan), 4:28 No. 6 Logan Storley (Minnesota) dec. Tony Dallago (Illinois), 9-5 No. 5 Mike Evans (Iowa) maj. dec. No. 13 Mark Martin (Ohio State), 8-0 No. 4 Matt Brown (Penn State) maj. dec. Scott Liegel (Wisconsin), 12-3 184: No. 2 Ed Ruth (Penn State) dec. Nikko Reyes (Illinois), 4-1 No. 15 Domenic Abounader (Michigan) dec. No. 9 T.J. Dudley (Nebraska), 5-4 No. 4 Ethen Lofthouse (Iowa) dec. No. 11 Kenny Courts (Ohio State), 4-1 No. 8 Kevin Steinhaus (Minnesota) maj. dec. Luke Sheridan (Indiana), 12-3 197: No. 3 Morgan McIntosh (Penn State) dec. Timmy McCall (Wisconsin), 7-4 No. 13 Nathan Burak (Iowa) dec. No. 10 Braden Atwood (Purdue), 5-4 No. 5 Scott Schiller (Minnesota) by medical forfeit over Mario Gonzalez (Illinois) No. 4 Nick Heflin (Ohio State) pinned No. 19 Alex Polizzi (Northwestern), 1:08 285: No. 14 Jon Gingrich (Penn State) dec. No. 1 Adam Coon (Michigan), 3-1 SV No. 6 Tony Nelson (Minnesota) dec. No. 5 Bobby Telford (Iowa), 2-0 No. 4 Mike McMullan (Northwestern) dec. No. 7 Mike McClure (Michigan State), 5-1 No. 2 Adam Chalfant (Indiana) dec. No. 8 Connor Medbery (Wisconsin), 7-2

Event Website | Results SoCon Wrestling Championships

Event Website | Results West Regional/WWC Wrestling Championships

Event Website | Results EWL Wrestling Championships

Event Website | Results ACC Wrestling Championships

Event Website | Results MAC Wrestling Championships

Event Website | Results EIWA Wrestling Championships

Event Website | Results Big 12 Wrestling Championships

Event Website | Results | Pick 'Em Contest Big Ten Wrestling Championships

Wrestling fans are in for a surprise this weekend. The NCAA released clarification videos for officials working the conference tournaments. The adjustments, presumably made to increase scoring, will have a major effect on the strategy of wrestlers around the country. Cradle attempt from neutral A takedown is called the moment the defensive wrestler places his hand on the mat. However, if the cradle happens with knees already touching, the offensive wrestler must drive the defensive wrestler to his hip to secure a takedown. Possible concern: What happens when the wrestler comes up from the mat to fight the cradle? Will that be called a takedown if his hand remains on the mat? Takedowns from mat return position Takedown attempts starting with one wrestler fully behind his opponent are considered scoring actions the moment the defensive wrestler touches his hand to the mat. No reaction time or weight needed. Possible concern: Flash takedown just got flashier. Is this actually control? JO Rule In a low single takedown scenarios the offensive wrestler looking to double off and free his head for two is awarded points from the JO position. The only place he is NOT awarded a takedown is if the defensive wrestler keeps the offensive wrestler’s head beneath his leg. Possible concern: None. Funk gives up takedown once offensive wrestler steps over either leg If Wrestler A defends the double leg with a skank roll attempt he must keep his legs clear of his opponents. The moment that the leg is secured in concert with double leg control, the takedown will be called. Possible concern: The scramble situation created by many wrestlers has ben effectively eliminated.

PHILADELPHIA -- Official seeds and brackets have been announced for the 2014 EIWA Championships to be hosted by the University of Pennsylvania March 8-9 at The Palestra. A record 18 teams will be competing for the EIWA team title in addition to 10 individual championships and 46 automatic qualifying spots to the NCAA Championships on Oklahoma City. View Pre-Brackets 125: No. 1 Nahshon Garrett (Cornell) No. 2 David Terao (American) No. 3 Jamie Franco (Hofstra) No. 4 Paul Petrov (Bucknell) No. 5 Darian Cruz (Lehigh) No. 6 David White (Binghamton) No. 7 Caleb Richardson (Penn) No. 8 Sean McCabe (Rutgers) 133: No. 1 Mason Beckman (Lehigh) No. 2 Mark Grey (Cornell) No. 3 Colton Rasche (Navy) No. 4 Vinnie Dellafave (Rutgers) No. 5 Angelo Amenta (Columbia) No. 6 Kevin Devoy (Drexel) No. 7 Jeffrey Ott (Harvard) No. 8 Dane Harlowe (Boston U.) 141: No. 1 Richard Durso (F&M) No. 2 Mike Nevinger (Cornell) No. 3 Luke Vaith (Hofstra) No. 4 Todd Preston (Harvard) No. 5 Laike Gardiner (Lehigh) No. 6 Tyson Dippery (Rutgers) No. 7 Matt Bystol (Columbia) No. 8 Joe Locksmith (Navy No. 9 Tyler Scotton (Boston U.) No. 10 Tyler Rauenzahn (Army) 149: No. 1 Chris Villalonga (Cornell) No. 2 Mitch Minotti (Lehigh) No. 3 Cody Ruggirello (Hofstra) No. 4 Adam Krop (Princeton) No. 5 Ken Theobold (Rutgers) No. 6 Victor Lopez (Bucknell) No. 7 Alex Johnson (Navy) No. 8 Noel Blanco (Drexel) 157: No. 1 Nestor Taffur (Boston U.) No. 2 Brian Realbuto (Cornell) No. 3 Joey Napoli (Lehigh) No. 4 Ray Bethea (Penn) No. 5 Paul Hancock (Army) No. 6 Kevin Moylan (Princeton) No. 7 Markus Scheidel (Columbia) No. 8 Anthony Perotti (Rutgers) 165: No. 1 Dylan Palacio (Cornell) No. 2 Joe Booth (Hofstra) No. 3 Casey Kent (Penn) No. 4 Josh Houldsworth (Columbia) No. 5 Peyton Walsh (Navy) No. 6 Chandler Smith (Army) No. 7 Devon Gobbo (Harvard) No. 8 Mitchell Wightman (Boston U.) 174: No. 1 Elliot Riddick (Lehigh) No. 2 Shane Hughes (Columbia) No. 3 Mat Miller (Navy) No. 4 Duke Pickett (Cornell) No. 5 Brian Harvey (Army) No. 6 Phil Bakuckas (Rutgers) No. 7 Ricky McDonald (Brown) No. 8 Brad Wukie (Penn) 184: No. 1 Gabe Dean (Cornell) No. 2 Lorenzo Thomas (Penn) No. 3 Ophir Bernstein (Brown) No. 4 Ryan Tompkins (Army) No. 5 Brett Harner (Princeton) No. 6 Zach Hernandez (Columbia) No. 7 Zach Deikel (Lehigh) No. 8 Caleb Wallace (Binghamton) 197: No. 1 Brandon Palik (Drexel) No. 2 Jace Bennett (Cornell) No. 3 Danny Mitchell (American) No. 4 James Fox (Harvard) No. 5 Cody Reed (Binghamton) No. 6 Abe Ayala (Princeton) No. 7 Paul Rands (Navy No. 8 John Bolich (Lehigh) No. 9 Bryce Barnes (Army) No. 10 Frank Mattiace (Penn) 285: No. 1 Billy Smith (Rutgers) No. 2 Joe Stolfi (Bucknell) No. 3 Tyler Deuel (Binghamton) No. 4 Blake Herrin (American) No. 5 Jacob Aiken-Phillips (Cornell) No. 6 Max Wessell (Lehigh) No. 7 Ray O’Donell (Princeton) No. 8 Steven Graziano (Penn)

The brackets have been released for the 2014 Big Ten Wrestling Championships, which take place Saturday and Sunday at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wis. View brackets

Takedown Media will once again partner with TheMat.com in a radio broadcast of the Big Ten Wrestling Championships from the Kohl Center in Madison, Wis. This year's broadcast team includes Scott Casber, Steve Foster, Jeff Murphy, Tom "The Big Cat" Erikson. Broadcast Schedule: Saturday, March 8: 11:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. CT Sunday, March 9: 11:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. CT Tune in to TheMat.com for this annual free broadcast. Special thanks to USA Wrestling's Chris Moen and Richard Immel, Big Ten Conference, and the University of Wisconsin. This year's sponsors include Sunflower Wrestling, Asics, Kemin, Brute, Resilite, Cradle Gear, Riddix, The Airliner in Iowa City, Roller Productions, Zebra Mats and Cages, Louie’s Wine Dive and Bars, The University of Iowa, Takedown Sportswear, Titan Mercury Wrestling, Max Muscle Sports Nutrition, Oklahoma State Wrestling, TW Promotions, J Robinsons Wrestling Camps, Recruit a Wrestler.com, Fight Now TV, The University of Illinois, Suplay.com, Intermatwrestle.com, Takedown Wrestling Weekly Television and USA Wrestling Weekly Television.

The Division I conference tournaments this week start Saturday and for fans of the sport this means the start of March Matness. Be sure to interact with each other on Facebook and Twitter using the hashtag #D1Wrestle. With any luck we can all create good content and get more fans interested in the sport. Good luck to all the wrestlers, and for anyone interested in the ACC tournament you can catch me live on the ESPN3 broadcast starting Saturday at 10 a.m. ET. Q: Devin Carter is going to wrestle at the ACC championships after tearing his hamstring at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational in December?? WHAAAT? Can you elaborate on your thoughts about the decision, from the wrestler's, coach's and fan's point of view? Also can you give us some insight about medical redshirts? -- Curtis H. Virginia Tech's Devin Carter won a gold medal at the 2013 Dave Schultz Memorial against senior level wrestlers (Photo/Larry Slater) Foley: Devin Carter's return is remarkable. Unless there is some unforeseen exaggeration of injury, it seems like the Virginia native just used the grit and determination he's utilized on the mat to bring along his recovery. His improvement is dramatic, but we've yet to see his results. Medical redshirts aren't difficult to receive if you meet the criteria. Wrestlers can now compete in 20 percent of team dates (3) and still apply for the hardship waiver as long as their last competition is before the midway point of the season. Unfortunately for Carter he wrestled in five competitions within the 16-date season, making him ineligible for a medical redshirt. That knowledge definitely forced the All-American wrestler to hurry his recovery. Doctors gave him the go-ahead, but until he steps on the mat in live conditions with glory at stake, it's difficult to know how his repair will hold up. For fans it's an exciting plot line and for the coaches a reason to be hopeful that one of yours will find the podium. For Carter it's the opportunity to compete during all four years of eligibility, and for any wrestler all you want is the chance to compete and be given the chance to win an NCAA title. Q: Who is the most underrated (or underappreciated) Division I assistant wrestling coach? -- Mike C. Foley: Assistant coaches have a lot in common with schoolteachers. They are typically underpaid and almost always underappreciated. When some do get recognized, it's for what they do working under a successful head coach and program. I'm glad you asked the question, because assistant coaches are the foot soldiers of college wrestling. The guys that toil for little pay and less appreciation are everywhere. When a program finds success the credit is almost always given to the head coach. That's fair, and that's life, but I promise you that from Central Michigan to Drexel to Oregon State, there are at least three dozen assistant coaches that if given the opportunity to showcase their leadership would impress wrestling fans with their success. To name a few would only add to the heartache of others, and trust me these guys are going through enough horse manure on a daily basis (NCAA regulations, recruiting call logs, fundraising events) that what they are there to do seems like a treat -- wrestler's concerns, technique development, scouting. There is plenty of great young talent across the country and all of them deserve our appreciation. Q: I listened to a recent interview with Cornell coach Rob Koll, and he was asked about youth wrestling. I thought something he said was pretty interesting. "What do you call a 6-year-old Tulsa World champion when he is 16? A former wrestler." While I certainly see the value in having elite clubs and national events for development, it seems as though there is too much emphasis put on competition results at a young age, which can lead to all sorts of problems down the road. My opinion is that a wrestler shouldn't start competing until he/she is at least 10 years old. Do you have an opinion on this? -- Mike C. Foley: There does seem to be a shift in how Americans think about the development of youth wrestlers, and on-average it's for the better. Wrestling is tough. When equally matched with an opponent wrestlers are pushed to their limits, and often times they break. There are limits to learning, to endurance and to toughness, and when we push pre-pubescent boys into a sport with rules that are meant for MEN, then we aren't developing good wrestlers, or good citizens. When boys reach puberty they often deserve to have their butt kicked every other day. The pubescent boy is a nightmare, but when given a humbling and challenging experience like wrestling they can often see that their immortality and invincibility have limits. They recognize that they aren't invincible, but also that if they work hard, they can be a touch more bulletproof. That psyche shouldn't exist for a third-grader. Life is brief and at times difficult and childhood is our opportunity to see the fun of existence. We are meant to try several sports and hobbies, mature our natural tendencies to a passion and hobby that will keep us maturing throughout life. Wrestling can be that for some kids, but not all kids. En masse most kids don't want to drill for 90 minutes and get screamed at for their technique. They want to play, dream, and hang out with their friends. They're kids, and that should be their only concern. Koll is one-hundred percent correct. Youth tournament culture is out of whack right now. Guys like Jake Herbert and Andy Hrovat understand that to engage children in wrestling you need to make it fun and the competitions need to be skills based, not contests of heart and desire between 8-year-olds in baggy single pieces of spandex. Q: Would the dual meet championship be a better idea if the Big Ten wasn't such a dominant conference? If you're Iowa, you have to wrestle that conference schedule and you always wrestle Oklahoma State every year. Then you're asked to beat everyone again in one weekend, and the fans are asked to fill an arena for duals they've already seen. I've been a supporter of a dual meet championship I think largely since I'm from Michigan where the dual state championship is a huge success here. We actually need a larger venue since they started seeding the finals. Making the finals extremely exciting. Of course, there isn't one conference that just dominates the landscape. -- Tom B. Foley: Wrestling is growing in unique ways, and largely from the power of regional schools that can attract to dual meets. This season's dual meet between Pitt and Penn State was the highest attendance ever recorded for a college wrestling dual meet with 15,996 fans showing up to watch their teams compete. Those are real numbers between regional rivals, one from the ACC and one from the Big Ten. NCAA National Duals will be implemented and they will work. Fans will engage with the product and the sport will be more popular than ever with passive fans. We just need to find the motivation to move forward and take a chance on the quality of our product. The Big Ten might dominate, but it might not. We won't know until we try. MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME Welp, so much for women not being tough enough to be on the same mats as boys ... Q: Who do you think from this year's senior class will transition best into either international Wrestling or MMA/UFC? I see the likes of David Taylor & Andrew Howe as destined for the Olympics, while someone with the killer cross face capability of Ed Ruth (there's an alliteration for you) would do great things in MMA. Your thoughts? -- Curtis H. Foley: I really like David Taylor to grow into an 86-kilo wrestler that can compete for a World title. Taylor has the flexibility and is creative enough to compete with the Russians, Turks and Japanese. I know he's not that size yet, but as he grows he'll retain his original style and speed. I'm very hopeful he'll be competing for a spot by 2016. As for the UFC, I want to see Kevin Steinhaus give the cage a try. Obviously, Ed Ruth would be an attractive recruit for many MMA gyms, but I'm not certain he's looking in that direction. If you want to find the next fighter look to the schools that have created the most over the past several years: Michigan State, Oklahoma State, Arizona State, Penn State, Minnesota and the California programs. The idea of fighting is becoming more popular, but most young guys need the extra push, or the introduction in order to make the decision to pursue a life in the cage instead of a life in the office. Q: Below is a list of Big Ten wrestlers that would not (or at least should not) really surprise anyone if they won their respective weight class. If they run the table, would it be a first in NCAA history that a conference sweeps the NCAA championships? 125: Jesse Delgado, Nico Megaludis, Cory Clark 133: Tony Ramos 141: Logan Stieber, Zain Retherford 149: Nick Dardanes 157: Isaac Jordan, James Green, Derek St. John 165: Possibly that Taylor kid from Penn State 174: Robert Kokesh, Matt Brown 184: Ed Ruth 197: Morgan McIntosh, Nick Heflin 285: Any one of them -- Jason R. Foley: I think you're being mighty wishful at 149, 174 and 197, but otherwise you've got a nice lineup for NCAAs. There have been years where it got close, but in the modern era no conference has swept the NCAA individual titles. Q: The UFC is on the fringe of being a big-time sport among casual fans. In your mind, do you think the UFC would be easier to swallow for those potential fans if Dana White didn't have such an abrasive, outspoken personality? Dana seems like he often speaks what's on his mind without thinking of the possible ramifications. You don't see Roger Goodell or Bud Selig going on profanity-laced tirades, but those sports are well-established in our culture. If Dana played it closer to the vest, would we see any increase in fandom or support from the ESPNs of the world? -- Curt H. Dana White at UFC press conference (Photo/InterMat Staff)Foley: I believe that White is smart, generous and the sport's biggest fan, but I also think he enjoys putting on the act of being a tough guy to help bring in more fans. Someone tipping the meter too far in either direction isn't selling the UFC. David Stern couldn't get dime one for the UFC because he's too nerdy. Dan Severn couldn't get a penny because he's too brutalized by the reality of the sport. Dana White is the perfect human to sell the product right now. He's just fit enough, had just enough tough guy experience to make him credible, and is a born salesman. White plays the role perfected by Vince McMahon. He's acting. The popular belief is that the UFC will have to shed White in order to make substantial growth and improve the marketability of their image. That's not true. When pushed by the Fertitta brothers to improve his image for the sake of the brand, White will fall in line and change his rhetoric. When the time comes he'll change roles from T-shirt wearing used car salesman to $10k suits and a reserved and calculating mentality.

Eight NCAA Division I conference wrestling tournaments took place this weekend. View the results. Big Ten Wrestling Championships Date: Saturday, March 8 - Sunday, March, 9 Venue: Kohl Center (Madison, Wis.) Event Website | Results | Updates | Pick 'Em Contest Big 12 Wrestling Championships Date: Saturday, March 8 Venue: McCasland Field House (Norman, Okla.) Event Website | Results | Updates SoCon Wrestling Championships Date: Saturday, March 8 Venue: John W. Pope Jr. Convocation Center (Buies Creek, N.C.) Event Website | Results | Updates ACC Wrestling Championships Date: Saturday, March 8 Venue: Cassell Coliseum (Blacksburg, Va.) Event Website | Results | Updates EIWA Wrestling Championships Date: Saturday, March 8 - Sunday, March 9 Venue: Palestra (Philadelphia, Pa.) Event Website | Results | Updates MAC Wrestling Championships Date: Saturday, March 8 - Sunday, March 9 Venue: M.A.C. Center (Kent, Ohio) Event Website | Results | Updates EWL Wrestling Championships Date: Saturday, March 8 Venue: Woodling Gymnasium (Cleveland, Ohio) Event Website | Results | Updates West Regional/WWC Wrestling Championships Date: Saturday, March 8 Venue: UCCO Center (Orem, Utah) Event Website | Results | Updates Pac-12 Wrestling Championships Date: Sunday, March 2 Venue: Maples Pavilion (Palo Alto, Calif.) Event Website | Results