InterMat Staff

IOC leaders dropped wrestling from the Olympic program on Tuesday, a surprise decision that removes one of the oldest Olympic sports from the 2020 Games. The IOC executive board decided to retain modern pentathlon -- the event considered most at risk -- and remove wrestling instead from its list of 25 "core sports." Read story

No matter what one does during their high school career, winning a state championship is always going to be very treasured. For those seniors yet to win a state title, it is their last chance. In the Land of Lincoln, that opportunity comes this Thursday through Saturday at Assembly Hall on the campus of the University of Illinois. Brian Murphy (Glenbard North, Ill.), ranked No. 2 nationally at 152 pounds and No. 11 overall in the Class of 2013, is missing that state title. As a freshman, he finished third at 130 pounds losing to two-time state champion Edwin Cooper in the quarterfinal (though Keith Surber would go on to win the weight class). As a sophomore, Murphy finished second at 140 pounds, losing to undefeated Luke Smith in the final, before last year's 3-1 defeat against 2010 state champion Max Schneider at 152 pounds. He enters this year's state Class 3A state tournament with a 34-1 record, the lone loss coming 3-1 in the ultimate tiebreaker against No. 1 Jake Short (Simley, Minn.), which was one match after a 3-2 ultimate tiebreaker victory over No. 3 Mark Hall (Apple Valley, Minn.). However, yet another finals showdown looms, as defending state champion Kyle Langendorfer (Lincoln Way East) -- ranked No. 15 nationally at 145 pounds -- is actually in this bracket, and has an undefeated mark of 39-0 this season. There are three other big-time showdowns looming in the Class 3A state tournament, all of them involving both wrestlers being undefeated for the season. At 106 pounds, it would be No. 7 Miguel Silva (Plainfield South) and No. 10 Rudy Yates (Brother Rice). Silva, 38-0 during this his junior season, was a Cadet National freestyle champion this past summer at 100 pounds; while the freshman Yates is also 38-0, after winning the Preseason Nationals this past November. At 195 pounds, No. 8 Jordan Ellingwood (Plainfield Central) enters the state tournament 43-0, while No. 5 Ricky Robertson (Carl Sandburg) enters the tournament in Champaign at 44-0. Ellingwood finished third at state last year, won the Preseason Nationals in November, and has three victories this season over No. 15 Blake Blair (Edwardsville); while Robertson was runner-up at state last year, losing his only match in the state final, and finished fourth in both styles at the Junior Nationals this past summer in Fargo. Also looming in this weight class is the just mentioned Blair, who was runner-up in this weight class last year, and is present in the opposite quarter of Robertson's half-bracket. At 285 pounds, junior Brian Allen (Hinsdale Central) and senior Andrew Geers (Neuqua Valley) both enters the state tournament undefeated, and are on opposite halves of the draw as Illinois smartly seeds its sectional tournament champions for the state event. Allen, already placing third at state twice, is ranked No. 9 nationally with a 44-0 record this season; while Geers, who took fourth last year losing to Allen in the consolation final, is No. 19 nationally with a 37-0 record. Other undefeated wrestlers in Class 3A include sophomore Michael Cullen (Cary Grove), fifth in Cadet freestyle this summer, at 113 pounds; two-time state placer, including runner-up in 2011, Trayvon Zabala (Joliet Central) at 120; two-time state champion, and ranked No. 2 nationally, Jered Cortez (Glenbard North) at 126; sophomore Larry Early (Oak Park River Forest) at 132, who finished third at state last year as a freshman; No. 1 Bryce Brill (Mt. Carmel) at 145, state champion as a freshman before finishing second last year; No. 18 Davonte Mahomes (Oak Park River Forest, Ill.) at 160, who was third at state last year as a sophomore; three-time state placer Colin Holler (Carl Sandburg), who is ranked No. 11 nationally, at 170; and No. 17 Joe Ariola (Oak Park River Forest) at 182. Cullen is part of a four-person group that could win the 113-pound weight class. Looming in his half-bracket is junior Mark Duda (Marist), a two-time state placer who finished second at state last year. In the other half-bracket is Brian Rossi (Lockport), third at state last year, and defending state champion Kris Williams (Thornton). Zabala, third last year at 113 and second the year before at 112, is the top-seed in a brutal 120-pound weight group. Looming in his quarterfinal is the winner of a first round match featuring returning state runners-up Sebastian Pique (Carl Sandburg) and Matthew Rundell (Oak Park River Forest); the senior Pique happened to beat Zabala in the 2011 state finals match. Should Zabala advance to the semifinal, it would mean the Pique/Rundell loser cannot place at state. Also in that top half of the draw is Preseason Nationals runner-up Steve Polakowski (Libertyville). The bottom half-bracket features returning state placer Jon Marmolejo (Glenbard North) and two-time defending state champion Johnny Jimenez (Marmion Academy), ranked No. 8 nationally and the overall weight class favorite. Cortez is a strong favorite to win his third straight state title in as many high school seasons. However, the bottom half-bracket will be interesting to follow with two-time state placer Nick Nasenbenny (Plainfield Central), freshman Isaiah White (Oak Park River Forest) -- ranked No. 18 nationally, and defending state champion Jordan Northrup (Machesney Park Harlem) all there. Nasenbenny vs. White looms in the quarterfinal round. Early is well-positioned to clear to the final, while it's the bottom half-bracket that merits some attention. Two-time state finalist George Fisher (Marmion Academy), ranked No. 15 nationally and a 2011 state champion, is likely to face either two-time state placer Johnny Gosinski (Glenbard North) or fellow two-time state placer Doug Johnson (DeKalb) in the semifinal. Undefeated wrestlers Brill and Ariola are prohibitive favorites to win state titles in their respective weight classes; Mahomes, third at state last year as a sophomore, is looking at a state final matchup against either state placer Peter Andreotti (Marist) or Hunter Rollins (Hersey); while Holler is looking at a likely finals match against one of two state placers, either sophomore Alex Benoit (Marist) or senior Dan Rowland (Willowbrook). Only two weights in Class 3A do not have an undefeated wrestler, 138 and 220. At 138-pound, the three most accomplished wrestlers reside in the bottom half of the draw. State runner-up Cullen Cummings (Downers Grove North) is well positioned for a semifinal appearance, while defending state champion Sal Annoreno (Bartlett) is looking at a quarterfinal date with three-time state placer (2010 and 2011 state runner-up) Mech Spraggins (Belleville East). The top half of the draw features sectional champions Steve Galiardo (St. Patrick) and Manny Silva (Hononegah). Due to injuries to returning state placer David Denne (Mt. Carmel) and freshman sensation Lucas Warren (Marmion Academy), the 220-pound weight class is the weakest of the fourteen. The projected state final could feature two-time state qualifier Tom Howell (Marist) and Luke Roth (Naperville Central); Roth was undefeated prior to an upset loss in the sectional tournament against Bill Gore (Carl Sandburg), and it was Howell who ended up winning that sectional. Though this tournament is un-scored from a team standpoint, No. 9 Oak Park River Forest has the most state qualifiers with 11, while No. 14 Carl Sandburg and No. 21 Marist advanced ten to state, with No. 24 Marmion Academy and No. 49 Glenbard North being among the teams qualifying seven to state. In the medium school Class 2A, No. 11 Montini Catholic is the clear dominant force with 13 wrestlers -- all but their 285 -- qualifying for the tournament in Champaign this week. Seven wrestlers enter the event undefeated, including a pair at 152 pounds: Austin Culton (Sycamore) and Garrett Sutton (Richmond-Burton). Others without a loss include No. 20 (at 113) Nkosi Moody (Rich Central) down at 106 pounds, Cameron Mammen (Urbana) at 170, Pat Vitek (Nazareth Academy) at 195, No. 19 Lucas Joseph (East Peoria) at 220, and Preseason Nationals champion Tanner Farmer (Highland) at 285. However, it is the 120-pound weight class that is the featured one in this classification. The on-paper favorite would be No. 16 Barlow McGhee (Rock Island), a multi-time Fargo All-American who has finished second and third at state the last two years. However, McGhee suffered a 3-1 overtime loss to Kenny Baldridge (Morris) in the sectional semifinal round this past weekend. Baldridge is the second-seed in the weight and a semifinal date with Vince Turk (Montini Catholic) looms in his future; Turk, a sophomore, was Cadet National Greco-Roman this past summer but closed out by Tommy Pawleski and Kevon Powell last year. As a result of the loss, McGhee has a tough path to the championship with a first round match against Grant Sutton (Richmond Burton); the sophomore Sutton is 37-2 on the season, but one of those losses was 8-4 to McGhee, and the other 8-1 to Turk this past weekend. The winner of this match faces top seeded Sam Butler (Glenwood) in the quarterfinal. The Class 1A small school state tournament features nine undefeated wrestlers from eight weight classes, including No. 7 Josh Alber (Dakota) at 120 pounds; Alber won the Dvorak beating Jimenez in the final and was runner-up at the Super 32 Challenge. Others without a loss include Cody Minnick (Coal City) at 106, Brandon Biggs (Poplar Grove) at 113, Nat Jozsa (Argenta) at 132, Zach Nelson (Aledo) at 152, Logan Staver (Lena-Winslow) and Devin Mahnke (Grant Park) at 170, Daniel Zimmerman (Dakota) at 220, and Josh Wallick (Gibson City) at 285.

Adam Reth is one of Iowa's most dominant wrestlers (Photo/Wyatt Schultz, The Predicament) The passion for wrestling in Iowa is like nowhere else. The high school state tournament held in the Hawkeye State is the pinnacle of that on the prep level. This year's individual tournament will be held this coming Thursday through Saturday at the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, which five weeks later will also host the 2013 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. Though it looks like the Class 3A (big school) tournament will be dominated by No. 17 Southeast Polk, which had 13 of its wrestlers qualify for the state tournament, there is an extremely tight battle for second place and the always excellent individual weight class battles. The race for runner-up looks to be one about volume vs. elite anchors. Linn Mar has 12 individual qualifiers for the state tournament, while No. 48 Bettendorf only qualified seven for state but has five wrestlers ranked either first or second in the state per The Predicament. Other teams in the hunt for second are Waverly-Shell Rock, which qualified nine for state, along with Cedar Rapids Prairie and their eight state qualifiers. Six wrestlers enter the Class 3A state tournament without a loss, including two in the 170-pound weight class. In that bracket, Duke Egli (Fort Dodge) and Dustin Fuller (Sioux City North) are paired in the same quarter of the draw despite being the top two ranked wrestlers in the bracket per The Predicament. Other undefeated wrestlers include No. 16 Nolan Hellickson (Southeast Polk) at 106, Bryce Meyer (Fort Madison) at 113, returning state placer Joel Northrup (Linn Mar) at 145, and Alex Gross (Keokuk) at 285. Hellickson, ranked No. 1 in Iowa Class 3A at 106 by The Predicament, has the No. 2 ranked wrestler Jacob Schwarm (Bettendorf) in his half of the draw. At 113 pounds, Meyer is in the bottom quarter of the draw, which also features defending state champion Matt Wempen (Linn Mar), and in the other quarter of that same half is Junior National freestyle All-American Kaz Onoo (Mason City). Like Hellickson, Northrup at 145 pounds is ranked No. 1 in Iowa Class 3A, and has the No. 2 ranked wrestler -- three-time state placer Alex Hernandez -- from Bettendorf in his half of the draw. Finally, at 285 pounds, Gross finds himself in an unpleasant position, drawing national No. 17 Jake Scanlan (Southeast Polk) in the quarterfinal round and then having the class's top-ranked wrestler Pedro Gomez (Marshalltown) in the other quarter of the same half. The additional nationally ranked wrestler in this classification is Fredy Stroker (Bettendorf), who is ranked No. 14 at 126 pounds. He is positioned in the third quarter of the draw, and his primary challenger is in the other quarter of the same half, returning state runner-up Chris Walters (Iowa City West). A third returning state runner-up joins Stroker and Walters in this weight class, Travis Willers (Pleasant Valley), who finished second at 106 last year and is among those in the top half of the draw. Arguably the most notable Class 3A quarterfinal projection comes at 132 pounds, where the two top ranked wrestlers in the weight class are slated to meet; two-time state placer Logan Ryan (Bettendorf) and three-time state placer, also winning state in 2011, Colby Knight (Urbandale). Last year's battle for second place in Class 2A between Davenport Assumption and West Delaware Manchester was decided by one-half point, with both teams within seven of state champion Denver-Tripoli. This year, the state champion will most likely be either No. 34 West Delaware Manchester or Davenport Assumption, with the margin being razor thin. Heading to state, the Hawks have nine qualifiers, while the Knights are working with ten in Des Moines. Both squads are represented by a wrestler in seven of fourteen weight classes: 106, 113, 138, 145, 152, 182, and 285; while the Knights also have a wrestler at 126, 132, and 160 with the Hawks being represented at 170 and 220. Therefore, it makes some sense to look at those common weight classes first. At 106 pounds, each squad is poised to be represented in the top bracket semifinal. Patrick Woods (West Delaware Manchester) placed third at state last year and is the No. 1 ranked wrestler in this weight per The Predicament. Though freshman Darien Collins (Davenport Assumption) is only ranked ninth, he is the highest ranked in that quarter of the draw. Both squads also have wrestlers in the top half of the draw at 113 pounds, and each is the highest rated wrestler in their quarter of the draw. Zach Less (West Delaware Manchester) is ranked second after placing fifth at state last year, but is joined by third ranked Johnny Etherington (Charles City) in that top quarter; while returning state placer Brendan Gould (Davenport Assumption) is ranked fifth, highest of that second quarter. The overall weight class favorite would be returning state runner-up Mason Miller (Winterset). At 138 pounds, two-time state placer Eric Clarke (Davenport Assumption) is ranked third in the state, but has the second ranked wrestler -- Zach Skopec (Spirit Lake) in that same quarter; while senior Ryan Soppe (West Delaware Manchester) is unranked, but his quarter of the draw features no ranked wrestlers. However, the story of this weight class is No. 13 Jake Marlin (Creston), who seeks a fourth state title. Life will not be easy for Marlin, as he has the undefeated Drew Foster (Mediapolis) in his quarter of the draw. Similarly the 145-pound weight class features a wrestler from both favorites, but is dominated by the journey of No. 6 in the nation Brandon Sorenson (Denver-Tripoli) -- undefeated at 53-0 on the year -- going after a fourth state title. His first round opponent is Tionte Parks (Davenport Assumption). Looking forward in the draw, Sorenson is likely to face the fifth-ranked wrestler in the quarterfinal and the second-ranked wrestler in the semifinal. Zach Muller (West Delaware Manchester), already a two-time state placer, is ranked fourth in this weight, and is well positioned to make the semifinal from the bottom quarter of the draw. Three-time state placer Nick Georgean (Davenport Assumption), a state champion last year and undefeated at 32-0 is the favorite at 152 pounds. However, his journey will not be easy starting with Griffin Obsing (Albia), who is 47-1 and ranked fifth in this weight, in the opening round. In the other quarter of Georgean's half is returning state runner-up Logan Thomsen (Union) and returning state third place finisher Jesse Etherington (Charles City). All that leaves Jake Voss (West Delaware Manchester), a junior returning state placer, well positioned to make the state final here despite being fourth in the state rankings. Both teams also have a wrestler at 182 pounds, though Jacyn Goebel (West Delaware Manchester) enters as the favorite coming off a fourth at state finish last year, though returing state runner-up Chase Shedenhelm (Denver-Tripoli) is in that same half of the draw. Sophomore Gabriel Rangel (Davenport Assumption) is drawn into the same quarter as Goebel. Finally, both teams feature a wrestler at 285 pounds, where again the West Delaware wrestler enters as the favorite. Dean Broghammer placed third at state last year as a junior, and is undefeated this season at 43-0. Broghammer's primary challenge looms in the semifinal round, as second-ranked Josh Clark (Union) is in the same half of the draw. Sean Easler (Davenport Assumption), a returning state qualifier, is ranked fifth in this weight, and should advance to at least the semifinals. Other state qualifiers for Davenport Assumption include returning state runners-up Tony Devriese (126) and Kyle Springer (132), along with Danny Bush (160); while West Delaware Manchester is also represented by Thomas Oleson (170) and Adam Reth (220), who is ranked No. 7 nationally and a defending state champion. Devriese, ranked third in his weight class, finds himself in the tougher half of the draw. He is joined in his quarter by fifth-ranked Bryce Leshen (Albia), while the other quarter of that bottom half bracket features the two top ranked wrestlers -- defending state champion Max Thomsen (Union), undefeated this year at 43-0, and John Christopherson (Spencer). Springer, ranked second in this weight class, is looking at a de facto state final in the semifinal round against Colton McCrystal (Sgt. Bluff Luton). McCrystal, ranked first in this weight, beat Springer 8-6 in last year's state final. Bush, who is ranked sixth in this weight class, has a first-round bout against the fourth-ranked wrestler Tanner Schaefer (Spencer). If able to win that match, it would be the top-ranked wrestler Trey Ryan (Mt. Vernon) in the quarterfinal round. Oleson for West Delaware Manchester is drawn against fifth-ranked Brice Wilcke (Clear Lake). Wilcke is in the top quarter of the draw. In the second quarter of this weight class is the top-ranked wrestler Erik Lux (South Tama), who enters the state tournament undefeated at 45-0. He is the defending state champion, and is looking at a finals collision with two-time state placer Adam Drain (Mediapolis). Undefeated at 41-0, Reth is one of the state's most dominant wrestlers. He is the prohibitive favorite at 220 pounds. However, this will mark his last wrestling event -- unless post-season competition looms -- as he's going to play football for Northern Iowa next year. The showcase weight in Class 2A comes at 120 pounds, where there is a pair of undefeated wrestlers in Charles Jones (Waterloo Columbus), a defending state champion, and Leighton Gaul (New Hampton). Also in this weight class is two-time state champion Doug Miner (Spirit Lake), who is looking at a quarterfinal date with fellow defending state champion Jones. In small school Class 1A, Alburnett enters as the top-ranked team, and has the most state qualifiers with nine. Twelve wrestlers in nine weight classes enter this event as undefeated. Multiple undefeated wrestlers are present at 126, 138, and 220 pounds.

WEST LAFAYETTE, lnd. -- The 17th-ranked Purdue wrestling team clinched its first winning Big Ten dual season since 1998 on Monday night, downing archrival Indiana at Holloway Gymnasium, 28-13. The Boilermakers improved to 14-5 overall and 5-3 in conference action and earned a point for Purdue in the coveted Crimson and Gold Cup all-sport series between the Boilermakers and Hoosiers. Purdue's win was its third straight over the Hoosiers and fourth straight in Big Ten duals this season, marking their longest conference win streak since a four-match stretch in 1998. The 14 dual victories are the Boilermakers' most in a season under sixth-year head coach Scott Hinkel and their most overall since an 18-win dual season in 2004. The Boilermakers got off to a slow start in the dual, dropping matches by decision at 184 and 285 pounds. Purdue sophomore Patrick Kissel gave up a four-point move in the first period and his late rally fell short in a 7-6 loss to Indiana sophomore Luke Sheridan, while junior Alex White suffered a 10-4 loss to 12th-ranked Hoosier junior Adam Chalfant. Despite the losses, Purdue offset the six points by receiving a forfeit at 197 pounds, improving sophomore Braden Atwood's record to 21-6 on the year. The top of the lineup proved all Boilermakers as they reeled off four straight wins to cinch up the team score. Junior Camden Eppert got the run going with a dominant 10-3 victory over Indiana sophomore Joe Duca at 125 pounds. Eppert scored early and often, hitting a couple of throw-bys and a swing single en route to a 6-2 lead in the first, and followed up with another takedown in the second to carry a 9-2 edge to the final period. However, Duca stalled out the scoring in the third period and outlasted Eppert to deny him what would have been his ninth major decision of the season. Junior Cashe Quiroga put on a takedown clinic at 133 pounds, rolling out a season-high 11 takedowns in a 23-9 major decision over Indiana freshman Alonzo Shepherd. Quiroga practically scored at will through the match, using a variety of takedowns to continue increasing his lead for seven minutes. He was unable to come up with a turn late in the match and settled for the major decision as he improved to 7-1 on the year and 4-0 in conference duals. The run continued at 141 pounds as Purdue sophomore Brandon Nelsen put up several points in the second and third periods en route to a 12-2 major decision, his sixth of the season. After a scoreless first, Nelsen quickly escaped in the second and scored almost immediately for a 3-0 lead. He rode Indiana freshman Alex Gregory for the remainder of the period, forcing a pair of stalling calls and receiving a penalty point for a 4-0 advantage. Nelsen picked up three more takedowns and another stalling point in the third period as he coasted to his fourth straight Big Ten win and his 20th of the season. He became the sixth Boilermaker to hit the 20-win plateau on the year, joining Eppert, Kissel, Atwood, senior Ivan Lopouchanski and sophomore Pat Robinson. Lopouchanski finished off the Boilermaker rally at 149 pounds in dominant fashion, needing 5:32 to score a 23-8 technical fall over Indiana sophomore Preston Keiffer. The Boilermaker senior took advantage of his final home match, racking up a quick 9-2 lead in the first on three takedowns and a three-point turn, nearly pinning his Hoosier opponent off of a throw as time expired in the period. Nine more points came in the second period on three more takedowns, an escape and a two-point turn, and Lopouchanski finished him off in the third with an escape and two more takedowns, improving to 21-1 on the season. The Hoosiers turned the tables at 157 pounds as 15th-ranked sophomore Taylor Walsh and junior Ryan Leblanc each emerged victorious, cutting the lead to 22-13. Walsh used a nice counter in the second period and a takedown and turn in the third to score an 8-0 major decision over Purdue senior Tommy Churchard at 157, and Leblanc returned from injury to score a 10-3 decision over Robinson at 165. With the team score out of reach and Indiana sophomore Cheney Dale suffering from illness, the Hoosiers forfeited the 174 pound match to Purdue freshman Chad Welch, making it a 28-13 final. The Boilermakers return to action this weekend, heading to Columbia, Mo., for the regional of the NWCA National Duals. Purdue anticipates earning the No. 2 seed in the region and should face No. 21 Wyoming on Sunday, Feb. 17. The winner of that dual will face the winner of sixth-ranked Missouri and Maryland with a trip to the National Duals Finals in Minneapolis, Minn. at stake. Results: 184: Luke Sheridan (IU) def. Patrick Kissel (PU), D 7-6 (PU 0-3 IU) 197: Braden Atwood (PU) wins by forfeit (PU 6-3 IU) 285: Adam Chalfant (IU) def. Alex White (PU), D 10-4 (PU 6-6 IU) 125: Camden Eppert (PU) def. Joe Duca (IU), D 10-3 (PU 9-6 IU) 133: Cashe Quiroga (PU) def. Alonzo Shepherd (IU), MD 23-9 (PU 13- 6 IU) 141: Brandon Nelsen (PU) def. Alex Gregory (IU), MD 12-2 (PU 17-6 IU) 149: Ivan Lopouchanski (PU) def. Preston Keiffer (IU), TF 23-8 (PU 22-6 IU) 157: Taylor Walsh (IU) def. Tommy Churchard (PU), MD 8-0 (PU 22-10 IU) 165: Ryan LaBlanc (IU) def. Pat Robinson (PU), D 10-3 (PU 22-13 IU) 174: Chad Welch wins by forfeit (PU 28-13 IU)

My greatest challenge in writing these weekly columns is finding the most important storylines. I could spend every week writing only about the results from the latest match featuring the Minnesotas, Iowas, Penn States and Oklahoma States of the wrestling world, but I want to offer more than a summation of the deeds of our sport's highest ranked teams. I would like to discuss the success of teams that perform and succeed outside of the national championship radar, and I'd like to, if the situation permits, discuss the sport itself, with all of its challenges and triumphs. That is why this week the major storyline is the realization of the daunting length of the college wrestling season. More than a month remains until nationals and college wrestlers have already been working since September, if not earlier. They've punished their bodies through grueling preseason workouts, drudgerous in-season practices, and thrown themselves against rock-solid opponents time and time again. When they are not wrestling, or practicing to wrestle, they are sitting in buses for entire weekends, crisscrossing the Mid-Atlantic. Midwest, Great Plains, or who knows where else. All this and our wrestlers have grades to maintain and the occasional girlfriend to keep happy. Big-time college wrestling is an adult portion, and those who want to partake ought to be ready to open their mouths wide. We, as fans, are thrilled by the hotly contested conference duals which take place this time of year. What we need to remember is that there is one thing that makes wrestling at this level possible in a season this long. It isn't the scholarship money, it may help but there is far too little of it, and it isn't the approbation of the fans and the rest of the student body, once more it helps but there isn't enough. The only thing that fuels the sport this late in the season is the love-love of competing, love of improving, love of winning, and plain and simple love of the sport of wrestling. This love is what gets a wrestler motivated for practice number five trillion, it is what provokes a coach to go careening across a mat to argue a call that ultimately won't matter, and it is love that keeps a wrestler going after pouring out his soul preparing for a vital match and managing his weight only to lose at the worst possible time for him and his team. I think it is important we keep this in mind. This sport we love and cherish so much is kept alive only by the intense and resilient love felt by its participants and coaches. But for this love, we'd only have basketball to talk about and I'd have nothing about which to write. Dual of the Week: Ohio State vs. Penn State For a few fleeting moments this Sunday it looked like Ohio State might pull off a thrilling upset over Penn State. The Stiebers both earned pins, Cam Tessari looked the best he has this season in upending Andrew Alton (who had little answer for Cam's far-ankle ride), and Josh Demas was tantalizingly close to an upset over Dylan Alton. The Buckeyes have positioned themselves for a huge win, at least until top-ranked 184-pounder Ed Ruth took the mat. Ed and his deadly cross-face cradle bailed the necessary water out Penn State's boat, and the Nittany Lions were able to hold on for the win. Iowa vs. Nebraska At 157 James Green shows that he can take down anyone in the nation, but eventually he faded and allowed Derek St. John to rally and earn the victory. Mike Evans is becoming a Hawkeye superstar before our very eyes. He will never be the most fluid wrestler from his feet, but my gosh is he a fighter. He was able to make a very tough Robert Kokesh wilt and almost earn a pin with his nasty half at the end of their match. Penn State vs. Pitt Two observations here. First of all, against anyone not named Stieber or Ramos, Jordan Conaway is pretty danged good. Here he upsets Pitt's Shelton Mack. Second, I will admit that after the All-Star Classic I thought that Matt Wilps was simply too big and strong for Quentin Wright to handle. Apparently I was wrong and Wright, whom I feel is the most exciting wrestler in the NCAA, is more than capable of pinning anyone at any time. I hope this sets Quentin up as a No. 2 seed at the NCAAs and leads to an intriguing matchup between him and top-ranked Dustin Kilgore of Kent State. Michigan vs. Ohio State When I turned to this dual on my television, the guide read that "Freshman Taylor Massa leads the Wolverines ... " Massa is having a nice season and may well win a national championship or two in the future, but with the amount of experience and talent on the Michigan team, it probably is not a positive development that their leading wrestler is a true freshman currently ranked as to be outside the money at this year's NCAAs. Ohio State's Kenny Courts has had an up-and-down season at 184 pounds, but in his short time at 197 pounds has really turned some heads. First he beats Illinois' Mario Gonzalez. Now he defeats another NCAA qualifier in Max Huntley. If Courts keeps up this form, he could end up as a Big Ten finalist. Rutgers coaches (Photo/ScarletKnights.com)Rutgers vs. Bloomsburg I was rooting for Bloomsburg here largely because I wanted to see them build on the fantastic success they have experienced this season. After Rutgers won this watch, I realized that I should really have hoped for a Scarlet Knights victory. We all should. Rutgers is a program of vital strategic importance to our sport and we should celebrate every one of their program's successes and hope it helps them build themselves into the power they can become. Harvard vs. Lehigh Harvard beats Lehigh. When was the last time that happened? Virginia and Virginia Tech Showed again this week why they are wrestling's big boys in the Southeast.

EVANSTON, Ill. -- The Fighting Illini wrestling team won seven of the possible 10 matches, including three by bonus points as they moved past No. 17 Northwestern, 24-10 to win their final conference dual of the season. "We really wrestled pretty well and were aggressive in just about every match," head coach Jim Heffernan said. "It has been a tough stretch over the last five weeks. It is time to continue to get better physically as well as recharge mentally heading into the national duals." The dual started at 125 pounds with No. 3 Jesse Delgado wrestling Dominick Malone. Delgado won his second consecutive conference match this weekend, as he defeated the Wildcat by a 4-0 decision to give the Illini an early 3-0 lead. At 133, senior Daryl Thomas continued the early success as he defeated Garrison White by a 14-8 decision to give him his 20th victory this season and pushed the lead to 6-0. The Wildcats got points on the scoreboard at 141, as Steven Rodrigues took on Pat Greco. Three periods were not enough for the two, as the score was tied at 6-6 heading into sudden victory. Greco scored the takedown and the victory, 8-6. However, Caleb Ervin won his second match of the weekend, moving past Dylan Marriott by a 13-2 major decision to push the Illinois team score to 10-3. At 157, No. 2 Jason Welch defeated Matt Nora by a 18-7 major decision to give the Wildcats four more points midway through the dual. Senior Conrad Polz won his 20th victory of the season on Sunday night, after he defeated Pierce Harger by a tough 2-0 decision to give the Illini the 13-7 lead in the team score. The Illini scored bonus points in the next two weight classes as No. 8 Jordan Blanton defeated No. 9 Lee Munster by a 13-3 major decision at the 174 pounds while No. 16 Tony Dallago moved past Jacob Berkowitz by an 11-0 major decision to push the Illinois lead to 21-7 over the Wildcats. Blanton's victory was his third over ranked opponents this season and his third over top-10 wrestlers. At 197, No. 14 Mario Gonzalez wrestled Northwestern's Alex Polizzi. The defending Big Ten champion moved past the Wildcat by a 5-2 decision to push the team score to 24-7 with heavyweight remaining. Chris Lopez was defeated by 2012 NCAA Qualifier and No. 7 Mike McMullan by a 6-2 decision but it wasn't enough as Illinois defeated Northwestern, 24-10. The Orange and Blue will have a week off before traveling to Minneapolis, Minn., to compete in the NWCA National Duals finals on Sunday, Feb. 24. The Illini won the Cornell Regional last year and advanced to the finals, therefore bypassing the regional round this season. Results: 125: #3 Jesse Delgado (ILL) dec. Dominick Malone (NU), 4-0 (3-0) 133: #10 Daryl Thomas (ILL) dec. Garrison White (NU), 14-8 (6-0) 141: Pat Greco (NU) dec. Steven Rodrigues (ILL), 8-6 SV1 (6-3) 149: Caleb Ervin (ILL) major dec. Dylan Marriott (NU) 13-2 (10-3) 157: #2 Jason Welch (NU) maj. dec. Matt Nora (ILL), 18-7 (10-7) 165: #7 Conrad Polz (ILL), dec. #10 Pierce Harger (NU), 2-0 (13-7) 174: #8 Jordan Blanton (ILL) major dec. #9 Lee Munster (NU), 13-3 (17-7) 184: #16 Tony Dallago (ILL) major dec. Jacob Berkowitz (NU), 11-0 (21-7) 197: #14 Mario Gonzalez (ILL) dec. Alex Polizzi (NU), 5-2 (24-7) HWT: #7 Mike McMullan (NU) dec. Chris Lopez (ILL), 6-2 (24-10)

The No. 4 Minnesota Golden Gophers defeated the No. 18 Wisconsin Badgers by a score of 34-5 this afternoon in Madison, Wis. The Gophers claimed nine victories out of the 10 weight classes, including at fall at 125 lbs., a major at 149 lbs. and a forfeit at 184 lbs. With the win, Minnesota closes out the Big Ten Conference season with a 7-1 record, tying Penn State for second in the league standings. Iowa clinched the regular season championship title with a 31-7 win over Nebraska this afternoon. David Thorn opened the meet to rousing success at 125 lbs. After earning two takedowns, Thorn caught Matt Cavallaris on his back and held long enough to earn the pin at the 2:42 mark and give the Gophers a comfortable lead, one they would hold throughout the competition. Corey Hodowanic once again stepped in at 133 lbs. and watch outmatched by Wisconsin’s No. 5-ranked Tyler Graff. Hodowanic managed to avoid the pin, but Graff still earned an 18-2 tech fall for five team points. It wouldn’t matter. Minnesota won out the remainder of the bouts to dominate the Badgers. At 141 lbs., Nick Dardanes tallied an 8-2 decision over Tom Kelliher and Dylan Ness followed with a 10-0 major decision over Cole Schmitt at 149 lbs. Danny Zilverberg earned his second dual win of the season with a 5-4 close decision. The Gophers led the Badgers, 16-5 at intermission. After a scoreless first period at 165 lbs., Cody Yohn turned on the heat to start racking up points. With two takedowns, an escape, and 2:36 of riding time, Yohn walked away with the 6-1 victory. At 174 lbs., Logan Storley was closely matched by Scott Liegel. After regulation the score was tied at three but Storley received an additional point for riding time, winning by a 4-3 decision. Wisconsin’s forfeit at 184 lbs. gave Minnesota an overwhelming 28-5 advantage with only two weight classes to go. Scott Schiller notched a sudden victory over Jackson Hein at 197 lbs. The wrestlers managed one escape apiece in the regulation seven-minute frame. Forty-eight seconds deep in overtime, Schiller attacked for the two-point takedown and earned three back points on a near fall. Heavyweight Tony Nelson delivered Connor Medbery his first dual loss of the season. In the second period, Nelson tallied an early takedown and earned three points on the near fall to move ahead 5-1. He gathered three more technical points in the third period and added a bonus for 1:17 of riding time, giving him the 9-2 victory and sending the Gophers to a 34-5 final dual score. After a week off of competition, the Gophers will come back home as the University of Minnesota plays host to the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Dual Meet Championship, for which the team received an automatic bid. The competition will take place on Feb. 22-23. Tickets for the event are available at mygophersports.com. Results: 125 #13 David Thorn (MIN) fall Matt Cavallaris (WIS), 2:42 6 0 133 #4 Tyler Graff (WIS) tech fall Cody Hodowanic (MIN), 18-2, 5:38 6 5 141 #10 Nick Dardanes (MIN) dec. Tom Kelliher (WIS), 8-2 9 5 149 #9 Dylan Ness (MIN) maj dec. Cole Schmitt (WIS), 10-0 13 5 157 Danny Zilverberg (MIN) dec. Kalvin York (WIS), 5-4 16 5 165 #14 Cody Yohn (MIN) dec. Frank Cousins (WIS), 6-1 19 5 174 #1 Logan Storley (MIN) dec. Scott Liegel (WIS), 4-3 22 5 184 #5 Kevin Steinhaus (MIN) vs. FFT 28 5 197 #12 Scott Schiller (MIN) dec. #17 Jackson Hein (WIS), 6-1 SV 31 5 HWT #2 Tony Nelson (MIN) dec. Connor Medbery (WIS), 9-2 34 5

FAIRFAX, VA -- The 14th-ranked Bloomsburg University wrestling team won all 10 matches in blanking George Mason University, 39-0, on Sunday afternoon. The Huskies won four matches by major decision, one by technical fall and one by fall in earning the win by its largest margin of victory this season and getting its first shutout since a 54-0 drubbing of Millersville in January of 2012. Bloomsburg wrestlers allowed just three points in the first two matches, then put together a streak of three straight matches where it did not allow any points. Frank Hickman (Castle Hayne, NC/E.A. Laney) started the shutout streak when he won 13-0 at 157 pounds, while Kevin Hartnett (Staten Island, NY/Monsignor Farrell) won 1-0 at 165 and Chris Smith (Mineral, Va./Chancelor) scoring a 10-0 victory at 174. Sam Shirey (Beaver Springs/Midd-West) won by technical fall at 184 pounds, while Richard Perry (Meriden, CT/Middletown), at 197 pounds, posted a win by fall in 5:38. The Huskies improved to 15-3 on the season. Bloomsburg will be back in action on Friday night hosting Lock Haven at 7 p.m. at the Nelson Field House. Results: 141 – Matt Rappo (Holland/Council Rock South) (BU) maj. dec. Sahid Kargbo (GMU), 11-2 (4-0, BU) 149 – Josh Roosa (Mountaintop/Crestwood) (BU) maj. dec. Greg Flournoy (GMU), 9-1 (8-0, BU) 157 - #12 Frank Hickman (Castle Hayne, NC/E.A. Laney) (BU) maj. dec. Jaaziah Bethea (GMU), 13-0 (12-0, BU) 165 - Kevin Hartnett (Staten Island, NY/Monsignor Farrell) (BU) dec. Ty Knepp (GMU), 1-0 (15-0, BU) 174 – Chris Smith (Mineral, Va./Chancelor) (BU) maj. dec. Seth Robertson (GMU), 10-0 (19-0, BU) 184 – Sam Shirey (Beaver Springs/Midd-West) (BU) tech fall. Derek Dwyer (GMU), 21-4 (24-0, BU) 197 - #15 Richard Perry (Meriden, CT/Middletown) (BU) fall Matt Meadows (GMU), 5:38 (30-0) 285 - #16 Justin Grant (Easton/Easton) (BU) dec. Jake Kettler (GMU), 11-6 (33-0, BU) 125 – Sean Boylan (Seaville, NJ/St. Marks) (BU) dec. Rich Lavorato (GMU), 5-2 (36-0, BU) 133 - #11 Nick Wilcox (Greene, NY/Greene Central) (BU) dec. Zac Isenhour (GMU), 8-7 (39-0, BU)

CLEVELAND: Clarion won seven of ten bouts including major decisions from Tyler Bedelyon (Jr. Lewistown) at 149 and James Fleming (Sr. West Miflin) at 157 as the Golden Eagles defeated Cleveland State 23-9 in NCAA Division I wrestling. Held at CSU's Woodling Gymnasium, Clarion raised its season record to 4-8 and 2-3 in the EWL, while Cleveland State dipped to 3-7 overall and 0-4 in the EWL. Clarion jumped out to a 6-0 led early in the match when Tyler Fraley's takedown with 40-seconds left gave him a 3-2 win over Ben Willeford at 125, and Joe Waltko notched a 9-5 decision over Mike Carlone at 133. After CSU's Nick Flannery decisioned Sam Sherlock 10-6 at 141, the Eagles rebounded for two major decisions when Tyler Bedelyon won 13-1 over Mike Mencini at 149 and James Fleming won 16-2 over Matt Donohoe at 157 to put Clarion in front 14-3. Bedelyon had three takedowns and a two and three point near fall for the win while raising his season record to 16-11. Fleming dominated his bout one takedown and four, three point near falls for his win. Ranked #4 in the nation at 157, the victory puts his season record at 26-2 and his career record at 118-18. His 118 career wins has him 12th all-time. Next up at 120 career wins is former Clarion great and MMA Champion Frank Edgar, who had a career record of 120-55 (2002-2005). CSU's Corey Carlo notched a 9-2 win over Nick Milano at 165, but Clarion countered with three straight wins to win the dual when Ryan Darch defeated Mike Monson 6-3 at 174, Steven Cressley's overtime takedown gave him a 3-1 win over Bobby Blankenship at 184 and Justin Ortega won 6-0 over Corbin Boone at 197. Although CSU's Riley Shawn defeated Phil Catrucco 10-6 at heavyweight, Clarion won the dual by a final score of 23-9. CLARION NOTES: Fraley upped his record to 12-9, Bedelyon 16-11, Fleming 26-2, and Ortega 16-11… Clarion will host Bucknell on Friday night at 7pm, then host Lehigh on Saturday at 2pm at Tippin Gym. Results: 125-Tyler Fraley (CL) dec. Ben Willeford (CSU), 3-2. CL leads 3-0 133- Joe Waltko (CL) dec. Mike Carlone (CSU), 9-5. CL leads 6-0 141- Nick Flannery (CSU) dec. Sam Sherlock (CL), ,10-6. CL leads 6-3 149- Tyler Bedelyon (CL) maj. dec. Mike Mencini (CSU), 13-1. CL leads 10-3 157- #4 James Fleming (CL) maj. dec. Matt Donohoe (CSU), 16-2, CL leads 14-3 165- Corey Carlo (CSU) dec. Nick Milano (CL), 9-2. CL leads 14-6 174-Ryan Darch (CL) dec. Mike Monson (CSU), 6-3, CL leads 17-6 184-Steven Cressley (CL) dec. Bobby Blankenship (CSU), 3-1 in overtime. CL leads 20-6 197-Josh Ortega (CL) dec. Corbin Boone (CSU), 6-0. CL leads 23-6 285-Riley Shaw (CSU) dec. Phil Catrucco (CL), 10-6. CL wins 23-9.

LAWRENCEVILLE -- You never forget your first. Whether it is your first love, your first car, or your first pin. Rider freshman Curt Delia (Mullica Hill, NJ/Delsea) won by fall in 3:24 to give Rider a 9-8 lead in the Broncs' Colonial Athletic Association dual meet victory over Drexel Sunday afternoon. It was Delia's first collegiate pin. "It felt good," said Delia, who compiled 141 wins at Delsea High School. "Getting a big pin for the team is a great feeling. On the collegiate level getting a pin is great, but so hard to do. It is exciting. You work so hard to go out and perform. Today was one of the highlights of my career so far." "Curt was aggressive today," said Rider head coach Gary Taylor, who picked up his 390th career victory, "and that's what we needed. We needed him to be aggressive and we were pleased about that. His opponent was fighting hard but Curt stayed with it and got it. That was exciting and good to see." With the victory Delia improves to 18-9 as a true freshman. "I love the coaches here and it really feels like home," said Delia, who also starred in baseball in high school, catching on the Tri-County Championship team. "I do love baseball as well and thought about pursuing that career, but I feel I am more suited toward wrestling." The Broncs won seven bouts to defeat Drexel in the Colonial Athletic Association dual meet. "I thought it went pretty well today," Taylor said. "We expected it to be a tough match. I thought both teams wrestled hard. Fortunately we were able to get the victories we thought we would get. We were pleased today with the way our kids wrestled." For Rider (10-6, 3-2 CAA), junior Ramon Santiago (Sayreville, N.J./Sayreville), ranked 16th in the nation, won a major decision to give Rider a 16-8 lead over Drexel. Rider junior James Brundage (Ossining, N.Y./Ossining) won a major decision to give Rider a 20-8 lead. "Ramon and James have been wrestling well and have been consistent all year," Taylor said. Brundage improved to 17-9 overall and Santiago improved to 26-6 overall, 5-0 in the CAA. "I wasn't surprised with their majors today. They are both in their junior year and getting to understand their role. They know they need to step up for the team and they did that." Rider senior Zac Cibula (Luxemburg, Wis./Luxemburg Casco) used a late take down and riding time to win at 157. Rider sophomore Jimmy Morris (Northport, NY/St. Anthony's) won 6-2 at 133 to tie the score at 3-3. Rider freshman Ryan Wolfe (New Castle, Del./Caravel), the top ranked 184 in the CAA, also won, improving to 21-9. Rider freshman Greg Velasco (Union Beach, NJ/Keyport) won in overtime for the final score. For Drexel (7-10, 3-3 CAA) Brandon Palik (21-3, 13-2 duals), who is ranked 20th in the nation by AWN, won a major decision at 197 to cut the lead to 23-12. The top ranked 141 in the CAA, Frank Cimato, who is ranked 20th in the nation by W.I.N. Magazine and is 27-6 overall and 6-0 in the CAA, won by tech fall at 141 to give the Dragons an 8-3 lead. Jacob Goodwin, the reigning CAA Rookie of the Week, won at 125 to give Drexel a 3-0 lead. Rider travels to Penn State University for a dual meet with the Nittany Lions February 17. "That's going to be a tough trip," Taylor admitted, "but we're excited though. For Penn State to give us that opportunity and gain some exposure for our program, I am thankful to their coaching staff. It helps a program like ours to compete in that environment. It is a very special environment and it is going to be sold out and lively." Rider beat Drexel 19-18 last year in Philadelphia. Rider and Drexel have now met 37 times since the series began in 1970-71 with Rider winning 29. The last time Drexel defeated Rider was during the 2006-07 season. Results: 125: Jacob Goodwin-D dec. Patrick Skinner-R 9-7 0-3 133: Jimmy Morris-R dec. Jordan Hart-D 6-2 3-3 141: Frank Cimato-D tech fall Rob Cigna-R 17-2 3-8 149: Curt Delia-R wbf Josh Yurasits-D 3:24 9-8 157: Zac Cibula-R dec. Austin Sommer-D 7-4 12-8 165: Ramon Santiago-R major dec. Connor Moran-D 9-0 16-8 174: James Brundage-R major dec. Kevin Matyas-D 14-6 20-8 184: Ryan Wolfe-R dec. Bryan Sternlieb-D 10-5 23-8 197: Brandon Palik-D major dec. Don McNeil-R 11-2 23-12 285: Greg Velasco-R dec, Jon Max Wright-D 2-1 ot 26-12

Binghamton, NY -- Pride junior Luke Vaith recorded a tech fall victory and three other grapplers posted major decision wins to lead Hofstra to a 23-19 Colonial Athletic Association victory over the Bearcats of Binghamton University at West Gymnasium Sunday afternoon. The Pride, who have won six of their last eight dual matches, improved to 6-13 overall and 4-2 in the CAA. Binghamton fell to 5-12 overall and 3-3 in conference action. Hofstra grabbed the first three matches of the day as 17th-ranked senior Steve Bonanno opened up with a 12-2 major decision over Bearcat freshman Mike Sardo at 125 pounds. Bonanno, who recorded his 98th career victory, improved to 14-8 on the season. Pride junior Jamie Franco improved to 13-12 on the season with a 6-1 decision over freshman Dylan Cohen at 133. Luke Vaith, ranked 17th at 141 pounds, then gave the Pride a 12-0 lead in the match with a 21-6 tech fall victory over junior Dan Riggi. Vaith has now won five consecutive matches and seven of the last eight to improve to 18-10 on the season. Binghamton senior Donnie Vinson, ranked fourth in the nation at 149, put the Bearcats on the board with a pin of Pride sophomore Cody Ruggirello (3-13) at the 1:45 mark of the match. Vinson improved to 27-1 on the season. But the Pride won the next three matches to take a commanding lead. Senior Tyler Banks (6-3) won his fifth consecutive match with a 10-2 major decision over freshman Jack McKeever at 157 before sophomore Nick Terdick (5-19) posted a 13-4 major decision over freshman Brian Conrad at 165. Sophomore Jermaine John then tallied a 5-1 victory over John Paris at 174 to boost the match lead to 23-6. John has won seven of his last eight matches and is now 17-10 on the season. Binghamton won the final three matches of the contest. Junior Cody Reed tallied a 15-5 major decision over red-shirt freshman David Heitman (1-3), who was making his Pride dual match debut, at 184. Fifth-ranked senior Nate Schiedel (24-2) pinned Hofstra senior Tim Murphy (5-15) at the 1:15 mark of their 197-pound contest. Sophomore Tyler Deuel (17-14) topped sophomore Zeal McGrew (15-6) at 285 but the Bearcats came up a little short in the match. Heitman was filling in for senior Taras Luzhnyy, who was hurt in practice this week while McGrew is stepping into the 285 spot after an injury to senior Paul Snyder on February 2 against Cornell. The Pride will return to action next Sunday, February 17 when they compete in the NWCA-Cliff Keen Division I National Dual Championship Regional at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Hofstra is in the same regional with the 10th-ranked Big Red, 11th-ranked Virginia and 13th-ranked Nebraska. Pairings will be announced by the NWCA on Monday. Results: 125 - Steve Bonanno (Hofstra) maj. dec. Mike Sardo (BU), 12-2 133 - Jamie Franco (Hofstra) dec. Dylan Cohen (BU), 6-1 141 - Luke Vaith (Hofstra) tech fall Dan Riggi (BU), 21-6 149 - #4 Donnie Vinson (BU) WBF Cody Ruggirello (Hofstra), 1:45 157 - Tyler Banks (Hofstra) maj. dec. Jack McKeever (BU), 10-2 165 - Nick Terdick (Hofstra) maj. dec. Brian Conrad (BU), 13-4 174 - Jermaine John (Hofstra) dec. John Paris (BU), 5-1 184 - Cody Reed (BU) maj. dec. David Heitman (Hofstra), 15-5 197 - #5 Nate Schiedel (BU) WBF Tim Murphy (Hofstra), 1:15 285 - Tyler Deuel (BU) dec. Zeal McGrew (Hofstra), 12-8

ITHACA, N.Y. -- The No. 7 Big Red wrestling team powered its way to a 37-3 win over Bucknell on senior day. Seniors Kyle Dake and Steve Bosak both notched pins in their final matches at the Friedman Wrestling Center. At 125 pounds, freshman Nahshon Garrett won by forfeit, while Chris Villalonga won by major decision at 149 pounds. Before the start of the match, Cornell honored its eight seniors including three-time NCAA champion Kyle Dake, NCAA champion Steve Bosak, Cody Hutcheson, Pete Mesko, Oney Snyder, Lukasz Stala, Joe Stanzione and Patrick Sullivan. Cornell also inducted three new members into its Hall of Distinguished Wrestling Alumni including Joe DeMeo '66, Dan Kathan '71, Andy Noel (Honorary). After the forfeit at 125, sophomore Bricker Dixon hit the mat against Paul Petrov at 133 pounds. Dixon grabbed a takedown in the first and almost had back points, but had to settle for a 2-0 lead and 2:08 in riding time. Dixon reversed his opponent from his opening down position in the second, but Petrov would escape. Dixon almost had another takedown at the end of the period, but time had run out. Petrov escaped to open the third and tied the bout at 4-4 with a takedown midway through the period. Dixon escaped, and with 2:15 in riding time, won a 6-4 decision. At 141 pounds, No. 12 Mike Nevinger faced Derrik Russell. After a scoreless first period, Russell chose to start the second at neutral. Nevinger got on the board with a takedown midway through the period. Nevinger escaped from his opening down position in the third to win a 3-0 decision. No. 13 ranked Villalonga took on Adam Healey at 149 pounds. Villallonga notched a takedown right into a far side cradle at the edge of the mat. Villalonga tried to pull his opponent back on to the mat for a pin, but ended with three back points. Villalonga immediately rolled out from his opening down position in the second and almost had a reversal. Healey chose neutral to open the third period. Villalonga countered a shot to take him down once again. With 2:36 in riding time, Villalonga won a 9-1 major decision. At 157 pounds, Jesse Shanaman faced Ray Schlitt. Shanaman took down his opponent in the first to take a 2-1 lead. Shanaman chose to start the second down and within 30 seconds had escaped. Schlitt chose to start the third down, but was unable to escape. With 3:08 in riding time, Shanaman won a 4-1 decision. After the halftime break, No. 1 ranked Dake took on No. 10 Corey Lear. Dake went on the attack right off the whistle. Dake took down Lear with a throw by and immediately went to work securing a cradle. The Big Red senior brought the crowd to its feet, winning by fall in 0:53. Dake has won his last eight matches by bonus points including seven falls and one technical fall. At 174 pounds, Marshall Peppelman faced Robert Schlitt. Peppelman took down Schlitt a minute into the match to take a 2-0 lead. Peppelman immediately spun out from his opening down position in the second. Schlitt chose down to start the third period. Schlitt would escape, but Peppelman grabbed another takedown with one second left on the clock to win a 6-1 decision with riding time. NCAA champion Bosak faced Robert Marchese in his final match at the Friedman Wrestling Center. Bosak immediately took down Marchese and went to work turning him. The Big Red senior muscled his way to a pin in 2:24. At 197 pounds, Jace Bennett wrestled Tyler Lyster. Lyster took down Bennett with only nine seconds off the clock and rode him out for the remainder of the period. Lyster chose to start the second down, but was unable to escape. Bennett reversed Lyster from his opening down position in the third. Bennett let him up looking to score and added another takedown. With 4:49 in riding time, Bennett won a 7-1 decision. Sophomore Jacob Aiken-Phillips took on Joe Stolfi at heavyweight. Stolfi brought an eight match winning streak into the weekend. The two wrestlers traded shots and scrambled throughout most of the period. Stolfi caught Aiken-Phillips for a takedown and two quick back points before the Big Red wrestler could escape. Stolfi reversed Aiken-Phillips midway through the second period from his starting down position. Aiken-Phillips chose to start the third on top, but Stolfi reversed him once again. With 15 seconds left in the bout, Aiken-Phillips escaped to deny Stolfi a major decision ending the bout with a score of 9-2. Cornell will round out its home slate next weekend when the Big Red plays host to the National Duals in Newman Arena on Sunday. Results: 125: No. 6 Nashon Garrett (Cornell) win by forfeit (Cornell, 6-0) 133: Bricker Dixon (Cornell) dec. Paul Petrov, 6-4 (Cornell, 9-0) 141: No. 12 Mike Nevinger (Cornell) dec. Derrik Russell, 3-0 (Cornell, 12-0) 149: No. 13 Chris Villalonga (Cornell) maj. dec. Adam Healey (Bucknell), 9-1 (Cornell, 16-0) 157: Jesse Shanaman (Cornell) dec. Ray Schlitt, 4-1 (Cornell, 19-0) 165: No. 1 Kyle Dake (Cornell) win by fall No. 10 Corey Lear, 0:53 (Cornell, 26-0) 174: Marshall Peppelman (Cornell) dec. Robert Schlitt, 6-1 (Cornell, 28-0) 184: No. 4 Steve Bosak (Cornell) win by fall Robert Marchese, 2:24 (Cornell, 34-0) 197: Jace Bennett (Cornell) dec. Tyler Lyster, 7-1 (Cornell, 37-0) Hwt: Joe Stolfi (Bucknell) dec. Jacob Aiken-Phillips, 9-2 (Cornell, 37-3)

BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- The Harvard wrestling team pulled off one of the upsets of the year Sunday afternoon, knocking off No. 14 Lehigh on its home mat, 25-16. With the score tied at 16, 197-pounder James Fox came up with a 2-0 decision over John Bolich to put Harvard out in front by three, 19-16, heading into the final bout. From there heavyweight Nicholas Gajdzik did the rest, registering his third fall of the year against Max Wessell in sudden victory overtime to seal the victory. "Today's match versus Lehigh was a great team effort," Jay Weiss, The David G. Bunning Head Coach for Harvard Wrestling stated. "Our guys wrestled hard for points and they battled hard the entire match. Lehigh always has a great environment and today was no different. I told our guys to let that atmosphere work to our advantage. We took a big step towards our goals today." Harvard's (5-5, 3-4 EIWA) victory was its first against Lehigh (7-7, 3-4 EIWA) since 1998 and broke a streak of 14 consecutive losses to the Mountain Hawks, who placed eighth at last year's NCAA Championships. Jeffrey Ott put the Crimson on the board early with a 10-0 major decision over Alex Abreu at 125 lbs. to get the day started. Lehigh took the next match via an 8-0 major decision to even the team scores before No. 13 Steven Keith picked his 99th career win via a 7-2 decision against Anthony Salupo to put Harvard back on top. The Mountain Hawks tied it up once again at 149 lbs. as No. 17 Shane Welsh snuck by Todd Preson, 8-3. No. 8 Walter Peppelman gave Harvard a six-point cushion in team scores, 13-7, with his pin of Albert Woody at the 0:48 mark. The fall was his second of the year and the 29th of his career, ranking him third all-time in program history. Devon Gobbo followed Peppelman with a 5-4 decision versus Ben Haas, pushing the team score to 16-7. No. 15 Nathaniel Brown and No. 3 Robert Hamlin pulled Lehigh back into the dual with a major decision and technical fall at 174 lbs. and 184 lbs., respectively, before Fox and Gajdzik put the victory away. Harvard returns to Cambridge next weekend as it hosts Brown Saturday, Feb. 16 at 12 p.m. in the Malkin Athletic Center. The Crimson will then head over to Boston University later in the afternoon for a 6:30 p.m. showdown with the Terriers. Results: 125 – Jeffrey Ott (Harvard) major dec. Alex Abreu (Lehigh) 10-0, 4-0 133 – Randy Cruz (Lehigh) major dec. Shay Warren (Harvard) 8-0, 4-4 141 – No. 13 Steven Keith (Harvard) dec. Anthony Salupo (Lehigh) 7-2, 7-4 149 – No. 17 Shane Welsh (Lehigh) dec. Todd Preston (Harvard) 8-3, 7-7 157 – No. 8 Walter Peppelman (Harvard) fall Albert Woody (Lehigh) 0:48, 13-7 165 – Devon Gobbo (Harvard) dec. Ben Haas (Lehigh) 5-4, 16-7 174 – No. 15 Nathaniel Brown (Lehigh) major dec. Ian Roy (Harvard) 13-1, 16-11 184 – No. 3 Robert Hamlin (Lehigh) tech fall. Josh Popple (Harvard) 20-5 (6:04), 16-16 197 – James Fox (Harvard) dec. John Bolich (Lehigh) 2-0, 19-16 285 – Nicholas Gajdzik (Harvard) fall Max Wessell (Lehigh) 7:55 (SV1), 25-16

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- The University of Iowa wrestling team clinched its fifth Big Ten dual title in the last six years with a 31-7 win over Nebraska today at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes finished the conference dual season with a perfect 8-0 record and improved to 18-1 overall. "It's good," said Iowa head coach Tom Brands. "It's getting late in the year, we're getting closer to the postseason, and we did our jobs. We did some good work. We beat some good teams and we won some good individual matches. Now it's important we take the next step." The Hawkeyes (18-1, 8-0) won eight of 10 matches and scored bonus points in three bouts. Nick Moore and Tony Ramos earned pins and Matt McDonough added a technical fall. Nebraska opened the dual with an 8-0 win at 149 pounds, but Iowa's Derek St. John, Nick Moore and Mike Evans immediately took the air out of the Huskers' sails and with three straight wins, including one fall and two decisions over top 10 opponents. St. John, the nation's top-ranked 157-pounder, allowed a pair of first-period takedowns to No. 6 James Green, but opened the second period with an escape and added a takedown to tie the match, 4-4, heading into the third period. Green chose the down position so start the final frame, but he never got to his feet as St. John used a ride-out and a point for stalling to walk away with a 6-4 victory. Moore then put Iowa ahead for good in the team race when he locked up a cradle in the third period to score a fall in 6:41. His fourth pin of the season gave Iowa a 9-4 lead heading into the headlining match of the night. Evans, ranked No. 4 at 174 pounds, was facing his fourth straight top 10 opponent when No. 2 Robert Kokesh stepped on the mat. Evans trailed 3-0 after Kokesh opened the second period with a reversal, but he escaped to get on the board and added two takedowns in the final 1:07 to take a 5-4 lead into the third period. He opened the final period with an escape and added another takedown at 1:36 to grab an 8-4 lead. He eventually used 1:57 of riding time to add to a final 9-6 victory and improve to 15-0 all-time at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Nebraska (10-5, 4-4) got on the board for the final time when No. 8 Josh Ihnen scored a 5-1 win over Grant Gambrall in sudden victory. The Huskers' win at 184 pounds pulled them within four points, 11-7, at intermission. The Hawkeyes swept through the final five bouts beginning at 197, where Nathan Burak finished a disputed takedown with 14 seconds left in the sudden victory period to earn his fourth conference win of the season. Telford extended the Iowa lead to 17-7 with a 6-2 win at 285, and McDonough clinched the dual with a 20-5 technical fall at 125 pounds. McDonough used seven takedowns and three nearfall points to earn his first technical fall of the season. Ramos followed McDonough with his third consecutive fall. He turned his fifth takedown of the match into his ninth pin of the season to improve to 19-0 this year and 23-0 all-time at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. "It takes a lot of energy to put a guy into that position," Tom Brands said of the pins by Moore and Ramos. "It's something we talk about. Get your 2-count, 5-count, and then get your fall. It's explosive and it's entertaining for the fans." Mark Ballweg gave Iowa the final 31-7 team victory when he finished Ridge Kiley, 6-1, at 141 pounds. The Hawkeyes return to the mat Saturday, Feb. 16, when No. 16 Edinboro visits Carver-Hawkeye Arena at 7 p.m. Iowa will honor seniors Mark Ballweg, Jeret Chiri, Grant Gambrall and Matt McDonough following the dual. Notes: Attendance was 9,514 ... Replay was used one time: 197 pounds, Burak takedown was confirmed... Ramos (23-0), St. John (21-0) and Evans (15-0) are a combined 59-0 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena... the Hawkeyes finished 8-0 in Big Ten duals for the fifth time in the last six years. Results: 149 - #11 Jake Sueflohn (N) major dec. Brody Grothus (IA), 8-0; 0-4 157 - #1 Derek St. John (IA) dec. #6 James Green (N), 6-4; 3-4 165 -#13 Nick Moore (IA) pinned Austin Wilson (N), 6:41; 9-4 174 - #4 Mike Evans (IA) dec. #2 Robert Kokesh (N), 9-6; 12-4 184 - #8 Josh Ihnen (N) dec. Grant Gambrall (IA), 5-1 SV; 11-7* 197 - #19 Nathan Burak (IA) dec. Caleb Kolb (N), 3-1 SV; 14-7 285 - #6 Bobby Telford (IA) dec. Spencer Johnson (N), 6-2; 17-7 125 - #1 Matt McDonough (IA) tech. fall Eric Coufal (N), 20-5; 22-7 133 - #2 Tony Ramos (IA) pinned Shawn Nagel (N), 2:05; 28-7 141 - #8 Mark Ballweg (IA) dec. Ridge Kiley (N), 6-1; 31-7 *unsportsmanlike conduct, 1-point team deduction

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- The No. 19-ranked University of Michigan wrestling team used a late surge, winning five of the last six matches, to take down intrastate rival Michigan State, 24-15, in the Big Ten Conference dual finale on Sunday afternoon (Feb. 10) at Jenison Fieldhouse. The Wolverines claimed six individual wins, earning bonus points in four. With the dual starting at 184 pounds -- and MSU's tough stretch at the upperweights -- the Spartans claimed three of the opening four weight classes, including an unexpected pin at 125 pounds, to jump to an early nine-point advantage. Junior/sophomore Max Huntley (Emerald Isle, N.C./Blair Academy) kept the score close early with a 7-4 decision over Nick McDiarmid at 197 pounds, finishing on a first-period double-leg takedown and a second-period single. He added a quick reversal in the second and rode for 1:26 time advantage. The Spartans extended their advantage with a first-period fall at 125 pounds, where Brenan Lyon rolled through in an early scramble to put senior/junior Sean Boyle (Lowell, Mass./Blair Academy) on his back and end the bout at the 2:01 mark. Boyle, ranked 15th, had been working to finish a deep single-leg shot. Freshman Rossi Bruno (Brandon, Fla./Brandon HS) earned some of the points back with a 11-1 major decision over Brandon Fifield in the subsequent match at 133 pounds. Bruno struck early, countering an MSU attack to score and ride out the first period. He added a reversal in the second and, with bonus in mind, hit a five-point throw midway through the third to break it open. He finished with 5:04 in time advantage and cut the Wolverines' gap to 12-7 at intermission. Senior/junior Mike Hillock (Massillon, Ohio/Perry HS) kept Michigan's momentum after the break, using a last-second takedown to earn his first collegiate dual win with a 4-3 decision over Nick Trimble at 141 pounds. Hillock took the initial lead with a first-period single leg but was ridden the entirety of the second, giving up a stall point on bottom, and allowed a quick escape in the third. Down a point late, Hillock struck deep on a single, wrapping up Trimble's other ankle on the edge to steal away the lead. He rode out the match, erasing MSU time advantage, to hang on for the win. Senior/junior Eric Grajales (Brandon, Fla./Brandon HS) picked up big bonus points with a first-period pin against Dan Osterman at 149 pounds to give Michigan its first lead in the dual. Grajales hit an early headlock to score five points in the opening 30 seconds and secured a second to end the bout a minute later, pinning Osterman at the 1:28 mark. Grajales finished the Big Ten dual season with a perfect 8-0 record. MSU claimed its final win at 157 pounds, before the Wolverines ended the dual with back-to-back wins from freshman Taylor Massa (St. Johns, Mich./St. Johns HS) and senior/junior Dan Yates (Hesperia, Mich./Hesperia HS) at 165 and 174 pounds, respectively. Like Grajales, Massa wrapped the Big Ten dual season with a perfect mark, using a big first period to earn a 15-0 technical fall over Nick Proctor at 165. The Wolverine freshman, ranked ninth, scored on a knee pick midway through the opening frame before turning Proctor three times for nine points. He added another two-point turn in the second and used his 3:44 time advantage to secure his sixth tech fall of the season. Yates, ranked 10th, closed out the dual with a 12-5 major decision over Jordan Wohlfert at 174 pounds, scoring on five takedowns -- four in the first period -- and accumulating 2:28 in riding time. Yates allowed just five escapes in the match, including one in the waning seconds to just miss on bonus. Michigan will close out the dual portion of its 2012-13 schedule next Sunday (Feb. 17) heading to Corvallis, Ore., to participate in the annual Cliff Keen/NWCA National Duals. In addition to Michigan and host Oregon State, the Corvallis regional will feature Oklahoma and Virginia Tech in a four-team bracket. Results: 184 -- #18 John Rizqallah (MSU) dec. Chris Heald, 6-1 MSU, 3-0 197 -- Max Huntley (U-M) dec. Nick McDiarmid, 7-4 Tied, 3-3 Hwt -- #7 Mike McClure (MSU) dec. #19 Ben Apland, 5-1 MSU, 6-3 125 -- Brenan Lyon (MSU) pinned #15 Sean Boyle, 2:01 MSU, 12-3 133 -- Rossi Bruno (U-M) major dec. Brandon Fifield, 11-1 MSU, 12-7 141 -- Mike Hillock (U-M) dec. Nick Trimble, 4-3 MSU, 12-10 149 -- #10 Eric Grajales (U-M) pinned Dan Osterman, 1:28 U-M, 16-12 157 -- Ryan Watts (MSU) dec. Michael Carpenter, 3-1 U-M, 16-15 165 -- #9 Taylor Massa (U-M) tech. fall Nick Proctor, 15-0 (7:00) U-M, 21-15 174 -- #10 Dan Yates (U-M) dec. Jordan Wohlfert, 12-5 U-M, 24-15

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team, ranked No. 1 nationally in InterMat's Tournament Power Index, took care of business at No. 6 Ohio State, rolling up bonus points in a 29-18 win in Columbus. Junior All-American's David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio) and Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.) led head coach Cael Sanderson's squad with big pins at 165 and 184. Sophomore All-American Nico Megaludis (Murrysville, Pa.), ranked No. 2 at 125, put the Lions up early with a 9-1 major over No. 12 Nikko Triggas. Megaludis used a furious third period that included two near fall points. No. 1 Logan Stieber then pinned Lion freshman Jordan Conaway (Abbottstown, Pa.) at 133, getting the fall at the 1:59 mark. No. 2 Hunter Stieber matched his brother, pinning Lion senior Derek Reber (Lewisburg, Pa.) at 141 (1:25). The Buckeyes got a boost at 149 when No. 19 Cam Tessari upset No. 7 Andrew Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.) 3-1, putting Ohio State up 15-4 after four bouts. All-American Dylan Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.), ranked No. 5 at 157, then notched a hard-fought 4-3 win over No. 19 Josh Demas to cut into the Buckeye lead. Defending National Champion Taylor, ranked No. 2 at 165, then nearly erased the lead with a pin of Mark Martin with just :05 left in the opening period. The fall (2:55) cut Ohio State's lead to 15-13. Ohio State picked up another upset win at 174 with No. 7 Nick Heflin using a last second takedown to grab a 3-2 win over No. 5 Matt Brown. Defending National Champion Ruth, ranked No. 1 at 184, then gave Penn State the lead with a quick cradle. Ruth got the pin early in the first period, getting the fall at the 1:51 mark and putting Penn State up 19-18. Three-time All-American Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.), ranked No. 3 at 197, then majored OSU's Kenny Courts 9-1. The win put the Lions up 23-18. Sophomore Jimmy Lawson (Tom's River, N.J.) then put the capper on the dual with a strong showing against No. 12 Peter Capone at 285. Lawson used a takedown, two back points and reversal after choice to roll up a 6-0 lead before Capone took an injury forfeit. The six-point victory gave Penn State the 29-18 win. The Nittany Lions won the takedown battle 10-4 but dominated the bonus point war, picking up 11 while winning six of ten bouts. Penn State had two pins, two majors and the forfeit win at 285 (with Lawson already leading 6-0 at the time). Taylor and Ruth each recorded their 32nd career pins, moving them into a tie for fifth all-time at Penn State. Wright currently sits in second with 35. Ruth and Wright remain unbeaten on the season, with Ruth checking in at 23-0 and Wright at 22-0. Taylor is 21-1. Penn State moves to 11-1 on the year, 7-1 in this, its final Big Ten dual. The Buckeye home loss sends OSU to 11-3, 5-3 in Big Ten duals. Penn State will close out the home portion of its schedule on Sunday, Feb. 17, when Rider visits Rec Hall for a 2 p.m. meeting. The dual is sold out but a limited number of SRO tickets may be available. For availability, fans can call 1-800-NITTANY or visit the Bryce Jordan Center ticket office windows from 10 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. 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 2012-13 Penn State Wrestling season is presented by The Family Clothesline. Results: 125: #2 Nico Megaludis PSU maj. dec. #12 Nikko Triggas OSU, 9-1 4-0 133: #1 Logan Stieber OSU pinned Jordan Conaway PSU, WBF (1:59) 4-6 141: #2 Hunter Stieber OSU pinned Derek Reber PSU, WBF (1:25) 4-12 149: #19 Cam Tessari OSU dec. #7 Andrew Alton PSU, 3-1 4-15 157: #5 Dylan Alton PSU dec. #19 Josh Demas OSU, 4-3 7-15 165: #2 David Taylor PSU pinned Mark Martin OSU, WBF (2:55) 13-15 174: #7 Nick Heflin OSU dec. #5 Matt Brown PSU, 3-2 13-18 184: #1 Ed Ruth PSU pinned C.J. Magrum OSU, WBF (1:51) 19-18 197: #3 Quentin Wright PSU maj. dec. #16 Kenny Courts OSU, 9-1 23-18 285: Jimmy Lawson PSU inj. frf #12 Peter Capone OSU, Lawson up 6-0 at time 29-18 Attendance: 6,061 Records: Penn State 11-1, 7-1 Big Ten; Ohio State 11-3, 5-3 Big Ten Up Next for Penn State: Home vs. Rider, Sunday, Feb. 17, 2 p.m. - Rec Hall BOUT-BY-BOUT: 125: In one of many bouts pitting ranked wrestlers against each other, Nittany Lion Nico Megaludis (Murrysville, Pa.) faced off against Ohio State's Nikko Triggas. Megaludis entered the dual ranked No. 2 while Triggas was No. 12. Triggas tried an early throw that Megaludis quickly rolled through for a takedown of his own and a 2-1 lead after a quick Triggas escape. The duo then battled through an even minute with Megaludis holding on to the one point lead through the 1:00 mark. With no more scoring, Megaludis led by one after the opening stanza and chose down to start the second. A quick escape gave the Lion a 3-1 lead at the 1:35 mark and action continued in the center circle with Megaludis fighting off a quick Triggas shot. Megaludis looked to get in on a single leg with :10 left on the clock but could not finish off the move and led by two after two periods. Triggas chose top to start the third period and Megaludis quickly escaped. He was then able to gain control of Triggas' ankle and work his way to a takedown and a 5-1 lead. The sophomore then turned the senior for two near fall points and with a ride out and a bonus point, rolled to a 9-1 major decision. 133: Red-shirt freshman Jordan Conaway (Abbottstown, Pa.) took to the mat against the nation's top-ranked 133-pounder, Ohio State's Logan Stieber. Stieber got the first takedown early, gaining control of Conaway's leg and rolling to a 2-0 lead under a minute into the bout. The top-ranked Buckeye then put together a strong ride, turning Conaway for three near fall points and a 5-0 lead at the 1:03 mark. He was able to readjust and work Conaway's shoulders to the mat for a first period pin at the 1:59 mark. 141: Senior Bryan Pearsall (Lititz, Pa.) was held out of action once again, giving senior Derek Reber (Lewisburg, Pa.) a shot at No. 2 Hunter Stieber at 141. Stieber scored quickly, taking Reber down for an early 2-0 lead. The second-ranked Buckeye then put together a strong ride and was able to turn Reber to his back for a quick pin, getting the fall at the 1:25 mark. 149: Sophomore Andrew Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.), ranked No. 7 at 149, met No. 19 Cam Tessari for Ohio State. Alton came out quick, looking for an early throw and nearly getting it. But Tessari was able to roll out of trouble and force a scramble that ended in a stalemate at the 1:50 mark. Alton and Tessari then battle through and even two minutes and the bout moved to the second tied 0-0. Tessari chose down to start the second period and quickly worked his way to a reversal and a 2-0 lead at the 1:32 mark. Tessari controlled the action from the top position, building up a 1:13 riding time edge with a ride out. Trailing 2-0, Alton chose down to start the third period but could not break free of Tessari's ride once again. Tessari clinched the riding time point and maintained control until an Alton escape at the3 :25 mark. Alton scrambled for a takedown but Tessari was able to work the clock down to zeros and, with the riding time point, post the 3-1 win. 157: Sophomore Dylan Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.), ranked No. 5 at 157, tangled with Buckeye Josh Demas, ranked No. 19. The tandem battled through scoreless action deep into the first period with Alton connecting on a high double at the :40 mark and rolling to a takedown and a 2-0 lead. Alton maintained control for the rest of the period and, with a ride-out, carried a 2-0 lead into the second. Alton chose down to start the second and quickly escaped to a 3-0 lead. Alton kept up the offensive pressure, setting the tempo in the middle of the mat with quick low single leg shots. The Lion sophomore fought off a late Demas flurry and held the 3-0 lead after two periods. Demas chose down to start the third and quickly escaped to a 3-1 deficit. He then stepped back from an Alton shot and notched his own takedown. Alton quickly escaped to a 4-3 lead with 1:30 on the clock. Alton got called for a first stall warning at the :45 mark. He dove in at Demas' feet after a reset and was nearly countered for a takedown. Alton then fought off a late Demas shot, with time running out and Alton escaping with a 4-3 win. The victory cut Ohio State's lead to 15-7. 165: Junior David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio), ranked No. 2 nationally at 165, met freshman Mark Martin. Martin scored early, taking Taylor down for a 2-0 lead at the 2:11 mark. Taylor then worked his way to an escape and action resumed in the center of the mat. Taylor took the lead with a low single and then cut Martin loose to a 3-3 tie. Taylor rolled through a single leg for a takedown. The two-time All-American then turned Martin to his back, spending the final :20 of the period working for a fall and getting the pin with just :05 left on the clock. The fall at the 2:55 mark cut the Buckeye lead to 15-13. 174: Sophomore Matt Brown (West Valley City, Utah), ranked No. 5 at 174, took on No. 7 Nick Heflin of Ohio State in one of the dual's most anticipated match-ups. The highly ranked duo battled evenly for two-plus minutes, with each wrestler looking for control up high. Neither wrestler was able to score and the bout moved to the second stanza tied 0-0. Brown chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. Brown looked to score on a high double at the 1:00 mark but Heflin was able to step out of bounds. Brown's pressure forced Heflin into a first stall warning. Trailing by one, Heflin chose down to start the third period. Heflin escaped and Brown immediately turned into the Buckeye, forcing him backwards towards the edge of the mat. Brown continued to try and connect on high singles with Heflin's defense holding firm. Brown continued to scramble for a score but Heflin was able to counter a shot with just :05 on the clock and get a takedown to steal the win. The 3-2 victory put Ohio State up 18-13. 184: Junior Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.), ranked No. 1 in the country at 184, faced off against C.J. Magrum. Ruth quickly took the Buckeye down and began looking for way to complete a cradle. With Magrum working to his base, Ruth worked into a cradle and ended the bout early, sending Magrum's shoulders flat at the 1:51 mark and giving the Nittany Lions a slim 19-18 lead. 197: Senior Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.), ranked No. 3 at 197, met Kenny Courts for Ohio State. Courts was ranked No. 16 at 184. Wright looked to scramble to another first period pin, nearly turning Courts to his back at the 1:33 mark. But a stalemate was called and action resumed with the bout scoreless. Wright's steady offense led to a go-ahead takedown with :25 on the clock and, with the ride out, the Lion senior led 2-0 after one period. Wright chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 3-0 lead. Wright countered a solid Courts shot, rolling underneath the Buckeye and gaining control for a takedown and a 5-0 lead with 1:20 on the clock. Wright then put together a strong ride and led 5-0 with over 1:00 in time after two. Courts took top to start the final stanza and Wright quickly escaped to a 6-0 lead. Wright rolled around a slight Courts shot, moving quickly behind the Buckeye for another takedown and an 8-0 lead with :45 on the clock. Courts escaped to an 8-1 score with :25 left but Wright had clinched the riding time point. The bonus point gave Wright an impressive 9-1 major and Penn State a 23-18 lead. 285: Sophomore Jimmy Lawson (Tom's River, N.J.) took to the mat for Penn State against No. 12 Peter Capone at 285. The duo battled evenly in the center of the mat for the entire period with neither wrestler finding an opening to score until the :30 mark. Lawson then countered a Capone shot and rolled through a takedown and two near fall points before Capone called for an injury timeout with :20 on the clock. Lawson then chose down after the injury time and quickly reversed the ranked Buckeye with :10 on the clock. With Lawson leading 6-0, Capone could not continue and the injury forfeit gave the Lions a 29-18 win.

After 75 years of individual state wrestling tournaments, the debut team state championship went off at St. John Arena in Columbus, Ohio on Saturday with excitement across all three divisions. Two of the opening round dual meets in Division III (small schools) were decided in the last bout; Versailles scored a 40-30 victory over Upper Sandusky when Andrew Smith got the fall 54 seconds into the match, and Johnstown Northridge earned a 35-33 victory with a fall coming from returning state qualifier Anthony Verhovec at the 4:48 mark. Opening round wrestling in Division II had one upset, a 31-30 criteria victory for Hamilton Ross over CVCA; while it was all chalk in Division I with the four nationally ranked squads pulling out victories: No. 2 St. Edward defeating Pickerington Central 66-4, No. 16 Massillon Perry with a 49-24 victory over Marysville, No. 20 Cincinnati Moeller with a 49-12 victory over Centerville, and No. 26 Brecksville with a 40-19 victory over Oregon Clay. Both Division III semifinal bouts were blowouts, with Delta earning a 45-24 victory over Versailles, and Tuslaw securing a 51-15 victory over Johnstown Northridge. Semifinal dual meets in Division II were similarly one-sided with No. 5 St. Paris Graham scoring a 43-18 victory over Toledo Central Catholic, and Claymont earning the 48-22 victory over Hamilton Ross. One match of interest in the Division II semifinals had No. 2 Micah Jordan (St. Paris Graham) moving up a weight class to 138 pounds to face Alex Mossing, the projected state champion in that weight class; two-time state champion Jordan earned a 13-5 major decision victory over the Preseason Nationals runner-up and two-time state placer. The Division I semifinal bouts were also non-competitive, as St. Edward beat Brecksville 48-15, while Massillon Perry beat a short-handed Cincinnati Moeller squad 41-23 In the St. Edward vs. Brecksville dual meet, L.J. Bentley opened up with a pin for St. Edward at 106 over reserve wrestler Jared Bronstrup, while the Assad brothers for Brecksville (No. 3 Austin and No. 1 Aaron) earned tight victories up a weight class; Austin getting a 7-6 victory over Sal Corrao at 113, and Aaron a 3-1 victory over Austin Hiles at 120. Major decisions from Chance Driscoll (126), No. 4 Edgar Bright (145), and No. 9 Markus Scheidel (152); a technical fall from No. 17 Colin Heffernan (138); and a pin from No. 3 Dean Heil (132) would give the Eagles a 29-6 lead to put the dual meet more or less out of reach. The anticipated competitive nature of the other semifinal in Division I was taken away when state alternate Connor Borton (126) did not weigh in and returning state third place finisher Dakota Sizemore (160) failed skin check. That resulted in the Crusaders having to take a forfeit at 126, and having to send out a reserve wrestler (Campbell Morton) at 160 against projected state placer Bruno Millin. Things did not start good for the Crusaders either, when Massillon Perry was able to get a pin out of backup Tommy Genetin at 106 pounds, and bumped up No. 5 Jose Rodriguez to 113, where he earned a 4-3 win over projected state placer Conner Ziegler. The Crusaders did get a 5-0 victory from freshman Jacoby Ward at 120 and an 11-3 major decision victory from senior Andrew Mendel at 132 sandwiched around state champion David Bavery getting the forfeit for the Panthers at 126 to cut the deficit to 15-7. However, four consecutive victories from Casey Sparkman (138), Isaac Bast (145), Tony Dailey (152), and Bruno Millin (160) would make it 32-7 for Massillon Perry, which meant it was all over but for the final score. All three championship matches on Saturday night had electric starts with leads switching multiple times. Though the Division III match ended up being a blowout victory for Delta, 52-17 over Tuslaw, the lead did switch four times in the first six matches. Things opened up with freshman Jacob Speiss, the projected state champion, scoring a fall at the 1:31 mark to give Delta a 6-0 lead. The next two matches were victories for Tuslaw, Jake Johnston scoring a 25-9 technical fall at 113 and two-time state qualifier Dion Perez earning a 9-4 victory against returning state placer Kyle Keller at 120, to give the Mustangs the lead at 8-6. Freshman Dustin Marteney answered back for the Panthers with a 9-1 major decision at 126, while in the next match senior state qualifier Dylan Marthey gave Tuslaw their last lead at 11-10 with a 6-1 decision over fellow senior James Dailey. The pin by junior Christian Valentine at 3:04 started a string of eight consecutive Delta victories, including six pins in that stretch, which gave them the first-ever team state title. Having won the last 12 individual bracket team state titles in Division II, the No. 5 ranked in the nation Falcons had a battle on their hands with the Mustangs, as there were six lead changes and two ties in the first eight weight classes. The opening match did not go the Falcons way, as freshman Tyler Warner scored a 7-4 upset victory for Claymont over No. 8 Eli Stickley. The second match was also a tight one, as the Falcons tied up the dual meet with a 6-4 overtime victory by state placer Eli Seipel against state qualifier Dustin Warner. Freshman Brent Moore gave St. Paris Graham their first lead of the night at 6-3 with a 6-4 decision over junior Kollin Clark. Projected state champion Cody Burcher gave Claymont a 9-6 lead with a fall at the 1:34 mark against freshman Mario Kastl, while No. 2 Micah Jordan answered back with a pin at the 3:10 mark against Drew Dillon to give the Falcons the lead at 12-9. Consecutive decision wins for the Mustangs from senior Drew Avery and junior state qualifier Caden Herron gave them back the lead at 15-12. A 19-4 technical fall from freshman sensation Alex Marinelli, ranked No. 10 nationally, and pin from arguably the nation's best wrestler Bo Jordan gave St. Paris Graham a 23-15 lead from which they would not look back. However, it took three consecutive victories from some of the Falcons less heralded wrestlers to make sure that was the case. Lane Thomas earned a 15-3 victory over Matt Dennis, an outcome which was unexpected for its margin in a battle of juniors, at 170; sophomore Josh Couchman earned the mild upset at 182, with a 4-2 overtime victory over junior Colt Crall; while senior Anthony Welty slid down a weight class to 195, and earned the pin at the 5:08 mark against sophomore Nate Gray to clinch the victory. The Mustangs did cut the deficit to a 36-24 final score with a pin and decision in the last two matches. The big-school match between No. 2 St. Edward and No. 16 Massillon Perry was easily the most anticipated match of the day in Columbus, and it was also the most intense. The Eagles, winners of 15 of the last 16 state titles through the individual tournament in Division I, faced off against the Panthers, who have finished second or third in each of the last ten years. If the Panthers were to pull off an upset, the opening four weights of the dual meet would be a key, as those matches had the combination of favoring the Panthers and/or not involving the meat of the St. Edward lineup. The opening three went -- more or less -- in favor Massillon Perry, as No. 5 Rodriguez scored a 3-1 victory over fellow sophomore L.J. Bentley at 106; sophomore Jason Spencer earned a 3-2 decision at 113 over senior Sal Corrao; and state champion David Bavery got the 11-7 decision over freshman Austin Hiles at 120, though the Panthers were hoping for bonus points there. Facing a 9-0 deficit, the Eagles got a crucial victory from senior Chance Driscoll at 126 pounds, 3-1 over sophomore Austin Phillips on a third period takedown. Further cutting the deficit would be No. 3 Heil, a three-time state champion, with a 13-3 major decision over fellow senior Jamie Norris. However, that was somewhat a victory for the Panthers, who were further buoyed by a 5-4 upset victory from junior Casey Sparkman over No. 17 Colin Heffernan. Heffernan trailed 3-1 with 30 seconds remaining, but went ahead on a second stalling for Sparkman immediately followed up by a takedown at the edge of the mat. Then, on the immediate sequence after, Sparkman got the reversal and was able to keep Heffernan down for the last seconds of the match. However, senior Edgar Bright -- ranked No. 4 nationally -- scored the pin against Panthers reserve junior Justin Burns at the 1:22 mark to give the Eagles a 13-12 lead, their first of the match. Massillon Perry bumped up returning state placer Isaac Bast into this weight class to face fellow state placer No. 9 Scheidel, and it was Scheidel extending the Eagles lead to 17-12 with an 11-2 major decision. Also bumping up weight classes for the Panthers were Tony Dailey and Bruno Millin, whose decision victories at 160 and 170 gave the Panthers at 18-17 lead; for Dailey it was 15-9 over senior Robbie Rogers, and it was 5-2 for Millin over junior Ray Barr, though Massillon Perry was looking for bonus in either match. A key strategy for St. Edward in the end game was weighing in junior Gabe Dzuro at 182 and senior Domenic Abounader -- who is ranked No. 2 nationally at 182 -- up in the 195 pound weight class. Dzuro was able to secure a 3-1 victory over sophomore Brady Durieux to move the Eagles ahead 20-18, a lead that would stand the rest of the night. Sending out Abounader first, Massillon Perry chose to void the weight class, as they only had one wrestler weighed in there. That wrestler was defending state champion Joe Tayse, who the Panthers chose to bump up to 220 pounds. Trailing 26-18 in the dual meet with two matches to go, Massillon Perry still had a shot to win the dual meet, but would need wins and bonus points. Tayse went out to the mat at 220 charged with the task of winning and getting bonus points. However, it was the sophomore Parker Knapp who showed fire to start the match, getting the opening takedown. Tayse did respond to win 7-3, but Knapp had done his job. Then, it would come down to the 285 weight class, where it was a battle of juniors, state qualifier Stefano Millin for Massillon Perry and Ralph Nichols for St. Edward. Trailing 26-21, the task was clear for Millin. Not only to win, but get a pin, something he had done against Nichols at the Ironman without that added pressure on. However, in this match, it would be Nichols scoring the only two takedowns, as he won 4-2 in overtime, and was one of many heroes in the Eagles 28-21 victory (team point deduction during the last match) and the maiden Division I team state wrestling title.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- The No. 11 Virginia wrestling team captured eight of 10 individual matches in a 27-6 victory over Old Dominion Sunday on Senior Day at Memorial Gymnasium. The Cavaliers (15-3) picked up their sixth straight dual win and finished 7-0 in home duals this season. "We won the match and we are happy to get the win on Senior Day," head coach Steve Garland said. "It was good on paper, but it wasn't our best day. Give Old Dominion a lot of credit. They wrestled us really tough. Every one of their kids battled, and they are well coached. We need to keep working hard to maintain a high standard every day out there." Prior to the match Virginia honored five fifth-year seniors in Senior Day ceremonies: Jedd Moore (Mount Vernon, Ohio), Matt Nelson (Pittsburgh, Pa.), Mike Salopek (North Huntingdon, Pa.), Matt Snyder (Lewistown, Pa.) and Derek Valenti (Newton, N.J.) No. 7 Nick Sulzer (R-So., Cleveland, Ohio) and No. 16 Jon Fausey (R-Jr., Dalmatia, Pa.) each put up bonus-point wins for the Cavaliers. No. 10 Matt Snyder (R-Sr., Lewistown, Pa.) moved into the top 10 in career wins at Virginia with a 1-0 win over Rob Deutsch at 125 pounds. Ranked 20th nationally by InterMat, Valenti earned his 91st career win with a victory over Josh Clark at 149 pounds. The dual was full of low-scoring, defensive battles, starting at 125 pounds where Snyder (15-6) and Deutsch were tight throughout before Snyder eked out a 1-0 win based on the riding time point. Snyder took the top position in the third period and rode Deutsch for the full two minutes to secure the riding time point. Snyder now has 92 career wins, passing Garland (1997-2000) and Nick Nelson (2007-12) for 10th in program history. The 133-pound bout was a great match, as No. 14 George DiCamillo (Fr., Highland Heights, Ohio) and Scott Festejo battled down to the wire with DiCamillo (27-7) pulling out a 4-3 win. DiCamillo took a 1-0 edge to the third period, but Festejo reversed him early in the period and then built his riding time to well over one minute before DiCamillo escaped. DiCamillo quickly pounced near the edge of the mat and took Festejo down with 40 seconds left. He rode Festejo the remainder of the period and, although Festejo picked up the riding time point, DiCamillo got the 4-3 win. Old Dominion (10-7) earned its first win at 141, as No. 16 Chris Mecate downed the Cavaliers' Joe Spisak (R-So., Boiling Springs, Pa.), 6-2. Mecate jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead with a first-period takedown and two back points in rolling to the win while snapping Spisak's 15-match winning streak as he fell to 19-3. Ranked No. 20 nationally, Valenti (15-6) moved into 11th place in career wins at Virginia with his 91st career victory with a 1-0 decision against Clark. Valenti scored the match's lone point with a quick escape point in the second period. Clark chose the neutral position in the third and was unable to score. Valenti is now tied for 11th in UVa history with Garland (1997-2000) and Nick Nelson (2007-12), one behind Snyder. Moore (28-5) also was locked in a tight battle before pulling out a 3-2 win over Brennan Brumley at 157. Moore scored an escape point in the second to take a 1-0 lead into the third, but Brumley escaped early in the third to knot the score. Moore shot in on a double-leg for a takedown just seconds later to take a 3-1 lead. Brumley escaped with just under a minute later but was unable to score from there as Moore secured his 80th career win. Sulzer (22-6) dominated throughout in a 16-7 win over Brett Miller. He scored three takedowns in the first period and added a pair of takedowns in both the second and third periods as he methodically worked for the major decision. Sulzer matched Moore for the team lead with his ninth major of the year. Fausey (27-6) also was impressive as he posted a 16-1 technical fall over ODU's Marcus Johnson at 174. There was no scoring until late in the first when Fausey took Johnson down and picked up two back points. Fausey reversed Johnson early in the second period, but he blew the match open in the third. After tilting Johnson to get three back points, Fausey scored a pair of points on stalling calls and also tacked on a two-point near fall as well as a final takedown with 10 seconds left. He accumulated 3:45 in riding time to secure the tech fall. Stephen Doty (R-Jr., St. Louis, Mo.) grinded out a 2-0 win over Austin Coburn at 184. The match was scoreless going into the third, but Doty (13-8) escaped for a point and racked up 1:11 in riding time to claim the bonus point. ODU's final win came at 197 as Jacob Henderson outlasted Salopek (11-3), 3-1, in sudden victory time. Henderson scored a takedown with 21 seconds left in the extra frame to clinch the win. Derek Papagianopoulos (R-So., Burlington, Mass.) finished off the Cavaliers' win with a 5-2 victory Matt Tourdot in the heavyweight match. The match was close throughout, but Papagianopoulos (6-4) finished it off with a takedown with three seconds left in the third period. Virginia heads to Ithaca, N.Y., next Sunday (Feb. 17) to compete in the NWCA National Duals. The Cavaliers will be joined by the host school, 10th-ranked Cornell, as well as No. 13 Nebraska and Hofstra. The brackets for each of the four sets of four-team regionals will be announced early this week. The champion of the bracket will advance to championship round to join No. 8 Illinois, No. 2 Iowa, No. 4 Minnesota and No. 5 Ohio State the following Sunday in Minneapolis. Results: 125: No. 10/10 Matt Snyder (UVa) dec. Rob Deutsch (ODU), 1-0; UVa 3-0 133: No. 14/15 George DiCamillo (UVa) dec. Scott Festejo (ODU), 4-3; UVa 6-0 141: No. 16/15 Chris Mecate (ODU) dec. No. NR/19 Joe Spisak (UVa), 6-2; UVa 6-3 149: No. 20/15 Derek Valenti (UVa) dec. Josh Clark (ODU), 1-0; UVa 9-3 157: No. 15/9 Jedd Moore (UVa) dec. Brennan Brumley (ODU), 3-2; UVa 12-3 165: No. 7/7 Nick Sulzer (UVa) major dec. Brett Miller (ODU), 16-7; UVa 16-3 174: No. 16/15 Jon Fausey (UVa) tech fall Marcus Johnson (ODU), 16-1; UVa 21-3 184: Stephen Doty (UVa) dec. Austin Coburn (ODU), 2-0; UVa 24-3 197: Jacob Henderson dec. No. 20/NR Mike Salopek (UVa), 3-1 SV; UVa 24-6 285: Derek Papagianopoulos (UVa) dec. Matt Tourdot (ODU), 5-2; UVa 27-6

EDINBORO, Pa. -- Ernest James has been in the position countless times, but Sunday’s final match against Kent State certainly had a bizarre ending. The junior heavyweight came away with a 4-2 decision in a tiebreaker to provide 16th-ranked Edinboro with the winning margin in a 20-19 win over Kent State at McComb Fieldhouse. The Fighting Scots improved to 9-4 while the Golden Flashes are now 9-5. Edinboro had grabbed a 17-4 lead after five matches, but Kent State came back to win the next four matches and take a 19-17 lead heading into the heavyweight bout. In his third year as the starter at heavyweight, James, ranked 20th by InterMat, has been entered the final match needing a win to secure the dual victory on numerous occasions. Standing in his path this time was KSU’s Keith Witt. The two had met earlier in the year with James claiming a 1-0 win over Witt at the Michigan State Open. Following a scoreless first period, James opened the scoring with a escape 30 seconds into the second period. Witt answered with an escape with 1:15 remaining in the third, and neither wrestler scored in overtime. James started the tiebreaker on the bottom. He was awarded a point when Witt was called for locked hands with 15 seconds left. He was able to work for an apparent reversal just prior to the buzzer. The official conferred with the table and then confirmed the call, giving James a 4-1 lead. He would rideout Witt over the next 30 seconds, although Witt received a point for stalling at the buzzer. With the win James improved to 20-8. One other match proved key to the triumph. Casey Fuller (7-9) claimed a 12-10 decision in overtime against Tommy Sasfy (13-15) at 157 lbs. Fuller was replacing regular starter Michael Depalma in the lineup. Fuller jumped out to a surprising 7-1 lead after one period thanks to a pair of takedowns and three near-fall points, the second takedown coming with two seconds left. Sasfy closed the match to 9-8 after two periods with three takedowns and an escape. A Sasfy reversal gave the Golden Flashes a 10-9 lead, but Fuller would escape with just under a minute left. In overtime Sasfy moved in for the winning takedown with a single-leg shot, but Fuller was able to spin through and claim his own takedown with 21 seconds left. That gave Edinboro a 17-4 lead. The match opened with KSU’s Stevie Mitcheff (24-10) recording four takedowns for a 10-2 major decision over Kory Mines (13-15) at 125 lbs. Mines had defeated Mitcheff, 9-4, earlier in the year. Edinboro claimed the next four bouts, three by bonus points. A.J. Schopp came up with his 16th fall of the season and 35th of his career with a pin of Mack McGuire (21-15) at 2:52. Schopp, now 25-2, is ranked third at 133 lbs. Mitchell Port followed with a 14-3 major decision over Luke Kern (8-20). The sophomore, ranked fifth at 141 lbs. and now 25-3, jumped out to a 7-1 lead after one period thanks to two takedowns and three near-fall points. He added two escapes in the second for a 9-3 advantage, then picked up a stalling point and three more near-fall points in the third, along with owning 3:02 in riding time. Dave Habat, ranked 16th at 149 lbs., boosted his record to 22-7 with a 15-5 major decision over Andy Candiello. All told he recorded six takedowns. After Fuller’s win at 157 lbs. made it 17-4, Kent State picked up 3-2 decisions at 165 and 174 lbs. In what was considered one of the key swing bouts, Caleb Marsh improved to 19-7 with the decision over Johnny Greisheimer. After a scoreless first period, Greisheimer’s two escapes in the second period bracketed a takedown by Marsh. Marsh came up with the winning escape 27 seconds into the third period. The loss dropped Greisheimer to 15-10. At 174 lbs., redshirt freshman Patrick Jennings narrowly missed upsetting Sam Wheeler, who now owns a 23-9 record. It was 2-1 Wheeler after the first period, and a Jennings escape was the lone point in the second period. Wheeler would escape 12 seconds into the final period to drop Jennings to 12-19. Casey Newburg, ranked 17th at 184 lbs., improved to 31-5 with a 10-0 major decision over Vince Pickett. He had a takedown in each period, plus two near-fall points in the first. Pickett, a true freshman, fell to 19-12. Top-ranked Dustin Kilgore displayed how he won a national championship at 197 lbs. in 2011 with a 16-1 technical fall over Warren Bosch. He took down Bosh twenty seconds into the match, then turned the redshirt freshman four times for a 13-1 lead after one period. Bosch began the second period on the bottom, and the wining near-fall points came at the second period buzzer. While losing to fall to 12-14, Bosch was able to deny Kilgore the pin and kept Edinboro in the match. Kilgore leads Division I with 20 falls. Edinboro returns to action on Saturday, February 16, wrestling at second-ranked Iowa. Results: 125 Stevie Mitcheff (KSU) maj. dec. Kory Mines (EU), 10-2 0-4 133 #3 A.J. Schopp (EU) fall over Mack McGuire (KSU), 2:52 6-4 141 #5 Mitchell Port (EU) maj. dec. Luke Kern (KSU), 14-3 10-4 149 #16 Dave Habat (EU) maj dec. Andy Candiello (KSU), 15-5 14-4 157 Casey Fuller (EU) dec. Tommy Sasfy (KSU), 12-10 sv 17-4 165 Caleb Marsh (KSU) dec. Johnny Greisheimer (EU), 3-2 17-7 174 Sam Wheeler (KSU) dec. Patrick Jennings (EU), 3-2 17-10 184 Casey Newburg (KSU) maj. dec. Vince Pickett (EU), 10-0 17-14 197 Dustin Kilgore (KSU) tech. fall Warren Bosch (EU), 16-1 (5:00) 17-19 HWT #20 Ernest James (EU) dec. Keith Witt (KSU), 4-2 tb 20-19

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- The No. 11 Virginia wrestling team rolled to a 42-0 win over Appalachian State Saturday afternoon at Memorial Gymnasium. The Cavaliers (14-3) racked up seven bonus-point wins and did not allow an offensive point in any of their 10 bouts against the Mountaineers (6-6). “There were a lot of good things that happened today,” Virginia head coach Steve Garland said. “I’m really happy with our team’s performance. I could go up and down the lineup and talk about all the great things that we accomplished. Tomorrow is another big one for us with Old Dominion, and it’s Senior Day.” No. 10 Matt Snyder (R-Sr., Lewistown, Pa.) moved into the top 10 in career wins at Virginia by pinning Dominic Parisi at 125 pounds. No. 20 Derek Valenti (R-Sr., Newton, N.J.) earned his 90th career win with a victory over Zach Kechter at 149 pounds. UVa posted a pair a pins, a technical fall and four major decisions in the resounding win. Snyder and Stephen Doty (R-Jr., St. Louis, Mo.) each recorded pins, while No. 15 Jedd Moore (R-Sr., Mount Vernon, Ohio) picked up a tech fall in just one period at 157 pounds. The match started at 149 pounds, where Valenti outlasted Kechter, 2-0, in a defensive battle. Valenti rode Kechter for the full second period to build the riding time and escaped quickly in the third period. He became the 14th Cavalier all-time to reach the 90-win plateau. Moore was dominant, finishing off a 19-1 technical fall against Aaron Scott as the first-period buzzer sounded. Moore recorded two quick takedowns, then methodically tilted Scott for a trio of three-point near falls, followed by two back points and a final three-point near fall to clinch it. Subbing in for Nick Sulzer (R-So., Cleveland, Ohio), Blaise Butler (R-Fr., Belvidere, Ill.) also dominated throughout, rolling up four first-period takedowns as he cruised to a 17-6 major decision over Collins Creech at 165. No. 16 Jon Fausey (R-Jr., Dalmatia, Pa.) notched a 10-2 major decision against Connor Hedash. Fausey scored off a Hedash shot midway through the second period, then rode him before putting him on his back for a pair of back points just before the buzzer. Fausey added a pair of takedowns in the third and built his riding time to 1:40 as he clinched the riding time point as well as the major decision. Doty pinned Jesse Johnson in 2:41 at 184 pounds. The match was scoreless until midway through the first when Doty took Johnson down. Soon after, Doty tilted Johnson for three back points and then flattened him out to secure the pin. Wrestling up a weight class in place of Mike Salopek (R-Sr., North Huntingdon, Pa.) at 197, Zach Nye (R-Fr., Enola, Pa.) posted a 2-0 decision over Paul Weiss. Nye maintained the advantage through the entire second period a and broke the scoreless tie in the third with an escape 25 seconds into the period. He added the riding time point for the 2-0 win. Derek Papagianopoulos (R-So., Burlington, Mass.) controlled the heavyweight match from start to finish in a 10-2 major decision over Joe Cummings. He racked up four takedowns and secured the major decision by holding onto control and preventing an escape in the final seconds. Snyder pinned Dominic Parisi at the 4:46 mark for his 31st career fall – third most in Virginia history. After recording a takedown and two back points in the first period, Snyder took the top position in the second. He put Parisi on his back late in the period and stuck him with 14 seconds left for the fall. He now has 91 career wins, tied with Garland (1997-2000) and Nick Nelson (2007-12) for 10th in program history. No. 14 George DiCamillo (Fr., Highland Heights, Ohio) bolted out to an early lead as he earned an 11-1 major decision over Brett Boston at 133. With a pair of first-period takedowns as well as a takedown and three back points in the second, DiCamillo took a 10-1 lead into the third, and he built up 3:11 in riding time in coasting to the win. Reigning ACC Co-Wrestler of the Week Joe Spisak (R-So., Boiling Springs, Pa.) sealed the shutout win with a 9-3 decision over Chris Johnson at 141 pounds. He scored a pair of first-period takedowns, then reversed Johnson early in the second period en route to his 15th straight victory. Virginia returns home Sunday for its 2012-13 home finale. The Cavaliers play host to Old Dominion at 1 p.m. at Mem Gym; prior to the match UVa will honor Moore, Salopek, Snyder, Valenti and Matt Nelson (R-Sr., Pittsburgh, Pa.) in Senior Day ceremonies. Results: 149: No. 20/15 Derek Valenti (UVa) dec Zach Kechter (ASU) 2-0; UVa 3-0 157: No. 15/9 Jedd Moore (UVa) tech fall Aaron Scott (ASU) 19-1; UVa 8-0 165: Blaise Butler (UVa) major dec. Collins Creech (ASU) 17-6; UVa 12-0 174: No. 16/15 Jon Fausey (UVa) major dec. Collin Hedash (ASU) 10-2; UVa 16-0 184: Stephen Doty (UVa) pinned Jesse Johnson (ASU) 2:41; UVa 22-0 197: Zach Nye (UVa) dec Paul Weiss (ASU) 2-0; UVa 25-0 285: Derek Papagianopoulos (UVa) major dec. Joe Cummings (ASU) 10-2; UVa 29-0 125: No. 10/10 Matt Snyder (UVa) pinned Dominic Parisi (ASU), 4:46; UVa 35-0 133: No. 14/15 George DiCamillo (UVa) major dec. Brett Boston (ASU) 11-1; UVa 39-0 141: NR/No. 19 Joe Spisak (UVa) dec. William Johnson (ASU) 9-3; UVa 42-0

PHILADELPHIA -- After a weekend off, No. 22 Penn returned to the wrestling mat with a vengeance on Saturday, posting a pair of convincing wins over Ivy League rivals. In the morning, Penn downed Harvard, 24-6, and followed that up with a 35-4 trouncing of Brown. The Quakers went 17-3 on the day individually, with a 35-11 edge in takedowns over the two duals. In 2012, Penn left Boston with a sour taste in its mouth after a 23-19 loss to the Crimson which ended a 21-match winning streak. On Saturday, the Quakers made sure they did not suffer back-to-back losses to the Crimson for the first time since the 1988-89 and 1989-90 seasons with a convincing 24-6 win. The Red and Blue won eight of ten bouts, including five in a row to close the dual, to pull away for the win. No. 20 Mark Rappo opened the dual with a 6-3 win over Jeffrey Ott, scoring two points in each period. Rappo scored in multiple ways, notching a takedown in the first period, a reversal in the second and two nearfall points in the third. Ott added a reversal in the third, but it was not enough. Jeff Canfora picked up his first dual win as a Quaker with an 8-5 decision over Shay Warren. Canfora had takedowns in each period, including a late score to break open a 5-4 match. At 141 pounds, the latest incarnation of the C.J. Cobb/Steven Keith rivalry went the way of Keith, 11-4. No. 13 Keith scored quickly in the first, not allowing No. 9 Cobb to get any traction. Keith rode the rest of the period, adding two backpoints for a 4-0 lead with 2:54 of riding time after one period. In the second, Cobb attempted to lessen the wide riding time margin, and did so for most of the period before a late reversal from Keith to build a 6-0 lead and take 1:28 of riding time to the third period. Cobb scored two takedowns in the third period to attempt a comeback, but Keith finished the bout with a takedown in the final seconds for the win. Andrew Lenzi got Penn back on track with a 4-1 win at 149 over Todd Preston. Lenzi scored all of his points in the first period on a takedown and two backpoints via a turk, and wrestled a solid defensive third period for the win. Troy Hernandez had No. 8 Walter Peppelman scrambling early at 157, just missing out on a takedown and backpoints which would have followed before Peppelman finished the wild scramble with five points of his own. Peppelman worked for the fall, but Hernandez did not concede and only allowed a riding time point for a 6-0 loss. Ahead by just three points midway through the dual, the Quakers put together a pair of comeback wins as part of a five-match run to shut the door on the Crimson. Casey Kent started the run at 165 in a battle of true freshmen against Devon Gobbo. Both wrestlers went for an inside trip midway through the first period, but it was Gobbo who finished for four points. Kent escaped quickly out of it though, heading to the second period trailing, 4-1. In the second, Kent was able to work an escape and score a late takedown to tie the match, 4-4, heading to the third. In the final period, Kent came back again after a Gobbo escape to notch the final takedown and add riding time for a 7-5 decision. Ian Korb avenged a loss last year to Harvard in the dual and a loss earlier this season to Cameron Croy at Midlands with a 2-0 decision at 174. After a scoreless first period, Korb was dominant on top in the second for a full two-minute ride. An escape from Korb eight seconds into the third period was the first point of the bout and he finished with aggressive wresting in the final minute to secure the win. The most intense bout of the day came at 184, where Canaan Bethea defeated Josh Popple, 4-2, in second sudden victory to avenge a technical fall loss to Popple earlier in the season at the Binghamton Open. Bethea scored early in the first period and took 2:30 of riding time with him to the second. In the middle frame, Bethea chose neutral, but it was Popple who finished a scramble to tie the match. Popple rode for the entire third period, but all that did was erase Bethea's riding time and send the match to overtime. In the first sudden victory period, a wild scramble lasted almost 30 seconds but did not determine a winner. Bethea initiated the scramble with a shot, but Popple rolled through, looking for a Peterson. Neither connected and the bout went to tiebreakers. Bethea chose down for the first 30-second period, and Popple held him down. Bethea returned the favor in the second 30-second frame. In the second period of sudden victory, Bethea cleared the defense and connected on a blast double for the win. No. 9 Micah Burak needed to come back for his eighth win of the year, but did so in fine fashion against James Fox, 6-3. Fox scored first on a single in the first minute. Burak escaped quickly to being the match to the second period at 2-1. Fox escaped early in the second period, but Burak emphatically tied the match with a lat drop at the buzzer for two points. In the third, Burak chose down and escaped to take a lead, adding to it with a finish from a three-quarter nelson late in the period. Kyle Cowan finished the dual with a 2-1 win. Cowan rode for the entire second period and escaped, countering Daniel Gajdzik's point earned off Cowan's second stall warning. In the second dual of the day, Penn won the first seven bouts to stake itself to a 29-0 lead. Brown did not register a takedown until the 184-pound match, and Penn had the opening score in nine of the ten bouts. Mark Rappo won a physical bout with Billy Waterson, 8-3. Rappo had a takedown in each period, adding 2:29 of riding time for the convincing win. Rappo is now 9-2 in duals this season. Jeff Canfora followed with his first career dual-meet bonus-point win via an 11-0 major decision. Canfora had two takedowns, and added five nearfall points and 3:40 of riding time for the win. No. 9 C. J. Cobb got back to his winning ways with a 10-2 major decision over Cort Choate. Cobb notched four takedowns in the match for his sixth major decision of the season. Andrew Lenzi followed with a win by injury default over Grant Overchasier at 149 pounds. Lenzi led 2-0 quickly before Overchasier had to default at 0:28 of the match. Troy Hernandez was dominant on top in a 6-1 win over Phil Marano, scoring two takedowns and adding 4:16 of riding time. Casey Kent added six more team points with his first career fall, pinning Giuseppi Lanzi at 2:49. Ian Korb finished his sweep of the day with a 10-4 win over Ricky McDonald at 174. Korb had four takedowns in the match. Ophir Bernstein provided the only win of the day for Brown, defeating Harrison Cook at 184 by major decision, 14-3. No. 9 Micah Burak downed Gus Marker, 7-2, to extend Penn's lead to 32-4. Burak had a pair of takedowns in the first period and added a third in the middle period for his scoring. Steven Graziano finished the dual with a two-takedown performance against D.J. Ingham in a 5-2 win. The Quakers are now 7-3 overall in duals, and 2-1 inside the Ivy League. The Quakers head to the Big Apple Feb. 16 to take on Columbia at 2 p.m. Notes: Penn had the takedown edge against Harvard, 13-7 ... Penn had the opening takedown edge, 5-3 ... The Quakers had the edge in close bouts, winning all eight matches decided by three points or less ... Mark Rappo is now 6-1 all-time against Harvard wrestlers ... 11 of Casey Kent's 19 wins have come with bonus points ... Penn has won 21 consecutive duals against Brown ... #22 Penn def. Harvard, 24-6 125: #20 Mark Rappo (Penn) def. Jeffrey Ott (HU), 6-3 Penn leads, 3-0 133: Jeff Canfora (Penn) def. Shay Warren (HU), 8-5 Penn leads, 6-0 141: #13 Steven Keith (HU) def. #9 C.J. Cobb (Penn), 11-4 Penn leads, 6-3 149: Andrew Lenzi (Penn) def. Todd Preston (HU), 4-1 Penn leads, 9-3 157: #8 Walter Peppelman (HU) def. Troy Hernandez (Penn), 6-0 Penn leads, 9-6 165: Casey Kent (Penn) def. Devon Gobbo (HU), 7-5 Penn leads, 12-6 174: Ian Korb (Penn) def. Cameron Croy (HU), 2-0 Penn leads, 15-6 184: Canaan Bethea (Penn) def. Josh Popple (HU), 4-2 (SV2) Penn leads, 18-6 197: #9 Micah Burak (Penn) def. James Fox (HU), 6-3 Penn leads, 21-6 285: Kyle Cowan (Penn) def. Nicholas Gajdzik (HU), 2-1 Penn leads, 24-6 #22 Penn def. Brown, 35-4 125: #20 Mark Rappo (Penn) def. Billy Waterson (Brown), 8-3 Penn leads, 3-0 133: Jeff Canfora (Penn) def. Anthony Finocchiaro (Brown), 11-0 Penn leads, 7-0 141: #9 C.J. Cobb (Penn) def. Cort Choate (Brown), 10-2 Penn leads, 11-0 149: Andrew Lenzi (Penn) def. Grant Overcvashier (Brown), Injury Default (0:28) Penn leads, 17-0 157: Troy Hernandez (Penn) def. Phil Marano (Brown), 6-1 Penn leads, 20-0 165: Casey Kent (Penn) def. Giuseppi Lanzi (Brown), FALL 2:49 Penn leads, 26-0 174: Ian Korb (Penn) def. Ricky McDonald (Brown), 10-4 Penn leads, 29-0 184: Ophir Bernstein (Brown) def. Harrison Cook (Penn), 14-3 Penn leads, 29-4 197: #9 Micah Burak (Penn) def. Gus Marker (Brown), 7-2 Penn leads, 32-4 285: Steven Graziano (Penn) def. D.J. Ingham (Brown), 5-2 Penn leads, 35-4

Upper Iowa picked up their tenth dual win of the season and improved to 6-1 in the Northern Sun Conference with a 21-15 victory over the #15 Vikings of Augustana College in Sioux Falls, S.D. The Peacocks won six of the ten matches including a win by pin at 157 pounds to post the six-point win and set up a big match up with the #1 Huskies of St. Cloud State University on Sunday at 2 p.m. After Augie picked up a 6-2 decision at 125 pounds, Trevor Franklin (#2 NWCA) earned a 5-2 decision at 133 pounds to tie the dual at 3-3. Matt Paulus continued the momentum for UIU with a huge win at 141 pounds. Paulus defeated Brandon Charbonneau, who was 14-1 in his last fifteen duals prior to meeting the New Hampton, Iowa product. Jordan Rinken held his own against the Vikings' Nate Herda, ranked #3 nationally, dropping a 3-1 sudden victory in the 149-pound bout. With the score tied 6-6, Bryce Lumzy scored the biggest of Upper Iowa's wins on the night with a win by fall at 157 pounds in just 53 seconds. The quick pin gave the visitors a 12-6 lead midway through the dual. Upper Iowa put the dual out of reach with wins by decision at 165, 174 and 184 pounds thanks to the efforts of Wade Gobin (#4 NWCA), Blake Sorensen and Mitch Schultz (#5 NWCA). Gobin picked up a 5-4 win and Sorensen followed with a 5-3 victory. Schultz made his first appearance on the mat since the National Duals and recorded an 8-2 win to push UIU's lead to 21-6. After Augustana picked up six points at 197 pounds thanks to a forfeit, Jeremy Brazil toed the line for the final match of the night. Brazil trailed 3-2 in the final seconds and was in position for a winning takedown on the edge of the circle as time wound down, but the horn sounded before the Peacock freshman could score the winning points. Augie used the final decision to pull within six, but Upper Iowa registered the 21-15 win. The Peaccocks will be back on the mat in Dorman Gym to close out their regular season on Sunday, Feb. 10. Upper Iowa will host the #1 Huskies of St. Cloud State on Alumni Day/Senior Day in Fayette. The dual is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. Results: 125 TJ North (Augustana (SD)) won by decision over Chris Paulus (Upper Iowa) 6-2. 3.00 0 133 Trevor Franklin (Upper Iowa) won by decision over Jeremiah Peterson (Augustana (SD)) 5-2. 0 3.00 141 Matt Paulus (Upper Iowa) won by decision over Brandon Charbonneau (Augustana (SD)) 6-1. 0 3.00 149 Nate Herda (Augustana (SD)) won in sudden victory 1 over Jordan Rinken (Upper Iowa) 3-1. 3.00 0 157 Bryce Lumzy (Upper Iowa) won by pin over Zach Friederich (Augustana (SD)) 0:53. 0 6.00 165 Wade Gobin (Upper Iowa) won by decision over Parker Swanson (Augustana (SD)) 5-4. 0 3.00 174 Blake Sorensen (Upper Iowa) won by decision over Jeff Nielsen (Augustana (SD)) 5-3. 0 3.00 184 Mitch Schultz (Upper Iowa) won by decision over Sean Derry (Augustana (SD)) 8-2. 0 3.00 197 Jayd Docken (Augustana (SD)) won by forfeit over Unknown (Unattached) . 6.00 0 285 Brian Schultz (Augustana (SD)) won by decision over Jeremy Brazil (Upper Iowa) 3-2. 3.00 0 15.0 21.0

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- The University of Iowa wrestling team used pins from Tony Ramos and Bobby Telford to defeat No. 8 Illinois, 25-12, tonight inside Huff Hall on the Fighting Illini campus. The win gives Iowa (17-1, 7-0) at least of share of the Big Ten regular season championship. The second-ranked Hawkeyes can clinch the title outright with a win over No. 13 Nebraska on Sunday. Iowa won only six of 10 bouts, but used bonus points at 133, 157 and 285 to separate themselves from the Illini (6-5, 2-5). "We can't let guys hang on and let the clock run against us," said head coach Tom Brands. "There was too much clinging and too much stickiness. We can't allow them to slow us down, and too many times tonight that's what we did." Illinois started fast when Jesse Delgado upset top-ranked Matt McDonough, 9-4, at 125, but the Hawkeyes counterpunched with a fall at 133 from No. 2 Tony Ramos. Ramos and 10th-ranked Daryl Thomas wrestled through a scoreless first period before Ramos scored an escape and takedown in the second period to take a 3-0 lead into the third. Ramos totaled three more takedowns in the final period and was working on nearfall points when he flattened Thomas with: 24 seconds on the clock. "He came out with a game plan against me and I had to make adjustments," Ramos said following his eighth pin of the season. "I could tell he was beginning to wear down and I didn't want to hesitate. I just opened up." Mark Ballweg used an escape and 1:55 of riding time to battle to a 2-0 win at 141, edging Iowa's lead to 9-3. Illinois then answered with a 5-0 win at 149 to trim the Hawkeyes' lead to 9-6. Derek St. John swung the momentum back in Iowa's favor when he piled up nine takedowns and 3:45 of riding time in a 20-8 major decision at 157 pounds. The Hawkeyes took a 13-6 lead into intermission, but Illinois fired back out of the break when No. 8 Conrad Polz topped No. 13 Nick Moore, 7-3, at 165 pounds. The Illlini's third win cut Iowa's lead to 13-9 before Mike Evans stepped to the plate and scored a 2-1 decision over No. 8 Jordan Blanton. After a scoreless first period, Evans grabbed a 1-0 lead with a second period escape. He then rode Blanton for 1:59 in the third period to secure the riding time point, give Iowa a 16-9 team lead, and earn his third win of the season over a top 10 opponent. Ethen Lofthouse answered Evans' win with two takedowns, one reversal, a pair of nearfall points and 1:49 of riding time to earn a 9-5 win over No. 20 Tony Dallago. Lofthouse' s third win of the season over a ranked foe extended Iowa's lead to 19-9 with two matches to go. No. 15 Mario Gonzalez cut the lead to 19-12 with a 3-1 win over Nathan Burak, but his lack of bonus points clinched the dual for Iowa with one match to go. With the team win in the bag, Bobby Telford tied a bow around the victory with a first-period pin over Chris Lopez at 285. Telford finished an early slide-by and was working on back points when he finished the fall at the 2:32 mark. The pin was his fifth of the season "We have to be ready to go Sunday," said Brands. "We can't allow the match to slow down. We need to be in control." The Hawkeyes return to the mat Sunday when No. 13 Nebraska visits Carver-Hawkeye Arena at 2 p.m. Tickets are availabel for purchase at the UI Athletic Ticket Office. Admission is $12 for adults, $8 for youth, and free for kids five-years old and younger. Notes: Attendance was 1,485... Iowa has won or shared the Big Ten dual title in five of the last six years... McDonough's win streak was snapped at 42 matches, the 11th longest streak in school history... Iowa is 7-0 in conference duals with a chance to improve to 8-0 for the fifth time in the last six seasons. Results: 125 - #5 Jesse Delgado (IL) dec. #1 Matt McDonough (IA), 9-4; 0-3 133 - #2 Tony Ramos (IA) pinned #10 Daryl Thomas (IL), 6:36; 6-3 141 - #8 Mark Ballweg (IA) dec. Steven Rodrigues (IL), 2-0; 9-3 149 - Caleb Ervin (IL) dec. Brody Grothus (IA), 5-0; 9-6 157 - #1 Derek St. John (IA) major dec. Matt Nora (IL), 20-8; 13-6 165 - #8 Conrad Polz (IL) dec. #13 Nick Moore (IA), 7-3; 13-9 174 - #4 Mike Evans (IA) dec. #8 Jordan Blanton (IL), 2-1; 16-9 184 - #14 Ethen Lofthouse (IA) dec. #20 Tony Dallago (IL), 9-5; 19-9 197 - #15 Mario Gonzalez (IL) dec. #19 Nathan Burak (IA), 3-1; 19-12 285 - #6 Bobby Telford (IA) pinned Chris Lopez (IL), 2:32; 25-12

AMES, Iowa -- The Iowa State wrestling team (7-4 overall, 1-2 Big 12) defeated No. 20 UNI (8-4 overall, 0-1 MAC), by a score of 23-12 on Friday as the Cyclone won six matches. Three of the Cyclones' wins provided team bonus points. "The atmosphere tonight was great and I thought our guys did a great job of not letting it distract them," Iowa State head coach Kevin Jackson said."They went out there tonight and continued to compete hard as they have been for a long time now. Our guys are getting better everytime they hit the mat and that's what you want to see this time of the year." Redshirt sophomore Kyven Gadson provided one of the highlights of the evening, as he got his first pin of the season in dual competition. Gadson, ranked No. 7 nationally at 197 pounds, stepped on the mat with Iowa State leading 4-3 and took control early of the match early against UNI's Blaize Cabell. Already leading Cabell 12-2 midway through the second period, Gadson brought the crowd of nearly 8,000 Cyclone fans to their feet as he put Cabell to his back and got the pin in 4:27. The win moved Gadson to 17-2 on the year, including a 10-0 mark in dual competition. Tanner Weatherman got back to his winning ways, dominating the first match of the night. Weatherman, ranked No. 20 nationally, defeated UNI's Cody Caldwell by major decision, 13-3. Caldwell is ranked No. 19 by W.I.N. Magazine. Weatherman racked up five takedowns and over three minutes of riding time in the victory. No. 19 Michael Moreno brought the dual to an end at 165 pounds in similar fashion. The Urbandale, Iowa native won a 10-1 major decision over Panther wrestler Jarrett Jensen. Moreno scored four takedowns and had nearly four minutes of riding time. Then win was the 20th of the year for Moreno, who is the first Cyclone to reach the 20-win mark this season. The two seniors in the Cyclone lineup also came away with victories in their last matches ever in Hilton Coliseum. Heavyweight Matt Gibson won a 5-1 decision over UNI's Blayne Beal in commanding fashion, accruing over four minutes of riding time. Max Mayfield also won his Hilton Coliseum swan song with a 4-1 decision over UNI's Bart Reiter. Mayfield's decision made it a 19-9 Iowa State lead, giving the Cyclones added breathing room for the remainder of the dual. Iowa State hits the road for two duals next weekend to take on Michigan State on Friday and Eastern Michigan on Sunday. Results: 125: Ryak Finch (ISU) dec. Ryan Jauch (UNI), 3-0 133: No. 11 Levi Wolfensperger (UNI) dec. John Meeks (ISU), 5-0 141: No. 15 Joey Lazor (UNI) dec. Luke Goettl (ISU), 6-3 149: Max Mayfield (ISU) dec. Bart Reiter (UNI), 4-1 157: David Bonin (UNI) dec. Logan Molina (ISU), 5-2 165: No. 19 Michael Moreno (ISU) mdec. Jarrett Jensen (UNI), 10-1 174: No. 20 Tanner Weatherman (ISU) mdec. Cody Caldwell (UNI), 13-3 184: No. 6 Ryan Loder (UNI) dec. No. 15 Boaz Beard (ISU), 6-1 197: No. 7 Kyven Gadson (ISU) WBF Blaize Cabell (UNI), (4:27) HWT: Matt Gibson dec. Blayne Beale, 5-1

DEKALB, Ill. -- Northwestern won nine bouts, including four with bonus points, Friday night on the road in its convincing 36-6 victory over Northern Illinois. True freshman Dominick Malone (125) and sophomore Jameson Oster (141) recorded falls for the ’Cats while sophomore Pierce Harger (165) had a tech fall and senior Jason Welch (157) recorded a major decision, giving NU extra team points in the victory. The ’Cats quickly put six team points up on the board as 19th-ranked Malone pinned Derek Elmore in 4:20 at 125 lbs. Elmore scored the first takedown but Malone responded with an escape and takedown of his own to lead 3-2 after the first. Malone started the second period down and then reversed Elmore before the fall. True freshman Garrison White extended the lead for NU, defeating Nick Smith 9-5 at 133. White had the 4-2 advantage after the first with two takedowns, added a reversal and escape in the second to lead 7-4. He then added a final takedown in the third to secure the 9-6 victory. Making his first dual start since Dec. 16, sophomore Jameson Oster took on NIU’s lone ranked wrestler, No. 20 Kevin Fanta at 141. Oster jumped out to a 5-2 lead with two takedowns and an escape before recording the first-period fall (2:35) and giving NU a commanding 15-0 lead. NIU then got on the board with a fall at 149 lbs. but the ’Cats responded with more bonus points to take the 19-6 lead before the break. No. 2 Jason Welch shut out NIU’s Andrew Morse, 8-0 at 157 and he did so with three takedowns, an escape and riding time. Northwestern continued to roll after the break and won the final five matches of the night. At 165, No. 15 Pierce Harger scored three takedowns, racked up six nearfall points, had an escape and scored another three points due to NIU stalling as he shut out Dan Burk with the 16-0 tech fall in 5:47. No. 9 Lee Munster only allowed a pair of escapes in his 8-2 decision over Matt Mougin at 174 and true freshman Jacob Berkowitz came back for the win over Bryan Loughlin in the final seconds at 184. Loughlin had the narrow 5-4 edge after the first two periods and chose down to start the third. Berkowitz rode Loughlin the entire period to secure riding time and then tacked on two nearfall points as time expired for the 7-5 win. Friday’s win was the first for Berkowitz since entering the starting lineup. Sophomore Alex Polizzi shut out another NIU opponent with the 5-0 decision over Arber Bebo at 197. Polizzi scored the lone takedown of the match in the first, had a reversal in the second and added a point for riding time. No. 8 Mike McMullan then put the finishing touches on the victory for Northwestern with the 4-2 decision over Jared Torrence at heavyweight. McMullan quickly took Torrence down in the first and led 2-1 going into the second after an NIU escape. Torrence began the second period down and tied things up at 2-2 after an escape at the 1:07 mark. McMullan began the final period down, escaped just five seconds into the third to go up 3-2 and finished the 4-2 win with riding time. Northwestern returns to Welsh-Ryan Arena Sunday night for its final home dual of the 2012-13 season. The ’Cats take on another in-state rival, No. 8 Illinois, at 7 p.m. Be sure to arrive early as the team salutes seniors Paul Jackson, Levi Mele, Marcus Shrewsbury and Jason Welch for Senior Night festivities. Results: 125: #19 Dominick Malone (NU) pins Derek Elmore (NIU), 4:20 (6-0 NU) 133: Garrison White (NU) dec Nick Smith (NIU), 9-6 (9-0 NU) 141: Jameson Oster (NU) pins #20 Kevin Fanta (NIU), 2:35 (15-0 NU) 149: Robert Jillard (NIU) pins Dylan Marriott (NU), 2:43 (15-6 NU) 157: #2 Jason Welch (NU) maj dec Andrew Morse (NIU), 8-0 (19-6 NU) 165: #15 Pierce Harger (NU) tech fall Dan Burk (NIU), 16-0, 5:47 (24-6 NU) 174: #9 Lee Munster (NU) dec Matt Mougin (NIU), 8-2 (27-6 NU) 184: Jacob Berkowitz (NU) dec Bryan Loughlin (NIU), 7-5 (30-6 NU) 197: Alex Polizzi (NU) dec Arber Bebo (NIU), 5-0 (33-6 NU) Hwt: #8 Mike McMullan (NU) dec Jared Torrence (NIU), 4-2 (36-6 NU)