InterMat Staff

BLAIRSTOWN, NJ -- Much was made in the week that followed Blair Academy's stunning 36-21 dual defeat at the hands of Graham, OH about coach Jeff Buxton's decision to bump several of his wrestlers up a weight class. It was a strategic risk, but it was second-guessed significantly on the message boards when it didn't work out. At Saturday afternoon's Blair Super Quad, however, the legendary Bucs coach played all his cards right, and it enabled his team to emerge 3-0 with two very hard-fought wins. Against Wyoming Seminary, the Bucs bumped No.3-ranked 135-pounder Austin Ormsbee up to 140 and 140-pound Cornell-recruit Chris Villalonga up to 145, and they responded with a major decision and a fall, respectively. Jesse Shanaman's tech fall at 152 gave Blair a 15-4 lead, before the Blue Knights reeled off three straight wins of their own to tie the match at 15. Iowa recruit and Blair senior Mike Evans, InterMat's No. 2-ranked 189-pounder, wrestled up at 215 pounds, and pinned Ben Puza to give the Bucs a lead they would never relinquish. Later, sophomore Mark Grey came through with an 11-3 major decision at 119 pounds, to give the Bucs a 31-18 lead, and seal an eventual 31-29 victory. "We were knocking on the door against Blair," Sem coach John Gordon said. "We split 7-7, but bonus points made the difference in that one. And we see them again in three weeks at National Preps, so we get one more shot. I think our kids are believers that they can compete with the top programs, and if all the stars aligned, something special could happen. That's what we need to prepare for." In the final dual of the day, St. Ed's seemed poised to stun Blair in front of a packed house and a raucous crowd that appeared to be split almost 50-50. The dual began at 140, and the teams were even at 6 after Villalonga and St. Ed's Anthony Salupo each recorded an early WBF. Eagles freshman Dominic Abounader kept it close with Shanaman before St. Ed ripped off three straight bonus point victories, led by Virginia-bound senior Nick Sulzer's 23-8 tech fall. Trailing 19-9, Blair again called upon Evans to record a pin at 215, followed by a solid win at heavyweight by freshman Brooks Black. The crowd was nearly thrown into pandemonium moments later when Eagles freshman Edgar Bright countered a throw attempt by InterMat's top-ranked 112-pounder, Evan Silver near the edge of the mat, and took him straight to his back. Silver avoided the fall, however, and managed to gut out a tough 9-8 win. Again, Buxton rolled the dice by bumping Mark Grey up to 125 pounds, and Grey rewarded that decision with a pin early in the second period. That win gave the Bucs a temporary 27-25 lead, but even that advantage was quickly erased by Virginia-bound Gus Sako's 4-1 decision at 130 pounds. Trailing by one, junior All-American candidate Austin Ormsbee fought off a valiant effort by Eagles sophomore Mark Martin to earn the 8-5 decision and allow Blair to escape the day unscathed with consecutive two-point wins. "You do what you can to try to make things happen," Buxton said. "We have nine guys that can carry us, and those nine guys did so in both of those matches today. We came up with some key late wins." Despite Clark's abscense, the Eagles really came out firing against the Bucs, and seemed on the verge of an upset before Blair brought out their big guns at the end. "I thought our kids really battled hard," Urbas said. "We told our kids that we need to build off of this. We just have to keep it going heading into [the Ohio State Tournament]." "We're just looking for better match-ups, the right match-ups," Blair senior captain Mike Evans said. "We had to come in here today and battled against two very tough teams." The meet began in the early afternoon with a bang at 130 pounds when Wyoming Seminary freshman Eric Morris pinned top-ranked Jamie Clark of St. Edward early in the second period. The Illinois-bound senior tried to Granby Roll for an escape, but he landed awkwardly on his shoulder and got stuck in stunning fashion. He appeared to be in severe pain, and spent the rest of the meet with his right arm in a black sling. That was only the beginning of a stellar day for Morris, who went on to record a 15-0 tech fall against Blair, and another pin against Bergen Catholic. St. Ed's coach Greg Urbas didn't want to speculate on the nature of Clark's injury, other than to say that he was in significant pain and that they needed to do further tests to determine its extent. Results Blair Academy 63, Bergen Catholic 9 Wyoming Seminary 33, St. Edward 22 Blair Academy 31, Wyoming Seminary 29 St. Ed 75, Bergen Catholic 0 Blair Academy 30, St. Edward 28 Wyoming Seminary 75, Bergen Catholic 0

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. -- Jared Massey (JR, Circle Pines, Minn./Centennial HS) dominated his weight class, earning Outstanding Wrestler of the Tournament honors as the Augsburg College wrestling team won the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Invitational on Saturday at the McPhee Physical Education Center. Massey opened with two pins in his first two matches, then scored two 16-0, technical-fall victories in the semifinals and finals to win the 197-pound weight class. The defending NCAA Division III national champion and top-ranked wrestler nationally in his weight class, Massey is now 21-0 on the season, with eight pins and two technical falls. In his two seasons at Augsburg, Massey is now 51-1. Augsburg, the top-ranked team in the latest Division III national rankings, won the tournament with 221 points, with No. 6-ranked Wisconsin-La Crosse finishing second with 149.5 points. Division II Wisconsin-Parkside was third with 125 points and No. 9-ranked St. John's was fourth with 109. Augsburg wrestlers won five of the 10 weight classes, with 12 Auggies finishing among the top six in their weight classes in the tournament. At 133 pounds, Paul Bjorkstrand (SR, Burnsville, Minn.), ranked No. 4 nationally, went 4-0 with a technical fall to claim his weight class. Josh Roberts went 3-0 with a pin to claim the title at 125. At 141, No. 5-ranked Jafari Vanier (SR, Minneapolis, Minn./Bloomington Kennedy HS) claimed his title with a 4-0 performance. Heavyweight Andy Witzel (SR, Fulda, Minn.) went 4-0 to claim his weight-class title, with a pin and major decision along the way. Beau Hansen (JR, Albert Lea, Minn.) placed second at 165 pounds for the Auggies, as did Jaime Rocha (SR, Santa Maria, Calif./Righetti HS) at 125 and Brad Baus (SO, Mukwonago, Wis.) at 184. Tony Valek (SO, Belle Plaine, Minn./Scott West) tied for third place at 149, while Cody Hansen (FY, Albert Lea, Minn.) placed third at 141. Ryan Seidler (FY, Adams, Wis./Adams-Friendship HS) placed fourth at 141, while Jackson Mboma (SO, Maple Grove, Minn.) placed sixth for the Auggies at 174. Augsburg returns to action on Friday (2/12) at 7 p.m. at Si Melby Hall, as Augsburg hosts No. 21-ranked Wisconsin-Stevens Point in the final dual meet of the regular season.

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga scored two big wins "Senior Day" at Maclellan Gym today. First, the Mocs wrapped up at least a tie for their sixth-straight Southern Conference title with a 30-9 win over Appalachian State (7-10, 1-2 SoCon). UTC (10-6, 4-0 SoCon) then stunned Northern Iowa (7-11, 3-3 WWC) with a 16-15 comeback win. In the first match of the day, the Mocs dominated the visiting Mountaineers. Freshman Niko Brown opened at 197 with a 10-7 win over Dylan Temple. UTC went up 6-0 when junior Tom Minwell scored a 6-2 decision in the heavyweight match. Chattanooga scored its first bonus points when sophomore Demetrius Johnson pinned Tony Gravely at 125. Gravely surprised Johnson with a takedown in the first period and took an early lead. However, Johnson took control of the match and scored his second pin of the year. Senior Josh Statum was the only Moc competing in his final home match today. He moved to 4-0 in SoCon action this season with his shutout against Jacob Earp 4-0. Sophomore Ben Johnson scored his first win in three tries this season. He logged a 9-4 decision over Chris Collura at 141. Savva Kostis finally got Appalachian State on the board with his pin over freshman Dean Pavlou. Leading 18-6, freshman Josh Condon put away thoughts of an ASU comeback with a pin over Chip Powell at 157. Sophomore Brandon Wright secured the win with a hard-fought 4-3 decision over Kyle Blevins to put the match out of reach at 27-6. UTC split the final two matches with freshman Jake Young winning at 174 and sophomore Jason McCroskey falling at 184. Chattanooga improved to 4-0 in SoCon action with the win. They hold a one-game lead over UNC Greensboro who is 3-1 in league play. Both teams still have to face VMI before the end of the SoCon regular season. Northern Iowa and Appalachian State wrestled in the second match of the day with the Panthers also posting a 30-9 win. That win by UNI set-up the much-anticipated finale with UTC. Dustin Bauman gave the Panthers a 3-0 lead with his 10-5 decision over Brown at 197. The next match was one of many exciting bouts in the dual meet. Minwell jumped out to a surprising 4-2 lead after two periods against Christian Brantley. He quickly moved ahead 5-2 after an escape to begin the third, but Brantley turned on the offense. Brantley scored three straight takedowns and took an 8-7 lead with 10 seconds left. Minwell owned the riding time point and Brantley could have stayed on top and forced overtime. However, he let Minwell up to tie the score at 8-8. Brantley scored the winning takedown at the buzzer to put UNI up 6-3. Another nail-biter took place at 125 between Johnson and Caleb Flores. Neither was able to get any offense going in the match and the score was tied at 1-1 after three periods. Johnson finally got the win with a takedown in overtime. Statum kept up his impressive afternoon, holding on for a tough 4-3 decision over Joey Lazor to tie the match at 6-6. Ben Johnson got his second win of the year with his 5-2 win at 141 over Charlie Ettleson. That win gave UTC its first lead at 9-6. The Panthers tied it up at 9-9 when Trent Washington posted a 10-3 win over Pavlou at 149. Pavlou battled hard and scored a late takedown to keep the Panthers from taking the lead on bonus points. Tyson Reiner's 8-3 win over Condon at 157 gave UNI a 12-9 lead. Wright battled David Bonin to a 1-1 tie after two periods in a match the Mocs' needed to even the score. Wright secured the 3-1 win with a takedown in the third period to knot the team total at 12-12. Northern Iowa returned the favor at 174 when Jarion Beats took down Young in the third period for a 3-1. That left the Mocs trailing 15-12 heading into the last match between McCroskey and Scott Hazen. MCroskey, the 2009 SoCon Freshman of the Year, had struggled as of late, dropping three of his last four matches. Needing bonus points to secure the win, McCroskey dominated Hazen, posting a four-point major decision with a 14-0 win. Chattanooga will next travel to No. 10 Oklahoma on Friday, Feb. 12 before closing out the regular season at VMI on Feb. 18. Chattanooga 30 - Appalachian State 9 197: Nikolas Brown (UTC) - Dec. 10-7 - Dylan Temple (ASU) - UTC 3-0 285: Tom Minwell (UTC) - Dec. 6-2 - Kenneth Altarac (ASU) - UTC 6-0 125: Demetrius Johnson (UTC) - Fall (4:53) - Tony Gravely (ASU) - UTC 12-0 133: Josh Statum (UTC) - Dec. 4-0 - Jacob Earp (ASU) - UTC 15-0 141: Ben Johnson (UTC) - Dec. 9-4 - Chris Collura (ASU) - UTC 18-0 149: Savva Kostis (ASU) - Fall (4:33) - Dean Pavlou (UTC) - UTC 18-6 157: Josh Condon (UTC) - Fall (4:32) - William Powell (ASU) - UTC 24-6 165: Brandon Wright (UTC) - Dec. 4-3 - Kyle Blevins (ASU) - UTC 27-6 174: Jake Young (UTC) - Dec. 6-2 - Andrew Downs (ASU) - UTC 30-6 184: Austin Trotman (ASU) - Dec. 9-4 - Jason McCroskey (UTC) - UTC 30-9 Chattanooga 16, Northern Iowa 15 197: Dustin Bauman (UNI) - Dec. 10-5 - Niko Brown (UTC) - UNI 3-0 285: Christian Brantley (UNI) - Dec. 10-8 - Tom Minwell (UTC) - UNI 6-0 125: Demetrius Johnson (UTC) - Dec. 3-1 (OT) - Caleb Flores (UNI) - UNI 6-3 133: Josh Statum (UTC) - Dec. 4-3 - Joey Lazor (UNI) - 6-6 141: Ben Johnson (UTC) - Dec. 5-2 - Charlie Ettleson (UNI) - UTC 9-6 149: Trent Washington (UNI) - Dec. 10-3 - Dean Pavlou (UTC) - 9-9 157: Tyson Reiner (UNI) - Dec. 8-3 Josh Condon (UTC) - UNI 12-9 165: Brandon Wright (UTC) - Dec. 3-1 - David Bonin (UNI) - 12-12 174: Jarion Beats (UNI) - Dec. 3-1 - Jake Young (UTC) - UNI 15-12 184: Jason McCroskey (UTC) - Dec. 14-0 - Scott Hazen (UNI) - UTC 16-15 Northern Iowa 30 - Appalachian State 9 197: Dylan Temple (ASU) - Dec. 6-2 - Dustin Bauman (UNI) - ASU 3-0 285: Christian Brantley (UNI) - Dec. 10-3 - Ken Altarac (ASU) - 3-3 125: Caleb Flores (UNI) - TF (7:00) - Tony Gravely (ASU) - UNI 8-3 133: Joey Lazor (UNI) - MD 12-4 - Jacob Earp (ASU) - UNI 12-3 141: Charlie Ettelson (UNI) - Fall (2:56) - Chris Collura (ASU) - UNI 18-3 149: Trent Washington (UNI) - MD 15-5 - Savva Kostis (ASU) - UNI 22-3 157: Tyson Reiner (UNI) - TF (6:44) - Chip Powell (ASU) - UNI 27-3 165: Kyle Blevins (ASU) - Dec. 5-3 (OT) - David Bonin (UNI) - UNI 27-6 174: Jarion Beets (UNI) - Dec. 8-2 - Carter Downs (ASU) - UNI 30-6 184: Austin Troutman (ASU) - Dec. 11-4 - Scott Hazen (UNI) - UNI 30-9

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- In its second dual of the day, the Penn wrestling team put together a “Beantown Beatdown” over Harvard, defeating the Crimson, 41-11. Seven of the eight bouts contested resulted in bonus points – six of which came down in Penn’s favor. Each team also picked up a forfeit win, adding to the extra points on each side. The Quakers were pin happy, scoring four falls in the match. 133-pounder Bryan Ortenzio, no. 18 Gabriel Burak at 165, No. 19 Scott Giffin at 174 and heavyweight Tyler Blakely all came through with falls to help Penn dominate the dual in 43 minutes. Mark Rappo (125) and No. 20 Micah Burak (197) also scored major decision wins. Mark Rappo began the dual with a thoroughly dominant 12-3 decision over Steven Keith at 125. Rappo came out firing, needing only nine seconds to take a 2-0 lead. After Keith escaped at 1:14, Rappo came back again with a low double at 1:30 to increase his lead. From top position in the second period, Rappo hooked in a cradle, flipping Keith over for three backpoints at 3:40. Keith evaded the fall and slipped out at 4:00, but Rappo gave him no room and countered a shot into two more points at 4:17. In the third, Rappo rushed a double leg at 5:59 and his 5:02 of riding time locked up the major for Rappo, avenging an earlier loss to Keith at the Binghamton Open. Bryan Ortenzio, not content with a fall in 0:51 earlier in the day at Brown, took some time off that mark against Harvard, pinning Chad Eason in 0:38. Ortenzio attacked quick again taking Eason down five seconds before locking the shoulders down with a walk-up cradle. After a forfeit by Harvard at 141 increased Penn’s lead to 16-0, No, 9 Cesar Grajales added to the big lead with a 6-2 decision over Paul Liguori. The first period took a while to develop until Grajales patiently worked a scramble at 2:15 for the two points. Both men were locked up, but Grajales was able to pull his head out after a deep shot to collect up Liguori’s legs. In the second, Grajales escaped at 3:18, hopping out of Liguori’s grasp. In the third period, Grajales piled up the riding time with a series of big lifts before Liguori escaped. Grajales added a takedown at the buzzer for the final 6-2 score. No. 1 J.P. O’Connor got Harvard on the board with a forfeit win at 157. No. 18 Gabriel Burak and No. 19 Scott Giffin ran off back-to-back pins at 165 and 174 pounds to extend Penn’s lead to 31-6. Burak’s fall came at 2:14 after he had already compiled an 8-0 lead over Nick Brazeau. Burak scored the takedown which led to the fall at 0:22 before adding a pair of three-point nearfalls. Giffin’s second pin of the day came at 3:43 over David Lalo. Giffin was ahead 9-0 early in the second when he earned the pin after a takedown to a cradle. No. 6 Louis Caputo added five points for Harvard at 184 with an 18-0 tech fall at 4:28 over Harrison Cook. At 197, No. 20 Micah Burak avenged a loss earlier at Brown with a 15-5 major decision over Sean Murphy. Burak was in control throughout, turning a 4-1 lead after two periods into the big win. In the third period, Burak went 2-for-1 on takedowns, snap-circling Murphy for two points and then – after cutting him – immediately going back in for the score. Burak went the same route in the final 34 seconds, with takedowns at 6:26 and 6:42 sandwiched around an escape. Tyler Blakely capped the impressive win with a quick fall of his own at heavyweight. Blakely needed 47 seconds to lock in a cradle on Spencer DeSena. Blakely started the bout with a takedown at 0:09 to gain control. The Quakers improve to 8-4 overall in duals and 2-0 in Ivy matches. The Quakers are back in action at The Palestra against No. 7 Cornell on Feb. 13 at 1 p.m. Match Notes Ortenzio’s fall at 0:38 is the fastest by a Penn wrestler this season. Blakely’s pin at 0:47 is the second-quickest … with his two wins today, Ortenzio established a new career-high in wins with 25 … the win extends Penn’s winning streak over Harvard to 19 … Gabriel Burak’s two wins today give him 29 on the season – one more than his career total entering the season. Results: 125 – Mark Rappo (Penn) def. Steven Keith (Harvard), 12-3; Penn leads 4-0 133 – Bryan Ortenzio (Penn) def. Chad Eason (Harvard), FALL 0:38; Penn leads 10-0 141 – Zack Kemmerer (Penn) wins via forfeit; Penn leads 16-0 149 – No. 9 Cesar Grajales (Penn) def. Paul Liguori (Harvard), 6-2; Penn leads 19-0 157 – No. 1 J.P. O’Connor (Harvard) wins via forfeit; Penn leads 19-6 165 – No. 18 Gabriel Burak (Penn) def. Nick Brazeau (Harvard), FALL 2:14; Penn leads 25-6 174 – No. 19 Scott Giffin (Penn) def. David Lalo (Harvard), FALL 3:43; Penn leads 31-6 184 – No. 6 Louis Caputo (Harvard) def. Harrison Cook (Penn), 18-0 (4:28); Penn leads 31-11 197 – No. 20 Micah Burak (Penn) def. Sean Murphy (Harvard), 15-5; Penn leads 35-11 285 – Tyler Blakely (Penn) def. Spencer DeSena (Harvard), FALL 0:47; Penn leads 41-11

NORFOLK, VA -- The Old Dominion-North Carolina State wrestling match originally scheduled for Sunday has been postponed until Tuesday night at 7 p.m. in the Ted Constant Convocation Center. The Wrestling Monarchs (8-4-1) and ranked No. 25 by Intermat and No. 22 by WIN are led by by three wrestlers who are ranked in the top-15 nationally, including No. 7 James Nicholson. The redshirt junior, who is a remarkable 25-1 on the year. Last weekend he defeated No. 10 Matt Steintrager of Central Michigan, 3-1. No. 12 Jesse Strawn and No. 13 Chris Brown were also victorious against the Chippewas. The duo is tied for the most wins on the team with 26 apiece, with Strawn leading the squad in pins (10) and Brown posting the most major decisions (8).

CLEVELAND, Oh. -- The Edinboro wrestling team won its fifth straight dual match on Saturday, handling Cleveland State by a 39-6 score at Woodling Gymnasium in an Eastern Wrestling League match. More importantly, the Fighting Scots boosted their streak of EWL matches without a loss to 29 straight. They are 27-0-2 during that period. The victory boosted Edinboro to 7-4 overall and 4-0 in the EWL. A rebuilding Cleveland State team is now 2-14 and 0-4, respectively. The Fighting Scots won eight of ten matches, picking up bonus points in seven of the wins. Three Fighting Scots won by fall. For the second night in a row Edinboro’s lightweights fueled a fast getaway. The Scots won the first five bouts to jump out to a 23-0 lead. Eric Morrill got the match started with a 25-7 technical fall over Ronald Butler at 125 lbs. The Boro junior is ranked seventh by Amateur Wrestling News and eighth by InterMat, and improved to 28-4. Kyle Fluke made it two straight tech falls as the senior disposed of Zech Huff, 17-2, at 133 lbs. It marked the second straight night the senior won by bonus points in his return from injury. Fluke boosted his record to 12-8. Joel Webster gave Edinboro a 13-0 lead after a 13-2 major decision over Mike Mencini at 141 lbs. That gives Webster a 15-10 record. Torsten Gillespie followed with his second fall in two nights at 149 lbs., this one coming at 3:51 over Dan Castillo. It was Gillespie’s fifth fall of the season and gives the junior a 23-12 record. Johnny Greisheimer closed out Edinboro’s string of five straight wins with a 9-4 decision over Corey Carlo at 157 lbs. That gives the freshman a 21-17 ledger. Cleveland State registered its lone wins of the night at 165 and 174 lbs. Rob Michaels won a 5-0 decision over Chris Hrunka, who was filling in for third-ranked Jarrod King at 165 lbs. Hrunka falls to 1-8 with Michael’s a team-leading 14-8 for the Vikings. Former national qualifier Marcus Effner recorded a 6-1 decision over Paul Paddock at 174 lbs., as Paddock falls to 1-4 with Effner improving to 12-8. Paddock was once again filling in for injured starter Phil Morocone Edinboro would go on to win the final three matches, including back-to-back falls at 184 and 197 lbs. Pat Bradshaw earned career win number 91 while boosting his season chart to 24-11 with a fall at 4:14 over Nick Anthony at 184 lbs. Shawn Fendone recorded his team-leading eighth fall at 197 lbs. as he pinned Jeff Schuller at 3:34. That gives Fendone a 13-7 record. Chris Birchler, ranked 18th at heavyweight, won a 13-4 major decision over Chris Weber to close out the victory. Birchler has a 28-8 record. Edinboro returns to action on Friday, February 12, hosting North Carolina. That match gets underway at 7 p.m. at McComb Fieldhouse. Results: 125 lbs. #8 Eric Morrill (EU) tech. fall Ronald Butler (CSU), 25-7 5-0 133 lbs. Kyle Fluke (EU) tech. fall Zech Huff (CSU), 17-2 10-0 141 lbs. Joel Webster (EU) maj. dec. Mike Mencini (CSU), 13-2 14-0 149 lbs. Torsten Gillespie (EU) fall over Dan Castillo (CSU), 3:51 20-0 157 lbs. John Greisheimer (EU) dec. Corey Carlo (CSU), 9-4 23-0 165 lbs. Rob Michaels (CSU) dec. Chris Hrunka (EU), 5-0 23-3 174 lbs. Marcus Effner (CSU) dec. Paul Paddock (EU), 6-1 23-6 184 lbs. Pat Bradshaw (EU) fall over Nick Anthony (CSU), 4:14 29-6 197 lbs. Shawn Fendone (EU) fall over Jeff Schuller (CSU), 3:34 35-6 Hwt. #18 Chris Birchler (EU)maj. dec. Chris Weber (CSU), 13-4 39-6

On Sunday at 1 p.m. EST, Purdue will take on Michigan State at the Jenison Field House in East Lansing, Michigan. The dual meet will be aired on the Big Ten Network Sunday at 7 p.m. EST with Tim Johnson and Mark Johnson on the call. Michigan State leads the all-time series against Purdue 46-20-1, but the Boilermakers have won the last two meetings. Purdue is 10-8 overall this season and 1-4 in Big Ten action, while Michigan State is 7-5-1 overall and 1-3 in the Big Ten. Below is a weight-by-weight breakdown of Sunday's dual meet. 125: No. 17 Cashé Quiroga (Purdue) vs. Eric Olanowski (Michigan State) Quiroga, a true freshman seems to be gaining confidence with each match he gets under his belt. Last weekend, Quiroga defeated the first ranked opponent of his career, Nikko Triggas of Ohio State, and then gave All-American Zach Sanders a tough battle two days later, which earned him a spot in the rankings. After his 6-4 victory over Wisconsin's Drew Hammen on Friday, he improved to 21-8 on the season. Olanowski is a .500 wrestler this season and coming off a 17-8 loss to No. 9 Matt Steintrager of Central Michigan. Bottom Line: Quiroga is wrestling well, while Olanowski is struggling. Look for the Purdue true freshman to come out fast and roll to a fairly easy victory. Prediction: Quiroga (Purdue) dec. Olanowski (Michigan State) 133: Akif Eren (Purdue) vs. No. 4 Franklin Gomez (Michigan State) Gomez, the defending NCAA champion at 133 pounds, had not faced a top 10 wrestler through the first 15 matches of this season. Last weekend was a his first major test of the season, when he faced Iowa's Daniel Dennis on Sunday. Dennis, who was one of only two wrestlers to defeat Gomez last season, edged the Spartan senior in the tiebreaker, which knocked Gomez from first to fourth in the rankings. Gomez came back on Friday to defeat No. 8 Scotti Sentes, an All-American last season at 125 pounds, 5-3, to improve to 16-1 on the season. Matt Fields got the start for Purdue on Friday against Wisconsin, but Eren, who has a 20-10 record, has been the starter all season. Bottom Line: Gomez should dominate whoever Purdue sends out on the mat. Prediction: Gomez (Michigan State) major dec. Eren (Purdue) 141: No. 20 Juan Archuleta (Purdue) vs. Dan Osterman (Michigan State) The fast-improving Archuleta is coming off the biggest win of the season over one of the nation's hottest wrestlers, Mike Thorn of Minnesota. Two days prior to beating Thorn, Archuleta gave second-ranked Reece Humphrey of Ohio State all he wanted ... before falling, 3-1, in sudden victory. It has been baptism by fire for the true freshman Osterman. He started the season at 133 pounds, going 8-0, before moving up to 141 pounds, where he has gone 9-10. His biggest win this season came over the oft-injured Brandon Rader of West Virginia, a two-time All-American. Bottom Line: This will be the first opponent not ranked in the top 10 that Archueleta will face in Big Ten dual meet competition. If Osterman wrestles well, he could keep it competitive, but Archuleta should come out on top in this match. Prediction: Archuleta (Purdue) dec. Osterman (Michigan State) 149: Nick Bertucci (Purdue) vs. No. 12 David Cheza (Michigan State) Cheza took some lumps last season as a redshirt freshman, going 16-23 overall and 4-11 in dual meets. He has improved greatly since last season and now finds himself on the brink of cracking the top 10 after compiling a record of 19-8. He is coming off a victory over No. 14 Tony D'Alie of Central Michigan on Friday. Bertucci has been up and down this season ... and is currently down. He has dropped six of his last seven matches, but still has 20 wins this season. Bottom Line: These two met early in the season with Bertucci picking up a 9-1 major decision over Cheza. That result seems a bit mind-boggling based on how the two wrestlers have fared since. It will be interesting to see if Cheza can turn around that result. Prediction: Cheza (Michigan State) dec. Bertucci (Purdue) 157: Colton Salazar (Purdue) vs. Anthony Jones (Michigan State) Salazar, a two-time NCAA qualifier, has battled injuries this season, which has contributed to his inconsistency. He began the season ranked 11th in the country then reeled off eight straight victories to start the season, which included wins over No. 6 Kurt Kinser of Indiana and No. 8 Bryce Saddoris of Navy. He finished eighth at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational while wrestling with a broken rib. He is 24-10 this season and coming off a technical victory on Friday against Jesse Hintz of Wisconsin. Jones showed promise last season as a true sophomore, going 24-15, but has struggled this season. He comes into Sunday's match with an 8-12 record, but has lost six of his last seven matches. Bottom Line: Jones had a win over Bertucci last season, but doesn't seem to wrestling with the same confidence this season. Salazar has been hot and cold this season, but should be able to beat the struggling Jones. Prediction: Salazar (Purdue) dec. Jones (Michigan State) 165: Jason Martin (Purdue) vs. Kyle Bounds (Michigan State) Bounds began his career at Oregon, but transferred to Michigan State after the wrestling program was dropped. After sitting out last season, Bounds has stepped in the Spartan lineup and been a key contributor. He has gone 25-12 with his most notable win coming against Wyoming's ninth-ranked Shane Onufer at the Sprawl & Brawl. He is coming off a bad loss (10-2) on Friday to Central Michigan's Tyler Grayson. Martin has gone through a tough stretch in the Big Ten, where he has lost four straight ... with three of those losses coming to wrestlers ranked in the top six. Bottom Line: Bounds is much better than he showed in his last outing against Grayson. Martin has not been competitive in any of his Big Ten matches this season. Prediction: Bounds (Michigan State) dec. Martin (Purdue) 174: No. 6 Luke Manuel (Purdue) vs. Ian Hinton (Michigan State) Manuel, who moved up this season from 165 pounds, has already won 33 matches this season against only two defeats. His last loss came at the Midlands to Oregon State's ninth-ranked Colby Covington, but he avenged that loss the next day. After a three-match layoff because of injury, Manual picked up a 3-0 victory over Brendan Ard of Wisconsin on Friday, which marked his 12th straight victory. Hinton, an NCAA qualifier last season as a redshirt freshman, has gone 14-12 this season, but has lost four of his last five matches. Bottom Line: Manuel should win this match fairly comfortably and bonus points aren't out of the question. Hinton is better than his record indicates, but he doesn't seem to be getting any breaks with the schedule ... as he will be facing his fifth ranked opponent in six matches. Prediction: Manuel (Purdue) dec. Hinton (Michigan State) 184: Nick Corpe (Purdue) vs. Nick Palmieri (Michigan State) Palmieri and Corpe are both in their fourth seasons as starters and both have yet to reach the NCAA Championships. Both are slightly above .500 this season. Palmieri is 13-10, while Corpe is 16-14. Palmieri did not compete in Michigan State's dual meet against Central Michigan on Friday. Bottom Line: This should be a very competitive match between two experienced Big Ten wrestlers that could go either way. Prediction: Palmieri (Michigan State) dec. Corpe (Purdue) 197: No. 11 Logan Brown (Purdue) vs. Tyler Dickenson (Michigan State) Brown, a two-time NCAA qualifier, has gone 2-2 to start the Big Ten season. He won his first two matches over Luke Lofthouse of Iowa and Cody Magrum of Ohio State, but has dropped his last two matches to a couple nationally-ranked wrestlers in Sonny Yohn of Minnesota and Tyler Brandvold of Wisconsin. His most notable win this season came against Michigan's ninth-ranked Anthony Biondo at the Eastern Michigan Open in early November. Dickenson, who is in his second season as the starter at 197 pounds for the Spartans, has compiled a 15-13 mark this season, but is still looking for his first conference win this season, after dropping his four Big Ten matches. Bottom Line: Brown edged Dickenson earlier this season, 3-2, at the Eastern Michigan Open. Expect another close battle with Brown likely coming out on top again. Prediction: Brown (Purdue) dec. Dickenson (Michigan State) 285: Adam Walls (Purdue) vs. Alan O'Donnell (Michigan State) O'Donnell has done a solid job for the Spartans this season, going 9-10 while battling many of the nation's top heavyweights. He lost by three points to No. 2 Nathan Everhart of Indiana and two points to No. 3 Jarod Trice of Central Michigan on Friday. Walls, a true freshman, won four of his first five matches to begin the season. But he has struggled since late November. Since November 22, Walls has gone 2-16 and has lost his 10 matches. Bottom Line: O'Donnell should beat Walls and pick up his second conference victory of the season. Prediction: O'Donnell (Michigan State) dec. Walls (Purdue) Dual Meet Prediction: Michigan State 16, Purdue 15

LOCK HAVEN, Pa. -- Kevin LeValley (Hugo, Colo./Limon) tied the Bucknell single-season record for wins and the Bison claimed seven of the 10 bouts as they defeated Lock Haven 25-12 Friday evening. The win improved Bucknell's season record to 10-6, the third time in the last four years the Bison have reached double-figures in victories. LeValley, who is ranked seventh nationally at 149 pounds, posted a 17-0 technical fall over Zach Kell to claim his 33rd victory of the season and tie a record he now shares with teammates Andy Rendos, Shane Riccio and Brian Pitzer. LeValley is now 33-5 and has won seven consecutive bouts. Remarkably, each of his last four wins have come by shutout with an aggregate score of 56-0. He has two major decisions and two technical falls over that span. The Bison actually trailed 6-0 after forfeiting the 125-pound weight class, but they won the next six bouts to take a commanding 22-6 advantage en route to their first-ever victory over the Bald Eagles. Bucknell, which had three bonus-point wins in the first three matches contested Friday, had been 0-16 all-time against Lock Haven (2-7). Each of Bucknell's four ranked wrestlers came away victorious Friday, led by LeValley. David Marble (Harpursville, N.Y./Harpursville Central), who is ranked 17th at 133 pounds, won the lone battle on the evening between ranked opponents as he posted a 12-1 major decision over No. 20 John Trumbetti. It was Marble's seventh consecutive win as he improved his season mark to 23-7. No. 10 Andy Rendos (Brockway, Pa./Brockway Area), wrestling for the second time this week after missing a month due to injury, won at 165 pounds by a 7-3 decision. No. 16 Shane Riccio (Warren, N.J./Watchung Hills) followed that up with a 4-0 shutout at 174, his sixth straight win. He is now 29-7 on the year and he kept pace with Marble on the career ledger as both seniors have 104 career wins. clear pixel John Regan (Plum Borough, Pa./Kiski School) gave Bucknell the lead for good with a 14-2 major decision at 141, while Jay Hahn (Malvern, Pa./Great Valley) claimed a 10-4 decision at 197, rounding out the scoring for the Bison. Brantley Hooks (Spartanburg, S.C./James F. Byrnes) earned Bucknell's other win, claiming the 157-pound bout 10-5 over Seth Creasy. With Friday's victory, Bucknell is now guaranteed of finishing over .500 for the second consecutive year. The Bison last accomplished that feat in 1993-94 and 1994-95. Additionally, Bucknell has now reached double-figure wins in back-to-back years for the first time in program history. Friday's match was the fourth in a five-match road trip for the Bison, who improved to 5-1 on the road this season. Bucknell will wrap up its five-match road trip next Friday, Feb. 12, at George Mason. Match time is 7 p.m. in Fairfax, Va. Results: *125: Nick Hyatt (LHU) wins by forfeit 133: #17 David Marble (BU) major dec. #20 John Trumbetti (LHU) 12-1 (1:48 RT) 141: John Regan (BU) major dec. Justin Loudon (LHU) 14-2 (4:12 RT) 149: #7 Kevin LeValley (BU) tech fall Zach Kell (LHU) 17-0 (6:44) 157: Brantley Hooks (BU) dec. Seth Creasy (LHU) 10-5 (1:48 RT) 165: #10 Andy Rendos (BU) dec. Kevin Dufresne (LHU) 7-3 174: #16 Shane Riccio (BU) dec. Derek Caldwell (LHU) 4-0 (3:31 RT) 184: Jeremie Cook (LHU) dec Rob Walkto (BU) 6-4 OT 197: Jay Hahn (BU) dec. Harry Turner (LHU) 10-4 (2:50 RT) HWT: Dan Craig (LHU) dec. Joe McMullan (BU) 3-2

Fullerton, Calif. -- Six Oregon State wrestlers earned bonus point wins to extend the No. 20 Beavers’ dual meet winning streak to 16 straight in Friday night’s toppling of the Cal State Fullerton Titans, 33-6, in Titan Gym. Fifteenth-ranked redshirt sophomore Jason Lara (Midway City, Calif.) got the meet off to a strong start for the Beavers, earning a 16-8 major decision over Andre Gonzalez at 125 pounds. In the following bout, No. 16 Kelly Kubec (Lake Stevens, Wash.) earned a major decision of his own over Aaron Navarrete, 15-3, Kubec’s sixth of the season. Redshirt freshman Mike Mangrum (Auburn, Wash.) made it nine wins straight, batting to a 6-4 decision over Adin Duenas at 141 pounds, defeating him in sudden victory overtime. Suffering just his eighth loss of the season, 17th-ranked freshman RJ Pena (Salem, Ore.) had to count the fall by Nick Jordan at 149 pounds. Oregon State lost a team point after Pena got caught in a head lock, causing him to pass out and Jordan to get Pena on his back. The team point was deducted after the match, charged to an Oregon State coach. Senior Dan Brascetta (Aurora, Colo.) continued to be solid for the Beavers in the lineup at 165 pounds, earning his first technical fall of the season over Sam Silva in 5:50, taking the 17-point margin at 20-3. Adding to his bonus point percentage in matches, ninth-ranked junior Colby Covington (Springfield, Ore.) posts bonus point wins in over half of his wins this season. Covington earned the 17-8 major decision over Todd Noel at 174 pounds. Redshirt freshman Ty Vinson (Great Falls, Mont.) earned the team’s first shutout of the night in his first major decision of the season. Vinson boosted the Beavers to a 27-6 lead with the 8-0 victory over Mark Savalle. Sophomore Chad Hanke (Dayton, Ore.) earned the final bonus point victory for Oregon State with his 13-4 win over Ethan Weisrock at 197 pounds. Fourteenth-ranked sophomore heavyweight Clayton Jack (Vacaville, Calif.) wrapped up the meet with a 4-0 decision over No. 16 Kurt Klimek. The Beavers improve to 17-1, 5-1 Pac-10, while Cal State Fullerton falls to 2-7-1, 0-6-1 Pac-10. Oregon State wraps up its trip to Southern California at No. 16 Cal Poly on Saturday evening at 7:00 p.m. Results: 125 Pounds – No. 15 Jason Lara (OSU) major decision over Andre Gonzalez (CSF), 16-8 4 0 133 Pounds – No. 16 Kelly Kubec (OSU) major decision over Aaron Navarrete (CSF), 15-3 8 0 141 Pounds – Mike Mangrum (OSU) decision over Adin Duenas (CSF), 6-4 (OT) 11 0 149 Pounds – Nick Jordan (CSF) fall over No. 17 RJ Pena (OSU), 2:43 11 6 157 Pounds – No. 13 Keegan Davis (OSU) decision over Steven de la Fuente (CSF), 4-1 14 6 165 Pounds – Dan Brascetta (OSU) technical fall over Sam Silva (CSF), 20-3 (5:50) 19 6 174 Pounds – No. 9 Colby Covington (OSU) major decision over Todd Noel (CSF), 17-8 23 6 184 Pounds – Ty Vinson (OSU) major decision over Mark Savalle (CSF), 8-0 27 6 197 Pounds – Chad Hanke (OSU) major decision over Ethan Weisrock (CSF), 13-4 31 6 Heavyweight – No. 14 Clayton Jack (OSU) decision over No. 16 Kurt Klimek (CSF), 4-0 34 6

The winner of the heavyweight bout would lead their team to a victory. Pitt-Johnstown's Chris Dempsey (Sewickley, Pa.) won a 3-1 decision to lift the No. 4-ranked Mountain Cat wrestlers over Division I Clarion University, Friday Night in the Sports Center. The Mountain Cats extended their home winning streak to 57 straight matches and improved to 11-2. A.J. Brentzel's (Irwin, Pa.) win at 197 lbs. tied the score at 15, and Dempsey followed with a 3-1 decision over Quintas McCorkle in the heavyweight bout to break the tie and give the Mountain Cats an 18-15 win. Clarion opened up a 3-0 lead when Joe Waltko battled back from a 5-2 deficit in the third period with a take down and two near fall points to score a 6-5 win over Ryan Link (Cresson, Pa.) at 125 lbs. However, Division II No. 1-ranked Shane Valko (133 lbs.) (Windber, Pa.) pinned 2009 NCAA Division I National Qualifier Jay Ivanco at 1:05 to quickly put the Mountain Cats up 6-3. Greg Lewis' 7-3 decision over Division II No. 5 Adam Whetstone (Claysburg, Pa.) at 141 lbs. knotted the score at six to spark three straight wins for the Golden Eagles. Division I No. 20-ranked James Fleming earned a 6-0 decision over Ryan McIntyre (Claysburg, Pa.) at 149 lbs., before 2009 Division I National Qualifier and No. 18-ranked Hadley Harrision defeated Zach Lundgren (DuBois, Pa.), 6-3 at 157 lbs. to increase the lead to 12-6. Pitt-Johnstown answered to tie the match with wins at 165 lbs. and 174 lbs. Kyle Keane (Bradford, Pa.), ranked No. 3 at 165 lbs., won a 10-6 decision over Justin McCrillis, and Steven Makin (Portage, Pa.) evened the score at 12 with a 7-4 decision over Steven Cressley at 174 lbs. Clarion jumped back out in front at 184 lbs. when Clint Podish got a take down with five seconds remaining in the third period to defeat Patrick Walsh (Leesport, Pa.), 4-2. A 5-4 win by Pitt-Johnstown's Brentzel over Alex Thomas in the 197-lb. bout tied the score for the third time and set up a heavywieght battle between Dempsey and McCorkle that would decide the winner. With the loss, the Golden Eagles slipped to 5-7. The Mountain Cats travel to the University of Findlay (OH) on Sunday and to Seton Hill University on Wednesday, before returning home to host Mercyhurst College for Senior Night on Friday at 7 p.m. in the Sports Center. Results: 125 - Joe Waltko (CU) Decision Ryan Link (UPJ) 6-5 3-0 CU 133 - #1 Shane Valko (UPJ) FallJay Invanco (CU) 1:05 6-3 UPJ 141 - Greg Lewis (CU) Decision #5 Adam Whetstone (UPJ) 7-3 6-6 TIE 149 - Div. I #20 James Fleming (CU) Dec. Ryan McIntyre (UPJ) 6-0 9-6 CU 157 - Div. I #18 Hadley Harrison (CU) Dec. Zach Lundgren (UPJ) 6-3 12-6 CU 165 - #3 Kyle Keane (UPJ) Decision Justin McCrillis (CU) 10-6 12-9 CU 174 - Steve Makin (UPJ) Decision Steven Cressley (CU) 7-4 12-12 TIE 184 - Clint Podish (CU) Decision Patrick Walsh (UPJ) 4-2 15-12 CU 197 - A.J. Brentzel (UPJ) Decision Alex Thomas (CU) 5-4 15-15 TIE HWT. - Chris Dempsey (UPJ) Dec. Quintas McCorkle (CU) 3-1 18-15 UPJ

OMAHA, Neb. -- For the second time this season, the University of Nebraska at Omaha wrestling team dominated the Mavericks of Minnesota State, winning eight of ten matches to roll to a 31-6 win over the seventh-ranked Mavericks Friday night at Sapp Fieldhouse. UNO is now 9-1 on the year and has won four straight duals since falling to Augsburg on Jan. 22. MSU dips to 7-4 in dual contests on the year. UNO defeated MSU on Jan. 10 in the semis of the 2010 NWCA National Duals, 30-6. Minnesota State got out to an early lead with fourth-ranked Andy Forstner defeating second-ranked Terrell McKinney 10-7 in a hard fought match at 125. Cody Garcia tied Pat Kelley III's all-time single-season record of 25 falls when he pinned Matt Nyvold at 2:51. Kelley III set the mark during the 1995-96 season. Garcia, who is UNO's all-time falls leader, now has 78 in his career. The Hutchinson, Kan., native is 38-0 with a 10-0 dual record. At 141, Mario Morgan picked up his 30th win of the season and his 19th-straight victory with a 10-4 decision over Robby Fisher. Morgan is now 10-0 in duals on the year. Esai Dominguez defeated All-American Travis Elg 8-3 in the 149-pound bout. George Ivanov won his second consecutive match by fall. He pinned Justin Turek with just two second left in the second period to get the win at 157. The Council Bluffs, Iowa native is 28-8 on the year with a 9-1 dual mark. Ryan Pankoke defeated Tel Todd 7-4 to earn the win at 165. At 174, Aaron Denson picked up his second win since returning from an injury that was aggravated at the NWCA Duals in January. Denson defeated eight-ranked Ben Becker 11-2 and earned the team bonus points with the major decision. Austin Boehm rebounded from his loss last night and collected an 8-3 decision over Aaron Norgren at 184. Top-ranked Jacob Marrs earned a riding time bonus point and put away John Makabe 6-2 in the 197-pound bout. The heavy weight bout featured the top two wrestlers in Division II with MSU's top-ranked Brady Wilson squaring off with second-ranked Elijah Madison. Wilson and Madison exchanged escapes in the second and third periods, but it was Wilson who scored a takedown with 26 second left in to take the 3-1 lead. Madison scored a late escape, but Wilson held on for the 3-2 win. The Mavericks will be back on the mat on Sunday, Feb. 14 for the 2010 MIAA Duals in Hays, Kan. UNO will see a busy afternoon with three duals on the docket. The Mavs will face Central Missouri at 1 p.m., Truman State at 3 p.m. and host school Fort Hays State at 5 p.m. UNO won the tournament last season which was hosted by UCM. Results: 125 - #4 Andy Forstner (MSU) dec. #2 Terrell McKinney (UNO), 10-7 133 - #2 Cody Garcia (UNO) by fall over Matt Nyvold (MSU), 2:51 141 - #3 Mario Morgan (UNO) dec. Robby Fisher (MSU), 10-4 149 - #3 Esai Dominguez (UNO) dec. Travis Elg (MSU), 8-3 157 - #2 George Ivanov (UNO) by fall over Justin Turek (MSU), 4:58 165 - #4 Ryan Pankoke (UNO) dec. Tel Todd (MSU), 7-4 174 - #2 Aaron Denson (UNO) maj. dec. #8 Ben Becker (MSU), 11-2 184 - #4 Austin Boehm (UNO) dec. Aaron Norgren (MSU), 8-3 197 - #1 Jacob Marrs (UNO) dec. John Makabe (MSU), 6-2 285 - #1 Brady Wilson (MSU) dec. #2 Elijah Madison (UNO), 3-2

MOUNT PLEASANT -- No. 6 Central Michigan extended its winning streak to five duals with a 23-10 nonconference victory over Michigan State in front of a crowd of 3,009 at Rose Center Friday night. The Chippewas (13-2 overall) have won nine consecutive matchups against Michigan State (7-5-1). CMU led 7-6 after splitting the dual's first four bouts, but the Chippewas won five of the final six matchups to win going away. CMU's Matt Steintrager opened the dual with a 17-8 major decision over Eric Olanowski at 125 pounds. Steintrager was in control from start to finish, scoring six takedowns, a reverse and two back points in the win. He also held a riding time advantage of 3:48. The most anticipated match of the dual came at 133 pounds, where No. 8 Scotti Sentes faced defending national champion and fourth-ranked Franklin Gomez. Gomez scored an early takedown to take a 2-0 lead and held a 3-1 advantage entering the third period. Sentes escaped to draw within 3-2 early in the final period, but Gomez scored a takedown off a shot with a minute remaining that proved to be the difference in his 5-3 decision. Conor Beebe led from start to finish in his 8-2 decision at 141 pounds. He scored a pair of first-period takedowns and allowed just two escapes in the win. No. 12 David Cheza drew the Spartans within 7-6 with a 7-3 decision over No. 14 Tony D'Alie. D'Alie scored a takedown in the third period to tie the score at 3-3, but Cheza had locked up riding time following a first-period takedown and was cut loose by D'Alie. Cheza added another takedown at the buzzer for the final four-point margin. Donnie Corby swung the momentum back CMU's way with a 5-3 decision over Anthony Jones at 157 pounds. Tied 1-1 in the third period, Corby took Jones straight to his back from the neutral position for two nearfall points that proved to be the margin of victory. Tyler Grayson followed with a methodical 10-2 major decision over Kyle Bounds at 165 pounds. Grayson scored four takedowns, the last of which came in the final 15 final seconds and secured the bonus point. Ben Bennett made it three straight Chippewa victories with a 5-0 decision over Ian Hinton at 174 pounds. Bennett led 1-0 after the first two periods, then started the third period in the top position. He turned Hinton to score three back points and rode him out to earn the riding time point as well. Michigan State's final victory of the night came at 184 pounds, where Curran Jacobs was a 12-4 winner over Dillon Kern. Jacobs had four takedowns and a 3:33 riding time edge in the win. Eric Simaz (197) and Jarod Trice (285) closed the match with back-to-back decisions for the Chippewas. CMU is back in action Sunday, hosting Northern Illinois in a Mid-American Conference dual at 2 p.m. Results: 125: No. 9 Matt Steintrager (CMU) maj. dec. Eric Olanowski, 17-8; CMU leads 4-0 133: No. 4 Franklin Gomez (MSU) dec. No. 8 Scotti Sentes, 5-3; CMU leads 4-3 141: Conor Beebe (CMU) dec. Dan Osterman, 8-2; CMU leads 7-3 149: No. 12 David Cheza (MSU) dec. No. 14 Tony D'Alie (CMU), 7-3; CMU leads 7-6 157: Donnie Corby (CMU) dec. Anthony Jones, 5-3; CMU leads 10-6 165: Tyler Grayson (CMU) maj. dec. Kyle Bounds, 10-2; CMU leads 14-6 174: No. 10 Ben Bennett (CMU) dec. Ian Hinton, 5-0; CMU leads 17-6 184: Curran Jacobs (MSU) maj. dec. Dillon Kern, 12-4; CMU leads 17-10 197: Eric Simaz (CMU) dec. Tyler Dickenson, 8-1; CMU leads 20-10 285: No. 3 Jarod Trice (CMU) dec. Alan O'Donnell (MSU), 4-2; CMU leads 23-10

BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- Down 12-3 at intermission, No. 7 Lehigh rallied to win the final five weight classes as the Mountain Hawks rallied past No. 19 Virginia Tech 24-12 Friday on Senior Night inside Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall. Senior David Craig’s 7-5 sudden victory win over Tommy Spellman at 184 put Lehigh in front, while bonus wins from junior Alex Caruso and sophomore Joe Kennedy allowed Lehigh to shake off a sluggish start. The win improves Lehigh’s record to 12-3-1 on the dual season. After not competing last weekend the Mountain Hawks had to shake off some early rust as they dropped four of the first five bouts. “Virginia Tech is a solid team with a lot of ranked wrestlers,” explained Lehigh head coach Pat Santoro. “They out fought us tonight. At times we stopped wrestling trying to coast to wins. It cost us one match and almost cost us another. We’ll need to do a better job tomorrow. Santoro continued, “Brandon Hatchett went out and beat a ranked guy. David Craig, we knew it would be a great match, but he kind of shut down at the end and gave Spellman a chance to win, but our last few guys came up and stepped up like they always do.” Hokie sophomore Jarrod Garnett opened things with a 7-1 win over sophomore John McDonald at 125. Senior Matt Fisk evened things at three with a 6-1 decision over Brock LiVorio at 133. It looked like Fisk’s classmate and co-captain Seth Ciasulli was going to give Lehigh the lead after taking down Chris Diaz early in a battle of ranked wrestlers at 141, but late in the third period, with Ciasulli already warned for stalling Diaz scored a counter takedown in the final seconds to earn a 4-3 win. Virginia Tech (14-5) took the next two bouts by decision as Brian Stephens downed Joey Napoli in a battle of freshmen at 149, while at 157 fifth-ranked Jesse Dong defeated sophomore Sean Bilodeau 10-6. It was sophomore Brandon Hatchett who got Lehigh rolling after the intermission with a first period takedown, and second period takedown and two point near fall as he built a lead and held off Matt Epperly 8-4 at 165. Caruso then brought the Mountain Hawks within a point at 12-11 with a dominant performance in a 21-6 technical fall win over Tyler Knapp. Caruso totaled eight takedowns including four in the first period as he improved to 4-0 in dual action this season. “Alex made the most of his opportunity,” Santoro said. “He went out and scored a lot of points. He had a lot of takedowns. That’s what he has to do. That’s what he knows he needs to do and he did a great job tonight.” Craig then gave Lehigh the lead with a win in his final Grace Hall match, but it was not easy. The Florida native scored the first takedown, but was reversed over a minute later, before escaping to lead 3-2 after one period. Leading 4-2 entering the third, Craig built a riding time advantage but also yielded an escape before Spellman forced overtime with a late takedown. The sudden victory period went right to the final seconds, before Craig scored the decisive takedown with five seconds remaining to earn the 7-5 win. Lehigh kept things rolling at 197 as Kennedy earned a workmanlike 10-2 major decision over Chris Penny. With the six point lead, the Hokies forfeited to Zach Rey at heavyweight. The Mountain Hawks will return to action on Saturday when they host Rutgers at Stabler Arena at 1 p.m. The match is still scheduled to go on as scheduled and tickets can be purchased at the Stabler Arena box office prior to the match. Results: 125: #14 Jarrod Garnett (VT) dec. John McDonald, 7-1 133: #13 Matt Fisk (LU) dec. Brock LiVorio, 6-1 141: #10 Chris Diaz (VT) dec. #17 Seth Ciasulli, 4-3 149: Brian Stephens (VT) dec. Joey Napoli, 6-2 157: #5 Jesse Dong (VT) dec. Sean Bilodeau, 10-6 165: Brandon Hatchett (LU) dec. #20 Matt Epperly, 8-4 174: Alex Caruso (LU) tech fall Taylor Knapp, 21-6 (7:00) 184: #15 David Craig (LU) dec. #19 Tommy Spellman, 7-5 (SV) 197: #19 Joe Kennedy (LU) maj. dec. Chris Penny, 10-2 285: #5 Zach Rey (LU) wins by forfeit

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The fourth-ranked Ohio State wrestling team improved to 15-1 overall and 4-0 in the Big Ten following a 29-9 win against Michigan Friday evening in St. John Arena. The Buckeyes, who at one point had dropped 14-consecutive matches to the Wolverines (1994-2007), have now won three-straight against Michigan (4-11; 0-3 Big Ten). Ohio State returns to action at 11 a.m. Sunday in St. John Arena when it hosts Northwestern in continued conference action. The Scarlet and Gray jumped out to an early 6-0 lead following junior Nikko Triggas' 5:57 pin against Sean Boyle at 125 pounds. It was a close match starting with a scoreless first period. Boyle opened scoring with a reversal, but the Buckeye from Moraga, Calif., countered with a reversal of his own to tie the score. Triggas then took a two-point lead after recording a 2-point nearfall, but Boyle again scored a reversal before being awarded a point on Triggas' second penalty of the match. Triggas was able to record an escape to finish out scoring in the second period and it was in the third period he was able to secure the pin with 1:03 left. After beginning his Big Ten career 3-0, freshman Ian Paddock suffered a close 6-5 setback at 133 pounds. Paddock, a native from Warsaw, N.Y., and Wolverine Zac Stevens entered the third period tied at 4-all, but a Stevens' reversal in the third locked up the Michigan win despite Paddock's escape to cut the deficit to one. With Ohio State up 6-3, senior team captain Reece Humphrey increased the Buckeye advantage to 11-3 following his 25-9 technical fall over Mark Weber at 141 pounds. In all, Humphrey, who hails from Indianapolis, Ind., amassed 11 takedowns, a 2-point nearfall and a riding time of 3:36. Humphrey now has a team-leading 24 wins in 2009-10. More Buckeye bonus points would ensue as fellow team captain Lance Palmer recorded a 19-7 major decision over Mark Boyer at 149 pounds. Entering the second period with a slim 2-0 lead, the Columbia Station, Ohio, native scored an escape and proceeded to collect eight consecutive takedowns en route to his 21st win of the season. A reversal and 2-point nearfall in the third period propelled redshirt-freshman Tony Jameson to victory at 157 pounds. With Jameson and David Johnson knotted up at three a piece entering the third period, the Buckeye from Youngstown, Ohio, got the better of the Wolverine for the 7-3 triumph. At 165 pounds, junior Colt Sponseller used nine takedowns, an escape and 1:51 riding time in his 20-8 win over Aaron Hynes. With the major decision, Ohio State took a 22-3 lead. 174-pounder Dave Rella is now one win away from his 20th victory of the season after his 6-1 decision over Justin Zeerip. Neither wrestler was able to score in the first period, but the Buckeye senior from Akron, Ohio, countered Zeerip's escape in the second period with a takedown. Choosing bottom in the third period, Rella won the escape and soon scored another takedown and compiled a riding time of 1:43. A 17-7 major decision by senior team captain Mike Pucillo over Hunter Montoya wrapped up scoring for Ohio State. Pucillo, who hails from Strongsville, Ohio, collected win No. 16 on the season courtesy of six takedowns, a 2-point nearfall, two escapes and 1:41 riding time. At 197 and 285 pounds, C.J. Magrum and Corey Morrison dropped 6-1 and 10-8 decisions, respectively. Results: 125 No. 20 Nikko Triggas pinned Sean Boyle (UM), 5:57 133 Zac Stevens (UM) dec. Ian Paddock, 6-5 141 No. 2 Reece Humphrey tfall Mark Weber (UM), 25-9 149 No. 2 Lance Palmer mdec. Mark Boyer (UM), 19-7 157 Tony Jameson dec. David Johnson (UM), 7-3 165 No. 6 Colt Sponseller mdec. Aaron Hynes (UM), 20-8 174 No. 12 Dave Rella dec. Justin Zeerip (UM), 6-1 184 No. 7 Mike Pucillo mdec. Hunter Montoya (UM), 17-7 197 No. 9 Anthony Biondo (UM) dec. C.J. Magrum, 6-1 285 Ben Apland (UM) dec. Corey Morrison, 10-8

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- Technical falls by Ryan Smith and Filip Novachkov plus a major decision by Chase Pami gave No. 16 Cal Poly just enough bonus points to edge Arizona State 20-18 in a Pacific-10 Conference dual meet Friday night before 672 in Mott Gym. The Mustangs forfeited the bout at 125 but did not give up any more bonus points as Arizona State secured four wins by decision. Each team won five matches. With the win, Cal Poly improved to 7-3 for the season and 4-1 in Pac-10 dual meets. Arizona State fell to 8-6 and 3-2. Smith (pictured above) scored five takedowns in the first period in racing to a 10-4 advantage, then secured four more takedowns and a three-point near fall in the second period en route to his technical fall win by a 23-7 count at 4:55 against Michael Hawkins in the 197-pound bout. Smith, still bidding for his first national ranking of the season, improved his record to 16-9 with his first technical fall of the year. After Arizona State won the next two matches to take a 9-5 lead, Mustang 133-pounder Boris Novachkov, ranked fifth in the nation, earned a 7-2 win over unranked Ben Ashmore with two takedowns, one escape, one penalty point and riding time. Novachkov improved to 21-1 on the year. Cal Poly moved back on top, 13-9, with Filip Novachkov’s 16-1 technical fall (4:28) over Chris Drouin in a matchup of nationally ranked wrestlers at 141 pounds. Novachkov, ranked No. 5, scored 11 near fall points, a pair of takedowns and an escape for his second technical fall of the year. Drouin is ranked No. 15. Filip Novachkov is now 19-5 for the season while Drouin fell to 16-9. Arizona State closed the gap to 13-12 with Vicente Varela’s 9-4 win over Mustang Nick Fisher at 149, but victories by Pami and 174-pounder Ryan DesRoches down the stretch kept Cal Poly out of trouble. Pami recorded eight takedowns, one escape and riding time on his way to an 18-6 major decision over Te Edwards at 157. Pami, ranked No. 11 this week and a two-time Pac-10 champion, is now 21-5 for the season. DesRoches gave up just two escapes in an 8-2 decision over Eric Starks at 174, giving Cal Poly a 20-15 advantage with one bout to go. DesRoches, ranked 19th this week, is 29-7 on the year. Mustang 184-pounder Kelan Bragg battled Jake Meredith tough throughout the match, eventually dropping an 8-6 decision in a matchup of unranked wrestlers. Bragg closed the gap to 6-5 with a takedown midway through the second period, but Meredith battled through a pair of injury timeouts for his left knee with an early takedown in the final period and held on for the win. Other Sun Devil victories were posted by No. 17 Erik Nye at 285 (1-0 decision) and Kyle DeBerry at 165 (6-4 decision). Arizona State 125-pounder Anthony Robles, ranked No. 3 in the nation, won by forfeit. Arizona State still leads the series against Cal Poly, 31-10. The Mustangs snapped an 18-match Sun Devil winning streak two years ago in Mott Gym with a 24-17 decision and Arizona State won last year’s dual in Tempe, 36-10. Cal Poly hosts Oregon State for another Pac-10 dual meet Saturday night at 7 in Mott Gym. All tickets are $10 for the "Endowment Fund Meet," with all proceeds going directly to the Cal Poly Wrestling Endowment Fund. The Beavers are 17-1 overall and 5-1 in Pac-10 duals following their 33-6 win over Cal State Fullerton on Friday night in Titan Gym. No. 16 Cal Poly 20, Arizona State 18 At San Luis Obispo, CA (Mott Gym) First bout was at 197 pounds: 197 — Ryan Smith, Soph. (CP) (16-9) tech fall Michael Hawkins, Fr. (ASU) (1-4), 23-7 (4:55) 285 — No. 17 Erik Nye, Sr. (ASU) (19-9) dec. Jim Powers, Jr. (CP) (13-15), 1-0 125 — No. 3 Anthony Robles, Jr. (ASU) (23-2) wins by forfeit 133 — No. 5 Boris Novachkov, So. (CP) (21-1) dec. Ben Ashmore, Jr. (ASU) (15-9), 7-2 141 — No. 5 Filip Novachkov, Jr. (CP) (19-5) tech fall No. 15 Chris Drouin, Jr. (ASU) (16-9), 16-1 (4:28) 149 — Vicente Varela, Soph. (ASU) (18-9) dec. Nick Fisher, RFr. (CP) (13-5), 9-4 157 — No. 11 Chase Pami, Sr. (CP) (21-5) maj. dec. Te Edwards, Soph. (ASU) (10-10), 18-6 165 — Kyle DeBerry, Soph. (ASU) (9-9) dec. Steven Vasquez, R-Fr. (CP) (15-10), 6-4 174 — No. 19 Ryan DesRoches, So. (CP) (29-7) dec. Eric Starks, Soph. (ASU) (11-9), 8-2 184 — Jake Meredith, Soph. (ASU) (9-10) dec. Kelan Bragg, Soph. (CP) (7-11), 8-6

Champaign, Ill. -- The Minnesota Wrestling team won their fifth straight tonight (Feb. 5), taking seven-of-ten matches - including six straight at one point - on their way to an impressive 27-13 win over host Illinois. No. 5 Minnesota (10-4, 5-0) was facing their third straight ranked opponent in No. 21 Illinois (7-6, 2-3), part of a grueling stretch through the bulk of the Big Ten season. The Gophers were up to the task tonight, though, scoring bonus points and winning the big matches, including three of the four where each wrestler was ranked. After an opening match forfeit, the Gophers did not allow a takedown until the eighth match of the night, when the win was already all-but-assured. Zach Sanders (Wabasha, Minn.) was out of the line-up tonight, but Jayson Ness (Bloomington, Minn.) was back in. After forfeiting six points at 125 to open the match, Ness quickly got them back. Ness had been out of the line-up since the National Duals, but he showed little rust after his month away. Matched up with Daryl Thomas, Ness proved he was worthy of his new No. 1 ranking, with his 15th fall of the season, and his 10th in the first period. A takedown just 26 seconds into the match had Thomas on his back, with the fall not long after at the 1:44 mark. The top-ranked Ness improves to 20-0 on the season, and has won 22 straight. The win at 133 started a stretch of six straight wins that gave the Gophers a 24-6 lead after the 174-pound match. Scott Glasser (Bismarck, N.D.) capped the run with a hard earned 3-2 decision at 174. No. 8 Glasser scored a first period takedown to go up 2-0 and led the rest of the match. He led 3-1 entering the third period and fought off the best efforts of his No. 14 ranked opponent Jordan Blanton, and was able to hold on to the lead long enough as time expired on the 3-2 win. The Gophers took their first led at 141, in the night's first match-up of ranked opponents as No. 6 Mike Thorn (St. Michael, Minn.) of Minnesota and No. 14 Ryan Prater of Illinois squared off. Coming off a disappointing loss in his last match, Thorn made sure to avoid disappointment tonight, scoring early and often in his seventh major decision of the season. The win was Thorn's 19th on the season against just for losses, and marks the highest ranked opponent he has beaten this year. Mario Mason (Moorestown, N.J.) scored a hard earned decision at 149, beating his first ranked opponent of the season in No. 19 Eric Terrazas. No. 18 Mason used a takedown with four seconds left in the second period to take the lead, then rode out the clock for the win. Also winning in the stretch were Dustin Schlatter (Massillion, Ohio) and Cody Yohn (Alamosa, Colo.), who each notched major decisions and look to have settled nicely into their new weight classes. Already ranked No. 2 in just his third match at 157, Schlatter won 11-2 over Clint Arlis, winning his 11th straight on the season, to move to 3-0 at 157, after starting 8-1 at 165. Likewise, Yohn won 9-1 over Conrad Polz to score his second straight major and improve to 3-2 at 165, since dropping down from 174. Ben Berhow (Hayward, Minn.) closed the match with a 10-3 decision at heavyweight, to win his fifth straight and join Glasser as the only Gophers to sit 5-0 in the Big Ten. Berhow's first points came early in the first period and he controlled the entire match. The Gophers now must turn around and travel to a 14th ranked Indiana squad tomorrow (Feb. 6) for a 6:30 contest. The Hoosiers boast five ranked wrestlers and have opened the Big Ten season 2-2. Results: 125: John Deneen (ILL) For / 6-0 133: Jayson Ness (MINN) fall Daryl Thomas (ILL); 1:44 / 6-6 141: #6 Mike Thorn (MINN) maj. #14 Ryan Prater (ILL); 10-1 / 6-10 149: #18 Mario Mason (MINN) dec. #19 Eric Terrazas (ILL); 3-1 / 6-13 157: #2 Dustin Schlatter (MINN) maj. Clint Arlis (ILL); 11-2 / 6-17 165: Cody Yohn (MINN) maj. Conrad Polz (ILL); 9-1 / 6-21 174: #8 Scott Glasser (MINN) dec. #14 Jordan Blanton (ILL); 3-2 / 6-24 184: #2 John Dergo (ILL) maj. Kaleb Young (MINN); 18-6 / 10-24 197: #14 Patrick Bond (ILL) dec. #10 Sonny Yohn (MINN); 9-4 / 13-24 HWT: Ben Berhow (MINN) dec. Marty Smith (ILL); 10-3 / 13-27

Event: UFC 109: Relentless Venue: Mandalay Bay, (Las Vegas, NV) Date: February 6, 2010 The UFC Monster is in Las Vegas and will be in attendance for this epic event, as two UFC Hall-of-Fame light heavyweights, Randy Couture (17-10) and Mark Coleman (16-9), both on the downside of their careers, finally take to the Octagon in a fight that was originally scheduled for UFC 17!!! This three round main event pits two of wrestling's legendary warriors. Coleman is the Godfather of “ground-and-pound," while Couture has defied the aging process, remaining competitive against many athletes younger, quicker, stronger, and more diverse than his skill set. But Randy has made a career of outwrestling and outworking his opponents, controlling their bodies and taking them out of their game. With extremely strong takedown defense, Couture prefers to implement his “dirty boxing” against the cage, wearing down his opponents. This match features a relentless cardio machine against a historic gasser, whose tank often runs on empty as the fight wears on. Similar styles, and an interesting match-up, but the heavy favorite, Couture, should win this by a convincing decision. Lay the -400. Only a stunning knockout will save Coleman, and that's not going to happen! Nate “The Great” Marquardt (32-8-2) is on a mission to get another title shot at middleweight Anderson Silva with a win here against another strong wrestler, Chael Sonnen (25-10-1). Marquardt is coming off a stunning first round KO of Damien Maia, and has looked better with each fight he takes. Sonnen is a master of takedowns, but that will be easier said than done against Marquardt. With a deep set of tools, there are many ways for Marquardt to win this fight, and few for Sonnen. After a tentative feeling out process in the first round, I expect Nate to impose his will on Sonnen and win with a second round submission. Again, lay the big number (-375) and head to the winner's window to cash! There is not a better jui-jitsu expert in the middleweight division than Damien Maia (11-1). His world class jits is far superior to his opponent tonight, Dan Miller (11-2). Opening at a bargain price of -220, Maia has been bet strongly by the public, driving the line to over -500 in most sportsbooks. I bet him early and again at -340 this week at the Venetian in Las Vegas. Only a knockout will save Miller in this battle. And, while that may happen, I think it more likely that Maia will take this to the ground, where he will quickly submit Miller with a triangle choke in the very first round. For those who haven't watched Maia fight, it is worth your effort to do so. Miller will be game, but overmatched here. Lay the juice. In yet another battle of grizzled veterans, Matt "The Terror” Serra (16-6, with a win over GSP!), takes on Frank “Twinkle Toes” Trigg (19-7) in an interesting matchup of welterweights. Serra is short and compact, with the ability to tumble on the mat with transitioning moves, while Trigg is strong on his feet and has ample wrestling and submission skills to make this a close fight. I think it will go to the judge's scorecards, with Serra -135 winning a split decision. That would leave Trigg at 0-2 in his UFC return. Three strikes and you're out in Dana White's world. Mike “Quick” Swick (14-3) is a substitute for his injured training partner, Josh Koschek, who was hoping for revenge against Brazilian Paulo Thiago (12-1) in yet another welterweight fight. Thiago is coming off a win against Jacob Volkmann, while Swick was shocked and beaten by British bully Dan Hardy, whose reward is a title shot against Georges St. Pierre. Swick likes to make quick work of his opponents by stunning knockouts with his long range missiles. Thiago is a strong submitter, who baits his opponents to the ground with enough of a standing game to make it interesting. In an interesting betting pattern, Swick opened as an over-priced -360 favorite, but now offers value at -200. I like his focus, and expect a knockout to end this one. Swick makes it a clean sweep of favorites to close out the main card. On the undercard, there are six fights, including two on Spike TV. Let's see if we can find a few underdogs somewhere? Mac Danzig (19-7) is a lightweight who once was considered the next best thing on the MMA scene. Unfortunately, he has struggled to match his reputation, and finds himself battling for his UFC career here. He knows it ... and capable Justin Buchholz (9-4) could provide his salvation. Not that Buchholz isn't dangerous, but Danzig has much to prove here, but at -360, I'll pass. Lightweight Melvin “The Young Assassin” Guillard (41-9-3 with I no contest) is no longer young. But his well-built physique is enough to grab your attention. His opponent is relatively unknown Rony's Torres (14-1). At +110 Torres has a decent chance of winning this by late round submission. I'll call it a rear-naked choke in the third round that ends Guillard's night. In another lightweight match-up, highly touted Phillipe “The Filipino Assassin”Nover (6-2-1) will try to show-off his jiu-jitsu submission skills as he takes on journeyman slugger, Rob “The Saint” Emerson (10-8). I'm not sure why Emerson gets so many UFC fights with a barely .500 record, but I know Nover will have to win this one or he will be sent packing. Late money is coming in on him, but slight underdog odds of +105 are still available in cyberspace. I'll give Nover another try based on the odds, and his need to win. A second round triangle choke will end this one. Light heavyweight and ex-Marine Brian Stann (8-2) likes to stand and bang. A vicious puncher, he will take on relative newcomer, and former NCAA wrestling champion Phil Davis (4-0) from Penn State. Despite his inexperience, Davis has been made the -190 (or more) favorite here. Why? Because oddsmakers think that his wrestling skills will allow him to avoid the knockout and take it to the mat for a submission. I'll bite. I like this role playing, wrestler against puncher. I'll follow Davis to the winner's window. Two big heavyweights, Tim “The Thrashing Machine” Hague (10-2) and Chris “The Crowbar” Tuchscherer (17-2 with one no contest), are on the card to go toe-to-toe until one drops. UFC fans love this type of action. Either one could land the blow that ends it, but my money will be on Tuchscherer at a reasonable -170. The growth of MMA fighting is in part due to the Brazilian influence of the Gracie clan. Tonight we get to see a large Gracie (Rolles 3-0) fight a late sub Joey Beltran, who replaces Mostapha Al Turk. Gracie=submission, but at -600 there is no way to play this one. I'll pass and watch with interest instead. Okay, now let's see what we can do with our fictitious $1000 bankroll. Let's lay $200 to win $50 on Randy to dominate Coleman. Let's lay $222 to win $60 on Nate the Great. Spider's next. Let's lay $170 to win $50 on Damien Maia's submission skills. Let's lay $80 to win $40 on “Quick” Swick. Let's lay $67 to win $50 on Matt “Terror”Serra. Let's lay $40 to win $44 on Torres. Let's lay $60 to win $63 on Phillipe Nover. Let's lay $95 to win $50 on Phil Davis. Let's lay $68 to win $40 on Tushcherer's KO power. Let's pass on Danzig/Buchholz and Gracie/Beltran. In total we are risking $1002 to win $447. We need favorites to perform and with very few upsets. Don't forget to support your local youth wrestling programs where tomorrow's champions are born! Enjoy the fights. I know I will.

Fourth-ranked Ohio State is set to host Michigan tonight at 7 p.m. EST at St. John Arena in Columbus, Ohio. The dual meet will be broadcast on a same day delay at 11 p.m. EST tonight on the Big Ten Network. The Buckeyes are 14-1 in dual meets this season and a perfect 3-0 in Big Ten action. The Wolverines are 4-10 overall and 0-3 in the Big Ten. Below is a weight-by-weight breakdown of tonight's dual meet. 125: Sean Boyle (Michigan) vs. No. 20 Nikko Triggas (Ohio State) Triggas, a two-time NCAA qualifier, has been erratic this season. He started the season slowly, went through a stretch in November and December where he won nine of 10, but has struggled mightily of late. He has lost five straight matches with all of those losses coming by five or more points. Boyle, a true freshman from Blair Academy, struggled out of the gate, but seems to be coming into his own as he has won 12 of his last 18 matches. Bottom Line: It seems as though Triggas is losing confidence with every match, while Boyle is gaining confidence with every match. This would be a big win for Boyle if he can on the road and beat a two-time NCAA qualifier and nationally-ranked wrestler. The Buckeyes need Triggas to step up and show that can be key contributor in March. He has gone through a rough stretch, but will now face two freshmen this weekend and is expected to win both matches. Prediction: Triggas (Ohio State) dec. Boyle (Michigan) 133: Zac Stevens (Michigan) vs. Ian Paddock (Ohio State) Paddock has stepped into the Buckeye lineup as a true freshman and made an immediate impact. The three-time New York state champion has started the Big Ten dual season 3-0. He is 18-6 overall this season. Stevens, who is in his second season as a starter for the Wolverines, comes into tonight with an 18-12 record, but has gone 0-3 in Big Ten dual action. Bottom Line: Paddock is wrestling with a lot of confidence right now. He has not lost to an unranked opponent since early December and should defeat Stevens. Prediction: Paddock (Ohio State) dec. Stevens (Michigan) 141: Mark Weber (Michigan) vs. No. 2 Reece Humphrey (Ohio State) Humphrey, an NCAA runner-up last season at 133 pounds, was pushed last weekend by Purdue's Juan Aruchuleta, who took him into sudden victory before the Buckeye senior prevailed. Humphrey is never one to make excuses, but he was battling an injury when he suffered two losses at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals. He has since reeled off straight victories. He brings a 23-2 record into tonight. Weber wrestled last season as a true freshman at 149 pounds, but moved down to 141 pounds this season due to two-time Big Ten champion Kellen Russell redshirting. He is 13-20 on the season, but 1-13 in dual meet competition. Bottom Line: Humphrey should dominate Weber and pick up bonus points for the Buckeyes. Prediction: Humphrey (Ohio State) major dec. Weber (Michigan) 149: Mark Boyer (Michigan) vs. No. 2 Lance Palmer (Ohio State) Palmer, a three-time All-American, has been on a roll. His only loss this season came to Wisconsin's Kyle Ruschell in the finals of the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational in early December. He has dominated his competition since then, picking up bonus points in all but three matches. Last weekend, Palmer registered two major decisions, with one of those being an 11-0 shutout over 2007 All-American Matt Coughlin of Indiana. Boyer, a redshirt freshman, has been struggling this season. He is 3-10 this season and has dropped his lost his last nine matches. Bottom Line: Look for Palmer to dominate and it could be a fast match. Prediction: Palmer (Ohio State) pins Boyer (Michigan) 157: Dave Johnson (Michigan) vs. Tony Jameson (Ohio State) Jameson, a four-time Ohio state champion, comes in with a 4-3 mark on the season. Last Friday, Jameson defeated two-time NCAA qualifier Colton Salazar of Purdue. Johnson has gone 2-1 in Big Ten dual action and is 16-14 overall this season. He has won seven of his last 11 matches. Bottom Line: Jameson should control Johnson and win this match. Prediction: Jameson (Ohio State) dec. Johnson (Michigan) 165: Aaron Hynes (Michigan) vs. No. 6 Colt Sponseller (Ohio State) Sponseller, who is ranked No. 6, is 20-3 this season, but his three losses have come to the top three wrestlers in the country. He is coming off a 5-1 victory over No. 12 Paul Young of Indiana. Hynes has been up and down this season. He broke into the rankings one week this season, but has not been able to get back there. He has lost four of his last five matches … with three of those losses coming to unranked opponents. Bottom Line: Sponseller is wrestling at a high level right now, while Hynes has been struggling with consistency. Prediction: Sponseller (Ohio State) major dec. Hynes (Michigan) 174: Justin Zeerip (Michigan) vs. No. 12 Dave Rella (Ohio State) Rella has been consistent all season for the Buckeyes, going 18-6 and earning a No. 12 ranking. He has not lost since the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals. Zeerip, an NCAA qualifier last season at 165 pounds, has been in and out of the rankings all season. He has hit a bit of a rough stretch having lost his last four matches. However, three of those four losses came to wrestlers ranked in the top eight. Bottom Line: The two met earlier this season at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational with Zeerip winning that meeting by a score of 2-1. Expect another tight match. Prediction: Zeerip (Michigan) dec. Rella (Ohio State) 184: Hunter Collins/Erich Smith (Michigan) vs. No. 7 Mike Pucillo/T.C. Pendleton (Ohio State) Pucillo stepped on the mat last weekend for the first time since the NWCA/Cliff Keen Nationals … and was firing on all cylinders, picking up a major decision and a technical fall to improve to 15-4 on the season. There is a chance the Buckeyes could give Pucillo the night off and send out Pendleton, who is 2-3 in official matches this season. The Wolverines are listing both Collins and Smith as potential starters. Collins, a redshirt freshman, is 15-10 this season, while Smith is 3-13. Bottom Line: With both teams listing two potential starters, it remains to be seen who will step on mat tonight. Prediction: Pucillo (Ohio State) major dec. Collins (Michigan) 197: No. 9 Anthony Biondo (Michigan) vs. C.J. Magrum (Ohio State) Biondo has been one of the bright spots for the Wolverines in an otherwise disappointing season. He has compiled a 26-3 record after a season in which he went 23-13. Last weekend, Biondo defeated No. 10 Sonny Yohn of Minnesota for the second time this season. Magrum is 13-10, but has been struggling lately. Bottom Line: Biondo should win this one. Bonus points aren't out of the question. Prediction: Biondo (Michigan) dec. Magrum (Ohio State) 285: Ben Apland/Eddie Phillips (Michigan) vs. Corey Morrison (Ohio State) Morrison has gone 2-2 to start the Big Ten dual season. He is coming off a close loss (2-0) to No. 2 Nathan Everhart of Indiana. Morrison, an NCAA qualifier last season, is 14-9 overall this season and has been in and out of the rankings all season. Apland, a redshirt freshman, has gone 10-12 this season, while Phillips, a junior is 7-6. Bottom Line: Morrison seems to beat the wrestlers he should and lose to the wrestlers he should. He has not lost to an unranked opponent this season. Prediction: Morrison (Ohio State) dec. Apland (Michigan) Dual Meet Prediction: Ohio State 30, Michigan 6

WAVERLY, Iowa -- For the second straight time in a wrestling battle between the top two teams in NCAA Division III wrestling, Augsburg College's Zach Molitor (JR, Cambridge, Minn./Cambridge-Isanti HS) came through big again. Molitor's 11-2, major-decision victory at 174 pounds proved to be the difference in the match, as top-ranked Augsburg scored a 16-15, dual-meet win over No. 2-ranked Wartburg College at Wartburg's Levick Arena on Thursday night. Tied at 2-2 late in the second period, Molitor countered a shot by Wartburg's Dylan Azinger (JR, DeWitt, Iowa/Central HS) and claimed a takedown, quickly converting it to a three-point near-fall, which put him ahead 7-2. An escape, takedown and riding-time point gave Molitor, the No. 3-ranked wrestler nationally in his weight class, the 11-2 major decision and bonus-point victory for his team. With the win, the No. 1-ranked Auggies improved to 11-0 in dual meets this season, while Wartburg dropped to 15-2 in dual meets -- the Knights' only dual losses this season coming to the Auggies. With its fourth straight dual victory over the Knights, Augsburg improved to 15-9 in the all-time series between the two small-college wrestling powers. The close meeting was similar to the last time the teams met, in the finals of the National Wrestling Coaches Association Division III National Duals on Jan. 10 in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Like Thursday's match, both teams won five bouts, but Molitor proved to be the difference in both duals. In the Jan. 10 dual, it was a 3:52 pin of Azinger that gave the Auggies an 18-15 team win, while the major-decision was enough for Molitor and the Auggies in the 16-15 win on Thursday. Thursday's dual marked the eighth time that Augsburg and Wartburg have met twice in dual meets in a single season, with Augsburg claiming a sweep for the fourth time (2001-02, 2004-05, 2008-09, 2009-10). Wartburg has swept the series three times (2002-03, 2003-04, 2005-06), with the teams splitting the series in the 2006-07 season. Since 1989-90, the Auggies are now 249-21 against opponents from Divisions II and III, losing just 16 matches to non-Division I teams since the 1995-96 campaign. Against strictly Division III opponents, Augsburg is now 250-23 since the 1979-80 season and 174-13 since the 1989-90 season. The two teams have dominated NCAA Division III wrestling over the last two decades. Augsburg has won 10 national championships in the last 19 seasons, while Wartburg has won seven national titles. The teams have held possession of the Division III national crown every year since 1995. The Auggies' Jared Massey (JR, Circle Pines, Minn./Centennial HS) improved to 17-0 on the season with a 5-3 win over the Knights' Byron Tate (SO, Clinton, Iowa) at 197. The defending national champion and top-ranked wrestler at 197, Massey scored two takedowns in the final 51 seconds to break a 1-1 tie and eventually score the victory. In his two seasons at Augsburg, Massey is now 47-1, and is 52-3 in his collegiate career. Augsburg scored three wins in the first four matches to build a 9-3 lead. At 133, No. 4-ranked Paul Bjorkstrand (SR, Burnsville, Minn.), ranked No. 4 nationally, claimed a 5-2 win over Sean White (SR, Grand Junction, Colo./Central HS) to improve to 27-7 on the season. At 141, Jafari Vanier (SR, Minneapolis, Minn./Bloomington Kennedy HS), the No. 5-ranked wrestler nationally, used three takedowns to hold off Matt Kelly (SR, Dubuque, Iowa/Hempstead HS), the No. 8 wrestler at 133, 6-5. Vanier is now 8-4 on the season. At 149, No. 2-ranked Tony Valek (SO, Belle Plaine, Minn./Scott West) returned to the Auggie lineup and scored a 7-2 win over No. 6-ranked Jacob Groth (JR, Marshalltown, Iowa), scoring reversals in both the second and third periods to pull away. Valek is now 23-4 on the season. Wartburg scored the other two meetings of ranked wrestlers. At 157, No. 9-ranked Adam Weber (JR, Gilbertville, Iowa/Don Bosco HS) scored an 8-6 win over Augsburg's No. 6-ranked Jason Adams (SR, Coon Rapids, Minn.), and at 165, top-ranked Carrington Banks (JR, Stockbridge, Ga.) scored a 4-1 win over Augsburg's No. 6-ranked Orlando Ponce (JR, Hialeah, Fla./Hialeah-Miami Lakes HS). The Knights' No. 2-ranked Mark Kist (JR, Eagle Grove, Iowa) scored a 3-1 win over Augsburg's Josh Roberts (FY, Grand Forks, N.D./Central HS) at 125; No. 7 Todd Becker (JR, Gilbertville, Iowa/Don Bosco HS) scored a 3-1 win over Augsburg's Brad Baus (SO, Mukwonago, Wis.); and at heavyweight, Wartburg's David Wyper (SR, Perrysburg, Ohio) scored a 6-1 win over Augsburg's No. 8-ranked Andy Witzel (SR, Fulda, Minn.). Augsburg returns to action on Saturday (2/8) at 9 a.m. at the Wisconsin-Eau Claire Invitational. Results: 125 -- No. 2 Mark Kist (WAR, 16-2) dec. Josh Roberts (AUG, 16-9) 3-1 (Wartburg 3-0). 133 -- No. 4 Paul Bjorkstrand (AUG, 27-7) dec. Sean White (WAR, 25-7) 5-2 (TIED 3-3). 141 -- No. 5 Jafari Vanier (AUG, 8-4) dec. No. 8 (133) Matt Kelly (WAR, 9-4) 6-5 (Augsburg 6-3). 149 -- No. 2 Tony Valek (AUG, 23-4) dec. No. 6 Jacob Groth (WAR, 18-7) 7-2 (Augsburg 9-3). 157 -- No. 9 Adam Weber (WAR, 23-7) dec. No. 6 Jason Adams (AUG, 34-4) 8-6 (Augsburg 9-6). 165 -- No. 1 Carrington Banks (WAR, 19-2) dec. No. 6 Orlando Ponce (AUG, 23-10) 4-1 (TIED 9-9). 174 -- No. 3 Zach Molitor (AUG, 22-3) maj. dec. Dylan Azinger (WAR, 28-8) 11-2 (Augsburg 13-9). 184 -- No. 7 Todd Becker (WAR, 23-8) dec. Brad Baus (AUG, 16-13) 3-1 (Augsburg 13-12). 197 -- No. 1 Jared Massey (AUG, 17-0) dec. No. 4 Byron Tate (WAR, 1-6) 5-3 (Augsburg 16-12). HWT -- David Wyper (WAR, 20-9) dec. No. 7 Andy Witzel (AUG, 18-8) 6-1 (Augsburg 16-15).

Tonight No. 5 Minnesota heads to Champaign, Illinois to take on No. 22 Illinois. The dual meet will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network at 7 p.m. CST. The J Robinson-led Gophers are 9-4 overall this season and 4-0 in the Big Ten. The Illini, under the direction of first-year head coach Jim Heffernan, come in with an overall mark of 7-5 and a 2-2 Big Ten record. Below is a weight-by-weight breakdown of tonight's dual meet. 125: No. 6 Zach Sanders (Minnesota) vs. John Deenan (Illinois) Sanders has been impressive the past two weekends, going 4-0 to start the Big Ten season. He was pushed in his last match by talented true freshman Cashe Quiroga of Purdue, but Sanders prevailed 10-6. He was hurt at the end of that match, but indications are that he is healthy and ready to go tonight. Deenan, who is 7-9 on the season, is coming off a rough weekend, losing by technical fall to No. 1 Angel Escobedo of Indiana and then was shut out, 3-0, against Levi Mele of Northwestern, a wrestler he defeated 13-0 earlier this season. Bottom Line: For Sanders, this is merely tune-up match for his big test on Saturday against Escobedo. Look for Sanders to put a lot of points on the scoreboard and dominate Deenan. Prediction: Sanders (Minnesota) technical fall Deenan (Illinois) 133: No. 1 Jayson Ness/Thane Antczak (Minnesota) vs. Daryl Thomas (Illinois) Minnesota is listing both Ness and Antczak as potential starters. Ness, who moved to the top of the rankings this week after Michigan State's Franklin Gomez lost, has been sidelined because of an injury since the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals. Antcazak has done an admirable job filling in for Ness. He has gone 1-3 to start the Big Ten season, but in his defense he has faced some very tough competitors in Gomez and No. 8 Tyler Graff of Wisconsin … and the other loss came in sudden victory against Purdue's Akif Eren on Sunday. Thomas, a redshirt freshman, is 13-12 on the season, but has dropped four of his last five matches, with three of those losses being to unranked wrestlers. However, he did win his last match over a quality opponent in Eric Metzler of Northwestern. Bottom Line: If Ness takes the mat, it will likely be six points for the Gophers. He has pinned 14 of 19 opponents this season. If Antczak gets the call, it should be a very competitive match. Prediction: Antczak (Minnesota) dec. Thomas (Illinois) 141: No. 6 Mike Thorn (Minnesota) vs. No. 14 Ryan Prater (Illinois) Thorn has put together a nice season thus far, going 18-4 and establishing himself as a threat to contend for an NCAA title in a wide open weight class. He has close losses to the No. 1 (Kyle Dake of Cornell) and No. 2 (Reece Humphrey of Ohio State) wrestlers in the country and has several quality wins. He is coming off a sudden victory loss on Sunday to the quickly-improving Juan Archuleta of Purdue. Prater, a returning NCAA qualifier, is a very talented and dangerous wrestler, but has struggled with consistency over the past two seasons. The biggest win of his young career came at the NCAA Championships last season in the second round when he pinned No. 1 seed Kellen Russell of Michigan. He comes into tonight's match with an 11-5 mark on the season. He has yet to face a ranked opponent in conference dual action this season. Bottom Line: This is a very intriguing matchup. Both Thorn and Prater like to create action and are not afraid to take risks. It's difficult to predict what will happen in this match. Thorn has put together a better, more consistent season. However, Prater hammered Thorn, 11-0, last season at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational in early December. Both have made big strides since that match. Prediction: Thorn (Minnesota) dec. Prater (Illinois) 149: No. 18 Mario Mason (Minnesota) vs. No. 19 Eric Terrazas (Illinois) Expectations have been extremely high for Mason, a Blair Academy product, ever since he stepped foot on the campus at the University of Minnesota. His results this season have been mixed. He comes in with a 13-6 record, but is still looking for his victory against a ranked opponent. He battled All-American Kyle Ruschell of Wisconsin tough through two periods last Friday, but let the match get away from him at the end and lost 11-3. Terrazas, like Mason, is still looking for that first victory over a ranked opponent. Last Friday, Terrazas edged 2007 All-American Matt Coughlin of Indiana before losing in sudden victory, 8-6, to Andrew Nadir of Northwestern on Sunday. Bottom Line: One of the two wrestlers will pick up his first win over a ranked opponent this season. On paper, it's virtually a tossup. Both have close losses to Nadir and No. 12 David Cheza of Michigan State. Prediction: Mason (Minnesota) dec. Terrazas (Illinois) 157: No. 2 Dustin Schlatter (Minnesota) vs. Clint Arlis (Illinois) Schlatter wrestled the first half of the season at 165 pounds before making the move down to 157 pounds last weekend. Schlatter's wrestling resume speaks for itself … NCAA champion, three-time All-American, and U.S. World Team member. Last weekend, Schlatter looked very sharp in his first two matches at 157 pounds, winning both by major decision, outscoring his opponents 23-4. Arlis has a nice record, 10-2, but has not seen the stiffest of competition this season. His most notable win this season came against freshman Patrick Wright of Missouri, who was ranked for much of the first half of the season. Bottom Line: There is no reason to believe Schlatter won't do to Arlis what he did to his two opponents last weekend. Prediction: Schlatter (Minnesota) major dec. Arlis (Illinois) 165: Cody Yohn (Minnesota) vs. Conrad Polz (Illinois) Both these wrestlers have shifted weight classes throughout the season. Yohn wrestled the first half of the season at 174 pounds (with one match at 184 pounds) before moving down to 165 pounds after the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals. He comes into tonight's match with an 18-8 record on the season. Polz, a three-time Illinois state champion, started the season at 165 pounds, moved down to 157 pounds midway through the season, and is now back up at 165 pounds where he has shown more consistency. Bottom Line: Both Yohn and Polz are redshirt freshmen who are expected to be key contributors for their respective programs in the coming seasons. Whether they can qualify for the NCAAs and contribute in March this season remains to be seen. Expect this to be a competitive match. Prediction: Polz (Illinois) dec. Yohn (Minnesota) 174: No. 8 Scott Glasser (Minnesota) vs. No. 14 Jordan Blanton (Illinois) Interestingly, these two wrestlers competed two weight classes apart last season. Glasser competed at 165 pounds, while Blanton was at 184 pounds. Glasser has been of the nation's most improved wrestlers this season, going 25-4 after going 19-17 last season. He is currently ranked No. 8 in the country and has not lost since the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals, where he dropped a match to No. 2 Jay Borschel of Iowa. Blanton, an NCAA qualifier last season, has gone 20-3 this season and has won his last six matches. His most notable win came against Missouri's 15th-ranked Dorian Henderson, a wrestler Glasser also defeated. Bottom Line: This is a big match for seeding purposes at the Big Ten Championships. Both are on a roll right now and wrestling with a lot of confidence. Prediction: Glasser (Minnesota) dec. Blanton (Illinois) 184: Kaleb Young (Minnesota) vs. No. 2 John Dergo (Illinois) Dergo has established himself a serious threat to win an NCAA title in final campaign as an Illini. After failing to earn All-American honors at 174 pounds the past two seasons, Dergo made the move up to 184 pounds, where he competed as a freshman in 2006-07. He has had a stellar season. He was runner-up at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational and won the Midlands in a very deep weight class. He is currently 24-2 on the season and ranked No. 2. Young, who competed at 174 pounds last season, has emerged as the starter at 184 pounds after Sonny Yohn moved up to 197 pounds. He is 7-10 overall this season and 1-3 in conference dual action. Bottom Line: Dergo has rolled through his last three opponents, picking up a technical fall, major decision, and pin. Young has only given up bonus points once this season (to Missouri's Max Askren), but it will likely be twice after tonight. Prediction: Dergo (Illinois) major dec. Young (Minnesota) 197: No. 10 Sonny Yohn (Minnesota) vs. No. 14 Patrick Bond (Illinois) Yohn has put together a solid season, going 19-8, but has gone through a tough stretch over the past two weekends. In his last three matches, he has faced No. 8 Trevor Brandvold of Wisconsin, No. 9 Anthony Biondo of Michigan, and No. 11 Logan Brown of Purdue. He lost to Brandvold and Biondo, but defeated Brown on Sunday. Bond, a senior, came out of the nationally-renowned Great Bridge wrestling program in Virginia, where he was a four-time state champion and one of the nation's top recruits. He has had a solid career, qualifying for the NCAA Championships three times, but has gone 1-2 in each of his NCAA appearances. Bond comes into tonight's match with a 17-9 record. Bottom Line: Much like many of the matchups in this dual meet, this one is important for Big Ten seeding purposes. Seven of the nation's top 14 197-pounders come from the Big Ten. This match should be very competitive. Prediction: Yohn (Minnesota) dec. Bond (Illinois) 285: Ben Berhow (Minnesota) vs. Martin Smith (Illinois) Berhow, an NCAA qualifier last season, spent most of the first half of the season ranked, but fell out of the rankings after a disappointing Southern Scuffle, where he failed to place. He has faced many of the nation's top heavyweights this season and has been very competitive with them. He dropped one-point matches to No. 1 Jared Rosholt of Oklahoma State and No. 3 Jarod Trice of Central Michigan. Berhow is 15-8 on the season, but 4-0 in Big Ten dual action. Smith, who competed mostly at 197 pounds last season, has gone 11-11 this season. He has dropped three of his last four matches, but won his last time out against Marcus Shrewsbury of Northwestern on Sunday. Bottom Line: Berhow is wrestling well and should be able to handle Smith. On Saturday, Berhow will see undefeated and second-ranked Nathan Everhart of Indiana, a wrestler he defeated three times last season. Prediction: Berhow (Minnesota) dec. Smith (Illinois) Dual Meet Prediction: Minnesota 27, Illinois 7

LARAMIE, Wyo. -- Utah Valley junior 125-pounder Ben Kjar (Centerville, Utah/Viewmont HS) has been named the Western Wrestling Conference's Wrestler of the Week as announced today by the league. Kjar helped Utah Valley begin its conference season with a 2-1 record last week as the No. 13 ranked (InterMat) 125-pounder went 3-0 in his three conference duals. His biggest victory came via 5-3 decision over Wyoming's higher-ranked (No. 11) Michael Martinez. Kjar's other two dual wins came by major decision victories over Northern Iowa's Caleb Flores (12-4) and Air Force's Andrew Zwirlein (21-11). In Kjar's match against the Falcon's Zwirlein, he scored 10 takedowns and picked up another point from riding time to tally his 21 points. Kjar's major over UNI's Flores also helped UVU beat the West Regional power Panthers for the first-time in school history. Kjar is now 24-6 on the year and 8-1 in duals. This is the third time during the 2009-10 season that Kjar has won the WWC weekly award, the fourth for Utah Valley as a program. The Western Wrestling Conference is comprised of seven schools including the Air Force Academy, North Dakota State, Northern Colorado, Northern Iowa, South Dakota State, Utah Valley and Wyoming. Other Nominees: Air Force - Cole VonOhlen, Fr., 141 pounds, Jackson, Minn. (Jackson County Central HS) North Dakota State - Tyler Johnson, So., 165 pounds, Bismarck, N.D. (Bismarck HS) Northern Colorado - Justin Gonzales, Fr., 149 pounds, Greeley, Colo. (Northridge HS) Northern Iowa - Charlie Ettelson, Sr., 141 pounds, Hudson, Iowa (Hudson HS) Wyoming – Jimmy Belleville, Fr., 157 pounds, Tumwater, Wash. (Black Hills HS)

ERIE, Pa. -- The fifth-ranked Gannon wrestling team beat Waynesburg 39-3 Wednesday night at the Hammermill Center. A.J. Milanak (Apollo, Pa./Kiski Area), Tony Petrella (Reynoldsburg, Ohio/Bishop Hartley), and Chris Daniels (Erie, Pa./Harbor Creek) each recorded pinfalls for the Golden Knights. John Fleming (Bethel Park, Pa./Lakeview) started the night with a 2-0 decision win in the 125-pound contest. Corey Bowers (Pasadena, Md./Chesapeake) took a forfeit as Waynesburg did not have a 133-pound entry. Milanak then pinned Abdul Yusuff at the 1:54 mark of their 141-pound bout to put GU ahead 15-0. Ted Hoag (Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park), Zack McKendree (Vandergrift, Pa./Kiski Area), and Bret Terry (Canal Winchester, Ohio/New Albany) strung together three straight wins to clinch the dual for the Knights. Petrella pinned Robert Schultz in their 184-pound match and Daniels took a pinfall victory over Matt Zimmerman in the 197-pound bout. Heavyweight Frank McGrath (Hammonton, N.J./St. Augustine’s Prep) finished the event with a 12-7 decision win. GU is now 5-3 in dual action, while Waynesburg dropped to 6-9. Gannon travels to Ashland (Ohio) University for a tri-meet Saturday, February 6. The Knights face East Stroudsburg at 10 a.m. and then take on Ashland at noon.

GETTYSBURG, Pa. -- Joe Camlin (Westminster, Md./Winters Mill) recorded a third-period fall to seal a Centennial Conference (CC) wrestling win for McDaniel at Gettysburg on Wednesday. A Brock Glotfelty (Grantsville, Md./Northern Garrett) first-period pin wrapped up a 29-12 victory for the Green Terror (7-6, 4-1 CC), who won six of the 10 bouts. The Bullets (3-11, 2-3 CC) recorded wins by decision in all four of their victories. Abe Evans staked Gettysburg to an early 3-0 lead with a 4-0 win at 125 before Tommy Goretsas (Hampstead, Md./North Carroll) won by forfeit to give McDaniel the lead for good. Mike Tancredi (Wall, N.J./Wall Twp.) extended the lead to 9-3 with a 7-3 victory at 1441 and Brent Lowe (Dumfries, Va./Forest Park) added a 17-2 technical fall early in the second period to stretch the advantage to 14-3. Joe Fiore (157), Tim Zielinski (165) and DJ Neri pulled the hosts within two with a pair of two-point wins and a Neri 12-5 decision. Will Yeo (Lexington Park, Md./Great Mills) stretched the lead back to five with an 8-4 win at 184 before Camlin notched his fall in 6:03 and Glotfelty recorded a pin in 1:21. McDaniel returns to action in a CC tri-meet at Muhlenberg with Ursinus on Saturday. Action begins at 10 a.m. Results: 125: Abe Evans (G) dec. Earl Eppard 4-0 133: Tommy Goretsas (M) won by forfeit 141: Mike Tancredi (M) dec. Matt Danielson 7-3 149: Brent Lowe (M) tech. fell Michael Slabinski 17-2 (3:50) 157: Joe Fiore (G) dec. Matt Peters 6-4 165: Tim Zielinski (G) dec. Tony Vorndran 4-2 174: DJ Neri (G) dec. Scott Forrester 12-5 184: Will Yeo (M) dec. Luke Mitchell 8-4 197: Joe Camlin (M) pinned Marshall Puls 6:03 HWT: Brock Glotfelty (M) pinned Kevin Poplaski 1:21

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. -- The No. 23 Rutgers wrestling team’s redshirt junior Dominick Russo (Netcong, N.J.) was named the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association Wrestler of the Week, the organization announced Wednesday. The announcement marks the second time Russo has won the accolade, as he also received the honor on Feb. 8, 2009. Russo, who is listed as the ninth-best heavyweight in the country, helped the Scarlet Knights (16-4-1) extend the squad’s unbeaten streak to a school-record 12 by capturing wins in the team’s upset against No. 23 Virginia, 25-12, last Friday night and Navy, 23-10, Saturday night. Against Virginia, Russo capped off the exciting victory with a 7-3 decision over Jack Danilkkowicz. Russo picked up one of the biggest wins of his career last Saturday by outlasting No. 6 Scott Steele of Navy by a 7-6 score. Russo leads Rutgers with 25 victories, against only four losses, and has won 18 of his 19 dual bouts. The RU heavyweight is currently on a 11-match win streak and leads the conference with 15 pin fall victories. Russo’s pin total ranks 12th in the country. Rutgers and the rest of the Scarlet Knights travel to Bethlehem, Pa. to face EIWA foe and seventh-ranked Lehigh on Saturday at 1 p.m.

Gabriel BirdGabriel Bird, a senior at Osceola High School in Florida, has verbally committed to attend and compete at Liberty University for Coach Jesse Castro beginning in the fall. Bird, a four-time Florida state placewinner and 2008 USA Wrestling Junior National freestyle All-American, made the decision after his recent recruiting visit to Liberty. Bird finished fifth at the Super 32 in October and won the POWERade Christmas Tournament this past December. He is currenlty 45-0 at 145 pounds. He is a 3.5/4.0 student and looks forward to the Christian-based education he will receive at Liberty. He is projected at 149 or 157 pounds in college.