InterMat Staff

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. -- The Rutgers wrestling team, under the guidance of first-year head coach Scott Goodale, defeated non-conference opponent Drexel 24-13 on Thursday evening at the College Ave. Gym in New Brunswick, N.J. Seven Scarlet Knights picked up victories an a night when the team honored seniors Steve Adamcsik (Chester, N.J.), Dan Hilt (Manalapan, N.J.), Jaime Lijo (Stanhope, N.J.), Robert Kaiser (Fairfield, N.J.) and Ryan Jablonski (Norristown, Pa.) for their contributions to the program. Rutgers improves to 11-7 while Drexel drops to 10-14. "I was happy that the seniors were able to go out with a victory," said Goodale. "Steve, Dan and Jaime were all able to wrestle on senior night and I know that meant a lot to them. Although Robert and Ryan couldn't wrestle because of injuries, I know this night was special for them." Rutgers' junior Matt Pletcher (Eastampton, N.J.) kicked off the match with a 3-1 overtime win over Billy Haydt at 165-pounds, setting the tone for the rest of the evening. After Mike Whalen (Lake Hiawatha, N.J.) defeated Scott Hunter 8-3 at 174, Keith Dobish (Lodi, N.J.) dropped a tight 3-1 decision at 184-pounds. Junior Lamar Brown (Red Bank, N.J.) got the Scarlet Knights back on track with his third consecutive victory, a 12-3 major decision over Brian Stouffer at 197. Heavyweight Karim Mahmoud (Wallington, N.J.) earned a 10-5 decision over Kyle Frey before No. 13 Steve Mytych defeated Mike DeMarco (Lyndhurst, N.J.) 12-0 at 125-pounds to bring the Dragons to within six, at 13-7. In the most exciting bout of the night, Hilt earned a 7-6 come-from-behind victory over John McDermott at 133 to give RU a 16-7 lead. Trailing 6-5 with under 10 seconds to go in the third period, Hilt pushed hard and put McDermott on the mat to earn a takedown with three seconds left in the bout, giving him the one-point victory. Adamcsik followed with his 23rd win of the season, a 10-2 major decision over Morgan Remillard at 141, and Jack Barrett (Metuchen, N.J.) finished the scoring for the Scarlet Knights with a 10-2 major decision over Lewis Baker at 149-pounds. The nation's No. 14 157-pound wrestler, Drexel's Ryan Hluschak, pinned Lijo at 3:48 to make the final score 24-13. "Hilt did a tremendous job for us," said Goodale. "He hasn't had a come-from-behind win all season, but he really came through tonight. He got the crowd fired up and that was big for us." "I never expected my last bout at Rutgers to be that hard," said Hilt. "When it was over I turned around and saw my teammates and the crowd all standing up and cheering. It was the most memorable match I have ever had, and I know I will never forget that moment." Rutgers has two weeks off before the EIWA Championships begin on March 8, on the campus of Franklin & Marshall in Lancaster, Pa. "The EIWA's and the National Tournament is what this sport is all about," said Goodale. "We are going to take a few days off before we start training hard for the EIWA tournament. Our season comes down to how well we do in this tournament, and our guys know that we expect them to wrestle hard."

WAVERLY, IOWA -- Wartburg College crowned seven individual champions en route to its 16th consecutive Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) Wrestling Championship on Thursday at Wartburg College. It was the Knights' 26th overall title as they amassed 185.5 points to win by 44 points over runner-up Coe College, which posted its best-ever finish at the IIAC Championships. Cornell senior Chris Heilman won his first individual conference title at 125-pounds and was named Dick Walker Outstanding Wrestler. After receiving a first-round bye, Heilman major decisioned Wartburg's Robert Struthers 16-6 in the semifinals and followed it up with a 9-5 decision over No. 2-seed and third-ranked Clayton Rush of Coe. Heilman is the Rams' second IIAC champion (Nick Dohrmann, 126-pounds, 1998) and the school's first IIAC Outstanding Wrestler. Wartburg senior 197-pounder T.J. Miller became the 37th wrestler to win at least three Conference titles and the 21st to accomplish the feat at the same weight class. Miller becomes the 12th wrestler in Wartburg history with at least three titles. Other individual Champions were: Wartburg senior Jacob Helvey (133-pounds), Wartburg sophomore Matt Kelly (141-pounds), Wartburg junior Jacob Naig (149-pounds), Wartburg junior Aaron Wernimont (157-pounds), Coe sophomore Tyler Burkle (165-pounds), Coe senior Tyler Jentz (174-pounds), Wartburg junior Romeo Djoumessi (184-pounds), and Wartburg senior Brian Borchers (heavyweight). Jentz was the No. 3-seed. It was Miller's third straight IIAC title and the second title each for Naig, Wernimont, and Djoumessi. Coe's John Oostendorp and Luther's Dave Mitchell were named Iowa Conference co-Coaches of the Year. Oostendorp led the Kohawks to their best overall finish (second) and most points (141.5) at the IIAC Championships since joining the league in 1997. Oostendorp was also named Coach of the Year in 2005. Mitchell led the Norse to a third-place finish with 123.5 points, their tenth consecutive top-three finish. Thirty-two wrestlers qualified for the NCAA Championships hosted by Coe College, Cornell College, and the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference on March 7-8, at the U.S. Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids. The top-three finishers in each of the ten weight classes along with two wildcards will represent the Conference at the National Championships. The Iowa Conference national qualifiers are: Buena Vista (3) – Jestin Hulegaard (133), Aaron Cook (149), Julian Mancha (165) Coe (5) – Clayton Rush (125), Niles Mercer (141), Tyler Burkle (165), Tyler Jentz (174), Rob Kramer (197) Cornell (5) – Chris Heilman (125), Nick Nothern (133), Pat McAuley (157), Kyle Kehrli (174), Josiah Payne (Hwt.) Dubuque (2) – Josh Terrell (157), Evan Brown (174) Loras (2) – Erik Hanson (157), Jay Figgins (184) Luther (6) – Zac Bartlett (133), Travis Grawin (141), Johanson Quist (149), Nic Barclay (184), Alec Bonander (197), John Miller (Hwt.) Wartburg (9) – Robert Struthers (125), Jacob Helvey (133), Matt Kelly (141), Jacob Naig (149), Aaron Wernimont (157), Justin Hanson (165), Romeo Djoumessi (184), T.J. Miller (197), Brian Borchers (Hwt.)

NORMAN, Okla. -- For the first time since 1995, the Oklahoma Sooners are Bedlam champs. In front of the largest crowd to view a wrestling match in Norman this season (1,734), No. 17 Oklahoma (13-5) upended the No. 3 Oklahoma State Cowboys (16-3-1) at the Howard McCasland Field House by an 18-15 final. The upset snapped a streak of 19 straight victories by the Cowboys. "This is not just another victory," head coach Jack Spates said. "It was against a great and historic program in Oklahoma State. I couldn't be prouder of the fight and the effort of our team." The dual between the in-state rivals began at 184 pounds after Oklahoma State decided to draw instead of the traditional start at 125 pounds. The opening bout could not have started better for the Sooners, as No. 6 Joshua Weitzel put six on the board with a pin over Jack Jensen. The senior needed only the first period to record the fall at 2:18. Two-time All-American Joel Flaggert, ranked ninth nationally, then posted a decision over Clayton Foster at 197 pounds. After dominating the first two periods and leading 7-2, the Choctaw, Okla., native scored two escapes in the third for a 9-6 final. Oklahoma State bounced back after the two wins by Oklahoma seniors, as No. 8 Jared Rosholt won in an 8-3 decision over Nathan Fernandez at heavyweight. After a scoreless first, Rosholt recorded three takedowns in final two periods to take the victory and inching Oklahoma State back to within six, 9-3. No. 17 Joey Fio continued his recent success with a 3-2 upset decision over No. 14 Tyler Shinn of OSU at 125 pounds. The true-freshman, who was named Big 12 Wrestler of the Week on Feb. 11, was tied with Shinn after two periods, 2-2. After choosing down, Fio managed an escape at 1:50 and held on for the 3-2 decision. It was No. 1 Coleman Scott for the Cowboys who then took control of the 133 pound bout with a 7-2 decision over Oklahoma's Brian Shelton. Scott used two takedowns in the first to distance himself, narrowing the OU lead to 12-6. Nathan Morgan, ranked third nationally, posted another Oklahoma State win at 141 pounds with a 5-4 decision over No. 16 Zack Bailey. After a tie to begin the third, Morgan recorded a takedown and an escape to post the victory. No. 17 Will Rowe stopped OSU's momentum with a 7-2 decision over Ryan Freeman. The 149 pound match was close after two, with Rowe hanging on to a 3-2 advantage. The junior from Arlington, Texas, scored an escape, a takedown and a riding time point in the third to record the win, pushing the Sooner lead back to six, 15-9. An important match at 157 pounds pitted Oklahoma's No. 17 Chad Terry against Neil Erisman. After a scoreless first, Terry scored an escape and a takedown in the second to go up 3-0. After Erisman chose the down position to begin the third, Terry rode him out without giving up an escape to win 4-0 with the help of a riding time point. With the lead of 18-9, the Sooners simply needed to hang on to post the Big 12 upset over their arch-rival. No. 5 Jake Dieffenbach made the team score 18-12 after posting a victory at 165 pounds over senior Max Dean. The Cowboy recorded three takedowns and Dean was only able to manage escapes in the 7-3 loss. No bonus points were awarded with the decision, so Oklahoma State could only manage a tie in the match. It would take a pin at 174 pounds for Oklahoma State to tie the Sooners at 18. An unfamiliar face was wrestling for OU because of year-long starter Jeff James out for the year due to injury. It was up to the junior Chris DeVilbiss with a 7-2 record on the year to be the hero for Oklahoma and fend off OSU. DeVilbiss came through for the Sooners, keeping No. 8 Brandon Mason from recording the fall. Mason won 7-0, but the defeat was lost on the Oklahoma team, realizing the huge upset-win over the Oklahoma State Cowboys. "This is a huge, huge win," Spates said. "All of the cheers, all of the hugs--I couldn't be prouder." The Sooners will take their momentum into the postseason, as they will travel to Stillwater, Okla., on Saturday, March 8 for the Big 12 Championships.

FAIRFAX, Va. -- The No. 22 Maryland wrestling team dominated George Mason, 36-4, in non-conference action on February 21 at the Fieldhouse. The Terrapins won the first nine matches which included five major decisions and a fall. Sophomores Brendan Byrne and Steven Bell started things off with a pair of major decisions at 125 and 133 pounds, respectively, to jump start Maryland's night. Byrne won by a score of 15-3 while Bell handled his opponent, 16-8. Sophomore Jon Kohler recorded a 7-3 decision at 141 pounds to extend the lead even more before freshman Eric Medina pinned Brandon Bucher in the first period to make it 17-0. Classmate Brian Letters added three more points for the Terps with a decision at 157. The Terps rattled off four-straight major victories between 165-197 pounds. Sophomore Mike McGill led the streak off with a 16-2 win at 165 and then Mike Letts followed suit with a 15-6 win at 174. Junior Josh Haines tacked on four more points with a 11-2 win at 184 and sophomore Hudson Taylor handled Cayle Byers, ranked No. 12 at 197 pounds, with a 8-0 shutout to give Maryland its 36-0 lead. The Patriots would pick up a major decision at heavyweight in their only win of the night. Maryland (15-4) will conclude its regular season when it travels to Charlottesville to take on Virginia on Sunday, February 24.

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- The Duke Blue Devils picked up their biggest win of the season on Wednesday night as they defeated UNC Greensboro in Fleming Gymnasium, 21-14. Four of the Blue Devils' six victories came by a total of seven points. Duke was down 6-0 and 11-3 before rallying to win five of the last six matches of the night. The Spartans had defeated Ohio, Virginia Tech and N.C. State, all of whom the Blue Devils had previously lost to in dual meets. The meet marked the final regular season road contest for Duke this season. The Blue Devils are now 11-9 overall this season and 0-5 in the ACC. "Our guys did a fantastic job," said head coach Clar Anderson. "We won every close match. I feel the guys are peaking at the right time. They have to head into the ACC Championships knowing that they just beat a team that has defeated a couple of ACC teams." Wednesday night began at 197 pounds, and redshirt junior captain Dan Tulley fought hard but lost a close decision, 6-4, to the No. 13 nationally-ranked 197-pounder in Daren Burns. Senior captain Kellan McKeon got Duke on the board with a tight 4-3 decision over Mitchell Johnson at 125 pounds. McKeon made an escape last in the third period to seal the win. He is now 25-13 this season with a 12-7 mark in duals. At 141 pounds, redshirt senior captain Bryan Gibson earned his 74th career victory with a 7-5 decision over Ben Wilmore. The win tied him for 14th place in the Duke record books for career wins. Gibson is 11-6 this year and 7-4 in duals. The key match of the night for Duke belonged to redshirt sophomore Michael Degli Obizzi, who pinned Marcus Hannah at 6:32 of their bout. It was Degli Obizzi's fifth fall of the year, which is tied for second on the team. He has posted a 20-8 record this season at 149 pounds and is 42-30 in his career in Durham. Sophomore Voris Tejada continued his roll as of late, winning his eighth straight with a 6-3 decision over Mark Ring at 157 pounds. Tejada is 32-11 in 2007-08 with a 13-2 dual mark and a 51-19 career showing. He ranks tied for 12th on Duke's career winning percentage list with a .729 mark. At 165 pounds, junior captain Addison Nuding won another close match for the Devils, this time a 4-3 decision over Byron Sigmon. That win gave Duke an 18-11 lead after having trailed 11-3. Nuding's season record stands at 27-8 and 14-4 in dual meets. Nuding is 49-35 all-time at Duke. In the final match of the night with the Blue Devils clinging to an 18-14 lead, redshirt sophomore John Barone picked up the clinching win with a 13-8 decision over Jeremy Cannon. He is now 33-6 with 13 falls and a 17-3 ledger in duals. Barone's 68-22 overall mark as a Blue Devil is good for ninth place on Duke's all-time winning percentage list with a .756 clip. He is tied for second on Duke's single season wins list and is already 19th on the career wins list. He needs one more win to tie and two more victories to eclipse the single season wins record, and has one more regular season dual meet and the ACC Tournament to go. Literally every Duke record is under assault this year by the native of Shirley, N.Y. The regular season will wrap up at home in Cameron Indoor Stadium on Sunday at 4:30 p.m., and the Blue Devils' three seniors will be honored prior to the meet.

OMAHA, Neb. -- The University of Northern Iowa wrestling team secured a 22-15 dual win over Nebraska-Omaha, the nation's top-ranked NCAA Division II team. UNI won six of the 10 bouts against UNO on Thursday night in the Sapp Fieldhouse. UNI improved to 6-5-1 on the season, while Nebraska-Omaha dropped to 8-3 on the year. "I thought we wrestled pretty solid tonight," UNI head coach Brad Penrith said. "We made a mistake at 149, when we were in control of the match, but other than that we put up a strong effort. Now we are gearing up for North Dakota State on Sunday." The dual started at 157 pounds where UNI's Tyson Reiner (Mitchell, S.D.) scored a 13-5 major decision over Nebraska-Omaha's Marcus Hilario. Reiner jumped out to a 5-0 lead before Hilario trimmed the margin to 6-3. However, Reiner took control of the match with a barrage of takedowns to score the victory and put UNI on top in the dual, 4-0. No. 8-ranked Moza Fay (Anamosa, Iowa) overcame an early 2-0 deficit after surrendering a takedown to the UNO's Aaron Denson at 165 pounds, who entered the match ranked No. 4 in the Division II rankings. Fay came on strong and did not give up a point the rest of the way as he knotted the match with a reversal in the first period. Fay then secured another reverse to begin the second period. Fay dominated the third period as he rode out Denson to secure a riding time point and the 5-2 victory. At 174 pounds, UNI's Alex Dolly (Mishawaka, Ind.) used a strong third period to tally a 5-2 win over UNO's Ross Taplin, who was ranked No. 5 in the nation. Dolly scored the first points of the match with a second-period escape. Taplin tied the match at 1-1 early in the third period but had the benefit of the riding time advantage. However, Dolly wasted little time erasing that advantage with an ankle-pick takedown to take a 3-1 lead. Taplin then escaped, but Dolly locked the match away with one more takedown with only 22 seconds left in the match. UNI's Andy O'Loughlin (Independence, Iowa) took it right to the No. 2-ranked Brent Pankoke at 184 pounds. O'Loughlin notched a pair of first-period takedowns to take a 4-1 lead. But Pankoke responded with a pair of escapes and a penalty point for fleeing the mat to knot the bout at 4-4. Pankoke tallied a two-point nearfall with just over a minute remaining in the third period, but O'Loughlin notched a reversal with 20 seconds left to tie it a 6-6. O'Loughlin released Pankoke after scoring the reversal and then was unable to take him down in the final seconds as the Maverick wrestlers hung on for a 7-6 victory. Pankoke's win pulled the Mavericks to within 10-3 in the dual. At 197 pounds, UNI's Andrew Anderson (Sioux City, Iowa) scored a 6-5 decision over No. 2-ranked Jacob Marrs, who entered the match with a 25-1 record. Anderson netted a pair of takedowns and a reversal in the match. Marrs scored a late takedown to pull within one, but Anderson hung on for a one-point triumph. Anderson's win gave UNI a 13-3 lead in the dual competition. UNO's No. 6-ranked Tony Lewis used a second-period reversal to take control of his heavyweight matchup with UNI's Dustin Bauman (Stratford, Wis.). Lewis later added a takedown and a riding time point to score a 5-1 victory over Bauman. UNI's Caleb Flores (Rosemead, Calif.) was awarded a forfeit at 125 pounds to give UNI a 19-6 lead in the dual. At 133 pounds, No. 8-ranked Mario Morgan gave up a first-period takedown to UNI's Josh Baldridge (Haysville, Kan.), but then rolled off eight straight points on the strength of a three-point nearfall and a pair of takedowns. Morgan withstood an escape and takedown from Baldridge in the third period to tally a 10-6 win for the Mavericks. Senior C.J. Ettelson (Hudson, Iowa) tallied a 3-0 win over UNO's Sim Bribieseca in their 141-pound match. Ettelson secured a takedown with only eight seconds left in the first period and then added an escape in the second to account for the scoring in the match. UNI's Nick Pickerell (Albia, Iowa) jumped out early on UNO's Tait Weatherbee but made a crucial mistake late in the second period. Pickerell began the match with a five-point move and added three more points in the second to take an 8-1 lead in the match. However, Weatherbee took advantage of a Pickerell mental error and notched a fall at the 4:30 mark to end the dual. Weatherbee's fall put the final dual tally at 22-15 in favor of the Panthers. The Panthers will close out the dual season on Sunday at home against North Dakota State at noon in the McLeod Center. UNI will honor four seniors in their final home dual against the Bison.

Nebraska (14-2) vs. Iowa State (15-4) Date: Sunday, Feb. 24 Time: 2 p.m. Location: Hilton Coliseum, Ames, Iowa Live Stats: Huskers.com Live Video/Audio: Huskers.com Television: Iowa Public Television Lincoln - The Nebraska wrestling team will wrap up a regular season that saw them climb to No. 2 in the NWCA poll, defeat Oklahoma State for just the third time in school history and finish second at the National Duals with a chance to make history against Iowa State on Sunday. The No. 2 Huskers (14-2, 3-0 Big 12) will dual the No. 6 Cyclones (15-4, 2-1 Big 12) with a chance to go undefeated in conference play, a feat which NU has never accomplished in the 98-year history of the program. The dual will be another in a long line of classic matchups. Sunday's dual will be the sixth consecutive NU-ISU meeting with both teams ranked in the top 20 in the nation. NU is 3-3 in those six meetings and Sunday should be another close contest. Nebraska currently has nine wrestlers ranked in the top 20 in the nation, while Iowa State sports eight ranked wrestlers. Sunday's dual may well come down to bonus-point wins. Both teams will look to bolster thier standing heading into the Big 12 Championships with a win on Sunday. Oklahoma State hosts this year's conference tournament at the Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater on March 8. Nebraska has never won a Big 12 team title, last winning a conference title in 1995 when NU won its second Big Eight crown in three seasons. Last Time Out: Huskers Go 2-0 on East Coast Venture The No. 2 Husker wrestling team posted two wins over Rider and No. 16 Hofstra last weekend to improve to 14-2 on the year. Nebraska rolled to six straight wins to post a 25-10 dual victory at No. 16 Hofstra on Sunday. Junior Vince Jones (184) sparked the Huskers by pinning Justin Danz in 5:58 to give NU a 12-4 lead. Sophomore Jordan Burroughs (149) produced a 17-9 major decision with seven takedowns in his match, while No. 5 Brandon Browne rallied for an 8-6 win over No. 6 Alton Lucas at 174. No. 7 Craig Brester added a 10-3 decision over No. 10 Joe Rovelli at 197, joining Burroughs and Browne with a perfect weekend. In Saturday's 27-12 win over Rider, Brester defeated No. 12 T.J. Morrison, while Browne pinned Michael Darling in 2:39. Burroughs added three takedowns and a three-point nearfall in his win. Steven Dwyer (165) sealed the Huskers' win with a 12-3 major decision for his 26th victory and seventh major decision of the year. Heavyweight Jon May added a solid 12-3 major decision against the Broncs. Scouting Iowa State (15-4, 2-1 Big 12) A powerhouse in collegiate wrestling, Iowa State looks to be well on its way to another high finish at the NCAA Championships this season. The Cyclones return six starters from a squad that finished first in the Big 12 last season and qualified a wrestler at all 10 weight classes for the NCAA Championships. ISU finished second at NCAAs as it crowned four All-Americans, including one national champion. The Cyclones return just one All-American this season, though, in sophomore Jake Varner. Iowa State is currently ranked sixth as a team, with eight wrestlers ranked in the top 18 in the country. Varner has done his share for the Cyclones as he leads the team with a 22-0 record, including 16-0 in duals, and a No. 1 ranking at 184 pounds. Varner has four majors and six pins as his 22 wins are the most by an ISU sophomore since head coach Cael Sanderson in 1999. The Cyclones have three other wrestlers ranked in the top 10 in the nation in sophomores David Zabriskie and Nick Fanthorpe and redshirt freshman Jon Reader. Fanthorpe and Zabriskie are both ranked sixth in their respective weight classes, while Reader is ranked No. 7. Zabriskie has a 23-4 record on the season, while Fanthorpe is 25-4 overall with 16 dual wins and Reader is 24-5 with a 15-4 dual record. The Cyclones started the season with six straight dual wins, but stumbled in the first round of the National Duals as Hofstra upset them. ISU went 3-2 at the event to finish seventh with wins over Northern Iowa, Central Michigan and Northwestern, but losses to Hofstra and Penn State. Iowa State lost their annual meeting with Iowa 20-13 in Ames and the Cyclones are 4-1 in Hilton Coliseum this season. ISU's only loss in the Big 12 this season was a 16-15 heartbreaker to Oklahoma State on Jan. 27 in Stillwater. In its latest action, Iowa State beat No. 13 Missouri 18-15 in Ames last Sunday in a dual that came down to the heavyweight match. Husker History versus Iowa State The Cyclones and Huskers first met in 1916, but NU did not get a win until 1930 as ISU won the first eight meetings. Iowa State dominated Nebraska until the mid 1980's to amass a 73-13-2 lead in the series, but the last 10 years have seen both programs reach new levels. Sunday's dual will be the sixth consecutive with both ranked in the top 20 in the nation. The series has tightened as Nebraska is 3-3 in its last six matchups with Iowa State, including a 16-15 upset of second-ranked ISU in Lincoln in 2005 by a Husker squad ranked sixth. The two schools last faced each other Jan. 20, 2007. Craig Brester came back to defeat fifth-ranked Kurt Backes at 197 pounds and win his ninth straight match, but it wasn't enough as No. 3 Iowa State defeated the 20th-ranked Nebraska wrestling team, 25-12, in front of 902 fans at the NU Coliseum. Brester trailed 3-1 at the start of the third period, but after escaping 47 seconds into the final frame, Brester took down Backes with 1:02 to go in the match to seal the 4-2 win for the Huskers and pull NU to within five with two matches to go in the dual. Back-to-back setbacks at heavyweight and 125 pounds to close the dual gave the Cyclones the 25-12 win, their first over Nebraska since defeating the Huskers 25-9 on Feb. 26, 2004. A 4-2 win by ninth-ranked Dominick Moyer at 141 pounds over 10th-ranked Mitch Mueller tied the dual at three two matches into the contest. Moyer led 3-0 after two periods then, after allowing a takedown with 55 seconds to go in the match, escaped to give Moyer the two-point victory, his fifth over a ranked opponent this season. Robert Sanders followed with a comeback bid that fell just short at 149 pounds against 16th-ranked Cyler Sanderson in a 12-8 win for Sanderson. Sanders trailed 11-3 with 37 seconds to go in the second period, but outscored Sanderson 5-1 over the last 2:37 of the match to cut Sanderson's winning margin to four. Wins by Trent and Travis Paulson at 157 and 165 pounds, respectively, would give Iowa State a 10-point lead after five matches. Marc Harwood would keep the door open for victory for the Huskers with a win by fall over Grant Turner at 174 pounds. Harwood trailed 3-0 early in the second period, but turned a takedown with 1:15 remaining in the second period into a pin 21 seconds later. The win cut the Cyclones' lead to four, but Iowa State would go on to win three of the final four matches to clinch the dual victory. Big 12 Perfection A win over Iowa State in wrestling is a feat to be celebrated, but a win over the Cyclones this Sunday would mean a little more to the Huskers. Nebraska is currently 3-0 in the Big 12 after recording wins over Missouri, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. The Husker win against OSU has allowed Nebraska a chance at history against Iowa State. The defeat of the Cowboys was just Nebraska's third all-time and first since 1993, which means a win over ISU would put the Huskers at a perfect 4-0 in the Big 12. Nebraska has never swept its conference opponents in the 98-year history of the program. Brester Garners Big 12 Wrestler of the Week Honors The Big 12 Conference announced Monday that Husker sophomore Craig Brester was named the Big 12 Wrestler of the Week for his performances in competitions from Feb. 12-18. Brester defeated two ranked foes at 197 pounds last weekend as the Huskers topped Rider 27-12 and No. 16 Hofstra 25-10 on an East Coast trip. Brester, a native of Howells, Neb., is currently ranked seventh in the nation in his weight class. Last Saturday, Brester notched a 9-1 major decision over 12th-ranked T.J. Morrison of Rider to spark NU to victories in three of the final four matches of a tight dual. Brester registered a takedown early in the first period and worked his way to a three-point nearfall to take a 5-0 lead after the opening stanza. An escape and another takedown in the second period put him up 8-1 and boosted him to a 9-1 final score. Brester followed up with a 10-3 decision over No. 10 Joe Rovelli of Hofstra last Sunday. Brester notched two nearfalls as he held Rovelli scoreless until the third period. The win was Brester's third consecutive against a ranked opponent as he is 6-1 against ranked foes on the year. Brester improved to 20-3 on the year, including 12-3 in duals. He has scored 50 dual points for NU while allowing just 10. Scoring 33 dual takedowns this year, he has been taken down just nine times. He has six pins, three technical falls and four major decisions. Brester was also named TheMat.com Wrestler of the Week on Wednesday. TheMat.com is the official site of USA Wrestling. Rolling Through the Rankings Sophomore Craig Brester has emerged as one of the wrestlers to beat at 197 pounds this season after his 20-3 start to the season and knocking off some highly-ranked foes. Brester, currently ranked No. 7 at 197 pounds, has faced seven other wrestlers ranked in the top 20 in the nation and walked away with a 6-1 record. Excluding the Jimmie Open on Jan. 26, Brester has faced five consecutive ranked opponents, including three in top 10 in the nation. Brester lost a back-and-forth 13-11 decision to No. 9 Max Askren of Missouri on Feb. 2, but has defeated his three ranked opponents since. He topped fifth-ranked Joel Flaggert of Oklahoma, 6-1, on Feb. 10 and went 2-0 last weekend during the Huskers' trip out East. Brester amassed a 9-1 major decision on 12th-ranked T.J. Morrison of Rider and defeated No. 10 Joe Rovelli of Hofstra 10-3. Brester's record against quality opponents should earn him a high seed in the Big 12 and NCAA Championships. Burroughs 5-0 in the Big 12 National championships are always a goal in the Husker program, but wrestlers have to win in their own backyard before they can step on to the big stage. Sophomore Jordan Burroughs has exemplified that this year as he has a 24-5 record and a No. 8 national ranking, but more importantly is 5-0 against Big 12 opponents. Burroughs met several conference foes in open tournaments early in the year. He bested Oklahoma's Will Rowe 12-10 at the Kaufman Brand Open before defeating Missouri's Josh Wagner, 8-3, at the Las Vegas Invitational. Burroughs started Big 12 play on a hot streak as his 25-11 major decision over Oklahoma State's Quinten Fuentes help the Huskers upset the Cowboys. Burroughs notched two more wins over Wagner and Rowe in home duals as NU went 4-0 in the Coliseum this season. Burroughs' wins have positioned him for a high seed in the Big 12 Championships, which he can hopefully parlay into a high seed at the NCAA Championships. Taking Down the Record Books Jordan Burroughs is approaching the Husker record books in several categories, including wins by a sophomore, but the record he is really gunning for is the single-season dual takedown mark. Burroughs currently has amassed 95 takedowns as he has wrestled in all 16 of Nebraska's duals. He is averaging nearly six takedowns per dual and has been taken down just six times. In comparison, Paul Donahoe is second on the team with 39 dual takedowns this season. With three more takedowns, Burroughs will break the single season record of 97 dual takedowns currently held by Bryan Snyder, who was a four time All-American for the Huskers from 1999-2002. Snyder earned his 97 takedowns in the 2000-01 season that saw him go 28-2, including 16-1 in duals, and place second at the NCAA Championships. What Can Browne Do For You With his 8-6 decision over No. 6 Alton Lucas of Hofstra, junior Brandon Browne inched closer to breaking into the Husker record books. Browne currently leads the Huskers in wins with his 28-2 record and is 13-1 in duals. Browne is approaching the top 10 in season wins for a junior. Ryan Tobin is 10th with a 33-9 record in 1995-96, while Tolly Thompson is first with a 42-2 record in 1995-96. Browne is also nearing the top 10 season winning percentages. His .933 winning percentage trails Bryan Snyder's .935 in 1999-2000. Matt Lindland in 1992-93 and Bill Scherr in 1983-84 hold the best season winning percentage at .973. Browne is attempting to become the 26th wrestler in Husker history to win at least 35 matches in a season. Browne Named Big 12 Wrestler of the Week The Big 12 Conference announced Jan. 21 that Husker junior Brandon Browne was named the Big 12 Wrestler of the Week. Browne defeated second-ranked Brandon Mason of Oklahoma State 2-1 on Jan. 20 as the Huskers topped the Cowboys 22-13 in Oklahoma City, Okla. Browne, a native of Plattsmouth, Neb., was ranked sixth at 174 pounds at the time. Browne felt out Mason in the first period until he capitalized on an opening and scored a takedown with eight seconds left. Mason chose down in the second and scored an escape 25 seconds in. Browne chose the neutral position in the third, but neither was able to score a point as Browne held on for the 2-1 decision. Browne's win broke a 10-10 tie as the Huskers never relinquished the lead after Browne's win. At the time, Browne was 24-2 on the year, including 9-1 in duals. Browne had scored 35 dual points for NU while allowing just three. He was second on the squad in bonus-point wins with seven major decisions, four technical falls and two pins. Catching the Cowboys The Huskers' topped the Cowboys 22-13 on Jan. 20, which stopped a 15-dual losing streak to OSU, but the victory against OSU was the first for NU in 15 years. The win improves NU's all-time record against the Cowboys to 3-48-1. The Huskers' previous wins have come in 1993 in Stillwater, 39-12, and in 1922 in Lincoln, 36-11. Movin On Up The Huskers moved up to No. 2 in the Jan. 29 NWCA poll with a 10-2 dual record on the season at the time. NU has stayed in the No. 2 spot for four straight weeks. The ranking is Nebraska's highest since finishing the 2003-04 season ranked second. NU has never been ranked No. 1 in the NWCA poll, which was created in 2000. Tumbling the Top Ranked Nebraska knocked off No. 1 Penn State with a 19-13 win in the second round of the National Duals on Jan. 12 as the Huskers beat the top-ranked team in the nation for just the second time since 1991. NU's other defeat of No. 1 also came in the National Duals. The Huskers topped No. 1 Iowa 24-20 on Jan. 23, 1993, as Lincoln hosted the National Duals. NU went on to finish third at the NCAA Championships that year. Super Steve Sophomore Stephen Dwyer's performance at 165 pounds was a large part of the Huskers' success at the National Duals. Dwyer was the only NU grappler to go 4-0 on the weekend as he led Nebraska to a second-place finish. Dwyer started the tournament hot as he pinned Northwestern's Dominic Marella in 2:55 after tweaking his ankle midway through the first period. He showed no sign of intimidation against top-ranked Penn State as he earned a 5-3 decision over the Nittany Lions' Dave Rella. Dwyer started a Nebraska comeback with a 4-1 decision over Tyler Safratowich as the Huskers rallied to beat No. 6 Minnesota. He was one of only two Huskers to win against No. 2 Iowa in the finals with an 8-6 decision against Aaron Janssen. Dwyer is currently second on the Huskers with 27 wins, thanks in part to two separate eight-match winning streaks. He sports an 11-3 dual record and has earned 39 dual points for NU. He has nine bonus-point victories on the season. Rowe's Revealing The rotating door that was the 141-pound weight class early in the season for the Huskers stopped in January. Head Coach Mark Manning revealed sophomore Mike Rowe against top-ranked Penn State at the National Duals. Rowe has not seen starting time since last year's National Duals. Rowe returned to the starting lineup this season to make his debut against Penn State's Jake Strayer, who was ranked second in the country. Rowe jumped on Strayer early by earning the first takedown, but a collision between Strayer's teeth and Rowe's forehead in the second period slowed Rowe down. Rowe battled blood throughout the rest of the match, but scored a reversal with a minute left in the final period to retake the lead and win. Rowe faced No. 4 Manuel Rivera of Minnesota in the semifinals. Rowe was neck-and-neck with Rivera through two periods, before Rivera scored a takedown and two-point nearfall in the final stanza to win 10-6. Rowe headed into the third period tied at three with Iowa's Dan LeClere, but the Hawkeye scored a reversal to win 5-4. Rowe notched a 1-2 mark at National Duals, but his performance against three wrestlers ranked in the top 11 in the nation may have earned him the starting nod. Streaking Donahoe Junior Paul Donahoe lost to No. 3 Jayson Ness of Minnesota 6-4 in overtime of the semifinals at the National Duals, but the loss stung a little more for Donahoe. The defeat ended a winning streak for Donahoe that stetched all the way back to March 3, 2007. Donahoe went a whopping 316 days between losses. Before the National Duals, Donahoe's last defeat came against Oklahoma's Sam Hazewinkel at the Big 12 Championships. Donahoe went on to avenge that loss in the finals of the NCAA Championships by defeating Hazewinkel and earning a national title. Donahoe's 16-0 winning streak included a 5-0 mark at nationals and a win over Ness at the NWCA All-Star Classic on Nov. 19. Donahoe's Defense In his latest action, defending NCAA champion Paul Donahoe went 2-0 on an East Coast trip to face Rider and No. 16 Hofstra. Donahoe's 22-5 technical fall over Rider's Ilyass Elmsaouri helped the Huskers to a 27-12 win over the Broncs last Saturday. Donahoe and the five other Huskers that won a match against Rider, all recorded bonus-point victories. Donahoe's match in the Hofstra dual was one of several with ranked opponents squaring off. Donahoe faced No. 13 Dave Tomasette, an opponent he pinned at last year's NCAA Championships, and came away with an 11-5 decision. Donahoe was on his way to a major decision, but a late Tomasette takedown held the lead to a decision. Donahoe is now 17-3 on the year, including 11-3 in duals. Donahoe is attempting to become the first wrestler to repeat as a national champion in Husker history. Jordan's Major Decision Jordan Burroughs, another sophomore standout on the NU wrestling squad, has also begun to prove his worth this season, but in a different way. Burroughs leads the team in major decisions with 11 and leads the team in technical falls at six, thanks in part to his signature quickness. Burroughs is one of the fastest grapplers on the team and has taken advantage of it. Burroughs' strategy in most matches is to use that speed to earn takedown after takedown. In fact, his 95 takedowns on the year is nearly triple any other squad member. Burroughs' strategy seems to be paying off as he is 26-5 on the year, including 13-3 in duals. Single Senior The Nebraska wrestling team sports plenty of youth this season as its roster includes just one senior. Heavyweight Jon May returns for his senior year as a Husker looking to return to the NCAA Championships. In his latest action, May scored two wins on the Husker's East Coast trip to propel NU to dual wins over Rider, 27-12, and No. 16 Hofstra, 25-10. May notched his first major decision of the year with a 12-3 overpowering of Rider's Ed Bordas and followed up with a 6-3 decision against Tom Daddino of Hofstra. May notched a 1-2 record at nationals in 2006, and looked to be well on his way last season before an ACL injury sidelined him. May recorded a 14-4 record before the injury. May's experience will come in handy as 16 of NU's 34 wrestlers are in their first or second year in the program. Jordan Named Big 12 Wrestler of the Month The Big 12 Conference announced Dec. 3 that Husker sophomore Kenny Jordan was named the Big 12 Wrestler of the Month for November. Jordan, a Frankfort, Ill., native, went a perfect 6-0 at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational in Las Vegas on Nov. 30-Dec. 1. Jordan, competing at 133 pounds, racked up three bonus-point victories to start the tournament. He recorded a 15-0 technical fall over Jerome Greco of Columbia in the opening round, followed that with a pin of Old Dominion's Kyle Hutter in 3:51 and notched a 13-2 major decision over Rick Rappo of Penn. Jordan's last three wins in the tournament included a 7-6 decision over Reece Humphrey of Ohio State and a 7-0 decision over Cal State-Fullerton's T.J. Dillashaw in the finals. His performance helped propel the Huskers to a fourth-place team finish. Huskers Sign Five to 2008-09 Wrestling Squad Nebraska head coach Mark Manning has announced the signing of five recruits that will join the Husker wrestling squad in the 2008-09 academic year. The five signees, Riley Essay of Alliance, Neb., Jon Burns of Railegh, N.C., Romero Cotton of Hutchinson, Kan., Tyler Koehn of Pittsburg, Kan., and Josh Ihnen of Sheldon, Iowa, will add look to add depth to a talent-filled Nebraska squad. Burns will join the Huskers after a standout career at Cardinal Gibbons High School in Raleigh, N.C. In his freshman year at Cary High School, Burns finished third at the state tournament, and took home the 140-pound title in the Jim King/Orange Invitational. Burns sat out his sophomore year after transferring, but rebounded with a phenomenal junior campaign. Burns completed a 65-0 season and won the state championship. He capped his year by winning the 140-pound title at the National High School Coaches Association Junior National Wrestling Championships in Virginia Beach, Va. Ranked as the ninth-best junior in the nation last year, Burns will compete at 141 pounds for the Huskers. The Huskers again signed one of the top recruits in the state with Essay, who will look to cap his high school career with a fourth consecutive top-five finish at the state tournament this season. Essay earned a fourth-place finish his freshman year at 103 pounds and finished fifth at 112 his sophomore year. Last season saw Essay claim third at 125. Essay is projected to wrestle at 133 for NU. NU adds two more talented athletes with Kansas natives Cotton and Koehn. Wrestling at 152 pounds, Koehn captured a state championship last season for Pittsburg High School. He earned All-American honors last summer in the freestyle division at the USA Wrestling Nationals. Koehn works hard off the mat also, earning a 3.8 GPA at his high school. Koehn will wrestle at 174 for NU. Cotton also has his share of state championships. He will attempt to become a four-time state champion this winter, after winning titles in 2004 at 145, in 2006 at 160 and in 2007 at 171. One of the top recruits in the nation at 189 pounds, Cotton's athleticism has transferred to other sports as well. A running back for the three-time defending state champion Hutchinson High School, Cotton rushed for 1,398 yards and 22 touchdowns his junior season. Cotton is expected to wrestle 184 pounds in college. Rounding out the early signings is Ihnen. After a runner-up finish at 171 pounds at the state tournament last season, Ihnen competed this summer at the USA Wrestling nationals, where he earned All-America honors in the freestyle division. Ihnen has shown abilities in the classroom also, touting a 3.99 GPA and a 30 ACT score. Ihnen will wrestle at 197 pounds for the Huskers. Manning's Meanderings Nebraska wrestling head coach Mark Manning took his talents halfway across the world, as he traveled with the U.S. delegation as an assistant coach to the 2007 World Championships in Bauke, Azerbaijan, on Sept. 17-23. Manning has his share of international experience. He was selected as the head coach of the U.S. team for the 2001 World Championships. He also coached in the 1996 and 2000 Olympics as an assistant. Manning focused his efforts on the freestyle team, while two of his former wrestlers, Brad Vering and Justing Ruiz, competed for the U.S. in the Greco-Roman division. Vering, an NCAA Champion at 197 pounds at Nebraska in 2000, captured the silver medal in the 84 kilograms (185 pounds) division. He rolled off five straight wins before losing in the finals. The country of Azerbaijan, where the World Championships were held, was a full 10 time zones ahead of Lincoln. The country is located north of Iran and east of Armenia. Manning is entering his eighth year as Nebraska's head coach in 2007-08, having compiled a 118-63-4 dual record. Next up: Huskers Head to Big 12 Championships After wrapping up the regular season against Iowa State, the Huskers will have a weekend off to prepare for the Big 12 Championships on March 8 in Stillwater, Okla. Nebraska finished fourth last year and qualified six wrestlers for the NCAA Championships. NU has never won the Big 12 conference crown.

The TDR studios will once again go silent as we fire up the Mobile Brute Adidas studios and head to Frozen Tundra of Lambo Field and Packer land and Green bay Wisc. While other work takes me there I will provide another good show lineup for all of you can't get enough of wrestling fans. Scheduled to join us on this weekends show- Steve Martin- Head Coach of Old Dominion. Norfolk has been on fire this season. We'll find out why and what's in store for the remainder of the march to March. Karli Juenger- Director of Event Sales and Marketing for the St. Louis Sports Commission. Karli will join us to discuss the planning of and the excitement in store for all the fans of this years NCAA Championships. Mark Manning- Head Coach of the mighty Cornhuskers of Nebraska joins us to discuss the season, the team, health and the rush to greatness. This should be a good interview for sure. Daniel Cormier- This talented man will join us to discuss his role on the international scene, competition that is front of him now and his preparedness. Daniel Cormier (Stillwater, Okla./Gator WC) Recently USA Wrestling coaches praised Cormier's work ethic. Cormier is scheduled to compete in the trials in Vegas in June at 96 Kilos (211.5 lbs) In his Last competition Daniel wrestled at the CSKA Cup in Moscow where he won both of his matches. Cormier looks to make his 2nd straight Olympic team having done so in 04. The March to Beijing China is on and Cormier leads the way.

DURHAM, N.C. -- The Duke wrestling team will take a one-hour trip west Wednesday night to take on UNC Greensboro in Fleming Gymnasium at 7:00 p.m. It will be the final regular season road meet for the Blue Devils this season. The Blue Devils: Duke is 10-9 this season in dual meets. In their only team-scored tournament of the year, the Blue Devils took 21st place out of 29 teams at the prestigious Southern Scuffle on Dec. 29 and 30 in Greensboro, N.C. Duke's most dominating wrestler at any weight this year has been 184-pound redshirt sophomore captain John Barone, who was named the ACC's wrestler of the week on Nov. 27. Barone's 11-second pin of Mike Walsh of Limestone College on Dec. 1 was the fastest fall in Duke history, breaking an 18-year-old school record. He is 32-6 overall and 16-3 in duals in 2007-08 with 13 falls. Barone is 67-22 overall as a Blue Devil, which is good for ninth place on Duke's all-time winning percentage list with a .753 clip. He is tied for third on Duke's single season wins list and is already 19th on the career wins list. He needs three more victories to eclipse the single season wins record with two more regular season dual meets and the ACC Championships to go. Literally every Duke record is under assault this year by the native of Shirley, N.Y. Kellan McKeon will represent Duke at 125 pounds on Wednesday night. The senior captain is 24-13 this season with three falls and two top-four tournament finishes. He is 11-7 in dual meets. Redshirt senior captain Bryan Gibson will get the nod at 141 pounds for the Blue Devils. He is 10-6 with four pins this year at 133 and 141 pounds and is 6-4 in duals. Gibson is currently tied for 16th for career wins at Duke with 73. Redshirt sophomore Michael Degli Obizzi will see action at 149 pounds. Degli Obizzi is 19-8 this season with four pins and has a 41-30 career record as a Blue Devil. At 157 pounds, sophomore Voris Tejada will start. Tejada boasts a 31-11 mark this year and is 12-2 in dual meets. His 31 wins this season tie him for sixth in school history. Tejada is 50-19 all-time at Duke, good for a winning percentage of .738 that ranks 12th in the Duke record books. Junior captain Addison Nuding will get the call at 165 pounds against UNC Greensboro. Nuding is 26-8 on the year with two pins and a 13-4 dual record. He holds a 48-35 all-time record at Duke. Having a solid season is redshirt sophomore Ben Wales at 174 pounds. Wales was named the ACC's wrestler of the week after his 2-0 performance with one pin on Saturday, Feb. 16 against Virginia Tech and VMI. He is 19-13 this season with three pins and a 9-5 dual meet record. The Opponents: UNC Greensboro is 9-7 this year and 3-1 in the Southern Conference. Like Duke, they have beaten Campbell, VMI, Davidson and Gardner-Webb. Unlike the Blue Devils, the Spartans have defeated Ohio, Virginia Tech and N.C. State, and lost to Liberty. UNC Greensboro tied for 15th place with 45 points in the Southern Scuffle, which is the only tournament it has shared with Duke. The Spartans boast four upperclassmen who have led them on the mat this season. Senior Daren Burns is ranked No. 13 in the nation at 197 pounds and is 28-6 on the year with seven pins and a 13-3 dual meet record. At 133 pounds, senior Jeff Hedges is the No. 16 ranked wrestler and is 22-9 with three falls and a 13-3 dual showing. Junior Marcus Hannah has been strong at 149 pounds, going 14-6 and 8-3 in duals. As a heavyweight, junior Ryan Hsu has posted a 19-11 record with four pins and a 10-6 dual mark. Most Recent Meeting: The Blue Devils and Spartans last faced off in Duke's regular season finale on Feb. 17, 2007. UNC Greensboro won that meet, 30-13, in Cameron Indoor Stadium. Nuding recorded a pin that evening at 157 pounds and redshirt junior Aaron Glover picked up a decision at 165 pounds.

NORMAN, Okla. -- The second installment of Bedlam hits the Howard McCasland Field House in Norman this Thursday, Feb. 21, when the No. 17 Sooners host the No. 3 Oklahoma State Cowboys in final Big 12 dual for both squads. The match is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m., with doors opening at 5:30. "Our team is really excited about the Bedlam match this Thursday," head coach Jack Spates said. "We are looking forward to a great matchup and a great crowd at the Field House." Oklahoma State (16-2-1, 2-1-1 in Big 12) prevailed in the previous matchup between the in-state rivals on Dec. 2. Winning seven of 10 matches, the Cowboys defeated the Sooners 21-9 at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater. The rivalry rematch is scheduled to be televised live to the state of Oklahoma by Cox (Channel 7 in Oklahoma City), with Toby Rowland and Ryan Schafer providing coverage. Oklahoma (13-5 overall, 0-4 in Big 12) is coming off an impressive victory over the Cal Poly Mustangs last Friday night in the first annual "Beauty and the Beast" event at the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman. Oklahoma won eight of 10 individual matches in route to a 32-9 stampede of the Mustangs. Six Sooners are ranked nationally this week headed into Thursday's match. Joey Fio, Will Rowe and Chad Terry are ranked No. 17 at 125, 149 and 157 pounds, respectively. Redshirt freshman Zack Bailey is No. 16 at 141 pounds and Joshua Weitzel is No. 6 at 184 pounds. Two-time All-American Joel Flaggert rounds out the list at No. 9 at 197 pounds. Oklahoma State boasts seven ranked wrestlers in its lineup, headed by No. 1 ranked Coleman Scott at 133 pounds. Two others ranked in the top five are No. 3 Nathan Morgan at 141 pounds and 165 pound Jake Dieffenbach, ranked fifth. Tyler Shinn is No. 14 at 125 pounds and Newly McSpadden is ranked No. 20 at 165 pounds. Brandon Mason at 174 pounds and heavyweight Jared Rosholt are both No. 8. "Our team has had tremendous outings the past two duals," Spates said. "We have been extremely aggressive and have wrestled hard, and that is what it will take versus Oklahoma State. It is time for us to build upon our improvements this season and step up against the Cowboys." Tickets are still available by calling the OU Athletics Ticket Office at (405) 325-2424 or 800-456-GoOU. Reserved tickets for the dual are $15, while general admission is $10. Group rates are also available. The first 500 fans entering Thursday's match will receive free pom-poms courtesy of the marketing department. After Thursday's match, both teams will set their sights on the Big 12 Championships, hosted this year by Oklahoma State on Saturday, March 8 in Stillwater. SCOUTING THE COWBOYS The No. 3 Oklahoma State Cowboys head into Thursday's Bedlam match with a 16-2-1 overall record, and a 2-1-1 tally in the Big 12. They have outscored opponents 524-191 on the season and most recently knocked off Cal Poly by a 36-6 final score last Saturday on senior day in Stillwater. OSU, 7-2-1 against Top 25 competition this season, is anchored by three Top 5 nationally ranked senior wrestlers in Coleman Scott (133 pounds), Nathan Morgan (141 pounds) and Jake Dieffenbach (165 pounds). The trio has a combined overall record of 73-9 on the season. The Cowboys also look to be prepped for the future, with three sophomores and a junior also ranked among the nation's elite. Arguably the most memorable win on the season for the Cowboys came on Jan. 5 when they knocked off No. 1 Iowa on the road. Ranked No. 6 at the time, Oklahoma State took six individual victories in route to a 19-14 win. The team also started off the month of February with an impressive victory over No. 4 Iowa State, and head into Norman winning their last six matches. The Cowboy's two Big 12 victories have come against the Sooners earlier in the season (Dec. 2) and by edging Iowa State, 16-15, on Jan. 27. Nebraska gave OSU its lone loss on the season in a 22-13 decision on Jan. 20, at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City. The tie occurred on Jan. 19, when the Cowboys and the Missouri Tigers were deadlocked at 16 after ten bouts in Columbia, Mo. Oklahoma State, winner of four of the past five national championships, is aiming for its 35th title this season under the winningest head coach in the school's history, John Smith. RECAPPING LAST BEDLAM MATCH Then-ranked No. 21 Oklahoma was defeated by No. 3 Oklahoma State by a 21-9 final tally in Stillwater, Okla., on Dec. 2. The two teams came into the match with 4-0 overall records and the matchup marked the opening Big 12 dual for both squads. The Sooners put themselves in a hole early, falling behind 9-0 after the opening three bouts and were never able to recover. Six Sooners in the starting lineup competed in their first Big 12 bout versus OSU (Fio-125 pounds, Bailey-141 pounds, C. Terry-157 pounds, Dean-165 pounds, James-174 pounds and Fernandez-HWT). Three of OU's upper-classmen posted victories for the Sooners. Will Rowe (149 pounds) posted a 10-4 decision over Quinten Fuentes and OU's Josh Weitzel won his match at 184 pounds by a 3-2 decision over Cody Hill. Senior Joel Flaggert also picked up a Big 12 victory over Clayton Foster in the 197 pound bout by posting a 12-10 decision.

THIS WEEK Top-ranked Iowa (20-1, 7-0 Big Ten) will end the 2007-08 dual meet season Sunday at #11 Illinois (12-3, 4-2 Big Ten). The dual will be held in Huff Hall at 1 p.m. in Champaign, IL. HAWKEYES CLINCH SHARE OF BIG TEN TITLE, POST 20 WINS The Hawkeyes clinched a share of the 2008 Big Ten regular season title Sunday night when they defeated Michigan, 20-16, in Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City. Going into Sunday's dual at Illinois, Iowa is the only undefeated team in Big Ten duals (7-0). It is also the first time an Iowa team has won 20 duals in a season since the 1990-91 squad went 25-0-1. THE SERIES This is the 71st dual between Iowa and Illinois. The Hawkeyes lead the series, 43-26-1, but Illinois has won the last two duals. Iowa holds a 21-17 advantage in Champaign. Illinois won the last dual (24-13) in 2006 in Iowa City. Iowa's last win was 40-4 in 2003 in Iowa City. ON THE AIR Radio - Steven Grace and two-time Hawkeye NCAA champion and four-time all-American Mark Ironside will call the action live on AM-800, KXIC. All dual meets will be broadcast live, as will action from the Big Ten and NCAA Championships. Live audio broadcasts from all competitions and are available online at www.hawkeyesports.com. Broadcasts are available using the Hawkeye All-Access subscription ($9.95 per month or $79.95 per year) or the CSTV XXL Premium subscription ($119.95 yer year). Internet - Press releases, meet results, audio broadcasts and live video broadcasts from home dual meets are available online at www.hawkeyesports.com. To access live dual scoring for home meets, go to the wrestling schedule page, select the event and click on the Livestats link. Results will be updated after each bout during the dual. Current staff and student-athlete head shots can be found at pics.hawkeyesports.com. ILLINOIS FIGHTING ILLINI Illinois is 12-3, 4-2 in the Big Ten, and is ranked 11th in the nation in the USA Today/NWCA/Intermat Coaches Poll and 11th by W.I.N. Magazine. The Fighting Illini have wins over Findlay (30-10), McKendree (31-9), Lehigh (28-3), Kent State (19-15), Old Dominion (29-9), Cleveland State (37-0), Liberty (41-0), Ashland (46-0), Penn State (18-15), Wisconsin (24-13), Indiana (23-9) and Minnesota (19-17), and losses to Oklahoma State (12-21), Michigan (16-22) and Northwestern (11-22). Illinois will host Purdue Friday night at 5 p.m. on the Big Ten Network. Head Coach Mark Johnson is 189-41-3 in 16 seasons at Illinois and 209-45-5 in 18 seasons as a college head coach. He was a member of the Iowa coaching staff for 11 seasons, serving as an assistant coach from 1983-90 and a graduate assistant from 1980-83. Johnson is assisted by Big Ten alums Jim Heffernan (Iowa, 1987), Carl Perry (Illinois, 2000) and Jeremy Hunter (Penn State, 2001). Heffernan was a four-time all-American and Big Ten champion for the Hawkeyes at 150 (1983, 1985-87). His career win total of 131 ranks seventh in school history. The Fighting Illini are led by senior Gabe Flores (125), junior Mike Poeta (157) and sophomore Jimmy Kennedy (133). Poeta is ranked second in the country and boasts a 26-2 record. Kennedy and Hawkeye sophomore 133-pounder Daniel Dennis both prepped at Grant High School in Ingleside, IL. MARQUEE MATCH-UPS There two marquee match-ups based on the probable starters for Sunday's dual in Champaign. The individual rankings listed below are the most recent from the NWCA/Intermat/NWMA poll. 125 - #2 Charlie Falck vs. #8 Gabe Flores Flores handed Falck one of his two season losses at the Midlands Championships in December, pinning him in 4:27 in the championship semifinals. Flores also beat Falck, 9-5, at the 2004 UNI Open. Falck enters the match on a five-match winning streak with a 25-2 record, while Flores has lost his last three matches and is 21-8. 133 - #3 Joe Slaton vs. #7 Jimmy Kennedy Slaton (23-2) and Kennedy (23-4) are both undefeated in Big Ten dual competition and enter Sunday's dual on winning streaks. Slaton, who is 7-0 in conference matches, has won his last 11 matches, while Kennedy, who is 6-0 in the Big Ten, is on a nine-match win streak. The pair have a 1-1 record against each other.. Kennedy won the first meeting (3-1) at the 2006 UNI Open, while Slaton won the last meeting (6-0) at the 2007 Midlands championship semifinals. LAST MEETING - ILLINOIS 24, IOWA 13 Iowa was defeated by Illinois, 24-13, Feb. 10, 2006, at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The meet started at 197 pounds where Illini senior Tyrone Byrd defeated Hawkeye freshman Dan Erekson, 4-3. At heavyweight, junior Ryan Fuller evened the score by defeating Matt Weight 4-3. The Hawkeyes dropped the next two matches as Kyle Ott pinned Trent Goodale (3:30) and Gabe Flores beat Daniel Dennis by a major decision (10-2). The Hawkeyes came back strong winning the next three matches. Sophomore Alex Tsirtsis defeated Casio Pero 6-2, Alex Grunder decisioned Troy Tirapelle 9-4, and Joe Johnston beat Dan Zeman by major decision, 14-6. Johnston's win tied the team score at 13. The final three matches, and the meet, went the way of the Illini. Eric Luedke fell to Mike Poeta (10-2) at 165, Ben Stedman lost a major decision (9-0) to Donny Reynolds, and in the final match of the night, Paul Bradley lost to Pete Friedl, 4-2. Illinois 24, Iowa 13 197 - Tyrone Byrd (IL) dec. Dan Erekson (I), 4-3 Hwt. - Ryan Fuller (I) dec. Matt Weight (IL), 4-3 125 - Kyle Ott (IL) pinned Trent Goodale (I), 3:30 133 - Gabe Flores (IL)maj. dec. Daniel Dennis (I), 10-2 141 - Alex Tsirtsis (I) dec. Cassio Pero (IL), 6-2 149 - Alex Grunder (I) dec. Troy Tirapelle (IL), 9-4 157 - Joe Johnston (I) maj. dec. Dan Zeman (IL), 14-6 165 - Mike Poeta (IL) maj. dec. Eric Luedke (I), 10-2 174 - D. Reynolds (IL) maj. dec. Ben Stedman (I), 9-0 184 - Pete Friedl (IL) dec. Paul Bradley (I), 4-2 HAVEN'T WE MET? Following are past career results of potential Iowa-Illinois match-ups: 125 - Charlie Falck vs. Gabe Flores, 0-2 • Flores dec. Falck, 9-5, at 2004 UNI Open • Flores pinned Falck, 4:27, at 2007 Midlands 133 - Joe Slaton vs. Jimmy Kennedy, 1-1 • Kennedy dec. Slaton, 3-1, at 2006 UNI Open • Slaton dec. Kennedy, 6-0, at 2007 Midlands 165 - Mark Perry vs. Roger Smith-Bergsrud, 2-0 • Perry maj. dec. Smith-Bergsrud, 12-0, at 2006 Midlands • Perry pinned Smith-Bergsrud, 2:39, at 2007 Midlands 165 - Jake Kerr vs. Roger Smith-Bergsrud, 0-2 • Smith-Bergsrud dec. Kerr, 3-1, at 2006 Spartan Classic • Smith-Bergsrud dec. Kerr, 8-5, at 2006 UNI Open Hwt. - Matt Fields vs. John Wise, 2-1 • Fields maj. dec. Wise, 12-3, at 2005 UNI Open • Fields dec. Wise, 9-5, at 2006 Spartan Classic • Wise dec. Fields, 2-1, at 2007 Midlands IOWA WRESTLING HISTORY Iowa's overall dual meet record is 827-215-30 (.785) in 96 seasons. The Hawkeyes have won 20 national titles and 31 Big Ten titles. Iowa's 48 NCAA champions have won a total of 74 NCAA individual titles, crowning six three-time and 13 two-time champions. The Hawkeyes' 100 Big Ten champions have won a total of 181 conference titles. There have been seven four-time, 18 three-time and 24 two-time Iowa winners. Iowa's 130 all-Americans have earned all-America status 266 times, including 16 four-time, 28 three-time and 32 two-time honorees. PERRY UNDERGOES KNEE SURGERY Senior 165-pounder Mark Perry has undergone knee surgery. The announcement came Jan. 24 from Head Coach Tom Brands. The Stillwater, OK, native, had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee and is expected to return to the lineup soon. Perry, a three-time all-American, has a career record of 89-15. He currently has a 13-2 record and is ranked first nationally. His nine pins, this season, are best on the team. HAWKEYES WIN IN FINAL HOME DUALS Iowa extended its winning streak to 13 matches with victories over Indiana (28-7) and Michigan (20-16) in its final home duals of the season last weekend. Senior Matt Fields (Hwt.), junior Charlie Falck (125) and sophomores Joe Slaton (133), Brent Metcalf (149) and Chad Beatty (197) each picked up two wins on the weekend. Head Coach Tom Brands recorded his 50th career win against Indiana. The Hawkeyes jumped out to a 14-0 lead with wins at the first four bouts against the Hoosiers Friday night. Falck brought the crowd of 6,116 to its feet when he upset #2 Angel Escobedo, 4-2, at 125. Falck, who is ranked third in the nation, handed Escobedo (24-1) his first loss of the season. Slaton won his 10th straight match with a 3-2 decision over Andre Hernandez at 133. Sophomore Dan LeClere scored 19 points in the last two periods of his 141-pound match to post a 23-8 technical fall over Scott Kelly, and Metcalf posted a 19-6 major decision over Kurt Kinser. Indiana put points on the board with wins at 157 and 165, but the Hawkeyes shut the Hoosiers out in the final four matches. Sophomore Jay Borschel extended his winning streak to 12 matches with his 11-3 major decision over Trevor Perry at 174. Sophomore Phillip Keddy followed with a 17-5 major decision over Marc Bennett at 184. At 197, sophomore Chad Beatty scored a takedown with 30 seconds left in the match to beat Joe Fagiano, 9-7. Senior Matt Fields closed out the dual at heavyweight with a 7-3 victory over Nate Everhart. The Hawkeyes scrambled against Michigan with Beatty pulling out a huge 2-1 upset over Anthony Biondo to keep the team win a possibility. Iowa scored bonus points in four of its five wins to secure the 20-16 victory. Major decisions by Falck and Slaton, and a technical fall by Metcalf gave the Hawkeyes a 12-3 lead. Falck picked up his 25th season, 20th dual and fifth-straight win with the victory. Slaton extended his winning streak to 12 matches and remains undefeated in Big Ten duals (7-0). Metcalf picked up his 25th season and career victory, and 20th dual win, while extending his winning streak to 22 matches. He remains undefeated in Big Ten duals (7-0) and in Carver-Hawkeye Arena (7-0). The Wolverines rolled off four-straight wins to take a 16-12 lead with two bouts remaining. The Hawkeyes needed a win at 197 to have a shot at the team victory. Beatty, who lost an 8-0 major decision to Biondo last month at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals, scored a takedown as time expired to win, 2-1. Fields made the most of Senior Night and his last match in Carver-Hawkeye Arena by scoring a 20-5 technical fall over Michigan freshman Chad Bleske at heavyweight to secure the team win and score his 85th career victory. CHAMPIONSHIP EXPERIENCE The Hawkeye wrestling staff of Tom Brands, Wes Hand, Doug Schwab and Mike Zadick earned a total of one Olympic gold medal, four NCAA titles, six conference titles and 12 all-America honors. Their combined college career wrestling record is 487-83-2 (.853). OH BROTHER Sophomore Dan LeClere and freshman Nick LeClere from Coggon, IA, are the lone set of brothers on the 2007-08 Hawkeye roster. There have been 10 sets of brothers to wrestle together in the Hawkeye varsity lineup since the 1950s. They are Don and Tom Huff (1961), Mark and Scott Trizzino (1981), Lenny, Larry and Jim Zalesky (1981-82), Ed and Lou Banach (1981-83), Marty and Lindley Kistler (1984-85), Jim and John Heffernan (1987), Tom and Terry Brands (1989-92), Troy and Terry Steiner (1991-93), Ryan and Randy Fulsaas (2001) and Luke and Ty Eustice (2003-04). There have also been five sets of twins to wrestle at Iowa. They are Ed and Lou Banach, Tom and Terry Brands, Ben and Brett Stedman, Troy and Terry Steiner and Randy and Ryan Fulsaas. NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS RETURN TO ST. LOUIS The 2008 NCAA Wrestling Championships are scheduled for Mar. 20-22 at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, MO. The Scottrade Center was the site for the national wrestling tournament in 2000, 2004 and 2005, and will also host the event in 2009. The NCAA, University of Missouri and the St. Louis Sports Commission will co-host the event. Sessions I (11 a.m.) and II (6:30 p.m.) will be held Mar. 20, Sessions III (10 a.m. and IV (6 p.m.) will be Mar. 21, and Session V (10 a.m.) and the championship finals (7:30 p.m.) are set for Mar. 22. Tickets to the event are available at (866) 646-8849 or ticketmaster.com. All-session tickets are priced based on seat location. The price breakdown is as follows: Plaza - $150, Mezzanine Center & Mezzanine Corner (1st 2 rows) - $120, Mezzanine Corner & Mezzanine End (1st 2 rows) - $95, Mezzanine End - $60. NEXT COMPETITION Top-ranked Iowa will try for its 32nd conference title at the 2008 Big Ten Championships Mar. 8-9 in Minneapolis, MN. The tournament will feature a three-session format and will be held at Williams Arena. Saturday's competition will feature the Session 1 preliminary matches 11 a.m. and Session 2 championship and consolation matches at 6 p.m. The Session 3 championship matches will start at noon Sunday. Sessions 1 and 2 will feature four mats, while Session 3 will have three. All-session tickets are $30 and are available at gophersports.com, at the Minnesota athletics ticket office in Mariucci Arena or by calling 800-846-7437 or 612-624-8080. Single-session tickets, if available, will go on sale Mar. 3. The Big Ten Championships serve as an NCAA qualifying tournament. The Big Ten is allotted 72 qualifiers for the national meet. The top seven placewinners in each weight class will automatically advance to the national tournament. Big Ten coaches will select two additional wild card qualifiers after the meet.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- The Air Force Academy's Jake Kriegbaum has been named the Western Wrestling Conference's Wrestler of the Week as announced by league officials. Kriegbaum, a senior 141-pounder from Abilene, Kan., went 2-0 over the weekend to lead Air Force in a pair of WWC dual meets. Kriegbaum registered victories over a pair of 20-win wrestlers, first registering a 4-2 decision over North Dakota State's Gabriel Mooney on Friday evening. On Saturday, Kriegbaum picked up a 16-5 major decision over South Dakota State's Adam Everson to help the Falcons to a 26-10 win over the Jackrabbits. Kriegbaum has now won 10 of his last 11 matches and improves to 20-11 overall and 4-0 in the WWC. 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 State and Wyoming. Others nominated: North Dakota State - Jacob Bryce Northern Colorado - Tony Mustari South Dakota State - Tyler Sorenson Utah Valley State - Ben Kjar

ROCHESTER, MN -– After a three-decade absence, the North Iowa Area Community College wrestling team will compete at the National Junior College Athletic Association wrestling championships, with nine Trojans vying for individual titles at the University Center of Rochester (UCR) Regional Sports Center on February 22-23. NIACC was one of the top NJCAA programs in the country during its initial stint as a wrestling program from 1967-76, winning a national title in 1973 under head coach Kaye Young. This year's program is again nationally-ranked, fifth in the most recent polls heading into nationals. Head coach Richard Fergola's team is keyed by a pair of wrestlers that are ranked number one in their respective weight classes. Three others are ranked in the top 12 individually, making the Trojans a legitimate threat to take the team title. At 149 pounds, top-ranked freshman Albert White (Harvey, IL/St Rita HS) has established himself as the favorite for an individual title, having beaten last year's 149 champion, Matt Burns of Iowa Central Community College, twice during the past month. The most recent win (a 6-3 triumph) occurred at the Region VIII (North Central) tournament on February 10 in Willmar, MN. White – who won four straight large school prep state titles in Illinois – posted a 200-4 mark in high school and has done nearly as well this season with an overall mark of 27-3 heading into nationals. Besides winning his region meet, White was first at the NIACC/Kaye Young Open, the Colby Community College (KS) Tournament of Champions and at the Central College Open. White gets a first-round bye on Friday and will face either Ty Jaquess of Neosho County Community College (KS) or Darren Carrero of Gloucester County College (NJ) in round two. White beat Jaquess – second at the West Central District meet - by fall on December 7 in a dual meet. Carrero, who was a NJCAA national qualifier in 2007, finished fourth in the Eastern District II tournament two weekends ago. While White and Burns could meet again in the finals, another competitor to watch is Colby's third-rated T.J. Hepburn, who lost a 3-2 decision to White in the Colby TOC 149-pound finals on January 5. At 157 pounds, another NIACC freshman, DaVaughn Perkins (Omaha, NE/North), also enters this weekend's competition with a No. 1 ranking, having compiled a 35-5 mark. Perkins has beaten second-rated Carrington Banks of Iowa Central on four occasions this season, including the Region VIII finals. He also edged third-rated Joe Cornejo of Labette Community College (KS) in a 2-1 decision during a dual meet on January 14. Like White, Perkins came to NIACC with an impressive resume, going 86-0 and winning large school state titles in each of his final three years of high school. He has returned to Nebraska twice to win open meets at the University of Nebraaks-Omaha and also finished first at Central College before winning at regionals. Perkins has a first-round bye on Friday and will face either fourth-rated Cole Garcia of Colby or Wade Granger of Minnesota West Technical Community College. Garcia was second at the West Central District meet while Granger was fifth at the Region VIII meet. While Perkins would seem to have a tough second round opponent, the other side of the bracket isn't any more forgiving, with Banks and Cornejo scheduled to meet in the second round. At 174-pounds, sophomore Glenn Rhees (Atascadero, CA/HS) may be NIACC's next best hope to win an individual title. Rhees won his weight class at the Region VIII meet and has wrestled well after recovering from an injury suffered early in the season. A transfer from Dana College in Nebraska, Rhees has won individual titles at Central College and Colby's Tournament of Champions and had strong performances against four-year schools at meets held at Iowa State University and the University of Nebraska-Omaha. He's rated fourth in his weight class heading into nationals and has compiled a record of 22-3. Rhees has a first-round bye and will face either Colby's Scott Miller or Sean Sercu of Niagraa County Community College (NY) in round two. Miller was third at the West Central District meet while Sercu was third at the Region III meet. The top three ranked wrestlers at 174 are Darius Williams of Harper College (IL), Dirk Hurrin of St. Louis Community College-Meramac and Neosho County's Jason Green. Williams edged Hurrin at the Central District finals while Greene was first at the West Central District meet. Another competitor to watch is Pano Dreves of Highline Community College (WA), who was voted Most Outstanding Wrestler at the West District meet. At 141, NIACC freshman T.J. Moen (Des Moines/Saydel), is rated fourth heading into nationals. He placed second at the Region VIII, losing in the finals to No. 1-rated David Greenwald of Iowa Central. Moen is 24-10 this season, with two losses to Greenwald and another to third-rated Derek Ward of Labette. However, Moen beat fifth-rated Lyobomir Kubarov of the host school to win the Colby TOC and also won an individual title at Central College. Moen has a first-round matchup with Highline's Ionica Hanson, who finished fourth at the West District meet in Oregon. If he wins, he'll face Carlos Morales of Spartanburg Community College (SC). Morales placed third at the Eastern District II meet on February 10. At 133, NIACC freshman Cody Hogan (Richmond, MO/HS) is the ninth-rated competitor in his division. He was third at the Region VIII meet and sports a 19-9 overall record with a 133-pound individual title at Central College. Hogan began the season at 125 before moving up a weight class in December. Hogan has a first-round bye and will face either Pat Hegerty of Niagara County or John Sutten of Southwestern Oregon Community College in round two. Hegerty was second in the Region III meet while Sutten placed fourth in the West District competition. Four other non-ranked Trojans could make some noise at nationals. At 197 pounds, NIACC sophomore Brad Theilen (Nashua/Nashua-Plainfield) has compiled a 10-5 overall record since coming out for the team midway through the season. An All-Region XI wide receiver in football, Theilen placed second in the Region VIII meet. He faces Danny Miller of Harper in round one. Miller was fourth at the Midwest Region meet. Should Theilen win his first-round match, he'll face second-seeded Nathan Barzee of Northwest Wyoming Community College, the titlist at the West Central District meet. At 285 pounds, Beau Tudor (Camp Verde, AZ/HS) heads into nationals after placing third in the Region VIII meet. Tudor has a first-round bye and will face either Joel Sasso of Niagara County or Izzy Torres of Yakima Valley Community College (WA) in the second round. Sasso was second at the Region III finals while Torres placed fourth at the West District meet. At 125, Jordan Bartoszek (Mason City/HS) earned a berth at nationals by placing fourth at the Region VIII meet. He has a tough first-round matchup in third-rated Lyle Evans of Western Wyoming Community College. Meanwhile, NIACC's 165-pounder Tyler Hancock (Camp Verde, AZ/HS) faces third-seeded Mike Dace of Harper – the champion of the Midwest Division - in round one. Iowa Central, the defending champion, seems to be the favorite in the team competition. The Tritons have six wrestlers rated in the top six of their weight classes, including top-seeded Greenwald at 141 and second-rated teammates Terrence Young (125), Burns (149) and Banks (157). Iowa Central defeated second-ranked St. Louis-Meramac NWCA/Cliff Kean national duals, but Meramac has eight competitors rated in the top 10, with 197-pounder Jamell Jones seeded first in his weight class and Aaron Senzee and Deron Winn ranked second at 141 and 184 respectively. Third-rated Labette has third-seeded Ward and Cornejo at 141 and 157 respectively and five other qualifiers ranked in the top 10. Fourth-rated Colby has six wrestlers rated in the top six, led by top seed Chris Kern at 184. Sixth-ranked Western Wyoming has a trio of national title contenders in third-rated Evans at 125, second-rated Nick Mamlis at 133 and top-rated Brandon Rupp at 285. More about NIACC wrestling can be found at www.niacc.edu/athletics under the wrestling icon.

This week's edition of "On the Mat" will feature Zeke Jones and Luke Moffitt. "On the Mat" is a weekly wrestling radio program that airs every Wednesday night. This week's broadcast can be heard live from 5-6 p.m. Central Standard Time. The Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum in Waterloo, Iowa, hosts the show. Jones is the current head wrestling coach at Pennsylvania University. His team is currently ranked 25th in the nation with three individuals ranked in the to 20. Last season Jones coached Matt Valenti to his second NCAA title. It was only the second time in the history of the program that a Penn wrestler had won two titles. Internationally, Jones was one of the best wrestlers United States has produced. Jones won a World title in 1991, an Olympic silver medal in 1992, and a World bronze medal in 1995. He was also one of the head wrestling coaches of the 2004 freestyle Olympic team. Moffitt is the head wrestling coach at Iowa Central Community College. His teams have won the past two junior college national titles and this year's Triton wrestling team enters this weekend's national tournament ranked first. As an athlete, Moffitt won a junior college title at Iowa Central and a Big Ten title for the University of Iowa. "On the Mat" can be heard live on the Internet at www.kcnzam.com or locally in Northeast Iowa on 1650, The Fan.

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern's dual match against Indiana at 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 24, will be held at Rolling Meadows High School in Rolling Meadows, Ill. Ticket prices will be $10 for adults and $5 for children 17 and under or college students with a valid student ID. The event is free for NU students with WILDCARD. Rolling Meadows High School is located at 2901 Central Road, in Rolling Meadows, Ill. From Welsh-Ryan Arena, travel west on Central St. and take a left on Gross Point Road. Continue south on Gross Point Road to Golf Road. Turn right onto Golf Road and continue west 10 miles to Rand Road/US 12. Take a slight right onto Rand Road/US 12, continue 1.5 miles and make a slight left onto Central Road. Continue five miles and arrive at Rolling Meadows High School. Questions can be directed to the Northwestern media services office at (847) 491-7503.

LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ -- Hofstra sophomore Jonny Bonilla-Bowman, who recorded two top 20 victories last week, has been named the Colonial Athletic Association Wrestler of the Week for all competition from February 12 through 18. Bonilla-Bowman, a 157-pounder from Pomona, New York, defeated Drexel's Ryan Hluschak, the top ranked 157 in the CAA who was ranked 11th nationally. The transfer from Virginia Tech then went out on Sunday and defeated #17 Chris Oliver from Nebraska, 33-17, recording 14 takedowns in the match. Bonilla-Bowman, who becomes the top ranked wrestler at 157 pounds in the CAA this week, has won eight of his last nine matches to improve to 15-11 overall and 5-0 in conference contests. Bonilla-Bowman shares the CAA Wrestler of the Week award with Binghamton's Nate Patterson, who also defeated Hluschak last week. The conference also announced that George Mason freshman 197-pound wrestler Cayle Byers, who went 2-0 last week to improve to 33-5 on the season, was named the CAA Rookie of the Week.

Lincoln -- The Big 12 Conference announced Monday that Husker sophomore Craig Brester has been named the Big 12 Wrestler of the Week for his performances in competitions from Feb. 12-18. Brester defeated two ranked foes at 197 pounds last weekend as the Huskers topped Rider 27-12 and No. 16 Hofstra 25-10 on an East Coast trip. Brester, a native of Howells, Neb., is currently ranked seventh in the nation in his weight class. On Saturday, Brester notched a 9-1 major decision over 12th-ranked T.J. Morrison of Rider to spark NU to victories in three of the final four matches of a tight dual. Brester registered a takedown early in the first period and worked his way to a three-point nearfall to take a 5-0 lead after the opening stanza. An escape and another takedown in the second period put him up 8-1 and boosted him to a 9-1 final score. Brester followed up with a 10-3 decision over No. 10 Joe Rovelli of Hofstra on Sunday. Brester notched two nearfalls as he held Rovelli scoreless until the third period. The win was Brester's third consecutive against a ranked opponent as he is 6-1 against ranked foes on the year. Brester improved to 20-3 on the year, including 12-3 in duals. He has scored 50 dual points for NU while allowing just 10. Scoring 33 dual takedowns this year, he has been taken down just nine times. He has six pins, three technical falls and four major decisions. Brester and the Huskers end their regular season on Feb. 24 in Ames, Iowa, against Iowa State.

Greeley, CO -- Cal State Fullerton won seven of the first nine bouts to cruise to a 25-16 non-conference wrestling victory Sunday afternoon at Northern Colorado. The win was Fullerton's tenth in succession and improved its dual meet record to 14-5. The Bears dropped to 6-6. In the day's final match Fullerton heavyweight Wade Sauer, ranked No. 1 in the Pac-10 and No. 5 in the nation, had to default before the start of the second period to Reece Hopkin. After NC's Tony Mustari pinned Fullerton's Andre Gonzalez in the final minute of the 125-pound bout, the Titans won the next four bouts to take a 13-6 lead. T. J. Dillashaw picked up bonus points with a 10-1 major decision of Blayze Bahe at 133 pounds. After Northern Colorado's Devan Lewis won a 9-0 major decision over Teddy Bristol at 165 to make the score 13-10 in favor of Fullerton, the Titans pulled away led by another pin from Ian Murphy at 1:25 of the 184-pound bout. It was his second win by fall of the weekend and his team-best 11th of the season. The Titans are idle until the Pac-10 Championships at Eugene, Oregon, beginning on March 2.

IOWA CITY, IA -- The top-ranked Iowa wrestling team clinched the 2008 Big Ten regular season title Sunday night when they defeated Michigan, 20-16, in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes (20-1, 7-0 Big Ten) scored bonus points in four of their five wins to hold off the Wolverines (15-8, 2-5 Big Ten) in their final home dual and pick up their 13th straight win of the season. It is the first time an Iowa team has won 20 duals in a season since the 1990-91 squad that went 25-0-1. Hawkeye junior Charlie Falck (125) and sophomore Joe Slaton (133) gave Iowa an 8-0 lead with their major decisions. Falck picked up his 25th season, 20th dual and fifth-straight win with the victory. Slaton extended his winning streak to 12 matches and remains undefeated in Big Ten duals (7-0). The Wolverines put their first points on the board when freshman Kellen Russell scored a 6-4 win over Dan LeClere at 141. Iowa sophomore Brent Metcalf gave Iowa a 12-3 lead with his 25-8 technical fall in 5:10 at 149. Metcalf picked up his 25th season and career victory, and 20th dual win, while extending his winning streak to 22 matches. He remains undefeated in Big Ten duals (7-0) and in Carver-Hawkeye Arena (7-0). Michigan rolled off four-straight wins to take a 16-12 lead with two bouts remaining. Wolverine senior Jeff Marsh beat sophomore Ryan Morningstar, 10-8, in sudden victory at 157 and Michigan senior Eric Tannenbaum scored a 13-5 major decision over redshirt freshman Jake Kerr at 165. Michigan junior Steve Luke avenged an earlier season loss to Iowa sophomore Jay Borschel, scoring 5-3 win at 174. Wolverine junior Tyrel Todd scored a takedown with eight seconds left in the match to beat Hawkeye sophomore Phillip Keddy, 3-1, at 184. Iowa needed a win at 197 to have a shot at the team victory. Hawkeye sophomore Chad Beatty, who lost a 8-0 major decision to Wolverine freshman Anthony Biondo last month, scored a takedown as time expired to beat Biondo, 2-1. Hawkeye senior Matt Fields made the most of his last match in Carver-Hawkeye Arena by scoring a 20-5 technical fall over Michigan freshman Chad Bleske at heavyweight to secure the team win. Fields, who picked up his 85th career victory, and fellow senior Mark Perry (165) were honored on Senior Night before the dual. Iowa will end the 2007-08 dual meet season Sunday, Feb. 24 at #9/#11 Illinois (12-3, 4-2 Big Ten). The dual will be held at Huff Hall at 1 p.m. in Champaign, IL.

The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team, ranked No. 9 nationally, thrashed visiting Purdue 33-6 to close out its home schedule. The senior trio of Phil Davis (Harrisburg, Pa.), Mark McKnight (McDonald, Pa.) and Tim Haas (Camp Hill, Pa.) led the way for head coach Troy Sunderland as the Nittany Lions won nine of ten bouts to claim the victory. Senior Phil Davis majored Purdue's Logan Brown in his final Rec Hall performance. Davis, ranked No. 3 nationally, began the match with a dominating 16-5 major decision over Purdue's Logan Brown at 197. After Purdue's lone win at heavyweight, McKnight, ranked No. 10, got a major decision of his own, posting a 15-5 win over Purdue's Akif Erin at 125. Co-captain Haas then added his win, downing Boilermaker Sean Schmaltz 6-2 to put Penn State up 11-6, paving the way for the run-away victory. No. 9 Garrett Scott (Alexandria, Pa.) got a pin at 141 to push Penn State's lead to 17-6 and the rout was on. No. 5 Bubba Jenkins (Virginia Beach, Va.) downed No. 14 Jake Patacsil at 149, posting a 6-1 win in one of the dual's premier bouts. No. 3 Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.) got a solid decision at 157 before Dave Rella (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio) added a 13-4 major at 165. No. 16 David Erwin (Urbana, Ohio) took care of No. 17 Nick Corpe in another key match-up, downing the ranked Boilermaker 8-4. No. 14 Phil Bomberger (Port Royal, Pa.) got the final win, posting an 8-6 victory at 184. Beyond winning nine of ten bouts, the Nittany Lions racked up six bonus points to Purdue's three. Penn State moves to 13-5 on the year, and finished the Big Ten season with a 5-3 record. Purdue falls to 10-7 overall, 2-5 in conference action. The Nittany Lions will close out the 2007-08 regular season when they visit Lock Haven on Saturday, February 23, for an 8 p.m. match-up. All Penn State duals and post-season action will be broadcast locally on WBLF 970 AM and WKVA 920 AM and streamed live at www.GoPSUsports.com.

AMES, Iowa -- The little big man came through, again. Heavyweight David Zabriskie's 7-3 decision of Mark Ellis was the dual's deciding factor as No. 7 Iowa State defeated No. 11 Missouri 18-15 Sunday afternoon in Hilton Coliseum. The Cyclones improve to 15-4 in dual competition and 2-1 in Big 12 action. Missouri concluded its dual schedule and end with a 9-4-1 overall record and 1-2-1 in league action. "Missouri came in here and wrestled well," Iowa State head coach Cael Sanderson said. "Zabriskie is so consistent. He is great in the clutch. The Tigers are a good scrambling team. Mostly at this point, we are focusing on March." ISU registered 10 takedowns to Missouri's three. There were three matches that were decided by only a point, with riding time being the winning factor in two matches. Five of the afternoon's matches involved a scoreless first period. Both teams picked up a trio of victories, with ISU taking the first three matches only to have the Tigers storm back and win three in a row. Iowa State owns the all-time series, 43-4, and has won two straight over the Tigers. Zabriskie's second-period ankle-pick takedown of Ellis spun the momentum around in his favor, but Ellis was able to tie the bout at 2-2 with an escape. The Beast of the East was too much for the larger Missouri's heavyweight, as he went ahead for good on an escape early in the third period and attacked the Tiger with two more takedowns. Currently the nation's sixth ranked heavyweight and defending Big 12 champ, Zabriskie pushes his record to 23-4 and is spotless in Big 12 action at 3-0. "Last week in Arizona I got to go early instead of the last match," Zabriskie said. "I liked it because I got to sit back and watch my teammates compete. But I don't mind being last either. There were some ankle picks there that I got today. (Ellis) is quick for his size and is always moving so you have to be sure that you are doing the same." True freshman Tyler Clark opened the dual with a 7-3 decision over John Olanowski at 125 pounds. Clark scored a takedown in both the first and second periods for a 4-1 advantage. He added to his lead with a reversal to start the final two minutes of action. Currently ranked 15th, Clark moves to 17-7 in his rookie season. At 133 pounds, Nick Fanthorpe put Iowa State ahead 6-0 by notching a 6-2 decision over Missouri All-American, No. 19 Tyler McCormick. The seventh-ranked ISU sophomore jumped out early with a takedown at the 1:15 mark for a 2-0 lead. He added a second takedown in the third period for a 5-1 advantage and accumulated two minutes of riding time en route to his 25th win. Hailing from Naperville, Ill., Fanthorpe leads the Cyclone squad in wins (25) and takedowns (62). Nick Gallick's 1:22 worth of riding time lifted the 141-pounder past Marchus Hoehn, 2-1, to put Iowa State up 9-0. A scoreless first period gave way to an exchange of escapes by both wrestlers in the second and third periods. Gallick was able to ride Hoehn for nearly the entire second period. The sophomore from Tucson, Ariz., has won three straight bouts and his record now stands at 19-11. Missouri got on the board with a narrow victory at 149 pounds as No. 12 Josh Wanger edged Mitch Mueller via riding time, 5-4. Mueller tied the match at 2-2 on a pair of escapes tallied in the first and second periods. The Tiger jumped ahead on an escape in the final stanza, but Mueller was relentless and answered with a takedown to move ahead 4-3. Wagner was cut free to tie the bout at 4-4, but his 2:20 worth of riding time gave him an extra point and the win. The Tigers won the next two bouts at 157 and 165 pounds to tie the dual at 9-9 with four matches remaining. Senior Aron Scott put the Cyclones up 12-9 with a key victory at 174 pounds. The first period saw both grapplers receive a stalling warning with no points on the board. Missouri's James Williamson escaped at the start of the second period, but was called for stalling to even the bout at 1-1. Starting the final period from the down position, Scott was able to get loose from the Tiger at the 1:41 mark. Williamson was cited for fleeing on the mat and Scott was awarded another point to clinch the win. No. 1 ISU 184-pounder Jake Varner registered a 3-1 decision over No. 4 Raymond Jordan. Varner's win over Jordan was his first in three meetings. These two big men collided on the mat twice last season, once in Columbia, Mo., and in the Big 12 title bout with Jordan winning both meetings, but this time it was Varner's match. The first period of action saw both wrestlers fight for position and led to a scoreless opening three minutes. Nine seconds into the second period, Jordan escaped from the grasp of Varner for a 1-0 lead, but Varner responded with a low outside single-leg takedown to go ahead 2-1. His escape six seconds into the final period sealed the win. The All-American Varner carries a 22-0 record. "I wanted to maintain good position against him," Varner said. "Last year he got a couple of takedowns against me and I have learned from those situations." Iowa State will close out the dual portion of its schedule and pay tribute to its senior class by playing host to Big 12 foe Nebraska Feb. 24 at 2 p.m. in Hilton Coliseum. The dual is slated to be televised by Iowa Public Television and live stats will be available on cyclones.com.

FAIRFAX, Va. -- With a 37-12 thrashing of the Delaware State Hornets on Sunday afternoon at the Fieldhouse, the George Mason wrestling team earned its 13th victory of the season, matching its highest win total since the 1991-92 season, when the Patriots won their first of five CAA titles. Mason has now won its past four meets and six of its past seven. The Patriots jumped out to a commanding 18-0 lead behind a pair of forfeits and a first-period fall at 133 pounds by senior Joe Coughlin. It was Coughlin's seventh fall of the season. Freshman Cayle Byers earned his team-leading 33rd win of the year at 197 pounds with a commanding 14-4 major decision over Shawn Nowrey. Byers, the reigning CAA Co-Rookie of the Week, is currently ranked 12th by InterMat and 20th by Amateur Wrestling News. The meet ended with an exciting battle at the heavyweight class between senior Harry Zander and Delaware State's Eric Sewell. Trailing by a point, Zander scored a takedown in the final period to come away with a 5-4 win. George Mason wrestles in its final dual meet of the season against Maryland on Sunday, Feb. 24 at 1 p.m. at the Fieldhouse.

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Amidst an intense atmosphere, 12th-ranked Northwestern racked up its third-straight dual win by defeating No. 8 Illinois Sunday, 22-11. The Senior and Alumni Day crowd witnessed decisive overtime victories by No. 5 Brandon Precin (Orland Park, Ill./Carl Sandburg) and No. 18 Keith Sulzer (Cleveland, Ohio/St. Edward), along with wins by four NU seniors that proved to be too much for Illinois to overcome. The win gives the Wildcats an 8-7 record overall, 3-3 in conference. The loss drops Illinois to 12-3, 3-2 in the Big Ten. The dual began for the Wildcats with 184-pounder Adil Kolovic (Chicago, Ill./Niles West) against Ben Friedl. The Wildcat senior had a late surge but couldn't find a win on senior day, as Friedl managed three takedowns in the first two periods for an 11-5 decision that gave Illinois the early 3-0 lead. No. 2 Mike Tamillow (Oak Park, Ill./Fenwick) answered the early Illinois lead for the Wildcats against No. 13 Patrick Bond at 197 lbs. Tamillow accrued a takedown in the first and an escape in the second to jump out to a 3-0 lead -- a lead that would hold through the remainder of the match, as the Wildcat tied the dual at three apiece. Northwestern's top-ranked heavyweight, Dustin Fox (Galion, Ohio/Galion) scored an early takedown against No. 17 John Wise to begin the match. Wise answered with an escape, but Fox was quick with another takedown, and this time there would be no escape, as Fox rode Wise for the remainder of the period. Entering the second, Fox displayed his ability to escape, scoring the only point of the period to go to the third leading 5-1. Wise finally got an escape in the third, but it was too little too late, as Fox held Wise off for a 6-2 decision, giving him his 19th-straight victory and giving the 'Cats the 6-3 dual lead. The dual's third-straight match between ranked opponents came next at 125 lbs. with NU's Precin and No. 9 Gabe Flores. Points were scarce in the match, as both wrestlers failed to score in the first. The match intensified in the second as Flores came close to a near fall, but couldn't manage to contain Precin, as the Wildcat escaped for the match's first point. Flores did manage a late takedown in the second, giving the Illini a 2-1 lead entering the third. The match remained in question as time winded down, but Precin was able to overcome 55 seconds of riding time to score the ride out point to take the match into overtime. Precin finished the match in the opening tiebreaker with a takedown, taking the match 4-2 and adding to the Wildcat lead to make the score 9-3. 133 lb. Eric Metzler (Luxembourg, Wis./Luxembourg-Casco) looked to continue the dual winning streak against No. 9 Jimmy Kennedy. An early Illini lead proved to be too much for the Wildcat, however, as Kennedy scored three takedowns on his way to a 11-3 major decision to cut Northwestern's lead to 9-7. Sulzer came out at 141 lbs. with a takedown against No.11 Ryan Prater in the first period, much to the chagrin of the Illinois fans. Regardless, the Wildcat entered the second period with a 2-0 lead. Prater managed to tie the match with a two-point near fall midway through the second, evening the score as the wrestlers entered the third. Prater's reversal in the third gave Illinois the 4-2 lead, but Sulzer was able to counter with a reversal of his own with just 17 seconds remaining in the match. Sulzer erased the riding advantage of Prater as well, taking the match to a tiebreaker. After a close but scoreless first tiebreaker, Sulzer's two-point nearfall in the second tiebreaker gave NU the lead, and despite Prater's best effort, he couldn't manage anything else as Sulzer took the match 7-4 and widened the NU lead in the dual to 12-7. No. 6 Ryan Lang (North Royalton, Ohio/Lakewood St. Edward) came out firing against Grant Paswall at 149 lbs. with an early takedown and over two and a half minutes of riding time in the first period alone to give the NU senior a 2-0 lead entering the second. Lang doubled his lead in the second with an early reversal, but Paswall did manage an escape, giving Lang a 4-1 advantage after two periods. Lang, with the aid of two takedowns and two penalties in the third, scored a key 11-3 major decision victory for NU, making the score 16-7. At 157 lbs., NU's Andrew Nadhir (Bloomfield Hills, Mich./Detroit Catholic Central) had his work cut out for him as he took on No. 2 Mike Poeta. Poeta continually racked up points on Nadhir, but the Illinois wrestler couldn't get the tech fall victory as Illinois won the match with a 15-1 major decision, closing the NU lead to 16-11. At 165 lbs., Dominic Marella (Roselle, Ill./Conant) faced Clint Arlis. The first round saw a slew of action but the points were hard to come by, as Marella scored the only point of the period on a stalling penalty. In the second, Marella doubled his advantage with an escape, giving the Wildcat a 2-0 lead. With only three seconds remaining in the second, Marella doubled his lead again with a takedown for a 4-0 lead entering the third. Arlis managed to escape in the third, but Marella's answering takedown stifled the comeback. Despite a late reversal and penalty point for Arlis, Marella came out on top with a 6-4 decision that gave NU the decisive 19-11 advantage entering the dual's final match. No. 12 Nick Hayes (Council Bluffs, Iowa/Lewis Central) closed out the dual for Northwestern at 174 lbs. against No. 16 John Dergo. The match remained scoreless entering the second period, where Dergo opened up the scoring with a takedown midway through. Hayes tied the match early in the third, however, with his second escape of the match, and then scored a late reversal to seal the deal with a 4-2 decision, giving the Wildcats the 22-11 victory. The Wildcats return to action at 4:30 p.m. Friday as they take to the road to face the No. 13 Wisconsin Badgers.

Lincoln -- After surrendering a technical fall in its opening match against No. 16 Hofstra, the No. 2 Huskers roared back with six straight wins to capture a 25-10 dual victory over the Pride on Sunday in Hempstead, N.Y. Nebraska won its fifth straight dual to up its mark to 14-2 on the season as the Huskers have won 12 of their last 13 duals. Hofstra fell to 13-8 on the year. Nebraska rebounded from an opening-match setback at 157 pounds with two decisions at 165 and 174 to take the lead 6-4, but the momentum really swung the Huskers way at 184 pounds. Junior Vince Jones, wrestling 120 miles from his hometown of Sicklerville, N.J., notched a fall of Hofstra's Justin Danz in 5:58 after nearly pinning him in the second period. Jones' pin put the Huskers up 12-4 as the Huskers went on to capture seven of the 10 contested matches. Jones moved his mark to 21-10 on the year as 10 of his wins have come by fall. Sophomore Jordan Burroughs, another native of Sicklerville, N.J., also produced for the Huskers with a 17-9 major decision over the Pride's Mitch Smith. Burroughs had seven takedowns in the match to record his 11th major decision and improve to 26-5 on the year. Several weight classes saw ranked wrestlers from each team square off, including 125, 174 and 197. Junior Brandon Browne, ranked No. 5, earned a come-from-behind 8-6 win over No. 6 Alton Lucas at 174 pounds in one of the closest matches of the day. Browne went down 4-1 early, but entered the third period tied at four and scored two takedowns in the final stanza to take the victory. Browne is now 28-2 on the year, including 13-1 in duals. Sophomore Craig Brester, ranked No. 7, squared off against No. 10 Joe Rovelli in the 197-pound weight class. Brester notched two nearfalls as he held Rovelli scoreless until the third period and ended with a 10-3 victory. The win was Brester's third consecutive against a ranked opponent. At 125, junior Paul Donahoe nearly scored a major decision over No. 13 Dave Tomasette, but a late takedown by Tomasette forced Donahoe to settle for an 11-5 decision. Sophomore Steven Dwyer notched an 11-5 decision over Ryan Patrovich at 165 pounds to get the Huskers on the board, while senior Jon May scored a takedown and two-point nearfall late in the third period to win 6-3 over Tom Daddino at heavyweight. Nebraska concludes its regular season against No. 7 Iowa State in Ames, Iowa, on Feb. 24 at 2 p.m. The Huskers are currently 3-0 in the Big 12 as a win over the Cyclones would give NU a perfect mark in the Big 12, a feat which Nebraska has never accomplished.

Wisconsin beats Minnesota in Border Battle Rev Audio: Barry Davis (Wisconsin) Rev Audio: Zach Tanelli (Wisconsin) Rev Audio: Kyle Ruschell (Wisconsin) Rev Audio: J Robinson (Minnesota) Rev Audio: Jayson Ness (Minnesota) Another chapter of the Minnesota-Wisconsin "Border Battle" is in the books, and the defending national champion Golden Gopher wrestling team came out on the short end Sunday afternoon at Williams Arena, losing 20-17. The Gophers won five of 10 matches on the afternoon, but a pin by Wisconsin's Dallas Herbst at 197 pounds proved to be the difference as Minnesota (13-7, 4-3) lost its second dual meet of the weekend. The Gophers got wins from Jayson Ness, Dustin Schlatter, Tyler Safratowich, Gabe Dretsch and Roger Kish, but Badger wins at 133, 141, 157, 197 and Heavyweight were too much to overcome. Upsets of seniors Mack Reiter and Manuel Rivera put the Gophers in an early hole, and the continued absence of 157-pound All-American C.P. Schlatter at 157 pounds gave Minnesota an even smaller margin for error. Minnesota's three Big Ten dual meet losses is their highest total since 2004-05. The Gophers have lost three or more conference duals three times in the last 12 years. The Gophers are now 0-4 this season in Williams Arena following their two weekend losses (Illinois won 19-17 Friday night in Minneapolis. The win for the Badgers (13-4-1, 4-3 Big Ten) was their second upset of the weekend. They also beat No. 10 Michigan 20-18 Friday night in Madison. Top-ranked sophomore Ness continued his undefeated season (32-0) at 125 pounds, winning an 8-0 major decision over No. 19 Collin Cudd. Ness, who has a Division I-leading 18 pins on the season (still just two shy of the Gophers' single-season mark) has picked up bonus points in a whopping 26 matches already this year. Sunday, the Bloomington, Minn. native gave Cudd little opportunity to score, spending the vast majority of the match (4:09) on top and scoring three takedowns. Ness has won 33 matches dating back to last season, the second-longest streak in the nation. Seniors Mack Reiter and Manny Rivera rounded out a disappointing weekend for Minnesota with losses at 133 and 141 pounds. Reiter, who entered the meet ranked fifth nationally, lost a tough 5-1 to No. 11 Zach Tanelli at 133. Down 2-0 after the first three minutes, Reiter was nearly turned on his back partway through the second but rebounded, only to suffer another takedown at the end of the period. The loss drops his record to 18-6, including 3-4 in the Big Ten. Rivera had his hands full with No. 6 Kyle Ruschel at 141. The third-ranked Gopher senior and Ruschel wrestled through a scoreless first, only to find himself down 3-0 after a big takedown in the waning seconds of the second period. Ruschel ended the match with a nearfall to win 6-1 (including the riding time point). At 149, Dustin Schlatter flashed the aggressive form that made him an NCAA champion as a freshman in 2006. He went to work early and often on unranked Kendall Vogel, rarely surrendering his position on top and winning handily with a 13-3 decision. Schlatter is now 15-1 on the year and 2-0 on the weekend after not wrestling since Dec. 30 due to a hamstring injury. Freshman Luke Mellmer filled in for sixth-ranked C.P. Schlatter at 157 pounds, this time drawing another tough opponent in No. 5 Craig Henning. Mellmer, who was pinned by No. 3 Mike Poeta of Illinois on Friday night, fared a little better Sunday, losing a 15-0 technical fall. The Gophers still entered the locker room at intermission down 11-8. No. 20 Tyler Safratowich got Minnesota back onto the winning side of things at 165 pounds, picking up a 5-3 decision over Jake Donar. Safratowich jumped in front 4-2 in the second frame, but Donar cut his lead in half with a reversal halfway through the period. Safratowich started the third on top and kept his position nearly the entire way, winning 5-3. The junior won both his matches on the weekend (improving to 24-7) and appears poised to jump up in the national rankings. With the team score now tied at 11, Minnesota turned to another senior, 11th-ranked Gabe Dretsch at 174 pounds. With multiple busloads of his friends and family watching from the stands (it was "Gabe Dretsch/Frazee Community Day" at Williams Arena), Dretsch sent his fans home happy with an impressive 12-6 win. Dretsch led 6-0 early, although Clum climbed back to within four (10-6) before Dretsch put the match with a late reversal. Up by three, Minnesota needed a big performance from senior Roger Kish at 184 pounds as they sought to avoid their second weekend loss. The two-time defending All-American and 10th-ranked senior took on No. 17 Trevor Brandvold, winning a big 4-3 decision. After a scoreless first, Kish jumped on the board in the second period with a reversal. Two escapes later, Brandvold tied the score at two apiece. It was a battle for positioning in the third period, with Kish winning the scrum on the mat and taking down Brandvold with 40 seconds left. Brandvold tried to score a takedown in the final 15 seconds, but Kish held on for the win. Sunday was the first action on the mat for Brandvold since Feb. 1, as he had been out with a knee injury. It was the first match of the week for Kish (11-6), who was held out of Friday night's dual with Illinois. But Kish and Dretsch's big wins were nullified in quick fashion by Wisconsin's Herbst, the Badgers' leading pinner. The Winneconne, Wis. native needed just 1:03 to pin Yura Malamura and tie the team score at 17. Redshirt freshman Ben Berhow put up a good fight against No. 4 Kyle Massey (a native of Champlin, Minn.) at heavyweight but lost 6-2. Berhow didn't manage a takedown for the second consecutive night, giving the Badgers their third victory over Minnesota in the last 12 meetings between the two. The Gophers will round out the 2007-08 dual meet season Sunday when they host No. 6 Ohio State at the Sports Pavilion. That meet will get underway at 2:00 p.m. Illinois tops Minnesota, Schlatter returns Rev Audio: Mark Johnson (Illinois) Rev Audio: Mike Poeta (Illinois) Rev Audio: J Robinson (Minnesota) Rev Audio: Dustin Schlatter (Minnesota) Rev Audio: Manny Rivera (Minnesota) The fourth-ranked Golden Gopher wrestling team took on No. 8 Illinois Friday night at Williams Arena, with Illinois emerging the 19-17 victor. The Gophers (13-6, 4-2 Big Ten) were without normal starters C.P. Schlatter, Roger Kish and Justin Bronson, losing five of ten matches and surrendering bonus points twice. Minnesota held a slim 17-13 lead going into the final two matches of the night (184 and 197 pounds) but Jeremy Larson and Yura Malamura both lost close decisions to give Illinois (12-3, 3-1) the win. The Gophers did welcome back former NCAA champion and two-time All-American Dustin Schlatter at 149 pounds, as he defeated Illinois' Grant Paswall 7-2. It was the first action for Schlatter since his Dec. 30 finals match at the Southern Scuffle. Schlatter controlled the pace of the match from the opening whistle and showed no ill signs from the hamstring injury that kept him out of action for more than six weeks. Schlatter appears on track to defend his individual title at the Big Ten Championships, which will take place at Williams Arena March 8-9. Unfortunately for the Gophers, the absences of No. 6 C.P. Schlatter (157 pounds) and No. 10 Kish (184) Friday night, who were held out of the competition due to nagging injuries, was too much to overcome. The meet started at heavyweight, with redshirt freshman Ben Berhow taking on No. 15 John Wise of the Illini. Berhow held his own through two periods against the ranked wrestler (trailing 4-1 after five minutes). But Wise scored six points in the third to win a 10-2 major decision and put the Gophers in a 4-0 hole. Top-ranked sophomore Jayson Ness helped Minnesota bounce back at 125 pounds in his match against No. 9 Gabe Flores. Ness, who pinned Flores twice last year, could not muster the fall Friday night but handily claimed a 9-0 major decision. Ness was perfect on the defensive side and scored takedowns in all three periods to even the dual meet score at four apiece. It was the 31st victory of the season for Ness and his 32nd straight dating back to last season. Looking to keep the momentum, the Gophers sent out senior and fifth-ranked Mack Reiter at 133 pounds to take on No. 9 Jimmy Kennedy. The pair met during last season's dual meet at Champaign (a 28-12 Gopher win), with Kennedy earning the 6-3 upset win. Friday night, neither wrestler could mount much offense through two periods. Kennedy spent the entire first period on top after scoring an early takedown, and it was Reiter that held the upper position for much of the second (only a late escape gave Kennedy a 3-0 lead). In the deciding period, Kennedy successfully eluded Reiter's scoring attempts and cemented the win with a late takedown. The 6-0 loss dropped Reiter's overall record to 18-5. Senior Manny Rivera got the Gophers back on track at 141 with his 16-5 major decision win over No. 11 Ryan Prater. Rivera controlled the first frame after taking a 2-0 lead and nearly got a back on two separate occasions in the second. The third-ranked Rivera scored a whopping 11 points in the second period to take a 13-2 lead on the strength of two reversals and three nearfalls. Rivera cruised through the third to improve his overall record to 28-4. The night's most anticipated match was the one between Dustin Schlatter and Grant Paswall at 149 pounds. Schlatter was his lightning-quick self despite the long layoff, scoring a takedown in the first and two more in the second. Schlatter could not muster another score in the third period and walked away with the 8-2 decision. The Gophers entered the locker room at intermission leading 11-7. The Gophers gave up big bonus points at 157 when Luke Mellmer was pinned by No. 2 Mike Poeta, but Tyler Safratowich helped Minnesota regain the lead in the dual (14-13) with a 11-4 decision over Clint Arlis. Safratowich, who made his debut in the USA Today/NWCA/InterMat rankings this week at No. 20, improved his dual meet record to 11-2 wit the win. Minnesota needed a big win by senior Gabe Dretsch at 174 pounds and got it done. The 11th-ranked Dretsch won a close match against No. 15 John Dergo 7-2, jumping out to a 5-1 lead after two periods and hanging on for the victory. The win put Minnesota up 17-13 in the meet. Unfortunately for Minnesota, the four-point lead was not enough to avoid the loss. Larson, a senior wrestling two weight classes higher than normal, simply could not mount any offense against the heavier Ben Friedl of Illinois (losing 4-1), and Malamura was held without a takedown in his 8-2 loss to No. 11 Patrick Bond. The loss marks the first time since 2004-05 that the Gophers have dropped more than one Big Ten dual meet in the same season. Minnesota is now 0-3 in Williams Arena (they are 2-0 in the Sports Pavilion).