InterMat Staff

ALAMOSA, Colo. -- The Adams State College Grizzlies will attempt to cease all debate on if they are the best dual-meet wrestling team in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference when they host Nebraska-Kearney in a clash of RMAC titans, Thursday night in Plachy Hall. The first bout of what is ASC's final dual meet of the season, is slated for 7 p.m. In honor of Valentine's Day, the Grizzlies are holding Couple's Night in conjunction with the event, sponsored by Safeway. All couples will receive two admissions for the price of one. The Grizzlies, ranked third in the latest NCAA Division II National Wrestling Coaches Association Top 20 poll, have won nine straight duals and are 10-1 overall and a perfect 8-0 in RMAC action. The Lopers, ranked fourth nationally, are the 6-time defending RMAC Tournament Champions and have won three straight conference dual titles. They are 10-5 overall and 4-1 in RMAC action after seeing their 26-RMAC match winning streak snapped with a 19-17 setback to No. 5 Western on Saturday in Kearney. The Lopers, who will have up to seven nationally ranked wrestlers in their lineup, are at New Mexico Highlands on Wednesday night. They have three RMAC duals remaining this season and can get to 7-1 in conference action. Western State is currently 5-1 and can also get to 7-1 should the Mountaineers win out at Colorado Mines and New Mexico Highlands on Saturday and Monday. Their lone RMAC loss was to the Grizzlies, who mathematically have clinched the dual-meet title even if they should fall to the Lopers. The fact is certainly aided as the Grizzlies had the opportunity to wrestle and defeat affiliate RMAC member San Francisco State, something both Nebraska-Kearney and Western State did not. And because of that, ASC coach Jason Ramstetter and the Grizzlies want to end any debate on who the dual-meet champion is before it begins, something they can undoubtedly do by claiming Thursday's head-to-head match-up with the Lopers. Already winners of 10 duals for the first time since 1990 and riding a 9-dual winning streak, their longest in the NCAA Division II era (1992-93/Present), the Grizzlies hold their highest team ranking under Ramstetter, who can win his 50th career dual. ASC has five individually ranked wrestlers, up to four of which are slated to face off with fellow nationally-ranked opponents. The first of those battles could come at 125 pounds as sophomore Arsenia Barksdale (Norfolk, Va.) could face either seventh-ranked Joey Morrison or unranked Michael Abril. Barksdale, ranked fifth, is 19-8 overall and leads all RMAC wrestlers in that weight class with his .704 winning percentage. Abril, a junior, is 10-12 while Morrison, who may wrestle at 133 pounds, is 12-8 overall. Raymond Dunning (Nashville, Tenn.), also ranked fifth nationally, is 21-6 overall this year, the best RMAC record in the 133-pound weight class. He has not wrestled since the Western State dual on Feb. 1 and will draw either Morrison or senior Brett Allgood, a 2006 NCAA Division II National Champion who has not been out on the mat this year. On paper, the Lopers appear to have the edge at 141 pounds as senior Jeff Rutledge, a 2-time All-American, is ranked third in the country with his RMAC-best 27-11 record. The Grizzlies counter with Josh Hensley (Alamosa, Colo.), just a redshirt freshman. Although young, Hensley has had a solid season racking up a 21-9 overall record, a mark that includes a 10-1 record in duals. Hensley is also a perfect 8-0 in RMAC duals and could make quite a case for the top seed in the upcoming Mar. 1 RMAC/NCAA West Regional Championships if he can get by Rutledge, who is 12-2 in duals this year. Another big match could come at 149 pounds as the Lopers are likely to send sixth-ranked Ryan Etherton to the mat to face ASC sophomore Joey Deaguero (Commerce City, Colo.). Deaguero, who has been nationally ranked for much of this season, is 18-8 overall and 9-2 in duals. He was a 2007 All-American at 141 pounds. Etherton, also a sophomore, is 28-11 and 12-13 in duals. He leads all RMAC wrestlers with 14 wins by fall this year, something Deaguero, who shares ASC's team lead with 8, must certainly be aware of as bonus-points could significantly factor into the entire dual. If the aforementioned matches were not enough to salivate the excitement glands of wrestling fans, the 157-pound match-up should be as Loper senior Joe Ellenberger, currently ranked second in the country, is slated to face fifth-ranked Noomis Jones. Ellenberger, a returning All-American who racked up 43 wins in 2006-07, sports a 27-6 overall record and is an impressive 14-1 in dual meets. Jones comes in with a 21-8 record and has won seven straight matches to get to 10-1 in duals. He is also a perfect 8-0 in RMAC affairs. The Lopers might have a slight edge at 165 pounds as well with junior Keenan McCurdy, ranked eighth, slated to go against and up-and-down Grizzly sophomore in Mike Gallegos (Alamosa, Colo.). McCurdy is 21-15 overall, but just 7-6 in duals. Gallegos, 7-3, has had some big wins but has also dropped some matches he would like back after missing the first half of the season with an eye injury. Another decisive tilt could be at 174 pounds as two of the top three wrestlers in the country will face off. ASC senior Evan Copeland (Las Cruces, N.M.) is ranked second in the country and sports a 21-10 record. He is slated to face Loper sophomore Marty Usman, ranked third. Usman is 15-5 overall and a perfect 4-0 in limited dual meet action. At 184 pounds, the Grizzlies have their highest ranked wrestler in Jared Deaguero (Commerce City, Colo.). A winner of 15 straight matches and the reigning RMAC Wrestler of the Week, Deaguero is 26-5 in the year following his national title run. Undefeated in 20 straight matches against Division II opposition, Deaguero will be attempting to avenge his only RMAC dual meet loss of his career when he faces a Loper in Paul Sutton, a junior with a 21-11 record. Deaguero's only RMAC dual meet loss of his career came last February against UNK's Matt Farrell, a man Deaguero did defeat in the finals of the 2007 RMAC/NCAA West Regional Championships. A mid-year transfer to ASC last year, Deaguero has never lost in Plachy Hall. He and Copeland, ASC's two seniors, will be wrestling there for the final time on Thursday. At 197 pounds, the Lopers are likely to send Derek Ross to the mat. He is 15-12 this year and 6-3 in duals. ASC will counter with true freshman Collin Backlund (Taylorsville, Utah), who had his redshirt pulled off mid-season as Brandon Morris (Nucla, Colo.) left the team. Backlund is 1-8 since then. Like ASC does with Jared Deaguero, the Lopers also have a defending national champion and top-ranked wrestler in the lineup in heavyweight Tervel Dlagnev, a perfect 26-0 this year. Arguably the top big-guy in all of collegiate wrestling, Dlagnev was last year's RMAC Wrestler of the Year and earned preseason honors before this season. The Grizzlies will counter with either sophomore Jeff Schossow (Fort Morgan, Colo.) or Josh Marquez (Bakersfield, Calif.). Schossow, who replaced Marquez after the later was pinned in two straight matches, is 8-6 this year. He will also have a personal vendetta after suffering a season-ending shoulder injury in last year's match with Dlagnev. Marquez is 7-6.

THIS WEEK Top-ranked Iowa (18-1, 5-0 Big Ten) will put its undefeated Big Ten dual mark on the line when it hosts two conference opponents this weekend. Iowa will wrestle #20 Indiana (12-7, 1-5 Big Ten) Friday at 7 p.m. and #9 Michigan (15-6, 2-3 Big Ten) Sunday at 8 p.m. Both matches will be held in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. It will be the second meeting for the Hawkeyes and Wolverines this season, as Iowa scored a 23-13 win in the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals semifinals Jan. 13 in Cedar Falls. The Michigan dual will be a Black Out event, where all fans are encouraged to wear black clothing. It will also be Senior Night, Fan Appreciation Night and 25 Years in Carver-Hawkeye Arena will be celebrated. Seniors Matt Fields (Hwt.) and Mark Perry (165) will be recognized, and fans will be eligible to win prizes and receive a free commemorative meet program. FAMILY FOUR PACK AVAILABLE The University of Iowa is offering a Family Four Pack ticket package for the Iowa vs. Indiana dual on Friday. The package includes four tickets, four hot dogs and four drinks for $30. Orders can be placed through the University of Iowa Athletic Ticket Office or at 1-800-464-2957, 319-335-9327 or www.hawkeyesports.com. 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. INDIANA HOOSIERS Indiana is 12-7 (1-5 Big Ten) with wins over Wabash (44-0), The Cumberlands (50-0), Oregon (35-6), Duke (3606), Liberty (32-9), Ohio (34-9), Harper (49-0), Southern Illinois-Edwardsville (51-0), Gardner Webb (46-0), Air Force (39-3), Indianapolis (32-9) and Michigan State (32-9), and losses to Missouri (18-22), Cornell (19-22), Wisconsin (15-20), Penn State (9-25), Ohio State (13-20), Purdue (16-18) and Illinois (9-23). Head Coach Duane Goldman is 187-103-4 in 16 seasons at Indiana. He was a four-time all-American, NCAA finalist and Big Ten champion at Iowa (1983-86), winning the 1986 NCAA title. Goldman is assisted by four-time Hawkeye all-American (1994-97) and 1995 Big Ten Champion Mike Mena and Indiana alum Pat DeGain (2005). The Hoosiers are led by senior Brandon Becker (157), junior Andre Hernandez (133) and sophomores Angel Escobedo (125) and Matt Coughlin (165). Escobedo is 24-0 this season and is ranked second in the nation. Hernandez, Escobedo and Hawkeye senior Alex Tsirtis (141) all attended Griffith High School in Griffith, IN. Hoosier sophomore Trevor Perry (174) wrestled with Iowa sophomore Brent Metcalf (149) at Davision High School in Davision, MI. MICHIGAN WOLVERINES Michigan is 15-6 (2-3 Big Ten) with wins over Bucknell (33-6), Bloomsburg (27-12), Virginia (25-10), Kent State (26-14), Buffalo (32-6), Eastern Michigan (33-6), Lehigh (33-9), Harvard (35-12), Columbia (43-3), Appalachian State (32-9), Northern Iowa (30-6), Hofstra (19-15), Minnesota (23-16), Purdue (24-12) and Illinois (22-16), and losses to Maryland (16-18), Iowa (13-23), Central Michigan (13-21), Minnesota (15-24), Penn State (14-20) and Ohio State (15-16). The Wolverines will wrestle at Wisconsin Friday night at 7 p.m. Head Coach Joe McFarland is 121-39-5 in nine years at Michigan and 145-55-4 in 12 seasons as a collegiate head coach. McFarland was a four-time all-American (1981-82, 1984-85), two-time NCAA finalist and 1984 Big Ten Champion for the Wolverines. He still holds the school record for most wins in a season (48). McFarland is assisted by Michigan alums Kirk Trost (1986), Mike Kulczycki (2003) and Mark Churella, Sr. (1979). The Wolverines are led by seniors Eric Tannenbaum (165) and Josh Churella (149), juniors Steve Luke (174) and Tyrel Todd (184) and freshman Kellen Russell (141). Todd enters the dual with a 22-2 record and has won 21 of his last 22 matches. Tannenbaum is 24-2. Russell and Hawkeye senior Mark Perry (165) both prepped at Blair Academy in Blair, NJ. THE SERIES Indiana - Iowa leads the series 31-4-3 and is 15-3-1 vs. the Hoosiers in Iowa City. The Hawkeyes have won the last 16 meetings, including the last in 2006 (30-12). Indiana's last win in the series was 19-13 in Bloomington in 1968. Michigan - Michigan leads the series 25-24-1, but the Hawkeyes hold a 10-9-1 advantage in Iowa City. Iowa won the last meeting between the two teams - 23-13 last month at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals in Cedar Falls. Michigan's last win in the series was 19-15 at the 2006 NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals. LAST MEETING - IOWA 30, INDIANA 12 Iowa defeated the Indiana Hoosiers, 30-12, Jan. 29, 2006, at Assembly Hall in Bloomington. Iowa (9-4, 3-1 Big Ten) won seven of 10 matches and picked up a pair of falls in the win over Indiana (11-2, 2-2). Things started rough for the Hawkeyes, who dropped the first two matches to fall into an 8-0 hole. Defending NCAA Champion and top-ranked Joe Dubuque opened the dual with a major decision over Lucas Magnani, then Andrae Hernandez blanked freshman Daniel Dennis, 11-0, at 133 pounds. The tide quickly turned in favor of the Hawkeyes, who won the next six matches to put the dual away. Sophomore 141-pounder Alex Tsirtsis kicked off the run by pinning Nick Spatola at 6:21. It was Tsirtsis's first fall of the season. Senor Ty Eustice picked up a win via disqualification at 149, followed by a 6-3 decision win by Joe Johnston at 157 pounds. Eric Luedke recorded an 8-4 win over Max Dean at 165 pounds, followed by Mark Perry's second pin of the year and a 9-3 win from 184-pounder Paul Bradley. Freshman Dan Erekson dropped an 11-2 major decision to Brady Richardson, but Ryan Fuller ended the dual at heavyweight with a 4-2 win over Dave Harman. Iowa 30, Indiana 12 125 - Joe Dubuque (IU) maj. dec. Lucas Magnani (I), 15-6 133 - Andrae Hernandez (IU) maj. dec. Daniel Dennis (I), 11-0 141 - Alex Tsirtsis (I) pinned Nick Spatola (IU), 6:21 149 - Ty Eustice (I) W by DQ Matt Cooper (IU) 157 - Joe Johnston (I) dec. Brandon Becker (IU), 6-3 165 - Eric Luedke (I) dec. Max Dean, 8-4 174 - Mark Perry (I) pinned Marc Bennett (IU), 5:28 184 - Paul Bradley (I) dec. Justin Curran (IU), 9-3 197 - Brady Richardson (IU) maj. dec. Dan Erekson (I), 11-2 Hwt. - Ryan Fuller (I) dec. Dave Harman (IU), 4-2 LAST MEETING - IOWA 23, MICHIGAN 13 The second-seeded Hawkeyes (10-1) used two upsets and two major decisions to beat sixth-seeded Michigan, 23-13, in the semifinals of the 2008 NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals in Cedar Falls Jan. 13. Senior Mark Perry (165) and sophomore Jay Borschel (174) both scored upsets in their matches to lead the Hawkeyes. Perry beat then-#1 Eric Tannenbaum of Michigan, 4-1. Perry now holds a 2-1 lead his collegiate career series with Tannenbaum, winning the previous meeting - 5-2 - at the 2007 Big Ten Championship finals. Borschel upset #2 Steve Luke, 3-2. The Marion, IA, native fought off several shots from Luke and converted on his own in the third period to score his third straight victory. Junior Charlie Falck (125) and sophomore Joe Slaton (133) got the dual off to an 8-0 start for Iowa with back-to-back major decisions. Falck scored 11 points in the last two periods to beat Michael Watts, 13-5. Slaton accumulated over five minutes of riding time in his 16-5 win over Chris Diehl. Michigan put its first points on the board at 141 when top-ranked Kellen Russell caught Hawkeye sophomore Dan LeClere in a scramble and pinned him in 4:48. Iowa responded with four straight wins, starting with Michigan native Brent Metcalf's 4-2 victory over Josh Churella at 149. Metcalf scored a late takedown and a stall point to extend his winning streak to 12 matches. Sophomore Ryan Morningstar kept the momentum in Iowa's favor with a 3-2 win over Jeff Marsh at 157. The Wolverines fought back with wins at 184 and 197 before Hawkeye senior Matt Fields scored a 13-6 win over Chad Bleske at heavyweight to end the dual. Iowa 23, Michigan 13 125 - Charlie Falck (I) maj. dec. Michael Watts (M), 13-5 133 - Joe Slaton (I) maj. dec. Chris Diehl (M), 16-5 141 - Kellen Russell (M) pinned Dan LeClere (I), 4:48 149 - Brent Metcalf (I) dec. Josh Churella (M), 4-2 157 - Ryan Morningstar (I) dec. Jeff Marsh (M), 3-2 165 - Mark Perry (I) dec. Eric Tannenbaum (M), 4-1 174 - Jay Borschel (I) dec. Steve Luke (M), 3-2 184 - Tyrel Todd (M) dec. Phillip Keddy (I), 3-2 197 - Anthony Biondo (M) maj. dec. Chad Beatty (I), 8-0 Hwt. - Matt Fields (I) dec. Chad Bleske (M), 13-6 IOWA WRESTLING HISTORY Iowa's overall dual meet record is 825-215-30 (.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 miss 2-3 weeks of action. 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. IOWA TICKET INFORMATION Tickets for Iowa's two remaining home duals are on sale at the University of Iowa Athletic Ticket Office or at 1-800-464-2957, 319-335-9327 or www.hawkeyesports.com. University of Iowa students will be admitted free to all matches with a student ID. Tickets purchased in advance are $8 for adults and $4 for youth. Tickets purchased at the event are $10 for adults and $5 for youth. HAWKEYES GO 2-0 ON NON-CONFERENCE ROAD TRIP Iowa won 17 of 20 bouts against two Pac-10 teams last weekend on a non-conference road trip. The Hawkeyes beat Arizona State (36-3) Friday in Glendale, AZ, and Boise State (30-9) Sunday in Boise, ID, extending their winning streak to 11 matches. Senior Matt Fields (Hwt.), junior Charlie Falck (125) and sophomores Dan LeClere (141), Brent Metcalf (149), Ryan Morningstar (157), Jay Borschel (174) and Phillip Keddy (184) all went 2-0 on the weekend. Metcalf posted a pin and technical fall on the trip, extending his winning streak to 20 matches. Falck collected his 60th career win against the Sun Devils. Fields scored his 20th season win and Borschel posted his 11th straight victory at Boise State. 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). BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS TICKETS GO ON SALE Tickets for the 2008 Big Ten Wrestling Championships, to be held at the University of Minnesota's Williams Arena Mar. 8-9 are now available. All-session tickets are $30 and may be purchased through gophersports.com, in person at the Minnesota athletics ticket office in Mariucci Arena or by calling 1-800-846-7437 or 612-624-8080. Single-session tickets, if available, will go on sale March 3. The Big Ten Championships will feature a three-session format, with the Session 1 preliminary matches beginning at 11 a.m. on Mar. 8. Session 2 will get underway at 6 p.m. that same day, and the Session 3 championship matches will start at noon Mar. 9. Sessions 1 and 2 will feature four mats of action, while Session 3 will have three mats. 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 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 (18-1, 5-0 Big Ten) will end the 2007-08 dual meet season Feb. 24 at #9/#11 Illinois (11-2, 3-1 Big Ten). The dual will be held at Huff Hall at 1 p.m. in Champaign, IL.

The Stanford wrestling team has one last tune-up this weekend before next month's Pac-10 Championships. The Cardinal (12-4, 5-3 Pac-10) will meet Arizona State on Sunday for its final dual meet, looking to cap its already landmark 12-win season with another win. The contest is set for noon on Sunday at Wells Fargo Arena in Tempe, Ariz. Stanford is amidst one of its best seasons in program history, having already notched the highest win total in more than three decades. The Cardinal's 12 dual wins are the second-most in program history, topped only by the 15-win record set in 1974-75. Five wrestlers have already reached 20 wins this year, with two already hitting 30 wins. Eight Stanford starters are .500 or above on the season. Leading the way is a pair of seniors who are currently ranked among the nation's top-10 in their respective weight classes and undefeated in dual matches. No. 6 Tanner Gardner is 34-1 at 125 pounds, and will be looking to equal the program's single-season pin record (18) against Arizona State. The two-time All-American needs just two more wins to match Matt Gentry's career win record. He is among the nation's top-three in both wins and pins, and leads the Pac-10 in both categories. No. 10 Josh Zupancic is 32-5 at 157 pounds, and is on a 13-bout winning streak. In addition, sophomore Jake Johnson (197 pounds), sophomore Zack Giesen (184 pounds) and redshirt freshman Lucas Espericueta (149 pounds) have all posted 20 or more wins. The trio is a combined 35-9 in duals, and has racked up a combined 152 team points. Espericueta is tied for fifth nationally with 11 major decisions. Arizona State finished fifth in the Pac-10 last year, and is 9-7 overall and 3-4 in the conference so far in 2008. The squad is led by its two ranked freshmen, 125-pounder Anthony Robles (No. 16) and 184-pounder Brent Chriswell (No. 15). Additionally, two of the Sun Devils' four 2007 NCAA qualifiers are back, 197-pound senior Jason Trulson and 165-pound senior Patrick Pitsch. Stanford wrestlers are 4-3 against Arizona State wrestlers this season. Last year, the teams were tied going into the final bout, but the Sun Devils pulled through for a close 23-20 victory in the Ford Center. Luke Feist led the way for the Cardinal with a decisive technical fall, while Phillip Doerner came out on top in a critical bout at heavyweight. Stanford will send ten wrestlers to the Pac-10 Championships in Eugene, Ore. next month. The Championships will be held at McArthur Court on the University of Oregon campus, Mar. 2-3. The top three finishers in each weight class and nine wildcard selections will qualify for the NCAA Championships, Mar. 20-22, in St. Louis, Mo.

NORMAN, Okla. -- The No. 17 Sooners return home this Friday, Feb. 15, at the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman when they host the Cal Poly Mustangs (5-6) at 7 p.m., in the first annual "Beauty and the Beast" event. The squad will share the floor with the OU women's gymnastics team who will simultaneously compete against Big 12 rival Iowa State in the dual-team event. OU wrestlers (12-5, 0-4 in Big 12) are coming off a tough 21-9 defeat in Lincoln last Sunday against No. 2 Nebraska. All was not lost versus the Huskers, as freshman Joey Fio uspet No. 4 ranked and defending national champion Paul Donahoe. Fio was awarded Big 12 Wrestler of the Week, his first career conference award and the first freshman to receive the honor this season. "Despite losses, I think our team can use last weekend's duals as building blocks for the rest of the season," head coach Jack Spates said. "I was pleased with our fight and aggressiveness versus Nebraska. Our team needs to step up this Friday and get a victory." This is the 34th meeting between the two schools, with OU leading the all-time series by a 28-3-2 margin. Last season, Oklahoma prevailed on Dec. 9, 2006, by a 31-7 final in San Luis Obispo, Calif. Only two current Sooners (Will Rowe and Joshua Weitzel) recorded individual wins in the victory versus the Mustangs. Oklahoma has six nationally ranked wrestlers heading into the Friday showdown, including No. 17 Joey Fio at 125 pounds, his first career national ranking. Zack Bailey and Chad Terry are ranked No. 16 at 141 and 157 pounds respectively, and Will Rowe is No. 17 at 149 pounds. Seniors Joshua Weitzel (No. 6) and Joel Flaggert (No. 9) remain in the Top 10 at 184 and 197 pounds. Cal Poly is headed by No. 1 ranked and undefeated Chad Mendes at 141 pounds (21-0), along with Chase Pami who is No. 14 at 157 pounds. "This is going to be a great event for Oklahoma fans," Spates said. "We encourage all Sooners to come out and support these two premiere programs in their respective sports." The first 500 fans arriving Friday will receive an event T-shirt, and raffle prizes will be awarded throughout the evening. Both teams will also take part in an autograph session at the conclusion of the event. Tickets are $5 for children and $7 for adults. Admission is free for OU students with a valid student I.D. The match versus the Mustangs is the final non-conference dual for the Sooners this season. Oklahoma will resume Big 12 conference competition when it hosts arch-rival Oklahoma State next Thursday, Feb. 21, at the Howard McCasland Field House at 7 p.m.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Penn State Nittany Lion wrestler Garrett Scott (Alexandria, Pa.) has been named Big Ten Wrestler of the Week for the week ending Sunday, Feb. 10. Scott earned the honor for his 4-3 win over then No. 4 Kellen Russell of Michigan. Scott, making his first start in a home Big Ten dual meet, thrilled over 4,000 Nittany Lion fans the critical decision over Russell. He notched a reversal and two escapes to down the fourth-ranked Wolverine and grab his first home Big Ten dual meet win. The victory helped Penn State defeat then No. 6 Michigan 20-14 as the Nittany Lions won six of 10 bouts in the victory. Scott improved to 14-3 on the year while Russell fell to 23-4. The honor is Penn State's third this season. Both Jake Strayer (South Fork, Pa.) and David Erwin (Urbana, Ohio) have earned the honor. Scott's win allowed him to make a superb debut in the NWCA/USA Today Coaches Poll individual rankings, stepping in at No. 9 at 141. Scott is one of eight Nittany Lions ranked in the latest release, compiled and released by Intermat and viewable in full at www.intermatwrestle.com. Head coach Troy Sunderland's team moved up to No. 9 in the national team rankings, jumping up a spot thanks to its win over Michigan last Friday night. The victory improved Penn State to 11-5 on the year, 3-3 in Big Ten duals. Iowa holds down the top spot, followed by Nebraska (2), Oklahoma State (3), Minnesota (4), Central Michigan (5), Ohio State (6), Iowa State (7), Illinois (8), Penn State (9) and Michigan (10). The Big Ten, with six teams in the top ten, has nine ranked overall as Northwestern (12), Wisconsin (13) and Indiana (21) are among the nation's top 25. Scott is one of five Nittany Lions with a top ten individual ranking. Three-time All-American Phil Davis (Harrisburg, Pa.) holds down the No. 3 spot at 197 with a 14-1 record while sophomore Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.) is No. 3 at 157 with his 22-1 mark. Sophomore Bubba Jenkins (Virginia Beach, Va.) checks in with a No. 5 nod at 149 and is 17-3 on the year. Scott is No. 9 at 141 and senior Mark McKnight (McDonald, Pa.) is No. 10 at 125. McKnight is 10-6 on the season. Joining that group in the national rankings are sophomore David Erwin (Urbana, Ohio), junior Phil Bomberger (Port Royal, Pa.) and junior John Laboranti (Pittston, Pa.) Erwin, 21-8 on the year, is No. 16 at 174; Bomberger, 15-6 so far, is No. 14 at 184; and Laboranti, 20-6 this season, is No. 16 at HWT. The Nittany Lions close out their home slate this weekend with two Big Ten duals. Michigan State visits Penn State on Friday, Feb. 15, in a 7 p.m. dual that will air live to a Big Ten Network national audience. Purdue then comes to Rec Hall on Sunday, Feb. 17, for a 1 p.m. match-up. Tickets for all regular season duals are on sale now at the athletic department ticket office in the Bryce Jordan Center. Single-dual tickets are $5 for adults and seniors and $3 for students 18 and under. Penn State students with a proper student ID are admitted free! Fans can call 814-863-1000 or 800-833-5533 to order single-dual or season tickets. All Penn State duals will be broadcast locally on WBLF 970 AM and WKVA 920 AM and streamed live at www.GoPSUsports.com. All home duals will feature a live video webcast and live scoring at www.GoPSUsports.com as well.

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University of Northern Colorado 165-pounder Devan Lewis has been named the Western Wrestling Conference's Wrestler of the Week as announced by league officials. UNC's Lewis (Weatherford, Texas) won a pair of bouts at 165 pounds over the weekend to help lead the Bears to wins over Utah Valley State and Air Force. On Friday, he recorded a major decision victory, 11-2 against Nate Kearsley of Utah Valley State and then came up with a 7-4 victory over Stephen Crozier of the Air Force Academy on Sunday – last week's WWC Wrestler of the Week. Lewis is now 16-9 on the season and 7-4 in dual action --including winning five of his last six matches. 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: Air Force - Jake Kriegbaum Northern Iowa - Jarion Beets Utah Valley State - Mark Dennis Wyoming - Eric Coxbill

Charleston, S.C. -- The Citadel grapplers won eight of the ten matches during Tuesday night's dual against Davidson in McAlister Field House. Four Cadets recorded major decisions including Anthony Easter, Keith Koziel, Brendan Prince and Darius Caldwell. With the win, The Citadel improves to 5-7 (2-3 SoCon) in dual meet action, while Davidson falls to 1-11 (0-5 SoCon). Sophomore Tyler Sim started the Bulldogs off with an exciting match at 125 pounds. Sim took down Davidson's Ben Altman three times in the second and third periods to come back from an early 0-3 deficit. With nearly two minutes riding time, Sim took the victory 7-5 putting the Bulldogs on the board 3-0. Besting his opponent by 12 point was Junior Anthony Easter. The 133-pound grappler paced the match recording his second major decision of the season. The 13-1 victory improved Easter to 3-2 in Southern Conference action. Redshirt sophomore Mike Fenton stepped in for the Cadets at 141 pounds but was defeated by the Wildcats Vitaly Radsky despite a third period surge. Derek Royster shut out his opponent in the 149-pound bout 6-0. The redshirt freshman scored the only two offensive points in his bout with Carl Sandercock. The decision gave the Bulldogs a 10-3 early lead. A pair of true freshman had two of the most commanding victories of the night. At 157 pounds Keith Koziel defeated the Wildcats' Joe McGinley 11-1 recording three takedowns and accumulating over five and a half minutes of riding time. In the 165-pound bout Brendan Prince matched Koziel's three takedowns and racked up almost five minutes of riding time en route to a 12-1 victory over the Wildcats' Kevin Cook. The two major decisions boosted the Dogs lead to 18-3 over Davidson. One of the closest matches of the might came at the 174-pound match-up. Trebor Clavette of Davidson took the early 6-3, but The Citadel's Derek Sickel mounted a comeback racking up five points to Clavette's three. The surge was not enough though as Sickel fell to his SoCon foe 8-9. Redshirt senior Darius Caldwell was one of the four seniors recognized during senior night. Caldwell shut out Davidson's Sam O'Hair in the final two periods to take the 10-1 victory. The major decision added four points to the board for the Bulldogs giving them an insurmountable lead going into the final two bouts. True freshman Cyrus Edelson made his dual meet debut for the Bulldogs as he took a forfeit at the 197-pound weight class. Also recognized during the senior night match was Aaron Brown. Brown closed out the dual with a tight match in the heavyweight division. Both Brown and Davidson's' Charlie Wolff recorded escapes during the bout, but the Cadet's second period penalty point was enough to grant him the win and finish the dual off 31-6. The Bulldogs will travel to Chapel Hill on Feb. 23 for a tri-match with North Carolina and Dequesne and will close out their dual meet season at Gardner Webb on Feb. 27. For complete coverage of Bulldog Wrestling, visit the official home of The Citadel Athletics at www.CitadelSports.com.

Simpson College (4-10, 1-7 IIAC) defeated Central College (0-15-1, 0-8 IIAC) 42-3 in the final regular season dual of the year for both programs. The victory marked the 400th in the history of the Storm program since it began in 1924. With no matches at 125 or 133, the dual began at 141 where Caleb Brus (Fr., Creston, Iowa, Creston H.S.) pinned Nick Johnson in just 31 seconds. Curtis Barber (So., Winterset, Iowa, Winterset H.S.) won by forfeit at 149 as did Ben Hektoen (Jr., Birmingham, Iowa, Fairfield H.S.) at 157. Geoff Murtha (Sr., West Des Moines, Iowa, Valley H.S.) pinned Kevin Yeoman 1:29 into the 165-pound match. Jordy Ammons (Fr., Knoxville, Iowa, Knoxville H.S.) pinned Jeremiah Teeple at the 2:03 mark of their 174-pound contest. Garret Kiley (Sr., Eagle Grove, Iowa, Eagle Grove H.S.) won by forfeit at 184. Sam Collora (So., Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, Mt. Pleasant H.S.) earned the final Storm victory of the night, a pin at 2:17 of his 197-pound match of Chris Kerran. Ted Dirkx defeated Caleb Shaeffer (Sr., Huxley, Iowa, Ballard H.S.) 7-2 in overtime of the heavyweight match. Simpson is now 400-368 since the program began in 1924. Simpson wrestled until 1928 before the program suspended operations until 1959. The victory marked the 196th and final dual victory for Storm head coach Ron Peterson who is going to resign at the end of the season. Peterson is the winningest coach in school history with a 196-106-2 record (a .647 winning percentage). Simpson is off until Feb. 21 when the Storm compete in the Iowa Conference Championships in Waverly.

The Portland State (1-10, 0-7 Pac-10) wrestling team jump starts its' eventful week, Wednesday as they take on the Oregon Ducks (7-10, 0-8 Pac-10) at the Peter W. Stott Center starting at 7:00 p.m.. The Vikings will have five matches in the next seven days. After Wednesday's match versus Oregon, Portland State heads for the Midwest. The Vikings will compete against South Dakota State (1-8), Friday, then take on Moorhead State (11-6) and North Dakota State (9-8) on Saturday. The Vikings will then wrap up their regular season on Monday at Utah Valley State (6-11). Portland State is 22-52-5 all-time against Oregon. The Vikings have lost the past 20 duals to Oregon. The last Portland State victory over the Ducks came in 1987. Wednesday's match will be the second-to-last Oregon wrestling match before the programs termination. Portland State has a 0-3 record against South Dakota State, including a 38-3 loss last season. Then, freshman Keena Washington was the only Viking to pick up a win. Saturday will mark the first meeting between Portland State and Moorhead State. The Vikings have accumulated a 0-3 all-time record against the North Dakota State Bison. In their last meeting, North Dakota State edged out the Vikings, 37-6, in 2006. Portland State will be trying to get its' first win against Utah Valley State as well. The Vikings are 0-4 all-time against the Wolverines, including a 26-19 loss last year. Overall the Vikings have a combined record of 22-62-5 against this week's opponents. Following the weeks competition the Vikings will have two weeks off before they send their qualified wrestlers off to the Pac-10 Championships hosted by the University of Oregon. Check back to www.GoViks.com for the meet results and updates.

St. Cloud State University freshman John Sundgren (Blaine) has been named North Central Conference Wrestler of the Week for his recent performance over the week of Feb. 4-10. Sundgren, who wrestles at 157 pounds, went 2-0 in SCSU's two duals this past week, pinning fourth-ranked Travis Eggers of Upper Iowa to lead No. 11 St. Cloud State past the No. 9 Peacocks 27-12 on Feb. 10, in St. Cloud. Earlier in the week Sundgren topped St. John's University wrestler John Vaith 11-4 in a 28-9 Husky victory over the Johnnies on Feb. 8, in St. Cloud. St. Cloud State has now had two consecutive Wrestlers of the Week, and three total on the 2007-08 season. Nick Wilkes (Onamia) was honored last week, while Brad Padgett (Buckley, Wash.) earned recognition back on December 4. The Huskies moved up five spots in the latest NCAA Division II poll and are now ranked 11th with a 12-1 dual record. Sundgren is 18-5 this season. Of note, he attended Blaine High School and is the son of Jim and Kathy Sundgren of Blaine. SCSU will wrap up its regular season with two road duals. The Huskies will travel to Bismarck, N.D., to face Mary on February 16 and then to Mankato for an NCC bout with Minnesota State on February 22. The Husky/Marauder dual will begin at noon.

T. J. Morrison of Rider University and Josh Patterson of Binghamton University are the Colonial Athletic Association Wrestlers of the Week, and Ryan McGarity of Binghamton and Cayle Byers of George Mason University are the CAA Rookie Wrestlers of the Week, for all competition February 5-11. Morrison, a senior 197 from Mechanicsburg, PA (Cedar Cliff), won both of his CAA duals last week by major decision. Currently ranked 12th by Amateur Wrestling News and 17th by InterMat, Morrison improved to 15-6 overall and now has 95 career victories. Patterson, a sophomore 174 from Ontario, NY (Wayne Central), won all three of his bouts last week with a fall and two major decisions. Currently ranked 19th by AWN, Patterson improved to 15-3 on the season. Byers, a freshman 197 from Chugiak, Alaska (Chugiak High), won both of his bouts last week, one in sudden victory over the 11th ranked wrestler from UNC Greensboro and the other a major decision. Currently ranked 16th by InterMat and 20th by AWN, Byers led Mason to a pair of victories last week. McGarity, a freshman 141 from Gibsonia, PA (Pine Richland), won both of his matches last week with a fall and a major decision. Currently ranked fifth in the CAA in his weight class, McGarity improved to 7-5 in duals.

Des Moines, IA -- TakeDown Radio, a ten year old program on KXNO 1460 AM, Des Moines Sports Station, will celebrate Black History Month by dedicating a special two hour program exploring the black experience throughout the history of amateur wrestling in America. The Saturday, February 16 program includes interviews with many of the athletes, coaches, and officials responsible for advancing the role of African Americans within the sport. "TakeDown Radio has long been committed to acknowledging and celebrating diversity. We believe this program provides the ideal opportunity to reflect on the rich contributions of African Americans to wrestling, sports in general, and America as a whole", stated Scott Casber, TakeDown Radio founder and on-air commentator. This is the first time an entire TDR program is dedicated to a single topic. Also, the program is being filmed and will become part of a traveling exhibit with the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, based in Stillwater, OK. The roster of interviews, conducted in TDR's Des Moines based Clear Channel studio and by phone, is a virtual who's who of the top Black athletes participating in the sport over the past 50 years. While wrestling is generally considered among the oldest organized sports in the world, African Americans really didn't compete in the sport until nearly the beginning of the 20th century. Restrictions in many high school associations prohibited blacks from wrestling as recent as the 1950's. The advancements that were made since then are tremendous and wrestling now ranks second to track and field in terms of the total number of titles held by African Americans. Some of the personalities on the Saturday, 9:05 AM to 11:00 AM program include. * Carl Adams-Three time NCAA All American, two time national champion, and current coach at Boston University. * Mike Allen- Recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award for Officials from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and the first Black official to earn the award. * Chris Campbell-Two time NCAA Champion and Olympic Bronze Medal winner. * Bobby Douglas- Coaching legend with 429 dual meet wins to his credit. Former Iowa State head coach, as well as leading Arizona State to a NCAA title * Kevin Jackson- Olympic freestyle Gold Medal Winner * Leroy Kemp-Three time NCAA Champion and three time World Champion * Kerry McCoy-Two time NCAA Champion, Olympic Bronze Medal winner, and current Coach at Stanford * Simon Roberts-First Black Iowa High School State Champion, holds Big Ten and NCAA titles. Wrestling, long a sports mainstay in Iowa, has gained growth and increased interest recently. Arkansas added over 40 high school wrestling programs last year, Grandview College announced the formulation of a new program, and international interest in American wrestling continues to rise. TakeDown Radio is available throughout the world via the internet through streaming, archived programs, and pod casts. Broadcasts can be found at http://www.takedownradio.com. TakeDown Radio is also syndicated in Europe and Australia at MailScanner has detected a possible fraud attempt from "www" claiming to be http://www.matchannel.com. Takedown Radio is made possible through corporate and collegiate sponsorships, including over 25 schools and universities as well as many of the top brand names associated with wrestling. Visit http://takedownradio.com for complete details.

GREENSBORO, NC -- The UNC Greensboro wrestling team will look to register its first win against NC State on Wednesday evening as they take on the Wolfpack for a 7:30pm dual in Raleigh, NC. This will mark the 13th time the teams have met face-to-face in the circle. NC State has taken home the "W" each time since their first meeting in the 1993-94 season. The Spartans opened up the year at the NC State Open. Jeff Hedges (133 lbs.), Daren Burns (197 lbs.), and Ryan Hsu (285 lbs.) took home first-place for UNCG while Darrion Caldwell (149 lbs.) brought home a championship for the Wolfpack. The Spartans are currently 8-7 on the season with a 3-1 record in the Southern Conference. Last week, they dropped a tight 18-17 match to George Mason in Lynchburg, VA before falling to host Liberty, 21-15. Despite the two team losses in Virginia, senior Daren Burns, currently ranked 11th in the country, set a new UNCG standard with his 99th victory at 197 lbs. With a victory in Raleigh, Burns will become the first Spartan to reach the century mark in wins. Earlier this season he went on a 14 match win streak. Seventeenth-ranked senior Jeff Hedges is currently on a 10-match win streak at 133 pounds dating back to the beginning of 2008. Also on a hot streak is junior Marcus Hannah who has won his last five matches at 149 lbs. The Pack fell to 8-9-1 overall after a 30-12 loss to Virginia this past weekend. They hold an Atlantic Coast Conference record of 1-3 In SoCon standings, Chattanooga leads the league with a record of 10-5, 4-0 SoCon followed by Appalachian State (10-7, 3-1 SoCon), UNCG (8-7, 3-1 SoCon), and VMI (5-5, 1-3 SoCon). Rounding out the list are The Citadel (3-5, 1-3 SoCon) in fifth-place and Davidson (1-9, 0-4 SoCon) in sixth. Next Wednesday, UNCG will host the Duke Blue Devils for their last home dual of the season. The evening has been dubbed Senior Night. Prior to the 7pm start time, the Spartans will honor four of its senior student-athletes.

This week's edition of "On the Mat" will feature Andrew Hipps and Dan Severn. "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. Hipps is a senior writer for RevWrestling.com, a wrestling Web site that covers every aspect of the sport. The Web site offers coverage of college, high school, and international wrestling, as well as highlights and previews of select mixed martial arts competitions. Hipps is a regular columnist for the site and conducts regular interviews with some of wrestling's top athletes and coaches. Severn wrestled at Arizona State University and was a two-time All-American in 1979 and 1981. Severn gained his biggest fame through mixed martial arts, winning several major titles. A member of the Ultimate Fighting Championships Hall of Fame, Severn will be at the Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum on April 3 for Frank Gotch Day. "On the Mat" can be heard live on the Internet at www.kcnzam.com or locally in Northeast Iowa on 1650, The Fan.

NORFOLK, Va. -- On Senior Night at The Ted, ODU's only senior, Nick Pullano, punctuated and sealed a Monarch victory in his final home appearance with a pin. The win was the 90th of his career, inserting him into the program's all-time top ten in victories. The Monarchs dropped CAA rival Rider (6-10/3-3) in the first ever conference match in The Ted, 32-7, and will travel in two weeks to finish off the season at Virginia Tech. The dual is set for February 24 with a start time of 2:00 pm. ODU jumped out in front of the Broncs with seven straight victories, including four bonus point wins. James Nicholson earned his fifth technical fall on the season and was followed by Kyle Hutter, tallying his ssecond technical fall. Ryan Williams dropped the CAA's 6th ranked 141-pounder in a 9-2 decision, giving him 34 wins on the season. Nationwide leader in wins, Kaylen Baxter, added to his total tonight with a major decision over freshman Dustin Renelt. Baxter's ninth major decision, winning 19-5, is his 37th victory on the season. Just before halftime, Dan Rivera earned the nights biggest upset. Rivera, unranked in the CAA, earned two takedowns and a reversal on the CAA's third ranked 157-pounder, Rob Morrison. RS Sophomore Chris Brown would follow with a 9-4 decision of Jason Lapham to put the score nearly out of reach at 23-0. It would be Pullano, though, that would seal the victory in the next match. Pullano, facing freshman Joe Ferber, pulled ahead of the Bronc grappler 9-1 heading into the third period. Just 24 seconds into the third, Pullano had added another takedown and managed to get put Ferber's back on the mat for the pin in 5:24. The win for Pullano is 23rd on the season and 90th for his career, tying him for 10th all-time. Rider would follow the Pullano match with a pair of victories at 184 lbs and 197 lbs, but ODU would win the heavyweight match for the final score of 32-7. Monarchs 184-pounder Jesse Strawn was only taken down once in a tight 3-1 loss to Doug Umbehauer, ranked 20th in the nation. True freshman Scott Cust lost a major decision to T.J. Morrison, ranked 17th in the nation, in his first career dual appearance. At heavyweight, Andy Totusek improved to 7-5 in duals since joining the starting rotation with a 5-2 win over Peter Reid The Monarchs improve to 16-3 overall and 6-1 in the CAA. Old Dominion has not won as many as 16 duals since 1983-84 when ODU went 20-3-1. The Monarchs return to the mat for their final dual of the season when they travel to Virginia Tech on February 24, with start time set for 2:00 pm.

FARGO, N.D. -- North Dakota State will be holding a special on Friday, Feb. 15, when the Bison wrestle the Air Force Academy at 7:30 p.m. at the Bison Sports Arena. All active and retired military personnel will be admitted to the meet for just $4 by presenting their military I.D. at the Bison Sports Arena ticket office. A color guard comprised of the NDSU Army and Air Force ROTC will present our nation's colors before the meet. The dual meet against Air Force is an important one for North Dakota State as the Bison sit at 9-8 overall and are 3-1 in the Western Wrestling Conference. The Falcons are 7-8 overall on the season and 1-1 in conference action. It is also the final home conference dual meet of the season for NDSU. For more information about the Military Appreciation Night, contact the North Dakota State ticket office at (701) 231-6378.

IRVING, Texas -- Fresh off of an impressive weekend where he recorded two Big 12 victories, including a defeat of the defending national champion and No. 4 ranked Paul Donahoe, OU freshman Joey Fio was named the Big 12 Wrestler of the Week Monday. The conference honor is the first for the Sandpoint, Idaho, native, and the first by a Sooner this season. The 125-pounder is also the lone freshman in the conference to garner the award this year. "True-freshmen that start usually go through a challenging transition, and Joey is no different," head coach Jack Spates said. "His hard work and persistence were rewarded last weekend with two huge victories. This award is well-deserved and we are very proud of him." Fio posted an 11-2 major decision over John Olanowski of No. 12 ranked Missouri last Friday, which gave him his 10th dual win this season. He followed up with a stunning upset victory in Lincoln on Sunday by defeating Donahoe of the No. 2 ranked Huskers. After being down 4-3 to begin the third period, Fio scored a takedown and an escape to win by decision, 6-5. The win over the Husker was Fio's second this season against a Top 10 opponent. He defeated then-No. 9 ranked Javier Madonado of UT-Chattanooga on Jan. 18. After the successful weekend, the freshman now ranks second on the team with 48 takedowns in dual competition. The wins propel him to a 17-7 overall record and an 11-4 dual record, including a fourth place finish at the Brockport/Oklahoma Gold Classic and runner-up finish at the Oklahoma Open. The Sooners resume competition this Friday, Feb. 15, at the Lloyd Noble Center when they host Cal Poly at 7 p.m. The squad will share the floor with the OU women's gymnastics team in the first "Beauty and the Best" event. The first 500 fans arriving Friday will receive an event T-shirt, and raffle prizes will be awarded throughout the evening. Both teams will also take part in an autograph session at the conclusion of the event. Tickets are $5 for children and $7 for adults. Admission is free for OU students with a valid student I.D.

ITHACA, N.Y. -- The Big Red wrestling team opened Ivy League competition on Saturday and only lost two bouts en-route to a 30-5 victory over Columbia. Cornell then picked up its second dual match victory of the afternoon with a 48-6 win over Wagner at the Friedman Wrestling Center. With the two wins, the Big Red moves to 4-5 for the season. The Big Red's dual against the Lions began in the 125 pound weight class where senior Mike Rodriguez matched up against fellow senior Brandon Kinney. The two battled back and forth to a scoreless first period, before Kinney notched the only point of the second with an escape from his down position. Rodriguez tied up the match in the third with an escape of his own, but with a late takedown with 24 seconds left in the period Kinney grabbed back his lead. Rodriguez escaped with five seconds left, but time ran out giving Kinney a 3-2 decision. Cornell did not allow Columbia to gain any momentum as the Lions' Jerome Greco hit the mats to face No. 2 Mike Grey. Grey powered to a 9-2 lead in the first period and continued to dominate throughout the bout. The Big Red grappler racked up points with numerous takedowns to win a 17-5 major decision. Senior Nick Bridge debuted in his first dual match of the season at 141 pounds for Cornell. Bridge made quick work Columbia's Nick Standish, and with three takedowns, three back points, and 3:33 in riding time, Bridge grabbed a 10-0 major decision putting Cornell up, 8-3. Freshman DJ Meagher wrestled for the Big Red at 149 pounds against the Lions' Anthony Constantino. Meagher controlled the match from the initial whistle and narrowly missed winning by major decision. The Big Red wrestler's 8-1 victory gave Cornell an 11-3 lead. Senior Matt Easter wrestled for Cornell in his first match of the season at 157 pounds. Easter and the Lions' Matt Dunn were scoreless after the first period, and were tied 1-1 late into the third period. With a takedown with less than 30 seconds left in the match, Dunn edged past Easter to a 3-2 win. At 165 pounds, No. 4 Mack Lewnes grabbed a 4-1 lead in the first period with a takedown and two back points against Victor Mocco. Lewnes earned another point with an escape in the second period, and with Mocco's escape in the third, the Big Red grappler earned a 5-2 win. No. 10 ranked Steve Anceravage wasted no time in his bout at 174 pounds against Travis Creagan. With less than seven seconds off the clock, Anceravage made a takedown and nearly pinned Creagan. Anceravage held his lead throughout the match and spent the third period working Creagan onto his back from his initial down position. Anceravage's hard work paid off, winning by fall in 4:02. Sophomore Josh Arnone wrestled in his second match of the season at 184 pounds facing Kenji Porter. Arnone grabbed a 6-0 lead in the first period nearly pinning his opponent. Arnone continued to dominate sailing to an 8-0 major decision giving Cornell a 24-6 lead. Freshman Justin Kerber moved up to 197 pounds to wrestle against Columbia's Nick Sommerfield. Kerber held a 4-2 lead after earning two takedowns in the first period. In the second period, with an escape and a takedown of his own Sommerfield grabbed back a 5-4 lead over Kerber while racking up 56 seconds of riding time. Kerber started the third in the down position and escaped after seven seconds had ticked off the clock just giving Sommerfield a riding time advantage. Sommerfield worked to evade Kerber's attacks and after receiving a stalling warning, Kerber was awarded a point to take a 6-5 lead with 15 seconds left on the clock. With time running out, Sommerfield's 1:04 in riding time was enough to tie the match at six points apiece at the end of regulation. In the sudden victory round, Sommerfield nearly took down Kerber, but the Big Red grappler stunned him with a counter move to earn a takedown to win 8-6. Cornell took a demanding 27-6 lead after the match, and the advantage was lengthened when the Lions' had a point deducted for a team member's unsportsmanlike conduct. In the heavyweight bout, freshman Maciej Jochym made his home debut against Jed Wade. Jochym got on the board first with a takedown, but Wade evened the score with a reversal. The Big Red grappler once again regained his advantage with a reversal of his own to take a 4-2 lead into the second period. Wade came within a point of Jochym in the second with an escape from his down position. Jochym earned a point in the third with an escape and was awarded another point when Wade received a technical for fleeing the mat. With 32 seconds left in the match, Jochym made a takedown to win, 8-4 to bring the final team scores to Cornell 30, Columbia 5. After a 15 minute break, the Big Red hit the mats to take on Wagner. Cornell wasted no time in grabbing the lead after Rodriguez pinned Wagner's Joe Eurell in 3:40. At 133 pounds, Grey racked up a 12-5 lead in the first period before pinning Nick Boghos in 4:00. At 141 pounds, Bridge picked up his second win of the day with a victory over Mike Tutunjian. Nearly pinning Tutunjian four times, Bridge walked away with an 18-3 tech fall in 4:03. With the five team points, Cornell grabbed a commanding 17-0 lead. Freshman DJ Meagher made quick work of Patrick Larkin at 149 pounds. After taking a 4-1 lead, Meagher won by fall in 2:17. In the closest match of the dual, Easter faced Sean Quinn at 157 pounds. The two were scoreless after the first period, and Easter had a one point advantage with an escape in the second. Quinn tied the match with an escape in the third period, but with two takedowns, Easter won a 6-2 decision. Drake Hovis moved up a weight class to wrestle for Cornell at 165 pounds. Hovis took down Marco Tellerico at the start of the match and pinned him in 20 seconds. At 174 pounds, Anceravage took down Peter Morano in eight seconds, and earned the win by fall in 1:10. Cornell held a 38-0 demanding lead after seven matches, and Wagner earned its only points of the day after the Big Red forfeited at 184 pounds. At 197 pounds, Kerber picked up his second win of the night racking up the points to win a 17-3 major decision. Jochym held a 6-2 advantage over John Graeffe at heavyweight before he pinned his opponent in 2:30 to give Cornella 48-6 victory. The Big Red continues its Ivy League season Saturday, Feb. 16 with matches at Penn and at Princeton. Cornell returns home Feb. 22 to face Ivy foe Brown, before wrestling Harvard and Bucknell Feb. 23 to conclude its regular season.

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- No. 11 Northwestern opened up a 21-9 advantage and held on to defeat Michigan State Sunday in East Lansing, 25-15. No. 1 Dustin Fox, No. 2 Mike Tamillow, No. 5 Ryan Lang, No. 5 Brandon Precin and No. 12 Nick Hayes all scored wins for the Wildcats. The win gives NU its first Big Ten dual victory and improves its dual mark to 6-7. The dual started at 149 lbs. where the fifth-ranked Lang gave NU an early 6-0 lead with a pin. Lang needed only 1:16 to score a fall over Tim Hammer. Michigan State took back-to-back wins at 157 and 165 to even the dual score at 6-6. John Fulger took a 12-8 decision over Andrew Nadhir at 157 lbs. to give MSU its first points of the match. Nadhir struck first with a takedown, but Fulger fought back to lead 6-3 at the end of the first. Nadhir closed to 10-8, but Fulger held on for the win. Rex Kendle downed Dominic Marella at 165 lbs. by 3-1 decision to even the score at 6-6. All of the scoring came in the third period as Michigan State scored a takedown and used a riding time advantage. The two teams traded wins in the next two matches at 174 and 184. At 174, the 12th-ranked Hayes gave NU a 10-6 lead with a 14-4 major decision over John Murphy. Hayes notched an early first-period takedown and kept the pressure on throughout the match, capping things off with a two-point near fall late in the third. MSU closed to 10-9 when Nick Palmieri took a 10-3 decision over Adil Kolovic at 184. Palmieri took a 6-1 lead into the end of the first and never let Kolovic score a takedown. The Wildcats took the next three matches and scored big bonus points to open up a 21-9 lead before MSU could get on the board next. At 197, the second-ranked Tamillow scored an early takedown and never let 15th-ranked Joe Williams score any points en route to a 4-0 decision to give NU a 13-9 lead. The top-ranked Fox gave the Wildcats a 17-9 lead with a 10-1 major decision over Alan O'Donnell. Fox scored a first-period takedown and took four more points from near falls to lead 6-0 at the end of the first. Fox accumulated close to five minutes of riding time in the match. The fifth-ranked Precin kept Joel Trombley off the board at 125 lbs. to take a 8-0 major decision. The sophomore notched an early takedown and scored a three-point near fall in the first to lead 5-0. Precin had more than three minutes of riding time and his major decision gave NU a 21-9 lead. The Spartans kept things interesting and pulled within six points when fourth-ranked Franklin Gomez pinned Robert Joyce at 6:50 at 133 lbs.. James Kohlberg defeated Jeff Wimberley in the afternoon's final match by 15-2 major decision to seal the 25-15 dual win for the Wildcats. NU returns to action at 7 p.m. Friday at Purdue. The Wildcats host Illinois at 2 p.m. Sunday at Welsh-Ryan Arena for Alumni/Senior Day.

Columbia, Mo. -- Missouri's senior class helped the Tiger wrestling squad to 16 of its 28 dual-winning points in the 28-13 victory over Oregon State in the Hearnes Center. The final home dual for the Tigers, seven Missouri grapplers claimed wins in their respective weight class, with four earning bonus point victories. Prior to the start of the dual, the University of Missouri wrestling program recognized its six-member senior class. Among those recognized were four of the afternoon starters. Wrestling began at 125 pounds with sophomore John Olanowski (Virginia Beach, Va.) earning a 6-2 win by decision over Jake Gonzales. Olanowski's win made way for senior Tyler McCormick (Leawood, Kan.) at 133 pounds. Coming off of a Friday night upset of Oklahoma's Brian Shelton, McCormick returned to the mat and recorded his first win of the season by technical fall, 16-0, over Clifton Ivanoff. McCormick scored five points in the first period and added six in the second, to take the 12-0 advantage. Nine of McCormick's 16 points were from near falls, with the final point awarded for 3:33 of riding time. Fellow senior Josh Wagner (Milton, Wis.) recorded the most near fall points of the day with 11. Earning a 20-3 win by technical fall over Kyle Larson, Wagner put the Beaver on his back three times in the first period and once in the second. Fourteenth-ranked Michael Chandler (High Ridge, Mo.) collected his 20th win of the season after holding off Dan Brascetta, 12-1. The two grapplers met earlier in the season and Chandler won the bout, 5-4. Missouri's next win came at 174 pounds. Senior Brock Wittmeyer (Platte City, Mo.) collected his first win in a Tiger singlet, 12-6, over Chris Platt. Wittmeyer held a 5-2 advantage heading into the second period and never relinquished his lead. Blue Springs, Mo., native James Williamson made his return to the lineup and wrestled at 184 pounds for the Tigers. A senior, Williamson was credited with a 6-3 win over Ben Harris, his second dual victory of the year. Missouri's final win of the day came at 197 pounds, where sophomore Maxwell Askren (Hartland, Wis.) recorded Missouri's third technical fall victory, 19-2, over Brice Arand. Askren put Arand on his back once in each of the three periods and totaled four takedowns in his bout, the most of any Tiger wrestler today. Missouri will close its regular season Sunday, Feb. 2, at 2 p.m. (CT) against eighth-ranked Iowa State in Ames, Iowa.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- The University of Northern Iowa wrestling squad won its fourth match in its last five tries with a 42-3 dual win over South Dakota State in a Western Wrestling Conference dual Sunday in the McLeod Center. UNI (5-5-1 overall, 3-0 WWC) won nine of the 10 matches, including bonus points in six of the bouts. SDSU fell to 1-8 overall and 0-5 in WWC matches. The Jackrabbits won the first match of the day at 184 pounds when Tyler Sorenson scored a narrow 7-6 victory over UNI's Andy O'Loughlin. Sorenson used an escape, a stalling point and a riding time point in the third period to take the one-point victory. O'Loughlin scored a takedown with nine seconds left in the match to tie it at 6-6, but Sorenson used the riding time advantage to score the win. UNI's Andrew Anderson (197 lbs.) and Caleb Flores (125 lbs.) each recorded forfeit victories that were sandwiched around Dustin Bauman's 15-0 technical fall at heavyweight over SDSU's Jeremy Swier. Josh Baldridge notched a 9-1 major decision over the Jacks' Nick Kulseth at 133 pounds to put UNI on top 21-3 in the dual. UNI's C.J. Ettelson then scored a 5-0 win over SDSU's Jeff Cooley at 141 pounds. Charlie Ettelson then notched a fall at the 4:46 mark of his 149-pound match with SDSU's Marc Wermerson. Ettelson was up 10-3 at the time of the fall. The Panthers then used the next two weights to get some experience for a pair of wrestlers in 157-pounder Trevor Kittleson and 165-pounder Jarion Beets. Kittleson won his first-ever collegiate dual match with a hard fought 2-0 decision over SDSU's Weston Blasius. Kittleson scored an escape in the third period and then tacked on a riding time point after he had ridden out Blasius in the second period. Beets, who jumped up a weight class to 165 pounds, secured a 3-2 win over national qualifier Ryan Meyer. Beets used a first-period takedown and a second-period escape to tally the winning points. Senior Alex Dolly closed out the dual with a third-period fall over SDSU's Justin Retallic at the 5:24 mark of their 174-pound bout. Dolly tallied six takedowns in the match before he got Retallic in a fall situation in the final period. UNI will travel to Omaha, Neb., to take on the Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks on Feb. 21 at 7 p.m., before closing out the dual season Feb. 24 at home against North Dakota State.

BOISE, ID -- The top-ranked Iowa wrestling team won its 11th straight dual when it beat Boise State, 30-9, in front of 2,812 fans in Taco Bell Arena Sunday afternoon. The Hawkeyes won eight bouts, including three by bonus points, to snap Boise State's nine-match winning streak and hand the Broncos their second loss of the season. Iowa improved to 18-1 (5-0 Big Ten) this season, while Boise State dropped to 10-2 (7-1 Pac-10). "The mistakes we are making in finishing positions and the lack of aggressiveness in terms of putting a guy away is huge," said Head Coach Tom Brands. "Our guys need to be ready to go and be strong out there. I don't think we've wrestled our best yet as a team, so we've got work to do. Even though we weren't hitting on all cylinders today and looked sloppy at times, we won some close matches." Iowa jumped out to a 21-0 lead with wins at the first five weights. Junior 125-pounder Charlie Falck opened the dual with a 20-5 technical fall over freshman Alan Bartelli that ended the match at 5:40. Sophomore Daniel Dennis scored a 6-3 win over junior Cory Fish in his first match of the season at 133. Sophomores Dan LeClere (141) and Brent Metcalf (149) followed with bonus-point victories for the Hawkeyes. LeClere scored a 12-4 major decision over freshman Eli Hutchison, and Metcalf pinned junior Cody Bender in 2:01. The pin was Metcalf's ninth of the season as he improved to 23-1 and scored his 20th straight victory. Sophomore Ryan Morningstar scored a takedown in the second sudden victory period to beat junior Tyler Sherfey, 3-1, at 157. Boise State scored its first points at 165, when freshman Kurt Swartz beat Hawkeye redshirt freshman Jake Kerr, 2-1. Iowa has posted a 0-8 record at 165 since starter and defending NCAA and Big Ten Champion Mark Perry's knee injury and subsequent surgery. Sophomores Jay Borschel (174) and Phillip Keddy (184) responded with hard-fought wins. Borschel picked up his 11th straight win with a 7-4 decision over sophomore Nate Lee, and Keddy handed freshman Kirk Smith his second loss of the season with a 3-2 victory. The Broncos won their second and final bout of the afternoon at 197, when sophomore Matt Casperson pinned sophomore Rick Loera in 2:35. Hawkeye senior Matt Fields posted his 20th season victory with an 8-3 win over junior Nick Smith at heavyweight to end the dual. The Hawkeyes put their undefeated Big Ten dual mark on the line this weekend when they host two conference opponents in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Iowa will host #16/#17 Indiana (12-6, 1-4 Big Ten) Friday at 7 p.m. and #6 Michigan (15-5, 2-2 Big Ten) Sunday at 8 p.m. The Hawkeyes will recognize seniors Matt Fields (Hwt.) and Mark Perry (165) before the Michigan dual.

San Francisco, Calif. -- Six Cal State Fullerton wrestlers went 2-0 and most piled up multiple bonus points on Sunday as the No. 24-ranked Titans won a pair of dual matches in the San Franciso Bay Area. In the afternoon, the Titans ran their Pac-10 record to 8-1 with a 25-17 victory over Stanford and in the evening they boosted their overall dual mark to 12-5 with a 33-9 win at San Francisco State. T. J. Dillashaw at 133 pounds nailed down the win over the Cardinal, which entered the final bout trailing only 21-17. Dillashaw scored a 9-0 major decision over Porfirio Madrigal. Stanford took an 11-10 lead when Luke Feist pinned Todd Noel at 174 pounds. But Ian Murphy put Fullerton ahead to stay with a decision at 184 and John Drake at 197 and Wade Sauer at heavyweight followed with major decisions for a 21-11 lead. At San Francisco State, the Titans spoiled the Gators' Senior Night festivities by winning the first three bouts, all by major decision for an early 12-0 lead. The road trip began with a Pac-10 victory Friday night at UC Davis.

MOUNT PLEASANT -- Central Michigan University won its fifth consecutive dual Sunday afternoon, handing Bloomsburg a 35-0 defeat in a nonconference matchup at Rose Arena. The victory was CMU's 11th straight at home. It marked the second time this season the Chippewas have shut out an opponent. CMU claimed victories in all 10 individual bouts, but four were decided by two points or less. The Chippewas tallied bonus points in three matches. Luke Smith gave the Chippewas an early 3-0 advantage with a 6-1 decision at 125 pounds. Smith scored takedowns in the second and third period in his fifth consecutive victory. At 133, CMU's Conor Beebe snapped a two-match skid with a 12-6 decision over Jason Guffey. Beebe scored a pair of takedowns in the first period to take a 4-2 lead. Guffey opened the second period with a reversal, but Beebe countered with an escape and a takedown to stretch his lead to 7-4. He added a pair of escapes and a takedown in the third period, along with the riding time point, for the 12-6 decision. Eric Kruger stretched the CMU lead to 9-0 with a 6-0 decision at 141 pounds. Kruger tallied takedowns in the first and third period to post his 20th victory of the season. The CMU lead grew to 12-0 with Nathaniel Holt's 4-2 decision over Dennis Bermudez at 149 pounds. Holt led 2-1 following the first period and rode Bermudez for the first 1:59 of the second period. Bermudez evened the score with an escape with one second left in the period. Holt was in the down position to begin the third period and took a 3-2 lead with an early escape, and a 2:28 riding time advantage accounted for the final point in his 4-2 decision. Tyler Grayson's takedown on the edge with seven seconds remaining was the difference in a 3-1 decision over 19th-ranked Matt Moley at 157 pounds. Grayson and Moley traded escapes in the second and third period for the only scoring before Grayson shot in with 30 seconds left in the third period. Both Grayson and Moley struggled for control in the closing seconds before Grayson was able to score the decisive takedown. The 165-pound bout also was decided in the closing seconds, as Trevor Stewart tallied a reversal with just less than 30 seconds remaining to defeat Rickey Schmelyun, 4-2. The match was scoreless entering the third period, but Stewart took a 2-0 lead with a reversal early in the period. Schmelyun answered with a reversal of his own, but Stewart took the lead for good with his second reversal late in the period. Stewart's victory stretched the CMU lead to 18-0. Brandon Sinnott was the first individual to tally bonus points for the Chippewas, scoring a 12-4 major decision at 174 pounds. Sinnott recorded three takedowns in the first period and held a riding time advantage of 3:02 in the major decision. Christian Sinnott followed with a 13-2 major decision at 184 pounds. Sinnott led 7-1 after a first period that saw him score a pair of takedowns and a three-point nearfall. He added a takedown in each of the final two periods and built a riding time advantage of 3:08. At 197 pounds, Wynn Michalak needed just 1:04 to pin Eric Shaw and move into sole possession of third place on CMU's career falls list. Michalak improved to 21-1 this season with his ninth fall of the year and 46th of his career. The heavyweight bout was the only matchup of the day featuring a pair of ranked competitors. CMU's Bubba Gritter, ranked ninth, scored a first-period takedown and a third-period escape to claim a 3-2 decision over 10th-ranked Mike Spaid. The victory was Gritter's sixth straight and 20th of the year. CMU closes the nonconference portion of the schedule next Sunday, visiting No. 19 Tenn.-Chattanooga at 1 p.m.