InterMat Staff

The Stanford wrestling team continues Pac-10 duals this weekend, taking on the Cal Poly Mustangs on Friday and the Cal State Fullerton Titans on Sunday. Friday's match is set for 7 p.m. at Mott Gymnasium in San Luis Obispo. Sunday's match will be held on the Farm, beginning at noon in Burnham Pavilion. Sunday's dual will be the last at home for the Cardinal this season, and the last on the Farm for four seniors, Tanner Gardner, Josh Zupancic, Phillip Doerner and Bobby Pease. All four will be honored prior to the match. The Cardinal (11-3, 4-2 Pac-10) is having one of its best seasons in history. The team's 11 wins are the most in over three decades, and nine of the squad's starters enter the weekend with .500 or better records. Gardner, a two-time All-American and the nation's sixth-ranked 125-pounder, is 32-1 on the year and undefeated in duals. As the Berryton, Kans. native nears the end of his career, he is closing in on two Cardinal records. With 134 career wins, Gardner is just four short of overtaking Matt Gentry as Stanford's career win leader. He is within two pins of matching a single-season pin record set by Chris Horpel in 1975. Gardner leads the Pac-10 in both wins and pins, and is among the top-10 nationally in both categories. Zupancic (30-5), Stanford's other returning All-American and top-10 wrestler, is on a season-high 11-bout win streak. Ranked No. 10 nationally, the 157-pounder has posted four consecutive major decisions, and secured his second-straight 30-win season on Sunday. Three more Stanford wrestlers, sophomore 197-pounder Jake Johnson (22-9), sophomore 184-pounder Zack Giesen (21-6) and redshirt freshman 149-pounder Lucas Espericueta (22-8) are also having impressive seasons. All three have already reached the 20-win plateau, and the trio has racked up a combined 144 dual points. Espericueta leads the Pac-10 and is third in the nation with 11 major decisions on the year. Senior heavyweight Phillip Doerner has already more than doubled his career win total with 16 wins. Cal Poly (5-4, 4-2 Pac-10) finished fourth in the Pac-10 last season, with seven individual placers. All seven of those wrestlers return, including defending Pac-10 Champion Darrell Vasquez at 133 pounds. In addition to its five returning NCAA qualifiers, the Mustangs return Chad Mendes, a former 125-pounder who is now the nation's top-ranked wrestler at 141 pounds. The night's most anticipated match will occur at 157 pounds, where Stanford's No. 10 Zupancic will look to avenge an early season loss to the Mustangs' No. 13 Chase Pami. Cal State Fullerton (9-5, 6-1 Pac-10) finished seventh in the Pac-10 last season, but is one of the strongest teams in the league this year. The Titans are the only Pac-10 team ranked in the USA Today/InterMat/NWCA top-25, coming in at No. 24 nationally this week. All-American heavyweight Wade Sauer (No. 5), leads four Titans who are nationally ranked. TJ Dillashaw (No. 15 at 133 pounds) and defending Pac-10 Champion Morgan Atkinson (No. 10 at 149 pounds) both return from 2007 NCAA appearances, as does 165-pounder Bryan Tice. Senior Ian Murphy rounds out the ranked wrestlers for Fullerton at No. 12 at 184 pounds. The Cardinal wraps up the regular-season at Arizona State on Feb. 17. The team will compete for the Pac-10 Championship, Mar. 2-3 in Eugene, Ore.

#4/4 MINNESOTA (11-5, 2-1) at #11/10 Northwestern (5-6, 1-2) Location: Evanston, Ill. Arena: Thomas Athletic Complex Date/Time: Friday, Feb. 8, 2008, 6:30 p.m. (CST) Television: Friday's dual meet will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network starting at 6:35 p.m. Tim Johnson and Mark Massery will be on the call. #4/4 MINNESOTA (11-5, 2-1) at Purdue (9-4, 1-2) Location: West Lafayette, Ind. Arena: Intercollegiate Athletic Facility Date/Time: Sunday, Feb. 10, 2008, 12:00 p.m. (CST) Live Webcast: A live webcast of the meet will be available via purduesports.cstv.com. Northwestern/Purdue Notes to Know • The fourth-ranked and defending national champion Golden Gopher wrestling team looks to rebound this weekend when they travel to 10th-ranked Northwestern (Friday) and Purdue (Sunday). Friday's tilt will get underway at 6:30 p.m., while Sunday's starts at noon (CST). • Friday night's dual meet wil mark the third time this season the Gophers will appear on the Big Ten Network, tied for the most appearances in the conference (Michigan is also scheduled to have three dual meets aired on the station). Minnesota's Dec. 2 dual with Iowa State was the network's first wrestling broadcast, and last Friday's meet with No. 1 Iowa was also televised live. Tim Johnson and Mark Massery will be on the call Friday. • Friday night, the Golden Gophers lost a tough 20-13 dual meet decision to the top-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes at Williams Arena. Iowa won six of 10 matches, including upsets by No. 9 Dan LeClere (over No. 3 Manny Rivera) and No. 8 Phil Keddy over Minnesota's No. 5 Roger Kish. The win was the first in three years for the Hawkeyes in the series and drops Minnesota's dual meet record to 11-4 (2-1 in the Big Ten) • Sunday, despite picking up key upsets from Tyler Safratowich (165 pounds) and No. 11 Gabriel Dretsch (174 pounds), the Gophers could not pull off the dual meet victory in Stillwater, Okla., falling to the third-ranked Cowboys 18-14. The Gophers won four of six matches, but close losses at 133, 141 and 184 pounds doomed the reigning Big Ten champions to their second loss of the weekend. • Minnesota has been outstanding against this weekend's two opponents, the Wildcats and Boilermakers. The Gophers are 37-13-1 all-time against Northwestern (winning the last eight meetings between the two) and 42-17-2 all-time against Purdue (including 9-1 in their past 10 meetings). • Minnesota is also coming off a successful Big Ten-opening weekend in which they picked up victories over Michigan State (Jan. 25 in East Lansing) and Michigan (Jan. 26 in Ann Arbor). • Seven of Minnesota's 10 normal starters are ranked nationally in their respective weight classes currently. Jayson Ness (No. 1 at 125 pounds), Mack Reiter (No. 5 at 133 pounds), Manny Rivera (No. 3 at 141), Dustin Schlatter (No. 3 at 149 pounds), C.P. Schlatter (No. 7 at 157), Gabe Dretsch (No. 11 at 174) and Roger Kish (No. 10 at 184) all rank among the nation's best. • While the Gophers endured a tough weekend to start February, top-ranked 125-pounder Jayson Ness certainly did not. Ness earned a dominating 14-2 major decision over No. 3 Charlie Falck Friday, his fourth win in as many tries over the Apple Valley (Minn.) graduate, and followed that with another 18-5 major decision over No. 16 Tyler Shinn Sunday in Stillwater. Ness has won 29 consecutive matches (the second-longest active streak in Division I) and needs just three more pins to break current assistant head coach Marty Morgan's single-season mark for most pins by a Gopher (20, set in 1989-90). GOPHERS ENDURE ROUGH WEEKEND Ever since the 2007-08 schedule was released, everyone knew that the weekend of Feb. 1-3 would be a tough one, but few knew how tough. The Gophers lost back-to-back dual meets for the second time already this season, falling 20-14 to No. 1 Iowa Friday night and 18-14 Sunday against Oklahoma State. The Gophers have had more than one losing streak in the same season just twice since 1991-92 (the other year being 2004-05). HAWKEYES TRUMP GOPHERS AT WILLIAMS The Golden Gopher wrestling team dropped a tough 20-13 dual meet decision to the top-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes Friday night at Williams Arena. Two key upsets spurred the Hawkeyes to victory in front of 7,472 spectators, giving them their first win over Minnesota in three years. Things began going awry for the Gophers after Iowa's Joe Slaton defeated Mack Reiter at 133 pounds, followed by an upset victory by Dan LeClere over Minnesota's Manuel Rivera at 141. The Gophers closed the gap to one point after the 165-pound match, but Iowa cemented the victory when No. 8 Phil Keddy upset No. 5 Roger Kish at 184 pounds. It was the first in the series for Iowa against Minnesota since 2005 and their first win at Williams Arena since the 2000 season. LONG TIME COMING The Gophers' 20-13 loss to Iowa Friday night at Williams was the program's first conference dual meet loss in nearly two years, and their first home Big Ten loss in nearly three. Minnesota was an undefeated 8-0 in the Big Ten last year en route to their national championship, and last lost in the conference on Feb. 19, 2006 (19-15 at Michigan. The Gophers' last home Big Ten loss came on February 20, 2005 vs. Illinois (24-13). ‘BOYS TOP CHAMPS IN OK Despite picking up key upsets from Tyler Safratowich (165 pounds) and No. 11 Gabriel Dretsch (174 pounds), the defending national champion Golden Gopher wrestling team could not pull off the dual meet victory Sunday afternoon in Stillwater, Okla., falling to the third-ranked Cowboys 18-14. The Gophers won four of six matches, but close losses at 133, 141 and 184 pounds doomed the reigning Big Ten champions to their second loss of the weekend. In a heated battle between the two programs that have combined to win the past seven NCAA team titles, the Cowboys got the better of J Robinson's Gophers for the first time in the last four meetings between the schools. The victory was the Cowboys' first home win over Minnesota since a 1997, and the home school has won just two dual meets between these two programs since 1998 (the other instance being Minnesota's 21-15 win over OSU last season in Williams Arena). The Gophers have still won eight of their last 12 dual meets with the Cowboys. THE SERIES VS. NORTHWESTERN Minnesota has been the toast of the Big Ten for most of this millennium, as the Gophers have won three national and five conference titles since the year 2000. They have owned a distinct advantage in the series with the Wildcats during that time – Minnesota has won the last eight meetings between the programs and 12 of the last 14 dating back to 1991. The two teams tied (18-18) in 1993. The Gophers are 37-13-1 all-time vs. Northwestern. LAST TIME VS. NORTHWESTERN (1/20/06) The top-ranked Golden Gopher wrestling team won seven of 10 matches in a 24-11 victory against No. 16 Northwestern in the Big Ten opener for both teams on Jan. 20, 2006. The Wildcats jumped ahead 3-0 after eighth-ranked John Velez earned a 6-0 decision against Andrew Domingues at 125 pounds. Minnesota responded with five straight victories, including third-ranked Mack Reiter's 5-2 decision over Daniel Quintela at 133 pounds. The Golden Gophers led 7-3 after Manuel Rivera scored a 14-3 major decision against Marty Gould at 141 pounds. No. 2 Dustin Schlatter put on a clinic with a 17-1 technical fall against Jimmy Kim at 149 pounds, and C.P. Schlatter followed with a 9-4 decision against Greg Hagel at 157 pounds/ Matt Nagel made the score 18-3 with a 3-1 decision against 17th-ranked Will Durkee at 165 pounds. Ninth-ranked Roger Kish defeated 10th-ranked Mike Tamillow, 6-2 at 184 pounds, and top-ranked heavyweight Cole Konrad defeated ninth-ranked Dustin Fox 4-0 to end the meet. Konrad improved his record to 25-0 on the year. THE SERIES VS. PURDUE The Boilermaker wrestling program has not ranked amongst the nation's elite in quite some time (Purdue last finished in the top-five at the Big Ten Championships in 1992), and the J Robinson-led Minnesota Gophers have taken full advantage during that span. The Gophers are 42-17-2 vs. Purdue all-time, and have won nine of the last 10 meetings between the schools. LAST TIME VS. PURDUE (1/28/07) The top-ranked Golden Gopher wrestling team improved to 14-1 on the season and 3-0 in the Big Ten with a convincing 32-9 victory over Purdue on Jan. 28, 2007 at the Sports Pavilion. Minnesota won seven of 10 matches on the day, earning bonus points in six, to hand the Boilermakers their fourth straight loss. Then-fourth ranked Jayson Ness earned a major decision over Brandon Tucker at 125 pounds, and Roger Kish also picked up a 23-8 technical fall. The closest match of the day was top-ranked Dustin Schlatter's 3-2 win over No. 11 Jake Patacsil at 149 pounds. NESS CONTINUES TO SHINE Although the Gophers endured a rough weekend, it was anything but for top-ranked 125-pound sophomore Jayson Ness. The Bloomington, Minn. native continued to establish himself as one of the nation's top overall wrestlers with dominating wins over No. 3 Charlie Falck of Iowa and No. 16 Tyler Shinn of OSU last weekend. Ness is still just three pins shy of the Gophers' single-season mark (he has 17 entering this weekend) and has scored bonus points in an amazing 82 percent of his matches this weekend (23 of 28). His streak of 29 consecutive wins is the second-longest active streak in Division I. Ness has beaten six ranked wrestlers already this season, including two top-five opponents (Falck and then-No. 1 Paul Donahoe of Nebraska). THE GIANT KILLER RETURNS Last season, Tyler Safratowich earned the reputation of being a giant killer after being inserted into the starting lineup at 165 pounds at Indiana on Feb. 2, 2007. Safratowich picked up the first two Big Ten wins of his career with a pair of impressive upsets over ranked opponents, knocking off No. 16 Max Dean of Indiana and No. 13 Roger Smith-Bergsrud of Illinois in his first two starts at 165. While wrestling at 157 pounds earlier that year, Safratowich also upset No. 2 Brian Stith of Arizona State on Jan. 2. Safratowich eventually earned the first NCAA qualification of his career and was just one win shy of earning All-American status, going 2-2 at nationals. This season, Safratowich began the season platooning with redshirt freshman Scott Glasser at 165 pounds, but took over the job after the start of the new year due to a Glasser injury. Since that time, the junior has been a bright spot in the Gopher lineup and broke through with a big win over No. 5 Jake Dieffenbach of Oklahoma State Sunday. Safratowich is 8-9 over the last two seasons against ranked wrestlers and has two wins over top-five opponents. Safratowich's Ranked Victories: Date Opponent (School) Result 11/18/06 #2 Trent Paulson (Iowa State) Med. For 1/2/07 #2 Brian Stith (Arizona State) D, 4-3 2/2/07 #16 Max Dean (Indiana) D, 10-4 2/4/07 #13 Roger Smith-Bergstrund (Ill.) D, 4-0 3/3/07 #17 Chris Vondruska (Ohio State) D, 6-3 3/15/07 #15 Steve Anceravage (Cornell) D, 8-4 12/30/07 #17 Chris Brown (Old Dominion) Med. For. 2/3/07 #5 Jake Dieffenbach (Okl. State) D, 5-1 OT DRETSCH'S TOUGH STRETCH Gopher senior Gabe Dretsch has put together a fine career at Minnesota, going 101-50 and qualifying for nationals three times. This season, the Frazee, Minn. native has gone 22-8 so far this season and is currently ranked 11th nationally at 174 pounds. While Dretsch is a solid 9-5 in dual meets this season, but the caliber of competition he has faced in recent weeks is second to none. Dretsch has faced a whopping 11 ranked wrestlers since Dec. 29, including seven in a row and six from the top 10. Below is a rundown of Dretsch's recent matches against ranked wrestlers: Date Opponent (School) Result 12/29 #14 Alton Lucas (Hofstra) L, 3-4 12/30 #18 Eric Decker (Virginia Tech) W, 5-2 12/30 #11 Steve Anceravage (Cornell) L, 4-7 12/30 #12 Phil Moricone (Edinboro) W, 5-3 1/12 #3 Brandon Sinnot (C. Michigan) W, 6-3 1/13 #5 Brandon Browne (Nebraska) L, 2-3 1/13 #2 Steve Luke (Michigan) L, 3-5 1/25 #2 Steve Luke (Michigan) L, 3-9 1/26 #19 John Murphy (Mich. State) W, P (0:46) 2/1 #2 Jay Borschel (Iowa) L, 3-8 2/3 #7 Brandon Mason (Okl. State) W, 5-3 MARQUEE MATCH-UPS This weekend's pair of dual meets with Northwestern and Purdue are sure to produce plenty of memorable matches, with Friday's meet against the Wildcats of particular interest. Tenth-ranked Northwestern currently boasts six ranked wrestlers, and that dual meet will feature three battles between ranked wrestlers: 125: #1 Jayson Ness (28-0) vs. #5 Brandon Precin (26-3) 141: #3 Manuel Rivera (25-4) vs. #17 Keith Sulzer (11-4) 174: #11 Gabe Dretsch (22-8) vs. #12 Nick Hayes (16-5) The Wildcats will also send out #5 Ryan Lang (149 pounds), #2 Mike Tamillow (197 pounds) and top-ranked heavyweight Dustin Fox.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. -– The Rutgers wrestling program, under the guidance of first-year head coach Scott Goodale, will return to conference action when it faces American on Sunday, Feb. 10, at the College Ave. Gym, starting at noon. The Scarlet Knights (9-6, 4-2) are currently in fifth place in the EIWA, while American (3-11, 1-3) is in ninth place. The Scarlet Knights will be led by junior Matt Pletcher (Eastampton, N.J.) who is 22-4 on the season at 165 pounds with four major decisions, and redshirt senior Steve Adamcsik (Chester, N.J.) who is 21-5 at 141, including a 10-2 mark in duals and a team-high nine major decisions. American will be led by Christopher Stout at 157 pounds, who is 19-10 on the season, and Mike Cannon at 165 who owns an 18-3 record on the season including a 13-1 mark in duals. RU will hold a special ceremony for former head coach John Sacchi during the match. Sacchi retired in May of 2007 after 40 years in coaching, including the past 17 years at Rutgers. He finished with an astonishing 447-162-9 career record, making him the second winningest coach in college wrestling at any level with regard to dual victories. The match between American and Rutgers will begin at noon on Sunday, Feb. 10, at the College Ave. Gym. Admission is free to the public.

SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- Fifth-year senior David Metzler pinned two opponents and posted a major decision on his way to a third-place showing in the 141-pound weight class at the All-Academy Championships, held last Saturday at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, N.Y. For his efforts, Metzler has been named Southern Conference Wrestler of the Week and VMI Athlete of the Week, it was announced on Wednesday. Metzler (Dayton, Va./Turner Ashby) pinned Jon Egan from Norwich in 1:48 and Caleb Levee from Navy in 2:06, while scoring his team-leading fifth major decision of the season with a 16-4 win against James Beshada of Merchant Marine. With his three wins, Metzler became VMI's first 20-match winner this season, currently standing at 20-12. He also moved into the top 20 in VMI career wins, now with a 72-53 career mark. Metzler is VMI's second SoCon Wrestler of the Week honoree this season, joining freshman Josh Wine, who earned the award in December. The VMI wrestling team returns to action on Friday evening, hosting SoCon foe Chattanooga at 7:30 p.m. at The Thunderdome.

NORMAN, Okla. -- The No. 18 Sooners (12-3, 0-2 in Big 12) resume Big 12 competition this weekend in two road duals versus No. 12 Missouri on Friday, Feb. 8, and No. 2 Nebraska on Sunday, Feb. 10. The matchup against the Tigers (7-3-1, 0-1-1 in Big 12) is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m., and the dual versus the Cornhuskers (11-2, 2-0 in Big 12) will begin at 2 p.m. "We are headed back into the battlefield," head coach Jack Spates said. "The Big 12 is the toughest conference in the nation and we are going to have to be hitting on all cylinders this weekend." Oklahoma is coming off an impressive beating of the Sun Devils of Arizona State last Friday night in Norman by a 31-9 final. After losing the first two matches, OU reeled off eight straight victories and 31 unanswered points to take the win. The 12 wins on the season surpass the overall win total of last year's campaign (11 wins). The Sooners boast a season-high seven wrestlers ranked in the Top 20 this week, led by seniors Joshua Weitzel at 184 pounds (No. 6) and Joel Flaggert at 197 pounds (No. 5). Zack Bailey is ranked No. 15 at 141 pounds and Brian Shelton and Will Rowe are No. 13 at 133 and 149 pounds, respectively. Chad Terry at 157 pounds and Max Dean at 165 pounds are both ranked 20th. Nick Marable leads the Tigers, ranked No. 2 at 165 pounds. Raymond Jordan at 184 pounds is ranked No. 5 and Max Askren is No. 9 at 197 pounds. Mark Ellis at heavyweight (No. 11), 125-pounder Michael Chandler (No. 14) and Josh Wagner at 149 pounds (No. 16) are also ranked among the nation's elite. Nebraska also has seven ranked in this week's poll, including five in the Top 10. Leaders for the Cornhuskers are Paul Donahoe at 125 pounds (No. 4), Brandon Browne at 175 pounds (No. 5) and 149-pounder Jordan Burroughs (No. 7). Kenny Jordan at 133 pounds and Vince Jones at 184 pounds are both No. 9. Stephen Dwyer is No. 10 at 165 pounds and Chris Oliver is No. 16 at 157 pounds. "These matches are what we have been training for and our team is eager to compete," Spates said. "It is definitely time for our guys to step up this weekend on the road." Visit SoonerSports.com for full OU wrestling coverage.

The Air Force Academy's Stephen Crozier has been named the Western Wrestling Conference's Wrestler of the Week as announced by league officials. Crozier, a 165-pounder from Monona, Iowa (MFL Mar Mac HS), was the top performer for Air Force this past weekend, taking home the 165-pound title at the All-Academy Championships, hosted by Army. Crozier, seeded second, went 3-0 at the tournament, registering a pair of major decisions before pinning top-seeded Vincent Renaut in a time of 4:14 in the championship bout. He became the first Falcon since 2005 to win an individual title at the All-Academy Championships. Crozier now leads the Falcons with a 23-9 overall record, one more victory than in his first two seasons combined. 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 - Eric Hoffman Northern Iowa - Moza Fay South Dakota State - Adam Everson Wyoming - Carter Downing

STILLWATER, Okla. -- In honor of Black History Month in February, the National Wrestling Hall of Fame & Museum has created a new exhibit that will commemorate 50 years of African American success on the mat. "On behalf of the Hall of Fame Board of Governors, I want to express our collective excitement for this educational outreach project that celebrates the heritage of African Americans who have contributed so much to the success of our sport both at home and abroad," said Lee Roy Smith, Executive Director of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. "We believe this exhibit will help inspire young African Americans to follow in the footsteps of these extraordinary individuals who have been successful in both sport and life." It was half a century ago, in 1957, that Simon Roberts from the University of Iowa claimed the first NCAA Wrestling Championship by a black athlete at 147 pounds. Since then, 45 other African American wrestlers have joined him at the top of the podium. Blacks have also won national, world and Olympic wrestling medals and become successful coaches and officials. Wrestling ranks among the most successful individual sports in medals won by black athletes at the NCAA and Olympic levels of competition. "The Wrestling Hall of Fame has been collaborating with the organization that initiated black history month (Association for the Study of African American Life and History) to bring attention to the tremendous historical impact that blacks have had upon the sport," Smith said. The exhibit, which will be on display at the museum in Stillwater for the remainder of 2008, will feature individual biographies and photos of each wrestler along with a narrative chronicling the African American wrestling experience. A traveling exhibit will be featured at the NCAA Division I Championships in St. Louis this March and the Olympic Trials in June in Las Vegas. The Hall of Fame's annual on-line trivia challenge prior to the NCAA Championships will also focus on the legacy of African American wrestling champions in the United States. If you have any questions or would like further information, please contact Lee Roy Smith at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame at 405-377-5243 or lsmith@wrestlinghalloffame.org. You can also visit our website: www.wrestlinghalloffame.org.

Name a state that's known as a hotbed for high school wrestling. Among the usual suspects: Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, New Jersey, Iowa, Oklahoma. Jon Burns (Photo/Tech-Fall.com)Chances are, the state of North Carolina didn't immediately come to mind … unless you reside (or wrestle) in the Tar Heel State. One high school wrestler is doing his best to raise the profile of prep wrestling in North Carolina … while making a name for himself, too. His name is Jon Burns, RevWrestling.com's top-ranked high school wrestler in the country at 145 pounds. In the past year, the senior at Cardinal Gibbons High School in Raleigh won the North Carolina state championship, as well as titles at the 2007 NHSCA Junior Nationals and at the 2007 Walsh Ironman tournament. It all started with the Twisters Jon Burns grew up in the southern suburbs of Chicago. His first introduction to sports was playing football. "One of the coaches of the Harvey Twisters asked me to come out for wrestling after football season," says Jon. (The Twisters are the Illinois-based wrestling club that launched the mat careers of a number of nationally-renowned wrestlers, including University of Iowa NCAA champs Joe and T.J. Williams.) In fifth grade, Jon's dad was transferred by Ford Motor Company to Georgia, where he continued the football-and-wrestling combination. In eighth grade, the Burns family moved again -- this time to the Raleigh, North Carolina area. "My school didn't have wrestling, so I went out for basketball," according to Jon. "But I didn't make the team." "I didn't get to wrestle again 'til my freshman year at Cary High School." Despite the layoff, Jon didn't lose a step on the wrestling mat. His freshman year at Cary, he compiled a 53-5 record, and placed third at the North Carolina state tournament. As a sophomore, Jon transferred to Cardinal Gibbons … and had to sit out that season. In an article published by the Cary newspaper, Jon was quoted as saying, "It was real tough knowing I couldn't wrestle that year. I went to the state tournament and I watched. I was kind of sad I wasn't able to participate, but I continued to work hard so I would be able to make this year happen." "This year" refers to Jon Burns' junior year, where he put away his football helmet for good and concentrated all his athletic efforts on wrestling. In his first year competing for Cardinal Gibbons, Jon racked up a perfect 65-0 season, and won the 140-pound 1-A/2-A North Carolina state wrestling championship in February 2007. National recognition How do you top a state title? Jon Burns found a way… by claiming the 140-pound crown at the 2007 NHSCA Junior National Wrestling Championships in Virginia Beach in March. The event is open to prep wrestlers in their junior year. The 2007 Junior Nationals attracted over 700 participants … including some of the top high school matmen in the country. Jon's weight class was no exception. In his first bout, he went up against two-time Pennsylvania state qualifier Adam Will, and got a 10-3 victory. In his next two matches, Jon scored two major decisions -- a 14-4 win over Tanner Schaffer, a two-time Maryland state placewinner, and a 13-5 victory over Dan Clarke, a New Jersey All-American. In the quarterfinals, Jon earned an 8-1 win over Austin Cordova, a state titleholder from Texas. Next, it was a battle of the recently-crowned North Carolina state champs. In the semifinals, Jon went up against Michael Williams, the defending 3-A champ from Southern Lee. Williams had a 1-0 lead at the end of the second period … but Jon came roaring back in the third, getting a 8-2 win. Jon's rival for the 140-pound title was Ryan Konz, a three-time Tennessee state placer and All-American … but the Cardinal Gibbons wrestler prevailed, 9-4, to win the Junior National crown. The Man at the Ironman Arguably the biggest highlight of Jon Burns' senior year in high school was winning the 145-pound title at the Walsh Jesuit Ironman Invitational tournament held in December 2007 in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. Jon claimed the championship with a 4-1 win over two-time Ohio state champ Ben Jordan of national wrestling powerhouse St. Paris Graham. Jon Burns defeated then-No. 1 Mario Mason in the semifinals at the Walsh Ironman (Photo/Tech-Fall.com)However, Jon claims his biggest accomplishment was his semifinals victory over Mario Mason, at the time RevWrestling.com's No. 1-ranked senior (overall) in the country from yet another major prep power, Blair Academy of New Jersey. The North Carolinian had been behind 4-0 in the second period when he rallied to score a 7-4 win. In an interview with Rob Sherrill for W.I.N. Magazine, Jon said, "(The third period), I got out, and it was 4-2. He took some injury time. He looked tired to me, or at least that's what I thought. And maybe 15 or 20 seconds later, I took him down and put him on his back, and got a three-count, and now it's 7-4. I rode him out for the rest of the period." When asked what he hit Mason with, Jon replied, "It was kind of a pancake. I just ran through him. He took kind of a weak shot and didn't recover fast enough, and I rushed him, knocked him off his balance, and put him on his back." After defeating two of the best wrestlers from two of the best prep programs in the country, Jon Burns is definitely now on the radar screens of other 145-pounders across the nation. "My coaches say my name's out there now, and everybody's going to try to get me," Jon told W.I.N. Magazine. "I just try to stay focused. If I wrestle my match, and not let anyone take control, I should be fine." Senior season success There's no stopping Jon Burns. So far in his last year at Cardinal Gibbons, he has compiled a 49-0 record … extending his win streak past the 100-match mark. Ask him if there's any pressure to maintain the streak, Jon replies, "I don't let it phase me." "Losing is never an option. I always know that I'm going to win." "I want to let people know that I'm the best," Jon continues, using the same matter-of-fact tone throughout the interview for this profile. There's no hint of cockiness or arrogance in his voice. Also in his voice there's also a quest for continuous improvement, of never being completely satisfied. "When I'm in practice, I try to move up weight sets to better myself. I always try to do more wind sprints than the last time. Go for more takedowns than before. I'm always competing with myself." "I like to try new things during a match, see what works," Jon adds. "I wrestle my own matches. I have control over my matches." "My goal is to always get a pin. It's important for the team -- it means six points. Being a young team, it can make the difference." Jon's passion for pinning is backed up by the stats: In both his freshman and junior year of competition, he scored at least 40 pins each season. "In my junior year, only about three of my matches were regular decisions," says the Cardinal Gibbons senior. A sense of style Ask Jon Burns to describe his wrestling style, and the first thing he mentions is his pre-match preparation routine: "A lot of guys get pumped up, angry. I'm not angry. I'm usually relaxed, laid-back." "I save my energy for the mat. I go out and attack, wrestle my match." Jon is also flexible: "I can be slick, real technical, or physical when I need to be." Jon Burns defeated two-time Ohio state champ Ben Jordan to win the Walsh Ironman"For instance, if I go up against a strong guy, I usually use quickness to get him off-balance." Ask the same question of his coach Stan Chambers, and his first response is to chuckle: "The things he's doing to people, you just can't coach that stuff." "His style is, 'I'm going to beat you and you won't be able to do anything about it.'" "He's a hard worker," continues coach Chambers. "He's honest, straightforward. Gets good grades. Has a good relationship with his parents. Very much a team player. A treat to have around." "He doesn't get the recognition he deserves. Then again, North Carolina doesn't get the recognition it deserves in terms of wrestling. There are lots of great people doing great things here. Jon's success may help bring national recognition to North Carolina wrestling." The recruitment drive Recognition may be coming Jon Burns' way … at least in terms of attracting attention from a wide range of top-flight colleges and universities. All this interest isn't simply because of Jon's success on the mat. He's earned a 3.7 grade point average, is a member of the National Honor Society, and scored over 1500 on the combined SAT. Those stats -- along with his wrestling record -- grabbed the attention of elite schools such as Cornell University, Columbia, and Stanford, as well as the top wrestling programs in the country, including Minnesota. After weighing all his options, Jon chose the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. "(Nebraska head) coach (Mark) Manning came to visit me here," says the highly recruited 145-pound senior. "At the end of October I went out there for a visit. I watched the intrasquad dual, and got a tour of the school. I was especially impressed with the athletic facilities." "Everyone showed they cared about my interests -- not just wrestling, but academics as well." The road ahead What does the future hold for the future Cornhusker? "As for my college major, I'm pretty sure it'll be some business degree," says Jon. "Possibly working towards a career in real estate." Jon Burns (Photo/Tech-Fall.com)And, in terms of wrestling, Jon sums up his goals very succinctly: "NCAA champ. Olympics right after college. Not interested in the WWE or MMA." "Coaching might be in the future, too. I enjoy helping little kids; I've worked with young kids at camp. Right now, I can't see myself coaching in college but who knows?" At the end of our interview, Jon said, "I try to give all the glory to God, my parents, my teammates, and coaches." With all his accomplishments on and off the mat, Jon Burns is not only getting the recognition he deserves … but he's also helping to put the spotlight on wrestling in the state of North Carolina.

NORMAN, Okla. -- Bob Hines, M.D., team doctor for the Oklahoma Sooner wrestling squad, has been appointed as a team physician for the 2008 Summer Olympic wrestling team in Beijing, China. "This is the pinnacle of physician coverage in athletics," Dr. Hines said. "I have been taking care of teams in all areas of the world and this is the highlight of a lot of hard work and dedication." His duties will include caring for all three disciplines of wrestling (men's and women's freestyle, and men's Greco-Roman and Judo). He will also help staff the U.S. training room and medical clinic to assist athletes from all sports. Dr. Hines is in his 14th season as the team doctor for Oklahoma, overseeing all medical needs and surgeries for the squad. "This extraordinary honor is well deserved for Doc Hines," OU wrestling head coach Jack Spates said. "He has devoted countless hours and resources to help athletes from all over the world achieve their dreams. It is only fitting by being named a team physician for the Olympics, that he is achieving one of his own." He also has recently been the team physician for the 2005 and 2007 World Championships of Wrestling and has been part of medical teams in countries such as Iran, Budapest and Turkey. "It is going to be three weeks away from home, but I am really excited for it," Dr. Hines said. "I have been a lot of places, but this is the big one."

LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ -- Kyle Fried of Binghamton University and Jesse Strawn of Old Dominion University have been named the Colonial Athletic Association Wrestlers of the Week, and James Nicholson of ODU and Frankie McLaughlin of George Mason University are the CAA Rookie Wrestlers of the Week, for all competition January 29-February 4. Fried, a senior 149 from Rock Hill, NY (Monroe Woodbury), won all three of his bouts at the Ithaca Duals, including a 12-1 major decision to improve to 11-1 in an injury-riddled season. Strawn, a sophomore 184 from Holton, Kansas (Holton), won both of his matches by fall last week, including a CAA victory over George Mason. The victories were his 28th and 29th of the season and he now has six pins. The pin against American clinched the dual meet victory for the Monarchs, their 15th, the most since 1983-84. Nicholson, a freshman 125 from Des Moines, Iowa (Theodore Roosevelt), went 2-0 last week with a technical fall in the CAA victory over Mason, his fourth tech fall, improving to 5-1 in the CAA. Currently ranked 12th in the nation by InterMat and 13th by Amateur Wrestling News, Nicholson has won 18 of his last 20, the two losses to ranked opponents. McLaughlin, a freshman 157 from Hillsborough, NJ (Hillsborough), returned to the line up from a hand injury to win his CAA bout against ODU, improving to 17-6 on the season.

THIS WEEK Iowa (16-1, 5-0 Big Ten) will hit the road for the second straight week, taking a non-conference road trip out west to face two Pac-10 opponents. The Hawkeyes will face Arizona State (9-5, 3-4 Pac 10) Friday at Copper Canyon High School in Glendale, AZ, at 8:30 p.m. (CT). Iowa will then face Boise State (8-1, 7-1 Pac 10) Sunday at 1 p.m. (CT) at Taco Bell Arena in Boise, ID. 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. ARIZONA STATE SUN DEVILS Arizona State is 9-5 (3-4 Pac-10) with wins over Cal Davis (20-17), Pacific (45-6), Southern Oregon (30-7), Portland State (36-9), Embry-Riddle (35-9), Army (22-13), Grand Canyon (42-10), Pennsylvania (21-17) and Oregon (26-16), and losses to Cal Poly (17-24), Cal State Bakersfield (13-22), Cal State Fullerton (18-26), Oregon State (14-27) and Oklahoma (9-31). Head Coach Thom Ortiz is 74-49-1 in seven years at Arizona State. A Sun Devil alum, Ortiz has led Arizona State to three conference titles in the past six seasons and has been named Pac-10 Coach of the Year three times. He served as an assistant coach at Iowa State for nine seasons. Ortiz is assisted by Eric Larkin (Arizona State, 2003), Brian Stith (Arizona State, 2007) and Zach Roberson (Iowa State, 2004). The Sun Devils are led by redshirt freshmen Anthony Robles (126) and Brent Chriswell (184). BOISE STATE BRONCOS Boise State is 8-1 (7-1 Pac-10) with wins over North Idaho College (40-3), Wyoming (38-3), Cal State Bakersfield (35-6), Cal Poly (26-5), Stanford (21-15), Cal Davis (23-15), Oregon (34-3), Oregon State (24-13) and Portland State (43-0), and a loss to Cal State Fullerton (13-19). The Broncos will test their seven-match winning streak Friday night when they host Great Falls-Montana and Montana State-Northern at Bronco Gym. Head Coach Greg Randall is 48-22 in six seasons at Boise State. Randall was a three-time Iowa all-American at 134 (1984-87), winning the 1984 Big Ten title. He is assisted by Boise State alums Chris Owens (2000) and Kirk White (2000). Boise State is led by junior Tyler Sherfey (157) and freshmen Adam Hall (149), Kurt Swartz (165) and Kirk Smith (184). THE SERIES Arizona State - Iowa leads the series, 22-1-1 and has won the last 16 duals vs. the Sun Devils. The Hawkeyes are 9-1-1 in Tempe. Iowa's last win in the series was 39-3 at the 2007 dual in Iowa City, while Arizona State's was 22-18, in 1988, in Tempe. Boise State - Iowa leads the series, 3-0, but this will be its first dual in Boise. The Hawkeyes won the last meeting (24-13), in 2006, in Iowa City. LAST MEETING - IOWA 39, ARIZONA STATE 3 Tom Brands made his Carver-Hawkeye Arena debut as Hawkeye head coach Nov. 25, 2006, leading the Hawkeyes to a 39-3 victory over Arizona State. A boisterous crowd of 4,905 turned out for the meet. Iowa went 9-1 against Arizona State. The only loss was at 157 pounds, where second-ranked senior Sun Devil Brian Stith scored a takedown in sudden victory to defeat unranked Iowa redshirt freshman Ryan Morningstar, 3-1. Scoring team bonus points for the Hawkeyes were seniors Mario Galanakis (133 - pin), Alex Grunder (149 - technical fall) and Eric Luedke (174 - major decision), junior Matt Fields (Hwt. - forfeit) and redshirt freshman Phillip Keddy (184 - pin). Junior and second-ranked Mark Perry picked up his 50th career win with an 8-4 decision over Arizona State's Patrick Pitsch at 165 to end the dual. Iowa 39, Arizona State 3 174 - Eric Luedke (I) maj. dec. Alex Pavlenko (ASU), 12-1 184 - Phillip Keddy (I) pinned Greg Gifford (ASU), 0:48 197 - Dan Erekson (I) dec. Jason Trulson (ASU), 3-2 Hwt. - Matt Fields (I) won by forfeit 125 - Charlie Falck (I) dec. Tyler Bowles (ASU), 15-9 133 - Mario Galanakis (I) pinned Shawn Jones (ASU), 2:45 141 - Alex Tsirtsis (I) dec. Pat Payne (ASU), 6-2 149 - Alex Grunder (I) tech. fall Cameron Smith (ASU), 22-7 157 - Brian Stith (ASU) dec. Ryan Morningstar (I), 3-1 SV-1 165 - Mark Perry (I) dec. Patrick Pitsch (ASU), 8-4 LAST MEETING - IOWA 24, BOISE STATE 13 Iowa ended its 2005-06 regular season with a 24-13 win over Boise State in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes won six matches and celebrated Senior Night with Trent Goodale, Gable Ruhkala, Ty Eustice, Joe Johnston and Paul Bradley. Iowa 24, Boise State 13 141 - Alex Tsirtsis (I) maj. dec. Jordan Brock (BSU), 11-2 149 - Ty Eustice (I) dec. Tyler Sherfey (BSU), 5-3 157 - Ben Cherrington (BSU) dec. Joe Johnston (I), 18-12 165 - Eric Luedke (I) tech. fall Lex Case (BSU), 18-1 174 - Mark Perry (I) pinned Johnny Nunez (BSU), 1:01 184 - Paul Bradley (I) dec. K.C. Walsh (BSU), 5-2 197 - Casey Phelps (BSU) dec. Dan Erekson (I), 7-3 Hwt. - Andy Patrick (BSU) maj. dec. Michael Bucklin (I), 12-3 125 - Lucas Magnani (I) dec. Cory Fish (BSU), 7-3 133 - Scott Jorgensen (BSU) dec. Daniel Dennis (I), 12-7 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 will 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. FAMILY FOUR PACK AVAILABLE The University of Iowa is offering a Family Four Pack ticket package for the Iowa vs. Indiana dual on Feb. 15. 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. IOWA WRESTLING HISTORY Iowa's overall dual meet record is 823-215-30 (.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. 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 BIG TEN ROAD TRIP The top-ranked Hawkeyes downed two Big Ten opponents on the road last weekend. Iowa defeated #3/#4 Minnesota (20-13) Friday night at Williams Arena in Minneapolis and then held off #13/#15 Wisconsin (22-20) Sunday afternoon at the UW Field House in Madison. Iowa handed Minnesota (10-4, 2-1) their first Big Ten dual loss, winning six bouts, including two upsets. The dual started at 125 with a highly anticipated match between #1 Jayson Ness of Minnesota and #3 Charlie Falck of Iowa. Ness entered the dual with a 26-0 record and on a 27-match winning streak, while Falck brought an undefeated 15-0 dual mark and his own 12-match winning streak to the mat. Falck scored the first takedown of the match, but Ness scored 14 unanswered points to post a 14-2 major decision and snap Falck's streak and perfect dual record. Iowa responded with wins at the next three weights to build an 11-4 lead. Sophomore Dan LeClere, who is ranked ninth nationally, scored a takedown in the first sudden victory period to upset #3 Manuel Rivera, 9-7 at 141. Sophomore Brent Metcalf was supposed to be part of another big match as he and Minnesota junior Dustin Schlatter are ranked first or second in the nation at 149, depending on the poll. Metcalf instead faced freshman Luke Mellmer, who has filled in for Schlatter since late December due to injury. The Hawkeye sophomore scored a 20-5 match-ending technical fall in 6:17, collecting his 20th season and career win, and extending his winning streak to 17 matches. Minnesota scored wins at 157 and 165 to tighten the team score at 11-10, but an 8-3 win by sophomore Jay Borschel at 174 and sophomore Phillip Keddy's 6-2 upset over #5 Roger Kish at 184 gave Iowa a 17-10 lead. Keddy, who is ranked eighth in the nation, scored his 30th career win. Minnesota scored a decision at 197 to keep the team win within reach, but Hawkeye senior Matt Fields shut down the Golden Gophers with a 7-3 win over Ben Berhow at heavyweight. Iowa used bonus points to beat Wisconsin (11-3-1, 2-2). Each team won five matches, but the Hawkeyes used pins from sophomores Brent Metcalf (149) and Phillip Keddy (184) and a major decision by sophomore Jay Borschel (174) to win their ninth-straight dual. Head Coach Tom Brands picked up his 30th win at Iowa and his 10th win in the Big Ten. The Hawkeyes opened the dual with back-to-back decisions from junior Charlie Falck (125) and sophomore Joe Slaton (133). Wisconsin put its first points on the board at 141 when #7 Kyle Ruschell scored seven points in the third period to beat Hawkeye sophomore Dan LeClere, 8-0. Metcalf extended Iowa's lead to 12-4 with his 4:02 pin of Trevor Bowers at 149. Wisconsin fought back to within one (12-11) on Craig Henning's 2-1 win over Ryan Morningstar at 157 and Jake Donar's 13-1 major decision over redshirt freshman Aaron Janssen at 165. Borschel and Keddy's bonus point wins gave the Hawkeyes a 22-11 lead, but the Badgers weren't finished. Wisconsin scored a pin of its own at 197 and junior heavyweight Kyle Massey upset Hawkeye senior Matt Fields, 6-5, in the afternoon's final bout. Slaton, Metcalf and Borschel remain undefeated at 5-0 in Big Ten duals, while Slaton and Borschel picked up their 20th season and career victories. Metcalf extended his winning streak to 18 matches and picked up his seventh pin of the year. 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 2008 Big Ten Wrestling 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. Doors to Williams Arena open approximately one hour prior to the beginning of each session. 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. Following is the price breakdown: 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 (16-1, 5-0 Big Ten) will host #16 Indiana (12-5, 1-3 Big Ten) Feb. 15 at 7 p.m. and #5/#6 Michigan (15-4, 2-1 Big Ten) Feb. 17 at 8 p.m. Both matches will be held in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes will recognize seniors Matt Fields (Hwt.) and Mark Perry (165) before the Michigan dual. 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.

LYNCHBURG, Va. -- With a pair of come-from-behind victories on Tuesday evening, the George Mason wrestling team improved to 11-4 on the season, reaching double-digit victories for the first time since the 1996-97 season, when the Patriots captured the CAA Championship. Wrestling at the Vines Center in Lynchburg, Va., Mason defeated Liberty 20-18 and UNC Greensboro 18-17 in a couple of highly-competitive nonconference dual meets. In its first meet of the day, Mason wrestled host Liberty. The Patriots trailed 14-9 heading into the 174-pound match, when senior Randy Oates recorded a fall over Liberty's Aaron Kelley that gave Mason a one-point lead. The lead changed hands again when Liberty's Chris Daggett earned a 16-5 major decision win over sophomore Bill Widener. Trailing by three points, Mason needed at least a major decision at 197 pounds to win the meet. Rather than a major decision, freshman Cayle Byers, currently ranked 16th by InterMat and 20th by Amateur Wrestling News, did even better, recording a technical fall over Nick Knowles to give the Patriots a close 20-18 win. Mason's second meet of the day found the Patriots in a similar situation, trailing entering the final match. This time around, Mason trailed UNC Greensboro by two, 17-15, heading into the 197-pound bout. Byers prevailed again, this time against a much tougher opponent than the first. Wrestling Daren Burns, the 11th-ranked wrestler in the nation according to InterMat and 13th according to Amateur Wrestling News, Byers showed off his tremendous skills, forcing overtime against the seasoned veteran, before giving Mason the 18-17 team victory with a takedown in the extra period to earn his 31st win of the year. George Mason will attempt to extend its winning streak to three when it hits the mat again on Friday, Feb. 15, wrestling at Duquesne at 7 p.m.

EVANSTON, Ill. -- T.C. Dantzler's opponent was the reigning World champion. But that didn't matter one bit. Even if Dantzler was taking on King Kong, there was no possible way he was going to lose. Not in front of his hometown fans at the Chicago Cup. Dantzler pumped his right fist to the crowd as they chanted "T.C., T.C." following his dominating 3-0, 3-1 win over 2007 World champion Yavor Yanakiev at 74 kg/163 lbs. Dantzler keyed the American team to a decisive 5-1 win over Bulgaria on Tuesday night at Northwestern's Welsh-Ryan Arena. "That's what I do – beat World champs," Dantzler said with a laugh. "I'm right where I need to be at this point. It was an unbelievable homecoming for me, coming back and wrestling in front of all my family and friends. It was great to be able to put on a show for them." Dantzler, from nearby Harvey, Ill., was able to crank Yanakiev to his back in the final 30 seconds of the first and second periods en route to sweeping the match which produced the loudest cheers of the evening. Dantzler's win highlighted a huge night for the American Greco-Roman team that won the 2007 World Championships. Dantzler, 37, has made the last five U.S. World Teams and is seeking his first trip to the Olympics this year. Dantzler placed fifth in the World in 2006. "This is a great springboard toward making the Olympic Team," said Dantzler, who was greeted by a long line of well-wishers after his win. "I have to build on this and keep working toward winning that Olympic gold medal. I'm not stopping until I get there." The U.S. women's freestyle team scored a 3-2 win over Poland to start an exciting night of wrestling in the northern suburbs of Chicago. Right before Dantzler's big win in Greco-Roman, American Harry Lester delivered with a big win of his own. Lester, a two-time World bronze medalist, showcased his power and explosiveness in dismantling past World champion Nikolay Gergov 4-1, 6-0 at 66 kg/145.5 lbs. "This was the first time I've wrestled in competition since the World Championships (last September), so I wasn't sure how rusty I would be out there," Lester said. "I felt great out there and it was fun to put a show on for these fans. It's exciting to be part of a great team like this." The night was another memorable homecoming for Lindsey Durlacher of nearby Buffalo Grove, Ill. Durlacher, despite battling the flu, came on strong to defeat Bulgaria's Venelin Venkov 0-4, 3-0, 2-0 at 55 kg/121 lbs. Durlacher beat Venkov in the bronze-medal match at the 2006 World Championships. "It was tough out there and I wasn't feeling my best," Durlacher said. "Once I got into the flow of the match I was in good shape. He's a real tough kid and this was a good win for me in front of the home crowd. Their support gave me a real good boost." U.S. heavyweight Dremiel Byers, a past World champion, put an exclamation point on a superb night for the Americans as he launched Ivan Ivanov with a five-point move to finish off his win at 120 kg/264.5 lbs. Byers picked Ivanov up with a reverse lift and planted him to the mat, setting off a huge ovation in the arena. The U.S. women topped a strong Poland team as Americans Stephanie Murata, Marcie Van Dusen and Stephany Lee picked up victories. Murata beat World bronze medalist Iwona Sadowska, Van Dusen came back to beat World fifth-place finisher Anna Zwirydowska and Lee pinned World University bronze medalist Agnieszka Wieszczek. Murata beat Sadowska 1-0, 2-0. "This was a real good win for me against a tough opponent," Murata said. "This was a fun event and I enjoyed being a part of it. This match gives me a good boost going into the events that I have coming up." Van Dusen, coming off a huge win over five-time World champion and Olympic champion Saori Yoshida of Japan, avenged a loss to her Poland opponent. Van Dusen dropped the first period 1-0, but charged back to dominate the final two periods 3-0, 3-0.

This week's edition of "On the Mat" will feature Mike Finn, Jim Gibbons, and Ryan Hockensmith. "On the Mat" is a weekly wrestling radio program that airs every Wednesday night. This week's broadcast can be heard live from 6-7 p.m. Central Standard Time. The Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum in Waterloo, Iowa, hosts the show. Finn is currently the editor of Wrestling Illustrated Newsmagazine, a position he has held for over four years. Considered one the nation's top wrestling journalists, Finn was named the National Wrestling Media Association's Print Journalist of the Year in 2006. He also co-authored the book "Hawkeye Legends, Lists and Lore." Finn will discuss several of the dual meets that have taken place thus far, including the interstate showdowns that took place between the state of Minnesota and the state of Iowa. Gibbons provides wrestling commentary for Iowa Public Television, The Big Ten Network, and ESPN. In 2003, the National Wrestling Media Association named Gibbons Broadcaster of the Year. Gibbons also competed and coached for Iowa State University. In 1981, Gibbons won an individual NCAA title at 134 pounds. From 1985-1992, Gibbons was the head wrestling coach of the Cyclones, leading his team to an NCAA title in 1987. Hockensmith is currently an associate editor at ESPN The Magazine. He writes regularly on wrestling, boxing, and mixed martial arts for ESPN.com and for ESPN The Magazine. Hockensmith will discuss Brock Lesnar's first fight in the UFC as well as other happenings in the mixed martial arts world. "On the Mat" can be heard live on the Internet at www.kcnzam.com or locally in Northeast Iowa on 1650, The Fan. Feel free to e-mail radio@wrestlingmuseum.org with questions or comments about the show.

WATERLOO, IOWA -- On April 3, 1908, an Iowa farmer by the name of Frank Gotch changed forever the world of wrestling. The native of Humboldt, already the American heavyweight champion, journeyed to Chicago and defeated the legendary Russian Lion, George Hackenschmidt, to win the world's championship. Gotch's victory set off a wild celebration among sports fans in Humboldt, across Iowa and around the nation. In commemoration of his great victory, Frank Gotch Day will be celebrated on April 3, 2008, in Humboldt, Waterloo and at the Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum here. The museum is planning several activities and has invited two legendary wrestling figures, Dan Severn and Dan Gable, to participate. Waterloo Mayor Tim Hurley and Humboldt Mayor Walter Jensen have both declared April 3 as Frank Gotch Day in their respective cities. "This is a very important date in the history of wrestling, and we didn't want it to pass unnoticed," said Mike Chapman, executive director of DGIWIM. "Gotch has had a tremendous impact on wrestling in the state of Iowa, and around the nation. Having these two Dans here is a very special occasion for all wrestling fans." Dan Severn exploded onto the mixed martial arts scene in 1995 when he won the heavyweight world title in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A former amateur wrestling star with a long list of records and titles, Severn was the first superstar of the mixed martial arts world and was given the nickname "The Beast" for his dramatic victories. At the same time, he began wrestling as a professional and eventually won the NWA world heavyweight title – the same title that Frank Gotch won on April 3, 1908, in Chicago. Severn is well known in sporting circles all around the world and has a record of 78-7 in mixed martial arts events. He is one of the top clinicians in the sport and is a member of numerous halls of fame, including the UFC's hall. In 2002, he was given the Frank Gotch Award by the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame, which is located in the Gable museum. The Gotch award is given annually for contributions to professional wrestling. Competing for over 30 professional wrestling organizations and12 fight promotions, Severn has held over 95 state, national, and international wrestling titles, and has competed in over 4,000 bouts. He has been profiled in such publications as USA Today, People, Karate and Kung Fu Illustrated, Black Belt Magazine, MAD, Full Contact Fighter, and many of the pro wrestling publications. The Internet is full of the Beast's accomplishments, as well as his official web site. Severn also runs a wrestling product company and holds annual wrestling clinics for kids of all ages. He has appeared on "48 Hours," "20/20," "The Gordon Elliot Show," "Nash Bridges," and many commercials. IN THE LATE 1960s, Dan Gable became an Iowa superstar in the same sport, and then won the World amateur championship in 1971 and the Olympics in 1972. At one point, he won 181 consecutive matches over seven years in high school and college. He went on to coach the University of Iowa to 15 NCAA team titles in his 21 year career, and to a record 21 straight Big Ten team titles. He is a member of over a dozen halls of fame, and is the only wrestler in the United States Olympic Hall of Fame. "Dan Gable and Dan Severn have both followed in the footsteps of Frank Gotch and that is very exciting for us at the museum," said Chapman. "We are very honored to have them participate in the celebration." Both Gable and Severn will be at a noon luncheon at the Five Sullivan Center, and then make an appearance at the museum at 2 p.m. There, an oil painting by noted sports artist Dayne Dudley of Tulsa, Oklahoma, will be unveiled, showing Gotch in the epic April 3, 1908, match with Hackenschmidt. A limited number of prints, signed by the artist, will be on sale, with Severn and Gable available to sign them, as well. Also, a 12-mintue documentary on the life of Gotch will be shown, and a new book about Gotch's legacy will be available for the first time. The documentary is the work of Atlas Technologies of Ames, and Mike Chapman authored the book. Copies of the documentary and the book will be available for purchase. At 6 p.m., Severn will hold a three-hour seminar in the Dan Gable Teaching Center in the museum, showing and discussing the techniques of catch wrestling (Gotch's preferred style of wrestling) and mixed martial arts. Both the luncheon and the seminar are open to the public, but will be limited to 100 persons at the luncheon and 30 at the seminar. The cost for the luncheon is $15 and the cost of the Dan Severn seminar is $40. Anyone wishing to reserve spots at either can call the museum at 319-233-0745. Gotch's victory on April 3, 1908, made him the most popular athlete American – the Muhammad Ali of his era. Despite his "killer instinct" in the ring, he was handsome, articulate and charming outside the ring. He starred in a play that went up and down the East Coast and traveled to Europe. President Teddy Roosevelt invited him to the White House. He was a very successful businessman, buying large portions of prime Iowa farmland. On April 9, 1909, Gotch defended his world title in Waterloo, against Dan McLeod. Ironically, the match was held in the Syndicate Theatre, where the Five Sullivans Brothers Center now stands. It drew a sellout crowd of over 2,000 fans. "It was Frank Gotch's popularity that helped start a movement to add wrestling in high schools and colleges, and it was the legacy of Frank Gotch that turned Iowa into a wrestling state," said Chapman. "Many of the "old timers" I interviewed in the 1980s – coaches like Paul Scott of Cornell, Dave McCuskey of Iowa and Dr. Harold Nichols of Iowa State – said Gotch was their hero when growing up." In 1917, Frank was considering a run for governor of Iowa. Then, he was struck down by a kidney ailment. He died on December 16, 1917, in his Humboldt home. His death was front-page news all over the nation. The governor of Iowa, William Harding, attended the funeral. Gotch has had a huge impact on the state of Iowa. Each year, a Frank Gotch kids tournament is held in his hometown. The Hall of Pride in Des Moines has a tribute to his impact on the sport in the state, and the Gable museum has a large section reserved to tell his story, with many items from his great career on display. His roll-top desk and his favorite lounge chair are on display in the library. Frank Gotch Day Schedule (April 3): 12 Noon -- Frank Gotch Luncheon at Five Sullivan Brothers Convention Center (Special Guests: Dan Severn, former NWA world champion and UFC legend, and Dan Gable, America's leading figure in amateur wrestling history) 2:00 p.m. -- Unveiling of new artwork at museum of Frank Gotch's historic match on April 3, 1908, when he won the world heavyweight title, and of new book by Mike Chapman on Gotch's legacy in the world of catch wrestling. 2:15 p.m. -- Debut at museum of the Frank Gotch documentary 6-9 p.m. -- Special clinic on catch wrestling and mixed martial arts by Dan Severn in Dan Gable Teaching Center

Live from our the Brute Adidas Studios at Des Moines Sports Station AM 1460 KXNO we do something we've never done over the many years on the air. We have invited an entire team in to the studio Saturday Morning for a fun 2 hours of "Getting to Know You". TDR airs Saturday mornings 9:06 AM CST to 11:00 AM CST. We'll start with a conversation with the coaches and will do our best to interview all the boys throughout the show. This show will be filmed for LSV/TDR and the Beavers web site as well. Join us for a fun show. Thanks to Big Daddy's BBQ for catering this event. The Beavers will be joining us between 2 Duals meets. The night before the broadcast the Beavers Face Iowa State at Hilton and Sunday, the day after the broadcast the Beavers face The Missouri Tigers at Missouri. (This match will be broadcast LIVE on TakedownRadio.com free of charge courtesy of our sponsors. Scheduled to join Steve Foster, Scott Casber, Jeff Murphy, Chris Arns and company: Beavers Head Coach Jim Zalesky, Beavers Asst. Coach's Troy Steiner, Kevin Roberts, and Alex Clemsen.

GREENSBORO, NC -- The UNC Greensboro wrestling squad will have not one, but two opponents to beat on Tuesday as they travel to Lynchburg, VA to take on the Liberty Flames and the George Mason Patriots. The Spartans will begin with a 7:30pm match against the Flames followed by the Patriots at 9pm. The action will take place in the Vines Center. All three teams were on the mats this past weekend. UNCG (8-5, 3-1 SoCon) shorted Virginia Tech with a 20-18 victory in Blacksburg, VA on Sunday afternoon. That same day, Liberty (10-9-1) won the East Regional Duals with victories over Duquesne (38-3), Gardner-Webb (34-6), Delaware State (39-15), and Millersville (38-10). George Mason finished the weekend off with a loss as they were topped by No. 22 Old Dominion, 32-12. This marks just the second time the Spartans and the Flames have met in dual competition. Last year, UNCG came out on top with a 24-9 victory to close out the regular season. George Mason holds a 2-1 dual advantage over the Spartans. The Patriots won the first two meetings, but the Spartans were the victory last season coming away with a 21-16 win. The Spartans will have a week to rest before they host Duke on February 20 for their final home match of the season. Action is set to get underway at 7pm in Fleming Gymnasium. For more news on UNCG wrestling, ticket prices, a complete season schedule, and all other Spartan athletic information log onto www.UNCGSpartans.com.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Head Coach Duane Goldman earned the 200th win of his coaching career Sunday afternoon. Indiana University topped the Michigan State Spartans, 23-9. The match began with the 125-bout and yet another win for Angel Escobedo. The Griffith, Indiana native improved to a perfect 22-0 on the year, downing Michigan State's Joel Murphy, 14-4. After a Spartan decision in the 133-pound weight class, the Hoosiers ripped off four consecutive wins. The run began with Scott Kelly grabbing a 3-2 decision and concluded when Matt Coughlin arose victorious in the 165-bout contest, 7-4. Sandwiched in between those two wins were Kurt Kinser's Big Ten-high 27th win and a dominating performance by Brandon Becker in a 15-2 major decision. Becker tallied near-fall points three times in the first period, jumping out to a 10-0 lead. Michigan State then closed the gap to 17-6 with a decision in the 174-pound match. Senior Marc Bennett responded with a decision for IU in the following match, however. Nate Everhart ended the match by nabbing three more points for Indiana, recording a 7-4 decision in the heavyweight match.

STILLWATER, Okla. -- Oklahoma State senior 133-pounder Coleman Scott is this week's Big 12 Wrestler of the Week, the conference office announced today. Scott claimed wins over a pair of top-10 opponents last week to lead the Cowboys to victories over two teams that were both ranked No. 1 at one point of this season when he handed No. 7 Nick Fanthorpe of Iowa State a 6-2 defeat as part of OSU's 16-15 win over the No. 9 Cyclones last Friday, then came back to beat No. 5 Mack Reiter of Minnesota by a convincing 8-2 decision as part of the Cowboys' 18-14 win over the No. 4 Gophers on Sunday. Including those two wins, Scott has won 18 consecutive matches, highlighted by five wins over top-10 opposition. Four of Scott's last six wins have come over opponents ranked in the top 10 nationally. On the year, the three-time All-American owns a 24-2 record to go with a 15-1 mark in duals. For all of the success that Scott has achieved in his career, this is the first time he has been honored as the Big 12 Wrestler of the Week. He joins teammate Jake Dieffenbach as Cowboys to have earned the honor this season, as Dieffenbach secured the recognition the week of Dec. 3-9. Scott's honor marks the 29th time an Oklahoma State wrestler has been recognized as Big 12 Wrestler of the Week since the conference formed in 1996-97. The Cowboys are on the road this week, competing at Oregon on Feb. 8 and at UC Davis on Feb. 10.

Fullerton, Calif. -- Devin Velasquez won a pair of decisions at 157 pounds and Ian Murphy and Ryan Budd registered pins Sunday afternoon as Cal State Fullerton won a pair of dual wrestling matches over Cal State Bakersfield (21-14) and Menlo College (31-6). Murphy's pin at 184 pounds of Troy Goodban helped the Titans jump out to a 12-0 lead over the Roadrunners in the Pac-10 match. Morgan Atkinson's decision at 149 clinched the win which lifted Fullerton to 8-5 overall and 6-1 in the Pac-10. Seniors Murphy and Atkinson were both making their final Titan Gym appearances. Fullerton won eight of 10 matches to easily beat the Oaks to go to 9-5 despite using the second string except for Velasquez at 157. Between these matches, Bakersfield beat Menlo, 21-12.

STILLWATER, Okla. -- No. 3 Oklahoma State picked up its third win over a top-10 team and its seventh win over a ranked opponent this year when it defeated No. 4 Minnesota, 18-14 Sunday at Gallagher-Iba Arena. The most important win of the dual for the Cowboys was Jack Jensen's upset of No. 5 Roger Kish. Jensen recorded a takedown with 16 seconds remaining in sudden victory overtime to win a key 5-3 decision that made the difference for the Cowboys. With the Gophers holding a 14-9 advantage in team scoring, Jensen's upset win changed the complexion of the dual. 197-pounder Clayton Foster followed with a 4-1 win over Justin Bronson to give the Cowboys a 15-14 lead in the dual heading into the final bout, which heavyweight Jared Rosholt won by a 4-2 decision over Ben Berhow. Top-ranked 125-pounder Jayson Ness of Minnesota started the dual with an 18-5 major decision win over OSU's Tyler Shinn, but the Cowboys came back to win a pair of showcase matches at 133 and 141 as top-ranked Coleman Scott handed No. 5 Mack Reiter an 8-2 defeat and No. 2 Nathan Morgan followed with a 6-4 decision over No. 3 Manuel Rivera. An 8-3 win by Ryan Freeman over Luke Mellmer at 149 pounds followed to provide the Cowboys with a 9-4 lead in the dual. The Golden Gophers responded with three straight victories, one a major decision from No. 6 C.P. Schlatter over Neil Erisman and two upsets at 165 pounds and 174 pounds that put them on top 14-9. That was where Minnesota stayed, however, as Oklahoma State won the last three matches to win the dual.

SYRACUSE, New York -- Live Sports Video, in alliance with USA Wrestling and World Sports Chicago, presents its second annual live web cast of the Chicago Cup on Tuesday, Feb. 5, at 7 p.m. CST. Enjoy this event, set to take place at the Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, Ill., from anywhere in the world using your computer. The Chicago Cup will provide top-level wrestling for American athletes as they continue preparations for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. Every wrestling and sport fan should watch this event to support the true essence of American pride and changing technologies. "We continue to reach wrestling fans with some of the greatest wrestling on this planet, due to our fantastic sponsorship of Feldmeier Equipment," says Michael Raite of LiveSportsVideo.com. To see the event LIVE, you can watch the Chicago Cup web cast at: www.LiveSportsVideo.com and Click "Chicago Cup Banner" on home page. Sign in early to not miss out on any of the wrestling action. The event will feature a dual meet between the 2007 World champion U.S. Greco-Roman team and a powerful team from Bulgaria that includes three individual World champions. Team USA will feature local Chicago stars Lindsey Durlacher and T.C. Dantzler. The U.S. women's freestyle team takes on Poland in the four Olympic weight classes. Area-local Mary Kelly competes at 48kg/105.5 lbs and wrestled in the inaugural 2007 Chicago Cup. She will also take part in the 2008 Chicago Cup as a member of the U.S. women's freestyle team. An exhibition freestyle match featuring NCAA champion Jake Herbert, from host Northwestern University, will also be highlighted. For those who can not see the live web cast as it happens, it will also be archived on LiveSportsVideo.com starting one-hour after the event end (around 10pm CST), so it can be watched On-Demand at any time. Robert Feldmeier, the CEO of Feldmeier Equipment, has supported wrestling for over 50 years. His success in business of world-wide installations of processing equipment in the dairy, beverage, food and pharmaceutical industiries started on the wrestling mat. Thank you wrestling fans for watching the best sports network dedicated to delivering sports you love. Live Sports Video would like wrestling fans to spread the word with hopes of bringing this web cast to 100,000 viewers. Tell all wrestling fans to go to www.LiveSportsVideo.com at 7 pm CST, Tuesday, Feb. 5, to watch this free Chicago Cup web cast LIVE as it happens. Find out more information about this event visit www.livesportsvideo.com and click on Chicago Cup Banner on center of homepage, or go to www.worldsportchicago.org.

WAVERLY, Iowa. -- Winning eight of 10 individual bouts, including a technical fall and two major decisions, Wartburg College (Iowa) scored a 28-9 dual-meet victory over visiting Augsburg College in a meeting of the top two ranked teams in NCAA Division III wrestling on Saturday night at Levick Arena at the Wartburg-Waverly Sports and Wellness Center. Wartburg, the defending national runner-up and current top-ranked team in the National Wrestling Coaches Association Division III national rankings, improved to 21-0 on the season in dual meets. Augsburg, the defending national champion and winners of 10 of the last 17 national titles, is now 9-2 on the season. Against teams from Divisions II and III, Augsburg is now 227-19 since the 1989-90 season, losing just 14 matches to non-Division I opponents since the 1995-96 season. Against strictly Division III opponents, Augsburg is 234-22 since the 1979-80 season and 158-12 since the 1989-90 season. The Auggies' lone victories came from No. 4-ranked Travis Lang (JR, Bismarck, N.D.) at 133 pounds and George Lynaugh (SR, Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Simley HS) at 174. Lang claimed a first-period pin of No. 3-ranked Jacob Helvey, while Lynaugh scored a 12-8 win over Wartburg's No. 10-ranked Craig Kreman. Lang rebounded from an early takedown by Helvey, claiming an escape, takedown and pin at the 2:22 mark. Lynaugh collected a takedown, three-point near-fall and two escapes to build a 7-3 lead after two periods, en route to the 12-8 win with a takedown, two escapes and a riding-time bonus point in the third period. Wartburg claimed three bonus-point victories -- a third-period, 17-0 technical-fall by top-ranked Jacob Naig at 149 over Augsburg's Jason Adams (So., Coon Rapids, Minn.); a 13-4 major-decision by top-ranked Aaron Wernimont at 157 over Augsburg's Beau Hansen (FY, Albert Lea, Minn.); and a 10-0 major-decision by top-ranked T.J. Miller over Augsburg's Wallace O'Connor (SR, Oshkosh, Wis./Oshkosh West HS) at 197. In the two other meetings of ranked wrestlers, Wartburg's No. 6-ranked Robert Struthers scored a 7-5 win over No. 4-ranked Seth Flodeen (JR, Cannon Falls, Minn.) at 125, and Wartburg's top-ranked Romeo Djoumessi scored a 6-4 win over No. 6-ranked Robbie Gotreau (SR, Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson HS) at 184. Tied at 3-3 after two periods, Struthers scored an escape and takedown to take a 6-3 lead, and rebounded from a Flodeen reversal with an escape in the last second of the match. At 184, Djoumessi used two takedowns and two third-period escapes to hold off Gotreau's upset bid. At 141, No. 3-ranked Zac McKray scored a 6-2 win over Augsburg's Lucas Murray (FY, Anoka, Minn.); Wartburg's No. 10-ranked Justin Hanson scored a 6-2 win over Brandon Klukow (JR, Albert Lea, Minn.) at 165, and No. 3-ranked Brian Borchers used a second-period escape and riding-time bonus point to score a 2-0 win over Augsburg's Andy Witzel (SO, Fulda, Minn.) at heavyweight. Also on Saturday, the Augsburg White Team (junior varsity) finished in third place at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Invitational at the McPhee Phy Ed Center in Eau Claire, Wis. Paul Bjorkstrand (JR, Burnsville, Minn., 133 pounds) and Zach Hansen (SO, Albert Lea, Minn., 157) won individual championships for the Auggies, while Jake Saatzer (FY, Mound, Minn./Mound-Westonka HS) finished second at 141 and Freddy Vigil (SO, Bakersfield, Calif./South HS) finished third at 125. Augsburg returns to action next Saturday (2/9) at 9 a.m., at the St. John's University North Country Open in Collegeville, Minn.

ITHACA, N.Y. -- The Big Red wrestling team strong-armed Hofstra in front of a sold out crowd to win at 28-14 dual match on Saturday night. Over one thousand fans cheered on No. 18 Cornell who won 7-of-10 matches against the No. 12 Pride, snapping Hofstra's six-match win-streak. The Big Red picked up bonus points in three matches with heavyweight Zach Hammond and freshman DJ Meagher (149) both pinning their opponents, while junior Jordan Leen won a 12-4 major decision at 157 pounds. With the match starting at 197 pounds, the Big Red's Taylor Moore faced No. 8 Joe Rovelli. Rovelli racked up the points in the second and third periods to win a 15-0 technical fall, giving Hofstra an early 5-0 lead over the Big Red. No. 12 ranked Zach Hammond faced Hofstra's Tom Daddino in the heavyweight bout. The two wrestled to a tie in the first period with three points apiece. Hammond chose to start the second period from the down position but was unable to escape Daddino's clutches during the two minute period. Daddino took a 4-3 lead in the third escaping Hammond after 57 seconds. With 16 seconds left in the match, Hammond caught Daddino quickly pinning the Pride wrestler to earn six team points for the Big Red. Senior Mike Rodriguez hit the mat next for the Big Red at 125 pounds, facing No. 13 Dave Tomasette. The two wrestled to a close first period, but the Pride wrestler pulled away in the second and third to win an 11-5 decision giving Hofstra back its team lead. At 133 pounds, No. 2 Mike Grey took on No. 6 Lou Ruggirello. Grey took a two point lead with a takedown with 45 seconds left in the first period, and Ruggirello was unable to escape Grey's clutches. Grey started the second period from the down position and grabbed two point reversal with 20 seconds left in the period. Ruggirello earned his only point of the match with an escape in the third giving Grey a 4-1 win. With the three point victory, Cornell regained a 9-8 advantage. The Big Red had to forfeit its match at 141 pounds over No. 5 Charles Griffen. The Pride earned six points with the forfeit to take a 14-9 lead into the intermission. At 149 pounds, freshman DJ Meagher faced Hofstra's Jeff Rotella. Meagher took down Rotella 10 seconds into the period, but nearly a minute later Rotella tied up the match with a reversal. At 1:19, Meagher regained the advantage with a reversal of his own. The Big Red wrestler nearly maneuvered Rotella on to his back, but with time running out in the period, earned three points for a nearfall. Meagher had choice in the second period and remained in the top position looking to pin Rotella. Meagher continued to dominate the match and earned the win by fall in 4:27. Returning All-American Jordan Leen wrestled against Johnny Bonilla-Bowman at 157 pounds. Leen grabbed the lead within 20 seconds and never looked back winning a 12-4 major decision over the Pride wrestler. Leen's four points increased the Big Red's lead to19-14. Fourth ranked Mack Lewnes faced Ryan Patrovich at 165 pounds. The two grapplers were scoreless in the first period until Lewnes earned two points with a takedown with 10 seconds left on the clock. Lewnes lengthened his lead to three escaping Patrovich within 10 seconds in the second period. The Pride wrestler scored his only point of the match with an escape in the third, and Lewnes walked away with a 3-1 win. At 174 pounds, No. 10 ranked junior Steve Anceravage took on No. 5 Alton Lucas. Lucas held a 2-1 advantage after the first period with Lucas making a takedown and Anceravage earning an escape. Anceravage tied up the match at two points apiece in the second with an escape from his initial down position. Lucas started the third down on the mat and regained his lead with an escape at 1:49. Both wrestlers were unable to score and with less than six seconds left in the match, the two were at a stalemate and headed to center mat at the neutral position. With seconds ticking away Lucas looked to be the winner, but with less than a second left in the match, Anceravage stunned the Pride wrestler with a takedown to win, 4-3. Cornell increased its lead to 25-14 securing its team victory. All-American Josh Arnone returned to the mat at 184 pounds for the first time this season after taking off the fall semester due to injury. The Big Red wrestler earned two points with a takedown at 1:05 of the first period, and racked up riding time against the Pride's Justin Danz. Arnone increased his lead to five in the second period with an escape and a takedown. Danz escaped Arnone in the third period at 1:19, but Arnone regained control with a takedown less than 20 seconds later. With riding time secured, and a 7-1 lead, Arnone let Danz up looking to win a major decision. Danz evaded Arnone's clutches, but the Big Red wrestler won an 8-2 decision in his first match of the season. The Big Red will return to action next weekend as it opens it Ivy season, playing host to Columbia. The Big Red will take on the Lions on Saturday, Feb. 9 at 1 p.m. at the Friedman Wrestling Center. Cornell will also wrestle against Wagner at 3 p.m.

Lincoln -- The second-ranked Nebraska wrestling team racked up three bonus-point wins and two sudden victories to propel the Huskers past No. 11 Missouri, 22-13, in front of 3,252 fans at the Coliseum on Saturday. Nebraska improves to 11-2 on the year and 2-0 in the Big 12, while the Tigers drop to 7-3-1 and 0-1-1 in the conference. Junior Paul Donahoe once again led the way for NU as he broke a 7-7 tie with his 19-3 technical-fall victory at 125 pounds over Missouri's John Olanowski. Donahoe scored a three-point nearfall halfway into the first period as he went on to accumulate three nearfalls and five takedowns in the match. Donahoe improves to 14-4 in his career at home duals. Clinching the match for the Huskers was sophomore Jordan Burroughs at 149 pounds. Burroughs' 15-7 major decision put Nebraska up 22-7 with two matches left. Burroughs defeated No. 16 Josh Wagner with six takedowns. The major decision is Burroughs' tenth of the year. Rounding out the bonus-point wins for NU was junior Brandon Browne, who earned a 14-5 major decision over Brock Wittmeyer at 174 pounds. Browne earned three takedowns in the second period to cruise to the win as he leads the Huskers with 25 wins on the season. The Huskers picked up two tight wins as both Kenny Jordan (133) and Mike Rowe (141) collected sudden victories. Jordan took a 1-1 tie into the extra period against Tyler McCormick before his takedown with 50 seconds left won the match 3-1. Rowe entered the extra stanza tied at two, but took just 17 second to beat Marcus Hoehn. Senior Jon May scored one of the biggest upsets of the evening as he defeated No. 11 Mark Ellis 3-2. May entered the third period up 1-0, but a quick escape by Ellis tied the match. May battled back with a takedown with 35 seconds left to earn the win. The Husker grapplers host their final home dual of the season on Sunday, Feb. 10 against the No. 17 Oklahoma Sooners.