InterMat Staff

STILLWATER, Okla. -– Oklahoma State continued its Bedlam dominance with a convincing 29-6 victory over Oklahoma in front of 7,014 fans in Gallagher-Iba Arena on Sunday afternoon. OSU won eight of the 10 bouts, with four wins coming by bonus points. Tyler Shinn, Coleman Scott and Jack Jensen all recorded major decisions and senior Johny Hendricks recorded a technical fall in his final match at home. The Cowboys improved to 14-5 on the season and extended their Bedlam winning streak to 18 consecutive matches. OU dropped to 7-6 on the year. The Cowboys jumped out to an 11-0 lead after the first three matches. Tyler Shinn recorded a major decision over Henry Roman and Coleman Scott received a major decision over Brian Shelton. Scott needed a takedown for a technical fall, but Shelton tied up Scott's leg and ran the clock out. Nathan Morgan followed with a narrow decision over Kyle Terry at 141 pounds. OU got on the board at 149 with a decision by third-ranked Matt Storniolo over B.J. Jackson. The Cowboys took control of the dual after that. Newly McSpadden recorded a takedown with 40 seconds remaining to rally and defeat OU's No. 15-ranked Will Rowe. Johny Hendricks then put the dual out of reach for the Sooners. OU's Shane Seibert came out aggressive and it backfired as Hendricks quickly put nine points on the board in the first period. Hendricks added to it over the next two periods, and came close to pinning him in the third period. Hendricks scored a takedown with 17 seconds remaining and rode out the match for a technical fall to put OSU up 19-3 in the dual. The best match of the night came at 174 and sealed the win for the Cowboys. Brandon Mason scored a quick takedown on Josh Weitzel and piled well over two minutes of riding time in the first period. Weitzel quickly erased the riding time with a second period ride out, and he scored a third period takedown to send the match into overtime. Neither wrestler could take the other one down, nor could neither wrestler escape. Mason and Weitzel battled through three sudden victory sessions and three tie-breaker periods. Until after an exhaustive 13 minutes of wrestling, Mason snuck behind Weitzel and scored the winning takedown to put the score out of reach, 22-3, with three matches remaining. Jack Jensen was impressive with a major decision over Josh Hinton. Jensen scored a takedown with seven seconds remaining in the match to secure the major. OU scored a decision at 197, but OSU's Jared Rosholt put the finishing touches on the rout with a decision at heavyweight. "I think there was definitely an improvement today and we are heading in the right direction," head coach John Smith said. "It is going to have to be a lot more to get where we need to be. I know what it is going to take for us at the end and we have not given that to this point. Even with a 29-6 win, there has to be more. I believe we can get there. I think this sent a good message that we are working our tails off for the drive for five." The Cowboys have three weeks off to prepare for the Big 12 Championships in Columbia, Mo., on March 3.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- After dropping an upset decision at the opening weight class, the No. 23-ranked University of Michigan wrestling team rallied to defeat No. 17 Ohio State 21-15 in front of 1,339 fans in Cliff Keen Arena. The Wolverines won three consecutive matches at the middleweights and boasted a pair of bonus victories to capture its first win of the Big Ten dual season. With three wins a piece just beyond the meet's halfway point, junior/sophomore Casey White (Commerce Twp., Mich./Walled Lake Central HS) electrified the crowd after rallying from an early deficit to take control in the third period and put Buckeyes Corey Morrison flat at the 6:47 mark to claim his first pin of the season. White trailed 4-3 entering the final frame after giving up a takedown in each of the opening two periods. With Morrison choosing the bottom position, the Wolverine immediately applied a high-leg turk and locked up a bow and arrow to hold Morrison in a pinning situation for nearly a minute. With time winding down, White used the same move to turn the Buckeye again, forcing him flat with just 13 seconds remaining to earn his first win at heavyweight. Sophomore Michael Watts (Riverton, Utah/Riverton HS) completed the Wolverines' second straight come-from-behind win, sealing Michigan's team victory with an 8-5 decision over Will Livingston at 125 pounds. The Buckeye wrestler struck first with a takedown midway through the opening frame; on a restart only 30 seconds later, Watts got a quick jump from underneath to force Livingston to his back for three near-fall points. Watts added a takedown in the second, spinning behind on a bad OSU shot. Livingston added a takedown midway through the third, but Watts held on for his first dual win of the season. The dual began with an Ohio State upset at 149 pounds as the Buckeyes' 17th-ranked Lance Palmer gave his team an early advantage with a 6-4 decision over senior/junior Josh Churella (Northville, Mich./Novi HS). After a scoreless first period, Churella took the first advantage early in the second, scrambling out of Palmer's legs to claim a reversal less than 30 seconds into the frame. Palmer evened the score with a pair of escapes. Churella fought off takedown midway through third period to keep the match tied at 2-2 but couldn't finish on single leg at end of regulation, forcing the match into an overtime session. Palmer and Churella traded reversals in the first tiebreaker, but Churella was reversed with two seconds left in the second tiebreaker to lose 6-4. Fifth-year senior Rob Sulaver (Dearborn, Mich./Dearborn HS) evened the team score in the subsequent match and kicked off a stretch of three consecutive U-M wins with a 7-2 decision over Jason Johnstone at 157 pounds. The wrestlers traded points midway through the first period; Sulaver struck first with a single-leg takedown, and Johnstone quickly scrambled to claim reversal. Sulaver, however, scored an escape before the end of the period to maintain a one-point advantage. After riding Johnstone for the entirety of the second period, Sulaver scored on a restart midway through the third, forcing a scramble as he maneuvered himself to the top. Senior/junior captain Eric Tannenbaum (Naperville, Ill./North HS) accepted a forfeit victory at 165 pounds, as the Buckeyes bumped 14th-ranked Chris Vondruska to 174 pounds to face unranked sophomore/freshman Jordan Sherrod (Portage, Mich./Central HS). The OSU plan backfired, however, as Sherrod eked out a 2-1 upset victory. After a scoreless opening frame, Sherrod took the match's first lead with a quick second-period escape and -- with Vondruska continually backing up -- extended his advantage when the Buckeye was hit with a second stalling call. Vondruska cut the gap with an escape early in the third, but neither wrestler could convert on scoring attempts in the closing minutes as Sherrod held on for his second dual win. In the dual's marquee match at 184 pounds, third-ranked Mike Pucillo used an escape and a stalling call to claim a 5-3 decision over fourth-ranked junior/sophomore Tyrel Todd (Bozeman, Mont./Bozeman HS). Pucillo struck first with the bout's first offensive points, a single-leg takedown midway through the second period. The Buckeye then attempted a cross-body ride, but Todd high-hipped over to earn a quick reversal. Todd could not keep Pucillo on the mat, allowing an escape in the waning seconds of the period that -- combined with the Michigan stalling call earlier in the frame -- proved the difference. The bout at 197 pounds, matching 19th-ranked fifth-year senior Nick Roy (Wall, N.J./Wall HS) against sixth-ranked J.D. Bergman, would follow suit as the Buckeye wrestler needed only an escape and stalling call to emerge the 2-0 victor. With the final result already locked up, Ohio State ended the contest with back-to-back wins at 133 and 141 pounds. 18th-ranked T.J. Enright converted a takedown late in the opening period and added another in the third to claim a 5-2 decision over freshman Chris Diehl (Burton, Mich./Flint Kearsley HS) at 133 pounds. In the final match of the day, at 141 pounds, OSU's J Jaggers scored three takedowns, including two in the first, and accumulated 1:04 in riding time to take a 8-3 win against sophomore/freshman Justin Chrzanowski (Metamora, Mich./Lapeer West HS). The Maize and Blue wraps up the regular season next weekend with Big Ten Conference duals against Penn State and Northwestern. On Friday (Feb. 16) U-M hosts the Nittany Lions in Cliff Keen Arena at 7 p.m., and Michigan closes out the dual schedule Sunday (Feb. 18) against the Wildcats in Evanston, Ill., at 7 p.m. CST.

TEMPE, Ariz. -- The Arizona State University wrestling team closed out its home schedule Sunday afternoon inside Wells Fargo Arena with a 26-18 decision over visiting Cal Poly with all three Sun Devil seniors picking up individual wins to help the Sun Devils to victory. The Sun Devils improved to 7-11 overall on the year and 4-2 in the Pac-10 while the Mustangs slipped to 6-9 overall and 4-4 in the conference. The dual opened at 165 with No. 15 Patrick Pitsch pinning Evan Barbre in 4:13 to stake the hosts to an early 6-0 lead. That lead grew to 10-0 after Rick Renzi scored a 16-8 major decision over Steve Gee. The first Sun Devil senior to compete on the day was Greg Gifford, who capped his ASU home career with a 10-2 major decision. From there, Jason Trulson won by forfeit at 197 to extend the Sun Devils' lead to 20-0. After a fall at heavyweight made the dual score 20-6, senior John Espinoza took the mat and won a 4-1 decision over Joshua Obergon to push the advantage to 23-6. But, the Mustangs would win the 133 bout by fall and followed with two more wins by decision to cut the lead to 23-18 with one bout remaining. In the final bout of the day, senior No. 5 Brian Stith scored a 4-1 decision victory to give the hosts the victory. The win moved Stith into the No. 14 position on the ASU all-time wins list with 108 while also pushing him up to No. 9 in career dual victories with 54. ASU hits the road next weekend to close out its 2007 dual schedule with a 7 p.m. dual Friday in Palo Alto, Calif., with the Stanford Cardinal.

IOWA CITY, IA -- University of Iowa Head Wrestling Coach Tom Brands picked up his 30th career victory as Iowa pounded Michigan State, 33-9, Sunday afternoon at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes improved to 13-4 (4-2 in the Big Ten) with wins at eight bouts in front of 5,035 fans, including an upset by sophomore Charlie Falck (125) and a pin by sophomore Jordan McLaughlin (197) in his Iowa wrestling debut. Michigan State fell to 3-8 (2-4 in the Big Ten). Falck handed Spartan redshirt freshman Franklin Gomez his second dual loss of the season with a 5-3 win at 125. The Strawberry Point, IA, native scored a takedown in the first 30 seconds and another with one second remaining in the match to secure his eighth straight victory and remain undefeated (6-0) in Big Ten duals. Michigan State scored its first of two wins on the day when Nick Simmons won by injury default over senior Mario Galanakis in 2:23 at 133. Junior Alex Tsirtsis accepted a forfeit at 141, and senior Alex Grunder followed up with a 5:32 pin over Spartan Jeff Wimberley at 149 to score his 30th career victory. Hawkeye redshirt freshman 157-pounder Ryan Morningstar took Iowa into the intermission with a 3-2 win over Tony Greathouse. Iowa junior Mark Perry climbed out of a sticky situation to defeat Spartan Rocky Cozart, 9-7, at 165. Perry had to bounce back from a 5-0 deficit after getting caught in his own offensive move and fighting off his back early in the match. He scored three reversals, two nearfall points of his own and a point for riding time in the win. Hawkeye senior Eric Luedke improved to 23-2 in collegiate matches and 14-1 in duals with a 2-1 win over John Murphy at 174. Michigan State scored its second and final win of the night when Joe Williams defeated Hawkeye redshirt freshman Phillip Keddy, 6-3, at 184. Iowa sophomore 197-pounder Jordan McLaughlin made his Hawkeye wrestling and Carver-Hawkeye Arena debut a wild one, pinning Nick Palmieri in 6:33. Palmeiri scored three takedowns and two escapes to build an 8-4 lead with 1:04 remaining in the match. McLaughlin threw the Spartan redshirt freshman to his back and got the pin with 27 seconds left on the clock. McLaughlin is no stranger to the black and gold, as he has played linebacker and fullback on the Iowa football team for the past three seasons. Hawkeye junior Matt Fields ended the dual with an 8-4 win over Alan O'Donnell at heavyweight. Iowa will close out the 2006-07 dual meet season in Carver-Hawkeye Arena next weekend. The Hawkeyes will host Ohio State Friday, February 16 at 7 p.m. and top-ranked Minnesota Sunday, February 18 at 6 p.m. The Iowa-Ohio State dual will air tape-delayed on College Sports Television (CSTV), and the Iowa-Minnesota dual will be broadcast live on Iowa Public Television (IPTV). Hawkeye fans are encouraged to wear black to the Iowa-Minnesota dual as part of a Blackout promotion. Iowa will also honor its fans and seniors with appreciation nights against the Golden Gophers.

The top-ranked University of Minnesota wrestling team wrapped up the non-conference portion of its schedule with a 32-6 win over No. 21 Nebraska on Sunday in Lincoln, Neb. The Cornhuskers sent a statement early on that they were not going to go down without a fight and wrestled aggressively the entire day, but the Gophers responded and turned in yet another dominating performance, winning eight of 10 matches on the day. Jayson Ness and Manuel Rivera both earned decisions over ranked opponents, while Mack Reiter got his first pin in dual meet action this season to lead the Gophers to victory. Gabriel Dretsch and Roger Kish contributed major decisions to help in the cause. With the win, Minnesota is now unbeaten in its last 18 matches and sits at 18-1 overall and 6-0 in the Big Ten heading into the final week of dual meet action. Ness, ranked No. 4 in the country, was forced to stage a late comeback in the first match of the day after No. 13 Paul Donahoe took a 6-3 lead midway through the third period. Despite trailing almost the entire match, Ness was relentless in the final stanza, working his way free to get the escape before scoring a takedown with less than 10 seconds remaining to send the match into overtime. In the extra session, Ness was simply too strong for Donahoe and scored the winning takedown just over 30 seconds in to earn the 8-6 decision. Reiter also faced an early deficit at 133 pounds when Nebraska's Patrick Aleksanyan scored an early takedown, but he responded to take control of the match and pinned the Nebraska wrestler in the second period. Reiter got an escape and takedown to take a 3-2 after the first, and with Aleksanyan starting down in the second, Reiter worked him to his back to get the fall in 3:34. In a tight battle between two top 10 opponents at 141, Rivera wore down seventh-ranked Dominick Moyer to earn a 5-2 decision. Moyer tied the score at two with an escape early in the third period, but Rivera got a takedown less than 30 seconds later and rode him out the rest of the way to add the bonus point for riding time. With the win, Rivera remained unbeaten at 33-0 on the season. Top-ranked Dustin Schlatter followed with a 9-6 decision over Jordan Burroughs to move into a tie for second place in school history with his 58th consecutive win. Schlatter took an early 2-0 lead with a takedown just 13 seconds into the match, but Burroughs wrestled aggressively and remained within striking distance the rest of the way. Schlatter put the match out of reach, however, with a takedown late in the third period to put Minnesota ahead 15-0 in the dual. Nebraska got on the board in the next match when Chris Oliver upset third-ranked C.P. Schlatter at 157 pounds by a score of 7-4 in overtime. With the match tied at four in the third period, Schlatter nearly got what would have been the deciding points with a reversal, but Oliver scrambled out of it and stayed on top of Schlatter to send the match into overtime. After a scoreless sudden victory period, Oliver rode Schlatter out for the first 30 seconds of the tiebreaker and then got an escape and late takedown to claim the victory. Tyler Safratowich followed with his fourth straight victory since re-entering the starting lineup, downing Stephen Dwyer 10-4. Safratowich controlled the match throughout, scoring the first takedown midway through the first period. He led 4-1 after the first and built his lead in the third with an escape and two more takedowns while also adding the bonus point for riding time advantage. At 174, Dretsch out-muscled Marc Harwood on his way to a 10-1 decision to seal the dual for the Gophers. With a 2-1 advantage, Dretsch rode Harwood out the entire second period and then built his lead with an escape, takedown and three back points in the third, adding the bonus point for riding time to secure the major decision. Kish had his eyes on bonus points from the opening whistle in his match against Casey Roberts at 184, opening up a 5-0 lead with a takedown and three-point near fall in the first period. From there, Kish repeatedly took Roberts down and allowed him to escape throughout the second and third periods, eventually winning the match 23-9. Kish's 23 points scored tied a career high as he improved to 27-1 on the season. Nebraska got its only other win of the day at 197 pounds, with ninth-ranked Craig Brester winning an 8-1 decision over Yura Malamura. Malamura wrestled a much closer match than what the score would indicate but simply ran out of gas in the third period. With the match tied at one entering the final stanza, Brester scored a takedown midway through the period and added five back points to get the win. With the outcome of the dual already decided, Nebraska forfeited to Cole Konrad at heavyweight to make the final margin 32-6. The Cornhuskers became the sixth team to forfeit the weight class in a dual meet this season, as Konrad extended his school-record winning streak to 65 consecutive matches. Minnesota wraps up the regular season next weekend on the road against border rivals Wisconsin and Iowa. The Gophers will take on the seventh-ranked Badgers on Friday, Feb. 16 at 7 p.m., and will clash with the Hawkeyes on Sunday, Feb. 18 at 6 p.m.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The Indiana wrestling team scored its second straight win, upsetting No. 12 Northwestern on Sunday, Feb. 11, 28-11. Redshirt freshman Trevor Perry scored the decisive victory at 174, pinning No. 15 Nick Hayes in 22 seconds to clinch the dual meet victory for the Hoosiers. The Hoosiers (12-4, 3-3 Big Ten) came fast out of the gate, with No. 7 Angel Escobedo and No. 20 Andrae Hernandez scoring victories at 125 and 133, respectively. Escobedo scored a takedown with 13 seconds remaining in the match to earn a 4-2 victory over No. 20 Brandon Precin, moving to 28-4 on the year. Hernandez was trailing 3-2 late in his match, but scored a takedown with 20 seconds left and a three-point near fall as time expired to post a 7-3 victory. Sophomore Scott Kelly faced a monumental task, as he went head-to-head with top-ranked and undefeated Ryan Lang at 141. Kelly put forth a solid effort and scored a third-period takedown, but Lang emerged victorious by a score of 8-4. Matt Coughlin followed by posting his first Big Ten win of the year at 149, topping Marty Gould 5-3. At 157, No. 7 Brandon Becker scored three near falls, two late in the first period, to post an 18-8 major decision over Dominic Marella. Max Dean followed with his third straight solid match, posting a 12-3 major decision over Greg Hagel at 165. Then Perry faced Hayes in the pivotal matchup of the day. Hayes came toward Perry right off the opening whistle, and the Davison, Mich., native immediately put Hayes in a headlock and dropped him to the mat. Just 22 seconds in, he managed to fall the junior for his seventh consecutive victory, making him 6-0 in Big Ten action. The six points gave IU a 23-3 lead and clinched the match for the home squad. At 184, junior Marc Bennett was pinned by top-ranked Jake Herbert at the 1:32 mark, but Northwestern (11-8, 1-5) was penalized a team point for unsportsmanlike conduct after the match, making the score 23-8. Nathan Everhart then squared off with Carl Howe at 197 and jumped out to a 7-0 lead after the first period. The freshman extended his lead to 13-1 after the second period, and Everhart scored a reversal and a two-point near fall in the first minute of the third to notch a 17-1 technical fall. Senior Josh Buuck followed at heavyweight, and in his final home dual the Fort Wayne, Ind., native nearly upset No. 4 Dustin Fox. Buuck and Fox were tied 2-2 late in the third, but Buuck was unable to score a takedown in the closing seconds, and Fox took a 3-2 victory after earning a point for riding time. Indiana returns to action on Friday, Feb. 16, when it travels to East Lansing, Mich., to face No. 20 Michigan State at 7 p.m. The Hoosiers will then wrap up the regular season on Sunday, Feb. 18, at No. 7 Wisconsin at 2 p.m. in Madison, Wis.

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- The wrestling team opened the match with back-to-back technical falls and never let up, blanking VMI 46-0 Sunday in a Southern Conference dual. The win gave the 14th-ranked Mocs an undefeated SoCon season and the regular-season title. They improve to 15-1 overall. "This was a great way to end our home schedule," UTC Head Coach Chris Bono said. "We got to send the seniors out on a very positive note and got to show many of our former wrestlers in the stands what we have accomplished this year. I was proud of all of our guys." UTC honored six departing seniors prior to the match, including All-Americas Michael Keefe and Matt Keller. At halftime of the match, UTC honored its 14 wrestling All-Americas, only three of which were not present. Javier Maldonado kicked off the match with a technical fall of Jonathan Pope at the end of the second period at 125. Keller made it a 10-0 UTC lead with a tech fall of Tyler Anthony at 133. Keefe returned to the lineup after missing the last three duals with an injury and outscored Brandon Franklin 12-6 at 141. In the only match between ranked wrestlers, Martin, ranked eighth at 149, posted his fifth dual shutout with a 6-0 win over 18th-ranked Sam Alvarenga. Yost pushed the cushion to 22-0 with a pin of Tommy Cunningham at 157. Consecutive VMI forfeits at 165 and 174 gave the Mocs a 34-0 advantage. Josh Edmondson added to that lead with a 7-2 win over Corry Murray at 184. Nick Lorenzano pinned Kyle Elgert at 197, and 17th-ranked Matt Koz defeated Scott Buhman 8-3 at heavyweight. The Keydets fall to 4-6 overall and 2-2 in the league. The Mocs return to action next Sunday in the regular-season finale at No. 2 Missouri.

LOCK HAVEN, Pa. –- The West Virginia University wrestling team won its second consecutive Eastern Wrestling League (EWL) dual when it defeated Lock Haven, 25-11, on Sunday, Feb. 11, in Lock Haven, Pa. WVU (4-4, 3-1 EWL) claimed seven of 10 bouts including the last four to defeat the Bald Eagles (7-5, 1-3 EWL) for the second year in row. After LHU's Obeson Blanc won the 125-pound match, redshirt freshman Mark Anderson got the Mountaineers going by winning a 4-1 decision over Danny Lopes. Lock Haven regained the lead in the next bout though as they took advantage of West Virginia's Brandon Rader still not being able to wrestle due to illness when Zach Kell downed Vince Gioiella 7-1. David Jauregui (149) knotted the bout again when he bounced Donnie Ament by a score of 7-2. After scoring just two points through two periods, the Santa Ana, Calif., native tallied a pair of takedowns in the third and earned another point for riding time. Junior Zac Fryling tallied the biggest upset of the day when he squeaked by No. 8-ranked Seth Martin, 2-1. Martin chose to start from the bottom in the third period with the score 0-0 and was allowed up by Fryling. With just 15 seconds in the match the Lancaster, Pa., native got the takedown he needed for his second win of the weekend. Landis Wright's win at 165-pounds would be Lock Haven's last of the day as Kurt Brenner (174), Chance Litton (184), No. 15 Jared Villers (197) and Dustin Rogers (285) all scored wins for WVU. None of the four grapplers allowed their opponents to score more than four points. The Mountaineers return to action when they host No. 10 Edinboro on Thursday, Feb. 15, at the WVU Coliseum at 7:30.

MADISON, WIS. -- The No. 9 Illinois wrestling team finished its Big Ten road slate with a dramatic upset over the sixth-ranked Badgers, 21-16. The Illini picked up their sixth road victory of the season to stay perfect on the year away from Huff Hall. Sophomore #20 Patrick Bond sealed the victory for the Illini with his win at 197-pounds and recorded his second upset victory of the weekend. On Friday, he took a 9-5 decision against #13 Nathan Moore of Purdue. Illinois took six out of the 10 weights in the dual. Key victories by #6 Gabe Flores (125), #8 Jimmy Kennedy (133), #12 Cassio Pero (141), #12 Roger Smith-Bergsrud (165) and #16 John Dergo (184) kept Illinois in the dual. With the win, Illinois keeps a perfect 8-0-1 against Wisconsin in the Mark Johnson era. Wisconsin took an early 6-0 lead in the dual when John Wise was pinned by Kyle Massey in 2:42. Illinois fired right back, however, when #6 Gabe Flores won by technical fall against Collin Cudd, 17-2, in their 125-pound match. In the first period, Flores (Madera, Calif.) came out firing with a takedown and a two-point nearfall. Cudd cut into the lead with a reversal of his own, but Flores escaped and picked up another takedown, a three-point and two-point nearfall to extend his lead. In the third, Flores built on his lead when he added a takedown and another two-point nearfall. Illinois trailed the dual, 6-5. Illinois took the lead in the dual after 133 when #8 Jimmy Kennedy won a decision against #15 Zach Tanelli, 7-3. Kennedy (Ingleside, Ill.) scored first with a takedown in the first period, and then added a reversal to extend his lead in the second period. Tanelli cut the lead to two in the third on another escape, but the Illini true-freshman took him down again to seal the victory. At 141, #12 Cassio Pero dominated #10 Kyle Ruschell, 12-2. Pero (Chicago Heights, Ill.) jumped to a 4-0 lead on a takedown and a two-point nearfall in the first period. In the second, the senior All-American added another two points on a reversal. Tanelli started the third with an escape, but Pero planted him with another takedown and two-point nearfall. After the upset, Illinois extended their lead in the dual to 12-6. The Badgers took a 13-12 lead after the Illini dropped their next two matches. But, Illinois took the lead right back at 165 when #12 Roger Smith-Bergsrud edged Jake Donar, 4-2, in sudden victory. With no scoring in the first two periods, Smith-Bergsrud (Lake Bluff, Ill.) scored first with a takedown in the third. With riding time locked up, Donar picked up a crucial escape point to send the match into overtime. Smith-Bergsrud recorded a takedown with 15 seconds left on the clock to come away with the dramatic victory and give Illinois the 15-13 lead. Wisconsin took the lead back again after Matt Winterhalter fell to Matt Maciag, 6-2, in their 174-pound bout. But, Illinois answered again at 184 when #16 John Dergo took a crucial decision against Justin Peterson, 9-4. Dergo (Morris, Ill.) built a 6-2 lead in the first period after scoring three takedowns. In the third, with the Illini true-freshman leading 6-3, added an escape and a takedown to give Illinois an 18-16 lead. The dual came down to 197 and saw #20 Patrick Bond upset #12 Dallas Herbst, 7-3. Bond (Chesapeake, Va.) took the early lead with a takedown in the first period. The Illini grapller then extended his lead in the second period with an escape. In the third, after another Bond takedown, Herbst cut into the lead with an escape and a takedown of his own. Bond added an escape point for good measure and picked up his second upset victory of the weekend. "The win felt great," said Bond. "After training hard all year - and especially all week - I felt that I deserved the victory. I also feel that I have a lot more work to do to get where I know I can be." "This was a big win," said head coach Mark Johnson. "The guys stepped up. We had key guys out and they dug deep and found a way to get it done. I'm proud of them." The Illini close out their season at home against Ohio St. on Sunday, Feb. 18 at 1 p.m. Illinois will say goodbye to six seniors in Jim Comfort (133), Matt Harding (197), Joel Karr (141), Cassio Pero (141), Donny Reynolds (174) and Matt Winterhalter (174).

Bloomsburg, Pa. -- Drexel continued its hot streak as the Dragons defeated Bloomsburg, 18-15, in a non-conference dual meet held at Nelson Field House on Bloomsburg's campus. Drexel has now won four of its last five matches and has an overall record of 16-10. The match opened with one of the most anticipated match-ups as 10th-ranked Mike Sees took on reigning CAA Rookie of the Year, Steve Mytych at 125 pounds. Sees would win in a 6-4 decision but the Dragons' Billy Martin earned Drexel three points with a 4-3 decision over Jason Guffey at 133 pounds. Bloomsburg responded by winning the next two matches before Drexel's Ryan Hluschak came up big again for the Dragons. With Bloomsburg holding a 9-3 match score advantage, Drexel's 157-pounder earned a win by fall over Dennis Bermudez at 6:08 to even the match at 9-9. Billy Haydt and Nick Kozar each followed with wins to extend the Drexel lead to 14-9. Bloomsburg got to within two points as Nate Shirk took the 184-pound match with a 9-2 win over Brian Stouffer. Drexel's Jon Oplinger responded with his fifth straight victory, all with bonus points, as he earned a major decision victory over P.J. DiStefano. Bloomsburg would take the heavyweight match by a 7-5 decision, but the three points were not enough as the Dragons claimed an 18-15 victory. Drexel's next match will be on Thursday, Feb. 15 as the Dragons will host Rutgers. The first match will begin at 7:00 p.m.

Kearney, Neb. -- Junior Jeff Rutledge had a rare defensive fall and Tervel Dlagnev and Matt Farrell continued long winning streaks to help the No. 1 ranked Nebraska-Kearney wrestling team beat 6th-ranked Adams State, 30-9, Saturday night at the Health & Sports Center. With the win tonight, UNK (16-1, 6-0 RMAC) breaks the school record for dual wins in a season. The 1977-78 and 2004-05 Loper squads each won 15 times in a season. Last year, UNK notched 14 dual victories. A young Adams team (7-2, 5-1 RMAC) losses an RMAC dual for the first time this year. Already ahead 9-0, UNK took the momentum for good at 141 lbs. Rutledge (Lincoln East), ranked 5th-nationally, was having an expected tough battle with Joey Deaguero, who came in with a 25-9 record. Rutledge grabbed a 4-3 late in the second period when he scored a takedown with five seconds left. Deaguero quickly tied things up at the beginning of the final frame with an escape and then appeared headed for victory when he took down Rutledge with around 30 seconds left. But, soon after, Deaguero was flat on his back and looking up at Rutlege's back. The official quickly called the fall and UNK went ahead 15-0. This was Rutledge's (18-13) second pin of the season. At 184 lbs., the 4th-ranked Farrell (Omaha Skutt) won his 21st-match in a row as he scored seven points in the first period vs. 3rd-ranked Jared Deaguero. Farrell, who lost to Deaguero in November at the Wyoming Cowboy Open, had two takedowns and a three point near fall to reach his point total. While he didn't score again, Farrell allowed Deaugero only one takedown in the final two periods to improve to 26-3 on the season. In the final match of the night, it took just over a minute for Dlagnev (Arlington, Texas) to record his 41st win of the season. The effort allows him to move into second place on the Loper all-time wins list, passing the great Ali-Amiri Eliasi. Dlagnev, now 41-1 on the year and riding a 25-match win streak, is at 121 wins with Eilasi having won 120 in the late 1980's and early 1990's. Only Bryce Abbey (134) has won more matches in a UNK uniform then Dlagnev. UNK finishes the regular season Wednesday night when Fort Hays State visits. The dual was originally slated for Feb. 15th.

In front of a boisterous standing-room only crowd in University Gym, the Columbia wrestling team upset 16th-ranked Penn, 22-12 on Saturday night. The Lions are now 2-1 in the Ivy League and 6-3 overall. The Quakers fall to 6-7 overall and 2-2 in the Ivy League. In the final home match of the year, senior Matt Palmer sealed the victory of the Lions with an 11-1 major decision over ninth-ranked Matt Herrington at 174. Palmer, rated no. 10 in the nation in the weight class, earned two near falls in the second period to take a 7-1 lead. Palmer added a late take down in the third period to earn an 11-1 victory and four team points. Palmer's win gave Columbia a 19-12 lead with only one match remaining, clinching the Lions' defeat of the Quakers. "(Matt) Palmer gave us a dominating performance," said Columbia's Brendan Buckley, the Andrew F. Barth Head Coach of Wrestling. "This was the kind of situation where Palmer thrives. Under pressure, he turns it up a notch and clinched the team's win with his performance." Columbia opened the match with three straight victories, beginning with junior Nick Sommerfeld's close 12-11 decision over Jack Sullivan at 197 pounds. The two wrestlers both had take downs in the first period befor Sommerfeld got the upperhand with a 7-5 lead entering the third. Sullivan scored a take down to pull within one point, but Sommerfeld took him down two more times. Despite a late reversal by Sulivan, Sommerfeld prevailed giving the Lions three points to start the match. At heavyweight, first-year Kevin Lester earned a hard-fought 13-8 victory over Ben Reiter. Lester took down Reiter twice in the opening stanza, but Reiter escaped twice and had a take down of his own, tying the match at 4-4. Reiter opened the third period on top, but Lester pulled a quick reversal giving him an 8-5 advantage. The newcomer manageed two more take downs in the final minute to earn Columbia another three points. With a 6-0 team score, junior Brandon Kinney kept the momentum on the Lions' side, as he scored a sudden death overtime take down at the 125 pound weight class. Kinney took down Matt Eveleth in the first period, but Eveleth managed an escape. Eveleth escaped again in the second period, and with no riding time advantage to either wrestler, the match went to overtime. At 7:30, Kinney pulled a quick move o take down Eveleth and gave the Lions a commanding 9-0 lead. "We felt coming into the match that we could beat Penn, and were happy we got these three wins to start," Buckley said. "Sommerfeld and Lester wrestled well, and Kinney wrestled hard in overtime and got us three more points." At 133, 18th-ranked Matt DeLorenzo wrestled second-ranked Matt Valenti. Valenti took a 1-0 lead into the third period with the only point awarded because of a penalty to DeLorenzo. Valenti took down DeLorenzo twice in the third to take a 7-2 decision, cutting the Columbia lead to 9-3. Sophomore Sal Tirico, also 18th-ranked, took on Brett McCurdy at the 141 pound class. Tirico scored the only take down of teh match in the first period and held on for close 6-3 victory. First-year Matt Dunn wrestled Rick Rappo at 149 with a 12-3 Columbia team advantage. Rappo got on the board early with a quick take down and then a near fall later in the first period. Dunn fought back with a reversal, but Rappo countered with a reversal of his own to take a 6-2 lead. Dunn managed a near fall in the second, but could not pin his opponent. Rappo started down in the third and escaped to tie the score, 6-6. With only seconds remaining and the home crowd behind him, he newcomer took Rappo down to earn a 9-6 decision. Dunn's victory gave Columbia a 15-3 lead with only four matches remaining. The Quakers bounced right back at 157, as Matt Dragon, ranked 14th in the nation, pinned senior Devin Mesanko 3:45 into their match. Mesanko had a 2-0 lead early, but Dragon escaped. Dragon started on top in the second period and rode Mesanko until pinning him. With the score 15-9 in favor of the Lions, Penn kept the pressure on earning a victory at 165 pounds. Zach Shanaman defeated senior Ricky Turk 11-6 to cut he Columiba team lead in half. Next, was Matt Palmer's impressive 11-1 major decision over Matt Herrington, which clinched the first victory by Columbia over Penn since January 29, 1993. "This was the most aggressive Matt (Palmer) has been in years," Buckley stated. "With a performance like this, it's clear that he can sense the conference and national tournaments around the corner." The bout at 184 was the final match of the evening, senior Justin Barent won an 11-4 decision over 13th-ranked Lior Zamir. Zamir controlled the action early, but Barent managed a take down and a near fall in the second to take a 6-3 lead. Both wrestlers fought hard in the final minutes, and Barent emerged as the victor, giving Columbia three more points and conclude the 22-12 win over Penn. "Barent wanted to close out his home career with a win," said Buckley. "He's never out of any match and showed heart fighting back. That's what champions do. They just keep working." The final home match at Columbia for the team's nine seniors, saw the Lions win seven matches against Penn in one of the finest home victories in recent memory. "This is probably the best win at home since I've been coach at Columbia," Buckley stated. "I'm grateful to these nine seniors for helping to create this experience which will last a lifetime. Hopefully there is more to come for us. We still have two league matches left and wanted to take care of business next wek. We'll make sure that we work hard to finish strong in the conference." * * * * * Matt Palmer had beaten Matt Herrington before. It was five years ago, but it seems like yesterday to the Lion standout. "I had ‘bumped' up to 174," he recalled after today's Penn match, "and I beat him, 4-2, in the dual match here in Levien Gym." Palmer was a standout first-year 165-pounder then, before the onslaught of injuries that would spoil most of his college wrestling career. In the intervening years, he met Herrington twice, losing both times — once, he remembered clearly, by one point in a dual match, the other by three points in the EIWA semifinals. Herrington had gone on to great success — high national rankings, All-American honors, selection to represent the East in the Coaches All-Star Meet this season. But a different Matt Palmer returned to Columbia in January for his final semester. He was rested, unencumbered by injuries, and raring to go. Two weeks ago, Brendan Buckley noted, "Matt Palmer is back!" Herrington realized it soon after the start of their 174-pound bout today, right after Palmer's first takedown. "I wouldn't let up," the Lion said. Palmer put a tight hold around the Penn star's body, and refused to let him go. He ended the first period with three near-fall points, and continued scoring in the next two periods. His 11-1 major decision gave Columbia four team points, clinching the match at 19-12. "I was really excited for the team" he said. "I knew I was near a major decision, and what it would mean. I was looking for it. "We had a game plan — a lot of offense, fakes — we wouldn't let Herrington dictate [the progress] of the match." Buckley beamed when Palmer's name was brought up. "When he gets like this," he said, "Matt can smell the conference and the nationals. He's really looking forward to these next few weeks." ;

PORTLAND, Ore. -- The North Dakota State wrestling team recorded bonus points in five of its seven victories, including three pins in a 33-9 victory over Portland State at the Stott Center on Saturday, February 10. Eric Sanders, Ryan Adams and Jacob Bryce all won by fall in the match. Sanders and Bryce each recorded first-period pins while Adams pinned Joe Vanaman 19 seconds into the second period. The Bison won the first six bouts of the match, jumping out to a 27-0 lead. Eric Hoffman got things started for North Dakota State, recording a technical fall at 125 pounds. At 133 pounds, Sanders recorded the first pin of the night, beating Westley Montz in 2:40. In the next match at 141 pounds, Gabe Mooney defeated Greg Einerson 9-5. Ryan Adams got NDSU's second fall of the match, pinning Vanaman's shoulders to the mat at the 3:19 mark. North Dakota State (8-3) increased the lead to 24-0 after Adam Aho notched a major decision over PSU's Steven Dailey 13-4. Aho has now won his last six matches. Mike Quamme defeated Dale Seley, the Vikings most successful wrestler this season, at 165 pounds by the score of 2-1. The bout was scoreless until Quamme delivered a two-point takedown with 38 seconds remaining in the final period. Portland State (1-14) got on the board at 174 pounds and 184 pounds, cutting the lead to 27-6. In the 197-pound bout, NDSU's Jacob Bryce recorded his first fall of the season at the first-period buzzer over Keena Washington. The match concluded with PSU heavyweight Zach Smith beating NDSU's Justin LaGosh 12-5. The Bison now lead the all-time series over Portland State 3-0. The Bison will travel 80 miles south to Corvallis to take on No. 18 Oregon State at the Gill Coliseum on Sunday, February 11. This will be the second ranked opponent the Bison face this season. The match is scheduled to being at 2 p.m. PST.

ITHACA, N.Y. -- The Big Red wrestling team won by the largest margin in school history Saturday afternoon when it blanked Princeton, 56-0, at home in the Friedman Wrestling Center. Cornell honored its senior class in a halftime celebration during the match marked with seven Big Red pins. The match opened with a bout at 125 pounds with No. 2 Troy Nickerson facing the Tigers' Nikhil Pereira. Nickerson opened with an early takedown 15 seconds into the match and was able to maneuver Pereira onto his back, earning the pin in 27 seconds. The Tigers forfeited the match at 133 pounds giving Nick Bridge the win putting Cornell up 12-0. Freshman Corey Manson wrestled Danny Scotton at 141 pounds. Manson opened with two takedowns and a two-point nearfall to take a 6-2 early lead, but with 17 seconds left in the first, Scotton would come within two points with a takedown of his own. Scotton started in the second in the down position, and Manson racked up his riding time keeping him in his clutches until he finally made his escape with six seconds left in the period. Manson quickly grabbed another point with an escape five seconds into the third period. With 1:21 left on the clock he dominated Scotton driving him to the mat for a takedown. Scotton made his escape only to have Manson bring him down once again. The Princeton wrestler made a late break with five seconds left earning a reversal, but with 2:55 in riding time, Manson won a 13-9 decision. Next up for the Big Red would be No. 4 Jordan Leen facing Eric Marcotulli at 149 pounds. Marcotulli caught a hold of Leen at 43 seconds into the match to make a takedown. The Princeton wrestler seemed to catch Leen in a position that did not allow him to breathe, and the Big Red wrestler had to take an injury timeout to reorient himself. Leen reentered the match with renewed vigor quickly tying the match with a reversal. The Cornell wrestler wasted no time turning Marcotulli onto his back and earned the pin in 1:07. Drake Hovis squared off against Mike Alvarez at 157 pounds. Hovis opened the first period with two takedowns and a nearfall, and was almost able to work for the pin but time ran out. Alvarez would start the second in the down position and Hovis would dominate earning almost two minutes of riding time before making a nearfall with 10 seconds left in the second. Hovis would rack up the points in the third making takedowns and letting Alvarez escape until he had the tech fall with a score of 19-4. His five-point win put the Big Red up 26-0 halfway through the match. At 165 pounds, No. 10 Steve Anceravage met Aaron Casp. Anceravage posted the early points making two takedowns, each time letting Casp up off the mat. The Big Red wrestler would take advantage of his third and final takedown of the match, and with a quick turn had Casp pinned in 2:05. Fresh off an upset win over Penn wrestler Matt Harrington Friday night, Joey Hooker looked energized as he faced off against John Clore at center mat. Thirty-six seconds into the match, Hooker made the opening takedown, and Clore would never be able to recover. Hooker would take six more points with two nearfalls before pinning Clore in 1:50. The Big Red's Josh Arnone would follow in Hooker's footsteps at 184 pounds, making a takedown on Oliver Noteware 45 seconds into the first period. Arnone would control Noteware turning him into that fatal position, and in 1:05 Arnone earned his second pin of the weekend. Ranked fourth in the nation at 197 pounds, senior Jerry Rinaldi would takedown Zach Morse in five seconds. Morse held him off for over a minute, but at 1:10 Rinaldi was able to make the pin. At heavyweight, Zach Hammond took a 6-2 lead in the first period making three takedowns on Princeton's Kris Berr. Berr chose to start the second period in the down position, and at 3:32 Hammond had him pinned extending Cornell's lead to 56-0. Cornell will hit the road next weekend in hopes of securing its fifth-straight Ivy title when it will face Brown on Friday night and Harvard on Saturday.

Augustana rallied from a 19-6 deficit to win the final 4 matches of the night and claim a 20-19 non-conference victory over Minnesota State-Moorhead Saturday night at the Elmen Center. The 14th-ranked Vikings improved 9-5 overall while the Dragons fell to 14-7. Augustana led 6-3 after 3 matches following a 12-7 win by Chris Trampe over Casey Dschaak at 125 pounds and a 5-3 overtime win by Mike Long over Kelly Janke at 141 pounds. But MSU-Moorhead won the next 3 matches, picking up 16 team points in the process. Shane Walton pinned Brandon Kruger at 149 pounds and Kyle Trout pinned Jarred McCarthy at 157 pounds to put the Dragons ahead 15-6. At 165 pounds MSUM's Nate Baker, the defending national champion and currently rated 4th in the nation, scored an 11-0 major decision over Aaron Haddorff to push the lead to 19-6. But the Vikings won the final 4 bouts. Cody Henriksen started the comeback with a 3-1 overtime win over Tyler Tubbs at 174 pounds. The match was tied 1-1 at the end of regulation. Henriksen then scored a takedown 18 seconds into the sudden victory period to improve to 19-5 on the year. At 184 pounds, Augie's Beau Severtson continued the rally with an 11-4 win over Matt Nelson. Nate Buys, ranked No. 3 in the country, then picked up 2 big team points when he registered a 16-0 technical fall over Joshiah Bush. Buys scored the final takedown with 1:20 left in the third period as he improved to 24-2. Ray O'Connor completed the rally by edging Joe Facchinni 2-1 at heavyweight. Both wrestlers scored escapes to start the second and third periods to account for a 1-1 score. But with 1:13 left in the bout, Facchinni was called for his second stalling, which awarded a point to O'Connor. O'Connor then fought off Facchinni the rest of the for the win. Augustana concludes the regular season on Wednesday when the Vikings travel to Omaha, Neb., to face Nebraska-Omaha in a 7 p.m. dual.

BOSTON -- In their final home matches of the season, the Boston University wrestling team posted a 22-12 victory over New England rival Brown after dropping a 25-17 conference dual to Binghamton on Saturday evening at Case Gym. With the split, the Terriers move to 8-7 overall and 4-4 in conference action. Freshmen Abbie Rush (125) and C.J. Inglin (165), sophomore Carlo Ferrandino (141) and junior Joey Whitaker (133) all won both of their matches on the day. BU opened its dual with Binghamton by posting three bonus wins for an early 14-0 advantage, but the Bearcats won six of the final seven bouts, including crucial back-to-back pins at 174 and 184 to come away with a 25-17 win. The Terriers, however, made sure that they closed out their home slate on a winning note against Brown. BU won the first four matches against the Bears and picked up three more victories en route to an impressive 22-12 win. Against Binghamton, Rush got things started with a solid 19-4 technical fall over Mike Kleeman, using a riding-time point to reach the necessary 15-point margin. Whitaker picked up where Rush left off, recording nine takedowns in a commanding 22-10 major decision against Corey Sullivan. The Terriers continued their great start when Ferrandino capped a 22-4 technical fall over Kareem Naguib with a five-point move. At 149, sophomore Mike Roberts tied the match on a takedown with 20 seconds left in regulation, but allowed Kyle Fried to escape in a tough 8-7 loss. Binghamton's Nate Patterson followed with an 8-0 shutout over sophomore Mike Cubillos to make it a 14-7 score in BU's favor. Inglin came through with a thrilling 10-8 overtime victory at 165 against Sam Sirotta to give the Terriers a double-digit edge at 17-7, but the Bearcats finished off the match with four straight wins. Freshman A.J. Detwiler suffered a pin in the second minute of his 174-pound match against Josh Patterson and sophomore Eli Vidal had a late 13-8 lead before being pinned by Corey Waite with only 37 seconds left in regualtion. The pins gave the visitors their first lead of the day at 19-17. The Bearcats' Ed Backus posted an 8-3 win over BU sophomore Jim Connors at 197 and Mike Patterson sealed the dual for the visitors with a 6-2 decision over sophomore Orey Hall at 285. In the nightcap against Brown, Rush and Whitaker opened with narrow one-point wins before Ferrandino followed with an 18-10 major decision. The Bears were hit with a unsportsmanlike conduct penalty following the 125-pound match, resulting in the loss of a team point. Roberts gave the Terriers a commanding 14-point lead when he came through with a 9-2 victory over Stephen DeLorenzo at 149. The Bears got back into the match when Tom Fazio pinned Cubillos with just 10 seconds left in the 157-pound bout, but Inglin prevented the visitors from building up any more momentum when he nailed a takedown with 20 seconds left the third period in his match with Bran Crudden to take a 3-1 victory. After battling to a 3-3 draw with Chris Musser through regulation of the 174-pound match, Detwiler snuck in a takedown just 11 seconds into the sudden-victory period to push BU's lead to 19-5. Matt Gerelinger tried to kickstart a comeback for the Bears with a 14-6 major decision over Vidal at 184, but Connors sealed the victory for the Terriers with a strong 7-3 decision over Josh Serene. In the final match of the day, Hall was the victim of a stalling call in the last second of regulation before eventually dropping a tough-luck 5-3 overtime loss to Zach Zdrada. The Terriers will close out their regular season when they return to action with a road dual at Rider on Friday, Feb. 16.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- The 19th-ranked Navy wrestling team (10-4, 6-0 EIWA) won seven matches, including five by seniors, to claim a 31-9 victory over Bucknell (10-9, 2-3 EIWA) in its final home match of the 2006-07 campaign Saturday night at Halsey Field House in Annapolis. Ranked No. 1 in the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association, Navy has won six-straight duals dating back to its 25-12 victory at Maryland on Jan. 10. With 10 dual meet wins, it marks the sixth-consecutive season in which head coach Bruce Burnett has led the Mids to double figure victories. Navy 125-pounder Alex Usztics (Dauphin, Pa.), one of nine seniors recognized in a prematch ceremony, gave the Midshipmen an early 3-0 lead in the match with an 11-4 decision over freshman Greg Hart. Bucknell knotted the match at three apiece when Bison rookie David Marble scored a surprise upset over 10th-ranked Joe Baker (Poway, Calif.) at 133 pounds. With the match tied at three all going into the second period, Baker escaped and then earned a takedown with eight seconds remaining to hold a 6-3 lead heading into the final period. In the down position, Marble escaped early and was later awarded a stall point with a minute to go to narrow Baker's lead to 6-5. Marble scored the go-ahead takedown with 15 seconds remaining and earned an 8-6 decision with riding time. The Mids went on to win the next three matches, all by seniors, including a victory by Brad Canterbury (Blue Bell, Pa.) at 141 pounds that gave Navy the lead for good. Scoring a takedown with one second remaining in the second period, Canterbury took a 4-2 lead and never looked back, as he scored a 9-4 decision for the Mids. After sitting out the East Stroudsburg dual, followed by the All-Academy Championship, senior John Cox (Grand Haven, Mich.) returned to the lineup without hesitation. The 149-pounder scored 13 points off five near falls en route to posting a 15-0 technical fall (4:16) over Bucknell freshman Jack Conroy. As the official signaled the three-point near fall in Cox's favor to end the match, he also called an unsportsmanlike penalty against Conroy, however, the penalty point had no bearing on the match since it had reached the 15-point count. Cox now owns 106-career wins and stands seventh in the Navy career wins record book. Team captain John Jarred (Kansas City, Mo.) pushed Navy's lead to 15-3 after scoring a 17-7 major decision over freshman Brantley Hooks. Jarred, who claimed his 28th victory over the season, recorded seven takedowns and lead from his first takedown 41 seconds into the match until the final horn sounded. Bucknell freshman Andy Rendos, ranked 18th at 165 pounds, just edged Navy junior Justin Jacobs (LeRoy, Mich.). After a scoreless opening period, Jacobs was able to finally score the escape with 17 second left in the second period. Rendos started the final period down, but was able to reverse the hold to take a 2-1 lead. With 56 remaining in regulation, Jacobs lowered his shoulder hoping to break Rendos' hold. Instead, Rendos' face made contact with the mat and he was knocked unconscious. Following an injury timeout, Rendos was called for a stall with 48 seconds to go to knot the score at 2-2. Jacobs took a 3-2 lead by escaping Rendos' hold with 11 seconds left. The match was sent into overtime after a point was awarded to Rendos for riding time. Rendos went on to win the match, 7-3, in sudden victory, scoring a takedown and then a two-point near fall. Junior 174-pounder Matt Stolpinski (Westfield, Mass.), ranked 11th in the country, pushed his winning streak to nine in a row after pinning Bucknell rookie Shane Riccio just 2:20 into the match. Stolpinski, who has won by fall four times this season, is now 33-5 and is tied for 16th on the Mids' single-season wins list. Meanwhile, he is now tied with Steve Cantrell (1987-91) for career wins with 88. Senior Antonio Miranda (Eugene, Ore.) produced 12 takedowns en route to a 26-11 technical fall (6:50) over Bison freshman George Mann. Miranda, who is just two wins shy of reaching 30 for the season, did not record a near fall in the bout and was awarded just four points for his technical fall. The Bison scored their final win of the night in the 197-pound match where Navy sophomore Tyler Moyer (Bremerton, Wash.) gave up a reversal with 1:38 left in the match to drop a 7-4 decision to Eric Lapotsky. Eighth-ranked heavyweight Ed Prendergast (St. Louis, Mo.) scored a fall at 2:51 over George Hingson in the final bout of the night to give Navy a 31-9 victory. It marked Prendergast's 15th fall of the season which is tied as the third-most pins program history and the most since Scott Kelly recorded 15 falls in 1987-88. Meanwhile, Prendergast owns 21 falls over his career, the 16th most in the Navy record books. Navy returns to action next Sunday when they travel to West Point to square off against arch rival Army in the annual Star Match. Action between the two service academies is set to begin at 4:00 pm and will be televised by ESPNU (tape-delayed).

OREM, Utah -- Fourth-ranked Ken Cook earned a victory by fall at 174 pounds, and Dustin Noack, Eliot Kelly and Broc Maffia all earned major decisions in their respective weight classes to lead the UC Davis wrestling team to a 36-12 victory over Utah Valley State in a non conference match at the Shurian Family Activity Center on Saturday afternoon. The Aggies are now 8-6 in duals this season while the Wolverines fall to 6-11. Cook earned his team-leading fifth fall of the season in timely fashion as he pinned Marc Fenwick in 1:07. The victory was also Cook's 20th overall this season. Noack continued his hot streak at 165 as he earned a 16-4 major decision over Dustin Olsen to run his record to 17-7 this season. Kelly continues to lead the team in overall victories as his fourth major decision of the season gives him 22. Broc Maffia rebounded from a tough bout last night to earn a 14-5 major decision at heavyweight over Eric McAllister. The Wolverine's only victories in the match came off a forfeit at 157 and an injury default at 184. UC Davis opened the match with decisions by Shawn Brendle at 141 and Shawn Haratani at 149. Brendle's decision was his first victory of the season while Haratani has now claimed 13. With a forfeit at 157, the Wolverines tied the score at 6-6 heading into the 165 bout. Noack's major decision at 165 and Cook's pin at 174 would run the Aggie lead back up to 19-6. Tyler Bernacchi was leading in his bout at 184, but had to default after suffering an injury in the second period. Major decisions at 197 and 285, followed by forfeit wins by Marcos Orozco at 125 and Omar Gaitan at 133 sealed the Aggies' 36-12 victory. UC Davis will return home for the final time this season as they welcome Pac-10 foe Cal Poly to Hickey Gymnasium on Thursday night. The match is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. and will feature a ceremony for the Aggie seniors.

BETHLEHEM, Pa. –- No. 24 Lehigh improved to 7-1 in EIWA duals with a pair of convincing victories against conference foes Saturday inside Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall. The Mountain Hawks won a combined 15 out of 20 matches to roll past Army 28-6 and Rutgers 26-10. Sophomore Matt Fisk led the way for the Brown and White, scoring falls in both of his matches, as Lehigh improved to 14-7 overall. "Overall, this was a very good day for us," said Lehigh head coach Greg Strobel. "Everyone came out and wrestled well, and more importantly, when you wrestle two matches like we did today everyone came away healthy." Fisk gave Lehigh an early fast start against Army, pinning Fernando Martinez in 1:54. Against the Scarlet Knights, he built a 14-0 first period lead over Andrew DelGuercio and was successful in finishing with a pin as opposed to a technical fall. With the victories, Fisk improves to 22-5 on the season, with a team leading ten falls. The Mountain Hawks won the first five matches to take an 18-0 lead over the Black Knights. Seth and Matt Ciasulli each posted impressive wins by decision, with junior Jeff Santo and senior Dave Nakasone adding wins by decision as well. Army posted its two wins at 165 and 174, as Brian Rowan won 6-1 over Lehigh freshman Manuel Schubert and Brent Smith used a riding time advantage to edge senior Dave Helfrich 3-1. The final three bouts all went Lehigh's way, as freshman David Craig turned a first period takedown into a 3-1 win at 184, senior Matt Cassidy scored two five-point moves to earn a win by major decision at 197, and senior Paul Weibel, wrestling the full seven minutes in a rare occurrence, outscored Nathan Thobaben 15-9 at heavyweight. Strobel juggled the Mountain Hawks lineup against the Scarlet Knights. Sophomore Kevin Vinh wrestled and lost by a 3-0 decision to Dan Hilt at 133, while junior Eddy Silverman lost by a 13-5 major decision, wrestling up at 197. Matt Ciasulli extended Lehigh's lead to 11-3 after three bouts, scoring a 19-4 technical fall in 7:00 against Kyle Milanese. Santo, Nakasone, Helfrich and Craig all were winners by decision for Lehigh, as was freshman Justin Allen, who sent the home crowd happy with a 6-2 decision over Mike D'Amico in what was Allen's first varsity dual match. The Mountain Hawks will return to the mat on Friday night, when they host No. 21 Nebraska in the 2007 Sheridan Dual inside Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall. First match is set for 7:05 pm. For tickets call 610-7LU-GAME or visit the Lehigh ticket office, located in Grace Hall, during normal business hours.

NORMAN, Okla. -- The No. 8/14 Oklahoma Sooners (9-6, 0-4 Big 12) travel to Stillwater, Okla. for a 2 p.m. showdown with the No. 4/4 Oklahoma State Cowboys (13-5, 2-2 Big 12) at Gallagher-Iba arena in the second installment of the Bedlam Series, presented by Bank of Oklahoma and your local Ford Dealers. "We're excited about the opportunity to wrestle a great team and this will be a great challenge," head coach Jack Spates said. The Cowboys defeated the Sooners earlier this season in Norman in round one of Bedlam, 17-15. The two teams split the 10 matches but OSU was sparked by two major decisions by Coleman Scott at 133-pounds and Nathan Morgan at 141-pounds. Jared Rosholt recorded a decision at heavyweight to give the rival Cowboys a two point victory. The Cowboys lead the all-time series against the rival Sooners holding a 122-24-9 advantage. The Cowboys have won the last 17 meetings in the series dating back to a tie on Nov. 30, 1999. OSU is unbeaten in the last 25 duals, with Oklahoma's last victory coming in the 1995-96 season. Jack Spates is 1-24-2 all-time against Oklahoma State. "I feel like our team is coming around in terms of wrestling and we are making a lot of progress at the right time of the year," Spates continued. Oklahoma's last victory over Oklahoma State was a 19-18 victory, on Nov. 28, 1995 in Stillwater. Oklahoma State comes into Bedlam on a down note. Missouri defeated the Cowboys 17-16 on Super Bowl Sunday in Stillwater. "The key to tomorrow's match will be us not giving up extra points because that is where we got be last time and we need to find a way to replace not having Sam Hazewinkel in the lineup," Spates said. The Sooners next host Hofstra on Saturday, Feb. 17, at 7 p.m. inside the Howard McCasland Field House. The dual will also be the last home meet for Oklahoma seniors Sam Hazewinkel and Matt Storniolo.

WATERLOO -– Former WWE world heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar and former United States Congressmen Jim Leach will join several Olympic champions in celebrating the Grand Opening of the Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum (DGIWIM) on Feb. 17 and 18. The Grand Opening is both days, but special guests will be there for a limited time on Saturday and Sunday. Dan Gable will be at the museum to greet visitors from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, with a ribbon cutting by the Chamber of Commerce set for 1:30 p.m. Saturday. Gable will also be at the museum on Sunday, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The museum will be open to the public both days for the general admission charge of $5 for adults and $3 for students. Brock Lesnar won the WWE world heavyweight title in 2000 from The Rock and defeated Kurt Angle in an Iron Man Match in 2003. He won the world heavyweight championship of New Japan Wrestling in 2005 before a huge crowd in the Tokyo Dome. He retired from pro wrestling in 2006 to pursue a career in mixed martial arts. At 6-3 and 290 pounds, Lesnar is one of the most popular professional wrestlers of the last decade. He was also NCAA heavyweight champion in 2000 and a two-time All-American while wrestling for the University of Minnesota. In 2004, he left pro wrestling to try out with the Minnesota Vikings of the NFL. Lesnar will be at the museum to greet fans from 1-3 p.m. on Sunday. Brad Rheingans, a two-time Olympian who wrestled professionally for 14 years, will also be at the museum from 1-3 on Sunday. Rheingans was one-half of the AWA world tag-team champions in the 1970s and trained many of today's top pro stars, including Lesnar. He is a member of the pro wrestling hall of fame, which is also located in the DGIWIM. Leach served 14 terms in the Untied States Congress before losing in last year's national election. An Iowa Republican, he was also state wrestling champion for Davenport High School in 1960. He wrestled at Princeton University, and is a member of the Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame of Iowa, which is housed in the DGIWIM. He served on numerous committees in Congress and is an expert in foreign affairs. Also appearing at the museum over the weekend will be Olympic champions Bill Smith (1952), who wrestled at Iowa State Teachers College; Doug Blubaugh (1960), who wrestled for Oklahoma State, and Ben Peterson (1972), who wrestled for Iowa State. "This is our Grand Opening and we hope wrestling fans from all across the area will make a point to come see the museum," said Kyle Klingman, associate director. "Not only will they get to meet Dan Gable and other Olympians, but Brock Lesnar, as well. Brock is truly one of the most impressive men ever to step onto a college mat, or into a pro ring. He has drawn huge crowds all over the nation and in Japan." The museum moved from Newton to Waterloo in December and opened its doors for the first time on Jan. 12. The 16,000-square foot facility includes tributes to Abe Lincoln as a young wrestler, a wall showing Jacob wrestling the angel of the lord, an Olympic Games display area, a college history area, and special displays for Dan Gable, Cael Sanderson, Frank Gotch and Iowa high school and college stars. The DGIWIM's mission is to preserve the history of mankind's Oldest Sport in a fashion that is both educational and entertaining, and to inspire young people to dream big and work hard. For more information, visit the museum's website at www.wrestlingmuseum.org or call (319) 233-0745.

On senior night in University Gym, the Columbia wrestling team earned its first Ivy League win of the season with an impressive 37-6 victory over Princeton. The Lions improve to 5-3 overall and 1-1 in the Ivy League. Columbia scored first in the match, as junior Brandon Kinney pinned Nikhil Pereira 1:26 into their 125 match. Kinney had an early takedown, but Pereira was able to escape. Once Kinney took his opponent down again, he was able to get a pin to give the Lions six points to open the conference match. "We always like to see (Brandon) Kinney start the match off with a win," said Columbia's Brendan Buckley, the Andrew F. Barth Head Coach of Wrestling. "It set us in the right direction tonight." There was no 133 pound bout, as both teams forfeited the weight class. The Lions also forfeited 141, giving Danny Scotton of Princeton a victory. With the team score tied at 6-6, senior Dean Kinports, who hadn't wrestled since capturing the New York state crown, took control of his match at 149 against Eric Marcotulli. Kinports had two takedowns and a near fall in the first period, to take a 7-1 lead. He added to his advantage with near falls in the second and third periods, and was awarded a technical fall at 6:50. At 157, sophomore Derek Sickles wrestled Mike Alvarez. Sickles controlled most of the match, taking Alvarez down twice and riding him out. Trailing 9-3 entering the third period, Alvarez scored a takedown, but was unable to contain Sickles who won a major decision, 13-5. Sickles's victory increased Columbia's lead to 15-6 midway through the match. Columbia seniors earned three consecutive victories at 165, 174 and 184, as Dustin Tillman, Matt Palmer and Justin Barent won their matches. At 165, Tillman pinned Aaron Caps 14 seconds into their match for six team points. Palmer and Barent both earned technical falls, as Palmer won his 174 pound bout against John Clore at 4:23 and Barent took his match at 6:50. Palmer took a 13-3 lead into the final period before scoring a take down and near fall to grab five team points for the technical fall. Barent had a near flawless performance, as he only allowed one escape to Oliver Noteware. Barent's win increased the Columbia lead to 31-6. "It was great to see these seniors get wins on senior night," Buckley said. "These nine seniors are all special guys . It has been a pleasure to get to know their families and each of them personally. The character and quality of the person of these individuals will certainly be missed. These seniors helped to put this program on the map and I will miss these wrestlers as much personally as I will on the mat." At 197, newcomer Cory Aldrich wrestled Zach Morse. The first-year scored two take downs in the first period and had a reversal and near fall to enter the third period with a 9-1 advantage. Morse kept the match close with two take downs in the final period, including one as time expired, but it wasn't enough, as Alrdrich won the match 12-6. "Alrdrich did a great job filling in for us at 197 and is making great progress this season for us," Buckley stated. In the final match of the evening, Kevin Lester defeated Zach Siegel in the heavy weight division. The first period was closely contested and each wrestler had two take downs, but Lester managed a late reversal to gain a 6-4 lead. In the second stanza, Lester had another take down, but the scored remained close at 8-5 entering the final two minutes. The two wrestlers fought for position in the third, but when the buzzer sounded, Lester had accumulated a 14-7 advantage to earn three more team points for the Lions. Lester's win gave Columbia a 37-6 victory on senior night, as Justin Barent, Matt DeLorenzo, John Grando, Sven Hafemeister, Dean Kinports, Devin Mesanko, Matt Palmer, Dustin Tillman and Ricky Turk were honored. Princeton falls to 0-15 overall and 0-3 in the Ivy League. Our team was really aggressive tonight, and were looking to score and pin," said Buckley. "Tonight's win is a confidence booster for tomorrow night's match." Columbia will host Penn tomorrow at 7 p.m. in University Gym for the last home match of the season. The Lions will then travel to Providence, R.I. for a meeting with Brown on February 16, before finishing out the regular season in Cambridge, Mass. against Harvard and Bucknell on February 17.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Maryland wrestling team held off a tough American squad as the Terrapins defeated the Eagles, 22-15, at Bender Arena on February 9. Junior Charlie Pinto recorded a fall in 6:40 at 141 pounds to help the Terps improve to 15-5 this season. This is just the third time in the program's history that the Terps have won 15 matches or more. The last time it happened was in 1990 when Maryland set the team record for dual wins in a season with 17. The only other time the Terrapins won at least 15 matches was in 1984. Despite the close score, the Terps never trailed during the night. Sophomore James Knox got things going for Maryland by winning a tight decision at 125, 4-3. Jordan Lipp tied the match with a decision for the Eagles at 133 but that is the closest American would get to a lead. Pinto came up with his third pin of the season at 141 pounds when he took care of Kyle Borshoff in 6:40 to give Maryland a 9-3 advantage. After another decision in the favor of American, sophomore Mike McGill pushed the lead to seven points when he won by major decision at 157, 14-4, to give the Terps a 13-6 lead. American then made its push with a pair of upsets at 165 and 174. Mike Cannon beat senior Jason Kiessling, 8-4, and Rudy Rueda defeated freshman Mike Letts, 9-5, to cut the deficit to one, 13-12 with three matches remaining. Sophomore Josh Haines promptly responded with a major decision at 184 pounds as he beat Anthony Fuschino 14-1 to make the lead 17-12. American's Josh Glenn, ranked No. 4 in the country at 197 pounds, made the match exciting heading into the final match of the night as he cut the lead to two, 17-15 with a decision against redshirt freshman Hudson Taylor. Senior Jerry Afari secured the win for Maryland with a 21-4 technical fall against Evan Murtaugh at heavyweight. It was his first technical fall of the season. Maryland returns home for its next two duals next weekend. The Terps host ACC foe Virginia on Senior Night which is Friday, February 16 at 7:00 p.m. Maryland will then take on George Mason the following Saturday at 1:00 p.m. Both duals will take place in Comcast Pavilion.

Boston, Mass. -– The Harvard wrestling team battled back from a 10-0 deficit to defeat Boston University, 27-13, in wrestling action Friday night at Case Gym. The Crimson won seven straight bouts, including three by bonus points to improve to 3-5 overall this season. The Terriers took a 10- lead when Abbie Rush pinned Ryan Fitzgerald at 125 pounds and Joey Whitaker earned a major decision over Simon Orozco, 13-5, at 133 pounds. But the Crimson took control of the match winning the next seven bouts. No. 16 Max Meltzer started the Crimson off, with an 8-5 decision over Carlos Ferrandino at 141 pounds. Sixth-ranked J.P. O'Connor picked up his 25th win of the season at 149 with a 3-2 victory over Mike Roberts. Sophomore Andrew Flanagan, the ninth-ranked wrestler at 157 pounds, put up a 4-1 win over Mike Cubillos to pull the Crimson with in one, 10-9. A 12-1 major decision by Bobby Latessa at 165 pounds gave the Crimson a lead it would not relinquish. Rookie Fred Rowsey added six point of his own with a fall over A.J. Detwiler in 4:06. No. 15 Louis Caputo added to the lead with a 16-0 technical fall over Eli Vidal at 184 pounds. Junior Jonathan Butler sealed the win with a 10-4 decision at 197 pounds. Orey Hall halted the Crimson streak taking the heavyweight match up 4-3 over Andrew Knapp. Harvard hosts Brown and Franklin & Marshall Saturday, Feb. 10 at the Malkin Athletic Center. It will be the first of five straight home matches for the Crimson. The Crimson and Bears grapple at 1 p.m., and Harvard takes on the Diplomats at 4:30 p.m.

HARRISONBURG, Va. -- The VMI wrestling team used a five-bout win streak beginning at 149 pounds to score 20 unanswered points en route to a 27-10 win over James Madison in non-conference dual match on Friday evening at Memorial Hall. VMI improved to 5-5 in dual meets with the victory. JMU fell to 6-24 overall for the season. The Keydets opened with a decision at 125 pounds, as Jonathan Pope scored the 13-8 decision for his seventh win of the season, before JMU answered with a 5-4 comeback decision by Brandon Luce to knot the match at three. JMU took a 7-3 lead at 141, as Jimmy Mitchum posted an 18-6 major decision against Brandon Franklin. But that was the only lead the Dukes enjoyed all night. Sam Alvarenga tied the match at seven with a 12-3 major decision that got the ball rolling for the Keydets. Back-to-back decisions by Tommy Cunningham and John Burton at 157 and 165 put the Keydets on top 13-7. The Dukes appeared poised to close the margin at 174 pounds with Ivan Lagares leading 13-6, but VMI's Dustin McCabe recorded the takedown and fall 4:10 into the match, advancing the Keydet lead to 19-7 with three matches remaining. Corry Murray held serve by scoring an 18-7 major decision at 184, before the Dukes ended the streak of five straight Keydet wins at 197 pounds when Marcus Bartley defeated Kyle Elgert for a 7-4 decision. VMI closed with a 17-3 major decision at heavyweight by senior Scott Buhman to clinch the 27-10 victory. VMI returns to action on Sunday afternoon, taking on Chattanooga, the SoCon's top team, at 2 p.m. on the road.