Big Ten Network : Wrestling Top Stories

66 Big Ten wrestlers advance to NCAA Championships

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 22:42:00 +0000

A total of 66 Big Ten student-athletes were selected to the 2010 NCAA Wrestling Championships field of 330, the NCAA Wrestling Championships selection committee announced on Wednesday night. The event begins March 18 and will be contested in Omaha, Neb and Sessions Three, Four, Five and Six will be televised by the ESPN family of networks. Each weight class will be represented by at least five conference student-athletes, including six at 125 pounds, seven at 133 pounds, five at 141 pounds, eight at 149 pounds, six at 157 pounds, seven at 165 pounds, seven at 174 pounds, seven at 184 pounds, eight at 197 pounds and five at 285 pounds. Additionally, 37 Big Ten grapplers earned top-12 seeds at this year's national meet. The complete list of seeded conference wrestlers can be found below, while the complete list of NCAA Championships invitees can be found through this link at NCAA.com. 125 pounds 1. Angel Escobedo, IND 3. Matt McDonough, IOWA 6. Zachary Sanders, MINN 133 pounds 1. Jayson Ness, MINN 2. Daniel Dennis, IOWA 3. Franklin Gomez, MSU 8. Tyler Graff, WIS 141 pounds 3. Michael Thorn, MINN 4. Reece Humphrey, OSU 6. Montell Marion, IOWA 149 pounds 1. Lance Palmer, OSU 2. Brent Metcalf, IOWA 4. Kyle Ruschell, WIS 5. Frank Molinaro, PSU 12. Mario Mason, MINN 157 pounds 4. Cyler Sanderson, PSU 6. Dustin Schlatter, MINN 165 pounds 1. Andrew Howe, WIS 5. Colt Sponseller, OSU 6. Dan Vallimont, PSU 7. Ryan Morningstar, IOWA 12. Paul Young, IND 174 pounds 2. Jay Borschel, IOWA 5. Scott Glasser, MINN 9. Luke Manuel, PUR 10. Jordan Blanton, ILL 184 pounds 2. John Dergo, ILL 9. Philip Keddy, IOWA 10. Mike Pucillo, OSU 11. Dave Erwin, PSU 197 pounds 5. Trevor Brandvold, WIS 7. Anthony Biondo, MICH 8. Sonny Yohn, MINN 9. Chad Beatty, IOWA 11. Patrick Bond, ILL 285 pounds 5. Dan Erekson, IOWA 6. Nathan Everhart, IND

Iowa wins third straight Big Ten Championships

Sun, 7 Mar 2010 17:36:00 +0000

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- University of Iowa seniors Jay Borschel (174) and Dan Erekson (Hwt.) wrestled their way to conference titles Sunday afternoon at the 2010 Big Ten Championships in Ann Arbor, MI. The duo helped the top-ranked Hawkeyes win their third-straight Big Ten title and the school's 34th overall. Iowa scored 156.5 points en route to the team title, which is its highest since 1995 (185), and the Big Ten's highest since Minnesota scored 174 in 2002. Iowa also qualified its entire 10-man lineup for the upcoming NCAA Championships for the 18th time in school history and the first since 2004. Hawkeye Head Coach Tom Brands was named Big Ten Coach of the Year for the third straight year becoming the first coach in conference history to earn the honor in three consecutive seasons. Iowa redshirt freshman Matt McDonough, who placed second at 125 pounds, was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year. He is the fifth Hawkeye in school history to earn the honor and the first since Steve Mocco in 2002. FINAL STANDINGS 1. Iowa 156.5 2. Minnesota 119.5 3. Wisconsin 109 4. Ohio State 102.5 5. Penn State 91 6. Purdue 76 6. Michigan State 68.5 8. Illinois 64 8. Indiana 64 10. Michigan 57.5 11. Northwestern 20 "We had two champions who did what they were supposed to do," said Brands. "We have some explaining to do with the other finalists. We thought we were ready to go and we weren't. We have to go out and execute." Borschel, who was the tournament's top seed at 174 pounds, picked up his first Big Ten title with an 8-1 decision over Minnesota's Scott Glasser in the finals. The Hawkeye senior controlled the match, scoring a takedown in each period, a second-period escape and a point for accumulating 2:59 of riding time during the match. Borschel is undefeated at 32-0, and the title is Iowa's first at 174 pounds. Erekson became Iowa's 27th two-time conference champion with his 9-6 win over top-seeded Nate Everhart of Indiana in the finals. Erekson took Everhart to his back right off the opening whistle, scoring a takedown and three nearfall points to take a 5-0 lead. Everhart, who entered the bout with an undefeated 35-0 record, scored two escapes, but Erekson took a 6-2 lead when he was awarded a penalty point for Everhart fleeing the mat. Erekson started the third period with an escape, but Everhart rallied scoring two takedowns. Erekson held off the rally and added a point for 1:01 riding time to remain undefeated at 12-0 this season. McDonough, and seniors Daniel Dennis (133), Brent Metcalf (149) and Phillip Keddy (184) all earned second-place finishes for the Hawkeyes. Sophomore Montell Marion (141) placed third, while junior Jake Kerr (157) and senior Ryan Morningstar (165) placed fourth, and senior Chad Beatty (197) placed sixth. McDonough, who was making his first Big Ten Championships appearance, lost a close 6-4 decision to three-time Big Ten champion Angel Escobedo of Indiana in the finals. Both wrestlers entered the bout with undefeated 32-0 records. After two periods full of scrambles, Escobedo led 1-0. McDonough escaped early in the third period to tie the score at 1-1, but Escobedo scored a quick takedown to take a 3-1 lead. McDonough escaped with 40 seconds left in the match, but Escobedo scored another takedown to make the score 5-2. McDonough reversed the top-seeded Indiana senior with 13 seconds left to pull within one (5-4). He let Escobedo up, but ran out of time before he could score again to lose his first bout of the season. Dennis, who was also wrestling in his first Big Ten finals, lost to two-time Big Ten champion Jayson Ness of Minnesota, 9-3, in the 133-pound finals. Ness, who was the top seed and is undefeated at 25-0, scored a first period takedown to take a 2-0 lead. Dennis chose the neutral position to start the second period and neither wrestler scored in the allotted two minutes. Ness chose the down position to start the third period, scoring an escape, takedown and two nearfall points to go up 7-0. Dennis escaped and scored a takedown of his own, but Ness escaped and added a riding time point for the 9-3 win. The Hawkeye senior is now 18-3 this season. Metcalf was going for his third-straight 149-pound Big Ten title, but Ohio State's Lance Palmer spoiled the effort with a 9-3 victory in the finals. Metcalf led 3-1 after the first two periods, but Palmer had 1:33 in riding time going into the third. Palmer chose down to start the third period, and was awarded a penalty point after Metcalf was called for locked hands during a scramble. Metcalf held on to get the riding time under one minute, but Palmer escaped to tie the score at 3-3. The pair scrambled after an offensive flurry and Palmer came out on top, scoring a takedown and three nearfall points when he caught Metcalf on his back. Palmer held on to get the riding time point back, win his first Big Ten title. The Buckeye handed Metcalf (31-1) his first loss of the season while scoring his first win over Metcalf in five attempts. Keddy placed second for the second-straight year, losing a 5-2 decision to top seed John Dergo of Illinois in the finals. The Hawkeye senior put the first points on the board with an escape to start the second period. Dergo followed with a takedown, but Keddy quickly escaped to tie the score at 2-2. Dergo started the third period in the down position and escaped to grab a 3-2 lead. Keddy had several offensive attempts, and Dergo capitalized on the last one, scoring a takedown for the win. The Hawkeyes had some key matches early in Sunday's consolation round to ensure 10 national qualifiers. The NCAA only allocated four automatic qualifiers at 141 and 157 pounds, which meant that Marion and Kerr needed to with their first round matches to earn a trip to the NCAA meet. Morningstar's 165-pound class allowed for five qualifiers, meaning that he needed to win at least one match to make the national trip, and the 197-pound class took seven qualifiers so Beatty was guaranteed to go regardless of his finish. Marion was the only Hawkeye to win two matches on the day, posting an 11-6 decision over Wisconsin's Cole Schmitt in the consolation semifinals and a 5-2 win over Purdue's Juan Archuleta in the third-place match. Against Schmitt, Marion led 4-2 at the start of the third period, but the Badger escaped and scored a takedown to take a 5-4 lead. Marion reversed Schmitt to take a 6-5 lead with 42 seconds remaining. Schmitt escaped to tie the score at 6-6 and had 1:06 of riding time banked, but Marion's takedown with 12 seconds left and three additional nearfall points as time expired gave him the 11-6 win. Kerr scored a 5-3 decision over Michigan's David Johnson in the consolation semifinals, but lost a 6-4 decision in overtime to Michigan State's Anthony Jones to place fourth. Morningstar held off a late charge from Indiana's Paul Young to post a 4-3 win in the consolation semifinals. He was tied 2-2 with Penn State's Dan Vallimont in the third-place bout, but was injured going out of bounds and was forced to default the match and take fourth place. Beatty, who was wrestling in his first competition since December due to injury, posted medical forfeits in each of his matches to place sixth. Up next for Iowa is a trip to the 2010 NCAA Championships. The three-day tournament will be held March 18-20 at the Qwest Center in Omaha, NE. Iowa has won 22 NCAA team titles, including the last two.

Wrestling seeds set for wrestling tourney

Tue, 2 Mar 2010 12:14:00 +0000

PARK RIDGE, Ill. – Conference officials announced on Tuesday the preliminary seeds for the 2010 Big Ten Wrestling Championships. The pre-seeds are determined by a vote among the conference's head wrestling coaches after consideration of regular-season results. This year's Big Ten Wrestling Championships will be hosted by the University of Michigan at Crisler Arena on March 6-7. Wrestlers from six different Big Ten schools are represented as No. 1 seeds. Iowa leads all schools with three grapplers seeded at the top of their respective weight classes, while Indiana and Minnesota each have two. Illinois, Ohio State and Wisconsin each have one wrestler seeded No. 1. Brent Metcalf (24-0 at 149 pounds), Jay Borschel (28-0 at 174 pounds) and Chad Beatty (13-2 at 197 pounds) represent the top-ranked Hawkeyes as No. 1 seeds. Iowa, which finished the Big Ten season undefeated and won its third-straight dual meet championship, returns two-time defending conference champion Metcalf at 149 and is in search of a third straight title. Entering the meet, Metcalf is the No. 1 ranked wrestler in the nation at 149 pounds, while Borschel is No. 2 at 174 pounds and Beatty is No. 4 at 197 pounds. Indiana boasts two No. 1 seeds, Angel Escobedo (30-0 and 125 pounds) and Nathan Everhart (32-0 at heavyweight). Escobedo is the top-ranked wrestler in the nation at 125 pounds, and Everhart is the second-ranked grappler at 285 pounds, according to InterMat's weight class rankings. Minnesota's Jayson Ness (23-0 at 133 pounds) and Dustin Schlatter (14-1 at 157 pounds) top their respective weight classes heading into the Big Ten Championships. Schlatter moved down to the 157 pound weight class midway through the season and checks in at No. 2 nationally at 157 pounds. Ness, the top-ranked 133-pounder in the nation, looks to improve on his fourth-place finish at last year's Big Ten Championships. Illinois will look to its top-ranked 184-pounder to continue his success at the Big Ten Championships. John Dergo (23-2 at 184 pounds) took fourth in the 174-pound weight class at last year's conference meet, and the senior, ranked No. 2 nationally, looks to continue his stellar season with a Big Ten Championship. Ohio State's Reece Humphrey (27-2 at 141 pounds) is seeded No. 1 in his weight class and looks to challenge for a Big Ten Championship at his new weight class. Last year, Humphrey, now wrestling at 141 pounds, earned runner-up honors at 133 pounds and aims for his first conference title. Wisconsin's Andrew Howe (28-0 at 165 pounds) has marched through the regular season undefeated thus far and looks to repeat as Big Ten Champion in the 165-pound weight class. The sophomore was voted 2009 Freshman of the Year and looks to maintain his top spot in the national rankings. Last year Iowa won the conference championship with a score of 141.0 points, headed by Metcalf, the 2009 Big Ten Wrestler of the Year, who was one of two Hawkeyes to claim an individual title. Illinois placed second (113.5) and Michigan (92.5), Wisconsin (88.0) and Ohio State (80.0) rounded out the top five. 2010 BIG TEN WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS PRELIMINARY SEEDS 125 lbs. 1. Angel Escobedo, IND 2. Matt McDonough, IOWA 3. Zach Sanders, MINN 4. Brad Pataky, PSU 5. Cashé Quiroga, PUR 6. Nikko Triggas, OSU 7. John Deneen, ILL 8. Drew Hammen, WIS 133 lbs. 1. Jayson Ness, MINN 2. Daniel Dennis, IOWA 3. Franklin Gomez, MSU 4. Tyler Graff, WIS 5. Eric Metzler, NU 6. Zac Stevens, MICH 7. Ian Paddock, OSU 8. Akif Eren, PUR 141 lbs. 1. Reece Humphrey, OSU 2. Mike Thorn, MINN 3. Montell Marion, IOWA 4. Adam Lynch, PSU 5. Ryan Prater, ILL 6. Juan Archuleta, PUR 7. Dan Osterman, MSU 8. Cole Schmitt, WIS 149 lbs. 1. Brent Metcalf, IOWA 2. Lance Palmer, OSU 3. Kyle Ruschell, WIS 4. Frank Molinaro, PSU 5. David Cheza, MSU 6. Andrew Nadhir, NU 7. Mario Mason, MINN 8. Nick Bertucci, PUR 157 lbs. 1. Dustin Schlatter, MINN 2. Cyler Sanderson, PSU 3. Colton Salazar, PUR 4. Kurt Kinser, IND 5. Jake Kerr, IOWA 6. Dave Johnson, MICH 7. Sean Nemec, OSU 8. Clint Arlis, ILL 165 lbs. 1. Andrew Howe, WIS 2. Ryan Morningstar, IOWA 3. Colt Sponseller, OSU 4. Dan Vallimont, PSU 5. Paul Young, IND 6. Kyle Bounds, MSU 7. Cody Yohn, MINN 8. Conrad Polz, ILL 174 lbs. 1. Jay Borschel, IOWA 2. Luke Manuel, PUR 3. Scott Glasser, MINN 4. Dave Rella, OSU 5. Jordon Blanton, ILL 6. Brian Roddy, NU 7. Ian Hinton, MSU 8. Justin Zeerip, MICH 184 lbs. 1. John Dergo, ILL 2. David Erwin, PSU 3. Phillip Keddy, IOWA 4. Mike Pucillo, OSU 5. Travis Rutt, WIS 6. Eric Cameron, IND 7. Hunter Collins, MICH 8. Nick Corpe, PUR 197 lbs. 1. Chad Beatty, IOWA 2. Trevor Brandvold, WIS 3. Anthony Biondo, MICH 4. Patrick Bond, ILL 5. Sonny Yohn, MINN 6. Matt Powless, IND 7. Logan Brown, PUR 8. Cody Magrum, OSU HWT 1. Nate Everhart, IND 2. Dan Erekson, IOWA 3. Cameron Wade, PSU 4. Ben Berhow, MINN 5. Eric Bugenhagen, WIS 6. Corey Morrison, OSU 7. Ben Apland, MICH 8. Alan O'Donnell, MSU

Big Ten Championships preview

Sun, 7 Mar 2010 12:31:00 +0000

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The finals matchups are set for the 2010 Big Ten Championships and will be aired live on the Big Ten Network at 2:05 p.m. ET. Below is a breakdown of each finals matchup. 125: No. 1 Angel Escobedo (Indiana) vs. No. 3 Matt McDonough (Iowa) A battle of undefeated wrestlers. Escobedo, the two-time defending Big Ten champion at this weight class, has been dominant all season long. He has picked up bonus points in his last nine matches. Escobedo was untested on Saturday, registering victories Sean Boyle of Michigan (pin) and No. 12 Brad Pataky of Penn State (14-1). The fact that McDonough made it through the entire regular season of his redshirt freshman season undefeated -- and then reached the Big Ten finals -- tells you what kind of talent he is. He is tenacious competitor who is very difficult to score on. His length also causes matchup problem for many of his shorter 125-pound opponents. Like Escobedo, McDonough is on a roll. He has picked up bonus points in his last seven matches. His road to the Big Ten finals included two major decision victories, one coming against returning All-American Zach Sanders of Minnesota. Match History: These two wrestlers have never met during their college wrestling careers. 133: No. 1 Jayson Ness (Minnesota) vs. No. 3 Daniel Dennis (Iowa) Ness, a three-time All-American, has put together one of the finest seasons ever in Gopher wrestling history. He is currently 25-0 with 18 pins. He stands just two pins away from tying, and three from breaking, his own school record for pins in a single season. He will be making his third trip to the finals of the Big Ten Championships. He was a Big Ten champion as a freshman (125), runner-up as a sophomore (125), and placed fourth (133) last season. His route to the Big Ten finals includes victories over Akif Eren of Purdue (pin) and No. 6 Tyler Graff of Wisconsin (11-4). Dennis, a returning All-American, missed over a month of the season because of an ankle injury, which kept him out of both the Midlands and the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals. He has suffered only two defeats this season ... one to fifth-ranked Jordan Oliver of Oklahoma State, in his first match back from his injury, and one to Ness. He has two wins this season over defending NCAA champion and two-time Big Ten champion Franklin Gomez of Michigan State, including a victory in the Big Ten semifinals on Saturday night. Match History: Dennis defeated Ness twice last season (6-4, 9-7). Ness defeated Dennis this season on February 14 by a score of 8-4. 141: No. 2 Reece Humphrey (Ohio State) vs. No. 8 Mike Thorn (Minnesota) Humphrey, an NCAA runner-up last season at 133 pounds, is one bad day away from being undefeated on the season. At the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals on January 9, the Buckeye senior dropped matches to No. 12 Chris Drouin of Arizona State and No 1 Kyle Dake of Cornell ... but has otherwise been perfect this season. On Saturday, he was pushed hard in first round match against Cole Schmitt of Wisconsin, but prevailed for the 6-4 victory. He dominated Penn State's Adam Lynch, 14-4, in the semifinals. Thorn has been one of the most consistent performers on the Minnesota team this season. After a disappointing finish to his sophomore season when he went 0-2 at the NCAA Championships, Thorn got bigger and stronger in the offseason and grew into a full-sized 141-pounder ... and it has paid off. He has not only defeated several ranked opponents this season, but dominated them, picking up bonus points in virtually all of his wins over ranked opponents. He lost by major decision to Montell Marion on February 14 (after pinning him at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals), but came back on Saturday to hammer him, 12-3, in the semifinals. Match History: Humphrey defeated Thorn, 5-3, earlier this season at the NWCA/Cliff Keen Nationals Duals on January 9. (Humphrey also defeated Thorn at University Nationals in freestyle last April) 149: No. 1 Brent Metcalf (Iowa) vs. No. 2 Lance Palmer (Ohio State) Metcalf, a two-time NCAA finalist and 2008 NCAA champion, will be vying for his third straight Big Ten championship. He is 31-0 on the season and coming off a dominating 12-3 major decision victory in the semifinals over All-American Frank Molinaro of Penn State. Palmer, a three-time All-American, avenged one of his two regular season losses this season in the semifinals when he defeated Wisconsin's Kyle Ruschell, 2-1, to advance to the finals. He will now get the opportunity to avenge his only other loss, which came to Metcalf. Match History: These two have met four times throughout their college careers ... with Metcalf winning all four meetings. Metcalf defeated Palmer earlier this season, 3-1, on February 19. 157: No. 6 Cyler Sanderson (Penn State) vs. Colton Salazar (Purdue) With Minnesota's Dustin Schlatter unable to compete because of an injury, it left this weight class wide open. Interestingly, Salazar received the No. 1 seed despite not being ranked nationally. He is a two-time NCAA qualifier, but has been struggled with consistency this season. He has some quality wins, but also some head-scratching losses. After winning by default (over Schlatter) in the opening round, he dominated Wisconsin's Greg Burke, 13-4, in the quarterfinals, and then registered a 6-2 victory over Iowa's Jake Kerr in the semifinals. Sanderson, who transferred to Penn State from Iowa State for his senior season, has gone 27-4 ... with three of those losses coming to wrestlers ranked in the top five. He was pushed in his first match on Saturday against Clinton Arlis of Illinois, but escaped with a 9-7 victory. In the semifinals, Sanderson blanked Anthony Jones of Michigan State, 6-0. An interesting side note on this matchup ... Sanderson and Salazar were high school teammates at Wasatch High School in Heber City, Utah. Match History: These two wrestlers have never met during their college wrestling careers. 165: No. 1 Andrew Howe (Wisconsin) vs. No. 6 Colt Sponseller (Ohio State) Howe, the defending Big Ten champion and NCAA runner-up at this weight class, has yet to suffer a loss this season and has defeated six of the seven wrestlers ranked directly below him, including Sponseller. He is coming off a hard-fought 3-1 victory over Dan Vallimont of Penn State in the semifinals. Sponseller finally got over the mental hurdle of beating Iowa's Ryan Morningstar, a wrestler who defeated him in three previous meetings, in the semifinals on Saturday night. His only losses this season have come to wrestlers ranked in the top four. Sponseller has proven over the past three seasons that he is one of the nation's top 165-pounders, but he has never been able to put it together in March when it matters most. As a freshman, he failed to qualify for the NCAA Championships. Last season, as a sophomore, he failed to earn All-American honors after he entered the event as the No. 6 seed. Match History: These two have met twice in their college careers, once last season and once this season ... with Howe winning both meetings. Howe's most recent victory over Sponseller came earlier this season in the finals of the Cliff Keen Nationals Duals, 6-3, on December 4. 174: No. 2 Jay Borschel (Iowa) vs. No. 7 Scott Glasser (Minnesota) Borschel is one of four undefeated Hawkeyes. He was a Midlands champion in December and was named Outstanding Wrestler at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals. During the Big Ten season, Borschel went 9-0 ... with seven of those wins coming with bonus points. Glasser, who moved up this season from 165 pounds, has been on fire during the second half of the season. He has won 19 of his last 21 matches ... with both losses during the span coming to Borschel. Last season, Glasser dropped 15 of his last 19 matches and went 0-2 at the Big Ten Championships. This season he looks like a completely different wrestler. Match History: These two have wrestled twice this season ... with Borschel winning both matches by major decision. Their most recent match occurred on February 14 -- a match Borschel won 14-2. 184: No. 2 John Dergo (Illinois) vs. No. 10 Phil Keddy (Iowa) Dergo, a three-time NCAA qualifier, competed at 174 pounds the past two seasons before moving up to 184 pounds for his senior campaign. He is 30-2 on the season and coming off an impressive 13-6 semifinal victory over three-time All-American and 2008 NCAA champion Mike Pucillo of Ohio State. His only losses this season have come to Missouri's Max Askren (a loss he later avenged) and No. 1 Kirk Smith of Boise State. Keddy, a two-time All-American, has struggled at times this season, but seems to be hitting his stride at the right time. He has won nine of his last 10 matches ... and avenged the only loss during that span on Saturday night in the semifinals, which came to Penn State's ninth-ranked David Erwin. Match History: Dergo defeated Keddy, 9-8, at the 2007 Big Ten Championships. 197: No. 7 Trevor Brandvold (Wisconsin) vs. No. 13 Sonny Yohn (Minnesota) Brandvold missed the first month of the season due to injury, but competed at the Midlands in December, where he finished fourth. He dropped a match to fifth-ranked Cam Simaz of Cornell at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals on January 9, but has since reeled off 12 straight victories. He is coming off a 3-1 victory over eighth-ranked Anthony Biondo of Michigan in the semifinals. Yohn, who moved up from 184 pounds, dropped three conference matches this season, but has put together a solid Big Ten Championships. He avenged a loss Patrick Bond of Illinois before upsetting top-seeded Chad Beatty of Iowa. Match History: Brandvold defeated Yohn, 4-2, earlier this season on January 29. 285: No. 2 Nate Everhart (Indiana) vs. No. 10 Dan Erekson (Iowa) Everhart started his college career at 197 pounds before moving up to heavyweight as a sophomore. He has been one of the most improved wrestlers in the country this season. After losing 17 matches as a junior, the Indiana big man has yet to suffer a single defeat this season. He has established himself as one of the top contenders to win the heavyweight title in Omaha. Everhart outscored his three opponents on Saturday, 24-5, to en route to reaching the finals. Erekson, a returning All-American, missed the first two months of the season after undergoing surgery to repair a torn pectoral muscle suffered during an early-season practice. Since returning to the mat on January 24, the Hawkeye heavyweight has gone a perfect 11-0. He is coming off a 5-2 victory over 17th-ranked Cameron Wade of Penn State in the semifinals. Match History: These two wrestlers have never met during their college wrestling careers.

No. 1 Iowa tops UW, wins 3rd straight crown

Sun, 21 Feb 2010 18:06:00 +0000

MADISON, Wis. -- The top-ranked University of Iowa wrestling team won its third straight Big Ten regular season title Sunday afternoon with a 31-6 victory over #14 Wisconsin (8-10, 4-4 Big Ten). The dual will be aired at 10 p.m. (CT) Sunday on the Big Ten Network. The Hawkeyes, who posted their second-straight undefeated dual season with a 23-0 record (8-0 Big Ten), picked up their 61st straight dual win and 41st straight road dual win to close out the 2009-10 regular season. Iowa went 8-2 in the dual in front of 2,578 fans at the UW Field House, scoring team bonus points in three matches and allowing a total of four takedowns. Hawkeye seniors Brent Metcalf (149 - 29-0), Jay Borschel (174 - 28-0) and Dan Erekson (Hwt. - 8-0), and redshirt freshman Matt McDonough (125 - 29-0) all posted wins to remain undefeated on the season. The win was also the 30th Big Ten victory for Hawkeye Head Coach Tom Brands. Iowa jumped out to a 19-0 lead with wins at the first five weights. McDonough started the dual at 125 with a 10-1 win over Drew Hammen to record his 11th major decision of the season. Leading 4-1 after the first period, McDonough scored a reversal with 10 seconds left in the second period to take a 6-1 lead. He then added three nearfall points in the third and a point for riding time for the 10-1 win, which was his 22nd bonus-point victory of the season. Hawkeye senior Daniel Dennis, who is ranked between third and seventh in the nation, used 1:52 of riding time to score a 2-1 win over #5 Tyler Graff at 133. The Badger redshirt freshman escaped with less than 10 seconds left in the second period to take a 1-0 lead, but Dennis followed with a third-period escape and kept his riding time intact for the win. At 141, sophomore Montell Marion gave up Iowa's first takedown of the dual, but responded with an eight-point third period to beat Wisconsin's Cole Schmitt, 11-4. The 149-pound bout between the top-ranked Metcalf and #5 Kyle Ruschell was one of the dual's marquee match-ups, but Wisconsin forfeited to give Iowa a 16-0 lead. It was the 25th time in 29 bouts that Metcalf scored extra team points for the Hawkeyes. Iowa junior Jake Kerr scored two first-period takedowns in his 157-pound match with Greg Burke, and held on for the 6-5 win. After the intermission, fourth-ranked Hawkeye senior Ryan Morningstar could not pull off the upset over top-ranked Badger Andrew Howe at 165. After a scoreless first period, Howe scored an escape to take a 1-0 lead. Morningstar, who is now 0-4 against the defending Big Ten Champion and NCAA runner-up, chose the down position to start the third period. Howe, who improved to 28-0 on the season and snapped Morningstar's eight-match winning streak, held the Hawkeye senior down until he accumulated 1:04 of riding time. He then released Morningstar to tie the score at 1-1, but Howe's riding time point gave him the victory. Borschel stopped any chance of a Badger run with his 4:26 pin of Brendan Ard at 174. The Hawkeye senior was close to the fall in the first period, but had to settle for a takedown and three nearfall points to take a 5-0 lead. After a neutral start to the second period, Borschel scored another takedown and then turned Ard to collect his ninth pin and 19th bonus-point win of the season. Hawkeye senior Phillip Keddy followed a 184 with a 4-3 decision over Badger Travis Rutt to give Iowa a 28-3 lead. Rutt scored an early takedown in the first period, but Keddy quickly escaped and scored a takedown of his own for a 3-2 lead. Rutt escaped after starting the second period in the down position to tie the score at 3-3, but Keddy's escape in the third period have him the 4-3 win. Wisconsin scored its second and final victory of the night at 197 when junior Trevor Brandvold, who is ranked between fifth and seventh in the nation, recorded a 4-2 victory over Hawkeye junior Luke Lofthouse. Lofthouse scored an early takedown, but Brandvold followed with an escape and takedown to take a 3-2 lead. Brandvold added a second-period escape and held off Lofthouse's third-period takedown attempts for the win. Erekson closed out the dual with a 3-2 decision over Badger heavyweight Eric Bugenhagen. Iowa will wrestle for its third straight and 34th overall conference team title March 6-7 at the 2010 Big Ten Wrestling Championships. The event will be held at the University of Michigan's Crisler Arena in Ann Arbor. Session One (first round and quarterfinals) is set to start Saturday at 10 a.m. (CT). Session Two (championship semifinals and consolation matches) will begin Saturday at 5 p.m. Sunday's Session Three (consolation semifinals and seventh-place matches) will start at 11 a.m., with the championships round (first, third and fifth-place matches) starting at 1:05 p.m. The championships round will be aired live on the Big Ten Network. All-session tickets ($30) are available from the University of Michigan Athletic Ticket Office (734-764-0247 or www.MGoBlue.com/tickets). Single-session tickets will be on sale at Crisler Arena at the event. #1 Iowa 31, #14 Wisconsin 6 125 - Matt McDonough (I) maj. dec. Drew Hammen (W), 10-1 133 - Daniel Dennis (I) dec. Tyler Graff (W), 2-1 141 - Montell Marion (I) dec. Cole Schmitt (W), 11-4 149 - Brent Metcalf (I) won by forfeit 157 - Jake Kerr (I) dec. Greg Burke (W), 6-5 165 - Andrew Howe (W) dec. Ryan Morningstar (I), 2-1 174 - Jay Borschel (I) pinned Brendan Ard (W), 4:26 184 - Phillip Keddy (I) dec. Travis Rutt (W), 4-3 197 - Trevor Brandvold (W) dec. Luke Lofthouse (I), 4-2 Hwt. - Dan Erekson (I) dec. Eric Bugenhagen (W), 3-2

Wrestling fans, here comes Big Ten vs. Big 12 Challenge

Mon, 1 Mar 2010 14:18:00 +0000

In a cooperative effort, USA Wrestling and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) will present an exhibition men's freestyle wrestling dual meet as part of the NCAA Fan Festival which is held alongside the 2010 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in Omaha, Nebraska. The event is called the Big Ten vs. Big 12 Challenge and will feature wrestlers who competed for universities in these prestigious conferences as undergraduates. The competitors are now pursuing their Olympic dreams in men's freestyle wrestling. It will be held at Exhibit Hall C of the Qwest Center Omaha on Friday, March 19 from 1:45 p.m.- 2:30 p.m. Central, as part of the annual NCAA Fan Festival. This is just a short indoor walk north from the Qwest Center Omaha, site of the 2010 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. The dual meet will be held on the mats where USA Wrestling's Team USA will hold their popular public workouts between sessions of the NCAA Division I Championships each day. Admission to the Fan Festival is free, so there will be no charge to watch the men's freestyle action. For the Big Ten vs. Big 12 Challenge, there will be close to 1,000 seats and many more standing room only viewing opportunities provided matside on a first-come, first-serve basis. In addition, as many as 1,000 fans will be able to watch the dual meet on two large projection screens flanking the main stage within the Fan Festival. "This is a great concept," said USA Wrestling National Freestyle Coach Zeke Jones. ""It brings the NCAA and USA Wrestling together, with a mission to produce both the best college wrestlers as well as the world's greatest wrestlers. This event is five weeks before our U.S. Open Wrestling Championships. Our athletes will have a chance to push themselves out on the mat." For those who cannot attend the NCAA Division I Championships in person, the Big Ten vs. Big 12 Challenge will be webcast live on NCAA.com/wrestling and available through TheMat.com, with USA Wrestling's Jason Bryant calling the action. The rules for the Big Ten vs. Big 12 Challenge have been modified. Instead of having individual match winners, there will be a cumulative point total for each conference. Team scores will be based upon adding up the technical points scored in each match by the athletes. At the end of the dual meet, the points will be tallied up, and the winning conference team will be announced. Will it be the Big Ten or the Big 12 which comes out on top of this challenge match this year? Another rule modification is that each match will consist of two, two-minute periods. There will not be any third periods contested, which is possible in an international freestyle match. There are expected to be eight matches which count towards the team total for the Big Ten vs. Big 12 Challenge. Two other exhibition matches are also expected to be held. "With the cumulative scoring, it is truly a conference rivalry, not an individual rivalry. That was our goal with this competition," said Jones. The lineups for the Big Ten team, as well as the Big 12 team, have not yet been finalized, but will be announced when they are available. The participants will all have high national rankings on Freestyle Team USA, including some athletes who have been past U.S. Olympic team members or U.S. World Team members. This year's NCAA Fan Festival will feature wrestling exhibit booths, displays, memorabilia, interactive games, souvenirs, food and beverage sales, and a number of other featured events. In addition to the Big Ten vs. Big 12 Challenge, the lineup Friday includes a USA Wrestling autograph session at 3:15 p.m. and the annual Semifinals Preview Show featuring Nate Carr, Scott Casber and Wade Schalles at 4 p.m. Central. For more information on the NCAA Fan Festival at the 2010 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in Omaha, Nebraska, visit: NCAA.com/wrestling

Wrestling news with Kara Lentz

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 18:49:00 +0000

Kara Lentz wraps up the conference action as Iowa wins its third straight Big Ten regular season title.

Seniors lift Minnesota past Penn State

Sun, 21 Feb 2010 22:25:00 +0000

MINNEAPOLIS - On a night held in their honor, the Gopher seniors led the charge in a 26-16 win over Penn State in the Sports Pavilion. Coming off maybe their toughest loss of the season to Iowa last week, the Gophers came out and wrestled the Minnesota way tonight (Feb. 19), attacking from the opening whistle. The Gophers followed the lead of their seniors on the night, and Jayson Ness (Bloomington, Minn.) set a great standard to follow. Still battling injury, Zach Sanders (Wabasha, Minn.) got the night off as the Gophers gave the forfeit at 125. The 6-0 deficit was short lived, though, as Ness responded with a pin in a mere 1:17 over Penn State's Bryan Pearsall. The lopsided score was no surprise to the fans in the Sports Pavilion, as the win completed an undefeated career in home dual meets for the senior. Top-ranked Ness also won his 140th match and logged his 17th fall of the season with the victory. He becomes just the forth Gopher ever with 140 career wins, and is just three fall shy of tying, and four from breaking, his own school record for pins in a single season. Just as impressive as Ness' quick pin, was fellow senior Dustin Schlatter's (Massillion, Ohio) shutout of No. 6 Cyler Sanderson at 157. In the only top-10 match-up of the night, No. 2 Schlatter took control early and led the entire match for the 4-0 win. Schlatter entered the match riding a 13-match winning streak, and extended to 14 with his first win over a ranked opponent at 157. In his final home meet, Schlatter ends his career with just one lone loss in front of the Minnesota crowd. The Gophers went into the intermission up 15-9 after Schaltter's match, thanks in part to a fall from Mike Thorn (St. Michael, Minn.). Following in Ness' footsteps, Thorn logged his sixth fall of the season at 141, scoring a first period pin over the Nittany Lions' Adam Lynch. Sixth ranked Thorn notched one of his fastest falls of the season, ending the match in just 2:18, and won his third match of the season over a ranked opponent, handing No. 20 ranked Lynch just his second Big Ten loss. Scott Glasser (Bismarck, N.D.) and Sonny Yohn (Alamosa, Colo.) won similar matches at 174 and 197 respectively. Each turned on the scoring late to notch major decisions with Glasser winning 12-3 over Justin Ortega and Yohn winning 14-5 over David Crowell. Yohn was looking at just a decision late in his match, but fought and managed one final takedown with just two seconds left for the final nine-point margin. The major decision by Yohn sealed the match for the Gophers, giving them a 23-16 lead with just one match left to go. Despite the outcome of the match already decided the final bout at heavyweight still came with plenty of drama. The Gopher's Ben Berhow (Hayward, Minn.) battled No. 12 Cameron Wade to a scoreless first period. Wade entered the match with a 6-1 Big Ten record, but it was Berhow who scored the first points, tallying a reversal early in the second after starting the period down. Two escapes by Wade tied the match, but with just three seconds left Berhow got the big takedown for the winning points in the 4-2 decision. With a 12-5 overall record and a 7-1 mark in the Big Ten, Minnesota locked up second place in the Big Ten, tied with Ohio State who dropped their first conference match this evening to dual meet champion Iowa. The Gophers have won seven or more Big Ten matches for the third time in the last five years. Along with Ness and Schlatter, fellow seniors Matt Everson (Mitchell, S.D.) and Nate Matousek (Glencoe, Minn.) were also honored tonight, during a ceremony at the intermission. They wrestlers will take a much needed break next week in preparation for the Big Ten Tournament Mar. 6-7 in Ann Arbor, Mich. 125: #13 Brad Pataky (PSU) For - - / 0-6 133: #1 Jayson Ness (MINN) fall Bryan Pearsall (PSU), 1:17 / 6-6 141: #6 Mike Thorn (MINN) fall #20 Adam Lynch (PSU), 2:18 / 12-6 149: #4 Frank Molinaro (PSU) dec. #16 Mario Mason (MINN), 7-3 / 12-9 157: #2 Dustin Schlatter (MINN) dec. #6 Cyler Sanderson (PSU), 4-0 / 15-9 165: #7 Dan Vallimont (PSU) dec. Cody Yohn (MINN), 10-3 / 15-12 174: #8 Scott Glasser (MINN) maj. Justin Ortega (PSU), 12-3 / 19-12 184: #10 David Erwin (PSU) maj. Kaleb Young (MINN), 12-3 / 19-16 197: #12 Sonny Yohn (MINN) maj. David Crowell (PSU), 14-5 / 23-16 HWT: Ben Berhow (MINN) dec. #12 Cameron Wade (PSU), 4-2 / 26-16

NU beats Michigan, cards first Big Ten win

Sun, 21 Feb 2010 22:06:00 +0000

EVANSTON, Ill. -- On a night with so many distinguished alumni of Northwestern wrestling in the seats at Welsh-Ryan Arena, the current Wildcats gutted out a remarkable 20-16 victory over Michigan Sunday for their first Big Ten dual win of the season. The win put the finishing touches on a special evening on which NU honored Tim Cysewski, who coached his final dual as head coach after 20 years in that role. Despite being challenged much of the season by a lineup depleted by injuries, Northwestern battled to the end for Cysewski on Sunday, winning four individual bouts by three points or less to claw out the dual win. Cysewski, who next season will make the move to the role of associate head coach at NU, ends his head coaching tenure as the winningest coach in program history with 155 dual victories. The evening featured a rousing ceremony during intermission to honor Cysewski, which featured appearances from former Northwestern All-Americans Jack Griffin, Mike Funk, Brad Traviolia and Dustin Fox. Sunday's match began with the heavyweight bout, where Michigan's Ben Apland posted an 11-2 major decision of NU's Marcus Shrewsbury. After missing five weeks with a broken hand, NU's Robert Joyce returned for a battle at 125 pounds with Michigan's Sean Boyle. Joyce was credited with a takedown in the opening minute before the officials deemed that he did not in fact have enough control for the two. Boyle took a 2-1 lead into the second period and went ahead 4-1 on an escape and penalty point before Joyce notched his first takedown of the match to pull within 4-3. Joyce quickly escaped to start the third and got around for a takedown with 1:30 to go in the match, claiming a 6-4 lead that he protected by riding out the match, tacking on a riding time point to win 7-4. The victory was the first Big Ten dual victory of Joyce's career. At 133, Eric Metzler came back from a 2-0 deficit against Zac Stevens by turning a single-leg into a double for two points. With Metzler leading 4-3, Stevens caught Metzler in a headlock that he held on to for four near-fall points, breaking open a 9-4 lead. But Metzler was determined to make the most of his Senior Day and went on a tear of takedowns, getting in on Stevens' legs at will to take a 13-12 lead. A penalty point against Stevens gave Metzler a 14-12 decision and his 12th victory of the season. The action remained fast and furious in the 141-pound bout, where Levi Mele wrestled up two weight classes from his usual 125-pound spot to take on Michigan's Mark Weber. Weber held a 5-3 edge late in the contest when Mele went in for a takedown, bringing the NU faithful to their feet. Mele fed off their energy in the sudden victory period, getting the winning takedown just 20 seconds into the match and improving to 3-4 in Big Ten action for his freshman season. Andrew Nadhir came up big for Northwestern (6-12-1, 1-7) by winning by technical fall at 149 pounds against Mark Boyer. Nadhir put on a clinic, going in for one takedown after another to give Northwestern critical bonus points in the team score. Following the intermission, Michigan pulled within 14-7 thanks to a decision by Dave Johnson over Kevin Bialka at 157 pounds. But Northwestern picked right back up after that with a riveting win at 165 by Robert Kellogg, who defeated Aaron Hynes 4-2 for his second Big Ten win of the season. NU's final crucial win came courtesy of Brian Roddy, Jr. at 174, who came from behind to knock off Justin Zeerip. Zeerip came into the match with a season record of 25-16. Roddy's fourth Big Ten victory this year gave NU an insurmountable 20-7 team lead with two matches remaining. Michigan (4-15, 0-8) claimed wins in both of those matches but it was too little too late as the Wildcats held on for a most memorable victory. Northwestern is now off from competition for the next two weeks before heading to the Big Ten Championships March 6-7 in Ann Arbor, Mich. Northwestern 20, Michigan 16 285: Ben Apland (MI) Maj. Dec. Marcus Shrewsbury (NU), 11-2 (MI 4, NU 0) 125: Robert Joyce (NU) dec. Sean Boyle (MI), 7-4 (MI 4, NU 3) 133: Eric Metzler (NU) dec. Zac Stevens (MI), 14-12 (NU 6, MI 4) 141: Levi Mele (NU) dec. Mark Weber (MI), 7-5 (SV) (NU 9, MI 4) 149: Andrew Nadhir (NU) Tech Fall Mark Boyer (MI), 20-5 (5:25) (NU 14, MI 4) 157: Dave Johnson (MI) dec. Kevin Bialka (NU), 11-6 (NU 14, MI 7) 165: Robert Kellogg (NU) dec. Aaron Hynes (MI), 4-2 (NU 17, MI 7) 174: Brian Roddy, Jr. (NU) dec. Justin Zeerip (MI), 8-3 (NU 20, MI 7) 184: Hunter Montoya (MI) FALL Aaron Jones (NU), 2:20 (NU 20, MI 13) 197: #8 Anthony Biando (MI) dec. John Schoen (NU), 8-1 (NU 20, MI 16)

No. 13 Indiana knocks off Michigan State, 24-15

Sun, 21 Feb 2010 15:48:00 +0000

EAST LANSING, Mich. - The No. 13 Indiana University wrestling team concluded their best regular season in 14 years on Sunday by defeating Michigan State, 24-15, to finish with an overall record of 16-3 and 5-3 in Big Ten action. Indiana's 5-3 conference mark gives them a share of fourth place in the final conference standings. A pair of Hoosiers clinched undefeated regular seasons as Angel Escobedo and Nate Everhart tallied wins number 30 and 32, respectively. Top-ranked Escobedo recorded his 10th pin of the year and 40th of his career (tied with Roger Chandler for the most in school history). While Escobedo started the match by giving IU six team points, his unbeaten counterpart ended the day with a major decision in the heavyweight match. Everhart took down Alan O'Donnell four times en route to his 10-2 major. In the 157-lbs. match, No. 8 Kurt Kinser got the momentum to start swinging in favor of the Cream and Crimson. Kinser walked onto the mat with his team trailing 12-6, but he ended a three-bout winning streak for the Spartans and contributed three team points with his 9-4 decision over Anthony Jones, Jr. Fellow Bloomington High School South graduate, Paul Young, kept it going at 165 pounds. Young, ranked twelfth nationally, majored 25-time winner Kyle Bounds by a score of 13-3. After a decision for MSU in the 174-lbs. bout, the Hoosiers seized the final three matches inside Jenison Field House. Eric Cameron broke a 1-1 tie late in the third period by notching a takedown with just 14 seconds remaining. Cameron's 3-1 victory is his fourth conference win. That performance was followed up by Matt Powless and Everhart's back-to-back major decisions. COMPLETE RESULTS #13 INDIANA 24, Michigan State 15 125 lbs.- #1 Angel Escobedo IU) pins Brenna Lyon (MSU), 5:47 (Team Score: 6-0) 133 lbs.- #4 Franklin Gomez (MSU) pins Matt Ortega (IU), 2:45 (6-6) 141 lbs.- Dan Osterman (MSU) dec. over Danny Monaco (IU), 8-4 (6-9) 149 lbs.- #11 David Cheza (MSU) dec. over Matt Coughlin (IU), 5-0 (6-12) 157 lbs.- #8 Kurt Kinser (IU) dec. over Anthony Jones, Jr. (MSU), 9-4 (9-12) 165 lbs.- #12 Paul Young (IU) maj. dec. over Kyle Bounds (MSU), 13-3 (13-12) 174 lbs.- Ian Hinton (MSU) dec. over Nick Avery (IU), 4-1 (13-15) 184 lbs.- Eric Cameron (IU) dec. over Nick Palmieri (MSU), 3-1 (16-15) 197 lbs.- #14 Matt Powless (IU) maj. dec. over Tyler Dickenson (MSU), 12-3 (20-15) 285 lbs.- #2 Nate Everhart (IU) maj. dec. over Alan O'Donnell (MSU), 10-2 (24-25)

Badgers dominate Wildcats

Fri, 19 Feb 2010 22:24:00 +0000

MADISON, Wis.--The No. 14 Wisconsin wrestling team (8-9, 4-3) defeated Northwestern (5-12-1, 0-7-0) 32-6 in the team's first home match of the weekend. The Badgers' dominant win included seven individual wins and a victory by forfeit. The match began at 125 lbs., where senior Drew Hammen took on true freshman Levi Mele. Mele won the match, outscoring Hammen 8-4 and giving the Wildcats their first and only lead of the matchup at 3-0. Hammen scored a reversal and a takedown in the second to last home match of his collegiate career. At 133 lbs., No. 6 redshirt freshman Tyler Graff won his eighth-straight bout thanks to a victory over senior Eric Metzler. With a 7-2 decision, the Badgers were then tied with the Wildcats, 3-3. Graff, who is now 24-4 on the season, scored three takedowns and riding time in the match. This bout marks the first time since Jan. 10 that Graff did not defeat his opponent by bonus points. Redshirt freshman Cole Schmitt was then awarded a victory by forfeit at 141 lbs., giving the Badgers a 9-3 lead. Northwestern did not have a competitor in the weight class. No. 5 senior Kyle Ruschell then faced No. 13 Andrew Nadhir at 149 lbs. After a scoreless first period, Ruschell scored the only points of the second with an escape, followed by two nearfall points in the third period to shutout Nadhir 4-0. Ruschell's 25th win of the season extended Wisconsin's lead to 12-3. Junior Greg Burke then claimed his first victory since Jan. 9 with a win over true freshman Kevin Bialka at 157 lbs. The bout was tied 4-4 with just 10 seconds left in regulation, but Burke was awarded riding time, extending the Badgers' lead to 15-3. Burke recorded two takedowns in the matchup. At 165 lbs., No. 1 sophomore Andrew Howe claimed his 27th victory and 11th major decision of the season by defeating sophomore Robert Kellogg. Howe recorded seven takedowns, an escape and riding time in his 17-5 victory. The win improved Howe's record to a perfect 27-0 and gave the Badgers a 19-3 lead over the Wildcats. Northwestern won its second match at 174 lbs., where true freshman Brendan Ard lost to sophomore redshirt freshman Brian Roddy Jr. Ard scored three escapes and was awarded a point for excessive stall warnings by Roddy in the 11-4 defeat. The win cut Wisconsin's advantage to 19-6. Sophomore Travis Rutt then snapped his two-match losing streak with a 12-6 decision over junior Aaron Jones at 184 lbs. Rutt registered the first takedown with 2:01 left in the first period and held on to the lead for the rest of the match. He scored two takedowns, a reversal and six nearfall points to give the Badgers a 22-6 edge over the Wildcats. No. 7 junior Trevor Brandvold won his ninth-consecutive match by topping sophomore John Schoen at 197 lbs. Brandvold won the bout by a 10-0 major decision, scoring three takedowns, an escape, two nearfall points and riding time in the match. Wisconsin then led by a 26-6 score. At heavyweight, junior Eric Bugenhagen won his fifth-straight conference match with a pin at 4:02 over freshman Marcus Shrewsbury. Bugenhagen's fall capped off a dominating 32-6 performance by the entire Wisconsin wrestling squad.

Buckeyes fall at Iowa, 32-3

Fri, 19 Feb 2010 21:16:00 +0000

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The No. 4/3 Ohio State wrestling team lost, 32-3, to No. 1 Iowa Friday night in Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. The Buckeyes wrap up the regular season 18-2 overall and 7-1 in the Big Ten and will now focus their attention on the Big Ten championships March 6-7 at Crisler Arena in Ann Arbor, Mich. With the match starting at 133 pounds, freshman Ian Paddock experienced collegiate wrestling in Carver-Hawkeye Arena for the first time and nearly pulled off an upset over third-ranked Daniel Dennis. The Buckeye from Warsaw, N.Y., dropped a close 3-2 decision. After Dennis scored a takedown early in the first period, Paddock countered with an escape to make the score 2-1. However, Dennis took a 3-1 lead in the second period when he chose bottom and recorded the escape. Dennis' escape would serve as his and the period's only scoring. In the rally attempt, Paddock scored an escape of his own early in the final period, but that was all he could manage as he fell short in his bid in a comeback. No. 2 Reece Humphrey re-entered the starting lineup at 141 pounds and drew the Buckeyes even at 3-3 following his 9-5 decision over No. 4 Montell Marion. Humphrey, a native from Indianapolis, Ind., took a 4-1 lead into the second period as he scored a takedown in the final seconds of the first. A senior team captain, Humphrey then increased his lead to 8-4 after the second period before the final tally. The premier match of the evening that featured No. 1 vs. No. 2 was up next at 149 pounds. Unfortunately the outcome was not in the Buckeyes' favor as second-ranked Lance Palmer lost, 3-1, to No. 1 Brent Metcalf. The Hawkeye struck first with a takedown and carried that slim advantage into the second period. Metcalf chose bottom in the second frame and after scoring the escape, owned a 3-0 lead. With no additional scoring in the second period, Palmer, a senior tri-captain from Columbia Station, Ohio, notched an escape to start the third and tried for the match-tying takedown, but was unsuccessful. A 5-2 loss at 157 pounds by sophomore Sean Nemec to Aaron Janssen followed and Iowa increased its lead to 9-3. At 165 pounds junior Colt Sponseller lost a heartbreaking 1-0 decision to Ryan Morningstar, the No. 4 wrestler in the nation. After Morningstar compiled two minutes of riding time in the second period, the Buckeye from Glenmont, Ohio, nearly pulled off the same tactic in the third period, eliminating Morningstar's riding time advantage. However, a last second escape by the Hawkeye gave him the only point of the match. Senior Dave Rella suffered a 9-0 setback to second-ranked Jay Borschel at 174 pounds and Iowa took a 16-3 lead in the team scoring. No. 7 Mike Pucillo matched up against No. 11 Phil Keddy and lost a tight 3-2 match at 184 pounds. A takedown and escape was enough for Keddy as Pucillo scored a pair of escapes in just the third Big Ten loss of his career. At 197 pounds, redshirt-freshman C.J. Magrum lost, 6-1, to Luke Lofthouse before senior Corey Morrison and 10th-ranked Dan Erekson took to the mat. A native of Shaker Heights, Ohio, Morrison was pinned with seven seconds left in the first period. Wrapping up the evening at 125 pounds was Nikko Triggas and No. 3 Matt McDonough. Triggas lost, 9-1. 133 – No. 3 Daniel Dennis (I) dec. Ian Paddock (OSU), 3-2 141 – No. 2 Reece Humphrey (OSU) dec. No. 4 Montell Marion (I), 9-5 149 – No. 1 Brent Metcalf (I) dec. No. 2 Lance Palmer (OSU), 3-1 157 - Aaron Janssen (I) dec. Sean Nemec (OSU), 5-2 165 – No. 4 Ryan Morningstar (I) dec. No. 6 Colt Sponseller (OSU), 1-0 174 – No. 2 Jay Borschel (I) maj. dec. No. 11 Dave Rella (OSU), 9-0 184 – No. 11 Phillip Keddy (I) dec. No. 7 Mike Pucillo (OSU), 3-2 197 - Luke Lofthouse (I) dec. C.J. Magrum (OSU), 6-1 285 – No. 10 Dan Erekson (I) pinned Corey Morrison (OSU), 2:53 125 – No. 3 Matt McDonough (I) vs. Nikko Triggas (OSU), 9-1

Penn State falls at Minnesota

Fri, 19 Feb 2010 20:58:00 +0000

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn.; February 19, 2010 – The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team, ranked No. 10 nationally, closed out the dual meet season with a hard-fought 26-16 loss at No. 10 Minnesota. Head coach Cael Sanderson's squad got four wins in the road dual, including victories from seniors Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.) and David Erwin (Urbana, Ohio) in the final dual of their careers. Junior Brad Pataky (Clearfield, Pa.), ranked No. 13 at 125, was set to tangle with No. 6 Zach Sanders of Minnesota. But with Sanders battling injuries of late, Minnesota elected to forfeit 125 and give the Nittany Lions an early 6-0 lead. The win improved Pataky's Big Ten dual record to 7-1. The Gophers got a pin from top-ranked Jayson Ness at 133 to tie the dual at 6-6 before No. 8 Mike Thorn pinned No. 20 Adam Lynch (Mifflinburg, Pa.) at the 2:18 mark to give UM a 12-6 lead. Sophomore All-American Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.), ranked No. 4 at 149, dominated No. 16 Mario Mason in a 7-3 win with over 2:00 of riding time (with a full third period ride) to pull Penn State to within three. Minnesota responded as No. 2 Dustin Schlatter earned a hard-fought 4-0 win over No. 6 Cyler Sanderson at 157. The victory gave the Gophers a 15-9 lead at the break. Senior All-American Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.), ranked No. 7 at 165, got Penn State closer with a convincing 10-3 win over Cody Yohn but Minnesota answered once again, this time getting a major win at 174 from No. 8 Scott Glasser. Senior David Erwin (Urbana, Ohio), ranked No. 10 at 184, notched a convincing 12-3 major over Minnesota's Kaleb Young to cut the Gopher lead to 19-16. But Minnesota got a major at 197 from No. 13 Sonny Yohn to clinch the dual win with a 23-16 lead. Sophomore Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio), ranked No. 12 at heavyweight, gave up a last second takedown to lose 4-2 to Minnesota's Ben Berhow and giving Minnesota a 26-16 win. The Golden Gophers won six of the dual's ten bouts and picked up eight bonus points to Penn State's four. Minnesota also won the takedown battle 16-13. Penn State closes out the 2009-10 season with a 13-6-1 dual meet record, 5-3 in Big Ten dual and ending the year in fourth place in the dual meet standings. Minnesota is now 12-5, 7-1 in the Big Ten. The Nittany Lions will head to Ann Arbor, Mich., for the 2010 Big Ten Championships on Saturday and Sunday, March 6-7. The two day event is hosted by the University of Michigan. All Penn State events will once again air live on Forever Broadcasting's WRSC (1390 AM) or 3WZ (95.3 FM) and on www.GoPSUsports.com as well. The 2009-10 Penn State Wrestling season is presented by The Family Clothesline. BOUT-BY-BOUT: 125: 13th-ranked Brad Pataky (Clearfield, Pa.) was set to take to the mat at 125 to face No. 6 Zach Sanders of Minnesota, but with Sanders battling some injuries of late, Minnesota elected to not weigh anyone in at 125 and forfeit the match, giving Penn State a 6-0 lead early on. The win improved Pataky's Big Ten record to 7-1 heading into the tournament. 133: Freshman Bryan Pearsall (Lititz, Pa.) took on No. 1 Jayson Ness just a week after facing the defending national champion at 133. Ness entered the dual with a 22-0 mark and 16 pins. Ness used a fast double leg to take Pearsall down seven seconds into the bout to lead 2-0 early. Ness then turned Pearsall to his back to his back and got the pin at the 1:17 mark, tying the dual at 6-6 after two bouts. 141: Senior Adam Lynch (Mifflinburg, Pa.) newly ranked at No. 20 at 141, battled No. 8 Mike Thorn of Minnesota in another key match-up of ranked opponents. Thorn got the firs takedown to lead 2-1 at the :30 mark after a quick Lynch escape. The eighth-ranked Gopher quickly added a second takedown to up his lead to 4-1 before putting together a solid ride and turning Lynch for two near fall points and a 6-1 lead midway through the opening period. Thorn turned the Lion senior one more time and this time worked his way to another first period Gopher pin, this time at the 2:18 mark. The second straight fall gave Minnesota a 12-6 lead. Despite the loss, Lynch heads to the Big Ten Championships on a high, sporting a 6-2 conference dual record and a national ranking. 149: Sophomore Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.), ranked No. 4 at 149, faced off against No. 16 Mario Mason. Mason had the first solid chance to score, working in on a single at the 1:50 mark, but Molinaro was able to counter, work himself out of trouble and force a reset. Molinaro then had his first chance, trying to turn a single into a takedown with :55 left, but this time Mason worked his way out of bounds to keep the bout scoreless. The Lion All-American was relentless, however, using a high double off the reset to take a 2-0 lead with :21 left on the clock. Molinaro then rode Mason out to carry that 2-0 lead into the second period. Molinaro chose down to start the second stanza and quickly escaped to a 3-0 lead. Another high double-turned-single leg gave Molinaro a second takedown and a 5-1 lead at the 1:15 mark after a Mason escape. Mason answered with a high double to cut into Molinaro's lead, but the Nittany Lion sophomore quickly escaped to a 6-3 lead with :50 on the second period clock. Trailing 6-3, Mason chose down to start the final period but could not work free of a strong Molinaro ride. Molinaro was able to control Mason long enough to build up more than a minute's worth of riding time, controlling the Gopher for the entire period. Molinaro's dominating performance, a 7-3 win, cut the Gopher lead to 12-9. 157: Senior Cyler Sanderson (Heber City, Utah), ranked No. 6 at 157, met No. 2 Dustin Schlatter in the dual's marquee bout. The talented duo battled each other evenly for half the period before Schlatter scored on a low single to take a 2-0 lead. Schlatter then rode Sanderson for the remainder of the period to lead 2-0 with 1:26 in riding time after the opening period. Schlatter chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 3-0 lead. The second period's first scoring chance was a Sanderson high single that Schlatter, the 2006 national champion at 149, was able to thwart to maintain his 3-0 lead. Sanderson, down by three, chose neutral to start the third period. Sanderson worked to break through Schlatter's tough defense, but each Lion shot was countered as the Gopher was able to step out of trouble each time Sanderson shot. As the clock wound down, Schlatter's lone takedown midway through the first period was the difference as the Gopher earned a hard-fought 4-0 win. The decision put UM up 15-9 heading into halftime. 165: Senior Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.), ranked No. 7 at 165, met Minnesota freshman Cody Yohn. Yohn looked to score right out of the gates, getting in on a single leg early, but Vallimont was able to work out of trouble and force a stalemate at the 2:33 mark. The Nittany Lions All-American then countered a Yohn shot to get the first takedown and lead 2-1 at the 2:00 mark. A low single leg allowed Vallimont to get a second takedown with 1:20 on the clock and this time the senior was able to put together a strong ride. While building up a minute-plus in riding time, Vallimont worked to turn the Gopher for back points. Yohn was able to keep his stomach to the mat, avoiding any near falls, but Vallimont led 4-1 with 1:28 in riding time after one period. Vallimont chose down to start the middle stanza and quickly escaped to a 5-1 lead. Another quick Vallimont takedown gave the Nittany Lion a 7-1 lead. This time, Vallimont was able to work his way towards a cradle. He was able to work his hands into position, but was not able to turn the Gopher to his back. Trailing 7-1 and giving up nearly 3:00 in riding time, Yohn chose down to start the third period and was cut loose by Vallimont. The Nittany Lion senior, looking for bonus points, clinched the riding time point first and then turned a low single into a scoring chance with :45 left. But a stalemate was called and action resumed in the center circle. Needing one more takedown for the major, Vallimont swung behind Yohn for two points at the :18 mark. But the Lion senior could not ride Yohn out as the Gopher escaped with just :02 left to give Vallimont a 10-3 win. The victory cut the Gopher lead to 15-12. 174: Freshman Justin Ortega (Oxford, Pa.) battled No. 8 Scott Glasser at 174. Glasser bolted out to an early 2-1 lead with a quick takedown, but Ortega was able to escape quickly. Ortega then began forcing the offense, sending the ranked Gopher back towards the outside circle with solid counters and low singles. But Glasser was able to stave off any real threats from Ortega and then getting a second takedown with :15 left to lead 4-1 with :28 in riding time after one period. Glasser chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 5-1 lead. He then added a third takedown at the 1:10 mark, upping his lead to 7-1 and then controlling Ortega long enough to kill the clock. Trailing 7-1 and giving up 1:31 in riding time, Ortega chose down to start the third period. Glasser cut the Lion loose to a 7-2 score and then quickly added another takedown and cut to lead 9-3 with 1:40 on the clock. Looking for the major, Glasser took Ortega down with 1:00 left to up his lead to 11-3. With a riding time point secured, Glasser then spend the rest of the period in control of Ortega to post the 12-3 major and put Minnesota up 19-12 with just three bouts left. 184: Senior David Erwin (Urbana, Ohio), ranked No. 10 at 184, took on Minnesota's Kaleb Young. Young got in deep on Erwin early, looking to turn a low double into a takedown. But the Lion senior was able to force a stalemate and keep things scoreless early on. Erwin then got his first takedown, using a low single to take a 2-0 lead at the 1:52 mark. Erwin then controlled Young for the rest of the period to lead by two heading into the second stanza. Erwin chose down and quickly escaped to a 3-0 lead. A second takedown on a low ankle pick, followed by a cut, gave Erwin a 5-1 lead with 1:06 on the clock. The Nittany Lion added another takedown with :25 left, cut Young loose to a 7-2 lead, and then worked a high double into a takedown at the buzzer to lead 9-2 with 1:41 in riding time, heading into the final period. Young chose down to start the final period, but Erwin was able to control the Gopher as he began looking for a chance to turn him. Young managed to escape at the 1:17 mark, but Erwin had clinched the bonus point. Erwin then found himself scrambling out of a low Young shot to work his way on top of the Gopher for a fifth takedown and an 11-3 lead. Erwin spent the final seconds of the bout trying to turn Young. While not getting any back points, the convincing 12-3 major cut the Gopher lead to 19-16. 197: Sophomore David Crowell (Easton, Pa.) got the call for Penn State at 197 to face No. 13 Sonny Yohn of Minnesota. Yohn countered an early Crowell shot to take a 2-0 lead at the 2:34 mark. The ranked Gopher then put together a strong ride, building up over a minute's worth of riding time while trying to turn Crowell. But the Nittany Lion sophomore was able to work his way into a possible reversal. But a stalemate was called with :45 on the clock and the Lion still trailing by two. Yohn was able to ride Crowell out for the rest of the period and led 2-0, with 2:34 in riding time, heading into the second period. Crowell chose neutral to begin the next period and began looking for a chance to score. The Nittany Lion sophomore worked in on a low single, nearly scoring. But Yohn steadily worked his way behind the Lion for a takedown of his own and a 4-1 lead with :45 left. Crowell turned a low single into his first takedown to cut into the lead, but Yohn was able to reverse the Lion to lead 6-3 with 2:43 in riding time at the period's end. Yohn chose down to start the third period and was cut loose by Crowell to a 7-3 lead. With a riding time point secured, Yohn worked for, and got, a third takedown to lead 9-4 after a Crowell escape. Another takedown gave Yohn an 11-4 lead as action moved out of bounds with :49 on the clock. Yohn cut Crowell loose at the reset to an 11-5 score and the Nittany Lion sophomore worked to avoid giving up the major. But Yohn was awarded a late contested takedown to get the major, posting a 14-5 major and clinching the dual for Minnesota. HWT: Sophomore Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio), ranked No. 12 at heavyweight, took on veteran Gopher junior Ben Berhow. The duo battled evenly for the first three minutes, with neither man managing a takedown. Berhow chose down to start the second period and, as Wade looked to turn the Gopher, managed to work out from underneath the Lion and get a reversal to lead 2-1 after a Wade escape. Wade worked to score, but Berhow was able to keep the Lion at a distance to carry the 2-1 lead into the final period. Wade chose down to start the third and quickly escaped to a 2-2 tie (riding time was not a factor). Like the first two periods, offensive chances were hard to come by as each wrestler worked for an advantage. Berhow shot at Wade's waste, forcing a scramble over the final :30 that, in the end, led to a Berhow takedown with just :02 left, giving the Gopher a 4-2 upset win and Minnesota a 26-16 dual meet victory.

Big Ten powers Iowa, Ohio State to collide

Andrew Hipps — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 09:11:00 +0000

The Big Ten dual meet championship hangs in the balance as two Big Ten wrestling powers collide tonight. No. 1 Iowa hosts No. 4 Ohio State at 7 p.m. CST at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. The dual meet will be broadcast on same-day delay tonight on the Big Ten Network at 10 p.m. CST with Tim Johnson and Lee Kemp on the call. Both teams are undefeated in the Big Ten. Iowa is 21-0 overall and 6-0 in the Big Ten, while Ohio State is 18-1 overall and 7-0 in the conference. The Hawkeyes will be looking to win their school-record 60th straight dual meet. Below is a weight-by-weight prediction of tonight's dual meet. 125: Nikko Triggas (Ohio State) vs. No. 3 Matt McDonough (Iowa) With just two matches remaining in the regular season, McDonough remains undefeated at 27-0. On Sunday, the redshirt freshman had his way with returning All-American Zach Sanders of Minnesota, earning a 13-2 major decision over the Gopher sophomore. Triggas, a two-time NCAA qualifier, has been wrestling well and is on a pinning spree. He has pinned his last four opponents over the past two weekends to bring his season pin total to 12 and career total to 34. He ranks fifth on the all-time pins list at Ohio State. Bottom Line : McDonough is wrestling as well as anyone on the Hawkeyes right now. He should win handily as long as he stays out of the positions where Triggas is strong and does not get caught on his back. Prediction : McDonough (Iowa) major dec. Triggas (Ohio State) 133: Ian Paddock (Ohio State) vs. No. 3 Daniel Dennis (Iowa) Dennis, who is ranked No. 3, will be one of six Hawkeye seniors competing in his final dual meet at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. He is coming off his only Big Ten loss this season, which came at the hands of No. 1 Jayson Ness of Minnesota, 8-4, on Sunday. He comes into tonight's match with a 15-2 mark. Paddock, a true freshman, started his Big Ten season with three straight victories, but has since lost three of his last four matches. He was hammered by defending NCAA champion Franklin Gomez in his last outing, losing 14-2 on Sunday. Bottom Line : Dennis has won by major decision and put up double digit points against the last three unranked opponents he has faced in the conference. Look over Dennis to overpower the true freshman and pick up bonus points. Prediction : Dennis (Iowa) major dec. Paddock (Ohio State) 141: Pat Harrington/No. 2 Reece Humphrey (Ohio State) vs. No. 4 Montell Marion (Iowa) The big question entering this dual meet is whether or not No. 2 Reece Humphrey will take the mat for the Buckeyes. He was held out against Michigan State on Sunday after getting injured in a 14-9 victory last Friday against Ryan Prater of Illinois. Humphrey has been getting to his offense and putting points on the scoreboard lately. In his last three matches (not counting his forfeit victory), the Buckeye senior has scored 56 points. Harrington, who began the season at 125 pounds, got the start on Sunday and lost 7-2 to Dan Osterman of Michigan State. Marion has been wrestling very well of late and has climbed all the way to No. 4 in the rankings after winning seven of his last eight matches. The only hiccup during that span was an 8-6 sudden victory loss to No. 20 Adam Lynch of Penn State. He is coming off perhaps his most impressive victory of the season, a 15-7 major decision over No. 8 Mike Thorn of Minnesota, a wrestler who pinned him earlier this season. Bottom Line : Ohio State coach Tom Ryan has always stressed the importance of dual meets ... and this is certainly a very important dual meet for the Buckeyes. With that said, Ryan will not put a less-than-one-hundred-percent Humphrey out on the mat unless he believes the Buckeyes have a legitimate shot to beat the Hawekeyes. The gut feeling is that Humphrey will sit and Harrington will get the call. Prediction : Marion (Iowa) technical fall Harrington (Ohio State) 149: No. 2 Lance Palmer (Ohio State) vs. No. 1 Brent Metcalf (Iowa) Metcalf has not yet been tested in the Big Ten conference season. Of his seven conference victories, four have come by pin, two by technical fall, and one by disqualification. The undefeated and top-ranked Hawkeye will be looking for his 100th victory in his final match at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Palmer, much like Metcalf, has been dominating his Big Ten competition. He has pinned his last three opponents and has picked up bonus points in six of his last seven matches. Bottom Line : These two know each other well ... having faced each other three times during their college careers. Metcalf has won all three meetings, but Palmer has been competitive. All three matches have been within four points. Prediction : Metcalf (Iowa) dec. Palmer (Ohio State) 157: Sean Nemec (Ohio State) vs. Jake Kerr/Aaron Janssen (Iowa) Nemec has battled injuries all season, which has led to inconsistent training. When he has been on the mat, he has been solid, going 14-5. All five of his losses have come to wrestlers who have been ranked at some point this season. He picked up two conference wins last weekend, including a 6-0 shutout over returning NCAA qualifier Anthony Jones of Michigan State. Iowa has alternated Janssen and Kerr throughout the Big Ten season ... in hopes that one would step up, but it has not happened yet. Janssen has a better record this season, but Kerr has the biggest win, which came over sixth-ranked Cyler Sanderson of Penn State on January 29. Bottom Line : This is one of only two matches in the dual meet that does not include a ranked wrestler. This is not only a critical match in the dual meet, but also critical in the sense that both wrestlers who step on the mat will be showcasing their ability in hopes of earning a starting spot in the lineup for the Big Ten Championships. Prediction : Nemec (Ohio State) dec. Kerr (Iowa) 165: No. 6 Colt Sponseller (Ohio State) vs. No. 4 Ryan Morningstar (Iowa) The fourth-ranked Morningstar is coming off a weekend in which he picked up bonus points in both matches to improve to 22-3 on the season. Prior to last weekend, he had not earned bonus points in any of his five previous conference victories. All three of his losses this season have come at the hands of Big 12 opponents. He lost twice to No. 2 Jon Reader of Iowa State (before defeating Reader in the third meeting) and once to No. 8 Alex Meade of Oklahoma State. Sponseller, who is ranked No. 6, has won his last eight matches and sports a record of 24-3. His last loss came to Reader, 6-0, at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals on January 9. Bottom Line : These two met twice last season, with Morningstar winning both matches, once in sudden victory and once in the tiebreaker. Expect another tight one. Prediction : Morningstar (Iowa) dec. Sponseller (Ohio State) 174: No. 11 Dave Rella (Ohio State) vs. No. 2 Jay Borschel (Iowa) Borschel has not only been winning, but he has been dominating his opponents. The Hawkeye senior is undefeated on the season (26-0) and has earned bonus points in his last five conference matches. On Sunday, Borschel completely dominated eighth-ranked Scott Glasser of Minnesota, 14-2. Rella, a senior, is wrestling well right now. He has gone 7-0 in Big Ten competition. Last weekend, though, he was tested in matches against No. 13 Jordan Blanton of Illinois and Ian Hinton of Michigan State, winning both in sudden victory. Bottom Line : Both Borschel and Rella are wrestling with a lot of confidence right now. The two met at the Big Ten Championships (consolation semifinals) last season, with Borschel winning that match 7-0. Prediction : Borschel (Iowa) major dec. Rella (Ohio State) 184: No. 7 Mike Pucillo (Ohio State) vs. No. 11 Phillip Keddy (Iowa) When the season began, many believed this would be the national championship match as they were the two highest returning placewinners at this weight class. Both certainly have the ability to still reach the NCAA finals, but at the beginning of the season it would have been hard to fathom that neither wrestler would be ranked in the top five and one would be outside the top 10. Both have had solid seasons, but have lost some tight battles. Pucillo dropped his first conference match last weekend to second-ranked John Dergo of Illinois, 6-2, on Friday, but bounced back on Sunday to pick up a 12-6 victory over Curran Jacobs of Michigan State. Keddy has gone 5-1 in the conference, but lost to the only ranked opponent (No. 10 David Erwin of Penn State) that he has faced in those matches. Bottom Line : Pucillo and Keddy have met four times during their college careers. Pucillo has won three of the four meetings, but Keddy took the last one, a 5-2 tiebreaker victory in the semifinals of the Big Ten Championships last season. Prediction : Pucillo (Ohio State) dec. Keddy (Iowa) 197: C.J. Magrum (Ohio State) vs. Luke Lofthouse (Iowa) Lofthouse will compete this weekend for the final time this season as Chad Beatty is expected to return to the Hawkeye lineup for the Big Ten Championships. He has gone 6-6 since stepping in the lineup and is 19-12 overall. Lofthouse has won four of his last five matches. Magrum, a redshirt freshman, moved up two weight classes after competing at 174 pounds during his redshirt season. Magrum dropped three of his first four conference matches, but has picked up steam lately, winning his last three. He comes into tonight's match with a season record of 16-10. Bottom Line : These two have similar results against common opponents, which probably means it will be a very competitive match. Prediction: Lofthouse (Iowa) dec. Magrum (Ohio State) 285: Corey Morrison (Ohio State) vs. No. 10 Dan Erekson (Iowa) Erekson, a returning All-American, has gone 6-0 since stepping in the lineup on January 24 after missing the first two months of the season. The only ranked wrestler he has faced in those six matches is No. 12 Cameron Wade of Penn State, who he defeated 6-1. On Sunday, Erekson was pushed hard by Minnesota heavyweight Ben Berhow, but the Hawkeye senior heavyweight prevailed, 5-3, in sudden victory. Morrison has been wrestling well of late, winning his last three matches to improve to 18-10 overall on the season, but he's still looking for his first victory over a ranked opponent this season. Bottom Line : Erekson didn't look great against Berhow on Sunday, but still pulled out a close victory against a quality heavyweight. Morrison seems to beat the heavyweight he should, but has struggled with ranked heavyweights. Prediction : Erekson (Iowa) dec. Morrison (Ohio State) Dual Meet Prediction: Iowa 29, Ohio State 6

Boilers close dual slate with win over Illinois

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:09:00 +0000

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - In front of almost 2,500 fans at Huff Hall, the No. 23 Purdue wrestling team snapped an 11-match losing streak to the University of Illinois, knocking off the 21st-ranked Fighting Illini, 25-11. The Boilermakers secured their fourth straight winning season with the victory, finishing the dual season at 11-10 overall and 2-6 in conference contests, while Illinois wraps up the year at 8-8 (3-5 Big Ten). The win makes Purdue head coach Scott Hinkel the only coach in the Boilermakers' 96-year history to post a winning dual mark in his first three seasons at the helm, improving his career mark to 33-25-1. It also matches the longest streak of consecutive winning seasons in school history, matching the stretch between 1996 and 1999, and gives Purdue its first win over Illinois since 1999. The Old Gold and Black took home seven of the 10 bouts on the evening, including bonus-point victories by juniors Logan Brown and Akif Eren and freshman Cashé Quiroga. Sixth-ranked junior Luke Manuel opened the match in solid fashion, grinding out a 5-3 win over 13th-ranked Illinois sophomore Jordan Blanton at 174 pounds. Manuel hit the same takedown twice in the first period to build his lead and displayed his outstanding defensive stance the rest of the way to take home his 36th victory of the season. His win total is the best in NCAA Division I this season and is now tied for ninth in Purdue's single-season record books with Hinkel's senior year in 1987. The Fighting Illini responded at 184 pounds as second-ranked senior John Dergo used solid defense for a 14-4 major decision over Purdue senior Nick Corpe. Four of Dergo's takedowns in the match came off of Corpe's shots as he managed to stuff the shot and work behind for takedowns and a 4-3 advantage in the team score. The Boilermakers came roaring back through the remainder of the top end of the lineup as Brown, ranked 15th in the country at 197, and junior classmate David Pisarcik rolled out back-to-back wins at 197 and 285 to give Purdue an 11-3 lead. Brown put on a takedown clinic at 197, rolling out six two-pointers en route to a 20-4 technical fall in 6:35 over Illini senior Jake Norman. Pisarcik followed with his first match of the year at 285 pounds, posting an 8-4 win over Illinois sophomore Marty Smith. The Purdue run continued at the top of the lineup as Quiroga, tabbed 19th in the nation at 125, and Eren notched major decisions at 125 and 133 pounds, respectively. Quiroga burst on to the Boilermakers' single-season takedown leaderboard, racking up six two-point maneuvers in a 14-4 major decision over Illinois junior John Deneen. Quiroga leads Purdue with 99 takedowns this season, good for 16th in single-season history for the Boilermakers. Eren posted a dominating performance in his 12-2 win over Illini freshman Daryl Thomas, nearly pinning him twice en route to bonus points. Eren hit a monster throw en route to the five point play in the first period to build his lead and turned Thomas for three more backs in the second, missing the pin by seconds as time expired. No. 14 junior Ryan Prater halted the Boilermakers' run at 141 pounds, scoring an impressive 13-0 major decision over Purdue sophomore Bill Putman to trim the lead to 19-8. The first period was very exciting as the pair went into a 30-to-45 second scramble that went back and forth with Prater eventually emerging with the two points. It was all Illini the rest of the match as Putman fought off the technical fall late. The bout at 149 was by far the most exciting of the night, going all the way to a second sudden-victory period before Purdue senior Nick Bertucci came away with a thrilling 6-4 victory over No. 19 sophomore Eric Terrazas. The two traded takedowns and escapes through the first period en route to a 3-3 score, and each scored an escape to start the second and third frames to end regulation at 4-4. Neither wrestler could score in the first overtime, and both rode their opponent for a full 30 seconds through the tie-break period, forcing another minute period on their feet. Terrazas pulled the trigger midway through the second overtime, snatching one of Bertucci's leg, but in a replay of Bertucci's first-period takedown, the Boilermaker senior locked his hands through the legs of Terrazas, shifted his hips through, stepped over Terrazas' trail leg and worked through for two and his second straight Big Ten Dual win. With the team score in hand, Purdue junior Colton Salazar added to the Boilermakers' lead at 157 pounds with a 10-4 decision over senior Clint Arlis. Salazar picked Arlis' ankle twice in the first period, hit a nice single-leg takedown in the second and scored a fourth takedown in the third for his 27th win of the season and fourth straight in conference action. The Fighting Illini closed out the dual with a narrow win as freshman Conrad Polz needed a riding-time point to outlast Boilermaker senior Jason Martin, 4-3. Purdue heads into postseason action their next time out, traveling to Ann Arbor, Mich., for the Big Ten Championships on Saturday and Sunday, March 6-7. #23 Purdue 25 - #21 Illinois 11 174: #6 Luke Manuel (PU) def. #13 Jordan Blanton (UI), D 5-3 (3-0) 184: #2 John Dergo (UI) def. Nick Corpe (PU), MD 14-4 (3-4) 197: #15 Logan Brown (PU) def. Jake Norman (UI), TF 20-4 (6:35) (8-4) 285: David Pisarcik (PU) def. Marty Smith (UI), D 8-4 (11-4) 125: Cashé Quiroga (PU) def. John Deneen (UI), MD 14-4 (15-4) 133: Akif Eren (PU) def. Daryl Thomas (UI), MD 12-2 (19-4) 141: #14 Ryan Prater (UI) def. Bill Putman (PU), MD 13-0 (19-8) 149: Nick Bertucci (PU) def. #19 Eric Terrazas (UI), SV2 6-4 (22-8) 157: Colton Salazar (PU) def. Clint Arlis (UI), D 10-4 (25-8) 165: Conrad Polz (UI) def. Jason Martin (PU), D 4-3 (25-11)

Top-ranked Iowa upends Minnesota, 28-9

Sun, 14 Feb 2010 22:46:00 +0000

MINNEAPOLIS -- The top-ranked University of Iowa wrestling team extended its winning streak to 59 dual matches Sunday night with a 28-9 win at #5 Minnesota at Williams Arena. The Hawkeyes improved to 21-0 (6-0 Big Ten) while handing the Golden Gophers (11-5, 5-1 Big Ten) their first conference dual loss of the season. Iowa went 7-3 on the night, scoring team bonus points at six weights. It was Iowa's second win over Minnesota this season, posting a 28-18 win Jan. 10 in the championship semifinals of the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals in Cedar Falls. "In a dual meet like this you need bonus points, and we got them early," said Hawkeye Head Coach Tom Brands, who collected his 80th career victory with the win. "This was a big win for us. This rivalry is not going away. We have got to be ready to come into an environment like this and perform." Hawkeye redshirt freshman Matt McDonough set the tone for the dual with his opening 13-2 major decision over #6 Zach Sanders at 125. McDonough, who is ranked fourth in the nation with an undefeated 27-0 record, dominated Sanders. He accumulated over four minutes of riding time on four takedowns and three nearfall points. Minnesota handed Iowa its first individual dual loss since Jan. 29 when top-ranked Jayson Ness scored an 8-4 win over Iowa senior Daniel Dennis at 133. Ness, who is undefeated at 22-0, built a 5-0 lead early in the second period. Dennis, who is ranked third by Amateur Wrestling News and Intermat, and seventh by WIN Magazine, scored a takedown in the second period and an escape in the third period to pull within two (5-3), but Ness scored another takedown and a point for riding time for the win. Dennis is now 14-2 on the season. Iowa added two more bonus-point wins at 141 and 149 to take a 13-3 lead. Sophomore Montell Marion avenged last month's National Duals loss to Minnesota's Mike Thorn with a 15-7 major decision at 141 to pick up his fourth straight win. Marion took a narrow 7-5 lead into the third period, scoring a reversal, takedown, three nearfall points and a riding time point for the win. The Hawkeye sophomore is now 18-3 on the season, going 10-2 in dual competition. At 149, top-ranked Iowa senior Brent Metcalf improved to 27-0 with his 23-8 match-ending technical fall in 6:19 over Minnesota redshirt freshman Mario Mason. Metcalf scored a takedown and two nearfall points in the first minute of the match, and added another takedown before being caught in a scramble and getting taken down by Mason. Metcalf quickly escaped, added another takedown in the first period and four more in the second period for a 20-7 lead. One third-period takedown and a stalling point for Mason gave Metcalf his 24th bonus-point win of the season. The Golden Gophers grabbed their second win of the night when #2 Dustin Schlatter scored a 4-1 decision over Iowa junior Jake Kerr at 157. The Hawkeyes came out of the intermission with three straight major decisions from three Iowa seniors to seal the team victory. Ryan Morningstar got the run going with his 9-0 win over Cody Yohn at 165. After a scoreless first period, Morningstar scored five nearfall points from the top position in the second period. He then added an escape, takedown and riding time point in the third period to improve to 22-3 this season and collect his seventh straight win. At 174, Jay Borschel kept his 26-0 record spotless with a 14-2 win over Scott Glasser. Borschel, who is ranked first or second in the nation, dominated the match, scoring a takedown in each period and tallying four nearfall points in the first three minutes. Glasser, who is ranked between seventh and eighth, had won 17 of his last 18 bouts with his last loss coming to Borschel at National Duals in January. At 184, Phillip Keddy scored a takedown in each period and accumulated over four minutes of riding time in his 9-1 win over Kaleb Young. Minnesota put its final points on the board at 197 when Sonny Yohn scored a 7-0 decision over Iowa junior Luke Lofthouse. Lofthouse fought off his back in the second period, but Yohn added an escape, takedown and riding time point in the third period for the win. Hawkeye senior Dan Erekson needed an extra minute in his heavyweight match with Ben Berhow, scoring a 5-3 win in sudden victory. Neither wrestler scored in the first period, but Erekson escaped in the second period and scored a takedown to take a 3-0 lead. Berhow escaped at the end of the second period and the start of the third to make the score 3-2. Erekson was warned for stalling twice in the third period, which gave Berhow a penalty point and sent the match into overtime tied at 3-3. Erekson scored a takedown in sudden victory to improve to 6-0 this season. Iowa will close out the 2009-10 Big Ten dual season at home and on the road next weekend, with both matches appearing on the Big Ten Network. The Hawkeyes will host #3 Ohio State (18-1, 7-0 Big Ten) Friday, at 7 p.m. (CT) at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Big Ten Network will air a same-day taped delay broadcast of the dual at 10 p.m. (CT). Tickets purchased in advance are $13 for adults, $7 for youth and $2 for children ages five and under, while tickets purchased at the meet are $15 for adults, $8 for youth and $2 for children ages five and under. UI students will be admitted for free. Tickets are available at the University of Iowa Athletic Ticket Office at 1-800-464-2957, 319-335-9327 or www.hawkeyesports.com, where fans can take advantage of a print-at-home option. The Hawkeyes will close out the dual meet season Sunday at #15 Wisconsin (7-9, 3-3 Big Ten). The match will be wrestled at the UW Field House in Madison at 3 p.m. (CT), and aired on a same-day taped-delay basis on the Big Ten Network at 10 p.m. Tickets ($5 for adults, $2 for children and seniors) go on-sale starting one hour prior to the event and are available at the ticket windows located inside the entrance to Gates B and C of the Field House. #1 Iowa 28, #5 Minnesota 9 125 - Matt McDonough (I) maj. dec. Zach Sanders (M), 13-2 133 - Jayson Ness (M) dec. Daniel Dennis (I), 8-4 141 - Montell Marion (I) maj. dec. Mike Thorn (M), 15-7 149 - Brent Metcalf (I) tech. fall Mario Mason (M), 23-8 in 6:19 157 - Dustin Schlatter (M) dec. Jake Kerr (I), 4-1 165 - Ryan Morningstar (I) maj. dec. Cody Yohn (M), 9-0 174 - Jay Borschel (I) maj. dec. Scott Glasser (M), 14-2 184 - Phillip Keddy (I) maj. dec. Kaleb Young (M), 9-1 197 - Sonny Yohn (M) dec. Luke Lofthouse (I), 7-0 Hwt - Dan Erekson (I) dec. Ben Berhow (M), 5-3 SV

Pins send Indiana past Purdue, 22-17

Sun, 14 Feb 2010 14:55:00 +0000

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - Put a point on the board for the Hoosiers in the Crimson and Gold Cup Standings after the wrestling team's 22-17 victory over Purdue. Indiana split the 10 bouts, five wins apiece, but a pair of Hoosier pins proved to be the difference. The No. 13 Hoosiers improve to 15-3 overall and 4-3 in Big Ten action with the win at Lawrence North High School. Indiana completes a weekend sweep after a 22-13 besting of Michigan at home on Friday night. Indiana began the dual in an 8-0 hole following losses in the first two opening matches at 174 and 184 pounds. Redshirt sophmore Matt Powless, ranked 15th nationally, lit the scoreboard first for IU, picking an exciting 4-1 over No. 13 Logan Brown. Powless defeated Brown in last year's dual against Purdue as well, clinching the Indiana team victory a year ago. Second-ranked and undefeated heavyweight Nate Everhart then pushed IU ahead 9-8 by sticking Adam Walls in the first period (2:27) and having his hand raised for the 31st time this season. Next up was the 125-lbs. bout which showcased Indiana's other wrestler yet to suffer a loss, Angel Escobedo. The Griffith, Ind., native put a hurting on Lawrence North alum Cashe Quiroga. Escobedo posted a 19-5 major decision over No. 17 Quiroga, narrowly missing out on the tech fall. He also brought the IU-heavy crowd to their feet in the closing seconds as he hit a throw that sent Quiroga straight to his back. Quiroga was saved by the bell, however, as time expired in the match before Escobedo could secure the fall. A decision for the Boilermakers at 133-lbs. closed the gap to just two points at 13-11. That is when redshirt freshman Danny Monaco came up big for his Hoosiers. Monaco topped Bill Putman, 7-1, for a decision that extended the IU lead to 16-11. That lead didn't stand for long though as Purdue seized the next two bouts to regain an edge at 17-16 heading into the final match of the day. Indiana's Paul Young (No. 12) left little doubt toa the outcome right from the get-go, posting takedown after takedown in the opening period. He then finished off Jason Martin in the second stanza, recording his team-leading 13th pin of the year. The Cream and Crimson wrap up their regular season slate on the road next Sunday up in East Lansing against the Michigan State Spartans. That match is scheduled for a 2 p.m. start and will be broadcast online at www.bigtennetwork.com. INDIANA 22, PURDUE 17 174 lbs.- #6 Luke Manuel (PU) tech falls Nick Avery (IU), 22-7 (Team Score: 0-5) 184 lbs.- Nick Corpe (PU) dec. over Eric Cameron (IU), 3-2 (0-8) 197 lbs.- #15 Matt Powless (IU) dec. over #13 Logan Brown (PU), 4-1 (3-8) 285 lbs.- #2 Nate Everhart (IU) pins Adam Walls (PU), 2:27 (9-8) 125 lbs.- #1 Angel Escobedo (IU) maj. dec. over #17 Cashe Quiroga (PU), 19-5 (13-8) 133 lbs.- Akif Eren (PU) dec. over Matt Ortega (IU), 6-2 (13-11) 141 lbs.- Danny Monaco (IU) dec. over Bill Putman (PU), 7-1 (16-11) 149 lbs.- Nick Bertucci (PU) dec. over Matt Coughlin (IU), 3-0 (16-14) 157 lbs.- Colton Salazar (PU) dec. over #6 Kurt Kinser (IU), 3-1 (SV) (16-17) 165 lbs.- #12 Paul Young (IU) pins Jason Martin (PU), 4:34 (22-17)

Wisconsin dominates Michigan, 26-9

Sun, 14 Feb 2010 17:53:00 +0000

MADISON, Wis.--The No. 15 Wisconsin wrestling team (7-9, 3-3) defeated Michigan (4-13, 0-6) 26-9 in the team's final road match of the 2009-10 season. The Badgers had seven individual victories in their largest margin of victory of the year. The match began at 165 lbs., where No. 1 sophomore Andrew Howe claimed his 26th victory and 10th major decision of the season over junior Aaron Hynes. Howe recorded seven takedowns and a reversal in his 17-7 victory. The win improved Howe's record to a perfect 26-0 and gave the Badgers a 4-0 edge over the Wolverines. At 174 lbs., freshman Brendan Ard made his fourth consecutive start as he took on sophomore Justin Zeerip. Ard was defeated in a close 5-2 decision to make the team scores 4-3 in favor of the UW. Ard scored a reversal in the third period for his only points. No. 16 sophomore Travis Rutt dropped Wisconsin's second match of the day with a 4-2 loss to redshirt freshman Hunter Collins at 184 lbs. Rutt, who scored two escapes in the loss, now has an 11-8 record this season. Michigan took its first and only lead of the afternoon, 6-4. No. 7 junior Trevor Brandvold got Wisconsin back in front when he faced Michigan's only ranked wrestler, No. 8 Anthony Biondo, at 197 lbs. Brandvold won the bout by a 4-1 decision, extending his win streak to eight matches. Brandvold's victory put the Badgers back on top, 7-6. At heavyweight, junior Eric Bugenhagen won his fourth-straight conference match as he defeated redshirt freshman Ben Apland. Bugenhagen scored a takedown and an escape in the 3-2 victory, extending the Badgers' lead to 10-6. Senior Drew Hammen took on true freshman Sean Boyle at 125 lbs. Hammen won the bout 4-3, claiming his first Big Ten victory this season, and his first since the Midlands Championship on Dec. 29. Hammen scored a reversal and nearfall in the third period, adding three points to Wisconsin's score and making it 13-6. At 133 lbs., No. 6 redshirt freshman Tyler Graff captured his seventh-straight win thanks to a victory over sophomore Zac Stevens. With a 12-3 major decision, Graff is now 23-4 on the season and has six consecutive wins by bonus points. The Badgers led by 17-6 following the match. Redshirt freshman Cole Schmitt then shutout sophomore Mark Weber at 141 lbs., in a 4-0 decision. Schmitt scored a takedown and an escape and added riding time for his winning total. He is now 16-13 this season and is 3-3 in Big Ten matchups. The win extended the Wisconsin lead to 20-6. The Badgers claimed their fifth-straight individual victory of the afternoon as No. 5 senior Kyle Ruschell defeated redshirt freshman Mark Boyer at 149 lbs. Ruschell won the bout with a pin at 5:14, his third win via fall this season. He now has a 24-2 record and is 5-1 in the Big Ten. Michigan claimed a final victory at 157 lbs. as junior Greg Burke lost to sophomore Dave Johnson. Johnson won the match 15-8 with Burke scoring a takedown and three reversals in the bout. The victory came too little too late as the margin still favored Wisconsin, 26-9. The Badgers now return home to host Northwestern on Friday, Feb. 19 at 7 p.m. and No. 1 Iowa on Sunday, Feb. 21 at 1 p.m.

Ohio St. prolongs torrid run, tops Michigan St.

Sun, 14 Feb 2010 17:01:00 +0000

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Not only has the Ohio State wrestling team won seven consecutive Big Ten matches this season, but the No. 4/3 Buckeyes (18-1; 7-0) also own a 13-match conference win streak that dates back to 2008-09 following their 30-7 win over Michigan State Sunday in St. John Arena. The Buckeyes will look to run the table next Friday when they travel to Iowa City to face the No. 1 team in the nation in the Iowa Hawkeyes. That match is slated for an 8 p.m. ET start in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes face No. 5 Minnesota at 7 p.m. ET Sunday. Wrestling for the last time in front of family and friends in St. John Arena, seniors Corey Morrison, Lance Palmer, Mike Pucillo and Dave Rella all won their final matches in the historic venue. Reece Humphrey did not wrestle because of injury. The afternoon began at 125 pounds and just like the previous three matches, junior Nikko Triggas pinned his opponent; this time Brenan Lyon was down in 2:25. The Buckeye from Moraga, Calif., now has 12 falls on the season for a career 34, good for fifth place in the program's record book. After dropping matches at 133 and 141 pounds, the Scarlet and Gray faced a slim 7-6 deficit, but would win the remaining seven matches. At 149 pounds, Palmer helped Ohio State regain the lead (12-7) when he pinned No. 12 David Cheza in 4:51. A team captain from Columbia Station, Ohio, Palmer is second (tie) on the team in falls with seven after back-to-back pins this weekend. Sean Nemec scored his second-consecutive Big Ten win Sunday when he beat Anthony Jones, Jr., 6-0, at 157 pounds. Nemec, a sophomore from Garfield Heights, Ohio, continuously increased his advantage, taking a 2-0 lead after the first and building it to 3-0 following the second. Another takedown in the final two minutes, coupled with a 1:08 riding time gave him his second straight win and 13th overall this season. Junior Colt Sponseller only gave up an escape in his 7-1 decision over Kyle Bounds at 165 pounds. Sponseller, a native of Glenmont, Ohio, used two takedowns, an escape and riding time to secure the victory. (Sponseller was awarded a point on a second called MSU warning). For the second-straight dual match and third this season, Rella wrestled into extra time before winning. Up against Ian Hinton, the two grapplers traded escapes throughout regulation. It was in the one-minute sudden victory, Rella recorded the takedown for the 3-1 win. The native of Akron, Ohio, is 3-0 in dual matches this season in sudden victory. Pucillo rebounded from a loss Friday and beat Curran Jacobs, 12-6, at 184 pounds. A native of Strongsville, Ohio, Pucillo built a 9-2 lead after the second period and finished the match with a final takedown and riding time of 3:30 for his 17th victory of the season. C.J. Magrum held on for a 3-1 win over Tyler Dickenson at 197 pounds to give the Buckeyes a 27-7 advantage. Despite an escape by Dickenson in the third period to cut Magrum's lead to two points, the Buckeye from Oak Harbor, Ohio, halted any rally attempt from the Spartan. Morrison wrapped up the afternoon and his collegiate career in Columbus with an 11-4 decision over Alan O'Donnell at heavyweight. A fifth-year graduate student, Morrison jumped out to a 4-1 lead after the first period. However, O'Donnell scored a reversal in the next period to cut Morrison's lead to 4-3. The Buckeye from Shaker Heights, Ohio, countered with an escape and takedown to go up 7-3. Choosing bottom in the final period, Morrison recorded another escape. He then scored a crucial takedown in an attempt at bonus points (Morrison also owned riding time), but O'Donnell managed an escape as time ticked off the clock. Ian Paddock and Pat Harrington suffered setbacks at 133 and 141 pounds, respectively. Facing No. 4 and reigning NCAA champion Franklin Gomez, Paddock lost 14-2. Filling in for Humphrey, Harrington dropped a 7-2 decision to Dan Osterman. No. 4 Ohio State (18-1; 7-0 Big Ten) 30 vs. Michigan State (8-7-1; 2-5 Big Ten) 7 125 No. 20 Nikko Triggas (OSU) pinned Brenan Lyon (MSU), 6:25 133 No. 4 Franklin Gomez (MSU) mdec. Ian Paddock (OSU), 14-2 141 Dan Osterman (MSU) dec. Pat Harrington (OSU), 7-2 149 No. 2 Lance Palmer (OSU) pinned No. 12 David Cheza (MSU), 4:51 157 Sean Nemec (OSU) dec. Anthony Jones, Jr. (MSU), 6-0 165 No. 6 Colt Sponseller (OSU) dec. Kyle Bounds (MSU), 7-1 174 No. 11 Dave Rella (OSU) dec. Ian Hinton (MSU), 3-1sv 184 No. 7 Mike Pucillo (OSU) dec. Curran Jacobs (MSU), 12-6 197 C.J. Magrum (OSU) dec. Tyler Dickenson (MSU), 3-1 285 Corey Morrison (OSU) dec. Alan O'Donnell (MSU), 11-4

Penn State fares well at Edinboro Open

Sat, 13 Feb 2010 21:36:00 +0000

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – Eleven members of the Penn State wrestling team headed north to take part in the 2010 Edinboro Open and eight of that group earned places at the event. Red-shirts David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio), Jake Kemerer (Greensburg, Pa.) and Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.) all earned titles. Each of Penn State's entrants was unattached at the non-traditional tournament and, since bouts were not of regulation length (six minutes with three separate two-minute periods instead of seven minutes); none of the results count on the wrestlers records. Taylor stormed through the 157-pound weight class to claim his third Open title of the year, getting two pins in the process. Kemerer was a perfect 4-0 at 165 with a pin and a major to win the crown, his first Open title of the year. Wright went 4-0 at 184 with one pin to win the crown, his third of the year as well. Freshman James Vollrath (Richboro, Pa.) was solid at 157 as well, taking third with a pin and two majors. His only loss was to Taylor. Nick Fischer (Unionville, Pa.) also had a good tournament, going 3-2 to take fourth at 157. He lost to Vollrath in the consolation finals. Freshman Tom Reynolds (Skillman, N.J.) placed fourth at 133 with a 4-2 mark, losing in the consolation finals. Freshman James English (York, Pa.) went 5-2 at 149 to take fourth, falling in the conso finals as well. Freshman Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.) took sixth at 184 with a 2-3 mark. Three other Nittany Lions competed at the event. Junior Eric Caschera (South Williamsport, Pa.) went 1-2 at 125, freshman Jarret Freeman (Laurelton, N.Y.) went 0-2 at 149 and freshman Eric Resch (Lititz, Pa.) was 1-2 at 165. Penn State is now 13-5-1 on the year, 5-2 in Big Ten duals, and riding a four-dual win streak. Michigan State now sits at 8-6-1, 2-4 Big Ten. The Nittany Lions close out the regular season at No. 5 Minnesota on Friday, Feb. 19, in an 8 p.m. (Eastern) dual in Minneapolis. All Penn State events will once again air live on Forever Broadcasting's WRSC (1390 AM) or 3WZ (95.3 FM) and on www.GoPSUsports.com as well. The 2009-10 Penn State Wrestling season is presented by The Family Clothesline.