PALO ALTO, Calif. – Utah Valley snapped a five-match losing streak with a bang Friday night by defeating two solid Pac-12 wrestling programs at Burnham Pavilion in Palo Alto, Calif. The Wolverines (5-7, 0-3 WWC) started the night with a 19-17 win over Cal Poly and followed it up with a 25-10 victory over Stanford.

“I was very pleased with how well we fought. We did a much better job in some areas as a team than we have done in the past,” UVU head coach Greg Williams said. “I told the guys before the matches that a lot of them were ready to start turning the corner in some areas and I saw that tonight.”

In the nightcap against the Cardinal (8-7, 3-1 Pac-12), the Wolverines jumped out to an early 16-0 lead after they won the first four matches of the contest and didn’t look back as they went on to win seven of the 10 bouts.

UVU 125-pounder Colby Christensen started off the scoring by receiving a forfeit victory. Blake Mangum (133 pounds) then followed it up with an 11-3 major decision win over Stanford’s Jordan Bryan. Wolverine 141-pounder Avery Garner and 149-pounder Josh Wilson, who is currently ranked 12th nationally, then came through with 8-2 and 9-4 respective wins over Alex Manley and Timmy Boone.

Garrett Schaner then got the Cardinal on the scoreboard with a 7-1 victory over Napoleon Aniciete (157) but UVU’s Ethan Smith (165) responded by pulling off a 2-1 win over Stanford’s Bret Baumbach with a late third period reversal to give the Wolverines a commanding 19-3 lead.

Top-ranked Nick Amuchastegui, who was the NCAA runner-up a year ago, and Spence Patrick then cut into the deficit for Stanford with consecutive victories over UVU’s Monte Schmalhaus (174) and David Prieto (184) to cut the team score to 19-10. But two more wins by the Wolverines helped Utah Valley cruise to the win.

Wolverine 197-pounder Brian Chamberlain and heavyweight Dustin Dennison sealed the victory with 6-4 and 4-2 respective wins over SU’s Alan Yen and Brendan Ter Wee.

In the opening dual of the evening, the Wolverines and Cal Poly (5-6, 3-2 Pac-12) each won five bouts apiece but a first period win from Smith over Paul Woodman was the difference, as Utah Valley pulled out the contest by two points.

Christensen and Mangum got the Wolverines off to a solid start against the Mustangs by picking up back-to-back wins to give Utah Valley an early 7-0 lead. Christensen won his match over Britain Longmire 5-2, while Mangum won his first dual bout of the season with a 19-5 major decision over Michael Clemmenson.

Cal Poly then tied the score at 7-all with two straight wins of their own. Second-ranked Boris Novachkov defeated Garner 12-4 and Kyle Chene pulled out a hard fought 2-1 win over Wilson. The Wolverines answered back with two more consecutive victories however as Aniciete beat Gianpier Yanez 6-1 and Smith followed it up by pulling off his second straight pin as he defeated Woodman by fall just 2:03 into the match. The wins put UVU up 16-7.

The Mustangs battled back by winning three of the final four matches of the contest but Prieto’s late win helped Utah Valley hold on to the 19-17 win.

After fourth-ranked Ryan DesRoches defeated Schmalhaus 4-1, Prieto’s 5-1 overtime victory over Derek Hawkins helped the Wolverines pull out the win.

Cal Poly’s 197-pounder Ryan Smith (ranked 18th) and heavyweight Atticus Disney finished off the contest with wins over Chamberlain and Dennison, 15-6 and 4-1 respectively, but the Wolverine lead was too large for the Mustangs to overcome.

The two dual victories improved UVU’s season mark against Pac-12 opponents to a perfect 3-0, as the Wolverines previously defeated Boise State 19-18 in Orem on Jan. 12.

“It’s easy to hang your head when things aren’t going your way but today it seemed like everyone had a better attitude and worked harder,” Williams added. “The guys fought well and created some opportunities because of that and were able to capitalize and win some matches.”

The Wolverines will return home for three duals in the UCCU Center next weekend. On Friday, Feb. 10, UVU will take on two conference foes when it hosts South Dakota State and North Dakota State at 5 and 7 p.m. respectively. The next night, the Wolverines will then welcome No. 2 Penn State to town for a 7 p.m. contest.

FINAL RESULTS

Utah Valley 19, Cal Poly 17
125: Colby Christensen (UVU) dec. Britain Longmire (CP), 5-2
133: Blake Mangum (UVU) maj. dec. Michael Clemmenson (CP), 19-5
141: #2 Boris Novachkov (CP) maj. dec. Avery Garner (UVU), 12-4
149: Kyle Chene (CP) dec. #12 Josh Wilson (UVU), 2-1
157: Napoleon Aniciete (UV) dec. Gianpier Yanez (CP), 6-1
165: Ethan Smith (UVU) fall Paul Woodman (CP), 2:03
174: #4 Ryan DesRoches (CP) dec. Monte Schmalhaus (UVU), 4-1
184: David Prieto (UVU) dec. Derek Hawkins (CP), 5-1 (OT)
197: #18 Ryan Smith (CP) maj. dec. Brian Chamberlain (UVU), 15-6
HWT: Atticus Disney (CP) dec. Dustin Dennison (UVU), 4-3

Utah Valley 25, Stanford 10
125: Colby Christensen (UVU) won by forfeit
133: Blake Mangum (UVU) maj. dec. Jordan Bryan (SU), 11-3
141: Avery Garner (UVU) dec. Alex Manley (SU), 8-2
149: #12 Josh Wilson (UVU) dec. Timmy Boone (SU), 9-4
157: Garrett Schaner (SU) dec. Napoleon Aniciete (UVU), 7-1
165: Ethan Smith (UVU) dec. Bret Baumbach (SU), 2-1
174: #1 Nick Amuchastegui (SU) maj. dec. Monte Schmalhaus (UVU), 12-4
184: Spence Patrick (SU) dec. David Prieto (UVU), 3-0
197: Brian Chamberlain (UVU) dec. Alan Yen (SU), 6-4
HWT: Dustin Dennison (UVU) dec. Brendan Ter Wee (SU), 4-2

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The sixth-ranked Illinois wrestling team’s regular season came to a close on Friday as they hammered Wisconsin, 38-3, tying the highest point total scored this season. The Illini won nine total matches tonight including five bouts with bonus points, three of them coming by technical fall. With the win, Illinois finishes the 2011-12 season 14-2 overall, the most wins since the 2004-05 season and 6-2 in the Big Ten.

“I thought overall we were pretty aggressive and scored a lot of points,” head coach Jim Heffernan. “We’ve been emphasizing scoring a lot of points this season because at the highest level, you need to be competitive. We’re definitely heading in the right direction with the national duals coming up next weekend. Overall, our dual meet season has been positive. We beat some really good teams. Our guys are really making progress and wrestling well.”

The dual started at 125 with Jesse Delgado winning his eighth match this season by technical fall. Delgado lead 10-1 after the first period and recorded a two-point reversal in the second to go to 12-1 heading into the final period. The freshman scored two takedowns and a three-point nearfall to clinch the victory and put the Illini up 5-0.

B.J. Futrell followed in Delgado’s footsteps and defeated Shane McQuade by technical fall to increase his winning streak to ten, a career-best. Futrell was up 11-3 at the end of the first and needed only 4:39 to win the match 21-5 and increase the team lead to 10-0.

At 141, Daryl Thomas recorded his fourth straight victory when he took on Thomas Glenn on Friday night. Thomas led the entire match, leading 6-2 after the first and 13-4 heading into the final period. The three-point nearfall at the seven minute mark put the exclamation point on the match as Thomas won his 13th match this season, tying his career-best and pushing the score to 15-0.

Eric Terrazas, one of the two seniors wrestling their final match at Huff Hall wrestled Alex Ybe in an exhibition match at 149-pounds. Wisconsin forfeited the 149-pound match and the Illini were given the six points automatically. The senior finished the match with a 7-2 decision over Ybe to win his last match at home and helped bump the team score to 24-0.

In the marquee matchup of the night, No. 8 Conrad Polz was ousted by No. 13 Ben Jordan as the redshirt-junior lost just his second match of the season. The two needed extra time to decide the outcome, however Jordan scored the late takedown in overtime to give the Badgers their only points of the match, winning 3-1 and making the score 24-3.

Jordan Blanton (174) and Tony Dallago (184) both won their bouts by major decision with Blanton winning 19-8 over Frank Cousins and Dallago posting a 15-1 victory over Timmy McCall. Dallago’s win was his 17th this season, tying his career-best set last year. With the two victories the Illini’s lead was 32-3 with two bouts remaining.

Mario Gonzalez defeated Jackson Hein in a 4-1 decision while Pat Walker moved past Cole Tobin 6-1 to give the Illini the 38-3 victory. It was Gonzalez’s sixth victory over a Big Ten opponent this season while it was Walker’s second.

Illinois will travel to the National Duals in Ithaca, N.Y. on Feb. 17 where they will compete against Cornell and Oklahoma.

#6 Illinois 38, Wisconsin 3

125 – No. 6 Jesse Delgado (ILL) tech fall Austin Hietpas WIS), 19-3 6:33

133 – No. 5 BJ Futrell (ILL) tech fall Shane McQuade (WIS), 21-5 4:39

141 – Daryl Thomas (ILL) tech fall Thomas Glenn (WIS), 25-9 7:00

149 – No. 16 Eric Terrazas (ILL) dec. Alex Ybe (WIS), 7-2 (Exhibition)

157 – Jackson Morse (ILL) dec. Shawn Perry (WIS), 4-0

165 – No. 13 Ben Jordan (WIS) dec. No. 8 Conrad Polz (WIS), 3-1

174 – No. 12 Jordan Blanton (ILL) maj. dec. Frank Cousins (WIS), 19-8

184 – Tony Dallago (ILL) maj. dec. Timmy McCall (WIS), 15-1

197 – No. 16 Mario Gonzalez (ILL) dec. Jackson Hein (WIS), 4-1

HWT – Pat Walker (ILL) dec. Cole Tobin (WIS), 6-1

EVANSTON, Ill. – No. 19 Northwestern took a break from its Big Ten dual schedule Friday night at and won its eighth match of the year, defeating Northern Illinois, 24-18, at Welsh-Ryan Arena. The Wildcats won six of 10 bouts, including four with bonus points, improving to a perfect 5-0 in nonconference action.

Northwestern jumped out to a commanding 17-3 lead before the break, winning four of the first five bouts. No. 10 Levi Mele got things started for the ’Cats with a 3-0 decision over No. 20 Nick Smith at 125. Mele scored on a third-period reversal and racked up 3:09 of riding time for his 23rd win of the year and fourth over a ranked opponent.

True freshman Jameson Oster kept the momentum alive for NU with an 11-2 major decision over Rob Jillard at 133. Oster had a 6-0 lead early in the third period and added two more takedowns along with 2:09 of riding time to give Northwestern four team points and extend the lead to 7-0.

NIU took a close 3-1 decision at 149 lbs., but Kaleb Friedley and No. 2 Jason Welch got the ’Cats back on the board before the break with bonus points at 149 and 157, respectively. Friedley scored a 12-3 major decision over Tyler Argue while Welch pinned Tyler Loethen in 5:13. Friedley did most of his damage in the first period, taking a 7-1 lead with two takedowns and three nearfall points. He then added two reversals in the second and had 4:01 of riding time in the win. Welch jumped out to a 7-0 lead before pinning Loethen in the third period. Welch is now 18-0 on the year with bonus points in 12 of his victories.

The ’Cats continued their winning ways after the break with victories at 165 and 174 and took the 24-3 lead heading into the last three matches of the evening. Pierce Harger scored an 8-0 major decision over Matt Mougin at 165 while No. 12 Lee Munster defeated Caleb Busson 4-1 at 174.

NIU won the final three bouts, but Northwestern emerged with the 24-18 dual victory. NU redshirt senior Ben Kuhar wrestled in his first match of the season, filling in for No. 13 Mike McMullan at heavyweight. Kuhar put up a fight in his first appearance of the year, but Jared Torrence won by fall in the closing seconds of the bout (6:48).

Northwestern is off from competition the remainder of the weekend but returns to the mat Saturday, Feb. 11 for its final road trip of the regular season. The ’Cats visit Bules Creek, N.C., to wrestle North Carolina at 3:15 p.m. and Campbell at 5:15 p.m., wrapping up the nonconference portion of their schedule.

No. 19 Northwestern 24, Northern Illinois 18
125: No. 10 Levi Mele (NU) dec No. 20 Nick Smith (NIU), 3-0 (3-0 NU)
133: Jameson Oster (NU) maj dec Rob Jillard (NIU), 11-2 (7-0 NU)
141: Kevin Fanta (NIU) dec Pat Greco (NU), 3-1 (7-3 NU)
149: Kaleb Friedley (NU) maj dec Tyler Argue (NIU), 12-3 (11-3 NU)
157: No. 2 Jason Welch (NU) pins Tyler Loethen (NIU), 5:13 (17-3 NU)
165: Pierce Harger (NU) maj dec Matt Mougin (NIU), 8-0 (21-3 NU)
174: No. 12 Lee Munster (NU) dec Caleb Busson (NIU), 4-1 (24-3 NU)
184: No. 18 Brad Dieckhaus (NIU) pins Marcus Shrewsbury (NU), 5:15 (24-9 NU)
197: Mike Lukowski (NIU) dec John Schoen (NU), 3-1 (24-12 NU)
Hwt: Jared Torrence (NIU) pins Ben Kuhar (NU), 6:48 (24-18 NU)

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – When Iowa State heavyweight Matt Gibson stepped onto the mat for the final match of Friday’s dual against Northern Iowa, the sellout crowd was booming. Gibson quieted the Panther faithful with a 7-1 decision over Blayne Beale to give the No. 14 Cyclones a 19-17 victory over the in-state rival.

“It was a good meet for the fans,” said Iowa State head coach Kevin Jackson. “We trained through this meet this week and I think a couple of our guys were tired at the end as a result.”

The Cyclones (3-12) defeated Northern Iowa (5-5) for the seventh-straight time and extended the series lead to 54-16.

The Panthers led 17-16 prior to Gibson’s match, but the Vallejo, Calf., native didn’t let the pressure affect him and scored the first takedown of the match. The 12th-ranked Gibson also nailed a reversal in the second, and a final takedown in the third to improve to 21-7 overall, 7-6 in dual competition.

Redshirt freshman Ryak Finch earned his third major decision and third consecutive victory against Northern Iowa’s Cruse Aarhus to give the Cyclones an early 4-0 lead. At 125 pounds, Finch started off with an 8-0 lead after the first period which included six near-fall points. The No. 12 Finch extended his lead 13-0 after two periods and finished with a 15-4 major decision against Aarhus.

At 141 pounds, Luke Goettl secured his 10th victory of the season with a 5-1 decision over Panther grappler Levi Wolfensperger. Goettl scored a single-leg takedown midway through the first period and earned two back points on the attack. The Clarkdale, Ariz., native held onto his lead for the victory and allowed the Cyclones to regain the lead 7-5 after three matches.

“Our young guys looked good I thought,” Jackson said. “Now we get ready for the regional duals.”

Redshirt sophomore Boaz Beard had a near-upset over sixth-ranked Ryan Loder at 184 pounds. The two grapplers battled until the final seconds, but Loder prevailed 1-0.

Fourth-ranked Andrew Sorenson remains undefeated in dual competition after the Panthers elected to forfeit the 165-pound matchup. Following the forfeit, Mikey England extended the Iowa State lead with an 8-3 decision over Riley Banach in which he posted three takedowns.

Iowa State plays host to the 2012 Cliff Keen NWCA National Duals Midwest Regional Feb. 12 in Hilton Coliseum. Iowa State, Iowa, Northern Iowa, Virginia Tech, Wisconsin and Oregon State will all be competing in Ames.

Iowa State 19, Northern Iowa 17
125: #12 Ryak Finch (ISU) Mdec. Cruse Aarhus (UNI), 15-4
133: #11 Joe Colon (UNI) TF5 RJ Hallman (ISU), 17-2, 5:10
141: #18 Luke Goettl (ISU) dec. Levi Wolfensperger, 5-1
149: Seth Noble (UNI) dec. Joe Cozart (ISU), 7-4
157: David Bonin (UNI) dec. Michael Moreno (ISU), 2-0
165: #4 Andrew Sorenson (ISU) won by forfeit
174: Mikey England (ISU) dec. Riley Banach (UNI), 8-3
184: #6 Ryan Loder (UNI) dec. #16 Boaz Beard (ISU), 1-0
197: Taylor Kettman (UNI) dec. Trevor Voelker (ISU), 4-2
285: #12 Matt Gibson (ISU) dec. Blayne Beale (UNI), 7-1

KENT, Ohio – Kent State (11-4, 4-0 MAC) clinched a share of a Mid-American Conference regular season title Friday night with a 25-9 victory over Buffalo at the M.A.C. Center. The Golden Flashes won the first four weight classes and the last three, dropping three close matches in-between. Kent State will go for a MAC sweep on Sunday against Eastern Michigan to secure an outright conference crown.

“If we wrestle like we did today on Sunday…we’ll lose” a concerned Jim Andrassy said afterward. “But I think Eastern’s style of wrestling could improve our wrestling too.”

The most dramatic finish came in the highly-anticipated 141-pound match as Tyler Small (Littlestown, Pa.) trailed Kevin Smith 3-2, before a scramble ensued in the final five seconds. The result was a discussion between the two officials after the final horn and two points awarded to Small.

“I took a shot and he sprawled,” Small said. “He’s really good defensively, so I knew it would be hard to get in on a leg…So I just sat out and rolled around trying to get something.”

Small’s win extended Kent State’s lead to 9-0 after senior Nic Bedelyon (Lewistown, Pa.) and junior Stevie Mitcheff (Lorain, Ohio) each earned convincing decisions. Bedelyon was never threatened in a 5-0 victory and Mitcheff scored takedowns in each period to down Taylor Golba 8-2.

“Stevie probably wrestled better than anyone on the team today,” Andrassy said. “He’s moves a lot, doesn’t give up bad points and scores. We were a little flat today, but he was a bright spot in our lineup.”

Despite being without freshman Ian Miller (Oak Harbor, Ohio), the Flashes extended their lead at 149, behind a 3-2 victory by senior Marcel Clopton (Shaker Hts, Ohio). Wrestling in his first dual of the season, Clopton’s first period takedown made the difference.

“Marcel knows what he’s doing,” Andrassy said. “He looked like he hadn’t missed a beat.”

Trailing 12-0, the Bulls came charging back with three straight wins. Junior Mallie Shuster (Newville, Pa.) surrendered a second period takedown, which made the difference in a 3-2 loss to Wally Maziarz. Senior Ross Tice (Brookfield, Ohio) scored an opening takedown and nearly scored escapes on several occasions in a 5-2 setback. And sophomore Brandonn Johnson (Middletown, Md.) led 1-0 after two periods, before dropping a 4-3 decision.

“If we want to finish the finish the way we think we can, we’ve got to get those three wrestling a little better,” Andrassy said of Shuster, Tice and Johnson.

Junior Casey Newburg (Union, Ohio) swung the momentum back the Flashes’ way with a dominant 11-3 major decision over Dominic Montesanti. Newburg tallied five takedowns, but could only record one-counts when he turned Montesanti from the top.

Junior Keith Witt (Oak Harbor, Ohio) used his head-and-arm throw to put Justin Heiserman on his back and eventually pin him in the first period.

“That’s one of my go-to moves and if I feel it, I’m going to hit it,” Witt said.

Senior heavyweight Brendan Barlow (Westerville, Ohio) improved to 3-1 in the MAC this season with a 7-4 victory over Jedd Mason.

The Flashes have won nine straight dual meets and look to make it 10 Sunday against Eastern Michigan at 2 p.m.

Kent State 25 Buffalo 9

125 – Nic Bedelyon (Kent State) over Max Soria (UB) Dec 5-0
133 – Stevie Mitcheff (Kent State) over Taylor Golba (UB) Dec 8-2
141 – Tyler Small (Kent State) over Kevin Smith (UB) Dec 4-3
149 – Marcel Clopton (Kent State) over Blake Roulo (UB) Dec. 3-2
157 – Wally Maziarz (UB) over Mallie Shuster (Kent State) Dec 3-2
165 –Clay Reeb (UB) over Ross Tice (Kent State) Dec 5-2
174 – Jake Waster (UB) over Brandonn Johnson (Kent State) Dec 4-3
184 –Casey Newburg (Kent State) over Dominic Montesanti (UB) Maj. Dec 11-3

197 – Keith Witt (Kent State) over Justin Heisermen (UB) Fall 2:04
HWT – Brendan Barlow (Kent State) over Jedd Mason (UB) Dec 7-4

LINCOLN, Neb.; February 3, 2012 – The second-ranked Penn State wrestling team travelled to Lincoln, Neb., to take on No. 7 Nebraska in the first-ever Big Ten dual between the two teams and recorded yet another statement victory. Penn State won eight of ten bouts on its way to a lopsided 31-6 win over the home standing Cornhuskers, keeping its hopes of the Big Ten regular season dual meet title alive.

The host Cornhuskers opted to draw for the starting weight and the match began at 174. Nittany Lion All-American Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.), ranked No. 2, pinned Husker Tyler Koehn at the 5:58 mark to give Penn State an early 6-0 lead. All-American Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.), ranked No. 2 at 184 and battling a serious cold all week long, took down No. 7 Josh Ihnen 9-6, nearly pinning the seventh-ranked grappler right out of the gates and using that quick flurry to coast to victory.

At 197, 12th-ranked true freshman Morgan McIntosh (Santa Ana, Calif.) was cleared to wrestle but was held out as a precaution. Red-shirt freshman Matt Brown (West Valley City, Utah), who weighed in at 174, moved up two weights and beat starting Husker senior James Nakashima, 2-1. The win put the Lions up 12-0 after three bouts. Senior heavyweight Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio), ranked No. 6 at 285, then dominated No. 9 Tucker Lane of Nebraska, picking up an 8-2 win with 1:31 in riding time. True freshman Nico Megaludis (Murrysville, Pa.), ranked No. 9 at 125, tacked on a 23-6 technical fall over Shawn Nagel (5:59) to give Penn State a 20-0 lead at the midway point of the dual.

At 133, sophomore Frank Martellotti (Pittsburgh, Pa.) nearly downed No. 18 Ridge Kelly, but the ranked Husker notched a late reversal to steal a 4-3 win and put NU on the board. Junior Bryan Pearsall (Lititz, Pa.) then lost a hard fought 6-1 decision to No. 5 Jake Sueflohn at 141 to cut Penn State’s lead to 20-6.

Three-time All-American Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.), ranked No. 1 at 149, dominated Husker Skylar Galloway, posting a 14-6 major with 4:53 in riding time. Red-shirt freshman Dylan Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.), ranked No. 6 at 157, then beat No. 7 James Green in a thrilling 2-1 overtime bout. Sophomore All-American David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio), ranked No. 1 at 165, then closed out the lopsided Penn State win with a resounding 13-3 major over No. 6 Robert Kokesh of Nebraska.

The Nittany Lions are now 10-1 overall, 6-1 in the Big Ten, while Nebraska falls to 14-2, 5-2 in the Big Ten. The sixth Big Ten dual meet victory ties the Penn State record for conference dual wins in a season with the team having a chance to set a new school mark on Sunday. Molinaro moved into tenth all-time on Penn State’s dual meet win list with his victory at 149, he now has 52. Penn State dominated the dual from start to finish, winning eight of the ten bouts and picking up seven bonus points off a pin, a tech fall and two majors. The Nittany Lions won the takedown battle in convincing fashion, notching a 25-3 margin in takedowns.

The Nittany Lions now head home to prep for a home dual vs. No. 12 Michigan on Sunday, Feb. 5, at 2 p.m. The dual meet is now a full sellout with no SRO tickets remaining as well. If Penn State beats the Wolverines, the Nittany Lions clinch either a share of the Big Ten regular season dual meet title or the title outright (depending on the result of Sunday’s Nebraska/Minnesota dual in Minneapolis).

The full season slate of live dual meet and tournament action will air locally on WRSC AM (1390 AM) with Friday evening duals being simulcast on WRSC FM (103.1 FM). Lock Haven’s WBPZ (1230 AM) will also carry the entire season live, WIEZ (670 AM) in Huntingdon/Lewistown carries all Sunday events and further affiliates may be added soon. The regular season schedule of radio broadcasts will be streamed live at www.GoPSUsports.com as part of Penn State’s All-Access package, which will also feature live video streams of many home events. Ticket information is accessed easily online at www.GoPSUsports.com/tickets/m-wrestl-tickets.html . Fans are encouraged to follow Penn State wrestling via twitter at www.twitter.com/pennstatepat and on Penn State Wrestling’s facebook page at www.facebook.com/pennstatewrestling. The 2011-12 Penn State Wrestling season is presented by The Family Clothesline.

#2 Penn State 31, #7 Nebraska 6

February 3, 2012 – Lincoln, Neb.

174: #2 Ed Ruth PSU pinned Tyler Koehn NU, WBF (5:58) 6-0

184: #2 Quentin Wright PSU dec. #7 Josh Ihnen NU, 9-6 9-0

197: Matt Brown PSU dec. James Nakashima NU, 2-1 12-0

285: #6 Cameron Wade PSU dec. #9 Tucker Lane NU, 8-2 15-0

125: #9 Nico Megaludis PSU tech fall Shawn Nagel NU, 23-6 (TF; 5:59) 20-0

133: #18 Ridge Kelly NU dec. Frank Martellotti PSU, 4-3 20-3

141: #5 Jake Sueflohn NU dec. Bryan Pearsall PSU, 6-1 20-6

149: #1 Frank Molinaro PSU maj. dec. Skylar Galloway NU, 14-6 (4:53 RT) 24-6

157: #6 Dylan Alton PSU dec. #7 James Green NU, 2-1 (OT) 27-6

165: #1 David Taylor PSU maj. dec. #6 Robert Kokesh NU, 13-3 31-6

Attendance: 2,673

Records: #2 Penn State 10-1, 6-1 B1G; #7 Nebraska 14-2, 5-2 B1G

Up Next for Penn State: home vs. #12 Michigan, Sunday, Feb. 5, 2 p.m.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Six wins, including a pair of falls, by the No. 6 Ohio State wrestling team lifted the squad to a 24-13 victory over No. 12 Michigan Friday night in St. John Arena. A crowd of 5,012 watched the Buckeyes improve to 10-3 overall and 4-3 in the Big Ten. The Wolverines dropped to 6-4 overall and 4-3 in the conference.

With the Scarlet and Gray up 18-10, 197-pounder and No. 20 Andrew Campolattano pinned Chris Heald in 18 seconds to propel Ohio State to a 24-10 lead and the team win. It was the second pin of the evening for the Buckeyes as No. 3 Logan Stieber pinned No. 16 Zac Stevens in 4:14 at 133 pounds.

The match began at 125 pounds where freshman and No. 16 Johnni Dijulius secured a 9-5 win to lift the Buckeyes to an early 3-0 lead. Dijulius owned a 4-0 advantage at the end of the first period, but his lead was cut to one by the third (6-5). However, a reversal by Dijulius with 36 seconds remaining, plus a riding time of 1:43 gave him the victory.

Stieber’s pin at 133 pounds quickly put the Buckeyes up, 9-0, but Michigan was able to get on the board at 141 pounds after freshman Jarrod Boone dropped an 11-2 major decision to No. 1 and defending national champion Kellen Russell.

Ohio State dropped its second-consecutive match of the evening when No. 14 Cam Tessari suffered a 7-0 decision to No. 7 Eric Grajales at 149 pounds.

However, 157-pounder and No. 20 Josh Demas ended the first half of the evening with a 3-1 overtime win vs. Brandon Zeerip and the Buckeyes owned a 12-7 lead at the half. Demas, a redshirt-freshman, and Zeerip could only score escapes during regulation, but the Buckeye from Columbus scored a takedown with 25 seconds left in sudden victory.

For the second time during the night, a bout went into overtime when freshman Derek Garcia and

No. 14 Dan Yates ended regulation tied at 5-5. With 43 seconds remaining in overtime, Yates scored a takedown for the 7-5 win and Michigan cut Ohio State’s lead to two (12-10).

Redshirt-sophomore Nick Heflin and No. 8 Justin Zeerip wrestled to two overtimes, with No. 7 Heflin prevailing on riding time. Regulation ended in a 1-1 tie and both wrestlers traded escapes during the extra periods. However, Heflin’s 22 seconds of riding time was enough for the win.

Redshirt-junior and No. 10 C.J. Magrum returned to the lineup at 184 pounds and was victorious, 8-3. A trio of takedowns, an escape and riding time of 1:31 helped the Buckeyes take an 18-10 lead with two matches left.

Up next, Campolattano sealed the Ohio State win before redshirt sophomore and No. 18 and heavyweight Peter Capone took to the mat. Capone dropped a 4-2 decision to No. 10 Ben Apland for the final 24-13 team score.

Up next, Ohio State will travel to East Lansing, Mich., where it will face Michigan State at 2 p.m. Sunday in Jenison Field House.

Postmatch Notes

· Defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Luke Fickell of the Buckeye football team served as honorary coach.

· Andrew Campolattano’s 18-second pin is the fourth-fastest time in Ohio State history.

Postmatch Quotes

Tom Ryan, Ohio State wrestling head coach

On being passionate vs. Michigan

“When you put that many people in St. John Arena, I don’t know how you can’t be passionate. They make a difference and that is obvious. What we saw this week was far beyond what we saw last week.”

On the match

“Up and down the lineup I think we fought well tonight.”

On Logan Stieber

“Logan knows what he is doing. People can see now when he gets that bar arm, his intensity is always high, but it goes through the roof when he has that bar arm. He is getting it and there is nothing you can do about it.”

Luke Fickell, Ohio State football defensive coordinator and linebackers coach

On Ohio State wrestling

“I think from top to bottom they are very good, there are no gaps in the lineup. When you see seven freshmen out there, that is amazing.”

On Logan Stieber and Andrew Campolattano’s pins

“That was the difference in the match. Not just the momentum but the extra six points, you can’t make that up in the match.”

On the Ohio State – Michigan rivalry

“Coach (Tom) Ryan has done an unbelievable job making sure everyone understands what the rivalry is all about. It shows on the mat.”

Logan Stieber, redshirt freshman 133-pounder

On the match tonight

“I work a lot with my coaches on that bar arm. I knew this match we needed bonus points. I have wrestled that kid before and I knew he was real tough. Once I get that move, I can get a win.”

On the passion tonight

“It is always nice wrestling at home. There were a couple matches that were close we could have won, but I think we wrestled better.”

Andrew Campolattano, freshman 197-pounder

On the win today

“It was more than about me winning tonight. This was a big win for our school, we represent Buckeye Nation. This was for everyone that represents that Block O.”

On beating Michigan

“It feels good; it always feels good to beat Michigan, no matter what sport it is. As long as we beat Michigan it was a good day.”

Nick Heflin, redshirt-sophomore 174-pounder

On wrestling two overtimes

“Honestly I was tired but I am in really good shape. After a few losses, the coaches have been working us really hard. I was prepared for it.”

On the momentum from this match

“I think we stepped up a little bit, but there is another level that we can get to.”

Feb. 3, 2012

No. 6 Ohio State (10-3; 4-3 Big Ten) 24 vs. No. 12 Michigan (6-4; 4-3 Big Ten) 13

125 – No. 16 Johnni Dijulius DEC Grant Pizzo (UM), 9-5
133 – No. 3 Logan Stieber PINNED No. 16 Zac Stevens (UM), 4:14
141 – No. 1 Kellen Russell (UM) MAJ DEC Jarrod Boone, 11-2
149 – No. 7 Eric Grajales (UM) DEC No. 14 Cam Tessari, 7-0
157 – No. 20 Josh Demas DEC Brandon Zeerip (UM), 3-1 ot
165 – No. 14 Dan Yates (UM) DEC Derek Garcia, 7-5 ot
174 – No. 7 Nick Heflin DEC No. 8 Justin Zeerip (UM), 3-3 2ot (Heflin wins on 22 seconds of riding time)
184 – No. 10 C.J. Magrum DEC Hunter Collins (UM), 8-3
197 – No. 20 Andrew Campolattano PINNED Chris Heald (UM), :18
HWT – No. 10 Ben Apland (UM) DEC No. 18 Peter Capone, 4-2

RALEIGH, N.C. – North Carolina registered six wins, including a pair of major decisions, to claim a 20-18 dual victory at NC State Friday night. Thomas Ferguson and Zac Bennett spurred the Tar Heel victory with major decisions to open the dual.

At 184 pounds Thomas Ferguson took a 3-2 lead over Rober O’Neill after the first period before going to work on the freshman picking up a pair of three-point near falls in the second to take an 9-3 lead. An escape followed by another takedown sealed the bout for Ferguson as he claimed a 13-3 major decision to get the Tar Heels out to a 4-0 lead.

Sophomore Zac Bennett jumped out to a 5-0 with a great first period as he claimed a quick take down and nearly picked up a pin with a three-point near fall. Bennett added two points in the second before racking up UNC’s second straight major decision with an 11-1 win.

Frank Abbondanza snapped a 15-bout losing streak with an impressive performance against Josh Davis. Wrestling two classes above his weight class all season long, Abbondanza battled Davis to a 2-2 tie after two periods before getting a two-point near fall and added a minute of riding to claim a 5-2 win. The decision upped Carolina’s lead to 11-0 after just three bouts.

The Wolfpack answered at 125 pounds when Coltin Fought was able to UNC’s Josh Craig in 2:11 to claim six team points for NC State. Fought entered the dual 21-7 on the year for the Wolfpack.

Senior Brock LiVorio got back on the winning side as he nearly picked up the third major decision of the night with an 11-4 decision over Ben Elliott at 133 pounds. LiVorio picked up a take down in each period and held off Elliott from responding throughout the bout.

Evan Henderson fell into a 5-2 hole after the first period against No. 10 Darrius Little at 141 pounds and was unable to battle back. The senior Little was able to claim an 8-3 decision against Henderson and pull the Wolfpack within five at 14-9.

Jon Burns and Matt Nereim turned in an entertaining first period as both nearly pinned the other and were knotted up at 5-5 at the end of three minutes. Burns and Nereim were tied at 9-9 in the final minute with Burns holding more than 2:30 of riding time before Nereim pulled off a reversal and pinned Burns for six points. The Wolfpack took a 15-14 lead at that point in the dual.

At 157 pounds No. 17 Corey Mock battled senior Colton Palmer through the first two periods gaining a 2-0 advantage and 2:30 of riding time before getting another take down in the third period to claim a 5-0 decision. Mock’s win put Carolina back in front by a 17-15 margin with two bouts remaining.

Senior Kyle Kiss battled Nijel Jones at 165 pounds and came away with an 8-2 decision after picking up take downs in the first two periods. Kiss nearly came away with a major decision but the buzzer sounded before he was able to get a late takedown. Carolina held a five point advantage heading into the final bout at 174 pounds.

Freshman Alex Utley went up against senior Quinton Godley and helped Carolina hold on for the 20-18 victory. Godley came out on top with a 7-1 decision to provide the final margin.

The win snapped a six-dual losing streak for the Tar Heels who improve to 3-13 on the year and finish the ACC regular season with a 2-3 dual mark.

Up next for the Tar Heels is a trip to Campbell Saturday, Feb. 11 for a pair of duals against Northwestern and Campbell.

North Carolina 20, NC State 18
184 – Thomas Ferguson (UNC) over Robert O’Neill (NC State) MD, 13-3 – UNC 4-0
197 – Zac Bennett (UNC) over KaRonne Jones (NC State) MD, 11-1 – UNC 8-0 HWT – Frank Abbondanza (UNC) over Josh Davis (NC State) Dec, 5-2 – UNC 11-0
125 – Coltin Fought (NC State) over Josh Craig (UNC) Fall, 2:11 – UNC 11-6
133 – Brock LiVorio (UNC) over Ben Elliott (NC State) Dec, 11-4 – UNC 14-6
141 – #10 Darrius Little (NC State) over Evan Henderson (UNC) Dec, 8-3 – UNC 14-9
149 – Matt Nereim (NC State) over Jon Burns (UNC) Fall, 6:46 – NC State 15-14
157 – #17 Corey Mock (UNC) over Colton Palmer (NC State) Dec, 4-0 – UNC 17-15
165 – Kyle Kiss (UNC) over Nijel Jones (NC State) Dec, 8-2 – UNC 20-15
174 – Quinton Godley (NC State) over Alex Utley (UNC) Dec, 7-1 – UNC 20-18

Help support this free service. We plan to always keep our content at TOM free, if you like what we have to offer and want to help us expand our coverage even more you can donate to TOM. This is not required, but would help us bring you even more live coverage for the upcoming season. Thank you

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That little blue dude has been busy. Today TOM said that he is officially launching his newest website TOM Recruiting Central. This site is all about college recruiting. Think about something like Rivals in football, but for wrestling. Now officially off the ground at http://recruiting.theopenmat.com the site is already loaded with some great content.

Who is this site for you ask. It was designed for Fans, Coaches, Wrestlers and Parents. Currently we have all of the core data in and what we will we be covering. We will be adding content all of the time. Also, we will be adding features that are specific to different segments. Their will be special features for athletes and other for college coaches.

Our entire staff has competed at the DI level, we have been through the process. We have also worked with other divisions. We will be providing unique perspectives from every angle.

Please note as we add content we won’t just focus on Division I, we will look at all divisions of college wrestling.

Core areas of the site

• Committed and Uncommitted lists
• Star Class Rankings
• Resource Center (Quick links for parents and wrestlers to get all the info you need)
• Current College Coach Directory
• Ability to notify us about where you sign, or if you want us to take a look at you and build a profile
• Program breakdowns
•  Athlete Spotlights
• Video Analysis
• TOM News
• Articles for Parents
• Articles for Wrestlers
• Articles for Fans
• Soon members will also have access to a private forum on the TOM forums.

Let’s look at what each segment will have access too.

Fans, you will have access to the only site that takes a deep look at recruiting across the country. Breaking news, analysis, rankings, and custom articles. Matter of fact, if we have not address a school or athlete you are interested in you can contact us and we will get to work on it for you. Eventually, you will also have limited access to athlete profiles as well.

Coaches we hope that you find this to be a great resource for you as well. You will have access to all of our reports, analysis, rankings and more. As we add features you will also have full access to the athlete profiles. Matter of fact if their is an athlete that you want information on, just shoot us an email and we will work up and entire profile for you and send it your way. Our profiles include, accolades, video analysis, and information that can be useful in the recruiting process.

Wrestlers you will have access to the site, and see where we have you ranked. If we don’t feel free to contact us and we will do an evaluation and get you into the system. We are writing custom content that is meant to assist the athlete in the recruiting and decision making process. Consider us a resource. Let’s say you have a question on a program or on the recruiting process in general. Let us know and we will help. As we move forward, you will also have the ability to customize your own profile. You will be able to update things and more. We are here to help you in any way we can.

Parents we know that the entire recruiting process can be overwhelming. You are helping your son make a major life decision and as any parent would want, you want to make sure they make the right choices. You also want to be able to guide them through the process. That is why we will be writing articles that are specifically designed to help guide you through the process. Just as we suggested to the others, if there is something you are unsure of or have questions about, please contact us and we will do our best to assist you.

Come Join and Enjoy!

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