Here is a pretty good collection of NCAA Wrestling Tournament's, Olympics, and High School Wrestling Events.

• 2008 World Cup
  
• 2007 Beast (HS)
  
• 2007 Ironman (HS)
  
• 2007 Midlands
  
• 2007 All-Star Classic
  
• 2007 A. Medved Int'l
  
• 2007 World Cup
  
• 2007 US Team Trials
  
• 2007 Fila World Cup
  
• 2007 Baku Worlds
  
• 2007 Russia Seniors
  
• 2007 D1 NCAAs
  
• 2006 Super Cup
  
• 2006 Dapper Dan (HS)
  
• 2006 D1 NCAAs
  
• 2006 Midlands
  
• 2005 D1 NCAAs
  
• 2005 European Championship
  
• 2005 Dapper Dan (HS)
  
• 2004 Olympics
  
• 2001 D1 NCAAs
  
• 2000 Olympics
  
• 2000 D1 NCAAs
  
• 1999 D1 NCAAs
  
• 1998 D1 NCAAs
  
• 1997 D1 NCAAs
  
• 1996 Olympics
  
• 1994 D1 NCAAs
  
• 1993 D1 NCAAs
  
• 1992 Olympics
  
• 1989 D1 NCAAs
  
• 1988 Olympics
  
• 1988 Olympic Trials
  
• 1988 D1 NCAAs
  
• 1987 D1 NCAAs
  
• 1984 Olympic Trials

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 12:52 AM | Permalink

Gregor Gillespie ready to make run at becoming Edinboro's first two-time NCAA champion
Craig Sesker USA Wrestling

Watch the Finals Match from 2007 verses Josh Churella

Gregor Gillespie was back home in New York on a hot summer night, grilling out with his family when the phone rang.

The person on the other end tried to disguise his voice, but Gillespie knew exactly who was calling.

It was Edinboro coach Tim Flynn.

“Coach Flynn calls me the summer after my freshman year and says, ‘This is Dustin Schlatter, I just did 300 sit-ups. Can I get my second gold medal now?’� Gillespie says with a laugh. “He wasn’t trying to knock Schlatter, he was just trying to motivate me to work hard and get me to believe I could beat him. Flynn kept telling me every day I was going to be the guy who was going to be on the top of the podium.�

Flynn’s frequent summer calls and his daily assurances to Gillespie that he was good enough to win a national title became reality late last March in Auburn Hills, Mich. That’s when Gillespie stunned many wrestling observers by winning the NCAA title at 149 pounds.

Seventh at the NCAAs as a true freshman at 149 pounds, Gillespie knocked off Schlatter 3-2 in the semifinals and halted the Minnesota wrestler's 65-match winning streak. Schlatter won the NCAA title as a true freshman in 2006.

The fifth-seeded Gillespie followed by beating No. 3 seed Josh Churella of Michigan 3-1 in overtime in the finals.

Now a junior, the 21-year-old Gillespie has bumped up to 157 pounds and has his sights set on becoming Edinboro’s first two-time NCAA champion. Gillespie is 29-2 this year and ranked No. 1 by InterMat.

“It has made a world of difference for me,� Gillespie said of the move up to 157. “Life’s a lot easier now. I am eating more and eating better, I have more energy in practice, I can lift more and my schoolwork is a lot better this year. It was a tough cut to 149.�

His losses this season came to All-Americans Mike Poeta of Illinois and C.P. Schlatter of Minnesota. Poeta and Schlatter, Dustin’s older brother, also have been ranked No. 1 this season.

“I learned a lot from wrestling those guys,� said Gillespie, who is 103-8 in his career. “It was huge for me to see them during the season. I don’t want to face that caliber of wrestler for the first time at nationals. I watched film of those matches and I know there are some areas I can improve on against those guys.�

Gillespie, from Webster, N.Y., was not heavily recruited despite winning a pair of New York state high school titles. He placed third at Senior High School Nationals after falling to Brent Metcalf in the semifinals. Metcalf, now at Iowa and ranked No. 1 at 149 this year, then lost to Dustin Schlatter in the finals.

Edinboro has provided the perfect fit for Gillespie.

“I didn’t really have a lot of schools chasing me,� he said. “Buffalo, UNC-Greensboro, Bloomsburg, they were recruiting me. I had a great time on my visit to Edinboro and I loved the coaching staff. It’s only three hours from home. I can go home and my parents can come watch me wrestle.�

Gillespie, an explosive and physical wrestler, burst onto the college scene quickly. He knocked off a returning starter to win the 149 starting spot for Edinboro as a true freshman.

“We had another pretty good kid at 149 and we figured we would redshirt Gregor if those two were pretty even,� Flynn said. “Gregor was good in practice. But after he beat a pretty good kid 8-0 in the wrestle-off, I was like, ‘Wow, he’s really impressive.’ Lou Rosselli, my assistant at the time, and I looked at each after the match and almost said at the same time, ‘He’s wrestling, we need him.’ You never know how kids are going to transition from high school to college. He jumped in right away and started dominating.�

Gillespie won his first 23 college matches en route to a 40-4 freshman season that culminated with a seventh-place finish at the NCAA Championships in Oklahoma City.

Gillespie entered the 2007 NCAAs as the No. 5 seed with a 30-2 record. After downing No. 4 seed Jordan Leen of Cornell 6-2 in the quarterfinals, he received his shot at the top-seeded Dustin Schlatter.

“Schlatter had been winning a lot of close matches and wasn’t scoring as many points as he did his freshman year,� Gillespie said. “I felt like if I put together a full seven-minute match I could beat him. I knew if I went after him in the first period and scored offensively I could win the match.�

A first-period takedown by Gillespie proved to be the difference in the one-point match.

“I shot in on a single and he pulled his knee back,� Gillespie said. “I kept a hold of his leg and turned it into a double and got the takedown.�

Flynn said Gillespie had the perfect mindset for the match.

“When you’re a returning national champion and you’ve won 65 straight matches, you obviously have a certain air of invincibility going and Schlatter did,� Flynn said. “The biggest key for Gregor was just believing he could beat a guy like Schlatter. He really believed he could prove everybody wrong and beat him.�

Gillespie had little time to celebrate his big Friday night win over Schlatter. He had to come back strong the next night to beat Churella in front of his home fans in Michigan.

“I was ecstatic the rest of the night after I beat Schlatter, but by the next morning all my focus was on Churella,� Gillespie said. “I didn’t want my claim to fame to be beating Schlatter, I wanted it to be winning the NCAA title.�

Flynn said Gillespie wrestles the way you are supposed to.

“He’s a pleasure to watch,� Flynn said. “He wrestles hard. He’s fast and he can score a lot of points. The fans like watching him compete.�

Gillespie is a unique talent on the mat with a unique personality off it. His name also is unique.

His parents, Susan and Brad, chose to name him Gregor because his mother is 100 percent German. His brother, Torsten, Edinboro’s starting 141-pounder, also has a German name.

Gillespie also is constantly changing his appearance.

He has four tattoos. He has a cross tattooed on his upper left arm and a Superman tattoo on his right arm. After he won his first state title, he had a big American flag with “New York State Champ� tattooed on his left thigh. He also has a pair of praying hands on the inside of his biceps.

“The tattoos are just kind of an expression of my personality and who I am,� he said.

Gillespie said he spent about a month of this season sporting a bleached-blonde Mohawk.

“We’re kind of a goofy team,� Gillespie said. “We’re serious about wrestling, but we like to have a little fun too. Edinboro is a small town, so we have to find a way to have some fun. Coach Flynn and some of the guys on the team didn’t believe me when I said I was going to get a Mohawk, so I did it. My girlfriend is a hairdresser and she gave me one.�

Flynn said Gillespie definitely keeps things interesting.

“He’s quite the character, but above all he’s just a very nice kid,� Flynn said. “He’s real happy-go-lucky and good to be around. He’s also taken on a leadership role on our team.�

Gillespie often can be found with his headphones on before a big match, listening to a variety of music. His music of choice is Country. A big fan of Toby Keith and Kenny Chesney, Gillespie traveled to Las Vegas to see Tim McGraw in concert at the MGM Grand.

“I don’t really listen to music to pump me up,� he said. “It’s more just to help me relax and to keep me from getting too distracted.�

Gillespie is focused on repeating his magical feat from 2007 when he competes at the 2008 NCAA Championships on March 20-22 in St. Louis.

“I’m going to follow the same routine I did last year at nationals,� Gillespie said. “I’m going to do exactly what I did as far as training, eating, getting rest and preparing for the tournament. I’m going to do all the right things. And I’m going to put faith in Tim Flynn’s coaching system and do what he tells me to do. He got me to believe I could beat Dustin Schlatter and now he has me believing I can reach the top of the podium again.�

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 12:45 AM | Permalink

The UFC has officially announced its UFC 84 event for Las Vegas, and its UFC 85 event for London, England — and the ticket on-sale dates for both upcoming shows.

The two events had been rumored for the past month or two.

“UFC 84: Ill Will� takes place May 24 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. UFC lightweight champ B.J. Penn meets former champ Sean Sherk in the night’s main event. The show will air on pay-per-view.

UFC 84 tickets are already on sale to the UFC’s $75-a-year fan club. Newsletter subscribers can purchase tickets on March 1 at 1 p.m. ET (with the password “MALICE�), and the general public can then order tickets on March 2 at 1 p.m. ET.

“UFC 85: London� takes place June 7 at the O2 Arena in London, England. Chuck Liddell is expected to meet Mauricio “Shogun� Rua in the night’s main event.

The UFC hasn’t announced broadcast plans for the event, but MMAjunkie was told by a source close to the organization that UFC 85 had been pitched as a possible Spike TV broadcast. The cable station’s executives are expected to make a decision as to whether they’ll carry the event soon.

UFC 85 tickets are on sale to the UFC’s fan club on March 2 at 5 a.m. ET. Newsletter subscribers can purchase tickets on March 5 at 5 a.m. ET (with the password “ICEMAN�), and the general public can then order tickets on March 7 at 5 a.m. ET.

Videos from the event will come shortly after.

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 7:45 PM | Permalink

Cal State Fullerton junior heavyweight Wade Sauer has been scratched from this weekend's Pac-10 NCAA Wrestling Championships at Eugene, Oregon, due to a neck injury suffered Feb. 17 in a match at Northern Colorado.

Sauer is ranked No. 1 in the Pac-10 and No. 5 in the nation. He placed sixth at the 2007 NCAA Championships. He had a 27-3 record including a 17-0 mark in dual matches until he had to default at the end of the first period to Reece Hopkin of Northern Colorado in the final match of the regular season.

Kurt Klimek, a sophomore from Oceanside and Carlsbad High School Wrestling, will replace Sauer in Oregon. Klimek has a 12-4 record but is only 1-0 in dual matches.

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 6:01 AM | Permalink

More than 1,500 yearning fans heard the announcement they'd been waiting for: No. 1 vs. No. 2.

"At Oklahoma State, it was intense," said John Azevedo, head coach of the Cal Poly College wrestling team. "They make the announcement, 'No. 1 and 2,' and their fans are going wild."

But neither his second-ranked counterpart nor the rabid throng of onlookers in Stillwater, Okla. on Feb. 16 could phase Cal Poly's Chad Mendes, the top-ranked 141-pounder in the country.

After twice trailing, at 2-1 and then 3-2, Mendes took down Nathan Morgan with 10 seconds left in the match to claim a 4-3 victory.

It kept his dual record unblemished, at 22-0 heading into the Pac-10 Conference Championships.

"He was very calm, very poised and pulled out the match," Azevedo said.

Such composure has been a staple this season from the senior from Hanford who, on Dec. 8, pinned defending national champion Minnesota's Manuel Rivera, then the No. 3 grappler in his class, in just a minute and 34 seconds.

Now, Mendes, the eighth Mustang to go undefeated in single-season dual action, has his sights set on becoming Cal Poly's first national champion since Mark DiGirolamo accomplished the feat at 118 pounds in 1976.

As the first Cal Poly wrestler to be slotted No. 1 in 28 years, Mendes says any outside pressure stemming from being bestowed the highest assessment doesn't affect his day-to-day approach.

"It doesn't really bother me too much," Mendes said. "I've always been really close to being at the top, but just have never been quite there. I'm actually just being in the moment, taking this all in and liking it."

A Pac-10 champion in 2006, Mendes cited Cal State Fullerton junior Teddy Astorga, Arizona State freshman Chris Drouin and Boise State freshman Eli Hutchinson among those who might give him the most trouble at the conference championships.

"We've been training to win the Pac-10," Mendes said of his Mustangs (5-8, 4-4 Pac-10), who figure to also be led by sophomore Chase Pami (21-4), now No. 11 at 157. "If everyone does a little better than expected to do in rankings, we can win this, and a lot of the guys on the team are starting to know it, and it's starting to show."

Following the Pac-10 finals, held in Eugene, Ore. beginning at 11 a.m. Sunday and going through Monday, Mendes will turn his attention to the NCAA Championships, held in St. Louis March 20 to 22.

"There are guys out there I haven't wrestled," Mendes said. "I sometimes wonder about that, but it's not something I worry about. I've just got to keep my eyes on the title. I can't let that kind of stuff hold me back or scare me."

Azevedo doesn't seem worried, either.

"Some kids, if they lose early in the season, it sometimes relieves or releases the pressure of being undefeated," he said. "I've seen that, where, 'OK, I've lost and I'm not thinking about that anymore,' but I think as far as Chad is concerned, and we're concerned, the goal is to go undefeated and be a national champion."

Regardless of what transpires at the end of his pursuit of perfection, Mendes likely won't forget the simplest reason for his commitment to the sport: the fun of it.

"It's been fine," he said. "Some people keep asking, 'Is it going to get to you?' and that kind of stuff, but it doesn't bug me. This thing is fun and it doesn't get to me. It's all fun to me."

Wrestling Videos from the Big Ten Wrestling Tournament and Big 12 Wrestling Tournament will be available shortly after the events. We are still working on securing videos from the PAC 10 Wrestling Tournament.

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 7:41 PM | Permalink

In the season finale defending NCAA Wrestling national champion got a big win over Ohio State, but question marks still loom as th Golden Gophers get set to defend its Big Ten and NCAA title in the coming weeks. The big questions is which Minnesota team will show up?

It was senior day at the Sports Pavilion Sunday afternoon, and despite enduring a trying regular season up to this point, the Golden Gopher wrestling team did not disappoint in their final dual meet of the season. Four of the six Gopher seniors that started Sunday’s meet picked up individual wins, as the Gophers (14-7, 5-3 Big Ten) rounded out the regular season with a 23-18 victory over Ohio State (19-4, 6-2).

The Gophers’ ten seniors – Mack Reiter, Manuel Rivera, C.P. Schlatter, Gabe Dretsch, Jeremy Larson, Roger Kish, Justin Bronson, Mitch Kuhlman, Dan Jackson and Jason Waidzulis – entered Minnesota as the top-ranked recruiting class in the nation and have presided over a national championship and two Big Ten team titles. Sunday, they were recognized at the Sports Pavilion with family and friends in front of an announced crowd of 2,006.

On the mat, the win snapped a two-meet losing streak for the Gophers, who will now turn their attention to the 2008 Big Ten Wrestling Championships. This year’s Big Ten meet will be hosted by Minnesota for the first time since 1997 and take place in Williams Arena March 8-9.

Sunday’s meet began at 157 pounds, and despite missing last weekend’s dual meets due to an injury, senior C.P. Schlatter was hardly rusty in his match with John Johnstone of the Buckeyes. Both wrestlers are natives of Massillon, Ohio, but it was the Golden Gopher who had the upper hand Sunday. Schlatter pulled out an 8-5 win after out-scoring Johnstone 5-2 after the first period. The sixth-ranked senior rounds out the regular season with a stellar 26-2 overall record.

Tyler Safratowich took on highly-touted freshman Colt Sponseller at 165 pounds. Both wrestlers entered the match ranked (Safratowich 20th, Sponseller 8th), and the battle was a tight one in the early going. The Minnesota junior scored first with a stall warning point partway through the second and jumped to a 4-0 lead after two periods with a highly-acrobatic takedown, bringing the Gopher faithful to their feet. Safratowich held off Sponseller’s advances through the final frame to emerge the 4-2 victor.

Sponseller becomes the third ranked opponent Safratowich has beaten this season, and the second top-ten foe he has toppled. Safratowich also beat No. 5 Jake Dieffenbach of Okalahoma State on Feb. 3. He has beaten a whopping nine ranked wrestlers during the last two seasons and improved to 25-7 this season.

Another Gopher senior, 11th-ranked Dretsch, took to the mat at 174 pounds to face Alex Picazo. Dretsch had the match in hand, leading 6-2 heading into the final 30 seconds, before he was able to maneuver Picazo onto his back and gain the fall with 12 seconds remaining, to the cheers of the hometown crowd. It was the fifth pin of the season for Dretsch and allowed him to finish the regular season with a 26-9 record, including a career-best 13-6 in dual meets.

With the Gophers leading 12-0 in the dual, Minnesota’s coaching staff elected not to send out announced starter Roger Kish to face second-ranked Mike Pucillo at 184 pounds. Instead, senior Jeremy Larson got the call for the second time this season at 184. Larson lasted the entire seven minutes but was defeated by technical fall 25-6 to make the score 12-5 in favor of Minnesota.

Justin Bronson was the fourth Gopher senior in action Sunday as he took on true freshman John Weakley of OSU. Bronson wrestled his typical close-to-the-vest match, leading 1-0 after two periods (scoring on a second period escape) before winning 2-1 on the strength of 1:27 worth of riding time. The win was a crucial one in the dual (putting the Gophers up 15-5 at the time) and allowed the Gopher senior to round out his final regular season with a career-high 17 wins, including seven in dual meets.

Redshirt freshman Ben Berhow took to the mat at heavyweight following the senior day intermission ceremony, but had a tough draw in second-ranked J.D. Bergman (24-1 on the season entering Sunday). Berhow dropped a hard-fought 13-3 major decision.

Minnesota led 15-9 heading into the lightweight session of the meet. Top-ranked Jayson Ness met true freshman Nikko Triggas at 125 pounds, with Ness finishing up a perfect 33-0 regular season after the 6-0 victory. Ness cruised through the first two periods with a 4-0 lead, then tacked on a reversal in the final stanza, nearly picking up his 19th pin of the season in the process.

Ness will enter the Big Ten Championships at the prohibitive favorite and most likely the number one seed at 125 pounds.

The Gophers held a comfortable 18-9 lead in the dual when ninth-ranked senior Reiter took to the mat at 133 pounds. The Gilbertville, Iowa native successfully shrugged off his two disappointing losses last weekend with a dominating 18-2 tech fall victory over No. 13 Reece Humphrey. Reiter came out aggressively at the whistle, earning a takedown and two-point nearfall just 42 seconds into the match and then another three-point nearfall at the end of the period. He had racked up an impressive 2:24 of riding time after just three minutes of wrestling.

Reiter continued his aggressive approach over the next five minutes of action, scoring 11 more points in the final two periods of his dismantling of Humphrey. Reiter walked off the mat to a standing ovation from the Gopher crowd after picking up the tech fall and finishes his final regular season 19-6 overall. Reiter will be one of the top seeds at the upcoming Big Ten Championships.

Rivera, the fifth-ranked wrestler in the country at 141 pounds, was the final Gopher senior to take the mat Sunday afternoon. Rivera lost a hard-fought match with No. 8 J Jaggers 6-4 to finish out his regular season with a 28-6 overall record. Down 5-2 heading into the final 40 seconds of the match, Rivera scored a takedown to close the gap to 5-4 but could not pick up the match-tying points in the waning seconds.

Unfortunately Gopher fans were sent home with a sour taste in their mouths as No. 7 Lance Palmer pinned third-ranked Dustin Schlatter at 149 pounds in 3:19. It marked the first time Schlatter had been pinned in his collegiate career and was just the fourth loss as a Golden Gopher.

The team victory was the Gophers’ 13th straight over the Buckeyes, a streak that dates back to 1993. After going 0-4 in Williams Arena during the dual meet season, Minnesota finishes with a 3-0 record in the Sports Pavilion.

Minnesota’s focus now turns to the 2008 Big Ten Wrestling Championships, which will get underway in less than two weeks. The Gophers are the two-time defending conference champions and crowned four individuals (Jayson Ness, Dustin Schlatter, C.P. Schlatter and departed heavyweight Cole Konrad) at last year’s event, which was held in Ann Arbor, Mich.

The first session of the championships will begin at 11 a.m. on Saturday, March 8. Approximately 4,400 all-session tickets have been sold already, with single-session tickets set to go on sale Monday, March 3.

Minnesota 23, Ohio State 18 (Wrestling Camps)
157 pounds: #6 C.P. Schlatter (MINN) dec. John Johnstone (OSU), 8-5
165 pounds: #20 Tyler Safratowich (MINN) dec. #8 Colt Sponseller (OSU), 4-2
174 pounds: #11 Gabe Dretsch (MINN) pinned Alex Picazo (OSU), 6:48
184 pounds: #2 Mike Pucillo (OSU) tech. fall Jeremy Larson (MINN), 25-6 (7:00)
197 pounds: Justin Bronson (MINN) dec. John Weakley (OSU), 2-1
285 pounds: #2 J.D. Bergman (OSU) maj. dec. Ben Berhow (MINN); 13-3
125 pounds: #1 Jayson Ness (MINN) dec. Nikko Triggas (OSU); 6-0
133 pounds: #9 Mack Reiter (MINN) tech. fall #13 Reece Humphrey (OSU); 18-2 (7:00)
141 pounds: #8 J Jaggers (OSU) dec. #3 Manuel Rivera (MINN); 6-4
149 pounds: #7 Lance Palmer (OSU) pinned #3 Dustin Schlatter (MINN); 3:19

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 4:18 AM | Permalink

The Big 10 and Big 12 High School Wrestling Tournaments are about to kick off. You can follow all of the action without heading down to Minneapolis by visiting the Big 10 Wrestling Tournament Results thread. The and this is the thread for the Big 12 Wrestling Tournament results.

The Big Ten Favorite this year is Iowa and the competition level is once again very high. Minneapolis is the perfect stage for the Championships this year, as it will draw in many fans hoping for the upset of the #1 Hawkeyes.

The Big Twelve Favorite is Oklahoma State. Lead by #1 Coleman Scott and Head Coach John Smith, the Cowboys will not go untested.

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 1:45 AM | Permalink

Claiming two individual champions and qualifying seven wrestlers to the upcoming national tournament, the Augsburg College wrestling team won its sixth straight NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional championship, in action Saturday at St. John's University's Sexton Arena in the Warner Palaestra.

Augsburg, ranked No. 2 in the National Wrestling Coaches Association Division III national rankings, claimed eight placewinners at the meet, winning the tournament with 129.5 points. Elmhurst (Ill.), ranked No. 15 nationally, claimed three champions and qualified four individuals to the national tournament, finishing second with 116.5 points. Concordia-Moorhead placed third with 114.0 points, qualifying three individuals to the national tournament, and North Central (Ill.) was fourth with 109.0, qualifying three individuals to nationals. Host St. John's was fifth with 87.5 points, qualifying three individuals to nationals.

The top two individuals at each weight class, along with three at-large entrants, qualify for the Division III national tournament, to be held March 7-8 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Augsburg's Willy Holst (SO, Prescott, Wis.), ranked No. 2 nationally at 149 pounds, dominated his weight class with four victories, including an opening 18-3, third-period technical-fall win and three major-decision wins -- 12-1 in the quarterfinals, 11-2 in the semifinals and 16-2 in the finals over No. 5-ranked Jeff Kastel of Elmhurst. Holst is now 28-2 on the year. A transfer from the University of Minnesota, Holst will be competing in his first Division III national tournament. He has a collegiate career record of 38-7.

Jason Adams (SO, Coon Rapids, Minn.) also claimed four victories, including a pin and 17-0 technical-fall win, to earn the title at 141 pounds, improving to 27-8 on the season. He scored a 7-4 win over Brent Skorup of Wheaton (Ill.) in the finals to earn a trip to the national tournament for the first time.

Travis Lang (JR, Bismarck, N.D.), ranked No. 1 nationally at 133 pounds, was upset in the finals by a 7-4 decision to Adam Johnson of North Central, ranked No. 3 nationally. Lang, now 35-2 on the year, reached the finals with three first-period pins -- a 42-second pin in the opener, 1:07 pin in the quarterfinals and 2:58 pin in the semifinals. He now has a team-high 19 pins on the year. A transfer from the University of Minnesota, Lang will compete in his first Division III national tournament. He has a collegiate career record of 71-21.

Also finishing second for Augsburg and qualifying for the national tournament was Seth Flodeen (JR, Cannon Falls, Minn.), ranked No. 6 nationally at 125, Beau Hansen (FY, Albert Lea, Minn.) at 157 and George Lynaugh (SR, Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Simley HS) at 174. Lynaugh won his "true-second" match to qualify for the national meet. Robbie Gotreau (SR, Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson HS), ranked No. 4 nationally at 184, placed third in his weight class but qualified for the national tournament as one of the three at-large selections.

Flodeen claimed a 5:30 pin in his opening match and edged Mogi Baatar of St. John's 10-8 in overtime in the semifinals, but fell 15-12 to No. 4-ranked Jake Oster of Elmhurst (Ill.) in the finals. Flodeen, an All-American and defending national runner-up at 125 last season, is now 21-7 on the season and 74-27 in his three seasons at Augsburg.

Hansen won three matches before falling 8-4 to Elmhurst's Kyle Katz, ranked No. 4 nationally, in the 157-pound finals. Hansen will make his first trip to the national tournament with a 28-7 record.

Lynaugh, a national tournament qualifier last season at 184 pounds, qualified this season at 174, claiming a pin among his three victories leading to the finals, where he was edged 6-4 by Concordia-Moorhead's Phil Moenkedick, ranked No. 10 nationally. He then scored a 2-1 triumph in the "true-second" match over Greg Schroeder of North Central to qualify for the national meet. Lynaugh is now 22-10 on the season and 59-20 in his Augsburg career.

A two-time All-American (fourth, fifth) at 174, Gotreau qualified for his third straight national tournament. He won his opening match by a 13-4 major decision, then claimed a third-period, 16-0 technical fall in the quarterfinals before being pinned by Dustin Baxter of St. John's with seven seconds left in the third period of the semifinals. In the wrestlebacks, Gotreau claimed an 11-2, major-decision win and 10-8 triumph in the third-place match. Gotreau is now 26-11 on the season and 135-37 in his Auggie career.

Augsburg heavyweight Andy Witzel (SO, Fulda, Minn.) finished third in his weight class, but was not among the at-large qualifiers. He want 3-1 on the day to finish 26-15 on the season. Wallace O'Connor (SR, Oshkosh, Wis./Oshkosh West HS) went 1-2 on the day at 197 pounds, as did Brandon Klukow (JR, Albert Lea, Minn.) at 165.

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 6:33 PM | Permalink

The Iowa college wrestling team is ready for its final test of the regular season.

With the Hawkeyes having dismantled the rest of the Big Ten, and just about everybody else in the nation, No. 11 Illinois (12-3, 4-2 Big Ten) is all that stands in the way of the Hawkeyes' outright Big Ten regular-season dual championship and the start of the Big Ten Tournament.

Despite the Hawks' squeaking by with victory margins of four, two, and seven in three of their last four Big Ten matchups after winning by an average of 11.75 in their first four conference duals, Iowa coach Tom Brands said he's not worried about them losing their edge.

"I don't look at it as being crisp or not crisp," he said. "Michigan liked the matchup with us; they always have. We don't have a sense of urgency for whatever reason early in the match sometimes, and from that regard, maybe we're not as crisp.

"... There is no uncertainty going into the dual meet. With this team, there is not a sense of us losing our edge. If anything we are further, and even with being 5-5 with Wisconsin and 5-5 with Michigan, you've gotta realize that our best wrestling is to come."

One wrestler whose found a resurgence as the season progressed is recent Big Ten Wrestler of the Week Chad Beatty.

Wrestling up two weight classes for much of the season, Beatty lost seven of his first nine matches at 197 pounds, but he has since won his last three matches, including a come-from-behind win against Michigan's 15th-ranked Anthony Biondo who had defeated the Wilton, Iowa, native earlier this season, 8-0.

"I've learned to wrestle the bigger guys a lot better than I did at first," the sophomore said. "I've gained a little bit of weight and my coaches have helped me adapt to the different type of match I need to wrestle. I'm using my quickness and trying not to let them get underneath me as much and use their weight to their advantage."

The win against Biondo couldn't have come at a more pressure-packed moment; the Hawkeyes trailed 16-12 with only two matches to go. Beatty snuck in for the winning takedown as time expired, setting the stage for heavyweight Matt Fields to save the day on Senior Day.

"That was probably my No. 1 Hawkeye moment," Beatty said. "It was awesome. The crowd got really got into it; it was a lot of fun."

While Brands lauded Beatty for wrestling smarter and with more patience over his last few matches, he said there is still not a comfort level 197 pounds - the same type of uncertainty growing with Dan LeClere and Ryan Morningstar.

"Chad Beatty - the difference is that he's become smarter. That's a place where a guy like LeClere could be a little bit better and certainly a guy like Morningstar," Brands said. "Beatty continued to improve his position, and Morningstar let the guy weasel and win the position, and there's a difference there."

But before the Hawkeyes bring the conference championship singlets out, they'll have a battle out in Champaign, where Illini wrestlers Gabe Flores, Jimmy Kennedy, Mike Poeta, and Patrick Bond are looking to move up or cement their spot on the top of the Big Ten seedings.

"We've got some potential high seeds, and if you get beat, you never know where you'll end up, and in the Big Ten everybody is beating everybody, so we've got to keep beating everybody, too," Brands said.

"It's the postseason, and that's when it's time to show up," said currently injured reigning NCAA Wrestling champion Mark Perry. "That's why I wrestle college is for the postseason, not the dual meets."

Perry competed in High School Wrestling at Blair Academy.

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 8:28 PM | Permalink

For the first time since 1995, the Oklahoma Sooners are Bedlam champs.

In front of the largest crowd to view a wrestling match in Norman this season (1,734), No. 17 Oklahoma upended the No. 3 Oklahoma State Cowboys at the Howard McCasland Field House by an 18-15 final. The upset snapped a streak of 19 straight victories by the Cowboys.

"This is not just another victory," head coach Jack Spates said. "It was against a great and historic program in Oklahoma State. I couldn't be prouder of the fight and the effort of our team."

The dual between the in-state rivals began at 184 pounds after Oklahoma State decided to draw instead of the traditional start at 125 pounds. The opening bout could not have started better for the Sooners, as No. 6 Joshua Weitzel put six on the board with a pin over Jack Jensen. The senior needed only the first period to record the fall at 2:18.

Two-time NCAA Wrestling All-American Joel Flaggert, ranked ninth nationally, then posted a decision over Clayton Foster at 197 pounds. After dominating the first two periods and leading 7-2, the Choctaw, Okla., native scored two escapes in the third for a 9-6 final.

Oklahoma State bounced back after the two wins by Oklahoma seniors, as No. 8 Jared Rosholt won in an 8-3 decision over Nathan Fernandez at heavyweight. After a scoreless first, Rosholt recorded three takedowns in final two periods to take the victory and inching Oklahoma State back to within six, 9-3.

No. 17 Joey Fio continued his recent success with a 3-2 upset decision over No. 14 Tyler Shinn of OSU at 125 pounds. The true-freshman, who was named Big 12 Wrestler of the Week on Feb. 11, was tied with Shinn after two periods, 2-2. After choosing down, Fio managed an escape at 1:50 and held on for the 3-2 decision.

It was No. 1 Coleman Scott for the Cowboys who then took control of the 133 pound bout with a 7-2 decision over Oklahoma's Brian Shelton. Scott used two takedowns in the first to distance himself, narrowing the OU lead to 12-6.

Nathan Morgan, ranked third nationally, posted another Oklahoma State win at 141 pounds with a 5-4 decision over No. 16 Zack Bailey. After a tie to begin the third, Morgan recorded a takedown and an escape to post the victory.

No. 17 Will Rowe stopped OSU's momentum with a 7-2 decision over Ryan Freeman. The 149 pound match was close after two, with Rowe hanging on to a 3-2 advantage. The junior from Arlington, Texas, scored an escape, a takedown and a riding time point in the third to record the win, pushing the Sooner lead back to six, 15-9.

An important match at 157 pounds pitted Oklahoma's No. 17 Chad Terry against Neil Erisman. After a scoreless first, Terry scored an escape and a takedown in the second to go up 3-0. After Erisman chose the down position to begin the third, Terry rode him out without giving up an escape to win 4-0 with the help of a riding time point.

With the lead of 18-9, the Sooners simply needed to hang on to post the Big 12 upset over their arch-rival. No. 5 Jake Dieffenbach made the team score 18-12 after posting a victory at 165 pounds over senior Max Dean. The Cowboy recorded three takedowns and Dean was only able to manage escapes in the 7-3 loss. No bonus points were awarded with the decision, so Oklahoma State could only manage a tie in the match.

It would take a pin at 174 pounds for Oklahoma State to tie the Sooners at 18. An unfamiliar face was wrestling for OU because of year-long starter Jeff James out for the year due to injury. It was up to the junior Chris DeVilbiss with a 7-2 record on the year to be the hero for Oklahoma and fend off OSU.

DeVilbiss came through for the Sooners, keeping No. 8 Brandon Mason from recording the fall. Mason won 7-0, but the defeat was lost on the Oklahoma team, realizing the huge upset-win over the Oklahoma State Cowboys.

"This is a huge, huge win," Spates said. "All of the cheers, all of the hugs--I couldn't be prouder."

The Sooners will take their momentum into the postseason, as they will travel to Stillwater, Okla., on Saturday, March 8 for the Big 12 Championships. College Wrestling Rankings will be updated later this week to include these results.

Wrestling Videos from the event are up, and if you're interested in Wrestling Camps, check out our new guide for picking them.

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 6:39 PM | Permalink

Division 1 College Wrestling Rankings are released weekly by InterMat. These rankings are voted on by the NWMA and Coaches.

Division I NCAA Wrestling Rankings
Rank Team (First) Record Points Previous

1 Iowa 20-1 480 1
2 Nebraska 14-2 468 2
3 Oklahoma State 16-2-1 456 3
4 Central Michigan 14-2 442 5
5 Ohio State 19-3 433 6
6 Iowa State 14-4 417 7
7 Penn State 13-5 391 9
8 Wisconsin 13-4-1 389 13
9 Minnesota 13-7 382 4
10 Northwestern 8-7 362 12
11 Illinois 12-3 381 8
12 Michigan 15-8 354 10
13 Missouri 9-4-1 349 11
14 Edinboro 9-3 322 14
15 Cornell 6-5 305 15
16 Hofstra 13-8 298 16
17 Oklahoma 13-4 294 17
18 UT-Chattanooga 10-6 270 18
19 Old Dominion 16-3 266 19
20 Kent State 14-4 248 20
21 Indiana 12-8 227 21
22 Maryland 14-4 215 23
23 Pittsburgh 12-3 206 22
24 Cal State Fullerton 13-5 185 24
25 Penn 11-5 150 25

NCAA Wrestling Videos
InterMat/NWCA/NWMA Division I Individual Rankings.

125, Wrestler, Yr., School, Record, Last Week
1, Jayson Ness, So., Minnesota, 32-0, 1
2, Charlie Falck, Jr., Iowa, 29-2, 3
3, Angel Escobedo, So., Indiana, 24-1, 2
4, Paul Donahoe, Jr., Nebraska, 17-3, 4
5, Brandon Precin, So., Northwestern, 29-4, 5
6, Tanner Gardner, Sr., Stanford, 35-1, 6
7, Mike Sees, Sr., Bloomsburg, 27-3, 7
8, Gabe Flores, Sr., Illinois, 20-8, 9
9, Mark McKnight, Sr., Penn State, 11-6, 10
10, James Nicholson, Fr., Old Dominion, 28-8, 12
11, Dave Tomasette, Sr., Hofstra, 28-6, 13
12, Rollie Peterkin, So., Penn, 22-3, 8
13, Steve Mytych, Jr., Drexel, 31-5, 11
14, Tyler Shinn, So., Oklahoma State, 14-4, 14
15, Tyler Clark, Fr., Iowa State, 17-7, 15
16, Anthony Robles., Fr., Arizona State, 19-8, 16
17, Joey Fio, Fr., Oklahoma, 17-7, 17
18, Luke Smith, Sr., Central Michigan, 20-6, 20
19, Javier Maldonado, Sr., UT-Chattanooga, 15-6, 18
20, Collin Cudd, Sr., Wisconsin, 17-7, 19

133
1, Coleman Scott, Sr., Oklahoma State, 26-3, 1
2, Mike Grey, Fr., Cornell, 33-5, 2
3, Joey Slaton , So., Iowa, 29-2, 3
4, Franklin Gomez, So., Michigan State, 23-1, 4
5, Lou Ruggirello, So., Hofstra, 31-5, 6
6, Nick Fanthorpe, So., Iowa State , 25-4, 7
7, Jimmy Kennedy, So., Illinois, 23-4, 9
8, Zach Tanelli, Jr., Wisconsin, 20-8, 11
9, Mack Reiter, Sr., Minnesota, 18-6, 5
10, Kenny Jordan, So., Nebraska, 13-5, 8
11, Pat Castillo, Sr., Northern Illinois, 24-5, 10
12, Andrae Hernandez, So., Indiana, 17-8, 12
13, Reece Humphrey, So., Ohio State, 22-6, 13
14, T.J. Dillashaw, Jr., Cal State-Fullerton, 20-7, 14
15, Sean Clair, So., Eastern Michigan, 27-4, 15
16, Jeff Hedges, Sr. , UNC Greensboro, 22-9, 16
17, Kyle Hutter, So., Old Dominion, 29-11, 17
18, David Marble, So., Bucknell, 23-5, 18
19, Dan Mitcheff, So., Kent State, 26-6, 19
20, Tyler McCormick, Sr., Missouri, 4-7, 20

141
1, Chad Mendes, Sr., Cal Poly, 23-0, 1
2, Charles Griffin, Sr., Hofstra, 30-3, 4
3, Nathan Morgan, Sr., Oklahoma State, 27-2, 2
4, Kyle Ruschell, So., Wisconsin, 22-5, 6
5, Manuel Rivera, Sr., Minnesota, 28-5, 3
6, Kellen Russell, Fr., Michigan, 25-5, 10
7, Joe Caramanica, Jr., N.C. State, 29-4, 5
8, Dan LeClere, So., Iowa, 23-8, 7
9, Garrett Scott, Fr., Penn State, 16-3, 9
10, J Jaggers, Jr., Ohio State, 20-5, 8
11, Eric Kruger, Jr., Central Michigan, 21-5, 12
12, Cody Cleveland, So., UT-Chattanooga, 22-6, 13
13, Nick Gallick, So., Iowa State, 19-11, 14
14, Keith Sulzer, Fr., Northwestern, 13-4, 18
15, Ryan Prater, Fr., Illinois, 19-8, 11
16, Zach Bailey, So., Oklahoma, 25-9, 16
17, Carter Downing, Sr., Wyoming, 16-4, 17
18, Drew Lashaway, Jr., Kent State, 25-10, 19
19, Matt Kyler, So., Army, 35-5, 20
20, Mike Rowe, Jr., Nebraska, 8-4, 15

149
1, Brent Metcalf, So., Iowa, 29-1, 1
2, J.P. O'Connor, So., Harvard, 20-1, 2
3, Dustin Schlatter, Jr., Minnesota, 15-1, 3
4, Josh Churella, Sr., Michigan, 21-4, 4
5, Bubba Jenkins, So., Penn State, 19-3, 5
6, Lance Palmer, So., Ohio State, 19-6, 7
7, Jordan Burroughs, So., Nebraska, 26-5, 8
8, Darrion Caldwell, So., N.C. State, 29-3, 9
9, Morgan Atkinson, Sr., Cal State-Fullerton, 29-5, 10
10, Jake Patacsil, Jr., Purdue, 23-6, 14
11, Ryan Lang, Sr., Northwestern, 12-4, 6
12, Adam Hall, Fr., Boise State, 21-5, 11
13, Scott Ervin, Sr., Appalachian State, 32-5, 12
14, Cesar Grajales, So., Penn, 25-4, 13
15, Josh Wagner, Jr., Missouri, 19-8, 15
16, Joey Knox, So., UT-Chattanooga, 19-8, 16
17, Will Rowe, Jr., Oklahoma, 21-5, 17
18, Kyle Fried, Sr., Binghamton, 15-1, 19
19, Mike Roberts, Jr., Boston U., 26-6, 20
20, Trevor Chinn, Jr., Lehigh, 22-8, NR

157
1, Gregor Gillespie, Jr., Edinboro, 27-2, 1
2, Mike Poeta, Jr., Illinois, 24-2, 2
3, Dan Vallimont, So., Penn State, 24-1, 3
4, Brandon Becker, Sr., Indiana, 18-3, 4
5, Craig Henning, Sr., Wisconsin, 21-3, 5
6, C.P. Schlatter, Sr., Minnesota, 25-2, 6
7, Matt Kocher, Sr., Pittsburgh, 20-4, 7
8, Jordan Leen, Sr., Cornell, 16-2, 9
9, Josh Zupancic, Sr., Stanford, 32-5, 10
10, Tyler Sherfey, Jr., Boise State, 29-7, 13
11, Chase Pami, So., Cal Poly, 19-4, 14
12, Michael Chandler, Jr., Missouri, 20-5, 15
13, Cyler Sanderson, So., Iowa State, 26-4, 8
14, Ryan Hluschak, Sr., Drexel, 26-4, 11
15, Jeff Marsh, Sr., Michigan, 21-12, 20
16, Ryan Morningstar, So., Iowa, 19-10, 12
17, Chad Terry, Jr., Oklahoma, 17-5, 16
18, Zac Fryling, Sr., West Virginia, 10-5, 19
19, Matt Moley, So., Bloomsburg, 27-6, NR
20, Newly McSpadden, So., Oklahoma State, 19-8, 18

165
1, Mark Perry, Sr., Iowa, 18-2, 1
2, Nick Marable, So., Missouri, 20-3, 2
3, Eric Tannenbaum, Sr., Michigan, 26-2, 3
4, Mack Lewnes, Fr., Cornell, 28-3, 4
5, Jake Dieffenbach, Sr., Oklahoma State, 20-4, 5
6, Mike Cannon, So., American, 21-2, 6
7, Jon Reader, Fr., Iowa State, 24-5, 7
8, Colt Sponseller, Fr., Ohio State, 16-1, 8
9, Trevor Stewart, Jr., Central Michigan, 17-4, 9
10, Stephen Dwyer, So., Nebraska, 27-6, 10
11, Keegan Mueller, Sr., North Carolina, 23-3, 11
12, Moza Fay, Jr., Northern Iowa, 16-7, 12
13, Kurt Gross, Sr., Kent State, 25-7, 13
14, Matt Coughlin, So., Indiana, 22-7, 14
15, Jarrod King, Jr., Edinboro, 25-7, 15
16, Kurt Swartz, Fr., Boise State, 26-6, 16
17, Zach Shanaman, Jr., Penn, 19-6, 17
18, Chris Brown, So., Old Dominion, 30-9, 18
19, Andy Rendos, So., Bucknell, 23-7, 19
20, Tyler Safratowich, Jr., Minnesota, 25-7, 20

174
1, Keith Gavin, Sr., Pittsburgh, 24-0, 1
2, Steve Luke, Jr., Michigan, 26-3, 4
3, Jay Borschel, So., Iowa, 27-5, 2
4, Brandon Sinnott, Sr., Central Michigan, 23-3, 3
5, Brandon Browne, Jr., Nebraska, 28-2, 5
6, Alton Lucas, Jr., Hofstra, 22-4, 6
7, Matt Stolpinski, Sr., Navy, 33-6, 7
8, Brandon Mason, Jr., Oklahoma State, 24-4, 8
9, Mike Letts, So., Maryland, 18-4, 9
10, Steve Anceravage, Jr., Cornell, 25-3, 10
11, Gabe Dretsch, Sr., Minnesota, 25-9, 11
12, Nick Hayes, Sr., Northwestern, 19-9, 12
13, Duke Burk, So., Northern Illinois, 22-4, 13
14, Lloyd Rogers, So., UT-Chattanooga, 23-3, 14
15, John Dergo, So., Illinois, 17-10, 15
16, Dave Erwin, So., Penn State, 22-8, 16
17, Nick Corpe, Jr., Purdue, 22-10, 17
18, Phil Moricone, Jr., Edinboro, 20-9, 18
19, Chris Henrich, Fr., Virginia, 23-6, 19
20, Alex Caruso, Fr., Lehigh, 18-10, 20

184
1, Jake Varner, So., Iowa State, 22-0, 1
2, Mike Pucillo, So., Ohio State, 24-1, 2
3, Tyrel Todd, Jr., Michigan, 24-2, 3
4, Christian Sinnott, Sr., Central Michigan, 21-4, 4
5, Raymond Jordan, Jr., Missouri, 21-2, 5
6, Josh Weitzel, Sr., Oklahoma, 22-2, 6
7, Phil Keddy, So., Iowa, 24-7, 7
8, Kirk Smith, Fr., Boise State, 20-2, 8
9, Roger Kish, Sr., Minnesota, 12-5, 10
10, Ian Murphy, Sr., Cal State-Fullerton, 22-7, 12
11, Rocco Caponi, Jr., Virginia, 34-2, 13
12, Doug Umbehauer, Jr., Rider, 21-8, 20
13, Vince Jones, Jr., Nebraska, 17-10, 9
14, Phil Bomberger, Jr., Penn State, 17-6, 14
15, Brent Chriswell, Fr., Arizona State, 11-5, 15
16, Lior Zamir, Jr., Penn, 19-7,
17, Josh Arnone, So., Cornell, 3-1, 11
18, Chris Honeycutt, Fr., Edinboro, 18-4, 16
19, Josh Haines, Jr., Maryland, 13-5, 19
20, Eric Chine, Jr., Kent State, 29-10,

197
1, Josh Glenn, Sr., American, 11-0, 1
2, Mike Tamillow, Sr., Northwestern, 23-2, 2
3, Phil Davis, Sr., Penn State, 16-1, 3
4, Wynn Michalak, Sr., Central Michigan, 23-1, 4
5, Hudson Taylor, So., Maryland, 26-2, 5
6, Max Askren, So., Missouri, 20-2, 6
7, Craig Brester, So., Nebraska, 20-3, 7
8, Dallas Herbst, Jr., Wisconsin, 25-2, 8
9, Joel Flaggert, Sr., Oklahoma, 20-3, 9
10, Joe Rovelli, Sr., Hofstra, 23-4, 10
11, Patrick Bond, So., Illinois, 20-5, 11
12, Cayle Byers, Fr. , George Mason, 33-5, 12
13, Daren Burns, Sr., UNC Greensboro, 28-6, 13
14, Jared Villers, Sr., West Virginia, 15-2, 14
15, Joe Williams, Sr., Michigan State, 22-10, 16
16, T.J. Morrison, Sr., Rider, 18-8, 17
17, Matt Koz, Sr., UT-Chattanooga, 18-7, 18
18, David Bertolino, Sr., Iowa State, 19-10, 19
19, Anthony Biondo, Fr., Michigan, 23-10, 15
20, Brent Jones, So., Virginia, 32-9, 20

285
1, Dustin Fox, Sr., Northwestern, 17-0, 1
2, J.D. Bergman, Sr., Ohio State, 26-1, 2
3, Ed Prendergast, Sr., Navy, 29-4, 3
4, Kyle Massey, Jr., Wisconsin, 23-5, 4
5, Wade Sauer, Jr., Cal State-Fullerton, 26-4, 5
6, David Zabriskie, So., Iowa State, 23-5, 6
7, Matt Fields, Sr., Iowa, 26-6, 7
8, Jared Rosholt, So., Oklahoma State, 26-3, 8
9, Bubba Gritter, Sr., Central Michigan, 21-4, 9
10, Mike Spaid, Sr., Bloomsburg, 34-5, 10
11, Zach Hammond, Jr., Cornell, 18-6, 11
12, Jermail Porter, Sr., Kent State, 29-7, 12
13, Mark Ellis, So., Missouri, 16-8, 14
14, Zach Sheaffer, Jr., Pittsburgh, 29-10, 13
15, John Wise, Jr., Illinois, 22-11, 15
16, Jon May, Sr., Nebraska, 18-8, 17
17, Rashard Goff, Jr., Cleveland State, 18-8, 18
18, Joe Fendone, Jr., Edinboro, 14-7, 19
19, Dustin Rogers, Sr., West Virginia, 8-4, 20
20, Justin Dobies, Jr., North Carolina, 24-6, 19

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 1:44 AM | Permalink

Richard Jensen spent 17 years wrestling with an opponent he seemingly couldn't beat -- until he scored the biggest escape of his life.

Those were his toughest battles. Those were his darkest days.

Tangling with the top junior college wrestlers in the country? Spending hours each day priming his body to compete for seven minutes with athletes half his age?

That is the easy part for the 37-year-old sophomore at Clackamas Community College. It is nothing compared to what he's been through.

Jensen, a former methamphetamine addict and ex-convict whose recovery reconnected him to a sport that gave his life stability, takes a 15-13 record in the 184-pound weight class into Friday's opening round of the National Junior College Athletic Association tournament in Rochester, Minn.

"I fought a battle for 17 years and I fought my way out of it and that's what I look at," he said. "It doesn't matter what the guy is ranked. It doesn't matter how intimidating he is. It doesn't matter that he's beat the crap out of me before. For seven minutes, I get to wrestle this guy and it's not that big of a battle; it's really not."

At least not compared to what he went through to get to this point.

Jensen grew up near Portland, Ore. As a wrestler at Tigard High School, he made up for what he lacked in natural talent with heart and hustle. He compiled a 17-2 record his senior year at Tigard, qualifying for the state's high school tournament.

Jensen said wrestling kept him out of trouble and brought balance to his life. However, after high school, he traveled down a treacherous path. He served nearly six years of prison sentences for repeated drug-related offenses.

"Toward the end, the time in jail got longer, the sentences got longer and heavier and the addiction got harder and I just wanted out, I really wanted out," Jensen said. "I was sentenced to jail for a year, I got out for six months and did everything I could to stay clean and it wasn't enough. I didn't know how. I wanted to [stay sober] so bad and I still got busted, I still got in trouble and I still used and they sent me to the Oregon state penitentiary."

Jensen was arrested on Oct. 10, 2003, for manufacturing methamphetamine. Shortly after he began serving a 13-month prison sentence, he learned his mother was dying of cancer.

"I was so unavailable that I didn't know she was sick and I didn't know she wasn't doing well," Jensen said.

Jensen called his mother every night from prison. He promised he would change his life; he would become a better man; he would break the grip that drugs held on him.

Everything I've done, every step of the way has been a blessing in my life and here it is -- I qualified for the national tournament. It just amazes me. It makes all the work so worth it. --Richard Jensen

Marie Elizabeth Hurley died a month after her son was sent to prison.

"I told myself I was going to honor my mother from here on out," Jensen said. "The only thing she really wanted from me was for me to be clean. That was something I had a really hard time giving to her."

The day after Thanksgiving in 2004, Jensen was released from prison and paroled to the Salvation Army in Portland.

"I had the clothes on my back and I was scared to death, I was scared of what was ahead of me, but I knew I didn't want to use drugs and alcohol anymore," he said. "Everybody in that homeless shelter used drugs and alcohol, and I told myself I wasn't going to do it no matter what."

He spent a month in the homeless shelter before meeting a recovering addict named David Fitzgerald, a mentor for the Central City Concern recovery program in Portland. Fitzgerald put Jensen through a series of tests to gauge his intent for staying clean before accepting him into the program.

"He didn't need a lot of help," Fitzgerald said. "He didn't need a lot of prompting. He was easy to work with, he just needed some direction and to be challenged every now and then. He was done using, he was done going to prison, and he had some things he wanted to do."

During all those days in prison, Jensen envisioned what he would do with his life when he was free again. He wanted to go to college. He had been sober for more than two years when he enrolled at Portland Community College.

He wanted to find out whether he could handle school again. He got good grades at Portland and enrolled at Clackamas Community College in the summer of 2006, intent on earning a certified technician degree from the school's automotive program.

Jensen approached Clackamas athletic director Jim Jackson to find out whether someone his age could join the wrestling team.

"He was real honest with me," Jensen said. "He said the odds were pretty slim that I would make it. He said the odds were against me. But when he said that, I realized there was a chance. It gave me hope because the battle I've fought to get out of the drug addiction, the odds were even worse and I was beating those odds. When he said that, I figured I was going to be part of the team and I was going to make the team."

Jensen showed up for the first day of workouts last fall, unsure what was ahead of him. His new teammates asked if Jensen was a new assistant coach. Once they learned he was there to compete, they started placing wagers on how long he would last.

Clackamas coach Josh Rhoden remembers that day well. Then a first-year coach with the Cougars, Rhoden put his team through a three-mile run on the school's outdoor track. Jensen showed up for the workout without running shoes and Rhoden offered him the opportunity to wait until the following day to make the run. The 36-year-old freshman ran in bare feet.

"He didn't want the guys to think he wasn't there to work out," Rhoden said. "That was pretty phenomenal. You kind of thought, 'This guy is pretty serious about what he's trying to do.' It was pretty awesome when he did that."

Jensen won two matches during his first season at Clackamas.

"The ones he did win were with all heart and guts and a lot of pain, I'm sure," Rhoden said.

The Cougars gave Jensen the award for the team's most inspirational wrestler at the end of the season. In fact, they renamed the honor after him.

"I never really needed to win a match to get what I came here for," said Jensen, who plans to open an independent auto repair shop after this season. "I got the bonus plan."

Jensen dropped a weight class this season -- he cut down to 184 pounds, at which he is ranked 11th in the country. Some improved technical skills have added to his victory count and to his inspiring story.

"To be truthful, he's come a lot farther than I thought was possible," Rhoden said.

Jensen's greatest moment on the mat came earlier in February when he qualified for the NJCAA meet.

"It was one of the highlights of my life," he said. "It just made everything I've been trying to do over the last four years, it made it all come to light, like every little piece of it was worth it. Everything I've done, every step of the way has been a blessing in my life and here it is -- I qualified for the national tournament. It just amazes me. It makes all the work so worth it. It makes me want to put my life in another gear and it makes anything possible. It doesn't have to stop there."

Further reading on TheWrestlingTalk.. new section on selecting the best wrestling camps for this summer.

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 11:14 PM | Permalink

Division 2 NCAA Wrestling Rankings

Rank School (State) Points Last Ranking
1. Nebraska-Omaha 159 2nd
2. Minnesota State-Mankato 152 1st
3. Adams State (Colo.) 145 3rd
4. Western State (Colo.) 135 5th
5. Nebraska-Kearney 125 4th
6. Central Oklahoma 123 6th
7. Newberry (S.C.) 111 7th
8. Pittsburgh-Johnstown (Pa.) 105 8th
9. Ashland (Ohio) 84 10th
10. St. Cloud State (Minn.) 83 11th
11. Upper Iowa 76 9th
12. Gannon (Pa.) 75 12th
13. Findlay (Ohio) 64 16th
14. Mercyhurst (Pa.) 55 15th
15. Minnesota State-Moorhead 49 14th
16. Indianapolis (Ind.) 39 13th
17. Chadron State (Neb.) 34 17th
18. Wisconsin-Parkside 28 18th
19. Limestone (S.C.) 17 19th
20. Central Missouri 13 NR
Others receiving votes: Augustana (S.D.), Fort Hays State (Kan.), Northern State (S.D.)

NCAA Division II
Individual Rankings

125 Pounds
1. Cody Garcia, Nebraska-Omaha
2. Tyler Mumbulo, Upper Iowa
3. Nick Smith, Minnesota State-Mankato
4. Curtis Schurkamp, San Francisco State
5. Arsenia Barksdale, Adams State (Colo.)
6. Joe Mavins, North Carolina-Pembroke
7. Lucas Huffman, West Liberty State (W.Va.)
8. Eddie Lopez, Western State (Colo.)

133 Pounds
1. Brandon Reasy, Pittsburgh-Johnstown (Pa.)
2. Shane Perkey, Indianapolis (Ind.)
3. Jesse Cruz, Western State (Colo.)
4. Craig DeGreef, Wisconsin-Parkside
5. Raymond Dunning, Adams State (Colo.)
6. Tim Elliott, Central Oklahoma
7. Kelly Janke, Minnesota State-Moorhead
8. Mario Morgan, Nebraska-Omaha

141 Pounds
1. Kyle Evans, Central Oklahoma
2. Steven Fittery, Shippensburg (Pa.)
3. Jeff Rutledge, Nebraska-Kearney
4. Travis Elg, Minnesota State-Mankato
5. Matt Irwin, Indianapolis (Ind.)
6. Tony Washington, Newberry (S.C.)
7. Doug Surra, West Liberty State (W. Va.)
8. Josh Hensley, Adams State (Colo.)

149 Pounds
1. Todd Meneely, Nebraska-Omaha
2. Camille DuPont, Western State (Colo.)
3. Brian Pogel, Mercyhurst (Pa.)
4. Tommy Abbott, Minnesota State-Mankato
5. Tee Adams, Upper Iowa
6. Ryan Etherton, Nebraska-Kearney
7. Colby Robinson, Central Oklahoma
8. Joey Deaguero, Adams State (Colo.)

157 Pounds
1. Jason Rhoten, Minnesota State-Mankato
2. Joe Ellenberger, Nebraska-Kearney
3. Noomis Jones, Adams State (Colo.)
4. Antonio Guerra, Findlay (Ohio)
5. Andy Lamancusa, Mercyhurst (Pa.)
6. Muhammad Abdur-Rahman, Ashland (Ohio)
7. John Sundgren, St. Cloud State (Minn.)
8. Travis Eggers, Upper Iowa

165 Pounds

1. Zach Lee, Western State (Colo.)
2. Brett Hunter, Chadron State (Neb.)
3. Andy Pickar, Minnesota State-Mankato
4. Aaron Denson, Nebraska-Omaha
5. Kyle Becker, Wisconsin-Parkside
6. Hudson Harrison, Mercyhurst (Pa.)
7. Mitch Norton, Upper Iowa
8. Keenan McCurdy, Nebraska-Kearney

174 Pounds
1. Larry Wilbanks, Western State (Colo.)
2. Evan Copeland, Adams State (Colo.)
3. Jesse Feinsod, New Mexico Highlands
4. Marty Usman, Nebraska-Kearney
5. Ross Taplin, Nebraska-Omaha
6. Cory VanGroll, Wisconsin-Parkside
7. Tim Matheson, Minnesota State-Mankato
8. Tyler Tubbs, Minnesota State-Moorhead

184 Pounds
1. Jared Deaguero, Adams State (Colo.)
2. Brent Pankoke, Nebraska-Omaha
3. Dan Scanlan, Limestone (S.C.)
4. Keeno Griffin, Newberry (S.C.)
5. Mike Corcetti, Pittsburgh-Johnstown (Pa.)
6. Lars Lueders, Western State (Colo.)
7. Heath Jolley, Central Oklahoma
8. Beau Severtson, Augustana (S.D.)

197 Pounds
1. Josh Majerus, Chadron State (Neb.)
2. Jacob Marrs, Nebraska-Omaha
3. Josh Ohl, Ashland (Ohio)
4. Ty Copsey, Augustana (S.D.)
5. Donavan McMahill, Western State (Colo.)
6. Pat Walsh, Pittsburgh-Johnstown (Pa.)
7. Jarrett Edison, Central Oklahoma
8. Nick Wilkes, St. Cloud State (Minn.)

285 Pounds
1. Tervel Dlagnev, Nebraska-Kearney
2. Brady Wilson, Minnesota State-Mankato
3. Cy Wainwright, Newberry (S.C.)
4. Dustin Finn, Central Oklahoma
5. Dan Goodson, Upper Iowa
6. Tony Lewis, Nebraska-Omaha
7. Zach Majocha, Pittsburgh-Johnstown (Pa.)
8. Jesse Laber, Mary (N.D.)

A couple other things to check out while you're at it: This article on the Oregon Daily Emerald, all of the High School Wrestling State Tournaments, and check out the upcoming college stars in the High School Wrestling National Rankings

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 9:47 PM | Permalink

The officials for the 2008 D1 NCAA Wrestling Tournament have been released.

Mike Allen
Rick Cole
Ken Daws
Bob Derr
Pat Fitzgerald
David Frisch
Mike Hagerty
Randy Hartman
Dave Hickson
J R Johnson
Gary Kessel
Gary Mayaab
Mike McCormick
Ben Miller
Kevin Neville
Jim Ramirez
Kenny Ritchie
Joe Tauber
Ross Thomas
Matt Zeitz

The alternates in rank order are:
1. Michael Chase
2. Jake Llewellyn
3. Merle Tournay

NCAA Wrestling Rankings will be updated next week and Wrestling Videos will be available throughout the NCAA Wrestling Tournament. Also, check out this post about the Oregon Daily Emerald

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 9:59 PM | Permalink

What would Kesey do?
Oregon Daily Emerald
On the eve of what may be the last wrestling match in University of Oregon history, the son of one of the team’s most legendary alumni says Ken Kesey wouldn’t go down without a fight.

Enter the Further bus, with its history of fighting the establishment.

Zane Kesey, a former UO wrestler, loaded the psychedelic rig with wrestlers and their supporters and, with the help of blaring loud­speakers, brought the battle to thousands lining up for Saturday evening’s UO men’s basketball game.

“There’s something going down that smells really bad,� said Kesey, 46.

“It’s something Dad was really passionate about. I’m positive there’s no way he would let this happen sitting down,� he said, referring to his father, the acclaimed author and longtime Pleasant Hill resident who died in 2001 at age 66 after an operation for liver cancer.

Channeling the Merry Pranksters, wrestlers in tie-dye hung off the top and back of the bus and out of its windows, shouting “Save Oregon wrestling!� and blaring “Give Peace A Chance!�

With riders leaping out to pass out fliers and T-shirts, the day-glo International Harvester school bus drew stares, honks and waves along its route from Glenwood to McArthur Court.

“Wrestlers, when they’re on their back, that’s when they fight harder than ever,� said Kesey, whose father remains one of Oregon’s top 10 wrestlers. “They’re on their backs now. I truly feel Oregon wrestling’s going to be saved.�

UO Athletic Director Pat Kilkenny announced in July that the school would most likely cut wrestling in favor of creating a new baseball program. Since then, wrestlers and their fans have been scrambling to save their sport.

Kilkenny and representatives of the UO athletic department were unavailable for comment Saturday night, but Kilkenny has cited a lack of funding, Title IX gender equity issues and lack of support.

In response, former coach Ron Finley has said he has collected pledges totaling about half of the $5.6 million needed to permanently endow the sport and make it self-sustaining. He said he also has found that wrestling doesn’t violate federal Title IX requirements. A crowd of more than 4,000 turned out for an all-star meet last year, he said.

“There is no good reason to get rid of wrestling,� said Finley, 67, who was head coach for 28 years before retiring in 1998. “They don’t care.�

Finley said he worries about what getting rid of wrestling will do to the viability of high school programs statewide. The dream of wrestling in college keeps many students in school, and the college program also turns out graduates who often go on to coach.

Current head coach Chuck Kearney said he’s also unconvinced by the athletic department’s arguments.

“If we hadn’t had wrestling at the UO, would (Kesey) have come?� he questioned. “Would he have written ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’ or ‘Sometimes a Great Notion?’ �

Zane Kesey’s brother, Jed, also was a UO wrestler. He was killed in a crash on the way to a 1984 wrestling tournament.

In true Ken Kesey fashion, Saturday’s event wasn’t without a bit of police scrutiny. A Eugene police car trailed for a few blocks, and a security guard outside of McArthur Court ushered several wrestlers out of the road — but the group carried on without further intervention.

As the bus circled the basket­ball arena, redshirt junior Jeremy McLaughlin described the potential end of his wrestling career as “surreal.�

“To feel like you’ve worked for a long time and to have it stripped from you, you just feel cheated,� said Mc­Laughlin, who’s pursuing a double major in English and religious studies. “Wrestling teaches dedication, hard work and commitment. We don’t want that to be severed because of a rash decision.�

Kesey said he may break out the bus with the FURTHR plates again today, to drive to the team’s final meet against Oregon State at 2 p.m. at Gill Coliseum in Corvallis.

“I don’t have many good excuses any more (to drive the bus),� he said. “There has to be passion and right now, there’s passion.�

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 6:29 PM | Permalink

Iowa wrestler Charlie Falck wasn't sure what to say after his victorious match Friday when asked if he knew that his opponent was undefeated.

"Yeah ... no, not really," Falck said quietly. "I knew he was (ranked) high."

Falck knew enough about Indiana sophomore Angel Escobedo to understand that he was faced with a daunting task. Escobedo's 24-0 record heading into the match at Carver-Hawkeye Arena was only a number to Falck, and it meant nothing once they started competing.

Or did it?

"Some guys pay attention to it and they shake in their shoes," Iowa coach Tom Brands said of an opponent's record. "And some guys pay attention to it for curiosity or education.

"And some guys look at it and say, 'You know what, I'm going to be the first black mark on that guy's record. And some guys pretty much pay attention to their own development and their own focus."

Whatever Falck's approach was, it worked as he withstood a late charge by Escobedo to prevail 4-2 in the opening match at 125 pounds.

Falck's victory lit a spark for the top-ranked Hawkeyes, who won eight of 10 matches and rolled to a 28-7 victory before an announced crowd of 6,116 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

"That definitely is the game plan to get things rolling," said Falck (24-2), a junior from Strawberry Point.

Falck now has won two consecutive matches against Escobedo after defeating him 2-1 in the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament last season.

Falck said it helped his confidence knowing that he had defeated the second-ranked Escobedo before.

"I knew I beat him last year, and mentally that kind of helps because you know you did it once and you can do it again," said Falck, who entered the meet ranked third at 125 pounds. "He was really going to be shooting for me because we had a close match last year in Big Tens."

Falck struck first by recording a takedown with 34 seconds left in the first period. Falck scored the only points in the second period with an escape, but Escobedo was awarded a point when Falck was called for stalling in the third period.

Escobedo narrowed the gap to 3-2 with an escape in the third period, but he couldn't generate any offense as Falck held on to win 4-2, earning one point for riding time.

"It's a big win because he's ranked higher; it's a big win because it's February and it's a big win because the guy was undefeated," Brands said.

NCAA Wrestling Standout Sophomore Brent Metcalf lived up to his top ranking at 149 pounds and improved his record to 24-1 by dominating freshman Kurt Kinser from start to finish. Metcalf led 9-2 after the first period and 14-3 after the second before settling for a 19-6 victory, which resulted in four team points for the Hawkeyes.

Sophomore Dan LeClere helped set the stage for Metcalf in the preceding match at 141 pounds by whipping Scott Kelly in a similar fashion. LeClere was on the attack throughout the match and finished with 10 takedowns while improving his record to 19-6.

The crowd roared with pleasure when sophomore Phil Keddy tossed senior Marc Bennett into the scorer's table in the second period of their match at 184 pounds. Keddy led 9-2 after the first period and was the aggressor throughout the match, which ended with him winning 17-5.

Keddy recorded his final takedown with just seconds left in the third period to cap the pounding. He also twice nearly pinned Bennett.

"I'm satisfied with the fact that I scored a lot of points, not only with the under-hooks but with my leg attacks, which is something I needed to work on" said Keddy who improved his record to 20-6. "But I still wish I would have gotten the fall. I had him on his back a couple times, but I didn't get the (technical fall) even."

Indiana recorded its only two victories in back-to-back matches at 157 and 165 pounds. Sixth-ranked Brandon Becker pretty much had his way with Iowa sophomore Ryan Morningstar, winning 9-0 at 157 pounds.

Brands said afterward that Morningstar could respond from the loss in two ways.

"I thought we let this match get away even though it was a major decision," Brands said. "There's a lot of questioning himself there.

"You deal with these things either by 'I'm going to do something about it,' or you start to manufacture excuses."

Iowa's other winners were sophomore Joe Slaton at 133 pounds, second-ranked sophomore Jay Borschel at 171 pounds, sophomore Chad Beatty at 189 pounds and seventh-ranked senior Matt Fields at heavyweight.

Brands was impressed that so many fans attended the meet on the same night when the semifinals at the state wrestling tournament were being held in Des Moines.

"I think it's great," Brands said. "I think it's a tribute to our guys. I think it's a tribute to the way they wrestle. I think it's a tribute to how they've positioned themselves in the rankings.

"They've caught the imagination of everybody. You've got a team that's ranked No.1 in the country and has been for a big chunk of the year."

Friday's victory improved Iowa's record to 19-1 this season and it extended Iowa's winning streak to 17 against the Hoosiers, who fell to 12-8.

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 6:22 PM | Permalink

Iowa State wrestling: Son of ISU legend Carr to be Cyclone
By DAN McCOOL
Register Staff Writer

Nate Carr had an outstanding wrestling career at Iowa State in the 1980s.

Now his son, Nate Carr Jr., wants to do the same for the Cyclones, starting in 2008-09.

The younger Carr, a junior college national champion at 157 pounds for Iowa Central Community College last season, said Wednesday he'll wrestle for Iowa State.

Carr's father won three NCAA wrestling championships and 122 matches between 1981-83 before earning a bronze medal in freestyle at the 1988 Olympics - and a place in the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater, Okla.

"I don't want to go any lower than being a three-time national champ," said Carr Jr., who is being withheld from competition this season at Iowa Central.

Carr will have three seasons of eligibility at Iowa State, which he chose over Iowa.

Iowa State's history in the sport and coach Cael Sanderson were appealing, he said.

"When I was on my recruiting trip, he said, 'All we want to do here is win, no exceptions, and we want you to be a part of that winning,' " Carr said.

Carr will be the fourth family member to wrestle for the Cyclones. Nate Carr Sr.'s brothers, Solomon and Michael, also were Cyclones.

Carr Jr. signed to wrestle at West Virginia in 2005 after winning three Georgia state championships and forging a 210-2 career record. He did not qualify academically, and enrolled at Iowa Central.

The Carr name owns an impressive place in wrestling history. Fletcher Carr, Nate Jr.'s uncle, was a two-time NCAA Division II national champion at the University of Tampa and was head coach at Kentucky.

Jimmy Carr, Fletcher's brother, was 17 when he earned a spot at 114.5 pounds on the 1972 Olympic freestyle team that included three from Iowa State - Dan Gable, Ben Peterson and Chris Peterson.

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 11:17 PM | Permalink

USA loses to Russia and Ukraine at Freestyle World Cup
Gary Abbott USA Wrestling
02/16/2008

VLADIKAVKAZ, RUSSIA – The U.S. dropped dual meets to Russia and Ukraine during the first day of the Freestyle World Cup, the international dual meet championships, on Saturday.

Russia defeated the USA, 6-1, and Ukraine stopped the USA, 4-3. The losses place the United States in the fifth-place match against Turkey on Sunday.

In the dual meet against host Russia, Steve Mocco (Colorado Springs, Colo./New York AC) won the only bout for the USA, stopping Bakhtiyar Akhmedov of Russia, 2-0, 2-0.

2004 Olympic silver medalist Stephen Abas (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids) won the first period against Osip Mikhailov at 55 kg/121 lbs., but the Russian won the second and third periods, 3-2, 1-0.

National Freestyle Coach Kevin Jackson believed the USA could have won three of the bouts against Russia. Abas was leading 2-0 in the second period, but was taken down with a fireman’s carry and held to his back to give that period to Mikhailov. In the final period, Mikhailov won the clinch. Also, at 84 kg/185 lbs., Andy Hrovat (Ann Arbor, Mich./New York AC) dominated the first period against World and Olympic champion Adam Saitiev, but was edged by a point in the final two periods.

Against Ukraine, the USA had to forfeit at 60 kg/132 lbs. when Nate Gallick (Chattanooga, Tenn./Sunkist Kids) could not compete due to an injury in the Russian dual meet. The U.S. won three of the six matches contested.

Winning his second match of the day was Mocco, who stopped Ivan Ischenko, 0-1, 1-0, 1-0. Other winners for the USA in the Ukrainian dual meet were Nick Simmons (Williamstown, Mich./Sunkist Kids) at 55 kg/121 lbs. and Ben Askren (Columbia, Mo./Sunkist Kids) at 84 kg/185 lbs.

“We brought a younger group of athletes to see if they could compete against the best wrestlers in the world,� said Jackson. “We wanted to see the areas of concentration they need to work on to compete at this level. My hopes are we will beat Turkey tomorrow.�

“My hopes and thoughts are that things have to change in their daily training and environments so they will not fall into the same training traps that the older athletes have in recent years,� continued Jackson. “I am hoping that these athletes will make the necessary changes in their training. We will see that over the next month. If losing doesn’t open their eyes, they will have some tough matches in the future.�

Russia will face Cuba in the championship match on Sunday, while Ukraine will battle Uzbekistan in the third-place match.

The dual meet between Cuba and Uzbekistan ended at 3-3, due to a double disqualification at 66 kg/145.5 lbs., when athletes from both teams were thrown out of the match for fighting. FILA officials awarded the team victory to Cuba, which has advanced to the finals.

Looking towards the 2008 Beijing Olympics

“This is a great environment to wrestle,� said Jackson of the popularity of wrestling in this part of Russia. “It is unfortunate that we weren’t able to win our matches today.�

- additional information from Russian Wrestling Federation website and Iranian Wrestling Federation website

FREESTYLE WORLD CUP
At Vladikavkaz, Russia, Feb. 16

Group A

Russia 6, United States 1
55 kg/121 lbs. - Osip Mikhailov (Russia) dec. Stephen Abas (USA), 0-1, 3-2, 1-0
60 kg/132 lbs. - Alan Dudaev (Russia) dec. Nate Gallick (USA), 1-0, 3-0
66 kg/145.5 lbs. - Shamil Batirov (Russia) dec. Zack Esposito (USA), 7-0, 4-1
74 kg/163 lbs. - Denis Tsargush (Russia) dec. Ben Askren (USA), 3-0, 4-0
84 kg/185 lbs. - Adam Saitiev (Russia) dec. Andy Hrovat (USA), 1-7, 1-0, 1-0
96 kg/211.5 lbs. - Ibrahim Saidov (Russia) dec. Kurt Backes (USA), 3-1, 2-0
120 kg/264.5 lbs. - Steven Mocco (USA) dec. Bakhtiyar Akhmedov (Russia), 2-0, 2-0

Ukraine 4, USA 3
55 kg/121 lbs. – Nick Simmons (USA) dec. Alexander Galagan (Ukraine), 1-0, 6-3
60 kg/132 lbs. – Yevgeny Havilov (Ukraine) won by forfeit
66 kg/145.5 lbs. - Andrei Stadnyk (Ukraine) dec. Jared Frayer (USA), 0-7, 3-1, 6-0
74 kg/163 lbs. – Ben Askren (USA) dec. Gia Chihladze (Ukraine), 3-2, 5-1
84 kg/185 lbs. - Alik Muzaev (Ukraine) dec. Andy Hrovat (USA), 0-4, 1-0, 1-0
96 kg/211.5 lbs. - George Tibilov (Ukraine) dec. Kurt Backes (USA), 0-1, 1-4
120 kg/264.5 lbs. – Steve Mocco (USA) dec. Ivan Ischenko, 0-1, 1-0, 1-0

Russia 7, Ukraine 0
55 kg/121 lbs. - Besik Kuduhov (Russia) dec. Alexander Galagan (Ukraine), 1-0, 1-0
60 kg/132 lbs - Alan Dudaev (Russia) dec. Yevgeny Havilov (Ukraine), 1-0, 2-0
66 kg/145.5 lbs. - Irbek Farniev (Russia) dec. Andrei Stadnyk (Ukraine) (4-1, 2-0)
74 kg/163 lbs. - Buvaysar Saytiev (Russia) dec. Gia Chihladze (Ukraine), 2-1, 7-0
84 kg/185 lbs. - Georgy Ketoev (Russia) dec. Alik Muzaev (Ukraine), 3-0, 1-0
96 kg/211.5 lbs. - Shirvani Muradov (Russia) dec. George Tibilov (Ukraine), 1-0, 3-0
120 kg/264.5 lbs. - Soslan Gogloev (Russia) dec. Ivan Ischenko, 1-0, 1-0

Group B
(no individual scores available)

Cuba dec. Turkey, 7-0
Cuba dec Uzbekistan, 3-3 (officials decision)
Uzbekistan dec Turkey, 6-1

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 6:02 PM | Permalink

Nebraska-Omaha's Todd Meneely turns life around, sets sights on winning second national title
Craig Sesker USA Wrestling
02/15/2008

Todd Meneely was one of those can’t-miss kids.

A four-time state champion who won Junior Nationals in freestyle and Greco-Roman, he was destined for greatness at the collegiate level. He knocked off Teyon Ware, the nation’s No. 1 recruit, in the finals at Junior Nationals.

Ranked among the nation’s top 10 overall recruits, Meneely signed with the powerful Iowa Hawkeyes and talked openly about his goal of wanting to win four NCAA Wrestling titles.

Meneely won his first three college matches as the Iowa starter at 133 pounds during the 2003-04 season. He then lost to Iowa State’s Zach Roberson, who went on to win the NCAA title that season, and everything seemed to start spiraling out of control.

He was struggling in the classroom and struggling with being homesick. He left Iowa halfway through his redshirt freshman season and returned home to Omaha. After brief stints at Nebraska-Omaha and Nebraska, Meneely’s wrestling career appeared to be over.

While Ware went on to win a pair of NCAA titles for Oklahoma, Meneely was sitting on the sidelines. That changed when Nebraska-Omaha coach Mike Denney decided to give Meneely another chance to get his life back on track prior to the 2006-07 season.

Denney’s decision paid huge dividends last year as Meneely won the NCAA Division II title at 149 pounds.

“It’s life-changing what Coach Denney did for me and I can’t thank him enough,� Meneely said. “I had already been given a couple of chances and I probably didn’t deserve another one. Wrestling has been the key for me getting back to where I need to be in my life. I felt so terrible about myself for a long time. I have come a long, long ways as a person and a student since I started wrestling again.�

Now a junior, the 24-year-old Meneely is ranked No. 1 in the country again this season in Division II. He is one of the leaders on a second-ranked Nebraska-Omaha team that is coming off a 32-7 home win over No. 1 Minnesota State-Mankato.

Meneely was 35-3 last season and has compiled a 16-2 record this year.

“I’m really proud of Todd,� Denney said. “He’s done everything we’ve asked and more. He’s been a team guy. Academically, he had a 3.3 grade-point average his last semester. He’s been a big part of our team.�

Meneely’s off-the-mat struggles started when he left home for the first time in 2002 and started his career at the University of Iowa. He redshirted his first season at Iowa, showing early promise as he lost only one match while competing in open tournaments during the 2002-03 season. He then broke into the Hawkeye starting lineup at 133 as a redshirt freshman in November 2003.

But he left Iowa after the first semester of that season.

“It was basically a lot of immaturity on my part,� Meneely said. “I liked Iowa and they have a great program. But for some reason I didn’t seem to have the same motivation I had in high school. I was going out too much and partying and things pretty much went downhill in a hurry. I wasn’t ready to be away from home and I wasn’t ready to handle things by myself. I made some big mistakes.�

Meneely transferred to Nebraska-Omaha in January 2004, but was only there a short time before landing at the University of Nebraska. After a short stint in Lincoln, he left school and appeared to be finished as a wrestler.

“I was so caught up in the negative lifestyle I was living,� he said. “I never thought I would ever be on the mat again. If it wasn’t for the UNO coaches, I definitely would have been done.�

So why did Denney give Meneely another chance?

“I felt like he was really committed to making things work this time – he wanted to turn things around and get back on track,� said Denney, who has coached the Mavericks to four national team titles. “I’m really glad I did give him a chance to come back here. He’s become a big part of our program. He has a great work ethic and has really been committed. The guys on the team really like him and he’s really fit in well with them. He’s really enjoying wrestling again and not putting too much pressure on himself.�

Meneely also credits the influence of his high school coach, Omaha Skutt Catholic’s Brad Hildebrandt, for his turnaround.

“Brad’s had a tremendous impact on me,� Meneely said. “He’s the one who showed me the way in wrestling by having a strong work ethic. A lot of people turned their back on me when I was having problems, but he was one of the people who helped me when I was down and out. I can’t thank him enough. I wouldn’t be here without him.�

Meneely also excelled in freestyle wrestling last year. Even though he hadn’t wrestled a freestyle match in nearly five years, he journeyed to Akron, Ohio, last spring for University Nationals and won the title at 60 kg/132 lbs. That win qualified him for the U.S. Senior World Team Trials in Las Vegas, where he finished 3-2 after being eliminated in the consolation semifinals of the Challenge Tournament.

Meneely said he plans to jump back into freestyle competition again after the college season, but he may have to bump up a class to 66 kg/145.5 lbs.

“The weight situation has kind of hurt me a little bit because I’m caught in between weight classes,� he said. “132 is a huge, huge cut and I honestly don’t know if I can do it anymore. 145, those guys are really big. We’ll just have to wait and see what happens.�

For now, the focus is on bringing home his second individual national title and leading the Mavericks to the Division II team title.

“We have a great team at UNO with a great group of guys,� said Meneely, who plans to coach after his competitive days end. “We’re all best friends and we’re all there for each other. We work hard together and we hang out with each other.�

Being on a wrestling mat is something Meneely no longer takes for granted.

“It’s great to be wrestling again – I’m having so much fun,� he said. “I’m very fortunate that I’ve been given one more opportunity. I’m very, very grateful that Coach Denney and Coach (Ron) Higdon took another chance on me. It’s worked out really well for me.�

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 5:44 PM | Permalink

n the final contest on the Farm for the 2007-08 Cardinal wrestling team, the No. 24 Cal State Fullerton Titans came out on top, besting Stanford, 25-17. The Cardinal falls to 12-4 with the loss and 5-3 in the Pac-10.

Seniors Tanner Gardner and Josh Zupancic made the most of their Stanford home finales, combining for 11 of the 17 Stanford points. Junior Luke Feist picked up the other Stanford win, pinning his second opponent of the year in the first period.

The dual started at 141 pounds and the Titans picked up decisions in the first two bouts, earning a 10-3 win at 141 pounds and an 11-5 victory at 149 pounds.

Zupancic (32-5) brought the Cardinal within one, however, with a decisive technical fall win over Fullerton’s Devin Velasquez at 157 pounds. The win was the 13th straight for the Akron, Ohio native. He has now earned bonus points in each of his last six bouts.

The Titans took a 10-5 lead with a major decision at 165 pounds, but Feist (12-9) stepped up, pinned his opponent in 2:43 and put the Cardinal in front, 11-10. The lead would be Stanford’s last however, as the Titans won the next three bouts to jump out to a 21-10 advantage.

Gardner (34-1) kept the Cardinal alive with a win by fall at 125 pounds, putting Andre Gonzalez on his back in 2:50 to narrow the Stanford deficit to just four points. The pin was Gardner’s 17th of the year, just one short of the program’s single-season record. Gardner is just two wins short of matching Matt Gentry’s career win record set in 2005 (138).

The Titans TJ Dillashaw, the nation’s tenth-ranked 133-pounder, sealed the Titan win in the final bout with a 9-0 major decision.

Stanford will wrap up the regular season next week in Tempe, Ariz., battling Arizona State next Sunday at noon. The Pac-10 Championships will be hosted by the University of Oregon in Eugene this year, Mar. 2-3.

NCAA Wrestling Rankings and Wrestling Videos will be updated before the NCAA Wrestling Tournament. The videos section includes High School Wrestling, Olympic Wrestling and NCAA Wrestling.

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 2:43 AM | Permalink

Virginia fell behind 9-0 to start the match, but won five matches in a row, including a pair of first-minute pins, and went on to record a 30-12 victory over NC State in Atlantic Coast Conference wrestling action. The bout was held at Durham’s Riverside High School.

Virginia improved to 17-4 in dual matches, including a 2-1 mark in the ACC. NC State fell to 8-9-1 overall and 1-3 in the ACC.

Sixth-ranked 141-pounder Joe Caramanica got the match off to a good start for the Wolfpack, winning a 7-0 decision over Virginia freshman Nick Nelson. Caramanica improved to 27-4 on the season and improved to 70-23 for his career. Caramanica became the 21st wrestler in school history to win 70 or more matches. Caramanica has allowed just two points total in his last five matches.

Darrion Caldwell upped NC State’s lead to 9-0 when he pinned Shawn Harris at 1:33. Caldwell, ranked No. 9 nationally, improved to 27-3 for the season. The pin was the 17th of the season for Caldwell, third most in a single season ever by a Wolfpack wrestler. Caldwell now has 27 pins for his career, which ranks fifth in school history, one behind Lynn Morris (28 pins from 1975-78) and two behind Dan Madson (29 pins from 1992-96).

At 157, Virginia’s Drew DiPasquale fell behind Riverside alumnus Colton Palmer 7-1 after one period, rallied to tie the match at 7-7 after two periods, then won with a third-period takedown to cap an action-filled 9-7 decision and cut the NC State lead to 9-3.

The Cavaliers cut three more points off the Wolfpack lead with Michael Chaires’s 10-5 decision over Jalil Dozier, and No. 19 Chris Henrich tied the score at 9-9 for Virginia with an 11-5 decision over Ray Ward, filling in for injured Randy Goodman at 174.

Henrich was the first of three ranked wrestlers in a row for the Cavaliers, the second being Rocco Caponi, ranked No. 13 at 184. This would have been a headline bout between Caponi and 19th-ranked Ryan Goodman of the Wolfpack, but Goodman is out with a knee injury. With Goodman out, Caponi pinned Dane Coffee at 1:00, and 20th-ranked 197-pounder Brent Jones followed that with a 56-second pin of the Wolfpack’s Mark Jahad. The sudden back-to-back falls gave Virginia a 21-9 lead in the team scoring with three matches remaining.

Heavyweight Bobby Isola got NC State back in the win column with a 5-3 decision over Jack Danilkowicz. Isola snapped a 2-2 tie after two periods with an escape and late takedown, pulling the Pack to within 21-12 in the team scoring.

The decision improved Isola to 14-12 on the season. He moved into a tie with Sylvester Terkay as the second-winningest freshman heavyweight in NC State history. Terkay was 14-9 as a freshman in 1989-90. The late Tab Thacker is the school record-holder for wins by a freshman heavyweight. Thacker went 19-3-1 as a rookie in 1980-81.

Virginia’s Ross Gitomer spent most of the final two periods of the 125-pound match in the down position, but did not yield any points to Taylor Cummings other than a point for advantage time. Cummings rode Gitomer the entire second period and all but the last few seconds of the third, but could not record any back points. Gitmomer won 4-1 by virtue of a takedown and a near fall in the first period. That match gave Virginia a 24-12 lead and sealed the victory for the Cavaliers.

Eric Albright pinned NC State’s Darius Little at 2:59 for the final points of the bout.

NC State will return to action on Wednesday against UNC Greensboro at Reynolds Coliseum. The match will begin at 7:30 p.m. NCAA Wrestling Rankings are going to be updated once more before the NCAA Wrestling Tournament.

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 12:34 PM | Permalink

In front of a record-setting crowd of 5,341, the seventh-ranked Ohio State wrestling team downed No. 6 Michigan, 16-15, Sunday in St. John Arena. Jim Tressel, Ohio State head football coach, served as honorary coach for the wrestling Buckeyes in their victory against the Wolverines. The win also snaps a 14-match Michigan win streak dating back to Feb. 4, 1994. Ohio State moves to 18-3 on the season and 6-1 in the Big Ten Conference.

The Buckeyes have garnered six league wins for the first time since 1992-93, also the same year they last beat the Wolverines – a 19-14 win in Columbus – prior to Sunday.

Redshirt-sophomore Reece Humphrey sealed the victory for Ohio State in the last match at 133 pounds. With the Buckeyes down 15-13, Humphrey just needed a decision for the team win. The Buckeye would enter the match facing Chris Diehl and he never trailed as he tallied the 7-2 triumph. Owning a 4-1 lead after the first period, Humphrey increased his margin to 6-2 following two periods, including a final takedown with 25 seconds left. There was no scoring in the third, but Humphrey tacked on an extra point for a riding time of 2 minutes.

Senior heavyweight J.D. Bergman continues to move up the Ohio State career wins list as he compiled his 121st Buckeye victory. He is now tied for eighth with former OSU assistant coach Ken Ramsey (1987-1992). In the eighth bout of the night, Bergman recorded a 9-2 decision over Chad Bleske to propel Ohio State into the lead (13-12) after trailing, 12-10.

Michigan regained the lead, 15-13, after the 125-pound bout when Michael Watts decisioned Buckeye freshman Nikko Triggas, 9-8. Triggas nearly rallied for the comeback after falling behind, 7-2, following the first period. However, a 2-point nearfall and a takedown by Triggas cut Watts’ lead down to two in the second period when Watts scored just an escape. Watts then went up 9-6 thanks to an escape, but two additional stalling calls on him after an initial call in the second period awarded Triggas two points. However, Triggas was unable to tally the takedown for the win.

It was after the 125-pound bout Humphrey was called up for the victory.

Redshirt-junior J Jaggers (141) and sophomore Lance Palmer (149) gave the Buckeyes an early 7-0 edge with 3-2 and 10-2 wins, respectively. An escape with 51 seconds remaining in the match lifted Jaggers to his fifth-consecutive victory and 20th of the season. Just up 2-0 after the first period, Palmer cruised to a 7-1 lead following the second stanza and eventually solidified the win courtesy of another takedowns and a riding time of 3:34.

The Wolverines would go on to win the next three bouts at 157, 165 and 174 pounds to take a 9-7 advantage. Redshirt-junior Jason Johnstone dropped a 6-0 decision to Jeff Marsh before freshman Colt Sponseller lost the first match of his collegiate career to No. 3 Eric Tannenbaum, 10-4. Alex Picazo then suffered a 6-1 loss to fourth-ranked Steve Luke.

Redshirt-sophomore and third-ranked Mike Pucillo would end the losing drought for the Buckeyes at 184 pounds as he came away with a 6-5 decision over second-ranked Tyrel Todd.

Down 5-2, Todd evened the score in the third period with an escape and takedown with 1:13 remaining. However, an escape by Pucillo at the 1:06 mark pushed him into the lead and the eventual win.

It was not the first meeting between the second and third-ranked wrestlers in the nation. The two met in the finals of the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational in December and Todd was able to pin Pucillo in 7:22 for the 184-pound title.

Freshman John Weakley would follow at 197 pounds and he dropped a close 3-1 decision to No. 14 Anthony Biondo.

Ohio State remains in Columbus for a non-conference matchup against No. 14 Edinboro at 7 p.m. Thursday. Seniors Bergman, T.J. Enright, Dominic Mehling, Picazo, Tommy Priestley and Nickolai Timbs will be honored prior to the match in their last home meet as Buckeyes.

Wrestling Videos will be available on TWTube, and the College Wrestling Rankings will be updated shortly.

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 2:01 AM | Permalink

Mark Churella, one of Michigan's Finest

During Churella's four years at the University of Michigan, the school saw one of its most notable athletes reach incredible achievements.

He showed great promise of the things to come his freshman year when he placed third in the NCAA wrestling tournament, and began his reign as a three-time Big Ten Wrestling Champion. He highlighted his collegiate career by becoming the university's first three-time NCAA champion.

He set a goal in high school to pin everybody he wrestled. He only fell short by one. He continued this goal into college, where he is Michigan's leader in recording dual meet pins for the season with eight in two different seasons. Twice he had five consecutive falls.

Churella is a member of the University of Michigan's "Hall of Honor," and is a charter member of the state of Michigan's Wrestling Hall of Fame.

In 1977, he was also the U.S.W.F. Grand National champion, and in the same year he captured the Junior World crown.

While serving as head coach at the University of Las Vegas, Nevada, Churella inaugurated the Las Vegas Collegiate Invitational Tournament, which is still one of wrestling's most prestigious pre-season competitions.

He continued to contribute to wrestling when he returned to his alma mater as an assistant coach from 1984-86. He now contributes to his local high school wrestling program with three sons involved in wrestling.

By becoming one of the greatest wrestlers to compete for the University of Michigan and promoting wrestling on the local, state, and national level, Mark Churella is honored as a Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 2:43 PM | Permalink

The No. 3 Oklahoma State wrestling team improved to 14-2-1 overall this season with a 33-3 win over Oregon at McArthur Court Friday. The win improved the Cowboys to 15-0-0 all-time against the Ducks.

Top-ranked 133-pounder Coleman Scott was stunned by unranked Ryan Dunn, whose takedown with three seconds remaining in the third period fueled the 5-3 upset. The Cowboys were more than able to overcome Scott’s defeat, thanks largely to Jack Jensen’s pin of Marcus Myers at 184 pounds, Jared Rosholt’s 23-8 technical fall win over Charlie Alexander and Neil Erisman’s 12-3 major decision win over Kyle Bounds at 157 pounds.

Sophomore 141-pounder Brad Neitenbach made his dual match debut for Oklahoma State Friday and used a five-point move in the second period to pick up a 9-8 win over Cody Moulton. Neitenbach stepped in for No. 2 Nathan Morgan, who was resting a leg injury but is expected to return to the lineup shortly.

Wrestling Videos from the event should be up shortly. As a result of the loss, we could see Scott drop a couple spots in the NCAA Wrestling Rankings.

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 12:11 AM | Permalink

The latest setback in his unsatisfying sophomore season has been eating at Ryan Morningstar all week.

The Iowa wrestler knows he let a victory slip away Sunday against Wisconsin's Craig Henning. He knows he missed an opportunity to beat one of the top wrestlers at his weight class. And he knows he needs to start beating some high-caliber opponents soon.

"He knows he's capable," Iowa coach Tom Brands said. "He knows he can do better. I know he can do better. The desire is there. Sometimes it's a hollow desire, meaning the desire's there, but he doesn't quite know how to make that desire pay off. He wants to do it, but he doesn't quite know how and there's a little bit of a question in his mind, so he's spinning his wheels.

"That's where belief in yourself really comes into play here. He just needs to believe in himself. I know that he knows he can do it, but does he believe he can get the job done come heck or high water? Does he believe he can get the job done no matter what it takes?"

Those are questions that can only be answered with hard evidence. They're issues that can only be resolved over time with consistent high-level performance -- a task Iowa's 157-pounder is still trying to conquer.

"There have been some frustrating moments," said Morningstar, who takes a 16-7 record into tonight's dual at Arizona State. "But I've had some positives, and I need to keep building and put it all together. When the Big Tens and nationals roll around (in March), I'm hoping to have it all put together in my mind and be ready to go when I step on the mat."

Iowa's surge to the top of the national rankings has been by and large the product of the emergence of the team's super sophomores. The Hawkeyes have eight wrestlers currently ranked eighth or better, including sophomores Brent Metcalf (No. 1 at 149), Jay Borschel (second at 174), Joey Slaton (third at 133), Phil Keddy (seventh at 184) and Dan LeClere (eighth at 141).

Getting 15th-ranked Morningstar to join his classmates on a similar path of progression could help Iowa distance itself from the pack in March.

"We haven't given up on him, no way -- and there are some programs that might have given up on him," Brands said. "But from the outside looking in, he's going to have to come quite a ways. ... From my perspective, I don't know if it's that far."

The Hawkeyes (16-1) wrestle the unranked Sun Devils (9-5) at 8:30 p.m., the first stop of a weekend road trip that concludes Sunday afternoon at Boise State. Iowa will encounter just two ranked opponents tonight -- No. 15 Brent Chriswell at 184 and No. 14 Anthony Robles, whose inspiring rise in the rankings has gained national attention. Born without a right leg, Robles has used remarkable upper-body strength to overpower opponents on his way to a 19-6 record as a freshman.

"I think having one leg, some people might see that as a disadvantage," Robles told ESPN.com in December. "But I use crutches all day long, and that's given me great upper-body strength. That's an advantage I have over my opponents. They're smaller than me because they have both of their legs and I have a bigger upper-body.

"I think my advantages equal my disadvantages. It's kind of up to me to figure out what I need to do to win."

Morningstar is trying to figure out what he needs to do to beat top-level competitors, too. Five of his seven losses have come against opponents ranked seventh or better. But wrestling in a conference that features the top three 157-pounders in the country and five of the top eight, the three-time state champion from Lisbon needs a breakthrough to put himself alongside the Big Ten's best.

"I've had a lot of ups and downs," Morningstar said. "I think I've come a long ways in terms of moving my feet and mentally, but I need to start winning wrestling matches on a consistent basis. I lost some matches I shouldn't have lost. I lost some matches I could've won."

The match that stands out most is fresh in his mind. He had third-ranked Henning on the ropes after riding out the returning NCAA Wrestling finalist in the second period of a scoreless match. It gave Morningstar the upper hand going into the third period and forced Henning -- a wrestler known for creating offense with his defense -- out of his comfort zone. But the Wisconsin senior scored a takedown in the final minute

"I stopped moving my feet a little bit in the third period, and that's why I got taken down," Morningstar said. "I took it for granted when he was in on my leg. I stopped him, and I should've got my hips back even further than that, and I could've, but I didn't. That's technical. But more on the mental (side), I know I should've won that match, and I'm upset about it. It was my match to win, and I didn't close it out like I wanted to. It was definitely right there for the taking.

"It fires me up that I had it and let it slip away. It's a match I know I can win, I'm right there, I've just got to get over the hump."

Reach Andy Hamilton at 339-7368 or ahamilton@press-citizen.com.

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 4:50 PM | Permalink

NCAA Wrestling Rankings Division 2 released
2/8/2008
NCAA Division II Wrestling Coaches Association

EDMOND, Okla. -- Unbeaten Minnesota State-Mankato maintained its perch atop the NCAA Division II Wrestling Coaches' Association poll that was released Thursday.

The Mavericks, 16-0-1 in duals, reached No. 1 for the first time in the NCAA Division II rankings two weeks ago and stayed there by a slim two-point margin over Nebraska-Omaha, with those two teams set to square off Saturday night in Omaha.

MSU-Mankato received five of the eight first-place votes cast in finishing with 157 points, while UNO had the remaining three first-place votes and 155 points.

Adams State (Colo.) rode dual wins over defending national champion Central Oklahoma and Western State (Colo.) to move to No. 3 in the poll with 136 points, one ahead of Nebraska-Kearney. Rounding out the top 10 was Western State, UCO, Newberry (S.C.), Pittsburgh-Johnstown (Pa.), Upper Iowa and Ashland (Ohio).

MSU-Mankato has seven of its 10 individuals in the rankings, topped by No. 1 Jason Rhoten at 157 pounds. UNO also has seven ranked wrestlers, with 125 Cody Garcia and 149 Todd Meneely both No. 1.

The NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships will be held March 14-15 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and hosted by Upper Iowa.

The top 20 poll, with points and their last ranking:

Rank School (State) Points Last Ranking
1. Minnesota State-Mankato 157 1st
2. Nebraska-Omaha 155 2nd
3. Adams State (Colo.) 136 5th
4. Nebraska-Kearney 135 4th
5. Western State (Colo.) 126 6th
6. Central Oklahoma 125 3rd
7. Newberry (S.C.) 109 10th
8. Pittsburgh-Johnstown (Pa.) 107 8th
9. Upper Iowa 96 9th
10. Ashland (Ohio) 79 11th
11. St. Cloud State (Minn.) 67 16th
12. Gannon (Pa.) 66 13th
13. Indianapolis (Ind.) 62 14th
14. Minnesota State-Moorhead 59 7th
15. Mercyhurst (Pa.) 50 12th
T16. Findlay (Ohio) 40 15th
T16. Chadron State (Neb.) 40 17th
18. Wisconsin-Parkside 25 19th
19. Limestone (S.C.) 14 18th
20. Northern State (S.D.) 10 NR
Others receiving votes: Augustana (S.D.), Central Missouri, Fort Hays State (Kan.), Shippensburg (Pa.).

NCAA Division II Individual Rankings

125 Pounds
1. Cody Garcia, Nebraska-Omaha
2. Tyler Mumbulo, Upper Iowa
3. Nick Smith, Minnesota State-Mankato
4. Curtis Schurkamp, San Francisco State
5. Arsenia Barksdale, Adams State (Colo.)
6. Joe Mavins, North Carolina-Pembroke
7. Joey Morrison, Nebraska-Kearney
8. Eddie Lopez, Western State (Colo.)

133 Pounds
1. Brandon Reasy, Pittsburgh-Johnstown (Pa.)
2. Shane Perkey, Indianapolis (Ind.)
3. Craig DeGreef, Wisconsin-Parkside
4. Jesse Cruz, Western State (Colo.)
5. Raymond Dunning, Adams State (Colo.)
6. Tim Elliott, Central Oklahoma
7. Kelly Janke, Minnesota State-Moorhead
8. Kent Pierson, Carson-Newman (Tenn.)

141 Pounds
1. Kyle Evans, Central Oklahoma
2. Steven Fittery, Shippensburg (Pa.)
3. Jeff Rutledge, Nebraska-Kearney
4. Travis Elg, Minnesota State-Mankato
5. Matt Irwin, Indianapolis (Ind.)
6. Tony Washington, Newberry (S.C.)
7. Doug Surra, West Liberty State (W. Va.)
8. Ross Mountour, New Mexico Highlands

149 Pounds
1. Todd Meneely, Nebraska-Omaha
2. Camille DuPont, Western State (Colo.)
3. Brian Pogel, Mercyhurst (Pa.)
4. Tee Adams, Upper Iowa
5. Tommy Abbott, Minnesota State-Mankato
6. Ryan Etherton, Nebraska-Kearney
7. Shane Walton, Minnesota State-Moorhead
8. Colby Robinson, Central Oklahoma

157 Pounds
1. Jason Rhoten, Minnesota State-Mankato
2. Joe Ellenberger, Nebraska-Kearney
3. Muhammad Abdur-Rahman, Ashland (Ohio)
4. Travis Eggers, Upper Iowa
5. Noomis Jones, Adams State (Colo.)
6. Eric Pretto, Southern Illinois-Edwardsville
7. Antonio Guerra, Findlay (Ohio)
8. Andy Lamancusa, Mercyhurst (Pa.)

165 Pounds

1. Zach Lee, Western State (Colo.)
2. Brett Hunter, Chadron State (Neb.)
3. Aaron Denson, Nebraska-Omaha
4. Andy Pickar, Minnesota State-Mankato
5. Kyle Becker, Wisconsin-Parkside
6. Hudson Harrison, Mercyhurst (Pa.)
7. Rockie Stavn, Minnesota State-Moorhead
8. Keenan McCurdy, Nebraska-Kearney

174 Pounds
1. Larry Wilbanks, Western State (Colo.)
2. Evan Copeland, Adams State (Colo.)
3. Marty Usman, Nebraska-Kearney
4. Ross Taplin, Nebraska-Omaha
5. Cory VanGroll, Wisconsin-Parkside
6. Tyler Tubbs, Minnesota State-Moorhead
7. Albert Miles, Pittsburgh-Johnstown (Pa.)
8. Tim Matheson, Minnesota State-Mankato

184 Pounds
1. Jared Deaguero, Adams State (Colo.)
2. Brent Pankoke, Nebraska-Omaha
3. Dan Scanlan, Limestone (S.C.)
4. Mike Corcetti, Pittsburgh-Johnstown (Pa.)
5. Lars Lueders, Western State (Colo.)
6. Heath Jolley, Central Oklahoma
7. Beau Severtson, Augustana (S.D.)
8. Keeno Griffin, Newberry (S.C.)

197 Pounds
1. Josh Majerus, Chadron State (Neb.)
2. Jacob Marrs, Nebraska-Omaha
3. Josh Ohl, Ashland (Ohio)
4. Ty Copsey, Augustana (S.D.)
5. Donavan McMahill, Western State (Colo.)
6. Pat Walsh, Pittsburgh-Johnstown (Pa.)
7. Jarrett Edison, Central Oklahoma
8. Nick Wilkes, St. Cloud State (Minn.)

285 Pounds
1. Tervel Dlagnev, Nebraska-Kearney
2. Brady Wilson, Minnesota State-Mankato
3. Cy Wainwright, Newberry (S.C.)
4. Dustin Finn, Central Oklahoma
5. Dan Goodson, Upper Iowa
6. Tony Lewis, Nebraska-Omaha
7. Zach Majocha, Pittsburgh-Johnstown (Pa.)
8. Travis Clark, Findlay (Ohio)

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 4:34 PM | Permalink

The Gophers wrestling team came into this weekend with four wrestlers ranked in the top five in their weight classes for NCAA Wrestling.

That looks good on paper, but the ranked wrestlers didn't come through for the Gophers, who lost 20-13 to No. 1 Iowa on Friday night and 18-14 to No. 3 Oklahoma State Sunday afternoon.

No. 3 Manuel Rivera, No. 5 Mack Reiter and No. 5 Roger Kish combined to go 0-6 over the weekend.

Kish was upset in both matches, and they were both turning points in the meets. His 5-2 loss to No. 8 Phil Keddy of Iowa gave the Hawkeyes (15-1, 3-0 Big Ten) a 17-10 lead with two matches remaining and all-but assuring their win.

On Sunday, after the Gophers had rallied from a 4-9 deficit to take a 14-9 lead, he lost to unranked Jack Jensen 5-3 to bring Oklahoma State (13-2-1, 2-1-1 Big 12) to within two.

It marked the first time all season that a ranked Gophers wrestler has lost to an unranked opponent this season.

Kish hadn't wrestled since Dec. 6, but head coach J Robinson said the time-off wasn't the reason for his struggles.

"Yeah he hasn't wrestled in a while but he's had three weeks to prepare for these meets," he said.

"He just didn't get it done"

No. 3 Manuel Rivera also had a decisive loss in the Iowa meet. He was beaten 6-4 in overtime by No. 9 Dan LeClere, giving Iowa a lead in the match that they wouldn't give back.

Rivera had dominated LeClere 10-1 in their previous meeting at the 2006 Kaufman-Brand Open.

No. 5 Mack Reiter was the only one of the three not to be upset, as he had to face the top-two ranked wrestlers in his weight class – No. 2 Joe Slaton of Iowa and No. 1 Coleman Scott of Oklahoma State.

Reiter, a native of Gilbertville, Iowa and one of the first blue-chip recruits to leave the state for college, was handled by Slaton, losing 8-3. He left the mat fighting tears.

"Mack will be alright," Robinson said. "He always gets hyped up for Iowa and I know it's tough on him to lose like that, but he wrestled an alright match."

Reiter lost 8-2 to Scott on Sunday.

The only ranked wrestler to find success over the weekend was sophomore Jayson Ness, who continued his dominance of the 125-pound division. Ranked first in the country, Ness scored major decisions on over High School nemesis Iowa's No. 3 Charlie Falck and Oklahoma State's No. 16 Tyler Shinn.

Ness improved to 28-0 on the year, and his 29 consecutive wins is the second-longest active streak in Division I wrestling. Josh Glenn of American University is No. 1 with 34 consecutive wins.

"That Ness is something else; we knew that coming into the match," Iowa head coach Tom Brands said. "We thought Charlie would have a pretty good chance against him, but Ness just went out and did everything right."

The No. 4 Gophers had an opportunity to regain the No. 1 ranking in the nation with a pair of wins this weekend, but at 11-5, and 2-1 in the Big Ten, they are in danger of falling out of the top-10 and may end up with the second-most losses for a Gophers team in over 10 years.

"Yeah, it really hurts everyone in that locker room to lose like this," Robinson said. "We want it to hurt. It should hurt. But, that being said, we've only lost to very good teams this year."

Minnesota's five losses have all come against teams ranked in the top-10 at the time.

"We have plenty of work to do, we know that," Robinson said. "It's good to get these things fixed before the NCAA wrestling tournament, but they need to be fixed. We need to wrestle with more energy and passion. And we need to get better results from our ranked guys."

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 5:21 PM | Permalink