SESSION TWO - Thursday, March 20 at 6:30 p.m.

POST THREE: 149 pounds is loaded with Big Ten stars

The championship bracket at 149 pounds during the second session was loaded with Big Ten athletes.

The first match was No. 1 Brent Metcalf of Iowa vs. Kurt Kinser of Indiana. The second match was No. 9 Lance Palmer of Ohio State vs. No. 8 Jake Patacsil of Purdue. The third match featured No. 5 Josh Churella of Michigan.

The bottom bracket also had three Big Ten wrestlers, including a pairing of No. 6 Bubba Jenkins of Penn State against No. 11 Ryan Lang of Northwestern. The other Big Ten wrestler in the bottom bracket is No. 2 Dustin Schlatter of Ohio State.

After the second round, five of the Big Tenners advanced to the quarterfinals. The only losses came in the head-to-head conference battles where Metcalf beat Kinser, 10-5, Palmer beat Patacsil, 14-6 and Jenkins edged Lang, 4-3. Also winning were Churella and Schlatter.

There will only be one Big Ten showdown in Friday’s quarterfinals, when Metcalf battles Palmer.

By the way, the standings at the Big Ten went like this: 1 – Metcalf, 2 – Schlatter, 3- Churella, 4- Patacsil, 5- Jenkins, 6- Palmer, 7 – Lang, 8- Kinser.

POST TWO: From 10 qualifiers to one, the first session results

Two teams qualified a full team of 10 athletes this year at the NCAA Championships, Big 12 champion Iowa State and EWL champion Edinboro.

A total of 10 teams bring just one wrestler: Boston Univ., Clarion, Delaware State, Duquesne, Eastern Michigan, Michigan State, Millersville, Ohio, VMI and Virginia Tech.

Of the one-person teams, Michigan State has the best possibility for making an impact, as Big Ten champion Franklin Gomez is the top seed at 133 pounds.

Iowa State moved nine of their 10 through the first round. Winners were No. 5 Nick Fanthorpe (133), No. 9 Nick Gallick (141), Mitch Mueller (149), No. 7 Cyler Sanderson (157), No. 6 Jonathan Reader, Aron Scott (174), No. 1 Jake Varner (184), David Bertolino (197) and No. 7 David Zabriskie (HWT). Mueller won two bouts in the session, giving Iowa State 10 wins for the morning. This put the Cyclones in third place with 16 team points.

Edinboro did not fare as well. The Scots lost its first three weight classes, then Daryl Cocozzo (149), No. 1 Gregor Gillespie (157), No. 12 Jarod King (165) and Joe Fendone (HWT) ended up with wins. Edinboro stood in 21st place with 7.5 points.

The first round saw a match between the two 10-athlete teams, as unseeded David Bertolino of Iowa State beat unseeded Patrick Bradshaw of Edinboro at 197 pounds by major decision, 10-0.

Of the schools with one qualifier, only two wrestlers won a bout. Winners included Gomez, who scored 12-3 major decision over Josh Baldridge of UNI, plus Josh Wine of VMI at heavyweight.

POST ONE: Brother acts have mixed results during the first session

There are five sets of brothers who are wrestling in the 2008 NCAA Championships. All of the brother pairs compete for the same college team. They are:
• Headlee brothers of Pitt: Drew (141) and Ethan (165)
• Gillespie brothers of Edinboro: Torsten (141) and No. 1 Gregor (157)
• Schlatter brothers of Minnesota: No. 2 Dustin (149) and No. 5 C.P. (157)
• Sinnott brothers of Central Michigan: No. 5 Brandon (174) and No. 4 Christian (184)
• Smith brothers of Boise State: No. 10 Kirk (184) and Nick (285)

Of the brother acts, the Schlatters and the Sinnotts both won their first matches. All three of the other brother combinations had one win, including Drew Headlee, Gregor Gillespie and Kirk White.

Stay tuned to see if either the Schlatters or the Sinnotts can both qualify for the finals.

SESSION ONE - Thursday, March 20, 11:00 a.m.

POST FIVE: A few more things from Session One
Minnesota had a great early start, winning their first two matches by pin with No. 2 Jason Ness at 125 pounds (1:17 over Marcus Orozco of UC Davis) and No. 8 Mac Reiter at 133 pounds (2:13 over Jeff Schell of Brown) and a technical fall by Manuel Rivera at 141 pounds (16-0 over Torsten Gillespie of Edinboro). The Gopher momentum was halted at 174 pounds, when No. 8 Gabe Dretsch lost to Nathan Lee of Boise State.

Defending NCAA champion Gregor Gillespie of Edinboro brought a new look with him to the NCAA Tournament this year. He cut his hair into little clumps, dying them to make him look like a leopard. Earlier this season, Gillespie had a Mohawk cut. He opened the tournament with 17-0 techical fall over Spencer Manley of Navy.

There are five undefeated wrestlers going into the tournament and all of them opened up with victories. After their first round wins, the records of the perfect wrestlers are: Chad Mendes of Cal Poly at 125 (27-0), Keith Gavin of Pitt at 174 (26-0), Jake Varner of Iowa State at 184 (25-0) and Josh Glenn of American (16-0). Of the unbeatens, Glenn is the only returning national champion, and has the longest winning streak in the tournament with 39 in a row going back to last year.

Getting a good first match is a key for these athletes to keeping their streak alive.

# “I pushed through the Pac-10 and had a hard push until this week in practice. I feel like I am peaking,� said Mendes.
# “It was a good first match; I scored a lot of points. It was a good warmup. It’s good to get this out of the way,� said Gavin.
# “It is good to be back here. I have been looking forward to this all year,� said Glenn.

POST FOUR: More notes as the tournament winds on
The Univ. of Oregon, which plans to drop its wrestling program after this tournament, has two entries in the tournament this weekend. Wrestling leaders among the alumni and fans in the state are waging an active war to try to convince the administration there to reverse the decision and retain the program. The Ducks won their first match of the day when Ryan Dunn captured his bout at 133 pounds against William Ashnault of Lock Haven. Dunn was second at the Pac-10 Championships and entered the tournament with a 23-7 record.

In a battle of All-Americans at 157 pounds, No. 8 Jordan Leen of Cornell defeated unseeded Ryan Hlusack of Drexel, 4-3 at 157 pounds. Both wrestlers entered the tournament with a drop in ranking based upon the conference tournaments. Leen was upset in the finals at the EIWA Championships and Hluschak lost in the finals of the Colonial Athletic Association.

No. 6 Lou Ruggerello of Hofstra won a match which went three overtimes, defeating Univ. of Tennessee-Chattanooga’s Stephen Hromada, 3-2. Chattanooga protested the decision, but it was denied.

POST THREE: Some interesting stuff at the lower weights

There was a wild match in the first round at 125 pounds, when No. 7 Michael Sees of Bloomsburg racked up the points in a 21-10 win over Collin Cudd of Wisconsin to open the tournament.

There were a few upsets, even if considered mild, at 133 pounds in the first round.

Mark McKnight of Penn State stopped No. 12 Tyler Shinn of Oklahoma State, 5-1 in the first round, a match that caught the fan’s attention. McKnight had Shinn on his back in danger early in the match, and kept on the pressure.

No 9 seed Zach Tanelli of Wisconsin also took a first-round loss, dropping a 7-5 decision to Conor Beebe of Central Michigan. Beebe took him down in the last seconds for the victory.

At 141 pounds, Bailey of Oklahoma upset No. 8 Dan LeClair of Iowa, 8-7. As often happens, when a wrestler from a major program like Iowa or Oklahoma State goes down, the crowd makes a big deal of things.

POST 2 of 10: Inspiring Robles wins Bout One of the tournament

Bout one of the NCAA Tournament included freshman Anthony Robles of Arizona State, the athlete with one leg who received tremendous national coverage after winning a national high school folkstyle title. Robles, who had a top 20 national ranking at 125 pounds earlier this year, qualified by placing second in the Pac-10 with a 19-7 record. He drew Brandon Kinney of Columbia in the pig-tail round, bout one on mat one.

Robles, who starts down on one knee on the whistle, took down Kinney on a low leg shot, and turned him twice with three-point tilts for a quick 8-0 lead. Kinney got an escape late in the first period. The second period saw some position changes with reversals and takedown, but Robles held the edge on the mat. The match ended 11-5 with 2:57 of riding time, it ended 12-5. Robles has a much bigger upper body than his opponent and was very strong in the top position.

His reward for winning that first match is a first round bout with No. 1 Angel Escobedo of Indiana.

The first pin of the session came on mat four in the pigtails, when No. 6 Lou Ruggirello of Hofstra put away Cory Vombaur of Wyoming quickly at 133 pounds.

POST 1 of 10: Travel problems plague attendees at NCAA Championships

As often happens at the NCAA Championships, one of the hardest things to do is get all the athletes, coaches, officials and fans to one location. Weather in March can still be pretty harsh, and travel often includes delayed and cancelled flights. This year, the problem in parts of the Southern Plains has been rain and floods.

I (Gary Abbott) ran into some of this on Tuesday, flying from Oklahoma to Missouri. Rain was everywhere in the region, with problems specifically in Dallas, where hundreds of flights were cancelled and the airport closed at times. American Airlines had a system-wide computer problem, which affected Oklahoma City. We arrived a few hours late, but my bag took more than two days to finally get to the hotel this morning.

Leah Howard, SID for Michigan, told of the journey of the Wolverine team, which ran into delays and then a cancelled flight in Chicago. Michigan, which has six entries and some of the top favorites, had to secure a bus to drive down to St. Louis that night.

Ron Good of Amateur Wrestling News tells of his drive through Missouri where many roads were severely flooded. Because he was in a mobile home, police let the AWN group through an especially bad stretch of flooded roads because of the size of their vehicle. Passenger cars were not allowed to pass. Good explains that about an hour after they passed that hazard, the road was closed.

Fans from the east, especially for teams such as Penn and Drexel, were stranded for most of Wednesday in the airport in Philadelphia, many arriving in the wee-hours of the night last evening. In spite of the delays, most have arrived in time for the 11:00 a.m. start on Thursday morning.

PS - The new NCAA Blogging policy allows 10 posts in each session. We will update this as much as time allows each session, up to the 10 permitted. Please revisit and refresh only

TheMat.com will update its blog each session of the NCAA Championships this year, as permitted by the new NCAA Blogging Policy. Please check regularly each session for updates from the mats in St. Louis

Where is the Minnesota talk?

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 2:42 AM | Permalink

Iowa has rich winning tradition at NCAA wresting tournament
By Andy Hamilton
Iowa City Press-Citizen

ST. LOUIS — The Iowa wrestlers used to spend each March getting fitted for watches, rings and jackets.

This was one of the customary perks for the Hawkeyes during a stretch when they completed their near-annual journey to the summit of the sport 20 times in 26 years.

Iowa’s supremacy during that span rivaled some of the best extended periods of dominance in the history of organized sports, and it created a culture inside the team’s training grounds where the main discussions about the national championships weren’t about whether the Hawkeyes would claim another title, but rather how many individual crowns they would win, how many records they would set and how they would commemorate another season on top.

“It was like, ‘What are we getting this year? Are we getting coats? Rings?’� Iowa assistant Doug Schwab said. “You just got used to it. Guys got used to it and then relaxed a little bit and thought it was just going to happen.�

That’s when the Iowa practice room — once a production line for wrestling stars — stopped turning out champions in bunches. That’s when other teams recognized the vulnerability of the Hawkeyes. That’s when Iowa stopped collecting team titles and all of the frills that came with them.

“I think we had a lot of firepower and we counted on firepower and talent alone,� Iowa coach Tom Brands said. “Mind development and communication was missing — that daily communication to the athletes about the standard, about a very high standard.�

The Hawkeyes have rediscovered those principles in the two seasons under Brands. Iowa is ranked No. 1 in the country entering the NCAA Championships, which begin at 11 a.m. today Thursday at Scottrade Center. The Hawkeyes haven’t been in this position at the start of the national tournament since 2000, when they claimed their last title in the same venue.

“You can go back to 2000 and talk about that dry spell and why it happened,� Brands said. “It was because of the lifestyle. You’ve got to earn it, man. You’ve got to earn it every day. These guys have earned it every day.�

Seven seasons have passed since Iowa last claimed the gold trophy — the longest championship famine for the Hawkeyes since they started collecting titles in 1975. Brands was Jim Zalesky’s top assistant in 2000 and three members of the current coaching staff — Schwab, Wes Hand and Mike Zadick — were All-Americans on that squad.

Seven seasons of shortcomings have followed for a program that aims only for the top.

“It floors me,� said Eric Juergens, whose overtime victory in 2000 in the 133-pound championship against Iowa State’s Cody Sanderson turned out to be the difference between the Hawkeyes and Cyclones in the team standings.

Seven seasons of watching Minnesota and Oklahoma State play tug-of-war for the title.

“From 2000 to 2008?� Schwab said. “I couldn’t ever believe that.�

Perhaps even harder to comprehend is how far back Iowa has been. The Hawkeyes haven’t finished within 40 points of the title during the past five years. They were 85.5 points behind Oklahoma State in 2003 and 87 back of the Cowboys in 2005.

“I never thought we’d lose it my senior year,� Schwab said of the 2001 team that had a tournament-high four wrestlers reach the finals in Carver-Hawkeye Arena and still fell short when Minnesota claimed the school’s first championship with 10 All-Americans. “Then to be around the program the next year and be away from it for a while and kind of see guys were happy to win.

“I was sick of seeing guys being happy and celebrating a 3-2 win. When we won 3-2, it was like, ‘Why didn’t I win 10-2?’ That’s what guys are starting to get to, and it’s making the difference.�

Brands was named Iowa’s head coach on April 5, 2006, and the Hawkeyes have made incremental gains since. He brought renewed energy to the program. He implemented a higher standard of expectations on and off the mat — “You’ve got to live a lifestyle that’s reflective of a championship athlete,� Brands said — and he convinced his wrestlers to buy into a system of year-round training.

“He’ll never ask you to do something he didn’t do,� said Jody Strittmatter, a junior who placed third at 125 on the 2000 team. “He knows what you need to do to get better. It might not be fun, it might not be easy, but in the end it’s going to pay off and (because of that), there’s 100-percent belief in your coach, and that’s important.�

What’s more, Brands brought back the rugged and relentless style of wrestling that Iowa trademarked under coach Dan Gable and used to rule the sport throughout the 1980s and ‘90s.

“Tom makes you truly believe it, feel it and see it,� two-time All-American Jessman Smith said. “Every word that comes out of his mouth is intended for you to believe in that system of wrestling. He makes you believe more than anybody.�

The Hawkeyes now believe they are primed to regain the title. They went 21-1 in dual meets, smashed the tournament scoring record at the Midlands Championships and claimed their first Big Ten title since 2004.

“This is a continuation of a year ago,� Brands said. “We didn’t just all of a sudden try something new or different. The Gable influence is alive. It was alive last year, we just didn’t have the time with these guys, plus you’ve got some guys who are wrestling with some pretty good energy.�

If that continues throughout the next three days, the Hawkeyes might have to get fitted for commemorative watches, rings or jackets.

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 3:13 PM | Permalink

#2/2 MINNESOTA (14-7, 5-3) at 2008 NCAA Championships

Location: St. Louis, Mo.
Arena: Scottrade Center
Dates: Thursday-Saturday, March 20-22
Television: ESPNU/ESPN360.com will air the quarterfinals live at 10 a.m. (CT) on Friday, March 21. Additionally, ESPNU will be producing and syndicating live coverage of the semifinals beginning at 6 p.m. that same day. On Saturday morning, ESPNU will carry the medal rounds live at 10 a.m. ESPN/ESPN360.com will air the ncaa championships live later that evening at 7:30 p.m.

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 1:16 AM | Permalink

Expanded Live Coverage of the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships on ESPNU, ESPN360.com and ESPN
Jennifer Zimmerman ESPN
03/17/2008

ESPNU, ESPN360.com and ESPN will combine for extensive live coverage of the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships On Friday, March 21, and Saturday, March 22, from the Scott Trade Center in St. Louis.

On Friday, ESPNU features more than five hours of coverage, with the quarterfinals at 11 a.m. ET and the semifinals at 7 p.m. For the second consecutive year, ESPNU will deliver the semifinals in a “side-by-side� format, allowing viewers to see both semifinal matches in each weight class at the same time.

ESPNU will telecast the Championship Medal Round on Saturday, March 22, at 11 a.m., while ESPN will air the finals at 8:30 p.m. During the Championship Round, the referees will wear microphones, providing fans with even more access to and understanding of the action.

ESPN360.com, ESPN’s signature live sports broadband network, will offer one-stop access to all rounds of the championships. ESPN360.com will complement the ESPNU and ESPN telecasts by providing live coverage of all four mats during the quarterfinals, giving users the option to select the match they want to see. ESPN360.com will also simulcast live coverage of the semifinals, Championship Medal Round and Finals.

ESPN360.com is now available at no cost to millions of U.S. college students and U.S.-based military personnel. Users accessing ESPN360.com from an on-campus “.edu� or “.mil� network domain in the United States receive free, seamless access to the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships and hundreds of other live college and professional sporting events each month. The service is also available via more than 25 Internet service providers, including AT&T, Verizon, Insight, RCN, Frontier, Cavalier, Charter, Mediacom, Conway, Grande Communications and more.

Dave Armstrong will serve as play-by-play announcer alongside analysts Tim Johnson and Olympic gold-medal winner Jeff Blatnick, with Quint Kessenich reporting. Former Iowa State coach and wrestler James Gibbons will serve as a guest commentator describing the action on ESPN360.com.

NCAA DIVISION I WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS SCHEDULE
Date, Time (ET), Event, Network
Fri., Mar. 21, 11 a.m., Quarterfinals (Session 3), ESPNU LIVE – 3 hrs.
Fri., Mar. 21, 7 p.m., Semifinals (Session 4), ESPNU LIVE – 2.5 hrs.
Sat., Mar. 22, 11 a.m., Championship Medal Round, ESPNU LIVE – 3 hrs.
Sat., Mar. 22, 8:30 p.m., Finals, ESPN LIVE – 2.5 hrs.

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 9:40 PM | Permalink

MINNESOTA FALLS TO IOWA AT BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS
The Golden Gopher wrestling team was unable to hold onto its opening day lead at the 2008 Big Ten Championships at Williams Arena, relinquishing the Big Ten team title to the Iowa Hawkeyes 127 – 112.5. Minnesota did qualify nine wrestlers for the the 2008 NCAA Championships in two weeks, but saw its four finalists come up short their championship matches.

Jayson Ness, Manuel Rivera, Dustin Schlatter and Gabe Dretsch all finished in second place after losing during the March 9 championship round. Minnesota’s Mack Reiter (fourth), C.P. Schlatter (sixth), Roger Kish (sixth), Justin Bronson (seventh) and Ben Berhow (sixth) will also make the trip to St. Louis March 20-22.

The disappointing final day performance came on the heels of an excellent Saturday effort by the former two-time defending conference champions. The Gophers held a 106-93.5 lead over Iowa after two sessions, but were also hurt by losing Kish and C.P. Schlatter to injuries during their semifinal matches.

GOPHERS SEEK SECOND STRAIGHT NATIONAL TITLE
The top-ranked University of Minnesota wrestling team won its third NCAA Championship since 2001 on March 17, 2007 at the Palace in Auburn Hills, Mich. The Golden Gophers clinched the team race following back-to-back losses by Iowa State wrestlers in the 184- and 197-pound title matches. In the final bout of the tournament, heavyweight Cole Konrad concluded his stellar collegiate career with a pin of Penn State's Aaron Anspach in the finals. Konrad became the fourth two-time national champion in school history. Minnesota finished with 98.0 points, while Iowa State finished second with 88.5.

During the morning medal round, Kish and Dustin Schlatter earned third place at 184 and 149 pounds, respectively. Jayson Ness claimed fifth place at 125 pounds with his third pin of the tournament. C.P. Schlatter finished his first All-American season with a sixth-place finish at 157 pounds.

J AND MINNESOTA AT NCAAS
Head Coach J Robinson has built Minnesota into a powerhouse in the world of collegiate wrestling during his tenure in Gold Country. In his 21 full seasons, Robinson has led the Golden Gophers to a top-10 finish at the NCAA Championships 15 times, including each of the past 11 seasons. Minnesota has won three national titles in the last seven seasons, including the 2007 championship and back-to-back titles in 2001 and ’02, and also has four runner-up finishes since 1997.
Under Robinson, the Maroon and Gold have earned 85 All-America honors, including a school-record 10 All-Americans in 2001. In 2006, Dustin Schlatter and Cole Konrad became the seventh and eighth Golden Gophers under Robinson to win an NCAA individual title, with Konrad winning again last year. Other national champions during the Robinson era include: Damian Hahn in 2003 and ’04, Jared Lawrence and Luke Becker in 2002, Brock Lesnar in 2000, Tim Hartung in 1998 and ’99 and Marty Morgan in 1991.

ALL-AMERICAN BOYS
Minnesota will have five returning All-Americans competing in this week’s NCAA Championships. Jayson Ness and C.P. Schlatter picked up their first career All-American awards last season at 125 and 157 pounds, respectively, while Dustin Schlatter (149) and Roger Kish (184) also finished in the top eight nationally a year ago. Mack Reiter earned All-America status as a freshman in 2005 and sophomore in 2006, taking fourth both instances.

A CUT ABOVE THE REST
Minnesota, Oklahoma State and Iowa have combined to win the last 19 NCAA Championships. The Golden Gophers (2007, ‘01-02) and Cowboys (2003-06) have won the last seven titles. The last team outside of those three to win a national title was Arizona State in 1988.

STILL THE CLASS OF THE CONFERENCE
Since snapping Iowa’s run of 25 consecutive conference titles at the 1999 Big Ten Championships in Ann Arbor, Mich., the Golden Gophers have claimed six of the last 10 Big Ten Conference crowns to overtake the Hawkeyes as the class of the conference.
After their runner-up finish at the 2008 Big Ten Championships, Minnesota has finished either first or second at the Big Ten Championships 10 straight seasons and has placed in the top three each of the past 12 years.

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 12:41 AM | Permalink

NCAA Wrestling Championships Notes to Know
• The defending national champion University of Minnesota wrestling team heads to the 2008 NCAA Championships this week at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Mo. The Gophers finished runner-up to Iowa (127 – 112.5) at the 2008 Big Ten Championships in Minneapolis, Minn.

• Minnesota is sending nine wrestlers to the 2008 NCAA Championships. Senior Justin Bronson (197) and heavyweight Ben Berhow (heavyweight) will be making their first appearances, while sophomore and returning All-American Jayson Ness (125) will be making his second trip; senior Manny Rivera (141) and juinor Dustin Schlatter are making their third trek to nationals. The Gophers’ senior core of Mack Reiter (133), C.P. Schlatter (157), Gabriel Dretsch (174) and Roger Kish (184) will each be competing in their fourth national tournament.

• Minnesota had five wrestlers gain All-American status at last season’s NCAA Championships en route to the third national title in school history. Four of those athletes are making the return trip in 2008 – Ness (fifth at 125), Dustin Schlatter (3rd at 149), C.P. Schlatter (6th at 157) and Kish (3rd at 184). Seven of Minnesota’s nine NCAA qualifiers from a year ago are also back in 2008.

• The University of Minnesota wrestling team won its third NCAA Championship since 2001 on March 17, 2007 at the Palace in Auburn Hills, Mich. The Golden Gophers clinched the team race following back-to-back losses by Iowa State wrestlers in the 184- and 197-pound title matches. In the final bout of the tournament, heavyweight Cole Konrad concluded his stellar collegiate career with a pin of Penn State's Aaron Anspach in the finals, becoming the fourth two-time national champion in school history. Minnesota finished with 98.0 points, while Iowa State finished second with 88.5.

• The Golden Gophers are seeking their fourth NCAA Championship in the last eight years in St. Louis. Either Minnesota, Oklahoma State or Iowa have won the national title in each of the last 18 years.

• Second-ranked sophomore Ness will continue his march to history this weekend as he takes on the best the Big Ten has to offer. Ness is 35-1 this season and remains just two pins shy (18) of the Gophers’ single-season pins record of 20, set by current assistant head coach Marty Morgan in 1989-90.

• Minnesota currently boasts seven wrestlers ranked in the latest USA Today/InterMat/NWCA poll. Jayson Ness (No. 2 at 125 pounds), Mack Reiter (No. 8 at 133 pounds), Manny Rivera (No. 5 at 141), Dustin Schlatter (No. 2 at 149 pounds), C.P. Schlatter (No. 5 at 157), Gabe Dretsch (No. 8 at 174) and Roger Kish (No. 8 at 184) all rank among the nation’s finest.

• Despite relinquishing their Big Ten title to Iowa and experiencing an up-and-down dual meet season, the Golden Gophers are still a favorite in a championship-style tournament. Minnesota is second in InterMat’s Tournament Strength Rankings and second in W.I.N. Magazine’s Tournament Power Index (75.5 points).

• ESPNU, ESPN360.com and ESPN will be broadcasting all the action live from St. Louis beginning Friday morning. See the the left side of this page for a complete schedule.

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 12:38 AM | Permalink

NCAA Wrestling Tournament discussion

The Nebraska-Kearney wrestling team's narrow victory over Minnesota State in the NCAA championships on Saturday gave the school its first-ever team national title at the NCAA Division II level.

The university's other national team titles came in softball at the NAIA level in 1987 and '90.

With a 4-1 win by heavyweight Tervel Dlagnev, the Lopers finished with 108.50 points, just ahead of Minnesota State at 108.00.

The Lopers, who came into the meet with three national runner up finishes in the last five years entered the finals with a half point lead over Minnesota State.

UNK got a huge assist from, ironically, Nebraska-Omaha as Cody Garcia won the 125 lbs. national title over Mankato's Nick Smith, 8-2. In 2004, the Lopers' Jeff Sylvester helped UNO claim a team national title, by just points over North Dakota State, when he won the 197 lbs. class.

Senior Brett Allgood won his second national title at 133 lbs. with a 5-3 decision over Shane Perkey of Indianapolis. This marks Allgood's seventh first place finish as he won four state titles while at Bennington High and won a JUCO title for Iowa Central College.

"Of all the things I've won in my wrestling career, this second national title means the most to me," he said.

However, MSU's Jason Rhoten (157 lbs.) and Andy Pickar (165 lbs.) won their weight classes to give MSU a lead in the overall team race. In Pickar's 8-2 win, he almost got bonus points late in the third period but the clock ran out.

Dlagnev finished his career on a 70-match win streak by getting by Central Oklahoma's Dustin Finn. After a scoreless first period, Finn escaped to take a 1-0 lead in the second. Not forcing any action, Finn was called twice for stalling later in the second, giving Dlagnev a point.

The Texan took the lead for good by easily escaping to start the third, then recorded a late take-down to secure the win and team trophy.

"I liked that the team title was up to me to get. That's why I wrestle...for the team," said Dlagnev. "I wrestled well, but wasn't satisfied with my performance. I wanted to dominate more."

The four-time All-American and two-time national champion added, "I didn't feel any pressure throughout the tournament; only excitement."

UNK head coach Marc Bauer, a Kearney native and the architect behind the Lopers national rise the last decade, was named the Division II Coach of the Year.

He also won the award in 2003.

Allgood and Dlagnev join the legendary Ali Elias (1990-91) as the only Lopers to win two national titles. Dlagnev also joins Elias, Sylvester and Bryce Abbey as the only UNK wrestlers to be four-time All-Americans.

UNK needed every win on Saturday as the team started the day almost 10 points behind the MSU Mavericks. The Lopers went 2-2 in the semifinal round but took a big step toward first place when four wrestlers finished third in the afternoon session.

The group included seniors Joe Ellenberger (157 lbs.) and Jeff Rutledge (141 lbs.) and sophomores Ryan Etherton (149 lbs.) and Marty Usman (174 lbs.). Rounding out UNK's eight All-Americans were junior Keenan McCurdy (165 lbs.) and sophomore Derek Ross (197 lbs.); they both placed eighth.

Showing how close the entire meet was, Rutledge won his third place bout 4-3 over Shane Valko of Pittsburgh-Johnstown. Next, Etherton edged RMAC-rival Joey Deaguero of Adams State, 4-2, with Ellenberger winning 2-1 over Upper Iowa's Travis Eggers in a first tiebreaker.

Ellenberger reached the third place match with Eggers only after a sudden victory win, 10-8, against Muhammad Abdur-Rahman of Ashland. Finally, Usman nipped Josh Shields of Mercyhurst, 3-2, in UNK's final third place match.

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 8:26 PM | Permalink

NCAA Wrestling Tournament discussion

The day before the annual gathering of the nation’s best wrestlers hits the mats, the NCAA holds a press conference with five or six coaches from those programs expected to contend for a championship.

Oklahoma State has won 34 NCAA team titles, so it’s pretty much a given that the Cowboys’ head coach is part of the pre-tournament festivities.

John Smith will not be among the coaches this Wednesday.

“It doesn’t bother me that people don’t consider us one of the favorites. We aren’t,� said Smith, who takes eight wrestlers to St. Louis for the 2008 NCAA Wrestling Championship which begins Thursday morning. “We need some things to happen and we have to be ready to fight for everything.�

O-State, after a third place finish in the five-team Big 12 Championship last weekend, enters the final collegiate tournament of the 2007-08 season ranked sixth.

After winning four straight titles from 2003-06, the Pokes finished fifth in Auburn Hills, Mich., in 2007.

Seven NCAA qualifiers return, including three All-Americans — Coleman Scott, Nathan Morgan and Brandon Mason. Jake Dieffenbach was a two-time NAIA champion before joining the squad before this season.

Tyler Shinn, Newly McSpadden, Jack Jensen and Jared Rosholt went a combined 6-8 in their first NCAA appearances. Three of the four had either the No. 1 or 2 seed in the first round.

“I think everybody knows that with the schedule we wrestle, we will be ready,� said Shinn, who finished second at the Big 12s and takes a 15-6 mark to St. Louis. “We didn’t wrestle like we are capable (at the Big 12s). For me, it’s about going and getting that second and third takedown.

“We have to be ready to fight. I think after our showing (last week) you are going to see a different team (in St. Louis).�

Scott, a senior 133-pounder, is a three-time All-American, advancing to the finals as a junior. He takes a 28-4 mark into his final collegiate tournament.

Morgan, also a senior, is a two-time All-American. The 141-pounder is 29-3.

Mason, a junior 174-pounder, advanced to the NCAA semifinals as a sophomore and eventually finished fifth. He is 26-5 and will be one of five Cowboys seeded among the top nine.

Rosholt is coming off a solid Big 12 showing, beating nemisis David Zabriskie of Iowa State in the finals. The sophomore is 29-3.

Dieffenbach dropped a pair of matches in a rugged 165-pound Big 12 bracket. He earned one of the league’s eight wild-card berths and is 19-5.

Jensen is as hot as any Cowboy, posting a pair of upset wins on his way to a third place finish at 184 at the Big 12s. For the first time in his career, Jensen (13-6) entered the rankings last week at No. 14.

Junior Newly McSpadden (21-9) wrestled his way into the 157-pound field, finishing third at the Big 12s.

“I don’t think there is a real clear-cut favorite, just four of five teams with a good shot,� Smith said.

Wrestling begins Thursday at 11 a.m.

The teams

Iowa lost just one dual meet — to Oklahoma State — and is No. 1 entering the NCAAs. The Hawkeyes, with the help of four Virginia Tech transfers, qualified nine and won the Big Ten title.

Tom Brands’ squad has eight ranked among the top eight, led by defending national champion Mark Perry (13-2 at 174) and No. 1-ranked 149-pounder Brett Metcalf (26-1).

Minnesota, the NCAA team champion in 2007, has had an injury-filled campaign, but challenged the Hawks last weekend at the Big Tens. Seven of the Gophers’ nine qualifiers are ranked among the top eight, including Jaysen Ness (35-1 at 125) and Dustin Schlatter (17-3 at 149). Senior Roger Kish (13-6 at 184) was an NCAA finalist in 2006 and is a two-time All-American.

Third-ranked Michigan has just six qualifiers, but five of them are ranked either 1, 2 or 3. Eric Tannenbaum (26-2) beat Perry in the Big Ten finals; Josh Churella (21-3 at 149) lost in the NCAA finals last season; freshman Kellen Russell (25-5 at 141), a Blair Academy product, is No. 2; and Steve Luke (25-2) is No. 2 at 174.

2007 runner-up Iowa State could be a major player when all is said and done. The Cyclones, ranked fourth, qualified all 10 wrestlers and have six ranked among the top 10 led by No. 1 Jake Varner (25-0 at 184).

Sophomore Nick Gallick (23-10) beat Morgan in the Big 12 finals at 141 and is part of a wide-open weight class.

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 5:39 PM | Permalink

Mankato Mavericks jump out ahead heading into Division II semifinals
Matt Levins TheMat.com
03/14/2008

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - It has been 43 long years since a University of Minnesota State-Mankato wrestling team has hoisted the big trophy at the NCAA Wrestling Division II Wrestling Championships.

The Mavericks just might want to start clearing a little room in their trophy case for another gold trophy,

Top-ranked Minnesota State-Mankato is on a mission this weekend at the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships at the U.S. Cellular Center.

The way the Mavericks have it figured, that team trophy from the 1964-65 is getting more than a little bit lonely in that trophy case. They figure it's time to give it some company.

The Mavericks send five wrestlers into Saturday's semifinals, racked up 66 1/2 points on Friday and take a nine-point lead over Nebraska-Kearney into Saturday's final day.

"We're glad we've still got seven guys going for us," Minnesota State-Mankato coach Jm Makovsky said. "The big points come (Saturday) morning. We'll see if we can keep it rolling."

Nebraska-Kearney will have plenty to say about that. The Lopers have been national runners-up each of the last two years. The Lopers are tired of being the bridesmaids.

Nebraska-Kearney will try to do so with four wrestlers still alive in the semifinals and four more in the consolations. The Lopers have 57 1/2 team points.

"We're happy with where we're at right now," Nebraska-Kearney coach Marc Bauer said. "Mankato is ahead right now because they have more bonus points. We're not out of this yet. There are sill some big points out there."

The surprise of the day came from Pittsburgh-Johnstown, which sent five wrestlers into the semifinals and stands in third place in the team race with 51 points.

"We had a great day today," Pittsburgh-Johnstown coach Pat Pecora said.

Nebraska-Omaha kept itself in the hunt for the team title. The Mavericks won consecutive team titles from 2004-06 before finishing third last year. They sent three wrestlers into the semifinals and have six All-Americans looking to bring home another team trophy,

"I can't fault our effort. I thought our guys wrestled hard, we just couldn't get things to work out," said Nebraska-Omaha coach Mike Denney. "It can turn right around and bounce our way Saturday. We have six guys who can all score some points."

Nebraksa-Kearney suffered a pair of upsets in the first round when Joe Ellenberger (157) and Keenan McCurdy (165) both lost.

But the Lopers rebounded in the second round to position themselves for a run at the title.

"Saturday is my last day and we are right in the team race. It's very exciting," said Nebraska-Kearney senior heavyweight Trevel Dlagnev, the defending national champion. "I am really looking forward to it."

Nebraska-Omaha got off to a flying start. Yasiim Bribrieseca upset fifth-ranked Tony Washington of Newberry College in the first round at 141 and Henry Wahle followed with a 5-3 upset win over Nebraska-Kearney's Joe Ellenberger at 157.

But the Mavericks suffered a setback at 165 when fourth-ranked Aaron Denson lost a 10-6 decision to Hudson Harrison of Mercyhurst College.

The day started on an ominous note for Minnesota State-Mankato when fourth-ranked Travis Elg lost a 7-6 decision to Shane Valko of Pittsburgh-Johnstown in the first round at 141 pounds. Valko was awarded a controversial escape late in the match, a call which had Makovsky arguing with the officials vehemently for five minutes.

"With this team, I really don't think they know what's going on. I don't think they even know what the team score is," Makovsky said. "They are so focused on the task at hand."

That task is ending a 43-year drought.

"I've been here four years and this is something we have really rallied around,' said Minnesota State-Mankato senior Nick Smith after posting a 12-6 decision over Western State's Eddie Lopez to advance to the finals at 125. "We want to hoist that gold trophy and bring it home. I want to be a part of that."

"This means everything to us," said Minnesota State-Mankato sophomore heavyweight Brady Wilson after pinning Limestone College's William Moss in 26 seconds to advance to the semifinals. "Ask anyone on this team and they will tell you they will gladly give up and individual title to win a team title. That's how much this means to us."

Team scores
1. Minnesota State-Mankato, 66 1/2
2. Nebraska-Kearney, 57 1/2
3. Pittsburgh-Johnstown, 51
4. Nebraska-Omaha, 49 1/2
5. Western State, 42
6. Central Oklahoma, 40 1/2
7. Adams State, 36 1/2
8. Newberry College, 31
9. Ashland, 23
10. Upper Iowa, 22.

Semifinal matchups
125
No. 3 Nick Smith (Minnesota State Mankato) (22-5) vs. No. 2 Tyler Mumbulo, (Upper Iowa) (31-5)
No. 7 Devlon Webb (Chadron State) (19-12) vs. No. 1 Cody Garcia (Nebraska-Omaha) (17-1)

133
No. 1 Brandon Reay (Pittburgh-Johnstown (34-5) vs. No. 2 Shane Perkey (Indianapolis)
No. 8 John Putman (Minnesota State-Mankato) (20-10) vs. No. 3 Brett Allgood (Nebraska-Omaha) (5-1)

141
No. 2 Steven Fittery (Shippensburg) (23-4) vs. Shane Valko (Pittburgh-Johnstown) (27-13)
No. 3 Jeff Rutledge (Nebraka-Kearney) (37-12) vs. No. 1 Kyle Evans (Central Oklahoma) (30-2)

149
No. 8 Colby Robinson (Central Oklahoma) vs. No. 2 Camille DuPont (Western State) (24-1)
Joseph Deguero (Adams State) (23-9) vs. No. 1 Todd Meneely (Nebraska-Omaha) (17-2)

157
No. 7 Travis Eggers (Upper Iowa) (29-8) vs. No. 4 Antonio Guerra (Findlay) (34-9)
No. 1 Jason Rhoten (Minnesota-Mankato) (39-2) vs. No. 6 Muhammad Abdur-Rahman (Ashland), 27-7)

165
No. 8 Kyle Keane (Pittsburgh-Johnstown) (37-6) vs. No. 3 Andy Pickar (Minnesota State-Mankato) (21-3)
J.J. Davis (North Carolina-Pembroke) (33-5) vs. Hudson Harrison (Mercyhurst College) (33-8)

174
No. 6 Albert Miles (Pittsburgh-Johnstown) (36-7) vs. No. 1 Kamarudeen Usman (Nebraska-Kearney) (24-7)
Josh Shields (Mercyhurst College) (22-8) vs. No. 2 Ross Taplin (Nebraska-Omaha) (28-5)

184
No. 2 Daniel Scanlan (Limestone College) (38-2) vs. No. 5 Heath Jolley (Central Oklahoma) (28-14)
Mike Corcetti (Pittsburgh-Johnstown) (34-8) vs. No. 1 Jared Deaguero (Adams State) (32-5)

197
No. 4 Donovan McMahill (Western State) (30-4) vs. No. 3 Tyler Copsey (Augustana College) (30-5)
No. 1 Josh Majerus (Chadron State) (35-3) vs. No. 2 Josh Ohl (Ashland) (28-2)

Hwt
No. 3 Cy Wainwright (Newberry College) (38-3) vs. No. 1 Tervel Dlagnev (Nebraska-Kearney) (36-0)
No. 4 Dustin Finn (Central Oklahoma) (28-5) vs. No. 2 Brady Wilson (Minnesota-Mankato) (35-4)

Wrestling videos from the NCAA Wrestling Tournament have been added.

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 8:51 PM | Permalink

Top 40 High School Wrestling Teams
1. St. Paris Graham Ohio
2. Apple Valley Minn.
3. Blair Academy N.J.
4. St. Edward Ohio
5. Waverly-Shell Rock Iowa
6. C. Dauphin Pa.
7. Montini Catholic Ill.
8. Flathead Mont.
9. Iowa City West Iowa
10. Oak Park Mo.
11. Colonial Forge Va.
12. Glenbard North Ill.
13. Northampton Pa.
14. Omaha Skutt Neb.
15. Bishop Carroll Kansas
16. Catoosa Okla.
17. Hastings Minn.
18. Roseburg Oreg.
19. Easton Pa.
20. Providence Catholic Ill.

21. Neuqua Valley Ill.
22. Bishop Lynch Texas
23. Massillon Perry Ohio
24. McDonogh Md.
25. Broken Arrow Okla.
26. Clovis Calif.
27. Poway Calif.
28. Huxley Ballard Iowa
29. Wausau West Wisc.
30. Christiansburg Va.
31. Collins Hill Ga.
32. Central Mountain PA.
33. Burrell PA.
34. High Point N.J.
35. Reynolds PA
36. S. Dade Fla.
37. Carl Sandburg Ill.
38. Jackson Ct. Central Minn.
39. Ponca City Okla.
40. Holt Mich.

Most of these high school wrestling teams host commuter wrestling camps. If one of the schools are in your area we suggest attending a camp put on by them. You can also purchase wrestling shoes and other wrestling gear at these camps. Commuter wrestling camps are generally shorter than a week and have no on campus housing for wrestlers. These camps are generally the least expensive, but can have a great deal of wrestling technique (and often times excellent clinicians) to offer.

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 4:03 PM | Permalink

Northern Illinois has limited number of NCAA tickets available
DATE: 3/11/2008 11:44:00 AM
By Russell Houghtaling
NIU Sports Information

Fans looking to see Northern Illinois wrestlers at the NCAA Championships, Mar. 20-22, now have the chance to purchase a limited number of tickets reserved exclusively for Huskie fans by calling the NIU ticket office at (815) 752-6800.

Mid-American Conference champions Pat Castillo and Pat McLemore, along with at-large bid recipient Duke Burk will face the nation's best at the Scottrade Center in downtown St. Louis. By purchasing all-session tickets through the NIU ticket office for $120, fans will be placed in block seating with other members of Huskie nation.

"This is a fantastic opportunity for our fans to be together to cheer on NIU as we fight to be the best in the country," head coach Dave Grant said. "The NCAA Wrestling Championships are one of the great spectacles of American sport, and we're excited about sharing the event with our loyal fans."

For more information on tickets to the NCAA Championships, or any other NIU athletics events, contact the Northern Illinois Athletics Ticket Office at (815) 752-6800.

This is the best place to go watch if you plan on continuing beyond High School Wrestling.

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 11:52 AM | Permalink

Hanisch, Fanthorpe earn Academic All-Big 12 honors
Iowa State University Sports Information

IRVING, Texas –- Three Iowa State wrestlers have been named to the Academic All-Big 12 Conference team, the league office announced. Ben Hanisch and Nick Fanthorpe received first-team honors, while Cyler Sanderson was named to the second team. Hanisch receives the honor for the third time, while Fanthorpe and Sanderson are receiving the award for the first time.

The academic all-league wrestling squad consisted of 13 first-team members combined with four on the second team. First-team members consist of those who have maintained a 3.20 or better GPA, while the second team are those who have a 3.00 to 3.19 GPA.

Hanisch is a senior majoring in biochemistry and minoring in entrepreneurial studies and economics. The Waterloo, Iowa native is one of two Iowa State wrestlers to receive first-team honors on three occasions. The only other ISU grappler to earn such accolades was current associate head coach, Cody Sanderson, who earned the honor four times (1997-2000).

Fanthorpe is a sophomore from Naperville, Ill., majoring in community and regional planning.

Sanderson is a sophomore majoring in fine arts. He joins the likes of his three older brothers by earning Big 12 academic honors. Cody, Cole and Cael Sanderson all earned academic recognition at least once during their Cyclone college wrestling career.

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 12:54 AM | Permalink

USA Today/InterMat/NWCA Division I Pre-NCAA Wrestling Tournament Coaches Poll
March 12, 2008

Tournament Strength

Rank Team (First) Qualifiers Points

1 Iowa (12) 9 480
2 Minnesota 9 462
3 Michigan 6 449
4 Iowa State 10 445
5 Nebraska 8 432
6 Oklahoma State 8 419
7 Central Michigan 9 411
8 Ohio State 7 401
9 Illinois 7 383
10 Northwestern 6 369
11 Penn State 7 357
12 Missouri 7 347
13 Hofstra 7 332
14 Edinboro 10 302
15 Indiana 8 296
16 Cornell 6 293
17 Pittsburgh 6 287
18 Wisconsin 8 285
19 Oklahoma 5 188
(tie) Navy 5 188
21 American 4 183
22 Penn 8 161
23 Cal Poly 3 147
(tie) Old Dominion 6 147
25 UT-Chattanooga 8 142

Others receiving votes: Stanford, Boise State, Maryland, Michigan State, Harvard, Northern Iowa, Kent State

InterMat/NWCA/NWMA Division I Individual Rankings.

**Note: Individual Records Listed are from the NWCA OPC Qualifier Report. Matches from the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational may or may not be reported by thei respective schools. Those results, however, are considered by the InterMat rankings.**

125 Wrestler School Year Qualifier Record**

1 Escobedo, Angel Indiana RSSO 29-1
2 Ness, Jayson Minnesota RSSO 35-1
3 Donahoe, Paul Nebraska RSJR 17-3
4 Falck, Charlie Iowa RSJR 26-2
5 Gardner, Tanner Stanford RSSR 33-1
6 Flores, Gabriel Illinois RSSR 15-7
7 Sees, Mike Bloomsburg RSSR 31-4
8 Precin, Brandon Northwestern SO 33-7
9 Peterkin, Rollie Penn SO 23-2
10 Nicholson, James Old Dominion RSFR 31-5
11 Tomasette, David Hofstra RSSR 25-6
12 Mytych, Steve Drexel JR 37-6
13 Shinn, Tyler Oklahoma State RSSO 15-6
14 Robles, Anthony Arizona State RSFR 19-7
15 Fio, Joey Oklahoma FR 20-8
16 Clark, Tyler Iowa State RSFR 19-9
17 Cudd, Collin Wisconsin RSSR 17-8
18 Martinez, Fernando Army SR 34-5
19 McKnight, Mark Penn State RSSR 13-9
20 Maldonado, Javier UT-Chattanooga RSSR 18-6

133

1 Gomez, Franklin Michigan State RSSO 28-1
2 Kennedy, James Illinois SO 24-3
3 Scott, Coleman Oklahoma State SR 28-4
4 Grey, Mike Cornell FR 38-6
5 Slaton, Joey Iowa RSSO 23-3
6 Ruggirello, Lou Hofstra SO 27-3
7 Fanthorpe, Nick Iowa State SO 28-4
8 Reiter, Mack Minnesota RSSR 21-8
9 Tanelli, Zach Wisconsin RSJR 20-8
10 Castillo, Patrick Northern Illinois RSSR 27-5
11 Hernandez, Andrae Indiana RSJR 20-11
12 Baker, Joe Navy JR 22-7
13 Jordan, Kenny Nebraska RSSO 8-8
14 Hedges, Jeff UNC Greensboro SR 23-6
15 Hutter, Kyle Old Dominion SO 28-10
16 Mitcheff, Dan Kent State RSSO 29-7
17 Humphrey, Reece Ohio State SO 18-8
18 Marble, David Bucknell SO 26-7
19 McCormick, Tyler Missouri SR 5-8
20 Fish, Cory Boise State JR 20-6

141

1 Mendes, Chad Cal Poly RSSR 26-0
2 Russell, Kellen Michigan FR 25-5
3 Griffin, Charles Hofstra SR 26-3
4 Morgan, Nathan Oklahoma State SR 29-3
5 Rivera, Manuel Minnesota RSSR 30-7
6 Ruschell, Kyle Wisconsin RSSO 21-4
7 Jaggers, J Ohio State RSSO 21-5
8 LeClere, Dan Iowa RSSO 20-7
9 Cleveland, Cody UT-Chattanooga RSSO 25-6
10 Gallick, Nick Iowa State SO 23-11
11 Sulzer, Keith Northwestern RSFR 16-6
12 Scott, Garrett Penn State FR 18-5
13 Kyler, Matthew Army SO 39-5
14 Headlee, Drew Pittsburgh RSSR 22-5
15 McLemore, Patrick Northern Illinois RSFR 13-3
16 Bailey, Zach Oklahoma SO 27-11
17 Williams, Ryan Old Dominion JR 34-8
18 Lashaway, Drew Kent State RSJR 28-9
19 Rappo, Rick Penn JR 20-6
20 Jones, Levi Boise State SO 8-4

149

1 Metcalf, Brent Iowa RSSO 26-1
2 Schlatter, Dustin Minnesota JR 17-3
3 O'Connor, J.P. Harvard SO 20-1
4 Burroughs, Jordan Nebraska SO 23-4
5 Churella, Josh Michigan RSSR 21-3
6 Jenkins, Bubba Penn State SO 22-5
7 Palmer, Lance Ohio State SO 19-7
8 Caldwell, Darrion North Carolina State SO 26-3
9 Ervin, Scott Appalachian St. RSJR 35-5
10 Atkinson, Morgan Cal State-Fullerton RSSR 29-2
11 Patacsil, Jake Purdue RSJR 25-6
12 Lang, Ryan Northwestern RSSR 17-5
13 Hall, Adam Boise State RSFR 17-4
14 Grajales, Cesar Penn SO 29-3
15 Knox, Joey UT-Chattanooga RSSO 21-9
16 Mueller, Mitch Iowa State SO 21-11
17 Rowe, Will Oklahoma RSSO 24-6
18 Wagner, Josh Missouri SR 16-8
19 Fisch, Don Rider RSSR 22-8
20 Fried, Kyle Binghamton SR 22-2

157 Pounds

1 Gillespie, Gregor Edinboro JR 28-1
2 Poeta, Mike Illinois RSJR 19-2
3 Vallimont, Dan Penn State RSSO 27-2
4 Becker, Brandon Indiana RSSR 22-4
5 Schlatter, C.P. Minnesota RSSR 27-3
6 Kocher, Matt Pittsburgh RSSR 20-5
7 Sanderson, Cyler Iowa State SO 28-4
8 Leen, Jordan Cornell RSJR 22-3
9 Pami, Chase Cal Poly RSSO 24-4
10 Sherfey, Tyler Boise State RSJR 27-6
11 Zupancic, Josh Stanford RSSR 34-4
12 Chandler, Mike Missouri JR 15-3
13 Moley, Matt Bloomsburg SO 29-8
14 Bonilla-Bowman, Jonny Hofstra RSSO 15-9
15 Hluschak, Ryan Drexel SR 31-5
16 Marsh, Jeff Michigan RSSR 21-12
17 McSpadden, Newly Oklahoma State RSJR 21-9
18 Morningstar, Ryan Iowa RSSO 18-10
19 Nakasone, David Lehigh Grad 23-12
20 Garvin, Seth UT-Chattanooga RSJR 23-5

165 Pounds

1 Tannenbaum, Eric Michigan RSSR 26-2
2 Perry, Mark Iowa RSSR 13-2
3 Marable, Nick Missouri SO 17-1
4 Lewnes, Mack Cornell FR 32-3
5 Dwyer, Stephen Nebraska SO 24-5
6 Reader, Jonathan Iowa State RSFR 26-7
7 Dieffenbach, Jacob Oklahoma State RSSR 19-5
8 Fay, Moza Northern Iowa RSJR 20-7
9 Stewart, Trevor Central Michigan JR 21-5
10 Gross, Kurt Kent State RSSR 28-5
11 Cannon, Mike American RSSO 26-3
12 Mueller, Keegan North Carolina RSJR 21-3
13 King, Jarrod Edinboro RSJR 27-4
14 Shanaman, Zack Penn JR 20-5
15 Pitsch, Patrick Arizona State RSSR 13-7
16 Swartz, Kurt Boise State RSFR 24-4
17 Manuel, Luke Purdue RSFR 25-7
18 Coughlin, Matt Indiana RSSO 25-9
19 Brown, Chris Old Dominion RSSO 32-7
20 Smith-Bergsrud, Roger Illinois RSJR 16-7

174 Pounds

1 Gavin, Keith Pittsburgh RSSR 22-0
2 Luke, Steve Michigan RSJR 25-2
3 Sinnott, Brandon Central Michigan RSSR 28-3
4 Borschel, Jay Iowa RSSO 24-3
5 Browne, Brandon Nebraska RSJR 24-1
6 Lucas, Alton Hofstra JR 25-4
7 Stolpinski, Matt Navy SR 33-4
8 Dretsch, Gabriel Minnesota RSSR 28-10
9 Mason, Brandon Oklahoma State RSJR 26-5
10 Letts, Mike Maryland SO 22-4
11 Anceravage, Steve Cornell RSJR 31-4
12 Hayes, Nick Northwestern RSSR 23-11
13 Burk, Duke Northern Illinois RSSO 25-5
14 Rogers, Lloyd UT-Chattanooga RSSR 26-3
15 Dergo, John Illinois SO 15-8
16 Moricone, Phil Edinboro RSJR 18-9
17 Lee, Nathan Boise State RSSO 16-4
18 Litton, Chance West Virginia JR 11-4
19 Henrich, Chris Virginia FR 25-8
20 Giffin, Scott Penn RSFR 18-7

184 Pounds

1 Varner, Jake Iowa State SO 25-0
2 Pucillo, Mike Ohio State RSSO 25-0
3 Todd, Tyrel Michigan RSJR 21-3
4 Sinnott, Christian Central Michigan RSSR 25-4
5 Weitzel, Josh Oklahoma RSJR 25-3
6 Keddy, Philip Iowa RSSO 21-7
7 Jordan, Raymond Missouri JR 17-3
8 Kish, Roger Minnesota RSSR 13-6
9 Chriswell, Brent Arizona State RSFR 14-5
10 Smith, Kirk Boise State FR 22-3
11 Murphy, Ian Cal State-Fullerton RSSR 24-6
12 Caponi, Rocco Virginia RSJR 37-2
13 Umbehauer, Doug Rider RSJR 20-6
14 Jensen, Jack Oklahoma State RSSR 13-6
15 Jones, Vince Nebraska JR 16-10
16 Zamir, Lior Penn JR 18-4
17 Bomberger, Phil Penn State RSJR 19-8
18 Brenner, Kurt West Virginia RSJR 15-1
19 Honeycutt, Chris Edinboro FR 21-6
20 Ferguson, Scott Army SR 24-5

197 Pounds

1 Glenn, Josh American RSSR 15-0
2 Davis, Phil Penn State RSSR 21-1
3 Tamillow, Mike Northwestern SR 30-3
4 Michalak, Wynn Central Michigan RSSR 26-1
5 Herbst, Dallas Wisconsin RSJR 23-4
6 Taylor, Hudson Maryland RSSO 31-2
7 Askren, Maxwell Missouri SO 17-1
8 Brester, Craig Nebraska RSSO 21-5
9 Bond, Patrick Illinois RSSO 17-3
10 Flaggert, Joel Oklahoma RSJR 22-5
11 Morrison, T.J. Rider RSSR 21-7
12 Rovelli, Joe Hofstra SR 26-5
13 Byers, Cayle George Mason FR 35-8
14 Burns, Daren UNC Greensboro RSSR 24-5
15 Villers, Jared West Virginia RSSR 15-0
16 Bertolino, David Iowa State SR 22-11
17 Koz, Matt UT-Chattanooga RSSR 19-8
18 Trulson, Jason Arizona State RSSR 20-4
19 Anderson, Andrew Northern Iowa RSJR 20-9
20 Bradshaw, Patrick Edinboro RSSO 24-8

285 Heavyweights Wrestling Shoes

1 Fox, Dustin Northwestern SR 24-1
2 Bergman, J.D. Ohio State RSSR 24-2
3 Prendergast, Ed Navy SR 31-2
4 Fields, Matt Iowa SR 23-5
5 Massey, Kyle Wisconsin RSJR 20-6
6 Rosholt, Jared Oklahoma State RSSO 29-3
7 Zabriskie, David Iowa State SO 25-5
8 Gritter, Ryan Central Michigan RSSR 25-6
9 Porter, Jermail Kent State RSJR31-9
10 Ellis, Mark Missouri SO 13-7
11 Sheaffer, Zach Pittsburgh RSJR 29-7
12 Spaid, Mike Bloomsburg SR 37-6
13 Wise, John Illinois RSJR 19-10
14 May, Jon Nebraska RSSR 16-9
15 Dobies, Justin North Carolina JR 28-4
16 Walker, Patrick Liberty SO 29-7
17 Fendone, Joe Edinboro RSJR 16-9
18 Goff, Rashard Cleveland State RSJR 20-11
19 Thobaben, Nathan Army SR 32-13
20 Gardner, Travis Oregon State RSSR 21-6

Wrestling Videos will be released for the NCAA Wrestling Tournament during and immediately following the event.

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 12:46 AM | Permalink

Iowa tops Minn. for Big Ten title
The Gophers had the lead going into Sunday but lost all four of the day's championship matches.
By Trevor Born

Minnesota wrestlers went 0-4 in championship matches Sunday, as the Gophers took second place in the Big Ten Wrestling Tournament at Williams Arena. It was the first time since 1996 that the team didn't have an individual champion.
up next

NCAA Wrestling Championships
what: Wrestling
when: all day, Thu - Sun
where: St. Louis, Mo.

The Gophers finished with 112.5 points, 14.5 points behind first-place Iowa. Top-ranked Jayson Ness, Manuel Rivera, Dustin Schlatter and Gabe Dretsch all lost their championship matches. In all, Minnesota wrestlers went 1-10 on Sunday.

It was the first title since 2004 for the Hawkeyes, and just the third since the Gophers broke their 25-year championship streak in 1999.

Minnesota's chances of winning a second-straight title were stunted when two of their top wrestlers suffered tournament-ending injuries - C.P. Schlatter at 157 pounds and Roger Kish at 184 pounds. Gophers head coach J Robinson said that it were the NCAA tournament, he might have allowed the two to wrestle.

Because the team scores are based on how well each individual wrestler places, the Gophers lost a potential 28 points from the two forfeits.

The Gophers were in first place by 12.5 points coming into the final round, but a combination of the injuries and poor performance from those who did wrestle caused that lead to disappear quickly.

"It's pretty hard when you take the two of the best guys from a team, which has happened all year," Robinson said. "Then everybody has to pull extra weight and it makes it hard on them. That puts a lot of pressure on guys."

This season the Gophers have seen three of their top wrestlers - Kish, Dustin Schlatter and C.P. Schlatter - miss time with injuries. The tournament was the first time all season that the Gophers had their 10 best wrestlers competing at the same time, Robinson said.

Because the top seven finishers in each weight class advance to the NCAA tournament, both Kish and C.P. Schlatter qualified. The only Minnesota wrestler who didn't qualify was Tyler Safratowich.

The first collegiate meeting between Dustin Schlatter and Iowa's Brent Metcalf was the most anticipated match of the day, or of the season for that matter.

"That's what everyone in our sport has been looking forward to for years and years," Gophers head coach J Robinson said.

Metcalf came into the match ranked No. 1 and Schlatter No. 3 in the 149-pound weight class, which is widely considered the most talent-rich class in the country.

The match lived up to its billing. Schlatter led 3-2 until the final seconds, when Metcalf's two-point takedown with 12 seconds left gave him a 4-3 win.

Both wrestlers were four-time state champions in high school - Metcalf in Michigan and Schlatter in Ohio. Schlatter won his last meeting, which was in the championship of the Senior High School Nationals in 2005.

The two were supposed to meet in the dual-meet between Iowa and the Gophers this season, which Iowa won, but Schlatter missed it with the same hamstring injury that kept him out of more than half the season.

"He's been waiting for it, I've been waiting for it and the world has been waiting for it. Let's do it," Metcalf said after his semifinal win.

Ness upset

Sophomore Jayson Ness suffered his first loss of the year in the 125-pound championship, being upset 4-2 by third-seeded Angel Escobedo of Indiana. The loss ended Ness' 37-match winning streak, which was the second-longest active streak in Division I.

Escobedo was in control for almost the entire match, finishing with 3 minutes, 38 seconds more riding time - a statistic that keeps track of which wrestler is in control throughout the match - than Ness.

"I beat him at his own game," Escobedo said.

Ness was nearly pinned in his semifinal match, being caught by a quick move from fifth-seed Gabe Flores of Illinois, and was held on his back for more than a minute before escaping and winning 7-5.

The total attendance for the two-day, three-session tournament was 19,891.

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 4:34 PM | Permalink

Lindenwood wins NAIA National Title
DATE: 3/8/2008 11:49:00 PM
The Lindenwood wrestling team repeated as national champions on Saturday evening as the Lions captured the 2008 NAIA Wrestling National Championship. The Lions are the first NAIA program to repeat as national champions since Montana State-Northern won three straight from 1998-2000.

The Lions led throughout the tournament, but needed at least one win in Saturday’s championship finals to seal the victory. Lindenwood got more than that as Ray Stephens (133), Ryan Moyer (149) and Matt Cauley (174) all won individual national titles.

Lindenwood finished with 130 points, defeating second-place McKendree by 20.5 points. Dickinson State (107.5), Great Falls (101) and Dana (91.5) rounded out the top-five.

Ray Stephens (Miami, Fla./South Dade) had little trouble winning his weight class, with his closest match being a 9-7 decision win in the quarterfinals. He had one pin and two major decision wins in his other matches, including an 18-7 win in the finals against Dana’s Burke Barnes.

Ryan Moyer (Kansas City, Mo./Park Hill) also did not receive much of a challenge at 149 pounds. He advanced to the finals with two major decisions, one technical fall and one pin. In the finals, he had his toughest match but won by a 13-9 margin over Missouri Valley’s Brian Graham.

Matt Cauley (O’Fallon, Mo./Fort Zumwalt West) put the icing on the cake for Lindenwood by winning the 174 pound title. Cauley went 4-0 at nationals with one fall and two major decision wins. He won the finals by a 22-8 major decision over Great Falls’ Brendon DeCock.

Other Lindenwood wrestlers to place at the event were Dennis Kakrah (Miami, Fla./South Miami), who was second at 125 pounds, Lance Shunia (Southfield, Mich./Walled Lake Western), who was sixth at heavyweight, and Sam Schmitz (Salem, Ore./Newberg), who finished eighth at 149 pounds.

Kakrah won three matches, one by technical fall and two by decision, to advance to the finals at 125 pounds. In the finals, he dropped an 11-5 decision to Montana State-Northern’s Cody Borges, who was the number one ranked wrestler in that weight class.

Shunia went 4-3 at the event for his sixth-place finish. He won his first two matches before falling in the championship quarterfinals. Shunia bounced back with two decision victories before falling in the wrestleback semifinals and fifth-place match.

Schmitz also started the tournament with two wins before falling in the quarterfinals. He went 1-2 in wrestlebacks to finish the tournament with a 3-3 record.

The other six Lindenwood wrestlers all recorded at least one win to help contribute to the national championship. Michael O’hara (Redland, Calif./Redland East Valley) won three matches at 157 pounds. Richard Zuniga (Granger, Wash./Granger) (125), John Lloyd (Indianapolis, Ind./Warren Central) (133), John Sumner (Eureka, Mo./Eureka) (165) and Neil Kemp (Detroit, Mich./Melvindale) (184) all won two matches. Those five wrestlers all lost in the fourth-round of wrestlebacks. Glen Shaw (Fallon, Nev./Churchill Co.) (165) won his opening match before two straight losses to end his tournament.

Lindenwood has now won four national championships since 2002 and have finished second or better in six of the last seven seasons. The program’s four national titles tie for the fourth most in the NAIA’s 51-year history, and the team’s 22 individual national championships are the sixth-best in NAIA history.

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 4:31 PM | Permalink

No. 8 Golden Gophers overtake No. 1 Hawkeyes to grab lead at Big Ten Championships
Craig Sesker USA Wrestling
03/08/2008

MINNEAPOLIS – Minnesota’s Jayson Ness was on his back and looking straight up at the lights at Williams Arena.

He was in trouble. Big trouble.

No. 5 seed Gabriel Flores of Illinois had flipped the top-ranked Ness onto his back and had him locked tight in a pinning combination in the third period of their 125-pound semifinal at the Big Ten Championships.

The unbeaten Ness spent close to a minute squirming, fighting and clawing to get off his back. And somehow he finally managed to not only break free, but he gained a reversal to pull out an improbable 7-5 victory.

Ness’ 35th win in as many matches, along with teammate Gabe Dretsch’s mild upset over Iowa’s Jay Borschel at 174 pounds, provided a huge springboard for the Gophers as they grabbed the lead on Saturday night before 6,391 fans.

“I was trying to be aggressive and he caught me with a pretty good move,� Ness said. “I just knew I couldn’t get pinned and I had to keep fighting. It took a lot of heart and strength to get out of that. It was kind of scary being down there because he had me real tight. It would have been devastating to lose that match. I just never gave up.�

The returning Big Ten and NCAA champion Gophers, ranked just eighth nationally after an injury-plagued season, hold a 106-93.5 lead over No. 1 Iowa entering the second and final day of the competition on Sunday. Illinois is third with 79 points and two finalists while Michigan is fourth with 78 points and four wrestlers in the finals.

Minnesota placed four wresters in the finals. The Hawkeyes struggled in the semifinals, winning just 2 of 8 matches.

Minnesota’s chances for winning the team title did take a significant jolt when senior All-Americans C.P. Schlatter (157) and Roger Kish (184) both had to default their semifinal bouts because of injuries sustained during their matches.

Minnesota coach J Robinson said neither Schlatter nor Kish will compete Sunday. Both wrestlers will finish sixth. Schlatter and Kish had already qualified for nationals.

One of the most anticipated matches of the season will finally happen in the 149 finals when No. 1 Brent Metcalf of Iowa will face No. 2 Dustin Schlatter of Minnesota. Metcalf is unbeaten against Big Ten competition this year. Schlatter is a two-time Big Ten champion and 2006 NCAA champion.

“I’m excited about it,� Metcalf said of the finals match. “It’s on. I’ve been waiting and the world’s been waiting. Let’s do it.�

Metcalf and Schlatter last met in 2005 when Schlatter won in the finals of the Senior High School Nationals.

“I’m excited about the match,� Schlatter said. “Obviously he’s a tough wrestler. I think a lot of people have been waiting the whole year to see this. I’m really looking forward to it. It should be fun.�

Even though Schlatter already has won a national title and pieced together a 65-match winning streak in college, many wrestling observers consider him the underdog against the hard-charging Metcalf.

“It’s a whole new dynamic, but it’s a position that I am comfortable with,� Schlatter said. “I will be the hunter instead of the hunted. I’m fine with where I’m at right now and I’m excited.�

Returning national champion and No. 1 seed Mark Perry of Iowa won a scramble in overtime to score the winning takedown in a 3-1 semifinal win over No. 5 Roger Smith-Bergsrud of Illinois at 165.

Wisconsin’s Craig Henning, a returning NCAA runner-up at 157 pounds, went 0-2 Saturday and failed to qualify for nationals.

BIG TEN FINALS MATCHUPS

125 POUNDS

Jayson Ness (Minnesota) vs. Angel Escobedo (Indiana)

133 POUNDS

Jimmy Kennedy (Illinois) vs. Franklin Gomez (Michigan State)

141 POUNDS

Kellen Russell (Michigan) vs. Manuel Rivera (Minnesota)

149 POUNDS

Brent Metcalf (Iowa) vs. Dustin Schlatter (Minnesota)

157 POUNDS

Mike Poeta (Illinois) vs. Dan Vallimont (Penn State)

165 POUNDS

Mark Perry (Iowa) vs. Eric Tannenbaum (Michigan)

174 POUNDS

Steve Luke (Michigan) vs. Gabe Dretsch (Minnesota)

184 POUNDS

Mike Pucillo (Ohio State) vs. Tyrel Todd (Michigan)

197 POUNDS

Mike Tamillow (Northwestern) vs. Phil Davis (Penn State)

HEAVYWEIGHT

J.D. Bergman (Ohio State) vs. Dustin Fox (Northwestern)

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 4:04 PM | Permalink

Iowa State favored in what is expected to be close battle at Big 12 Championships
Craig Sesker USA Wrestling
03/07/2008

Cael Sanderson obviously knew how to peak as an athlete.

The four-time NCAA champion, who went undefeated in college, already has proven as a coach that he knows how to get his teams to peak as well.

In his first year as head coach at Iowa State, Sanderson’s Cyclones won the Big 12 tournament title and placed a close second to Minnesota at the 2007 NCAA Championships.

Now in his second year at ISU, Sanderson's third-ranked Cyclones appear to be peaking at the right time again. Iowa State is the favorite to win the Big 12 Championships on Saturday at Oklahoma State’s Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, Okla.

But like last year, when the tournament came down to the final match, another very tight team race is expected between ISU, No. 4 Nebraska, No. 5 Oklahoma State, No. 12 Missouri and No. 14 Oklahoma.

“This is going to be a real exciting weekend,� Sanderson said Wednesday morning on the Big 12 Coaches’ Teleconference. “There are no heavy favorites going in. Just like the whole college season, there is a lot of parity.�

The top three finishers in each weight class, plus eight wild cards overall, will qualify for the NCAA Championships on March 20-22 in St. Louis.

“It’s going to be a great tournament,� Oklahoma coach Jack Spates said. “This is the toughest conference tournament in the country with some great wrestlers.�

Just how tough is the Big 12?

In recent years, returning All-Americans have fallen short of qualifying for nationals as well as wrestlers ranked in the top 10 nationally.

The Big 12 has a total of 33 wrestlers ranked in the top 20 nationally by InterMat.

The best example of the Big 12’s strength comes at 165. Missouri’s Nick Marable is ranked second, Oklahoma State’s Jake Dieffenbach is fifth, Nebraska’s Stephen Dwyer is seventh and Iowa State’s Jon Reader is eighth.

Iowa State emerged as the Big 12 tournament favorite after beating then-No. 2 Nebraska 22-12 in their final Big 12 dual meet in Ames.

“It was a good confidence-booster for our team,� Sanderson said. “We obviously want to be at our best at this time of the year. We need to be ready to go in that first round. With only five teams, the team that has a good first round will be in a real good position to win this.�

Iowa State’s star-studded sophomore class is led by top-ranked Jake Varner (184), who placed second in the nation last year. ISU heavyweight David Zabriskie came through in the final match of Big 12s last year, edging Oklahoma State's Jared Rosholt to give his team the championship.

“The key for us is to have all of our sophomores have their best performances at Big 12s and at nationals,� Sanderson said. “I have all the confidence in the world in these guys and they are starting to feel it themselves.�

Another key for ISU may be the performance of senior David Bertolino, who is coming off an upset win over Nebraska’s Craig Brester at 197 in a recent dual meet.

“Bertolino doing well is real important for our team and he knows that,� Sanderson said. “He is a senior and has that experience. He’s ready, we just need him to make it happen and lead like a senior by being consistent.�

The Huskers have nine ranked wrestlers in their lineup. The only NU wrestler who is not ranked, junior Chris Oliver, was second in the 2007 Big 12s and is a returning national qualifier at 157.

“Iowa State is favored, but crazy things happen at this tournament,� Nebraska coach Mark Manning said. “It could come down to the last couple of matches, it really could. There is a lot of parity and a lot of good wrestlers.�

Nebraska placed second at the National Duals. NU is expected to have No. 1 seeds for Big 12s in Paul Donahoe (125), Jordan Burroughs (149) and Brandon Browne (174).

“Peaking at the right time, there is an art to it,� Manning said. “You obviously can’t overtrain and your kids can only get up so many times in a season. Our kids understand that. People remember you by what you do at the end of the season.

“We’re well-prepared and our guys are excited and ready to go. There are going to be a lot of hard-fought battles.�

Oklahoma State, which has won 8 of the 11 team titles since the Big 12 was formed, also will be in the mix. The Cowboys, who own a record 34 NCAA team titles, handed top-ranked Iowa its only dual-meet loss of the season.

OSU is led by senior standouts Coleman Scott at 133 and Nathan Morgan at 141. Both will be seeded No. 1. Morgan, a two-time All-American, is seeking his fourth Big 12 title. Scott, a three-time All-American, is seeking his third Big 12 title.

The Cowboys also have four wrestlers who are expected to be seeded fifth.

“We have to wrestle better than we have all year, no question, to win the Big 12 championship,� said OSU coach John Smith, whose teams have won five NCAA titles. “We have to do special things and have guys turn in their best performance to win.�

Wrestling in their home arena could make a difference for OSU.

“It’s good to have the Big 12 tournament back in Stillwater,� John Smith said. “We’re excited about it and our team is excited about it.�

Said Sanderson: “Home-field advantage is always real. They have one of the better fan bases in the country, but we’re not planning on letting it affect our guys.�

Missouri, third in the NCAA team race in 2007, has a veteran team that is expected to be in contention as well.

Coach Brian Smith has a pair of returning Big 12 champions in Raymond Jordan (184) and Max Askren (197). Jordan will be seeded second behind Varner while Askren, a sophomore, will be a No. 1 seed.

The Tigers also are expected to have top seeds in Marable and Michael Chandler at 157.

“Every weight class is going to be real tight with four and five guys ranked at a lot of weights,� Brian Smith said. “There will be some people left home who belong at the NCAA tournament.�

Askren, brother of two-time Hodge Trophy winner Ben Askren, has come on strong in the second half of the season. Max Askren, 20-2 this season, is now ranked seventh nationally. He was seeded No. 1 at the 2007 NCAA tournament, but went 0-2 as a freshman.

“Ever since the National Duals, Max has been wrestling the best he’s ever wrestled,� Brian Smith said. “He wasn’t as focused in the first semester, but he’s been wrestling great in the practice room. He’s becoming more offensive and taking people down. He’s always been very good on top.�

Donahoe is a returning national champion at 125, but suffered a loss to true freshman Joey Fio of Oklahoma in a dual meet. Donahoe and Fio are seeded 1-2.

Donahoe placed second to Oklahoma’s Sam Hazewinkel in the 2007 Big 12 tournament before beating Hazewinkel in the NCAA finals. Donahoe, a junior, is 18-3 this season.

“Paul’s lost a few times, and I think the pressure is really off him as far as being the defending national champion,� Manning said. “It’s all about going in there and winning another title. Paul has the experience and he has shown great composure in big tournaments.�

Fio is part of a young Oklahoma team that gained some late-season momentum by knocking off Oklahoma State in their Bedlam dual.

“Joey comes to wrestle, and when you do that you give yourself a chance to win,� Spates said. “He’s an incredibly hard worker and anything you show him he will do. He has an intense desire and displays it on the mat.�

The dual win over OSU has provided a much-needed boost for OU.

“That win was a long time coming and our guys are excited about it,� Spates said. “It bolsters our belief that if we wrestle hard good things are going to happen. We are, on paper, the bottom team, the fifth-place team. But that’s not the attitude we are taking. We’re really coming on.�

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 3:52 PM | Permalink

Tommy Rowlands trains and coaches for wrestling success
Elizabeth Wiley USA Wrestling
03/06/2008

Athletics have always been a big part of Tommy Rowlands’ life.

Both Rowlands and his three younger sisters played sports growing up, and all four of them competed in college at the Division I level. Meghan and Annie both played softball, at Ohio State and Kentucky, respectively. His third sister, Katie, was a member of the Kentucky women’s soccer team. Rowlands wrestled at Ohio State University.

Growing up in an athletic household, Rowlands was motivated by his sisters. An older brother to his three sisters, he was driven by siblings who were just as focused as he was.

“We all shared the same goals and vision,� said Rowlands. “It was nice to have people alongside you growing up that were working just as hard.�

This focus has served Rowlands well over the course of his wrestling career. While competing in college, Rowlands was a two-time national champion at Ohio State and a 2005 World University Games champion. He is also a five-time U.S. World Team member, two of those years in the 120 kg/264.5 lbs. weight class.

Now Rowlands has set his sights on a trip to Beijing for the 2008 Olympic Games. On March 2 in Colorado Springs, he proved that he is concentrated on making the trip across the Pacific Ocean come August.

At the 2008 Pan American Championships, Rowlands pinned past World Champion Alexis Rodriguez of Cuba in the first round of competition. It was the fourth time Rowlands had faced Rodriguez, but only his first win.

“He had an outstanding performance this weekend,� U.S. Freestyle National Coach Kevin Jackson said. “I think he really showed his potential. He showed how good he can be, and I think he can be even better.�

Rowlands built off the victory to take first place at the competition, posting a win over Antoine Jaoude of Brazil in the finals.

“It was a great momentum builder,� said Rowlands. “I am focused on getting ready for Nationals and Trials now. I am happy about the performance and want to focus on peaking for April 25 and June 15, and then look to the Olympics in August.�

While Rowlands has a had a few bumps in the road since his fifth-place finish at the 2007 World Championships, his performance at the Pan American Championships show that he is wrestling as well as anyone in the world.

“It’s going really well right now,� Rowlands said. “I had a rocky competition at Krasnoyarsk (Russia). It was a lot traveling for only one match. I kicked training up a notch after that. It’s really going great and I am focused.�

Now Rowlands is getting ready for two major events set to take place this spring. First, he will head to the U.S. National Championships in Las Vegas to defend his top billing at 120 kg/264.5 lbs. Then, in June, Rowlands will return to Las Vegas for the Olympic Trials, where he will battle for a spot on the Olympic team.

Not only is Rowlands competing as a wrestler, he is also an assistant wrestling at Ohio State. Following his performance at the Pan American Championships, Rowlands returned to Ohio State to help the wrestling team prepare for the Big Ten Championships, set for March 8-9.

In addition to his own training, Rowlands is helping the Buckeye wrestlers achieve success on the national stage. So far he has been able to balance a busy schedule of coaching and training, in part thanks to the staff at Ohio State.

“Coach Tom Ryan and the staff here at Ohio State are very flexible,� said Rowlands. “They allow me a lot of freedom with my training and my coaching responsibilities here.�

Rowlands is in his second season as an assistant coach at Ohio State. Not only has the coaching experience helped the Buckeyes, but it has also helped Rowlands as a wrestler.

“I think coaching has definitely helped me,� he said. “It has really put things in perspective. I have been able to see how others deal with hardship and I feel like I am more well-rounded.�

Just as coaches must help their athletes make adjustments to their games, Rowlands has also made adjustments in his wrestling, the biggest of which happened two years ago.

Rowlands moved up a weight in 2006, from 96 kg to 120 kg, and the transition was a bit of challenge for him.

“It was certainly an adjustment to face world class opponents,� Rowlands said. “I think it took me a year to get comfortable and really hit full swing. I am focused on beating the top international wrestlers, like I was able to this weekend.�

The weight class, now that Rowlands is comfortable, seems to suit him very well. He finished first at the U.S. World Team Trials for the first time in his career, qualified the weight for the Olympics at the 2007 World Championships, and medaled at the Pan American Games and Championships.

“He really focused on working on his size and strength,� said Jackson. “Every day he worked on getting bigger and stronger. I think Tommy has made some great gains in the last six months.�

Wrestling heavyweight isn’t completely unknown to Rowlands. He was a heavyweight wrestler in college and had to cut weight to wrestle at 96 kg/211.5 lbs.

“He has always been a heavyweight,� said Jackson. “He was cutting because he isn’t a big heavyweight, like Rodriguez (of Cuba), but Tommy has always been more successful at heavyweight. I think the move has made him a better wrestler. He is focused on the purity of skill now rather than cutting weight.�

Rowlands is not the only successful wrestler at this weight. Steve Mocco, Rowlands’ biggest competitor, has had a good year in competition. Mocco placed first at competitions in Belarus, Canada, New York, and at the Dave Schultz Memorial in February.

“We’ve been going at it since my sophomore year in college,� said Rowlands. “I respect him a lot. I think when two people want the same thing there is definitely going to be a rivalry. At the same time, we also realize there are other Americans who will challenge us.�

The rivalry between the two has not only raised the level at which they are competing, it has also improved wrestling in their weight class in the U.S.

“It’s really good for the country,� Jackson said. “Depth is the key to success. To have world class wrestlers training and competing against each other really raises the level of wrestling. It’s best for our country. No matter who wins they should be ready to do well at the Olympics.�

Neither wrestler is taking the rest of the country lightly, however. Rowlands knows it will take a solid all-around performance at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials to make it to the 2008 Olympics.

No matter how Rowlands does at the Olympic Team Trials, athletics will continue to be a part of his life, whether it is through competing in wrestling, coaching, or perhaps even taking up another sport.

Last May, Rowlands attended a New York Jets mini-camp. It was the first time since seventh grade that he had played football.

While it’s possible Rowlands may someday don an NFL jersey and hit the gridiron, for now he’s focused on winning a medal in Beijing.

“Football might be a possibility in the future but it’s hard to think past August,� said Rowlands.

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 9:32 AM | Permalink

Minnesota Chapter of National Wrestling Hall of Fame to hold induction in Owatonna on April 12
Mike Clair National Wrestling Hall of Fame
03/06/2008

The National Wrestling Hall of Fame is happy to announce that the following six men will receive the “Lifetime Service to Wrestling Award.� This award is given annually to coaches, officials or contributors who have given a lifetime of service to wrestling, their communities and most importantly to the young people they have coached, taught, motivated and inspired.

The Chapter will also present the “Medal of Courage� and “Outstanding American� for the state of Minnesota awards.

Minnesota Class of 2008

“Lifetime Service to Wrestling� Honorees
David Arens
Robert Board
George Graff
Terry Haws
Frank Huelskamp
Spencer Yohe

“Medal of Courage Award�
Allan Goeden

“Outstanding American from the State of Minnesota�
Jim Kamman

For their dedication and lasting influence on wrestling, these men will be honored at the "Hall of Fame Day Celebration Banquet" on April 12, 2008. The banquet and honors ceremony will be held at the Owatonna Holiday Inn, Owatonna, MN.

For information and reservations, please call 507-495-3213.

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 7:23 AM | Permalink

2008 ACC Wrestling Championships: Tournament Preview/Results/Discussion
ACC Wrestling Championships
Nicholas Clarke ACC
03/05/2008

ACC Wrestling Set For 2008 Conference Championship
League’s 54th annual wrestling championship scheduled for this weekend

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Fresh off one of the most competitive seasons in recent memory, the Atlantic Coast Conference’s six competing institutions travel this week to College Park, Md., for the league’s 54th Annual Wrestling Championship, set to be held Saturday, March 8, in the University of Maryland’s Comcast Center.

The Terrapins, who lead all league schools with 20 all-time titles, enter this year’s championship meet looking to claim their first ACC crown since 1973. Maryland, which completed its second-straight undefeated ACC season with a 16-15 win at Virginia on Saturday, Feb. 24, is led by two of the league’s top-ranked wrestlers in 197-pounder Hudson Taylor and 184-pounder Mike Letts.

Taylor, ranked fifth nationally in the latest polls, has posted 16 pins this season, along with six major decisions. The Pennington, N.J., sophomore is perfect in ACC competition, including an impressive 10-2 win over Virginia’s Brent Jones, who was ranked No. 20 at the time, in the Terps’ last dual meet. The runner-up in the 197-lb. division at the 2007 ACC championships, Taylor carries a 21-match winning streak into this weekend’s meet.

Letts, a junior from Walnut Port, Pa., is 19-4 overall this season with a 5-0 record in ACC competition. Thanks to three wins against ranked opponents this year, and a team-leading eight wins by way of major decision, he has remained ranked among the nation’s top 10 all year, and enters the weekend rated No. 9 in the 174-lb. division.

Virginia, which won its last ACC championship in 1977, posted a league-high 18 regular-season wins this year, including three against ACC teams. The Cavaliers are led by junior Rocco Caponi, sophomore Brent Jones and freshman Chris Henrich. Caponi, a two-time ACC Wrestler of the Week honoree this season, holds a 34-2 record in the 184-lb. division this year and is currently ranked No. 11 nationally. Jones, rated No. 20 in the 197-lb. division, and Henrich, the nation’s 19th-ranked 174-pounder, have combined for 52 wins during the 2007-08 season.

Others to look out for at this year’s ACC Championships include North Carolina’s Keegan Mueller and Justin Dobies, and NC State’s Taylor Cummings, Darrion Caldwell and Joe Caramanica.

Mueller, a junior native of Dallas, Texas, has won 20-straight bouts in the 165-lb. division to move into the nation’s top 10 for the first time in his career. Now 26-3 this season, he is currently ranked No. 9 in the nation. Dobies, a freshman heavyweight, is 15-1 in dual meets and ranks 20th nationally.

The Wolfpack’s Cummings, Caldwell and Caramanica are the defending ACC champions in the 125-, 141-, and 149-lb. weight classes, respectively. Cummings is 20-11 this season, while Caldwell, the league’s 2007 Wrestler of the Year, is 27-3 overall and ranked eighth nationally in the 149-lb. division. Caramanica, ranked No. 9 in the nation among 141-pounders, is 27-4.

Doors will open for Saturday’s events at 11:00 a.m. First-round matches will start at noon, with semifinals set to begin at 2:00 p.m. and the championship finals at 8:00 p.m. For ticket information, call the University of Maryland ticket office in the Comcast Center (800-462-8377).

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 5:11 AM | Permalink

EIWA Tournament Preview by John Harmon
DATE: 3/6/2008 5:38:00 PM
By John Harmon
EIWA

There has been a trend in recent years for teams to put together a string of championship teams in the EIWA. Penn won the title from 1996-1999, and Lehigh won from 2002-2006. In 2007 Cornell won their first title since 1993, and shows no signing of giving it up without a fight any time soon.

The EIWA Championships are about more than a team title, of course, and ten individual championships are up for grabs, along with 47 invitations to the NCAA Championships in St. Louis, Mo. two weeks later.

Five champions return from 2007, and one of them is sure to lose, as Steve Anceravage of Cornell has moved up a weight class, to challenge Navy’s Matt Stolpinski at 174. Josh Glenn of American, who is also a defending NCAA champion, returns at 197. Jordan Leen of Cornell moves up to 157 to attempt his second championship and Ed Prendergast of Navy returns at heavyweight.

Two champions from 2007 who were expected to return will not be on the mats. Louis Caputo of Harvard (184), was injured in January and will not be defending his crown, and Matt Dragon of Penn (157) spent the season rehabbing from surgery and is deferring his eligibility.

Cornell brings a host of talented wrestlers into the competition, led by Anceravage and Leen. Freshman Mike Grey has been an inspirational addition to the squad at 133, where he is ranked #1 in the EIWA and as high as #2 nationally. Another blue chip freshman, Mack Lewnes, has lost only two bouts all season at 165 and seems sure to challenge for the championship at 165. Yet another freshman, D. J. Meagher, is competing in the very deep 149-pound weight class and is capable of pulling off one or more upsets.

One of the amazing stories about the Cornell squad involves sophomore Justin Kerber, who spent most of the season backing up Anceravage at 174. Kerber compiled a very respectable 22-9 record, mostly by entering open tournaments. But Taylor Moore, the starter at 197, was injured late in January, and Kerber decided to challenge a couple of teammates for the right to become the starter at 197. He won the challenge and has responded by going undefeated in six bouts, which includes defeating the #2 and #3 ranked men at the weight.

But the Big Red hav also suffered their share of adversity this season, starting with the loss of 125-pound star Troy Nickerson to surgery early in the season. His replacement is senior Mike Rodriguez, who has served in a backup role for most of his collegiate career. Rodriguez has been inconsistent at times, but his true potential may have emerged recently when he rolled up a 14-4 win over Rollie Peterkin of Penn, ranked #1 in the EIWA at the time.

More adversity came at heavyweight as 2007 runnerup Zach Hammond was injured in a late –season dual meet, bringing his season to an early end. His replacement is Maciej Jochym, a talented freshman who brings a 21-10 record into the tournament.

Adam Frey, runnerup at 133 as a freshman in 2007, has moved up to 141, where he has been battling the scales most of the season. It is uncertain whether he will compete in the 2008 tournament.

Two teams, Penn and Navy, appear to have the best chance of upsetting the defending team champion.

The Quakers are solid across all weight classes, and could place all ten wrestlers.. Rollie Peterkin (125) and Cesar Grajales (149) are arguably their best competitors. Peterkin was a backup to EIWA champion Matt Eveleth last season and will make a bid for his own title this season. Grajales was third at 141 as a freshman, but was slowed by injuries in 2007. Senior Rob Hitschler has emerged as a leader at 157, and Zach Shanaman has been a steady force at 165. Jeff Zannetti and freshman Scott Giffin have been sharing duties at 174, while senior Lior Zamir has been nationally ranked at 184. Sophomore Thomas Shovlin, sidelined by injuries his freshman year and much of this season has come on strong at 197. Trey McLean, a transfer from the Air Force Academy, has seen considerable success at heavyweight.

Navy is led by two defending wrestling champions, Matt Stolpinski at 174 and Ed Prendergast at heavyweight. Both have over 30 wins this season, and Prendergast is one of the pin leaders in the conference.
The Mids are also solid from top to bottom, and it’s possible they could qualify at least eight wrestlers.

Talented Joe Baker, who was an NCAA Qualifier a year ago, returns at 133, Freshman Bryce Saddoris , with 30 wins to his credit, has had an outstanding season at 149. Casey Caldwell has come on strong at 184, with Matt Parsons, who spent most of the season at 184, moving back to 197, where he placed a year ago. Senior Spencer Manley spent most of the season at 149, but moved up to 157 when beaten out by Saddoris.

Here is a look at the tournament by weight class:
125-- The upset of Peterkin by Rodriguez makes seeding here somewhat of a challenge. Peterkin has been ranked Top 10 nationally most of the season, and has defeated the only other serious challenger, Fernando Martinez of Army, 8-2. Martinez and Rodriguez have not met. Columbia’s Brandon Kinney, who placed third in 2007 by beating Martinez, defeated Rodriguez 3-2. Princeton freshman Tony Comunale, who has defeated Kinney 4-1, but lost to Rodriguez 9-8 looks like a possible NCAA qualifier, as does sophomore Jake Bucha of F&M, who has an 8-3 win over Comunale.

133-- This is a very deep weight class, and it would not be surprising to see the coaches select two wild cards here. Grey, who is ranked Top 4 nationally, will be the unanimous choice for #1 seed, followed by Seth Ciasulli of Lehigh. Bucknell’s David Marble is a returning NCAA Qualifier who has beaten Navy’s Baker, also a returning qualifier, 8-5 back in November. Brown’s Jeff Schell owns a 3-2 win over Whitt Dunning of Army, who has 23 wins this season.

141-- Army’s Matt Kyler, a returning finalist and one of the leading pinners in the EIWA this season, is the likely #1 seed. He will be challenged by Kyle Borshoff of American, a returning NCAA Qualifier, who has defeated high-scoring Steve Adamcsik of Rutgers 8-4. Freshman Corey Jantzen of Harvard missed much of the season with an injury, but returned to action for the last weekend of the season with two impressive wins. His credentials are solid, and is capable of upsetting one or more wrestlers seeded above him. Rick Rappo has been a steady performer for the Quakers, while Frey, who was a finalist at 133 a year ago, has seen limited time in competition this season, and is a somewhat unknown quality. ESU senior Sean Carr, who owns a 7-4 win over Kyler, is a potential NCAA qualifier.

149-- Harvard’s J. P. O’Connor was second to Leen at 149 a year ago, and his record is 21-1, so he will be the #1 seed. Trevor Chinn of Lehigh, second two years ago, beat Grajales in overtime on the last day of the dual meet season, so he will be seeded #2. Saddoris is a mat-savvy freshman with 30 wins who is capable of upsetting anyone seeded above him. Meagher is also a freshman who would be seeded higher but for a close 2-1 loss to Saddoris, and is also a threat to finish higher than his seed. Keep an eye on Bucknell freshman Kevin LeValley, who posted a 9-0 shutout of Saddoris back in November, as well as an 8-4 win over Navy’s Spencer Manley (now moved up to 157).

157-- As a returning champion who has defeated every conference opponent he has wrestled, Leen get the #1 seed. The rest of the weight class is wide open, with returning NCAA Qualifier Dave Nakasone of Lehigh, 8-0 against EIWA opponents, the likely #2 seed. Penn’s Rob Hitschler looks like the #3 seed despite an early season 6-5 loss to Chris Norrell of Rutgers. Manley, the All-Academy champion, moved up from 149 for the last few weeks of the season.

165-- Fans can look forward to a great finals bout between Mike Cannon of American and Cornell’s Lewnes, both projected as probable All-Americans this season. Cannon was runnerip To Anceravage a year ago, and will cop the #1 seed, although Lewnes has been ranked a bit higher in some national polls. Bucknell sophomore Andy Rendos, third as a freshman, is back, and will be seeded third. Penn’s Shanaman looks like a probable NCAA Qualifier.

174-- Regardless of who gets the top seed, a finals bout between Anceravage and Stolpinski will be eagerly awaited by fans, and virtually certain to happen. Franklin & Marshall will be bidding to have their first NCAA qualifier in ten years, as Justin Herbert, one of the conference leaders in pins, along with Anceravage, takes the mats. Herbert has a sparkling 23-2 record, with one of his losses coming at the hands of Stolpinski. Lehigh Freshman Alex Caruso looks like a probable NCAA Qualifier, and so does fellow freshman Scott Giffin of Penn, if he can beat out senior Jeff Zannetti for the right to represent his team.

184-- It looks like Army senior Scott Ferguson will get the top seed, as he owns a win by fall over Lior Zamir of Penn. Arnone will be in the hunt for a title, but will likely be seeded third because of a 4-3 loss to Zamir. The battle for the fourth qualifier slot will be intense, between Navy’s Casey Caldwell, Brown’s Matt Gevelinger, and Bucknell freshman David Thompson. Gevelinger has defeated Thompson (5-2), who has defeated Caldwell in overtime.

197-- Glenn will be the unanimous choice for top seed, but the rest of this weight class is wide open. Kerber’s story has already been related above. It appears that wrestlers ranked #2 - #6 are pretty evenly matched. Columbia senior Nick Sommerfeld has lost to Kerber in overtime, but owns a 6-5 win over Branden Stearns of Brown. Lamar Brown of Rutgers has a 10-3 win over Stearns, but lost 7-4 to Army’s Richard Starks, who lost 3-2 to Thomas Shovlin of Penn. Shovlin’s only conference loss was 3-2 to Kerber, so he may get the #3 seed.

285-- Navy senior Ed Prendergast will be the unanimous choice for #1 seed. The next three seeds are up for grabs between Trey McLean of Penn, Nathan Thobaben of Army and Levon Mock of Brown. Mock owns a 12-3 win over McLean in the finals of the Keystone Classic. McLean beat Thobaben 11-4 in a dual meet, as well as a 13-6 win over Hammond in the bout where Hammond’s season was ended by injury. Thobaben has a win by fall over Mock in the opening round of the Brockport Invitational back in November, but has losses to both Chris Birchler of ESU and Jochym. Mock has a late-season pin of Jochym to his credit.

Those who like to plan ahead will be interested to know that that the 2009 EIWA Championships are tentatively scheduled for Penn.

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 3:35 AM | Permalink

Summary of the 2008 Olympic Trials qualification procedures
Mitch Hull USA Wrestling
03/06/2008

Last year, USA Wrestling established the procedure to qualify for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Teams in Men’s and Women’s Freestyle and Greco-Roman. These procedures can be found on TheMat.com under Team Selection Criteria.

A summary of the selection procedures for each style is as follows:

Men’s Freestyle - Qualification to the U.S. Olympic Team Trials
• Past World/Olympic Team members
• Top 7 per weight category from the 2008 Senior Nationals (freestyle) April 25-26
• Champion 2008 University Nationals-Olympic Weight Categories
• Champion per weight category at the four following Regionals:
Northwest Regional, March 28-30, 2008, Battle Ground WA
Northeast Regional, April 4-6, 2008, Brockport NY
Northern Plains Regional, May 8-10, 2008, Waterloo IA
Rocky Mountain Regional, May 15-17, 2008, Pueblo CO

For the complete freestyle qualification document, visit:
http://www.themat.com/forms/2008FreestyleCriteria.pdf

Greco-Roman - Qualification to the U.S. Olympic Team Trials
• Past World/Olympic Team members
• Top 7 per weight category from the 2008 Senior Nationals (Greco) April 24-25
• Champion 2008 University Nationals - Olympic Weight Categories
• 2008 Interservice Champion at each weight category
• Champion per weight category at the four following Regionals:
Northwest Regional, March 28-30, 2008, Battle Ground WA
Northeast Regional, April 4-6, 2008, Brockport NY
Northern Plains Regional, May 8-10, 2008, Waterloo IA
Rocky Mountain Regional, May 15-17, 2008, Pueblo CO

For the complete Greco-Roman qualification document, visit:
http://www.themat.com/forms/2008GrecoCriteria.pdf

Women’s Freestyle - Qualification to the U.S. Olympic Team Trials
• Past World/Olympic Team members
• Top 7 per Olympic weight category and top 4 from non Olympic weight category from the Senior National Championships, April 24
• Champion from the 7 World Championship weight categories at 2008 Women’s College Nationals
• Finalists from 4 Olympic weight categories and Champion from 3 non-Olympic World Championship weight categories at 2008 University Nationals
• Champion per weight category at the Northern Plains Regional, May 8-10, 2008 in Waterloo IA

For the complete Women's Freestyle qualification document, visit:
http://www.themat.com/forms/2008WomenCriteria.pdf

Olympic Trials Format in Las Vegas NV, June 13-15
The 2008 Olympic Games Team Trials will be held in a one day format. The Trials will be a line bracket double elimination to third place format. The finals will be a single match where the 2008 National Champion has met the criteria to sit out and meet the Trials winner in a best of three format. At the weight categories where the 2008 National Champion has not met the criteria to sit out of the Trials Tournament, the finals of the Trials Tournament will be a best of three matches. This will also be the case where the 2008 National Champion has been granted a delay of the Final Wrestle-off for the Olympic Team by the appropriate Sport Committee.

The criteria for 2008 National Champion to sit out of the Olympic Games Team Trials tournament and face the tournament winner in a best of three matches follows:

Men’s Freestyle
• Top Ten finish from the 2005-07 Senior World Championships
• 2005 University World Medalist
• 2005-07 Junior World Medalist
• Multiple-time World Team member

Greco-Roman
• Individuals placing 5th or higher at the 2005-07 Greco-Roman World Championships

Women’s Freestyle
• All 2008 Senior National Champions at the Olympic Weight categories will sit out of the Olympic Games Team Trials and face the trials winner in a best of three matches

Olympic Qualification Exception
At 60kg in Men’s Freestyle, USA Wrestling must participate in the Olympic qualifiers in April. Because this will affect the National Championship participation for the athlete that will compete in the qualifier, the Olympic Trials competition structure will be modified depending on the results of the 2008 Senior Nationals and the Olympic Qualifier. Please check TheMat.com under Team Selection Criteria for Freestyle to read more on this or contact Mitch Hull at the USA Wrestling office.

We also have to participate in the Olympic qualifiers at 55kg for Women’s Freestyle. If we need to compete in the Final Qualifier May 31-June 1, there will be a modification to the Olympic Games Team Trials at the 55kg weight category. This information can also be found on TheMat.com under Team Selection Criteria for Women’s Freestyle.

The Olympic qualifiers for Greco-Roman are May 9-11 and May 23-25. Because these dates have minimal or no effect on the National Championships or the Olympic Trials, there will be no potential changes in the Olympic Trials structure at the 60kg and 74kg weight categories that we will be participating in the Olympic qualifiers.

To download a pdf file of this document, visit:
http://www.themat.com/forms/08OlympicTrialsProcedures.pdf

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 3:26 AM | Permalink

2008 NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships Preview
Joshua Schroeder Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
03/05/2008

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - The 35th Annual NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships are set for this Friday and Saturday, March 7-8, at the U.S. Cellular Center in downtown Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The two-day event, which features 160 wrestlers from 59 schools, is being hosted by Coe College, Cornell College, and the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

Last year, Augsburg rode nine All-Americans, including three champions, to its Division III-record 10th crown. The Auggies posted 135.5 points to outdistance Wartburg (99.5), UW-La Crosse (92.5), and Luther (86).

This year’s field of 160 sports three returning national champions – David Morgan of King’s (Pa.) at 133 pounds, Josh Chelf of UW-La Crosse at 174, and Wartburg’s T.J. Miller at 197. There are a total of 34 former All-Americans in the draw, including three – Chelf, Buena Vista’s Jestin Hulegaard (133), and SUNY Brockport’s Shaheim Bradshaw (165) – who are looking to become four-time All-Americans.

No. 1-ranked Wartburg captured the title at January’s National Duals and has to be considered a favorite to capture its sixth NCAA title since 1996. The Knights qualified a Championship-best nine wrestlers, including four who are top-ranked in the most recent NWCA/Brute-Adidas individual rankings – Jacob Naig (149), Aaron Wernimont (157), Romeo Djoumessi (184), and Miller (197). Jacob Naig tops the most recent NWCA/Brute-Adidas individual rankings at 149, while Aaron Wernimont heads the list at 157, Romeo Djoumessi is No. 1 at 184 and Miller is first at 197. Of their other qualifiers, Robert Struthers (4th at 125), Jacob Helvey (4th at 133), Matt Kelly (3rd at 141), and Brian Borchers (3rd at 285) are all seeded.

No. 2 Delaware Valley and No. 3 Wisconsin-La Crosse each bring eight wrestlers to the Championships, while No. 4 Augsburg has seven wrestlers in the draw.

Delaware Valley has three wrestlers – Dan Hall (141), Michael Wilcox (184), and Kyle Bilquist (285) – seeded second entering the Championships and two others in the top eight. UW-La Crosse has five seeded wrestlers, led by No. 1 seeds Tim Palmer (165) and Chelf. Willy Holst (2nd at 149), Travis Lang (3rd at 133), Seth Flodeen (6th at 125), and Robert Gotreau (7th at 184) are all seeded for the Auggies.

Each of No. 5 Elmhurst’s four national qualifiers is seeded. All-American Jake Oster (125) and Kyle Katz (157) are third, while Jeff Kastel (149) is fifth and Mark Corsello (285) is sixth.

Championship co-hosts No. 6 Coe and No. 8 Cornell each have five qualifiers, three that are seeded. Two-time All-American Chris Heilman, the top-seed and No. 1-ranked wrestler at 125, leads the Ram contingent. 2007 All-American Pat McAuley (157) is seeded seventh, while Nick Nothern (133) is sixth. For the Kohawks, Clayton Rush (125) and Tyler Burkle (165) are each seeded second, while Tyler Jentz (174) is seeded seventh.

No. 7 Wisconsin-Stevens Point has pointed six individuals toward Eastern Iowa, three of whom are seeded. Eric Bath, a returning All-American at 174, is seeded second, while Craig Bollig (4th at 197) and Ben Engelland (5th at 184) also received seeds.

No. 9 North Central has only three qualifiers, but all are seeded. Two-time All-American Adam Johnson (133) is seeded first, while brothers Ben (165) and Gabe (184) Youel are seeded sixth and third, respectively. Heidelberg, rated 10th nationally, brings five wrestlers to Cedar Rapids, including the seeded Nicholas Sanchez (6th at 141), Ryan Fogliano (5th at 197), and Ryan Bowers (5th at 285).

Adding to the local flavor, No. 14 Luther has six qualifiers, including four who are seeded. The Norse are led by Alec Bonander (2nd at 197), John Miller (7th at 285), and Travis Grawin (8th at 141), all former All-Americans. Erik Hanson (5th at 157) was also awarded a seed.

Weight-by-Weight:

125 – Heilman (Cornell) and Rush (Coe) are the top seeds, but Eracleo Vallejo (Manchester) and Flodeen (Augsburg) have each held the top spot during the season. Heilman, Flodeen, Vallejo, Oster (Elmhurst), and Kyle Flickinger (York) are all returning All-Americans from a year ago. Vallejo is unseeded and could face No. 3-seed Oster in the second round.

133 – Adam Johnson (North Central) may be the top seed, but David Morgan (King’s) is still the defending national champion. They are among five returning All-Americans at this weight. Jestin Hulegaard (Buena Vista) is a three-time All-American, but has a potential match-up with Johnson in the quarterfinals. All-Americans Jacob Helvey (Wartburg) and Jordan Kolinski (UW-La Crosse) are also in Johnson’s half of the bracket.

141 – Top-seed Mike Bonora (Rhode Island College) is the highest returning placewinner (6th) and has not dropped from the top spot in the rankings all year. He has not lost to a D3 opponent this year. A three-time qualifier, No. 2-seed Dan Hall (Delaware Valley) has posted wins over No. 5 David Manoogian (Case Western Reserve), No. 8 Travis Grawin (Luther), and Jason Adams (Augsburg). Matt Kelly (Wartburg) came on strong at the end of the season, posting an 18-1 record to take the spot away from 2006 and 2007 NCAA qualifier Zach McKray. Grawin is seeded eighth, but knows how to battle, finishing seventh last season after dropping his first match.

149 – No. 1-seed Jacob Naig (Wartburg) has been the top ranked wrestler at this weight most of the season. Willy Holst (Augsburg) makes a strong case as a No. 2 seed, winning the Great Lakes Regional and posting a 26-2 record. No. 3 seed Elliott Spence (Mt. St. Joseph) has moved down a weight after earning All-America honors each of the past two years at 157. No. 4 Paul LeBlanc (SUNY Cortland) is also a returning All-American after taking fourth at 141 in 2006. Unseeded Ryan Higgins (UW-Platteville) placed eighth at this weight a year ago, but it will not be easy to repeat the feat as he faces Naig right off the bat in a second round match.

157 – Wernimont (Wartburg) has been at or near the top of the rankings all season. The top seed, Wernimont is 36-1 with just a loss to Iowa State’s Cyler Sanderson and has posted wins over No. 2 Jason Brew (Olivet), No. 3 Kyle Katz (Elmhurst), No. 5 Erik Hanson (Loras), and No. 7 Pat McAuley (Cornell). McAuley is the only other All-American at this weight.

165 – With 18 qualifiers, 165 ties 125 as the largest weight class at this year’s Championships. No. 1-seed Tim Palmer (UW-La Crosse), who took third at last year’s meet, has been the top-ranked wrestler in the weight class all year long. Tyler Burkle (Coe) is undefeated and seeded second with wins over four wrestlers in the draw. No. 5-seed Shaheim Bradshaw (SUNY Brockport), a three-time All-American, has wrestled well at the NCAA Championships. Gino Russo (Baldwin-Wallace), who took sixth last season, is seeded third.

174 – The top three finishers at last year’s meet are all back for another chance at a title. Defending national champion and three-time All-American Josh Chelf (UW-La Crosse) is the No. 1 seed, followed by last year’s third-place finisher Eric Bath (UW-Stevens Point) and 2007 runner-up Kyle Vanderhyde (Olivet).

184 – Djoumessi (Wartburg) is undefeated and has been the top-ranked wrestler at the weight all season. He owns wins over each of the other top-4 seeds and is the highest returning placewinner from last season (fourth). No. 6 Nick Coleman (NYU) and No. 8 Jay Figgins (Loras) are also returning All-Americans at 184. The trio are joined by No. 7 Robert Gotreau (Augsburg) and unseeded Treavor LeBlanc (SUNY Cortland), who were both All-Americans at 174 in 2007.

197 – T.J. Miller (Wartburg) is the defending national champion, but has been taken to overtime twice by No. 2-seed Alec Bonander (Luther). No. 3 Paul Hartt (Lakeland) and No. 4 Craig Bollig (UW-Stevens Point), have each spent most of the season in the top four of the national rankings.

285 – No. 1-seed Trevor Hiffa (Oneonta St.), a returning Wrestling All-American, is undefeated against Division III competition this season. Kyle Bilquist (Delaware Valley) is seeded second, with Brian Borchers (Wartburg) third. Borchers has emerged from the shadow of four-time finalist Blake Gillis, steadily climbing the national rankings during the season. No. 4 Jaran Rutledge (Knox) is the highest returning placewinner, taking third for the Prairie Fire last season. No. 7 John Miller (Luther) is a two-time qualifier that earned All-America honors in 2006.

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 1:39 AM | Permalink

2008 MAC Wrestling Championships: Tournament Preview/Results/Discussion
MAC Wrestling Championships
Mid-American Conference
03/06/2008

The 2008 Mid-American Conference wrestling championships will take place this weekend and hosted by Kent State University on Friday and Saturday, March 7 and 8.

Defending champion Central Michigan will be seeking its seventh consecutive league title. The Chippewas are 16-2 overall and completed a perfect 5-0 conference record. CMU 197-pounder Wynn Michalak will be going for his fourth consecutive MAC title. Only Kent State’s Brent Thompson and Ohio’s Russ Johnson (197-73) have won four consecutive individual MAC titles.

CMU is ranked No. 2 nationally and Kent State is listed No. 21 in the latest rankings by USA TODAY/Intermat /NCWA Division I Coaches poll.

Six weight classes feature at least two wrestlers ranked nationally in the Intermat Division I Wrestling Rankings.
At 133, Pat Castillo of Northern Illinois is No. 11, Sean Clair of Eastern Michigan is No. 15 and Dan Mitcheff of Kent State is No. 19.

No. 13 Eric Kruger of Central Michigan and No. 17 Drew Lashaway of Kent State will compete at 141.

13th-ranked Kurt Gross of Kent State and 14th-ranked Trevor Stewart of Central Michigan could battle for the title at 165.

Brandon Sinnott of Central Michigan is fourth in the nation at 174. Also ranked in the weight class is No. 13 Duke Burk of Northern Illinois.

At 184, Christian Sinnott of Central Michigan is fourth and Eric Cine of Kent State is 20th.

In the heavyweight division No. 8 Bubba Gritter of Central Michigan and No. 10 Jermail Porter of Kent State will compete.

Two other individuals stand alone as nationally-ranked college wrestlers in their respective weight classes. At 197, Wynn Michalak of Central Michigan is fourth in the nation. Luke Smith, also of Central Michigan, is ranked 18th at 125.

The complete schedule of events follows.

2008 Mid-American Conference Wrestling Championships
March 7-8 -- Kent State University
M.A.C. Center

Friday March 7, 2008
Weigh-In – 10 AM
Session I: First Round – 12-2 PM
Doors open to the public at 10:30 AM
Session II: Semi-Finals & Wrestle-Backs- 7 PM
Doors open to the public at 5:30 PM

Saturday March 8, 2008
Weigh-In – 11 AM
Session III: Finals & Consolation Finals – 12-2 PM
Doors open to the public at 10:30 AM
Final Round for True Second Place (If Necessary) – 2 PM

Tickets
Single Session: $5.00 Adults/$3 Senior Citizens & Students
All-Session: $10.00 Adults/$5 Senior Citizens & Students

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 12:37 AM | Permalink

Big Ten weight-by-weight preview and predictions
Craig Sesker USA Wrestling
03/06/2008

The Big Ten Championships are set for this Saturday and Sunday, March 8-9, at the University of Minnesota’s Williams Arena in Minneapolis.

The top seven finishers in each weight class, plus two wild cards overall, will advance to the NCAA Championships on March 20-22 in St. Louis.

Nine of the 11 Big Ten teams are ranked in the nation’s top 20 by InterMat. They include No. 1 Iowa, No. 6 Penn State, No. 7 Wisconsin, No. 8 Minnesota, No. 9 Ohio State, No. 10 Illinois, No. 11 Michigan, No. 13 Northwestern and No. 20 Indiana.

Iowa rolled to the title at the National Duals and has to be considered the clear favorite to win the Big Ten title after going unbeaten in league duals. If Minnesota’s key wrestlers are healthy, the returning Big Ten and NCAA team champion Gophers will definitely be in the mix as well.

The Big Ten features a pair of past NCAA champions in Iowa’s Mark Perry (165) and Minnesota’s Dustin Schlatter (149). Perry is a returning national champion and Schlatter won an NCAA title in 2006.

Here is a weight-by-weight breakdown of the 2008 Big Ten Championships:

125 POUNDS

Minnesota's Jayson Ness, ranked No. 1 in the country, placed fifth in the nation last year. He is a returning Big Ten champion. Ness is 33-0 this season and has been racking up major bonus points all season.

Among his biggest wins was a triumph over returning national champion Paul Donahoe of Nebraska.

Second-ranked Charlie Falck, second at the 2007 Big Tens, has had a very strong season but dropped a lopsided match to Ness in a dual this year. Falck is a returning All-American.

Ness hasn’t faced third-ranked Angel Escobedo of Indiana this season. Escobedo beat Ness at last year’s NCAA tournament. Escobedo placed fourth in the country in 2007. He dropped his only match of the season to Falck in a dual meet at Iowa.

Fifth-ranked Brandon Precin of Northwestern is another top wrestler to watch here. He was second at the Midlands Championships. Two other wrestlers who could contend are eighth-ranked Gabe Flores of Illinois and No. 9 Mark McKnight of Penn State.

Wisconsin’s Collin Cudd is ranked 20th.

TheMat.com’s pick: Ness

133 POUNDS

Minnesota senior Mack Reiter is a two-time All-American, but is nationally ranked below four other wrestlers in his own conference. Reiter is ranked No. 9 nationally.

Jimmy Kennedy of Illinois is now ranked third after scoring a recent win over now-No. 4 Joey Slaton of Iowa. Michigan State’s Franklin Gomez is ranked fifth after coming up short of qualifying for nationals last season at 125. Kennedy, Slaton and Gomez are all sophomores.

Slaton will compete in his first Big Ten tournament after transferring to Iowa from Virginia Tech.

Wisconsin’s Zach Tanelli, ranked eighth, also will be in the mix here as will No. 12 Andrae Hernandez of Indiana and No. 13 Reece Humphrey of Ohio State.

Reiter, who did not place at NCAAs in 2007 after returning late in the season from a knee injury, has struggled at times this season. It will be interesting to see if Reiter, a senior, can return to the form of his freshman and sophomore seasons in the postseason.

TheMat.com’s pick: Slaton

141 POUNDS

This looks like one of the most wide-open weight classes of the tournament with no clear-cut favorite.

Michigan true freshman Kellen Russell, ranked No. 1 earlier in the season, enters the Big Tens ranked fourth nationally. Wisconsin’s Kyle Ruschell is ranked fifth, Iowa’s Dan LeClere is No. 6, Ohio State’s J Jaggers is No. 7 and Minnesota’s Manuel Rivera is No. 8. Jaggers placed seventh at nationals last season.

Penn State freshman Garrett Scott is ranked 10th. Teammate Jake Strayer, an All-American at 133 last year, had been ranked as high as No. 2 this season. But Scott ended up winning the starting spot for Penn State.

TheMat.com’s pick: Rivera

149 POUNDS

Watching this weight class alone will be worth more than the price of admission this weekend.

To say this weight class is loaded is a huge understatement. Wrestling fans are salivating about the prospect of watching all these talented wrestlers competing at the Big Tens.

This class starts with top-ranked Brent Metcalf of Iowa. Metcalf is unbeaten against Big Ten opponents, but is yet to face 2006 NCAA champion Dustin Schlatter of Minnesota. Schlatter, a two-time Big Ten champion, was out with an injury when the teams met in a dual.

Schlatter and Metcalf last met when Schlatter beat Metcalf in the finals of the Senior High School Nationals in 2005.

This weight class also includes two runner-up finishers from the 2007 NCAA tournament in Josh Churella of Michigan and Ryan Lang of Northwestern. Lang was second at 141 last year and won the Big Ten title at 141.

Then you throw in returning All-American Lance Palmer of Ohio State, 2007 Junior World freestyle champion Bubba Jenkins of Penn State and the dangerous Jake Patacsil of Purdue. That’s seven wrestlers ranked in the nation’s top nine in one poll.

Palmer caught and pinned Schlatter in a recent dual.

The first college matchup between prized recruits Metcalf and Schlatter is what fans are clamoring to see. But they have to reach the final round first against a very talented field.

TheMat.com’s pick: Metcalf

157 POUNDS

This may be the Big Ten’s second-strongest weight class besides 149.

Wisconsin’s Craig Henning is a returning NCAA runner-up, but he may be the No. 4 seed for the Big Ten Tournament.

All-American Mike Poeta of Illinois has to be considered the favorite. Poeta is ranked second nationally and owns a win over top-ranked Gregor Gillespie of Edinboro. Gillespie was the NCAA champion at 149 last year before bumping up to 157 this year.

All-Americans Brandon Becker of Indiana and C.P. Schlatter of Minnesota also are ranked in the top six nationally as is Penn State’s Dan Vallimont. Becker is No. 4, Schlatter No. 6 and Vallimont No. 3. Schlatter is the returning Big Ten champion at 157. Schlatter also owns a win over Gillespie this season.

Michigan’s Jeff Marsh, ranked 15th, and Iowa’s Ryan Morningstar, ranked 16th, also could be a factor here. Marsh beat Poeta in a dual meet this season.

TheMat.com’s pick: Poeta

165 POUNDS

The big question here obviously is how healthy is Mark Perry, Iowa’s three-time All-American.

This will be Perry’s first competition in nearly two months after he underwent knee surgery. Perry, the returning Big Ten champion at 165, has delivered in big competitions in his career. He’s placed second, third and first in the NCAAs for the Hawkeyes.

Perry still looks like the man to beat here, but will face strong opposition from three-time All-American Eric Tannenbaum of Michigan. Perry beat Tannenbaum, who is ranked third, in the Big Ten finals last year. Perry beat Tannenbaum 4-1 earlier this season at the National Duals.

This weight class also includes 11th-ranked Tyler Safratowich of Minnesota, No. 12 Colt Sponseller of Ohio State and No. 15 Matt Coughlin of Indiana. Sponseller, a freshman, has looked impressive in compiling a 16-2 record. Coughlin was an All-American last season at 149 before bumping up two weight classes this year.

TheMat.com’s pick: Perry

174 POUNDS

Barring an upset, Michigan’s second-ranked Steve Luke and Iowa’s third-ranked Jay Borschel will meet in the Big Ten finals.

Borschel edged Luke at the National Duals before Luke returned the favor with a win over Borschel in a Big Ten dual meet.

Luke, a junior, placed sixth nationally last year after moving up from 157 to 174. Luke is a returning Big Ten champion. Borschel, a sophomore, is competing in his first postseason this year after transferring from Virginia Tech.

The Big Ten has five other ranked wrestlers at 174. They include No. 11 Gabe Dretsch of Minnesota, No. 12 Nick Hayes of Northwestern, No. 15 John Dergo of Illinois, No. 16 Dave Erwin of Penn State and No. 17 Nick Corpe of Purdue.

Dretsch is a veteran who could provide a big boost for the Gophers this postseason.

TheMat.com’s pick: Borschel

184 POUNDS

The health of past NCAA runner-up Roger Kish of Minnesota likely will hold the key to what happens here.

Kish, a 2006 Big Ten champion, has been hampered by injuries this year and is ranked ninth nationally.

Two other returning All-Americans – Ohio State’s Mike Pucillo and Michigan’s Tyrel Todd – have emerged as the favorites at 184. Pucillo is ranked second nationally, one spot ahead of Todd.

Todd beat Pucillo in the fifth-place match at the 2007 NCAA tournament. Todd pinned Pucillo in overtime in the finals of the Las Vegas Invitational before Pucillo edged Todd 6-5 in a recent dual meet.

Iowa sophomore Phil Keddy, who has made huge improvement since last season, is ranked seventh in the country. Penn State’s Phil Bomberger is ranked 14th.

TheMat.com’s pick: Todd

197 POUNDS

This should be another very good battle between three very good wrestlers at 197.

Penn State’s Phil Davis is a three-time NCAA All-American who placed second at nationals in 2006. Davis is ranked third, one spot behind Mike Tamillow of Northwestern. Tamillow, seventh in the nation last year, beat Davis 6-1 in a recent dual meet.

Tamillow is the returning Big Ten champion at 197.

Wisconsin’s Dallas Herbst, who fell one win short of All-American honors last year, is ranked sixth in the country.

The Big Ten also has ranked wrestlers here in No. 11 Patrick Bond of Illinois, No. 15 Joe Williams of Michigan State and No. 19 Anthony Biondo of Michigan.

TheMat.com’s pick: Davis

HEAVYWEIGHT

Ohio State’s top-ranked J.D. Bergman, a two-time All-American at 197, is 27-1 in his first season at heavyweight.

Bergman’s only loss is to third-ranked Dustin Fox of Northwestern. Fox’s only loss this season is to No. 2 Kyle Massey of Wisconsin.

Fox placed third at NCAAs last year while Bergman took fourth at 197.

Two-time NCAA qualifier Matt Fields of Iowa is looking to finally make a splash in his final trip into the postseason. Fields, a senior, is ranked No. 6 in the country. He is 27-6 this season. His performances at Big Tens and NCAAs could hold the key to Iowa’s title hopes.

John Wise of Illinois is ranked 13th nationally.

TheMat.com’s pick: Bergman

TEAM RACE

The Hawkeyes are very strong in 9 of 10 weight classes, and could score big points in every one of those divisions. Iowa is looking very strong. The biggest question for the Hawkeyes will be how all of their young wrestlers respond in their first trip to the postseason.

Minnesota is capable of pushing Iowa for the team title, but with so many key wrestlers battling injuries this year it may be tough for the Gophers to overtake the Hawkeyes.

Michigan and Ohio State have a handful of very good wrestlers capable of contending for titles, but may not quite have the overall depth to challenge for the team title. Penn State, Wisconsin, Illinois and Northwestern also could make a splash in the team race.

TheMat.com's pick: Iowa

For wrestling videos from all of these wrestling matches, check out the torrent search.

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 11:43 PM | Permalink

Craig Sesker USA Wrestling
03/04/2008

The Big Ten Championships are set for this Saturday and Sunday, March 8-9, at the University of Minnesota's Williams Arena in Minneapolis.

The top seven finishers in each weight class, plus two wild cards overall, will advance to the NCAA Championships on March 20-22 in St. Louis.

Nine of the 11 Big Ten teams are ranked in the nation's top 20 by InterMat. They include No. 1 Iowa, No. 6 Penn State, No. 7 Wisconsin, No. 8 Minnesota, No. 9 Ohio State, No. 10 Illinois, No. 11 Michigan, No. 13 Northwestern and No. 20 Indiana.

Iowa rolled to the title at the National Duals and has to be considered the clear favorite to win the Big Ten title after going unbeaten in league duals. If Minnesota's key wrestlers are healthy, the returning Big Ten and NCAA team champion Gophers will definitely be in the mix as well.

The Big Ten features a pair of past NCAA champions in Iowa's Mark Perry (165) and Minnesota's Dustin Schlatter (149). Perry is a returning national champion and Schlatter won an NCAA title in 2006.

Here is a weight-by-weight breakdown of the 2008 Big Ten Championships:

125 POUNDS

Minnesota's Jayson Ness, ranked No. 1 in the country, placed fifth in the nation last year. He is a returning Big Ten champion. Ness is 33-0 this season and has been racking up major bonus points all season.

Among his biggest wins was a triumph over returning national champion Paul Donahoe of Nebraska.

Second-ranked Charlie Falck, second at the 2007 Big Tens, has had a very strong season but dropped a lopsided match to Ness in a dual this year. Falck is a returning All-American.

Ness hasn?t faced third-ranked Angel Escobedo of Indiana this season. Escobedo beat Ness at last year's NCAA tournament. Escobedo placed fourth in the country in 2007. He dropped his only match of the season to Falck in a dual meet at Iowa.

Fifth-ranked Brandon Precin of Northwestern is another top wrestler to watch here. He was second at the Midlands Championships. Two other wrestlers who could contend are eighth-ranked Gabe Flores of Illinois and No. 9 Mark McKnight of Penn State.

Wisconsin's Collin Cudd is ranked 20th.

TheMat.com's pick: Ness

133 POUNDS

Minnesota senior Mack Reiter is a two-time All-American, but is nationally ranked below four other wrestlers in his own conference. Reiter is ranked No. 9 nationally.

Jimmy Kennedy of Illinois is now ranked third after scoring a recent win over now-No. 4 Joey Slaton of Iowa. Michigan State's Franklin Gomez is ranked fifth after coming up short of qualifying for nationals last season at 125. Kennedy, Slaton and Gomez are all sophomores.

Slaton will compete in his first Big Ten tournament after transferring to Iowa from Virginia Tech.

Wisconsin's Zach Tanelli, ranked eighth, also will be in the mix here as will No. 12 Andrae Hernandez of Indiana and No. 13 Reece Humphrey of Ohio State.

Reiter, who did not place at NCAAs in 2007 after returning late in the season from a knee injury, has struggled at times this season. It will be interesting to see if Reiter, a senior, can return to the form of his freshman and sophomore seasons in the postseason.

TheMat.com's pick: Slaton

141 POUNDS

This looks like one of the most wide-open weight classes of the tournament with no clear-cut favorite.

Michigan true freshman Kellen Russell, ranked No. 1 earlier in the season, enters the Big Tens ranked fourth nationally. Wisconsin's Kyle Ruschell is ranked fifth, Iowa's Dan LeClere is No. 6, Ohio State's J Jaggers is No. 7 and Minnesota's Manuel Rivera is No. 8. Jaggers placed seventh at nationals last season.

Penn State freshman Garrett Scott is ranked 10th. Teammate Jake Strayer, an All-American at 133 last year, had been ranked as high as No. 2 this season. But Scott ended up winning the starting spot for Penn State.

TheMat.com's pick: Rivera

149 POUNDS

Watching this weight class alone will be worth more than the price of admission this weekend.

To say this weight class is loaded is a huge understatement. Wrestling fans are salivating about the prospect of watching all these talented wrestlers competing at the Big Tens.

This class starts with top-ranked Brent Metcalf of Iowa. Metcalf is unbeaten against Big Ten opponents, but is yet to face 2006 NCAA champion Dustin Schlatter of Minnesota. Schlatter, a two-time Big Ten champion, was out with an injury when the teams met in a dual.

Schlatter and Metcalf last met when Schlatter beat Metcalf in the finals of the Senior High School Nationals in 2005.

This weight class also includes two runner-up finishers from the 2007 NCAA tournament in Josh Churella of Michigan and Ryan Lang of Northwestern. Lang was second at 141 last year and won the Big Ten title at 141.

Then you throw in returning All-American Lance Palmer of Ohio State, 2007 Junior World freestyle champion Bubba Jenkins of Penn State and the dangerous Jake Patacsil of Purdue. That's seven wrestlers ranked in the nation's top nine in one poll.

Palmer caught and pinned Schlatter in a recent dual.

The first college matchup between prized recruits Metcalf and Schlatter is what fans are clamoring to see. But they have to reach the final round first against a very talented field.

TheMat.com's pick: Metcalf

157 POUNDS

This may be the Big Ten's second-strongest weight class besides 149.

Wisconsin's Craig Henning is a returning NCAA runner-up, but he may be the No. 4 seed for the Big Ten Tournament.

All-American Mike Poeta of Illinois has to be considered the favorite. Poeta is ranked second nationally and owns a win over top-ranked Gregor Gillespie of Edinboro. Gillespie was the NCAA champion at 149 last year before bumping up to 157 this year.

All-Americans Brandon Becker of Indiana and C.P. Schlatter of Minnesota also are ranked in the top six nationally as is Penn State's Dan Vallimont. Becker is No. 4, Schlatter No. 6 and Vallimont No. 3. Schlatter is the returning Big Ten champion at 157. Schlatter also owns a win over Gillespie this season.

Michigan's Jeff Marsh, ranked 15th, and Iowa's Ryan Morningstar, ranked 16th, also could be a factor here. Marsh beat Poeta in a dual meet this season.

TheMat.com's pick: Poeta

165 POUNDS

The big question here obviously is how healthy is Mark Perry, Iowa's three-time All-American.

This will be Perry's first competition in nearly two months after he underwent knee surgery. Perry, the returning Big Ten champion at 165, has delivered in big competitions in his career. He's placed second, third and first in the NCAAs for the Hawkeyes.

Perry still looks like the man to beat here, but will face strong opposition from three-time All-American Eric Tannenbaum of Michigan. Perry beat Tannenbaum, who is ranked third, in the Big Ten finals last year. Perry beat Tannenbaum 4-1 earlier this season at the National Duals.

This weight class also includes 11th-ranked Tyler Safratowich of Minnesota, No. 12 Colt Sponseller of Ohio State and No. 15 Matt Coughlin of Indiana. Sponseller, a freshman, has looked impressive in compiling a 16-2 record. Coughlin was an All-American last season at 149 before bumping up two weight classes this year.

TheMat.com's pick: Perry

174 POUNDS

Barring an upset, Michigan's second-ranked Steve Luke and Iowa's third-ranked Jay Borschel will meet in the Big Ten finals.

Borschel edged Luke at the National Duals before Luke returned the favor with a win over Borschel in a Big Ten dual meet.

Luke, a junior, placed sixth nationally last year after moving up from 157 to 174. Luke is a returning Big Ten champion. Borschel, a sophomore, is competing in his first postseason this year after transferring from Virginia Tech.

The Big Ten has five other ranked wrestlers at 174. They include No. 11 Gabe Dretsch of Minnesota, No. 12 Nick Hayes of Northwestern, No. 15 John Dergo of Illinois, No. 16 Dave Erwin of Penn State and No. 17 Nick Corpe of Purdue.

Dretsch is a veteran who could provide a big boost for the Gophers this postseason.

TheMat.com's pick: Borschel

184 POUNDS

The health of past NCAA runner-up Roger Kish of Minnesota likely will hold the key to what happens here.

Kish, a 2006 Big Ten champion, has been hampered by injuries this year and is ranked ninth nationally.

Two other returning All-Americans ? Ohio State's Mike Pucillo and Michigan's Tyrel Todd ? have emerged as the favorites at 184. Pucillo is ranked second nationally, one spot ahead of Todd.

Todd beat Pucillo in the fifth-place match at the 2007 NCAA tournament. Todd pinned Pucillo in overtime in the finals of the Las Vegas Invitational before Pucillo edged Todd 6-5 in a recent dual meet.

Iowa sophomore Phil Keddy, who has made huge improvement since last season, is ranked seventh in the country. Penn State's Phil Bomberger is ranked 14th.

TheMat.com's pick: Todd

197 POUNDS

This should be another very good battle between three very good wrestlers at 197.

Penn State's Phil Davis is a three-time NCAA All-American who placed second at nationals in 2006. Davis is ranked third, one spot behind Mike Tamillow of Northwestern. Tamillow, seventh in the nation last year, beat Davis 6-1 in a recent dual meet.

Tamillow is the returning Big Ten champion at 197.

Wisconsin's Dallas Herbst, who fell one win short of All-American honors last year, is ranked sixth in the country.

The Big Ten also has ranked wrestlers here in No. 11 Patrick Bond of Illinois, No. 15 Joe Williams of Michigan State and No. 19 Anthony Biondo of Michigan.

TheMat.com's pick: Davis

HEAVYWEIGHT

Ohio State's top-ranked J.D. Bergman, a two-time All-American at 197, is 27-1 in his first season at heavyweight.

Bergman's only loss is to third-ranked Dustin Fox of Northwestern. Fox's only loss this season is to No. 2 Kyle Massey of Wisconsin.

Fox placed third at NCAAs last year while Bergman took fourth at 197.

Two-time NCAA qualifier Matt Fields of Iowa is looking to finally make a splash in his final trip into the postseason. Fields, a senior, is ranked No. 6 in the country. He is 27-6 this season. His performances at Big Tens and NCAAs could hold the key to Iowa's title hopes.

John Wise of Illinois is ranked 13th nationally.

TheMat.com's pick: Bergman

TEAM RACE

The Hawkeyes are very strong in 9 of 10 weight classes, and could score big points in every one of those divisions. Iowa is looking very strong. The biggest question for the Hawkeyes will be how all of their young wrestlers respond in their first trip to the postseason.

Minnesota is capable of pushing Iowa for the team title, but with so many key wrestlers battling injuries this year it may be tough for the Gophers to overtake the Hawkeyes.

Michigan and Ohio State have a handful of very good wrestlers capable of contending for titles, but may not quite have the overall depth to challenge for the team title. Penn State, Wisconsin, Illinois and Northwestern also could make a splash in the team race.

TheMat.com's pick: Iowa

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 3:55 AM | Permalink

Big Ten Conference Tournament Pre-Seeds Announced
DATE: 3/3/2008 7:00:00 PM
By Ryan Sheets
Big Ten Conference

Conference officials announced the preliminary seeds for the 2008 Big Ten Wrestling Championships today. The pre-seeds are determined by a vote amongst the conference’s head wrestling coaches after consideration of regular-season results. This year’s Big Ten Wrestling Championships will take place on the campus of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minn. at Williams Arena on March 8-9. The official Big Ten Championships bracket will be set on Friday, March 7.

Six different schools are represented as No. 1 seeds in the 10 weight classes. Illinois, Iowa, Michigan and Ohio State all lead the way with the most top seeds at two each.

Illinois’ James Kennedy (25-4 at 133) and Mike Poeta (26-2 at 157) represent the Illini as top pre-seeds for this year’s event. Kennedy is currently ranked No. 3 nationally at 133, and Poeta is No. 2 at 157, which is best in the conference in both classes.

Brent Metcalf (30-1 at 149) and Mark Perry (18-2 at 165) earned top-billing for Iowa. The Hawkeyes were Big Ten regular season dual champions and are currently the No. 1 nationally-ranked team. Metcalf is the top-ranked wrestler in the land at 149. Perry is the defending Big Ten champion at 165 after defeating this year’s No. 2 seed Eric Tannenbaum of Michigan in the 2007 finale. Perry is also ranked No. 1 in the nation at 165.

Michigan’s top seeds consist of Kellen Russell (26-5 at 141) and Steve Luke (27-3 at 174). Russell is ranked fourth in the country and finished with a 9-1 record in Big Ten matches. Luke will defend his 174 lbs. title this year after winning the Big Ten crown with a 5-2 decision over Penn State’s James Yonushonis in last year’s championship bout.

Mike Pucillo (25-1 at 184) and J.D. Bergman (27-1 at Hwt.) represent Ohio State as No. 1 pre-seeds. The Buckeyes finished second in the Big Ten regular season dual standings this year. Pucillo’s only loss this season came to Michigan’s Tyrel Todd. Todd was voted as the No. 2 pre-seed for this year’s event. Bergman’s lone loss also came to the No. 2 seed at Hwt. in Northwestern’s Dustin Fox.

Rounding out the top seeds are Minnesota’s Jayson Ness (33-0 at 125) and Northwestern’s Mike Tamillow (27-2 at 197). Ness hopes to lead the Golden Gophers to their third consecutive Big Ten Championship and repeat as individual champion at 125. Tamillow is in search of his second consecutive 197 lbs. title after winning at last year’s competition.

Last year Minnesota won the conference championship with a score of 156 points and had four wrestlers win individual titles. Wisconsin (100.5) placed second and Iowa (91), Penn State (90.5) and Indiana (85) rounded out the top five.

The complete list of pre-seeds follows.

2008 BIG TEN WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS PRELIMINARY SEEDS BIG TEN CAMPS

125 lbs.
1. Jayson Ness, Minnesota
2. Charlie Falck, Iowa
3. Angel Escobedo, Indiana
4. Brandon Precin, Northwestern
5. Gabriel Flores, Illinois
6. Mark McKnight, Penn State
7. Nikko Triggas, Ohio State
8. Collin Cudd, Wisconsin

133 lbs.
1. James Kennedy, Illinois
2. Joe Slaton, Iowa
3. Franklin Gomez, Michigan State
4. Zach Tanelli, Wisconsin
5. Mack Reiter, Minnesota
6. Andrae Hernandez, Indiana
7. Reece Humphrey, Ohio State
8. Tim Haas, Penn State

141 lbs.
1. Kellen Russell, Michigan
2. Kyle Ruschell, Wisconsin
3. J Jaggers, Ohio State
4. Dan LeClere, Iowa
5. Garrett Scott, Penn State
6. Manuel Rivera, Minnesota
7. Keith Sulzer, Northwestern
8. Ryan Prater, Illinois

149 lbs.
1. Brent Metcalf, Iowa
2. Joshua Churella, Michigan
3. Dustin Schlatter, Minnesota
4. Bubba Jenkins, Penn State
5. Lance Palmer, Ohio State
6. Jake Patacsil, Purdue
7. Ryan Lang, Northwestern
8. Grant Paswell, Illinois

157 lbs.
1. Michael Poeta, Illinois
2. Dan Vallimont, Penn State
3. Brandon Becker, Indiana
4. C.P. Schlatter, Minnesota
5. Craig Henning, Wisconsin
6. Jeff Marsh, Michigan
7. Ryan Morningstar, Iowa
8. John Fulger, Michigan State

165 lbs.
1. Mark Perry, Iowa
2. Eric Tannenbaum, Michigan
3. Tyler Safratowich, Minnesota
4. Colt Sponseller, Ohio State
5. Roger Smith-Bergsrud, Illinois
6. Matt Coughlin, Indiana
7. Dave Rella, Penn State
8. Rex Kendle, Michigan State

174 lbs.
1. Steve Luke, Michigan
2. Jay Borschel, Iowa
3. Gabriel Dretsch, Minnesota
4. Nick Hayes, Northwestern
5. John Dergo, Illinois
6. David Erwin, Penn State
7. Nick Corpe, Purdue
8. Dan Clum, Wisconsin

184 lbs.
1. Mike Pucillo, Ohio State
2. Tyrel Todd, Michigan
3. Phil Keddy, Iowa
4. Roger Kish, Minnesota
5. Phil Bomberger, Penn State
6. Marc Bennett, Indiana
7. Ben Friedl, Illinois
8. A.J. Kissel, Purdue

197 lbs.
1. Mike Tamillow, Northwestern
2. Phil Davis, Penn State
3. Patrick Bond, Illinois
4. Dallas Herbst, Wisconsin
5. Joe Williams, Michigan State
6. Justin Bronson, Minnesota
T7. Chad Beatty, Iowa
T7. Anthony Biondo, Michigan

HWT
1. J.D. Bergman, Ohio State
2. Dustin Fox, Northwestern
3. Kyle Massey, Wisconsin
4. Matt Fields, Iowa
5. John Wise, Illinois
6. Chris Kasten, Purdue
7. John Laboranti, Penn State
8. Ben Berhow, Minnesota

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 5:17 AM | Permalink