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KENT, Ohio - ODU redshirt freshman Jack Dechow won the 184-pound MAC Championship by beating Northern Iowa's All-American Ryan Loder. ODU finished third as a team in the Tournament and qualified six wrestlers for the NCAA's.



"We had a good overall tournament," said ODU Head Coach Steve Martin. "All of our kids wrestled hard and left everything out on the mat. The MAC schedule definitely has prepared us for the NCAA Tournament in Oklahoma City. We opened some eyes with out team performance and our improvement since November with our young team. Our finalists competed hard. Jack Dechow looked great as he defeated Loder for the second time in a row in two weeks and claimed a MAC title. Chris Mecate got caught and pinned in a trick hold in the finals and that was a surprise. Alexander Richardson took it to the No. 1-ranked opponent in the country and lost in overtime in a battle. Billy Curling lost in a controversial match to Cody Walters from Ohio. Brandon Jeske fought back to get third and was in the zone. Tristan Warner punched his ticket through with his win over Brandon Zeerip from EMU. Kevin Beazley and Matt Tourdot both reversed losses to opponents today and left it all out on the mat. We have a lot of confidence right now and are ready to roll for the NCAAs!"



After their performances at the MAC Tournament ODU's Jeske, Mecate, Richardson, Warner, Curling, Dechow all punched their ticket to the NCAA's courtesy of where they placed and the number of automatic qualifiers the MAC received in each weight class. Eight of the ten ODU Wrestlers that competed in the MAC Tournament finished fourth or better in what was Old Dominion's first ever appearance in the Mid-American Conference Tournament.



125-pounder Jeske took third place, 141-pounder Mecate took second place, 149-pounder Richardson took second place, 157-pounder Warner took fourth place, 174-pounder Curling took second place, Dechow won the 184-pound title, Beazley finished with fourth place and Tourdot finished in fourth place.



ODU finished third out of nine teams in the tournament with 97 points. Missouri won the team score with 118.5 points, followed by Northern Iowa with 116 points. Ohio fell behind Old Dominion with 94.5 points.



At 125 pounds, Brandon Jeske began the second day facing off against Missouri's Barlow McGhee. Jeske won with a decisive takedown to earn a 5-3 decision victory and move to the third place consolation final to take on CMU's Corey Keener. For the second time this year Jeske would get the better of Keener, but this time by shutout. Jeske went on to win by a 4-0 decision and finish in third place to earn an NCAA qualifying bid out of the four MAC automatic bids as a true freshman at 125 pounds.



Old Dominion's No. 4-ranked and top-seed Chris Mecate ended yesterday with two decision victories that led him to today's MAC 141-pound Championship. Mecate and UNI's No. 20-ranked Joey Lazor were locked in a scoreless tie before Lazor managed to win by a 3:10 Fall. Despite the second place finish Mecate has earned his second straight NCAA qualifying appearance as a redshirt sophomore.



Sophomore and No. 14-ranked Alexander Richardson won both his matches yesterday to enter the 149-pound MAC Championship against the No. 1-ranked Drake Houdashelt of Missouri. Richardson has faced Houdashelt twice already this year and said following the UNI dual match that he knew he has the stuff to stay with him. He proved that again Sunday by taking the No. 1 in the country to overtime. Unfortunatly Houdashelt pulled out one takedown to earn the 3-1 sudden victory decision. Despite the second place finish, Richardson also qualifies for his second straight NCAA appearance as he earned one of the MAC's four 149-pound automatic bids to the NCAA Tournament.



At 157 pounds, ODU's No. 4-seed Tristan Warner started the second day off against EMU's Brandon Zeerip. Warner managed another 9-2 decision victory to begin the day, which advanced him to the consolation final. Warner took on Missouri's Joseph Lavallee and was pinned at 4:18 to take fourth place. However, Warner's fourth place finish earns him his second NCAA trip in three years as the MAC has five automatic bids at 157 pounds.



Monarchs senior wrestler, No. 18-ranked and top-seed Billy Curling defeated both NIU's Matt Mougin and Cody Caldwell yesterday to earn him a spot in today's 174-pound MAC Championship. Curling would take on Ohio's All-American Cody Walters who he already beat earlier this season. Walters would get the better of Curling for today with a 4-2 decision. For the second straight year Billy Curling also receives an automatic bid into the NCAA's as he finished second out of the MAC's five automatic bids at 174 pounds.



Redshirt freshman, No. 18-ranked and top-seed Jack Dechow earned his way into today's MAC 184-pound Championship by two wins against Ryan Garringer and Cody Johnston. He faced UNI's All-American Ryan Loder for the second time this season and came away victorious with a 4-2 sudden victory overtime win. Dechow hands Loder his second loss in two years (both to Dechow). ODU's 184-pounder earns his first automatic bid into the NCAA's with the 184-pound Championship around his waist.



Old Dominion's redshirt freshman Kevin Beazley began the day with a consolation semifinal match against Kent State's Cole Baxter. Beazley would end up victories with a 4-1 decision win and earn a spot in the MAC 197-pound consolation championship. Beazley would face Northern Illinois wrestler Shawn Scott, who handed Beazley his only loss in the Tournament by way of a riding time point. The third place match would once again come down to a single point as Beazley fell short by a 3-2 decision. The MAC had two automatic bids at 197-pounds and Beazley may still qualify for the NCAA Tournament but would have to earn an at-large bid.



At Heavyweight, ODU's Matt Tourdot began the day with a 3-1 decision win in the consolation semifinals against EMU's Khodar Hoballah. Tourdot would face UNI's Blaize Cabell in the third place match to decide who would claim the 285-pound third and final automatic bid at Heavyweight in the MAC. Cabell got the better of Tourdot with a 8-3 decision, but Tourdot still has a chance at an at-large selection to the NCAA's with his fourth place MAC finish.



On another note, future ODU wrestlers Emilio Saavedra won the California state tournament at his respective weight class, T.C Warner won the Pennsylvania state tournament at his respective weight class and Joey Balboni finished second in the New Jersey state tournament in his respective weight class.
 
Devoy and Palik Earn NCAA Bids as Dragons Conclude Competition at EIWAs




PHILADELPHIA ? Kevin Devoy Jr and Brandon Palik punched their tickets to the 2014 NCAA tournament in Oklahoma City as competition concluded at the EIWA Championships at the Palestra on Sunday. All five Dragons that were still in contention after day one finished in eighth place or higher in their respective weight classes. Devoy Jr made it to the 133 lbs. championship finals but finished in second place. Austin Sommer placed fifth at 157, while Noel Blanco and Palik earned seventh place finishes at 149 and 197 respectively and Tanner Shoap ended competition in eighth place at 125.

Kevin Devoy Jr, who was ranked sixth in the league going into the tournament, won two matches on day one, both by major decision. On day two of competition, he came out strong with a 5-1 decision in sudden victory over #2 Mark Grey of Cornell to advance to the championship finals. Devoy Jr earned a second place finish in the tournament after falling to #1 Mason Beckman of Lehigh, 4-1.

Sommer had two victories in the first day of competition, both of which were upsets as he defeated #4 Raamiah Bethea of Penn in the first round and then overcame Army's #5 Paul Hancock with an 8-7 decision. Sommer opened day two with a 6-4 loss to Boston University's #1 Nestor Taffur in the semifinals. In the consolation rounds, he dropped an 8-3 decision to #2 Brian Realbuto of Cornell but then defeated #3 Joseph Napoli of Lehigh by medical forfeit to finish in fifth place at 157.

Blanco defeated Franklin & Marshall's Sharron Townsend by major decision, but then fell to #1 Christopher Villalonga of Cornell in the second round. Blanco overcame Penn's Andrew Lenzi to finish out competition on Saturday. On Sunday, he lost by fall to #4 Richard Krop of Princeton in the consolation quarterfinals, but then was able to earn a seventh place finish at 149 by defeating Bucknell's #6 Victor Lopez by injury default.

Palik came out strong on Saturday with a 12-1 major decision over Hayden Hrymack of Rutgers. In the second round, however, he fell to #9 Bryce Barnes of Army to move into the consolation rounds, where he defeated Columbia's Matt Idelson, 5-0. On Sunday, Palik lost a 3-1 decision to #7 Paul Rands of Navy, but then defeated #10 Francis Mattiace of Penn to earn a seventh place finish on the tournament.

Shoap fell to #6 David White of Binghamton on day one but then defeated Franklin & Marshall's Jason Bing and Navy's Brendan Campbell to continue competition on Sunday in the consolation rounds. On day two, he lost by fall to #5 Darian Cruz of Lehigh and then fell to Boston University's Chris McGinley in the seventh place match. Shoap finished out his first career conference tournament in eighth place at 125.

Because of their performance this weekend, both Devoy Jr and Palik will advance to NCAA Championship competition. There is also a possibility for Sommer to receive a wildcard bid into the tournament.


125: #6 David White (Binghamton) DEC Tanner Shoap (DU) 8-2
Tanner Shoap (DU) DEC Jason Bing (F&M) 4-0
Tanner Shoap (DU) DEC Brendan Campbell (Navy) 10-7
#5 Darian Cruz (Lehigh) WBF Tanner Shoap (DU) @4:17
Chris McGinley (Boston U) DEC Tanner Shoap (DU) 7-5 --- 8th place

133: #6 Kevin Devoy Jr (DU) MAJ Garrett Frey (Princeton) 15-2
#6 Kevin Devoy Jr (DU) MAJ Esteban Gomez-Rivera (American) 17-8
#6 Kevin Devoy Jr (DU) DEC #2 Mark Grey (Cornell) 5-1 SV
#1 Mason Beckman (Lehigh) DEC #6 Kevin Devoy Jr (DU) 4-1 --- 2nd place

141: Jordan Laster (Princeton) DEC David Pearce (DU) 5-1
David Pearce (DU) DEC Nick Tighe (Binghamton) 6-3
Jeff Canfora (Penn) DEC David Pearce (DU) 5-4

149: #8 Noel Blanco (DU) MAJ Sharron Townsend (F&M) 10-1
#1 Christopher Villalonga (Cornell) MAJ #8 Noel Blanco (DU) 9-0
#8 Noel Blanco (DU) DEC Andrew Lenzi (Penn) 9-4
#4 Richard Krop (Princeton) WBF #8 Noel Blanco (DU) @3:52
#8 Noel Blanco (DU) def. #6 Victor Lopez (Bucknell) inj. 0:18 --- 7th place

157: Austin Sommer (DU) DEC #4 Raamiah Bethea (Penn) 11-9
Austin Sommer (DU) DEC #5 Paul Hancock (Army) 8-7
#1 Nestor Taffur (Boston U) DEC Austin Sommer (DU) 6-4
#2 Brian Realbuto (Cornell) DEC Austin Sommer (DU) 8-3
Austin Sommer (DU) def. #3 Joseph Napoli (Lehigh) by medical forfeit --- 5th place

165: Philip Marano (Brown) DEC Jason Fugiel (DU) 5-2
Judson Ziegler (Princeton) DEC Jason Fugiel (DU) 3-0

174: #8 Bradley Wukie (Penn) DEC Kevin Matyas (DU) 9-4
#1 Elliot Riddick (Lehigh) MAJ Kevin Matyas (DU) 16-5

184: Cameron Croy (Harvard) DEC Alex DeCiantis (DU) 5-2
James Mannier (Navy) DEC Alex DeCiantis (DU) 3-1

197: #1 Brandon Palik (DU) MAJ Hayden Hrymack (Rutgers) 12-1
#9 Bryce Barnes (Army) DEC #1 Brandon Palik (DU) 8-6
#1 Brandon Palik (DU) DEC Matt Idelson (Columbia) 5-0
#7 Paul Rands (Navy) DEC #1 Brandon Palik (DU) 3-1
#1 Brandon Palik (DU) DEC #10 Francis Mattiace (Penn) 2-1 --- 7th place

285: #8 Steven Graziano (Penn) DEC Joseph Giorgio (DU) 2-1
Ryder Cavey (Brown) DEC Joseph Giorgio (DU) 5-0
 
Hartmann, Kerr-Brown Take 3rd at ACC Championships


March 8, 2014


BLACKSBURG, Va. ? Duke redshirt sophomore Conner Hartmann captured his second straight berth in the NCAA Wrestling Championships today with a third-place finish at the 2014 ACC Wrestling Championships at Cassell Coliseum. Redshirt junior Immanuel Kerr-Brown also took third place overall at 157 pounds.


"It's really good to see results," said Kerr-Brown. "I put in a lot of hard work and it's good to see these results. It's tangible. I went from never placing to being third this year. I'm really happy about it."


Hartmann grabbed one of five automatic bids awarded to the ACC at the 197-pound division, while Kerr-Brown will await word from the NCAA whether he gets one of the at-large berths. The ACC received just two automatic bids at 157 pounds. Duke finished seventh overall with 18 points.


"It's a good feeling [knowing I'm already in NCAAs]," said Hartmann. "I went into the tournament expecting I was going to qualify. I did the same thing last year, but there was a lot more uncertainty then so it's great not to have that this year."


In his opening match of the day, Hartmann suffered a heart-breaking 4-3 quadruple overtime setback to No. 4 seed Zach Nye of Virginia. With both wrestlers managing a single point during regulation, the pair traded single escape points in overtime until the riding time tiebreaker decided the match. Nye started the second tiebreak overtime down and escaped quickly, giving Hartmann 10 seconds of riding time. Hartmann, needing to get out in fewer than 10 seconds took one second too many as riding time went to Nye's favor for one second. The loss was his fourth ACC defeat by a single point this season.


Hartmann rebounded in strong fashion with a gutsy 4-3 win over No. 2 seed Nick Bonaccorsi of Pittsburgh to assure him a spot in the NCAA Championships field and set up a rematch with familiar foe Christian Boley of Maryland.


"I went into my second match and I didn't feel very good at all," Hartmann said. "I barely won and I was thinking 'Oh no, this isn't feeling good at all and my next match will be against a good guy.' So I just decided I had to shut it all out and just wrestle like I had planned on all season."


Wrestling for the fourth time in two seasons, this match did not disappoint as they wrestled to a 1-1 stalemate in regulation. Neither Hartmann nor Boley was able to score in the sudden victory period despite a frantic scramble in the closing seconds. After riding out the first 30 second tiebreak, Hartmann quickly escaped from Boley's grasp and then added a takedown to seal the 4-1 victory and third place overall.


Hartmann is Duke's 11th wrestler to earn multiple berths in the NCAA Championships and the first to do so since Konrad Dudziak in 2009 and 2010. He is the first Duke wrestler to advances to the NCAA postseason event in his first two seasons.


Kerr-Brown started his day with a strong with a 5-2 decision over Pittsburgh's Ronnie Garbinsky to advance to the semifinals. The native of Rome, Ga., scored an early takedown and never relinquished control of the match en route to his 23rd win of the season.


In the semifinal, Kerr-Brown was looking to avenge his lone ACC loss of the season to NC State's Thomas Gantt. The Duke captain and Gantt battled evenly but a late escape and takedown by Gantt bumped Kerr-Brown down to the consolation bracket where he outlasted Jacob Crawford 6-5 and cruised past Sal Mastriani of Virginia Tech 14-5 to earn a spot on the podium. Prior to this season, Kerr-Brown had just one win at the ACC Championship.


"It was a lot of fun to wrestle well and finish the day that way," Kerr-Brown said of his convincing win over Mastriani. "Of course it's always kind of cool to do it against a Virginia Tech guy at home."


Rookies Connor Bass and Jacob Kasper both advanced to consolation semifinals as did redshirt freshman Evan Botwin in his first ACC Championships appearance. Bass narrowly missed earning one of the four bids to NCAA Championships at 149 pounds with a 3-2 decision to top-seeded Augustus Sako of Virginia.


Redshirt sophomore Trey Adamson also fell just short of having the chance to vie for a spot on the podium with an overtime loss to Austin Gabel. Adamson finished his season with an 18-13 record. Marcus Cain (165) and Brendan Walsh (285) also had their days ended in the consolation semifinals.


ACC Championships Results for Duke
133 - Evan Botwin
QF - Dennis Gustafson (VT) won by maj. decision over Evan Botwin (Duke) (MD 13-3)
Cons. Round 1 - Evan Botwin (Duke) won by fall over Brendan Calas (NC State) (Fall 1:04)
Cons. Semi - Shelton Mack (Pitt) won by major decision over Evan Botwin (Duke) (MD 17-6)


141 - Xaviel Ramos
QF - Edgar Bright (Pittsburgh) won by fall over Xaviel Ramos (Duke) (Fall 2:21)
Cons. Round 1 - Sam Speno (NC State) won by decision over Xaviel Ramos (Duke) (Dec 8-1)


149 - Connor Bass
Quarterfinal - Zach Neibert (VT) won by major decision over Connor Bass (Duke) 1-2 (MD 12-3)
Cons. Round 1 - Connor Bass (Duke) won by fall over Brian Hamann (NC State) (Fall 6:50)
Cons. Semi - Augustus Sako (Virginia) won by decision over Connor Bass (Duke) (Dec 3-2)


157 - Immanuel Kerr-Brown placed 3rd and scored 6.50 team points
QF - Immanuel Kerr-Brown (Duke) won by decision over Ronnie Garbinsky (Pitt) (Dec 5-2)
Semifinal - Thomas Gantt (NC State) won by decision over Immanuel Kerr-Brown (Duke) (Dec 7-3)
Cons. Semi - Immanuel Kerr-Brown (Duke) won by decision over Jacob Crawford (UNC) (Dec 6-5)
3rd Place - Immanuel Kerr-Brown (Duke) won by major decision over Sal Mastriani (VT) (MD 14-5)


165 - Marcus Cain
QF - Geno Morelli (Pitt) won by decision over Marcus Cain (Duke) (Dec 4-2)
Cons. Semi - Chris Moon (VT) won by major decision over Marcus Cain (Duke) (MD 10-2)


174 - Trey Adamson
QF - Pete Renda (NC State) won by decision over Trey Adamson (Duke) (Dec 7-3)
Cons. Round 1 - Trey Adamson (Duke) won by decision over Scott Marmoll (North Carolina) (Dec 7-2)
Cons. Semi - Austin Gabel (VT ) won in sudden victory - 1 over Trey Adamson (Duke) (SV-1 6-4)


184 - Jacob Kasper
QF - Nick Vetterlein (VT) won by decision over Jacob Kasper (Duke) (Dec 3-1)
Cons. Rd 1 - Jacob Kasper (Duke) won by decision over Michael Macchiavello (NC State) (Dec 4-0)
Cons. Semi - Jonathan Fausey (Virginia) won by decision over Jacob Kasper (Duke) (Dec 6-2)


197 - Conner Hartmann (19-9) placed 3rd and scored 5.00 team points
QF - Zach Nye (Virginia) won in TB-2 by riding time over Conner Hartmann (Duke) (TB-2 (RT) 4-3)
Cons. Semi - Conner Hartmann (Duke) won by decision over Nick Bonaccorsi (Pitt) (Dec 4-3)
3rd Place - Conner Hartmann (Duke) won in tie breaker - 1 over Christian Boley (Maryland) (TB-1 4-1)


285 - Brendan Walsh
QF - Patrick Tasser (Pitt) 17-9 won by major decision over Brendan Walsh (Duke) (MD 10-2)
Cons. Round 1 - Brendan Walsh (Duke) won by decision over Robert Coe (North Carolina) (Dec 10-3)
Cons. Semi - Ty Walz (Virginia Tech) won by fall over Brendan Walsh (Duke) (Fall 5:25)


#GoDuke
 
Complete results from the 2014 Big Ten Wrestling Championships are attached



March 9, 2014



IOWA WRESTLING

RAMOS WINS BIG TEN TITLE, HAWKEYES PLACE SECOND



MADISON, Wis. ? University of Iowa senior Tony Ramos won the 133-pound Big Ten title during championship round action of the conference tournament Sunday at the Kohl Center. The Hawkeyes finished second in the team standings with 135 points, trailing only Penn State's 140.5 points.



Nine Iowa wrestlers finished in the top-five of their respective brackets, the most of any school. All nine placewinners earned an automatic berth to the 2014 NCAA Championships.



"I believe that we have a team to win it here and I believe we have a team to win it in a couple of weeks, that's how you go forward," said UI head coach Tom Brands. "That's what our next mission is. We have to get ready for the next tournament. Even if we come out on top (here), there are things to work on and there are things to work on now. It's the same either way. We have to go to work."



The top-seeded Ramos earned his first career Big Ten Championship by downing second-seeded Tyler Graff of Wisconsin, 2-1. Ramos, who finished second at the 2012 and 2013 Big Ten Championships, used a second period escape and 1:37 of riding time to defeat Graff.



"It didn't go exactly the way I wanted, but I got the win," said Ramos. "I wanted to win this one in regulation and I'm walking out of here with the title. It was a lot of fun and the fans were great. Wisconsin did a great job hosting this tournament."



Iowa also recorded four runner-up finishes. Derek St. John (157), Nick Moore (165), Mike Evans (174) and Ethen Lofthouse (184) all placed second at their respective weights.



Junior Bobby Telford posted a pair of wins Sunday, wrestling back from a first round defeat to finish third at 285. Telford began his day with a 3-1 victory over Northwestern's Michael McMullan in the consolation semifinal, and downed Mike McClure of Michigan State, 3-2, in the consolation finals. Telford rallied from a two-point deficit to defeat the sixth-seeded McClure, registering two escapes and 1:18 of riding time.



Cory Clark dropped a 9-5 decision in the consolation finals to place fourth at 125. Josh Dziewa and Nathan Burak placed fifth at 141 and 197, respectively.



Iowa returns to the mat March 20-22 at the NCAA Championships in Oklahoma City. The NCAA will announce the tournament field Wednesday, March 12.



"We have to be strong and we have to go forward, and we have the team for that," said Brands. "We have the mental makeup for that with this team and the emotional make up. We have a lot of good guys and we need to win more matches."



Notes: Attendance was 10,111… Total attendance was 28, 442… Ramos is the 110th Big Ten Champion in school history… Iowa's 110 Big Ten Champions has combined for 191 conference titles… Ramos is the 11th Big Ten Champion under head coach Tom Brands…



FINAL TEAM STANDINGS

Penn State ? 140.5

Iowa - 135

Minnesota ? 118.5

Ohio State ? 86.5

Nebraska - 79

Illinois ? 78.5

Wisconsin - 73

Michigan ? 71.5

Northwestern - 58

Indiana - 37

Purdue ? 34.5

Michigan State ? 21.5



FINAL RESULTS

133 - #1 Tony Ramos (Iowa) dec. #2 Tyler Graff (Wisc), 2-1

157 - #2 James Green (Nebraska) dec. #4 Derek St. John (Iowa), 7-4

165 - #1 David Taylor (Penn State) major dec. #3 Nick Moore (Iowa), 14-5

174 - #1 Robert Kokesh (Neb) dec. #3 Mike Evans (Iowa), 6-4

184 - #1 Ed Ruth (Penn State) major dec. #3 Ethen Lofthouse (Iowa), 10-2



THIRD-PLACE RESULTS

125 - #4 Ryan Taylor (Wisc) dec. #3 Cory Clark (Iowa), 9-5

285 - #4 Bobby Telford (Iowa) dec. #6 Mike McClure (MSU), 3-2



FIFTH-PLACE RESULTS

141 - #5 Josh Dziewa (Iowa) dec. #7 Steven Rodrigues (Ill), 3-2

197 - #5 Nathan Burak (Iowa) dec. #4 Braden Atwood (Pur), 2-1



CONSOLATION SEMIFINALS RESULTS

125 ? #3 Cory Clark (Iowa) dec. #8 Nick Roberts (OSU), 3-1 SV1

141 - #3 Chris Dardanes (Minn) dec. #5 Josh Dziewa (Iowa), 5-2

197 - #7 Alex Polizzi (NW) dec. #5 Nathan Burak (Iowa), 4-3

285 - #4 Bobby Telford (Iowa) dec. #3 Michael McMullan (NW), 3-1
 
Jim Andrassy post tournament comments

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxwE12_tUQo&feature=youtu.be



Highlights

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aU9zOGWtFmQ&list=UU5i_E8hrUZode3b-xyH3aSQ



KENT, Ohio ? Sophomore Ian Miller continued to dominate from his feet Sunday on the way to his second conference tournament title during the 2014 Mid-American Conference Wrestling Championships inside the M.A.C. Center. Joining Miller with NCAA automatic qualifying spots were sophomores Michael DePalma and Mack McGuire, who each claimed third places.



Behind four takedowns and riding time, Miller secured a 9-4 victory over Central Michigan's Luke Smith in the finals. Miller converted a pair of duck-unders for first period takedowns including one in the final seconds. A Smith escape in the second cut the lead to 4-2, but Miller continued to attack and scored takedowns in the second and third periods.



"When I'm able to get my offense going, it's hard to stop," Miller said.



DePalma worked his two-on-one tilt in each of his two victories Sunday, downing Northern Illinois' Rob Jillard 10-3 and top-seeded Tywon Claxton (Ohio) 5-0. DePalma clung to a 1-0 lead after two periods in his third place match against Claxton, before putting him on his back for a five-count to seal the victory.



McGuire avenged an earlier season loss to Eastern Michigan's Vincent Pizzuto with a 4-2 victory in his consolation semifinal. McGuire's third period reversal proved to be the difference maker. He then won his third place match by medical forfeit over Northern Illinois' Nick Smith.



Sophomores Cole Baxter and Tyler Buckwalter each grabbed fifth places. Despite losing to Central Michigan's Nick Becker 4-1 on Saturday, Buckwalter repaid the favor Sunday with a 6-3 decision with takedowns in the first and second periods.



Baxter topped Northern Iowa's Jared Bartel 6-2 in his fifth place bout. Baxter slipped through a Bartel headlock attempt for a first period takedown and jumped out to a 4-0 lead with a reversal early in the second period.



Baxter, Caleb Marsh and Tyler Small will keep their fingers crossed for NCAA at-large bids to be announced during the week.



As a team, Kent State finished in sixth place with 67 points. For the second straight season, Missouri won the team title. The Tigers' 118.5 points edged Northern Iowa's 116 points.



Miller, DePalma and McGuire will compete at the 2014 NCAA Championships March 20-22 inside Oklahoma City's Chesapeake Energy Center.
 
Nick Smith, Rob Jillard Clinch NCAA Auto Bids at MAC Championships
Seniors Smith and Jillard extend NIU's national tournament appearance streak to 43 years[/I]

Final Brackets
[/B]
KENT, Ohio - [/B]Seniors Nick Smith and Rob Jillard helped the Northern Illinois University wrestling team extend their postseason run Sunday in Kent, Ohio, as both clinched automatic berths to the NCAA tournament on the MAC Championships' final day.

Smith and Jillard each took fourth place finishes at 133 and 149, respectively, while Shawn Scott (third - 197), Shaun'Qae McMurtry (fourth - 165) and Jared Torrence (fifth - 285) also found their way onto the podium. As a team, the Huskies took eighth place with 50 points, as Missouri sneaked past Northern Iowa to win its second consecutive conference crown.

"Nick did a great job staying in position and wrestling where he is best," said NIU head coach Ryan Ludwig. "It paid off for him today with a bid to the NCAA Championships."

Smith punched his first-career ticket to the NCAA tournament early in the day with a win over Missouri's Matt Manley. After building a 7-1 lead early in the second period, the NIU senior was able to flip Manley and pinned him to officially clinch the auto bid. With that berth in hand, Smith conceded the third-place match to Mack McGuire of Kent State.

Meanwhile, Jillard took a less-conventional path to his NCAA berth - the second of his career and the first since 2011 when he was a freshman at Liberty University. After dropping a consolation semifinal match to KSU's Mike DePalma, 10-3, the senior bounced back with a 9-3 win over Central Michigan's Scott Mattingly in the fifth-place match. Jillard returned to the mat moments later to challenge Tywan Claxton of Ohio for fourth place, a match he would win via a 4-0 decision.

"Rob wrestled and amazingly hard-fought match with both guys and came out victorious," Ludwig said. "He was as focused and determined as I've seen him."

At 165, Shaun'Qae McMurtry's run for an automatic NCAA tournament spot fell just short. The redshirt freshman opened the day with an 8-4 win over KSU's Tyler Buckwalter to advance to the third-place match against Zach Toal of Missouri - the same individual whom McMurtry upset in yesterday's quarterfinals. Yet, it was the nationally-ranked Toal who flipped the script with a 6-3 decision against McMurtry.

Shawn Scott also came within one match of clinching a national berth. After dispatching Northern Iowa's Jared Bartel in the consolation semifinals with a 3-2 overtime win, the redshirt freshman claimed third place with a close 3-2 triumph against Old Dominion's Kevin Beazley. In the true second match against Phil Wellington of Ohio, though, Scott came just short, dropping a 5-2 decision to give the MAC's second auto bid at 197 to Wellington.

Heavyweight Jared Torrence ended the tournament in fifth place. Following a 4-2 defeat against UNI's Blaize Cabell, the redshirt senior capped the day with a convincing 5-1 win over Khodar Hoballah of Eastern Michigan.

The Huskies' season concludes in two weeks when they head to Oklahoma City, Okla., for the 2014 NCAA Championships. The tournament starts Thursday, March 20, and runs through Saturday, March 22.

133: Nick Smith - Fourth Place (NCAA Qualifier)[/B]
Nick Smith (NIU) pins Matt Manley (Missouri), 4:08
Mack McGuire (Kent State) wins by forfeit over Nick Smith (NIU)

149: Rob Jillard - Fourth Place (NCAA Qualifier)[/B]
Mike DePalma (Kent State) dec. Rob Jillard (NIU), 10-3
Rob Jillard (NIU) dec. Scott Mattingly (Central Michigan), 9-3
Rob Jillard (NIU) dec. Tywan Claxton (Ohio), 4-0

165: Shaun'Qae McMurtry - Fourth Place[/B]
Shaun'Qae McMurtry (NIU) dec. Tyler Buckwalter (Kent State), 8-4
Zach Toal (Missouri) dec. Shaun'Qae McMurtry (NIU), 6-3

197: Shawn Scott - Third Place[/B]
Shawn Scott (NIU) dec. Jared Bartel (Northern Iowa), 3-2 (OT)
Shawn Scott (NIU dec. Kevin Beazley (Old Dominion), 3-2
Phil Wellington (Ohio) dec. Shawn Scott (NIU), 5-2

285: Jared Torrence - Fifth Place[/B]
Blaize Cabell (Northern Iowa) dec. Jared Torrence (NIU), 4-2
Jared Torrence (NIU) dec. Khodar Hoballah (Eastern Michigan), 5-1
 
March 9, 2014

MADISON, Wis. - Purdue had four individuals earn a podium finish at the Big Ten Wrestling Championships Sunday in the Kohl Center. Fourth-seeded Danny Sabatello placed eighth at 125 and 141 pounds, respectively. Quiroga and Atwood earned automatic bids to the NCAA Wrestling Championships March 20-22 at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City.

The Boilermakers placed 11th overall with 34.5 points. Penn State captured its fourth straight title with 140.5 points, followed by Iowa (135 points), Minnesota (118.5 points), Ohio State (86.5 points) and Nebraska (79 points) to round out the top-five teams.

"Obviously it's disappointing, regardless of the team placing, we want to get as many guys to nationals as we can," head wrestling coach Scott Hinkel said. "That part was disappointing too. We've got an outside shot of getting two more [at-large qualifiers]. We want more guys with us, but if Cashe [Quiroga] and Braden [Atwood] can go down there and do some damage, we can still have a good team finish."

In the third-place match at 133, Quiroga notched a 6-3 decision over third-seeded David Thorn of Minnesota. The redshirt senior faked and came right back with a shot, taking Thorn down at the 1:07 mark in the first period. An escape by the Gopher made it 2-1 as the opening three minutes of action came to a close. Thorn evened the score at 2-2 with an escape to start the second. Neither wrestler was able to find their shot, spending the remaining time in the period with heavy hand fighting.

Quiroga took a 3-2 advantage with an escape in the third. He then found his shot, getting in deep on Thorn and taking him down for a second time in the match. Thorn, who was seeded third, escaped with 1:04 left on the clock. Strong defense by Quiroga, plus 1:31 worth of riding time, secured the victory. "He [Quiroga] stepped up this weekend," HInkel said. "He wrestled above his seed and I think that was a real confidence booster for him. He showed that he can get a lot of placement points. He's clicking at the right time and he's going to have good momentum going into NCAAs."

The Boilermaker placed for a third time at the Big Ten Championships and his third-place finish is his best showing after taking sixth at 125 pounds as freshman in 2010 and fifth at 133 in 2012.

"In the semifinals Saturday, he had [Tony] Ramos [of Iowa] beat for most of the match," Hinkel said. "Ramos beat Cashe pretty handily at Midlands, but two months has done a lot of good for us. Cashe had him on the ropes and let it slip away. Even though it was a loss, Cashe knows that he can beat anybody and we saw his scoring potential. He's in a stacked weight class with only eight going from the Big Ten."

In the consolation semifinals, Quiroga used a first-period takedown, plus a reversal and a second takedown in the final period to post a 6-3 decision over No. 6 Johnni DiJulius of Ohio State. He did not surrender a takedown as he defeated the Buckeye for a second time this season.

With eight takedowns at the Big Ten Championships, Quirgoa pushed his career total to 375, which ranks fourth on Purdue's all-time list. The Indianapolis, Ind., native will take a 16-6 record into his third NCAA Wrestling Championship's appearance and will be eyeing a second All-America honor. As a true freshman, he captured sixth-place honors at 125 pounds.

At 197 pounds, Atwood got on the board first in his fifth-place battle against fifth-seeded Nathan Burak of Iowa with an escape to start the second period, but it was the Hawkeyes' late reversal that won him the match, 2-1. The opening three minutes of action were scoreless, with Atwood on the offensive taking multiple shots, but each one went to a stalemate. Burak's reversal came with a minute left in the bout and he rode out the Purdue redshirt junior.

"Braden and [Nathan] Burak [of Iowa] are real close," Hinkel said. "He [Atwood] opened up with offense against Burak. He knows that he has more weapons that just defending, defending, defending and then riding someone out."

Earlier in the consolation semifinals, third-seeded Scott Schiller of Minnesota defeated Atwood, 8-2. The Delphi, Ind., native's record slipped to 25-10 with the two losses Sunday. His sixth-place finish is his best yet after finishing seventh at 184 as a redshirt freshman and eighth at 197 last season. He earned his third trip to the NCAA Championships in as many seasons with a top-eight finish.

"Even though he [Atwood] had those losses, I think it was still a confidence booster for him," Hinkel said. "He needs to make sure he finishes his shots. I think he improved because he wrestled those guys [Burak and Schiller] better. We're making strides."

Strong riding by Michigan's fifth-seeded Conor Youtsey in the third period proved to be the difference maker as the Wolverine accumulated 1:51 riding time for a 2-1 decision over No. 7-seed Camden Eppert in the seventh-place match at 125 pounds. The two wrestlers exchanged escapes in the second and third periods. Eppert, now 16-14, places eighth for the second consecutive season.

Wrestling for seventh at 141, eighth-seeded Jesse Thielke of Wisconsin stunned Purdue's sixth-seeded Danny Sabatello, dealing the redshirt sophomore an 18-6 major decision loss. The Badger notched a trio of first-period takedowns and scored a three-point nearfall on two occasions to build a 12-2 lead after three minutes. Sabatello was able to notch a takedown of his own late in the third period, but the deficit was too much to overcome. The redshirt sophomore's record now stands at 22-12.

In the ninth-place match 157, redshirt freshman Pat Robinson suffered a 7-3 setback to 11th-seeded Bobby Nash of Michigan State in the 165-pound ninth-place match.

On Wednesday the NCAA Division I Wrestling Committee will announce the 40 at-large qualifiers for the NCAA Wrestling Championships. All weight classes will consist of 33 wrestlers. The at-large selections will be made based on the following criteria: head-to-head competition; qualifying event placement; quality wins; results against common opponents; winning percentage; RPI; coaches ranking and the number of matches contested at that weight class.

"NCAAs, it's a new weekend, it's a new life going there," Hinkel said. "Cashe and Atwood have been there before; they know what it's about. Now the next step is getting those guys on the podium. We'll go back and work on the little things, but like we've said all season, they need to wrestle aggressive and smart, that's the bottom line."

For complete match-by-match results from the Big Ten Wrestling Championships, final brackets and more, please click here.
 
Walters and Johnson Earn Individual MAC Wrestling Crowns

Bobcats place fourth with 94.5 points



March 9, 2014



KENT, Ohio ? The Ohio University Wrestling team finished fourth at the 2014 Mid-American Conference Championships Sunday afternoon at the M.A.C. Center. The two-day event was held on the campus ofKent State University.



Senior Jeremy Johnson (Broadview Heights, Ohio) and sophomore Cody Walters (Macedonia, Ohio) highlighted day two competition for the Bobcats as they both claimed individual titles at heavyweight and at 174, respectively.



With the wins, both Johnson and Walters captured their second career MAC titles.



Johnson captured his second individual crown in three years after he defeated Missouri's Drake Houdashelt, 7-1.



Walters successfully defended his 174 pound individual crown as he edged out Old Dominion's Billy Curling 4-2. With his victory at 174, Ohio has now claimed each of the last three titles at 174.



Sophomore Phil Wellington (Euclid, Ohio) and junior Harrison Hightower (Strongsville,Ohio) dropped their respective bouts at 197 and 165, respectively. Wellington would go on to claim a 5-2 victory over Northern Illinois' Shawn Scott to secure his bid to the NCAA Championships.



Sophomore Spartak Chino (Wheaton, Ill.) turned in a strong second day performance as he went 1-1 to finish fifth at 157 pounds and in the process earn the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Championships. Chino pinned Eastern Michigan's Bradndon Zeerip (6:23) to punch his ticket to nationals for the second-consecutive season.



Junior Tywan Claxton (South Euclid, Ohio) fell twice on Sunday and finished fifth.Claxton dropped decisions to Kent State's Michael Depalma (5-0) and Northern Illinois' Robert Jillard (4-0).



Sophomore KeVon Powell (Romeoville, Ill.) and junior Ryan Garringer (Downers Grove, Ill.) rounded out competition as they placed fifth and sixth, respectively.



Ohio has five competitors that have earned automatic bids to the NCAA Championships in Oklahoma City, Okla. The 2014 NCAA Championships are set to begin on March 20 in Oklahoma City, Okla.




Final Team Standings
1. Missouri, 118.5
2. Northern Iowa, 116
3. Old Dominion, 97
4. Ohio, 94.5
5. Central Michigan, 57.5
6. Kent State, 67
7. Eastern Michigan, 57.5
8. Northern Illinois, 50
9. Buffalo, 12.5
 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:




UVU's Adam Fager receives at-large selection to NCAA Championships




The Wolverines will now send a program best four wrestlers to next week's NCAA Championships.



March 12, 2014[/B]







Brackets

INDIANAPOLIS - The NCAA handed out its at-large selections to next week's Division I Wrestling Championships on Wednesday and Utah Valley University heavyweight Adam Fager made the cut. With the additional bid, the Wolverines will now send a program high four wrestlers to nationals.

Fager, who was ranked 12th on the final NCAA Coaches' Panel Ranking and 15th on the latest RPI at heavyweight, received the at-large berth after going 18-7 on the season and placing second at last week's NCAA West Regional/Western Wrestling Conference Championships. The 2014 NCAA Championships will mark the Wolverine junior's second straight trip as he also represented UVU at the Big Show last year.

In all 45 at-large wrestlers were selected on Wednesday. The group will join 285 student-athletes that qualified automatically through the conference and regional qualifying tournaments during the past two weekends. The at-large selections were made by the NCAA Division I Wrestling Committee using a selection criteria: head-to-head competition, quality wins, results against common opponents, winning percentage, rating percentage index, coaches ranking, qualifying event placement, and number of matches contested at that weight class.

Joining Fager at nationals from UVU will be sophomore 125-pounder Curtis Abner Cook.

Garner (14-8) punched his ticket to the NCAA Championships by winning the 141-pound title at last week's West Regional, while Rauser (10-3) and Cook (7-7) both came back through the wrestlebacks to earn their spots. Rauser earned his qualifying spot by winning a true second-place match while Cook picked his up by taking third in his weight class.

Next week will mark Utah Valley's fifth straight season that its grapplers will wrestle at the NCAA Championships. The four wrestlers will be one better than its previous high of three as UVU sent three in 2009-10, three in 2010-11, one in 2011-12 and three again last season.

The NCAA also released brackets for next week's championship on Wednesday afternoon and Rauser will open up his second consecutive trip to nationals against to top seed from Illinois Jesse Delgado (25-2). Garner will take on No. 15 Anthony Collica (28-7) from Oklahoma State while Cook will open up against Collica's Cowboy teammate in No. 2 Tyler Caldwell (24-3). The at-large selection Fager, will be UVU's lone seeded wrestler as he'll enter the tournament seeded 15th in his weight class. Fager will begin his second NCAA Championship run against Rutgers' William Smith (25-6).

The 2014 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships will be held March 20-22 at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Okla. For ticket information, please visit NCAA.com.
 
March 12, 2014



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Ohio State Wrestling Contact: Danielle Warner (warner.238@osu.edu)



Eight Buckeyes Qualify for 2014 NCAA Championships

Nick Heflin earns No. 1 seed at 197 pounds; NCAA Championships will take place March 20-22 at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Okla.



RELATED INFO.

· Brackets

· 2013-14 Statistics

· Follow the Buckeyes on Instagram



COLUMBUS, Ohio ? Eight members of the Ohio State wrestling team qualified for the 2014 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships the NCAA selection committee announced Wednesday. Nick Roberts (125 pounds), Johnni DiJulius (133 pounds), Logan Stieber (141 pounds), Ian Paddock (149 pounds), Mark Martin (174 pounds), Kenny Courts (184 pounds), Nick Heflin (197 pounds) and Nick Tavanello (HWT) will represent the Scarlet and Gray March 20-22 at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Okla.



Nick Roberts ? 125 pounds

Sixth at Big Ten championships … opened season with third-place finish at Clarion Open (Nov. 3); followed that performance with fifth-place outing at Michigan State Open (Nov. 9) ... sixth at CKLV Invitational (Dec. 6-7); unseeded at CKLV Invite, defeated Nos. 6, 8, 11 and 12 seeds ... tied for second on team among starters in wins with 27 ... leads program with 7 major decisions among starters (tie) ... concluded regular season a winner of five of six matches, including a pair of falls against Brenan Lyon of Michigan State in 1:54 (Feb. 7) and 4:17 fall vs. Sean Williams of Oklahoma in NWCA National Duals (Feb. 16-17); also recorded 15-0 technical fall vs. Alfredo Gray of Kent State in second round of National Duals (Feb. 16) in that span.



No. 9 Johnni DiJulius ? 133 pounds

Sixth-place finisher at 2014 Big Ten Championships … two-time NCAA qualifier … Big Ten Wrestler of the Week (Dec. 9) ... won 133-pound title at CKLV Invitational (Dec. 6-7); as No. 4 seed, defeated Nos. 5, 1 and 2 seeds en route to title ...finished third at Clarion Open (Nov. 3) ... lost first match in 16

bouts vs. Michigan's Rossi Bruno (Jan. 31), a 2-1 loss in three tiebreakers ... posted 3-1 record at NWCA National Duals (Feb. 16-17) ... wrapped up regular season with 4:18 pin over Virginia Tech's Dennis Gustafson (Feb. 23) … fourth on the team in wins with 26.



No. 2 Logan Stieber ? 141 pounds

Three-time Big Ten champion, winning in 2012 (133 pounds), 2013 (133 pounds) and 2014 (141 pounds) … two-time NCAA champion … two-time All-American … 2013 All-Star Classic Champion; faced Kendric Maple of Oklahoma in 149-pound bout ... 141-pound champion at CKLV Invitational; won by major decision, technical fall and three falls en route to title; named Most Outstanding Wrestler ... won career 80th match vs. Michigan's Steve Dutton, a 16-1 technical fall ... all 24 of 25 victories have come via either major decision (6), technical fall (10) or fall (8) ... .938 career win percentage (90-6) is No. 3 all-time at Ohio State; trails No. 1 Mark Coleman (50-2; .962) and No. 2 Rex Holman (69-3; .958) ... team leader in falls with 8 and technical falls with 10.



Ian Paddock ? 149 pounds

Four-time NCAA championships qualifier … finished seventh at 2014 Big Ten Championships … finished fifth in 149-pound bracket of CKLV Invitational (Dec. 6-7); as seventh seed beat No. 3 Eric Grajales of Michigan, 8-2, in fifth-place match up ... third at Michigan State Open (Nov. 9) ... fifth on team in wins with 25 among starters.



No. 14 Mark Martin ? 174 pounds

Two-time NCAA championships qualifier … finished seventh at 2014 Big Ten Championships … second on team in wins with 27 (tie) ... second on team in major decisions among starters with 6 ... opened season with third-place finish at Clarion Open (Nov. 3) ...sixth at Michigan State Open (Nov. 9) ... won six of last seven matches, including five consecutive dating back to Jan. 31 during the regular season; among those wins is a 4-3 victory over No. 9 Lee Munster of Northwestern (Jan. 17).



No. 10 Kenny Courts ? 184 pounds

Fifth-place finisher at 2014 Big Ten Championships … finished third at CKLV Invitational (Dec. 6-7) ... runner-up at Clarion Open (Nov. 3) ... Michigan State Open Champion (Nov. 9) ... first on team among starters in wins with 29 ... tied for first on team in major decisions with 7 … won four consecutive matches dating back to Feb. 3 and 8 of last 10 going back to Dec. 19 during regular season; three of those victories came against Big Ten opponents - Dylan Iczkowski (Wisconsin - 12-4 major decision), Jacob Berkowtiz (Northwestern - 18-4 major decision) and John Rizqallah (Michigan State - Fall 3:09) ... posted a 2-0 record at NWCA National Duals (Feb. 16-17.



No. 1 Nick Heflin ? 197 pounds

2014 Big Ten Champion … two-time All-American … Champion at Clarion Open (Nov. 3) ... sixth at CKLV Invitational (Dec. 6-7) ... recorded 85th career victory after recording a 16-3 major decision vs. Chris Heald of Michigan (Jan. 31) ... since dropping lone match of season at Wisconsin Jan. 10 vs. Tim McCall, has won 14 consecutive matches ... among those victories are a pair of falls - Zeal McGrew of Hofstra in NWCA National Duals (Feb. 16) in 59 seconds and a 1:17 pin over Brooks Morrison of Virginia Tech (Feb. 23); additionally recorded a pair of major decisions over Chris Heald of Michigan (16-3) Jan. 31 and a 10-2 major decision vs. Nick McDiarmind in Massillon, Ohio.



Nick Tavanello - HWT

Finished eighth at 2014 Big Ten Championships … opened season with third-place finish at Clarion Open (Nov. 3) ... beat Nos. 6 and 9 seeds at CKLV Invitational en route to eighth-place finish (Dec 6-7) ... wrapped up first full regular season as a starter with a 5-3 victory vs. Virginia Tech's Ty Walz (Feb. 23) ... second on team in falls with 6.



#GoBucks
 
Wrestling: NCAA Championship Brackets To Be Unveiled On Wednesday

Courtesy: Hofstra Athletic Communications

For Release: Tuesday, March 11, 2014


Hempstead, NY ? The NCAA will unveil the field and the brackets for the 2014 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships set for March 20-22 at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, on Wednesday, March 12.


Hofstra, which joined the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association last spring after a highly-successful 12-year tenure in the Colonial Athletic Association that included 11 team championships, earned four qualifiers through the EIWA Championships last weekend at the University of Pennsylvania. Graduate-student Joe Booth at 165, seniors Luke Vaith at 141 and Jamie Franco at 125 and junior Cody Ruggirello at 149 will all be making the trip to Oklahoma City next week.


Booth (32-7), who captured Hofstra's first EIWA title, will be making his fourth NCAA Championship appearance and his first as a member of the Pride. Vaith (28-6), who placed second at the EIWA Championships, will be making his third NCAA trip. Franco (21-13), who placed fifth at the EIWAs, will also be making his third trip to the national tournament. Ruggirello (25-9), who placed fourth at the EIWA Championships, will be making his debut in the NCAA Championships.


Cody Ruggirello, and his brother Lou, who wrested for the Pride from 2006 through 2011 and was a four-time NCAA qualifier and a 2011 All-American, are just the third brother-tandem in Hofstra history to qualify for the NCAA Championships. Previously, Anthony (1983 & 1985) and Michael Arena (1987, 1988), and, most recently, Michael (2003, 2005-07) and Ryan Patrovich (2008, 2009, 2011) were NCAA qualifiers.





The NCAA will release each set of qualifiers (in alphabetical order) on NCAA.com over the course of the day on Wednesday beginning with heavyweights at 1 p.m. ET and continuing with a new weight class each half hour (197 pounds at 1:30; 184 pounds at 2 p.m.; etc.). The link will be shared on the NCAA Wrestling social media channels on both Twitter (@NCAAWrestling) and Facebook (NCAA Wrestling).



The day will conclude with the NCAA Wrestling Selection Show at 6 p.m. ET on NCAA.com where the seeds and brackets will be unveiled for each weight class. During the Selection Show, the NCAA will also reveal details on the championship match order for Session VI on Saturday night. The full release and brackets will be posted on NCAA.com immediately after the show.
 
Parisi, Cottrell Among 285 NCAA Field


BOONE, N.C. ? Appalachian State University wrestling duo were named on Wednesday as two of the 285 student-athletes that qualified automatically through the conference and regional tournaments during the past two weekends to wrestle in the NCAA Division 1 Wrestling Championships.


After being crowned conference champions in their respective weight classes, redshirt junior Dominic Parisi (Concord, N.C./Jay M. Robinson) and redshirt freshman Dylan Cottrell (Spencer, W.Va./Roane County) names were selected during the all-day selection show by the NCAA wrestling committee.


Brackets revealed that Parisi, who won the Southern Conference title at the 125-pound weight class, will have to face off against 14th-seeded Edward Kilmara of Oklahoma State. This will be the second year that Parisi will start the tournament against a top-15 seeded wrestler. Last year, he found some victory knocking off both the No. 5 and No. 12 seeds.


Cottrell will enter the tournament for the first time and hold a 12 seed at the 149-pound weight class. He will face James English of Penn State in the first round. Cottrell finished the season with a 26-1 record and have won 18 matches in a row. He enjoyed success this season by winning the SoCon freshman of the year award and going 3-0 in the conference tournament to take home first place.


Action from the Division I Wrestling Chmapionhips will take place at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Ok on March 20-22.
 
Cowboys Take Full Squad to NCAAs in Oklahoma City[/B]

***PDF of full notes attached



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The Basics
The Oklahoma State wrestling squad, ranked No. 4 by the Intermat tournament rankings, heads to Oklahoma City, Okla., to compete in the NCAA Wrestling Championships on March 20-22. The first round is set to begin at 11 a.m. on March 20.


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Live Updates
Fans can follow the action online through live updates on Twitter by following @CowboyWrestling.


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Watch The Championships Live
Fans will be able to watch the entire 2014 NCAA Championships as ESPN expands its coverage. ESPN will televise the semifinals and championship finals while ESPNU will air the preliminary sessions and medal round. The entire tournament will be available on WatchESPN.


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Listen to the Tournament Live
The tournament will be aired live on 780 AM and 93.7 KSPI FM radio in Stillwater with Roger Moore and Rex Holt on the call. The audio stream can also be heard live on okstate.tv, but a subscription is required to listen online.


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Cowboys Take 10
Oklahoma State will send all 10 of its starters to the NCAA tournament. With eight of the Cowboys earning automatic bids, Nolan Boyd and returning All-American Blake Rosholt were the final pieces to the Cowboys' puzzle. Boyd and Rosholt received at-large bids, giving the Pokes a full lineup to take to Oklahoma City.



Big 12 Champs, Again
The Oklahoma State wrestling squad claimed its 12th Big 12 title and 48th conference title on March 9, earning 98.5 team points, blowing out second-place Oklahoma, who put up 63.5 points. The Pokes crowned six individual champions and automatically qualified eight wrestlers for the NCAA tournament. Three Cowboys produced runner-up finishes, while the other Poke finished in third.
At the 2014 Big 12 tournament, OSU put more than half its wrestlers atop the podium for the second-straight year. Anthony Collica and Austin Marsden earned their first conference titles. Collica became the 19th freshman in school history to earn an individual title. Jon Morrison, Alex Dieringer and Tyler Caldwell each picked up their second crowns. Senior Chris Perry capped off his career with his fourth Big 12 title, making him the sixth Cowboy in school history to win four titles.
In all, OSU will take 13 Big 12 individual titles to Oklahoma City.

2014 Big 12 Championship Standings
1. Oklahoma State 98.5 points
2. Oklahoma 63.5 points
3. Iowa State 45.5 points
4. West Virginia 26 points


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Cowboys Return Five All-Americans
2013 NCAA champion at 174 pounds Chris Perry is joined by four other All-Americans on the Cowboys' squad. Sophomore Alex Dieringer received the distinction after producing a third-place finish at last year's tournament. While at Oklahoma, Tyler Caldwell earned two All-America honors, finishing fifth in 2010 and second in 2011. Last year, Caldwell earned a third-place finish. Senior Jon Morrison earned his first All-American honor at 133 pounds, finishing last year's tournament in fifth. Blake Rosholt returns for his final NCAA championship after earning eighth in 2013.



Cowboys At the NCAA Tournament
The Oklahoma State wrestling program boasts 34 NCAA titles all-time, making it the winningest program in all of college sports.
Cowboy wrestlers have combined to win 136 NCAA individual titles and 435 All-America honors through the years, far surpassing the second-place totals held by Iowa (79 champions and 301 All-Americans).


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John Smith At The NCAA Meet
John Smith has led the Cowboys to five NCAA titles and has coached 26 NCAA individual champions and 102 All-Americans since taking over the program in 1991-92.
His 26 NCAA champions leads all active coaches and his 102 All-Americans ranks second to Minnesota's J Robinson, who has coached five more years than Smith.


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Caldwell Seeks Fourth All-America Honor
Senior Tyler Caldwell looks to become a four-time All-American as he enters this year's NCAA tournament seeded No. 2. A native of Wichita, Kan., Caldwell started his wrestling career at OU, where he placed fifth and second at the national tournament, respectively. In his first NCAA tournament dressed in orange and black, Caldwell took third at the 2013 NCAA Championships at 165 pounds. Should he achieve that status again this year, he will be the 64th wrestler to become a two-time All-American while at OSU.


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Cowboys vs. NCAA Field
The Cowboys have compiled a 76-40 record against the NCAA tourney field this season. Against the field at the national championships, three Cowboys have only suffered one loss. No. 4 seed at 133 pounds, Jon Morrison, put together a 10-1 record against this year's NCAA qualifiers. His lone loss came at the hands of No. 3 seed Tony Ramos of Iowa. Sophomore Alex Dieringer, who enters the tournament seeded No. 3 at 157 pounds, went 11-1 against the field this season, with his loss coming from No. 2 seed Derek St. John of Iowa. Senior Chris Perry has faced off against competitors in the 174-pound bracket 14 times this year. The only match he dropped was early in the season when he fell to No. 2 Andrew Howe of Oklahoma. Perry later avenged that loss, defeating Howe in the 174-pound finals of the Big 12 Championship.


Perry Continuing a Legacy
Senior Chris Perry is one of 36 Oklahoma State wrestlers all-time to win 100 career bouts. He enters the NCAA Championships with a 25-1 mark this year and a career record of 117-11. His win total ranks him 19th all-time at OSU and gives him a 91.4 win percentage. The senior also earned his fourth conference title, making him the sixth Cowboy wrestler to do so. He joins the likes of Steve Barrett (1974-77), his uncle LeeRoy Smith (1977-80), Johnny Thompson (2001-04), and Jordan Oliver (2010-13).

Perry won the 135th individual national championship for Oklahoma State, when he defeated Penn State's Matt Brown, 2-1, in a tiebreaker in the 2013 174-pound finals. He also earned the 10th individual NCAA title for his family. His uncles LeeRoy Smith (1980), John Smith (1987-88) and Pat Smith (1990-92, 94) make up for seven NCAA championships while at OSU, and his brother Mark Perry, Jr. earned two while at Iowa (2007-08).


Welcome to the 100 Club, Mr. Perry
Stillwater, Okla., native Chris Perry was welcomed into the Oklahoma State wrestling 100-win club after he defeated Wyoming's Brent Havlik with an 11-3 major decision to earn his 100th career win on Dec. 14. He now totes a 117-11 career record and is the 36th Cowboy wrestler to join the 100-Win Club. Perry is also the fifth member of his family to earn the honor. He joins father Mark Perry, and uncles John, LeeRoy and Pat Smith.


OSU Statistical Leaders
Wins: 29, Nolan Boyd
Bonus Point Wins: 16, Alex Dieringer
Wins by Fall: 11, Dieringer and Rogers
Wins by Technical Fall: 4, Dieringer and Perry
Wins by Major Decision: 7, Caldwell and Klimara
Dual Takedowns: 46, Jon Morrison
Dual Nearfalls: 15, Alex Dieringer


Best in the Big 12
Oklahoma State wrestling was recognized four times this season by the Big 12 Conference as Cowboy wrestlers were selected as Big 12 Wrestlers of the Week.

Senior Jon Morrison earned his third career weekly honor on Jan. 16 after he won his second-consecutive Southern Scuffle title at 133 pounds.

Alex Dieringer was named Big 12 Wrestler of the Week on Jan. 27 following his performance against conference foe John Nicholson, who he defeated by a 14-3 major decision.

Chris Perry earned the first Big 12 honor on Dec. 16 after earning his 100th career win and the second on Feb. 17 after he took out fifth-ranked Matt Brown of Penn State in State College, Pa. Following his 3-2 upset over top-ranked Andrew Howe of OU in the 174-pound final of the Big 12 championship, Perry was named Outstanding Wrestler for the tournament.


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Academic Excellence
The Big 12 Conference recognized seven Oklahoma State wrestlers as members of the 2014 Academic All-Big 12 wrestling team. OSU's first-team honorees include Darnell Bortz, Nolan Boyd, Tyler Caldwell, Tommy Diaz, Josh Kindig and Chris Perry. Senior Blake Rosholt was named a second-team selection.

Perry caps off his time at OSU as a four-time Academic All-Big 12 selection, and Caldwell earned the honor twice with the first coming in 2011 while he was a student-athlete at Oklahoma.

The Cowboys and Oklahoma led the league with seven selections each.


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Good Ride, Cowboys
Four Cowboy wrestlers will complete their collegiate careers in Oklahoma City at the 2014 NCAA Championships. Stillwater, Okla., native Chris Perry seeks his second national title at 174 pounds. The first came in 2013, when he finished off Matt Brown of Penn State in a tiebreaker, 2-1. Tyler Caldwell enters his final NCAA tournament as a three-time All-American. In 2011, Caldwell was a finalist at 165 pounds, falling to eventual Olympic champion Jordan Burroughs. Jon Morrison competed in his first two NCAA championships at 125 pounds. In 2013, he earned his first All-America honor at 133 pounds, finishing fifth. Blake Rosholt will compete in his third NCAA tournament after finishing eighth last season to become an All-American. His redshirt freshman season, Rosholt competed in the heavyweight bracket.

Bonus Point Machines
Six of the Cowboys' starters have earned bonus points in at least half of their wins. Of sophomore Eddie Klimara's wins at 125 pounds, 72 percent have resulted in bonus points, including five falls, seven major decisions and one technical fall. The team's most prolific pinners, Alex Dieringer (157) and Jordan Rogers (184/197), have each run up their bonus-point win totals, sticking 11 of their opponents this season. Chris Perry (174) has earned 15 bonus-point wins out of his 24 wins and Nolan Boyd (184/197) has collected 16 out of his 29 wins. Most recently joining this group is Jon Morrison (133) who has 12 wins with bonus points attached.


Catching Fire
After an uncharacteristically poor start, the Cowboys won seven of their last eight duals of the season. The Pokes started their run downing No. 18 Iowa State, 29-3. Just a week later, they went on to handily defeat No. 10 Mizzou, 28-6. At the beginning of February, the Cowboys ran over the CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners, 37-6, before taking care of in-state rival and No. 10 Oklahoma, 29-9. The Pokes recently shutout Clarion, 45-0, in their last road trip of the year. In their last two home duals of the year, the Cowboys put down Arizona State, 29-10, and American, 43-6. In each of their last seven wins, the Cowboys have won at least seven of their 10 bouts.



What's Going on in the Conference
The Cowboys finished the Big 12 dual competition with a perfect 3-0 record, handily defeating each of their opponents. Earlier this season, the Pokes suffered a 19-18 loss to Oklahoma in Norman in a non-conference dual, thus not affecting the conference record. The Pokes finished with their 12th Big 12 championship and 48th overall conference title.

Caldwell Gets 100
Tyler Caldwell earned his 100th career win with his 19-1 technical fall over Curt Maas of Northern Iowa in his first match of the Joe Parisi Open on Nov. 23. He placed first at the tourney and now boasts a career total of 122-28.

He put together a 63-20 record while at OU and finished a 35-5 campaign as a Cowboy during the 2012-13 season.


Loaded Lineup
The Cowboys returned five All-Americans for the 2013-14 season in Jon Morrison, Alex Dieringer, Tyler Caldwell, Blake Rosholt and 2013 national champion Chris Perry. Of the other five Cowboys in the lineup, three are NCAA qualifiers.

In total, the Oklahoma State lineup combines for one national champion, 13 Big 12 champions and eight All-Americans.


[/B]

Cowboy Comebacks
Josh Kindig and Austin Marsden return to the Cowboy lineup after taking redshirts during the 2012-13 season. Kindig spent two years in the lineup as a true freshman and a sophomore before taking a year off. As a starter, Kindig produced a third-place and runner-up finish at Big 12s and was a two-time NCAA qualifier.

Marsden was taken from his redshirt late in the 2011-12 season after starting heavyweight Alan Gelogaev suffered a season-ending injury. Marsden went on to finish second at the Big 12 Championships and qualify for NCAAs as a true freshman.


Last Time Out
Big 12 Championship Finals
March 8, 2014 :: McCasland Field House (Norman, Okla.) :: Attendance - 2,008

125: No. 1 Jarrod Patterson (OU) dec. No. 2 Eddie Klimara (OSU), 4-3
133: No. 1 Jon Morrison (OSU) dec. No. 2 Cody Brewer (OU), 8-1
141: No. 2 Anthony Collica (OSU) dec. No. 4 Gabe Moreno (ISU), 4-2
149: No. 1 Kendric Maple (OU) dec. No. 2 Josh Kindig (OSU), 6-3
157: No. 1 Alex Dieringer (OSU) dec. No. 2 Justin DeAngelis (OU), 8-3
165: No. 1 Tyler Caldwell (OSU) MD No. 2 Michael Moreno (ISU), 12-1
174: No. 2 Chris Perry (OSU) dec. No. 1 Andrew Howe (OU), 3-2
184: No. 3 Lelund Weatherspoon (ISU) dec. No. 1 Nolan Boyd (OSU), 4-3
197: No. 1 Kyven Gadson (ISU) dec. No. 2 Travis Rutt (OU), 3-3 TB2 (on criteria)
285: No. 1 Austin Marsden (OSU) dec. No. 2 A.J. Vizcarrondo (WVU), 5-2


All-Time Dual Wins Leaders
As of March 5, 2014
1. Oklahoma State 1,053-120-23
2. Iowa State 1,036-296-20
3. Oregon State 993-325-28
4. Iowa 941-225-31
5. Minnesota 921-428-24


[/B]

Signing Day Recap
In mid-November, John Smith announced the signing of six wrestlers during the 2013 early signing period.
Headlining the class is No. 1 overall recruit Chance Marsteller of Fawn Grove, Pa. The senior carries a perfect 125-0 record into his senior season. Joining him is three-time Washington state champion and No. 9 overall recruit Chandler Rogers, who moved to Stillwater, Okla., for his senior season.
The Cowboys scored other nationally ranked recruits in No. 21 Ryan Blees from North Dakota, No. 49 Gary Wayne Harding, a Collinsville, Okla., native, and No. 62 Mike Magaldo of New Jersey.
The final signee for the Pokes was Cedar City, Utah, native Dusty Hone.

ASICS All-Americans Live Here
There are three different wrestlers on this year's Oklahoma State roster who were ASICS first-team All-Americans during their prep days:

Chris Perry 2009
Josh Kindig 2010
Jordan Rogers 2012

Fargo Champs, Too
There are five different wrestlers on this year's Oklahoma State wrestling roster who won titles at the ASICS Junior Freestyle National Championships in Fargo, N.D., during their prep days:

Jon Morrison 2007
Chris Perry 2008
Alex Dieringer 2011
Jordan Rogers 2011
Anthony Collica 2012 and 2013


[/B]

Coached by the Best
Members of the Oklahoma State wrestling staff combine for six world championships, two Olympic gold medals and an Olympic bronze.

They also combine for seven NCAA championships and 14 All-America honors. The breakdown:


[/B]

Olympic Medalists
John Smith 1988 and 1992 Gold
Coleman Scott 2012 Bronze


[/B]

Senior World Championships Medalists
John Smith 1987, 1989, 1990 and 1991 Gold


[/B]

NCAA Individual Championships
John Smith 1987, 1988
Eric Guerrero 1997, 1998, 1999
Zack Esposito 2005
Coleman Scott 2008
 
Four Wyoming Wrestlers Ready For NCAAs



Three juniors and one redshirt freshman make up UW contingent



LARAMIE, Wyo. (March 17, 2014) A talented group of University of Wyoming wrestlers will make the trek to Oklahoma for the NCAA Div. I Championships, which begin Thursday.



The details
Wrestling begins Thursday and runs through the finals on Saturday evening in Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Okla. Every session, including every match, will be available on ESPN3.com. The semifinals and finals will be available on ESPN.



Thursday: Session I, 10 a.m. MT on ESPNU/ESPN3.com

Friday: Session III, 9 a.m. MT, ESPNU/ESPN3.com

Saturday: Session V, 9 a.m. MT, ESPNU/ESPN3.com



A talented quartet
Comprised of juniors Tyler Cox, Dakota Friesth and Shane Woods and redshirt freshman Benjamin Stroh, the UW group hopes to make some noise on the national scene. Cox and Woods return to NCAAs for the second-straight season, while Friesth and Stroh make their debut.



Cox, Stroh and Woods are fresh off West Regional titles, while Friesth was the runner up at the event in in his weight class. Three of the Cowboys had 25 or more wins this year, and all four had at least 22 victories.



At the national tournament
Wyoming head coach Mark Branch has had a great run at the national championships in each his previous five seasons. UW has accumulated eight All-America honors since 2009, including two in each of the last three years. Branch has guided UW to two top-25 finishes in the last two championships.



Who's going?
Here's a breakdown of each UW wrestler who received a bid for the championships.

Tyler Cox: Ranked eighth in the nation, Cox showed his prowess at the West Regional, beating fourth-ranked Josh Martinez of Air Force in the title bout. He's 28-5 this season with five pins, four major decisions and three technical falls. He earned the No. 9 seed at 125 pounds and faces Caleb Richardson of Penn in the first round.



Dakota Friesth: The junior had his breakout season in 2013-14, winning 28 matches. He had seven major decisions to lead all starters. He finished third in the Reno Tournament of Champions and was the runner-up at 165 pounds in the West Regional. He'll take on 11th-seeded Turtogtokh Luvsandorj of The Citadel in Round One.



Benjamin Stroh: This season marks six-straight years UW has sent a 184-pounder to nationals. The talented rookie won 27 matches in 2013-14, including two bouts at the West Regional to take the crown at 184. Stroh won the Reno Tournament of Champions and knocked off seven NCAA qualifiers over the season. He draws No. 1 Jimmy Sheptock of Maryland in his first bout at nationals.



Shane Woods: Returning to his home state, Woods hopes for a good showing in front of a friendly crowd. The junior returns to NCAAs for the second-straight season, fresh off his second-consecutive WWC title. Woods went 22-7 during the season and has won his last eight bouts. The move from 184 to 197 appears to be paying off for the stout Oklahoma native. He'll face 11th-seeded Nathan Burak (Iowa) to open up NCAAs.



The finals

The NCAA will decide the order of the finals matches at the conclusion of Session V on Saturday morning. It's the second season the NCAA will begin with a different weight class than 125 pounds.



Last year
The Cowboys finished 23rd in the team race with 20.5 points, thanks to top-eight finishes from Cox and Alfonso Hernandez. It marked the 17th time that UW had finished in the top 25 in history.



Who's tough?
Penn State, the three-time defending team champion, enters the championships as the pick to win it all again. InterMat and WIN Magazine each have the Nittany Lions at No. 1 in their final weekly ratings.



-ADC-
 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:




Six UVU wrestlers named all-conference




Senior Avery Garner led the way by being named to the first team.



March 17, 2014[/B]









Complete WWC Release[/B]

OREM, Utah - The Western Wrestling Conference announced its All-Conference teams for the 2013-14 season on Monday and six Utah Valley University wrestlers made the cut. Individuals earned spots on the respective teams with their finishes at the 2014 NCAA West Regional/WWC Championships on March 8 in Orem, Utah.

Senior Curtis Abner Cook (165) were also honored as they made the third team.

The all-conference honor was Garner's third of his career while Fager, Tolbert and Cook were all recognized for the second time. Rauser and Thomas received their first-ever all-conference accolades.

Team-wise, North Dakota State and Wyoming led the way with three first team honorees apiece while the South Dakota State had two. Overall NDSU led the way with seven of its wrestlers being named all-conference. Air Force, Utah Valley and Wyoming were next as they all had six of their wrestlers make the cut. Each WWC school had at least one individual named all-conference.

The Western Wrestling Conference is comprised of six schools including the Air Force Academy, North Dakota State, Northern Colorado, South Dakota State, Utah Valley and Wyoming.

Garner, Fager, Rauser and Cook will head to the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships later this week. The tournament will run Thursday through Saturday at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Okla.

FIRST TEAM ALL-WWC
125: Tyler Cox (WYO), Jr., Gillette, Wyo. (Campbell County HS)*
133: Greg Rinker (AFA), Sr., Northampton, Pa. (Northampton HS)*
141: Avery Garner (UVU), Sr., Boise, Idaho (Centennial HS)**
149: Alex Kocer (SDSU), RFr., Wagner, S.D. (Wagner HS)
157: Cody Pack (SDSU), Jr., Quincy, Calif. (Quincy HS)*
165: Steven Monk (NDSU), Sr., Wausau, Wis. (Wausau West HS)***
174: Hayden Zillmer (NDSU), So., Crosby, Minn. (Crosby Ironton HS)
184: Benjamin Stroh (WYO), RFr., Harlem, Mont. (Chinook HS)
197: Shane Woods (WYO), Jr., Tuttle, Okla. (Tuttle HS)*
285: Evan Knutson (NDSU), Jr., Wausau, Wis. (Wausau West HS)**


SECOND TEAM ALL-WWC
125: Josh Martinez (AFA), So., Colorado Springs, Colo. (Pine Creek HS)*
133: Justin LaValle (NDSU), Sr., West Fargo, N.D. (West Fargo HS)
141: Cole Mendenhall (WYO), RFr., Great Falls, Mont. (Great Falls HS)
149: Natrelle Demison (AFA), Fr., Bakersfield, Calif. (Bakersfield HS)
157: Andy McCulley (WYO), Jr., Rock Springs, Wyo. (Rock Springs HS)*
165: Dakota Friesth (WYO), Jr., Adel, Iowa (Adel-DeSota-Minburn)*
174: John Nething II (SDSU), Jr., Paynesville, Minn. (New London-Spicer HS)
184: Kurtis Julson (NDSU), Jr., Inner Grove Heights, Minn. (Simley HS)*
197: Tyler Lehmann (NDSU), RFr., Fargo, N.D. (West Fargo HS)
285: Adam Fager (UVU), Jr., Layton, Utah (Layton HS)*


THIRD TEAM ALL-WWC
125: Jade Rauser (UVU), So., Townsend, Mont. (Broadwater HS)
133: Chasen Tolbert (UVU), So., Delta, Utah (Delta HS)*

141: Clay Cathey (NDSU), RFr., Billings, Mont. (Skyview HS)
149: Tyler Diamond (NDSU), Sr., Oroville, Calif. (Oroville HS)
157: Josh Kreimier (AFA), Sr., Fort Collins, Colo. (Loveland HS)**
165: Curtis Abner Cook (UVU), Sr., Pocatello, Idaho (Pocatello HS)*
174: Konner Witt (AFA), So., Oak Harbor, Ohio (Oak Harbor HS)
184: Devin HIghtower (AFA), Sr., Colorado Springs, Colo. (Widefield HS)*
197: Derek Thomas (UVU), So., Layton, Utah (Layton HS)
285: Henry Chirino (UNC), Jr., Brandon, Fla. (Brandon HS)


* Denotes two-time all-conference honoree
** Denotes three-time all-conference honoree
*** Denotes four-time all-conference honoree
 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Western Wrestling Conference



NDSU Wrestling Tops WWC with Eight All-Conference Honors



March 17, 2014



OREM, Utah ? The Western Wrestling Conference announced its All-Conference teams for the 2013-14 season on Monday. Individuals earned spots on the respective teams with their finishes at the 2014 NCAA West Regional/WWC Championships on March 8 in Orem, Utah. All six league schools competed at the Regional.



Team-wise, NDSU and Wyoming led the way with three first team honorees apiece while the Jackrabbits had two. Overall NDSU led the way with eight of its wrestlers being named all-conference. Air Force, Utah Valley and Wyoming were next as they all had six of their wrestlers make the cut.



Two defending West Regional individual champions successfully retained their titles and earned First Team All-WWC honors, as North Dakota State's Steven Monk (165 pounds) and Wyoming's Shane Woods (197) both accomplished that feat.



Six of the 10 members named to the first team were repeat winners from one of the three all-conference squads in years past. The only newcomers to earn first team accolades were Air Force's Greg Rinker (133), South Dakota State's Alex Kocer (149), North Dakota State's Hayden Zillmer (174) and Wyoming's Benjamin Stroh (184).



NDSU's Monk was named all-conference for the fourth time in his career, as he was named second team in 2010-11 and first team for each of the past three seasons.



Nineteen of these 30 wrestlers have qualified the this weekend's NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships and will represent the WWC in Oklahoma City, Okla.



The Western Wrestling Conference is comprised of six schools including the Air Force Academy, North Dakota State, Northern Colorado, South Dakota State, Utah Valley and Wyoming.



FIRST TEAM ALL-WWC

125: Tyler Cox (WYO), Jr., Gillette, Wyo. (Campbell County HS)*

133: Greg Rinker (AFA), Sr., Northampton, Pa. (Northampton HS)*

141: Avery Garner (UVU), Sr., Boise, Idaho (Centennial HS)**

149: Alex Kocer (SDSU), RFr., Wagner, S.D. (Wagner HS)

157: Cody Pack (SDSU), Jr., Quincy, Calif. (Quincy HS)*

165: Steven Monk (NDSU), Sr., Wausau, Wis. (Wausau West HS)***

174: Hayden Zillmer (NDSU), So., Crosby, Minn. (Crosby Ironton HS)

184: Benjamin Stroh (WYO), RFr., Harlem, Mont. (Chinook HS)

197: Shane Woods (WYO), Jr., Tuttle, Okla. (Tuttle HS)*

285: Evan Knutson (NDSU), Jr., Wausau, Wis. (Wausau West HS)**



SECOND TEAM ALL-WWC

125: Josh Martinez (AFA), So., Colorado Springs, Colo. (Pine Creek HS)*

133: Justin LaValle (NDSU), Sr., West Fargo, N.D. (West Fargo HS)

141: Cole Mendenhall (WYO), RFr., Great Falls, Mont. (Great Falls HS)

149: Natrelle Demison (AFA), Fr., Bakersfield, Calif. (Bakersfield HS)

157: Andy McCulley (WYO), Jr., Rock Springs, Wyo. (Rock Springs HS)*

165: Dakota Friesth (WYO), Jr., Adel, Iowa (Adel-DeSota-Minburn)*

174: John Nething II (SDSU), Jr., Paynesville, Minn. (New London-Spicer HS)

184: Kurtis Julson (NDSU), Jr., Inner Grove Heights, Minn. (Simley HS)*

197: Tyler Lehmann (NDSU), RFr., Fargo, N.D. (West Fargo HS)

285: Adam Fager (UVU), Jr., Layton, Utah (Layton HS)*



THIRD TEAM ALL-WWC

125: Jade Rauser (UVU), So., Townsend, Mont. (Broadwater HS)

133: Chasen Tolbert (UVU), So., Delta, Utah (Delta HS)*

141: Clay Cathey (NDSU), RFr., Billings, Mont. (Skyview HS)

149: Tyler Diamond (NDSU), Sr., Oroville, Calif. (Oroville HS)

157: Josh Kreimier (AFA), Sr., Fort Collins, Colo. (Loveland HS)**

165: Curtis Abner Cook (UVU), Sr., Pocatello, Idaho (Pocatello HS)*

174: Konner Witt (AFA), So., Oak Harbor, Ohio (Oak Harbor HS)

184: Devin HIghtower (AFA), Sr., Colorado Springs, Colo. (Widefield HS)*

197: Derek Thomas (UVU), So., Layton, Utah (Layton HS)

285: Henry Chirino (UNC), Jr., Brandon, Fla. (Brandon HS)



* Denotes two-time all-conference honoree

** Denotes three-time all-conference honoree

*** Denotes four-time all-conference honoree
 
Five to Represent Cardinal at NCAAs
Championships on the line in Oklahoma City


THIS WEEK: Five Stanford wrestlers - redshirt seniors Ryan Mango (133 pounds) and Kyle Meyer (174 pounds, senior Dan Scherer (197 pounds), redshirt sophomore Evan Silver (125 pounds) and redshirt freshman Jim Wilson (165 pounds) - will cap off the season at the 2014 NCAA Championships at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Okla., March 20-22.


CATCH THE CARDINAL: ESPN is providing coverage of every match in every session via ESPN, ESPNU and ESPN3. Stanford's Facebook (Stanford Wrestling) and Twitter (@CardWrestling) will also provide updates on Cardinal wrestlers throughout the event.
Below is the broadcast schedule with ESPN3 (WatchESPN) carrying individual mat feeds throughout the entire tournament.


Thursday, March 20 - 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. PT - First Session (ESPNU)
Thursday, March 20 - 4 p.m.-7:30 p.m. PT - Second Session (ESPNU)
Friday, March 21 - 8 a.m.-11 a.m. PT - Quarterfinals/Third Session (ESPNU)
Friday, March 21 - 5 p.m.-8 p.m. PT - Semifinals/Fourth Session (ESPN)
Saturday, March 22 - 8 a.m. -11 a.m. PT - Medal Round/Fifth Session (ESPNU)
Saturday, March 22 - 5 p.m.-8 p.m. PT - Championship Finals (ESPN)


WHAT'S AT STAKE: The Cardinal wrestlers will be competing in 33-man bracket for the individual national title in their respective weight classes. The top-eight finishers in each weight class will be named 2014 All-Americans.


HOW THEY GOT THERE: For the first time in program history, Stanford crowned four individual title winners at the conference championships, finishing second overall (tying the school's best finish). Ryan Mango won his second conference title becoming just the fifth Cardinal wrestler to accomplish that feat. Senior Dan Scherer, redshirt sophomore Evan Silver and redshirt freshman Jim Wilson all captured championships for the first time. Kyle Meyer placed third and received an automatic berth. Stanford's five qualifiers ties a program-high (2004, 2007, 2008).


STANFORD AT THE NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS: Stanford's highest team finish at the NCAA Championships came in 2011 when the Cardinal placed 11th. Matt Gentry is the lone Cardinal to win an individual title, capturing the 157-pound crown in 2004. In 2011, Nick Amuchastegui ('12) joined Gentry as the only NCAA finalists in program history. Amuchastegui went on to become just the second three-time All-American at Stanford and reached the finals for a second time in 2012.


JOINING THE ELITE: Redshirt senior 133-pounder Ryan Mango became just the eighth Cardinal wrestler to reach the 100-win plateau in January. Now with 108, the St. Louis, Mo., native is looking to become just the third three-time All-American in program history, having placed sixth (2011) and fifth (2012) at 125 pounds.


FRESHMAN WINS: Redshirt freshman Jim Wilson is 33-6 in his first season competing for the Cardinal. His 33 wins are the third-most by a freshman in school history, joining Dave Lee (37) and Matt Gentry (35). Both Lee (at Wisconsin) and Gentry went on to win NCAA titles during their collegiate careers.


YEAR TWO: After leading the Cardinal in wins last season (26) and qualifying for NCAAs, redshirt sophomore Evan Silver has improved his national ranking this season. At 23-4, Silver is ranked 12th by InterMat and has defeated three ranked opponents on the year.


LAST CHANCE: Senior 197-pounder Dan Scherer is making the most of his final season with the Cardinal. After wrestling at heavyweight as a sophomore and junior, Scherer upset ninth-ranked Taylor Meeks of Oregon State to capture the Pac-12 title. After qualifying for the NCAAs in 2013 at heavyweight, Scherer will have one final chance to become an All-American.


SENIOR STATEMENT: Stanford senior Kyle Meyer is having the best season of his career, posting a 26-11 overall record and a 15-4 mark in duals. The Monett, Mo., native has struggled with injuries throughout his career, but has been healthy this year and making the most of his final season on The Farm. Holding a 51-36 career record, Meyer has notched half of those wins this season.


REGULAR SEASON RECAP: The Cardinal finished the regular season with a program-best 17 dual wins, eclipsing a 39 year-old record of 15 wins set by the 1974-75 squad. Stanford went 4-1 in Pac-12 duals, falling only to Oregon State (21-14). Redshirt freshman Jim Wilson (30-6), redshirt seniors Ryan Mango (25-3) and Kyle Meyer (24-10), and redshirt sophomore Evan Silver (20-4) combined for 99 wins to lead Stanford.


HEAD COACH JASON BORRELLI: Stanford is under the guidance of sixth-year head coach Jason Borrelli. During his time on The Farm, Borrelli has accrued a 59-58-3 record and sent 10 wrestlers to the NCAA Championships a total of 20 times. Borrelli, a former Central Michigan standout, first came to Stanford as an assistant coach in 2007 and has quickly turned the Cardinal into a national contender. Under Borrelli, the Cardinal has finished in the top 20 at the NCAA Championships twice, including a program-best 11th at the 2011 tournament in Philadelphia, Pa.
 
Cowboy Wrestling Previews NCAA Tournament[/B]

​***NOTE: ​Video of the interviews is available on the FTP site




STILLWATER, Okla. ? Oklahoma State wrestling coach John Smith, as well as select athletes, met with the media on Monday to preview the NCAA Championships, held in Oklahoma City on March 20-22. Below is transcript of Smith and senior 174 pounder Chris Perry:

[/B]

Coach John Smith[/B]

[/I]

On the excitement of wrestling in OKC[/I]

"Yeah, it's nice. We've traveled all over this country this year. This whole month we've been able to stay home, with the Big 12 being down in Norman and of course the championships being in Oklahoma City. It's an exciting time. Having it right here in our backyard is nothing but a benefit."



On the difference having fans at tournament makes[/I]

"It's like a home and away wrestling match or basketball game. There's benefits to it if you embrace it. You have to put yourself in the mindset that it is an opportunity. For us, that's what we've got to look at. We have to embrace the championship. We're a little behind. Penn State, Minnesota, Iowa I'd say have a little bit of a lead on us, but we were behind last year and we closed the gap, and that's what we're going to have to do this year."



On how excited he is about the team's chances[/I]

"Yeah, I'm excited. I'm just excited about the tournament. I think our guys are excited and we look forward to it. We've kind of embraced these big matches, and we've been in a lot of them throughout the season. Of course, we lost five matches this year. That's a lot of matches for us to lose. All of them were in big, big matches. Towards the end of the year and our big events, we did well, we wrestled well. Some of our best wrestling I think is still ahead of us. We're going to have a great tournament. There isn't question for us to be considered a real threat at the championship, but we've been known to do it. We've got to recognize that we have to do a lot better than we're seeded."



On guys needing to step up to capture a team title[/I]

"When you're taking 10, any of them, we need seven or eight of these guys to step up. When you step up, then you're really in the picture. We're projected with, I think, only four All-Americans. If we do that, we're not going to be in the picture. We have to have upsets, and we have to have guys wrestling over their head and wrestling some of their best matches at the end of the year at the national tournament."



Chris Perry, 174 pounds[/B]


[/I]

On NCAAs being held in OKC
"They choose the locations a couple years in advance so it's something we've kind of been waiting on for a couple of years. Getting to wrestle in Oklahoma City is a special thing. We only have a one-hour drive, which is nice. We're used to driving six or seven hours or flying somewhere. It's awesome, and I hope we have a big crowd like we did in 2006 when they had nationals here. We're going to use that to our advantage."


[/I]

On the level of excitement
"If you're not excited right now, then I don't know what is going to get you excited. This is what it's all about. This is what we work toward. We're ready. I have no regrets with my training or anything. I feel better than I've ever felt, and I'm ready to go. I already got what I came for, which is a national title, and I'm ready to add on. I'm more relaxed than I've ever been. I have a lot of experience in this game. I'm excited about it and no pressure at all."


[/I]

On this being his final NCAA tournament
"I grew up watching this and just thinking that I couldn't wait to get there, and now it's over. Next Monday, I'm done. This time next week, I'll be sitting at my house with no more wrestling in college. It's tough to realize, but at the same time, it's exciting that I still have one more opportunity at this."


[/I]

On what it takes to win another individual title
"It's going to take focus. It will have to be just one match at a time, not just for me but for my team as well. It's going to take a war every time we go out there. Every guy at this tournament is tough. I had grind matches all year last year at this tournament, and I won a lot of tight ones. I understand what I'm getting myself into."
 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:




Wolverine wrestling set for NCAA Championships




UVU will have a program record four grapplers competing for it this year at nationals.



March 19, 2014[/B]







UVU Notes

OREM, Utah - Utah Valley University wrestling will send a program record four grapplers to the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships that will run Thursday through Saturday at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Okla. The tournament's opening session will get underway on Thursday at 11 a.m. CT (10 a.m. MT).

"We're excited to get out there. We've got two guys that have been there before so they'll know what to expect," said head coach Greg Williams. "We've also got two seniors that are headed to there for the first time so we're excited for them as well.

"There's not going to be any easy matches during the tournament, and a couple of our guys received tough first-round draws," added Williams. "Just getting to nationals is an honor but we're hoping to get some wins while were there as well as get a kid or two on the podium."

Seniors Adam Fager will compete at nationals for the second time in their careers. Rauser, who was UVU's first-ever freshman to compete at the NCAA Championships a year ago, went 1-2 in 2013 while Fager finished his first tournament run with an 0-2 record.

Garner (14-8), Cook (7-7) and Rauser (10-3) all automatically qualified for the NCAA Championships at the NCAA West Regional/Western Wrestling Conference Championships that UVU hosted on March 8. Fager (18-7) then received his second straight bid to nationals by getting picked up as an at-large selection a few days later.

Garner was Utah Valley's lone conference champion this year as he received First Team All-WWC accolades for winning the 141-pound weight class at the West Regional. Cook and Rauser placed second and third, respectively, to receive automatic bids in their weight classes while Fager - who was ranked 12th on the final NCAA Coaches' Panel Rankings and 15th on the final RPI - then picked up the at-large bid after taking second at heavyweight at the Regional.

This weekend will mark the fifth consecutive year that UVU will be competing at the NCAA Championships as it sent three grapplers to nationals in 2010, three again in 2011, one in 2012 and three again last season. Former 125-pounder Benjamin Kjar is the program's lone All-American as he placed fourth in his weight class during his senior campaign (2011).

The three-day, six-session national tournament will take place at the home of the Oklahoma City Thunder this year, the Chesapeake Energy Arena. All six sessions will be broadcast live on ESPN3 and each mat/match can be viewed for the first time by visiting ESPN3.com. All six sessions will also be televised for the first time as Sessions I, II, III, and V will be live on ESPNU and sessions IV (semifinals) and VI (finals) will be broadcasted on ESPN.

Following Thursday's opening session (11 a.m. CT), session II will get underway that evening at 6 p.m. CT. Friday's third session will then begin at 10 a.m. CT while the fourth session/semifinals will take place that night at 7 p.m. CT. The fifth session/medal rounds will begin on Saturday at 10 a.m. CT while the finals/sixth session will be held Saturday in primetime on ESPN at 7 p.m. CT.

Fager will enter the tournament seeded 15th in his weight class while the other four will enter their respective fields of 33 unseeded. Rauser and Cook both received tough draws to open the tournament as they will face the first and second seeded wrestlers in their weight class. Rauser will take on the defending national champion and top seed from Illinois Jesse Delgado (25-2) while Cook will go up against the No. 2 seed from Oklahoma State Tyler Caldwell (24-3). Garner will open up his inaugural NCAA's against No. 15 Anthony Collica (28-7) of Oklahoma State while the 15th-seeded Fager will take on Rutgers' William Smith (25-6) in his opening bout.

To view complete brackets, Click Here.

"(To become an All-American) is always the dream of the kids. That's the hope, it's what we work for," concluded Williams.
 
Trio of `Cats Advance to 2nd Round of NCAA Championships
Harger, McMullan, Tsirtsis advance to Thursday evening session



OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. ? After the first day of the NCAA Championships, three Northwestern wrestlers advanced to the second round of the championships following Thursday's morning session.

RS Freshman Mike McMullan (285) all won their first round matchups to advance to Session II at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Okla.

McMullan is making his third trip to the second round of the NCAA Championships, while Tsirtsis advanced in his first trip to NCAAs and Harger advanced to the second round for the first time in his career.

Big Ten Freshman of the Year and 149 lbs. conference champion Tsirtsis made his NCAA debut facing Bloomsburg's Bryce Busler.

No. 5 seed Tsirtsis went up early over Busler 2-0 just 20 seconds into the first period. An escapte by Busler made it 2-1, which remained into the start of the second period. After beginning at the bottom, Tsirtsis escaped to up his lead to 3-1 in the second period. The Wildcat from Crown Point, Ind. maintained his lead and control of Busler. With a riding time advantage, Tsirtsis secured his first NCAA victory by a 4-1 decision.

Tsirtsis will face Penn State RS senior James English. The unseeded English (12-5) upset No. 12 seed freshman Dyllan Cottrell of Appalachian State 5-4, giving Cottrell (26-2) just his second loss of the season. The Big Ten rivals have not met this season.

Harger advanced to the second round of the NCAA Championships for the first time in his career by controlling Missouri's Zach Toal. Seeded No. 7 at 165 lbs., Harger led 2-0 over Toal before getting him down to record a pin and win by fall at 3:32.

Harger will face No. 10 seed Cooper Moore from Northern Iowa Thursday evening.

In the heavyweight match against North Dakota State's Evan Knutson, No. 6 seed McMullan took a 2-0 lead one minute into the first period and upped his advantage to 5-2 one minute later, which he maintained throughout the first period. After starting in the down position to begin the second period, he tallied an escape at 1:43 to go up 6-2. It was the only score of the second period and McMullan maintained the lead for a 6-3 final decision. He will face No. 11 seed from Oklahoma State Austin Marsden.

In his first trip to NCAAs, Alex Polizzi (197) fell in their first round matches and will go again in the wrestlebacks Thursday night.

At 133 lbs., Northwestern sophomore Dominick Malone made his NCAA career debut and opened up the Wildcats start at the championships in the early morning. Facing fellow Big Ten Conference rival and No. 5 seed Tyler Graff of Wisconsin, Malone stayed close with Graff in the first period. However, the Badger pulled away to record a tech fall victory 25-9 at the 6:21 mark.

Malone will go again in the wrestlebacks against unseeded freshman Kevin Devoy of Drexel. Devoy is 19-10 this season and lost 11-3 by major decision to Central Michigan's No. 12 seed Joe Roth in the first round.

In the 197 lbs. first round matchup, No. 16 seed Alex Polizzi led Stanford's Dan Scherer 5-4, but the Cardinal wrestler grabbed the lead. Scherer went down with an injury, but returned in the match to maintain his lead. Polizzi got two points back to make it 9-7, but could not close the gap and Sherer won by an 11-9 decision.

In the wrestlebacks, Polizzi will face Navy's Paul Rands, who was knocked out of the first round after an injury default when facing No. 1 seed Nick Heflin (OSU).

First Round Matches
133: No. 5 Tyler Graff (WIS) tech fall Dominick Malone (NU), 25-9, 6:21
149: No. 5 Jason Tsirtsis (NU) dec. Bryce Busler (BLO), 4-1
165: No. 7 Pierce Harger (NU) fall Zach Toal (MIZZ), 3:32
197: Dan Scherer (STAN) dec. Alex Polizzi (NU), 11-9
285: No. 6 Mike McMullan (NU) dec. Evan Knutson (NDSU), 6-3

Thursday Night Matchups
Wrestlebacks
133: Dominick Malone (NU) vs. Kevin Devoy (DREX)
197: Paul Rands (NAVY)

Second Round Matches
149: No. 5 Jason Tsirtsis (NU) vs. James English (PSU)
165: No. 7 Pierce Harger (NU) vs. No. 10 Cooper Moore (UNI)
285: No. 6 Mike McMullan (NU) vs. No. 11 Austin Marsden (OKST)
 
FIGHTING ILLINI WRESTLING




Five Illini Record Wins in First Round of NCAA Championships

Session two begins tonight at 6 p.m. CT




OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. - The University of Illinois wrestling team sent eight wrestlers to the NCAA Championships, where five Illini were victorious in their first-round matchups. Defending NCAA champion and top-seeded Jesse Delgado (125) picked up a win and scored bonus points for the Orange & Blue, while Zane Richards (133) and Zac Brunson (157) notched wins in their first-ever national tournament. Tony Dallago (174) and Nikko Reyes (184) each scored upsets to advance to the second round.




No. 1 Jesse Delgado faced Utah Valley's Jade Rauser in the first round of the tournament for the second year in a row. The Big Ten champion pinned Rauser in 6:53 to score bonus points for the Illini. The junior advances to the second round where he'll take on No. 16 Joey Dance of Virginia Tech.




No. 14 Zane Richards notched his first-ever NCAA tournament victory against Nick Wilcox of Bloomsburg. The redshirt-freshman defeated Wilcox in a 4-2 decision, improving his overall record against the Huskie to 2-1. Richards advances to the second round where he'll square off against No. 3 Tony Ramos of Iowa, who captured the Big Ten title at 133 pounds two weeks ago.




141-pounder Steven Rodrigues made his NCAA tournament debut against No. 8 Luke Vaith of Hofstra. The redshirt-sophomore dropped an 8-2 decision to Vaith and will move to the consolation bracket, where he'll face Colin Johnston of West Virginia later tonight.




No. 16 Zac Brunson squared off against Thomas Gantt of North Carolina State in his first-ever national tournament appearance. Brunson came away with the 10-9 victory to advance to the second round, where he'll take on Nebraska's top-seeded James Green, who won the Big Ten title two weeks ago.




No. 12 Jackson Morse squared off against Indiana's Ryan Leblanc in his first tournament appearance since 2011. Morse dropped the bout to the Hoosier 3-5 and will move to the consolation bracket where he'll take on No. 5 Nick Moore of Iowa, who was also upset in the first round.




Unseeded Tony Dallago recorded the first upset of the day for the Illini. The redshirt-senior defeated No. 16 Matthew Miller (NAVY) in a 12-8 decision to advance to the second round. He'll take on top-seeded Chris Perry of Oklahoma State, the defending national champion at 174 pounds, later this afternoon.




Redshirt-freshman Nikko Reyes notched an upset in his NCAA Championships debut, defeating No. 15 Ryan Loder of Northern Iowa. The unseeded Illini sent the bout into overtime, then scored a takedown in sudden victory to capture the win. He'll advance to tonight's second session where he'll take on Big Ten champion and No. 2 seed Ed Ruth of Penn State.




Mario Gonzalez advanced to the first round after winning his pigtail match against Oklahoma State's Blake Rosholt. Gonzalez defeated the returning All-American in a 10-3 decision, moving on to face No. 2 J'Den Cox of Missouri in the first round. He then dropped a 10-4 decision to Cox to move to the consolation bracket, where he'll take on KaRonne Jones of North Carolina State.




125: No. 1 Jesse Delgado, Jr., Gilroy, Calif.

First round: Pinned Jade Rauser (Utah Valley), 6:53




133: No. 14 Zane Richards, r-Fr., Carbondale, Ill.

First round: dec. Nick Wilcox (Bloomsburg), 4-2




141: Steven Rodrigues, r-So., Mount Kisco, N.Y.

First round: dec. by No. 8 Luke Vaith (Hofstra), 8-2




157: No. 16 Zac Brunson, r-Fr., Eugene, Ore.

First round: dec. Thomas Gantt (North Carolina State), 10-9




165: No. 12 Jackson Morse, r-Jr., Alto, Mich.

First round: dec. by Ryan Leblanc (Indiana), 5-3




174: Tony Dallago, r-Sr., Harrisburg, Pa.

First round: dec. No. 16 Matthew Miller (Navy), 12-8




184: Nikko Reyes, r-Fr., Fresno, Calif.

First round: dec. No. 15 Ryan Loder (Northern Iowa), 6-4 SV1




197: Mario Gonzalez, r-Sr., Aurora, Ill.

Pigtail match: dec. Blake Rosholt (Oklahoma State), 10-3

First round: dec. by No. 2 J'Den Cox (Missouri), 10-4




-FightingIllini.com-
 
Wellington and Johnson Advance to NCAA Second Round

Second session to begin at 7 p.m. ET



March 20, 2014



OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. ? Senior Jeremy Johnson and redshirt sophomore Phil Wellington both tallied first round victories Thursday afternoon at the 2014 NCAA Wrestling Championships. The three-day event is being held inside Chesapeake Energy Arena.



Wellington (Euclid, Ohio) posted a 6-5 decision victory over Harvard's James Fox. With the win, Welllington picked up his 34th on the year. He will faceoff against Cody Reed from Binghampton in the second round.



Johnson (Broadview Heights, Ohio) followed Wellington with a win of his own as he downed American's Blake Herrin to improve to 37-3 on the year. With the win over Herrin, Johnson picked up his 16th?consecutive victory. He will battle Michigan State's Mike McClure in the second round.



Redshirt sophomore Cody Walters (Macedonia, Ohio) nearly advanced to the second round, but dropped a 9-6 decision in tie-breaker one. Walters will face NC State's Pete Renda in the Wrestlebacks.



Junior Tywan Claxton (South Euclid, Ohio), redshirt sophomore Spartak Chino (Wheaton, Ill.) and redshirt junior Harrison Hightower (Strongsville, Ohio) all dropped their respective first round bouts.



As a team, Ohio is tied for 35th with Air Force, Maryland, Michigan State and Penn.



The second round begins at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday. ESPNU will have the television coverage, while ESPN3 will have separate feeds of all eight mats. A link to live brackets also will beavailable at OhioBobcats.com, while live updates will be provided on the Ohio Wrestling Twitter account, @OhioU_Wrestling.
 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:




All four Wolverines drop opening bouts at NCAA Championships




The UVU grapplers will now all head to the wrestlebacks that will begin tonight at 6 p.m. CT.



March 20, 2014[/B]







Results[/B]

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. - All four Utah Valley University grapplers, sophomore 125-pounder Adam Fager, suffered first round defeats on Thursday morning at the 2014 NCAA Wrestling Championships at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Okla. The four Wolverines will all now head to the wrestleback brackets and will be back in action on Thursday evening.

Rauser (10-4) took on the top seed and defending national champion Jesse Delgado of Illinois in his opening bout for the second consecutive year at nationals and Rauser hung right with the Fighting Illini standout in the first period. Delgado (26-2) then got on the board late in the first with a takedown to jump out to a 2-0 advantage. Delgado then extended his lead to 5-0 at the end of the second period thanks to an escape point and another takedown. Rauser managed to record a couple of escapes in the final period but trailing 12-2 Delgado pinned the Wolverine sophomore in the closing seconds (6:53) to send Rauser to the wrestlebacks.

Rauser will go up against Bucknell's Paul Petrov (30-8) this evening.

After giving up an early takedown to No. 15 Anthony Collica of Oklahoma State in his opening bout, Garner (14-9) responded with an escape and a takedown of his own to take a 3-2 advantage in the first period. Collica then tied it up at the end of the period and jumped out to a 6-3 lead after two. Trailing 8-4 late in the contest, Garner tried to stage a comeback by picking up a reversal but it wasn't enough as Collica held on to take the bout by a score of 10-6.

Garner will now head to the wrestlebacks and face Missouri's Lavion Mayes (23-12) of Missouri tonight.

Cook (7-8) battled early with the two seed and three-time All-American Tyler Caldwell (25-3) of Oklahoma State but Caldwell took the upper hand late in the first with a takedown and a nearfall to lead 5-0 after one. Caldwell then put the contest away in the second period by taking Cook down and pinning him (3:36).

Cook will face Gardner-Webb's Austin Trott (28-8) this evening. The two met up against one another at the Eastern Michigan Duals in November and Trott took the bout by decision.

The 15th-seeded Fager (18-8) allowed a first-period takedown to Rutgers' Billy Smith (26-6) but the Wolverine junior countered with an escape to make it 2-1 at the end of the opening frame. Fager then tied it up in the second with a late escape point. Smith took the upper hand in the third, however, with an escape, takedown, and riding time point to take the bout by a score of 6-2.

Fager will look to bounce back in the wrestlebacks tonight against Lehigh's Maxillian Wessell (10-5).

Session II of the NCAA Championships will get underway tonight at 6 p.m. CT/5 p.m. MT and can be seen live on ESPNU as well as online at ESPN3.com.

2014 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships Session I Results
125: No. 1 Jesse Delgado (Illinois) Fall Jade Rauser (UVU), 6:53

141: No. 15 Anthony Collica (Oklahoma State) Dec. Avery Garner (UVU), 10-6

165: No. 2 Tyler Caldwell (Oklahoma State) Fall Curtis Abner Cook (UVU), 3:36

285: Billy Smith (Rutgers) Dec. No. 15 Adam Fager (UVU), 6-2
 
Three Win in Opening Round
Session II begins at 4 p.m. PT


OKLAHOMA CITY ? Led by redshirt senior Ryan Mango, three Stanford wrestlers won their opening matches at the 2014 NCAA Wrestling Championships, Thursday, at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Okla.


Mango showed poise in his opening match, defeating Rider's Chuck Zeisloft, 5-2. Leading 3-2 in the third period, the St. Louis, Mo., native registered a takedown with 15 seconds left to secure the win. Mango, the 11th seed at 133 pounds, will face sixth-seeded Mason Beckman of Lehigh in Thursday's evening session.


Wrestling in his first national tournament, redshirt freshman Jim Wilson won a 3-1 decision over Columbia's Josh Houldsworth in sudden victory at 165 pounds. Tied 1-1 after regulation, Houldsworth went in on a shot, but Wilson was able to counter and secure a takedown. The Lodi, Calif., native will now face top-seeded David Taylor of Penn State in session two Thursday evening.


Senior 197-pounder Dan Scherer staved off the No. 16 seed Alex Polizzi of Northwestern with an 11-9 decision. With the score tied 4-4 after the first, Polizzi chose down and tallied an escape to open the second. Scherer countered with a takedown and three near fall points to go up 9-5.


In the third, the clock stopped for injury time for Scherer allowing Polizzi to go in the down position. A quick escape and a takedown by Polizzi cut Scherer's lead to 9-8. Scherer then registered an escape before being taken down again. He escaped for a final time with 30 seconds left and was able to hold on for the win. Scherer's next opponent is No. 1 seed Nick Heflin of Ohio State.


Redshirt sophomore Evan Silver dropped his first match of the tournament, a 7-3 decision to Iowa State's Earl Hall at 125 pounds. After falling behind 2-1 in the opening period, Silver chose to start the second in the down position. Hall quickly scored two near fall points and Silver was unable to overcome the deficit.


Silver will face North Carolina's Nathan Kraisser in the wrestlebacks in session two. He defeated Kraisser earlier this season, 8-6 in sudden victory, in a dual in Chapel Hill.


Redshirt senior Kyle Meyer fell 17-3 to fifth-seeded Matthew Brown of Penn State in his first match at 174 pounds. Meyer will no await the winner between Army's Brian Harvey and Chattanooga's Levi Clemons in the wrestlebacks.


The second session of the 2014 NCAA Championships will begin at 4 p.m. PT. Fans can watch on ESPNU or online on ESPN3.



Stanford's Tournament Results:


125 pounds
(13) Evan Silver (0-1): lost to Earl Hall (Iowa State), 7-3.


133 pounds
(11) Ryan Mango (1-0): dec. Chuck Zeisloft (Rider), 5-2.


165 pounds
(16) Jim Wilson (1-0): dec. Josh Houldsworth (Columbia), 3-1 (SV).


174 pounds
Kyle Meyer (0-1): lost to (5) Matthew Brown (Penn State), 17-3.


197 pounds
Dan Scherer (1-0): dec. (16) Alex Polizzi (Northwestern), 11-9.
 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ? Wrestling
Thursday, March 20, 2014


Patrick, Birmingham Complete First Round of NCAAs


OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. ? Davidson's Kevin Birmingham and Scott Patrick completed their first-round bouts at the 2014 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships at Chesapeake Energy Arena Thursday morning.


Birmingham dropped a 10-7 decision to Hofstra's Cody Ruggirello in a pigtail match in the morning. He will take on Mike Morales of West Virginia later this evening in bout #174.


No. 8 TJ Dudley of Nebraska took a 13-5 major decision from Patrick. Patrick will face No. 8 Dominic Abounader of Michigan in tonight's wrestlebacks in match #318.


Ruggirello scored the first takedown 40 seconds into the first period, but Birmingham picked up two points on a reversal soon after and clocked just under a minute of riding time. He picked up three nearfall points in the second to take a 5-2 lead, but Ruggirello took the momentum with a reversal and two back points of his own to lead 6-5 entering the third period. Birmingham scored another takedown in the first 20 seconds of the third, but Ruggirello hit him with a reversal and added two back points to take the lead.


Patrick struck first with takedown just over 20 seconds in, but Dudley quickly escaped and added points with a takedown of his own. After an injury timeout for Patrick, Dudley scored an escape, a takedown and picked up a pair of nearfall points to close the period with an 8-2 lead.


Starting on top for the second, Patrick gave up an early escape to Dudley but followed with another takedown. Dudley escaped to even the second period scoring at 2-2, taking a 10-4 advantage into the final stanza. Patrick scored on an escape a third of the way through, but Dudley ended the bout with another takedown and tacked on the point for riding time in earning the 13-5 major decision.


###
www.DavidsonWildcats.com
 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Ohio State Wrestling Contact: Danielle Warner (warner.238@osu.edu)



Four Buckeyes Advance to Second Round of NCAA Championships

Ohio State is in 11th place with eight team points



RELATED INFO.

· Live Streaming (WatchESPN)

· Championship Central

· Brackets

· Live Updates (Trackwrestling.com)

· 2013-14 Statistics

· Follow the Buckeyes on Instagram



COLUMBUS, Ohio ? A total of four Buckeyes have advanced to the second round of the 2014 NCAA Championships after first-round wins Thursday morning at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Okla. Johnni DiJulius, Logan Stieber, Kenny Courts and Nick Heflin will continue action in their respective championships brackets starting at 8 p.m. ET Thursday.



As a team, Ohio State is in a four-way tie for 11th place with eight points. Penn State is leading all teams with 16.5 points, while Oklahoma State is second (13.5) and Minnesota and Edinboro are tied for third (11).



The No. 9 seed, DiJulius of the 133-weight class will face David Thorn of Minnesota next. DiJulius topped Tyler Goodwin of Maryland Thursday with a 14-5 major decision.



The No. 2 seed, Stieber of the 141-weight class faced Lavion Mayes of Missouri. Stieber won by a fall over his opponent in 2:48 minutes. Stieber will face Anthony Collica of Oklahoma State next.



The No. 10 seed, Courts of the 184-weight class, recorded an 8-4 decision win over Kurtis Julson of North Dakota State and will face the No. 7 seed Kevin Steinhaus of Minnesota in the second round.



The final Buckeye still in championship contention is Heflin. Heflin represented the 197-weight class and advanced via an injury default over Paul Rands of Navy. The No.1 seed, Heflin will face Dan Scherer of Stanford next.



Four Buckeyes will vie for third-place finishes after dropping to wrestlebacks. Nick Roberts, Ian Paddock, Mark Martin and Nick Tavanello will continue action Thursday evening. Roberts dropped a 9-3 decision to the No. 5 seed Dylan Peters of the 125-weight class. Paddock fell to the No. 11 seed Joshua Kindig of Oklahoma State by a 9-4 decision and will face Christian Barber of UNC next. No. 14 Martin of the 174-weight class dropped a 7-2 decision to Conor Brennan of Rider and will wrestle Jakob Scheffel of WVU. Tavanello faced Ty Walz and lost a close 3-1 sudden victory decision. Tavanello will face Evan Knutson of North Dakota State next.



2014 Division I Wrestling NCAA Championships
March 20, 2013
Session I
Chesapeake Energy Arena
Oklahoma City, Okla.




Team Scores
Pl. Team Points
1. Penn St.16.5

2. Oklahoma St.13.5

3. Edinboro 11.0

3. Minnesota 11.0

5. Nebraska 9.5

6. Cornell 9.0

6. Iowa St. 6.0

6. Oregon St. 9.0

9. Iowa 8.5

9. Wisconsin 8.5

11. Illinois 8.0

11. Michigan 8.0

11. Ohio St. 8.0

11. Oklahoma 8.0

15. Old Dominion 7.0

15. Pittsburgh 7.0

15. Virginia Tech 7.0

18. Indiana 6.0

18. UNI 6.0



Individual Results
125

Dylan Peters (UNI) dec. Nick Roberts, 9-3



133

No. 9 Johnni DiJulius major dec. Tyler Goodwin (Maryland), 14-5

No. 9 Johnni DiJulius vs. David Thorn (Minnesota)



141

No. 2 Logan Stieber fall Lavion Mayes (Missouri), 2:48

No. 2 Logan Stieber vs. Anthony Collica (Oklahoma State)



149

Joshua Kindig (Oklahoma State) dec. Ian Paddock, 9-4

Ian Paddock vs. Christina Barber (UNC)



174

Conner Brennan (Rider) dec. Mark Martin, 7-2

Mark Martin vs. Jakob Scheffel (West Virginia University)



184

Kenny Courts dec. Kurtis Julson (North Dakota State), 8-4

Kenny Courts vs. Kevin Steinhaus (Minnesota)



197

Nick Heflin injury default Paul Rands (Navy), inj. (5:36)

Nick Heflin vs. Dan Scherer (Stanford)



285

Ty Walz (Virginia) sudden victory 1 Nick Tavanella, SV-1 3-1

Nick Tavanella vs. Evan Knutson (North Dakota State University)



#GoBucks
 
Cyclones In Sixth; Moreno and Weatherman Roll



OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. ? The Iowa State wrestling team (9-7 overall, 1-2 Big 12) sits tied with Cornell and Oregon State for sixth-place with 9 points at the 2014 NCAA Wrestling Championships thanks to first period pins by No. 8 seed Michael Moreno and No. 12 seed Tanner Weatherman.

Moreno ran an arm bar over to stick Rider's Ramon Santiago 2:30 into the match. The win moves the Urbandale, Iowa, native into the round of 32 for the second straight season. He will face No. 9 seed Joe Booth of Hofstra next. Moreno pinned Booth in overtime earlier this season at the NWCA National Duals.

The 2013 All-American has scored bonus points in four of six career wins at the NCAA Championships.

Like Moreno, Weatherman is into the round of 32 for the second consecutive season. The Huxley, Iowa, native pinned Chattanooga's Levi Clemons in 2:09 for his first career pin at the NCAA Championships.

Weatherman faces No. 5 seed Matt Brown of Penn State later this evening. Brown won by major decision over Weatherman in the quarterfinals of the 2013 NCAA Championships in Des Moines.


No. 5 seed Kyven Gadson controlled his opening match from start to finish, winning 6-1 with 3:24 of riding time over Princeton's Abram Ayala. Gadson has not lost since the Southern Scuffle title match on Jan. 2 in Chattanooga, Tenn.

The Waterloo, Iowa, native faces No. 12 seed Taylor Meeks of Oregon State tonight in a battle of 2013 197-pound All-Americans. Meeks leads the all-time series with Gadson 1-0, beating him 8-6 last season in the third-place match at the Midlands Championships.

Two Cyclones, Gabe Moreno and Earl Hall, each picked up their first career wins at the NCAA Championships.



Moreno beat Oklahoma's Nick Lester 5-4 with 2:37 riding time in a pigtail match to start the morning at 141 pounds. In two previous matches this season, Lester outscored Moreno 23-0.

In the first round, Moreno was pitted against top-seed Mitchell Port of Edinboro and was pinned in the first period. He remains alive in the wrestle backs this evening and will face No. 16 seed Joe Spisak of Virginia.

Earl Hall knocked off No. 13 seed Evan Silver of Stanford in the opening round, scoring three takedowns in route to victory. The Homestead, Fla., native faces Air Force's Josh Martinez, the No. 4 seed, tonight.

Hall beat Martinez 5-3 at the Cliff Keen Invitational in Las Vegas back on Dec. 6 in their only previous meeting.


Lelund Weatherspoon faced a tall task in his opening match, as he drew No. 3 seed Gabe Dean of Cornell. The Jackson, Mich., native was unable to get his offense going and fell 12-4. He remains alive in the wrestle backs and will face Fred Garcia of Lehigh tonight.



Session II of the NCAA Wrestling Championships begins tonight at 6 p.m. CT, live from Chesapeake Energy Arena. ESPNU will be providing national TV coverage of tonight's matches.

Session I Team Standings:

1. Penn State ? 16.5 pts.
2. Oklahoma State ? 13.5 pts.
T-3. Edinboro ? 11 pts.
T-3. Minnesota ? 11 pts.
5. Nebraska ? 9.5 pts.
T-6. Iowa State ? 9 pts.
T-6. Cornell ? 9 pts.
T-6. Oregon State ? 9 pts.
T-9. Iowa ? 8.5 pts.
T-9. Wisconsin ? 8.5 pts.
 
Cowboy Wrestling in Second After Session One[/B]



OKLAHOMA CITY ? The Oklahoma State wrestling team sits in second place with 13.5 points, advancing eight wrestlers to the second round of the championship bracket. The Pokes trail Penn State (16.5 points) in the team race for first.



The Cowboys picked up four bonus-point wins in the first session, including a second-period fall for Tyler Caldwell.



First up for the Pokes, Blake Rosholt wrestled Mario Gonzalez of Illinois in the 197-pound pigtail match, where he was outlasted by Gonzalez, falling 10-3. Rosholt will wrestle in the consolation bracket in session two.



Sophomore and 14th-seed Eddie Klimara earned a 6-4 decision over Dominic Parisi of Appalachian State at 125 pounds.



No. 4 seed at 133 pounds Jon Morrison started off his final NCAA tournament with a 4-0 shutout over Penn State's James Gulibon. It was Morrison's third win over the Nittany Lion this season.



True freshman Anthony Collica made his NCAA Championships debut as the No. 15 seed, defeating Utah Valley's Avery Gardner, 10-6.



Returning to the tournament after taking a redshirt last season, Josh Kindig, the 11th seed at 149 pounds, handled Ohio State's Ian Paddock, earning a 9-4 decision.



Alex Dieringer ended his bout in five minutes with an 18-1 technical fall over Drexel's Austin Sommer, earning the Pokes' first bonus-point victory of the day.



Caldwell and Chris Perry followed with bonus-point wins at 165 and 174 pounds, respectively, with Caldwell sticking Utah Valley's Curtis Cook in 3:36 and Perry earning an 8-0 major decision over Scott Liegel of Wisconsin.



Nolan Boyd suffered the Cowboys' second loss of the day, falling to 7th-seed Kevin Steinhaus of Minnesota. He will continue in the consolation bracket.



Heavyweight Austin Marsden capped off the session with more bonus points for the Pokes, snatching a 10-2 major decision over Nebraska's Collin Jensen.



The second session begins at 6 p.m. CT at Chesapeake Energy Arena.






[/B]

Team Standings
1. Penn State ? 16.5 points
2. Oklahoma State ? 13.5 points
T3. Edinboro ? 11 points
T3. Minnesota ? 11 points
5. Nebraska ? 9.5 points
T6. Cornell ? 9 points
T6. Iowa State ? 9 points
T6. Oregon State ? 9 points
T10. Iowa ? 8.5 points
T10. Wisconsin ? 8.5 points


[/B]

Pigtail Round
197: Mario Gonzalez (ILL) dec. Blake Rosholt (OSU), 10-3


[/B]

Championship First Round
125: No. 14 Eddie Klimara (OSU) dec. Dominic Parisi (APPST), 6-4
133: No. 4 Jon Morrison (OSU) dec. James Gulibon (PSU), 4-0
141: No. 15 Anthony Collica (OSU) dec. Avery Gardner (UVU), 10-6
149: No. 11 Josh Kindig (OSU) dec. Ian Paddock (OHST), 9-4
157: No. 3 Alex Dieringer (OSU) TF Austin Sommer (DREX), 18-1, 5:00
165: No. 2 Tyler Caldwell (OSU) fall Curtis Cook (UVU), 3:36
174: No. 1 Chris Perry (OSU) MD Scott Liegel (WISC), 8-0
184: No. 7 Kevin Steinhaus (MINN) dec. Nolan Boyd (OSU), 5-0
285: No.11 Austin Marsden (OSU) MD Collin Jensen (NEB), 10-2


[/B]

Championship Second Round Schedule
125: No. 14 Eddie Klimara (OSU) vs. No. 3 Nico Megaludis (PSU)
133: No. 4 Jon Morrison (OSU) vs. No. 13 Cody Brewer (OU)
141: No. 15 Anthony Collica (OSU) vs. No. 2 Logan Stieber (OHST)
149: No. 11 Josh Kindig (OSU) vs. No. 6 Jake Sueflohn (NEB)
157: No. 3 Alex Dieringer (OSU) vs. No. 14 Joey LaVallee (MIZZOU)
165: No. 2 Tyler Caldwell (OSU) vs. No. 15 Danny Zilverberg (MINN)
174: No. 1 Chris Perry (OSU) vs. Tony Dallago (ILL)
285: No. 11Austin Marsden (OSU) vs. No. 6 Michael McMullan (NW)


[/B]

Consolation First Round Schedule
184: Nolan Boyd (OSU) vs. Kurtis Julson (NDSU)
197: Blake Rosholt (OSU) vs. Zach Nye (UVA)
 
Brown's Bernstein Advances to NCAA Wrestling Championships Quarterfinals with Pair of Victories



OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. ? Junior All-Ivy wrestler Ophir Bernstein (Allen, Texas) opened his third NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships appearance with a pair of victories as the 12th seed in the 184-pound weight class at Chesapeake Energy Arena on Thursday, advancing to Friday's quarterfinal round at 10 a.m. Bernstein will return to action tomorrow when he faces 13th-seeded Jack Dechow of Old Dominion, who upset fourth-seeded Max Thomusseit of Pittsburgh in the second round.

Bernstein started the day with a 4-1 win over unseeded Zack Hernandez of Columbia and then prevailed over unseeded Victor Avery of Edinboro, 5-3. The two victories are the most in NCAA Championships competition for Bernstein, who went 0-2 as a freshman and won a consolation match as a sophomore. Bernstein now has 35 wins on the season, leaving him two shy of tying the Brown program record set by All-Ivy and EIWA Outstanding Wrestler Steve Thoma in 1991-92.

Bernstein improved his season record to 4-0 against Hernandez, biding his time for a 4-1 first round victory. The opponents spent much of the first period sizing each other up until Bernstein shot low for two points and narrowly missed turning Hernandez for a near fall position.

Bernstein doubled his lead in the second with a re-shot takedown that pushed Hernandez out of bounds. Both wrestlers remained on their feet for most of the round with Columbia's representative owning a 14 second advantage in riding time. A reset put Hernandez on bottom and he hustled for a potential late escape, but Bernstein hung tight to one foot as time expired.

With a 4-0 lead, Bernstein started down in the third period and forced Hernandez to make a move. A near-reversal for Bernstein led to a stalemate with 50 seconds left, but Hernandez could only secure riding time in the 4-1 decision.

Bernstein then faced Avery, who emerged to the second round with a 5-3 upset win over fifth-seeded Ethen Lofthouse of Iowa. Avery stormed out of the gate looking like a wrestler still riding high after defying the odds, using a quick takedown to go up 2-0 in the early going. Bernstein got on the board with an escape immediately after taking the down position on a reset, but could not take the lead after missing a cross ankle pick late in the first period.

Avery used a hip heist to escape Bernstein's hold and go up 3-1 in the second period, scrambling madly to avoid the Brown wrestler's shots. Bernstein worked furiously to create angles on the ground as the final seconds of the period ticked away but secured no points to trail 3-1.

Bernstein started down and immediately escaped to cut Avery's lead to 3-2 to open the third. A down block to re-attack established Bernstein's underhook and set him up to finally get a takedown, shifting the lead in his favor, 4-3. Closing in on the final 30 seconds, Bernstein was on pace to get the riding time point and proved unmovable on top with both boots in position. Avery rolled frantically in search of a reversal, but Bernstein hung on to run out the clock and win 5-3.

Bernstein makes his NCAA Wrestling Championships quarterfinal debut tomorrow when the round begins at 10 a.m. Follow the action with ESPN3.


Results

#12 Ophir Bernstein (Brown) dec. Zack Hernandez (Columbia), 4-1
#12 Ophir Bernstein (Brown) dec. Victor Avery (Edinboro), 5-3
 
OKLAHOMA CITY ? Five Panthers still have a shot at a national championship, while two more are in the hunt for third place.

Cody Caldwell (174 pounds) knocked off the No. 8 seed Cody Walters of Ohio in a 9-6 tiebreaker decision to advance. Caldwell avenged a loss from earlier in the season when Walters beat Caldwell, 6-1, at a home dual. Caldwell will face No. 9 Elliot Riddick of Lehigh.

No. 1 Joe Colon (133 pounds) was the only Panther to earn bonus points in the first session. Colon grabbed a takedown with about four seconds left to beat Vincent Dellefave of Rutgers, 9-1. He will face Matt Manley of Misouri. He has beaten Manley two times this season. The closest was at the 2014 MAC championships when he earned a 5-3 decision in sudden victory.

No. 5 Dylan Peters (125 pounds) will face Tim Lambert of Nebraska after beating Nick Roberts of Ohio State in a 9-3 decision. Peters faced Lambert when he competed unattached last year as a freshman. He is 2-0 over Lambert.

No. 11 Joey Lazor will face No. 6 Chris Dardanes of Minnesota after his 6-0 decision over Sam Speno of North Carolina State.

No. 10 Cooper Moore will be looking to avenge a loss against No. 7 Pierce Harger of Northwestern. Harger handed Moore one of his six losses of the season at Midlands. Moore's win today was over Austin Wilson of Nebraska.

No. 15 Ryan Loder and Blaize Cabell were the only Panthers to lose their first matches today. Loder's 184-pound match went into sudden victory, but Lazarus Reyes of Illinois won, 6-4. Loder will face Jackson Hein of Wisconsin.

Cabell faced the top heavyweight seed Tony Nelson of Minnesota. Cabell kept it close, but fell 1-0. Cabell will face Joe Stofli of Bucknell.

NEXT UP

Sessions resume at 6 p.m. Thursday with pigtail consolation matches. Then the championship matches will be held, followed by consolation rounds.

RESULTS

125: No. 5 DYLAN PETERS

Peters dec. Nick Roberts (Ohio State), 9-3Tim Lambert (Nebraska)
133: No. 1 JOE COLON

Colon maj. dec. Vincent Delleface (Rutgers), 9-1Matt Manley (Missouri)
141: No. 11 JOEY LAZOR

Lazor dec. Sam Speno (North Carolina State), 6-0Chris Dardanes (Minnesota)
165: No. 10 COOPER MOORE

Moore dec. Austin Wilson (Nebraska), 5-3No. 7 Pierce Harger (Northwestern)
174: CODY CALDWELL

Caldwell dec. No. 8 Cody Walters (Ohio), 9-6 TB1No. 9 Elliot Riddick (Lehigh)
184: No. 15 RYAN LODER

Lazarus Reyes (Illinois) dec. Loder, 6-4 SV1Jackson Hein (Wisconsin)
285: BLAIZE CABELL

No. 1 Tony Nelson (Minnesota) dec. Cabell, 1-0Joe Stofli (Bucknell)
 
Harger, Tsirtsis Advance to NCAA Quarterfinals
All five Northwestern NCAA qualifiers still alive in 2014 Championships in OKC

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. ? All five Northwestern NCAA qualifiers remain in contention at the 2014 NCAA Championships after the first day of action and first two sessions Thursday at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City.
Redshirt freshman No. 5 seed Pierce Harger (165 lbs.) advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals with second round victories in the second round Thursday night.
Mike McMullan (285 lbs.) remain alive in the consolation round and will compete in the wrestlebacks on Friday.
Session III of the NCAA Championships with the quarterfinals, which will feature eight mats continue on ESPNU and online on ESPN3.com at 10:00 a.m. CT. Friday's evening semifinals, Session IV begins at 7:00 p.m. CT. The night session will be on six mats and broadcast live on ESPN and also online on ESPN3.com.
Competing in his first NCAA championships as a redshirt freshman, Tsirtsis from Crown Point, Ind. won his first two career NCAA matches to reach the quarterfinals. Harger advanced to the quarterfinals for the first time in his Wildcats career.
Tsirtsis, the Big Ten Champion at 149 lbs. and Big Ten Freshman of the Year defeated fellow Big Ten rival James English of Penn State to reach the quarterfinals. He will face No. 4 seed Kendric Maple (OU) Friday in the quarterfinals.
Harger reached the quarterfinals at 165 lbs. with a convincing 7-1 decision over Northern Iowa's No. 10 seed Cooper Moore. He now advances to face No. 2 seed Tyler Caldwell of Oklahoma State.
No. 11 heavyweight seed Austin Marsden upset No. 6 seed McMullan in round two of the championships with a 3-2 decision. McMullan led 1-0 early in the match, but lost the lead and fell behind 2-1 to start the third period. Marsden added an escape to take a 3-1 lead with 40 seconds remaining in regulation. McMullan fought hard to tie things up, but wasn't able to net any points with a late charge and fell 3-2 by decision with riding time.
McMullan will wrestle in the consolation round, facing West Virginia's Anthony Vizcarrondo Friday.
In the first round of the consolation bracket at 133 lbs., Dominick Malone defeated Kevin Devoy (DREX) with a 6-3 decision. The sophomore Malone, competing in his first career NCAA Championships, will face No. 11 seed Ryan Mango of Stanford, who fell by a 5-4 decision to No. 6 seed Mason Beckman (LEH) in the second round of the championships.
At 197 lbs., Polizzi advanced in the consolation round by injury default. Polizzi was set to dual Navy's Paul Rands, but did not compete after falling 197 lbs. top seeded Nick Heflin of Ohio State in the first round of the championships Thursday morning.
Session II
Second Round Championship Matches
149: No. 5 Jason Tsirtsis (NU) dec. James English (PSU), 4-3
165: No. 7 Pierce Harger (NU) dec. No. 10 Cooper Moore (UNI), 7-1
285: No. 11 Austin Marsden (OKST) dec. No. 6 Mike McMullan (NU), 3-2
Consolation Round Wrestlebacks
133: Dominick Malone (NU) dec. Kevin Devoy (DREX), 6-3
197: Paul Rands (NAVY)
Session III Match Ups (Friday)
Quarterfinals
149: No. 5 Jason Tsirtsis (NU) vs. No. 4 Kendric Maple (OU)
165: No. 7 Pierce Harger (NU) vs. No. 2 Tyler Caldwell (OKST)
Wrestlebacks
133: Dominick Malone (NU) vs. No. 11 Ryan Mango (STAN)
197: No. 16 Alex Polizzi (NU) vs. No. 15 Braden Atwood (PUR)
285: No. 6 Mike McMullan (NU) vs. Anthony Vizcarrondo (WVU)
 
Parisi Eliminated From NCAA Tournament[/B]

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla.. ? Junior Dominic Parisi dropped both of his matches of the 2014 Division I NCAA Wrestling Championships 6-4 to No. 14 Edward Klimara of Oklahoma State and 11-5 to Darian Cruz of Lehigh.
In the first match,both Parisi and Klimara took most of the first period pummeling. With not too many offensive moves taken, the period ended 0-0. The match heated up in the second period.
Parisi had the choice in the second period, choosing the down position. Parisi tried a reversal by the scorers table that Klimara was able to counter and get a two-point near fall for the first points of the match. Immediately after, Parisi was awarded one point due to Klimara clasping hands. The second period ended 2-1 but Klimara had the riding time advantage.
Trying to get some offensive points, Parisi tried a double-leg shot but that got countered and Klimara got the takedown instead to make it 4-1. Parisi was able to get an escape and a reversal at the end of the match but time ran out as he dropped the match 6-4.
The second match was a high scoring one.
After Cruz got the first takedown, Parisi quickly got the one-point escape to make it 2-1. Cruz was reluctant to get more takedowns and by the thid period Parisi found himself down.
Cruz went on to win the match 11-5 and eliminated Parisi from the NCAA tournament. Parisi finished the season 18-11, an all-SoCon honoree and Southern Conference Champion at the 125-pound weight class. Cottrell Drops Two on Day One
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. ? Redshirt freshman and No.12 seed Dylan Cottrell was upset 5-4 in the second tiebreaker by James English of Penn State in the first round and 6-1 against Bryce Busler of Bloomsburg in the wrestlebacks, getting eliminated in day one of the the 2014 Division I NCAA Wrestling Championships.
The first match against English needed extra time. Both wrestlers started the match trying a variety of different takedowns but was unsuccessful finishing the first period with a 0-0 score.
Cottrell had the choice in the second period and took the down position. He was able to get a two-point reversal to take the first lead of the match 2-0. English quickly got two points back by his own way of a reversal but Cottrell got the escape in the closing seconds of the second period to take the 3-2 lead going into the third period.
English had the choice in the third period and chose the down position. English got a two-point reversal and his first lead of the match 4-3, also with riding time, wiped away Cottrell's advantage.
Cottrell managed to get an escape to tie the match and send it into sudden victory.
One minute of sudden victory wasn't enough as both wrestlers could not manage a point. In the first tiebreaker, Cottrell was down first and was unable to escape, giving English the 30-second riding time advantage. In the second tiebreaker, Cottrell was unable to hold English, giving up the one-point escape and dropping the match 5-4.
In his second match, Busler got the first period takedown to take the 2-0 lead going into the second period.
Busler started in the down position in the second period. The only point scored in the period was Busler's one-point escape to make the match 3-0.
Cottrell started in the down position in the third period and got an early escape to make the match 3-1. Last second desperations had Cottrell try a shot with less than five seconds left but Busler countered the shot to get two points of his own. The extra point was awarded because Busler had the riding-time advantage.
Cottrell finished his season as the SoCon freshman of the year, an all-Socon honoree and the SoCon champion at the 149-pound weight class. His finished with a 26-3 record.
 
NCAA Brackets After Day 1

FIGHTING ILLINI WRESTLING

Delgado Advances to Quarterfinals at NCAA Championships
Five Illini remain alive in consolation bracket

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. - No. 1 Jesse Delgado (125) won his second-round matchup to advance to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Championships on Thursday night. Five other Illini remain alive in the consolation bracket, as No. 14 Zane Richards (13), No. 16 Zac Brunson (157), Tony Dallago (174), Nikko Reyes (184) and Mario Gonzalez (197) advanced to tomorrow's second consolation round. Illinois is currently tied for 19th place with 9.5 points after day one of competition. The third session begins tomorrow at 10 a.m. CT.

Jesse Delgado picked up his second win of the day, defeating No. 16 Joey Dance of Virginia Tech in a 6-1 decision. After a scoreless first period, Delgado started the second on top and rode Dance for just under a minute before he was able to escape. Delgado responded with a takedown to make the score 2-1 going into the final period. The third period was all Delgado as he recorded an escape, a takedown and the one-point riding time advantage to claim the victory. He'll take on Cory Clark of Iowa in tomorrow's quarterfinals. Delgado defeated Clark in the semifinals of the Big Ten Championships two weeks ago in a 4-3 decision.

No. 14 Zane Richards squared off against the No. 3 seed and Big Ten champion Tony Ramos of Iowa in the second round. Ramos scored first with a takedown but Richards immediately escaped to make the score 2-1 going into the second. Richards quickly escaped from the bottom position then took down Ramos, but the Hawkeye managed to escape to make the score 4-3 going into the final period. The only point of the third came from a Ramos escape and the bout was sent into overtime, where he scored a takedown in sudden victory to defeat Richards 6-4. Richards moves to the consolation round where he'll take on Penn State's James Guilbon. Richards defeated Guilbon 3-1 in overtime earlier this season in Illinois' dual against the Nittany Lions.

No. 16 Zac Brunson squared off against top-seeded James Green of Nebraska in the second round. Green scored the only points of the first period with a takedown, then started the second with a two-point reversal. Brunson managed to escape before being taken down, making the score 6-1 going into the final period. Brunson started on bottom and recorded an escape, but Green recorded two takedowns, a three-point near fall and a point for riding time to win the 14-3 major decision. Brunson will take on Oklahoma's Justin DeAngelis in the second consolation round tomorrow.

After scoring an upset in the first round, Tony Dallago took on defending national champion and No. 1 seed Chris Perry of Oklahoma State. Perry scored two takedowns in the first, but Dallago was able to escape both times to make the score 4-2 after one. Perry scored the only points of the second period with a reversal from the bottom position, but Dallago started the final period with an escape. Perry went on to score three more points plus the one-point riding time advantage to claim the 11-3 major decision victory. Dallago will move to the consolation bracket where he'll face Shane Hughes of Colorado.

Nikko Reyes earned a spot in the second round after upsetting No. 15 Ryan Loder of Northern Iowa in the first round. He squared off against four-time Big Ten and No. 2 seed James Green of Nebraska. Reyes held Ruth to two points in the first, but Ruth went on a run in the final two periods to claim the 15-0 tech. fall victory. Reyes will take on Wyoming's Benjamin Stroh in the second consolation round tomorrow.

Mario Gonzalez squared off against KaRonne Jones of North Carolina State in the first consolation round. After a scoreless first period, each wrestler escaped from the bottom position to make the score 1-1 and send the bout into overtime. Gonzalez scored an escape and a takedown in the second tie-breaker to win the match 4-1 and advance to the second consolation round where he'll face Dan Scherer of Stanford.

Steven Rodrigues (141) and No. 12 Jackson Morse (165) each lost their consolation bouts and were eliminated from the tournament.

125: No. 1 Jesse Delgado, Jr., Gilroy, Calif.
First round: Pinned Jade Rauser (Utah Valley), 6:53
Second round: dec. No. 16 Joey Dance (Virginia Tech), 6-1

133: No. 14 Zane Richards, r-Fr., Carbondale, Ill.
First round: dec. Nick Wilcox (Bloomsburg), 4-2
Second round: dec. by No. 3 Tony Ramos (Iowa), 6-4 SV1

141: Steven Rodrigues, r-So., Mount Kisco, N.Y.
First round: dec. by No. 8 Luke Vaith (Hofstra), 8-2
Consolation first round: dec. by Colin Johnston (West Virginia), 12-5
Rodrigues eliminated

157: No. 16 Zac Brunson, r-Fr., Eugene, Ore.
First round: dec. Thomas Gantt (North Carolina State), 10-9
Second round: Maj. dec. by No. 1 James Green (Nebraska), 14-3

165: No. 12 Jackson Morse, r-Jr., Alto, Mich.
First round: dec. by Ryan Leblanc (Indiana), 5-3
Consolation first round: Maj. dec. by No. 5 Nick Moore (Iowa), 12-4
Morse eliminated

174: Tony Dallago, r-Sr., Harrisburg, Pa.
First round: dec. No. 16 Matthew Miller (Navy), 12-8
Second round: Maj. dec. by No. 1 Chris Perry (Oklahoma State), 11-3

184: Nikko Reyes, r-Fr., Fresno, Calif.
First round: dec. No. 15 Ryan Loder (Northern Iowa), 6-4 SV1
Second round: Tech. fall by No. 2 Ed Ruth (Penn State), 15-0 (7:00)

197: Mario Gonzalez, r-Sr., Aurora, Ill.
Pigtail match: dec. Blake Rosholt (Oklahoma State), 10-3
First round: dec. by No. 2 J'Den Cox (Missouri), 10-4
Consolation first round: dec. KaRonne Jones (North Carolina State), 4-1 TB1
 
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