Division I Recap: Iowa, Nebraska Continue Winning Ways Over Weekend; Penn State Dominates Edinboro

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John Fuller (TheMat.com)
12/16/2002


Last weekend was full of action in Division I wrestling. Tournament season began to die down as dual meets controlled the schedule. With teams preparing for the upcoming Reno Tournament of Champions (Dec. 19) and the 40th Midlands Championships (Dec. 28-29), a lot of the top teams in the nation took the weekend off.    Iowa and Nebraska both stayed unbeaten on the season with big wins, while Iowa State snapped a three-dual losing streak. Penn State also continued its surge back to the top of the nation with a 24-12 win over Edinboro at home.    Below is a recap of the weekend's action:    Dec. 12  Iowa State got back on track with a dominating 34-7 win over Tennessee-Chattanooga in Ames, Iowa. The Cyclones won eight of 10 matches, two by pin, two others by major decision and another by technical fall. All-American Zach Roberson (133) and defending NCAA champion Aaron Holker (141) were dominant in their wins. Iowa State ended a three-dual losing streak with the win and spoiled UTC head coach Terry Brands' return to the state of Iowa as a head coach.    Dec. 13  Iowa became the state champions again after beating up on Northern Iowa 30-7. The dual was much closer than the score indicated. Close matches at 149, 174, 184 and 197 pounds had the Hawkeyes sweating some, but the more experienced Iowa squad won all four weights to pull out the dual victory. 197-pound Ryan Fulsaas continued to improve as he avenged an earlier loss to Sean Stender.    The Civil War between Oregon and Oregon State was every bit as exciting as it was thought to be. Oregon State's Matt Ellis, who transferred this off-season from Oklahoma State, pulled off a mild upset with a 3-1 victory over Luke Larwin at 165 pounds. But in the end, this dual was decided by bonus points. Those were only scored in one match as Oregon's Martin Mitchell pinned Brett Phillips in the first period to propel the Ducks to an 18-15 dual win in Eugene, Ore.    Nebraska continued to impress and surprise as they destroyed Portland State 46-3 in Portland, Ore. It was Nebraska's first dual since losing All-American Justin Ruiz (197). The Huskers received forfeits at 149 and 184 pounds and B.J. Padden moved up to 197 pounds and won by an injury default.    Boise State showed why they are one of the favorites to win the PAC-10 this year after a 23-13 win over Fresno State in Boise, Idaho. The Broncos received wins from All-American Ben VomBaur at 125 pounds, Scott Jorgensen at 133, pounds, Gabe Vigil at 141 pounds and Collin Robertson at 149 pounds, putting Fresno into a hole they couldn't dig themselves out of. It was the first starting appearance for the freshman Jorgensen since beating out Jesse Brock for the spot.    Dec. 14  Nebraska stayed unbeaten this season with wins on the road over Oregon State (30-15) and Oregon (30-3). Against the Beavers, Nebraska forfeited 197 pounds and won seven matches. They were upset at 184 pounds when Las Vegas champion B.J. Padden was defeated by Dan Pitsch 10-5. Against the Ducks, Nebraska won nine matches, three of them by major decision.    Upstart Cleveland State went on the road and lost two tough duals to Michigan (25-6) and Central Michigan (22-15). In Ann Arbor, the Vikings got wins by Gerald Harris (184) and Stipe Miocic (197) to start the dual, but were stymied for the rest of the meet. Miocic scored an 8-5 upset over Kyle Smith. The best match was at 133 pounds, where All-American candidates Foley Dowd of Michigan and Phil Mansueto of Cleveland State battled into overtime. Dowd was able to score a takedown in the extra period to pull out a 3-1 win. Earlier in the day, the Vikings received four wins at Central Michigan, but technical falls by Jason Mester at 141 pounds and David Bolyard at 157 pounds put the Chippewas over the top. Miocic lost his match with Brett Faustman 4-3. The Vikings received wins by Russ Davie at 285 pounds, Rocco Mansueto at 125 pounds and Phil Mansueto at 133 pounds 15-3 lead midway through the dual, but the Chippewas won the rest of the matches.    Ohio was also impressive in a 30-9 win over Division II Findlay at home. 149-pound All-American Jake Percival won an 8-0 major decision over Waylon Lowe to stay unbeaten on the year.  The Bobcats won eight of ten matches and forfeited at 165.    Tennessee-Chattanooga got back on track with a 27-15 win over Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va. The Mocs received major decision victories by Jared Sullivan at 125 pounds, Quentin Bell at 157 pounds and Craig Johnson at 165 pounds. 125-pound Matt Pitts also helped his squad to a win with a second-period pin over Geoff Head.    Dec. 15  Penn State and Edinboro faced off in TheMat.com's Dual of the Week. The surging Nittany Lions surprised many with a dominating 24-12 win in State College, Pa. 141-pound Scott Moore pulled out a major upset with a 10-2 win over All-American candidate Cory Ace. Edinboro shot back later in the meet as 165-pound Matt R. King defeated All-American Chris "Doc" Vecchio 9-2. Penn State fans got a glimpse of the future as Adam Smith (125), Nathan Galloway (149) and James Woodall (157) all posted victories. Galloway is a true freshman while Smith and Woodall are only sophomores.    Missouri dominated Princeton (37-6) and Central Missouri State (41-12) at home. The Tigers lost only three matches on the day. Two of those were forfeits at 149 pounds where an injured Jeremy Spates continued to heal. The match of the day was at 184 pounds in the Princeton dual. All-American Scott Barker moved down in weight for the second consecutive season to face off with Greg Parker, who moved up in weight after competing in the 174-pound national finals last year. Barker was impressive with a 5-0 win.    Purdue and Northern Illinois competed at the Purdue Duals in West Lafayette, Ind. Purdue won 27 out of 30 matches on the day. All-American Chris Fleeger recorded two pins at 125 pounds, Brad Harper had three pins at 157 pounds and Ryan Lange was 3-0 at 174 pounds. For the Huskies, Ben Heizer won both of his matches at 184 pounds while All-American Scott Owen (157) sat out with an injury.      For complete Division I results from this season, click here.