HESKETT NAMED WRESTLING COACHFormer Ohio State Assistant, Four-Time All-American Joins Black Knights
 
WEST POINT, N.Y.  – Joe Heskett, a four-time All-American, national champion and former U.S. World Team member who spent the past four years as an assistant at Ohio State University, has been named the head wrestling coach at Army Athletics Director Kevin Anderson announced.Heskett, a 2001 graduate of Iowa State University, replaces Chuck Barbee who resigned following his 10th season to pursue other interests.
 
“I am very excited to have one of the young talents in collegiate wrestling as our head coach,” said Anderson. “Joe comes highly recommended from Athletic Director of the Year Gene Smith of Ohio State has unmatched credentials on the mat and his passion and dedication to the sport should pay immediate dividends. He has continued to advance his career and we are confident he can lead us to wins over Navy, EIWA Championships and national qualifiers.”
 
Heskett, who won the 165-pound national championship in 2002, is the ninth head coach in program history.
 
"Life will often surprise us with outstanding opportunities,” said Heskett. “I am humbled and honored to be able to lead and represent the Army wrestling program. I am inspired by what West Point represents and I graciously accept the challenge to mentor and motivate the cadet-athletes, improve their technical and tactical skills on the mat and to beat Navy. I would like to thank my family, Kevin Anderson, the West Point search committee, specifically Associate Athletic Director Gene McIntyre for his time and energy and the entire USMA athletic department."
 
Heskett, the eighth four-time All-American at Iowa State, graduated with a degree in speech communications and a career record of 143-9.
 
He was a three-time national finalist, winning one championship and finishing second and third. Heskett captured three Big 12 Championships, won the prestigious Midlands event on three occasions and graduated third on Iowa State’s all-time wins list.
 
Following his decorated collegiate career, Heskett earned a spot on the 2007 U.S. World Team after winning the U.S. Nationals and U.S. World Team Trials. He represented the United States at the ’07 World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan with a fifth-place finish. He dropped a tough, three-period battle with a two-time world champion from Russia in the semifinals before wrestling back to finish fifth and was one of five wrestlers to qualify at his weight for the Olympics. Earlier that summer, he won a silver medal at 163 pounds at the 2007 Pan American Games.Less than a week after returning from the World Championships, Heskett was forced to retire from competitive wrestling due to an injury and joined the Ohio State staff.Hired as the volunteer assistant in 2006, Heskett was training for the Olympics while assisting in recruiting, team academic support, cultivating donor and alumni relations and other operational duties. Shortly after his competitive retirement, he was promoted to full-time assistant on Tom Ryan’s staff as the chief recruiter. In addition to his work on the mat, Heskett also assumed responsibility for practice plans, academic progress and community service initiatives.
 
During his tenure at Ohio State, Heskett helped the Buckeyes to four top-10 team finishes at the NCAA Tournament, three NCAA champions and 15 All-Americans. He played a large role in securing the nation’s top recruiting class in 2006 and helped sign a host of top prospects.
 
Heskett began his coaching career at Cal Poly University where he was the head assistant wrestling coach an also earned his master’s degree with honors in Educational Leadership with an emphasis in Athletic Administration. He assisted in all facets of the program, including fundraising, and helped the Mustangs to their highest NCAA placement in nearly 20 years.
 
Leadership and leadership training is another passion of Heskett’s. He was Iowa State’s representative at the NCAA Leadership Conference, a board member of the Children’s Body Image, a former member of the Major Ray Mendoza Leadership Fund and an Ambassador and Public Awareness Speaker for the Ohio State Medical Center. He is the founder and Chief Visionary Officer for h Leadership in Columbus, Ohio, a firm with an array of industry expertsA native of Akron, Ohio, Heskett and his wife Tara have two daughters, Olivia and Ava, and are expecting a son in late July. They will reside at West Point.

CHICAGO, Ill. (March 24, 2010) — Luke Zachrich, a longtime protégé of MMA legend Dan Severn, is the latest addition to Bellator Fighting Championships’ upcoming Season 2 middleweight tournament roster.

Zachrich, a mainstay on the Midwest regional circuit, boasts an overall professional record of 10-1 with four wins coming via TKO and six coming via submission. All but one of the victories have come during the first round.

A native of Bryan, Ohio, he played varsity football at Bowling Green State University before graduating with a bachelor’s degree in 2005. At around the same time, he began training with Severn, who has notched 92 career wins in the UFC, WEC, PRIDE and countless other promotions over the past 15 years.

“Luke is a great athlete who has learned MMA from great instructors,” said Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “He’s another strong addition to our 185 tournament.”

Zachrich is the seventh confirmed participant in eight-man middleweight tournament, joining Bryan “The Beast” Baker, Jared Hess, Sean Loeffler, Matt Major, Ryan McGivern and Eric Schambari. The group boasts a combined overall winning percentage of .838 (78-15).

Bellator will also conduct tournaments at 145, 155 and 170 lbs. during its second season, with the winners in each division being declared No. 1 contenders to the current Bellator champions. Each of Bellator’s 24 Season 2 and 3 events will be broadcast on FOX Sports Net, NBC, Telemundo and The Score sports network in Canada.

Though Zachrich made his pro MMA debut in 2006, he gained his first national notoriety in the spring of 2008 on The Ultimate Fighter where was a member of the team coached by Forrest Griffin. Zachrich defeated 5-1-1 Patrick Schultz in Episode 2, but fell to future UFC signee Dan Cramer in Episode 6. Since leaving TUF, Zachrich is a perfect 3-0.

Recently, in mid-2009, Zachrich left his longtime training camp in Cincinnati (Team George Gurgel) to train full-time in Columbus, Ohio, with Joe Heskett, a former four-time All-American wrestler at Iowa State who is now the assistant wrestling coach at Ohio State. Zachrich also continues to hold periodic training sessions with Severn and noted muay thai coach Dorian Price.

“I’ve been lucky enough to train with some of the best in the world and Bellator is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me to show the results of that on the world stage,” Zachrich said. “I love the tournament set-up that Bellator has and the middleweight field is really great—there’s not a bad fighter in it. Anyone can beat anyone on any given day. With that said, I wouldn’t be in it if I didn’t think I could win it.”

For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at Facebook.com/Bellator. For tickets, go to Ticketmaster.com.

Volunteer assistant coach being treated at OSU Medical Center’s Richard M. Ross Heart Hospital

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Joe Heskett, Ohio State wrestling volunteer assistant coach, was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy and ventricular tachycardia last Thursday and underwent surgery at Ohio State University Medical Center’s Richard M. Ross Heart Hospital Tuesday to have a cardiac defibrillator implanted.

Heskett, who had a heart rate in excess of 250 beats per minute at a practice session last Thursday, will continue to undergo medical treatment. His condition will no longer allow him to compete as a wrestler, ending his remarkable and successful career.

Just a week after finishing fifth for the U.S. Freestyle team at the 2007 World Wrestling Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan, Heskett suffered life-threatening ventricular tachycardia at the Steelwood Athletic Training Facility, the practice site for the OSU wrestling team. The prompt action by Todd Miller, the facility’s head athletic trainer, as well as the Columbus Fire Department, resulted in life saving shock defibrillation.

“I want to first and foremost say thank you to my family and friends, and I am grateful for the support from the Ohio State Athletics Department and the professional first-class care at Ross Heart Hospital,� Heskett said. “Through all of this I just know how blessed I am with the love that has surrounded me. Nothing has been more fulfilling than seeing my daughters, although my youngest, Ava, keeps trying to pull on all my wires.�

Cardiomyopathy, a rare heart condition that can go unnoticed until an episode occurs and likely inherited in Heskett’s case, is a weakening and scarring of the heart muscle that reduces the ability of the heart to pump blood efficiently. One of the complications can be ventricular tachycardia, a rapid, uncontrolled heart rhythm that can lead to sudden cardiac death.

Several days of tests at the Richard M. Ross Heart Hospital demonstrated both conditions to be present, leading to aggressive treatment with medications and an implanted defibrillator to prevent a recurrent episode.

“I have no idea how Joe was able to compete at a world class level in such a demanding sport,� Dr. James Ryan, the cardiologist treating Heskett, said. “As I told him, he has a damaged V-6 engine, competing against a bunch of turbo-charged V-8 engines. Some combination of inner drive, technical superiority and intelligence must have allowed him to compensate for his cardiac limitations. The Russian (two-time world champion Makhach Murtazaliev), who defeated him in the world championships last month, certainly would have had his hands full if Joe had a normal heart.�

“God has blessed Joe with so many talents,� Tom Ryan, Ohio State wrestling head coach, said. “It has been a privilege to work with Joe and watch his passion to train and win Olympic gold. It is a difficult and surreal circumstance as all of us close to him stand beside him as he deals with the reality of the situation. Joe is one of the finest men I have met in the sport and looking at the big picture, I am just glad he is alive to share more laughs with. He has a wonderful wife and two beautiful daughters who bring perspective to the situation. Clearly, God has bigger plans for Joe.�

“We’re devastated by Joe’s condition and we will definitely miss him on the mat,� Kevin Jackson, U.S. Wrestling National Freestyle coach, said. “We’re very happy and thankful his health is good and nothing more serious did happen to him. I have a lot of love for Joe and so do his teammates. I’m happy they found out about his condition soon enough to be able to help him. I’m happy to know that Joe will be there for his wife and his children.�

Emergency action plans are posted outside of every training room, near a telephone, so others, in addition to athletic training staff will be prepared to handle any situation in a calm manner. In addition, Automatic External Defibrillators (AED) are placed throughout competition and practice facilities. The athletic training division at Ohio State evaluates the system annually, making changes if necessary.

“The plan worked because Joe knew something was wrong and he came to me seeking advice and soon after, I knew he needed a higher level of care than I could provide,� Miller said.

“I am remarkably blessed to be alive,� Heskett said. “This situation, although unfortunate, is the will of our great Lord and I turn over every fiber of faith to his plan. I don't have time to ask why and ponder. I will get healthy and I look forward to the next chapter of my life. I do not hang up my shoes easily, but the reality of the situation leaves me with one option and that is to stay optimistic and begin to excel in other areas of my life that I have been extremely blessed to possess.�

Joe Heskett Profile

National and International competition

Five-time U.S. National Team Member

Finished fourth at 2007 World Wrestling Championships

2007 and 2001 Pan American Silver medalist

2004 Summer Olympic Games alternate

2004 Dave Schultz International Champion, earning Outstanding Wrestler

2002 New York Athletic Club Champion

Iowa State (1999-2002)

Became the Cyclones eighth four-time All-American (1999-2002) with a career record of 143-9

2002 NCAA Champion at 165 pounds

Finished third in 1999 at NCAA championships, second in 2000 and 2001

Three-time Big 12 champion (1999, 2001, 2002)

Three-time Midlands champion (1998, 2000, 2001)

Third on ISU’s all-time wins list (143)

1999 and 2000 University National Freestyle champion

Four-time Academic All-American, graduated from Iowa State in 2002 with a bachelor’s degree in speech communications and earned a masters degree with honors in educational leadership from Cal Poly in 2005

Walsh Jesuit High School

Three-time Ohio High School state champion

The USA wrestling team came out like a hurricane in day 2 in Baku. Each of the first 4 matches the US won in straight periods. Schwab rolled through the Australian and Puerto Rican. Joe Heskett and Joe Williams rolled through their first opponents as well but had close bouts from there on out. The intensity and endurance of this tournament hit me hard as I was following each and every match. You really got to be clicking on all cylinders to be battling these other countries.

Heskett during the bouts with the Iranian and Hungarian really came through when it counted. He picked his battles and was very tactical in both matches. He did exactly what he had to do to win. That lead him to the Semi Finals against the Russian. This match may have been the match of the tournament thus far. Joe won the first round and the Russian won the second round. In the third round Joe got the first takedown with about 40 seconds left in the match. The russian then countered and got deep on the legs of Heskett and pulled out a 3 point move. With only 10 seconds left all Joe could do was frantically and flailing after the russian to no avail.

Joe Heskett is heading into the 3rd place match tonight.

Joe Williams was proving to have a great tournament all the way up to the quarters. Joe Williams is the type of wrestler that really will only have a couple of opportunities in a match and has relatively high % of finishes on those opportunities. In the match against the Russian in the Quarters Joe had those opportunities but just didnt capitalize. He lost in straight periods.

In the consolations he went back to his form from the earlier matches and managed to get into the third place match tonight.

The Cuban soundly defeated Schwab in the Quarter Finals in straight periods.During the consolations Schwab started off sluggish. He gave up two straight takedowns to the Mongolian but just kept at it. With about 30 seconds left int he first period he took down his opponent and managed to turn him with a loose and funky leg lace. It got the job done and in the second period won in the clinch.

He as well is heading into the third place match tonight.

Overall with the exception of a couple of periods the USA team wrestled very smart and very strong. I would love to see one of them in the finals but that's not how the cookie crumbled.

Six Wrestlers Make a Bid for All-America Status at 2007 NCAA Championships

No. 20 Buckeyes send most wrestlers to nationals since 2002-03

COLUMBUS, Ohio - In his inaugural season as head coach of the No. 20 Ohio State wrestling team, Tom Ryan will coach six Buckeyes at the 2007 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships Thursday-Saturday in the Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Mich.

Representing the Scarlet and Gray are T.J. Enright (133), J Jaggers (141), Lance Palmer (149), Chris Vondruska (165), Mike Pucillo (184) and J.D. Bergman (197).

2007 NCAA Championships Qualifiers

133 ? T.J. Enright (13-8: 4-4 Big Ten)

141 ? J Jaggers (16-8; 5-3 Big Ten)

149 ? Lance Palmer (30-13: 7-1 Big Ten)

165 ? Chris Vondruska (30-14; 4-4 Big Ten)

184 ? Mike Pucillo (21-2; 7-1 Big Ten)

197 ? J.D. Bergman (22-7; 5-3 Big Ten)

HOW TO GET THERE

Tickets to the 2007 NCAA championships are sold in three-day, six-session packages only. Prices are $150, $130 and $120. To order tickets, call the Palace of Auburn Hills box office at 248-377-0100.

Prices include on-site parking and unlimited readmittance.

EXPANDED COVERAGE

The NCAA and ESPN announced in October expanded live television coverage of the 2007 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships.

For the first time, in the 77-year history of the Division I Wrestling Championships, the Saturday morning medal round will be televised. Scheduled for 10 a.m. EST March 17 on ESPNU, the championships medal round determines the third through eighth-place finishers who are honored as All-Americans.

LIVE RESULTS

Live results will be available on ncaasports.com.

IT?S GOOD TO BE BACK

T.J. Enright and J.D. Bergman will return to the national championships after a one-year hiatus. Enright, who wrestled at 141 pounds last season, did not place at the Big Ten championships last year, while Bergman was forced to take a medical redshirt in 2005-06.

In 2005, Enright finished sixth in the conference championships at 133 pounds to qualify for the national event as a freshman. Bergman also was an NCAA qualifier at 197 pounds in 2005, a year removed from earning All-America status with a third-place finish at nationals in 2004.

FIRST TIMERS

A pair of freshmen in Lance Palmer and Mike Pucillo will get their first glimpse of the NCAA championships after placing in the Top 7 at the Big Ten championships. Palmer finished third at 149 pounds, while Pucillo was sixth at 184 pounds.

THIRTY-SOMETHINGS

So far, Lance Palmer and Chris Vondruska have registered 30 wins on the year. Palmer owns a 30-13 record and Vondruska is 30-14.

TWENTY-SOMETHINGS

J.D. Bergman and Mike Pucillo have tallied more than 20 wins this season. Bergman has 22 victories to his credit (seven losses) and Pucillo is 21-2.

DROP IT LIKE IT?S HOT

J Jaggers recorded the fastest fall time at the 2007 Big Ten Championships. Jaggers dropped Purdue?s Nick Bertucci in 25 seconds in the second round consolation.

SECOND TIME AROUND

After qualifying and missing the NCAA championships because of a knee injury last season, J Jaggers will seek his first All-America honor during the three-day event this year.

ALMOST PERFECT

Mike Pucillo owns the highest winning percentage on the team (.950). His mark stands at 21-2, with losses against the Nos. 1 and 2 wrestlers in the nation.

SAME OLD SONG

For Chris Vondruska, it does not matter where he wrestles because for the second-consecutive season he qualified for the NCAA championships. Last year, the Lakewood, Ohio, native won the 165-pound weight class in the Colonial Athletic Association championships and this season he finished fifth in the Big Ten championships.

AND THEN THERE WERE THREE

Lance Palmer is the first freshman to place in the Top 3 of the Big Ten championships for Ohio State since Ryan Hieber (174 pounds) and assistant Tommy Rowlands (HWT) finished second and third, respectively, in 2001.

HITTING HIS STRIDE

After finishing third in the Big Ten championships, Lance Palmer now has won 13 of his last 16 matches. Going into the conference championships, Palmer had won six-consecutive bouts and extended that streak to eight when he won his first two match-ups in East Lansing. Palmer?s lone loss at the Big Ten event was against the No. 2 seed and third-ranked Josh Churella of Michigan in a close 3-2 decision.

JUST SO YOU KNOW

J.D. Bergman defeated the No. 1 seed and Big Ten defending champion Philip Davis of Penn State, 6-4, in the semifinal of the conference championships. Philips also was a two-time NCAA finalist at 197 pounds.

THE MORE THE MERRIER

Ohio State?s six qualifiers to the NCAA championships are the most for the Buckeyes since the 2002-03 season. During that campaign, OSU sent seven wrestlers to the national event, including assistant coach Tommy Rowlands.

For the first and only time in program history, the Scarlet and Gray advanced all 10 weight classes to nationals in 2001.

CAN WE SAY 63?

With its six NCAA qualifiers, Ohio State will seek its 63rd All-America selection, while thirty-nine OSU wrestlers have earned the coveted honor. The Buckeyes have nine two-time All-Americans, three three-time All-Americans and Tommy Rowlands is the only four-time Buckeye All-American (2001-2004).

NCAA HISTORY

The Buckeyes had their best finish at the national championships in 2004 when they tied for third with 77.5 points.

During its run in 2004, Ohio State sent five Buckeyes to nationals and all five placed in the Top 8. Tommy Rowlands led the contingent, capturing his second national title at heavyweight. As a freshman, J.D. Bergman finished third at 197 pounds. After dropping his first bout, Bergman preceded to win seven-consecutive matches, including recording a pair of falls in the first and second round consolations. John Clark and Blake Kaplan earned fifth-place finishes at 165 and 184 pounds, respectively, and Jeff Ratliff was eighth at 149 pounds.

Ohio State has 11 national champions, most recently two-time NCAA champion Rowlands at heavyweight (2002 and 2004).

A STEP BACK IN TIME ? 2007 BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS

Ohio State qualified six wrestlers to nationals at the conclusion of the Big Ten championships March 3-4 at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, Mich. Leading the OSU contingent was 197-pounder J.D. Bergman, who finished second. In his debut at the league event, Lance Palmer executed a third-place showing as a freshman at 133 pounds. Competing at 165 pounds, Chris Vondruska was fifth in his first Big Ten championships. Vondruska wrestled at Hofstra from 2002-2006. T.J. Enright and Mike Pucillo finished sixth after both wrestlers were forced to take medical forfeits. J Jaggers qualified for his second-consecutive national championships after he finished seventh.

As a team, the Buckeyes finished ninth with 68.5 points.

ONLY THE BEST

Ohio State owned one of the toughest schedules in the Big Ten Conference, taking on nine teams that were ranked in the Top 25 of the USA Today/InterMat/NWCA poll. At the time of competition, five of the Buckeyes? opponents were in the Top 10 (Missouri-No. 3, Illinois- No. 7, Cornell-No. 9, Iowa-No. 10 and Northwestern-No. 10).

NOT TO BE OVERLOOKED

Ohio State defeated its third-consecutive ranked opponent after beating then-No. 10 Northwestern, 18-16, Feb. 4 and its fourth overall. Prior to the upset over the Wildcats, the Buckeyes bettered No. 19 Michigan State, 19-14, (Feb. 2), No. 16 Indiana, 19-14, (Jan. 28) and No. 9 Cornell, 18-17, (Nov. 26).

MAKE IT 110

Tom Ryan earned his 110th career victory with the Buckeyes? 18-17 win over Cornell Nov. 26. Ryan gathered his first win as the head coach of the Scarlet and Gray, while his other 109 wins came at Hofstra, where he was the head coach for 11 seasons. Ryan?s career record is 117-90-1.

BUCKEYES IN THE STANDINGS

In the latest edition of the USA Today/InterMat/NWCA Coaches? Poll (Feb. 20), four Buckeyes are ranked in the Top 20. At 149 pounds, Lance Palmer is 16th and at 165 pounds, Chris Vondruska is 17th. Mike Pucillo continues to hold down the No. 3 spot at 184 pounds, while classmate J.D. Bergman No. 10 at 197 pounds.

CONFERENCE LAURELS

Mike Pucillo and T.J. Enright earned Big Ten Wrestler of the Week honors during the regular season. Pucillo was the first OSU honoree (Dec. 4), capturing the award after finishing first in the 184-pound division at the 25th annual Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational Dec. 1-2. A redshirt freshman who transferred from Hofstra, Pucillo defeated Top 4 opponents Raymond Jordan of Missouri (No. 4) and Tyrel Todd of Michigan (No. 3) in the semifinal and championship bouts en route to the title.

Enright garnered the laurel Feb. 5 after producing one of the more memorable wins of his collegiate career. Enright (133) began the weekend with a 4-2 sudden victory over No. 1 Nick Simmons of Michigan State in Columbus, Ohio, to help propel the Buckeyes to a 19-14 upset over the No. 10 Spartans. He again was at the center of a dramatic win for OSU, as he defeated Eric Metzler of Northwestern, 7-2, to pull the Scarlet and Gray within one point (16-15) with one match left at 141 pounds. Classmate J Jaggers won a 7-5 decision and the Buckeyes rallied for the 18-16 win over the No. 10 Wildcats in Lakewood, Ohio.

LAS VEGAS INVITATIONAL CHAMPION

Redshirt-freshman Mike Pucillo won the 184-weight class at the 25th annual Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational Dec. 1-2 in Primm, Nev. Pucillo recorded two major decisions and a fall en route to the semifinal where he defeated No. 4 Raymond Jordan of Missouri, 3-1. In the championship bout against Michigan?s and No. 3 Tyrel Todd, Pucillo notched a 12-6 victory for the title.

Pucillo became the first Buckeye to win a title at the event since assistant coach Tommy Rowlands won in 2003 at heavyweight.

BERGMAN FINISHES SECOND AT SCUFFLE

J.D. Bergman captured a second-place finish at the 2006 Southern Scuffle in Greensboro, N.C., Dec. 29-30, 2006. Bergman, who wrestled at 197 pounds, had an impressive outing on day one of the event, recording two falls and a major decision en route to the quarterfinals. The following day, Bergman notched a decision to advance to the semifinals where he was slated to meet No. 2 seed and nationally No. 2-ranked Jerry Rinaldi of Cornell. However, Rinaldi was forced to take a medical forfeit and that set up a rematch between Bergman and No. 1 seed and top ranked Max Askren of Missouri. After leading 2-1 going into the third period, Askren pinned Bergman in 5:48.

UPSET CITY, BABY!

T.J. Enright was no stranger to upsetting top-ranked wrestlers when he beat No. 1 Nick Simmons of Michigan State, 4-2, in sudden victory Feb. 2. During his freshman campaign in 2004-05, Enright defeated then-No. 4 Sam Hiatt of Northern Illinois in the Michigan State Open (Nov. 21, 2004) and in Big Ten Conference dual action in 2005, he upset then-No. 3 Mack Reiter of Minnesota (Feb. 13, 2005).

Junior J.D. Bergman continued the upset trend during the weekend against Northwestern when he beat second-ranked Mike Tamillow at 197 pounds, 4-2.

Lance Palmer followed those two acts with an impressive win of his own over No. 2 Josh Churella (6-4 2TB) of Michigan Feb. 11.

GOING DOWN TO THE WIRE

For the second time in his OSU career, T.J. Enright produced the winning points for Ohio State in the final bout. With the Buckeyes down, 17-15, against No. 9 Cornell going into the concluding match at 133 pounds, Enright tallied a 5-3 decision over Nick Bridge to give Ohio State the 18-17 victory. It was nearly the same scenario for Enright and the Buckeyes during the 2004-05 season. Enright recorded a 7-2 win over Bloomsburg?s Joe Hassenman to lift the Scarlet and Gray over the Huskies by the same 18-17 margin at the Buckeye Duals in St. John Arena.

Classmate J Jaggers? 7-5 win over Northwestern?s James Kohlberg in the deciding match at 141 pounds completed Ohio State?s rally for the 18-16 victory over the 10th-ranked Wildcats.

WE?RE GOING STREAKING

Chris Vondruska tallied a nine-match win streak from Dec. 17, 2006-Feb. 2, 2007. In that period, Vondruska knocked off 14th-ranked Max Dean of Indiana, 2-1, in overtime.

J Jaggers owned a six-match win streak from Jan. 14-28, defeating three conference and nonconference rivals. During that span, Jaggers recorded two major decisions and a fall en route to a 12-3 overall record.

Lance Palmer completed the regular season on a six-match win streak, finishing with a 26-11 overall record.

JUST A NUMBER

Redshirt freshman Mike Pucillo (184) has faced eight ranked opponents in 2006-07 and has compiled a 7-1 record against his Top 20 rivals. Pucillo began the season with a 16-0 record before losing his first match to No. 1 Jake Herbert of Northwestern Feb. 4.

In dual action, seven of J.D. Bergman?s 15 opponents were ranked in the Top 20. He went up against five ranked wrestlers in January and February and overall finished with a 9-3 record in those two months.

CLEVELAND?S CELEBRATED CELEBRITY

Freshman Lance Palmer was a finalist for the 2005-06 Cleveland Outstanding High School Athlete Award, which was presented at the fifth annual Greater Cleveland Sports Awards, created by The Greater Cleveland Sports Commission (GCSC), Jan. 29 at the Renaissance Cleveland Hotel, Grand Ballroom.

Palmer, who compiled a regular-season record of 26-12 during his freshman campaign, was a four-time Ohio high school national champion from 2003-2006. During his senior year, Palmer helped lead St. Edward High School to its 10th-consecutive team title at the Ohio High School Athletic Association wrestling tournament at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio. A two-time Most Valuable Wrestler for the Eagles, Palmer compiled a high school career record of 150-6 and was considered the No. 1 recruit nationally by several wrestling media publications.

ROSSELLI TO COACH U.S. FREESTYLE WORLD TEAM

Assistant coach Lou Rosselli was selected as a U.S. Freestyle World Team Coach for the 2007 World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 17-23. Rosselli will join USA Wrestling National Freestyle Coach Kevin Jackson of Colorado, Springs, Colo., and Kerry McCoy, who is the head coach at Stanford in Palo Alto, Calif.

?It is always exciting to get the opportunity to work with the best athletes and coaches in the nation,? Rosselli said. ?Hopefully we can improve on last year when we won four medals and were close to winning as a team. We will work together to again put ourselves in the position to win. As our weight classes become deeper, it will help our effort. If it is difficult to make the U.S. team, then the No. 1 athletes go up to a higher level. We have the guys to get the job done. We have the talent to do what we need to do. Our athletes train hard and I am excited to work with them once again.?

As a world team coach in 2006, Rosselli helped guide the freestyle squad to a third-place finish, while coaching four individual medalists, including world champion Bill Zadick. Rosselli also was the assistant coach of the 2005 U.S. World Team at the World University Games, which placed third in the team standings and had three individual gold medalists, including fellow Buckeye assistant Tommy Rowlands.

ASSISTANT COACHES TAKE GOLD

Ohio State wrestling assistant coaches Joe Heskett and Tommy Rowlands claimed titles at the Henri Deglane Challenge in Nice, France, and the American Airlines/New York AC Holiday International in New York, respectively, at the end of November.

In his first season as the volunteer assistant coach for the Buckeyes, Heskett defeated 2000 Olympic silver medalist and 2006 Russian National Champion Arsen Gitinov in the championship match to win the gold medal at 74kg/163 pounds in the freestyle competition at the Nov. 24-25 tournament. For his efforts, Heskett was named TheMat.com Athlete of the Week for the week of Nov. 21.