ALLIANCE, Ohio -- Notre Dame came into Friday night's action at Mount Union with a seven-match win streak in tow, having won every dual match they've been in since Nov. 24. The No. 1 (NAIA Coaches' Poll) Falcons ran that number to eight with a 45-3 drubbing of the Purple Raiders.

Notre Dame (9-1) has now whipped those eight straight foes by a combined score of 268-34, and the Falcons have scored a whopping 136 points over their last three matches. In tallying 45 team points, Notre Dame has now topped the 40-point mark in three straight matches and five times this season.

Mount Union (9-4) came into Friday night's meet having won four straight matches and eight of their previous nine. The No. 28 team in NCAA Division-III (d3wrestle.com) had been 3-1 at home at the McPherson Complex. The host Purple Raiders forfeited one bout against the Falcons. NDC took eight of the other nine on the night, collecting four pins and three major decisions along the way.

The Wrestling Falcons took a 10-0 lead in the match after forfeit at 125 pounds and a 10-1 major earned by #Brian Dean# at 133. Senior #Adam Koballa# then ran NDC's lead to 13-0 with a 4-0 win over TJ Arnone at 141, which marked Koballa's 15th consecutive victory.

While having a string of six straight wins by fall snapped, #Ashtin Primus# ran his season mark to 17-3 when he picked up a major (8-0) at 149 to give the Blue & White a 17-0 lead.

#Thomas Straughn# earned a major decision (12-3) at 157. At 165, #Kevin Hardy# earned his second straight win by fall and his ninth straight win overall with a pin of Eric Shiflett in 1:25. Cody Butzer earned yet another pin for NDC at 174, dispensing the Purple Raiders' Darin Lyles in 1:52. The Butzer win gave Notre Dame a 33-0 lead through seven bouts.

MUC's Andy Jenkins then earned the Purple Raiders' only three points on the night when the nipped #Alex Denman#, 3-2.

The bout at 197 pounds featured a pair of ranked foes in Notre Dame's #Derek Foore# (NAIA No. 1) and Mount Union's Bill Schindel (NCAA-III No. 6). Foore pinned Schindel in 4:15. The loss marked only Schindel's second of the season against 19 wins. Foore is now 20-0 with nine wins by fall.

#Orlando Scales# rounded out the dominant NDC performance with a pin at 285. The big freshman from Cincinnati is now 20-2. He, like Foore, has nine pins on the year.

NDC's final regular-season match is scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 14, when the Wrestling Falcons host West Liberty (W. Va.) in a 1 p.m. dual meet at Murphy Gymnasium.


NOTES FROM THE NEST …

A ONE AND A TWO…: Notre Dame remained in their No. 1 spot in the NAIA Coaches' Poll in the latest publication of the rankings on Tuesday, Feb. 2. The Falcons have now spent 11 weeks atop the national circuit's Top-20. … Defending national champion Adam Koballa slipped to No. 2 from the No. 1 perch he had occupied since preseason. Cumberland's Mikey Davis, 12-4 on the season, replaced Koballa at No. 1. With his win at Mount Union Friday night, Koballa is now 26-2 this season. … Derek Foore retained his No. 1 ranking at 197. Overall, NDC had five wrestlers ranked at No. 2 among the 10 weight divisions.

MAGNIFICENT SEVEN: Unbeaten Derek Foore has now earned pinfalls in seven of his last 10 bouts. 


Notre Dame 45, Mount Union 3

125-Dante Rini (NDC), win by forfeit

133-Brian Dean (NDC) major dec. T.J. Arnone, 10-1

141-Adam Koballa (NDC) dec. Josh Malave, 4-0

149-Ashtin Primus (NDC) major dec. Richie Clark, 8-0

157-Thomas Straughn (NDC) major dec. Kody Severino, 12-3

165-Kevin Hardy (NDC) pin Eric Shiflett, 1:25

174-Cody Butzer (NDC) pin Darin Lyles, 1:52

184-Andy Jenkins (MTU) dec. Alex Denman, 3-2

197-Derek Foore (NDC) pin Bill Schindel, 4:15

285-Orlando Scales (NDC) pin Matt Kangas, :41

Notre Dame (9-1), Mount Union (9-4)