Blevins, Trotman Rebound to Advance at NCAA Championships
PHILADELPHIA, Pa.- Junior Kyle Blevins (Sapulpa, Okla./Sapulpa) and redshirt junior Austin Trotman (Winston-Salem, N.C./Mount Tabor) rebounded from losses in the first round of the 2011 NCAA Wrestling Championships at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pa. on Thursday to advance to the second day of competition.
At 165, Blevins was relentless in his bout against Justin Lister (Binghamton), but 1:41 worth of riding time was the difference in his earlier match.
The first period of the match between Blevins and Lister was scoreless after neither wrestler really went after the other. Much of the second period was scoreless until Blevins did a stand and reversal at the buzzer, but the officials only credited Blevins with an escape, giving him the 1-0 advantage. Lister was able to tally an escape of his own as time was winding down in the third stanza and with time of his side, Lister swiped a 2-1 decision from Blevins.
In his wrestleback match, Blevins was matched up with Pittsburgh's Ethan Headlee after he was destroyed by #1-seed Nebraska's Jordan Burroughs earlier in the day, 22-7, earning a technical fall.
Headlee got on the board first via a takedown, but Blevins escaped, bringing the match to 2-1 at the end of the first. Headlee escaped for the only point of the second period to widen the gap to 3-1 in his favor. As the third period began, Headlee took down Blevins again to go up 5-1. Not wanting to make an early exit in his first appearance at the tournament, Blevins began his uphill climb. Blevins nailed a reversal and took down Headlee with time winding down to tie up the match at 5-5, sending the match into sudden victory. Shortly after, Blevins got the match's final takedown to secure the 7-5 decision over Headlee.
Blevins will face Virginia Tech's Peter Yates Friday morning. Yates lost to Hofstra's Paul Gillespie, 5-2, sending him to the consolation bracket. Blevins and Yates battled earlier in the season with Blevins needing extra time to beat Yates, 6-4.
The 184 match between Trotman and Iowa's Grant Gambrall proved to be a higher scoring bout this morning. Gambrall had to defeat Maryland's Corey Peltier, 3-2, in the pigtail match to earn the chance to wrestle against Trotman.
Gambrall struck first, notching a two-point takedown to open the period. Trotman escaped to close the gap to 2-1. Trotman earned his first takedown of the match to take a 3-2 lead, but it was short lived as Gambrall escaped to tie the match up at 3-3 as the first period came to a close.
In the second frame, the only point recorded was by Trotman as he escaped, going ahead 4-3.
Gambrall escaped to open the second, tying up the match at 4-4 for the second time. Gambrall took down Trotman to move the score to 6-4, but Trotman escaped, bringing the match to a 6-5 stand. But Gambrall took down Trotman for the final time to take the match, 8-5.
Trotman took on Purdue's A.J. Kissel in his wrestleback match. Kissel was pinned by Wyoming's Joe LeBlanc in 6:41 in his first match.
In this match, Trotman recorded the first points with a two-point takedown. Kissel escaped, but Trotman took him down again to go up 4-1. Kissel cut the lead in half with another escape, bringing the match to 4-2 at the end of the first period.
Trotman gathered four more points from takedowns to go ahead 7-2 as the second stanza came to a close.
Kissel was able to takedown Trotman one more time, but Trotman earned the 7-4 decision over Kissel.
Trotman's next opponent will be Rutger's Daniel Rinaldi. Rinaldi dropped a 3-2 decision to #2-seed Robert Hamlin from Lehigh to send him to the consolation bracket.
Full action from both matches can be watched on www.ESPN3.com.
Two Spartans still alive after day one of NCAA Tournament
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - Despite losing their opening round matches to No. 1 ranked wrestlers, Ivan Lopouchanski and Manny Ramirez bounced back in the wrestlebacks to stay alive on Thursday at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships.
At 125 pounds, Ramirez had a tough matchup in the first round as he faced defending National Champion and top-ranked Matt McDonough from Iowa and fell by a first period pin. Ramirez came back in impressive fashion in the consolation bracket as he defeated No. 20 David Klingsheim from Nebraska by major decision, 19-7. Ramirez will now face No. 12 Jarrod Garnett from Virginia Tech.
Lopouchanski's opening match at 149 pounds was just as rough as he was faced top-ranked Darrion Caldwell from NC State who was a 2008 National Champion. Lopouchanski, ranked 14th nationally, fell in that match by major decision, 18-7. Like Ramirez, Lopouchanski was able to win his consolation round match as he defeated West Virginia's Brandon Rader, 5-2. He will face Lehigh's Joseph Napoli in the next round of wrestlebacks.
197-pounder Caylor Williams was the recipient of a tough draw, as well, as he lost by fall to No. 2 Trevor Brandvold from Wisconsin in the first round. He then fell to Oregon State's Chad Hanke, ranked 20th nationally, by technical fall, 21-4, late in the third period to be eliminated.
Peter Sturgeon lost a pair of narrow matches at 285 pounds to be eliminated from the tournament. In his opening match, Sturgeon was pitted against No. 11 Nathan Fernandez from Oklahoma. Sturgeon held a 3-2 lead in the third period, but was hit with his second stalling call that gave Fernandez a point to tie the match. In sudden victory, Fernandez was able to score a takedown to defeat Sturgeon, 5-3.
Sturgeon found himself in another tight match in the wrestlebacks as he was pitted against Ohio's Jeremy Johnson. After scoring an escape to tie the match at four early in the third period, Sturgeon was hit with a pair of stall calls to award Johnson a point and the 5-4 victory.
The Spartan duo will continue their way through the wrestlebacks on Friday morning at 10:30 a.m.
AGATE
125 pounds:
No. 1 Matt McDonough (Iowa) fall Manny Ramirez (UNCG), 2:31
Manny Ramirez (UNCG) maj. dec. No. 20 David Klingsheim (Nebraska), 19-7
149 pounds:
No. 1 Darrion Caldwell (NC State) maj. dec. No. 14 Ivan Lopouchanski (UNCG), 18-7
No. 14 Ivan Lopouchanski (UNCG) dec. Brandon Rader (West Virginia), 5-2
197 pounds:
No. 2 Trevor Brandvold (Wisconsin) fall Caylor Williams (UNCG), 1:06
No. 20 Chad Hanke (Oregon State) tech. fall Caylor Williams (UNCG), 21-4 at 6:15
* Caylor Williams eliminated from tournament
285 pounds:
No. 11 Nathan Fernandez (Oklahoma) dec. Peter Sturgeon (UNCG), 5-3 SV1
Jeremy Johnson (Ohio) dec. Peter Sturgeon (UNCG), 5-4
* Peter Sturgeon eliminated from tournament
Mocs Swept Out of NCAA Championships
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga wrestling team had a tough day in the opening rounds of the 2011 NCAA Championships in Philadelphia, Pa. All six Mocs were eliminated without a win in today's first round and consolation matches.
The Mocs had high expectations, entering the event with six qualifiers for the fifth time in the last 12 years. However, UTC leaves without a point for just the third time since joining Division I in 1978.
"I am disappointed," stated head coach Heath Eslinger. "We talk about measuring sticks, academically, athletically and socially. At the end of the day, the NCAA Tournament is the measuring stick for wrestling. I want to win our conference tournament every year, but it is not what we are judged on. I have to figure out a way to get guys to perform at this level."
Sophomore Demetrius Johnson (Memphis, Tenn.) started the day for UTC, taking on No. 5 seed Lou Ruggirello of Hofstra at 133. He was quickly pinned, less than a minute into the match. He was the first Moc to bow out of the tournament, losing in a pigtail match in the 133 consolations. He was shut out in a 6-0 decision to Lehigh's Frank Cagnina.
Senior Cody Cleveland (Tullahoma, Tenn.) took on Oklahoma's Zach Bailey at 141, an opponent he had beaten three times in his career. Unfortunately for the Mocs, the eighth-seeded Bailey snapped that slide, and Cleveland's 21-match winning streak that dated back to the 2009 NCAAs, with a 9-7 decision.
Cleveland took a 7-6 lead with a takedown in the final period, but could not keep Bailey down. An escape tied the match and sent it into overtime. Bailey won in overtime with a sudden-victory takedown.
Losing the first match at the NCAAs was not unusual for Cleveland. He dropped his opening contest during his All-American run in 2008. However, he was not able to duplicate that feat today. His outstanding career at UTC came to an end with a 7-3 loss to Christopher Drouin of Iowa State in the 141 consolations.
"Cody wrestled hard all day," added Eslinger. "But the thing about this tournament is there are no gimmes. When you have an opportunity, you have to take it. Unfortunately, this time of year there are no second chances. This is it."
The three-time Southern Conference Champion finishes with a 75-26 career record. That mark includes three All-SoCon honors to go with the 2009 SoCon Wrestler of the Year award and the Most Outstanding Wrestler at the 2009 SoCon Championships accolades.
Sophomore Josh Condon (Powder Springs, Ga.) was one of the few Mocs to get off to a good start, holding a 2-0 lead after the first period against Buffalo's Matt Lewandowski. That quickly changed when he chose down to start the second frame. He was not able to get up and was pinned at the 3:37 mark. It was the first time Condon had been pinned in his 48-match career.
That pin dropped Condon back to the consolations where he was matched up with Gardner-Webb's Alex Medved. Condon defeated Medved 6-1 earlier in the year, but had his hands full today. The score was tied at 3-3 after two periods. Medved posted an escape in the third to snatch a 4-3 win and eliminate Condon with his second loss.
Oklahoma State's Mike Benefiel shut out junior Brandon Wright (Germantown, Tenn.) with an 8-0 major decision at 174 in the first round. Wright was also shut out in his consolation match with Arizona State's Eric Starks. Neither Wright nor Starks had any offense in their match with Starks using a third-period escape and riding time to score a 2-0 win.
Junior Jason McCroskey (Soddy Daisy, Tenn.) fell to Minnesota's Kevin Steinhaus 5-2 in his first match at 184. Steinhaus used a first-period takedown, a second-period reversal and riding time to post the win. McCroskey went on to drop his consolation match 8-2 to Jonathan Fausey of Virginia.
Sophomore Niko Brown (Kissimmee, Fla.) opened his tournament with an 11-7 loss to Jay Hahn of Bucknell at 197. He fell in a technical fall to Missouri's Brent Haynes in the consolation round.
"This is an awesome group of guys," bragged Eslinger. "I don't want to take away anything they have accomplished this year and during their careers because of one weekend."
Chattanooga ends another impressive season that included its seventh-straight SoCon regular season title and another win at the SoCon Championships. Head coach Heath Eslinger closes out his second season at UTC with an 11-9 overall record and 5-0 in SoCon action.
"I want NCAA All-Americans and a national champion and I am not going to stop working until we get it," concluded Eslinger. "And when we get it, I am going to work harder to get more."
First Round
133 - Lou Ruggirello (Hofstra) - Fall (0:57) - Demetrius Johnson (UTC)
141 - Zack Bailey (Okla.) - Dec. 9-7 - Cody Cleveland (UTC)
157 - Mark Lewandowski (Buffalo) - Fall (3:37) - Josh Condon (UTC)
174 - Mike Benefiel (Ok. St.) - MD 8-0 - Brandon Wright (UTC)
184 - Kevin Steinhaus (Minn.) - Dec. 5-2 - Jason McCroskey (UTC)
197 - Jay Hahn (Bucknell) - Dec. 11-7 - Niko Brown (UTC)
Consolation Rounds
133 - Frank Cagnina (Lehigh) - Dec. 6-0 - Demetrius Johnson (UTC)
141 - Christopher Drouin (Iowa State) - Dec. 7-3 - Cody Cleveland (UTC)
157 - Alex Medved (Gardner-Webb) - Dec. 4-3 - Josh Condon (UTC)
174 - Eric Starks (Ariz. St.) - Dec. 2-0 - Brandon Wright (UTC)
184 - Jonathan Fausey (Virginia) - Dec. 8-2 - Jason McCroskey (UTC)
197 - Brent Haynes (Missouri) - Tech Fall (2:52) - Niko Brown (UTC)
Wine Concludes VMI Career at NCAA Championships
PHILADELPHIA- VMI senior heavyweight Josh Wine closed out his Keydet career Thursday, March 17 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia with a pair of defeats at the hands of Central Michigan's Jarrod Trice and Maryland's Spencer Myers. The senior concludes his stellar VMI career with a 19-7 record in his senior season, and a career mark of 64-21 to go along with a trio of SoCon Championships to his name.
Wine's tournament commenced with a daunting task, as he squared off against second-seeded Trice of Central Michigan. After a scoreless first period, Wine chose bottom, and earned an immediate escape to take the 1-0 lead in the match. To begin the third, Trice chose bottom as well, and earned an escape to knot the score at 1-1.
The close bout then headed into overtime, where Trice earned the victory on a two point takedown and captured the match 3-1 to send Wine to the consolation bracket.
In the consolation round, he took part in the final matchup of his career against the Maryland freshman, Myers. After a scoreless first period, the Terrapin chose the bottom position and earned a pair of reversal points to take a 2-0 lead. Wine was able to cut Myers' advantage in half on an escape in the latter moments of the second bout on an escape to send the score into the final frame with the tally sitting at 2-1.
Wine fought frantically in the final period for the equalizer, but was caught off guard by Myers and succumbed to the pinfall at the 5:43 mark of the match and bring his career to a conclusion.
Agate
No. 2 Jarrod Trice (CMU) def. Josh Wine (VMI) 3-1
Spencer Myers (MD) pins Josh Wine (VMI), 5:43
Luvsandorj Wraps Up Opening Day Competition at NCAA Championships
Philadelphia, Penn. - The Citadel's Turtogtokh Luvsandorj led both No. 7 Shane Onufer and No. 10 Zach Toal for two periods in the first two matches of the NCAA Wrestling Championships in Philadelphia on Thursday, but could not hold on for either upset.
Luvsandorj had two early takedowns of Onufer in the opening match to take a 4-2 lead on the No. 7 national seed from Wyoming. In the second period, Onufer rode Luvsandorj out for the entire period and then started down in the final period. The Bulldog sophomore was not able to keep Onufer down for long as the Cowboy quickly escaped and then proceeded to takedown Luvsandorj and capture the match lead in the process.
Onufer followed that with a quick move, putting Luvasndorj on his back and pinning the Mongolian at the 5:23 mark to cap the comeback victory. Luvsandorj will now move into the consolation bracket this evening where he is set to face No. 10 Zach Toal of Missouri who was upset by Rider's Jim Resnick, 6-0, in the opening round. Consolations are set to begin at 6 p.m. at the Wells Fargo Center and will be broadcast on ESPN3.com.
In the consolation bracket on Thursday evening, Luvsandorj once again scored two takedowns in the first period of No. 10 Zach Toal from Missouri. An escape by Toal in the second period and a takedown tied the match and a late takedown by Toal proved to be the winner, 6-4.
Luvsandorj ends one of the most successful seasons in Citadel history with an overall record of 38-10. He was one win short of tying the school record for single season victories.