Delaney Leads Bulldog Wrestlers at NCAA Championships

St. Louis, Mo. - The Citadel's Odie Delaney won both of his opening-day matches at the 2012 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships to advances to the quarterfinals Friday morning at the Scottrade Center. Delaney will face the overall No. 1 seed Ryan Flores of American University in the heavyweight bracket.

Turtogtokh Luvsandorj and Kelby Smith lost their opening matches to fall into the consolation bracket at 174 and 197 pounds, respectfully. Luvsandorj won his consolation match to moving ahead into Friday's consolation bracket, while Smith was eliminated in his second match of the day.

Delaney opened the tournament by facing the No. 8 seed, Spencer Myers of Maryland. Delaney opened the match with a takedown 18 seconds in for a 2-0 lead and gained 24 seconds of riding time before Myers escaped to make the score 2-1 after the first period. Myers deferred on choice with Delaney taking bottom. An escape by the Bulldog wrestler just seven seconds into the period was the only scoring in the middle stanza and gave Delaney a 3-1 lead.

In the third period, Delaney started on top and Myers gained an escape 32 seconds into the period to make the score 3-2. Another takedown by Delaney and an escape by Myers made it 5-3, but a final takedown by Delaney and a riding time of 1:27 gave him the extra point for the 8-3 upset decision.

In his second round match, Delaney took on Michigan State's Steve Andrus, who defeated the No. 9 seed, Levi Cooper of Arizona State in his opening round match. A fast-paced opening period saw the two wrestlers trade takedowns and escapes for a 3-3 score, before Delaney scored a takedown with 28 second left for a 5-3 advantage. An escape by Delaney was the only scoring of the second period and the Bulldog started the final period on top, leading 6-3.

Andrus escaped 10 seconds into the final period, but Delaney scored a takedown with 1:04 remaining and rode the Spartan till Andrus escaped with four seconds left. Delaney was called for his second stalling late in the period to give Andrus a penalty point, but Delaney picked up the riding-time point with 1:12 on the clock for a 9-6 decision.

Luvsandorj, the 174-pound SoCon champion, is making his third NCAA Championships appearance. The junior faced the No. 7 seed, Jordan Blanton of Illinois in his opening round match. Blanton took a 4-2 lead after the first period and extended it to 7-2 heading into the third period. After three escapes, a final takedown by Blanton wore down Luvsandorj and Blanton scored a pin at the 6:16 mark.

In the evening session, Luvsandorj scored a 3-1 sudden-victory (SV2) decision over the No. 10 seed Te Edwards of Old Dominion and advances to face Lance Bryson of West Virginia on Friday. Luvsandorj and Edwards wrestled to a scoreless first period and the two traded escapes in the final two periods to enter overtime knotted at 1-1. After neither wrestlers scored a point in the first sudden-victory period, both Luvsandorj and Edwards each rode out the 30 seconds in the TB1 and TB2 periods to remain deadlocked at 1-1. Luvsandorj finally broke through and scored a takedown with 18 seconds left in the second sudden-victory session for the win.

Smith is making his first ever appearance at the NCAA Championships and faced Nebraska's James Nakashima in the opening pigtail round. After a scoreless first period, Nakashima gained an escape in the second for a 1-0 lead. Smith matched the escape in the third period and with no other scoring, the match headed to overtime. 20 seconds into the extra frame, Nakashima scored a takedown and the sudden-victory decision by a 3-1 margin.

In the consolation round, Smith faced a familiar foe, John Weakley of Campbell, who Smith defeated for the SoCon 197-pound crown by a 3-2 decision. This time however, Weakley would gain revenge, eliminating the senior with a 6-5 decision. Weakley opened the bout with a takedown, but Smith escaped to trail 2-1 after the first period. An escape and a takedown by Weakley in the second period gave him a 5-1 lead, which Smith cut to 5-2 on an escape with 12 seconds left. Smith started the final period on the bottom and escaped for a 5-3 score. A takedown with 12 seconds left knotted the score at 5-5, but a penalty point for locked hands by Smith gave Weakley a penalty point and a narrow 6-5 decision.

 

Appalachian's Trotman Qualifies for NCAA Wrestling Quarterfinals; Three Apps Alive

ST. LOUIS, Mo. - It was a mixed day for the Mountaineers, as Appalachian State University competed in the opening day of the 2012 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships at the Scottrade Center on Thursday. Senior Austin Trotman (Winston-Salem, N.C./Mount Tabor) won both of his matches to lead the Apps' effort in the tournament, while classmate Kyle Blevins (Sapulpa, Okla./Sapulpa) and junior Tony Gravely (Martinsville, Va./Magna Vista) remain alive and will join Trotman in Friday's competition.

Action resumes Friday at 10 a.m. (11 a.m. Eastern) with Session III, which includes one round of championship and two of consolation action.

Trotman entered the weekend seeded as the No. 9 wrestler at 184-pounds, reflecting his dominant senior season.

Facing North Dakota State's MacKain Stoll in his first match, Trotman scored his first takedown in the first 20 seconds and tallied three total takedowns in the first period to open up a 6-2 lead. Stoll looked to comeback in the second period and scored an escape in the first five seconds. The two exchanged takedowns, and Trotman's lead was narrowed to 9-6. Trotman sealed his win with an escape, takedown and riding point in the final stanza, winning his opening bout, 13-6.

In his second bout Trotman took on No. 8 Ryan Loder of Northern Iowa. In the first period, Trotman needed just 10 seconds to score a takedown but was only able to hold on for eight seconds. Leading 2-1 at the start of the second, Trotman carried his opponent out of bounds several times trying to escape and finally did so in the first half-minute. Trotman tacked on a takedown to carry a 5-1 advantage into the final stanza. Loder broke free in the third and nearly scored offensive points, but Trotman remained dominant, adding a final takedown with 15 seconds left to win 8-2 with a 1:10 riding time advantage.

"I knew coming in that this is my last year," commented Trotman, "and it's time to push myself. After five years on the team, it's my last chance to step up. For me, it's amazing, and as a team, it does nothing but help. I knew I'd be going to Appalachian in 10th grade, and all the training is really paying off."

Trotman will face top seed Joe LeBlanc of Wyoming in his quarterfinal. LeBlanc defeated Trotman 10-2 at the Reno Tournament of Champions to break Trotman's season-opening, 14-bout winning streak. If Trotman wins either of his Friday bouts, he will earn a spot in Saturday's competition and the Mountaineers' first podium spot since 2003.

Gravely drew Oklahoma State's Jon Morrison in his opening bout, and the Cowboy scored his first points in the bout's first minute. Scoring on a takedown, Morrison rode out the first and held on to a 2-0 lead. The bout was broken open in the second period, as Morrison opened with an escape and followed with a takedown and two near-fall points. Trailing 7-0, Gravely started on top but failed to keep Morrison on the mat. Morrison's lead ballooned and the final seconds featured a final set of near-fall points as Morrison won by technical fall, 16-0 (7:00).

In Gravely's consolation match, the Mountaineer took on Austin Miller of Bucknell. Gravely struck first earning a takedown in the first 10 seconds. Looking for back points, Gravely fought hard, but the Mountaineer was evaded and fell subject to a reversal. Miller added on three near-fall points and built a 5-2 lead. In the final minute of the first, Gravely broke loose for an escape and a takedown, tying the match at 5-5 after one. Miller reversed to open the second and Gravely escaped before Gravely added a takedown with a corresponding Miller escape.

With the match tied 8-8, Gravely started the third period on bottom and broke free in less than 10 seconds. He notched a takedown with 90 seconds to go and rode long enough to clinch the riding point. Though Miller reversed, Gravely scored again on an escape and closed out the win, 13-10.

Gravely will take on No. 12 Steve Bonanno of Hofstra in the opening bout of Friday's Session III.

Blevins came out aggressive in his opening match against No. 5 Michael Evans of Iowa. After a scoreless first minute, the Hawkeye opened the scoring with a takedown and held on to a 2-0 lead to end the first period. Starting on bottom, Blevins reversed to tie the score 2-2 in the second period, but Evans retorted with a reversal of his own to regain a 4-2 lead. Despite the Mountaineer's efforts, Blevins was unable to score in the third period, and Evans won the bout 5-2.

In his consolation bout, Blevins faced Scott Winston of Rutgers. After a scoreless first period, Blevins notched the first point on an escape 35 seconds into the second period. Blevins scored the first offensive points with a takedown with 20 seconds to go in the period; Winston broke out seven seconds later. With Winston trailing 3-1, the Scarlet Knight failed in his efforts to break free of Blevins' grip, and the Mountaineer completed the two minute ride for a 1:32 riding advantage and a 4-1 decision.

Blevins' next opponent is Michigan's Daniel Yates.

Appalachian's remaining consolation wrestlers will need to win in back-to-back bouts in Friday's early session plus an additional win Friday evening in order to win a spot on the podium.

Senior Mike Kessler (Bay City, Mich./Western) faced No. 7 Nick Nelson of Virginia in a rematch of a regular-season bout that went 3-0 in favor of the Cavalier. In Kessler's first period, both wrestlers worked to feel each other out, but the three minutes ended with no score. Nelson started on bottom in the second period and rose to his feet without escaping for nearly 30 seconds before Kessler managed to bring him the whole way to the mat. After a restart with 41 seconds left, Nelson broke out with 36 to go in the period, and Kessler trailed 0-1 heading into the third. Kessler nearly got to his feet in time to preserve his riding time point, but Nelson kept his grip and continued to ride. In the end, Nelson's one point advantage was enough to take the bout.

Kessler's consolation opponent was No. 10 Jake Sueflohn of Nebraska, upset earlier by Virginia Tech's Zach Neibert, 6-5. Kessler scored first, earning a takedown with 2:11 remaining in the opening stanza. After over a minute of riding, Sueflohn broke loose and countered with a takedown, earning a 3-2 lead. In the second period, Sueflohn needed 30 seconds to escape and extend the lead to 4-2. Trailing by two points heading into the third, Kessler elected to start neutral. In the end, Sueflohn extended his lead with a takedown and dismissed the Mountaineer 6-2.

Kessler's career ends with a Southern Conference title and 84 career wins, good for eighth on the Appalachian all-time wins list.

 

Campbell's Weakley advances to Friday competition with two wins at NCAA Championships

ST. LOUIS - Campbell senior wrestler John Weakley dropped his first match at the NCAA Championships on Thursday morning to A.J. Kissel of Purdue, but rebounded to win two wrestleback matches that advanced him to Friday competition.

Weakley opened against Big 10 place-winner A.J. Kissel, who finished sixth in the Big 10 Championships for Purdue earlier this month. Weakley recorded an early reversal, but he eventually fell in a 12-2 major decision to the Purdue all-time leader in career pins.

Dropping into the wrestleback division, Weakley faced a familiar opponent in Kelby Smith of The Citadel. It was the fourth time the two wrestlers faced off this season, with Weakley winning the first match by 12-6 decision at the Southern Scuffle and Smith taking the regular season matchup 6-4 and then the SoCon championship match 3-2. In another tight match between the two wrestlers, Weakley earned a season split in the individual series, prevailing by a 6-5 decision over his conference rival and ending Smith's season at 34-9.

Weakley then had another rematch in store when he went up against George Mason's Bagna Tovuujav, who carried a 20-4 record into the match. Weakley had pinned Tovuujav earlier this year when the two met at the NC State Duals. After trailing early, Weakley rallied to tie the match and send it to overtime. Thirty seconds into the sudden victory period, Weakley recorded a takedown to win the match by 6-4 decision and improve his individual record to 31-11. The 31 wins move him into fifth place on the single season charts for most individual wins in a single season.

Advancing to competition on Friday, Weakley will face Matt Powless of Indiana in another rematch. The two wrestlers have met twice this season, with Powless taking a narrow 8-6 decision at the Hoosier Duals in November before defeating Weakley in a 9-0 major decision at the Southern Scuffle.

Competition is set to get underway Friday morning at 11:00 a.m. Eastern.

 

Two Mocs Still Alive at NCAAs

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga wrestling team scored 3.5 points and is in 48th place after the opening day at the NCAA Championships. Two Mocs are still alive and will compete in tomorrow's backdraws.

Senior Brandon Wright (Germantown, Tenn.) was the lone Moc to score a win in the main draw. He defeated Michigan State's David Cheza 5-2 in his first match at 165. With the win, Wright then faced No. 1 seed David Taylor of Penn State. Taylor pinned Wright at the 1:52 to force him to the wrestlebacks. Wright will face the No. 6 seed Peter Yates of Virginia Tech in tomorrow's consolations.

Freshman Nick Soto (Spring Hill, Fla.) was pinned in his first round by Illinois' B.J. Futrell. He bounced back to score a 9-4 decision over Old Dominion's Scott Festejo and will go against the No. 7 seed A.J. Schopp in tomorrow's action.

Senior Dan Waddell scored 0.5 points with a win in the consolations. He dropped his opening match 10-0 to Clarion's James Fleming, but rebounded with a 5-2 decision over Kent State's Mallie Shuster in the consolation second round. That was it for Waddell as he dropped his next match, a 4-1 decision to Lehigh's Taylor Walsh, in the consolation third round.

Junior Dean Pavlou (Cleveland, Tenn.) and sophomore Levi Clemons (Kissimmee, Fla.) both went 0-2 in their matches today.

Action begins tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. (E.D.T.) with the quarterfinals and the consolation rounds. Coverage is available on ESPN3 and ESPNU. Links for live scoring are on the wrestling schedule page on GoMocs.com.

Championship Round 2
133 - B.J. Futrell (Illinois) - Fall 4:14 - Nick Soto (Chattanooga)
149 - Tyler Nauman (Pittsburgh) - Dec. 9-4 - Dean Pavlou (Chattanooga)
157 - James Fleming (Clarion) - MD 10-0 - Dan Waddell (Chattanooga)
165 - Brandon Wright (Chattanooga) - Dec. 5-2 - David Cheza (Michigan St.)
174 - Logan Storley (Minnesota) - MD 11-2 - Levi Clemons (Chattanooga)

Championship Round 3
165 - David Taylor (Penn State) - Fall 1:52 - Brandon Wright (Chattanooga)

Consolation Round 2
157 - Dan Waddell (Chattanooga) - Dec. 5-2 - Mallie Shuster (Kent St.)

Consolation Round 3
133 - Nick Soto (Chattanooga) - Dec. 9-4 - Scott Festejo (Old Dominion)
149 - Taylor Walsh (Indiana) - Fall 1:02 - Dean Pavlou (Chattanooga)
157 - Brian Tanen (Lehigh) - Dec. 4-1 - Daniel Waddell (Chattanooga)
174 - Patrick Martinez (Wyoming) - MD 12-4 - Levi Clemons (Chattanooga)