SoCon roundup
OKLAHOMA CITY – Six Southern Conference wrestlers won matches at the NCAA Wrestling Championships on Thursday to advance to the second day of the tournament.
The Citadel’s Turtogtokh Luvsandorj, Matt Frisch and Aaron Walker, Chattanooga’s Corey Mock and Nick Soto and Gardner-Webb’s Austin Trott will all compete again Friday. Luvsandorj was the only SoCon wrestler to get through day one unscathed, as he went 2-0 to remain in the championship bracket.
Friday’s morning session can be seen on ESPNU, while the evening session of semifinals will be broadcast on ESPN. Every session also appears on ESPN3. Friday’s first session begins at 10 a.m. CT / 11 a.m. ET.
Appalachian State’s Parisi, Cottrell out of NCAA Championships
OKLAHOMA CITY – Appalachian State junior Dominic Parisi and redshirt freshman Dylan Cottrell each went 0-2 at the NCAA Wrestling Championships on Thursday.
Parisi fell 6-4 to No. 14 seed Edward Klimara of Oklahoma State in the first round of the 125-pound bracket and 11-5 to Darian Cruz of Lehigh in the wrestleback.
At 149, Cottrell, the No. 12 seed, was upset 5-4 in the second tiebreaker by James English of Penn State in the first round and lost 6-1 to Bryce Busler of Bloomsburg in the wrestleback.
After a scoreless first period, the match between Parisi and Klimara heated up in the second period.
Parisi had the choice in the second period, choosing the down position. Parisi tried a reversal by the scorer’s table that Klimara was able to counter and get a two-point near fall for the first points of the match. Immediately after, Parisi was awarded one point due to Klimara clasping hands. The second period ended 2-1 but Klimara had the riding-time advantage.
Trying to get some offensive points, Parisi tried a double-leg shot but Klimara countered and got the takedown instead to make it 4-1. Parisi was able to get an escape and a reversal at the end of the match but time ran out as he dropped the match 6-4.
Parisi’s second match was a high-scoring one.
After Cruz got the first takedown, Parisi quickly got the one-point escape to make it 2-1. Cruz was reluctant to get more takedowns and by the third period Parisi found himself down.
Cruz went on to win the match 11-5 and eliminated Parisi from the NCAA tournament. Parisi finished the season 18-11, an All-SoCon honoree and Southern Conference champion at the 125-pound weight class.
The match between Cottrell and English was also scoreless after one period.
Cottrell had the choice in the second period and took the down position. He was able to get a two-point reversal to take the first lead of the match 2-0. English quickly got two points back with his own reversal, but Cottrell got the escape in the closing seconds of the second period to take the 3-2 lead going into the third period.
English had the choice in the third period and chose the down position. English got a two-point reversal, and his first lead of the match 4-3, along with riding time, wiped away Cottrell's riding-time advantage.
Cottrell managed to get an escape to tie the match and send it into sudden victory.
One minute of sudden victory wasn't enough, as neither wrestler could not manage a point. In the first tiebreaker, Cottrell was down first and was unable to escape, giving English the 30-second riding time advantage. In the second tiebreaker, Cottrell was unable to hold English, giving up the one-point escape and dropping the match 5-4.
In Cottrell’s second match, Busler got the first-period takedown to take the 2-0 lead going into the second period.
Busler started in the down position in the second period. The only point scored in the period was Busler's one-point escape to make the match 3-0.
Cottrell started in the down position in the third period and got an early escape to make the match 3-1. Cottrell took a shot with less than five seconds left but Busler countered the shot to get two points of his own. The extra point was awarded because Busler had the riding-time advantage.
Cottrell finished his season as the SoCon Freshman of the Year, an All-Socon honoree and the SoCon champion at the 149-pound weight class. He finished with a 26-3 record.
Campbell’s Palma eliminated from NCAAs
OKLAHOMA CITY – Eloheim Palma's road to an NCAA championship was cut short Thursday after falling in two matches at the Chesapeake Energy Arena.
In the first round of competition at the heavyweight spot, No. 13 seed Ernest James (Edinboro) took the 9-0 major decision over Palma, who moved into the wrestleback bracket.
In the consolation first round, Oklahoma's Ross Larson defeated Palma 10-2, knocking the Cary, N.C., native out of the tournament.
Palma finished the year with a 24-14 overall record.
Davidson duo falls in first round
OKLAHOMA CITY – Davidson wrestlers Kevin Birmingham and Scott Patrick both went 0-2 Thursday to complete their runs at the 2014 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships at Chesapeake Energy Arena on Thursday.
At 149 pounds, Birmingham dropped a 10-7 decision to Hofstra's Cody Ruggirello in a pigtail match in the morning. In the evening, Birmingham couldn’t overcome West Virginia’s Mike Morales, dropping an 8-2 contest to wrap up competition in the pigtail consolations.
No. 8 seed TJ Dudley of Nebraska took a 13-5 major decision from Patrick in the first round at 184 pounds. Patrick also suffered a setback in the evening session, taking an 8-1 loss at the hands of ninth-seeded Domenic Abounader of Michigan a second-round consolation bout.
Ruggirello scored the first takedown 40 seconds into the first period, but Birmingham picked up two points on a reversal soon after and clocked just under a minute of riding time. He picked up three near-fall points in the second to take a 5-2 lead, but Ruggirello took the momentum with a reversal and two back points of his own to lead 6-5 entering the third period. Birmingham scored another takedown in the first 20 seconds of the third, but Ruggirello hit him with a reversal and added two back points to take the lead.
Birmingham, who previously lost a 9-6 decision to Morales in Morgantown, W.Va., earlier this season, fought tough to put points on the board. Morales scored a takedown just over a minute into the match, holding on for riding time through the end of the first period. Starting in the defensive position, Birmingham picked up a point with an escape midway through the second. However, Morales took him down with 10 seconds remaining in the second to lead 4-1.
With Morales on the bottom to start the final period, Birmingham held on to cut into the riding time before the Mountaineer escaped midway through the period. The two battled for position, as Morales scored on another takedown with 30 seconds remaining. Birmingham escaped, fighting to gain control of the bout. In the end, he ran out of time, as Morales picked up a point for riding time to take the match by an 8-2 decision.
In his first match of the day, Patrick struck first with a takedown just over 20 seconds in, but Dudley quickly escaped and added points with a takedown of his own. After an injury timeout for Patrick, Dudley scored an escape and a takedown and picked up a pair of near-fall points to close the period with an 8-2 lead.
Starting on top for the second, Patrick gave up an early escape to Dudley but followed with a takedown. Dudley escaped to even the second-period scoring at 2-2, taking a 10-4 advantage into the final stanza. Patrick scored on an escape a third of the way through the third period, but Dudley ended the bout with another takedown and tacked on the point for riding time in earning the 13-5 major decision.
In the evening session, Abounader took down Patrick 51 seconds into the bout and did not surrender a point for the first or second periods. He scored on an escape and another takedown in the middle stanza to lead 5-0 entering the third. The duo battled in the third period before Abounader gained the advantage with a takedown at the midpoint. Patrick scored on an escape in the last 15 seconds but couldn’t add any more points as Abounader added another for riding time in earning the 8-1 decision.
The 2014 season marked the first time in 40 years that the Wildcats sent multiple competitors to the NCAA Wrestling Championships. It is believed to be the first time in program history Davidson has qualified more than one participant.
Three Citadel wrestlers still alive at NCAA Championships
OKLAHOMA CITY – The Citadel’s Turtogtokh Luvsandorj edged Chattanooga's Corey Mock 4-3 for the second time this season to advance in the 165-pound championship bracket as the Bulldogs concluded Session II action at the 2014 NCAA Wrestling Championships held in the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Okla.
Matt Frisch and Aaron Walker will join Luvsandorj in Session III on Friday starting at 11 a.m. Eastern time.
Luvsandorj collected his second win of the day on Thursday night with a 4-3 victory over Mock. The win pits Luvsandorj against No. 3 seed Nicholas Sulzer of Virginia on Friday for a spot on the All-American podium.
The two wrestlers faced off earlier this season at the Southern Scuffle, with Sulzer gaining the 8-4 advantage.
Luvsandorj collected four points on a takedown and a two-point near fall and allowed no takedowns from his conference foe Mock. The redshirt senior avenged a loss suffered in the championship bout to Mock at the Southern Conference Championship on March 8.
In the first round, Luvsandorj earned a 7-4 decision win over Wyoming's Dakota Friesth. The Mongolia native, who is competing in his fourth NCAA Championships, gained control and collected a two-point reversal in the third to win the match and advance to the second round.
Luvsandorj improved his season record to 37-6 and now has 132 career wins with the Bulldogs.
In the morning session, Frisch found himself down 2-0 late in the second period before earning a quick takedown on No. 2 Nick Dardanes of Minnesota to even the score at the end of two.
An early third-period escape, followed by a takedown and three-point near fall, put the Bulldog 149-pounder ahead for good to earn the upset win over Dardanes, who entered the match with a 32-3 record.
Frisch was pitted against No. 15 seed Mitchell Minotti in his evening bout but was unable to produce the same result.
The Lehigh grappler scored five points in the first two periods and added another third-period takedown to earn the 8-1 decision over the Bulldog. The loss drops Frisch to the consolation bracket, where he will take on Justin Arthur of Clarion on Friday morning.
At 157 pounds, Walker followed up Frisch with another upset victory at 157 pounds in the opening round. Down 2-0 after two periods, the redshirt freshman collected an escape followed by a takedown that put No. 15 Cody Pack of South Dakota State on his back for the pin to advance the Bulldog grappler to the second round.
The win was Walker's second straight victory by fall. The San Antonio, Texas, native pinned Chattanooga's Alex Hudson to capture the Southern Conference title two weeks ago.
In the evening session, Walker fell by major decision to 2013 All-American Derek St. John of Iowa, 18-5.
Walker is slated to take on NC State's Thomas Gantt on Friday in the consolation bracket.
Ugi Khishignyam, who finished fourth at 141 in 2013, was defeated in the first round by third-seeded Zain Retherford of Penn State. Khishignyam couldn't catch his stride in the elimination bout and fell to Oklahoma's Nick Lester by major decision, 13-2.
The defeat ends a highly successful career with the Bulldogs, as the Mongolia native accumulated a record of 64-11 through two seasons, including two Southern Conference titles and an All-American accolade in 2013.
Marshall Haas' 197-pound bout in the first round was fought hard through two periods, but Oregon State's Taylor Meeks managed to get the Bulldog wrestler on his back late in the third and won by fall at 6:53.
In his consolation bout, Haas dropped a close match to Princeton's Abram Ayala, 9-7, to conclude his first NCAA Championships appearance. The Bulldog redshirt sophomore closed out his season with a 25-19 record.
Gardner-Webb’s Trott advances at NCAA Championships
OKLAHOMA CITY – Redshirt freshman Austin Trott rebounded from a tough first-round loss to advance to the second round in the consolation bracket, where he will face Stanford’s Jimmy Wilson on Friday at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships.
Trott started his NCAA Championship run against Minnesota’s Daniel Zilverberg, falling behind early as Zilverberg advanced to the second round with a 10-1 major decision over the redshirt freshman. The 6-1 rookie answered in the first round of the consolation bracket, defeating Utah Valley’s Curtis Cook by a 12-4 major decision to stay alive in the competition.
SIUE’s Devine ousted from NCAA Championships
OKLAHOMA CITY – David Devine's run at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships came to an end Thursday at Chesapeake Energy Arena.
Riding time proved to be the difference in his first-round wrestleback match against Bloomsburg's Justin Grant. Devine dropped a 5-4 decision at the buzzer to Grant, who collected his 31st victory of the season.
Devine also was defeated in the first round of the Championships 12-4 by Penn State's Jonathan Gingrich, who was the 14th seed.
Devine completed his collegiate career with a 26-14 record his senior season. He led all SIUE wrestlers in wins this season and became the first wrestler in school history to advance to the NCAA Division I Championships since the Cougars made the leap to Division I status.
Two Chattanooga wrestlers still alive at NCAA Championships
OKLAHOMA CITY – At the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, the difference between success and failure is a very thin line. That was evident for Chattanooga on Thursday as the Mocs lost four one-point matches on the opening day of competition.
The Mocs did score 3.0 points and are tied for 42nd in the team race. Juniors Nick Soto and Corey Mock each posted a win and are still alive in the consolation brackets.
Soto is the No. 10 seed at 133 pounds and opened with a 9-5 decision over Purdue’s Joey Palmer. That set up a second-round bout with Purdue All-American Cashé Quiroga. Soto defeated Quiroga 10-8 in the dual with the Boilermakers on Dec. 15 in Atlanta.
Thursday’s outcome was one of those close losses, as the seventh-seeded Quiroga pulled out the 8-7 win. Soto opened with a takedown in the first period for a 2-0 lead after three minutes. The second frame was full of action, including two takedowns and an escape for Quiroga. Soto still held a 7-5 lead with two escapes, a reversal and a penalty point in the second frame. Quiroga escaped and scored a takedown with 48 seconds left in the final period for the 8-7 win.
Mock is the No. 6 seed at 165 and opened with a 9-1 major decision over Navy’s Peyton Walsh. That set up a repeat of the SoCon Championship title bout with No. 11 Turtogtokh Luvsandorj of The Citadel. Luvsandorj won the first matchup in the regular season, but Mock took the SoCon title with a win on March 8.
Thursday’s meeting was just as close, but Luvsandorj came out on top with a 4-3 win. A takedown and two back points in the first period was all of the offense Luvsandorj needed. Mock scored on two penalties for stalling in the second and third periods and held the riding-time advantage.
Senior Alex Hudson, junior Levi Clemons and freshman Dawson Peck were all eliminated with two losses Thursday. Clemons dropped his preliminary-round match to Army’s Brian Harvey 3-2. Harvey escaped with less than a minute left for the win.
Peck lost his first-round match to Maryland’s Spencer Meyers, 2-1. Fourteen seconds of riding time was all that stood between Peck and overtime in that match. He lost his next match to West Virginia’s Anthony Vizcarrondo 2-0 after giving up a takedown in the second period.
Mock and Soto continue their All-American quest from the back draws Friday. Mock has a tough one against Iowa’s No. 5-seeded Nick Moore, while Soto opens with Northern Illinois’ Nick Smith.