As expected, Iowa won the team title … but it was hardly easy. At times during the three-day 2009 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, other teams held the lead in the team race … but the Hawkeyes clawed their way back, thanks to an especially gutsy performance during Session 5 on Saturday morning, to edge out the Ohio State Buckeyes 96.5 to 92. In fact, the team title was in doubt until the conclusion of the 184-pound finals.
"We're going to work real hard to be positive on this thing because a lot of good things happened to win that team title on that backside of the bracket where you don't want to be," said Iowa coach Tom Brands. "A lot of good things happened. And a lot of adversity too."
Darrion Caldwell defeated Brent Metcalf en route to winning Most Outstanding Wrestler honors (Photo/Tech-Fall.com)But the Metcalf upset seemed in keeping with the "upsetting nature" of the 2009 NCAAs, especially with all the stunning surprises of Day One. More than a number of "sure bets" failed to realize their national title dreams. The Hawkeye's defending 149-pound champ was probably the most notable.
"I could have put a sealer on it," said Metcalf. "I could have capped it off. I failed to do that."
All this may be appropriate, given how many teams had at least one competitor going for a title -- fifteen teams in all. Ohio State had three wrestlers vying for individual titles, while Nebraska and Edinboro each had two -- the only programs with more than one finalist. Among the schools not normally seen in the finals: Old Dominion (whose last finalist was fifteen years ago), and Duke, with its first-ever finalist.
The Finals
125: In the first of a number of title bouts matching the top two seeds, it was No. 1 Paul Donahoe taking on No. 2 Troy Nickerson. Donahoe, a redshirt senior for Edinboro with a perfect 35-0 record, had won the title in this weight class for Nebraska at the 2007 NCAAs. Nickerson, a redshirt junior from Cornell, also had a flawless 24-0 record.
The match started uneventfully, with no scoring in the first period. In the second, Nickerson scored an escape. In the third, Donahoe answered with an escape of his own, resulting in a 1-1 tie at the end of regulation. In the first sudden victory period, there was no score. In the first tiebreaker period, Donahoe was assessed one point for a technical violation -- locked hands. When it was time for the Edinboro wrestler to try to escape from Nickerson, he was unable. Final score: 2-1, SV Nickerson
"I've been very fortunate all year," said Nickerson. "It shows that all hard work pays off and that I'm very fortunate."
133: The second battle between No. 1 and No. 2 featured Big Ten rivals -- and redshirt juniors -- Franklin Gomez of Michigan State and Reece Humphrey of Ohio State. Gomez was the top seed with a 26-2 record to the finals, while Humphrey had a 30-3 record.
After a scoreless first period, the second continued in the same vein for quite a while … until Gomez scored a takedown with about a half-minute left, followed quickly by an escape by Humphrey. In the third, the Buckeye got a second escape, then the Spartan answered with a takedown. Despite a Humphrey reversal towards the end of the match, the final score was 5-4 for Gomez … the first Michigan State wrestler to win an NCAA title since Kelvin Jackson in 1995.
Gomez put his faith in the Lord.
"No matter where I am I'll always go to church and that always keeps my focus," said Gomez. "That tells me that God is everywhere. And I've been through really hard times, some really difficult times, and I was able to get up because church as helped me a lot to stay focused. (The NCAA title) means a lot to me because I'm not just representing Michigan State but representing Puerto Rico, the people there at my club and the people in Florida. I represent a lot of places, not just Michigan State."
J Jaggers won his second straight NCAA title at 141 pounds, defeating Old Dominion's Ryan Williams in the final (Photo/Tech-Fall.com)Unlike the first two matches, there was a flurry of points put on the board by both wrestlers in the opening period. Jaggers snagged the first takedown, while Williams followed up with an escape. The Buckeye champ then scored three nearfall points, followed by a second escape by Williams to make the score 6-2 Jaggers. In the second period, Williams got yet another escape. In the third, Jaggers got an escape of his own, followed by a takedown. Williams notched his fourth escape towards the of the match… but Jaggers successfully defended his title, 10-4, keeping Ohio State fans' hopes alive for grabbing their first team title from Iowa.
"My plan was to strike as quick and as often as possible," said Jaggers. "I couldn't let it turn into a cat and mouse game. For me, when I turn it into a shootout and it is about a lot of points, I'm more confident that I'm going to come out on top."
149: Brent Metcalf won the 149 title and Outstanding Wrestler award at the 2008 NCAAs. Would the top-seeded redshirt junior from Iowa with the perfect 37-0 record be able to match those accomplishments in 2009? One man wrecked the party: Darrion Caldwell, the North Carolina State 37-0 sophomore who once pinned the Hawkeye at the beginning of the 2007-8 season.
Caldwell came out with guns blazing, starting the bout with a takedown. Metcalf responded with an escape, but there was no stopping the Wolfpack wrestler, as he scored a second takedown. Metcalf scored a second escape to make the score 4-2, Caldwell. The North Carolina State matman continued his take-no-prisoners approach into the second period, with an escape and another takedown to build a 7-2 lead. In the third, the Hawkeye got an escape; Caldwell responded with yet another takedown. Metcalf got another escape, followed by a takedown … but, at the end of the match, Caldwell got an 11-6 upset win.
To add insult to injury, when the winner demonstrated his joy with some on-the-mat, after-match acrobatics, Metcalf chased after the champ, trying to score one last takedown. Officials docked Iowa one team point for unsportsmanlike conduct.
"It just means I've got to continue to work for the next couple of years," said Caldwell. "I'm thinking about taking this next year off and getting better, a lot better, keep working and maybe go up a couple weight classes. I'm just going to keep working hard for next year, maybe I'll do something with the US Open this upcoming April. We'll take it from there and see where it goes, see where it leads."
157: Yet another battle of No. 1 and No. 2: Top-seeded Jordan Burroughs of Nebraska, Big 12 champ, a junior with a perfect 34-0 mark, taking on the Big Ten champ and 2008 NCAA finalist, Mike Poeta, a redshirt senior with a 17-0 record.
The match started with a takedown scored by Burroughs with just two seconds left in the opening period. In the second, the Cornhusker added to his lead with an escape. Poeta got on the board with an escape in the third … but Burroughs followed with another takedown in the closing seconds of the match. Final score: 5-1 Burroughs. It was Poeta's second heartbreaker finals at the nationals, having been runner-up the previous year.
"It's huge for me," said Burroughs. "I'm the first undefeated, ever, Nebraska wrestler. It's a great accomplishment for me, my family, my teammates, and everyone who has ever supported me and enjoys the way I wrestle. This is for them."
165: This finals matchup was a study in contrasts: No. 2 Andrew Howe of Wisconsin, the true freshman with a 30-4 record, and No. 12 Jarrod King of Edinboro, a 31-5 senior.
The match started slowly, with no scoring in the first period; an escape by King was the only point tallied in the second. In the third, Howe got an escape, which King followed with a takedown. Despite an escape by the Badger, the final outcome was 3-2 for King.
For King, his No. 12 seed didn't matter coming into the tournament.
"I don't think it (the seed) matters so much," said King. "My goal the entire time was to be a champ, no matter if I was the top seed, no seed, whatever."
Steve Luke won the title after finishing runner-up (Photo/Tech-Fall.com)The first period opened with Luke scoring a takedown; Miller escaped. That pattern was repeated to make the score 4-2 for Luke. In the second, Miller escaped. Luke responded with a takedown. Miller scored yet another escape to make the score 6-4 for the Wolverine. Luke added to his point total with an escape of his own in the third. With riding time, the final score was 8-4 for the Michigan senior.
"When you're little kid you watch the NCAA's on TV and think, 'Wow, I want to do that,'", said Luke. "But when you're a little kid you think you want to do that but at the same time you think there's no way. You think one day I want to be up on that stage and I don't want to be up on that stage losing, like I did last year. I want to be up on that stage winning. It feels good to go out with a win."
184: Arguably the most anticipated title bout of the 2009 NCAAs: Jake Herbert vs. Mike Pucillo. Anticipated because it pitted two NCAA champs � Herbert a titlewinner in 2007, Pucillo in 2008 -- and because it was the first time this season the two had met on the mat this season, after not wrestling each other in the dual-meet season, or at the Big Tens. The match took on even more significance: It was Ohio State's last chance at winning its first-ever NCAA team title.
The top-seeded Herbert, a redshirt senior at Northwestern, sported a 33-0 record … while Ohio State's Pucillo, a redshirt junior, had a 23-1 record. Herbert opened the match in his typical aggressive style, with a takedown; Pucillo responded with an escape. The Wildcat got a second takedown; the Buckeye, a second escape, to make the score 4-2, Herbert. In the second, Pucillo scored an escape. In the third, Herbert got an escape of his own. With riding time, the Northwestern senior ended his college career with a 6-3 victory -- and his second NCAA title -- while Buckeye fans went home doubly disappointed their 184-pounder was unable to defend his title, nor deliver that elusive team title that seemed within their grasp.
"It went well," said Herbert. "I like to get some back points. I didn't give up a takedown, which is good. I took all the camera time I could, seven minutes. I got the win, I did what I needed to do and it was a hard fought match. He made me work for it, he made me come at him and he made me win that match. It wasn't like he was going to give it to me, it wasn't like he was going to roll over."
197: One last battle between Nos. 1 and 2, in a rematch of the Big 12 title match: Craig Brester of Nebraska, the top seed and conference champ, a 29-3 redshirt junior, taking on Jake Varner, the 30-2 junior for Iowa State.
The two men had wrestled each other a number of times, so both were cautious. There was no scoring in the first period. In the second, Varner scored an escape. In the third, Brester responded with an escape of his own. Varner had enough riding time to make the final score, 2-1 in his favor. The third time was the charm for the Cyclone; in two previous finals appearances, Varner had gone home without a title.
"It feels like everyone, I feel like, expects you to win and I just went out there and wrestled my match and it feels good to finally do it," said Varner.
Hwt: This time of year, it's totally expected to see Duke University on a men's NCAA basketball bracket … but not necessarily a bracket for college wrestling. For the first time in 80 years, Duke had a finalist in the wrestling championships, in the form of Konrad Dudziak, 27-2 redshirt sophomore originally from Poland… going up against Missouri's Mark Ellis, a junior with a 26-3 record.
There was no score in the first period. Ellis opened the second with an escape; Dudziak followed with his own escape in the third, sending the match into overtime. In the sudden victory period, there was no score … and, in the first tiebreaker, no scoring. In the second, Ellis got a takedown. Despite an escape from Dudziak, the final score was 3-2, TB, for Ellis, who, in addition to wrestling for the Missouri Tigers, plays on their football team.
"With where I came from and the people who believed in me and just gave me a chance, it's amazing and God is just so good to me," said Ellis.
2009 NCAA All-Americans
Here are the wrestlers who earned All-American honors by placing in the top eight in each weight class at the 2009 NCAAs:
125: In the battle for third place, Northwestern's Brandon Precin got a 3-1 win over Arizona State's Anthony Robles. In the fifth-place match, defending champ Angel Escobedo of Indiana got an 8-0 major decision over Zach Sanders of Minnesota. Central Michigan's Scotti Sentes placed seventh by defeating Nicholas Bedelyon of Kent State, 7-2.
133: Minnesota's Jayson Ness took third place by getting a 14-6 major decision over Andrew Hochstrasser of Boise State. In the fifth-place bout, Illinois' Jimmy Kennedy got a 16-0 technical fall at 5:13 over Steve Bell of Maryland. In the seventh-place match, Iowa's Daniel Dennis won on a medical forfeit over Navy's Joe Baker.
141: Iowa State's Nick Gallick got a 5-3 win over Wisconsin's Zach Tanelli to place third. Unseeded Alex Krom of Maryland took fifth place by shutting out Arizona State's Chris Drouin, 4-0. In the match to determine seventh place, top-seeded Kellen Russell of Michigan got a 7-4 decision over Penn State's Frank Molinaro.
149: In the match to determine third place, Wisconsin's Kyle Ruschell edged Lance Palmer of Ohio State, 5-4. Purdue's Jake Patacsil got a 6-4, SV 1 win over Navy's Bryce Saddoris to win fifth place. For seventh place, American's Kyle Borshoff got a 9-1 major decision over Oregon State's Heinrich Barnes.
157: In a battle between two past NCAA titlewinners, defending champ Jordan Leen of Cornell got a 4-0 decision over 2007 champ Gregor Gillespie of Edinboro to earn third place. In the fifth-place match, Missouri's Michael Chandler edged Bloomsburg's Matt Moley, 2-1. Cal Poly's Chase Pami took seventh by getting a 4-2, SV1 win over Minnesota's Tyler Safratowich.
165: Iowa's Ryan Morningstar won third place with a 7-5 decision over Iowa State's Jon Reader. For fifth place, Bucknell's Andrew Rendos got a 9-6 win over Moza Fay of Northern Iowa. Missouri's Nick Marable defeated Boise State's Tyler Sherfey, 6-4, to place seventh.
174: Third place went to Missouri's Raymond Jordan, who shut out Nebraska's Brandon Browne, 4-0. Cornell's Steve Anceravage scored a 13-3 major decision over Quentin Wright of Penn State to place fifth … while Virginia's Chris Henrich earned a 13-3 major decision over American's Mike Cannon for seventh place.
184: Rider's Doug Umbehauer got a 5-3 win over Iowa's Phil Keddy to take third place … while Wyoming's Joe LeBlanc defeated Vince Jones of Nebraska, 9-2 for fifth. Josh Patterson of Binghamton won seventh place with a 4-2 victory over Harvard's Lou Caputo.
197: Maryland's Hudson Taylor took third place for the second straight year, this time with a 11-4 win over Michigan's Tyrel Todd. Fifth place went to Max Askren of Missouri with a 3-0 shut-out of Boise State's Brent Chriswell. In the match for seventh, Brandon Halsey of Cal State Bakersfield got a 14-4 major decision over Cam Sinaz of Cornell.
Hwt: Oklahoma State's Jared Rosholt got a 6-4 decision over Iowa's Dan Ereksen to take third place for the second year in a row. Iowa State big man David Zabriskie defeated Kent State's Jermail Porter, 4-2, for fifth place… while Illinois' John Wise was awarded seventh when Pittsburgh's Zach Schaeffer took a medical forfeit.
Final Team Standings:
1. Iowa -- 96.5 points
2. Ohio State -- 92 points
3. Iowa State -- 84.5 points
4. Nebraska -- 78.5 points
5. Cornell -- 73.5 points
Other Awards:
Outstanding Wrestler: Darrion Caldwell, North Carolina State
Coach of the Year: Tom Ryan, Ohio State
Gorranian Award (Most Pins in Shortest Time): Hudson Taylor, Maryland's 197-pounder
Related Content:
Final Team Scores
Final Brackets
Rev Big Show Pick 'Em Results
Rev Audio Interviews:
Troy Nickerson (125)
Franklin Gomez (133)
J Jaggers (141)
Darrion Caldwell (149)
Jordan Burroughs (157)
Jarrod King (165)
Steve Luke (174)
Jake Herbert (184)
Jake Varner (197)
Mark Ellis (Hwt)
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