The scarlet and gray finished behind University of Nebraska-Omaha, who dominated the tournament finishing with 146.5 points as Newberry had 80.5 to finish as the runner-up. Finishing third was Minnesota State-Mankato with 71.5 points and fourth place was Nebraska-Kearney with 65.
The runner-up placing was Newberry's first ever NCAA trophy and was the highest finish for the wrestling program in its short existence. The scarlet and gray had six All-Americans in total, a program record, with two national champions, a third place, one fourth place as well as a sixth and eighth.
"It is a phenomenal accomplishment for these young men to come away with a national runner-up finish," head coach Jason Valek stated. "We look forward to continue in bettering ourselves so that we can also bring home a national title to Newberry, S.C."
In the championship match at 197 lbs., Griffin scored a 3-2 decision over No. 5 Jacob Marrs of the University of Nebraska-Omaha. Griffin scored a takedown in the opening period to garner the lead.
Griffin won the match as he had 1:12 of riding time to give him a bonus point. The victory gave Newberry its first individual national champion in any sport.
The 2009 season ended for Griffin, a redshirt junior with a 33-2 record and 22 straight victories as he became a two-time All-American.
"It feels great to become a national champion after four years of hard work at Newberry", Griffin stated. "It has been a great year for our team and for me personally so this validates everything we have so hard worked for."
At heavyweight, No. 1 Wainwright took on No. 3 Dustin Finn of Central Oklahoma and came away with a 6-4 decision to cap his perfect season. Wainwright scored two takedowns in the opening period to take the lead.
Finn tied the match in the third period, but Wainwright scored an escape and then an additional point for riding time. The victory gave Wainwright the national championship and Newberry's second ever individual national championship.
"In order for me to win the national championship it took a lot of believing in myself and setting out to accomplish my goals," Wainwright declared. "Like Keeno, I wanted to be a national champ and now that I am it feels great."
Wainwright finished the 2009 campaign with a perfect 36-0 record and a 38-match winning streak to go along with his second-straight All-American honor.
Newberry finishes the season with a 23-2 record, which includes a 11-0 record against Super Region I opponents. The scarlet and gray racked up hardware from several tournaments, which includes the Cliff Keen/NWCA National Duals Runner-up, Midwest Classic Champions, Super Region I Champions, East Coast Duals Champions and 2009 NCAA Division II National Runner-ups.
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