Derek Foore (197), Kevin Hardy (165), Adam Koballa (141), Dante Rini (125) and Orlando Scales (HWT) all garnered three wins over the weekend, as NDC Wrestling won is biggest title in the program’s four years.
In the title match against Missouri Valley, the Falcons won seven bouts. Five of those wins (Hardy-Bittenger-Denman-Foore-Scales) came in succession after Notre Dame had held a 12-7 advantage through the first five bouts of the match. An 18-3 tech fall win by No. 7 Derek Foore over 11th-ranked Charlie Gibbs at 197 clinched the title for the Blue & White.
The back-to-back wins over ranked foes by Foore and then Scales (7-5 decision over No. 8 Travis Ewart), were an appropriate end to the tournament - over the two days in Iowa NDC grapplers went 14-2 in bouts against ranked wrestlers (Top-12 of each weight class in Dec. 22 NAIA Coaches’ Poll).
“Our guys were so focused and well-prepared,” said NDC Head Coach Frank Romano, whose Falcons became the first Ohio wrestling program to win a national title since 1976. “Our coaches did a great job with the kids and our athletes listened; they were ready to go. Winning on this stage is just an amazing feeling.”
That stage, the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls, was the centerpiece of the collegiate wrestling world Saturday and Sunday, with the Top-16 teams in NCAA-I, II and III also competing in the National Duals, as were junior college and women’s teams. More than 50 teams competed in the annual event, which dates back to 1989.
Earlier on Sunday in the Falcons’ semifinal match, Notre Dame topped McKendree (Ill.) by a score of 29-8. With their three-match sweep in Cedar Falls, NDC is now 6-1 on the season.
In their semifinal match against McKendree (4-4), the Blue & White rode back-to-back major victories by Adam Koballa (10-1 over Kyle Williams at 141) and Jeffrey Pelton (11-2 over No. 5 Ryan Jahn at 149) to a 29-8 win. Notre Dame also got a boost from a come-from-behind 4-3 win by Derek Foore over No. 1 Andrew Sanchez at 197 pounds.
Over the three matches, Foore, Hardy, Koballa, Rini and Scales each went 3-0. Foore and Hardy each had two wins against ranked opponents and each bagged a No. 1-ranked opponent in the process. Foore, a junior from Wadsworth, Ohio, is now 17-0 this season. Koballa’s sweep in Cedar Falls marked three victories in what is now a nine-bout win streak for the 2009 NAIA National Champion; Koballa is now 18-2 this season.
The Notre Dame Wrestling Falcons will return to action on Sunday, Jan. 17, when they travel to Alliance, Ohio, to compete in the Mount Union-hosted Purple Raider Open.
NOTES FROM THE NEST ...
GETTING BETTER ALL THE TIME: Notre Dame has improved their final standing in each of the three years the program has competed in the National Duals. In 2008, NDC made the 16-team field but didn’t place. The Falcons placed sixth a year ago. In 2007 (the program’s first season), Notre Dame did not qualify for the NAIA National Duals.
MAKING A STATEMENT: Over the 48 hours in Cedar Falls, Notre Dame dispatched three Top-10 NAIA teams (No. 8 Oklahoma City, No. 4 McKendree and No. 7 Missouri Valley by a combined score of 97-15.
TOP OF THE HEAP: Iowa defeated Iowa State, 19-12, to claim the NCAA-I title on Sunday at the UNI-Dome. Other champions included Nebraska-Omaha (NCAA-II), Augsburg-Minn. (NCAA-III), Iowa Central (Junior College) and Oklahoma City (Women).
WINTER WARRIORS: Notre Dame’s trek to Cedar Falls, Iowa, included a 13-1/2-hour bus ride through snow storms and a rough climate outside the warm environs of the UNI-Dome. Temperatures in Cedar Falls remained under zero for most of the trip, with the wind chill hitting 14-below at one point.
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