March 20, 2008
ST. LOUIS, Mo. -- Four of the six ODU wrestling Monarchs at the NCAA Tournament will move on to wrestle on day two, including redshirt freshman James Nicholson who is alive in the quarterfinals, a first for any Monarch since 1996. Nicholson defeated the #7 seed on day one and will face #2 Jayson Ness (Minnesota) on the second day. Wrestling will begin at 10:00 am central, 11:00 am eastern standard time. Check odusports.com for updates.
The 125-pounder for the Monarchs, Nicholson, won his opening round bout over Edinboro's Eric Morrill by an 8-2 final score. He followed up his first NCAA Tournament victory with a 7-2 upset of the #7 seed from Bloomsburg, Michael Sees.
He's the only Monarch still in the championship bracket as he'll start the second day with a bout against the #2 wrestler in the nation, Minnesota's Jayson Ness. Ness has a pin and a major decision so far in the tourney. The last Monarch in the championship bracket during the quarterfinals was heavyweight Nick Hall in the 1996 tournament.
Ryan Williams, at 141 lbs, also won his opening round bout in the championship bracket as he dropped Kent State's Drew Lashaway in a double overtime thriller, 4-2. He'd then face #1 Chad Mendes in the second round in a rematch of an early season matchup where Mendes pinned the Monarch in the first period. This time, though, Williams would hold strong through the entire match, but was edged 7-4 by the top-ranked 141-pounder. He'll face Liberty's Tim Harner in the wrestlebacks Friday morning.
Despite losing in the opening round, two Monarchs move on with victories in the wrestlebacks. Kyle Hutter, at 133 lbs, lost to #11 Joe Baker by a score of 5-12, but bounced back with a 2-1 win over Chattanooga's Stephen Hromada. The sophomore for the Monarchs will start day two with a match against Reece Humphrey (Ohio State) in the second round of the wrestlebacks.
The fourth Old Dominion grappler still looking for a spot on the podium is Chris Brown at 165 lbs. With a tough draw in the first round, he lost a tight 3-5 decision to #4 Mack Lewnes (Cornell), but would return to his CAA Championship self in the wrestlebacks. He dropped Cal State Bakersfield's 165-pounder, Daniel Atondo, in a 13-5 major decision. Brown will face Arizona State grappler, Patrick Pitsch, in the championship tomorrow.
ODU lost just two grapplers on the first day as sophomore Jesse Strawn (184) and true freshman Andy Totusek (285) went 0-2 after the first two sessions. Strawn lost a 10-12 decision and then was pinned by Ian Murphy (Cal St Fullerton), while Toto nearly advanced in the opening round in a 2-4 loss and was eliminated in a 2-12 major decision.
Old Dominion's wrestlers return to the mat Friday morning at 11:00 am eastern standard time. Stay tuned into odusports.com for session by session updates.
Day One Results:
125: (2-0)
#10 James Nicholson (ODU) def. Eric Morrill (Edinboro), 8-2
#10 James Nicholson (ODU) def. #7 Michael Sees (Bloomsburg), 7-2
133: (1-1)
#11 Joe Baker (Navy) def. Kyle Hutter (ODU), 5-12
Kyle Hutter (ODU) def. Stephen Hromada (UT Chattanooga), 2-1
141: (1-1)
Ryan Williams (ODU) def. Drew Lashaway (Kent St), 4-2 (2SV)
#1 Chad Mendes (Cal Poly) def. Ryan Williams (ODU), 4-7
165: (1-1)
#4 Mack Lewnes (Cornell) def. Chris Brown (ODU), 3-5
Chris Brown (ODU) def. Daniel Atondo (Bakersfield), 13-5 maj dec
184: (0-2)
Ryan Goodman (NCSU) def. Jesse Strawn (ODU), 10-12
Ian Murphy (CS Fullerton) def. Jesse Strawn (ODU), 0:27 fall
285: (0-2)
Dustin Rogers (WVU) def. Andy Totusek (ODU), 2-4
Jon May (Nebraska) def. Andy Totusek (ODU), 2-12 maj dec