March 21, 2008
Results by Weight Class
James Nicholson
The Monarchs redshirt freshman jumped to a quick 4-1 lead over Edinboro's Eric Morrill in the first period with two takedowns, including a tough two-points on the edge of the mat. After Morrill started down in the second and escaped to cut the lead to 4-2, Nicholson grabbed another takedown to go up four and nearly earned back points. He would add an escape point and the riding time point in the third for the final score of 8-2 and his first ever NCAA Tournament win.
In the second round, #10 Nicholson faced #7 Mike Sees (Bloomsburg) after Sees posted 21 match points in his opening round win. The Des Moines native for ODU was the aggressor for most of the match and would upset the fifth-year senior Husky grappler, 7-2, allowing just two escape points. After going down 0-1 with the escape point in the second, Nicholson put it into the next gear with a takedown and back points to go up 4-1. He would add an escape and another takedown in the third for the final count of 7-2 to take another step closer to the podium.
In his first match on Friday, the Monarch rookie was across the mat from #2 seed Jayson Ness (Minnesota) in the quarterfinals. At the Southern Scuffle tournament earlier this year, Nicholson wrestled the Golden Gopher and was pinned in the first period. Ness came into the rematch with just one loss on the season and would add to his astonishing record with another pin of Nicholson on Friday. The Old Dominion grappler would last halfway through the second period this time, but was pinned in 4:04 to get bumped to the consolation bracket.
Nicholson would need to bounce back with just one more victory for All-American status in the wrestlebacks, but was faced with #9 Rollie Peterkin (Penn) in the Friday night wrestlebacks. Peterkin started the scoring in the waning seconds of the first period with a takedown late to go up 2-0. Nicholson would get out from bottom in the second to cut the lead headed into the the third, but Peterkin went up 3-1 with an escape of his own to start the third. The Monarch grappler would not go away without a takedown of his own and scored before time expired to force a sudden victory overtime. With the momentum in the overtime period, Nicholson took down Peterkin again for the win and became ODU's first All-American since 1995.
The final match of the day for Nicholson would be another overtime thriller, but this time Nicholson would fall to Penn State's Mark McKnight. With only the escape points scored in regulation, both wrestlers were primed for a chance at the consolation semifinals tomorrow morning. It was McKnight that would score, though, as he countered a Nicholson shot in overtime and managed a takedown on the Monarch. Nicholson advances to the 7th/8th place bout at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday and he'll face the #8 seed Brandon Precin from Northwestern. The two matched up earlier this season with Precin taking a tight 4-2 decision.
Kyle Hutter
Hutter jumped to a 2-0 lead with a takedown of Baker in the first, but the #11 seed Joe Baker would go on a 12-3 run to win it 12-5 in the opening round. The pair had wrestled earlier in the year with Baker winning a 3-5 decision, but this time Hutter could not convert any shots on the Navy grappler.
In the wrestlebacks, Hutter would win his first ever NCAA Tournament bout against UT-Chattanooga senior Stephen Hromada, 2-1. With little action in the first period, the Monarch grappler was on top in the second, and rode Hromada for the full two minutes. Hutter escaped in the third to go up 1-0 with the riding time advantage and stayed away from Hromada's attack for the remainder of the match, getting docked a stalling point, but still winning 2-1 to advance to day two. Hutter will face Ohio State's Reece Humphrey to start the second day in St. Louis.
Hutter's first appearance at the NCAA Tournament came to an end on Friday morning as Humphrey would win 6-3 in the wrestlebacks. The ODU sophomore tied the match up at 2 points apiece with an escape early in the second period, but Humphrey would score two more takedowns in the period for the final score of 6-3. Hutter's season ends with a 33-14 overall record and he has piled together 57 career wins through two years at Old Dominion.
Ryan Williams
Through regulation, the rematch between Kent State's Drew Lashaway and ODU's Ryan Williams was tied at one with the only points coming on escapes. Headed into overtime, both 141-pounders had taken shots on offense, but neither were able to convert for the takedown on the edge of the mat. In the first overtime period, Lashaway took a shot and forced Williams to scramble as time expired. Both earned escape points in the tiebreaker forcing a second sudden victory overtime period where Lashaway would again take a shot, but Williams managed to get wrapped up for a stalemate. Out of the next whistle, he earned the match-winning takedown and advanced to face #1 Chad Mendes (Cal Poly).
In the second round, Williams was faced with the top-ranked wrestler in the tournament at 141 lbs, Chad Mendes. Earlier in the season, Mendes managed to pin the Monarch in the first period. This time, though, Williams stayed off his back and gave the top seed a run before falling 4-7. The undefeated Cal Poly wrestler continued on his quest for the weight title and Williams moves on to wrestle Tim Harner from Liberty in the wrestlebacks. Williams and Harner wrestled at the Virginia Intercollegiates earlier this season and the Monarch won by major decision.
Williams second trip to the NCAA Tournament would end on the second day, as he was unable to drop Liberty's Tim Harner in the wrestlebacks. Harner and Williams, both juniors, have wrestled several times in their career with the series going back and forth. This time, Harner would get the better of Williams using a five-point takedown in the second half to stretch the lead and would eventually win 10-5. The ODU junior concludes his season just two wins shy of his 100th career victory after a career-high 39-win season.
Chris Brown
In a highly anticipated match between Brown and Cornell's #4 seed Mack Lewnes there was no score in the first period. Brown was down to start the second and Lewnes scored a two-second nearfall on the Monarch to go ahead 2-0. However, Lewnes would then get called for an illegal hold, locking Brown's hands, and the Monarch would escape to tie it up at the end of the second. Lewnes was down in the third and earned a quick reversal on Brown to go back up, 4-2. The Old Dominion grappler would escape in the third, but Lewnes had the riding time advantage so Brown would need a takedown to tie it and send it into overtime. Unfortunately, he couldn't get the two and fell to the #4 seed, 5-3.
The Monarch sophomore cruised to victory in his first wrestleback appearance, dropping the Bakersfield fifth year senior Daniel Atondo in a major decision, 13-5. The bonus point victory was in Brown's control from the opening whistle, as he earned takedown after takedown, cutting his opponent every time. In all, he had six takedowns and an escape for the victory and will now face Arizona State's Patrick Pitsch in the second round of the wrestlebacks tomorrow morning.
Brown matched up well against Pitsch as the pair were tied at 2 apiece headed into the third period. The Sun Devil grappler would choose down in the third, though, escaped and managed a takedown to go up 5-2. Brown would get loose but was unable to tie it up with the shots he took late. After a 35-1 season, he finishes out the 2007-08 season with a 75-28 career record, already 18th on the all-time wins list for ODU after just two years in uniform.
Jesse Strawn
Strawns first NCAA Tournament appearance was not lacking in excitement, as he was across the mat from NC State's Ryan Goodman. The two battled for the first three minutes as Goodman grabbed the first takedown, but Strawn reversed him to tie it at two apiece. Goodman started to build a lead in the second period, though, with a pair of takedowns and at the start of the third, added a reversal to go up five. However, Strawn would not go away and hit Goodman with a flurry of moves, grabbing another reversal and two takedowns to pull within two. Unfortunately for the Monarch, there just wasn't enough time on the clock as he fell two points shy of the comeback and was bumped to the consolation bracket.
The Monarchs' 184-pounder would be the first to get bumped from the Tournament as he was pinned by Cal St. Fullerton's Ian Murphy, a fifth year senior. Murphy grabbed the takedown, cradled Strawn and earned the pin 27 seconds into the match. Strawn's 0-2 appearance at the NCAA Tournament concludes his sophomore season with a 31-15 record.
Andy Totusek
The Monarchs only true freshman at the NCAA Tournament faced West Virginia fifth year senior Dustin Rogers in his first ever appearance at the Big Dance. The two both earned escape points in the second and third and were tied up at 1-1 for the only scoring of almost the entire match, but with two seconds remaining Rogers nailed a takedown to go up 3-1. The Moutaineer grappler was awarded a penalty point and Toto earned an escape point for the final count of 4-2 in the opening round.
Totusek's tournament would come to a close on the first day when he suffered a 2-12 major decision loss to Jon May (Nebraska). The match was close early, but May would break Toto midway through the second and piled up 12 points on the Monarch rookie.