Dec. 29, 2008
EVANSTON, Ill. -- The 21st ranked ODU wrestling Monarchs posted 18.5 points at the Midlands Wrestling Championships for 22nd place after day one, with four wrestlers remaining in the wrestlebacks. RS sophomore and fourth ranked James Nicholson suffered his first loss of the season, dropping a decision to Scotti Sentes, a freshman from Central Michigan. Ryan Williams dropped a match to #5 Chris Drouin, but then reeled off four straight wins in the wrestlebacks to lead the way for ODU, including a win against #13 Andrae Hernandez (Indiana).
ODU will look for Nicholson and Williams to gain points in the wrestlebacks, along with Kyle Hutter (133) and Jesse Strawn (197). All four are still alive headed into day two at Midlands.
Nicholson started the season 12-0 before finally dropping a match this season, to the top ten ranked Chippewa. Nicholson pinned Andrew Zwirlein (Air Force) in the second period and then posted a 5-2 win over Troy Dolan (Mizzou). He faced Sentes for a shot at the semi's, but the Central Michigan rookie posted an 8-3 win over the ODU wrestler.
At 133 lbs, ODU leaned on #17 Kyle Hutter, who dropped Rider's Matt Bradley 8-2 in the first round and then managed redemption against Josh Baldridge (UNI), who pinned him at home last weekend. He faced Maryland's Steve Bell in the quarterfinals and the two matched up evenly for most of the bout. Bell, ranked #9 in the nation, won the match, 4-3, bouncing Hutter to the consolation bracket.
Senior Ryan Williams got a tough draw in the first round of the tournament. Seeded seventh, Williams faced Drouin, a top five grappler, in the first round. The two battled to a tie at the end of regulation, forcing a sudden victory overtime period, but Drouin was able to score the takedown and nearfall for the 8-4 overtime victory.
Williams, ranked 8th in the nation by InterMat, then posted four straight wins in the consolation bracket. He pinned Kazuhiro Fujinawa (Neb-Kearney) and then earned a 7-4 decision over #13 Andrae Hernandez from Indiana. He finished the day one wrestling with a 9-5 win over Providence's Ed Gutnik and a 6-3 decision over Purdue's Juan Archuletta. He is one win away from placing and will face Central Michigan's Eric Kruger tomorrow.
Jesse Strawn is the only other ODU wrestler still wrestling on day two. At 197 lbs, he went 2-1 on the first day with his only loss coming to the number one wrestler in the nation, Jake Varner (Iowa State). Strawn posted victories over Tyler Smith (Rider) and Andy Siber (American).
ODU also traveled Joey Metzler (149), Dan Rivera (157), Chris Brown (165), Derek Coffey (174) and Roy Dragon III (285) to the event.
Brown looked to add another big win to his resume, as he faced the #3 ranked wrestler at 165 lbs, Ryan Morningstar (Iowa) after beating Dominic Marella (NU) and Andrew Sorenson (Iowa State). The match was tied after regulation and went to the third tiebreaker before Morningstar finally earned a point to win, 2-1.
ODU's four wrestlers still competing will return to the mat at noon tomorrow.
Results - Day 1:
125: James Nicholson (2-1)
133: Kyle Hutter (2-1)
141: Ryan Williams (4-1)
149: Joey Metzler (1-2)
157: Dan Rivera (0-2)
165: Chris Brown (2-2)
174: Derek Coffey (1-2)
197: Jesse Strawn (2-1)
285: Roy Dragon III (0-2)