ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Old Dominion junior wrestlersChris Mecate and Lenny Richardson closed out the 2015 NCAA Wrestling Championships on Saturday morning, competing in the consolation bracket in front of 18,797 fans at the Scottrade Center.
Mecate placed sixth, while Richardson finished the day in seventh place. Both grapplers earned All-American laurels on Friday, which marks the first time since 1991 that two wrestlers earned the honor.
Mecate faced Devin Carter from Virginia Tech in the consolation semifinals and fell by fall in 4:13. In the fifth-place bout, Mecate dropped a 3-0 decision to Kevin Jack from NC State. He will still make an appearance on the podium as one of the top wrestlers in the country at 149 pounds. He completed the season with a 25-10 overall record and took down 10 NCAA qualifiers in the process.
Richardson won his only match of the day, defeating Daniel Neff from Lock Haven by a fall in 2:39. He earned All-American honors for the first time in his career and finished the day in seventh place. He accumulated a 29-9 overall record this season and beat eight NCAA qualifiers on the year.
Mecate and Richardson will take part in the All-American parade tonight at 6:35 p.m. Pictures from the entire weekend will be uploaded to Facebook and ODUsports.com following the parade.
For an in depth look to everything Monarchs Wrestling, make sure to follow the team on Facebook, Twitter (@ODUWrestling) and YouTube and on ODUsports.com. Fans can join in on the conversation by using the hashtag #ODUWREST.
Results:
141 – Chris Mecate – Sixth Place
Cons. Semi - Devin Carter (Virginia Tech) over Chris Mecate (ODU) (Fall 4:13)
5th Place Match - Kevin Jack (NC St.) over Chris Mecate (ODU) 24-11 (Dec 3-0)
149 – Lenny Richardson – Seventh Place
7th Place Match - Alexander Richardson (ODU) over Daniel Neff (Lock Haven) (Fall 2:39)