ATLANTA, Ga. -- Old Dominion wrestler Alexander Richardson dropped a hard-fought 9-6 battle to Rider’s BJ Clagon at the 50th Annual NWCA All-Star Classic on Sunday evening. The event, which took place at the McCamish Pavilion on the campus of Georgia Tech, was broadcast live on ESPNU.
“This was a great opportunity for Richardson to showcase his skills and for Old Dominion University to gain exposure in front of a national audience on TV,” head coach Steve Martin commented. “We are disappointed in the result, but this was a great test for him to wrestle one of the best guys in the nation this early. Now we know where he stands and what errors he needs to fix. He is right there with everyone in his weight class, and his ultimate goal is to win a national title this season. This match showed him he can wrestle hard for seven minutes with the best wrestlers in the country.”
Both returning All-Americans and natives of New Jersey, Richardson, who entered the bout ranked No. 5, ended the first period scoreless with No. 4 Clagon.
In the second period, Clagon got on the board first with a quick reversal to go up 2-0. Richardson escaped immediately to cut the deficit in half, but in the waning seconds of period two, Clagon secured a three-point takedown with the All-Star Classic’s experimental scoring rule in effect. Clagon led the bout 5-1 entering the third period.
In period three, Richardson started on bottom and earned a quick escape to cut Clagon’s lead to 5-2. After a scramble ensued that sent the wrestlers out of bounds, a Rider coaches’ challenge resulted in another three-point takedown being awarded to Clagon to give him an 8-2 lead. Richardson escaped and scored a takedown of his own to trail 8-6, but Clagon earned an escape in the final 30 seconds and clung to the three-point lead to claim the 9-6 victory.
Richardson and the rest of the Monarch wrestlers will head to Binghamton, N.Y. for the Jonathan Kaloust Bearcat Open on Sunday, Nov. 8.
The National Wrestling Coaches Association, established in 1928, is a professional organization dedicated to supporting and elevating the sport of amateur wrestling. NWCA provides leadership and guidance primarily to scholastic and collegiate wrestling programs, but is an advocate to all levels of wrestling. The NWCA promotes communication, recognizes achievement, recommends rules and regulations, sponsors events and serves as a resource for education and information pertaining to the sport of wrestling. Additionally, The NWCA strives to foster the sportsmanship and integrity that are the cornerstones of any competitive sport. For more information, visit www.nwcaonline.com.
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