Super Day for the Lancers
2/23/2018 6:53:00 PM | Wrestling
The defending champs have a slight advantage over University of Nebraska at Kearney, which sits in second with 85.5 points. Western State Colorado (69.0 points), Adams State (66.5 points) and Colorado State-Pueblo (61.5 points) round out the third through fifth spots.
The Lancers came ready to compete and posted three pins, two technical falls, and two decisions – with two first-round byes – in the opening round, only conceding five points across the board. Eight CBU wrestlers advance to day two in hopes of a top-four placement for a trip to the NCAA Division II Championship in March.
"Our guys wrestled well," said Super Region IV Coach of the Year Lennie Zalesky. "Eight have placed in the top-six. We were behind by 10 going in to that last round and now we are up by about 10. It will be a battle tomorrow. [Adam] Velasquez and [Zach] Schrader surprised some people today. The [four] finalists did an amazing job, however. There were some great wins."
Andrew Schulte, who won an NAIA individual championship in 2016, has secured a chance to compete for the NCAA Division II 141-pound title this year after earning a spot in the super regional final.
Schulte drew Dylan Udero from Adams State first and posted a 4-0 decision. He followed with a 13-6 decision over CSUP's Clay Archer, who ranks 10th in Division II, to put him in the semifinals, where he beat No. 7-ranked Cruz Velasquez of Simon Fraser 7-1 to advance to the championship bout tomorrow.
Daxton Gordon, who ranks fifth among 149-pounders, went 3-0 on the day to extend his winning streak to 15-straight matches. It ensures his ticket to the D-II Championship with a chance to compete for the super regional title tomorrow.
Gordon opened with Taber Spray from Simon Fraser and was in control the whole match, quickly grabbing a take down in the first period and ending the bout early with a pin in four minutes, 50 seconds. He kept up his stellar wrestling with a 19-6 major decision over Noah Ottum of Colorado School of Mines and followed with a 6-1 decision over 11th-ranked Reis Humphrey of New Mexico Highlands to put himself in the championship bout, where he will face No. 4-ranked Efe Osaghae of Fort Hayes State.
Nolan Kistler, who ranks second in D-II in the 174-weight class, came into the weekend on a 12-match winning streak and kept rolling over his opponents. He opened with a shutout technical fall, 18-0, over Kenneth Yara from New Mexico Highlands in just three minutes. He then pinned his next opponent (Dylan Wiesner from Fort Hayes) in 3:36 to advance to the semifinal round.
Kistler was in command from the get-go in the semifinal bout against 12th-ranked Zach Stoden of Nebraska-Kearney, posting a 10-2 major decision victory to advance to the championship. With the 3-0 performance, Kistler extends his winning streak to 15-straight and has only conceded eight points in those 15 bouts.
No. 3-ranked Nick Fiegener drew a first-round bye in the 184-pound bracket. He opened with a 16-1 technical fall over Isaac Deaton (Nebraska-Kearney) in 4:36 to advance to the semifinals, where he beat Micah Felton of Fort Hays State 3-1 to get a chance to defend his 2017 super regional title.
Fourth-ranked Christian Smith drew a first-round bye in the 165-pound bracket and proceeded to grab a 13-2 major decision over Talon Seitz (University of Nebraska at Kearney) to grab a spot in the semifinals. He lost the semifinal, but is still fighting for a top-four placing. Smith will take on Mason Thompson from Central Oklahoma, with the winner advancing to the third-place game.
Garrett Strang, who sits sixth in Division II among 197-pound grapplers, drew Justin Villegas from Ouachita Baptist and didn't waste time at all, grabbing 10 quick points before the halfway mark of the first period. He finished with a 16-0 technical fall in 1:48. Strang followed with a 10-2 major decision over Colorado State Pueblo's Donavon Rincon to advance to the semifinals.
Strang faced some adversity in the semifinals, finding himself trailing 5-2 after two periods. He opened the third with an escape and kept looking for a shot, but time expired before he could even the score up. Strang moves into the consolation bracket, still competing for a top-four placing. He will take on Anthony Lodermeier from Colorado Mesa tomorrow.
Zach Schrader drew Weston Hunt from Colorado School of Mines first and won 3-1 in overtime, but dropped his next bout. He bounced back with a 5-1 decision over Thor Balavage (Newman) and forced overtime in his match with Tuli Laulu from Adams State.
Like he did in the opener, Schrader grabbed the first takedown in the extra period to win the bout and advance one step closer to the third-place bout. He will face Simon Fraser's Ciaran Ball tomorrow, with a top-four placing still up for grabs.
In the 133-pound weight class, Adam Velasquez drew 10th-ranked Luis Gurule from Adams State first and dropped a close 2-1 decision. He turned things around and bounced back with back-to-back-to-back decisions to stay alive in the consolation bracket. With one more win, Velasquez puts himself in contention for third place, with Colorado School of Mines' Noah Au-Yeung standing in his way first.
Alex Nunez posted a first-round pin in 3:38 over Tyler Lawley from Newman in the 125-pound bracket. It put him up against Brandon Vu from SF State for fourth time this year, but ultimately fell 5-4 in overtime. He bounced back with a 12-8 decision to stay alive in the consolation bracket, but his debut season came to an end with a 7-4 battle.
Slater Johnson drew Joshua Salas from Adams State in the opening round of the 157-pound bracket and dominated the bout. He ultimately pinned Salas in 5:34, but unfortunately dropped the next two bouts to end his season early.
