Friday, March 9
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
All Day
California Baptist University
vs
NCAA Division II Championship
Photo by: Sammi Wellman
Gordon Wins Individual Championship
3/10/2018 7:46:00 PM | Wrestling
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — For the first time, No. 3-ranked California Baptist University had three wrestlers competing for an individual title at the NCAA Division II Championship Saturday.
The Lancers finished in third place as a team with 70.5 team points and four All-Americans. St. Cloud State took the team title with 92.5 points, while Notre Dame (Ohio) grabbed second with 84.0 points.
Daxton Gordon became the third grappler in Lancer history to win a D-II championship after taking down James Pleski (St. Cloud State) in overtime. Both wrestlers had close calls in the first, but went into the second tied 0-0.
Pleski chose bottom and eventually escaped, but Gordon made him work for it. Gordon then chose bottom to start the third and tied it up, 1-1, with an escape of his own. That held for the remainder of the third, sending the bout into overtime.
The two only had a minute to decide the winner and Gordon not only got the takedown with short time, he added on a two-point nearfall to seal the deal at 5-1. He finishes the year with a 25-2 overall record, including a 20-match winning streak, which is tied for fourth-best in CBU history.
Third-ranked Gordon faced Damian Penichet (Upper Iowa) earlier in the day in the semifinal round and had to battle it out in extra time. It was pretty back-and-forth to start the bout, with Gordon holding a 6-3 lead after the first two periods.
Penichet took the lead in the third, 7-6, but Gordon escaped his grasp to tie it up at 7-7. It sent the bout into overtime, where Penichet made the first move. Gordon defended it well, however, and got the takedown to win it 9-7 and advance to the championship round.
No. 2-ranked Christian Smith took on Rodney Shephard from UNC Pembroke in the semifinal and was determined to secure his chance to compete for an individual title. Shephard went for the first takedown, but Smith countered to score the first points, 2-0. He built up a 4-1 lead after the first period, but Shephard took a 5-4 lead into the final period.
Smith chose bottom and grabbed a quick escape to tie it up, 5-5. He stayed patient, looking for a shot and took it to take down Shephard for the lead. Smith had over a minute of riding time to secure the 8-5 decision win and a berth in the championship bout.
The senior faced Bret Romanzak from Ashland for the title and put up a hard-fought battle. It was scoreless after the first three minutes, with Smith choosing bottom to start the second. He escaped Romanzak's grasp just five seconds into the period, but Romanzak got a takedown to take the lead, 2-1.
Once again, Smith escaped to even things up, 2-2, before the second period ended. Romanzak chose bottom for the third and got an escape, before holding on for the 3-2 decision.
No. 2-ranked Nolan Kistler – who never had to compete past the first round yesterday – continued his dominance Saturday morning against Bruno Nicoletti (Colorado Mesa). He held just a 2-0 lead after the first, but quickly turned that into a 6-1 cushion in the second with a takedown and two-point nearfall.
In the last period, Kistler kept things rolling and sealed the 10-1 major decision, setting up an epic championship bout against No. 1-ranked Nick Becker (Wisconsin-Parkside), who boasted an 88-0 undefeated record going into the match since he started wrestling at the NCAA Division II level.
The championship lived up to the expectation, with a battle from the get-go. Kistler came out the aggressor and grabbed a quick takedown.
Even through Becker's constant blood time, Kistler stayed focused, but just came up short of the upset, dropping the 8-4 decision. Kistler finishes as a three-time All-American, three-time Elite 90 winner, CBU's all-time wins holder, and many other honors.
No. 3-ranked Nick Fiegener dropped a tough, 5-1 decision battle in his semifinal round, but bounced back with a 6-4 decision to move into the third-place match. He faced Bradley Metz (Findlay) in his second matchup and grabbed a takedown and four-point nearfall with short time in the first. Metz put up a fight, pulling within 6-4 with riding time, but Fiegener held on for the win.
In the third-place match, Fiegener took on Jordan Murphy and battled until the end, but ultimately lost 6-4 to take fourth. It still put him on the podium and gave Fiegener his second All-American honor. He finishes the year with a 21-7 record.
The Lancers finished in third place as a team with 70.5 team points and four All-Americans. St. Cloud State took the team title with 92.5 points, while Notre Dame (Ohio) grabbed second with 84.0 points.
Daxton Gordon became the third grappler in Lancer history to win a D-II championship after taking down James Pleski (St. Cloud State) in overtime. Both wrestlers had close calls in the first, but went into the second tied 0-0.
Pleski chose bottom and eventually escaped, but Gordon made him work for it. Gordon then chose bottom to start the third and tied it up, 1-1, with an escape of his own. That held for the remainder of the third, sending the bout into overtime.
The two only had a minute to decide the winner and Gordon not only got the takedown with short time, he added on a two-point nearfall to seal the deal at 5-1. He finishes the year with a 25-2 overall record, including a 20-match winning streak, which is tied for fourth-best in CBU history.
Third-ranked Gordon faced Damian Penichet (Upper Iowa) earlier in the day in the semifinal round and had to battle it out in extra time. It was pretty back-and-forth to start the bout, with Gordon holding a 6-3 lead after the first two periods.
Penichet took the lead in the third, 7-6, but Gordon escaped his grasp to tie it up at 7-7. It sent the bout into overtime, where Penichet made the first move. Gordon defended it well, however, and got the takedown to win it 9-7 and advance to the championship round.
No. 2-ranked Christian Smith took on Rodney Shephard from UNC Pembroke in the semifinal and was determined to secure his chance to compete for an individual title. Shephard went for the first takedown, but Smith countered to score the first points, 2-0. He built up a 4-1 lead after the first period, but Shephard took a 5-4 lead into the final period.
Smith chose bottom and grabbed a quick escape to tie it up, 5-5. He stayed patient, looking for a shot and took it to take down Shephard for the lead. Smith had over a minute of riding time to secure the 8-5 decision win and a berth in the championship bout.
The senior faced Bret Romanzak from Ashland for the title and put up a hard-fought battle. It was scoreless after the first three minutes, with Smith choosing bottom to start the second. He escaped Romanzak's grasp just five seconds into the period, but Romanzak got a takedown to take the lead, 2-1.
Once again, Smith escaped to even things up, 2-2, before the second period ended. Romanzak chose bottom for the third and got an escape, before holding on for the 3-2 decision.
No. 2-ranked Nolan Kistler – who never had to compete past the first round yesterday – continued his dominance Saturday morning against Bruno Nicoletti (Colorado Mesa). He held just a 2-0 lead after the first, but quickly turned that into a 6-1 cushion in the second with a takedown and two-point nearfall.
In the last period, Kistler kept things rolling and sealed the 10-1 major decision, setting up an epic championship bout against No. 1-ranked Nick Becker (Wisconsin-Parkside), who boasted an 88-0 undefeated record going into the match since he started wrestling at the NCAA Division II level.
The championship lived up to the expectation, with a battle from the get-go. Kistler came out the aggressor and grabbed a quick takedown.
Even through Becker's constant blood time, Kistler stayed focused, but just came up short of the upset, dropping the 8-4 decision. Kistler finishes as a three-time All-American, three-time Elite 90 winner, CBU's all-time wins holder, and many other honors.
No. 3-ranked Nick Fiegener dropped a tough, 5-1 decision battle in his semifinal round, but bounced back with a 6-4 decision to move into the third-place match. He faced Bradley Metz (Findlay) in his second matchup and grabbed a takedown and four-point nearfall with short time in the first. Metz put up a fight, pulling within 6-4 with riding time, but Fiegener held on for the win.
In the third-place match, Fiegener took on Jordan Murphy and battled until the end, but ultimately lost 6-4 to take fourth. It still put him on the podium and gave Fiegener his second All-American honor. He finishes the year with a 21-7 record.
Players Mentioned
/ Wrestling
149
/ Wrestling/ Wrestling
/ Wrestling
WRESTLING VS NORTH DAKOTA STATE
Monday, October 28
WRESTLING VS SIUE
Monday, October 28
WRESTLING VS SOUTH DAKOTA STATE
Monday, October 28
CBU WRESTLING VS AIR FORCE
Monday, October 28
