Photo by: Sammi Wellman
Multiple Titles Within Reach
3/9/2018 6:16:00 PM | Wrestling
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Not only is the NCAA Division II Championship within reach, No. 3-ranked California Baptist University has four guys still competing for an individual championship after the first day of the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championship. The Lancers sit in third place as a team, with 41.0 points.
It's a close battle for the team championship, with Notre Dame (Ohio) sitting in first place with 48.5 points. St. Cloud State is five and a half points in front of CBU with 46.5 points.
Third-ranked Daxton Gordon dominated his first-round bout, going up 6-0 in the first period. He held onto that lead going into the third, while building up over three minutes of riding time and finished with a 9-1 major decision over Corey Falleroni (Pittsburg-Johnstown).
Gordon took on Trey Grine (Tiffin) in his second bout of the day, and continued his dominant performance on the mat. He grabbed a takedown in the first, before pinning Grine in four minutes and 20 seconds to advance to the semifinal round tomorrow.
"It felt good," said Gordon. "I wasn't expecting to pin that guy. [Being in the mix for a team title] probably feels better than my individual wins right now."
It guarantees Gordon All-American status with at least a top-six placement. He will face Damian Penichet of Upper Iowa, with the winner challenging for the 149-pound championship.
Christian Smith – who ranks second in Division II at 165 pounds – went down 2-0 to start his opener, but turned things around with an escape and a takedown of his own to hold a 3-2 lead after the first. He increased it to 4-2 after the second and chose to start down in the third. Smith grabbed a reversal, but Nick Vandermeer (Lake Erie) made things interesting by cutting the deficit to 8-6. Smith held on for the 9-6 decision with over two minutes of riding time.
Smith faced Seth Elwood (Minnesota State) next and built up a four-point lead in the first period. Elwood managed an escape before the period ended and another in the second to cut the score to 4-2, but Smith wasn't done yet. He grabbed a takedown and a two-point nearfall to increase his lead to 8-2 heading into the third. Elwood chose down and Smith got a reversal and another takedown before finishing with over three minutes of riding time to grab the 13-3 major decision.
The senior is also guaranteed a top-six placement and All-American status. He will compete in the 165-pound semifinals Saturday against Rodney Shephard from UNC Pembroke.
Second-ranked Nolan Kistler made his first bout at 174 pounds look easy as he grabbed a takedown early in the first and proceeded to put down four-point nearfall after four-point nearfall over Gino Sita (Alderson Broaddus). It resulted in an 18-0 technical fall in just 91 seconds.
It didn't stop there as Kistler took on Zach Johnston from Minnesota State. He grabbed a quick takedown, before pinning Johnston's shoulders to the mat in a minute and a half to advance to the semifinal round Saturday.
Kistler, who already is a two-time All-American, secured his third-straight All-American honor without his bouts ever making it to the second period and can do no worse than sixth place in the 174-pound bracket.
Nick Fiegener – who ranks third in D-II at 184 pounds – put together a dramatic comeback after going down 5-2 heading into the final period. Corey Abernathy (Minnesota State) chose top to start the third, but Fiegener grabbed a four-point nearfall with under a minute remaining, 6-5. Abernathy had built up over a minute of riding time, so Fiegener needed to do something else before time expired to get the win. He did that with a two-point nearfall, grabbing the 8-5 decision.
Fiegener followed with a 7-5 decision to Ashland's Jordan Murphy, who came into the tournament with a 21-0 record. Fiegener had to come from behind once again, trailing 2-1 after the first. He took over the lead with a takedown in the second and chose bottom to start the third. Fiegener escaped and then took down Murphy to increase his lead to 6-2. It got interesting when Murphy escaped and got a takedown of his own to pull within one, 6-5, but Fiegener escaped the hold and held on for the 7-5 win, ending Murphy's undefeated streak.
The redshirt junior is still in the running for his first individual championship and will take on Noel Torres (Newman) Saturday in the semifinal round. Fiegener has already guaranteed his second All-American honor.
No. 6-ranked Andrew Schulte started the day off with a 12-7 decision over Bryan LaVearn from Tiffin in the 141-pound bracket. Schulte built up a 10-3 lead after the first three minutes and increased it to 12-4 in the third. LaVearn tried to claw his way back in, but Schulte held on for the victory.
In his second match, Schulte drew Chris Eddins (Pittsburg-Johnstown) in a tough battle. It came down to the third period, but Eddins managed to take the decision 3-2. It put Schulte over on the left side of the bracket, but not out. He wrestled down to the wire, but lost it 9-8 to end the year with a 19-5 record.
Garrett Strang put up a fight in his first bout, tying things up 1-1 in the third period. He went into the final period down 1-0 and chose bottom. He then rolled through to an escape, but in the last 15 seconds of the match, Ashland's Luke Cramer grabbed a takedown to win it 3-1.
The redshirt freshman bounced back with a similar 3-1 decision, this time with the win over Jake Temple (Seton Hall) to stay alive in the tournament.
Strang had one more bout before the night was over, taking on Simon Fraser's Morgan Smith in one of the last matches of the night. It didn't go in Strang's favor, however, as he dropped it 10-0 to end his stellar collegiate debut with a 16-12 record.
Action resumes Saturday morning, where four Lancers will look to get on the podium, with all four vying for individual titles – Gordon, Smith, Kistler and Fiegener. The team title is also still up for grabs, with CBU within reach.
It's a close battle for the team championship, with Notre Dame (Ohio) sitting in first place with 48.5 points. St. Cloud State is five and a half points in front of CBU with 46.5 points.
Third-ranked Daxton Gordon dominated his first-round bout, going up 6-0 in the first period. He held onto that lead going into the third, while building up over three minutes of riding time and finished with a 9-1 major decision over Corey Falleroni (Pittsburg-Johnstown).
Gordon took on Trey Grine (Tiffin) in his second bout of the day, and continued his dominant performance on the mat. He grabbed a takedown in the first, before pinning Grine in four minutes and 20 seconds to advance to the semifinal round tomorrow.
"It felt good," said Gordon. "I wasn't expecting to pin that guy. [Being in the mix for a team title] probably feels better than my individual wins right now."
It guarantees Gordon All-American status with at least a top-six placement. He will face Damian Penichet of Upper Iowa, with the winner challenging for the 149-pound championship.
Christian Smith – who ranks second in Division II at 165 pounds – went down 2-0 to start his opener, but turned things around with an escape and a takedown of his own to hold a 3-2 lead after the first. He increased it to 4-2 after the second and chose to start down in the third. Smith grabbed a reversal, but Nick Vandermeer (Lake Erie) made things interesting by cutting the deficit to 8-6. Smith held on for the 9-6 decision with over two minutes of riding time.
Smith faced Seth Elwood (Minnesota State) next and built up a four-point lead in the first period. Elwood managed an escape before the period ended and another in the second to cut the score to 4-2, but Smith wasn't done yet. He grabbed a takedown and a two-point nearfall to increase his lead to 8-2 heading into the third. Elwood chose down and Smith got a reversal and another takedown before finishing with over three minutes of riding time to grab the 13-3 major decision.
The senior is also guaranteed a top-six placement and All-American status. He will compete in the 165-pound semifinals Saturday against Rodney Shephard from UNC Pembroke.
Second-ranked Nolan Kistler made his first bout at 174 pounds look easy as he grabbed a takedown early in the first and proceeded to put down four-point nearfall after four-point nearfall over Gino Sita (Alderson Broaddus). It resulted in an 18-0 technical fall in just 91 seconds.
It didn't stop there as Kistler took on Zach Johnston from Minnesota State. He grabbed a quick takedown, before pinning Johnston's shoulders to the mat in a minute and a half to advance to the semifinal round Saturday.
Kistler, who already is a two-time All-American, secured his third-straight All-American honor without his bouts ever making it to the second period and can do no worse than sixth place in the 174-pound bracket.
Nick Fiegener – who ranks third in D-II at 184 pounds – put together a dramatic comeback after going down 5-2 heading into the final period. Corey Abernathy (Minnesota State) chose top to start the third, but Fiegener grabbed a four-point nearfall with under a minute remaining, 6-5. Abernathy had built up over a minute of riding time, so Fiegener needed to do something else before time expired to get the win. He did that with a two-point nearfall, grabbing the 8-5 decision.
Fiegener followed with a 7-5 decision to Ashland's Jordan Murphy, who came into the tournament with a 21-0 record. Fiegener had to come from behind once again, trailing 2-1 after the first. He took over the lead with a takedown in the second and chose bottom to start the third. Fiegener escaped and then took down Murphy to increase his lead to 6-2. It got interesting when Murphy escaped and got a takedown of his own to pull within one, 6-5, but Fiegener escaped the hold and held on for the 7-5 win, ending Murphy's undefeated streak.
The redshirt junior is still in the running for his first individual championship and will take on Noel Torres (Newman) Saturday in the semifinal round. Fiegener has already guaranteed his second All-American honor.
No. 6-ranked Andrew Schulte started the day off with a 12-7 decision over Bryan LaVearn from Tiffin in the 141-pound bracket. Schulte built up a 10-3 lead after the first three minutes and increased it to 12-4 in the third. LaVearn tried to claw his way back in, but Schulte held on for the victory.
In his second match, Schulte drew Chris Eddins (Pittsburg-Johnstown) in a tough battle. It came down to the third period, but Eddins managed to take the decision 3-2. It put Schulte over on the left side of the bracket, but not out. He wrestled down to the wire, but lost it 9-8 to end the year with a 19-5 record.
Garrett Strang put up a fight in his first bout, tying things up 1-1 in the third period. He went into the final period down 1-0 and chose bottom. He then rolled through to an escape, but in the last 15 seconds of the match, Ashland's Luke Cramer grabbed a takedown to win it 3-1.
The redshirt freshman bounced back with a similar 3-1 decision, this time with the win over Jake Temple (Seton Hall) to stay alive in the tournament.
Strang had one more bout before the night was over, taking on Simon Fraser's Morgan Smith in one of the last matches of the night. It didn't go in Strang's favor, however, as he dropped it 10-0 to end his stellar collegiate debut with a 16-12 record.
Action resumes Saturday morning, where four Lancers will look to get on the podium, with all four vying for individual titles – Gordon, Smith, Kistler and Fiegener. The team title is also still up for grabs, with CBU within reach.
Players Mentioned
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