Missouri Wrestler Takes Gold at University National Championships
5/11/2004 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
May 11, 2004
Evanston, Ill. - Missouri wrestler Austin DeVoe won the University National Freestyle Championship title at 121 pounds on Saturday, May 8, in Evanston, Ill. Juniors Chris McCormick (145.5) and Tyron Woodley (163) along with sophomore Jeff Foust (211.5) and redshirt freshman Ben Askren (185) all finished in the top five of their respective weight classes.
Taking his final win with a fall, DeVoe (Columbus, Kan.) put Obe Blanc of Lock Haven, Pa., on his back in 42 seconds to claim the University National Championship title at 121 pounds. The victory by DeVoe qualifies him for the World University Championships June 4-5, in Lodz, Poland.
"I really feel like I started out slow on the first day," DeVoe said. "I haven't wrestled freestyle in a tournament for a while, so it took me some time to adjust and actually feel like I was wrestling to my capabilities. Once I get back into the practice room, I plan on practicing even more with Coach (Scott) Schatzman to help prepare me for the World University Championships."
A sophomore on the Missouri wrestling team, DeVoe wrestled in three matches at the tournament, scoring technical falls in his first two matches.
Woodley, Askren and Foust all finished the University National Championship in third place of their respective weight classes. With a 4-1 record at the tournament, Woodley (Ferguson, Mo.) had two technical falls and a 3:24 fall before suffering a loss to Marcus LeVesseur of Augsburg in a 3-1 decision of the semifinals. Dropping to the consolation bracket, Woodley finished the day in third place with David Bolyard (Central Michigan) taking an injury default.
All-American Askren (Hartland, Wis.) also finished third with a 5-1 record. Beginning in the pigtail round, Askren wrestled his way to the third place bracket, winning four straight matches with a technical fall before losing a 7-5 decision to Willie Parks (Cyclone). Askren's final test of the day came in a pairing with Joshua Weitzel (Cliff Keen) in which he won a 13-10 decision.
Having qualified for the 2004 NCAA Championships, Foust (Blue Springs, Mo.) switched gears in the off season and began practicing more in freestyle. Wrestling in one of the smaller sized weight classes, Foust opened the preliminaries with an 8-7 decision over Joe Williams (MSWC) before falling to Joel Flaggert (OU Barry Weldon) 8-2 in the quarterfinals. Foust's final match came against his first competitor of the tournament Williams, knocking him off for the second time and the third place finish, 4-3.
Wrestling at 145.5 pounds, McCormick (Leawood, Kan.) finished fourth after being pinned in 56 seconds by Ryan Lang (Angry Fish). McCormick closed out the University National Championships with a 7-2 record, shutting out six of his opponents with technical falls.
121 Pounds 1st-Austin DeVoe (Mo. Elite) fall Obe Blanc (unattached): 42 Semifinals-Austin DeVoe (Mo. Elite) technical fall Zach Berman (unattached): 13-2 Quarterfinals-Austin DeVoe (Mo. Elite) technical fall David Tomasette (New York AC): 12-0145.4 Pounds 3rd-Ryan Lang (Angry Fish) pin Chris McCormick (Mo. Elite): 56 Pigtails- Ron Tarquinio (Pittsburg) pin Chris McCormick (Mo. Elite): 3:29 Consolations-Chris McCormick (Mo. Elite) technical fall Wes Hall (Grayhound): 11-0 Consolations-Chris McCormick (Mo. Elite) technical fall Drew Headlee (Pittsburgh): 11-0 Consolations-Chris McCormick (Mo. Elite) technical fall Joey Valente (Embry Riddle): 10-0 Consolations-Chris McCormick technical fall Matt Crippes (unattached): 11-0 Consolations-Chris McCormick decision Michael Keefe (UTC): 10-3 Consolations-Chris McCormick technical fall Tyler Moran (ERAU): 10-0 Consolations-Chris McCormick technical fall Dylan Long (Panther): 10-0
163 Pounds 3rd-Tyron Woodley (Mo. Elite) injury default over David Bolyard (Central Michigan) Semifinals-Marcus LeVesseur (Augsburg) decision Tyron Woodley (Mo. Elite): 3-1 Quarterfinals-Tyron Woodley (Mo. Elite) pin Jacob Klein (unattached): 3:24 Third Round-Tyron Woodley (Mo. Elite) technical fall Daniel Cadwallader (Sunkist Kids):12-1 Second Round-Tyron Woodley (Mo. Elite) technical fall Chris Vondruska (New York AC) 11-1
185 Pounds 3rd-Ben Askren (Mo. Elite) decision Joshua Weitzel (Cliff Keen): 13-10 Semifinals-Willie Parks (Cyclone) decision Ben Askren (Mo. Elite): 7-5 Quarterfinals-Ben Askren (Mo. Elite) technical fall Nick Roy (Cliff Keen): 11-1 Second Round-Ben Askren (Mo. Elite) technical fall Ellioit Kelly (Dave Schultz WC): 15-4 First Round-Ben Askren (Mo. Elite) technical fall Michael Kimberlin (Wildcat):11-0 Pigtails-Ben Askren (Mo. Elite) technical fall Tyler Brueswitz (Huskie): 11-0
211.5 Pounds 3rd-Jeff Foust (Mo. Elite) decision Joe Williams (MSWC): 4-3 Quarterfinals-Joel Flaggert (OU Barry Weldon) decision Jeff Foust (Mo. Elite): 8-2 Preliminaries- Jeff Foust (Mo. Elite) decision Joe Williams (MSWC): 7-3
