March 16, 2007
Auburn Hills, Mich. - The Tiger wrestling team opened competition at the second day of the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in Auburn Hills, Michigan on Friday, March 16. The Tigers have one wrestler still alive in their respective championship brackets, with three trying to wrestle their way back in the consolation brackets. The Tigers finish the first session of the day in fourth place.
Tyler McCormick (Leawood, Kan.) drew a tough opponent in the first match of the day for the Tigers. The 133-pounder was supposed to square off against third-seeded Adam Frey of Cornell, but a disqualification gave McCormick the victory, and two bonus points to help the Tigers keep pace with the Golden Gophers of Minnesota in the team race. Frey became the only wrestler in the tournament to not make weight Friday morning, giving McCormick the automatic victory.
Next up for the Tigers, junior Josh Wagner (Milton, Wis.) looked to score more big points for the Tigers. Wagner grappled against Brandon Doyle of Bakersfield in the consolation bracket at 149 pounds. Wagner dominated throughout the match, allowing no offensive points for Doyle in a 13-5 decision.
Rolling his way through the consolation bracket, Michael Chandler (High Ridge, Mo.) got one win closer to All-America honors. The 157-pounder topped Nebraska's ninth-seeded Chris Oliver in an 11-2 major decision, also gaining bonus points for the Tigers.
Senior Matt Pell (Luxemburg, Wis.) met with conference rival Johny Hendricks of Oklahoma State in his quarterfinal match. Hendricks, the top seed, scored the first five points of the match, giving him a lead that he would not give up. Pell will look to win in the consolation bracket to achieve his second straight All-America honors.
Senior Ben Askren (Hartland, Wis.) continued falling his way through the tournament. Askren pinned ninth-seeded Matthew Palmer of Columbia is 4:42. The win is Askren's 85th in a row, and his third pin in the tournament. Along with the pins, Askren picked up a technical fall in his pigtail match, showing his dominance during the tournament.
With the home town crowd against him, Raymond Jordan (New Bern, N.C.) grappled against fourth-seeded Tyrel Todd of Michigan. Jordan failed to score offensively until the third period when he notched a takedown with 52 seconds, but failed to make a move after, and lost the match 7-4. Jordan, still remains one win away from All-America honors.
Mark Ellis (Peculiar, Mo.) was the next to take the mat for the Tigers. Grappling against tenth-seeded Cody Parker of Cal Poly, Ellis wrestled hard, but got himself in trouble looking for a takedown late in the third. Parker countered and pinned Ellis with just 10 seconds remaining in the match.
The next round of wrestlebacks was kicked off by a 6-3 victory by Tyler McCormick, while three Tigers were wrestling at the same time. While McCormick was winning his match, both Wagner and Chandler lost theirs. Wagner jumped out to a 4-0 lead but was unable to hold on, and lost the match 10-6. Chandler failed to score offensively until 1 second remained in the match when he reversed control for the two-point score.
The fourth session will begin at 7:00 p.m. (EST) tonight, with Askren in the Championship bracket, and three other Tigers alive in the consolation bracket. Pell, McCormick and Jordan remain one win away from All-America status. Stay tuned to www.mutigers.com for results from session four tonight.
Team Standings
1- Minnesota 66 (4/3)
2- Iowa State 62.3 (4/3)
3- Oklahoma State 48.5 (4/3)
4- Missouri 44.5 (1/3)
5- Hofstra 41 (3-2)
6- Penn State 39.5 (2/2)
7- Iowa 37 (2/1)
8- Northwestern 34.5 (2/2)
9- Wisconsin 31 (1/3)
10- Michigan 29 (2/3)