Central Michigan University Athletics
Central Michigan University
NCAA Tournament (Second Session)
Four Advance to Day Two of NCAA Wrestling Championships
3/18/2004 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
March 18, 2004
ST. LOUIS, Mo. - The Central Michigan University wrestling team (12-4; 5-0 Mid-American Conference) has one alive in the championship bracket and three in the consolation bracket after day one of the NCAA Championships.
Winning in the championship second round and advancing to the quarterfinals was Jason Mester (Mineral Point, Wis./Sr.) at 141. Falling in that round were David Bolyard (Akron, Ohio/Jr.) at 165 and Mitch Hancock (Royal Oak/Jr.) at 174. They will compete in the consolation second round tomorrow along with those who won their consolation first round matches. Bill Stouffer (Lowell/Jr.) also advanced to the consolation second round after picking up a bye in the first round. Eliminated from the tournament after losing their consolation first round match were Jordan Webster (Washington, Ill./Sr.) at 133 and Adam Cunningham (Maple Ridge/Fr.) at 149. CMU sits in 27th place after day one with six team points.
The championships are being held in St. Louis, Mo., from Thursday, March 18, until Saturday, March 20. The third session of the tournament will begin tomorrow morning, Friday, March 19, at 10 a.m. The winner's from this session will compete in championship quarterfinals during session three while championship second round losers will compete in consolation second round matches. The wrestlers who lost in the consolation first round are eliminated from the tournament.
All-American Jason Mester, the fourth seed, was the first CMU wrestler to compete in the session, the championship second round, facing Max Meltzer of Harvard. Meltzer took the first lead of the match with a takedown 45 seconds in. Mester notched an escape 45 seconds later to make the score 2-1, which is the way it stayed the rest of the period.
Mester began the second on top and was dominant, riding Meltzer for the entire period to gain the riding-time point. During the second period, Mester was called for locked hands, giving Meltzer a point and a 3-1 lead. Mester scored an escape early in the third to pull within one, taking the lead 10 seconds later with a takedown. Mester stayed in control until later in the match, giving up an escape, but by that time he was in control and earned the victory, 5-4.
"I am actually glad that he took the early lead because it made me come from behind to win, which is something I haven't really had to do this year," said Mester. "He was a little quicker on his feet then I expected and I realized that I had to win the match by riding him tough in the second period. Even though I didn't score any nearfall points that period, I could tell it took a lot out of him. Riding him the entire second was really the turning point in the match."
Mester opponent in the quarterfinals will be No. 5-seed Cliff Moore of Iowa. Mester and Moore met in the semifinals of the Midlands with Mester coming away victorious, 3-2. David Bolyard, the seven seed, battled a familiar foe in his match at 165, No. 10-seed John Clark of Ohio State. Bolyard and Clark had already met twice during the regular season with Bolyard winning both times. Bolyard wrestled the match with a mask on because of deep cut in his face. The match was scoreless after the first period with Clark scoring the first points with an escape early in the second.
Bolyard took the lead 30 seconds into the second with a takedown. After another escape by Clark midway through the period, Bolyard notched his second takedown with 20 seconds left in the period, making the score 4-3 entering the third. Bolyard choose bottom to begin the third and was ridden out the entire third period, giving Clark the riding-time point and sending the match to overtime tied at four. Clark secured the victory 20 seconds into the overtime period with a takedown, making the final score 6-4.
Mitch Hancock battled Illinois Pete Friedl in his championship second round match at 174. Hancock took the early lead with a takedown midway through the first period. Friedl battled back to take the lead with an escape and a takedown in the late stages of the first period. Friedl pulled away in the second period by scoring a takedown and reversal, giving him a 7-4 lead entering the third. Friedl added a takedown and an escape to secure the victory, 10-4.
Jordan Webster was the first CMU wrestler to go in the consolation first round. Webster, the 12th-seed, took on Matt Ciasulli of Lehigh, who Webster beat earlier in the season, 4-2. The match went scoreless through the first period. Webster scored the first points of the match with a two-point nearfall midway through the second period.
Webster entered the third period with a two-point lead but Ciasulli tied things up with a takedown 45 seconds into the period. He would then ride Webster out the remainder of the period, taking away Webster's riding-time advantage and sending the match to overtime. Ciasulli took care of business 25 seconds into the overtime, scoring a takedown to make the final, 4-2, and eliminating Webster from the tournament.
Adam Cunningham battled No. 5-seed Trent Paulson at 149, CMU's final match of the day. Cunningham, the MAC Champion, got a takedown a minute into the match, but it was taken off the board and Paulson was awarded a point because Cunningham put Paulson down to the mat too forcefully on the takedown. Cunningham got a takedown that counted 30 seconds later to take the lead, but Paulson tied the match with an escape.
The match entered the second tied at two with Cunningham beginning the period on bottom. Cunningham retook the lead with an escape 50 seconds into the period, but Paulson regained the lead with a takedown. Paulson began the third on bottom and with a one-point lead, but he extended that lead to three with a reversal 25 seconds into the third. Paulson would ride Cunningham for the next minute before Cunningham scored a reversal, but it was too little, too late as Paulson picked up the riding-time point and the victory, 7-5.
Central Michigan University Individual Results
133 - No. 12-seed Jordan Webster - Washington, Ill. - Sr. - (0-2, Eliminated)Champ. First Round - L, Sean Markey (The Citadel), 6-4Consol. First Round - L, Matt Ciasulli (Lehigh), 4-2 OT
141 - No. 4-seed Jason Mester - Mineral Point, Wis. - Sr. - (2-0)Champ. First Round - W, Rob Becker (George Mason), 8-1Champ. Second Round - W, Max Meltzer (Harvard), 5-4Champ. Quarterfinal - vs. No. 5-seed Cliff Moore (Iowa)
149 -Adam Cunningham - Maple Ridge - Fr. - (0-2, Eliminated)Champ. First Round - L, No. 12-seed Mike Maney (Lock Haven), 5-4Consol. First Round - L, No. 5-seed Travis Paulson (Iowa State), 7-5
165 - No. 7-seed David Bolyard - Akron, Ohio - Jr. - (1-1)Champ. First Round - W, Jacob Klein (Nebraska), 5-3Champ. Second Round - L, No. 10-seed John Clark (Ohio State), 6-4 OT
174 -Mitch Hancock - Royal Oak - Jr. - (1-1)Champ. First Round - W, No. 8-seed Andrew Roy (Rutgers), 5-4Champ. Second Round - L, No. 9-seed Pete Friedl (Illinois), 10-4
285 -Bill Stouffer - Lowell - Jr. - (0-1)Champ. First Round - No. 1-seed Tommy Rowlands (Ohio State), 18-6Consol. First Round - ByeConsol. Second Round - vs. No. 11-seed Dusty Hoffscheider (Wyoming)
