Central Michigan University Athletics
Central Michigan University
NCAA Tournament (Fourth Session)
Mester and Bolyard Earn All-America Honors
3/19/2004 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
March 19, 2004
ST. LOUIS, Mo. - Jason Mester and David Bolyard both went undefeated in their matches Friday evening at the NCAA Championships to earn All-America honors.
Mester (Mineral Point, Wis./Sr.) became a two-time All-American with a major decision over Michigan State's Andy Simmons, 10-1, and then moved on to the consolation semifinals with another major, this time over Coyte Cooper of Indiana, 13-0. Bolyard (Akron, Ohio/Jr.) beat Nick Passolano of Iowa State, 4-3, to earn All-America honors and then defeated Tim Foley of Virginia, 6-4 in overtime, to move onto the consolation semifinals. CMU currently sits in 15th place with 30 points.
Two CMU wrestlers fell one win short of All-America honors. Mitch Hancock (Royal Oak/Jr.) fell to Nate Yetzer of Edinboro at 174 and Bill Stouffer (Lowell/Jr.) fell to Minnesota's Cole Konrad at heavyweight.
The championships are being held in St. Louis, Mo., from Thursday, March 18, until Saturday, March 20. The final day will include the consolation semifinals and seventh, fifth and third place matches at each weight beginning at 10 a.m. The finals will begin at 5:30 and will be shown live on ESPN2.
The first wrestler to compete in the session was senior Jason Mester, facing Michigan State's Andy Simmons. The two had met twice before during the regular season with Mester winning both times. Mester scored first, notching a takedown 40 seconds into the match. Simmons got on the board by scoring an escape, but Mester countered with another takedown with 15 seconds left in the period.
The two wrestlers started in the neutral position to begin the second period with Mester getting his third takedown of the match midway through the period and in gaining the takedown he locked up a cradle and put Simmons on his back for a two-point nearfall. Mester locked up the major decision in the third period with an escape and the riding-time point, making the final, 10-1. The win earns Mester All-America honors for the second year in a row.
In his consolation quarterfinals match, Mester battled Coyte Cooper of Indiana. Mester was in control from the start, notching a takedown. Mester was dominant on top the rest of the period, scoring a two-point nearfall with 25 seconds to go in the period. Mester dominated the rest of the match, scoring two more takedowns and a three-point nearfall earning the major decision, 13-0. He will now face No. 3-seed Teyon Ware of Oklahoma in the consolation semifinals.
David Bolyard battled Iowa State's Nick Passolano in his match, a rematch from the Midalnds semifinals, which Bolyard won. The two wrestlers battled through a scoreless first period that featured multiple scrambles where both wrestlers had chances at takedowns. Passolano rode Bolyard until there was 30 seconds left in the period when Bolyard scored a reversal and a two-point nearfall.
After Bolyard rode Passolano out the rest of the second, the match entered the third with Bolyard on top, 4-0. Passolano scored an escape and was given a stalling point to close within two points with 15 seconds remaining, but that is as close as it would get, making the final score 4-2 Bolyard. The win earned Bolyard All-America honors for the first time. In Bolyard's consolation quarterfinal match he met Tim Foley of Virginia. Bolyard scored first, notching a takedown one-minute into the match. Foley got an escape, but Bolyard took him down ago with 30 seconds left in the period. Foley scored an escape right before time ran out, giving Bolyard a 4-2 lead after one. The second period was scoreless with both wrestlers on their feet.
Foley choose top to begin the third period and rode Bolyard for the entire period to gain the riding-time point. With four seconds left in the match Bolyard received his second stall warning, giving Foley a point and tying the score. Bolyard was unable to escape in the final four seconds, sending the match to overtime. Bolyard left little to chance in the overtime period, quickly securing the takedown to earn the victory, 6-4. He will now meet Matt R. King of Edinboro, the No. 3-seed, in the consolation semifinals.
Mitch Hancock battled Nate Yetzer of Edinboro at 174 for the chance to be an All-American. Yetzer scored first in the match, a takedown with a minute to go in the first and Hancock countered with an escape 30 seconds later. Yetzer began the second on bottom and earned an escape 15 seconds in for a two-point lead.
The bout was scoreless the rest on the period and Hancock began the third on bottom down by two. Hancock earned an escape 20 seconds into the period to pull within one, but that was as close as he you get. Yetzer scored two takedowns in the third period to secure the victory, 8-3, and end Hancock's All-American hopes.
At heavyweight, CMU's Bill Stouffer took on Cole Konrad of Minnesota in his consolation fourth round match. The two heavyweights battled to a scoreless tie after the first period. Stouffer took bottom to begin the second and got on the board first with an escape midway through the period. With Stouffer leading by one entering the third, Konrad took bottom and earned his first lead with a reversal. Stouffer earned an escape to tie the match and that was the way it remained at the end of regulation, sending the match to overtime.
Neither wrestler scored a takedown in the first overtime, sending it to a second. In the first part of double overtime, Konrad scored a reversal to take the lead and then rode Stouffer out the entire second 30 seconds to earn the double overtime victory, 4-2.
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. - (4-1)Champ. First Round - W, Rob Becker (George Mason), 8-1Champ. Second Round - W, Max Meltzer (Harvard), 5-4Champ. Quarterfinal - L, No. 5-seed Cliff Moore (Iowa), 6-4Consol. Fourth Round - W, No. 11-seed Andy Simmons (Michigan State), 10-1Consol. Quarterfinals - W, No. 8-seed Coyte Cooper (Indiana), 13-0Consol. Semifinals - vs. No. 3-seed Teyon Ware (Oklahoma)
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. - (5-1)Champ. First Round - W, Jacob Klein (Nebraska), 5-3Champ. Second Round - L, No. 10-seed John Clark (Ohio State), 6-4 OTConsol. Second Round - W, Zac Fryling (West Virginia), 7-5Consol. Third Round - W, Cole Pape (Iowa), tech. fall 16-1 7:00Consol. Fourth Round - W, No. 8-seed Nick Passolano (Iowa State), 4-1Consol. Quarterfinals - W, No. 11-seed Tim Foley (Virginia), 6-4 OTConsol. Semifinals - vs. No. 3-seed Matt R. King (Edinboro)
174 -Mitch Hancock - Royal Oak - Jr. - (3-2, Eliminated)Champ. First Round - W, No. 8-seed Andrew Roy (Rutgers), 5-4Champ. Second Round - L, No. 9-seed Pete Friedl (Illinois), 10-4Consol. Second Round - W, Francis Iorfido (Pittsburgh), Fall :24Consol. Third Round - W, Leonel Sanchez (Cal St. Fullerton), major dec. 13-5Consol. Fourth Round - L, No. 7-seed Nate Yetzer (Edinboro), 8-3
285 -Bill Stouffer - Lowell - Jr. - (2-2, Eliminated)Champ. First Round - No. 1-seed Tommy Rowlands (Ohio State), 18-6Consol. First Round - ByeConsol. Second Round - W, No. 11-seed Dusty Hoffscheider (Wyoming), 5-3Consol. Third Round - W, Russ No. 9-seed Davie (Cleveland State), 7-5Consol. Fourth Round - L, No. 6-seed Cole Konrad (Minnesota), 4-2 2OT
