By Gary R. Blockus
Of The Morning Call
ST. LOUIS, Mo. | Cory Cooperman knows what’s coming next.
”We’ve got two days off, and then [Lehigh head coach Greg] Strobel is going to put us through a workout,” he said after winning a bronze medal at the 75th NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships at the Savvis Center on Saturday. ”We had a disappointing performance out here and obviously we didn’t train overboard.”
”I told the guys that the season was over Friday night,” Strobel said, ”and that next season starts [Saturday].”
If that’s the case, Lehigh has two wrestlers already undefeated.
Cooperman (141) and Troy Letters (165), a pair of Lehigh juniors, and graduating senior Jon Trenge (197), in his very last career match, came back to finish third in their respective weight classes.
”We came in with the goal of multiple national champions,” Letters said. ””¦ Any other day, we’d have four guys in the finals. “¦ As far as the team, we’re going back to Bethlehem disappointed.”
Letters, a returning national champion, literally did not sleep after losing to freshman Mark Perry of Iowa in the semifinals. Letters came back to decision Jon Sioredas of Chattanooga 7-1 in the consolation round, then edged No. 2 seed Ryan Churella of Michigan 7-5 for third place.
”My goal for this year was not met,” Letters said of missing a second consecutive national title, ”so I’m going to have to work that much harder this summer. He [Perry, a Blair Academy product and the nephew of Oklahoma State coach John Smith] wrestled a good match.
”I went in as the prey, and he went in as the hunter. I went in there trying to defend something [the national championship], and he went in there to win something, and I learned my lesson.”
Cooperman, who has the word ”vengeance” tattooed on the inside of his right biceps and a Tibetan prayer tattooed in Sanskrit on his chest, aided Lehigh’s team standing by pinning Chattanooga’s Michael Keefe in the consolation round.
He then silenced the orange-shirted rooters from team-champion Oklahoma State by crushing Daniel Frishkorn 10-1, nearly pinning him twice.
Cooperman, who exceeded his No. 4 seed, went 6-1 in the tournament in a weight class in which the top eight all were underclassmen. Cooperman (28-3) led Lehigh in team bonus points with a pin, a technical fall and three major decisions.
”I’ll take third,” he said. ”You can’t be content. You have to show you’re in the top-three tier. “¦ My coach said to me, ‘It’s for third or fourth, and that what you do in this match will dictate what’s talked about next year, how much heart you have.”’
Letters and Trenge both went 5-1 at nationals.
Trenge finished his career as Lehigh’s all-time leader in wins with a record of 133-14, but fell one win shy of a third berth in the NCAA final.
To put things in perspective for Trenge, the 197-pound weight class was one of the two toughest at nationals (157 was the other). Only four of the top 12 seeds earned medals, and only three of the top eight.
Oregon’s Scott Barker, the 2004 runner-up; J.D. Berman of Ohio State, third in 2004; and two-time All-Americans Ryan Bader of Arizona State (fourth in 2004) and Chris Skretkowicz of Hofstra all failed to place this year.
Trenge came back with passion ” and once again wearing his protective eye goggles ” in Saturday morning’s placement round.
He turned 12th-seeded Wynn Michalak of Central Michigan three times in the opening period en route to an 11-3 major decision.
Trenge capped his career with a 12-1 decision over Oklahoma’s Joel Flaggert in the third-place bout.
So, with three wins in three matches, Lehigh found a very good way to end what was a very tough tour of duty at nationals.
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