By Roger Moore
CNHI News Service
STILLWATER, Okla. – Who is going to beat the Cowboys? That was the question back in November.
With a week until the 2005 NCAA Wrestling Championships at Savvis Center in St. Louis, that same question remains.
Oklahoma State, winners of two-straight team titles, made a major statement in Omaha, Neb., last weekend, winning the Big 12 Tournament by 461?2 points and qualifying nine for the NCAAs.
The “Big Five” may be a thing of the past as freshmen Coleman Scott (125) and Nathan Morgan (133), plus junior Kevin Ward (157) won titles in Omaha. Scott upset No. 1 Sam Hazewinkel of Oklahoma after beating No. 8 Matt Keller of Nebraska earlier in the day.
“We certainly wrestled well,” said O-State head coach John Smith, whose team begins its defense next Thursday at 11 a.m. “But the hard part still remains. There are a lot of good teams out there with a lot of balance.”
O-State has won 32 team titles, but has not won three-straight since 1954-56 when Art Griffith was coaching the orange and black. O-State won six-consecutive trophies from 1937-42 and after three years of no tournament due to World War II, the Cowboys came back to win again in 1946.
“This is significant,” Smith said. “This program hasn’t won three in a row in a long time and that is something we have talked about all year.”
So, who are the challengers?
“¢ Minnesota, who won back-to-back titles in 2001-2, qualified all 10 for St. Louis. Redshirt-freshman Mack Reiter (133) and sophomore Cole Konrad (285) won Big Ten titles, but six Gophers were fifth or higher in their weight class. UM will have five rookies in St. Louis.
“¢ Illinois won the Big Ten title and will take nine to St. Louis. Pete Freidl (174) and Alex Tirapelle (157) won titles in Iowa City with Mark Jayne (133), Kyle Ott (125) and Brian Glynn (184) losing in the finals. Ott and Tirapelle have both advanced as far as the NCAA finals the past two seasons. The Illini are a legitimate NCAA contender after finishing seventh in 2004.
“¢ Central Michigan, Cornell and Hofstra each qualified nine, but are thinking about a top 10 finish, not NCAA gold.
“¢ Bobby Douglas’ Cyclones pushed eight out of the rugged Big 12. Nate Gallick (141) and Kurt Backes (184) were champions and Trent and Travis Paulson are All-American candidates. There may not be enough bullets in the gun for ISU to claim its first title since 1987 when Jim Gibbons was head coach.
“¢ Michigan … Michigan … Michigan. It seems the Wolverines have the best recruits year in and year out, but struggle to find the top five at the NCAAs. At the Big Tens, Josh (141) and Ryan (165) Churella and Eric Tannebaum (149) were champions with Ryan Bertin (157) second and Greg Wagner (285) third. Bertin won the 2003 NCAA title while Ryan Churella was third at 149 a year ago. On paper, the Wolverines are stacked and as good as anybody. If they catch lightning in a bottle? It’s been said before, but eventually it might happen.
“¢ With only seven, Lehigh may be the last of the contenders. The Mountain Hawks have threats in Matt Ciasuli (133), Cory Cooperman (141), Derek Zinck (157), Troy Letters (165), Travis Frick (174) and Jon Trenge (197). Letters beat OSU’s Tyrone Lewis in the 2004 finals after losing in the 2003 title bout. Trenge has been to the finals twice, losing to Cael Sanderson and Damion Hahn.
“¢ If the Huskers wrestle like they did in Omaha, they will struggle to stay in the top 10. 197-pounder BJ Padden, disqualified at the 2004 NCAAs for an illegal slam, beat OSU’s Jake Rosholt in the Big 12 title bout, but the rest of Mark Manning’s lineup did not look as sharp. Travis Shufelt, injured all season, earned a wild-card and becomes a dangerous member of the 149-pound bracket.
“¢ Another tough season for Oklahoma probably means another top five finish at the NCAAs. Hazewinkel, Teyon Ware (141), Matt Storniolo (149), EK Waldhaus (174), Justin Dyer (184), Joel Flaggert (197) and Jake Hager (285) ” all seven of OU’s qualifiers ” could earn medals.
“¢ A year ago, Iowa was not expected to do much but finished second behind O-State. The prospects for 2005 include seven qualifiers led by Stillwater product Mark Perry, Joe Johnston (157), Paul Bradley (184), Alex Tsirtsis (141) and Matt Fields (285). Bradley is the only returning All-American for the Hawks and three are freshman.
Where are they?
Only six of the 330 qualifiers are Oklahomans.
Ware (Edmond North), Flaggert (Choctaw) and Hager (Perry), Oklahoma State’s Johny Hendricks (Edmond Memorial), Navy’s Tanner Garrett (Cascia Hall) and Iowa’s Mark Perry (Stillwater/Blair Academy) are the only entries from a state that includes a college program with 32 NCAA team titles and another with seven.
Ouch!
Ware won the 141-pound NCAA title in 2003, while Hendricks placed fifth at 157 as a redshirt-freshman a year ago. Hendricks and Perry are ranked 3-4, respectively, at 165 pounds with two of Perry’s four losses this season to Hendricks.
NCAA qualifiers by team
10 ” Minnesota
9 ” Central Michigan, Cornell, Hofstra, Illinois, Oklahoma State
8 ” Iowa State, Michigan, Northern Iowa, Wisconsin
7 ” Arizona State, Indiana, Iowa, Lehigh, Nebraska, Oklahoma
6 ” Edinboro, Fresno State, Lock Haven, Missouri, Navy, Penn State, Pittsburgh, West Virginia
5 ” Bloomsburg, Boise State, Cal Poly, Cleveland State, Columbia, Northwestern, Purdue, Rider, Tennessee-Chattanooga, Virginia Tech
4 ” American, CS-Bakersfield, UC-Davis, Duquesne, Michigan State, North Carolina, Northern Illinois, Oregon, Oregon State, Pennsylvania
3 ” Air Force, Boston, CS-Fullerton, UNC-Greensboro, Ohio State, Sacred Heart, Slippery Rock, The Citadel, Wyoming
2 ” Appalachian State, Clarion, Drexel, Eastern Illinois, Eastern Michigan, Gardner-Webb, Harvard, North Carolina State, Ohio, Old Dominion, Portland State, Rutgers, Stanford, Virginia
1 ” Army, Brown, Buffalo, Delaware State, Duke, Kent State, Maryland, Millersville, Princeton
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