Oklahoma State put the finishing touches on its 34th national wrestling championship by crowning two champions and finishing with 122.5 team points, 38.5 points ahead of runner-up Minnesota, at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City.
OSU finished the tournament with six All-Americans, the most of any school in the tournament. The Cowboys and Minnesota both crowned two champions.
"There is no question that with all that has happened this year and with all the questions about who would win it, that in the end we basically dominated," head coach John Smith said. "That is what we hoped for all year, that is what we are capable of doing and we did it."
Johny Hendricks successfully defended his title at 165 winning a thriller, 9-8, over previously undefeated and top-seeded Ryan Churella of Michigan. Hendricks was leading 4-3 in the second period when Churella got him in a cradle for a takedown and two near fall points at the buzzer to go up 7-4. Hendricks escaped and took Churella down on the edge of the mat with 30 seconds left to tie it up. Hendricks decided to go for the win by cutting Churella and with time running out; Hendricks scored a takedown with three seconds left to a chorus of cheers and boos at the Ford Center.
"As soon as I grabbed his foot, I looked up and thought I had two," Hendricks said after his match. "I looked up and saw three seconds left and I went to the crowd after that. I knew it was over because I know I am strong enough to hold on to his ankle for three seconds."
Jake Rosholt was never threatened in the finals at 197 against Penn State's Phil Davis. Rosholt recorded a takedown and took Davis to his back for three near fall points to go up 5-0. Rosholt coasted from there and went on to defeat Davis, 10-3, for his third individual title. Rosholt is just the 15th three-time national champion in school history and 10th four-time All-American.
Steve Mocco had a typical match with rival Cole Konrad of Minnesota. The match went into a second tiebreaker where Mocco held a slim one second advantage. Konrad quickly turned it around when he rode Mocco for the full 30 seconds. Konrad escaped holding the lead and riding time forcing Mocco to go for a takedown. He tried a shot but Konrad countered for the takedown and went onto win 5-2.
Mocco is the first Cowboy to lose in the finals over the last two tournaments. OSU has gone 7-for-8 in the finals of the last two NCAA Championships.
Zack Esposito came back to finish third after losing in the semifinals. Esposito defeated Michigan's Eric Tannenbaum by a major decision before defeating Oklahoma's Matt Storniolo in the third-place match. Esposito won four of his six matches by bonus points to aid OSU's championship run.
Coleman Scott took fifth to earn All-America honors for the second time in his career. Scott lost to top-seeded Nick Simmons of Michigan State, 7-4, but he came back in a big way pinning Cal Poly's eighth-seeded Chad Mendes in 58 seconds. Scott had a remarkable tournament coming back through the consolation bracket with three falls and a technical fall after losing his first match.
It was a disappointing finish for sophomore Nathan Morgan. Morgan suffered two losses to finish sixth after he lost in the semifinals on Friday night. Morgan earned All-America honors for the first time in his career.
Oklahoma State won four consecutive titles for the first time since 1946. OSU won four in a row from 1940-46, no championship was held from 1943-45 due to World War II.
28 апр 2011
