March 17, 2006
OKLAHOMA CITY – The University of Iowa wrestling team is in second place and had three wrestlers advance to the seminfinals of the 2006 NCAA Championships Friday morning. Ty Eustice (149), Joe Johnston (157) and Mark Perry (174) all won their quarterfinal matches and will advance to the semifinals tonight. Alex Tsirtsis (141) lost his quarterfinal match and will continue in the wrestlebacks.
In the consolation bracket, Eric Luedke and Paul Bradley each remained alive with a pair of wins, while Lucas Magnani was eliminated with a loss.
Johnston notched Iowa’s biggest win of the day when he knocked off top-seeded Trent Paulson of Iowa State, 6-3, to advance to the semifinals. The Hawkeye senior scored a takedown in each period against his Cyclone rival, including the clincher with just seven seconds to go in the match. Johnston will face fifth-seeded Ben Cherrington of Boise State in the semifinals tonight.
Eustice cruised into the semifinals with a 5-3 win over Edinboro’s Gregor Gillespie. The Hawkeye senior got a first-period takedown, then added one in the third to salt away the win. He will face third-seeded Zack Esposito in the semifinals.
Perry moved to the semifinals with his third pin in as many matches, sticking Oklahoma State’s Brandon Mason in 4:28. Holding a 2-1 lead in the second period, Perry reversed Mason to his back to get his 12th fall of the year. He will face Big Ten rival Jake Herbert of Northwestern tonight in the quarterfinals. Perry is 0-2 against Herbert, losing in the championship bout at both Midlands and the Big Ten Championships.
Tsirtsis was knocked into the wrestlebacks by two-time NCAA Champion and second-seeded Teyon Ware of Oklahoma, who defeated the Iowa sophomore 12-4. Just 30 seconds into the bout, Ware put Tsirtsis on his back with a big throw and earned the three-point nearfall. Ware also turned Tsirtsis in the second period to build an 8-0 lead. In the third period, Tsirtsis took Ware down and turned him for a two-point nearfall in the final minute, but was unable to get the fall he needed.
Luedke came back strong in his first consolation bout of the day, earning a 10-2 major decision over Jonathan Anderson of Army. He remained in the running for third place with a 4-1 win over Justin Nestor of Pittsburgh.
Magnani was eliminated in his first wrestleback match with a 4-2 loss against Lehigh’s Matthew Fisk.
SESSION III RESULTS
Team Standings1. Oklahoma State - 76 pts2. IOWA - 47.53. Oklahoma - 474. Minnesota - 44.55. Penn State - 39.5
Quarterfinals141 - No. 2 Teyon Ware maj. dec. No. 7 Alex Tsirtsis (IA), 12-4149 - No. 2 Ty Eustice (IA) dec. Gregor Gillespie (Edinboro), 5-3157 - No. 9 Joe Johnston (IA) dec. No. 1 Trent Paulson (ISU), 6-3174 - No. 3 Mark Perry (IA) pinned Brandon Mason (OSU), 4:28
Wrestlebacks125 - Matthew Fisk (Lehigh) dec. Lucas Magnani (IA), 4-2 - eliminated165 - Eric Luedke (IA) maj. dec. Jonathan Anderson (Army), 10-2165 - Luedke (IA) dec. Justin Nestor (Pitt), 4-1184 - Paul Bradley (IA) dec. John Davis (Tenn.-Chattanooga), 3-2184 - Bradley (IA) dec. Vince Jones (Neb.), 10-3="https://hawkeyesports.com/http:%3E%3C/ahref="http:>="https://hawkeyesports.com/http:%3E%3C/ahref="http:>="https://hawkeyesports.com/http:%3E%3C/ahref="http:>="http:>