March 21, 2009
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ST. LOUIS, MO — The defending NCAA champion Iowa wrestling team clawed its way back to first place in the team standings on gutsy performances by four Hawkeyes during Saturday morning’s consolation round at the 2009 NCAA Championships in St. Louis, MO. Iowa went 5-2 in the round and scored team bonus points in two bouts to regain the top spot in the team standings with 97.5 points. Ohio State is in second place with 88 and Iowa State is in third with 80.5. The Hawkeyes have one finalist in junior 149-pounder Brent Metcalf. Ohio State has three finalists, and Iowa State has one.
Hawkeye juniors Daniel Dennis (133), Ryan Morningstar (165), Phillip Keddy (184) and Dan Erekson (Hwt.) fought their way back through the consolation bracket to earn all-America honors Saturday morning.
Morningstar placed third with two overtime wins, earning his first all-America honor. In the consolation semifinal, Morningstar posted a 5-3 win over #4 seed Moza Fay of Northern Iowa. With the match tied 1-1 in the third period, Morningstar scored a takedown with 30 seconds left to take a 3-1 lead, but Fay reversed him 15 seconds later to tie the match at 3-3 and force the bout to sudden victory. Morningstar scored a takedown with 36 seconds left in the overtime for the 5-3 win.
In his third-place bout, the third-seeded Hawkeye scored his 80th career win with a 7-5 decision over #8 seed Jon Reader of Iowa State. Reader scored an early takedown and took a 4-1 lead into the third period. The Hawkeye junior responded with two takedowns in the final minute to tie the score at 5-5 and send the match to overtime. Morningstar scored the winning takedown with 18 seconds remaining in sudden victory to post the 7-5 win. The bout was his fifth of the NCAA tournament to go into overtime, and his 11th of the season. Morningstar ends the season with a 32-6 record.
Keddy placed fourth with his second all-America honor, going 1-1 on the day. The second-seeded Hawkeye scored takedowns in the first and third periods to post a 6-1 win over #12 seed Vince Jones in the consolation semifinals. He then lost a 5-3 decision to #7 Doug Umbehauer of Rider in the third-place match. The Hawkeye junior ends the season with a 34-5 record.
Erekson also placed fourth with a 1-1 Saturday record, earning his first all-America honor. The seventh-seeded Hawkeye posted a major upset in the consolation semifinals when he pinned #1 seed David Zabriskie of Iowa State in 1:31. It was the first time Erekson beat the Cyclone in four attempts, and it gave the Hawkeyes their first lead of the day in the team standings. He built a 3-2 third-period lead in the third-place match with #4 seed Jared Rosholt, but gave up a reversal and a takedown to lose the match, 6-4. He ends the season with a 27-7 record.
Dennis placed seventh after receiving a default from Joe Baker of Navy. He ends the season with a 31-6 record and his first career all-America honor.
Metcalf will wrestle for his second straight NCAA title Saturday night at the Scottrade Center. The defending NCAA champion and the tournament’s top seed at 149 pounds, Metcalf will put his 37-0 season record on the line when he faces #3 seed Darrion Caldwell of North Carolina State in the finals. Caldwell handed Metcalf (72-1) his only collegiate career loss when he pinned the Hawkeye junior in 1:40 at the 2007 St. Edward Duals. Metcalf won the other collegiate meeting – a 19-3 technical fall in 6:20 – at the NWCA All-Star Dual in November.
Saturday night’s championship finals are scheduled to get underway at 5:30 p.m. (CT) at the Scottrade Center. Competition will be broadcast live on ESPN and ESPN360.com.
TOP 10 NCAA TEAM STANDINGS AFTER SESSION FIVE
Place Team – Points 1. Iowa – 97.5
2. Ohio State – 88
3. Iowa State – 80.5
4. Nebraska – 74.5
5. Cornell – 69.5
6. Edinboro – 68
7. Missouri – 66
8. Illinois – 55
9. Wisconsin – 53
10. Maryland – 47.5
IOWA’S NCAA SESSION FIVE RESULTS
Consolation Semifinals
165 – #3 Ryan Morningstar (Iowa) dec. #4 Moza Fay (N. Iowa), 5-3 SV-1
184 – #2 Phillip Keddy (Iowa) dec. #12 Vince Jones (Nebraska), 6-1
Hwt. – #7 Dan Erekson (Iowa) pinned #1 David Zabriskie (Iowa St.), 1:31
Third Place Matches
165 – #3 Ryan Morningstar (Iowa) dec. #8 Jon Reader (Iowa St.), 7-5 SV-1
184 – #7 Doug Umbehauer (Rider) dec. #2 Phillip Keddy (Iowa), 5-3
Hwt. – #4 Jared Rosholt (Oklahoma St.) dec. #7 Dan Erekson (Iowa), 6-4
Seventh Place Match
133 – #4 Daniel Dennis (Iowa) won by default over Joe Baker (Navy)
2009 NCAA Wrestling Team Scores After Session Five in PDF Format
2009 NCAA Wrestling Brackets After Session Five in PDF Format