College Post Season Coverage

KEARNEY, Neb. - The team title had already been decided.

But the finals still featured plenty of drama and excitement.

A record-setting crowd saw a number of memorable performances as third-ranked Central Oklahoma put the finishing touches on winning the NCAA Division II Championships on Saturday night at Nebraska-Kearney's Health & Sports Center.

The third-ranked Bronchos were just 1-4 in the finals, but the damage had already been done as the team title already was clinched by the time the elevated platform was set up prior to the final session. Central Oklahoma's 124.5 points still outdistanced runner-up and top-ranked Nebraska-Kearney by 16 points. UCO had eight All-Americans.

It was the 15th national championship overall for Central Oklahoma. The Bronchos have now won seven NCAA Division II titles after winning eight NAIA national titles.

"It's a great feeling and I couldn't be more proud of my team," said UCO coach David James, who has led UCO to 12 of its 15 national titles. "We came ready to wrestle and everybody went out and laid it on the line. We won some big matches early in every round and that gave us great momentum."

Nebraska-Kearney finished with 108.5 points and eight All-Americans, the best the Lopers have done in either category. The Lopers crowned national champions to start and end the final round with senior Trevor Charbonneau (125) and junior Tervel Dlagnev (heavyweight) winning titles. UNK finished second in the team race for the third time in the last five seasons.

"I was proud of the way our team performed overall," UNK coach Marc Bauer said. "It was a great way to finish with a couple of champions."

Nebraska-Omaha senior J.D. Naig (174) capped a fabulous career by winning his third straight national title. Naig beat Michael Jackson of Indianapolis for the second straight year in the finals. Naig was named Outstanding Wrestler.

"J.D. has had a great career," UNO coach Mike Denney said. "He is just a special young man. We've been fortunate to have him in our program."

Three-time defending national champion and fourth-ranked Nebraska-Omaha finished third with 67.5 points. UNO returns all but one of its eight national qualifiers.

"For this group to finish third was quite an accomplishment," Denney said. "We had a real good semifinal round and then we wrestled well in the finals."

Naig attacked early and often, shooting in for two first-period takedowns and keeping the pressure on Jackson from there in a dominant 13-1 win. Naig, from Emmetsburg, Iowa, placed third at nationals as a freshman before going a perfect 12-0 at nationals his final three collegiate seasons. Naig also wrestled on three national championship teams.

"This was really emotional," Naig said. "I can't believe my career at UNO is over already. It's an awesome way to go out. I love UNO and I love all the fan support we have for our program. It's been great."

In the 125 finals, the top-ranked Charbonneau jumped ahead 3-0 with a second-period escape and takedown. He dove on top of unranked Central Oklahoma freshman Tyler Zukerman at the end of a scramble midway through the second period for the takedown. Zukerman closed within 3-2 with escapes to end the second period and start the third period. Charbonneau clinched it when he won another wild scramble to score a match-clinching takedown to win 5-2. 

Charbonneau leaped to his feet on the elevated mat and flexed as the boisterous contingent of UNK fans erupted. Both takedowns came when Charbonneau countered shot attempts by Zukerman before winning scrambles.

"This just feels awesome - my head is way up in the clouds right now," Charbonneau said. "What a way to go out though - in front of your home crowd and being a national champion. I wish our team could've won the national championship, but you've got to give it to UCO because they wrestled their butts off the last two days. They deserve it. Having an individual title, nobody can ever take that away from me. I'm excited about that."

In the 133 finals, the match was scoreless after the first two periods before Kutztown's fourth-ranked Joe Kemmerer escaped early in the third period to lead 1-0 over UCO senior Jared Henning. Kemmerer held off Henning's late shot attempts to win 1-0. Henning chose neutral in the second period before Kemmerer took down in the third.

"It was a long season and it feels great to end it on top," Kemmerer said. "I just wanted to keep the pressure on. I knew he was going to come after me. I felt real good about my chances coming in here and I was able to make it through."

In the 141 finals, top-ranked Kyle Evans of Central Oklahoma controlled No. 3 Steven Fittery of Shippensburg 7-0 to complete a perfect 39-0 season. Evans, a junior, finished second at nationals in 2006.

"Finishing second was a huge motivating factor for me - I thought about it almost every day all summer when I was working out," Evans said. "It motivated me to stay hungry. I really wanted it. Finishing unbeaten is just a cherry on top for me and it's nice to have that."

In the 149 finals, top-ranked Todd Meneely of Nebraska-Omaha pulled out a 3-2 win over Carson-Newman's Mike Rogers in a battle of former Division I prospects. Meneely, a former starter for the University of Iowa, scored a first-period takedown on a leg attack and picked up a stalling point to lead 3-1 entering the final period. Rogers, who signed with Nebraska coming out of high school, rode Meneely out in the third period but was unable to turn him. Rogers gained a riding-time point to cut the final margin to 3-2.

Meneely was competing in his first big tournament since winning Junior Nationals in freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling in 2002.

"To be honest with you, I told my coaches after this that this was the hardest thing I've ever done," Meneely said. "Being out of the sport for a couple of years, the pressure of this meet was harder than winning my first state title or winning my fourth or even winning both styles at the Junior Nationals in Fargo. I've never been so nervous before matches and I had to constantly remind myself of what I've been through and how hard I've worked. It was tough.

"Oh man, this feels so good. It's been a long road. To come back and get my life back together and to come back and be a national champion is just an unbelievable feeling. It took a lot of prayer and willpower to get back on my feet. I've had a lot of support from family and friends and coaches. It feels great to get the first one out of the way. I have two more to get."

In the 157 finals, top-ranked Antonio Guerrera of Findlay escaped in the first 30-second tiebreaker and then rode No. 3 Jason Leavitt of Central Oklahoma out in the second 30-second period to win 2-1. Guerrera won his second national title after prevailing at 149 last year.

"The experience of wrestling in the finals obviously helped a lot, especially when he had never been here," Guerrera said. "He had been warned for stalling going into the overtime, so I felt pretty good about my chances."

In the 165 finals, Chadron State sophomore Brett Hunter shot in on a double before getting into a scramble with top-ranked Andy Pickar of Minnesota State-Mankato. The fifth-ranked Hunter then caught Pickar on his back for a fall late in the first period. Hunter's title was just the second in Chadron State history and the first in Coach Scott Ritzen's 20 years at the school.

Chadron State finished a surprising sixth with 58 points.

"We had a great tournament," Hunter said. "We just keep getting better as a team. Hopefully, more recruits come and we can start being a powerhouse."

In the 184 finals, No. 2 Jared Deaguero of Adams State rode No. 7 Austin Boehm of Nebraska-Omaha nearly the entire final two periods in posting a 9-1 win. He also tilted Boehm, a true freshman and surprise finalist, to his back a pair of times.

"This is the best feeling in the world to win this," Deaguero said. "We had a good scouting report on (Boehm) and we knew he had a good fireman's carry and headlock and we knew he had the courage to use them. I just had to attack him and stay away from what he does best. My strong point is on top and once I could get in that position I knew I was going to be in good shape."

In the 197 finals, Upper Iowa gained its first national champion in just its second season in Division II when No. 3 Ryan Phillips downed unranked Josh Majerus of Chadron State by a 12-0 major decision. Phillips transferred to Upper Iowa for his senior season after being unable to crack the lineup at Division III power Wartburg. Phillips did not allow an offensive point in his four matches.

"I just had to keep moving and kept thinking, 'Offense, offense, offense,'" Phillips said. "The more you're in on them the less they're in on you. It paid off for me. It's always good to dominate. I expected to win and that's always my mind-set."

The home team capped the tournament in dramatic fashion at heavyweight when the top-ranked Dlagnev pinned No. 2 Josh LeadingFox of Central Oklahoma early in the second period. Dlagnev moved up to the top step of the championship podium after placing second in 2006. Dlagnev used an arm-pull maneuver to take control against LeadingFox.

"It was a great way to finish," Dlagnev said. "It was exciting to go out like that."

The fan count totaled a record 8,685 fans for the two-day, four-session tournament.

2007 NCAA DIVISION II CHAMPIONSHIPS
FINAL-ROUND RESULTS
125
(1) Trevor Charbonneau (Nebraska-Kearney) dec. Tyler Zukerman (Central Oklahoma), 5-2

133
(4) Joe Kemmerer (Kutztown) dec. Jared Henning (Central Oklahoma), 1-0

141
(1) Kyle Evans (Central Oklahoma) dec. (3) Steven Fittery (Shippensburg), 7-0

149
(2) Todd Meneely (Nebraska-Omaha) dec. (6) Mike Rogers (Carson-Newman), 3-2

157
(1) Antonio Guerrera (Findlay) dec. (3) Jason Leavitt (Central Oklahoma), 2-1 2OT

165
(5) Brett Hunter (Chadron State) pinned (1) Andy Pickar (MSU-Mankato), 2:37

174
(1) J.D. Naig (Nebraska-Omaha) dec. (4) Michael Jackson (Indianapolis), 13-1

184
(2) Jared Deaguero (Adams State) dec. (7) Austin Boehm (Nebraska-Omaha), 9-1

197
(3) Ryan Phillips (Upper Iowa) dec. Josh Majerus (Chadron State), 12-0

Hwt.
(1) Tervel Dlagnev (Nebraska-Kearney) pinned (2) Josh LeadingFox (Central Oklahoma), 3:16