Finals wrap up - NCAA National Championships

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Gary Abbott (USA Wrestling)
03/23/2002


NCAA Finals Wrap-up    125 pounds  Stephen Abas of Fresno State scored two takedowns in the first period, and one in the second in route to his third national title.  Abas defeated Luke Eustice of Iowa.  Abas scored on quick reaching ankle picks and an amazingly fast nearside snapdown to a go-behind.  Abas led 7-3 at the start of the period and had 1:12 of riding time before Eustice escaped at the start of the period.  Abas won the match 8-4 and received a rousing ovation, as one of America's most successful collegiate wrestlers ever.      133 pounds  Last season's runner-up Johnny Thompson of Oklahoma State faced Ryan Lewis of Minnesota.  Lewis was a transfer from Division II power North Dakota State. Lewis entered the tournament undefeated at 32-0.  Thompson twice has won a Big 12 Title.      Thompson was warned for stalling as the period ended tied at 0-0.  Lewis scored a takedown after Thompson escaped, making the match 2-1.  Then, in a scramble Thompson scored a reversal with two back points to make the mat 5-2.  Lewis escaped and the period ended 5-3.      Lewis started down in the third period.  Thompson began to run clock by using nearside leg ride.  Lewis nearly reversed Thompson when he got high but came away with the escape instead.  With a minute winding down Thompson  asked for injury time that the referee did not acknowledge as Lewis blew through him with a shot.  Injury time was then taken out of bounds by Thompson, before the wrestlers returned to the neutral position for the final sixty-eight seconds.  Thompson shot off the whistle with :25 seconds left and barely held on to the leg as time expired.  Lewis missed a stepover as time expired and the score ended 5-4.      141 pounds  Aaron Holker of Iowa State battled Eric Larkin of Arizona State for the National Title.  Both were past All-Americans, with Holker winning his honors at the now defunct BYU program.      Holker gathered a sweep single for a takedown on the edge with 1:30 left.  Larkin reversed Holker and locked up a cross-face cradle that he nearly scored with.  Holker reversed Larkin and the referee determined there was no backpoints.  Holker was called for stalling when he didn't actively return Larkin to the mat.  The period ended with Holker leading 4-2.      Holker started the period on bottom.  Holker well-suited for scrambling reversed Larkin with 1:20 left in the period to take a 6-2 lead.  Larkin also known for his on the mat wrestling captured his own reversal with :45 left, making the score 6-4.  Holker escaped with :20 left and led 7-4 as the period ended.      Larkin chose bottom to start the third.  Larkin escaped and Holker quickly shot in to get another takedown to lead 9-5.  Holker rode from the top position to win Iowa State's first title of the day. 9-5.      149 pounds  The battle of the 'Jared's' featured Oklahoma's Jared Frayer, the no. 4 seed, against Minnesota's Jared Lawrence, the No. 2 seed.  Frayer has an unusual style of tilts and turns that frustrated his opponents throughout his opening matches.  Lawrence a stronger positional wrestler would be difficult to score on; Lawrence was the 2000 NCAA freshman of the year.      Both wrestlers were warned for stalling before any shots were taken. Lawrence scored the first takedown with :02 left in the first period to take a 2-0 lead.  Lawrence chose down to start the second period; he quickly escaped to take a 3-0 lead.  Frayer nearly scored a go-behind with :10 seconds left but Lawerence squared to face him.      Frayer escaped with one minute left to make the score 3-1.  Lawrence ran out the clock and earned the national title with a 3-1 victory.      157 pounds  Bryan Snyder of Nebraska was challenged by Luke Becker of Minnesota for the 157 pound title.  Snyder, a three-time All-American,  earned runner-up honors last year at the NCAA Championships.  Snyder entered the finals undefeated for the year.  The two had met six times previously, with Snyder holding the advantage in the series 5-1.       Snyder nearly scored but Becker toed the line and the takedown was waved out of bounds.  Becker forced in underhooks in an attempt to gain control of Snyder's upper-body.  Becker shot a hi-crotch on the edge and scored it with :46 left in the first period.  Snyder was released and the score was 2-1.  Snyder shucked a head-tie off and went behind for the takedown; Becker escaped and the score was tied at three at the end of the first.    Snyder went down to start the second.  Snyder escaped for the 4-3 lead.  The period ended and Becker chose bottom  Becker escaped to tie the score at four.  Snyder missed a chance for a takedown again on the edge when his double leg was blown out of bounds with :40 left.      The match went to overtime.  Becker had choice for the first offensive takedown and chose bottom.   He limp-legged free for the score, and the national title.  For the second year in a row Snyder national title dreams were crushed in the double-overtime sudden death period.      165 pounds  Joe Heskett, a three-time finalist, wrestled against No. 2 seed Matt Lackey of Illinois for the 165 pound title.  Heskett, a lanky wrestler, is dangerous with a cradle and a tilt from the top position.      Lackey scored a slow developing takedown as he worked his back across Heskett's chest in the turk position to take a 2-0 lead.  Heskett escaped to make the score 2-1.      Heskett started on bottom in the second and escaped to tie the match at 2-2.  Lackey missed a takedown on the edge when Heskett locked him down for the stalemate.  Heskett had control of an ankle but was unable to pull Lackey back in for the takedown.      Lackey chose neutral to start the third to stay away from Heskett's turning prowess.  Heskett scored a takedown with 4 seconds left as Lackey tried to spin off the single as a counter.  Heskett won his first national title with the 4-2 victory, to go with his two silver medals.    174 pounds  Princeton's Greg Parker, a hometown favorite wrestled against Greg Jones, a freshman, from West Virginia battled for the 174 pound title.  Parker was attempting to become Princeton's first champion since 1985 when Johnn Orr won the title.      Parker, a scrambler with an uncanny ability to frustrate his opponents  was injured at the start of the match.  Jones scored a takedown with for the 2-0 lead.  Parker was released by Jones to make the score 2-1.  Parker scored a second takedown on a high level single leg to lead 4-1.  Parker escaped with :20 seconds left to lead 4-2.      Jones chose bottom to start the second.  Jones escaped Parker's legs at 1:20 to lead 5-2.  Parker chose bottom for the third trailing by three.  Jones released Parker and followed it up with a quick takedown to lead 7-3.  After another escape Jones scored a go-behind to lead 9-4.  The final score ended 12-5 for freshman Greg Jones as he wins his first national title.      184 pounds  The 184 pound match featured No. 8 seed Rob Rohn of Lehigh against the No. 6 seed Josh Lambrecht of Oklahoma.  Rohn was attempting to be Lehigh's first champion since Matt Ruppel won it in 1990.      Rohn scored a takedown a minute in to the match, while Lambrecht tried to counter with his rolling style.  Lambrecht escaped and made the match 2-1.  Rohn countered a low ankle shot by Lambrecht to preserve his lead goin into the second period.      Lambrecht escaped at the start of the second to tie the match at two.  Lambrecht countered Rohn's shot to score a takedown and then turned his opponent with two quick tilts to dash to a 10-2 lead.  Lambrecht scored with another tilt at the end of the period to lead 12-2.      Rohn took neutral, but Lambrecht got the takedown to lead 14-2, before Rohn escaped.  Rohn then stunned the crowd with a high-flyer to put Lambrecht to his back with over a minute left in the match.  Rohn desperately tried for the pin as the clock ticked down. With the crowd screaming, the referee called the pin with :13 seconds left.  Rohn's coach World Team member Kerry McCoy dashed on to the mat and hoisted Rohn in the air as the crowd went wild.  Rohn wins the national title, as well as the most falls award.    197 pounds