Minnesota leads after first day of Big Ten competition
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John Fuller (TheMat.com)
03/08/2003
Madison, Wisc. - The Minnesota Golden Gophers hold a five point lead over top-ranked Iowa heading into the final day of the Big Ten Championships in Madison, Wisconsin. Minnesota lead throughout the day, scoring 110 team points and sending five wrestlers to the finals. Iowa is close behind with 105 points, also with five men in the finals. Penn State holds the number three spot with 85 points and two in the finals, followed by Michigan State with 80 points and two finalists. Rounding out the top five is Illinois with 70.5 team points and one finalist. In the championship finals set for Sunday afternoon, eight of the 10 weights will see the No. 1 and No. 2 seed will face each other. At 125, the top two seeds with matchup in the championship finals. Top-ranked and top seeded Chris Fleeger of Purdue will meet second seeded A.J. Grant of Michigan. Fleeger knocked out Minnesota's Bobby Lowe in the quarters with a 10-3 decision, and earned an 11-0 semifinal major decision over Iowa's Luke Eustice on his way to the finals. Grant scored a 6-1 decision over Adam Smith of Penn State in the quarters, and a 5-0 decision to Wisconsin's Tony Black in the semifinals. The top two seeded men also will matchup in the 133-pound finals, pitting Minnesota and Iowa in the first of two head to head finals matches. No. 1 seeded Ryan Lewis of Minnesota will meet No. 2 seed Cliff Moore of Iowa. Lewis earned two falls in the first two rounds, against Tommy Vargus of Northwestern and Rene Hernandez of Purdue in the quarters. Lewis won a 7-2 decision over No. 4 seeded Josh Moore of Penn State in the semifinals. Iowa's Moore tech falled Shane Martin of Michigan State in the quarters, and earned a 10-4 semifinal decision over No. 3 seeded Mark Jayne of Illinois. At 141, No. 1 Coyte Cooper of Indiana will face #2 Scott Moore of Penn State. Cooper earned a major decision over Cal Ferry of Illinois in the quarters and a 7-5 overtime decision over No. 4 seeded Jeff Rattliff of Ohio State. Moore won a 5-1 quarterfinal decision over Clark Forward of Michigan and a 5-3 semifinal decision over Derek Phillips of Minnesota. In the second of two head-to-head finals matches, top-seeded Jared Lawrence of Minnesota will take on No. 2 seeded Ty Eustice of Iowa at 149 pounds. In the quarters, Lawrence handed a major decision 15-3 to Nathan Galloway of Penn State, and earned a 7-1 decision over Ryan Churella of Michigan in the semis. Eustice narrowly escaped the quarters winning a 1-1 double overtime rideout decision over seventh-seeded Dan Jankowski of Purdue, and won a tight 4-3 semifinal decision over No. 4 seeded Karl Nadolsky of Michigan State. At 157 pounds, top seeded Keaton Anderson of Ohio State suffered an ACL injury and defaulted in the semis to No. 4 seed Gray Maynard, who is now set to face second seeded Luke Becker of Minnesota. Anderson is likely done for the season. Becker made his way to the finals handing 5-3 and 7-3 decisions, respectively, to Nate Wachter of Penn State in the quarters and Ryan Bertin of Michigan in the semis. Third seeded Alex Tirapelli finds himself in the seventh place match after dropping a 3-2 decision to No. 6 Ryan Bertin the quarters and a 2-2 double overtime rideout to No. 7 seeded Wachter. Top-ranked and top seeded Matt Lackey of Illinois will meet No. 3 seeded Jacob Volkmann of Minnesota in the 165-pound finals. Lackey decisioned Iowa's Matt Anderson 10-1 in the quarters and earned a 14-3 major decision over No. 4 seeded Oscar Santiago of Purdue in the semis. Volkmann won decisions over Jason Erwinski of Northwestern in the quarters and Mike Kulczycki of Michigan in the semis. The No. 2 seed Johnny Clark of Ohio State dropped a 10-5 decision to seventh seeded Kulczycki, but earned a fall over Erwinski in the consolations, he will face Santiago in the consolation semifinals. Iowa's Tyler Nixt will matchup against second seeded Ryan Lange of Purdue at 174. Top-seeded Nixt earned decisions over Pat Owen of Michigan in the quarters and Brian Glynn of Illinois in the semis. Lange won a 4-3 quarterfinal decision over Josh McLay of Minnesota and a tight 3-2 semifinal decision over third seeded Blake Kaplan of Ohio State. Another top Hawkeye will take the stage at 184. Top-seeded Jessman Smith will face second seeded Mark Becks of Penn State. Smith knocked off the No. 8 and No. 5 seeded in the quarters and semis, while Becks won two 3-2 decisions over Casey Kaputzka of Ohio State and Ty Matthews of Indiana. At 197 pounds, top-seeded Nik Fekete of Michigan State will meet second seeded Golden Gopher Damion Hahn. Fekete earned an 8-3 quarterfinals decision over No. 8 seed Jon Bush of Purdue and a 5-2 semifinal decision over No. 4 seeded Anton Talamantes of Ohio State. Hahn won decisions over the seventh and sixth seeds, 9-3 over Tyron Byrd of Illinois in the quarters and Kyle Smith of Michigan in the semis. Third seeded Hawkeye Ryan Fulsaas was eliminated after two rounds, falling to 4-1 in the quarters to Smith and 6-5 to Ryan Cummins of Penn State in the first round of consolations. Another rematch of the 2002 Big Ten championships and the NCAA Championship finals will take place at heavyweight, where top-ranked and top seeded Steve Mocco of Iowa will meet No. 2 seeded Tommy Rowlands of Ohio State. Rowlands captured the 2002 Big Ten and NCAA title, but Mocco holds the top rank in the country and beat Rowlands 4-3 in their only 2003 matchup. Mocco handed John Wechter of Michigan State a 17-6 major decision in the quarters, and won an 8-4 decision over No. 4 seeded Pat Cummins of Penn State. Rowlands earned a 13-6 decision over No. 7 seeded Isreal Blevins of Purdue in the quarters and a 9-4 decision over third seeded Garrett Lowney of Minnesota in the semis. The finals will take place Sunday afternoon following the consolation semifinals and medal matches that are set for Noon, central time. Finals Pairings 125 - #1 Chris Fleeger (PUR) vs. #2 A.J. Grant (MICH) 133 - #1 Ryan Lewis (MINN) vs. #2 Cliff Moore (IOWA) 141 - #1 Coyte Cooper (IND) vs. #2 Scott Moore (PSU) 149 - #1 Jared Lawrence (MINN) vs. #2 Ty Eustice (IOWA) 157 - #4 Gray Maynard (MSU) vs. #2 Luke Becker (MINN) 165 - #1 Matt Lackey (ILL) vs. #3 Jacob Volkmann (MINN) 174 - #1 Tyler Nixt (IOWA) vs. #2 Ryan Lange (PU) 184 - #1 Jessman Smith (IOWA) vs. #2 Mark Becks (PSU) 197 - #1 Nik Fekete (MSU) vs. #2 Damion Hahn (MINN) 285 - #1 Steve Mocco (IOWA) vs. #2 Tommy Rowlands (OSU)