Knee injury forces Virginia's Josh Etu to withdraw from the NCAA Tournament

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Rusty Davidson (Virginia Sports Information)
03/19/2003


CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - University of Virginia wrestling team member Josh Etu (Queensbury, N.Y./Queensbury) will miss the 2003 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships after being forced to withdraw his named from the brackets for competition at Nationals which are being held in Kansas City, Missouri at Kemper Arena on March 20-23. Etu, a fourth-year heavyweight wrestler at UVa, tore his ACL on Saturday during a practice session and will miss the remainder of the season, thus eliminating his chances at competing for Virginia at Nationals.     Etu had earned an automatic bid to compete in the 2003 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships after winning the heavyweight individual title during the 2003 Atlantic Coast Conference Wrestling Championships on March 8th in Boone, N.C.. Etu finished the 2002-2003 season with a record of 27-5 overall, including a 14-2 mark in dual matches. He is currently tied with teammate Bob Seidel with a team-high 10 pins and is second on the team for dual match wins with 14. Etu was 5-1 in overtime matches this season and his 27 overall victories is tied for the second most on the team. This would have been Etu's first ever trip to Nationals.