Quotes from Session three (Friday morning) at the NCAA Championships

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Gary Abbott (USA Wrestling)
03/21/2003


No. 1 Chris Fleeger, Purdue, 125 pounds  (after beating Jason Powell of Nebraska)  "After making weight the second day, I was a little sluggish. We have wrestled three times, and he knows my style. A win is a win. Things are always the way you want it if you stay in the championship round. Obviously, you want a pin for the team. Sometimes, you are happy with a win."    No. 2 Cliff Moore, Iowa, 133 pounds  (after beating Josh Moore of Penn State)  "I feel strong. I am taking them one at a time. I always enjoy getting to wrestle Lewis. He's a tough competitor. I have to create a match for myself."    No. 4 Jason Mester, Central Michigan, 141 pounds  (after beating returning NCAA champion Aaron Holker of Iowa State)  "It's big. Beating him is big on my list. He beat me last year. You can't get cocky. I have the semis coming up and that's what I am thinking about. I can't jump to conclusions.     (about the possibility of becoming Central Michigan's second-ever NCAA champion)  "I'm looking to be No. 2. That is the only goal. There is nothing else. Anything but the national title is disappointing to me."    No. 3 Dylan Long, Northern Iowa, 14 1 pounds  (after defeating Mike Maney of Lock Haven)  "It is not over yet. I am still looking for more. Being an All-America is something that I want. It feels good. I am feeling well on the mat. I most want to wrestle how I can. I need to work on a few things. I have to keep working."    unseeded Shane Cunanan, West Virginia, 141 pounds  (after beating No. 7 Dana Holland of Arizona State)  "I felt him start wearing out. My coach says that between the four and six minute mark, I have to turn it on. I get most of my offense at that point. My strongest part is on my feet. I get after them in the second and third period. One of the things my coach said is that you have to demand results. I have tried as hard as I can other years at this tournament. But if you demand results, you have to get it done. I like the pressure. I like being in the big situations."     Jack Spates, Oklahoma head coach  (about No. 1 Teyon Ware, who beat Phillip Simpson of Army)  "Simpson is a beast on top. You have got to win tough. Sometimes, people want to win easy. All of the tiredness in your arms, your legs, your burning in the lungs, is what makes you win. Teyon got out. Simpson is as good as they come on top. He got a key escape in the second period."    No. 5 Jerrod Sanders, Oklahoma State, 149 pounds  (after beating No. 4 Jake Percival of Ohio)  "The first takedown was the difference. I couldn't wait. This was not like my first match. This match, I felt it and I hit it. A good guy like Percival will give you one opportunity. I took it. If not, I might still be out there in double overtime."    No. 6 Ryan Bertin, Michigan, 157 pounds  (after beating No. 3 Shane Roller of Oklahoma State)  "I came out real focused. I wrestled hard. I had to wrestle smart and not get into scramble positions. I had to stay solid. It worked out there. You never know what will happen in this tournament."    No. 2 Keaton Anderson, Ohio State, 157 pounds  (after beating Derek Zinck of Lehigh)  "I am feeling great. I have never been an All-American before. That clinched it. Now I have to keep going hard, and come back tonight ready to go."    No. 9 Alex Tirapelle, Illinois, 157 pounds  (after defeating No. 1 and returning champion Luke Becker of Minnesota)  "Becker is a strong, big 157 pounder. I got at him at a perfect time. There was one hour from weigh-ins to competition. I had a game plan. He didn't push the action. I didn't either. It came down to who scored first. The amount of pressure relieved when you win the quarterfinals is amazing. Now it is about how far do you want to go. I was a little nervous before. It is a big time show."    No. 1 Matt Lackey, Illinois, 165 pounds  (after beating Matt R. King of Edinboro)  "Another step, a baby step. I did what I wanted to do. I wanted to wrestle at my pace and control the match. Last night, I didn't wrestle my game. Today, I wanted to come out relaxed, control the pace and wrestle my style. I'm a relaxed guy. I don't get pumped up. If I am like that, I am out of my element. That is how you lose."    No. 7 Brad Dillion, Lehigh, 174 pounds  (after beating No. 2 Chris Pendleton of Oklahoma State)  "He'a a talented kid. I thought if I could attack him a little, that would help. He has a great offense. If I attacked him, I could slow that down a bit. When I got here, I wanted to make the most of it. You never know if you will ever come back here again. I'm the best example of that. I am a silent captain. I'm not vocal. I try to lead by example. Hopefully, this is a good example. We have some hungry guys who are now All-Americans. You can't overstate how our young guys have come through this year."    No. 1 Jessman Smith, Iowa, 184 pounds  (after beating Ben Heizer of Northern Illinois)  "It was a good hard match. He was aggressive and I was aggressive. I slowed down a little at the end. This is my last shot. Everybody here is hungry. Everybody who is returning is not satisfied. Some of those who are satisfied are not winning. I came prepared and I am hungry."    No. 4 Chris Skretkowicz, Hofstra, 197 pounds  (after beating Morgan Horner of Lock Haven)  "I felt tired in that match. The first match of the day, I am often tired. There is a lot of pressure. This is the All-American round. It took a lot of pressure off to win. I just have to keep wrestling tough."    No. 6 Damion Hahn, Minnesota, 197 pounds  (after beating Tommy Grossman of Oklahoma)  "I kept the game plan, to attack and stay aggressive. The last guy, I wrestled at Junior Nationals one year. He is all upperbody. I got my offense going. I did my best to stay aggressive and do my attacks. I love this weight class. I'm not focused on losing weight. I'm more focused on my wrestling. At 184 pounds, I was just focused on making weight. Now, I don't care how much I lose. I just focus on wrestling."    Greg Strobel, Lehigh head coach  (about Jon Trenge's win over Kyle Smith of Michigan)  "He got two penalty points, and that put him in the drivers seat. It put pressure on the other guy. They were easy calls. He did a headlock with no arm. He also hit him after the whistle and talked at him. After that, I didn't want Jon to back off, and he didn't. He got the takedown and got the pin. That is how I wanted him to end it. Nobody can talk about the penalty points now. Plus, I wouldn't want him to go through this tournament without a pin."    No. 2 Kevin Hoy, Air Force, heavyweight  (after beating Pat Cummins of Penn State)  "I pulled it out. I had to keep in good position once he got his escape. I am wrestling OK. Nothing perfect. I haven't had a match that I am happy with yet. I have at least two more matches. I am trying to improve each time.     (about the war in Iraq)  "We have a lot of wrestlers going through pilot training, and others who are the Air Force equivalent of the Seals. We have a lot of wrestlers over there. They are on my mind. But I try to keep focused and deal with the task at hand."    Russ Hellickson, Ohio State head coach  (about defending champion Tommy Rowlands and his injured ankle)  "He hurt his ankle real bad. We thought we heard it snap. He went back to the hotel and will have it evaluated. It's hurting him, but he is a tough guy."