Wrestling: Rogers, Rader Remain at NCAAs
March 16, 2007 04:07 PM | General
March 16, 2007
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. – The West Virginia University wrestling team has two remaining wrestlers after three sessions of the 2007 NCAA Championships at the Palace of Auburn Hills on Friday, March 16.
Mountaineer heavyweight Dustin Rogers was the last to fall in the championship round as he dropped a heartbreaking 3-1 decision to No. 3-seeded Bubba Gritter of Central Michigan in the quarterfinals in sudden victory. After both grapplers could only muster an escape in regulation Gritter pulled off a takedown early in the overtime period to sneak away with the win.
Rogers now needs to win his first bout in the consolation bracket tonight to earn All-America status. A Rogers victory would make him the first ever Mountaineer heavyweight to become an All-American. He will face Cal State Fullerton’s Wade Sauer in that bout. WVU wrestler Brandon Rader (141) advanced in his consolation brackets during Session III and will now wrestle tonight to earn the status of All-America for the second consecutive year.
Rader rebounded from a loss in the second round last night by dominating Cal Poly’s David Roberts in a 19-3 technical fall. The Parkersburg, W.Va., native jumped out to an 8-3 lead in the first period on three takedowns and a two-point near fall. Two reversals and a pair of three-point near falls over the next two periods ended the bout at the 5:32 mark.
The 141-pounder followed that performance with a 15-6 major decision against Lehigh’s Matt Ciasulli. Rader took a 6-2 lead into the second period and never looked back on his way to his 13th win in his last 14 matches.
Rader will now face Minnesota’s Manuel Rivera, who entered the week as the No. 4 seed.
West Virginia’s David Jauregui (149), Kurt Brenner (174) and Jared Villers were each eliminated from the tournament after losing their second bout of the week. Both Brenner and Villers ended their tourney run with 2-2 records, while Jauregui went 1-2.
Over 14,000 wrestling fans poured into The Palace of Auburn Hills for Friday’s afternoon session.
Session IV in Auburn Hills gets underway at 7 p.m. this evening. For a complete recap of today’s results please check back later this evening. Live video coverage of Friday’s action can be watched on ESPN360.com. Live updates and results can also be tracked on InterMatWrestle.com or on NCAAsports.com.
Thursday’s Results
Session III
Consolation Bracket
141: No. 7 Brandon Rader (WVU) TECH David Roberts (CPI), 19-3 (5:32)
141: No. 7 Brandon Rader (WVU) MAJOR Matt Ciasulli (LU), 15-6
149: Matt Moley (BU) DEC David Jauregui (WVU), 3-2
174: Kurt Brenner (WVU) MAJOR Matt Maciag (UW), 14-6
174: Josh Weitzel (OU) DEC Kurt Brenner (WVU), 3-2
197: Jared Villers (WVU) DEC Eric Laposky (BU), 7-3
197: Hudson Taylor (UM) FALL Jared Villers (WVU), 3:29
Championship Bracket
HWT: No. 3 Bubba Gritter (CMU) DEC Dustin Rogers (WVU), 3-1 sv
