Wrestling: WVU Set for NCAA Tournament
March 19, 2008 09:53 AM | General
By Steve Stone for MSNsportsNET.com
March 19, 2008
NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP NOTES
NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS BRACKET
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| Jared Villers |
ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Seven members of the West Virginia University wrestling team begin their quest for a national title at the 2008 NCAA Championships on March 20-22 at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Mo.
The Mountaineers join 18 other schools in qualifying at least seven NCAA qualifiers this season, and are one of only 13 teams to return seven or more in consecutive seasons.
The tournament consists of six sessions that include matches from both the championship and consolation brackets. Losing twice results in elimination from the field.
WVU has five returning qualifiers in David Jauregui (149), Zac Fryling (157), Kurt Brenner (184), Jared Villers (197) and Dustin Rogers (HWT). First-time participants Donnie Jones (165) and Chance Litton (174) will make their debut in collegiate wrestling’s version of March Madness.
Jauregui comes in with a 10-6 record and opens up against No. 8 seed Jake Patacsil of Purdue, who owns a 25-6 record. Jauregui makes his third appearance at the NCAA Tournament and comes off a 1-2 showing last season. Bothered by a neck injury throughout the season, he looks to regain his form against some of the top college wrestlers in the country.
Fryling is the 11th four-time NCAA qualifier in WVU history who has faced several challenging opponents during the season. He has a tough opening draw against No. 4 Brandon Becker of Indiana, who owns a 22-4 mark. The senior looks to save his best run for last in one of the country’s most competitive weight classes.
Jones will try to continue his season-ending turnaround with a first-round bout against Bakersfield’s Daniel Atondo. The sophomore went 5-1 in the Eastern Wrestling League and finished second at the conference tournament to earn his first bid. The Slickville, Pa., native takes his first step toward achieving a lofty honor held by three-time national champion and brother Greg Jones.
Litton enjoyed a breakthrough season highlighted by his first qualifying bid. He went 11-4 this season and matches up against Bucknell’s Shane Riccio, who has a 25-9 record. The winner faces No. 1 Keith Gavin of Pitt, who Litton has wrestled well against in all three matches this season.
Two-time EWL Champion Brenner had a dominant season highlighted by an undefeated EWL record and a 10-match winning streak that is still intact. The junior, who moved up a weight class this year after wrestling at 174 pounds, faces No. 3 Tyrel Todd of Michigan in his morning match on Thursday. Brenner carries a 15-1 mark and is coming off an impressive 11-7 decision over Edinboro’s Chris Honeycutt in the championship bout at the EWL Tournament.
Villers dominated EWL foes and now faces a much more formidable opponent in Maryland’s Hudson Taylor. No. 7 Taylor sports a 31-2 record coming out of the Atlantic Coast Conference. Villers, who garnered the Most Points Award in EWL competition, is 6-2 against the 197-pound field and makes his fourth straight appearance at the NCAA Tournament.
Rogers looks to advance even further than last year’s run in which he fell one win shy of becoming WVU’s first heavyweight All-American. The senior is 3-2 against the field and faces Old Dominion’s Andrew Totusek on Thursday morning. If Rogers can earn a victory in his first bout, then a rematch against No. 3 Ed Prendergast of Navy looms as he upset the renowned heavyweight in last year’s tournament, 8-3.
Action begins on Thursday with the first session starting at 11 a.m., followed by a second session consisting of pigtail and first round matches at 6:30 p.m. Live text coverage of the tournament can be seen by logging on to Intermatwrestle.com.
