Wrestling: Fryling, Rogers Earn Wild Card Bids
March 09, 2008 08:34 AM | General
By Steve Stone for MSNsportsNET.com
March 9, 2008
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - Seniors Zac Fryling and Dustin Rogers have been selected to compete at the NCAA Championships in St. Louis after earning wild card bids.
A panel that includes all seven league coaches went through a selection process to choose 12 at-large candidates who did not automatically qualify during the tournament.
The additions of Fryling (157) and Rogers (HWT) give WVU seven NCAA qualifiers, a significant achievement considering the amount of injuries that plagued the Mountaineers this season. The number matches last season's total of NCAA qualifiers as well.
Fryling went 2-2 during the EWL tournament with two pin falls over Cleveland State's Rob Michaels and Clarion's Travis Uncapher. The senior finished fourth in one of the EWL's most competitive weight classes. Fryling also becomes the 11th four-time NCAA qualifier in school history.
Rogers placed fifth for the second straight season after defeating Clarion's Roman Husam, 9-7. The Corning, Calif., native reaches the NCAA Championships for the second consecutive season after falling one win shy of becoming WVU's first-ever heavyweight in the 2007 NCAA tournament.
The Mountaineers finished with 103.5 points, placing third behind league champion Edinboro and Pitt. They wrap up their season at the NCAA Championships in St. Louis, Mo., on March 20-22.
