Wrestlers slip to third
March 8, 2004
Iowa State qualified eight individuals for the NCAA Championships on Saturday — tied with Nebraska for the most in the Big 12.
But the second-ranked Cyclones finished in a disappointing third place at the Big 12 Championships at Hilton Coliseum, behind Oklahoma State and Nebraska, with 46.5 points.
The top-rated Cowboys led the meet the entire time and ran away with the team title. They had 86.5 points, 31 more than second-place Nebraska could muster.
Oklahoma State had eight of its 10 wrestlers in championship matches, but only crowned four champions. Three of the championship losses came at the hands of Missouri.
The Tigers made the best of their championship matches. They won three of four on their way to a fourth-place team finish. Nebraska also had four in the championships, but all were defeated.
Grant Nakamura thought he had an upset of Nebraska’s Jason Powell, who’s ranked No. 1 nationally, in the semifinals at 125 pounds. The lead official slapped the mat just as time was running out in the first period, indicating Nakamura had pinned Powell.
As ISU fans in the crowd began cheering, the secondary official ruled that time had run out, and Powell went on to an 8-2 victory.
“I had him on his back, and I heard [the official] call the pin,” said Nakamura, who finished third. “But I guess there was no time left.”
Sophomore Nate Gallick defended his No. 1 seed and No. 2 national ranking, winning his first Big 12 title. He beat Nebraska’s Matt Murray 2-1 in overtime to earn the Cyclones’ only championship. Gallick also defeated Oklahoma State’s Ronnie Delk 3-2 in the semifinals.
In a matchup against Oklahoma State’s two-time NCAA champion Johnny Thompson, Iowa State’s Zach Roberson couldn’t connect on his shots and was pinned with 28 seconds left in the third period.
Roberson came out the more aggressive wrestler in the 133-pound final and appeared in control but missed a few opportunities to seal the match with a late takedown. He qualified for the NCAA tournament for the fourth consecutive year with the second place finish.
“[Winning] was a goal of mine coming into this tournament. I’m glad I achieved it,” Thompson said.
The rest of the Cyclones did most of their damage in the third-place matches. Five Cyclones finished third in their weight classes and earned automatic bids to the NCAA Championships.
Nakamura defeated Oklahoma State’s Cody Stites 3-2 in overtime to earn his second consecutive NCAA tournament berth. He qualified last year on a wild-card entry after finishing fourth in the conference.
In a rematch of the first round of the tournament, Kurt Backes avenged a loss to Travis Pascoe, 6-3, to advance to national competition.
Others qualifying for the national tournament by earning third place were 149-pounder Trent Paulson, 165-pounder Nick Passolano and heavyweight Scott Coleman.
Freshman Travis Paulson finished fourth but was added as the Cyclones eighth national entry when he received a wild-card berth at 157 pounds.
Grant Turner led both of his matches before losing at 174 pounds. Turner lost his next match 14-8 to Oklahoma’s E.K. Waldhaus.
Trevor Smith lost his third-place match to Nebraska’s B.J. Padden. Padden, the nation’s second-ranked 197-pounder, was upset in the first round by Oklahoma State’s Rusty Blackmon and found himself wrestling back for a spot at the NCAA Championships. Padden defeated Smith 12-4.
The eight qualifying Cyclones will take to the mat March 18-20 in St. Louis.
— The Associated Press contributed to this article.
