University of Minnesota Athletics
GOLDEN GOPHERS IN PRIME POSITION TO WIN NCAA WRESTLING TITLE
3/17/2001 12:00:00 AM | Athletics
All 10 Golden Gopher grapplers finished in the top eight, earning All- America status and giving Minnesota significant team points. It is the first time in the 71-year history of the NCAA Championships that 10 wrestlers have earned the prestigious national honor. No team in the history of the national tournament has won the team title without a finalist.
Gold Country had three wrestlers finish in third place (Leroy Vega, Owen Elzen, Garrett Lowney), three in fourth place (Luke Becker< /a>, Brad Pike, Jacob Volkmann</ a>), one finish in fifth place (Damion Hahn), one sixth-place finisher ( Jared Lawrence) and two finish in eighth place (Brett Lawrence, Chad Erikson).
Six Golden Gophers earned their first All-America honor - Brett Lawrence, Erikson, Volkmann, Hahn, Elzen and Lowney. Leroy Vega, a junior at 125 pounds, gained his third All-America citation, keeping him on pace to become Minnesota second four-time All-American. Jared Lawrence, Becker and Pike each earned their second All-America honor.
Session six, the championship matches, start at 1 p.m today. The championship matches will be televised at 5 p.m. on ESPN2.
CONSOLATION BRACKET - Golden Gopher Wrestleback Semifinals Results 125 No. 3 seed Leroy Vega (MINN) dec. No. 6 seed Matt Brown (Okla. St.), 6-3 149 Mike Zadick (IOWA) maj. dec. No. 2 seed Jared Lawrence (MINN), 17- 5 157 No. 6 seed Luke Becker (MINN) dec. No. 4 seed Eric Jorgensen (Oregon St.), 3-2 165 No. 6 seed Brad Pike< /a> (MINN) dec. No. 9 seed Kevin Stanley (IND), 8-3 174 No. 10 seed Jacob Volkmann (MINN) dec. No. 4 seed Tyrone Lewis (Okla. St.), 5-2 184 No. 7 seed Andy Hrovat (MICH) dec. No. 5 seed Damion Hahn (MINN), 4-2 197 No. 5 seed Owen Elzen (MINN) dec. David Shunamon (Edinboro), 7-3 HWT No. 1 seed Garrett Lowney (MINN) dec. No. 7 seed Billy Blunt (Fresno St.), 4-3 CONSOLATION BRACKET - Golden Gopher Wrestleback Finals Match-ups 125 Third-place match No. 3 seed Leroy Vega (MINN) dec. No. 10 seed A.J. Grant (MICH), 3-1 133 Seventh-place match No. 11 David Douglas (Arizona St.) dec. No. 10 seed Brett Lawrence (MINN), 6-3 141 Seventh-place match Robert Sessley (Ohio St.) dec. No. 7 seed Chad Erikson (MINN), 7-6 149 Fifth-place match No. 7 seed JaMarr Billman (Lock Haven) dec. No. 2 seed Jared Lawrence< /a> (MINN), 7-4 157 Third-place match No. 12 seed Shane Roller (Okla. St.) dec. No. 6 seed Luke Becker (MINN), 12-10 165 Third-place match No. 5 seed Matt Lackey (ILL) dec. No. 6 seed Brad Pike (MINN), 3-2 174 Third-place match No. 2 seed Otto Olson (MICH) dec. No. 10 seed Jacob Volkmann (MINN), 3-2 184 Fifth-place match No. 5 seed Damion Hahn (MINN) dec. No. 9 seed Cash Edwards (Boise St.), 4-2 197 Third-place match No. 5 seed Owen Elzen (MINN) pinned No. 4 seed Rusty Cook (Boise St.), 3:59 HWT Third-place match No. 1 seed Garrett Lowney (MINN) pinned No. 9 seed Leonce Crump (Okla), 0:42 Team Scores - After Session V 1 Minnesota 138.5 2 Iowa 117.5 3 Oklahoma State 111.5 4 Oklahoma 89.5 5 Illinois 81.0
