University of Minnesota Athletics
Gopher Alums Showcase Greco in NYC
11/12/2016 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Three former Gophers took center stage at the New York Athletic Club on Saturday for the Greco-Roman half of the Bill Farrell Open. All three ââ'¬" Pat Smith, Alec Ortiz and Brad Dolezal ââ'¬" picked up victories on the day, with Smith finishing third at 71 kilograms and Dolezal taking fourth at 75.
Smith advanced to the semifinals thanks to a 12-4 tech fall over Cody Pack in the quarters. Despite allowing a four-point move during the opening period, Smith steadily built an 8-4 advantage at the break and sealed the match by adding four more points early in the second. It was a four-point move from Christopher Gonzalez that bounced Smith to the backside of the bracket, the key moment in a 4-1 semifinal defeat. Once in consolation matches, Smith eliminated fellow alum and training partner Ortiz, 4-2, before taking third after Ellis Coleman forfeited the bout.
Ortiz reached the quarterfinals at 71 kilograms, where he ran into Coleman. After pulling to within one point, 3-2, early in the second period, Ortiz surrendered two points around the one-minute mark and dropped the bout, 5-2. He rallied in wrestlebacks, where he found himself in a shootout with Joshua Russo. After falling behind 8-0 in the match's opening 45 seconds, Ortiz scored 16 unanswered points, a streak that took just 1:27 late in the first period to tech Russo, 16-8. Ortiz was eliminated by Smith in his next match.
Dolezal, making his national-level Greco debut, won a nail-biter in the quarterfinals, knocking off John Yeats on criteria, 7-7. Two four-point moves from eventual 75-kilogram champ Kamal Bey helped defeat Dolezal, 8-2, in the semis. An early 4-0 deficit in his first consolation match didn't deter Dolezal, as he fired back with eight points to finish the first period and defeat Broc Clark. In the third-place bout, an early flurry from Jesse Porter led to an 8-0 tech fall, putting Dolezal into fourth place.
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