Liberty University Club Sports Athletics
Flames lead after first day of NCWA National Championships
3/12/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Wrestling
In Thursday's first three rounds of action in the three-day National Collegiate Wrestling Association (NCWA) National Championships, Liberty University jumped out to an early lead in the team standings by racking up plenty of bonus points for winning matches by pin at the Allen Event Center in Texas.
The Flames, ranked No. 1 since the preseason, accumulated 76 points on the first day to rise above Middle Tennessee State (63.5), Central Florida (58.5), Apprentice (52.5), and Marion Military (49.5) in the top five.
Liberty sophomore No. 1 seed Tim Nordan won his first two matches by fall at 125 pounds, decking Florida's Robert Collier in 4:27 and Akron's Kyle Hang in just 52 seconds.
Likewise, top-seeded 141-pound sophomore Ryan Diehl, the reigning NCWA Wrestler of the Year, needed less than a minute and a half to finish off his first two opponents by fall, pinning California's Freddie Hsiao in 36 seconds and Penn State-Mont Alto's Tyler Rhoads in 53 seconds.
Sophomore teammate Ike Podell didn't have quite so easy a time, but he also advanced to the quarterfinals with a pin of Georgia Southern's Josh Gaspard in 4:39 and a 7-5 decision over Texas' J.T. Hudson.
At 149 pounds, Flames junior Peter Tatanish scored a 12-2 major decision over PSU-Mont Alto's Nick Grimm in the first round before being sent to the consolation bracket with a 12-5 setback to Arizona's Raul Moraga.
Liberty senior Chase Boontjer was a two-time winner at 165, pinning Dixie State's Pierce Stowman in 3:56 before scoring a 12-5 decision over Rutgers' JaviAir White. At 174 pounds, second-seeded freshman Josh Llopez rolled over his first two challengers, decking Marion Military's B.J. Thomas in 1:11 and Montana Western's Tucker Davidson in just 28 seconds.
Flames senior Keyshaun Ward recorded 10-3 and 10-2 decisions over Bowling Green State's Jim Brittson and East Carolina's Gregory Humphrey, respectively, to stay in the 184-pound championship bracket.
At 197, sophomore Matt Reynolds notched two wins, by pin in 4:34 over Amherst College's Jarron Bolingbroke and by 13-8 decision over Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's Stuart Curtis.
Sophomore 235-pound wrestler Evan Canady took both of his bouts by first-period pin, in 1:51 over PSU-Mont Alto's Max Elliott and 1:47 over Memphis' Jordan Greene. Finally, at heavyweight, Flames top-ranked graduate student Josh Pelletier won his two matches by fall over North Florida's Phil Morency in 59 seconds and BYU's Sam Nuss in 1:51.
Action resumes Friday at 11 a.m. (EST). Results and live streams of matches throughout the tournament are available online.
By Ted Allen/Staff Writer
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| Wrestlers stand for the National Anthem at Thursday's start of the NCWA National Championships in the Allen Event Center in Texas. (Photo courtesy of Sam Janicki) |
