Indiana University Athletics
Coyte Cooper Heads To Big Ten Championship Finals
3/8/2003 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Madison, Wis. - The Hoosiers were in ninth place ahead of Wisconsin and Northwestern heading into the second session of Big Ten championship wrestling Saturday night in Madison, Wis., but fell into the tenth spot after the second round in the consolation bracket. Wisconsin led IU 22-21.5 through the first two rounds in both championship and consolation brackets but took a commanding hold over the ninth spot with 60.5 points to Indiana's 28.5.
In the 141 championship semi-finals, junior Coyte Cooper faced Ohio State's Jeff Ratliff for the berth into Sunday's championship finals. Cooper began with the first takedown of the match, but then watched as Ratliff took the score to 5-4 in his favor by the end of the second period. Cooper got the point needed to tie in the third period and send the match into overtime. The grapplers battled for the sudden victory point and Cooper won the match and the championship berth with a takedown in the overtime period. He will face Penn State's Scott Moore, the No. 2 seed.
Cooper's only dual meet loss this season came at the hands of Moore in the regular Big Ten season on Jan. 24 when Moore won, pinning Cooper in 2:48. In the 2002 season, Moore bested Cooper by pin in the regular season, but Cooper went on to pin Moore in 1:58 in the Big Ten Championships en route to a third place finish, a team best. When Moore defeated Cooper in the 2003 Big Ten season, it put an end to Cooper's undefeated streak. Before facing Moore, Cooper had won 18-straight matches. Cooper also won the first collegiate title of his career earlier this season at the Northern Iowa Open and is in search of his second at the Big Ten Championships. IU has not had a Big Ten champion since 1997 when Roger Chandler accomplished the feat.
It proved to be heartbreaking for sophomore grappler Pat DeGain as the ankle injury suffered in the championship quarterfinals and Wisconsin's Lee Kraemer combined to be too much. After undergoing medical evaluation, DeGain and the IU athletic training staff did everything they could to prepare him for the match. Kraemer went directly for the injured ankle, though DeGain stayed strong. Truly wrestling on one leg, he managed to battle for 2:46 minutes before Kraemer earned the fall.
At 133 pounds, senior Greg Schaefer lost to Purdue's Rene Hernandez, 6-3 in the consolation semi-finals after defeating Michigan's Shaun Newton in the second round of consolation wrestling. Schaefer will face Michigan State's Shane Martin in the battle for seventh place on Sunday.
At 184 pounds, senior Ty Matthews was the only other Hoosier in the championship bracket, but lost a tough decision in the final seconds to Penn State's Mark Becks, 3-2. Matthews will face Wisconsin's Ralph DeNisco in the consolation semi-finals as he makes a run for a third place finish and an automatic berth into the NCAA Championships.
Several other IU wrestlers were eliminated in the second round of consolation wrestling as Matt Cooper lost a tough decision to Wisconsin's Ed Gutnik at 149 pounds. The sixth-seeded Gutnik had the home crowd on his side en route to the victory that helped his team push ahead of the Hoosiers through that round. Isaac Knable then lost yet another tough decision to Illinois' Alex Tirapelle. Tirapelle earned the major decision, 16-3 over Knable. Both Knable and Cooper are true freshmen, wrestling in their first collegiate seasons.
Additionally, Alex LaPointe was eliminated in the second consolation round, losing the major decision to Penn State's fifth-seeded Doc Vecchio, 12-4. At 174 pounds, Brady Richardson dropped a 9-4 decision to Wisconsin's Brady Reinke, dropping out of the championships. At heavyweight, Joel Powers lost 4-2 to Wisconsin's Justin Staebler, making his exit from the tournament.
Coyte Cooper, Ty Matthews and Greg Schaefer return to competition Sunday, March 9 at Noon at the UW Field House in Madison, Wis.
In the 141 championship semi-finals, junior Coyte Cooper faced Ohio State's Jeff Ratliff for the berth into Sunday's championship finals. Cooper began with the first takedown of the match, but then watched as Ratliff took the score to 5-4 in his favor by the end of the second period. Cooper got the point needed to tie in the third period and send the match into overtime. The grapplers battled for the sudden victory point and Cooper won the match and the championship berth with a takedown in the overtime period. He will face Penn State's Scott Moore, the No. 2 seed.
Cooper's only dual meet loss this season came at the hands of Moore in the regular Big Ten season on Jan. 24 when Moore won, pinning Cooper in 2:48. In the 2002 season, Moore bested Cooper by pin in the regular season, but Cooper went on to pin Moore in 1:58 in the Big Ten Championships en route to a third place finish, a team best. When Moore defeated Cooper in the 2003 Big Ten season, it put an end to Cooper's undefeated streak. Before facing Moore, Cooper had won 18-straight matches. Cooper also won the first collegiate title of his career earlier this season at the Northern Iowa Open and is in search of his second at the Big Ten Championships. IU has not had a Big Ten champion since 1997 when Roger Chandler accomplished the feat.
It proved to be heartbreaking for sophomore grappler Pat DeGain as the ankle injury suffered in the championship quarterfinals and Wisconsin's Lee Kraemer combined to be too much. After undergoing medical evaluation, DeGain and the IU athletic training staff did everything they could to prepare him for the match. Kraemer went directly for the injured ankle, though DeGain stayed strong. Truly wrestling on one leg, he managed to battle for 2:46 minutes before Kraemer earned the fall.
At 133 pounds, senior Greg Schaefer lost to Purdue's Rene Hernandez, 6-3 in the consolation semi-finals after defeating Michigan's Shaun Newton in the second round of consolation wrestling. Schaefer will face Michigan State's Shane Martin in the battle for seventh place on Sunday.
At 184 pounds, senior Ty Matthews was the only other Hoosier in the championship bracket, but lost a tough decision in the final seconds to Penn State's Mark Becks, 3-2. Matthews will face Wisconsin's Ralph DeNisco in the consolation semi-finals as he makes a run for a third place finish and an automatic berth into the NCAA Championships.
Several other IU wrestlers were eliminated in the second round of consolation wrestling as Matt Cooper lost a tough decision to Wisconsin's Ed Gutnik at 149 pounds. The sixth-seeded Gutnik had the home crowd on his side en route to the victory that helped his team push ahead of the Hoosiers through that round. Isaac Knable then lost yet another tough decision to Illinois' Alex Tirapelle. Tirapelle earned the major decision, 16-3 over Knable. Both Knable and Cooper are true freshmen, wrestling in their first collegiate seasons.
Additionally, Alex LaPointe was eliminated in the second consolation round, losing the major decision to Penn State's fifth-seeded Doc Vecchio, 12-4. At 174 pounds, Brady Richardson dropped a 9-4 decision to Wisconsin's Brady Reinke, dropping out of the championships. At heavyweight, Joel Powers lost 4-2 to Wisconsin's Justin Staebler, making his exit from the tournament.
Coyte Cooper, Ty Matthews and Greg Schaefer return to competition Sunday, March 9 at Noon at the UW Field House in Madison, Wis.
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