Indiana University Athletics
DeGain, Becker Earn Top-Five Finishes
8/25/2005 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
March 19, 2005
ST. LOUIS - In the penultimate session of the 2005 NCAA Wrestling Championship, at the Savvis Center, senior heavyweight Pat DeGain won his consolation final match, to place third overall, while redshirt freshman Brandon Becker finished fifth at 157-pounds.
After the fifth session, the Hoosiers are in 10th place with 54.5 points. Oklahoma State is in the lead with 133.0 points. Michigan is second (79.0), Oklahoma is third (73.5), while Cornell and Minnesota (72.5) are tied for fourth. Illinois stands sixth (70.5), Iowa (66.0) rests in seventh, as Lehigh (60.0) and Iowa State (57.0) are eighth and ninth, respectively.
DeGain won his first match of the day, a 6-3 decision, over Matt Feast of Pennsylvania in round seven of the consolation bracket.
The Clarkston, Mich., product scored his first takedown at 2:05 of the first period. With the IU senior riding him tough, Feast was able to escape, but DeGain immediately went in on another double leg takedown to make the score 4-1. Feast is able to escape again with 54 seconds left in the frame.
DeGain started down at the beginning the second stanza and got a quick escape to make the score 5-1 in his favor.
Feast chose down to start the third and got an escape with 1:10 left in the match. DeGain posted a riding time point for the final three-point margin
In the consolation final, DeGain bested Michigan's Greg Wagner, 5-3, in overtime. These two combatants faced-off for the first time since DeGain pinned Wagner in the semifinals of the Big Ten Championships on March 5.
The heavyweight started the match in behind Wagner, but was unable to drop him to the mat. The referee then called Wagner for fleeing the mat and DeGain grabbed a 1-0 lead. Wagner started the second period on the bottom and escaped to even the match, 20 seconds into the frame.
DeGain started down at the beginning of the third period and escaped to take a 2-1 lead in the contest. Wagner then elevated a single for a takedown, but the IU senior posted an escape to tie the match. The bout headed into overtime all-square, but 30 seconds into the bonus session DeGain got in on a double and claimed the duel.
DeGain finished the NCAAs with a 5-1 mark and closed his campaign with a record 35-6 overall
At 157-pounds, Becker lost a close 8-7 decision in his first match of the day to sixth-seeded Trent Paulson of Iowa State in seventh round of the consolation bracket.
He rebounded from that defeat and posted a 10-6 win over Arizona State's Brian Stith, the 10th seed, in the fifth place match. With the duel even at 4-4 heading into the third period, Becker busted out with a five-point barrage en route to winning the contest.
Becker finished the year at 33-13 overall and 6-2 at the championships.
Junior Joe Dubuque will face Kyle Ott of Illinois, the third-seed, in Saturday's championship at 125-lbs. The match will be televised live on ESPN at 5 p.m. EST.
Dubuque becomes the first Hoosier since Roger Chandler (1997) to appear in an NCAA final. He will attempt to claim the first collegiate title for IU since Brian Dolph won the 150-pound class in 1990.
Dubuque, DeGain and Becker earned All-America accolades for finishing in the top-eight of their class. This is the first time that the Hoosiers had three grapplers garner the honor since they had four in 1946.
Session V Results
157-pounds:
Trent Paulson (Iowa State) dec. Brandon Becker (Indiana), 8-7
Brandon Becker (Indiana) dec. Brian Stith (Arizona State), 10-6
Heavyweight:
Pat DeGain (Indiana) dec. Matt Feast (Pennsylvania), 6-3
Pat DeGain (Indiana) OT dec. Greg Wagner (Michigan), 5-3
NCAA Team Standings After Session V
1. 133.0 - Oklahoma State
2. 79.0 - Michigan
3. 73.5 - Oklahoma
4. 72.5 - Cornell
4. 72.5 - Minnesota
6. 70.5 - Illinois
7. 66.0 - Iowa
8. 60.0 - Lehigh
9. 57.0 - Iowa State
10. 54.5 - Indiana
