Indiana University Athletics
Dubuque Crowned NCAA Wrestling Champion
8/25/2005 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
March 19, 2005
ST. LOUIS - In the final session of the 2005 NCAA Wrestling Championship, at the Savvis Center, Indiana junior Joe Dubuque won the national title at 125-pounds with a victory over Illinois' Kyle Ott in the championship bout.
The Hoosiers finished ninth overall with 58.5 points. It was the best placement for 13th-year Indiana head coach Duane Goldman's charges since they tied for 16th in 1997. The last time the Cream and Crimson finished in the top 10 was an eighth place showing in 1990. It's only the second time since 1953 that IU closed a championship in the top 10.
"This is really incredible for us to finish this high," Goldman said. "At the beginning of the year we didn't get ranked by any of the polls. We had some young guys and some new guys, but they all came together this year. Pat [DeGain], Joe [Dubuque], Brandon [Becker] and the entire team all responded well."
Oklahoma State claimed the team title with a total of 153 points and five individual titles. Michigan was second (83.0), Oklahoma (77.5) finished third, and Cornell (76.5) and Minnesota (72.5) rounded out the top five. Illinois (70.5) placed sixth, while Iowa (66.0) and Lehigh (60.0) closed the championship at seventh and eighth, respectively.
The IU junior, seeded fifth, upended Ott, the third-seed, 2-0 in Saturday's final match. It was the third ranked foe that he bested on his march to an NCAA title.
Ott, who had beaten Dubuque in their previous two matches, came out quickly and tried to shoot the legs on a pair of occasions, but was not successful, and neither grappler scored in the first frame.
Dubuque, the first Hoosier since Roger Chandler (1997) to appear in an NCAA final, chose down to start the second stanza and was able to escape to take a 1-0 lead in the contest. Ott attempted to shoot on the edge with 20 seconds left, but Dubuque almost countered for a takedown at the end of the period.
In the final frame, Dubuque rode Ott tough and was able to add one more point for riding time en route to the championship. He claimed the first collegiate title for IU since Brian Dolph won the 150-pound class in 1990.
"Joe had a plan going into the match," Goldman said. "He was great, executed perfectly and came out on top. He didn't have an easy road to the championship. Joe beat the one, three and four seeds to win the title. He is easy to coach, has great ability and a desire to win. That is what made the difference."
The Bloomfield, N.J., native is finished the year 29-3 and 5-0 at the NCAAs.
Dubuque, senior Pat DeGain and redshirt freshman Brandon 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. It was also the first time since 1946 that three IU wrestlers finished in the top-five at the same championship.
Session VI Results
125-pounds:
Joe Dubuque (Indiana) dec. Kyle Ott (Illinois), 2-0
NCAA Final Team Standings After Session VI (top-15)
1. 153.0 - Oklahoma State
2. 83.0 - Michigan
3. 77.5 - Oklahoma
4. 76.5 - Cornell
5. 72.5 - Minnesota
6. 70.5 - Illinois
7. 66.0 - Iowa
8. 60.0 - Lehigh
9. 58.5 - Indiana
10. 57.0 - Iowa State
11. 43.0 - Missouri
12. 41.0 - Central Michigan
13. 39.5 - Arizona State
14. 39.0 - Northwestern
15. 38.5 - Northern Iowa
15. 38.5 - Wisconsin
