Indiana University Athletics
Dubuque To Battle For NCAA Crown
8/25/2005 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
March 18, 2005
ST. LOUIS - In the fourth session of the 2005 NCAA Wrestling Championship, in the Savvis Center, Indiana junior Joe Dubuque advanced to the NCAA title match at 125-pounds, and redshirt freshman Brandon Becker earned All-America status as he advanced in the consolation bracket on Friday evening.
The Hoosiers stand in ninth place with 49 points. Oklahoma State has the top spot with 127.5 points, while Cornell (71.5) is second, Michigan (67.0) is third, Minnesota (66.0) is fourth and Iowa (64.0) rounds out the top five. Oklahoma stands sixth (61.0), while Illinois (52.5) and Iowa State (52.5) are seventh and eighth, respectively.
"This is a very close group of guys," Indiana head coach Duane Goldman said. "We came into this championship with high expectations and the attitude of everyone has made the difference in how well we have done."
Dubuque, seeded fifth, defeated top-seeded Sam Hazewinkel of Oklahoma, 3-1, in the semifinal round. Neither athlete scored in the first period. Dubuque chose bottom to start the second frame and Hazewinkel was riding him tough for the initial 30 seconds, but the IU junior was able to escape to take a 1-0 lead in the bout.
Hazewinkel then tried an ill-advised shot and Dubuque posted a takedown to grab a 3-0 advantage in the match. Dubuque was called for stalling, but the Sooner would get no closer in the semifinal contest.
The Bloomfield, N.J., native is now 28-3 on the year and 4-0 at the NCAAs. He will face Kyle Ott of Illinois, the third-seed, in Saturday's championship. Ott defeated second-seeded Nick Simmons of Michigan State, 3-1, in the other semifinal.
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.
"Joe is wrestling really well right now," Goldman said. "He beat the fourth seed and then the top-seed on the way to the championship. He will have a tough match with [Kyle] Ott in the final."
At 157-pounds, Becker bested top-seed and two-time All-American Alex Tirapelle of Illinois, 8-7, in the fifth round consolation bracket. The Michleton, N.J., product avenged a 4-3 loss to Tirapelle on Feb. 13.
"Brandon is wrestling great right now," Goldman said. "He lost his first match because I think he had some jitters as a freshman. He has come back and really responded. He is a great competitor."
Becker really pressed the action from the start and hit a fireman's for a takedown and then posted another two-pointer to grab a 4-0 lead in the first period. Tirapelle returned to the mat after an injury timeout to the down position. Becker locked in a tough claw ride and earned a couple one counts, and then finally got a two count to extend his lead to 6-0.
With Becker riding, Tirapelle escaped and earned a takedown at the end of the second period to cut the score in half, 6-3.
Becker started down at the beginning of the final period, but Tirapelle puts three backs of his own on the board to tie the match at 6-6. Becker then got an escape with 35 seconds left in the final frame to take a 7-6 lead. Tirapelle was able to tie the match with an escape of his own, but Becker claimed the contest with riding time.
Becker then pinned Chris Horning, the 11th seed, of Clarion at 4:03 to earn a win in the sixth round of the consolation bracket. He will now face Trent Paulson of Iowa State in the next session.
With his spot in the next round, Becker is assured a top-eight finish an All-America status. Coupled with Dubuque and senior Pat DeGain earning All-America accolades, the Hoosiers will have three wrestlers garner the honor for the first time since they had four in 1946.
"This is great for our program," Goldman said. "It's just a credit to our team and how hard they have worked this entire season."
Becker is now 32-12 on the year and 5-1 at the championship.
In other semifinal action, DeGain, the fourth-seeded heavyweight, lost 4-0 to undefeated and top-seeded Steve Mocco of Oklahoma State.
Mocco opened the match on a single, grabbed both of DeGain's legs on the edge and earned a takedown for a 2-0 advantage. Mocco then escaped quickly to score the lone point of the second period and would add the final point of the match on riding time.
DeGain slipped to 33-6 on the year. He will next face Matt Feast of Pennsylvania in the consolation bracket.
"The guy that Pat wrestled is one of the best in the country," Goldman said. `It was a good match. Pat moved up in weight class this year, and that was a risk. He has done well all season and his goal was to be an All-American. He achieved what he was after. He will have to continue to work his way back in the consolation bracket."
Saturday's championship round will be televised live on ESPN at 5 p.m. EST.
Session IV Results
125-pounds:
Joe Dubuque (Indiana) dec. Sam Hazewinkel (Oklahoma), 3-1
157-pounds:
Brandon Becker (Indiana) dec. Alex Tirapelle (Illinois), 8-7
Brandon Becker (Indiana) F. Chris Horning (Clarion), 4:03
Heavyweight:
Steve Mocco (Oklahoma State) dec. Pat DeGain (Indiana), 4-0
NCAA Team Standings After Session IV
1. 127.5 - Oklahoma State
2. 71.5 - Cornell
3. 67.0 - Michigan
4. 66.0 - Minnesota
5. 64.0 - Iowa
6. 61.0 - Oklahoma
7. 60.5 - Illinois
8. 52.5 - Iowa State
9. 49.0 - Indiana
10. 41.5 - Lehigh
