Indiana University Athletics
Seven Wrestlers Set For NCAA Championship
8/25/2005 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
March 15, 2005
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - - Seven Indiana grapplers will take to the mat for the 2005 NCAA Wrestling Championship, Thursday March 17 through Saturday, March 19 at the Savis Center in downtown St. Louis. The seeds for the 75th Division I Wrestling Championship were announced on Tuesday evening.
Heavyweight senior Pat DeGain was one of two Hoosiers to earn a seeding, 4th overall, and he will encounter junior Mike Faust of Virginia Tech in the second round. DeGain, 30-5 on the year, became the third-ever Hoosier to win the Midland Championships on Dec. 29-30 He also became the 11th all-time IU wrestler to eclipse the 100-win plateau. The Clarkston, Mich., native participated in the 2004 NCAA Championship.
Junior Joe Dubuque is seeded 5th at 125-pounds and will face freshman Mike Sees of Bloomsburg in the second round. Dubuque was 24-3 on the year, including an 18-1 mark in dual matches. This will be the second-straight year the Bloomfield, N.J., native will compete at the NCAAs. He bested four ranked opponents during the year, including a 6-4 decision over then-No. 3 Nick Simmons of Michigan State on Feb. 12. Simmons is the 2nd seed at the Championship and is in the bottom half of the 125 bracket.
Sees is 19-1 on the season and earned Eastern Wrestling League championship at 125.
Redshirt freshman Brandon Becker will battle 12th-seeded senior Jim Medeiros of Fresno State at 157-pounds in the second round. Becker closed the year with a 27-11 ledger with six victories coming by way of pin. He posted his best win of the year on Feb. 20, a 13-12 decision over then-No. 8 Joe Johnston of Iowa.
Medeiros won a 3-1 sudden decision over Northern Iowa's Chris Bitetto to claim the 157-pound title at Western Regionals.
At 165-pounds, redshirt freshman Max Dean will meet sophomore Sacred Heart's Sherwood Fendryk in the second round. Dean had an overall record of 24-13 and registered six bonus point victories on the year.
Fendryk was 23-13 on the year and was runner-up in his weight class at the Colonial Athletic Association Championship.
Junior Brady Richardson is set to square-off with Fresno State's freshman Chris Gifford at 174-pounds and junior Andy Rios was face Chris Ressa of Rutgers at 184-lbs. Richardson closed the season at 23-6 and 14-3 in dual matches. The Vincennes, Ind., product is making his second trip to the Championship after competing in 2004. Rios was 24-17 on the campaign and finished the year tied for a team-best three technical falls.
Gifford was one of six Fresno State wrestlers to advance to the NCAA Championship. Ressa finished third at 184-pounds at the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association Championships on March 5.
Faust claimed the Atlantic Coast Conference heavyweight championship on March 5 with a 3-1 sudden victory decision over Venroy July of Duke.
All the the above IU grapplers received first round byes.
At 149-pounds, sophomore Isaac Knable will battle Patrick Williams of Arizona State in the first round. Knable will be making his NCAA debut in St. Louis
Event Schedule:
Thursday, March 17
Session I - 11 a.m.
Session II - 6:30 p.m.
Friday, March 18
Session III - 10 a.m.
Session IV - 6 p.m.
Saturday, March 19
Session V - 9:30 a.m.
Session VI - 4 p.m.
