Indiana University
NCAA Championships (Session VI)
Dubuque Dominates to Earn Second Consecutive National Title
3/18/2006 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
March 18, 2006
OKLAHOMA CITY - In senior 125-pounder Joe Dubuque's last stand as a collegiate wrestler, the Bloomfield, N.J., native dominated from the opening whistle to claim his second consecutive national title. Dubuque overcame Troy Nickerson (Cornell), 8-3, to become the first Indiana grappler to win back-to-back national titles, and the second two-time champion since Charlie McDaniel captured a pair of titles in 1935 and 1938.
"He is just a champion," head coach Duane Goldman said. "He epitomizes everything that a champion stands for, from the hard work and preparation to the success on- and off -the-mat. He has been a blessing to coach and overall is the type of athlete every coach dreams about coaching."
"I am his biggest fan," assistant coach Mike Mena said after the victory. "He has been a pleasure coaching since the first day he came to Indiana."
Dubuque opened the match with a quick takedown in the opening period and never looked back. The three-time All-American allowed only three escapes by Nickerson, one in the first and two in the third, and registered a takedown in the second and third period en route to his 8-3 victory with riding time. Despite three escapes, Nickerson never managed a legitimate shot at the two-time champion in the loss.
"I just had fun out there," Dubuque said after his second national-title victory. "Last year, the pressure was on. Today, I was just relaxed the whole time. I could not have gone out any better way, a champion."
Dubuque concludes his illustrious season with his second consecutive national title, a third-place finish at Big Tens, his first regular-season title at the Mat Town Invitational, won 28 straight matches from March 6, 2005 to March 4, 2006 and became a three-time All-American (2004, 8th; 2005, 1st; 2006, 1st). During his career at Indiana, Dubuque is the fourth Hoosier grappler to earn three All-American honors in his career.
"The first championship was for me," Dubuque said. "The second one was more for my coaches, my family and my grandfather (Louis DeRogatis) who recently passed away. I would not have traded this experience for anything in the world. The coaches at Indiana, the school and the pride of being a Hoosier, I would not have wanted to go anywhere else but IU."
Indiana finished tied for 18th with 35.0 points. The is the 15th time IU has finished in the top 20 at NCAAs, and the fourth time under Goldman's leadership.
The Hoosiers conclude the 2006 NCAA Championships with two All-Americans and one national champion.
SESSION VI RESULTS
NCAA Title Bout
125: No. 3-seed Joe Dubuque dec. No. 5-seed Troy Nickerson (Cornell), 8-3
TEAM SCORES
1 Oklahoma State (122.5)
2 Minnesota (84.0)
3 Oklahoma (80.5)
4 Iowa (70.0)
5 Cornell (62.0)
T18Indiana (35.0)
SESSION V RESULTS
Seventh/Eighth-Place Bout
157: No. 6-seed Brandon Becker dec. No. 9-seed Craig Henning (Wisconsin), 9-6
SESSION IV RESULTS
125: No. 3-seed Joe Dubuque dec. No. 2-seed Sam Hazewinkel (Oklahoma), 2-1
157: No. 6-seed Brandon Becker dec. Michael Chandler (Missouri), 10-4
157: No. 1-seed Trent Paulson (Iowa State) dec. No. 6-seed Brandon Becker, 6-3
SESSION III RESULTS
125: No. 3-seed Joe Dubuque dec. No. 11-seed Luke Smith (Central Michigan), 6-4
157: No. 6-seed Brandon Becker pinned Dan Clum (Wyoming), 4:32
165: Max Dean med. for. No. 7-seed Troy Letters (Lehigh), MFor.
285: Dave Herman dec. No. 9-seed Payam Zarrinpour (Sacred Heart), 9-6
157: No. 6-seed Brandon Becker dec. Matt Hill (Edinboro), 7-5
165: No. 5-seed Matthew Pell (Missouri) dec. Max Dean, 5-3
285: Spencer Nadolsky (North Carolina) dec. Dave Herman, 3-2
SESSION II RESULTS
125: No. 3-seed Joe Dubuque dec. David Tomasette (Hofstra), 4-0
133: Joseph Baker (Navy) dec. Andrae Hernandez, 16-9
157: No. 11-seed Derek Zinck (Drexel) dec. No. 6-seed Brandon Becker, 8-6sv
165: Max Dean dec. Ray Blake (Stanford), 6-4
285: No. 3-seed Greg Wagner (Michigan) pinned Dave Herman, 2:19
SESSION I RESULTS
125: No. 3-seed Joe Dubuque dec. Michael Silengo (Penn), 5-2
133: No. 2-seed Nathan Morgan (Oklahoma State) dec. Andrae Hernandez, 9-3
157: No. 6-seed Brandon Becker maj. dec. Ryan Hluschak (Drexel), 11-0
165: Johnny Galloway (Northern Illinois) dec. Max Dean, 2-1 TB1
285: Dave Herman dec. Jon May (Nebraska), 4-1
COMPLETE BRACKETS AND RESULTS
For complete brackets and results, visit ncaasports.com for bout-by-bout results from all six sessions of the 2006 NCAA Championships. For Indiana specific recaps of this year's five NCAA qualifiers, visit IUHOOSIERS.com.
Players Mentioned
