Indiana University Athletics
Indiana University
NCAA Championship
Escobedo Advances to Finals; Becker is All-American Once Again
3/21/2008 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
March 21, 2008
ST. LOUIS, Mo. - Indiana's Angel Escobedo is one win away from a national championship while Brandon Becker assured himself of All-America status for the third time in his career on Friday in St. Louis at the NCAA Championships.
On Saturday morning, ESPNU will carry the medal rounds live at 11 a.m. (ET). ESPN and ESPN360.com will air the championships live at 8:30 p.m. (ET).
Escobedo looks to bring the 125-pound title back to Bloomington after a one-year absence. Former Hoosier Joe Dubuque won the 125-pound championship in 2005 and 2006.
Becker will once again find himself on the All-American stand on Saturday and has a chance to post his best finish ever at the nationals, needing two more wins to capture third place in the 157-pound weight class.
No. 1 Angel Escobedo's Bout-by-Bout Results:
First round- Escobedo dec. over Anthony Robles (Arizona State), 4-2
Second round- Escobedo dec. over Eric Hoffman (NDSU), 6-3
Quarterfinals- Escobedo dec. over No. 8 Brandon Precin (Northwestern), 3-2;TB2;RT
Semifinals- Escobedo dec. over No. 5 Charlie Falck (Iowa), 4-2
Escobedo began his run to the championship match by defeating Arizona State's Anthony Robles and Eric Hoffman of North Dakota State by scores of 4-2 and 6-3, respectively, to reach the semifinals. (For complete match descriptions of the first two rounds, please see the Thursday recap)
Session three pitted Escobedo versus the No. 8-seeded Brandon Precin from Northwestern. It marked the third match-up between those two this season as Escobedo earned a 10-3 win (Midlands) and 3-1 (dual match) sudden victory over Precin in the previous two showdowns.
Extra time would be needed once again to decide the third scuffle after each combatant recorded an escape for a 1-1 deadlock. The stand off continued through a tie breaker and two sudden victory periods with no points scored for either wrestler. Tie breaker period number two placed Precin in the down position first. Escobedo was able to ride him for 17 seconds before Precin eventually got away for the escape and a 2-1 lead. As Precin slipped out of his grasp, Escobedo injured his shoulder, lying on the mat for just over a minute wreathing in pain.
It was then Escobedo's turn to start in the referee's position, however, fighting through some obvious shoulder pain. The Griffith, Indiana native dug deep and burst away from Precin in just 10 seconds, giving him a seven second riding time advantage. He blocked several Precin shot attempts from there and earned a 3-2 victory thanks to the riding time point.
Equipped with a shoulder brace for his semifinal match with No. 5 Charlie Falck (Iowa), Escobedo continued to show the 17,000-plus people in attendance how much heart he has with a thrilling finish to secure his spot in the championship match. Escobedo's (33-1) only loss this season came against Falck, but the Hoosier avenged that defeat by topping Falck in the Big Ten semifinals.
Following a scoreless first period, Falck managed to ride out Escobedo for the entire two minutes of the second period for a large riding time advantage. Falck then escaped quickly to begin the final period and take a 1-0 lead in addition to a large riding time advantage. Shortly thereafter, Escobedo pulled off a move that "he has never hit in his life before," as described by him in the post-match press conference. With less than a minute remaining in his bid for a national championship, Escobedo locked in a double under-hook and drove Falck to his back with a leg trip. He was able to garner two near fall points as well on the move for a 4-1 edge. That score proved to be the final after Escobedo rode him out for the final 48 seconds of the contest.
It's déjà vu for Escobedo, forced to beat Falck in the semifinals and Minnesota's Jayson Ness in the finals to claim a championship just as he did at the Big Ten Championships two weeks ago. He was the first Hoosier to win a Big Ten title since Roger Chandler did so in 1997.
No. 4 Brandon Becker's Bout-by-Bout Results:
First round- Becker dec. over Zac Fryling (West Virginia), 1-0
Second round- Jonny Bonilla-Bowman (Hofstra) dec. over Becker, 5-3
WB 2nd rd.- Becker maj. dec. over William Garvin (Chattanooga), 10-0
WB 3rd rd.- Becker dec. over Ryan Morningstar (Iowa), 2-0
Round of 12- Becker dec. over No. 10 Michael Chandler (Missouri), 8-2
Round of 8- Becker pins Moley (Bloomsburg), 1:28
Friday was a busy day for Becker, racking up four wins on the day and ripping through the wrestleback bracket. First up was a 10-0 shutout over William Garvin (Chattanooga) in which Becker tallied a takedown, two near-falls and a reversal.
Next up was a bout versus Iowa's Ryan Morningstar whom Becker had already defeated twice earlier in the year. It's usually tough to beat someone three times in one season, and Friday proved to be no different. Becker did grab a 1-0 lead though thanks to an early second period escape.
The third and final period showcased why Becker is commonly considered one of the most exciting collegiate wrestlers to watch in the country. He scrambled his way to an incredible two-minute ride that forced numerous fans to their feet. The 2-0 triumph for Becker advanced him to the next round and a shot at his third All-American recognition.
Rewind the clock two years back and one would see a Becker vs. Michael Chandler (Missouri) match-up with the exact same scenario as Friday's round of 12 battle; winner is an All-American, the loser goes home. And just as Becker did then, he guaranteed himself a spot on the stand while denying Chandler that honor. Indiana's redshirt senior notched the first five points of the match en route to an 8-2 win.
Becker concluded his day in quick fashion. Competing against Matt Moley (Bloomsburg) who had also already wrestled three matches earlier in the day, Becker reversed a quick Moley takedown. The reversal sent Moley straight to his back and an immediate pin for Becker ensued. The official time of the fall was 1:28.
No. 12 Josh Zupancicof Stanford will be the challenger for Becker in session five on Saturday.
Kurt Kinser's Bout-by-Bout Results:
Pig-tail match- Kinser dec. over Matt Cathell (Deleware St.), 6-3
First round- Kinser pins Don Fisch (Rider), 1:32
Second round- No. 1 Brent Metcalf (Iowa) dec. over Kinser, 10-5
WB 2nd rd.- Kinser dec. over Trevor Chinn (Lehigh), 6-5 SV
WB 3rd rd.- No. 8 Jake Patacsil (Purdue) maj. dec. over Kinser, 15-2
Kinser earned his third win at the NCAAs, holding on for a 6-5 sudden victory. He garnered a 5-1 edge over Trevor Chinn (Lehigh) following two near-fall points in the third period. Chinn came storming back though and recorded a takedown with eight second left to force sudden victory. Kinser locked in deep on Chinn early in the extra period before Chinn grabbed his head gear in an attempt to free himself from Kinser's grasp. The illegal tactic cost Chinn a penalty point and the match, 6-5. Indiana's redshirt freshman's season finally came to an end the following round, falling to No. 8 Jake Patacsil (Purdue), 15-2.
Nate Everhart's Bout-by-Bout Results:
First round- Everhart dec. over Eddie Bordas (Rider), 3-1
Second round- No. 4 Matt Fields (Iowa) dec. over Everhart, 4-1
WB 2nd rd.- Justin Dobies (North Carolina) dec. over Everhart, 3-1
Players Mentioned
