Indiana University Athletics
Indiana University
NCAA Championships (March 17-19)
Alcala Fifth, Powless Eighth, Team Top-25 At NCAAs
3/19/2011 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
March 19, 2011
Complete Brackets in PDF Format 
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - Ricky Alcala closed out a hard-working weekend at the NCAA Wrestling Championships with a fifth-place finish in the heavyweight division. Alcala wrestled eight matches on the weekend and was on the mat for more than 64 minutes of action, including six overtime matches. Matt Powless became IU's first ever All-American at 197, taking eighth place. The Hoosiers placed 25th with 23.5 team points.
The two wrestlers are the 49th and 50th individuals to earn All-America honors in wrestling as a Hoosier. The two All-America finishes are the 75th and 76th honors earned by Hoosiers all-time in the sport. They are head coach Duane Goldman's 24th and 25th All-America honorees at Indiana.
Indiana head coach Duane Goldman was happy to see his team represent itself well at the national meet.
"The four athletes we brought were our strong points for the entire season, and they really represented IU well," said Goldman. "Kurt and Paul had great careers, and Matt and Ricky becoming All-Americans was a great cap to the season. Everyone showed a lot of heart and wrestled well."
SESSION 5
Alcala wrestled No. 2 seed Jarod Trice of Central Michigan for the second time in the tournament in the consolation semifinal, and it was a very similar match. Neither wrestler scored in the first, and they traded escapes in the first and second to send it to extra time. There was no sudden victory, so each wrestler again traded escapes to put the score at 2-2. Another scoreless minute brought about another tiebreaker. Trice scored an escape, and in the next period was able to keep Alcala down for the 3-2 win.
Matt Powless faced off with Sonny Yohn of Minnesota for seventh place. The match went scoreless through two periods, with Yohn getting two minutes of riding time in the second. In the third, Yohn scored a reversal and Powless escaped to make it 2-1. Powless had to make something happen with only a minute to go, in his effort, Yohn ended up getting another takedown. Powless escaped late to move the score to a final of 5-2. Powless is the first ever All-American at 197 for Indiana.
Alcala faced off with Spencer Myers of Maryland for fifth place. He scored a takedown in the first, and Myers was quick to escape and the 2-1 score lasted into the second. Alcala started down and earned an escape for a 3-1 lead going into the third. In the third, Miles started down and earned an escape. The 3-2 score tied it up as Myers had wrapped up a riding time point. Alcala responded with a takedown. A Myers escape made it 5-3 and a stall warning for Alcala was all the rest of the way. Alcala won a 5-4 decision. Alcala's finish is the best for a Hoosier heavyweight since current assistant coach Pat DeGain took third in 2005.
149: No. 10 seed Kurt Kinser, Sr., Bloomington, Ind., 28-10
First Round: dec. Kyle Bradley (Missouri) 4-2 SV1
Second Round: dec. by No. 7 seed Mario Mason (Rutgers) 3-2 TB-2
Wrestlebacks: dec. by Donnie Corby (Central Michigan) 3-2
157: No. 12 seed Paul Young, Sr., Bloomington, Ind., 27-10
First Round: dec. Donnie Tasser (Pittsburgh) 5-2
Second Round: dec. No. 5 seed Jesse Dong (Virginia Tech) 9-4
Quarterfinals: dec. by No. 4 seed Bubba Jenkins (Arizona State) 4-3
Consolation Round of 12: dec. by No. 11 seed Walter Peppelman (Harvard) 6-4
197: No. 8 seed Matt Powless, Jr., Newburgh, Ind., 38-8
First Round: maj. dec. LJ Helbig (Wyoming) 10-1
Second Round: dec. No. 9 seed Sonny Yohn (Minnesota) 5-3 SV1
Quarterfinals: pinned by No. 1 seed Cam Simaz (Cornell) 2:20
Consolation Round of 12: dec. Joseph Kennedy (Lehigh) 3-2
Consolation Quarterfinal: maj. dec. by No. 5 seed Luke Lofthouse (Iowa) 10-2
Seventh-Place Match: dec. by Sonny Yohn (Minnesota) 5-2
HWT: Ricky Alcala, Sr., Bakersfield, Calif., 32-10
First Round: dec. Spencer Myers (Maryland) 9-7 SV1
Second Round: dec. by No. 2 seed Jarod Trice (Central Michigan) 3-2 TB-2
Wrestlebacks: dec. JT Felix (Boise State) 4-3 TB1
Wrestlebacks 2: dec. No. 4 seed Dominick Russo, III (Rutgers) 9-7 SV1
Consolation Round of 12: dec. No. 9 seed Cameron Wade (Penn State) 4-2 SV1
Consolation Quarterfinal: dec. Levi Cooper (Arizona State) 4-3
Consolation Semifinal: dec. by No. 2 seed Jarod Trice (Central Michigan) 3-2 TB-2
Fifth-Place Match: dec. Spencer Myers (Maryland) 5-4
