2002-03 College News - Minnesota sends four into the finals of Las Vegas Invite

Minnesota sends four into the finals of Las Vegas Invite

December 7, 2002

Las Vegas, Nev. - The third-ranked University of Minnesota wrestling team advanced four Golden Gophers into tonight's championship matches of the 2002 Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Ryan Lewis (133 pounds), Jared Lawrence (149), Luke Becker (157) and Jacob Volkmann (165) each moved on to the final bouts which take place at 5 p.m. (Pacific time). Minnesota's four finalists tops the competition, followed by Arizona State and Illinois with three.

The Maroon and Gold leads the team race with 123 points, ahead of Illinois (117.5 points), Ohio State (112.5), Arizona State (104) and West Virginia (92.5).

Lewis became the first Golden Gopher to advance to the finals with his pin of No. 4 Brian Lauer of West Virginia in 4:19. Lauer took an early 2-0 lead, but Lewis took the Moutaineer down early in the second period before tallying his second fall of the tournament and fourth of the season. Lewis, 6-1 this year, takes on No. 2 Kevin Black of Wisconsin in the 133-pound title match.

Top-seeded Lawrence moved on in the tough 149-pound bracket, downing No. 5 Billy Smith of West Virginia with a 12-3 major decision. Lawrence tallied four takedowns and a three-point near fall to cruise to the win and advance to face the nation's third-ranked 149-pounder, Eric Larkin of Arizona State. Larkin was a 10-4 winner over No. 2 Jesse Jantzen of Harvard.

At 157 pounds, top-seeded Becker made it three-for-three for Minnesota with his 9-3 win over No. 4 Adam Britt of VMI. Becker did not allow a Britt takedown and ended with over three minutes of advantage time. The top-ranked Golden Gopher moves on to battle No. 3 Keaton Anderson of Ohio State, a winner by injury default over No. 2 Ryan Bertin of Michigan.

Second-seeded Volkmann closed out Minnesota's run into the finals, edging No. 3 Johnny Clark of Ohio State with a 9-7 decision at 165 pounds. Clark led 7-3 early in the second period, but Volkmann surged back to take the lead with a takedown in both the second and third period. The third-ranked Golden Gopher heads to the final to face top-ranked Matt Lackey of Illinois.

In final consolation matches, No. 8 Bobbe Lowe at 125 pounds and No. 9 Jacob Lininger at heavyweight each took eighth place. Lowe finished the tournament with a 3-3 record while Lininger ended with a 4-3 mark. No. 11 Josh McLay downed No. 8 Curtis Owen of Arizona State, 3-2, to advance to tonight's 174-pound third-place match against No. 12 Blake Kaplan of Ohio State. In the championship semifinals, McLay fell to No. 7 Brian Glynn of Illinois, 3-1, in sudden victory overtime.

Complete Minnesota results are below. For more results from the Las Vegas Invitational, check www.thewrestlingmall.com.

Consolation Bracket Fourth Round Results
125 - No. 8 Bobbe Lowe (MINN) maj. dec. No. 11 Heath McKim (Air Force), 17-4
HWT - No. 9 Jacob Lininger (MINN) dec. Israel Blevins (Purdue), 3-1

Championship Bracket Semifinal Results
133 - No. 1 Ryan Lewis (MINN) pinned No. 4 Brandon Lauer (West Virginia), 4:19
149 - No. 1 Jared Lawrence (MINN) maj. dec. No. 5 Billy Smith (West Virginia), 12-3
157 - No. 1 Luke Becker (MINN) dec. No. 4 Adam Britt (VMI), 9-3
165 - No. 2 Jacob Volkmann (MINN) dec. No. 3 Johnny Clark (Ohio State), 9-7
174 - No. 7 Brian Glynn (Illinois) dec. No. 11 Josh McLay (MINN), 3-1 SVO

Play-by-play

133 - No. 1 Ryan Lewis (MINN) vs. No. 4 Brandon Lauer (West Virginia)
1st period: Lauer takedown 0:40 (0-2); Lewis escape 0:50 (1-2); Advantage time Lauer 0:10
2nd period: Lewis starts down; Lewis escape 0:15 (2-2); Lewis takedown 0:29 (4-2); Lewis pin 1:19
Final: Lewis pinned Lauer, 4:19

149 - No. 1 Jared Lawrence (MINN) vs. No. 5 Billy Smith (West Virginia)
1st period: Lawrence takedown 1:33 (2-0); Smith escape 2:20 (2-1); Advantage time Lawrence 0:47
2nd period: Smith starts down; Smith escape 0:14 (2-2); Lawrence takedown 0:33 (4-2); Lawrence 3 pt near fall 1:40 (7-2); Advantage time Lawrence 2:27
3rd period: Neutral start; Lawrence takedown 0:35 (9-2); Smith escape 0:47 (9-3); Lawrence takedown 0:53 (11-3); Advantage time Lawrence 3:47 (12-3)
Final: Lawrence maj. dec. Smith, 12-3

157 - No. 1 Luke Becker (MINN) vs. No. 4 Adam Britt (VMI)
1st period: Becker takedown 0:48 (2-0); Britt escape 1:24 (2-1); Becker takedown 1:36 (4-1); Britt escape 1:56 (4-2); Advantage time 0:52 Becker
2nd period: Britt starts down; No scoring; Advantage time Becker 2:52
3rd period: Neutral start; Becker takedown 0:40 (6-2); Britt escape 0:57 (6-3); Becker takedown 1:53 (8-3); Advantage time Becker 3:12 (9-3)
Final: Becker dec. Britt, 9-3

165 - No. 2 Jacob Volkmann (MINN) vs. No. 3 Johnny Clark (Ohio State)
1st period: Clark takedown 0:40 (0-2); Volkmann escape 0:55 (1-2); Clark takedown (1-4); Volkmann escape (2-4); Clark takedown 2:25 (2-6); Volkmann escape (3-6); Advantage time Clark 0:37
2nd period: Clark starts down; Clark escape 0:03 (3-7); Volkmann takedown 0:37 (5-7); Advantage time Volkmann 0:49
3rd period: Volkmann starts down; Volkmann escape 0:03 (6-7); Volkmann takedown 0:50 (8-7); Advantage time Volkmann 1:55 (9-7)
Final: Volkmann dec. Clark, 9-7

174 - No. 11 Josh McLay (MINN) vs. No. 7 Brian Glynn (Illinois)
1st period: No scoring
2nd period: Glynn starts down; Glynn escape 0:19 (0-1); Advantage time McLay 0:19
3rd period: McLay starts down; McLay escape 0:31 (1-1); Advantage time Glynn 0:12
Overtime: Glynn takedown 0:16 (1-3)
Final: Glynn dec. McLay, 3-1 SVO

Consolation Bracket Fifth Round Results
125 - No. 5 Vic Moreno (Cal Poly) dec. No. 8 Bobbe Lowe (MINN), 5-4
HWT - Boe Rushton (Boise St.) dec. No. 9 Jacob Lininger (MINN), 4-0

Consolation Bracket Semifinal Results
174 - No. 11 Josh McLay (MINN) dec. No. 8 Curtis Owen (Arizona St.), 3-2

Consolation Bracket Final Results
125 - Seventh-place match - No. 6 Kyle Ott (Illinois) dec. No. 8 Bobbe Lowe (MINN), 8-4
174 - Third-place match - No. 11 Josh McLay vs. No. 12 Blake Kaplan (Ohio St.)
HWT - Seventh-place match - No. 5 Brad Steele (Wyoming) dec. No. 9 Jacob Lininger (MINN), 5-3 SVO

Championship Bracket Final Match-ups
133 - No. 1 Ryan Lewis (MINN) vs. No. 2 Kevin Black (Wisconsin)
149 - No. 1 Jared Lawrence (MINN) vs. No. 3 Eric Larkin (Arizona St.)
157 - No. 1 Luke Becker (MINN) vs. No. 3 Keaton Anderson (Ohio St.)
165 - No. 2 Jacob Volkmann (MINN) vs. No. 1 Matt Lackey (Illinois)

Team Scores after Session III
1. Minnesota 123.0
2. Illinois 117.5
3. Ohio State 112.5
4. Arizona State 104.0
5. West Virginia 92.5
6. Michigan 86.0
7. Nebraska 85.0
8. Wisconsin 77.5
9. Boise State 73.5
10. Missouri 72.5