2007-08 College Results - Three NDSU Wrestlers at NCAA National Championships This Week

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Three NDSU Wrestlers at NCAA National Championships This Week

March 17, 2008

THIS WEEK: North Dakota State sends three wrestlers to the NCAA Division I national championships this week at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Mo. Action begins at 11 a.m. Thursday. ESPNU will have live telecasts of Friday’s quarterfinals at 10 a.m., Friday’s semifinals at 6 p.m., and Saturday’s medal rounds at 10 a.m. ESPN will televise Saturday’s championship round live at 7:30 p.m.

THE QUALIFIERS: North Dakota State earned three of the 20 qualifying spots from the NCAA West Regional hosted by NDSU two weeks ago. Senior Eric Hoffman (14-3) was the regional champion for the second straight year at 125 pounds, and the Bison had two wild card selections in 149-pound sophomore Ryan Adams (11-3) and 197-pound junior Jacob Bryce (15-10). Adams and Bryce both finished second at the West Regional.

LAST YEAR AT NATIONALS: Hoffman, Adams and Bryce are the same three national qualifiers for North Dakota State as one year ago. Hoffman and Bryce both went 0-2 at the national meet in Auburn Hills, while Adams scored a half-point for NDSU with a win his first consolation match. He finished 1-2. Here’s how they fared:

Eric Hoffman, 125 pounds
lost by decision to Gabe Flores (Illinois), 2-0
lost by decision to Chad Sportelli (Kent State), 9-7

Ryan Adams, 149 pounds
lost by major decision to Dan Vallimont (Penn State), 11-2
won by decision over Sam Alvarenga (VMI), 6-4
lost by decision to Cyler Sanderson (Iowa State), 5-2

Jacob Bryce, 197 pounds
lost by major decision to No. 9 Kurt Backes (Iowa State), 16-4
lost by major decision to Nathan Moore (Purdue), 12-0

REGIONAL RESULTS: Northern Iowa crowned six champions and scored 119 points to run away with its 23rd straight West Regional championship at the Bison Sports Arena on Saturday, March 8. Air Force was second with 64.5 points, Wyoming third with 49.5, Northern Colorado fourth with 47.5, North Dakota State fifth with 44.5, and South Dakota State last with 14 points.

North Dakota State had five placefinishers. Joining Hoffman, Adams and Bryce were were senior Eric Sanders, who edged Air Force’s Derek Gillespie 9-8 for third place at 133 pounds, and freshman Shannon Fettig, who finished fourth at 174 pounds with a 6-2 loss to Northern Colorado’s Ryan Johnson in his final match.

WESTERN WRESTLING CONFERENCE:
North Dakota State finished in a tie for second with a 4-2-0 record in its second year in the Western Wrestling Conference. The Bison were fourth with a 3-2-1 record in their inaugural season. The wrestling-only conference is comprised of seven schools spread across six states, including Air Force, Northern Colorado, Northern Iowa, South Dakota State, Utah Valley and Wyoming. The West Regional serves as the NCAA qualifying tournament for the conference.

THE COACHES: Legendary head coach Bucky Maughan is in his 44th season at the helm of the Bison wrestling program. The three-time national coach of the year has compiled an impressive 443-136-12 record (.760) at NDSU and has led North Dakota State to four NCAA Division II national championships. Maughan has coached 30 individual NCAA champions and more than 170 All-Americans, and was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2003. Assistant coaches are Bret Maughan (7th season) and Kris Nelson (8th season), both All-Americans at North Dakota State, and the volunteer coach is Tommy Davis, a two-time ACC champion and four-time NCAA qualifier at North Carolina State.