Batsukh Wins National Championship, Baxter Takes Seventh
March 7, 2009
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – Saint John’s University
sophomore Minga Batsukh (Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia/St. Benedict’s Prep,
N.J.) defeated Wartburg’s (Iowa) Zach McKray 5-2 to become the fourth
wrestling national champion in the school’s history at the 2009 NCAA
Division III championships Saturday, March 7, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Batsukh becomes the first national champion since current head coach
Brandon Novak won the 197-pound title in 2001.
Sophomore Dustin Baxter (Fairbanks, Alaska/West Valley) finished
seventh at 184 pounds to also earn All-American honors (top eight).
Baxter fell to North Central’s (Ill.) Gabe Youel 3-1 in overtime before
defeating Wheaton’s (Ill.) Toby Boltz, 7-4.
Batsukh defeated Nick Garber of Waynesburg (Pa.) and James Beshada of
U.S. Merchant Marine (N.Y.) by scores of 14-9 and 9-3, respectively, to
advance to the semifinals on Friday, March 6. Batsukh upset top-seeded
Austin Bautista of Wisconsin-Whitewater 4-3 in the 141-pound semifinals
to advance to the championship match.
Baxter, meanwhile, defeated the College of New Jersey’s Scott Kelley
6-2 in the first round at 184 before falling to top-seeded Michael
Wilcox of Delaware Valley, 5-4 in triple overtime. Baxter then defeated
Wartburg’s Romeo Djoumessi, the No. 2 seed, 13-11 in his first match of
wrestlebacks on Friday.
Junior Mogi Baatar (Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia/St. Benedict’s Prep, N.J.)
broke his hand in a 6-1 loss to Wartburg’s Matt Kelly following his
first-round bye at 133, and then lost to Ithaca’s Chad Winowich, 8-3.
Sophomore Matt Baarson (Brooklyn Park, Minn./Champlin Park) fell to
Messiah’s (Pa.) Craig Gin 5-2 in the first round, before bouncing back
with a 14-5 win over Jonas Flok of Lakeland (Wis.) in the consolation
bracket of 157. Baarson then lost to Ithaca’s (N.Y.) Willie Horwath,
9-6.
