Minnesota State Sits Fourth After Day One; Five Earn All-American Honors
March 13, 2009
Houston, Tex. - The second-ranked Minnesota State wrestling team
is fourth with 41.5 points after day one of the 2009 NCAA Division II
Wrestling Championships. The University of Nebraska-Omaha leads the
tournament with 76.5 points. Newberry (42.5 points) sits second and the
University of Nebraska-Kearney is third (42.0 points). Junior
285-pounder Brady Wilson and sophomore 149-pounder Tommy Abbott both
remain in the championship bracket and five Mavericks earned
All-American honors.
The championships are being held at the NCAA Division II National
Championships Festival on the campus of the University of Houston.
In his first appearance at nationals, sophomore 125-pounder Andy
Forstner (Madelia, Minn.) entered the tournament ranked sixth and
earned a win, 4-2, against Anderson College’s (S.C.) Carlton Hamilton.
Forstner lost in an 9-7 decision to #7 Thomas Edgmon of Fort Hayes
State to drop to the consolation bracket. Forstner moved on with a 15-5
major decision against Kyle Pedretti of Upper Iowa University to earn
his first All-American honor. Forstner will wrestle #1 Curtis Schurkamp
of San Francisco State in session III.
Sophomore 133-pounder Tim Haneberg (Tinley Park, Ill.), making his
first appearance at the national meet, got a tough first-round draw
facing defending 125 pound champion and first-ranked, Cody Garcia from
the University of Nebraska-Omaha. Garcia earned the major decision with
a 9-0 victory. The win is the third for Garcia against Haneberg this
season. Haneberg’s quest for a national title ended with a 11-3 major
decision loss to Rhett Breed of Mesa State. He finished his sophomore
campaign with a final record of 14-19.
At 141, seventh-ranked senior John Putman (Oak Lawn, Ill.) lost to #1
Raymond Dunning of Adams State in the first period via a pin at 2:47.
Putman is making his second appearance at the national meet after
competing at 133 pounds last year. Putman earned a major decision,
13-3, against #4 Matt Irwin of the University of Indianapolis to move
on in the consolation bracket. He then defeated Steven Baker of Upper
Iowa University in an 9-6 decision. Putman is now a two-time
All-American. He battles Cory Bloodgood of the University of Central
Missouri in session III.
Second-ranked sophomore Tommy Abbott (Willmington, Del.) is making his
second appearance at the national meet at 149 pounds. Abbott earned a
3-1 win against Western Liberty State’s Kayne Melko, using a two-point,
first period takedown to set the tone for the match. Abbott then
advanced to the semi-final match with an 8-0 major decision against
Joseph Deaguero of Adams State. Abbott is now a two-time All-American.
He will play #6 Kevin McElehaney of Gannon University in session III.
Junior Travis Elg (Mountain Lake, Minn.) is ranked sixth nationally and
is making his third appearance at the national meet, this is his first
as a 157-pounder after moving up from 141 pounds. Elg earned a fall at
6:08 against University of Central Missouri’s Denis Ryzhov. Elg lost
6-2 in a decision to third-ranked Danny Grater of Fort Hays State. Elg
was then pinned at 1:39 by Keenan McCurdy of University of
Nebraska-Kearney. Elg ends his season with a 20-6 record.
Senior Tim Matheson (Circle Pines, Minn.) is making his first
appearance at the national meet at 165 pounds and third overall
appearance after competing as a 174-pounder the past two seasons. #7
Matheson and opponent Troy Lussenhop of Fort Hays State wrestled to a
score of 0-0 after five minutes. In the third period, Matheson earned a
two-point reversal, leading him to a 5-1 victory. Matheson just missed
the semi-finals as #1 Josh Shields of Mercyhurst College pinned him at
6:54. Matheson rebounded with a 3-2 decision in the first tie breaker
period against #4 Justin Shannon of the University of Findlay to earn
his first-career All-American honor. Matheson will wrestle
eighth-ranked Tad Merritt of St. Cloud State in session III.
At 174 pounds, making his first appearance at nationals, junior Ben
Becker (Fort Dodge, Iowa) was pinned at :55 by #8 Christopher Barrick
of Shippensburg. Becker then won a 7-4 decision against #6 Justin
Ferguson of Ashland University, but fell in his next match to Joeseph
Shreckhise of Limestone College in a 9-4 decision. Becker ends his
season with a 13-13 record.
The Mavericks’ only true freshman at nationals, Aaron Norgren (Good
Thunder, Minn.), competing at 184 pounds, lost his opening match by a
6-1 decision to #3 Lucas Haag of the University of Wisconsin-Parkside.
Norgren then used a late two-point takedown in his match with Tyler
Gonzales of Fort Hays State to earn a 6-4 decision. He ended his season
with a tight battle with sixth-ranked Larry Wilbanks of Western State
College, losing the decision 11-10. Norgren ends his freshman season
with a 13-11 record.
Sixth-ranked sophomore Pat Mahan (Owatonna, Minn.) is making his first
appearance at nationals at 197, and was upset by an 11-4 decision to
Luke McPeek of New Mexico Highlands. Mahan held a 4-3 lead after the
first period. He rebounded in his next match, earning a 11-0 major
decision against Scott Snyder of Kutztown University. Mahan then lost
to #2 Josh Majerus in a major decision, 8-0. Mahan ends his first
season as a Maverick with a 22-11 record.
At 285, second-ranked junior Brady Wilson (Faribault, Minn.) is making
his third appearance at the national meet, and took care of business in
the first-round by earning a fall at 1:12 against Cody Tominak of West
Liberty State. Wilson then moved on to the finals with a 5-4 decision
against fourth-ranked Tony Lewis of UNO. Wilson becomes a three-time
All-American, becoming the 18th Maverick all-time to earn at least
three All-American honors. Wilson will battle #1 Cy Wainwright of
Newberry College in session III.
Place Score Team
1 76.5 Nebraska-Omaha
2 42.5 Newberry
3 42.0 Nebraska-Kearney
4 41.5 Minnesota State
5 34.0 Western State College
6 33.5 Central Oklahoma
7 32.0 Adams State
8 29.0 Upper Iowa
9 27.5 Wisconsin-Parkside
10 26.0 Gannon
The five remaining Mavericks complete the two-day tournament tomorrow, beginning at 10 a.m., with session III of the tournament.
