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Abbott and Makovsky Honored by Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference

March 24, 2009

Mankato, Minn.-- The office of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference has announced that Minnesota State sophomore 149-pounder Tommy Abbott (Wilmington, Del.) has been named the league's Wrestler of the Year. Head coach Jim Makovsky was also honored by the league as he was tabbed the Coach of the Year.

Tommy AbbottNSIC Wrestler of the Year
Tommy Abbott (149 lbs. So., Wilmington, Del. / St. Mark’s HS)
Minnesota State University, Mankato

Tommy Abbott was the NSIC Wrestler to win a 2009 NCAA II National Championship. Abbott became the 28th National Champion to wear the Minnesota State singlet. He won a 6-5 decision against fourth-ranked Christopher Freije of Western State University to claim his first national championship. Abbott’s win helped the second-ranked Mavericks to a third-place finish at the 2009 NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships with 71.5 points. MSU has now finished in the top-5 the last five years and produced three national champions in the last two seasons. Wrestling at 149 pounds, Abbott also won the 2009 Super Region #3 Champion, the 2009 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Championship (149 pounds) as he finished with a 31-4 record. He has a career record of 56-9 as he finished as a 2008 NCAA II All-American (5th place).

Jim MakovskyNSIC Coach of the Year
Jim Makovsky (16th Season)
Minnesota State University, Mankato

Finishing his 16th season at the helm of the Minnesota State wrestling team, Jim Makovsky reached his 200th career win last season as he currently sits at a 227-86-5 (.725) overall record after leading the Mavericks to a 12-4 dual record this season. This season the Mavericks finished 3rd in the NCAA II Championships, 3rd in the Cliff Keen National Duals, won their first Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Championship and won their third consecutive region championship.

Since taking over the MSU wrestling program in 1993-94, Makovsky’s teams have placed in the top eight at NCAA tournament twelve times. Makovsky led the Mavericks to two second-place finishes (1993-94, 2007-08), third-place finishes in 2004-05 & 2008-09, a fourth-place finish in 2006-07 and a trio of sixth-place finishes (1994-95, 1998-99 and 2000-01). Under his tutelage, Makovsky has coached ten individual national champions in his career and 74 NCAA II All-Americans.

Makovsky, a Wahpeton, N.D., native is a 1989 graduate of Valley City state University where he served as head wrestling coach for four years before coming to MSU. Makovsky currently serves on the National Wrestling Coaches Association board of directors and is a past-president of the NCAA II Wrestling Coaches Association.

Tad Merritt of St. Cloud State University was named the league's Rookie of the Year.

Five Mavericks were named to the NSIC All-Conference First Team including 125-pound sophomore Andy Forstner (Madelia, Minn.), 149-pound sophomore Tommy Abbott (Wilmington, Del.), 157-pound junior Travis Elg (Mountain Lake, Minn.), 197-pound sophomore Pat Mahan (Owatonna, Minn.) and 285-pound junior Brady Wilson (Faribault, Minn.).

Senior 165-pounder Tim Matheson (Circle Pines, Minn.) was named to the NSIC All-Conference Second Team.

NSIC ALL-CONFERENCE FIRST TEAM
Name Wt. Yr. School Hometown
Andy Forstner 125 So. Minnesota State Madelia, Minn.
Trevor Franklin 133 R-Fr. Upper Iowa South New Berlin, N.Y.
Gabe Suarez 141 So. St. Cloud State Las Vegas, Nev.
Tommy Abbott 149 So. Minnesota State Wilmington, Del.
Travis Elg 157 Jr. Minnesota State Mountain Lake, Minn.
Tyler Tubbs 165 Sr. MSU Moorhead Chokio, Minn.
Mitch Norton 174 Jr. Upper Iowa Waverly, Iowa
Brad Padgett 184 Sr. St. Cloud State Buckley, Wash.
Pat Mahan 197 So. Minnesota State Owatonna, Minn.
Brady Wilson 285 Jr. Minnesota State Faribault, Minn.

NSIC ALL-CONFERENCE SECOND TEAM
Name Wt. Yr. School Hometown
Corbin Surat 125 Jr. Northern State Aberdeen, S.D.
Josh Williams 133 Sr. St. Cloud State Banks, Ore.
J.R. Baker 141 R-So. Upper Iowa Clermont, Iowa
Jacob Roberts 149 Jr. St. Cloud State Jordan, Minn.
Travis Eggers 157 Jr. Upper Iowa Monona, Iowa
Tim Matheson 165 Sr. Minnesota State Circle Pines, Minn.
Derek Skala 174 So. St. Cloud State Owatonna, Minn.
Nick Henning 184 So. Augustana College Fulda, Minn.
Tyler Copsey 197 So. Augustana College Glenwood, Iowa
Lance Peters 285 So. Augustana College Le Roy, Minn.

2009 NSIC NCAA ALL-AMERICANS
Weight Name School Place
125 Andy Forstner Minnesota State 6th
141 John Putman Minnesota State 4th
141 Jay Sherer Augustana College 7th
149 Tommy Abbott Minnesota State 1st
157 Travis Eggers Upper Iowa 2nd
165 Tad Merritt St. Cloud State 3rd
165 Tyler Tubbs MSU Moorhead 6th
165 Tim Matheson Minnesota State 7th
174 Mitch Norton Upper Iowa 5th
174 Derek Skala St. Cloud State 7th
184 Brad Padgett St. Cloud State 3rd
184 Tony Gehling Upper Iowa 8th
197 Ty Copsey Augustana College 7th
285 Brady Wilson Minnesota State 3rd

NSIC at NCAA National Championships
Place Score Team National Champions
3. 71.5 - Minnesota State 1
8. 44.0 - St. Cloud State 0
10. 37.0 - Upper Iowa 0
21. 15.5 - Augustana 0
T-25. 10.5 - MSU Moorhead 0
30. 0.5 - Northern State 0
T-31. 0.0 - Southwest Minnesota State 0
DNQ - University of Mary 0