125 Clayton Rush (Coe) dec. Albie McKinney (UW-Lax) 11-8
McKinney came out firing and captured Rush’s leg right off the bat, very nearly locking up a low leg cradle that would have shocked the sizable crowd still settling into their seats. Rush was able to roll through when McKinney got a little over eager and secured the reversal. It was pretty much all Rush from there on out as he scored several more takedowns. He was executing a game plan in which he tried to stay in neutral with McKinney, letting him up quickly after most scores. McKinney was probing for an opening to try to tie things up as the clock wound down, but he never sold out for one last good attempt, and Rush held him off to win his second title in his thrid finals trip.
133 Seth Ecker (Ithaca) dec. Mike McInally (RIT) 6-2
It was the fourth meeting of the year between familiar Empire Conference foes, as they had upset the #1 and #2 seeds to get to the final to face each other. Both are very good scramblers and neither was willing to concede anything. Ecker was able to get on the board first when he managed to duck under some pressure from McInally to get solid control of a leg and turn it into the first takedown. Ecker built up some crucial riding time throughout the match and scored a second takedown in the second period. McInally was game, but he was unable to get his slick duckunder against such a familiar opponent and Ecker finished the season 3-1 against McInally and will return next year to defend.
141 Bebeto Yewah (UW-Lax) dec. Jeremy Stierly (Ithaca) 4-3
This was the expected matchup, as neither wrestler had lost to a DIII competitor and both were in the finals last year, with Yewah winning 133 and Stierly finishing 2nd at 141. Yewah is very compact and explosive, with a great double leg, and he was able to get it a couple of times in the match for his four points, once in each of the first two periods. Stierly never got a chance on top with Yewah picking neutral in the third and his athleticism and power made it tough for Stierly to find that opening he would need to get the takedown that could give him the victory. Yewah was content to hold on in the third period as neither wrestler scored and Yewah got a second title, this time in front of the home crowd.
149 Minga Batsukh (St. John’s) dec. Tony Valek (Augsburg) 7-4
This was the second straight matchup of a wrestler who won the title at a weight below moving up to face the runner-up at the higher weight from the year before. Batsukh was going for his third title and had avenged his only loss of the year in the semis. Valek avenged his finals lost from last year in his semi. Batsukh got things going first with a nice double leg where he changed directions mid shot to get deep penetration and score the opening points. That was Batsukh’s last offensive score, as he was able to force Valek into some bad shots and score by spinning behind. For the second match in a row, the winner did not give his opponent a chance to wrestle in the top position. After the match, Batsukh celebrated with a back flip and was later awarded Outstanding Wrestler.
157 Dan Twito (USMMA) dec. Orlando Ponce (Augsburg) 3-3 RT TB
Twito finished his career as a four time qualifier and one time All-American, but he made that one count. For the second straight season, Ponce went into a final favored against a wrestler from the Merchant Marines, and for the second year he walked away as the runner up. All weekend, Twito used sound strategy and solid defense to make his way to the finals, and he kept it up Saturday night. In four matches, Twito scored two takedowns total, winning in the tie breaker in both the semis and finals. Twito looked to have a takedown on the edge partway through regulation in this match, and it is still unclear why the move was called out of bounds. Ponce was also in on some deep shots, but time ran out in the first period when he had the leg elevated, and Twito was able to parry another one with hand control and flexibility. Those exchanges were more exciting than the scoring, as the margin of victory was the few seconds of riding time advantage Twito built up in the tie breaker periods.
165 Josh Terrell (Dubuque) dec. Nick LeClere (Coe) 6-5
It was another matchup of familiar foes, as these two have gone back and forth over the past two season, splitting two prior matches this season before their finals clash. Terrell struck first, using a nice level change to get in deep and finish with two legs. After the initial takedown, Terrell built up a nice cushion of more than a minute on top before surrendering an escape near the end of the period. He scored another takedown in the second period to further pad his lead, but LeClere was able to even the match with a takedown of his own at the end of the period before Terrell could get an escape to keep his lead at 2. In the third, LeClere escaped to tie the score, but Terrell had a lot of riding time built up. Terrell did enough to get through the period with just one stalling warning, and the four time All-American won his first title to cap his career.
174 Zach Molitor (Augsburg) pin Bradley Banks (Wartburg) 3:20
Banks was a #8 seed with a 16-5 record this season, but he definitely showed up this weekend, knocking off the #1 seed early on and scoring early in every match but this one. He was in deep, but Molitor fought off the initial attack and was able to later convert a shot of his own into a bodylock. Banks was almost able to get out of bounds before giving up the takedown, but Molitor rotated back toward the middle at the last second and brought Banks to the mat. A second takedown gave Molitor a 4-1 lead as the period ended. In the second Banks got to his feet and turned to face Molitor, but Molitor locked up the bodylock again and took Banks straight to his back and got the fall just 20 seconds into the period to give Augsburg its only champ out of four finalists.
184 Phil Moenkedick (Concordia) dec. Ben Engelland (UW-SP) 2-1
Like 157, there were no takedowns in this match, but it was at least decided in regulation. Moekedick was the defending champ who had beaten Engelland earlier this year, but Engelland was game for the rematch. Both had some scoring attempts in the match, but nobody was able to get any points. Engelland chose down in the third period, and Moenkedick was able to ride him for a large enough chunk of the period to get the riding time point. He took a stalling warning while riding, but did not give up a second on his feet as Engelland tried furiously to score. Moenkedick finishes his career as a three time finalist and two time champion.
197 Byron Tate (Wartburg) dec. Jared Massey (Augsburg) 9-4
Massey and Tate were the top two seeds, so this was an expected matchup. Massey was able to get the first takedown early in the match against the defending champ, but Tate escaped quickly and scored a takedown of his own and stayed ahead 3-2 by finishing the period on top. The second period was where Tate started to show his dominance, riding Massey out for the entire period, with each picking up a stalling warning on the way. In the third period, Tate scored another takedown to extend his lead. His last points came after spinning behind Massey’s last chance takedown attempt. Tate is now a two time champ who will come back for a third next season. He finished his season undefeated against DIII competition and only lost in the Midlands finals this season.
285 John Helgerson (Wartburg) dec. Mark Corsello (Elmhurst) 3-1
Corsello came in confident since he owned the win in the last meetingĀ between these two in the 2009-2010 season, but Helgerson was the #1 seed and Midlands placewinner. The score is deceiving, as there was a lot of action in this one, especially for the weight class. Each wrestler has a number of scoring opportunities, but each was able to kick out of a couple of single leg attempts. Helgerson was a little closer to scoring, and Corsello’s best chance came on a snatch single near the edge. Corsello did not seem to fully trust his attacks and was less willing to take a risk. Finally, as the clock wound down and it looked like overtime was in the offing, Helgerson was finally able to secure both ankles and get the takedown just before the final buzzer. He moved up one step on the podium from last year, while Corsello finished his career as a three time All-American and two time runner-up.