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West Liberty State College
Hilltopper Wrestling
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From HiltopperSports.com - The Official Athletic Site of West Liberty University
Three West Liberty Wrestlers Qualify For Nationals
February 27, 2010
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – The nationally-ranked West Liberty University wrestling team finished sixth in the NCAA Division II Super Region One championships here Saturday afternoon and qualified three wrestlers for next month’s national championship event in Omaha, Neb.
No. 2 Newberry won its second straight regional title with 120 points. Gannon was second at 103.5 with host Pitt-Johnstown (99) third. Kutztown (83.5) and UNC-Pembroke (75) rounded out the top five with West Liberty and Limestone finishing in a tie for sixth place in the crowded 15-team field.
Mitch Smith led the way for Coach Brian Davis’s No. 17-ranked Hilltoppers as the nation’s No. 1-ranked 149-pounder rolled through his division to claim a regional championship.
The senior standout defeated No. 3 seed Latra Collick of Newberry, 3-2, in the championship match and will likely be the No. 1 seed in the national tournament.
Also earning bids to the NCAA Division II nationals for West Liberty were 197-pounder Mitch Knapp and 285-pounder J.D. Ramsey.
Knapp, ranked No. 7 nationally at 197, dropped a 10-2 decision to top-seeded Keeno Griffin of Newberry in the championship semifinals but bounced back with an impressive second-period pin against Kutztown’s Scott Snyder in the Third Place match.
Ramsey had a much harder row to hoe in the heavyweight division as he lost in the championship quarterfinals on Friday and had to work his way through the wrestlebacks to punch his ticket to nationals. Ramsey pinned Newberry’s Jake Elkins in the wrestleback semifinals and settled for fourth place with an overtime loss to Kevin Bolinsky in the Third Place match.
Nick Wykoff earned a sixth-place finish for the Hilltoppers at 133 pounds but came up one win short of qualifying for nationals as only the top four places in each weight class advance.
The NCAA Division II nationals are being hosted by the University of Nebraska-Omaha and will be held March 12-13 in Omaha, Neb.
NCAA Division II
Super Region One Championships
Team Scoring
1. Newberry 120
2. Gannon 103.5
3. Pitt-Johnstown 99
4. Kutztown 83.5
5. UNC-Pembroke 75
6. (tie) WEST LIBERTY, Limestone 58
8. Shippensburg 57
9. Mercyhurst 49
10. East Stroudsburg 42
11. Seton Hill 35.5
12. American International 24.5
13. Anderson 17.5
14. Belmont Abbey 16.5
15. St. Andrews Presbyterian 5.
West Liberty Place Winners
133
Championship Quarter-Finals
#5 Michael Magaha (Limestone) DEC #4 Nick Wykoff (West Liberty University) D 10-4
Wrestleback Second Round
#4 Nick Wykoff (West Liberty University) DEC Graceson Pastirik (Belmont Abbey) D 5-2
Wrestleback Quarter-Finals
#4 Nick Wykoff (West Liberty University) DEC Andrew Arnold (East Stroudsburg) M 22-8
Wrestleback Semi-Finals
#2 Sheridan Moran (Newberry) DEC #4 Nick Wykoff (West Liberty University) D 10-3
Finals - Fifth Place
#6 Austin Williams (Kutztown) WBF #4 Nick Wykoff (West Liberty University) F M FOR
149
Championship First Round
#1 Mitch Smith (West Liberty University) DEC Devan Jones (Shippensburg) M 11-2
Championship Quarter-Finals
#1 Mitch Smith (West Liberty University) DEC #8 Theran Goodale (Limestone) M 12-2
Championship Semi-Finals
#1 Mitch Smith (West Liberty University) DEC #5 Ryan McIntyre (Pittsburgh-Johnstown) D 11-4
Finals - First Place
#1 Mitch Smith (West Liberty University) DEC #3 Latra Collick (Newberry) D 3-2
197
Championship First Round
#4 Mitch Knapp (West Liberty University) WBF Luis Gomez (American International) F 2:51
Championship Quarter-Finals
#4 Mitch Knapp (West Liberty University) DEC #5 Eddie Ebewo (East Stroudsburg) D 6-5
Championship Semi-Finals
#1 Keeno Griffin (Newberry) DEC #4 Mitch Knapp (West Liberty University) M 10-2
Finals - Third Place
#4 Mitch Knapp (West Liberty University) WBF #6 Scott Snyder (Kutztown) F 4:07
285
Championship Quarter-Finals
#5 Erik Stancil (North Carolina-Pembroke) DEC #4 J.D. Ramsey (West Liberty University) D 2-1;SV1
Wrestleback Second Round
#4 J.D. Ramsey (West Liberty University) DEC Erik Schaffer (East Stroudsburg) D 3-1;SV1
Wrestleback Quarter-Finals
#4 J.D. Ramsey (West Liberty University) DEC Chase Duke (Anderson University) D 2-1;TB1
Wrestleback Semi-Finals
#4 J.D. Ramsey (West Liberty University) WBF #7 Jake Elkins (Newberry) F 1:40
Finals - Third Place
#2 Kevin Bolinsky (Kutztown) DEC #4 J.D. Ramsey (West Liberty University) D 3-1;SV1
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