Brenner Earns Third EWL Crown
By Ira Green
WVU Sports Information Office
Brackets AT THIS LINK
LOCK HAVEN, Pa. (March 7, 2009) – Fifth-year senior Kurt Brenner
(174) won his third career league crown and the West Virginia University
wrestling team took second place at the Eastern Wrestling League (EWL)
Championships on Saturday at Thomas Fieldhouse in Lock Haven, Pa. Five
individuals, including Brenner, qualified for the NCAA Tournament with
their performances at the league event.
After earning a first-round bye, Brenner, ranked No. 11
nationally, defeated Clarion’s Scott Joseph, 9-3, en route to the title
match. The Freedom, Pa., native was slated to wrestle Pitt’s Karl
DeCiantis, who Brenner beat at the Las Vegas Invitational, 4-2.
Brenner opened the match with a pair of quick takedowns and then
tacked on a three-point near fall moments after the second takedown.
Leading 9-2 heading into the second period, Brenner notched two more
takedowns to go up 13-4. The fifth-year senior registered an escape,
three more takedowns and added 2:31 in riding time for the 21-6 tech
fall. Brenner has won his last 10 matches and qualifies for his fourth
NCAA Tournament.
Fifth-year senior Dustin Rogers (HWT) also qualified for the
NCAA Tournament following his third-place performance. Rogers knocked
off Bloomsburg’s Zac Walsh, 8-4, and then pinned Pitt’s Zach Sheaffer at
the 1:16 mark. After recording a takedown near the edge of the mat,
Rogers flipped Sheaffer on his back for the win. It will be the third
time Rogers, ranked No. 11 nationally, has qualified for the NCAA
Tournament.
Another qualifier for the Mountaineers is fifth-year senior
David Jauregui (149). Despite dropping his semifinal match, Jauregui
battled back to win his final two matches at the league event.
In an exciting match with Edinboro’s Torsten Gillespie that went
to three extra sessions, Jauregui recorded a 12-11 decision. Trailing
6-4 heading into the third period, Jauregui scored four points in the
period and tied the match at eight apiece. The two battled every second,
but Jauregui was able to come out on top with the decision. Jauregui
then went on to defeat Cleveland State’s Antonio Nicholson, 7-4, for
third place.
With the NCAA Tournament taking the top three wrestlers at 157
pounds, redshirt freshman Ryan Goodman battled his way in with a
third-place showing. The Latrobe, Pa., native put together noteworthy
performances in the consolation bracket. Goodman earned a 5-2 decision
over Lock Haven’s Ollie Cooperwood and then knocked off Clarion’s Hadley
Harrison, 6-4.
Redshirt junior Donnie Jones is the final automatic qualifier
for the Mountaineers. Jones, ranked No. 20 at 165 pounds, slid through
the first round with a bye and then battled Cleveland State’s Rob
Michaels to a 7-3 decision en route to the title match against
Edinboro’s Jarrod King. Despite having beat King during the regular
season, Jones dropped the bout for the title with a fall 23 seconds into
the match.
On March 11, the NCAA selection committee will announce an
additional 52 at-large selections.
Freshman Colin Johnston will be awaiting his fate when the
selections are announced. Although only the champion at 141 pounds earns
an automatic bid, Johnston will make the committee take notice. The
Eighty Four, Pa., native finished runner-up at the EWL Tournament in an
extremely close bout against Pitt’s Tyler Nauman, ranked No. 13
nationally. Johnston fell behind 2-0 after Nauman registered a takedown,
but countered it with a reversal. Johnston knotted the score at three
apiece with an escape in the second period, but lost in the third
session when Nauman recorded an escape point for the 4-3 decision.
Johnston owns a 9-9 overall record and was 4-2 during the
regular season in league action.
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