Jones 3x Champ: Most Outstanding Wrestler

By Tim Goodenow
WVU Sports Information Office

March 19, 2005

ST. LOUIS * The pressure is off. West Virginia University's Greg Jones became the just the 39th wrestler in NCAA history to win three national titles with his 5-3 decision over Cornell's Tyler Baier on Saturday evening at the 2005 NCAA Wrestling Championships.

Jones struck first with a takedown at the edge of the mat in the opening period for a 2-0 lead. Baier escaped and was then warned for stalling to close the first period. Jones escaped in five seconds to begin the middle period and extended his lead to 5-1 on a double-leg takedown. Baier was cut from the defensive position to start the final stanza to make it 5-3 where the bout ended.

"It feels good to get the third one done," said the four-time Eastern Wrestling League champion. "When I put my singlet on tonight, I actually thought about it being my last time out. Each championship has been special but this one was a little different. I tried to enjoy the whole tournament while maintaining a certain focus."

Jones' focus paid off as he improved to 17-2 all-time in NCAA tournament matches. He was also named the tournaments Most Outstanding Wrestler for his five-win effort this week. WVU's 184-pounder is the first and only EWL grappler to earn that honor.

"Greg is more than deserving of the award," said head coach Craig Turnbull. "He has dominated his weight class for the past two seasons. Greg has worked very hard to get to this point of his career. What he has done for our University, the league and the sport is somewhat immeasurable. I am very proud to have coached such a classy wrestler and even better person."

Jones also became only the 20th wrestler in NCAA history to win multiple national titles at different weight classes. The Slickville, Pa., native won as a freshman at 174 pounds and added two more at 184 pounds in his final two seasons.

A crowd of 16,302 saluted Jones as he left the mat for the final time wearing the Old Gold and Blue. Jones closed out his senior season going a perfect 25-0 while outscoring his opponents 298-82 on the year.

Jones, WVU's all-time wins leader, closed out his collegiate career with a 51 match win streak and back-to-back undefeated seasons. Jones was taken down just 10 times in 130 career matches while sporting a career record of 126-4.

"I haven't thought a whole lot about it," said Jones when asked about his legacy at WVU. "But I guess it's time for me to move on. I have enjoyed every moment of being able to compete for West Virginia University. To think that my collegiate career is over, I don't think it has really set in."

Hodge Trophy candidate Jones became only the second three-time NCAA champion from the Eastern Wrestling League, joining Rick Bonomo of Bloomsburg who won three 118 pounds titles from 1985-1987.

Jones and Oklahoma State heavyweight Steve Mocco were the only two wrestlers to finish the season undefeated.

West Virginia finished in 18th place in team standings with 34 points. Oklahoma State won its third consecutive team championship with 153 points behind five national champions. The Mountaineers 18th place finish marked the fourth straight Top 25 finish and seventh in the last eight seasons.

Jones' Road to the National Championship:
184: No. 1 Greg Jones (WVU) TECH Alex Camargo (Kent State), 23-8 6:37
184: No. 1 Greg Jones (WVU) MAJOR Joe Rovelli (Hofstra), 15-5
184: No. 1 Greg Jones (WVU) MAJOR Matt Pell (Missouri), 13-4
184: No. 1 Greg Jones (WVU) DEC No. 5 Brian Glynn (Illinois), 5-2
184: No. 1 Greg Jones (WVU) DEC No. 7 Tyler Baier (Cornell), 5-3

2005 NCAA Championship Final Results:
125: No. 5 Joe Dubuque (Indiana) DEC No. 3 Kyle Ott (Illinois), 2-0
133: No. 1 Travis Lee (Cornell) DEC No. 2 Shawn Bunch (Edinboro), 6-3
141: No. 2 Teyon Ware (Oklahoma) DEC No.1 Nate Gallick (Iowa State), 3-2
149: No. 1 Zach Esposito (Oklahoma State) DEC No. 2 Phillip Simpson (Army),5-2
157: No. 2 Ryan Bertin (Michigan) DEC No. 8 Joe Johnston (Iowa), 8-5
165: No. 3 Johny Hendricks (Oklahoma State) DEC No. 4 Mark Perry (Iowa), 5-2
174: No. 1 Chris Pendleton (Oklahoma State) DEC No. 2 Ben Askren (Missouri), 10-5
184: No. 1 Greg Jones (West Virginia) DEC No. 7 Tyler Baier (Cornell), 5-3
197: No. 2 Jake Rosholt (Oklahoma State) DEC No. 5 Sean Stender (Northern Iowa), 5-4
285: No. 1 Steve Mocco (Oklahoma State) DEC No. 2 Cole Konrad (Minnesota), 3-1 SV


All-American Lebe Takes Seventh

By Tim Goodenow
WVU Sports Information Office

March 19, 2005

ST. LOUIS * West Virginia University junior Matt Lebe earned seventh-place honors at 157 pounds on Saturday morning with a 6-5 decision over 11th-seeded Chris Horning of Clarion at the 2005 NCAA Wrestling Championships held at the Savvis Center.

Lebe took an early 2-0 lead on a takedown just 28 seconds into the match. WVU's 157-pounder increased his lead to 4-1 with a double-leg takedown on the edge of the mat in the opening period. Horning escaped to start the second period before a third Lebe takedown put the score at 6-3. Lebe chose down to start the final stanza and was called for stalling with seconds remaining where the bout ended at 6-5.

"I felt very relaxed coming into this morning's match," said Lebe. "After talking with my coaches last night, my goal was to finish the tournament with a win. Whitey (Chlebove) talked about finishing with a win and not sitting on a loss to end the season. Becoming an All-American was one of my goals coming to the season. I'm happy that I could achieve it."

The two wrestlers have now met on five occasions with Lebe winning four of the five career bouts. Horning's lone win came at the 2004 Eastern Wrestling League Championships. Lebe won all three regular season matches by a 3-2 score.

"These matches are a little tough because we know each other so well," added Lebe. "I felt more pressure at the EWL tournament than I did here this morning. This tournament is a building block for next season. I'm happy but not satisfied. Becoming a national champion is the next step for me."

The Jeannette, Pa., native earned All-America honors the hard way as he dropped his opening bout on Thursday before storming back through the consolation bracket to post five wins. Lebe's win on Friday night over Stanford's Matt Gentry, the defending national champion, made him the 20th different wrestler in school history to earn All-America honors.

Lebe's 37 wins this season are the most by a WVU grappler since All-American Mike Mason finished 39-6 in 1998. His 37 wins are good enough for second most all-time by a West Virginia junior.

The Mountaineers have now crowned at least one All-American in seven of the last eight years.

Senior Greg Jones will face Cornell's Tyler Baier in the championships finals later today at 4 p.m. CST. Jones looks to become just the 39th wrestler in NCAA history to win three national titles. The finals will be televised live by ESPN.

Lebe Match-by-Match:
157: Nate Galloway (Penn State) DEC No. 7 Matt Lebe (WVU), 7-4
157: No. 7 Matt Lebe (WVU) DEC James Strouse (Hofstra), 2-1
157: No. 7 Matt Lebe (WVU) DEC Chris Bitetto (Northern Iowa), 6-2
157: No. 7 Matt Lebe (WVU) DEC No. 12 Jim Medeiros (Fresno State), 4-1
157: No. 7 Matt Lebe (WVU) DEC Matt Gentry (Stanford), 5-3 SV
157: No. 10 Brian Stith (Arizona State) DEC No. 7 Matt Lebe (WVU), 4-2
157: No. 7 Matt Lebe (WVU) DEC No. 11 Chris Horning (Clarion), 6-5


Lebe Earns AA Honors; Jones In Finals

By Tim Goodenow
WVU Sports Information Office

March 18, 2005

ST. LOUIS * West Virginia University junior Matt Lebe became the 20th different wrestler in school history to earn All-America honors on Friday evening at the 2005 NCAA Wrestling Championships held at the Savvis Center.

Lebe guaranteed himself All-America honors by knocking off Stanford's Matt Gentry, the defending national champion at 157 pounds. Lebe, a Jeannette, Pa., native scored a 5-3 decision in sudden victory to continue wrestling on Saturday. Gentry was called for stalling and Lebe tallied a takedown to go up 3-0. Third-seeded Gentry notched a reversal to make it 3-2 after one period. The two grapplers traded escapes to begin the final two periods for a 3-3 tie. Lebe connected on a double-leg takedown 25 seconds into overtime for the 5-3 victory.

Senior Greg Jones advanced to his third career NCAA finals with a solid 5-2 decision over Illinois' Brian Glynn. After a scoreless first period, Jones opened with an escape from the defensive position to start the middle period. He added a takedown at 1:17 to go up 3-0. Jones hit a double-leg takedown with 25 seconds remaining in the bout for the 5-2 victory.

Lebe, the 2005 Eastern Wrestling League champion, dropped a close 4-2 decision to Arizona State's Brian Stith. The two wrestled to a scoreless opening period and traded escapes to start the final two periods to make it 1-1. A Stith takedown and riding time put him up 4-2 as he held on for the victory.

Lebe will face a familiar foe in Clarion's Chris Horning tomorrow morning in the seventh/eighth-place match. Lebe's 36 wins this season are the most by a WVU grappler since All-American Mike Mason finished 39-6 in 1998.

Hodge Trophy candidate Jones will meet Cornell's Tyler Baier in the 184-pound NCAA finals. Baier, the No. 7 seed, scored a fall and four decisions in making it to his first-ever finals bout. He is the 2005 EIWA champion and sports an overall record of 40-3.

West Virginia sits in 19th place in team standings with 29 points. Oklahoma State has locked up its third consecutive team championship with 127.5 points with one day remaining. Fourteen different schools will be represented in the championships finals on Saturday.

The 2005 NCAA Championships conclude tomorrow with two Sessions. Lebe will compete in Session V with medal round consolation matches set for 9:30 a.m. CST. Jones will wrestle in Session VI with championships finals schedule for 4 p.m. CST.

Match-by-Match Results:
125: Adam Smith (Penn State) DEC Shawn Cordell (WVU), 6-2
125: Shawn Cordell (WVU) DEC Jeff Schell (Brown), 5-1
125: John Velez (Northwestern) DEC Shawn Cordell (WVU), 6-2

133: No. 5 Tom McClum (Wisconsin) FALL Seth Lisa (WVU), 6:49
133: Matt Benza (Air Force) MAJOR Seth Lisa (WVU), 15-6

157: Nate Galloway (Penn State) DEC No. 7 Matt Lebe (WVU), 7-4
157: No. 7 Matt Lebe (WVU) DEC James Strouse (Hofstra), 2-1
157: No. 7 Matt Lebe (WVU) DEC Chris Bitetto (Northern Iowa), 6-2
157: No. 7 Matt Lebe (WVU) DEC No. 12 Jim Medeiros (Fresno State), 4-1
157: No. 7 Matt Lebe (WVU) DEC Matt Gentry (Stanford), 5-3 SV
157: No. 10 Brian Stith (Arizona State) DEC No. 7 Matt Lebe (WVU), 4-2
Next up: No. 11 Chris Horning (Clarion)

165: No. 12 Mike Patrovich (Hofstra) DEC Zac Fryling (WVU), 8-3
165: Zac Fryling (WVU) MAJOR Donny Reynolds (Illinois), 14-5
165: Matt Ellis (Oregon State) DEC Zac Fryling (WVU), 6-3

184: No. 1 Greg Jones (WVU) TECH Alex Camargo (Kent State), 23-8 6:37
184: No. 1 Greg Jones (WVU) MAJOR Joe Rovelli (Hofstra), 15-5
184: No. 1 Greg Jones (WVU) MAJOR Matt Pell (Missouri), 13-4
184: No. 1 Greg Jones (WVU) DEC No. 5 Brian Glynn (Illinois), 5-2
Next up: No. 7 Tyler Baier (Cornell)


Jones Advances To Quarterfinals

By Tim Goodenow
Sports Communications
West Virginia University

March 17, 2005

ST. LOUIS * When the NCAA Wrestling Championships began on Thursday morning, 330 wrestlers set their sites on winning a national title in 2005. That number was cut down to 80 after two sessions as West Virginia University senior Greg Jones survived day one to advance to the quarterfinals on Friday.

Jones, one of only four undefeated wrestlers in the tournament, posted two impressive wins at 184 pounds on Thursday. In the opening round, Jones scored a 23-8 technical fall over Kent State's Alex Camargo to break the school's consecutive wins record. A 10th takedown in the final minute secured the win at 6:37 to run his win streak to 47 straight matches.

"It was a good day," explained WVU's all-time wins leader. "I put a lot of points on the board today and found a good rhythm in both matches. I've learned to take each match one at a time and that is what I have done."

Two-time national champion Jones scored a 15-5 major decision over Hofstra's Joe Rovelli in the nightcap. A takedown with nine seconds left in the first period put Jones up 10-2. Jones tallied a takedown and riding time in the final two minutes for the 10-point victory.

Three other Mountaineers advanced to day two going 1-1 on Thursday.

True freshman Shawn Cordell dropped a tough 6-2 decision to Penn State's Adam Smith in the morning. WVU's 125-pounder responded with a solid 5-1 decision over Jeff Schell of Brown in Session II. Leading 2-0 after one period, Cordell rode Schell the entire middle period for the time advantage. A takedown with 38 seconds remaining sealed the Mountaineer win.

Junior Matt Lebe remained alive in the consolation bracket with a tough 2-1 decision over Hofstra's James Strouse. The two wrestled to a scoreless opening three minutes at 157 pounds. Lebe and Strouse traded escapes to begin the final two periods as Lebe built enough riding time in the third for the winning point. Seventh-seeded Lebe was mildly upset by unseeded Nate Galloway, 7-4, in his opening bout.

At 165 pounds, WVU's Zac Fryling posted his second win of the season over Illinois' Donny Reynolds. Sophomore Fryling took an early 7-2 lead on three takedowns in the opening period. A pair of takedowns and riding time in the final stanza earned Fryling a 14-5 major decision. In the morning, Fryling has dropped a tough 8-3 decision to Hofstra's No 12 seed Mike Patrovich.

Junior Seth Lisa was the first Mountaineer to exit the tournament after dropping two matches at 133 pounds. Fifth-seeded Tom McClum of Wisconsin posted a fall over at 6:49 in round one. Matt Benza of Air Force took an early 6-0 lead en route to a 15-6 major decision.

Session III (quarterfinals and wrestle-backs) resumes action at the Savvis Center on Friday morning at 10 a.m. CST.

Match-by-Match Results:
125: Adam Smith (Penn State) DEC Shawn Cordell (WVU), 6-2
125: Shawn Cordell (WVU) DEC Jeff Schell (Brown), 5-1
Next up: John Velez (Northwestern)

133: No. 5 Tom McClum (Wisconsin) FALL Seth Lisa (WVU), 6:49
133: Matt Benza (Air Force) MAJOR Seth Lisa (WVU), 15-6

157: Nate Galloway (Penn State) DEC No. 7 Matt Lebe (WVU), 7-4
157: No. 7 Matt Lebe (WVU) DEC James Strouse (Hofstra), 2-1
Next up: Chris Bitetto (Northern Iowa)

165: No. 12 Mike Patrovich (Hofstra) DEC Zac Fryling (WVU), 8-3
165: Zac Fryling (WVU) MAJOR Donny Reynolds (Illinois), 14-5
Next up: Matt Ellis (Oregon State)

184: No. 1 Greg Jones (WVU) TECH Alex Camargo (Kent State), 23-8 6:37
184: No. 1 Greg Jones (WVU) MAJOR Joe Rovelli (Hofstra), 15-5
Next up: Matt Pell (Missouri)


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