WVU Completes NCAA Championships

By Brian Kuppelweiser
WVU Sports Information Office

March 16, 2012

ST. LOUIS – The West Virginia University wrestling team had its season come to an end on Friday afternoon after junior Lance Bryson and redshirt senior Brandon Williamson were bounced from the NCAA Championships field in St. Louis.

“It was great for Brandon and Lance to have the opportunity to compete in the tournament today,” said coach Craig Turnbull. “My impressions of the tournament in general is that it was pretty frustrating because we felt that we came into it well prepared. It was not the results that we thought we were capable of achieving. The rest of our guys competed very hard, and they were a couple matches short of building a great tournament.”

Bryson (174) had WVU’s first match of the day, as he took on The Citadel’s Turtogtokh Luvsandorj in the second-round of wrestle backs. The Shoaf, Pa., native battled, but he came up on the losing end of a 7-3 decision to Luvsandorj.

Bryson finished his 2011-12 season with 25-16 mark.

“Getting Lance into the tournament in the first place was great for his career development,” Turnbull said. “Although it wasn’t the experience that we had hoped for, he will be able to return next year with an idea of what it will take to be standing on the podium at next year’s national tournament.”

As for Williamson, he advanced the furthest of any Mountaineer grappler, as he made it to the third-round of wrestle backs. In his first match of the day, Williamson was able to earn a win by fall over Wisconsin’s Cole Tobin at the 4:22 mark of the match. In his final match, Williamson was defeated by Binghamton’s Nick Gwiazdowski by a 10-2 margin.

With his 2-2 record at the NCAA Championships, Williamson finished the 2011-12 campaign with a 28-8 overall record.

“In some ways, we were unlucky with Brandon because he tore a ligament in his toe last week, and then, he twisted his ankle in the first match, so he could barely put any pressure on either foot” Turnbull said. “It was heartbreaking to see him not get a good swing at some of the best guys in his weight class.”

The Mountaineers finished their season with a 9-4 dual meet record and had a total of six wrestlers qualify for the NCAA tournament, which was their most since 2008.

“It was painful, as a coach, to see the season end like that because you want to watch these guys come in and chase their hopes and dreams on that mat,” Turnbull said. “The four guys returning next year will have the chance to do it all over again next season, and for now, they know that the journey back to the national tournament is something that they will build towards in the next year.”

Junior Shane Young (125), redshirt sophomore Nathan Pennesi (133), sophomore Michael Morales (141) and Bryson will return to WVU’s lineup next season.

DAY 2 RESULTS

174
Turtogtokh Luvsandorj (The Citadel) dec. Lance Bryson (WVU), 7-3

HWT
Brandon Williamson (WVU) win by fall Cole Tobin (Wisconsin), 4:22 Nick Gwiazdowski (Binghamton) dec. Brandon Williamson (WVU), 10-2


Bryson and Williamson Advance

By Brian Kuppelweiser
WVU Sports Information Office

March 15, 2012

ST. LOUIS – After the completion of the first day of the NCAA Wrestling Championships, the West Virginia University team has two of their six qualifiers still remaining in the field.

Junior Lance Bryson (174) and redshirt senior Brandon Williamson (HWT) were the lone Mountaineers to advance to the second day of competition.

After opening the day with a 2-1 overtime win against Wyoming’s Pat Martinez, Bryson’s second-round match was against Logan Storley of Minnesota. Storley dealt Bryson his first loss of the tournament by way of a 2-0 decision.

At heavyweight, Williamson began his tournament with a 5-4 overtime win against Oklahoma State’s Austin Marsden. The redshirt senior was then was matched against defending national champion and No. 4-seeded Zach Rey of Lehigh in his second match. Williamson gave Rey everything he could handle, but Rey came away victorious 2-1.

Junior Shane Young (125) scored his first-career win in the NCAA Championships in a consolation pigtails match, as he defeated Maryland’s Shane Gentry, 7-5. In his next consolation match, Young took his second loss of the day and was eliminated by Princeton’s Garrett Frey in an 8-2 decision.

Redshirt sophomore Nathan Pennesi (133) had his tournament end after he dropped a 2-1 decision to Brian Owen of Boise State. Pennesi was nearly victorious in the bout, as he converted a takedown attempt, but the referees ruled it was after the whistle.

Sophomore Michael Morales (141) had his tournament come to an end in his second round match, where he took on Stephen Dutton of Lehigh. Morales’ tournament started with an 8-4 loss to Iowa’s Montell Marion.

At 184 pounds, redshirt senior Matt Ryan was defeated by Boise State’s Jacob Swartz, 5-0, in his opening match. In his second match of the day, Ryan was on the losing end of a 4-0 decision to MacKain Stoll of North Dakota State.

Session three of the NCAA Championships will begin at 10 a.m. on Friday morning.

RESULTS

125
Ryan Mango (Stanford) dec. Shane Young (WVU), 10-8
Shane Young (WVU) dec. Shane Gentry (Maryland), 7-5
Garrett Frey (Princeton) dec. Shane Young (WVU), 8-2

133
Aaron Kalil (Navy) dec. Nathan Pennesi (WVU), 6-3
Brian Owen (Boise State) dec. Nathan Pennesi (WVU), 2-1

141
Montell Marion (Iowa) dec. Michael Morales (WVU), 8-4
Stephen Dutton (Lehigh) maj. dec. Michael Morales (WVU), 13-4

174
Lance Bryson (WVU) dec. Pat Martinez (Wyoming), 2-1 OT
Logan Storley (Minnesota) dec. Lance Bryson (WVU), 2-0

184
Jacob Swartz (Boise St.) dec. Matt Ryan (WVU), 5-0
MacKain Stoll (North Dakota St.) dec. Matt Ryan (WVU), 4-0

HWT
Brandon Williamson dec. Austin Marsden (Oklahoma St.), 5-4 OT
Zach Rey (Lehigh) dec. Brandon Williamson (WVU), 2-1


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