Three Place in Top Three at Big 12 Championships

STILLWATER, Okla. (March 9, 2013) – The West Virginia University wrestling team had three individuals, Shane Young, Bubba Scheffel and Lance Bryson, place in the top three of the Big 12 Championships held at Gallagher-Iba Arena on Saturday evening.

“This was a fantastic tournament, a great venue and a great experience for our program,” said coach Craig Turnbull. “We were a very young team this season, and we weren’t able to attack like we would have liked to. We knew that going into the season that we were going to be a young group. Because of our youth, we expect to be a lot better next season with the experiences we have had this season. We look forward to competing next year.”

At 125 pounds, Young placed third in the tournament, after earning a 7-3 victory over Oklahoma’s Kyle Garcia. In his semifinals match, Young was defeated by eventual runner-up Ryak Finch of Iowa State, 2-1. With the win, Young finishes his season regular season with a 13-4 overall record.

Since he did not place in automatic qualifier position, Young must wait until Wednesday’s NCAA Championships selection show to find out if he has received an at-large bid for the national tournament. He is looking to become the 15th grappler in program history to qualify for the NCAA Championships four times.

“You don’t ever like leaving it up to the selection committee to determine your fate, because you would like to secure an automatic bid,” Turnbull said. “With that said, we do feel somewhat comfortable with Shane. He is ranked No. 29 in the coaches’ poll, and he has a number of quality wins this year.”

Also to looking to secure an at-large bid to the national tournament is Nathan Pennesi (141). Pennesi, who medically defaulted both of his matches at the Big 12 Championships, will be cleared to return to live wrestling as soon as Monday. The Latrobe, Pa., native is ranked as high as No. 12 in the country and has 21 victories during the 2012-13 campaign.

“Nathan is ranked No. 12 in the country, and he has a gold standard,” Turnbull said. “Nathan’s resume should be very strong in the eyes of the selection committee.”

Along with Young, Scheffel (174) also placed in the top three. In his third-place consolation match, Scheffel carried a 6-1 lead into the third period of his match against Oklahoma’s Kyle Detmer. With nearly a minute remaining in the match, Scheffel worked Detmer into a near-perfect cradle that earned him the win by fall.

Scheffel, along with Pennesi and Young, will wait and see if they will be chosen as a recipient of an at-large bid to the NCAA Championships.

“Scheffel’s position is pretty positive,” Turnbull said. “But we will have to wait and see what happens on Wednesday.”

The third and final Mountaineer to place in the top three was Bryson (184). Bryson defeated Oklahoma’s Matt Reed, 5-1, for the second time this season in his third-place consolation match.

The remaining field will be set on Wednesday, March 13 at 6 p.m. EST, during the annual selection show, which will include the announcement of at-large bids and the unveiling of the completed brackets.

The NCAA Championships will be held in Des Moines, Iowa, on March 21-23.

Results

125
Ryak Finch (ISU) dec. Shane Young (WVU), 2-1
Shane Young (WVU) dec. Kyle Garcia (OU), 7-3

133
Jon Morrison (OSU) maj. dec. Colin Johnston (WVU), 15-4
John Meeks (ISU) dec. Colin Johnston (WVU), 12-6

141
Kendric Maple (OU) med. def. Nathan Pennesi (WVU)
Julian Feikert (OSU) med. def. Nathan Pennesi (WVU)

149
Jordan Oliver (OSU) tech fall Brutus Scheffel (WVU), 22-7
Nick Lester (OU) dec. Brutus Scheffel (WVU), 7-2

157
Matt Lester (OU) maj. dec. Jason Luster (WVU), 9-1
Logan Molina (ISU) dec. Jason Luster (WVU), 4-2

165
Tyler Caldwell (OSU) dec. Ross Renzi (WVU), 12-5
Mike Moreno (ISU) dec. Ross Renzi (WVU), 4-1

174
Tanner Weatherman (ISU) dec. Bubba Scheffel (WVU), 3-1
Bubba Scheffel (WVU) wins by fall Kyle Detmer (OU), 6:05

184
Boaz Beard (ISU) win by fall Lance Bryson (WVU), 1:56
Lance Bryson (WVU) dec. Matt Reed (OU), 5-1

197
Blake Rosholt (OSU) maj. dec. A.J. Vizcarrondo (WVU), 11-2
Brad Johnson (OU) dec. A.J. Vizcarrondo (WVU), 6-2

HWT
Alan Gelogaev (OSU) win by fall Phil Mandzik (WVU), 2:42
Keldrick Hall (OU) dec. Phil Mandzik (WVU), 5-3


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