Cottrell Caps Career at NCAAs

ST. LOUIS (March 17, 2017) – Senior Dylan Cottrell fell in his first consolation bout at 165 pounds to cap his collegiate career at the 2017 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis on Friday afternoon.

Cottrell fell to OU’s Yoanse Mejias in 5:30 in the third round of the consolation bracket. After a scoreless first period, Cottrell took a 1-0 lead on an escape in the second period. Mejias opted for a neutral start for the third period, and put Cottrell to the mat for the win.

“We are extremely proud of Dylan as a Big 12 champ and his representation of West Virginia at the NCAA Championships,” WVU coach Sammie Henson said. “I know he is disappointed with the outcome today but his leadership this year was invaluable for our program as we move into the future. This will prove to be a great foundation for our team to excel to an elite level. Thank you to all of our friends, family and fans for such loyal support.”

After picking up a first-round win over Penn’s Brooks Martino on Thursday, Cottrell fell to OSU’s Chandler Rogers in the second round. He ends his season with a 20-7 overall mark and is 49-15 in his two-year WVU career.

No. 8 Dylan Cottrell (WVU) dec. Brooks Martino (Penn), 4-1
No. 9 Chandler Rogers (OSU) pins Dylan Cottrell (WVU), 0:52
Yoanse Mejias (OU) pins Dylan Cottrell (WVU), 5:30

Cottrell Goes 1-1 on Day One of NCAAs

ST. LOUIS (March 16, 2017) – Dylan Cottrell posted a first-round win before falling in the second round of the 2017 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis on Thursday.

Cottrell, the No. 8 seed at 165 pounds, won a 4-1 decision over Penn’s Brooks Martino in the first round of action on Thursday morning. He then fell to No. 9 seed Chandler Rogers of Oklahoma State in the second later in the evening.

The Spencer, West Virginia, native will move to the consolation bracket, where he will wrestle either Ohio State’s Cody Burcher or Oklahoma’s Yoanse Mejias on Friday morning. He remains in contention to earn All-America honors and can still place as high as third.

In his first bout of the day Cottrell scored a takedown with just over a minute remaining in the first, riding Martino throughout the remainder of the period for a 2-0 lead and 1:02 riding time. Deferring choice, he started the second period on top and rode Martino for more than 40 seconds. Martino escaped with 19 seconds remaining as Cottrell ended the period with a 2-1 lead and 2:41 advantage time. Cottrell started the third in the defensive position and escaped 20 seconds into to pad his lead at 3-1. Martino was awarded a last-second takedown, but the call was reversed upon official review. Cottrell added the riding time point to claim the 4-1 decision.

In the second round, Rogers claimed an early 2-0 lead with a takedown just 15 seconds into action. Cottrell escaped soon after, but Rogers countered with another takedown. Cottrell fell to Rogers with 2:09 remaining in the first.

Session II consisting of championship quarterfinals and the second round of wrestlebacks will start at 11 a.m. ET on Friday. All mats will be shown live on ESPN3 and ESPNU with live scoring available through track wrestling.

First Round:
165: No. 8 Dylan Cottrell (WVU) dec. Brooks Martino (Penn), 4-1
Second Round:
165: No. 9 Chandler Rogers (OSU) pins Dylan Cottrell (WVU), 0:52

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