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AUBURN HILLS, MI – After a slow start the
Edinboro University wrestling team picked up wins in four of its
last five matches to conclude the first session at the 2007 NCAA
Division I Wrestling National Championships. The Fighting Scots
are tied for 21st place with six points. Minnesota ended the first
session with 22 points for first place, with Missouri with 20.5
points.
The day hardly got off to a smooth start for
head coach Tim Flynn, as freshman Daryl Cocozzo failed to make
weight at 141 lbs. It got worse when both of Edinboro’s
wrestlers in pigtail matches, Phil Moricone and Jim Gibson, lost
at 174 and 197 lbs., respectively. Moricone suffered a 12-8 loss
to UNC Greensboro’s Joe Lowe. He had won by fall against Lowe
earlier in the year. Gibson dropped a 6-3 decision to Cornelius
Murray of VMI.
Edinboro picked up its first win when Gregor
Gillespie, seeded fifth, posted a 9-5 win over VMI’s Sam
Alvarenga at 149 lbs. Even that gave Flynn a scare, as the
sophomore went down early in the match with an injury, but
recovered quickly.
Matt Hill, seeded 12th at 157 lbs., was upset
by Oklahoma’s Will Rowe, 9-4. Deonte Penn, the seventh seed
at 165 lbs., avoided an upset with a narrow 6-5 decision over Max
Dean of Indiana. Alex Clemsen avenged one of his two losses this
season with a 5-4 decision over Marc Bennett of Indiana. Clemsen
is seeded seventh at 184 lbs. Finally, Joe Fendone won a 5-0
decision over Reece Hopkin of Northern Colorado.
Here’a look at the morning’s matches:
#5 GREGOR GILLESPIE (149 lbs., Webster,
NY/Webster Schroeder)
Round of 32 – vs. Sam Alvarenga, VMI – won by
decision, 9-5
-- Gillespie jumped out to a 7-0 lead
after one period but then had to hold off Alvarenga the rest of
the way. The sophomore scored on a single-leg takedown at 1:53,
then came up with two back points at 1:20 and three more at the
17-second mark. Alvarenga got on the board with an escape at 1:36,
and he added a takedown with 41 seconds left in the period.
Gillespie was unable to escape, leaving the score 7-3 after two
periods. Alvarenga came up with his second takedown, this one at
1:05 in the period, to close to 7-5. Gillespie would escape and
pick up a point thanks to a 1:22 riding time advantage for the 9-5
decision. Gillespie is now 30-2.
#12 MATT HILL (157 lbs., Freedom,
PA/Freedom)
Round of 32 – vs. Will Rowe, Oklahoma – lost by
decision, 9-4
-- Hill began his third trip to
Nationals with an upset loss to Rowe. Seeded 12th, Hill saw Rowe
take a 3-0 lead after two periods. The Sooner scored on a takedown
at 1:56 of the first period, and proved tough on top, riding Hill
out the rest of the period. In the second period, the only scoring
was an escape at the 1:07 mark. Hill chose neutral to begin the
third period and closed the gap to 3-2 with a takedown at 1:33.
Rowe would escape at 1:25, and then answered Hill’s
single-leg attempt by spinning around for a crucial takedown and a
6-2 lead. Hill would escape, but Rowe posted his third takedown
with 15 seconds left. A Hill escape and a 1:15 advantage in riding
time accounted for the final score. Hill falls to 30-6 with the
loss.
#7 DEONTE PENN (165 lbs., Solon, OH/Solon)
Round of 32 -- vs. Max Dean, Indiana, won by decision, 6-5
-- Penn narrowly avoided a huge upset
with an escape in the final seconds of the match. Dean entered the
final period trailing 4-1. He took Penn down at the 1:10 mark, and
then released him to make it 5-3. Dean came out of a wild scramble
with a takedown with 15 seconds to go, but Penn managed to squirm
out for the winning escape with just two seconds remaining in the
bout. As has been his style, Penn came out with an immediate shot,
registering the takedown just 18 seconds into the match. He picked
up a penalty point to make it 3-0, but Dean escaped with just over
a minute remaining in the first period. The lone point in the
second session was a Penn escape at the 53 second mark. The win
boosted Penn to 34-2, and gave him 25 straight wins. He saw his
string of eight straight wins by fall come to an end, but he moved
into a tie for 14th place in career wins with 111.
PHIL MORICONE (174 lbs., Derry,
NH/Pinkerton)
Pigtail Round – vs. Joe Lowe, UNC Greensboro –
lost by decision, 12-8
-- Moricone had defeated Lowe by fall
in the Southern Scuffle, but this time around the sophomore gave
up five takedowns and suffered a 12-8 loss. The first period ended
with the two wrestlers tied at 4-4. Lowe opened the scoring a
quick takedown, and after a Moricone escape, he registered his
second takedown at the edge of the mat midway through the period.
Moricone answered with an escape and then knotted the match with a
takedown at the 1:03 mark. Moricone grabbed a 5-4 lead early in
the second period with an escape, but the match turned when Lowe
countered a shot by Moricone with a takedown with 30 seconds left,
then added three back points as the second period ended. Starting
from the neutral position in the third, Lowe moved his advantage
to 11-5 with a takedown with 43 seconds to go. Moricome tried to
rally with an escape and takedown with 33 seconds to go, but he
was uable to pick up any back points. Moricone falls to 24-10 with
the loss.
#7 ALEX CLEMSEN (184 lbs., Moberly,
MO/Moberly)
Round of 32 – vs. Marc Bennett, Indiana, won by
decision, 5-4
-- Clemsen avenged one of his two
losses during the season with a narrow decision in the opening
round. Bennett had defeated Clemsen, 3-2, in the finals of the
Eastern Michigan Open. The senior, in his fourth trip to
Nationals, started out with a takedown at the 2:30 mark, but
Bennett was able to escape immediately. That ended the first
period scoring. The second period started with a quick escape by
Bennett to knot the score at 2-2, but Clemsen’s second
takedown made it 4-2 with 35 seconds showing. Bennett escaped with
20 seconds for a 4-3 Clemsen lead after two periods. With Clemsen
starting in the bottom position to start the third, Bennett rode
him long enough to accumulate riding time, but Clemsen negated it
with an escape with just 28 seconds remaining. He held off Bennett
the rest of the way to move on with a 33-2 record. He now has 117
career wins, moving into sole possession of tenth place in career
victories.
JIM GIBSON (197 lbs., Hermitage, PA/Kennedy
Catholic)
Pigtail Round – vs. Cornelius Murray, VMI – lost
by decision, 6-3
-- Gibson’s first trip to
Nationals began with a loss to Murray. The VMI grappler opened
with a takedown less than twenty seconds into the match. Gibson
would escape at 1:49, with the first period ending at 2-1. Murray
recorded the only points of the second quarter with an escape for
a 3-1 lead. In the third period, Gibson started with an escape,
but Murray came up with an insurance takedown with 30 seconds
left. Gibson added his third escape, but Murray owned a 1:13
riding time advantage. The loss left Gibson at 21-10 heading into
the wrestlebacks.
JOE FENDONE (Hwt., Salem, NH/Central
Catholic, Mass.)
Round of 32 – vs. Reece Hopkin, Northern Colorado,
won by decision, 5-0
-- Fendone boosted his record to 26-10
with a strong showing from the top against Hopkin. After a
scoreless first period, Hopkin chose down to start the second and
was never able to get off the mat. Fendone twice turned him for a
pair of back points, and rode Hopkin for the entire period.
Fendone chose the top for the start of the third period and again
rode Hopkin the entire period to build his riding time to four
minutes. |
