InterMat: Inside info from the N.W.C.A
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Akin thrills home crowd in first session of World Team Trials
By Jason Bryant
jbryant@intermatwrestle.com
Ames, Iowa -- He really never left, but for Eric Akin, does his best wrestling in Ames, Iowa.
Akin advanced to Saturday’s challenge tournament final with a 7-3, 2-0 victory over U.S. Nationals runner-up Matt Azevedo at the U.S. World Team Trials at the Hilton Coliseum on the campus of Iowa State University.
A four-time NCAA All-American at Iowa State, Akin got up 5-2 before giving up a takedown in the first period to cling to a two-point lead. Akin scored a two point exposure countering an Azevedo shot attempt to win the first period 7-3.
In the second, Akin fought off several Azevedo attempts and scored on a one-point pushout and a takedown late in the match.
Akin, the fifth seed, will face third-seeded Nick Simmons, who defeated Jason Powell 5-3, 2-4, 8-3.
Powell lead 3-2 with time winding down in the first before Simmons countered with an exposure and a one-point pushout to win the period 5-3.
Powell tied the match with a 4-2 second period victory before Simmons’ gangly frame put Powell in danger twice.
“I’m going to stay solid and try to do my best to try to beat all these young guys,” Akin said.
“I can’t get caught in any of his (Simmons) positions,” Akin said of his pending challenge tournament final. “I’ve wrestled the funkiest of the funky – each time you wrestle, it’s a different type of offense and defense.”
“I think I’ve got the strength and experience. I just have to stay solid and can’t get caught in those young mistakes,” he said.
The top two seeds at 60kg advanced, as Nate Gallick will take on Mike Zadick in the challenge tournament finals. Gallick got past Celso DeAnda 3-0, 1-0 while Zadick edged Zach Roberson 1-0, 1-0.
One of the more spirited bouts of the challenge tournament semifinals came in freestyle at 66kg where Jared Frayer got past Bill Zadick 3-2, 1-3, 4-2.
After a long delay after the second period to determine whether or not Zadick had two exposure points at the buzzer, officials came to the agreement that Zadick did expose Frayer and a third period would be needed to determine a winner.
Frayer went right to work, and getting a two point exposure from a single leg and then used another turn to get up 4-0 before holding on for a 4-2 third period.
Frayer will face Jared Lawrence, who got past Jesse Jantzen 7-0, 0-1, 4-1.
Kirk White advanced to the challenge tournament final at 74kg with a victory over Nick Passolano and he’ll face Donny Pritzlaff, who beat Carl Fronhoffer.
White dropped his first period against first-round opponent Nathan Coy, but has been solid since.
Lee Fullhart went into overtime in the third period and edged fifth-seeded Aaron Simpson with a pushout with 22 seconds left in the extra period.
Fullhart will tangle with Chris Pendleton, the recent NCAA champion from Oklahoma State.
Pendleton beat rival Ben Askren in three periods to advance.
“He’s got some better turns in freestyle, but he’s not as dangerous as a pinner,” Pendleton said of Askren.
Pendleton knows first hand how tough Fullhart will be in the challenge final.
“I worked out with him last year when he was trying to make the Olympic team. He’s been a role model for me,” Pendleton said.
“I know it’s going to be a war,” he said. “(Fullhart)’s a guy that will break your nose and not even think twice about it.
Nick Preston will wrestle Tommy Rowlands in the challenge tournament finals at 96kg. Preston beat Nik Fekete while Rowlands knocked off Dawid Rechul.
Steve Mocco was dominant in his victory over Pat Cummins, while Cole Konrad advanced to meet Mocco in what will be a rematch of the 2005 NCAA Division I finals at heavyweight.
In Greco-Roman, Lindsey Durlacher cruised into the challenge tournament finals, where he’ll meet Anthony Brooker at 55kg.
Willie Madison beat challenge tournament top seed Jacob Hey 1-1, 2-1 at 60kg. Madison will wrestle James Johnson in Saturday night’s challenge final.
One of the deepest Greco weights is 66kg, where Marcel Cooper faces Glenn Garrison in the challenge final. Cooper beat Mike Ellsworth 9-2, 2-0 in the semifinals, while Garrison got past crafty Mark Rial 1-1, 2-1 to advance.
Ellsworth had a big first-round fall over Oscar Wood, launching him for a reverse lift and a fall at 1:54.
Another highly-anticipated final is at 74kg is Keith Sieracki’s matchup with T.C. Dantzler. Sieracki dropped from 84kg and will have his hands full with Dantzler, who has wowed the Hilton Coliseum crowd with big throws and two falls. The new Greco rules favor Dantzler’s style, giving wrestlers an opportunity for a reverse lock at the start of the 30 second par terre portion of each period.
Jacob Clark and Mike Mathers will wrestle in the challenge tournament final at 84kg. Adam Wheeler will meet J.D. Bergman in the challenge final at 96kg, while it’s an all-Cleveland State affair in the finals at heavyweight.
CSU assistant coach Brian Keck faces CSU alum Russ Davie at 120kg.
On the women’s side, Sara McMann made her successful return to the mat with a berth in the challenge tournament final at 63kg. McMann scored two first-period falls en route to the challenge final. She pinned Laurin Daniels at 55 seconds and dismissed Brandy Rosenbrock in 1:55.
McMann will face sixth-seeded Rachel Billerbeck in the final. Billerbeck beat third-seeded Stefanie Shaw before beating seventh-seeded N’atasha Umemoto, who had earlier beaten second-seeded Kaci Lyle.
Former World bronze medalist Jenny Wong, the top seed, advanced to the final to face Clarissa Chun at 48kg. Wong’s first round opponent was high schooler Joey Miller of Oklahoma. Miller placed fourth in her high school state tournament this past year and she’s the youngest wrestler in the tournament.
Malinda Ripley and Mary Kelly will match up in the challenge tournament final at 51kg. Ripley beat high schooler Caitlyn Chase by fall in the semifinals, while Kelly beat Maika Watanabe 4-0, 2-0.
The pair met in the finals in the first Junior Women’s Freestyle final in Fargo in 2002.
Fifth-seeded Tina Pihl ousted top seed Sharon Jacobson at 55kg to advance to the challenge tournament final, while high schooler Chelynne Pringle reached the final by beating LeAnn Barney 3-0, 6-0.
2004 Olympian Tela O’Donnell had a bye into the final at 59kg. O’Donnell, up a weight class from Athens, will wrestle Suekoilya Shelley, who beat Leigh Jaynes in the weight’s only semifinal.
Katie Downing and Ashley Sword are the only two entries at 67kg and will wrestle in Saturday evening’s challenge tournament final, while at 72kg, it’s Ali Bernard and Heather Martin in the final.
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