Metcalf is the man after dominant NCAA win
Michigan, CMU finish 7th overall
2008 NCAA Championships
March 20-22 - St Louis, MO
3/21 - Davison native Brent Metcalf was arguably the most dominant champion of
tonight's NCAA finals as he scored a 14-8 decision over Penn State's Bubba Jenkins
to win the 149lb national championship. Caro native Wynn Michalak of CMU fell short
at 197lbs and the Wolverine pair of Eric Tannenbaum and Steve Luke also lost in
close finals matches. The Chipps and Wolverines tied for 6th overall while Metcalf's
Iowa Hawkeyes ran away with the team title.
Metcalf gave up two early takedowns and trailed 4-2 after the first stanza, however, his
relentless attack proved too much for Jenkins as he wore the PSU sophomore down
in the second and third period, rattling off numerous takedowns to rack up big points
and win the match 14-8. Metcalf, a sophomore, earned his first NCAA title in his first
year of competetion after sitting out last season following his transfer to Iowa from
Virginia Tech. This marks the second straight season that a former Davison Cardinal
was crowned national champ after Paul Donahoe of Nebraska won the 125lb last year.
Donahoe finished 3rd this year.
Former Caro state champ Wynn Michalak made the finals this year in his senior season at Central Michigan. The Chippewa senior fell 6-2 to Penn State's Phil Davis in the 197lb final.
A pair of Michigan Wolverines made the finals at 165 and 174lbs, however, Eric Tannenbaum and Steve Luke both fell short in the championship match. Tannenbaum lost to Mark Perry of Iowa, who is now a 2x champ while Luke lost a close bout to Pittsburgh's Keith Gavin the 174lb final. Tannenbaum is a senior, however, Luke is only a junior and will have another crack at the title next year.
With neither CMU or Michigan winning a title, the teams remained deadlocked at 69pts each and finished in a tie for 7th place overall. Metcalf and Iowa ran away with the team title as they finished nearly 40 points ahead of 2nd place Ohio State.
Championship Finals
149lbs - Brent Metcalf (Iowa) dec Bubba Jenkins (Penn State) 14-8
165lbs - Mark Perry (Iowa) dec Eric Tannenbaum (Michigan) 4-2
174lbs - Keith Gavin (Pitt) dec Steve Luke (Michigan) 4-2
197lbs - Phil Davis (Penn State) dec Wynn Michalak (Central Michigan) 7-2
Final Team Standings
1. Iowa 117.5
2. Ohio State 79
3. Penn State 75
4. Nebraska 74
5. Iowa State 72
5. Oklahoma State 72
7. Central Michigan 69
7. Michigan 69
9. Cornell 67
10. Minnesota 61.5
11. Missouri 48.5
12. Indiana 43
13. Northwestern 41
14. Illinois 40.5
15. Hofstra 38
28. Michigan State 15.5
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