GVSU Wrestling FInishes 4th At NCWA National Duals
1/31/12
Grand Valley State University’s Wrestling Team traveled to Dalton, Georgia to wrestle in the NCWA National Duals on January 27th and 28th. The team was seeded 6th going into the tournament and finished in 4th place out of 24 teams.
After a first round bye on Friday afternoon, GVSU beat Auburn University 49-9. The team was led by first period falls from senior Adam Bastow (149), sophomore Bobby Tymes (165), freshman Mark Crosestto (174), and senior Carl Worthy (235). Sophomore Andy Brown (133) recorded a major decision.
To finish up the first day of competition, GVSU wrestled East Tennessee State University and completed a 58-3 victory. Sophomore Joe Westover got the Lakers started with a hard-fought decion at 125. The Lakers then rolled with first period falls from freshman Tim Naubert (133), sophomore Matt Morrill (141), sophomore Kevin Lee (157), Tymes, graduate student Jim Neal (184), and senior Kyle Hillard (285).
GVSU started out strong Saturday morning with a 44-6 victory over the University of North Florida. Sophomore Kyle Horr (149), Worthy, and Hillard recorded falls. Sophomore Chad Hughes and Neal also led the team with a major decision over their opponents. Freshman Kevin Walker sacrificed for the team and gave up 13 pounds to fill a void at 197. His amazing comeback came just short, losing a decision 11-10. Kevin competed well in each bout to provide the Lakers with an option at 197.
The most exciting dual of the weekend occurred in the quarterfinals. The match against Lindenwood-Belleville University, a varsity program transitioning to the NAIA, came down to the wire. After a slow start, Bastow got the team started with a decision over his opponent. This started a streak of five consecutive victories for the Lakers. Lee, Tymes, freshman Ryan Burl (174), and Neal defeated their opponents, Lee by fall. With the dual on the line, Carl Worthy secured a fall to propel the Lakers to a 24-23 victory and a trip to the semifinals.
GVSU dropped a tough dual in the semifinals against Lindenwood-St. Charles University, a varsity program transitioning from the NAIA to NCAA D2. Lindenwood has won five NAIA National Titles since 2001 and competes against the varsity athletic programs from GVSU in many other sports. Lee led the team with a 3:23 fall, while Neal received a forfeit victory to make the final score 41-12. The score is deceptive because GVSU scored the first points in several bouts but lost he lead late in matches.
In the final dual of the tournament, GVSU fell to the University of Maryland - Baltimore County 31-10 to finish fourth. Once again, Bastow got the team started with a major decision and was followed by decisions from Lee and Worthy. This is the sixth consecutive top-five finish for the Lakers at the NCWA National Duals – an NCWA record.
Leading the team for the weekend was Bastow who went 3-0 with 1 fall, Lee had 3 falls and a 4-0 record for the tournament and Worthy had 4 falls and a 5-0 tournament record. Carl Worthy is undefeated in dual meet competition over three seasons at GVSU.
Sunday, February 5th, the Lakers will be hosting the Laker Classic. This will be your last chance to see the Lakers at home this season. Wrestling will be held in the Fieldhouse arena and will start at 9am.
For more information on GVSU Wrestling, visit grandvalleywrestling.com. If you would like to compete for the Lakers, please complete a recruiting questionnaire.
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