UNI Crowns Four Champions; Advances Seven to Nationals

Sunday, March 5

Laramie, Wyo.

All Day

University of Northern Iowa

NCAA West Regional

UNI Crowns Four Champions; Advances Seven to Nationals

3/5/2006 7:00:00 AM | Wrestling

By: UNI Athletics Communications

NCAA West Regional Website

LARAMIE, Wyo. - The University of Northern Iowa wrestling team crowned four champions and advanced seven individuals to the NCAA Division I Championships at the 2006 NCAA West Regional held in the Arena-Auditorium on the University of Wyoming campus.

The NCAA Division I Wrestling National Championships will take place March 16-18 at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City, Okla.

UNI also won its 21^st straight West Regional team crown by edging out the host Wyoming Cowboys, 95.5-86.0. Fresno State finished third with 61.0 points. Air Force took fourth-place in the team standings with 60.5 points, while Eastern Illinois took fifth with 26.0 points.

UNI's individual champions included Seth Wright (125 lbs.), Chris Helgeson (133 lbs.), C.J. Ettelson (141 lbs.) and Nick Baima (165 lbs.). Along with the four individual champions, UNI also earned three wild card selections for the NCAA Championships in Oklahoma City. Ryan Osgood (149 lbs.), Chris Bitetto (157 lbs.) and Tyler Rhodes (HWT) earned wild card selections for the Panthers.

Baima was also named Outstanding Wrestler for the West Regional. Air Force head coach Wayne Baughman was named the Coach of the Year.

At 125 pounds, junior Seth Wright (Payson, Utah) captured the title by scoring a 9-5 win over Wyoming's Bryce Leonhardt. The match was tied going into the final 30 seconds but Wright scored a pair of takedowns as the clocked ticked down and he added a riding time point for the win.

At 133 pounds, senior Chris Helgeson (Lake Mills, Iowa) turned the tables on Air Force's Brandon Strong. Helgeson locked in a cradle with just over a minute to go in the first period and scored a fall at the 2:08 mark of the title match. Last season, Strong caught Helgeson in a cradle to win the West Regional title.

Sophomore C.J. Ettelson (Hudson, Iowa) made it three-for-three at 141 pounds when he scored a fall over Air Force's Jacob Kriegbaum at the 1:43 mark of the first period. Ettelson began the match with a four-point move and kept working over Kriegbaum's shoulder until he got the pin midway through the first stanza.

At 149 pounds, Wyoming's Curtis Downing scored a 10-2 major decision over UNI junior Ryan Osgood (Mason City, Iowa).

UNI senior Chris Bitetto (Hackensack, N.J.) suffered a 7-6 upset loss to Wyoming's Dun Clum at 157 pounds. Bitetto trailed 5-2 in the closing seconds and was able to score a pair of takedowns but a crucial riding time point for Clum allowed him to take the one-point win and the regional title.

Bitetto then had to battle Air Force's Bridger Lord for true second place. Bitetto was able to gut out a 6-4 decision and as a result was able to garner a wild card entry into the NCAA Championships.

UNI junior Nick Baima (Glen Ellyn, Ill.) captured his first West Regional championship with an injury default victory over Fresno State's Shane Seibert. Baima, who is ranked No. 5 in the nation, improved his record to 33-3 on the season. The victory was also Baima's 13^th straight win this season.

In the third-place match at 174 pounds, UNI's Moza Fay (Anamosa, Iowa) lost via fall to Air Force's Stephen Crozier at the 4:57 mark.

In the third-place match at 184 pounds, UNI's Dan Dunning (Waterloo, Iowa) scored an 11-6 decision over Air Force's Zane Hersey.

At 197 pounds, UNI's Andrew Anderson scored his second victory of the day in the third-place match with Fresno State's Miguel Rodriguez with a fall at the 2:38 mark. Anderson also recorded a fall earlier in the day against Rodriguez in the preliminary round at the 1:52 mark of their match.

Anderson was rewarded for his efforts by getting the chance for "True Second Place" and the end of the evening. Anderson took on Air Force's Brenden McLean in the final match of this year's NCAA West Regional. However, McLean scored a 4-2 victory to take "True Second" at 197 pounds.

At heavyweight Tyler Rhodes (Mountain View, Wyo.) secured a third-place finish with a 4-3 victory over Air Force's Frank McGrath.

UNI advanced six wrestlers to the finals in the semifinal round.

No. 1 seed Seth Wright reached the championship via a bye because there were only three competitors in the 125-pound bracket. No. 2 seed Chris Helgeson (133 lbs.) earned his spot in the final with a 7-2 decision over Wyoming's Tyson Shatto. No. 1 seed C.J. Ettelson (141 lbs.) dominated Wyoming's Shay Lawrence and scored a 19-1 technical fall to reach the finals.

No. 3 seed Nick Baima (165 lbs.) cruised to the final with a 20-5 technical fall over Wyoming's Gary Dack.

Four Panthers were knocked into the consolation bracket in the semifinal round. Moza Fay (174 lbs.) was pinned by Eastern Illinois' No. 1-seeded Kenny Robertson at the 2:48 mark of their match. Dan Dunning was also pinned by Eastern Illinois' No. 2-seeded Greg Perz at the 4:19 mark of their match.

Andrew Anderson (197 lbs.) dropped a 9-3 decision to No. 1-seeded Malcolm Havens of Wyoming. UNI heavyweight Tyler Rhodes lost via fall to Fresno State's Cody Parker at the 2:42 mark of their bout.

In the first round of consolations, Dunning stayed alive to advance to the third-place match with an 8-2 decision over Wyoming's Preston Pavich.

UNI BOUT-BY-BOUT RESULTS

125 lbs. - Seth Wright

W, Bryce Leonhardt (WYO) - 9-5

133 lbs. - Chris Helgeson

W, Tyson Shatto (WYO) - 7-2

W, Brandon Strong (AF) - Fall, 2:08

141 lbs. - C.J. Ettelson

W, Shay Lawrence (WYO) - 19-1

W, Kriegbaum (AF) - Fall, 1:43

149 lbs. - Ryan Osgood

W, Chris Nissen (AF) - 11-4