The St. Cloud State University wrestling team will be sending three wrestlers to the championship round of matches at the 2013 NCAA Division II wrestling tournament, which is being held on March 8-9 at the CrossPlex in Birmingham, Ala.
SCSU grapplers who will be aiming to win national crowns tonight include Andy Pokorny at 133-pounds, Jacob D. Horn at 149-pounds and Shamus O’Grady at 185-pounds.
Fans can follow all the action on www.trackwrestling.com or listen on the web at www.kvsc.org.
A live video feed will also be available for fans through the NCAA.com website.
At 133-pounds, Pokorny improved to 24-2 on the season with a major decision victory over Marty Carlson of Notre Dame College. Pokorny won the match by a 10-0 tally. He will match up with UN-Kearney’s Daniel Deshazer in the finals at 133-pound tonight.
This marks the second consecutive season that Pokorny has advanced to the championship bout at 133-pounds and it also marks the second consecutive season that he has gained All-America notice for the Huskies.
At 149-pounds, Horn punched his ticket to the championship round with a big 6-2 win over Jordan Basks of Central Oklahoma. The victory improved Horn’s record to 18-7 and it also marks the second time that he has earned All-America honors for the Huskies. A three-time NCAA qualifer, Horn also gained All-America notice for SCSU in 2011.
O’Grady earned his fourth consecutive NCAA All-America award in 2013 and he will be gunning for a national title at 184-pounds tonight. In the semi’s, O’Grady competed in the day’s marquee match-up against Travis McKillop of Pitt-Johnstown, who entered the match as D2’s leader in the Most Dominating Wrestler charts in 2012-13.
O’Grady advanced on the strength of a big 6-4 win over McKillop. O’Grady now owns a 39-1 record and needs one more win today to tie the team record of 40 wins in a season set by Tad Merritt in 2010-11.
SCSU senior Jacob Kahnke completed his stellar career with the Huskies on March 9 with a third place finish at 285-pounds. A four-time All-American, Kahnke went 4-1 on the day after losing his second round match to Ziad Haddad of Kutztown by a 7-1 decision.
In the consolation bracket, Kahnke rolled to the third place finish. He started with a key 6-3 win over James Malechek of UW-Parkside. Kahnke then charged back with a 4-1 win over Andrew Tumlin of Findlay and also earned a 6-2 win over Orlando Scales of Norte Dame College.
Kahnke gained revenge for his earlier loss to Haddad by charting an impressive pin at 4:31 in the bout for third place. In his career at SCSU, Kahnke has gained two 2nd place finishes, a third place finish and a fourth place finish in NCAA tournament action. As a Husky, Kahnke notched 118 career wins and also charted a 23-1 record in 2012-13.
Redshirt freshman Clint Poster capped an impressive rookie year with a fourth place finish at 157-pounds, which grants him All-America status. In the bout for third place, Poster lost an 8-3 match to Jeff Pelton of Notre Dame.
Poster opened the day with a loss to Zach Vargo of Lake Erie (fall 2:07) in the semi’s. In the consolation semi’s Poster stayed alive with a 3-0 win over Chase White of UNK, which provided key team points for the Huskies. Poster capped his year with a 35-5 overall record.
At 141-pounds, Matt Nelson finished his year with a fifth place finish at the NCAA tournament to earn his first All-America award at SCSU. In the semi’s on March 9, Nelson lost a 14-10 match against Naveed Bagheri of San Francisco State. In the wrestlebacks, Nelson lost a 3-2 match to Maurice Miller of Notre Dame College and he chalked up the fifth place finish with a 10-2 major decision over Michel Hamel of Grand Canyon. Nelson ended his year at 22-9 for the Huskies.
Gabe Fogarty capped an impressive rookie campaign with a seventh place finish for the Huskies at 165-pounds, which provides him with All-America honors for 2013. Fogarty opened the day with a 17-0 tech fall win over Robert Shade of North Carolina-Pembroke in the consolation round. In the third round of the consolation bracket, Fogarty lost a 9-0 major decision to Chris Watson of Central Oklahoma.
His trip to Alabama was topped by a 14-5 major decision win over Justin Samora of Adams State in the bout for 7th place.
NCAA Division II Championships Results for St. Cloud State
125 – Champ. Round 1 – Jesse Hillhouse (Colorado State University – Pueblo) 28-3 won by decision over Eric Forde (St. Cloud State) 26-9 (Dec 6-2)
Cons. Round 1 – Eric Forde (St. Cloud State) 26-9 won by major decision over Ian Ross (Lake Erie College) 20-18 (Maj 8-0)
Cons. Round 2 – Matthew Turek (Gannon University) 29-10 won by tech fall over Eric Forde (St. Cloud State) 26-9 (TF 20-5)
133 – Champ. Round 1 – Andrew Pokorny (St. Cloud State) 24-2 won by pin over Dave Fogle (University of Pittsburgh, Johnstown) 16-14 (Pin 4:01)
Quarterfinal – Andrew Pokorny (St. Cloud State) 24-2 won by decision over Michael Labry (Ashland University) 35-4 (Dec 7-4)
Semifinal – Andrew Pokorny (St. Cloud State) 24-2 won by major decision over Marty Carlson (Notre Dame College) 19-13 (Maj 10-0)
141 – Champ. Round 1 – Matt Nelson (St. Cloud State) 22-9 won in sudden victory – 1 over Joshua Myers (Ouachita Baptist University) 25-8 (SV-1 6-4)
Quarterfinal – Matt Nelson (St. Cloud State) 22-9 won by decision over Michael Hamel (Grand Canyon University) 15-6 (Dec 13-8)
Semifinal – Naveed Bagheri (San Francisco State) 26-5 won by decision over Matt Nelson (St. Cloud State) 22-9 (Dec 14-10)
Cons. Semi – Maurice Miller (Notre Dame College) 31-6 won by decision over Matt Nelson (St. Cloud State) 22-9 (Dec 3-2)
5th Place Match – Matt Nelson (St. Cloud State) 22-9 won by major decision over Michael Hamel (Grand Canyon University) 15-6 (Maj 10-2)
149 – Champ. Round 1 – Jacobd. Horn (St. Cloud State) 18-7 won by injury default over Bobby Ward (Grand Canyon University) 16-6 (I-D 3:49)
Quarterfinal – Jacobd. Horn (St. Cloud State) 18-7 won by decision over Deral Brown (Newberry College) 40-7 (Dec 8-2)
Semifinal – Jacobd. Horn (St. Cloud State) 18-7 won by decision over Jordan Basks (Central Oklahoma) 31-6 (Dec 6-2)
157 – Champ. Round 1 – Clint Poster (St. Cloud State) 35-5 won by decision over Braden Turner (East Stroudsburg Univ. Of Pennsylvania) 21-9 (Dec 4-0)
Quarterfinal – Clint Poster (St. Cloud State) 35-5 won by pin over Jeffrey Pelton (Notre Dame College) 20-4 (Pin 2:28)
Semifinal – Zach Vargo (Lake Erie College) 28-8 won by pin over Clint Poster (St. Cloud State) 35-5 (Pin 2:07)
Cons. Semi – Clint Poster (St. Cloud State) 35-5 won by decision over Chase White (Nebraska-Kearney) 32-12 (Dec 3-0)
3rd Place Match – Jeffrey Pelton (Notre Dame College) 20-4 won by decision over Clint Poster (St. Cloud State) 35-5 (Dec 8-3)
165 – Champ. Round 1 – Gabe Fogarty (St. Cloud State) 27-12 won by decision over Mason True (University of Findlay) 17-7 (Dec 7-3)
Quarterfinal – Blake Ridenour (Newberry College) 32-10 won by decision over Gabe Fogarty (St. Cloud State) 27-12 (Dec 5-0)
Cons. Round 2 – Gabe Fogarty (St. Cloud State) 27-12 won by tech fall over Robert Shade (North Carolina-Pembroke) 29-10 (TF 17-0)
Cons. Round 3 – Chris Watson (Central Oklahoma) 32-20 won by major decision over Gabe Fogarty (St. Cloud State) 27-12 (Maj 9-0)
7th Place Match – Gabe Fogarty (St. Cloud State) 27-12 won by major decision over Justin Samora (Adams State) 22-14 (Maj 14-5)
174 – Champ. Round 1 – Patrick Martinez (Nebraska-Kearney) 14-2 won by pin over Kurt Salmen (St. Cloud State) 16-11 (Pin 6:24)
Cons. Round 1 – Kelly Henderson (Central Oklahoma) 26-7 won by decision over Kurt Salmen (St. Cloud State) 16-11 (Dec 7-1)
184 – Champ. Round 1 – Shamus O`grady (St. Cloud State) 39-1 won by tech fall over Derrick Williams (West Liberty University) 15-16 (TF 18-1)
Quarterfinal – Shamus O`grady (St. Cloud State) 39-1 won by major decision over Adam Walters (University of Findlay) 28-4 (Maj 8-0)
Semifinal – Shamus O`grady (St. Cloud State) 39-1 won by decision over Travis Mckillop (University of Pittsburgh, Johnstown) 33-2 (Dec 6-4)
285 – Champ. Round 1 – Jake Kahnke (St. Cloud State) 23-1 won by decision over Niko Bogojevic (Colorado State University – Pueblo) 17-15 (Dec 5-1)
Quarterfinal – Ziad Haddad (Kutztown Univ. Of Pennsylvania) 27-5 won by decision over Jake Kahnke (St. Cloud State) 23-1 (Dec 7-1)
Cons. Round 2 – Jake Kahnke (St. Cloud State) 23-1 won by decision over James Malechek (Wisconsin-Parkside) 25-8 (Dec 6-3)
Cons. Round 3 – Jake Kahnke (St. Cloud State) 23-1 won by decision over Andrew Tumlin (University of Findlay) 30-13 (Dec 4-1)
Cons. Semi – Jake Kahnke (St. Cloud State) 23-1 won by decision over Orlando Scales (Notre Dame College) 15-3 (Dec 6-2)
3rd Place Match – Jake Kahnke (St. Cloud State) 23-1 won by pin over Ziad Haddad (Kutztown Univ. Of Pennsylvania) 27-5 (Pin 4:31)
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