"We're workhorses and are going to have to earn everything," said Navy head coach Bruce Burnett. "We had some tough, long days, but I thought we worked very hard this weekend. Some matches jjust didn't go our way, but our five qualifiers will learn from our mistakes and work hard in preparation for NCAA's."
Tanner Garrett (Tulsa, Okla.) dropped a double-overtime heartbreaker for the second straight season, 3-2, this time to Harvard's second seed Bode Ogunwole. In the finals, Ogunwole scored an escape early in the second period for a 1-0 lead. Garrett, however, started the third period with an escape to knot the score at 1-1. Ogunwole and Garrett traded escapes in overtime, but the Harvard junior rode out Garrett for the 30 seconds in the double overtime to claim the victory. Garrett has now finished second in the EIWA Championships three straight years.
Joe Baker (Poway, Calif.) became the first Mid to grab an NCAA Tournament berth, defeating Cornell's Mike Mormile, the second seed, in the consolation finals, 8-5. Baker led 5-1 after two periods, then scored a takedown with about 40 seconds left to ice away the match. Mormile had piled up a 26-11 record during his senior campaign and finished last year's tournament as the runner-up at 125 pounds. The win moves the Navy freshman's record to 11-2, and became the first Navy freshman to qualify for the NCAA Tournament since Dan Hicks in 1992.
"Joe just needed to get some matches in him," said Burnett. "We knew he had the talent, but he was just lacking the conditioning early in the year. He is now in shape and I think everyone is seeing what he can do. There is a buzz about him in the EIWA. He put in the work to get better and to get where he is, and he is going to continue to work hard."
Baker overcame a bumpy road to get back into the lineup, taking almost a year off because of injuries. When it appeared he was back, another minor injury would slow him down again. Now, the freshman is healthy and he is heading to the NCAA Tournament.
"It's been a year in the works," said Baker. "I got through the injuries and I think I am healthy enough now to compete with anyone in the country. There is always room for improvement, and I leave this tournament with a lot of `what ifs'. I hope I can fix some of the mistakes I made this weekend at the NCAAs and put forth a good performance there."
Navy garnered two fourth-place finishes from sophomore 174-pounder Matt Stolpinski (Westfield, Mass.) and senion 197-pounder Chris Pogue (Chespeake, Va.). The pair was defeated in the consolation finals by Columbia's Matt Palmer and Army's Charles Martin, respectively. The pair equaled their pre-tournament seed.
John Cox (Grand Haven, Mich.) and Craig Dziewiatkowski (Aurora, Ill.) earned fifth-place finishes at 149 and 165 pounds. Cox was defeated by the tournament's top two seeds over the last two days, but rallied for a fifth-place finish with a 4-1 decision over Columbia's Ricky Turk in the fifth-place match.
Dziewiatkowski, meanwhile, had a strong run in the tournament, surpassing his pre-tournament sixth seed. Dziewiatkowski, who qualified for last year's NCAA Tournament, lost to the Nos. 2 and 5 seeds along the way. However, he had two impressive wins along the way, defeating third-seeded Shawn Kitchner of Brown twice, including a 13-3 major-decision in the fifth-place match.
The Mids scored a sixth-place finish from sophomore Spencer Manley (Ooltewah, Tenn.) at 141 pounds. Manley lost both of his matches in the consolation round on Sunday, but finished with a sixth-place showing after entering the tournament as the seventh seed.
"We have five guys going to Oklahoma City looking to do well," said Burnett. "It's time to get some All-Americans up on that wall. It's been too long."
NAVY NOTES
• The Mids will send five wrestlers to the NCAA Tournament, after six wrestlers qualified a year ago. The list includes two seniors, a junior, a sophomore and a freshman. Garrett will make his third straight NCAA Tournament appearance, while Cox advances for the second time. Baker, Stolpinski and Pogue will wrestle in their first NCAA Tournament.
• Joe Baker is the first Navy freshman to qualify for the NCAA Tournament since Dan Hicks in 1992.
• Navy has three wrestlers over 30 wins for the third time ever, joining the 1994-95 and 2000-01 seasons as the only teams to have three 30-match winners.
• Senior heavyweight Tanner Garrett moved into the top five career victory list with 112. He surpassed Scott Schleicher (1986-90) with his semifinal victory on Saturday.
• Junior 157-pounder John Jarred finished his season with 35 wins, good for a tie for eighth on the single-season list. John Cox's 31 victories are the 22nd-most in a single season. Cox also moved into a tie for 19th on the career list with 80.
• Craig Dziewiatkowski finished his career with a 72-41 career mark. Jonny Kane closes out his career with a 68-38 record.
• Tanner Garrett finished second for the third straight year. He leads the country with 41 wins and is only the second Navy wrestler ever to record 40 wins in a season.
CONSOLATION SEMIFINALS:
133 -- (4) Joe Baker (Navy) pinned Frankie Baughan (Army), 1:43
141 -- (4) Sal Tirico (Columbia) major dec. (7) Spencer Manley (Navy), 14-5
149 -- (2) Patrick Simpson (Army) dec. (4) John Cox (Navy), 5-4
165 -- (5) Jon Anderson (Army) dec. (6) Craig Dziewiatkowski (Navy), 8-6
174 -- (4) Matt Stolpinski (Navy) dec. (6) Chad Marzec (Army), 6-4
197 -- (4) Chris Pogue (Navy) pinned (6) Orrin Kleinhenz (Columbia), 2:46
CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS:
HWT -- (2) Bode Ogunwole (Harvard) dec. (1) Tanner Garrett 3-2 (2tb)
THIRD-PLACE MATCHES:
133 -- (4) Joe Baker dec. (2) Mike Mormile (Cornell), 8-5
174 -- (3) Matt Palmer (Columbia) dec. (4) Matt Stolpinski (Navy), 11-4
197 -- (5) Charles Martin (Army) dec. (4) Chris Pogue (Navy), 6-4
FIFTH-PLACE MATCHES:
141 -- (3) Steve Adamcsik (Rutgers) tech. fall (7) Spencer Manley (Navy), 16-0 (2:41)
149 -- (4) John Cox (Navy) dec. (5) Ricky Turk (Columbia), 4-1
165 -- (6) Craig Dziewiatkowski (Navy) major dec. (3) Shawn Kitchner (Brown), 13-3
FINAL RESULTS:
125 -- (8) Alex Usztics: 1-2 (DNP); Season Record: 16-13
133 -- (4) Joe Baker: 4-1 (3rd; Advanced to NCAA Championships); Season Record: 11-2
141 -- (7) Spencer Manley: 3-3 (6th); Season Record: 17-15
149 -- (4) John Cox: 2-2 (5th); Season Record: 31-10
157 -- (5) John Jarred: 2-2 (DNP); Season Record: 35-10
165 -- (6) Craig Dziewiatkowski: 3-2 (5th); Season Record: 19-11
174 -- (4) Matt Stolpinski: 3-2 (4th); Season Record: 29-9
184 -- (7) Jonny Kane: 1-2 (DNP); Season Record: 20-9
197 -- (4) Chris Pogue: 3-2 (4th); Season Record: 28-10
HW -- (1) Tanner Garrett: 2-1 (2nd); Season Record: 41-3
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