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Thursday, March 10
Roy Monroe and Nathaniel Behnke got their final workout in this morning in preparation for this weekend's national tournament. Stay tuned for updates all weekend long, both on the mat and plenty behind the scenes as well.
This afternoon, the coaches and wrestlers made a stop at The Men's Room: Hair and Beard Parlor to freshen up before the big show. Look good. Feel good. Wrestle good. Check out our Twitter account for photos.
We are proud to announce that this year's team was honored tonight at the NWCA Hall of Fame Banquet as having the 15th best team GPA in the nation! With an overall GPA of 3.24, the Blugolds showcased the true meaning of being student-athletes!
This awesome news also came in today... First time in team history to have this many in one year!
Friday, March 11
Roy Monroe will wrestle his opening pigtail match this morning around 11:00. He is the second match on Mat 1 and takes on Daniel Del Gallo (23-4) of Southern Maine.
Nathaniel Behnke faces Alvontae Drummond (17-6) of McDaniel in his opening round match this morning. Check out the boys warming up here.
RESULTS: Roy Munroe is defeated by Daniel Del Gallo by decision. Final score was 10-4. Del Gallo won the exchanges on the feet, as he managed to take Roy down four times. Munroe now awaits the loser of Luther's Dakota Gray (7 seed) and Paul Biggs of Ferrum College in the wrestlebacks.
RESULTS: Nathaniel Behnke defeats Alvontae Drummond by a final score of 5-1. He took down Drummond with about a minute to go in the first period, got an escape in the second, and was awarded a point for Drummond stalling in the third. Behnke received a point for riding time advantage as well. He advances to the quarterfinals in tonight's session and will face Allen Henle of St. Johns. Behnke majored Henle earlier this season.
Post-match Interview with Nathaniel Behnke
RESULTS: Roy Munroe was defeated in the wrestlebacks round by Ferrum College's Paul Biggs (7-1 dec.), eliminating him from the tournament. Congratulations on a very successful season, Roy!
We had a great turnout at our team social between today's sessions! Thank you to all of the parents, friends, family members, and wrestlers who were able to attend.
QUARTERFINALS: Nathaniel Behnke was victorious by way of a 9-5 decision over Allen Henle of St. Johns! With his bid in tomorrow's semifinals, Behnke locked up his second All-American honors. Behnke, the No. 3 seed, will face No. 2-seeded Jimmy Nehls (31-0) of Elmhurst tomorrow at 10 a.m.
Interviews with coaches Elroy Perkin and Tim Fader
Saturday, March 12
SEMIFINALS: Nathaniel Behnke loses a heartbreaker to Elmhurst's Jimmy Nehls, 5-3. Behnke had a 2-1 lead after securing a takedown late in the first period. Fast forward to the final 30 seconds of the match after both wrestlers each earned a point for an escape, and Behnke was then hit for his second stalling call. This tied up the match, and Nehls took Behnke down with less than ten seconds remaining to advance to the finals. Behnke will now wrestle later this afternoon in the consolation semifinals with a berth in the third place match on the line. He faces Gregory Warner of York College. Warner lost in the opening round of the tournament but has since won four straight.
CONSOLATION SEMIFINALS: Behnke responds with a big pinfall victory over Gregory Warner! He scored a takedown within the first ten seconds of the match, later got reversed and rode out the rest of the way. Behnke began the second period on top, and quickly turned Warner for four points. Moments later, the senior from Bruce tightened up a single armbar and got the fall! He will wrestle for third place later today against No. 5-seeded Justin Kihn from Heidelberg.
CONSOLATION FINALS: Nathaniel goes out on top! In dominating fashion, Behnke coasted to a 9-0 decision in his final collegiate match. The Blugolds' all-time wins leader capped off a great career by defeating Heidelberg's Justin Kihn for third place at the NCAA Championships. Within seconds of the opening whistle, Behnke took Kihn down and immediately locked in a tight cradle. Despite being unable to get a second consecutive pin, Behnke did lead 6-0 in a hurry after the nearfall. From there, he picked up an escape, a stalling point, and a point for riding time. Congratulations on a fantastic career, Nathaniel!