OMAHA, Neb. (March 12) – Cody Rowell ended a tough day on a high note for Central Oklahoma at the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships here Friday.
A senior making his first national tournament appearance after barely qualifying with a fourth-place regional finish, Rowell used a late rally to pull off a big upset in the consolation quarterfinals at 174 pounds to ensure himself of All-America status.
Heavyweight Dustin Finn made it to the championship semifinals and 133-pounder Scott Berens was also alive in the consolations, while 165 Derrick Adkins, 184 Tanner Keck and 197 Jarrett Edison were all eliminated.
Top-ranked and defending champion Nebraska-Omaha opened up a huge lead in the team race, moving seven into the semifinals in racking up 56 points for a 24-point lead over second-place St. Cloud State. The Bronchos are 12th with 17 points.
The tournament resumes at 10 a.m. Saturday with the semifinals and completion of all consolation matches. The championship finals are set for 7 p.m.
Finn advanced to the semis with two wins, while Berens followed a quarterfinal loss with a major decision in his opening consolation match to stay alive and Rowell bounced back from a first-round loss with two consolation wins.
Rowell scored five points in the final 45 seconds to knock off fifth-ranked Aaron Denson of UNO 8-4 in his final match to give the Bronchos a positive end to the night.
“That was a great win for a senior who has preserved through some tough times in his career,” UCO coach David James said. “Cody has worked hard this year and I'm really proud of him.
“Dustin did a nice job and wrestled really smart today, which I knew he would. And hats off to Scott for bouncing back from a tough loss to stay alive.”
Finn, a national runner-up the past two years for the Bronchos, scored a second-period fall and a tough tiebreaker win in advancing to the semifinals.
The third-ranked senior from Moore pinned Kutztown's Kevin Bolinsky at the 3:22 mark and then used a reverse early in the second tiebreaker period to trim fourth-ranked Charlie Alexander of Western State 3-1.
Finn will take on No. 1 Brady Wilson of Minnesota State in the semis.
Berens opened the tournament with a 3-0 blanking of Chadron State's Ryan Fillingame, but then dropped a 3-1 decision to Laramie Shaffer of Augustana in the quarterfinals.
The eighth-ranked senior from Blanchard stayed alive in the consolations with an 8-0 major decision of St. Cloud State's Shane McQuade to assure himself of All-America honors.
Rowell bounced back from a tough 8-6 first-round loss to No. 3-ranked J.J. Davis of North Carolina-Pembroke to post a 9-2 rout in his first consolation match and then clinched All-America status with his stunning win over Denson, who was the national runner-up at 165 last year
Rowell trailed 4-3 when he reversed Denson with 45 seconds left in the final period and then quickly turned him for a three-point near-fall to make it 8-4. The Duncan senior easily controlled Denson the final 20 seconds to close out the upset.
The sixth-ranked Edison was upset 4-2 in the first round by Northern State's Matthew Meuleners, but knocked off Adams State's Kyle Sand – last year's 184-pound national champion – 9-7 in his first consolation match before being eliminated.
Adkins and Keck both lost their first two matches.
NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships
Championship First Round
133 – Scott Berens, UCO, dec. Ryan Fillingame, Chadron State, 3-0.
165 – Gavin Nelson, Augustana, dec. Derrick Adkins, UCO, 5-3.
174 – J.J. Davis, North Carolina-Pembroke, dec. Cody Rowell, UCO, 8-6.
184 – Charlie Pipher, Western State, pinned Tanner Keck, UCO, 4:04.
197 – Matthew Meuleners, Northern State, dec. Jarrett Edison, UCO, 4-2 (TB).
Hvy – Dustin Finn, UCO, pinned Kevin Bolinsky, Kutztown, 3:22.
Championship Quarterfinals
133 – Laramie Shaffer, Augustana, dec. Berens, UCO, 3-1.
Hvy – Finn, UCO, dec. Charlie Alexander, Western State, 3-1 (TB).
Consolation First Round
165 – Justin Grant, Colorado State, dec. Adkins, UCO, 7-2.
174 – Rowell, UCO, dec. Zack Frazier, Western State, 9-2.
184 – Brady Anderson, Mary, dec. Keck, 5-1.
197 -- Edison, UCO, dec. Kyle Sand, Adams State, 9-7.
Consolation Second Round
133 – Berens, UCO, major dec. Shane McQuade, St. Cloud State, 8-0.
174 – Rowell, UCO, dec. Aaron Denson, Nebraska-Omaha, 8-4.
197 – Mitch Knapp, West Liberty State, pinned Edison, 3:39.
