March 17, 2006 - Broncs at Nationals
March 17, 2006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
College Wrestling
Broncs at Nationals
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK—The Rider University wrestling season came to an end Friday at the 2006 NCAA Division I Championship Tournament. “We had a young group out here with two freshmen and two sophomores, and they gained valuable experience this weekend,” said Rider head coach Gary Taylor. “Now they see what is needed to be done to get back here and to compete out here.”
All five Rider University wrestlers lost in the first round Thursday. Only sophomore TJ Morrison (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cedar Cliff) won a bout in the consolation rounds.
Morrison lost Friday morning to old Colonial Athletic Association nemesis Adam Wright of Old Dominion, 9-3. “TJ has beaten him in the past, but was 0-3 against him this year,” said Taylor. Wright was the CAA Champion this season. “The good news is that Wright is a senior,” said Rider associate head coach John Hangey. “Wright and TJ have a style conflict. The first period went as planned, we couldn’t have scripted it any better, and then the wheels fell off. TJ had a good win over Cassidy Thursday night, down 4-0 right off the bat and came back strong.”
In the consolations round, Morrison (28-9), who won a bout at Nationals last year as a freshman, defeated Matt Cassidy of Lehigh 16-10. Morrison defeated Cassidy 6-1 earlier this season in a dual meet. In the first round Thursday afternoon, Morrison lost 7-2 to the seventh seed at 197 pounds, Jerry Rinaldi of Cornell. Morrison had lost to Rinaldi 4-3 in a dual meet this season.
Freshman Mike Kessler (Randallstown, Md./Owings Mills) lost 6-3 to the ninth seed at 149 pounds, Tyler Turner of Wisconsin. Kessler who placed third in the CAA Championships and was selected for Nationals as a wild-card alternate, then lost in the consolations 11-9 in overtime to the tenth seed, Daniel Elliott of Gardner-Webb. Kessler finishes his rookie season with a 27-13 record. “All of the young guys learned a valuable lesson out here,” said Hangey.
Freshman Doug Umbehauer (Shamong/Lenape), a CAA runner-up, was pinned (0:17) by the second seeded 174 pound wrestler, Jake Herbert of Northwestern, in the first round. In the consolations, Umbehauer led 2-0 before being pinned (4:04) by Aaron Miller of Kent State. Umbehauer completes his first season with a record of 20-8. “Umbehauer was winning when the kid stuck him,” said Hangey. “He had a great freshman year, and he learned a lot out here.”
“This was a great learning experience, and is part of the process in becoming a great wrestler,” said Taylor. “The young wrestlers have to see how strong and physical everyone is out here.”
Sophomore Zack Cunliffe (Farmingdale/Howell), the CAA champion at 133 pounds, lost to the fifth seed, Christopher Fleeger of Purdue on a medical default, and did not continue in consolations. “With the shoulder injury Zach could not defend himself, and we didn’t want to put him in that position,” said Hangey. Cunliffe finishes his season with a record of 24-9.
Senior Joe Maroney (Bensalem, PA), the CAA runner-up, lost 20-5 to the third seed at 184, Ben Wissel of Purdue in the first round. “Joe was ecstatic about making it out to Nationals,” said Hangey, “and this was a good way to end his career. He always worked his butt off.” In the first round of consolations Thursday night, Maroney lost 13-3 to John Davis of Tenn-Chatanooga and finishes his senior year with a 20-17 record.
“I felt good for Joe,” said Taylor. “He showed great improvement this year, and to qualify for Nationals and have this opportunity before he graduates was only fitting. I’m really happy and pleased for him. He has always been a very hard worker and an excellent student. He has all the traits you would want in a student athlete.” Maroney is a biology major who is graduating from Rider in just three years.
The young Broncs went west to Oklahoma and come back with a wealth of experience for next year. “The good news is we lost to a lot of seniors out here,” said Taylor.
-RU-
