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Pointer Trio Rallies to Earn
All-American Honors
After a tough start to the NCAA Division III
wrestling championships, UW-Stevens Point finished strong as all three
competitors earned All-American honors and ended their seasons with
victories on Saturday�s final day in Ewing, N.J.
The Pointers ended with 29.5 team points and
finished 11th overall. It marked the fifth straight year UW-Stevens Point
has placed in the top 12 of the team standings.
Mike Hayes lost his opening match at heavyweight
on Friday, but battled back to win five straight matches and place third
overall. Hayes, the fourth seed, beat three of the other top seeds on
Saturday and earned his second straight All-American honor after placing
fifth a year ago. He defeated third-seeded Mike Blair of Trinity (Conn.)
7-5, fifth-seeded Tommy Snyder of Lycoming (Pa.) 12-10 in overtime and
sixth-seeded Patrick Bennett of Brockport State (N.Y.) 7-5 in the third
place match to end his season at 28-4 overall.
Al Stacilauskas lost his second contest at 174
pounds and came back to earn seventh place for the second straight year
and finish with a 13-5 record. He lost a consolation match to Robbie
Gotreau of Augsburg 7-3, but then rallied to pin Ryan Hagerty of Loras in
2:27 in the seventh place match for his second victory over Hagerty at the
meet.
Joel Burdick also came back from a first-round
defeat at 141 pounds. He lost a consolation match to Mike Gaeta of
Springfield (Mass.) for the third straight year, dropping an 8-5 decision.
However, he bounced back in the seventh place match for a 3-2 win over
fifth-seeded Danny Song of U.S. Merchant Marine (N.Y.) to end the season
with a 31-10 record. |
