November 16, 2004

Young Wrestlers Impressive at Wyoming

Lopers Have Two Champions

            Kearney, Neb. – The 3^rd-ranked Nebraska-Kearney wrestling team had 11 top four finishes at the 32^nd annual Cowboy Open this past Sunday in Laramie, Wyo.

            Hosted by the University of Wyoming, the Lopers went up against a mix of Division I and RMAC schools, along with some top junior college programs.

            In “Division I” bracket, UNK had five top four efforts, including a first place finish by sophomore Brett Allgood (125 lbs).

            A four-time state champ at Bennington High, Allgood spent last year at Iowa Central C.C. 

            In “Division II (20 and under)”, the Lopers had six top four finishes, led by Lincoln freshman Keenan McCurdy, who placed first at 165 lbs.

            Also in the 20 and under division, Lincoln redshirt freshman Jeff Rutledge (133 lbs.) and Mitchell sophomore Matt True (141 lbs.) were each runner up in their classes while Oklahoma sophomore Caleb Young (174 lbs. and Texas sophomore Tervel Dlagnev (HWT) each placed third, respectively.

            Finally, Kansas redshirt freshman Brett Hille was fourth at 157 lbs. 

            McCurdy went 4-0 in his first collegiate tournament. He edged Chadron’s Brett Hunter, 2-1, in his first match and then slipped by another Eagle, Wally Jones, in the finals, 3-2.

            Rutledge also won four matches before falling to Northern Colorado’s Kyle Kaiser, 10-8, in the 133 lbs. finals.

            UNC, in its first year as a Division I member, also beat UNK at 141 lbs. as Kenny Hashimoto pinned True at the 3:00 mark.

            True, a national qualifier a year ago, won five matches to reach the finals, including a victory over an Air Force Academy individual.

            In the top division, Allgood won four matches to win the 125 title. He edged Boise State freshman Andrew Hochstrasser, 4-3, in the finals.

            The BSU freshman beat senior Bryce Abbey and sophomore Trevor Charbonneau en route to the finals. Hochstrasser won four state titles in Utah, setting state records for wins (170) and pins (133) in a career. 

            Abbey, ranked second nationally, bounced back to reach the third place match where he lost to Brandon Strong of Air Force, 2-0.

            At 133 lbs., second ranked Adam Keiswetter lost to Air Force’s Matt Benza, 7-6, in the semifinals and then was beaten by Oregon’s Martin Mitchell, 15-9, in the third place match.

            Fremont senior Aaron Dalton, ranked 5^th nationally at 165 lbs., competed at 174 lbs. and finished fourth. He went 4-2 on the day, falling to UNC’s Shawn Hart, 9-0, in the third place match.

            Finally, No. 1 ranked Jeff Sylvester (197 lbs.) had two pins to reach the finals. There, he was pinned by Oregon’s Scott Barker at 4:10. Barker was a two-time All-American and a 2003 NCAA finalist while at Missouri.

            UNK competes in the UNO Kauffman-Brand Open this Saturday.