March 19, 2010
Garnett, Dong fall in quarterfinals
Three still alive for All-America honors heading into Friday night

OMAHA, Neb. - Day two of the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships got underway Friday morning inside the Qwest Center with four Virginia Tech Hokies still competing in the double-elimination tournament. Two Hokies took the mat in the quarterfinals, but both lost, leaving Tech still looking for that first national champion in wrestling. But three Tech wrestlers advanced to Friday night’s matches with all needing to win one match for All-America honors.

"This session was a roller coaster for us," said head coach Kevin Dresser. "It started with the lows of Jarrod losing and then Jesse getting caught and pinned, but Chris brought us back up from an emotional and team standpoint with two big wins, including one of Krom who he lost to two weeks ago. But the bottom line is we have three guys wrestling for All-America status tonight. You have to throw the rankings and seeds out the window and go get it done."

Below are the results and brief recaps of each match for the Hokies in the third session. The fourth session will begin Friday evening at 7 p.m. Be sure to check back after each round for updates, results and quotes.

125: Jarrod Garnett (2-1)
First Round:
def. #6 seed Zach Sanders (Minnesota), MD 17-6
Second Round: def. #11 seed Michael Martinez (Wyoming), 5-2
Quarterfinals: lost to #3 seed Matt McDonough (Iowa), MD 9-0
Details: McDonough, who earned a major decision over Garnett earlier this year, picked up where he left off. He got an early takedown and turned Garnett with a tilt for two back points. In the second period, McDonough turned Garnett two more times for four more points. McDonough rode Garnett the whole third period to lock up riding time and pick up the major decision. Garnett needs to win his next match tonight for All-America honors.
Consolations: vs. Nikko Triggas (Ohio State) - Friday evening

141: #11 seed Chris Diaz (3-1)
First Round:
lost to Connor Beebe (Central Michigan), 5-0
Consolations:
def. Kenneth Hasimoto (Northern Colorado), MD 13-1
Consolations: def. Elijah Nacita (CSU Bakersfield), 6-2
Details: After a scoreless first period, Diaz chose down and eventually escaped for the 1-0 lead. In the third period, Nacita chose neutral, but it backfired as Diaz got the takedown and then turned him for two back points. Nacita escaped, but it wasn’t enough as Diaz set up a rematch of the ACC Championship later in the session.
Consolation: def. #8 seed Alex Krom (Maryland), 4-1
Details: After an uneventful first two minutes, Diaz got a takedown at the end of the first period. He chose neutral for the second period after choosing down in the ACC Championship and getting ridden the entire two minutes by Krom. No one scored in the second stanza and in the third, Krom chose down and escaped to cut the Diaz lead to one. The two exchanged shots before Diaz got another takedown to wrap it up. Diaz needs to win his next match tonight for All-America honors.
Consolation: vs. #2 seed Jamal Parks (Oklahoma State) - Friday evening

149: Brian Stephens (0-2; ELIMINATED)
First Round:
lost to #8 seed Jason Chamberlain (Boise State), MD 14-2
Consolations: lost to Andrew Nadhir (Northwestern), 8-5

157: #3 seed Jesse Dong (2-1)
First Round:
def. Joseph Booth (Drexel), Fall (2:53)
Second Round: def. Anthony Jones (Michigan State), 5-4
Quarterfinals: lost to Justin Lister (Binghamton), Fall (1:18)
Details: Lister caught Dong in a cradle off a scramble and made quick work, pinning Dong midway through the first period. Dong needs to win his next match tonight for All-America honors.
Consolations: vs. #12 seed Steven Brown (Central Michigan) - Friday evening

165: Matt Epperly (0-2; ELIMINATED)
First Round:
vs. #6 seed Dan Vallimont (Penn State), 8-3
Consolations: lost to Paul Gillespie (Hofstra), 9-2

184: Tommy Spellman (1-2; ELIMINATED)
First Round:
def. Nick Purdue (Ohio), 3-2
Second Round: lost to #4 seed Michael Cannon (American), 9-2
Consolations: lost to Josh Ihnen (Nebraska), 4-0
Details: After a scoreless first two periods, Ihnen escaped and got a takedown to put the match away and eliminate Spellman.

For updates on Virginia Tech wrestling, follow the Hokies on Twitter (@VT_Wrestling).

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