ST. LOUIS - Pete Yates and Devin Carter both wrapped up action at the NCAA Wrestling Championships inside the Scottrade Center Saturday morning with a pair of matches in the medal round. Yates beat an old ACC foe to finish fifth at 165 pounds while Carter picked up a first-period pin to place fifth at 133 pounds. Both earned All-America honors for their efforts at the tournament.
In his first match of the morning, Carter and Iowa’s Tony Ramos met for the third time this year with both previously winning a one-point match, but Ramos controlled this one most of the match in picking up an 8-3 decision. After a scoreless first period, third-seeded Ramos got a takedown in the second period and two more in the third period to cruise to the win. In the fifth-place match, fourth-seeded B.J. Futrell of Illinois. Futrell got an early takedown, but Carter didn’t panic and reversed Futrell right to his back, picking up the first-period pin to take fifth place.
“I got upset in the second round and obviously, I shouldn’t have lost that but sometimes wrestling back from that much of loss and getting fifth is better than losing in the semis and ending up finishing sixth,” Carter said. “It’s tough, but I learned a lot and I have to come back next year and finish strong. Who knows about next year, I could be at 141, I could be at 133, but wrestling all of these great guys early on in my career will help me down the road in my final two years.”
Yates took on Clarion’s Bekzod Abdurakhmonov, the fourth seed, in his first match of the day. Abdurakhmonov got a takedown early and ended up with over three minutes of riding time going into the third period. Yates got a takedown with 30 seconds left to tie it up, but had to release Abdurakhmonov since Abdurakhmonov had the point for riding time. Yates got in on a leg in the final 15 seconds, but couldn’t take him down and lost 5-4. In the fifth-place match, he went up against seventh-seeded Josh Asper of Maryland, the same guy he beat in sudden victory to take the ACC title. Yates got a takedown early and turned Asper to his back to jump out to a quick 5-0 lead. Asper cut away at it, but Yates got a reversal and two more back points as the second period ended. The junior got a late takedown to clinch the 13-7 victory to place fifth. Yates was upset in his first match of the tournament and then won six in a row to place.
“I was real disappointed in my first match,” Yates said. “I had high expectations for myselft and truly believed I could be in the finals. After the first match, the coaches were really positive with me and I have to credit them for keeping my head in the game and being positive. Once I started going, I had momentum rolling and beat some pretty good guys. Once I clinched All-America honors, it was big load weight off my shoulder. If I wouldn’t have earned All-America this year, I would have thought all that hard work was for nothing because I really believe I deserve it. I knew I was good enough to be an All-American, but it’s just getting it done. There’s so many things that can happen. My career here is getting short here and I only have one year left, so this means so much to me.”
As a team, Tech sits in 11th place with 39 points going to the final session. The highest team finish ever for a Tech squad is 19th, accomplished three times and this is the most team points ever scored at the NCAAs by Tech (27.5 points; 2000). Carter and Yates are Tech head coach Kevin Dresser’s second and third All-Americans, respectively, joining Chris Diaz, who finished eighth at 141 pounds in 2010. It’s only the third time in school history Tech has had two All-Americans in the same year as Chris Martin (165; 4th) and Sean Grey (141; 7th) did it in 2000 and Mike Faust (285; 5th) and David Hoffman (141; 8th) did it in 2006.
125: Erik Spjut (1-2)
First Round: lost to #6 seed Frank Perelli (Cornell), 4-2
Wrestlebacks: def. Johnni DiJulius (Ohio St.), 10-4
Wrestlebacks: lost to Trent Sprenkle (North Dakota State), 2-1
133: #6 seed Devin Carter (6-2) - FIFTH PLACE; ALL-AMERICAN
First Round: def. Nathan McCormick (Missouri), Fall 4:39
Second Round: lost #11 Steven Keith (Harvard), 8-6
Wrestlebacks: def. Frank Martelloti (PSU), MD 19-9
Wrestlebacks: def. Aaron Kalil (Navy), MD 13-4
Wrestlebacks: def. #5 Joe Colon (UNI), 13-10
Wrestlebacks: def. #8 Zachery Stevens (Michigan), Fall 1:43
Wrestlebacks: lost to #3 Tony Ramos (Iowa), 8-3
Fifth-Place Match: def. B.J. Futrell (Illinois), Fall 1:45
141: Zach Neibert (2-2)
First Round: def. #10 seed Jake Sueflohn (Nebraska), 6-5
Second Round: def. #7 Nick Nelson (VA), 4-2
Quarterfinals: lost to #2 Kendric Maple (Oklahoma), MD 15-3
Wrestlebacks: vs. #8 Darius Little (NC State), 5-1
149: Nick Brascetta (1-2)
First Round: def. #9 seed David Hobat (Edinboro), 3-1
Second Round: lost to #8 Eric Grajales (Michigan), 4-1
Wrestlebacks: lost to Kaleb Friedley (NW), 6-4
165: #6 seed Pete Yates (6-2) - FIFTH PLACE; ALL-AMERICAN
First Round: lost to Dallas Bailey (Oklahoma St.), MD 13-2
Second match: def. James Brundage (Rider), Fall 0:11
Wrestlebacks: def. Brandon Wright (Chattanooga), MD 13-2
Wrestlebacks: def. Patrick Graham (Oklahoma), 9-4
Wrestlebacks: def. #2 Shane Onufer (Wyoming), 10-3
Wrestlebacks: def. Benjamin Jordan (Iowa State), MD 11-2
Wrestlebacks: lost to #4 Bekzod Abdurakhmonov (Clarion), 5-4
Fifth-Place Match: def. #7 Josh Asper (Maryland), 13-7
174: Chris Moon (0-2)
First Round: lost to #2 seed Chris Perry (Oklahoma St.), 9-4
Second match: lost to Mike Dessino (Bloomsburg), 9-3
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