March 25, 2003

by Brendan Heffernan

Finals week. For most university of Illinois students, it's a week of pulling all-nighters and cramming for exams that is coming up in about a month. For Illini wrestler Matt Lackey, though, it was last week in Kansas City, at the NCAA wrestling tournament. And on any grading scale, he passed with flying colors, becoming the 165 pound NCAA champion.

Here's a look at how he did it.

THURSDAY
As the Kemper Arena crowd listened to the Star Spangled Banner at 11 a.m. Thursday morning, the 16,000 or so fans who had been watching the accounts of war in Iraq understood that the presentation of the flag meant something different that morning. But for the more than 350 wrestlers from 75 different schools around the country, it also signified the start of the most important weekend of the year.

After losing on third period takedown in the semifinals and placing third as a sophomore, Lackey lost last season on a last-second takedown in the championship match to take second.

"I thought about it for an entire year," Lackey said of the loss. "That was one of the most painful experiences of my life. I worked years and years for that moment, and to lose it in the last four seconds, that was tough."

The NCAA Tournament is not that hard for champions. As long as you keep on winning, you have only one match per session. The hard part however, is to keep on winning. Especially when you are an undefeated, first seeded senior. So every time he went out on the mat, Lackey knew he would be in for a battle.

Theoretically, No. 1 seeds have the advantage of a "warm-up match" in tournaments. In wrestling however, the first match at every tournament is always difficult to get going, and at the NCAA wrestling tournament, anything can happen.

Unlike the basketball tournament, where a No. 16 seed has never beaten a No. 1 seed, anyone is vulnerable here. Coasting to a 13-6 victory over Leighton Brady of Boston in his first match, Lackey remained calm in an effort to avoid any chance of an upset. "I'm a relaxed guy," Lackey said. "I don't get pumped up. If I am like that, I am out of my element. That is how you lose."

Stepping out on the mat for his second round match Thursday night against Oscar Santiago of Purdue, Lackey was very comfortable. He had defeated Santiago twice already this year, once in the Big Ten season dual meet, and once in the Big Ten Tournament. He was so comfortable, that even after Santiago scored a reversal with 1:12 left in the final period to go up 2-1, he quickly rebounded with an escape and takedown to pull out a close 4-2 victory.

FRIDAY
Momentum is a funny thing. After going 0-for-5 in their last championship round matches carrying over from Thursday night, the Illini bounced back in a big way as freshman 157-pounder Alex Tirapelle upset Minnesota's returning 157-pound national champion Luke Becker Friday morning in the quarterfinals.

Moments after Tirapelle's victory sent the Illinois crowd into a frenzy, Lackey stepped out on the mat for his next match against Matt King of Edinboro. Feeding off of Tirapelle's victory and the excitement from the crowd, Lackey cruised to a 6-1 decision, advancing to the semifinals and assuring his third All-American placing in the last three years.

In the semifinals, Lackey faced another Big Ten rival in Jacob Volkman from Minnesota. The match, a rematch of the Big Ten championship final two weeks ago where Lackey won 5-3, was basically a replay, with Lackey winning this match, 6-3.

SATURDAY
Throughout his career at Illinois, Lackey has been known to step it up for big matches. So it is only fitting that his final college match would end the same way. With the Illini crowd behind him, Lackey stepped out on the mat against second-seeded Troy Letters from Lehigh. Holding on to a 4-3 lead with 21 seconds, Lackey hit a foot sweep on Letters that not only locked the victory in, but brought the Kemper Arena crowd to its feet.

"I am happy it is over and happy that I was able to accomplish what I wanted to do," Lackey said of the match. "Once it settles in, I think I can enjoy it more."

Every workout he ever went through, every weight he ever lifted, every match he ever wrestled on the mat or in his head, paid off for Lackey. For Letters, there are three more chances for the first-place medal, and three more finals weeks. For Lackey, however, his goals will no longer be of 3rds, 2nds or 1sts, but of bronze, silver and gold, as he begins to train for the 2004 Olympics.