March 20, 2009
Team Scores Through Session 3 
Brackets Through Session 3
No. 1 and second-seeded Mike Poeta rolled into the semifinals of the 2009 NCAA Championships and four other Illini are alive in the consolation round of 12, helping Illinois to a ninth-place standing as a team. Poeta already has clinched his third-straight All-America honor while third-seeded and No. 3 Jimmy Kennedy, Ryan Prater, No. 19 John Dergo and eighth-ranked and ninth-seeded John Wise all need a win in the round of 12 to be called an All-American. Action resumes Friday night at 6 p.m. with semifinal matches being shown live on ESPN2.
The unseeded Prater wrestled tough against eighth-seeded and third-ranked Ryan Williams of Old Dominion, but Williams registered a reversal as time expired to avoid overtime and down Prater, 8-6. Prater got the first takedown but Williams escaped before posting a takedown and three near-fall points for a 6-2 lead after three minutes. Williams started down in the second and Prater rode him the entire period, not scoring but building up plenty of riding time. In the third, Prater started down and escaped with 1:15 left. He got a takedown with 22 seconds remaining to effectively tie the match at 6 with the riding-time point figured in, but Williams managed to work around for a reversal as time ran out to advance to the semifinals. Prater moves to the consolation round of 12, where he needs a win to become an All-American.
Top-ranked and second-seeded Mike Poeta continued his quest for a national title at 157 with a 10-5 win over Minnesota's No. 16 Tyler Safratowich. Poeta got a pair of first-period takedowns to go up 4-1. He started down in the second and escaped, but Safratowich notched a takedown with 44 seconds left. Poeta escaped to make the score 6-3 after five minutes. In the third, Safratowich started down and escaped, but Poeta scored two more takedowns for the win. He'll face Cornell's third-seeded and fourth-ranked Jordan Leen in tonight's semifinals in a rematch of the pair's 2008 championship bout.
Wise gave top-ranked and top-seeded David Zabriskie (Iowa State) all he could handle in their quarterfinal bout but the Cyclone recorded a takedown on the edge of the mat with four seconds left for the 3-1 win. After a scoreless first period, Wise started down in the second and quickly escaped. Zabriskie started down in the third and escaped in 40 seconds. Wise shot with 25 seconds left but Zabriskie fended it off and got a leg near the edge. Wise spun, splayed his legs and hopped as much as he could, but the top-ranked Cyclone eventually found his second ankle and controlled it for the winning takedown. Wise will face Virginia Tech's David Marone in the round of 12 as he continues his All-America bid.
Kennedy continued his trek through the wrestleback bracket with a dominant 6-0 win over Iowa State's seventh-seeded and seventh-ranked Nick Fanthorpe. Kennedy got a takedown with 1:58 left in the first and rode out Fanthorpe. Kennedy started down in the second and escaped off the whistle then got a takedown with 0:54 left. The pair started neutral in the third and neither man scored, giving Kennedy the 6-0 win after riding time was added.
Next up for Kennedy was Old Dominion's Kyle Hutter, who Kennedy breezed past with a 10-1 major decision. He got a late takedown in the first then was able to turn Hutter after the Monarch started down in the second. Kennedy started down in the third and got a quick reversal, then added a takedown after Hutter escaped. Kennedy tacked on the riding-time point for the 10-1 win. He'll take on Hofstra's ninth-seeded and eighth-ranked Lou Ruggirello in the round of 12 for the right to be an All-American.
No. 19 John Dergo continued to roll through the wrestlebacks with a pair of wins on Friday. First, he beat Bucknell's Shane Riccio, and a 10-2 major decision. He then added a 5-3 decision over Wyoming's Shane Onufer to advance to a round of 12 bout against Virginia's eighth-seeded and seventh-ranked Chris Heinrich. The winner will become an All-American.
At 125, B.J. Futrell gave up an early takedown to Penn State's No. 14 Brad Pataky and Pataky got two back points off the move, but Futrell reversed it. Pataky escaped and later spun behind Futrell for another takedown and an 8-2 lead after the first period. Pataky started down in the second and escaped before adding a takedown in the period. The pair started neutral in the third and Futrell got a quick takedown and two near-fall points, but Pataky escaped and Futrell couldn't connect on any late offense as the Nittany Lion eliminated him. Futrell finishes his freshman season 25-14.
No. 16 Roger Smith-Bergsrud advanced in the 165-pound wrestlebacks with a 6-5 win over Stanford's Nick Amuchastegui. The Illini senior scored first, getting a takedown with 1:26 left, but Amuchastegui got a takedown with 34 left in the period for a 3-2 lead after the first period. The pair started neutral in the second and Smith-Bergsrud got a takedown with 40 seconds left before riding out Amuchastegui to go up 4-3. The Cardinal grappler started down in the third and escaped quickly, but Smith-Bergsrud got the winning takedown with 51 seconds left. But Smith-Bergsrud couldn't keep the dream alive, falling by a 12-3 major decision to Boise State's Tyler Sherfey. Smith-Bergsrud finishes his career as a three-time NCAA qualifier and was 21-12 this season.
TEAM STANDINGS
1. Ohio State 61.5
2. Iowa State 57.5
3. Nebraska 54.0
4. Iowa 53.5
5. Edinboro 49.5
6. Cornell 41.5
7. Missouri 40.0
8. Boise State 32.5
9. Illinois 32.0
10. Michigan 27.0
WEIGHT-BY-WEIGHT RESULTS
125: B.J. Futrell (Fr., 25-14)
1st round: Dec. William Chamberlain (DUQ), 1-0
2nd round: Dec. by No. 1 seed, #1 Paul Donahoe (Edinboro), 13-7
Consolation round 3: Dec. by #14 Brad Pataky (PSU), 13-6
Futrell eliminated
133: No. 3 seed, #3 Jimmy Kennedy (Jr., 33-5)
Pigtail: Dec. by David Marble (BUCK), 7-5 (SV1)
Consolation round 1: Dec. Chris Notte (OKST), 11-6
Consolation round 2: Dec. Darius Little (NCST), 8-3
Consolation round 3: Dec. No. 7 seed, #7 Nick Fanthorpe (ISU), 6-0
Consolation round 4: Maj. dec. Kyle Hutter (ODU), 10-1
Consolation round of 12: No. 9 seed, #8 Lou Ruggirello (HOF)
141: Ryan Prater (So., 13-16)
1st round: Dec. Tim Harner (LIB), 7-3
2nd round: Pinned No. 1 seed, #1 Kellen Russell (MICH), 4:00
Quarterfinals: Dec. by No. 8 seed, #3 Ryan Williams (ODU), 8-6
Consolation round of 12: No. 2 seed, #2 Zach Tanelli (WIS)
157: No. 2 seed, #1 Mike Poeta (Sr., 16-0)
1st round: Maj. dec. Ryan Goodman (WVU), 14-5
2nd round: Maj. dec Joseph Knox (CHAT), 16-8
Quarterfinals: Dec. #16 Tyler Safratowich (MINN), 10-5
Semifinals: No. 3 seed, #4 Jordan Leen (CORN)
165: #16 Roger Smith-Bergsrud (Sr., 21-12)
1st round: Dec. by Rick Schmelyun (BLOOM), 6-3
Consolation round 2: Dec. Ryan Smith (OKLA), 2-0
Consolation round 3: Dec. Nick Amuchastegui (STAN), 6-5
Consolation round 4: Maj. dec. by Tyler Sherfey (BSU), 12-3
Smith-Bergsrud eliminated
174: #19 John Dergo (Jr., 17-9)
1st round: Dec. Alex Caruso (LEH), 3-1
2nd round: Dec. by No. 2 seed, #2 Mike Cannon (AMER), 6-3
Consolation round 3: Maj. dec. Shane Riccio (BUCK), 10-2
Consolation round 4: Dec. Shane Onufer (WYO), 5-3
Consolation Round of 12: No. 8 seed, #7 Chris Heinrich (VIR)
184: #12 Jordan Blanton (Fr., 27-11)
1st round: Dec. by Joe LeBlanc (WYO), 12-7
Consolation round 2: Maj. dec. by Rocco Caponi (VIR), 13-1
Blanton eliminated
197: Patrick Bond (Jr., 17-15)
1st round: Dec. by No. 3 seed, #6 Brent Chriswell (BSU), 9-2
Consolation round 2: Dec. John Hall (BU), 3-2
Consolation round 3: Maj. dec. by No. 8 seed, #8 Clayton Foster (OKST), 10-1
Bond eliminated
HWT: No. 9 seed, #8 John Wise (Sr., 23-8)
1st round: Dec. Ricardo Alcala (UCD), 9-5
2nd round: Dec. No. 8 seed, #19 Kyle Massey (WIS), 6-5
Quaterfinals: Dec. by No. 1 seed, #1 David Zabriskie (ISU), 3-2
Consolation Round of 12: David Marone (VT)
