Mavs Send 4 to Finals, Maintain Lead
FINDLAY, Ohio -- Four Mavericks will wrestle for individual titles Saturday night as UNO maintained its lead in the team standings in its quest to win a third consecutive title in the NCAA Division II Wrestling Tournament.
Cody Garcia, Shane Unger, J.D. Naig and Les Sigman will be in the ring as the finals of the tournament unfold at 6:15 CST tonight. The Mavericks, hold a 103-90.5 lead over second-place Nebraska-Kearney. The Lopers will have three in the final matches, including heavyweight Tervel Dlagney, who will oppose Sigman, who is seeking his fourth straight national title.
In Saturday's first round, Patrick Allibone and Ross Taplin finished third at 157 and 165 and Dan Hilario, 133, finished eighth. All three earned All-American honors.
Garcia, No. 2 ranked and 38-3 at 125 pounds, will wrestle No. 5 ranked Jamie Thomas of Shippensburg in the final. Garcia, a redshirt freshman from Hutchinson, Kan., claimed a 9-1 major decision over Nick Smith of Minnesota State, Mankato in the semifinals.
Unger, a sophomore from Madison, Neb., 21-8 and ranked No. 6, edged Central Oklahoma's Shea Timothy, 7-2 in overtime to earn the right to face No. 3 ranked Tony Guerra of Findlay.
Naig, 31-3 and ranked No. 1, will be trying to win his second straight national title when he faces No. 7 ranked Michael Jackson of Indianapolis. Naig, a junior from Emmetsburg, Iowa, pinned Tom Clark of West Liberty State in 4:16 to advance.
Sigman won his 72nd straight bout overall and his 15th straight in the national tournament Saturday with a 3-0 decision over Chris Finn of Central Oklahoma. This will be the second time this season that Sigman and Dlagnev have met. Sigman, a senior from Sturgis, S.D., won 11-3 in a dual meet in Kearney Feb. 4. He also defeated Dlagnev in last year's semifinals of the national tournament in Omaha, 13-5.
Cody Garcia, Shane Unger, J.D. Naig and Les Sigman will be in the ring as the finals of the tournament unfold at 6:15 CST tonight. The Mavericks, hold a 103-90.5 lead over second-place Nebraska-Kearney. The Lopers will have three in the final matches, including heavyweight Tervel Dlagney, who will oppose Sigman, who is seeking his fourth straight national title.
In Saturday's first round, Patrick Allibone and Ross Taplin finished third at 157 and 165 and Dan Hilario, 133, finished eighth. All three earned All-American honors.
Garcia, No. 2 ranked and 38-3 at 125 pounds, will wrestle No. 5 ranked Jamie Thomas of Shippensburg in the final. Garcia, a redshirt freshman from Hutchinson, Kan., claimed a 9-1 major decision over Nick Smith of Minnesota State, Mankato in the semifinals.
Unger, a sophomore from Madison, Neb., 21-8 and ranked No. 6, edged Central Oklahoma's Shea Timothy, 7-2 in overtime to earn the right to face No. 3 ranked Tony Guerra of Findlay.
Naig, 31-3 and ranked No. 1, will be trying to win his second straight national title when he faces No. 7 ranked Michael Jackson of Indianapolis. Naig, a junior from Emmetsburg, Iowa, pinned Tom Clark of West Liberty State in 4:16 to advance.
Sigman won his 72nd straight bout overall and his 15th straight in the national tournament Saturday with a 3-0 decision over Chris Finn of Central Oklahoma. This will be the second time this season that Sigman and Dlagnev have met. Sigman, a senior from Sturgis, S.D., won 11-3 in a dual meet in Kearney Feb. 4. He also defeated Dlagnev in last year's semifinals of the national tournament in Omaha, 13-5.
