Garcia, Meneely and Taplin Advance to Finals
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – The Mavericks went a perfect three-for-three in the semifinals Saturday afternoon, as Cody Garcia, Todd Meneely and Ross Taplin all advanced into the finals of the NCAA II National Championships at the U.S. Cellular Center.
UNO got help from all six wrestlers still competing Saturday, as they moved from fourth to third in the team standings. First-place Nebraska-Kearney (100.5) holds a slim half-point advantage over second-place Minnesota State, Mankato (100), while the Mavs are a distant third with 85.5 points.
Three of UNO’s six wrestlers wrapped up competition in the early session Saturday. Redshirt freshman Aaron Denson recovered from an opening-round loss Friday to earn All-American honors with a seventh-place showing at 165 pounds.
Sophomore Jacob Marrs and junior Tony Lewis both improved on last year’s results, each taking home All-American honors with a top-eight finish in their respective weight classes. Marrs won a 5-2 decision over Augustana’s Tyler Copsey to finish third at 197, while Lewis’ 2-1 decision over Limestone’s William Moss earned him a seventh-place finish at 285.
With 290 bouts complete, people can now turn their attention to the 10 championship matches remaining. The Mavs’ three finalists will take centerstage Saturday evening when the finals get under way at 7 p.m.
2006 national champion Cody Garcia pinned his way into Saturday night’s 125-pound final, dispatching all three of his opponents by way of first-round fall. The No.1-ranked Garcia will meet No. 3 Nick Smith of Minnesota State, Mankato in the finals.
Todd Meneely kicked off his title defense at 149 in dominating fashion Friday, pinning his first-round foe in 1:21. A 9-6 decision over Adams State's Joseph Deaguero during Saturday's semifinals lifted the No.1-ranked Meneely into Saturday night's 149-pound title bout against No. 2 Camille DuPont of Western State. Meneely will be looking to become just the seventh UNO wrestler to win back-to-back national titles.
No.2-ranked Ross Taplin kept the UNO faithful on edge during his semifinal match against Mercyhurst's Josh Shields. Similar to his quarterfinal win over Bryant Blanton, Taplin successfully held of a pair of last-ditch attempts by Shields to claim a 5-3 decision and move into the 174-pound finals. He will square off against No. 6 Albert Miles of Pittsburg Johnstown.
The finals will webcast free of charge via the UNO athletic website. The first championship match begins at 7 p.m. CST.
UNO got help from all six wrestlers still competing Saturday, as they moved from fourth to third in the team standings. First-place Nebraska-Kearney (100.5) holds a slim half-point advantage over second-place Minnesota State, Mankato (100), while the Mavs are a distant third with 85.5 points.
Three of UNO’s six wrestlers wrapped up competition in the early session Saturday. Redshirt freshman Aaron Denson recovered from an opening-round loss Friday to earn All-American honors with a seventh-place showing at 165 pounds.
Sophomore Jacob Marrs and junior Tony Lewis both improved on last year’s results, each taking home All-American honors with a top-eight finish in their respective weight classes. Marrs won a 5-2 decision over Augustana’s Tyler Copsey to finish third at 197, while Lewis’ 2-1 decision over Limestone’s William Moss earned him a seventh-place finish at 285.
With 290 bouts complete, people can now turn their attention to the 10 championship matches remaining. The Mavs’ three finalists will take centerstage Saturday evening when the finals get under way at 7 p.m.
2006 national champion Cody Garcia pinned his way into Saturday night’s 125-pound final, dispatching all three of his opponents by way of first-round fall. The No.1-ranked Garcia will meet No. 3 Nick Smith of Minnesota State, Mankato in the finals.
Todd Meneely kicked off his title defense at 149 in dominating fashion Friday, pinning his first-round foe in 1:21. A 9-6 decision over Adams State's Joseph Deaguero during Saturday's semifinals lifted the No.1-ranked Meneely into Saturday night's 149-pound title bout against No. 2 Camille DuPont of Western State. Meneely will be looking to become just the seventh UNO wrestler to win back-to-back national titles.
No.2-ranked Ross Taplin kept the UNO faithful on edge during his semifinal match against Mercyhurst's Josh Shields. Similar to his quarterfinal win over Bryant Blanton, Taplin successfully held of a pair of last-ditch attempts by Shields to claim a 5-3 decision and move into the 174-pound finals. He will square off against No. 6 Albert Miles of Pittsburg Johnstown.
The finals will webcast free of charge via the UNO athletic website. The first championship match begins at 7 p.m. CST.
