DUBUQUE, IOWA -- Two Baldwin-Wallace College wrestlers, senior 285-pounder Bryan Kmetz (Brunswick) and junior 165-pounder Gino Russo (Northfield Center) are still active and wrestling and the Yellow Jackets currently stand 18th as a team at the 2007 NCAA Division III National Wrestling Championship Tournament at Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa. The duo have each made it to the final eight in their weight class to guarantee that both will be Division III All-Americans. The trio was joined at the national tourney by sophomore 197-pounder Paul Burger (Mentor) who has been eliminated.
Kmetz, the No.3 seed, pinned Josepf Tartar of Muhlenberg (Pa.) College in 42 seconds in his first match and then shut out No.6 seed Jacob Taylor of Oswego State (N.Y.), 5-0, in the quarterfinals. Kmetz ran his season record 17-0 with 10 falls and his career mark to 85-17 overall with 29 falls. He will battle #2 seed Arkadiy Levitin of Hunter (N.Y.) tomorrow morning in the semifinals.
Russo has a 2-1 mark and is competing the consolation bracket semifinals tomorrow morning. After being pinned in 1:56 of his first match by #6 seed Michael Guenter of the College of New Jersey, Russo battled back to beat Derek Ricker of Messiah (Pa.) College, 3-2, and then defeated Zach Bogardus of Cortland State (N.Y.), 7-4, to make the final eight. Russo will wrestle Phil Kruzel of the University of Chicago (Ill.) in a consolation semifinal tomorrow morning. Russo advances with a 64-23 career slate and a 23-5 mark this season.
Burger, despite having an 0-2 mark at his first national tourney, wrestled well. He lost his first match to #3 seed James Swanson of UW LaCrosse (Wisc.), 5-4, and was eliminated by a late pin by #6 seed Tyler Wozniak of UW Stevens Point (Wisc.) in 6:58. Burger ends his season at 9-3 overall.
The final day is tomorrow. Ironically, B-W currently stands 18th in the team scoring and that is the same ranking that B-W ended the regular season.
For complete NCAA Division III Championship results, please visit the B-W Web site at www.bw.edu/athletics. Then click on the link to the 2007 NCAA Division III National Championship Web site and go to the Championship Results and brackets.
Local Collegiate Aggate Results at the
NCAA Division III National Championships
Loras, College; Dubuque, Iowa
Team Scores (After the First Day): 1. Augsburg (Minn.), 75.5; 2. Wartburg (Iowa), 62.5; 3. UW LaCrosse (Wisc.), 51.5; 4. Luther (Iowa), 47.0; 5. College of New Jersey, 32.5. Ohio Schools: 16. Mt. St. Joseph, 15.5; 18. Baldwin-Wallace, 14.5; 20. Heidelberg, 12.0; 35 (tie). John Carroll, 4.5; 47 (tie). Case, 1.0; 50 (tie), Ohio Northern, 0.5.
Ohio College Results By-Weight Class:
125 pounds: #4 Heilman (Cornell) TF Penny (Ohio Northern), 17-0 (5:00); Quieroz (Wilkes) def. Penny, 6-2; 133 pounds: #7 Cullen (Lycoming) def. Pizzurro (John Carroll), 8-1; Nothern (Cornell) def. Pizzurro, 3-1 (SV1); 141 pounds: Sanchez (Heidelberg) MD Marsh (Bridgewater), 14-6; #7 Manoogian (Case Western Reserve) def. Sanchez, 11-5; #2 Laforge pinned Manoogian, 0:48; #8 LaCroix (Roger Williams) def. Sanchez, 7-4; Chambers (UW Platteville) def. Manoogian, 13-9; 149 pounds: #3 Pflug (Heidelberg) MD Kobilansky (NYU), 12-1; #4 Roush (Mt. St. Joseph) pinned Young (Scranton), 3:44; Pflug def. #6 Ooton (Brockport), 10-6; Roush def. #5 Larsen (UW LaCrosse), 2-1 (TB1); 157 pounds: #6 Galante (New Jersey) MD Coleman (Ohio Northern), 16-6; Milks (UW Platteville) pinned #5 Spence (Mt. St. Joseph), 5:44; Andrews (Olivet) pinned Coleman, 2:55; Spence def. Forness (Buena Vista), 11-7; Spence MD deLalla (Wesleyan), 14-3; 165 pounds: #6 Guenther (New Jersey) pinned Russo (Baldwin-Wallace), 1:56; Russo def. Ricker (Messiah), 3-2; Russo def. Bogardus (Cortland State), 7-4; 174 pounds: #3 Vanderhyde (Olivet) def. Plowman (Ohio Northern), 8-2; Plowman def. Larson (Dubuque), 6-4; Dorner (UW Oshkosh) def. Plowman, 3-2; 184 pounds: Summers (John Carroll) def. #7 Lynaugh (Augsburg), 3-2; #2 Sair (Cortland State) def. Summers, 6-3; Summers def. Mueller (Luther), 5-4; 197 pounds: #3 Swanson def. Burger (Baldwin-wallace), 5-4; Wozniak (UW Stevens Point) pinned Burger, 6:58; 285 pounds: #3 Kmetz (Baldwin-Wallace) pinned Tartar (Muhlenberg), 0:42; Bowers (Heidelberg) def. #8 Laurent (UW LaCrosse), 3-2; Kmetz def. #6 Taylor (Oswego State), 5-0; #1 Gillis (Wartburg) MD Bowers, 16-3; Rutledge (Knox) def. Bowers, 8-5.
275 Eastland Rd.