SCSU claims 2nd consecutive NCAA DII championship!
The St. Cloud State University wrestling team captured the 2016 NCAA Division II national championship for the second consecutive season on Saturday, March 12 in Sioux Falls, S.D.
The Huskies tallied 90 points to bring home the national team title and they were led by redshirt freshman Brett Velasquez, who captured first place in the 125-pound bracket with a 5-0 win over Willy Bohince of Mercyhurtst.
Velasquez finished the tournament with a 4-0 record. Velasqez is the sixth SCSU wrestler to win an NCAA Division II individual national crown and he is the 16th Husky to win an individual national title (NCAA and NAIA combined).
For his work this season, SCSU’s Steve Costanzo was named the 2016 NWCA Coach of the Year.
This is SCSU’s second consecutive national team title and the second NCAA championship for any sport in the history of the University.
SCSU saw all seven of its athletes in competition at the tournament gain All-America honors. Clint Poster placed third at 165-pounds to earn his fourth consecutive All-America award, while Austin Goergen placed third at 285-pound to gain his third consecutive All-America award.
At 149-pounds, Jay Hildreth placed fourth to earn his second All-America award, while Matt Nelson placed fifth at 141-pounds to bring back his second All-America award as a Husky.
First time All-America award winners for SCSU were Clayton Jennissen, who placed seventh at 174-pounds and Uthman Rabiu, who placed eighth at 184-pounds.
SCSU’s finish at the NCAA Division II championships today marks another milestone in the program. The Huskies have finished among the NCAA’s top 10 eight times since 2009.
SCSU won the NCAA title in 2015 and placed second in 2011, 2012 and 2013 under the direction of head coach Steve Costanzo.
The tournament finishes the 2015-16 season for SCSU. The Huskies charted a 16-1 dual match record this winter and also claimed their fifth consecutive NSIC championship with an 8-0 record. SCSU placed second at the 2016 NCAA Division II Super 3 Regional and saw four of its athletes gain championships at the Regional meet. In the final Division II national poll of the season, the Huskies gained a #2 ranking.
2016 NCAA Division II National Championships Results
Listed below are the results of the matches on March 12 at the NCAA championships.
Semifinals Championship Round:
125: #3 Brett Velasquez (SCSU) dec. #6 Ronzel Darling (UWP) 2-0
141: #6 Joseph Alessandro (Seton Hill) dec. Matt Nelson (SCSU) 13-10
149: #4 Issac Dulgarian (Notre Dame) dec. #3 Jay Hildreth (SCSU) 12-5
285: #5 Joseph Fagiano (Calif. Baptist) pin #2 Austin Goergen (SCSU) 1:15
Consolation Bracket:
165: #1 Clint Poster (SCSU) pin Kade Kitchens (Shorter) 5:44
174: Austin Harris (Western State) dec. #7 Clayton Jennissen (SCSU) 6-2
165: #1 Clint Poster (SCSU) major dec. #2 Francis Mizia (Mercyhurst)13-2
Click Here: NRL Telstra Premiership 184: Nick Burghardt (Maryville) dec. #8 Uthman Rabiu (SCSU) 7-0
285: Austin Goergen (SCSU) pin Jacob Mitchell (CSU Pueblo) 5:25
5th Place Match at 141: Matt Nelson (SCSU) major dec. Sam Hanau (Pitt-Johnstown) 9-0
3rd Place Match at 149: #1 Nic Goebel (Findlay) dec. #3 Jay Hildreth (SCSU) 2-1 OT
3rd Place Match at 165: #1 Clint Poster (SCSU) major dec. Tyler Mclean (Simon Fraser) 13-0
7th Place Match at 174: #7 Clayton Jennissenn (SCSU) dec. Roberto Rivera (Notre Dame) 4-1
7th place Match at 184: #7 Huston Evans (Newberry) dec. #8 Uthman Rabiu (SCSU) 7-3
3rd Place Match at 285: #2 Austin Goergen (SCSU) tech fall Austin Aikins (Coker) 15-0 (5:43)
1st place Match at 125: #3 Brett Velasquez (SCSU) dec. Willy Bohince (Mercyhurst) 5-0
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