Iowa Wraps Up Fourth Ncaa Wrestling Title In Five Years

NCAA wrestling

Iowa defending champions Lincoln McIlravy and Joel Sharratt advanced to the NCAA wrestling finals Friday night as No. 1 Iowa clinched its fourth national title in five years.

The Hawkeyes lost four of seven semifinal matches but still had 113 points to pull away from the field. NCAA officials said teams had no mathematical chance to catch Iowa during today’s final matches.

“I didn’t really feel threatened by the team situation, so I turned my attention to the individuals,” Iowa coach Dan Gable said. “We had a couple of tough losses.”

Oregon State was in second place with 64.5 points, followed by Michigan State (56), Oklahoma State (50.5) and Penn State (48). Nebraska and Oklahoma were tied for sixth with 47.5 points. Arizona State (45.5), Illinois (44.5) and North Carolina (44) rounded out the top 10.

The biggest win of the day belonged to heavyweight Justin Greenlee of Northern Iowa. Greenlee, the fifth seed, stopped defending champion and No. 1 seed Kerry McCoy of Penn State, 4-3.

McCoy had won 88 straight bouts and was just two wins from tying John Smith of Oklahoma State for consecutive career wins. Gable, who wrestled at Iowa State from 1967 to 70, holds the record at 98.

McIlravy, the defending champion and No. 1 seed at

150 pounds, downed fifth-seeded Jeff Theiler of Arizona State while Sharratt, defending his 190-pound crown, whipped Oklahoma’s John Kading 6-2.

McIlravy will meet Illinois’ Steve Marianetti, an 8-3 victor over Nebraska’s Temoer Terry, in today’s championships and Sharratt goes against J.J. McGrew of Oklahoma State, who beat Michigan State’s Emilio Collins 5-3.

Jeff McGinness, the top seed at 126, also advanced for Iowa, outlasting Iowa State’s Dwight Hinson 4-2. He’ll wrestle the No. 2 seed, Penn State’s Sanshiro Abe, a 9-3 winner over Steve Baer of Nebraska.

Iowa lost bouts at 118 and 142.

Local watch

Kevin Roberts of Oregon became the first two-time All-American in Spokane history with wins in the consolation bracket.

He wrestles today for seventh place.

Roberts, a junior from University High School, defeated Jeff Mirabella of Northwestern 9-0. He advanced to the medal round - top eight places - with a default victory over Alfonso Cruz of Iowa State. Cruz failed to make weight. Roberts, who finished fourth last year, then lost 9-0 to Brad Canoyer of Nebraska.

Today he meets Danny Felix of Arizona State for seventh and eighth places.