Fresno State Athletics
Abas in NCAA Wrestling Championship Finals
3/22/2002 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
March 22, 2002
FRESNO, Calif. - Fresno State's Stephen Abas is just one win away from becoming a three-time national champion. The top-seeded Abas beat fourth-seeded Chris Fleeger of Purdue in the semifinals Friday to secure a spot in the 125 division finals at the NCAA Championships in Albany, N.Y.
Abas, 34-0, will wrestle No. 7 seeded Luke Eustice of Iowa tomorrow at 11 a.m. PST. Eustice, a sophomore and Blue Earth, Minn., native, has a 23-9 record this season. He took over the starting position at 125 pounds after Jody Strittmatter's senior season ended in 2001.
This is the second time Abas will face an opponent from Iowa in the finals of the NCAA Championships. Last season Abas defeated hometown favorite Jody Strittmatter 13-10 in Iowa City, Iowa. Abas won his first national championship in 1999 against Jeremy Hunter of Penn State by a 7-4 decision.
Fresno State's Eddie Gifford was eliminated from competition after losing in the third round of consolations. Tom Tanis of Rutgers pinned Gifford in 6 minutes 37 seconds.
Fresno State is in 25th place with 12 points after four sessions of wrestling.
