Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State Wrestlers Out of NCAA Championship
3/19/2004 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
March 19, 2004
FRESNO, Calif. - All four of Fresno State's wrestlers who made it to the second day of competition at the NCAA Championships in St. Louis, Mo., lost today in the first round, eliminating them from the tournament.
The four, freshman Christian Bowerman, senior Casey Olson and juniors Marcio Botelho and Clint Walbeck, entered today's sessions with 1-1 records, respectively.
Bowerman was pinned by the eighth seed in the 125 division, Indiana's Joe Dubuque, in 3:49. He finishes his freshman season with a 15-12 record.
Olson (149) lost a close 3-2 decision to Matt Kocher, a freshman from Pittsburgh. Olson finishes his two-year Bulldog career with a 52-20 overall record.
Botelho, seeded 12th in the 197 division, lost his second overtime match, this time a 9-6 tie breaker to Kyle Cerminara of Buffalo. Although Botelho was an All-American last year, he suffered a knee injury in the spring which plagued him and limited his amount of competition this season. He finishes his junior season with a 9-4 overall record.
Eighth-seeded Walbeck was Fresno State's highest hope to reach the podium at the tournament, but he also fell short, losing to Rutgers' Ramel Meekins 5-3. Walbeck went 29-6 overall this season with 10 pins and was consistently ranked in the top ten during the second half of the year.
Fresno State's two other NCAA qualifying wrestlers, sophomore Greg Gifford and freshman Anthony Rubalcava, were eliminated from the tournament Thursday. Gifford lost his first two matches and Rubalcava failed to make weight (174).
Updates of NCAA Championship brackets can be accessed on www.ncaasports.com.
