March 20, 2009
ST. LOUIS -
Sophomore Thomas Scotton led North Carolina with a 2-2 record at 157 pounds before being eliminated Friday at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships at the Scottrade Center. Seniors Keegan Mueller and Justin Dobies both dropped their first bouts Friday morning and were eliminated as well with 1-2 records.
Scotton, who went 1-1 Thursday, opened Friday with a major decision over Bryan Deutsch of Northern Illinois to advance in the consolation bracket. The Willingboro, N.J., product came out of the gates strong with three first-period takedowns and closed with two more takedowns and a two-point near fall in the third for a 15-5 victory.
Following his win over Deutsch, Scotton squared off against 11th-seeded Chase Pami of Cal Poly and nearly pulled of the upset before falling 7-4 in the sixth overtime period. Each wrestler scored an escape in regulation, and Scotton went in front on an overtime reversal before Pami escaped to knot the score at three and later earned the win with a three-point near fall.
With his 2-2 record at nationals, Scotton ends his sophomore campaign with a 23-15 record.
After going 1-1 Thursday at 165, Mueller was eliminated in his first match Friday, an 8-5 decision to Chattanooga's William Garvin. Mueller scored a first-period takedown to grab an early lead, but Garvin had a big second period with a near fall, reversal and a takedown to take control. Mueller's senior season ends with a 33-9 record and an ACC title at 165.
Dobies, the Tar Heels' heavyweight, defeated Nebraska's Tucker Lane on senior night in Chapel Hill but could not manage a second straight victory in his opening match Friday, as Lane scored a 4-2 sudden victory to advance. Dobies and Lane traded escapes in regulation and in overtime before Lane managed a takedown in the second sudden victory overtime period. Dobies wraps up his senior campaign with a 29-10 record and ranks seventh in school history with 109 career wins.
Carolina had seven qualifiers reach the NCAA Championships for its highest total since 2003.
