Post by wiseowl on Mar 17, 2013 18:15:57 GMT -5
Adams earns All-America wrestling honor
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — Former Chariho High wrestler Derek Adams earned All-America honors at the Division III national wrestling tournament.
Adams earned the honor by virtue of his fourth-place finish in the 133-pound division. The top eight wrestlers in each weight class are All-Americans.
Adams, a sophomore at Springfield College, finished with a 4-2 record in the tournament. The unseeded Adams beat three seeded wrestlers along the way.
“I felt pretty good. First of all, I wanted, at a minimum, to be All-American,” Adams said. “Obviously, I wanted to win, but after that I just wanted to place as high as I could.”
Adams lost to Nathan Fitzenreider of North Central College (Naperville, Ill.) in the bout for third place by an 8-2 margin Saturday.
Fitzenreider was the tournament’s No. 2 seed and came into the event unbeaten at 133 pounds.
He was 31-1 overall after losing a bout during the regular season at 141. Fitzenreider finished the season 36-2.
Chariho coach Scott Merritt was proud of Adam’s accomplishment.
“First and foremost, it doesn’t surprise me in the slightest,” Merritt said. “He’s always been very strong. He has the right mindset, the right physique and the right drive.”
Merritt received several text messages from Adams on Saturday, including one thanking him for his role in Adams’ accomplishment.
“I’m very proud of him. He had a goal of top eight and once he got out there he wanted a little more. It’s phenomenal. He’s just a sophomore. I would not be at all surprised if he is a national champion before he graduates,” Merritt said.
Adams opened the tournament Friday with a 6-3 win against No. 8 seed Ryan O’Boyle of McDaniel College (Westminster, Md).
He then lost to top-seeded and unbeaten Kenneth Anderson of Wartburg College (Waverly, Iowa) 14-3 in a major decision. Anderson, who is 25-0, won the national title Saturday night. His Wartburg team was firmly in control of the team standings. Wartburg was in first with 103, while Wisconsin- Whitewater was second with 78.
Adams then beat Christopher Sokol of the University of Dubuque (Dubuque, Iowa) 4-2 on Saturday morning. Next came a 6-4 win against Dalton Bullard of Elmhurst College (Elmhurst, Ill.) Bullard was the No. 4 seed.
Adams followed with a 4-3 decision against third-seed Alex Gomez of Ithaca College (Ithaca, N.Y.).
The match went to double overtime. Adams (24-9) prevailed because he had more riding time in the second overtime. Adams lost to Gomez and O’Boyle during the regular season. O’Boyle was a two-time New England high school wrestling champion for Central Catholic in Massachusetts. He won at 119 in 2011 and at 126 in 2012.
“I made sloppy mistakes the first times I wrestled them,” Adams said. “I kept my wrestling very clean and solid this time.”
Adams hopes for even bigger things in his career.
“Both the kids I lost to are seniors. They are the top two guys at the weight. I want to make the finals and win,” Adams said.
Adams posted a record of 112-28 during his years at Chariho. He finished third in the state and the New England tournament his senior year. Adams broke his arm in the first match of his sophomore year ending the season that year.
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — Former Chariho High wrestler Derek Adams earned All-America honors at the Division III national wrestling tournament.
Adams earned the honor by virtue of his fourth-place finish in the 133-pound division. The top eight wrestlers in each weight class are All-Americans.
Adams, a sophomore at Springfield College, finished with a 4-2 record in the tournament. The unseeded Adams beat three seeded wrestlers along the way.
“I felt pretty good. First of all, I wanted, at a minimum, to be All-American,” Adams said. “Obviously, I wanted to win, but after that I just wanted to place as high as I could.”
Adams lost to Nathan Fitzenreider of North Central College (Naperville, Ill.) in the bout for third place by an 8-2 margin Saturday.
Fitzenreider was the tournament’s No. 2 seed and came into the event unbeaten at 133 pounds.
He was 31-1 overall after losing a bout during the regular season at 141. Fitzenreider finished the season 36-2.
Chariho coach Scott Merritt was proud of Adam’s accomplishment.
“First and foremost, it doesn’t surprise me in the slightest,” Merritt said. “He’s always been very strong. He has the right mindset, the right physique and the right drive.”
Merritt received several text messages from Adams on Saturday, including one thanking him for his role in Adams’ accomplishment.
“I’m very proud of him. He had a goal of top eight and once he got out there he wanted a little more. It’s phenomenal. He’s just a sophomore. I would not be at all surprised if he is a national champion before he graduates,” Merritt said.
Adams opened the tournament Friday with a 6-3 win against No. 8 seed Ryan O’Boyle of McDaniel College (Westminster, Md).
He then lost to top-seeded and unbeaten Kenneth Anderson of Wartburg College (Waverly, Iowa) 14-3 in a major decision. Anderson, who is 25-0, won the national title Saturday night. His Wartburg team was firmly in control of the team standings. Wartburg was in first with 103, while Wisconsin- Whitewater was second with 78.
Adams then beat Christopher Sokol of the University of Dubuque (Dubuque, Iowa) 4-2 on Saturday morning. Next came a 6-4 win against Dalton Bullard of Elmhurst College (Elmhurst, Ill.) Bullard was the No. 4 seed.
Adams followed with a 4-3 decision against third-seed Alex Gomez of Ithaca College (Ithaca, N.Y.).
The match went to double overtime. Adams (24-9) prevailed because he had more riding time in the second overtime. Adams lost to Gomez and O’Boyle during the regular season. O’Boyle was a two-time New England high school wrestling champion for Central Catholic in Massachusetts. He won at 119 in 2011 and at 126 in 2012.
“I made sloppy mistakes the first times I wrestled them,” Adams said. “I kept my wrestling very clean and solid this time.”
Adams hopes for even bigger things in his career.
“Both the kids I lost to are seniors. They are the top two guys at the weight. I want to make the finals and win,” Adams said.
Adams posted a record of 112-28 during his years at Chariho. He finished third in the state and the New England tournament his senior year. Adams broke his arm in the first match of his sophomore year ending the season that year.