Norse Finish in 6th at National Tournament
March 8, 2008
Travis Grawin will return home as the highest place winner for the Norse following the completion of the third session of the NCAA III National Wrestling Championships.
The Norse finished the tournament in 6th place, posting a point total of 45.5 points. With just the finals remaining, Wartburg is in first place with 135 points. The Knights are followed by UW-La Crosse (91), Augsburg (81), Coe (74) and Delaware Valley (64). All five teams have wrestlers who will be battling for an individual title during tonight's fourth and final session.
Grawin (141) placed fourth, earning his second All-America honor in as many years. Grawin, seeded #8 for the tournament, was defeated by #4 Steven Hult (New York University) 6-2 in the third place match. Grawin advanced to the third place match thanks to a 4-1 decision over Niles Mercer (Coe).
Alec Bonander (197) also returns as a two-time All-American. Bonander, seeded #2, completed the tournament in fifth place. He was defeated by #4 Craig Bolling (UW-Stevens Point) in the semifinals of the consolation bracket by fall at 6:48. He finished fifth after receiving a medical forfeit by #7 Josh Holforty (UW-Eau Claire), who had defeated Bonander 5-2 in the quarterfinals of the championship round.
Zach Bartlett (133) finished seventh, while Yonny Quist (149) placed eighth. Bartlett received a medical forfeit by Jestin Hulegaard (Buena Vista University), while Quist was defeated by #4 Paul LeBlanc (SUNY-Cortland) by fall at 5:41. Both wrestlers return home earning All-America honors for the first time.
Complete Individual and Team Results
Friday, March 7 - Session One Recap - Session Two Recap
