Bartlett Crowned National Champion at 133
March 7, 2009
A five point move late in the third period propelled Zac Bartlett (133) to the 2009 national championship. Leading by a slim 1-0 margin over Nick Nothern of Cornell College entering the third and final frame, Bartlett got Nothern into a leg cradle and was awarded two points for a take down and three points for back points, securing the 6-0 victory.
Bartlett enter the tournament the #6 seed of the tournament and Nothern was the #8 seed. These two wrestlers had faced each other three times during the regular season. Bartlett defeated Northern 9-0 at the NCAA III National Duals, producing the majority of his points with the same move that secured his national title this evening.
At the Iowa Conference Championships, Nothern defeated Bartlett 2-1 by tiebreaker in the first round of the tournament, but was later defeated by Bartlett in the third place match by this same score in regulation.
"I knew I could get the leg cradle on him because I got it on him at the national duals," commented Bartlett. "When we went to the mat, low and behold it was there again and it proved to be the difference in the match."
Bartlett becomes the 12th Luther wrestler to be crowned a national champion and the first since 2007 when Matt Pyle stood atop the 149-pound podium.
"Nobody has worked harder than Zac," stated head coach Dave Mitchell. "He has had to battle cutting weight his entire career. He learned how to adjust to his body type, turned himself into a great wrestler, and now he is a national champion. What an awesome finish. We talked about the leg cradle prior to the match and there it was. I am extremely proud of Zac and what he has meant to our program and what he has achieved individually."
Bartlett becomes the eighth national champion and 12th national finalist coach Mitchell has coached during his 13 years at the helm of the program.
