Elliot Leads Terriers At Vegas Tournament
December 7, 2000 | Men's Wrestling
LAS VEGAS, Nev. -- Senior Malik Elliot (Park Forest, IL) led the Terrier wrestling team in the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational in Las Vegas, Nevada on December 1-2 with an impressive eighth-place finish in the 149-pound weight class.
The Terriers put up a strong performance against many of the top-ranked NCAA Division I wrestling teams, finishing 30th out of 53 teams. The top five finishers included Illinois, which is ranked fifth in the nation; Nebraska, which is ninth; Lehigh, which is seventh; Arizona State, which is 12th; and Oregon State, which is 13th.
In addition to Elliot, two other Terriers wrestled very well.
Junior Jose Leon (Santa Ana, CA), a 125-pounder who is ranked 18th in the most recent InterMat Wrestling rankings, posted two wins in first-round action--a 14-6 major decision and a 3-2 victory. Then, in the second round, he dropped a close 5-3 decision to 13th-ranked Ben Vombauer of Boise State.
Sophomore Michael Messina (Hauppauge, NY) won three consecutive matches at 133 pounds, as he advanced to the quarterfinals. Messina had a 10-0 major decision win, a pin at 6:02 in the first round, and a decision of 10-8 in the second round. Messina then met 16th-ranked David Douglas of Arizona State, who eliminated him with a technical fall, 17-2.
Elliot's three consecutive wins also led him to the quarterfinals. There, he dropped a 6-4 overtime decision to 16th-ranked Michael Kulczycki of Michigan State.
