Wrestling Finishes Season at NCAA Championships
March 24, 2000 | Men's Wrestling
Boston - Freshman 125-pounder Jose Leon (Santa Ana, CA) and junior 149-pound grappler Malik Elliott (Park Forest, IL) earned the Terriers 5.50 points with their 3-4 combined record to give B.U. a 45th-place finish in the 73-team event, as the 1999-2000 Terrier wrestling season came to a close at the NCAA Championships held in St. Louis, MO from March 16-18.
Leon started the tournament brilliantly as he defeated No. 11 Bruce Kelly of Lehigh University by an 11-8 decision. However, Oklahoma State's Jeff Ragan, a fifth-year senior and the No. 6 seed in the tournament, proved to be too tough for the young Leon, pinning B.U.'s freshman phenom at 4:31. Ragan went on to earn All-America honors for the Cowboys, placing sixth in the championships.
By virtue of his loss to Ragan, Leon was moved to the wrestle-back bracket where he squared off against Oregon State sophomore Nathan Navarro, the fourth-place finisher in the Pac-10 tournament. Leon's season ended against Navarro, as he lost a hard-fought 9-6 decision. With the defeat, Leon ended the 1999-2000 campaign with a 20-6 record.
Like Leon, Elliott started the tournament on a hot note, pinning Coppin State junior Cairo Moorman just 3:51 into the match. The win moved Elliott to the second round where he lost a 20-7 major decision to No. 3-ranked Reggie Wright of Oklahoma State. Wright, the Big 12 champion, earned All-America honors after of placing fourth in the championships.
Elliott's loss transported him to the wrestle-back bracket where he faced Rider sophomore Derek Jenkins in a rematch of the ECWA semifinals, where Elliott prevailed, 3-1. Once again, Elliott downed Jenkins, this time by a 3-2 margin. With the win, Elliott advanced to meet Nebraska sophomore Joe Henson, the No. 11-seeded wrestler in the 149-pound bracket. Elliott lost in a close 7-6 decision. Elliott's season closed with a 17-8 record.
B.U. head coach Carl Adams was happy with his duo's efforts, saying, "I felt that Jose and Malik showed that they have what it takes to become All Americans. I was quite pleased with the way that the season ended. The team's performance at the conference championship was very good. We are really looking forward to next season. Recruiting seems to be going well and we have an experienced group returning."
Adams cannot help but to look forward to the 2000-01 season, when he returns nine of his 10 wrestlers who normally were in the Terrier lineup. The only loss is in the 157-pound weight class, where senior Chris Simmons (Hendricks, MN) will be replaced due to graduation. Leon, 133-pound freshman Mike Messina (Smithtown, NY), sophomore 141 Keith Borgaro (Mahopac, NY), Elliott, junior 167 Zak Emond (Lake Zurich, IL), sophomore 174-pounder Ali Abri (Ashland, VA), freshman 184 Chad Grant (Eaton Rapids, MI), freshman 197 Ed Strauss (Macungie, PA), and freshman heavyweight Rich Wilson (Coldwater, MI) all return to give the Terriers a solid nucleus for next season.
