Fred Santaite
March 23, 2010 | Men's Wrestling
March 23, 2010
Fred Santaite made his first appearance at the NCAA Championships a successful one, going 2-2 against four eventual All-Americans and pulling off the biggest upset of the first day with a last-second, 2-1 victory over defending national champion Troy Nickerson of Cornell.
The 125-pounder opened the tournament with an 8-7 victory over 19th-ranked Nikko Triggas of Ohio State thanks to a third-period takedown, setting up a match-up against second-seeded Nickerson in the round of 16. A second-period escape by Nickerson was the only point scored until the closing seconds, when Santaite slipped behind Nickerson for a takedown to stun the crowd.
Santaite finished just one win shy of All-America status following two losses to Big Ten opponents on Friday and finished the year with a record of 20-11.
