- March 16th, 2007, 8:57 am
#69080
I know this is a few days late, but a good job by mr. lang!
LU wrestles with success
By Chris Lang
Lynchburg News & Advance
March 14, 2007
In many respects, this has been a storybook season for Liberty's resurrected wrestling program.
After a 12-year hiatus, the Flames returned to the mats this season with great success. LU won 16 of 24 matches and claimed the team title at the NCAA East Region championships in Pittsburgh, March 4, another first for the school.
Even better, Liberty set a school Division I record by sending four wrestlers to the NCAA championships, which begin today in Auburn Hills, Mich.
"It's quite an achievement for us," Liberty coach Jesse Castro said. "We're excited as a coaching staff. To be honest, we didn't anticipate quite this strong of a start."
Today, four Flames will have a chance to help the fledgling program take another step forward. Christian Smith, Tim Harner, Chad Porter and Patrick Walker all won their weight classes at regionals to claim NCAA berths.
Walker, who went 27-6 this season at heavyweight, opens with a match against Drexel's Chris Cowen, and if he wins, he'll meet No. 8 seed Janior Palma of North Carolina State. Walker finished 27-6 and lost 9-5 to Palma in a Nov. 8 match.
At 125, Smith (24-10) will meet Cornell's Troy Nickerson, the No. 2 seed in the bracket.
At 141, Harner (35-12) will face Oklahoma's Kyle Terry, and if he wins, he will face No. 2 seed Derek Moore of UC Davis.
The 165-pound Porter (31-11) rounds out the Liberty contingent. He'll open with a 165-pound match against Cal State Bakersfield's Daniel Atondo. The winner gets No. 1 Johny Hendricks of Oklahoma State.
Liberty has never had an All-American in wrestling, and to achieve that status, an athlete must advance to at least the semifinals of the championship or consolation bracket.
The unexpected early success has been a boon for Castro's recruiting efforts.
"I've been getting phone calls and e-mails, more than you can imagine, of individuals inquiring about our program," Castro said. "Having four qualifiers is getting us known. I'm getting calls from recruits left and right. It's huge."
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