CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- Notre Dame went 2-0 on Saturday and is now halfway home in successfully defending its 2010 title at the NAIA National Duals.
On Saturday, the Wrestling Falcons downed Waldorf (Iowa) and Cumberland (Tenn.) by a combined margin of 70 points (81-11) in a dominant performance that recalled their steamrolling the competition, 97-15, at last year's event.
Notre Dame, which also won last year's NAIA National Championship, earned seven majors, two tech falls and six pins in 20 bouts on Saturday. The Falcons (3-0) were the No. 1 seed in the 16-team NAIA bracket; the National Duals is an annual event that features the top 16 teams at each level of collegiate wrestling.
"The team has been training hard for this," said NDC Head Coach #Frank Romano#, who was named the NAIA Coach of the Year last season (2009-10). "We had a great December and have been pointing to this week; this is a special event in college wrestling."
#Thomas Straughn# (157 pounds), #Kevin Hardy# (165), #Derek Foore# (197) and #Orlando Scales# (HWT) each went 2-0 on a day that saw the Falcons come away with victories in 17 of 20 bouts. Both of Foore's wins were falls -- he pinned Waldorf's Jeff Roman in 1:38 and Cumberland's Alexander Mott in 1:19.
In the lighter weight classes, Notre Dame -- the current No. 1 in the NAIA Coaches' Poll -- was able to rotate between two wrestlers thus keeping fresh legs for Sunday's finale.
“Our depth allowed us to do that,” said Romano. “We have confidence in a lot of guys: today several kids stepped up and showed why.”
NDC will continue its quest for a title defense on Sunday, when they face No. 5 seed Missouri Valley in a semifinal match (12 p.m. ET). Live coverage of the National Duals is available at NWCAonline.com.
NOTES FROM THE NEST …
WE MEET AGAIN: Sunday's semifinal against Missouri Valley will be a reprise of last year's title match. The Falcons beat the Vikings, 26-7, with NDC taking seven of the 10 bouts in the match. … This year's Missouri Valley squad boasts eight Top-10 grapplers (Coaches' Poll).
HOME AWAY FROM HOME: With its performance on Saturday, Notre Dame has now won five straight matches at the UniDome -- the Cedar Falls home of the National Duals since 2006. The Blue & White are 8-2 in their last 10 matches at the National Duals, dating back to 2009.
BACK-TO-BACK IN THE BRACKETS: With a title on Sunday, Notre Dame would become the second NAIA squad to repeat at the National Duals. Lindenwood (Mo.) won the NAIA crown at the Duals in 2007 and 2008. … In five matches over the last two years in Cedar Falls, NDC has outscored foes, 178-26.
BY THE NUMBERS: Among the 16 teams competing at the 2011 NAIA National Duals, there are: 15 ranked teams, 95 Top-10 wrestlers, nine top-ranked wrestlers, five returning national champions and 24 returning All-Americans.
CONFIRMATION OF CHAMPIONS: All six of the 2010 champion teams in Cedar Falls went on to win their division's national title, including Notre Dame in the NAIA, Iowa in NCAA-I and Nebraska-Omaha in NCAA-II.
Match Date: 1/8/2011
Match Results for School: Notre Dame (Ohio)
Opponent School: Waldorf (Iowa)
Notre Dame (Ohio): 41
Waldorf (Iowa): 3
125: Venel Rene (Waldorf (Iowa)) DEC Dean, Brian(Notre Dame (Ohio)) 5-0
133: Rini, Dante (Notre Dame (Ohio)) DEC Jeff Ohnemus(Waldorf (Iowa)) 5-3
141: Savage, Tyler (Notre Dame (Ohio)) TF5 Ben Seglin(Waldorf (Iowa)) (3.45)
149: Pelton, Jeffrey (Notre Dame (Ohio)) For Forfeit(Waldorf (Iowa)) 0-0
157: Straughn, Thomas (Notre Dame (Ohio)) MD Jeremy Padilla(Waldorf (Iowa)) 12-3
165: Hardy, Kevin (Notre Dame (Ohio)) MD Rashad Moss(Waldorf (Iowa)) 12-3
174: Bittenger, Jon (Notre Dame (Ohio)) DEC Gabe Vasquez(Waldorf (Iowa)) 6-3
184: Denman, Alex (Notre Dame (Ohio)) FALL Josh Ellingwood(Waldorf (Iowa)) (2.12)
197: Foore, Derek (Notre Dame (Ohio)) FALL Jeff Roman(Waldorf (Iowa)) (1.38)
285: Scales, Orlando (Notre Dame (Ohio)) MD Jacob Combs(Waldorf (Iowa)) 10-1
Match Date: 1/8/2011
Match Results for School: Notre Dame (Ohio)
Opponent School: Cumberland (Tenn.)
Notre Dame (Ohio): 40
Cumberland (Tenn.): 8
125: Noah Hunt (Cumberland (Tenn.)) MD Dean, Brian(Notre Dame (Ohio)) 10-0
133: Joshua Chappa (Cumberland (Tenn.)) MD Rini, Dante(Notre Dame (Ohio)) 12-1
141: Freeman, Brett (Notre Dame (Ohio)) MD Ryan McKenzie(Cumberland (Tenn.)) 14-0
149: Primus, Ashtin (Notre Dame (Ohio)) FALL Phillip Flanagan(Cumberland (Tenn.)) (1.00)
157: Straughn, Thomas (Notre Dame (Ohio)) DEC Cody Bleaken(Cumberland (Tenn.)) 3-2
165: Hardy, Kevin (Notre Dame (Ohio)) TF5 Eziekiel Hunt(Cumberland (Tenn.)) (4.48)
174: Butzer, Cody (Notre Dame (Ohio)) MD Andrew Madden(Cumberland (Tenn.)) 11-3
184: Denman, Alex (Notre Dame (Ohio)) FALL Scott Stewart(Cumberland (Tenn.)) (4.18)
197: Foore, Derek (Notre Dame (Ohio)) FALL Alexander Mott(Cumberland (Tenn.)) (1.19)
285: Scales, Orlando (Notre Dame (Ohio)) FALL Bradley Rogers(Cumberland (Tenn.)) (.59)
