Drew Opfer Earns Wildcard Bid to NCAA Wrestling Championships
3/8/2004 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Opfer was the MAC runner-up at 125 pounds at the MAC Championships in Athens this past weekend, losing in the final to top-seeded Mark McKnight of the University at Buffalo 6-5 in double overtime. McKnight turned a reversal on him just before the buzzer of the first half of the second overtime. Opfer then defeated Matt Smith of Ohio University 2-0 in the wrestleback to secure second place.
En route to the championship match, Opfer posted a 14-3 major decision over defending MAC champion Kyle Stoffer of Central Michigan University, who had beaten Opfer 6-3 in the regular-season finale just two weeks ago.
Opfer will enter the NCAA Championships with a record of 24-5, including three pins. His wildcard bid continues an impressive streak for the Kent State wrestling team as at least one KSU wrestler has qualified for the national championships every season of the programs existence since the NCAA meet was established in 1928.
Drew has worked really hard all year and its all paying off for him, said first-year Kent State head coach Jim Andrassy. Hed like to have that last second back in the final but he wrestled a very good tournament.
Opfer is the second member of his family to advance to the NCAA Championships as his older brother Jared reached the national meet for Kent State in 2002 and 03 in the same weight class. Jared, who was the 125-pound MAC champion in 2002, placed fourth at the MAC Championships at 133 pounds as a senior this past weekend.
The 2004 NCAA Championships will be held March 18-20 at the Saavis Center in St. Louis, Mo.
