Kilgore Now One Step Away from Perfection
3/22/2013 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Brackets following Session IV
DES MOINES- Kent State senior Dustin Kilgore is back in the finals of the NCAA Championships following an 8-6 semifinal victory over Oregon State's Taylor Meeks Friday night at Wells Fargo Arena. A pivotal third period reversal broke a 5-5 tie and helped him secure riding time.
"I like to go for the two, I get a little greedy sometimes," Kilgore said of the reversal.
A pair of first period takedowns gave Kilgore a 4-1 lead, but Meeks battled back with escapes in the first and second frames and a takedown in the third. Now 43-0 on the year, the top-seeded Kilgore will battle No. 2 seed Quentin Wright of Penn State, who is also unbeaten at 31-0.
Earlier in the day, Kilgore became Kent State's first three-time All-American with a 7-0 shutout of Penn's Micah Burak. In the opening minute, Kilgore (42-0) clenched Burak's elbow and tossed him to the mat with a dump. Following the five-point move, Kilgore would not allow Burak, the No. 8 seed, to escape. The 2011 national champion began the second period with an escape and was never threatened to be scored upon. Riding time gave Kilgore the seven-point margin, extending his NCAA winning streak to 61 matches.
Senior Stevie Mitcheff (Lorain, Ohio) won a thriller in his Friday opener, before falling to No. 5 Jarrod Garnett of Virginia Tech.
Mitcheff needed some late heroics in a 7-5 win in second sudden victory over NC State's Joe DeAngelo in his first bout of the day. Mitcheff took a 1-0 lead with an escape to start the second period, but was taken down shortly after. Another escape and an ankle pick takedown gave Mitcheff a 4-2 lead heading into the third. DeAngelo chose neutral and converted a takedown in the final 15 seconds to send the match into sudden victory tied 4-4. Neither wrestler scored in sudden victory, while each earned escapes in the tiebreaker periods. Mitcheff's escape came with just seconds remaining. Tied 5-5, Mitcheff then got in on a shot for a match-ending takedown.
A pair of first period takedowns by Garnett made the difference in Mitcheff's 8-4 loss. He finishes his final season 30-13.
Freshman Mack McGuire (Upper St. Clair, Pa.) bowed out of the tournament with a 7-2 loss against No. 9 seed Levi Wolfensperger (Northern Iowa).
Saturday's championship round begins at 8 p.m. Eastern in ESPN, beginning with the 174-pound final. Kilgore and Wright will be the third match of the night.
