Thursday, March 20
Oklahoma City, Okla.
TBA
Kent State University
vs
NCAA Championships
Photo by: Simon Jimenez
Miller Knocks Off Defending Champion in Fourth Place Finish
3/22/2014 2:04:00 PM | Wrestling
Final Brackets
OKLAHOMA CITY – Kent State sophomore Ian Miller (Oak Harbor, Ohio) won over the Chesapeake Energy Arena crowd Saturday morning with an action-packed 14-9 victory over defending NCAA champion Derek St. John of Iowa. Miller then settled for a fourth place finish, falling to top-seeded James Green of Nebraska in the consolation finals.
Miller used five different moves for five different takedowns, including four in the first period against St. John. Working from his patented underhook, Miller hoisted St. John high in the air with one leg to set up his opening takedown and catch the attention of thousands of fans. He soon followed with an outside single leg shot that knocked St. John over.
After being awarded a penalty point, Miller took St. John for another ride, this time with a double leg shot, giving him a 7-3 lead. A lightning fast duck-under gave Miller a commanding 9-3 lead after one period. Miller scored a pair of escapes in the second, another takedown in the third and secured a riding time point.
"He really mixed it up," Head Coach Jim Andrassy said of Miller's offense. "When he gets guys to come at him like that it's easier for him to hit all those different types of moves. Any time you get an Iowa guy out there, everybody's going to be watching. He was really explosive and took some fancy shots that created a lot of excitement for the fans."
A more rested Green won his consolation semifinal by forfeit Saturday morning, before downing Miller 13-1. Green jumped out to an early 5-0 lead with a double leg takedown and a tilt.
"Taking fourth is good at this tournament, but he was literally 20 seconds away from being in the finals," Andrassy said. "I'm real proud of him. And now he's got to improve. I think the redshirt last year helped him and now he realizes how close he is to being a national champion. The four guys at the top of his weight class are all really close."
Miller joins Dustin Kilgore as just the second Kent State wrestler since 1985 to place in the top four at the NCAA Championships.
Sophomore Michael DePalma also showed promise at the NCAA Championships, going 2-2 with an upset of No. 7 seed Gus Sako of Virginia.
"Mike was literally a headlock away from having three wins here," Andrassy said. "And who knows what could happen from there. To come here and get two wins in your first year in the lineup puts him right on pace with some of the best guys we've had in recent years. We have to get him and Ian in the room together as much as we possibly can. It's going to make both of them better."
As a team, Kent State finished tied for 29th with 13.5 points. The entire Golden Flashes' starting lineup is expected to be back next season.
OKLAHOMA CITY – Kent State sophomore Ian Miller (Oak Harbor, Ohio) won over the Chesapeake Energy Arena crowd Saturday morning with an action-packed 14-9 victory over defending NCAA champion Derek St. John of Iowa. Miller then settled for a fourth place finish, falling to top-seeded James Green of Nebraska in the consolation finals.
Miller used five different moves for five different takedowns, including four in the first period against St. John. Working from his patented underhook, Miller hoisted St. John high in the air with one leg to set up his opening takedown and catch the attention of thousands of fans. He soon followed with an outside single leg shot that knocked St. John over.
After being awarded a penalty point, Miller took St. John for another ride, this time with a double leg shot, giving him a 7-3 lead. A lightning fast duck-under gave Miller a commanding 9-3 lead after one period. Miller scored a pair of escapes in the second, another takedown in the third and secured a riding time point.
"He really mixed it up," Head Coach Jim Andrassy said of Miller's offense. "When he gets guys to come at him like that it's easier for him to hit all those different types of moves. Any time you get an Iowa guy out there, everybody's going to be watching. He was really explosive and took some fancy shots that created a lot of excitement for the fans."
A more rested Green won his consolation semifinal by forfeit Saturday morning, before downing Miller 13-1. Green jumped out to an early 5-0 lead with a double leg takedown and a tilt.
"Taking fourth is good at this tournament, but he was literally 20 seconds away from being in the finals," Andrassy said. "I'm real proud of him. And now he's got to improve. I think the redshirt last year helped him and now he realizes how close he is to being a national champion. The four guys at the top of his weight class are all really close."
Miller joins Dustin Kilgore as just the second Kent State wrestler since 1985 to place in the top four at the NCAA Championships.
Sophomore Michael DePalma also showed promise at the NCAA Championships, going 2-2 with an upset of No. 7 seed Gus Sako of Virginia.
"Mike was literally a headlock away from having three wins here," Andrassy said. "And who knows what could happen from there. To come here and get two wins in your first year in the lineup puts him right on pace with some of the best guys we've had in recent years. We have to get him and Ian in the room together as much as we possibly can. It's going to make both of them better."
As a team, Kent State finished tied for 29th with 13.5 points. The entire Golden Flashes' starting lineup is expected to be back next season.
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