[ Golden Gater Online - March 4, 1997 ]
Curtis K. Zupke
Staff writer
The 9,500 people of Chadron, Neb. had impolite guests over the weekend, purple-clothed men from the West Coast on their way to national glory. Those men were not intruders, but SF State wrestlers bumping off host Chadron State and all other contenders at the NCAA West Regional Championship.
The Gators won the regionals, as seven wrestlers qualified to go to nationals, and SF State coach Lars Jensen took home West Regional Coach of the Year honors.
"We haven't peaked yet," said Jensen, whose team is enjoying its best year since finishing fifth in the nationals in 1975. "We easily could have had six champions." The top three finishers in each of the 10 weight classes qualify for the NCAA Championship Meet March 14-15 in Fargo, N.D.
The Gators -- who have already set the school record for most dual meet victories in a season (12) this year -- are now ranked sixth in the nation heading into the Division II national championship. Of the seven California wrestling schools, SF State is the only Division II representative, with most of the teams' meets this season against Division I opponents.
Senior Francis Aquino, bidding to become SF State's first four-time All-American, took third place at 134 pounds after defeating Kip Platts of Western State College, 10-2. He is ranked number one going into the nationals.
SF State had three wrestlers taking first place this weekend. Junior Damon Broadbent scored a takedown with four seconds remaining against second-seeded Cody Bickley of Ft. Hays State, winning 4-3 in the 118-pound class. Fifth-ranked junior Greg Jackson handled University of Nebraska-Kearney's Mark Blaschko, 4-2, at 158 pounds, while number one seeded junior Paul Healy edged Kevin Allison of Chadron State College, 8-7 at 167 pounds.
Senior Steve Hilas, ranked second in the nation, lost the championship match to Western State's Troy Brown, 10-5, in the 142-pound class after battling a week-long illness.
"I've beat him (Brown) four times," Hilas said, referring to previous matches. "Going in, I had the ability to do it (again), but the week off with no practice got to me."
Senior Lee Lofton, ranked fourth nationally at 190 pounds, finished second after giving up a takedown with 35 seconds remaining to Chadron State's Corey Arndt, and lost 7-4. Senior Carlos Sumulong suffered a concussion in his 126-pound championship match after being illegally slammed by Colorado School of Mines' Jesse Shaffer as the two went off the mat. Sumulong still advances to the nationals on medical default.
The Gators totaled 124 points as regional champions, 13.5 points ahead of Western State. Now the grapplers prepare for the national tournament as the only competing Division II school west of the Rockies. With a tradition of making its mark, SF State in the last two seasons has finished no lower than ninth. Also, five Gators have garnered All-American honors last season.
SF State could have qualified two more wrestlers, but heavyweight Jeff Ware lost to Clay Bowman of Nebraska-Kearney, and 150-pound junior Mario Moreno fell to Chadron State's Justin Heopman in their decisive matches.
As the season highlight approaches -- the national championship -- Jensen likes the team's chances, but can still see room for improvement. The 14th-year Gator coach has mentored 27 All-Americans, more than any coach at SF State.
"If we wrestle up to our capabilities, we can finish in the top four," Jensen said. "We have to finish our matches stronger. Sometimes toward the end, we stopped wrestling. We have to wrestle the whole match."
"We want to use this (victory) as a stepping stone," said Aquino, who took last season off to concentrate on school. "We know we have the talent. We just go out there and take care of business...they're shooting' for us now."
[ Golden Gater - March 4, 1997 ]