Drexel University
NCAA Championships
Drexel Wrestlers Fall in First Round of the NCAA Wrestling Championships
3/16/2006 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Mytych, a two-time CAA Rookie of the Week at 125 pounds, lost to 12th-seeded Tanner Gardner of Stanford, 4-1. Gardner finished second in the Pac-10 and had a 33-10 record this season entering the NCAA Championship.
Renninger, a 149-pound junior, fell to Carter Downing of Wyoming in the first round. Downing qualified for the championships by winning the West Regional Championships. The final score was 7-0.
Ryan Hluschak, a sophomore, became one of the nation's hottest wrestlers halfway through the season when he started a run of 21 victories out of 22 matches. Hluschak pinned his first three opponents at the CAA Championships to clinch a spot in Oklahoma City. His 31 wins this season are the fourth-highest single season total in school history. He lost a 10-0 decision to sixth-seeded Brandon Becker of Indiana in the first round. Becker placed third at 157 pounds at the Big Ten Championships and now has a record of 24-7.
Jon Oplinger came back from a mid-season knee injury to win eight of his last nine matches, with his only loss to eventual 197-pound CAA champion, Adam Wright. Oplinger, a sophomore, was awarded a wild card berth to the NCAA Championships. He dropped a 6-0 decision to sixth-seeded Phil Davis of Penn State in the first round. Davis won the 197-pound Big Ten Championship and now has a 22-3 record.
Mytych, Renninger, Hluschak and Oplinger will all move to the consolation bracket and will wrestle later in the evening.
Players Mentioned
