Drexel University
NCAA Championships
Oplinger Eliminated from 2009 NCAA Wrestling Championships
3/20/2009 2:18:00 PM | Wrestling
St. Louis - Drexel senior Jon Oplinger dropped a 13-7 decision to Cam Simaz of Cornell to end his remarkable run in the 2009 NCAA Wrestling Championships. Earlier in the day, Oplinger lost his quarterfinal match against No. 4 seed Tyrel Todd of Michigan. Todd defeated Oplinger, 8-0. Oplinger ended his tournament just one win shy of All-America status.
After a first round win over No. 5 Dallas Herbst, Jon Oplinger picked up a gritty 9-8 victory over Eric Chine of Kent State in the second round. The win advanced Oplinger to the championship quarterfinals where he lost to fourth-seeded Tyrel Todd of Michigan in the quarterfinal match Friday morning.
Oplinger had a near-perfect start to his second round match as he marched out to a 6-2 lead after reeling off three first-period takedowns. Oplinger chose to start the second period neutral and Chine picked up his first takedown of the match. The senior quickly escaped then earned a takedown of Chine and he escaped just before the period ended with Oplinger holding a 9-5 advantage. Chine chose bottom to start the period and soon after picked up a one-point escape. Oplinger was called for stalling twice costing him two points on his lead but he fought off a late charge from Chine to win, 9-8.
In his first round match Oplinger used a late takedown to take fifth-seeded Dallas Herbst to overtime before claiming a shocking overtime sudden victory triumph in the first round of the NCAA Wrestling Championships. Oplinger entered the tournament unseeded but has become an immediate topic of conversation among the near-capacity crowd at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis. Herbst was ranked fourth nationally in the latest NWCA/InterMat.
Oplinger recorded the first takedown of the match to take a 2-0 lead. Herbst responded with an escape and a takedown to take a 3-2 lead. Oplinger was unable to escape before the period ended and Herbst took the one-point advantage into the second period. The wrestlers started the second period in the neutral position by Oplinger's choice and neither wrestler scored, though Herbst was issued what turned out to be a critical stalling warning. Herbst chose to start the third period on the bottom and quickly escaped to double his lead to 4-2. With time winding down, Herbst was called for stalling and Oplinger was awarded one point. Just seconds later, Oplinger was able to register a takedown to earn regain the lead, 5-4. Before the whistled sounded to end the match, Herbst was able to escape to tie the score at 5-5 as the two headed to sudden victory overtime. In overtime, Oplinger earned a quick takedown to end the match as the shocked crowd saw the fifth-seeded Herbst eliminated from the championship bracket.
Players Mentioned
