From NYU Athletics
Brandon Jones of the New York University
wrestling team won all three of his matches on Satuday, March 15,
to finish in third place in the 141-pound bracket at the NCAA
Division III Wrestling Championships at the U.S. Cellular Center in
Cedar Rapids, IA.
The third-place finish matches the best in NYU history, as Jones
joins Mat McLenahan who finished third at 118 pounds in 1992 and
Stephen Hult who took third at 174 pounds in 2008. In addition, The
result earns Jones his second consecutive All-America honor, making
him just the fourth NYU wrestler to collect that distinction twice
in his career, along with McLenahan, Ben Weinthal and Tyras
Bookman.
On the first day of competition on Friday, Jones came out of
the gate strong, earning 5-2 decision in his first match over
Nathaniel Behnke of Wisconsin Eau-Claire, but dropped his next
match to the University of Chicago's Charlie Banaszak by a margin
of 10-3. Facing elinimation and with his All-American hopes on the
line, the junior captain pulled out a 6-4 sudden victory in
overtime vs. Ithaca College's Dominick Giacolone.
Entering Saturday, Jones had the opportunity to finish as high as
third place if he could secure three victories. He dispatched of
his first opponent, Wayne Black of Mount St. Joseph, in a 9-3
decision before winning a narrow 5-4 decision over Michael Ferinde
of Johnson and Wales to advance to the third-place match. There he
would again face Banaszak, who he had defeated 13-6 at the UAA
Championships, but had dashed his title hopes a day earlier.
"It was a good opportunity for Brandon to have a rematch with
Banaszak after yesterday's loss," noted Senior Assistant
CoachCorey Luce. "He really showed how strong of a
wrestler he is."
In the third-place match, Jones fell behind 2-0 early, but fought
back for a hard-fought 8-6 decision.
"For Brandon to lose in the quarterfinals with a title in mind and
be able to come back and win four straight matches is a real
testament to his character," Luce added.
"I had to make a mental adjustment and take some pressure off
myself," Jones observed. "I think it made my wrestling more
relaxed, and helped me to bounce back and finish strong."
Jones' third-place finish was also good for 12.5 team points,
earning NYU a tie for 31st place among 65 teams.