From NYU Athletics
Junior Brandon
Jones won two of his three bouts on the opening day of
the NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships, which are being held
at the U.S. Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids, IA, on
Friday-Saturday, March 14-15.
The victories have assured Jones of becoming an All-American for
the second straight season. The current 141-pounder finished fifth
in the nation at 133 pounds in 2013.
The top eight finishers in each weight class earn All-America
honors.
In his first bout of the day, Jones (20-3) fell behind 2-0 in the
first round against his opponent, Nathaniel Behnke of the
University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. However, Jones' reversal
late in the round and his second one in the third round erased the
deficit and carried him to a 5-2 victory.
"I don't think the final score was indicative of how much Brandon
dominated the match," said Senior Assistant Coach Corey
Luce.
Jones' next bout was against Charlie Banaszak of the University of
Chicago. The two wrestlers had met at the University Athletic
Association (UAA) Championship in February, with Jones winning the
bout by a 13-6 decision.
However, things did not turn out as well for Jones in the rematch.
Banaszak took an early lead and never let up. Jones was unable to
mount a comeback and he fell to his opponent by a score of
10-3.
In the third bout, Jones needed a win to stave off elimination and
secure an All-America bid.
Once again he fell behind his opponent, Dominick Giacolone of
Ithaca College, early in the bout. This time, however, the result
would be different. Jones took a lead, but the score was eventually
tied 4-4 and went to overtime. That's when Jones was able to take
his opponent down and score the winning two points for a 6-4 sudden
victory.
The win assured Jones of at least an eighth-place finsh and the
possibility of advancing all the way to third place.
"It was a true test of character," Luce said. "That's really all
there is to say."