The 2004 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships took place in St. Louis, Missouri, from March 18-20. Dozens of teams competed for the NCAA team championship, and 330 wrestlers competed for individual honors.
Team Standings
Iowa was a distant second with 82 points, Lehigh and Ohio State tied for third at 77 1/2, and Nebraska was fifth at 74. It was still a comfortable victory for the Cowboys in the overall points count, marking a significant achievement for the team.
"A lot of people wanted to see us fall," Pendleton said.
2004 NCAA Finals-Troy Letters(Lehigh) vs Tyrone Lewis(Okla St.) at 165 lbs.
Individual Champions
The tournament was characterized by the even play amongst teams with no schools claiming multiple individual championships.
- 125: Jason Powell (Nebraska)
- 141: Cliff Moore (Iowa)
- 149: Jesse Jantzen (Harvard)
- 157: Dave Miller (Rider University)
- 174: Chris Pendleton (Oklahoma State)
- 184: Greg Jones (West Virginia)
- 197: Damion Hahn (Minnesota)
- 285: Tommy Rowlands (Ohio State)
- 133: Mike Messina (Sacred Heart)
- 165: Ralph Everett (Hofstra)
- 197: Chris Skretkowicz (Hofstra)
- 285: Payam Zarrinpour (Sacred Heart)
At 125, top-seeded Jason Powell (26-2) became the first Nebraska champion since 1995 with a technical fall in the second period over fifth-seed Kyle Ott of Illinois. "It's the best possible way to go out," Powell said.
Read also: Championship Highlights
Iowa got a winner at 141, clinching second place, when Cliff Moore decisioned Matt Murray of Nebraska 5-2 in a mostly defensive struggle matching the fifth and seventh seeds.
Jantzen (38-1), the top seed at 149, is a sociology major. "It's incredible and it's a big relief," Jantzen said. John Harkness, the only other Harvard champion, watched from the third row.
Gentry decisioned Jake Percival of Ohio 4-2 in the only finals matchup pairing unbeaten wrestlers. Gentry (41-0) is in pre-medicine. "My athletics helps my academics and my academics helps my athletics," Gentry said. "It's quite an honor.
Oklahoma State Cowboys crowned one individual champions Chris Pendleton at 174 pounds. The Cowboys had one other wrestler who qualified as an All-American.
"It breaks my heart to see a guy like Tyrone not win the national title when he's the best wrestler, hands down, in college wrestling," Pendleton said.
Read also: The history of 4-Time NCAA Champions
Jones (26-0) also finished unbeaten with a 10-5 decision over Ben Heizer of Northern Illinois at 184.
Hahn, the defending champion and top seed at 197, decisioned 10th-seeded Ryan Fulsaas of Iowa 6-2.
In a rematch of the Big Ten championship, Rowlands decisioned Pat Cummins of Penn State 6-2 at heavyweight.
Rider University sophomore Dave Miller was named the Tournament Most Outstanding Wrestler, coming from the second seed to win the CAA 157 pound title. Miller won all four of his bouts, two by fall, including a pin over the top seed in the finals.
The 20 finalists along with five wild card selections will now advance to the NCAA National Championship Tournament, March 18-20, in St. Louis , MO.
Read also: NCAA Wrestling 2001: Minnesota's Victory
The five wildcard selections are: 125 Rob Rebmann of Drexel (third place), 133 Joe Cristaldi of Drexel (third place), 141 Joey Rivera of Boston (third place), 141 Rob Becker of George Mason (fourth place), and heavyweight Carmelo Marrero of Rider (third place).
The alternates include: 157 Rob Belville of Sacred Heart (third place), 149 Rayes Gonzales of Boston (third place) and 184 Adam Wright (third place) of Old Dominion.
| Weight Class | 1st Place | 2nd Place | 3rd Place | 4th Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 125 | Tom Noto (Hofstra) | Jose Leon (Boston) | Rob Rebmann (Drexel) | Andy Bricker (Campbell) |
| 133 | Mike Messina (Sacred Heart) | Brett Frimer (Boston) | Joe Cristaldi (Drexel) | Brian Kibler (JMU) |
| 141 | Josh Ruff (Binghamton) | Joey Rivera (Boston) | John Manarte (Hofstra) | |
| 149 | Adrian Austin (GMU) | Rayes Gonzales (Boston) | James Strouse (Hofstra) | Jesse Fendryk (Sacred Heart) |
| 157 | Dave Miller (Rider) | Paul Siemon (Hofstra) | Zak Johns (Boston) | Jesse Pearce (ODU) |
| 165 | Ralph Everett (Hofstra) | Sherwood Fendryk (Sacred Heart) | Ryan Cunningham (Rider) | |
| 174 | Noel Thompson (Hofstra) | Nick Kozar (Drexel) | Ben Schliens (Boston) | |
| 184 | Nick Catone (Rider) | Brad Christie (Hofstra) | Adam Wright (ODU) | Lantz Nixon (Campbell) |
| 197 | Chris Skretkowicz (Hofstra) | Chris Jones (Drexel) | Jared Terrell (Rider) | John DaCruz (Boston) |
| 285 | Payam Zarrinpour (Sacred Heart) | Carmelo Marrero (Rider) | Derrel Lorthridge (ODU) | Dan Garay (Hofstra) |
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