CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (March 6) – Waynesburg’s first trip to the NCAA Division III National Wrestling Championships since 2001 started out with the Yellow Jackets’ two representatives, 141-pounder Nick Garber and Corbin Semple winning two of their first three combined bouts.
Unfortunately, Friday's first day of competition ended with the pair losing their last three combined bouts, leaving the U.S. Cellular Arena in Cedar Rapids, Iowa empty-handed and ending a very memorable season.
In the championship round, Garber opened the Jackets’ day with a 14-9 loss to fourth-seeded Myanganbayar Batsukh of St. Johns (Minn.), dropping him into the consolation round.
Semple, on the other hand, got off to a great start with a 7-2 upset win over fifth-seeded Anthony Neumann of Concordia-Moorhead.
In their respective second matches, the duo’s fortunes were reversed as Garber picked up a dominant 15-3 major decision victory over fifth-seeded James Beshada of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy to move him to within one win of a medal.
Semple, on the other hand, fell out of the championship brackets with a 9-5 loss to Williams’ Ryan Malo.
The third time definitely was not the charm for both Garber and Semple as they fought to stay alive in the tournament and wrestle in the medal bouts on Saturday.
Garber was up first and never seemed to find his rhythm as he dropped a 13-9 decision to sixth-seeded Chase DeCleene of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, despite scoring five points in the third period.
Waynesburg’s last chance for an All-American rested with Semple as he took on MIT’s Joseph Silverman, a man who had beaten the first-year Jacket standout 2-1 earlier this year.
Semple managed to take a 2-0 lead in the first period, but never led again. When the match ended, Silverman advanced to the medal rounds with a 6-4 victory.
Though the season ended a day earlier then Semple, Garber and coaches Ron Headlee and John Yates had hoped, it shouldn’t diminish the amazing accomplishments of the Waynesburg wrestling program in 2008-2009.
The team went 10-4 in dual matches after going 0-11 in 2007-2008, won the Washington & Lee Invitational, went 2-0 against Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) opponents Thiel and Washington & Jefferson, received a national ranking from the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) and made it to the biggest event in Division III wrestling for the first time since the 2000-2001 campaign.
For a complete look at this year's Division III championships, click here.