CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (March 6) – Junior 133-pounder Nick Garber ended his run at the 2010 NCAA Division III National Championships in the best way he could. After falling behind early to Corey Brown of Thiel, Garber stormed back to pick up the final 11 points of the match and win 13-6.
With the victory, Garber finished the tournament in seventh place after posting a 3-2 mark at the event. He is Waynesburg’s first All-American since Shawn Whyte in 2001.
Though he dominated most of the contest, things didn’t start well for Garber as he was taken down and put on his back to fall behind 5-0 early. The Waynesburg native kept his head and managed to avoid the fall and reverse out of the pinning predicament to trim the lead to 5-2. Brown escaped at the end of the first three minutes of action to take a 6-2 lead.
Garber started the second period in the top position and went to work on erasing the sizeable deficit. He was able to turn Brown to his back to cut the lead to 6-5. After Brown called for injury time and the pair were returned to the middle of the mat, Garber put Brown to the mat for a second time in the period for three more back points and an 8-6 advantage. The standout junior was then awarded a penalty point after Brown called for injury time while on his back, giving Garber a 9-6 edge going into the third period.
Garber took the down position to open the third period and escaped to take a 10-6 lead. The advantage expanded to 12-6 after a takedown for the Waynesburg grappler and when the full seven minutes had expired, Garber was awarded a point for riding time to bring about the final score.
It was Garber’s second consecutive win over Brown after beating him at this year’s Division III Midwest Regional Tournament. He ends the season with an overall record of 27-6. His teammate, junior 184-pounder Corbin Semple, went 1-2 at the tournament and came one win shy of joining Garber as an All-American.