Bailey, Flaggert Win in First Round

March 20, 2008

ST. LOUIS, Mo.-- First round matches got underway this morning at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Mo., as No. 19 Oklahoma entered the NCAA Championships with five wrestlers aiming for a podium finish.

Competing first for the Sooners was No. 15 Joey Fio, one of 27 true-freshmen in the championships this year, against Eric Hoffman of North Dakota State. With a record of 20-8 on the season, 125-pound Fio looked to avoid the consolation bracket with an opening round victory.

Down 11-6 after scoring a takedown and three escapes in the first two periods, Fio chose the down position to begin the third. The Sooner was unable to escape Hoffman, giving up a two-point nearfall and dropping the first round match by a 14-6 final.

No. 16 Zack Bailey was next on the mat for the Sooners at 141 pounds, dualing against No. 8 Dan Laclere of Iowa. After three takedowns for the Hawkeye in the first period, Bailey trailed 6-3 to begin the second.

The Sooner freshman chose the down position and posted an escape at 1:30 to close the gap to 6-4. With just five seconds left in the second, Bailey scored a takedown to tie the match.

Laclere recorded an escape after choosing the down position to begin the third to go on top by one, 7-6. With time winding down, Bailey scored a takedown with 35 seconds left and rode Laclere for the remainder of the final period to post the 8-7 upset.

The Sooner improved his overall record to 28-11 and will advance to the second round later this evening. The win also marks his second victory over a ranked opponent this season (won versus No. 12 Mike Rowe of Neb. at the Big 12 Championships).

It was then junior Will Rowe, ranked No. 17 in the nation among 149-pounders, who faced off against No. 1 seed Brent Metcalf of Iowa. Metcalf opened the first period by posting two points with a takedown at 2:08, followed by a Rowe escape eight seconds later to make the score 2-1.

The Hawkeye then showed why he owns the top-seed in the weight class, pinning the Sooner from Arlington, Texas.

No. 5 Joshua Weitzel was the next Sooner in quest for a title at 184 pounds, matching up against Doug Umbehauer of Rider. Umbehauer struck first in the match by recording a takedown, followed by a Weitzel reversal to even the bout at two. Umbehauer returned the favor, posting two more points via reversal to lead 4-2 the end the first period.

Weitzel chose the down position to begin the second and scored one point on the escape. The Rider wrestler then scored another takedown to end the period for a 6-3 lead. OU's Weitzel was unable to rally in the third, giving up another takedown after an escape to drop the match by a 9-5 final after a riding time point was awarded to Umbehauer. It marks just the fourth loss of the season for the Sooner senior (24-4).

Two-time All-American Joel Flaggert looked to end the Sooner skid with a win at 197 pounds over his foe from Boise State, Matt Casperson. It was a 4-2 score to begin the second period after two takedowns by No. 5 Flaggert in the first.

Casperson scored an escape after choosing the down position to begin the second to inch within one, 4-3. The Sooner would take control of the match, scoring two takedowns in the final two periods to post the victory, 9-5.

The Choctaw, Okla., native improved his record to 23-5 on the season and will move on to the second round tonight versus Hudson Taylor of Maryland.

Fio will wrestle versus Ross Gitomer of Virginia later this evening in the wrestleback division and Zack Bailey will be pitted versus No. 9 Nick Gallick of Iowa State in the championship bracket, also tonight.

Rowe will receive a bye in the consolation bracket and will take on the either Kyle Fried of Colonial or Don Fisch of Rider.

Weitzel will see his next action this evening versus Phillip Bomberger of Penn State.

Sooner Match Results

125: Eric Hoffman (NDST) dec. No. 15 Joey Fio (OU), 14-6
141: No. 16 Zack Bailey (OU) dec. No. 8 Dan Leclere (UI), 8-7
149: No. 1 Brent Metcalf (UI) fall No. 17 Will Rowe (OU), 1:49
184: Doug Umbehauer (RU) dec. No. 5 Joshua Weitzel (OU), 9-5
197: No. 10 Joel Flaggert (OU) dec. Matt Casperson (BSU), 9-5

Team Leaders

1. Iowa (19 Points)
2. Central Michigan (18 Points)
3. Iowa State (16 Points)
T4. Minnesota (15.5 Points)
T4. Nebraska (15.5 Points)