Rowe, Sooners Out in St. Louis

March 21, 2008

ST. LOUIS, Mo. - Will Rowe dropped his opening round match at the NCAA Championships Thursday morning, falling to the consolation bracket. The junior fought back after the defeat, winning three straight bouts heading into tonight's fifth round consolations.

Rowe would need two victories Friday evening to advance to weekend action and only one victory to become an All-American. The task would not be easy, as the No. 5 seed Joshua Churella stood in the way of the Arlington, Texas, native.

The 149 pound match began with a Churella takedown with 1:13 to go in the first. Rowe posted his first points of the match with an escape at 58 seconds, trailing 2-1 as time ran out in the first.

Rowe chose the down position to begin the second period and tied the bout at two with an escape. A Churella takedown with 15 seconds to go in the period put the Michigan wrestler back on top, 4-2.

Churella scored a reverse after selecting down to start the final period to lead by a 6-2 margin. Rowe recorded an escape with 1:22 left in the consolation match, followed by a takedown with 38 seconds to go to pull within one, 6-5. Rowe, with no substantial riding time, needed to release Churella to score a takedown. Rowe was unable to produce, picking up only a penalty point to end the match and take the defeat by a 7-6 final tally.

"Will battled back after an early loss yesterday and really fought," head coach Jack Spates said. "Obviously, it wasn't enough. Still, we are very proud of Will and look forward to his future."

Five Sooners advanced to the championships this week, and all five have fallen out of contention, including seniors Joshua Weitzel and Joel Flaggert. The future looks bright for Oklahoma, with NCAA qualifiers Rowe (junior), and freshmen Zack Bailey and Joey Fio returning next season.

"This has been a disappointing tournament for us but we refuse to hang out heads," Spates said. "We'll be back."

Rowe Match Results

149: No. 5 Joshua Churella (UM) dec. Will Rowe (OU), 7-6

First Period...1:13, Churella takedown (0-2)...0:58, Rowe escape (Churella leads 2-1 after first)

Second Period...Rowe chooses down...1:49, Rowe escape (2-2)...0:15 Churella takedown (Churella leads 4-2 after two)

Third Period...Churella chooses down...1:31, Churella reversal (6-2)...1:22, Rowe escape (6-3)...0:38, Rowe takedown (5-6)...0:34, Churella escape (5-7)...Penalty on Churella (Churella wins 7-6)

Final Team Standings

1. Iowa (117.5 Points)
2. Ohio State (79.0)
3. Penn State (75)
4. Nebraska (74)
T5. Iowa State (72)
T5. Oklahoma State (72)
T7. Central Michigan (69)
T7. Michigan (69)
9. Cornell (67)
10. Minnesota (61.5)
..........
39. Oklahoma (8)

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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