Opelt To Wrestle Defending National Champion
Wednesday, March 12th, 2014 -- 10:15 AM
Cornell College freshman, Phillip Opelt (22-12) of Neillsville, is wrestling at 133 pounds and is the fifth freshman to qualify for nationals in coach Mike Duroe's nine seasons at the helm.He earned a berth with an upset of Coe's second-ranked Jimmy Gotto in a regional third-place match. Opelt opens against top-seeded and two-time defending NCAA champion Kenny Anderson (11-2) of Wartburg. The winner meets Coast Guard's Nathaniel Giorgio (11-3) or Wilkes' No. 8 seed Myzar Mendoza (27-7) in a quarterfinal.
Cornell College has posted six top-25 team finishes in the last seven years, crowning 14 All-Americans during the span.
A total 180 wrestlers from 65 teams make up this year's NCAA Division III Championships in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The two-day event will be hosted by Cornell College for the fifth time in seven years. The top eight finishers in each weight class earn All-America status.
Action gets underway at 11 a.m. Friday with two preliminary rounds and the first round of consolations. Session II starts at 6 p.m. with the championship quarterfinals. Saturday's Session III begins at 10 a.m. with the championship semifinals and includes third-, fifth- and seventh-place matches. The finals are set for 7 p.m.
Complete brackets and tournament information can be found at NCAA.com.
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