Courtesy: Bob Nelson, NDSU Eric Hoffman won his second straight NCAA West Regional championship at 125 pounds Saturday.

FARGO, N.D.--Northern Iowa crowned six champions and scored 119 points to win its 23rd straight NCAA West Regional wrestling championship Saturday, March 8, at the Bison Sports Arena.

Air Force was second with 64.5 points, Wyoming third with 49.5, Northern Colorado fourth with 47.5, North Dakota State fifth with 44.5, and South Dakota State last with 14 points.

Eric Hoffman won the 125-pound division for the second straight year to lead North Dakota State's fifth-place finish.  He automatically qualified for the NCAA national championships March 20-22 at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Mo.

Hoffman, a senior from Davenport, Iowa, earned a 10-2 major decision over Northern Iowa's Caleb Flores in the semifinals and a 7-5 decision over top-seeded Anthony Mustari of Northern Colorado in the finals. 

NDSU had two other wrestlers reach the championship finals.  Sophomore Ryan Adams lost 9-5 to Northern Iowa's Nick Pickerell in the 149-pound title match, and junior Jacob Bryce lost 4-0 to UNI's Andrew Anderson in the 197-pound final.

Bryce went on to win a true-second match 13-4 over Northern Colorado's Patrick Carey.  Bryce and Adams were selected as wild cards to the NCAA national championships for the second straight season.

Other placefinishers for North Dakota State were senior Eric Sanders and freshman Shannon Fettig.  Sanders edged Air Force's Derek Gillespie 9-8 for third place at 133 pounds.  Fettig lost 6-2 to Northern Colorado's Ryan Johnson and finished fourth at 174 pounds.

Final Team Scores

1. Northern Iowa, 119.0

2. Air Force, 64.5

3. Wyoming, 49.5

4. Northern Colorado, 47.5

5. North Dakota State, 44.5

6. South Dakota State, 14.0

 

Championship Matches

125 - Eric Hoffman, North Dakota State, dec. Anthony Mustari, Northern Colorado, 7-5.

133 - Josh Baldridge, Northern Iowa, pinned Cory VomBaur, Wyoming, 4:34.

141 - Jacob Kriegbaum, Air Force, dec. Carter Downing, Wyoming, 3-1.

149 - Nick Pickerell, Northern Iowa, dec. Ryan Adams, North Dakota State, 9-5.

157 - Tyson Reiner, Northern Iowa, pinned Anthony Dorward, Air Force, 6:36.

165 - Moza Fay, Northern Iowa, pinned Eric Coxbill, Wyoming, 0:28.

174 - Tyler French, Air Force, maj. dec. Alex Dolly, Northern Iowa, 8-0.

184 - Andy O'Loughlin, Northern Iowa, dec. Jacob Devlin, Air Force, 6-4.

197 - Andrew Anderson, Northern Iowa, dec. Jacob Bryce, North Dakota State, 4-0.

285 - Reece Hopkin, Northern Colorado, dec. Jason Still, Wyoming, 4-1.

 

Third-Place Matches

125 - Caleb Flores, Northern Iowa, dec. Zach Valdez, Air Force, 5-2.

133 - Eric Sanders, North Dakota State, dec. Derek Gillespie, Air Force, 9-8.

141 - C.J. Ettelson, Northern Iowa, dec. Adam Everson, South Dakota State, 8-5.

149 - Cole Dallaserra, Wyoming, dec. Daniel Prater, Northern Colorado, 5-3.

157 - Rocco DePaolo, Northern Colorado, def. Adam Aho, North Dakota State, medical forfeit.

165 - Stephen Crozier, Air Force, dec. Ryan Meyer, South Dakota State, 6-2.

174 - Ryan Johnson, Northern Colorado, dec. Shannon Fettig, North Dakota State, 6-2.

184 - Tyler Sorenson, South Dakota State, maj. dec. Mikel Hoopes, Wyoming, 15-7.

197 - Patrick Carey, Northern Colorado, dec. Jordan Tribble, Air Force, 10-5.

285 - Dustin Bauman, Northern Iowa, dec. Anthony Stegeman, Air Force, 4-0.

 

True Second-Place Matches (no team scoring)

125 - Anthony Mustari, Northern Colorado, pinned Caleb Flores, Northern Iowa, 1:32.

141 - Carter Downing, Wyoming, dec. C.J. Ettelson, Northern Iowa, 8-1.

157 - Anthony Dorward, Air Force, dec. Rocco DePaolo, Northern Colorado, 5-4 (TB-1).

165 - Stephen Crozier, Air Force, dec. Eric Coxbill, Wyoming, 7-5.

174 - Alex Dolly, Northern Iowa, maj. dec. Ryan Johnson, Northern Colorado, 19-6.

197 - Jacob Bryce, North Dakota State, maj. dec. Patrick Carey, Northern Colorado, 13-4.

 

Awards

Outstanding Wrestler - Jacob Kriegbaum, Air Force

Most Falls - Moza Fay, Northern Iowa

Coach of the Year - Joel Sharratt, Air Force

 

National Qualifiers

Champions

125 - Eric Hoffman, North Dakota State

133 - Josh Baldridge, Northern Iowa

141 - Jacob Kriegbaum, Air Force

149 - Nick Pickerell, Northern Iowa

157 - Tyson Reiner, Northern Iowa

165 - Moza Fay, Northern Iowa

174 - Tyler French, Air Force

184 - Andy O'Loughlin, Northern Iowa

197 - Andrew Anderson, Northern Iowa

285 - Reece Hopkin, Northern Colorado

 

Wild Cards

125 - Anthony Mustari, Northern Colorado; and Caleb Flores, Northern Iowa

133 - Cory VomBaur, Wyoming

141 - Carter Downing, Wyoming; and C.J. Ettelson, Northern Iowa

149 - Ryan Adams, North Dakota State

157 - None

165 - Stephen Crozier, Air Force

174 - Alex Dolly, Northern Iowa

184 - Jacob Devlin, Air Force

197 - Jacob Bryce, North Dakota State

285 - None

 

Alternate No. 1 - Tyler Sorenson, 184, South Dakota State

Alternate No. 2 - Eric Coxbill, 165, Wyoming

Alternate No. 3 - Anthony Dorward, 157, Air Force