Four wrestlers advance to NCAA's for Bulldogs
Staff Reports
The Collegian
Junior wrestler Greg Gifford defeated Eastern Illinois’ Greg Perz 36 seconds into the second period of the 184-pound title match at the NCAA Western Regionals Sunday to win the Region Championship.
Two other Fresno State wrestlers, Cody Parker and Shane Siebert, also reached the finals of the competition.
The win by Gifford automatically places him in the NCAA championships on March 16-18 in Oklahoma City.
Fresno State began the day competing in nine classes and was in second place at the end of preliminary matches with two wrestlers advancing to the semi-finals.
The Bulldogs continued to move up as Gifford, Parker and Siebert advanced to the finals. Siebert defeated his opponent in the 165-pound semifinals but was forced to take himself out of the finals due to injuries.
Parker finished his semifinal match with a first period pinfall over an opponent from Northern Iowa to advance. He was beaten in the finals by Wyoming’s Dusty Hoffschneider.
Gifford sealed the region championship with a 3:36 pin of his opponent, earning him the title and a ticket to the NCAA championship.
Overall, Fresno State finished the tournament in third place behind host Wyoming and champion Northern Iowa.
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